Joffe’s great  book of the week is MURDER BY THE SHORE, the unmissable, unputdownable, utterly addictive new crime thriller from bestselling author Gretta Mulrooney — out now for the special launch price of 99p | 99c.    Filled with page-turning suspense and twists and turns you’ll never see coming, this riveting new character-driven police procedural is PERFECT for fans of Joy Ellis, P.D. James, Tana French, and Ruth Rendell.

CLICK HERE TO BUY MURDER BY THE SHORE BY BESTSELLING AUTHOR GRETTA MULROONEY FOR 99P | 99C.

And now a couple of new releases which look really good.

The Farlington Marsh Murders by Pauline Rowson  Only 99p/99c

Risk-taking detective Andy Horton is at the funeral of ex-con Daryl Woodley, on the look-out for his murderer, a big-time crook. The next morning Horton is called out to another suspicious death. Horton recognizes the woman instantly. She was at Woodley’s funeral.   As tensions rise, Horton receives a chilling message. It looks like time is running out for our bold detective

Close to Home by Elizabeth Gunn £1.99/$3.99

Fourth of July, Tucson, Arizona.  With the drummers and clowns and mariachi band no one heard the fight. No one saw the man thrown into the window, his blood running down the cracked glass. Why would someone do this to a lonely old man?  As the evidence mounts up, Detective Sarah Burke starts to fear that the answers might lie disturbingly close to home . . .

COMING SOON

THE LOVE OF MY OTHER LIFE BY C.J. CONNELLY

Coming soon from Joffe Books, something slightly different . . .    From Canadian debut author C.J. Connelly, THE LOVE OF MY OTHER LIFE is an uplifting and unforgettable love story with an inspired twist.

C.J.’s editor, Joffe Books Publishing Director Kate Lyall Grant had this to say:   “For fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife, THE LOVE OF MY OTHER LIFE is the most achingly romantic love story with an intriguing twist. It’s a slow-burn romance that starts backwards, with our heroine Josie gradually getting to know and fall in love with a man she’s supposedly been married to for the past two years.   Eventually Josie is faced with a heart-breaking decision, and readers should keep a box of tissues ready for the emotionally powerful, bitter-sweet ending.”

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER THE LOVE OF MY OTHER LIFE BY C.J. CONNELLY FOR 99P | 99C.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH AN ANIMATED COVER REVEAL FOR THE LOVE OF MY OTHER LIFE.

Q&A WITH VICTORIA DOWD, AUTHOR OF A BOOK OF MURDER

Read a interview with Victoria Dowd, author of The Smart Women’s Crime Mystery series, on her latest enthralling murder mystery, A Book of Murder — out now for just 99p | 99c.      Find out the strangest things Victoria ever had to research for a novel, who would play her characters in a film adaptation, and more, in a fascinating Q&A, on Twitter or Facebook.

CLICK HERE TO BUY A BOOK OF MURDER BY VICTORIA DOWD FOR 99P | 99C.

JOY HITS THE CHARTS!

Such good news…   the forthcoming Detective Matt Ballard novel by Joy Ellis hit the UK Kindle bestseller charts this week, climbing as high as #40 yesterday.   Readers are clearly just as excited about the next Joy Ellis as we are, and we can’t wait to share her new novel with you on 16 June 2022!

You can also win an EXCLUSIVE signed copy of Beware the Past, the first book in Joy’s bestselling Detective Matt Ballard series.     To enter, simply comment on THIS FACEBOOK POST and let us know your favourite Joy Ellis novel!*

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER TRICK OF THE NIGHT BY #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR JOY ELLIS. 

Competition closes at 10.00 a.m. GMT on 16 June 2022.*This competition is available in the United Kingdom only.  *The winner will be contacted via Facebook message on 16 June 2022.   *Entrants must be aged 18 or over.   *This competition is in no way affiliated with Facebook   *Winners have five working days to claim their prize. If unclaimed, a new winner will be selected and contacted via email or Facebook message.*Competition prize consists of one signed book for three winners

“This is a story that is both tangible and effervescent, exploring the depths of individual morality. “

The Climb is a brand-new children’s book by established author Martin Bissett. Martin has published twelve books, but this is his first illustrated story and his first for children as part of a four-part series.

The Climb is based on a dream that the six-year-old Martin had, making it an exciting exploration of childhood imagination. The book is written with the perspective of adulthood, as Martin looks back upon a childhood dream as a grown man.

The book explores the story of a little boy named James, who is six years old, and who is dreaming. James had saved all his pocket money for the toy he’d set his heart on. The small toy shop sits on the top of a big, steep hill. James has to climb the hill, but a chance meeting gives him a big choice to make.

