New Book Review From Murphy's Mother

 

 

Book Review...

'Die Again' by Tess Gerritsen

Happy Friday people! Hope you've all had a pleasant week? Today's post is another from my resident book reviewer, Murphy's Mother. As you all may remember from her previous posts, she loves crime fiction and is a HUGE Tess Gerritsen fan... And on that note here is her review of Tess' latest novel.

Dear fellow readers...

Today's review is of Die Again by Tess Gerritsen. This is an amazingly gripping novel from start to finish. 

In Boston, Dectective Jane Rizzoli and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles are investigating a bizarre murder. A man has been found gutted and hanging in his home. When the remains of another victim are found, it's clear that this murderer has been at work for years and not just in Boston.

Maura connects the case to a number of seemingly unrelated deaths where the victims have all been found hanging upside down, the hallmark of a leopard's kill.

Rizzoli follows the puzzling trail all the way to Botswana where she uncovers the unsolved mystery of a deadly camping safari six years before. When she realises the two cases are connected, Rizzoli must track down the sole survivor of the tragic trip to discover who or what is behind these gruesome deaths. 
 

This is another outstanding thriller in Tess Gerritsen's series featuring Detective Jane Rizzoli and her friend and colleague, medical examiner Dr Maura Isles. 

I love the characters of Jane and Maura, Tess portraits the warmth of the two women really well and this novel carries on adding depth to their relationship.

I can't wait to read Tess Gerristen's next novel.

Until next time... MM  xxx

Thanks as always to the lovely Murphy's Mother! Hope you all check out her latest recommendation. Should any of you want to know more about the author, I did a little bit of research...

Who is Tess Gerritsen? 

Tess worked for many years as a physician. It was while on maternity leave that Tess first began to write fiction. 'Call After Midnight' her debut novel was published in 1987. Now living in Maine, Tess has retired from medicine and writes full time.

Click here to read more about Tess' novel 'Die Again.'
 

'Detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles are back—and they're going into the wild to find a killer. Die Again is the latest heart-pounding thriller in Tess Gerritsen's New York Times bestselling series, the inspiration behind TNT's hit show Rizzoli & Isles.' (Excerpt taken from tess.gerritsen.com)

Contact Tess via Twitter: @tessgerritsen or via email: tess@tessgerritsen.com

 
That's all for now... Thankyou once again for all your lovely tweets, emails and messages. I never tire of hearing from you all! I also just want to share a glimpse of this beautiful card which I received this week from one of my readers... Huge thankyou for this! It really did make my day! 

I'll be back on Sunday with part two of my post on author Andrew Males! Until then, have a fabulous Friday night and weekend! GGD xxx

Britain's Next Bestseller...

 

 

Spotlight on Andrew Males. 

Author of '26 Miles To The Moon'

Hello my lovelies... So it's been a little while. (Apologies.) I've had quite a testing two weeks but I'm back now with a brand spanking new post. If you're a writer, aspiring or otherwise then this post may be of interest to you. If you're not, I hope you enjoy it all the same.

As I did previously with my 'All The Bright Places' post, I'm again going to split this one into two.

Part One 

 

So you may all be wondering... Who is Andrew Males?
First and foremost a husband, father and business analyst, Andy as he prefers to be called, is also the author of fictional novel, '26 Miles to the Moon.' (A romantic comedy about Jon Dunn - a nobody who is going nowhere in life until he answers a random email and finally takes a chance...)
Quite frankly I hadn't heard of Andy myself until I came across a feature in the 'Members' News' section of Writing Magazine.
He spoke of how his novel, 26 Miles to the Moon had been rejected by several agents. Now let's face it. We writers know that this is nothing unusual. For those of you who are sitting there lost... The book industry is a tough nut to crack. Winning the lottery is probably easier! However, knowing these facts does not stop the gut wrenching disheartened feeling that hits when your masterpiece, (often months of blood, sweat and tears) has been kicked to the curb. Not one to give up, (we writers are a tenacious breed) Andy decided to look into other avenues which could possibly fulfil his dream of publication... Cue route BNBS... The new book crowdfunding site Britain's Next Bestseller! 

