What (am I currently reading)?

I am currently reading the standalone thriller The Birthday Party by Wendy Dranfield, which was published by Bookouture in January 2022.

Earlier this month Wendy Dranfield’s  new crime thriller Catch Her Death was published – Book 5 in the Detective Madison Harper series, I’ve got some catching up on this series to do!

Book Blurb for The Birthday Party (taken from https://wendydranfield.co.uk/  )

A gripping standalone crime thriller

Out now in ebook, paperback and audiobook on Amazon, Kindle Unlimited and Audible.

Charlotte waves at her mother across the crowded lawn. Little red boots on, cowboy hat crooked over her blonde pigtails, she’s been looking forward to this party for weeks. Moments later, she disappears without a trace…

Kathy Hamilton drives away from her sister-in-law’s pristine-white suburban house in Maple Falls certain she’s left her daughter in safe hands. On the hottest day of the year, a birthday is the perfect excuse to gather friends, family and neighbors around the pool for a barbecue. But when she returns hours later to find her little girl has vanished, her world shatters.

Nobody laughing and drinking in the garden that day saw anything unusual.

Kathy’s eldest daughter is anxious and hardly eating. Is she sick with worry for her sister, or hiding a terrible secret?

The phone rings and rings, but why can’t Kathy get hold of the babysitter?

And is she imagining it, or when her husband rushed from work to join the search, was he wearing a different shirt to the one she saw him leave the house in that morning?

As the temperature rises, and long-buried secrets begin to surface, it’s clear that even the most perfect families keep devastating secrets. But in a town as small as this, is there anyone you can trust?

A totally gripping and utterly addictive page-turner that will have you racing through and reeling at the twists.

Listen to the audiobook on Audible:

UK: https://zpr.io/jnXp4CNQuh4f

US: https://zpr.io/WeVpBXzVj42V 

Why (have I chosen to read it)?

I wanted a guaranteed good read for my journey to the UK, and having enjoyed Books 1 and 2 in Wendy Dranfield’s Detective Madison Harper series (I am so behind on this series – Book 5 has just been released!) I thought I would read a standalone book by this wonderful author.

While (I was reading it)

I visited the UK.  Flights from Austria to Gatwick (and back) were fine, if a little delayed, and the train service to the south coast was excellent.  The Birthday Party was an excellent book to be reading whilst travelling as I was able to break off to catch up on the latest flight announcements/look out of the window, and then get straight back into the story without any confusion. 

I loved being back by the sea, and really enjoyed walks along the beach – the smell of the sea and the seaweed, watching distant ships plus lots of swimmers and kite surfers, remembering my childhood days there. It was wonderful.

All the best, Emma