I am thrilled to join the other bloggers as part of the Before I Say I Do, Random Things Tours blog tour.
SYNOPSIS:
Her dream wedding is about to become her worst nightmare
Julia is nervous and it’s not just because she’s about to get married. There’s a lot that her soon-to-be husband, Mark, doesn’t know – and she is determined to keep it that way.
As she walks down the aisle, spotting Mark is his tailored suit, she knows she is taking her first steps to happiness- her past can’t catch her now. He turns to face her…
But it isn’t Mark in the beautiful suit – it’s his best man.
Because Mark is missing.
And Julia’s past is closer than she thinks.
My Thoughts:
What a great debut novel by Vicki Bradley, I love the fact that Bradley is an actual detective in the MET this inside knowledge adds so much depth and realism to her novel making it far superior to some other crime fiction books.
There are so many lies that are weaved throughout this book that it makes it harder for the reader to determine who are the reliable characters, this in itself adds a great deal of suspense to the novel and always keeps you guessing. I was intrigued by Jenny Hughes' story although it was very heart wrenching and traumatic. I loved how you were given short bursts of Jenny's story allowing it build up in your mind and question the significance it had to play in the main investigation of Mark's disappearance.
There are a lot of themes to focus on within the story such as, drug abuse, money laundering, cheating, gambling as well as murder, secrets and lies. This helped add to the complexity of the story and kept you truly guessing which direction the book was going to go. There were quite a few twist and turns along the way and a real sense of satisfaction towards the end of the novel.
I loved the relationship between Loxton and Kowalski, what an unstoppable force, I would love to see more from these characters in the future.
Many thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours and Simon Schuster UK for inviting me to join the Before I Say I Do blog tour.
AUTHOR:
Vicki Bradley is a detective constable in the Metropolitan Police Service.
She has had a varied career, as a uniformed response driver in Brent and then as a detective Constable in Southwark CID.
She has managed High Risk Sex Offenders and worked on the Serious Organised Crime Command.
She is currently on a 5-year career creak to focus on her writing.
Vicki completed a Creative Writing MA at City University in 2016. Before I Say I Do won the Write Here, Right Now competition, came 3rd in the First Novel Prize and has been shortlisted for the Virago New Crime Writer 2017 and Peters Fraser and Dunlop Prize 2016.
She enjoys travelling the world and climbing mountains. Vicki lives in London with her husband.