Jane Herships - The Home Record

New album from artist formerly known as Spider, The Home Record, released Friday 28th February

Jane Herships has shed her alias, and has made a highly personal album entitled The Home Record; away from her alter ego of Spider she has crafted a collection of songs that are both personal yet universal, an artist rebuilding a persona in public by baring her soul to all to hear.

Opening track 'Resembling the Neighbors' sets her stall out with this wistful ballad that is tuneful, soulful and yet full of the undercurrent of more to it than on the surface.

While the songs she would write with Spider and as bassist of Teen would concentrate on the sound, this series of songs are all about falling in and out of love.

Lead single 'Best Friends' something that harkens back to late 1980s feel bad ballads, is about breaking up with someone you considered your best friend, the first person you would tell anything to anyone and in this instance who do you talk to.  This is a notion you are sure songwriters have considered before without as much success as Herships has conveyed.

This is followed up by the gorgeous 'Caroline' a track about a friend who has gone off the radar; this wistfulness of the album as a whole makes this album a great companion piece to Annie Hart's A Softer Offering that was reviewed earlier this year.

Both albums are kindred cousins from the Twin Peaks album, this music is both hypnotic yet enticing to the layman ear, music to share and rejoice in the fact that such good music is being produced.

'Small Town Girls' is one of the more jangly songs but the message is that the more things change, the more they stay the same and you can spread your wings and leave a town but those things you remember will remain.

Best single off the album is final track 'Scott Carpenter' a love letter to the eponymous astronaut whose thirst for knowledge brought him to prominence bringing wonder to the masses, by being inspired by him, Herships hopes to inspire others.  The song also has a whimsical but beautiful video directed by Arielle Sarnoff to boot.

For fans of Joni Mitchell, Iron and Wine and Fleet Foxes, this is an album that will ear worm its way into your consciousness in this most tumultuous of years.

The Home Record is available from Jane Herships' bandcamp website.

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

The Coldest Warrior - Paul Vidich

New novel by Paul Vidich, a tale of espionage and a cold case

Paul Vidich has written a fictional tale set around an almost too good to be true story, delving into the 1950s and the height of the cold war tension between America and the Soviet Union.

The story Vidich weaves revolves around the unresolved death of Dr. Charles Wilson, a government scientist, who died in 1953 when one night in his Washington hotel he 'jumped or fell' from the ninth floor plummeting to his death.

The full details of his death have remained buried for twenty-two years, so following the release of the Rockefeller Commission report on illegal CIA activities in 1975, the Wilson case becomes a hot topic in the nation's capital.

Wilson's family want answers, enter agent Jack Gabriel, an old friend of the Wilson family who is instructed by the CIA director to find the truth. Yet the deeper Jack digs into the past, the changing world comes back to nip him in the butt, key witnesses connected to the case die from suspicious causes leading Jack to believe his entire family and career are at stake.

Vidich following in esteemed footsteps of Greene, Le Carre, has weaved a gripping novel that grips you throughout; yet Vidich does a great job of painting a picture of how Washington must have been during the 1970s when following Watergate the city was a perilous pit of distrust and paranoia.

The tale whips along at quite a pace, yet the tensest moment of the book was when Charles Wilson's body has to be exhumed - the tension of the piece as Wilson's son stands awaiting the coffin to open is cranked up to maximum effect and is the lasting impression of this book.

While already forming the basis of the Netflix series, Wormwood, the story is again ripe for another adaptation with sharp 1950s suits combating against each other in the search for truth - the battle was less agains the USSR but more between the CIA and FBI in this battle alliteration confrontation.

The Coldest Warrior is published by No Exit Press on 27 February 2020.

My thanks to Anne Cater and Random Things for the review opportunity and to appear on the blogtour starting February 24th.

The Guest List - Lucy Foley

Lucy Foley returns with her follow up to THE HUNTING PARTY published by Harper Collins

Lucy Foley returns with her follow up to the stupendous hit THE HUNTING PARTY with another tale of entitled individuals having a great time but with dire consequences. Taking the same premise as many an English crime novelist - well to do people in a location of isolation, brought together for a happy occasion, then the lights go out.

Foley takes a wedding between Jules and Will - the perfect couple - getting married on a reclusive Irish island, hosted by new wedding planner Aoife on her first wedding.  The guests arrive as the weather takes a turn, secrets start to come out and the truth will be sort.

