Book picks similar to
Dan Knew by F.J. Curlew


contemporary-fiction
galleys-read
giveaway
scotland

Blood


Janice Galloway - 1991
    the integrity of vision coruscating; the whole driven by the author's restless experimentation with form. And at least two stories, "Blood" itself and "Fearless", will certainly end up in anthologies: not Best Scottish Writers, or Best Women Writers, but quite simply, Best." - New Statesman and Society"I remember reading a story by Janice Galloway for the first time; its urgency of voice, that certainty of expression, I wondered why I hadn't heard of her before; then discovered that she was altogether new to writing. It was some debut. She really is a fine writer." - James Kelman"A salutary collection... a marvelous revelation. A writer of passion and virtuosity shines through." - Scotland on Sunday"Genuinely unnerving... she is a fierce, troubling new writer." - Observer"Galloway flecks her hard-edged realism with impressionist grace-notes, a potent mixture that confirms her... as one of Scotland's best young writers." - Sunday Telegraph"There is ample proof in Blood of Galloway's unassailable talent. Marvellously funny and beautifully paced." - Glasgow Herald

The Missing Years


Lexie Elliott - 2019
    The other half belongs to a man who disappeared without a trace twenty-seven years ago—her father.Leaving London behind to settle the inheritance from her mother’s estate, Ailsa returns to her childhood home, nestled amongst the craggy peaks of the Scottish Highlands, joined by the half-sister who’s almost a stranger to her.Ailsa can’t escape the claustrophobic feeling that the house itself is watching her—as if her past hungers to consume her. She also can’t ignore how the neighbourhood animals refuse to set one foot within the gates of the garden.When the first nighttime intruder shows up, Ailsa fears that the manor’s careless rugged beauty could cost her everything.

The Beardless Adventurer and her inconvenience: A first-time cycle trip across Europe


Donna Marie Ashton - 2017
    Armed with little knowledge but much determination, they attempt a self-supported cycle tour, carrying everything they need and camping along the way, normally the domain of hardy, beardy adventurers or Olympic athletes. Join The Beardless Adventurer and her inconvenience on their epic and often highly amusing trip through Europe, wondering if they will even make it through the first night or week, let alone 5,000km. Laugh and cry along with them in the both sublime and ridiculous situations in which they find themselves, mainly due to their own incompetence but also to the magnetism they seem to possess when it comes to eccentric or colourful characters. Whether you are a well-seasoned cyclist, or someone who doesn’t know your sprocket from your elbow, you’re sure to enjoy the antics of The Beardless Adventurer and her inconvenience.

The Dark Room


Natalie Banks - 2018
    He's sexy and irresistible, drawing her into his world of sex and seduction. But soon, his bad boy ways and her guilty conscious consume her and push her to end the affair abruptly. Not long after ending the affair, she frighteningly realizes she is being stalked. As she desperately continues her attempt to keep the affair a secret, the stalking escalates. Even when it begins to jeopardize her safety, she refuses to get help for fear of her secret being exposed. Forcing her to take matters into her own hands, leading her down a path of deception and violence. As a hurricane bears down on the coastal city of Wilmington North Carolina, she finds herself alone with a gun clutched to her chest, as she faces her stalker and his terrifying secret. Leaving her fighting for her life and for everything else that ever mattered.

The Turning Tide


Brooke Magnanti - 2016
    But she’s about to cross a line.Several hundred miles away in the shallow waters of a Hebridean island, a body is found. It’s been in the water long enough to make identification tricky, but it’s clear this is no accidental death.Erykah knows she’s about to make a choice you can’t reverse – but she’s lived with secrets most of her life and she thinks she’s ready. The trouble is, there are far worse secrets than her own about to emerge.If she’s going to keep her head above water, Erykah must leave behind her comfortable life and start breaking rules.

Dear Dad


Giselle Green - 2016
    Connected by one big lie. Handsome, 28-year old, Nate Hardman is a frontline reporter with a big problem. Suffering from shell-shock and unable to leave his house, he’s already lost his social life and his girlfriend. Now his career prospects are sinking fast. 9 year-old Adam Boxley who lives alone with his ageing nan, also has big problems. Neglected at home and bullied at school, he’s desperate to reach out to his dad – and that’s when he sends his first letter to Nate. Only Nate’s not who he thinks he is. Will he help? More importantly – can he? Across town meanwhile, caring but impulsive teacher Jenna Tierney really wants to help Adam - except the feisty redhead has already had enough of teaching. Recently hurt by yet another cheating boyfriend, Jenna’s now set her sights on pursuing a dream career abroad ... only she’s about to meet Nate - her dream man who’ll make her re-think everything. The big question is; can three people desperate to find love, ever find happiness when they’re only connected by one big lie?

