Release Date: 11/09/14
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
SYNOPSIS:
Have you committed a crime ... or are you the victim of one?
Driving down to the cottage in Southwold she's newly inherited from her Aunty May, Ellie senses she is on the edge of something new. The life she's always dreamed of living as a successful artist seems as though it is about to begin. So excited is she that she barely notices when the car bumps against something on the road.
That evening Ellie hears a news flash on the radio. A man was seriously injured in a hit and run on the very road she was driving down that evening. Then Ellie remembers the thump she heard. Could she have been responsible for putting a man in hospital? Unable to hold the doubts at bay, she decides to visit the victim to lay her mind to rest, little knowing that the consequences of this decision will change her life forever.
REVIEW:
To be blunt here, this isn’t a book that I thought much to. What didn’t help was for me that I couldn’t associate with the principle character who felt like a woman that had everything, which whilst I’m not saying is impossible, for me put this as a person with no real understanding of real life.
Don’t get me wrong, the concept was strong, it followed a linear chain of thought and did have immense potential but when you can’t identify with a character you really don’t care what happens to them. All round, Penny is an author who has had a lot of success with other books she’s written but for me, this book felt fairly flat, a little too simplistic and the messages contained within aren’t strong enough for today’s modern person. A great shame.
Release Date: 30/01/14
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
SYNOPSIS:
Meet Theodora And Mona Two women, from completely different walks of life, forced by circumstances to live together under one roof. Both women are at their wits' end, scared of losing the one thing that's most precious to them. So when tensions boil over, who will go to the most extreme lengths to survive? Will it be Theodora, finally breaking under the pressure? Or Mona, desperate to find a way out? In a tale of modern day slavery and paranoia, two women tell their sides of the story. Who do you trust?
REVIEW:
A book that was not only my usual type of reading but completely outside my comfort zone and whilst this is an unusual type of read for me, it was one I was more than happy I took the time to read as Penny brings a darkly uncomfortable time when the gaps between rich and poor were at their largest with the downtrodden struggling to make ends meet.
It’s a book that relys heavily on the characterisation and the believability of them and whilst it isn’t a huge cast, its intimacy is one that works so much better for this type of story. Add to this some rather stark reality checks for the reader as well as the characters learning to live with their latest life choices and all round it was a title that really hit home hard.
Release Date: 05/01/12
SYNOPSIS:
One winter's afternoon, voice coach Sonia opens the door of her beautiful riverside home to fifteen-year-old Jez, the nephew of a family friend. He's come to borrow some music. Sonia invites him in and soon decides that she isn't going to let him leave.
As Sonia's desire to keep Jez hidden and protected from the outside world becomes all the more overpowering, she is haunted by memories of an intense teenage relationship, which gradually reveal a terrifying truth. The River House, Sonia's home since childhood, holds secrets within its walls. And outside, on the shores of the Thames, new ones are coming in on the tide...
REVIEW:
I love new authors, so this one when it landed (earlier today) was something that I was surprised at when I started as it became a novel that hooked me in from the beginning with beautifully rounded characters, wonderful plot line and a deeper hint of mystery to be uncovered as you watched the pages fly by.
Add to this a great authorly style where the prose and pace are of a high standard which when backed with a writer who is clearly out to impress and it’s going to be a tough crime debut to beat in 2012. This year really has started out highly and I really can’t wait to see what Penny hits back with next.