The characters are as expected well written and the shifting point of view narratives from bride to be Jules, to her sister Olivia, to plus one Hannah offers telling insight not only into each character but also the context of the situation they find themselves in.  This hits home especially for Hannah when she is dancing with a Spanish lothario and a secret about Will comes out.

With little nods to class structures of friendships and family life along with how individuals alter there behaviour when in the presence of certain people's company.

However, Foley is keen to stress the context of toxic masculinity embodied in Will how he constructs an image of himself and projects on to people to get his own way, while the women are independent enough to figure things out for themselves yet still bitchy to each other when communication may be key to all problem solving.

Following on from the huge success of The Hunting Party, Foley has found this niche of murder mysteries for the 21st century, reminiscent of Agatha Christie at the height of her powers - plot points entwinned to the novel's neat clean conclusion. This again will sell by the bucket loads, this is one list you definitely want to be a part of.

The Guest List is out from HarperCollins on Thursday 20th February

In Plain Sight - Marion Todd

The Second DI Clare Mackay thriller by Marion Todd is out on 20th February from Canelo Press

Marion Todd burst onto the scene in the latter part of 2019 with her debut novel SEE THEM RUN published by Canelo Press, a story about a woman re-adjusting her life at the ten year point in her career as a police detective having to re-locate from Glasgow to the smaller surroundings of St. Andrews.

See Them Run is a nice introduction to Mackay as a character, you are with her throughout the process of a case that involved hit and run vehicular crimes in the serene lush landscapes near the illustrious home of golf.

Todd sets up the lead protagonist, as her role evolves and she has to encounter different people from the city, as well as familiar gender and sexual politics of the workplace environment. The first novel moved at a clip but you got the sense that it was an opening salvo for more to come.

Marion Todd - Back with a bang

It is so pleasing to hear that Todd has not sat on her laurels, and in the follow up In Plain Sight, she has written a better book, the difficult second album bug has been shaken off by this author who at the age she is making up for lost time clearly.

The action kicks off from the outset, a charity run is cut short by environmental protesters and in the vicinity of that a young baby is abducted with no-one in the crowd able to ascertain who had kidnapped her.

What follows is a book that is swift and moves at a breakneck speed; yet it is not all police work, we bear witness to Mackay's attempts at a lasting relationship with Geoffrey, a professor from the area, a more dependable partner than Tom whom she left in Glasgow following her move.

Mackay is utmost sympathetic to the plight of the parents of the missing child, despite not being a parent herself, her procedure of working embraces teamwork and the use of this breaks open the case with leads being jumped upon through hunches being followed and good detective work.

In Plain Sight is out on all formats from Canelo Press on 20th February 2020.
My thanks to them for the review opportunity

Pet Shimmers 'Face Down in Meta'

New album from Bristiol six-piece PET SHIMMERS out now

Led by Oliver Wilde, the Bristolians, hot on the heels of other British groups who can count above four, see Black Country, New Road; are a band who take issues of personality and self and weave with it an array of musical influences from electronica to jazz to funk to pop.

The final record FACE DOWN IN META is a carefully assembled collection of sonic wonder which reminds this listener of 2018's Spirit of the Beehive.

Lead single 'Post-Dick Circle Fuck' deals with body positivity and the media creation of perfection; while these can sound loud in their earnestness their is a soft subtleness to the production, not overbearing and look at me format but more a look at what we can do appreciation.

'Super Natural Teeth' is a great track, a song of harmony, drive and ambition with technical accomplishment on full display, it is the second track on the album following the short opener and serves as a key point of the band's intention.

Which is followed by the trippy 'Mortal Sport Argonaut' this may be Zappa like song titles, but there is an invitation here to come and explore, the music is not off putting but more contributory, they have done the hard work they just need you to listen to complete the project; this is an album where different people will garner different emotional responses to the music. This makes for an exciting moment to review and share.

The plethora of potential on offer from such a unique album is palpable, Wilde may be the ringleader but with his cohorts - Will Carkett, Richard Clarke, Ellie Gray, Lexie Jennings, Mig Schillace and Florrie Adamson-Leggit - this is a band who are ripe not only for more airplay but a greater fanbase which is sure to grow when the festival season comes around.

The album will garner a greater understanding upon further listens, yet second single 'Tyson' is a winner of the softness again, small keynotes branching out into a vaster more hypnotic sound.  The band harness mixing, loops, archive footage to create a piece of artistic credibility amongst the three note chord challenge taking place on normal indie releases.

