Book Description:
She had taken only one step towards the hotel when she heard the car door opening, and then something had her by the shoulders in a grip like steel. Penny tried to fight, but it was no good. The last thing she heard as consciousness drifted away was the whisper of a familiar song…
On a cold night in October a pretty, blonde girl named Penny O’Dwyer is snatched from the quiet main street of a small, coastal town in the west of Ireland. No one saw anything, and a desperate search leads nowhere… Until her abductor sends a video declaring Penny only has ten days to live and a deadly countdown begins.
Criminal behaviourist Jessie Boyle hoped never to work a case in Ireland again. But when her career in London is cut short by a brutal tragedy, she returns to her homeland to grieve – only for her oldest friend to call in a long overdue debt. ‘Help us catch this monster and bring Penny home. We need you, Jessie.’
Throwing herself into the investigation, Jessie makes a chilling discovery: Penny wasn’t the first girl to be taken. As her team find more missing women, she becomes convinced that a serial killer has been hiding in plain sight for years. Nothing seems to tie the victims together, until Jessie realises that that each abduction site is linked to the old Irish myths she read as a child.
Time is running out for Penny, and Jessie’s only hope is to understand the killer’s twisted logic. But he is closer than she imagined… and Jessie is next in his sights. Will she risk everything to save an innocent life?
A totally breathtaking and chilling crime thriller that will keep you gripped to the very last page, perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, A.J. Rivers, Tana French and Lisa Gardner.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Bring Her Home' by S.A Dunphy.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for S.A Dunphy, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 3rd September 2021.
This is the fourth book I have read by this author under Shane Dunphy but his first book under S.A Dunphy. It is also the first book in the 'Boyle & Keneally' series. This book was previously titled 'Dancing With The Dead'.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, A.J. Rivers, Tana French and Lisa Gardner.' I am a huge fan of Lisa Gardner and Lisa Regan so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Shane Dunphy and if this is half as good as Shane's previous books it is sure to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue, 66 chapters and an epilogue The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Ireland 🇮🇪 UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. The fact that this book is based in Ireland is even better as I have been on holiday in Ireland many times so may even recognise some places Shane has set the book around.
This book is written in third person perspective with the main protagonists being Jessie Boyle, Seamus Keneally and Terri Kehoe. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVED IT!! Well I must say Shane you are very talented man!!! What an absolutely addictive read!!
This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions that leave you shivering in the caves and leaves your heart pounding. The new title, cover and synopsis work perfectly with the storyline although I think the previous title would have worked just as well.
I had yet to read any of Shane's crime novels before I finished this. I had read most of his non fiction books from when he was working as a child protection worker and loved them all. They were heartbreaking and I shed many tears but they were fantastic books. Shane then started writing crime novels and although I've bought a few I haven't managed to read them yet. I was intrigued by the change of genre and was looking forward to seeing if this book would be as good as his previous non fiction work. I am very pleased to say that Shane writes fiction just as fantastically as non fiction!!!
This storyline is definitely unique which I loved. I'm a big can of crime but it can be tedious reading similar storylines so this one was a nice refreshing change. It is very fast paced and addictive. I was completely absorbed from page one until the fantastic explosive ending. It is ram packed with suspense, mystery, history, mythology, tension, humour and everything you want in an unputdownable page turner.
It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.
There were chapters from/about Penelope, Giles, Dawn, Uruz and Balor which gave some interesting background information. The fact that Shane has obviously either done some research or knows alot about mythology and Ireland (the fact that he lives there probably helps) shines through and I was intrigued by all the mythology and history in the storyline. I also enjoyed learning some of the Irish sayings scattered through. This book is an explosive start to a promising new series and I cannot wait to get my hands on thenext in the series. I cannot say I was completely surprised when I discovered about Balor but it didn't actually disappoint as the storyline was such a heart racing and unique one.
I absolutely loved meeting all the new characters for this series and I became really invested in each of them. Jessie, Seamus and Terri worked as a perfect team and I loved the team dynamics. Each of the main characters were strong, realistic and their own unique personalities and they came together perfectly as a team and as friends. I absolutely love Jessie and Dawn's kick ass take no crap attitude and although Terri gives the impression of a timid mouse she has definitely got a surprise roar and bite to her. I love seeing strong women leads in books being female myself and you can't get much stronger than these three!!! Jessie is absolutely ruthless and I just loved her attitude. Although Dawn is the commissioner she is down to Earth and friendly and cares about her team. I really enjoyed watching Jessie and Seamus friendship grow and develop and I'm looking forward to watching them together and seeing what happens. They clicked together really well and although Seamus calls Terri his sister in the book the three actually seem to have the family feel about them with Jessie and Seamus being Terri's Mum and Dad who are protective of her. I haven't read a book with such fantastic team dynamics in a long time. In terms of personalities Jessie seems to be quite serious but can relax and have fun. Seamus is definitely the class clown and brought alot of humour to any situation. Terri is the wild card and I'm looking forward to watching her come out of her shell. Seamus is cute and I think his relationship with his mum Katie is lovely and Katie is another character I really like and am looking forward to meeting again. I wasn't a fan of a certain someone from the start and got bad vibes from them which turned out to be right. I won't say any more about them though as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. I am looking forward to seeing this great gang again soon.
Congratulations Shane, a man of many talents, on an absolutely fantastic explosive start to what is looking to be a very addictive series. Here is to yet another success 🍻!!!
Overall an absolutely addictive, unique and unputdownable explosive start to what promises to be a page turning new series
Genres covered in this novel include Psychological Thriller, Crime, Thriller and Mystery amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Carol Wyer, Angela Marsons, Lisa Regan, Lisa Gardiner and ANYONE looking for a unique and addictive storyline.
316 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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@SADunphy @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
Author Bio:
Shane Dunphy (S. A. Dunphy) was born in Brighton in 1973, but grew up in Ireland, where he has lived and worked for most of his life. A child protection worker for fifteen years, he is the bestselling author of seventeen books, including the number one Irish bestseller Wednesday’s Child and the Sunday Times Bestseller The Girl Who Couldn't Smile. His bestselling series of crime novels (written under the name S. A. Dunphy) feature the criminologist David Dunnigan. Stories From the Margins, his new series of true crime books written for Audible, has been critically acclaimed and the second title in the series, The Bad Place, is an Audible True Crime bestseller.
Buy Links:
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