The Climb is a poignant reflection of where dreams can lead us, and the interaction with the old man creates a beautiful fable. This is a story that is both tangible and effervescent, exploring the depths of individual morality. The Climb is also a showcase of new and gorgeous illustrations by Pamela Carter.

As Martin describes,

“This has been a 4 year journey to tell a 39 year old story. To start a new book series for a completely new audience is a very rewarding experience for me. It is an inclusive story and a book for young grown-ups, but also for grown-up children. It’s one for multiple generations of families to enjoy together. All profits from the book sales will go to the Upward Spiral Foundation; a foundation that helps people to feel less helpless, hopeless or homeless”

The Climb is already stocked by 75 libraries in England and Martin is happy to provide readings in schools and libraries across the country

The Climb is available from independent retailers and amazon globally:

Waterstones (UK): https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-climb/martin-bissett/9781739742102

WHSmith (UK) https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/the-climb/martin-bissett/paperback/9781739742102.html

The Book Depository (UK): https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Climb-Martin-Bissett/9781739742102

Foyles (UK): https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/childrens/the-climb,martin-bissett-9781739742102

Blackwell’s (UK): https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Climb-by-Martin-Bissett/9781739742102

Let Me Eat Cake by Margaret Graham

First published 6 years ago by People’s Friend on publication of the final of the Easterleigh Hall series (A House Divided)

The wrapping paper was red, festooned with the image of umbrellas – blue and green. There were many sheets, because my son Gerald’s birthday present to me was HUGE.  He had returned a month ago from his ‘year off after Uni’ trip, having been gone a year. He had e-mailed occasionally, and said that he also tweeted. I e-mail but I don’t tweet. Who wants to meet a troll? Or is that on Facebook?

He actually put me on Facebook in his last year of uni to boost his number of ‘friends’, but I seldom used it. I have only three Facebook friends. One is my son, the others are my nephew and niece, who wanted to build up their list of ‘likes’ or something. I forget what.  I enjoyed Gerald’s occasional e-mails while on his  trip. So many places: Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and so on. One forgets quite where, when it’s another week, another place.

I daresay the best bits took place during the prolonged e-mail silences. I say this because one day I logged into my facebook page, first time for ages, and my nephew had ‘shared’ a post of Gerald’s. It showed more than a mother cares to see, as he dashed naked through snowy streets brandishing a bottle of beer. I think Gerald had taken a selfie using a long selfie stick. Presumably to prove to himself and everyone that the whole of him exists.

Beneath the selfie was a place for comments. I felt it rude not to, so I typed: And this is the boy who usually wears thermal vests and eats mung beans.’ Gerald unfriended me, or blocked me or something, and sent an email saying image was everything these days, and no-one needed to know about either the thermal vests or the ming beans. I apologised and agreed I should not have mention it in public. He said I should not mention it in public or in private.

Children are a minefield. I went out and bought a dog.

Rosie was sitting in her cubicle as I walked along the corridor of the rescue kennels. She was crouched in the far corner, though every other dog shouted and yelled and leapt at their gates. Somehow they reminded me of Gerald. I looked at Rosie, and she looked at me, and I knew her. It was the look in her eyes, which I couldn’t quite place – was it a quiet desperation?

Once home I popped her into the bath. She loved the hair dryer and we snuggled on the sofa. But only for a moment because two of my neighbours knocked on the door, one from either side. They had heard Rosie barking.  ‘We’d like to walk her with you,’ they said, smiling. ‘We want to earn our cake for tea.’

So they did. The next day Moira bought Rosie a lovely collar and I lifted her up so she could see her beautiful shaggy self in the hall mirror. It was then I realised why I knew her. Her eyes held the same expression I had in mine. I fell quiet.

My neighbours became my friends and we walked Rosie every day, and it was fun – for them too, though unlike them, I did not return to eat cake. It was not what I had learned to do.

Soon Christmas was upon me. Gerald and I had inherited his father’s rules for living. We should always be resonsible with our health, no indulgences my late husband had insisted, so sugar was not allowed – or fat, or anything rather tasty. As I wrote my shopping list I looked at Rosie. The expression in her eyes had changed. I looked in the mirror. So had mine. I hesitated but only for a moment, then crossed out fish, no sauce, and wrote turkey crown and trimmings. I added Christmas pudding . 

As I wrote I had  felt something snapping inside me, and recklessly I added Double cream and a small bottle of brandy. I think it was something to do with Gerald running through the streets. No, don’t worry, I wasn’t going to strip off and do the same. It was the memory of the bottle of beer I concentrated on. Didn’t he know it contained sugar? What would his father say? Perhaps Gerald didn’t care? How wonderful that would be. Though of course he was right, the old Gerald should not have been mentioned.