The album is available now on all formats or from the bandcamp page here.

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

The band are on tour with (Sandy) Alex G in the UK and Europe throughout February.

Jonathan Whitelaw - Interview

Exclusive interview with Jonathan Whitelaw, author of Hell Corp and The Man in the Dark, published by Urbane Publications

Jonathan Whitelaw is one of the most distinctive authors to appear in Britain in recent years, his utilisation of the Devil as his main protagonist in two books now has served up a richly black sort of humour that had this reader in hysterics and guffawing out loud by the climax.

By having such an iconic person at the thrust of the story can be both rewarding and daunting, after reading the book I took the opportunity to ask Mr. Whitelaw via social media about the possibility of answering a few questions. It is nice to say he did respond and here is my interview with Jonathan Whitelaw.

- What was the genesis of writing Hell Corp and writing about a character as universally known but misunderstood as The Devil?

I guess I had always wanted to write a crime novel - but I'd never thought I was clever enough! As a reader and reviewer yourself, you'll know that there are lots of great writers out there doing some fantastic work in the crime and thriller genres. But we've seen every type of antihero under the sun. If a cop isn't an alcoholic, they're a workaholic. If they don't see their family enough they see them too much. On and on it goes. 

So I got to thinking about writing an antihero like no other. And I started at the anti-part. Every culture on earth has an antagonist in their folklore and mythology. An embodiment of evil so awful that their mentions are usually the stuff of horror. So that, naturally, is where I started. 

I conjured up this image of The Devil as being somebody growing tired of being that bad guy, always being the villain. I figured if he wanted to go on holiday he'd still need all of his wicked ways to be carried out - hence the eponymous HellCorp. And from there, really, the story grew. 

I knew I needed a foil for The Devil and I suppose there really wasn't much choice - it had to be the Man Upstairs. Although sometimes its the Woman Upstairs of course! Having Him challenge The Devil to solve a murder mystery seemed like such a perfect medium and outlet for this Old Nick character I had created. And from there it all just grew arms and legs!



- Do you have a black humour yourself?

I think I do. I'm often told by my wife that the things I find funny I probably shouldn't. It's not my fault of course. I blame all the top-notch comedy on the BBC in the 90s when I was a kid growing up. Seriously, if I wasn't watching The Fast Show I was glued to the League of Gentlemen and Bottom. So blame all of those people!

When I'm not being a full-time writer I'm a full-time journalist. And I'm pretty sure its a pre-requisite to be a hack that you have a black sense of humour. My career has predominantly been in the digital world so you always get a lot of change and different types of stories across your desk. Being able to laugh in adversity and get on with your colleagues can actually be quite therapeutic. Especially if it's being a particularly brutal day. 

But yes, I'd say I have a black sense of humour. It clearly helps when you're writing about The Devil solving crimes!



- How long/How many drafts did this novel take and was it easier following the reception of the first book?

This is the first time I've ever written a sequel. So that was a big adjustment to my normal writing process. I sat down with a vague idea for The Man in the Dark and thought 'oh, here is a cast of characters that I already know - what fun, dangerous and thrilling situations can I put them through?'

It was a little strange at first. But one thing I enjoy about writing is getting to know the characters I'm creating. Dialogue is a big part of my work. Getting into the nitty-gritty, the psychology of a character is key to creating that dialogue. If you don't understand your characters then you won't be able to write what they would think, say and ultimately do. Having that already established in a way was quite liberating, even if it took me a while to get used to it. 

In terms of drafts, I'd say about 75% of my first draft of the book was cut. It suffered from what I call the 'Fast & Furious' effect. As a quick explainer - the first Fast and Furious movie is about street racers and stolen cars. The last one had international crime syndicates, nuclear submarines and a supercar jumping between skyscrapers in Dubai. In short, things got out of hand very quickly - spiraling way out of control. 

The very first draft of The Man in the Dark had helicopter chases and all kinds of other huge, mind-boggling madness. And as I wrote it I knew it was never going to fly - pun intended. So I finished the draft, all 80,000 words, before scrapping it. Writing can be like that. Sometimes you need a warm-up to get yourself going. You wouldn't run a marathon without prepping or getting in the right frame of mind. 

