*Blog Tour* Crash Land by Doug Johnstone

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Hi everyone,

Today, I’m delighted to be posting my review for Crash Land as part of the blog tour. Many thanks to the lovely folks at Faber for my review copy.

About the book:

Sitting in the departure lounge of Kirkwall Airport, Finn Sullivan just wants to get off Orkney. But then he meets the mysterious and dangerous Maddie Pierce, stepping in to save her from some unwanted attention, and his life is changed forever.

Set against the brutal, unforgiving landscape of Orkney, CRASH LAND is a psychological thriller steeped in guilt, shame, lust, deception and murder.

Get your copy of Crash Land HERE.

About the author:

Doug Johnstone is a writer, musician and journalist based in Edinburgh. His seventh novel, The Jump, was published by Faber & Faber in August 2015. Gone Again (2013) was an Amazon bestseller and Hit & Run (2012) and was an Amazon #1 as well as being selected as a prestigious Fiction Uncovered winner. Smokeheads (2011) was nominated for the Crimefest Last Laugh Award. Before that Doug published two novels with Penguin, Tombstoning (2006) and The Ossians (2008). His work has received praise from the likes of Irvine Welsh, Ian Rankin, William McIlvanney, Megan Abbott and Christopher Brookmyre.

In September 2014 Doug took up the position of Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. Doug was writer in residence at the University of Strathclyde 2010-2012 and before that worked as a lecturer in creative writing there. He’s had short stories appear in various publications and anthologies, and since 1999 he has worked as a freelance arts journalist, primarily covering music and literature. Doug is currently also working on a number of screenplays for film and television. He is also a mentor and manuscript assessor for The Literary Consultancy.

Doug is one of the co-founders of the Scotland Writers Football Club, for whom he also puts in a shift in midfield. He is also a singer, musician and songwriter in several bands, including Northern Alliance, who have released four albums to critical acclaim, as well as recording an album as a fictional band called The Ossians. Doug has also released two solo EPs, Keep it Afloat and I Did It Deliberately.

Doug has a degree in physics, a PhD in nuclear physics and a diploma in journalism, and worked for four years designing radars.

He grew up in Arbroath and lives in Portobello, Edinburgh with his wife and two children.

For more info:
dougjohnstone.wordpress.com
dougjohnstone.bandcamp.com

My thoughts:

Bloody hell that Doug Johnstone knows how to hook a reader! Crash Land starts of with a bang and the pace is absolutely relentless. I devoured this book in less than 24 hours, reading at every available opportunity to see what the hell was going on!

Starting off innocuously enough, the reader meets Finn waiting at the airport for his flight home. Seeing Maddie in the lounge getting hassle, he goes to try and help her out. This moment will change the course of their lives forever.

I’ve read a couple of books based in Orkney lately, so I’m relatively familiar with the landscape thanks to the various descriptions and locations used. I actually had an idea where the author was talking about at times! Orkney is a harsh and unforgiving landscape, and this only serves to make it all the more atmospheric.

Crash Land is gripping from the outset. Full of action, secrets and lies. And listen, we all know that these can come back to bite you in the behind and it’s no different here. It’s an exceptionally fast paced read, with plenty of different avenues for the reader to get lost in which I love. That’s what keeps me reading. Put me off the scent and I’ll keep reading until I damn well figure it out!!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I got lost in the pages, and when I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about how soon until I could get back into it. This was my first book from Doug Johnstone but it certainly won’t be my last.

Highly recommended!

Make sure to keep up with the blog tour:

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