Now if you're an unpublished, aspiring writer and haven't heard of this site then I definitely recommend you take a look. In a nutshell, you submit your manuscript to BNBS. If they approve your book then you'll be given a minimum pre-order sale target to achieve within a set time limit. The readers then decide who they want to see published. As BNBS says, it's a great opportunity to get a publishing deal based purely on the merit of your manuscript. Not to mention the fact you are guaranteed a publishing deal if your book achieves the minimum target. And as a reader, you get to check out the fresh new writing talent that's on offer. It's a lovely feeling to know you've supported new authors that might not otherwise have achieved publication.
Which leads me back to the main man in question. Andrew Males. His personal target was 250 which he smashed through in no time. I for one pre-ordered it and then set about trying to encourage others to do the same! Initially I got chatting to Andrew via Twitter (no surprise there... Twitter obsessive that I am) and so followed the idea to do a Q&A with him. I thought it would be a great insight for you all. Not just for the writers out there but for anyone with a dream. Because as Andrew himself has proven, with a lot of hard work and determination, you CAN make your dreams come true. Here is part one of my interview...

So Andrew, when did you know that you wanted to be a writer? At school, my teachers liked my stories, but it was only about eight years ago that I started writing again and realised that it was a perfect way to release my pent-up creative side.

       

What (apart from running marathons) gave you the idea or inspiration for this novel?

I wanted an adventure and a competition, something like Brewster's Millions. I love sci-fi and have a mild obsession with the Moon. I threw those ideas into the mixing bowl that is my brain and after cooking them for three weeks I'd got my plot.

Describe your average writing day.

When I was off work and writing daily it was:

Wake up. Think about the book and the 1500 words I have to write today.

Get up, get dressed, eat breakfast. Think of as many things as I can to delay starting writing.

Sit at my desk and read the previous day's work. Try not to cringe or go back and change anything.

Think of any last minute things I really, really need to do before I start typing. When did I last cut my toenails?

Write.

Resist the Dark Force that is the Internet. It's only a click away. Must. See. Sports. Headlines...

Find any excuse to stop and have lunch. Two and a Half Men, or Friends repeats. Maybe Bear Grylls, as I'm sure I might need survival tips in the wilderness of Stevenage.

Think of more things I need to do before resuming writing.

Write.

Reach 1500 words.

Do a little dance.

Make a little love.

Get down tonight.

(Or maybe just the first one).

Wait for girlfriend (now wife) to come home from work to tell her all about it the very second she steps through the door.

How long did it take you to write 26 Miles?

First draft: 3.5 months of 1500 words a day.

After that, a lot of editing, on and off, over the next 3.5 years. 

And what do you want the reader to take away from this particular story?

I'd like them to be inspired - to take a risk in life and see where it may lead. Failing that, just some LOLs.  

Tell us an inspirational quote that you love or that means something to you. 
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - F. Bueller, 1986.

 

To be continued...

The man himself. Andrew Males

In part two I'll be sharing my personal opinion of 26 Miles to the Moon. This is where Andrew runs and hides... ;)

If you fancy grabbing yourself a copy then just click here! If you've already read it then please do leave your own feedback in the comments box below.

Until next time... I hope you have a fantastic week. Don't work too hard! Love GGD xxx

Links 

Website: Andrew Males 

Email: andy@andrewmales.com

Twitter: @andrewdmales 

'26 Miles to the Moon'... Available on Amazon

10 Hopefuls. 26 Miles. 1 Target: The Moon. 

Jon Dunn is a nobody, going nowhere in life. But that all changes when he answers a random email that puts him on a journey that'll take him so far out of his comfort zone, he'll need a telescope just to look back at it...Read more of the book blurb on Amazon.