This is the blog of Samie Sands, author of Lockdown. There will be many great books and projects reviewed here. For more, check out thelockdown.co.uk.

Friday 30 October 2020

The Searcher by Tana French

 

New York Times Bestseller

"This hushed suspense tale about thwarted dreams of escape may be her best one yet...its own kind of masterpiece." --Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post

A "taut, chiseled and propulsive" (Vogue) new novel from the bestselling mystery writer who "is in a class by herself." (The New York Times)

Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a bucolic Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens. But when a local kid whose brother has gone missing arm-twists him into investigating, Cal uncovers layers of darkness beneath his picturesque retreat, and starts to realize that even small towns shelter dangerous secrets.

"One of the greatest crime novelists writing today" (Vox) weaves a masterful, atmospheric tale of suspense, asking what we sacrifice in our search for truth and justice, and what we risk if we don't.

US LINK

UK LINK

Wednesday 28 October 2020

Leave the World Behind: 'This book is going to be big' Vogue' by Rumaan Alam

 

'Easily the best thing I have read all year' Kiley Reid
'Deserves a place among the classics' Washington Post
'I have not been this profoundly unnerved since Ishiguro'Never Let Me Go' Carmen Maria Machado
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD 2020

A magnetic novel about two families, strangers to each other, who are forced together on a long weekend gone terribly wrong

Amanda and Clay head to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a holiday: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they've rented for the week. But with a late-night knock on the door, the spell is broken. Ruth and G. H., an older couple who claim to own the home, have arrived there in a panic. These strangers say that a sudden power outage has swept the city, and - with nowhere else to turn - they have come to the country in search of shelter.

But with the TV and internet down, and no phone service, the facts are unknowable. Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple - and vice versa? What has happened back in New York? Is the holiday home, isolated from civilisation, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one another?

An impossibly compelling literary thriller about the world we live in now, Rumaan Alam's novel is keenly attuned to the complexities of parenthood, race and class. Leave the World Behind explores how our closest bonds are reshaped in moments of crisis - and how the most terrifying situations are never far from reality.
_______

Everyone is talking about LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND
SOON TO BE A MAJOR GLOBAL NETFLIX ADAPTATION STARRING DENZEL WASHINGTON AND JULIA ROBERTS

'An exceptional examination of race and class and what the world looks like when it's ending' Roxane Gay

'A thrilling book - one that will speak to readers who have felt the terror of isolation in these recent months and one that will simultaneously, as great books do, lift them out of it' Vogue
'Explores complex ideas about privilege and fate with miraculous wit and grace' Jenny Offill

'A slippery and duplicitous marvel . . . A signature novel for this blasted yearNPR
'A prescient book, built for these strange times, sure to entrance and electrify' Samantha Hunt

'Alam's achievement is to see that his genre's traditional arc, which relies on the idea of aftermath, no longer makes sense. Today, disaster novels call for something different' New Yorker

'Read it with the lights on' Jenna Bush Hager, October Book Club pick

Picked as a book of the Autumn by
Vogue * TIME * Washington Post * Entertainment Weekly * Buzzfeed * Wall Street Journal * Vulture * Newsweek * NY Observer * Town & Country * Refinery29 * New York Post * PopSugar * LA Mag * The Week

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UK LINK

Monday 26 October 2020

Ask Again, Yes: The gripping, emotional and life-affirming New York Times bestseller by Mary Beth Keane

 

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND RADIO 2 SUMMER BOOK CLUB PICK

'The new Little Fires Everywhere . . . The perfect summer read' STYLIST

'Stunning! An absolutely brilliant, gorgeously-written novel. A must-read for our time' LISA TADDEO, author of Three Women

'Immersive and deeply moving' ANNA HOPE, author of Expectation

'I absolutely adored it' LIANE MORIARTY, bestselling author of Big Little Lies
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Two ordinary families. One life-changing day . . .

When the Gleesons and the Stanhopes become neighbours, lonely Lena Gleeson wants a friend. But Anne Stanhope - cold, elegant, unstable - wants to be left alone.

It's left to their children - Lena's youngest, Kate, and Anne's only child, Peter - to forge a lasting friendship and a love that blossoms despite their parents' differences.