So yeah, I think the start and finish of the book on the shelves now survived The Great Purge. And ultimately it was for the best. The story I wanted to write wasn't the one I had written before. I needed to go through that process. It made for a better story in the end. And I'm extremely proud of The Man in the Dark. 



- You paint the Devil as a know all but powerful, this contrast of emotions and characteristics is it difficult to balance?

Balance has always been at the heart of the HellCorp novels. I've always loved authority figures who get cut down to size. And I love watching them still try to maintain that arrogant air and sophistication, even when there's metaphorical egg on their chin. 

That's a very artsy way of saying that I like to put my characters in situations I know they'll hate. The Devil in my books is all-powerful, all-knowing but also all too aware of his lot in the universe. He knows the proper way of doing things and, oddly, abides by the rules - he's made a lot of them up himself. He does, of course, get up to mischief and, like most authority figures, is always willing to stack the cards in his favour so that he wins. 

I like that about his character. I like that he's prone to mistakes and, while he would rarely, if at all, admit to them publically, he knows that he's just as prone to making them as everyone else. The difference being that if he drops the ball then there are huge ramifications and consequences. He's a realist and a pragmatist, a skeptic at heart in a world filled with the illogical, bizarre and downright strange. 



- Was it fun to write the good cop/bad cop scenes? The chemistry between the two is done well.

You're very, very kind. The fiver is in the post!

I love dialogue. And actually, it's always been a big part of my enjoyment of other literature, film and TV. Some of my fondest books and movies feature a strong relationship that's brought entirely to life through the dialogue. The Lethal Weapon movies always stick in my mind. It's clear on-screen that everyone involved in those movies, in front and behind the camera, had an absolute ball making them. And that only continues as the franchise went on. 

The dialogue is snappy, it flows, you're drawn into the world of these characters and the veil of fantasy completely envelopes you. It's not Mel Gibson and Danny Glover on there, it's two LA cops who've been through hell and high water together and have become family. 

I always strive for genuine interaction and dialogue with my characters - even if it's The Devil and God having an argument about the end of the world. It's something I like in work that I read and watch. So I always strive to make it come alive in my own. 



- What is next for the Man in the Dark?

Well he's been left in a bit of pickle by the end of the second book. So I supposed we should probably find out what happens shouldn't we?

Being all cryptic aside, the third novel in the series is with my publisher. Which is very exciting. 

And being the money-grabbing, starving author I am - I'm not giving away any more than that! You'll just have to read it and see!



- What is your writing process?

The million-dollar question! I get asked about my process quite a bit. And it's not normally until I'm asked about it do I actually give it a lot of thought.

I'm lucky in that I can write at any time, really anywhere. When my first novel, Morbid Relations, was written, I definitely had a process. I was working in Glasgow but living in Edinburgh so I had two hours commute every day to just sit and write. It was a pretty intense process but it worked for the story and the characters etc. 

Thankfully I don't have that commute anymore. And as such my writing isn't quite as focussed and distilled into those two hours a day. So some writing days now I can be going for hours and others I struggle to craft 50 that even make sense. 

One thing that's a must for any writer though is... actually writing. I was told by a very lovely tutor of mine at uni that you can't edit a blank page. And that still rings true today. If I'm asked about advice from anybody wanting to make a living from writing I always tell them that. You can have the greatest novel and story ever living inside your head. But if you don't get it out of there, in some way, shape or form, nobody is ever going to be able to enjoy it and share the experience and talent. 

It's a surprisingly motivating mantra actually. And it's one that's served me well in the five or so years I've been a professional author. 



- Can you speak about the partnership/relationship with Urbane Publications?

The amount of support, backing and general love I've had from my publisher has been nothing short of amazing. They have, quite literally, made my dreams come true by giving me a platform and outlet to tell my stories. I genuinely can't thank them enough. 

A good example was just before Christmas. The authors and staff of Urbane genuinely feel like a family - one that I've been welcomed in to with open arms. We all have a strong bond with each other - brothers and sisters in arms. That's why we were all so shocked last year at the sudden death of writer Dan Proops.

I wanted to do something, anything, really, to honour him. So I wrote a HellCorp short story - The Fright Before Christmas - with the intention of asking for donations for charity for anybody who wanted to give. But Matthew at Urbane went above and beyond. We got the short story published on Amazon as a special e-book - and all proceeds were being donated to The Samaritans. It was a really wonderful, special gesture that meant a great deal to me. A level of support and unwavering faith that, ultimately, meant we could make a difference and help a really worthy cause. 