As December became January, my neighbours began to come home with me after our walks and I provided cake. Sometimes they did too. My shopping list grew ever more exciting. By April I had to buy my clothes in a bigger size and Rosie and I bounced alongside our neighbours, laughing and talking. Yes we did. We bounced, and I think perhaps even my shadow did.

But enough is enough, so I exerted portion control – or so the article in the magazine called it. My weight steadied at a size 14. Then we were in May, and Gerald’s due date for return. I picked him up from the airport, and of course I was pleased to see him, until he hugged me.

‘My word,’ he said. ‘Image is everything, Mum.’ He poked my waist. I sighed. The beer had been an aberration, I thought then, as Gerald’s finger sank an inch into by chubby waist.

However, back in my sitting room the HUGE present was still there, in its wrapping. I looked at Rosie, she looked at me.

I fetched my camera, removed the wrapping. It was no surprise, though it was thoughtful of him, but the treadmill was going on eBay and the money would pay for a great many lunches out my friends and I would have when we ventured ever further on our weekly ‘longer Rosie walks’. As I put the paper into recycling, I decided that I would tell Gerald that when he came on his occasional duty weekend visits, the right-hand side of the larder was mine. He could put his mung beans and sprouts on the left.

Of course I should have said the same to his father years ago, but I didn’t have Rosie then to change my life.

The front door opened, because my friends didn’t knock any more. ‘Yoo-hoo’ Moira called. And together we all went for a walk, and looked forward to our tea and cake.

‘

I never thought that I would start a review by talking about the packaging (and to be honest, nor did my editor) but in this case it so deserves a mention.

The large cardboard box promised much but would it be able to deliver? Cardboard was to be expected given Balance’s environmental credentials. so far so normal I thought, but then even the packaging began to outdo itself. Every element of the box and its contents was recyclable, reusable or compostable and not only that but the chiller packs (which are normally a nightmare to recycle) were made from frozen drinking water contained within 100% recyclable film.

Being a vegetarian, I was looking forward to what was going to be my entire food needs for three days, enough for a long weekend. A menu of the nutrition, calorific value and other nutritional breakdown was printed on brown paper (compostable, naturally)

The package labelled fruit was opened with a degree of excitement only to reveal a satsuma, a kiwi fruit and an apple. Oh well, no one ever said that a balanced diet was going to be exciting, and the fruit was flavoursome enough.

Other paper wrapped `packages were labelled snacks and contained nuts and snack bars with names such as ‘Delish Trail bar’, ‘Yummy Berry bar’ and ‘Bliss bar,’ and once again the content lived up to the name. Each small bar was not only extremely tasty, but it had the uncanny ability to take the edge off one’s appetite to the point that I barely registered when the next meal was due. A boon should one be dieting (and believe me I should be dieting)

The reusable plastic containers were labelled with the day, and breakfast, lunch or dinner, so I was able to stack each day’s food neatly in the fridge which just added to the convenience.

It was the first day’s breakfast, Apricot Bircher which contained orange zest, rice milk, coconut and soya yogurt and chia, where I Iearnt a painful truth about myself. It really ought to have contained a health warning, because it was so delicious I ate the entire contents leaving me so full that it was the evening before I ventured to eat anything else. I felt so full that the planned lunch and snacks were moved to the next day. Now I realise that this is a self-inflicted injury but I learned my lesson the hard way and shared the rest of the food with my wife. (well, not the snacks obviously, miracles take a little longer)

I had read somewhere that the sound of crunching signals to your brain that you are full, so the lunch of chick pea, chilli, and vegan Feta salad was absolutely delicious and crunchy enough to tell my stomach to pay attention. This was also the case for the Crunchy vegetable and edamame bean salad, again tasty and perfectly balanced.

Saturday breakfast contained Asparagus, sun blush tomatoes and scrambled tofu, the latter a revelation, which had it not been labelled I would have taken for egg.

Sunday lunch was the most delicious Curried lentil soup which I now wisely shared with my wife along with a piece of toasted gluten free bread which was meant to go with something else, but by now, I had decided that balance was the name of the game.

Dinners ranged from Polenta crusted Portabello Mushroom, Falafel Tagine to a Butternut Squash and Edamame Bean Risotto, all as delicious as they were filling.

I loved having a long weekend where I did not having to think about shopping or cooking and still being able to enjoy a tasty meal There was no waste thanks to the balanced meals and thoughtful packaging. It was a great time saver and of course as its name suggests it was clear that each meal was finely balanced which is particularly important for us vegetarians. All in all a great experience where my balance was well and truly restored. https://www.balancebox.com