When a shocking act of violence tears all their lives apart, Kate and Peter will spend years finding their way back to each other - rebuilding the love they lost, and learning to forgive.

But can their families ever understand the bond they share?

And how much can love ever truly heal?
_____________

A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN PRIMA, VOGUE, PEOPLE, ELLE AND NPR

'Keane takes on one of the most difficult problems in fiction - how to write about human decency . . . a compelling case for compassion over blame, understanding over grudge, and the resilience of hearts that can accept the contradictions of love' Louise Erdrich, National Book Award winning author of The Round House

'Leaves one shaking one's head in frank admiration. A triumph' Matthew Thomas, bestselling author of We Are Not Ourselves

US LINK

UK LINK

Saturday 24 October 2020

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah

 

An Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post bestseller, and a Goodreads Choice Award finalist.

In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again.

After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises.

The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child’s home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay—just until she learns more about Ursa’s past.

Jo enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren’t Jo and Gabe checking the missing children’s website anymore?

Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made. As the summer nears an end and Ursa gets closer to her fifth miracle, her dangerous past closes in. When it finally catches up to them, all of their painful secrets will be forced into the open, and their fates will be left to the stars.

US LINK

UK LINK

Thursday 22 October 2020

American Dirt: THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER by Jeanine Cummins

 

*NOW A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIME*
'Breathtaking... I haven't been so entirely consumed by a book for years' Telegraph
'I'll never stop thinking about it' Ann Patchett


FEAR KEEPS THEM RUNNING. HOPE KEEPS THEM ALIVE.

Vivid, visceral, utterly compelling, AMERICAN DIRT is an unforgettable story of a mother and son's attempt to cross the US-Mexico border. Described as 'impossible to put down' (Saturday Review) and 'essential reading' (Tracy Chevalier), it is a story that will leave you utterly changed.

Yesterday, Lydia had a bookshop.
Yesterday, Lydia was married to a journalist.
Yesterday, she was with everyone she loved most in the world.

Today, her eight-year-old son Luca is all she has left.

For him, she will carry a machete strapped to her leg.
For him, she will leap onto the roof of a high speed train.
For him, she will find the strength to keep running.

LINK

Tuesday 20 October 2020

A Killer's Wife by Victor Methos

 

An Amazon Charts bestseller.

From the bestselling author of The Neon Lawyer comes a gripping thriller about a prosecutor confronted with the darkest part of her past and the worst fears for her future…

Fourteen years ago, prosecutor Jessica Yardley’s husband went to prison for a series of brutal murders. She’s finally created a life with her daughter and is a well-respected attorney. She’s moving on. But when a new rash of homicides has her ex-husband, Eddie, written all over them—the nightmares of her past come back to life.

The FBI asks Jessica to get involved in the hunt for this copycat killer—which means visiting her ex and collaborating with the man who tore her life apart.

As the copycat’s motives become clearer, the new life Jessica created for herself gets darker. She must ask herself who she can trust and if she’s capable of stopping the killer—a man whose every crime is a bloody valentine from a twisted mastermind she’s afraid she may never escape.

US LINK

UK LINK

Sunday 18 October 2020

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

 

The #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller that People Magazine calls “a poignant, addictive read.”

From #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends with Us comes a novel about family, first love, grief, and betrayal that will touch the hearts of both mothers and daughters.

Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike.

Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.

With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.

While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she’s been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets, resentment, and misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further apart. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back together.

US LINK

UK LINK

Wednesday 14 October 2020

Not Dead Yet (AM13 Outbreak Series Book 4)

 

The AM13 Outbreak has affected everywhere, the entire world has experienced infection.

Victims of the virus are no longer human, they've changed, become something scientifically impossible. With their loss of human function and their new lust for flesh, there’s only one word to describe them...

Zombies.

The world is divided as everyone tries to work out how to survive. Many have already lost their lives
in the fight, but there are still a few who are not dead...

Yet!

US Link

UK Link

Monday 12 October 2020

Extinct (AM13 Outbreak Series Book 3)

Writing books about the horrors of the zombie apocalypse is one thing—but Georgie Blake can’t believe it has become her reality…

She never expected her fictional stories of blood, death, and the consumption of human flesh to jump off the page into the real world. She certainly didn’t think she’d survive this long if they had. As a shy novelist, she was sure she’d be one of the first to die.

