The Spoonie Mummy

Good morning and happy Tuesday!  I am doing some extra posts for you as have been invited to read some great looking books lately and have agreed to take part in some extra blog tours.  You all know I am a huge bookworm and it is really exciting to be able to read these books and share my thoughts with you all.

Calamity In Camberwell by Alice Castle

The Blurb

Beth Haldane, SE21’s answer to Miss Marple, worries she is losing a kindred spirit when her friend Jen, the only other single mum in the playground, suddenly gets married and moves to Camberwell. Soon Beth has to face much more pressing fears. Has something gone horribly wrong with Jen’s marriage? What is her husband really up to? Why is her daughter leading Beth’s son astray? And where on earth IS Jen anyway? As Beth’s friends push her to start dating again, Beth turns to Met Police DI Harry York for help. But will they solve the mystery in time, or will it turn out that in south east London, not everyone gets to live happily ever after?

What I Thought

I really enjoyed this book. Less thriller and more ‘cozy’ mystery, although still a fantastic storyline.

I felt the book was a bit of a slow burner at first as the suspense and mystery part took a while to take shape. I think this is where I fell down slightly for not reading the first two books in the series. Although this is a standalone novel and you don’t have to read the previous two to enjoy the story, I think it contains a lot about Beth and her personal life. To understand this better I think reading the previous two books would have helped.

The book is a great read though and I really enjoyed it. The themes of domestic abuse are handled well but do be warned that some people may be triggered by what is written.

I loved the ‘normality’ of Beth’s every day life which contrasted with the situations she finds herself in. Worrying about her son, finding a new relationship, school entrance exams and the playground minefield. This gave me as a reader,  a sense of understanding and comaradery with the main character. I’m not sure how many times a ‘normal’ woman like Beth could stumble into these kinds of situation but I suooosu as it makes a great story, I will let that one slip!

I was impressed with this book and am a little annoyed I haven’t come across the series before. I will definitely be adding the other books in the series to my to be read list and I would suggest the whole series to any reader interested.

Where To Buy

Purchase Link – MyBook.to/Cic

The Author

Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times and The Daily Telegraph. Her first book, Hot Chocolate, set in Brussels and London, was a European hit and sold out in two weeks.

Death in Dulwich was published in September 2017 and has been a number one best-seller in the UK, US, Canada, France, Spain and Germany. A sequel, The Girl in the Gallery was published in December 2017 to critical acclaim. Calamity in Camberwell, the third book in the London Murder Mystery series, will be published this summer, with Homicide in Herne Hill due to follow in early 2019. Alice is currently working on the fifth London Murder Mystery adventure. Once again, it will feature Beth Haldane and DI Harry York.

Alice is also a mummy blogger and book reviewer via her website: https://www.alicecastleauthor.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alicecastleauthor/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DDsDiary?lang=en Links to buy other books: MyBook.to/GirlintheGallery myBook.to/1DeathinDulwich myBook.to/HotChocolate

She lives in south London and is married with two children, two step-children and two cats.

Giveaway – Win a signed copy of Calamity in Camberwell (Open Internationally)

To enter to win your own copy of this fab book just click here

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

Good luck to everyone with the competition! I hope you enjoyed my review and will have a look into Alice Castle’s books. I really enjoyed her writing style and will be seeking out the others by her.

Thankyou to Rachel’s Random Resources and Crooked Cat Books for my ARC of this book which I received in return for this review. All opinions are my own