BLOG TOUR REVIEW : After He Died by Michael j Malone

After He Died is the addictive,fast paced,twisty tale of the tension filled friendship that is forged between two women from completely different social classes during their quests for the truth about their lost loved one.

Paula Gadd is only just managing to hold herself together mainly due to the pills that she took before the service.Her beloved husband of almost thirty years has recently died,just days away from the forth anniversary of the death of their son Christopher.Grieving and bereft she is stunned when a young woman approaches her at the funeral service and slips a note into her pocket.A note that suggests that Paula's husband Thomas wasn't all he seemed. Intrigued Paula agrees to meet the young woman (Cara Connolly),who's shocking revelations cause Paula to wonder if she really knew her husband. Was Thomas really the evil person Cara insists he was? Paula reluctantly begins a search to uncover the truth. But the more she uncovers,the more endangered her life becomes.

The story is told in short,snappy chapters (many of which end on a cliff hanger) that alternate between Paula and Cara`s points of view. Just like Cara,I struggled to like Paula at times,she sometimes came across as a bit of a opinionated snob but then she would do or say something surprising and make me like her again. I loved the banter and interactions between Paula and Thomas's brother Father Joe who was a sweet,likeable character unlike Thomas's other brother Bill and his wife Daphne.Not everyone is who they appear to be and Paula will be find herself being betrayed by a number of characters as the story unfolds.Despite my mixed feelings about Paula's character,her chapters which were packed full of twists,mystery and intrigue were my favourite parts of the story. I liked feisty,caring Cara and admired her determination to get Paula to accept what she was saying about Thomas.I just felt that there wasn't as much danger and intrigue during Cara`s chapters. Cara is from a poor background and works with the underprivileged and homeless whereas Paula is wealthy,has a big house but is really quite lonely and isolated. It's a sad fact as Paula discovers that there always has been and always will be a massive divide between the rich and the poor as the author illustrates perfectly throughout this riveting thriller. The story is set in and around Glasgow,I spent quite a few years in Scotland when I was younger and sometimes stayed with my Aunt,who had lived not far away Erskine bridge which is mentioned in this story which brought back memories of my childhood.

This is quite a quick read due to the short,snappy chapters that give the reader a very bad case of just one more chapter syndrome. It's a well written,character driven,gripping thriller that held my attention throughout the whole book. This is the first book that I have read by this author and it most definitely will not be my last. Highly recommended by little old me.

                                                                       AUTHOR BIO

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country, in Ayr. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. His career as a poet has also included a (very) brief stint as the Poet-In-Residence for an adult gift shop. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize (judge: Alex Gray) from the Scottish Association of Writers. Other published work includes: Carnegie’s Call (a non-fiction work about successful modern-day Scots); A Taste for Malice; The Guillotine Choice; Beyond the Rage and The Bad Samaritan. His psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number one bestseller on AU/UK ebook charts, and House of Spines soon followed suit. Michael is a regular reviewer for the hugely popular crime fiction website www.crimesquad.com. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller.

Follow Michael on Twitter @michaelJmalone1

E Book PUBLICATION DATE : 20th July  2018

PAPERBACK PUBLICATION DATE : 30th September 2018

PUBLISHER : Orenda Books

GENRE : Psychological Thriller

PURCHASE HERE....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/After-He-Died-Michael-Malone-ebook/dp/B07DFPCLNK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1535845910&sr=1-1