A Viking on Highland Shores: A Scottish Medieval Historical Romance (Highlanders and Vikings Book 1)


Ava McArthur - 2021
    

Young Mungo


Douglas StuartDouglas Stuart
    Published or forthcoming in forty territories, it has sold more than one million copies worldwide. Now Stuart returns with Young Mungo, his extraordinary second novel. Both a page-turner and literary tour de force, it is a vivid portrayal of working-class life and a deeply moving and highly suspenseful story of the dangerous first love of two young men.Growing up in a housing estate in Glasgow, Mungo and James are born under different stars--Mungo a Protestant and James a Catholic--and they should be sworn enemies if they're to be seen as men at all. Yet against all odds, they become best friends as they find a sanctuary in the pigeon dovecote that James has built for his prize racing birds. As they fall in love, they dream of finding somewhere they belong, while Mungo works hard to hide his true self from all those around him, especially from his big brother Hamish, a local gang leader with a brutal reputation to uphold. And when several months later Mungo's mother sends him on a fishing trip to a loch in Western Scotland with two strange men whose drunken banter belies murky pasts, he will need to summon all his inner strength and courage to try to get back to a place of safety, a place where he and James might still have a future.Imbuing the everyday world of its characters with rich lyricism and giving full voice to people rarely acknowledged in the literary world, Young Mungo is a gripping and revealing story about the bounds of masculinity, the divisions of sectarianism, the violence faced by many queer people, and the dangers of loving someone too much.

THE DCI BLIZZARD MURDER MYSTERIES: Books 1 to 3


John Dean - 2019
     THE LONG DEAD When a routine archaeological dig turns up bodies on the site of a WWII prisoner of war camp, it should be an open and shut case for detective John Blizzard. But forensics discover one of the deaths is more recent and the force have a murder investigation on their hands. STRANGE LITTLE GIRL When a family is brutally murdered, one child is never found. It still troubles DCI John Blizzard to this day. But new clues emerge that will take him deep into the criminal underworld and into conflict with the powers that be. Cracking the case will take all of the detective’s skills, and more. Coming out unscarred will be impossible. THE RAILWAY MAN Few tears are shed when an ex-boxer and local hard man turns up dead. Perhaps only Blizzard is unhappy as the incident interrupts the celebration of the unveiling of the steam locomotive he has lovingly helped restore. There is no shortage of people who might have wanted the boxer dead. But with suspicion of the police and fear of recriminations high, getting any information at all will prove difficult. All three of these books are also available separately on Kindle and in paperback. This box set is available FREE with Kindle Unlimited. The next three books in the series are also available in a box set and separately on Kindle and in paperback. They are: THE SECRETS MAN A BREACH OF TRUST DEATH LIST If you enjoy mysteries that have you guessing until they end, you’ll love these books about hard-hitting detective John Blizzard and his team.

Yours Forever


Sherelle Green - 2017
    Strong, dark, and flavorful. However, while most women were trying to drink the entire coffee pot, Mac was more of a Keurig kind of girl, opting to have frivolous casual flings as opposed to meaningful relationships. While attending one of her best friends’ weddings—in a moment influenced by too many mojitos—the Feng-Shui consultant foolishly agrees to a pact; to marry within the next year. Her friends don’t think she’s going to go through with it. Honestly, Mac is uneasy about the entire idea. But she doesn’t mind cuddling up with the most mouth-watering cup of coffee she sees in the meantime… the best man, Alexander Carter. Alex is successful, talented, devastatingly handsome, and surprisingly celibate. At least, he was, until a beautiful bombshell rocked his world before leaving him with nothing more than a piece of paper with a kiss on it in her wake. It’s not that the CEO of an environmental engineer firm minds being used, but typically, if a woman wants him for only sex, he at least takes her to dinner first. Imagine his surprise when that same feisty vixen is placed into his life again, and as expected, she seems to be wearing her running shoes. Yet, this time, Alex is ready for the temptress. A little fun and games never hurt anyone, right? Unless fun and games starts looking a whole lot like promises and forever.

SENTINEL


John Stanley - 2015
    But when they finally track down who was behind a brutal beating of a priest, not everything turns out to be as it seems.

Just Wanna Be Loved Too


Shay Davis - 2021
    

The du Mauriers


Daphne du Maurier - 1937
    She wrote this epic biography during a vintage period in her career, between two of her best-loved novels: Jamaica Inn and Rebecca. Her aim was to write the story of her family 'so that it reads like a novel.' Spanning nearly three quarters of a century, The du Mauriers is a saga of artists and speculators, courtesans and military men. From England to Paris and back again, their fortunes varied as wildly as their ambitions. An extraordinary family of writers, artists and actors they are...The du Mauriers.

The Impending Sausage Sandwich of Doom


Kirk St Moritz - 2017
    After being fired from his job as the clandestine stooge on hit TV show Ghostbusters UK, Elliott returns home to find his girlfriend missing. To make matters worse, Hapkido Valentine, the legendary 1980s wrestler, has returned from the dead and taken up residency in Elliott’s flat. Despite a voracious appetite for sausage sandwiches, Hapkido is convinced he has finally become the mystical Japanese warrior he once portrayed in the ring.Together they must undertake a dangerous journey to find out why the Universe created this most unlikely of partnerships. All that stands in their way is a medallion wearing TV psychic, a train-spotting assassin and the murderous intentions of the local over 75’s women’s group. If Elliott thought the day started badly, things are about to get a whole lot worse.

Waiting for the Miracle


Anna McPartlin - 2021
    After years of trying, it's clear she can't have children, and the pain has driven her and her husband apart. She isn't pregnant, her husband is gone and her beloved dog is dead.The other women at her infertility support group have their own problems, too. Natalie's girlfriend is much less excited about having children than her. Janet's husband might be having an affair. And then there's Ronnie, intriguing, mysterious Ronnie, who won't tell anyone her story.1976Catherine is sixteen and pregnant. Her boyfriend wants nothing to do with her, and her parents are ashamed. When she's sent away to a convent for pregnant girls, she is desperate not to be separated from her child. But she knows she might risk losing the baby forever.