Safe in the Sanctuary, Georgie holds on to hope for a cure...

But that’s not all she holds on to. The government has promised the people of the Sanctuary that they can return home. The rumours are rife that there is an antidote on the horizon. But even if not, the infected are dying out, throwing the treacherous AM13 virus to the brink of extinction. If the infection dies out, this horrible nightmare Georgie is living in will be a distant memory.

Until everything that’s right goes terribly wrong...

Soon after meeting some new friends in the Sanctuary, Georgie learns she’s going to have to face the monsters outside the walls if she wants to return to her old life. But for a scared, introverted bookworm, it may be too much to consider...

Will Georgina conquer her fears of the dead to return home, or will she be one of the countless others who have gone Extinct?

US Link

UK Link

 

Saturday 10 October 2020

Forgotten (AM13 Outbreak Series Book 2)

 

Every attempt to contain the deadly AM13 virus has failed, leaving humanity on the brink of extinction…

The plague is spreading out of control with no cure in sight. Then the government announces its new plan—a sanctuary in an area completely untouched by the infected—as long as you can get there alive and unscathed.

Ethan Watton has managed to survive this long, even with OCD making every day more hellish than it already is…

Ethan’s obsessive-compulsive disorder dramatically affected his life before the infection began. Now he’s desperate to get as far away from the zombie virus as humanly possible. Isolated and afraid, Ethan thinks there is no way in hell he will survive the epidemic.

Alyssa Turner has spent her teenage years prepping for the undead to challenge her zombie killing skills…

Alyssa knows with absolute certainty that she will survive the AM13 virus. She’s read all the books, watched all the films, and done all the research. She’s strong, tough, and a self-proclaimed badass. Any group would be lucky to fight alongside her…until the unthinkable makes her doubt every skill she’s acquired.

Dr. Jones is a scientist who doesn’t understand why he was selected to produce a cure…

Surely there are survivors more experienced in virology than he is. And what will happen to him—and the rest of the species—if he fails? Is the fate of the human race really resting on his shoulders? Or are there others working toward the same goal?

With the zombies multiplying and survivors struggling to make it to the sanctuary, Ethan, Alyssa, and Dr. Jones fight to fulfill their destinies. If they fail, their fate is sealed, and they will join the millions of others who have been…
Forgotten.

US Link

UK Link

Thursday 8 October 2020

Lockdown (AM13 Outbreak Series Book 1)

 

Leah Watton’s practical joke has spiralled way out of control—all to impress a crush…

With a prank online video, Leah hopes to catch the attention of Jake Colton, a cute, blond-haired, blue-eyed co-worker she’s had a crush on for months. But instead of sending it to Jake, she manages to forward the clip to her boss—who buys every gory second.

When mass panic ensues, Leah learns the video is more than a staged act…

The government is calling the virus AM13. As the outbreak spreads, citizens are forced to stay indoors while they assess the gravity of the illness. Most people are quarantined in their homes, but Leah, Jake, and Leah’s best friend Michelle are some of the unlucky few who are stuck at work when the Lockdown occurs.

That’s where she first encounters one of the infected…

Aside from a contaminated woman devouring one of her co-workers, Leah has another problem. Does she do as she’s ordered and stay at work? Or should she disobey government orders and break free to reunite with her family?

She can’t go it alone—after all, Leah has none of the skills needed to survive—but with Michelle and Jake by her side, not even a contagious virus and a sea of the dead can keep her from…

Breaking out of the Lockdown…

US Link

UK Link

Monday 5 October 2020

Love Hurts

 

Love isn't always flowers and roses. Sometimes it hurts...sometimes it kills...