The feedback we got was fantastic. And I am, truly, very grateful for the support that Urbane offered to me and my desire to help out. That and they let me write about The Devil solving crimes. I really couldn't ask for a better publisher!

The Man in the Dark is available now from Urbane Publications across all formats

San Diego Dead - Mark Nolan

The fourth book in the Jack Wolfe series by Mark Nolan 

Danger is never far away from Jack Wolfe, the marine turned lawyer who resides in California, with his faithful ex-service dog, Cody. He sits on a white sandy beach in Cabo San Lucas enjoying a vacation, but then the water turns cold as murder is washing up on the shore.

A relaxing holiday goes awry when violence erupts involving a criminal cartel on his doorstep, and when murderous intentions involve faithful friends of both the two and four legged kind, Wolfe must reclaim a deadly package to save innocent lives.

Also in jeopardy is his burgeoning relationship with Sarah, an accomplished veterinarian who loves both Jake and Cody, yet cannot decide if she can be with someone who must drop everything at the drop of a hat to go save the world.

As this reader writes this plotline of the fourth Jake Wolfe novel, it may seem far fetched and outlandish, yet if you have ever read a Lee Child/Jack Reacher novel you will know that outlandishness is not too faraway.

The problem with this book is the characterisation and weak dialogue which does not roll of the tongue of the characters as it would if someone like Child was at the helm.

That is perhaps doing a disservice to the action sequences of the book which jump off the page, yet once Wolfe talks as an amalgm of any Matthew McConnaughey character or the machismo of Jordan Belfort, it is just that when Wolfe who is indebted to save the world and very much in love with Sarah, is so easily tempted and could easily commit infidelity with Agent Greene in the closing chapters of the book it leaves a bit of a bad taste in the mouth - the wish fulfilment Bond like scenario is probably the most disbelieving part of the set-up.

The attempts to create a viable alternative to the buddy-cop partnership, one is human, one is man's best friend, but both are war veterans should be commended yet the attempt to write part of Cody's point of view is perhaps expected but not successful.

This reader like the action sequences but found some of the characterisation a bit too on the nose, much like Wolfe's tasting notes for the wine (of which there are three in this book); this is nonetheless good escapist fare which was easy to digest in a few sittings.

My thanks to damppebbles blog tour for the review opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

San Diego Dead is out now and available on Amazon Kindle.

The Wreckage

Debut novel from Robin Morgan-Bentley released by Trapeze Books on 6th February

Morgan-Bentley is a debut author, but one who works in the world of Audio books, a new voice who spends a lot of time listenting to other people's words in his day to day life, this has led to the creation of a traditional well told story but with a twist on the narrative.

The Wreckage tells the story of a road traffic accident told from three different viewpoints. Ben is a primary school teacher who is driving to work one cold wet January morning and then he sees a white flash. He has hit something, or more like someone. That someone is Adam, who has jumped in front of Ben's car that morning - this has led to his untimely death a few weeks later leaving behind a grieving wife, Alice and seven year old son, Max.

Ben, understandably, feeling guilty from breaking up this domestic bliss attempts to make contact with Alice at the hospital to explain himself. Following a frosty first reception, the two start to become more entwinned into each other's lives; Ben provides a shoulder for Alice to cry upon and a parental rock for Max during this difficult period of transition for all.

The book so easily could become a rote tale of the stalker, and RMB does flirt with that at times with the shifting perspective from Ben to Alice which never allows you to fully sympathise with one narrator and the balancing act of emotions and feelings from both parties does the service of oddly seeing and appreciating both sides of the story.

That is until the twist reveal which opens up a totally different storyline and plot, when the realisation to Alice of what has happened to her husband is shown to her.

A tale as much about mental health and well being, reaching out to those you love for the help required to overcome; and in this new year the resolution to be more open about the interiority of ourselves and channel that in a way that people can understand. All people have these moments of inner torture, how Adam deals with it is not the best way to go about it and how he attempts to make life better for his family is evidence of someone who went too long without help. Help is available to us always, starting with the ones we love.

Morgan-Bentley is an author to watch out for, this is a very interesting debut and one that shows how the benefit of reading and listening to an abundance of literature over the years leads to a unique and personal voice telling an often told tale with a different twist.

The Wreckage is out from Trapeze Books on 6th February.