Happy Valentine’s Day by Thomas M. Malafarina
The Heart Knows by Katie Jaarsveld
Frying Pan by Ryan Colley
The Time Morphine by Alex Winck
Last Call by Rick Eddy
Jasper, Edith, And Nazareth by Armand Rosamilia
In Memoriam by Andy Lockwood
A Burning Love by Alex Bailey
For Life or Death by Katie Jaarsveld
Abayomi Yorubá by Alex Wink
Pursued by Samie Sands
The Room by Matías Andrés Bravo Jara
I Was Made To Love Him by K.C. Finn
Waiting for Forever by Jaclyn Ann Lee
Final Revenge by Gisela Woldenga
Hunger by Stefan Vucak
Leather by Kayleigh Edwards
The Dinner Date by Linda Jenkinson
Erebus by Michele Jones
My Encounter With A Mermaid by Anthony Modungwo
Country Life by Rob Shepherd
The Tentacled People by Kevin S. Hall
Temptress of the Night by Samie Sands

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Sunday 4 October 2020

Carnival of Nightmares

 

You lie awake at night fearing them. Wondering when they will come for you.

Some nights they leave you in peace. Other nights they dig their claws into your mind, taking you to places of sheer terror and unfathomable horror.

Whether it’s walking through the haunted house while its secrets threaten to keep you prisoner, or staring at the room of mirrors while the deformed faces of circus freaks smile at you with malicious intent—sooner or later you will realize that what you fear most is the evil which waits beneath the surface of your dreams.

So, tonight when you lay your head down to sleep, remember to say your prayers…

Because you might be mere seconds away from entering…

The Carnival of Nightmares.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

A new anthology #AcceptingSubmissions #CarnivalOfTheWicked

 

Calling all authors, I am looking for submissions for my new anthology. Here are the details:

Theme: Whatever your imagination conjores up when it thinks of the spooky carnival...

Genre: Horror

Word Count: 500 – 15,000

Deadline– November 1st

If this is something that you’re interested in, the nitty gritty details can be found in the sample contract posted below. If you would like to submit or have any more questions, my email is lockdown@writeme.com:

Contract

Saturday 3 October 2020

Carnival of Strange Things

 

Ladies and gentlemen, step right up. The carnival is about to begin, and the show is to die for...

Grab your ticket and take a seat. The ringmaster’s opening act? A creature showcasing its bloody feat.

There are haunting spirits with much to tell. Tales of torture and screams straight from the burning flames of hell.

Tick-tock goes the time, seconds passing by as you slowly lose your mind.

Watch.
Wait.
Listen.

Evil is coming, and it’s striking from behind.

Horror and fear, like filth on your skin it clings,
Question is, are you brave enough to endure…

The Carnival of Strange Things?

CLICK HERE FOR MORE 

Friday 2 October 2020

Evil Lurks

 

Evil is everywhere, you cannot escape it, there are things in this world that we simply cannot understand. Do you dare dive into the unknown, to explore the supernatural, to find where Evil Lurks?

Cat Food by Armand Rosamilia
Anzu Rediscovered by C.L. Williams
Elementals by Katie Jaarsveld
The Town That Hell Spat Out by Kevin S. Hall
A Break In by McKenzie Richardson
The Revelation by Lachelle Redd
The Grey Man by Sheri Velarde
Onryo by Samie Sands
The Spark of Creation by McKenzie Richardson
Ghost in the Machine by Rick Eddy
Spirit of Lonely Places by Michele Jones
Heartbreaker by Kevin S. Hall
My Paranormal Romance by McKenzie Richardson
The Statue by Dave J. Suscheck
Life In There by Katie Jaarsveld
Cursed Document by Samie Sands

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Thursday 1 October 2020

Carnival of Fear

 

Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls!

Step right up to the darkest carnival you’ve ever seen.

Do you like puppets? Well, we have a marvelous one. This poor little thing was left all alone to die, only to wake up with a taste for revenge.

If smiling, red-nosed clowns bore you, you’ve come to the right place. Just follow the bloody path of mutilated clowns, and it will lead you to a room filled with gruesome revelations.

But that’s not all.

Ready for a mind-bending experience? Wonderful! Our contortionist won’t just showcase her extreme flexibility, she’ll also shock you with her insatiable appetite. Want to know her secret?

She’s cursed—but shhhhhh, don’t tell.

So grab your friends and join us as we create the most bone-chilling atmosphere.

Because we’re coming to your town…

…and we’re bringing the Carnival of Fear.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Cincopa Gallery

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