Tom Bale – Bibliophile Book Club

Blog Tour: The Stone Song by Tom Bale

Hi everyone,

Today I’m taking part in the blog tour for The Stone Song by Tom Bale and I’ll be sharing my review with you all!

About the author:

Tom Bale was born in Sussex in 1966. While pursuing his lifelong ambition to be a writer, he worked in a variety of jobs, but none was as exhausting – or as rewarding – as the several years he spent as a househusband with two pre-school children.

His first novel, Sins of the Father, was published in 2006 under his real name, David Harrison. With his next book, Skin and Bones, he acquired an agent, a pseudonym and a publishing deal that enabled him to write full-time.

His latest three novels See How They Run, All Fall Down and Each Little Lie have been published by Bookouture.

A keen cyclist and sea swimmer, he lives in Brighton with his family.

For more information, please click here or follow him on Twitter @t0mbale

About the narrator:

Raza Jaffrey (born 28 May 1973) is an English actor and singer, who starred as Dr. Neal Hudson on the CBS TV medical dramaCode Black. He is best known for playing Zafar Younis on the BBC One spy drama series Spooks. In 2014, he played Pakistani Lieutenant Colonel Aasar Khan in season 4 of the Showtime series Homeland.

About the book:

On a sweltering summer’s night, teenage siblings Jack and Lily witness a helicopter crash on the main road between Brighton and London. The next morning they wake to find their village has been sealed off from the entire world. A terrorist cell is holed up in Stenhurst – or at least that’s the official story, put out by sinister government agent Wynter and his vicious sidekick, Major Kellett.

But later that day, Lily and Jack stumble on the truth: the authorities are hunting for a mysterious creature, labelled CatX, who escaped during the crash. Together with their friends, Erin and Oliver, Lily and Jack take it upon themselves to defy the lockdown and protect the creature, no matter what the risks.

The stakes are raised still further when a team of American agents arrive with their own unique technologies. Nobody who sees the CatX must be allowed to survive, and yet it soon becomes clear that there is a much bigger secret here…one that threatens the entire world.

With four teenagers pitted against deadly opposition, this is a story of supernatural menace that will appeal to fans of Stephen King and Stranger Things.

Click the link below to get your audiobook:

The Stone Song by Tom Bale

My review:

I’m a huge fan of Tom Bale’s thrillers, so I was delighted to see he had a new book coming out! Thanks to Midas PR for allowing me to take part in the tour for the audiobook of The Stone Song.

I really enjoyed The Stone Song. It’s got a lot going on, but it’s quite easy to follow. Lily and Jack essentially see something they shouldn’t one summer night, and what follows a game of cat and mouse between these kids and the authorities who have decided to seal off their sleepy village from the rest of the world.

The characters in this book are well-drawn, and I found myself rooting for Lily and Jack the whole way through. Especially when they discover the truth about the cover up, and the existence of CatX. I love how they took it upon themselves, along with their friends, to try and protect CatX from the agents who show up.

I don’t want to go into too much detail for fear of spoilers, but The Stone Song is a really engaging book. I liked the small village setting, the characters are great, and the villains are almost cinematic in their badness.

The Stone Song is a departure from the norm for Mr. Bale, but it doesn’t disappoint. Intriguing premise, empathetic and interesting characters and a great adventure.

Recommended for sure!

Check out the blog tour:

One Dark Night by Tom Bale

Hi all,

Today I’ll be reviewing One Dark Night by Tom Bale, which is published by Bookouture, and is available to buy from today!

About the author:

Tom Bale decided that he wanted to be an author from the age of seven but, after another career got in the way, it wasn’t until much later that his dream was fulfilled. After several books with Random House, Bookouture published two stunning ‘everyman’ thrillers by Tom See How They Run and All Fall Down.

About the book:

He sees his wife’s eyes watching him in the rear-view mirror, the kids up on their knees to get a better look. That’s when he hears the scream…

You’re driving home from a family outing one afternoon, when a speeding car cuts you up, nearly causing you to crash. Like anyone would, you pull over to confront the driver.

But a glance into the backseat of the speeding car reveals a woman fighting to escape. She is terrified and she’s screaming for your help: these men have murdered her husband…

What would you do?

Out today, you can order your copy by clicking the link below:

One Dark Night by Tom Bale

My thoughts:

I’ve been waiting for a new Tom Bale book for what seems like ages, but it’s only really since his last one! And it’s safe to say he’s returned on form with One Dark Night.
As with his other books, Bale has a knack for putting ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, and that’s no different in this book.
One Dark Night focuses on Adam, Katy and their two children as they deal with the fallout from a split decision. What follows is an adrenaline-pumping thriller with plenty of action to keep the reader turning the pages.
I always find that I end up wondering if I would have done the same if I was in the situations that Bale puts his characters, but to be honest, I don’t think I’d want to as they always get tangled up in something far bigger than the reader expects.
One Dark Night is a really enjoyable book. It’s got plenty of action, some seriously shady characters and lots of shocking moments. These are really what drive the plot forward, and even in the quieter moments, there is an underlying sense of urgency that is woven through the plot that ramps up the tension.
These quieter moments are where you learn the motivations behind the characters decisions, and though it slows the pace, it really is the only way to explain why things are happening the way they are. Without them, the story would not be as believable. And even though these kinds of plot lines can be a little far-fetched, I think that Tom Bale has pulled it off with One Dark Night. It all lies with that split second decision.
I really felt for the family in this one. They are put through an absolute wringer, and just when you think they’re out the other side, the author pulls the rug out from under them again and the tension is back with a bang.
One Dark Night is a gripping thriller, Tom Bale is on top form with this one!

Previous reviews:

See How They Run by Tom Bale

All Fall Down by Tom Bale

Each Little Lie by Tom Bale

~Blog Tour Review~ Each Little Lie by Tom Bale

Hi guys,

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Each Little Lie by Tom Bale and I get to share my review with you all. First though, here is the all-important bookish information that you need to know!

About the book:

One split second can destroy your life forever

Single mother Jen Cornish is just trying to hold things together for the sake of her seven-year-old son Charlie. Until the day when she does an impulsive good deed to help a neighbour, setting off a terrifying chain of events that quickly spirals out of control…

When she is arrested for a crime she didn’t commit, Jen quickly starts to wonder if someone is playing a cruel game with her – or is she losing her mind?

Desperate to clear her name with the police, she must first untangle a chilling web of lies. But someone is watching her every move – and it isn’t just Jen who is in danger.

They’re watching her child as well.

About the author:

My thoughts:

I am a big fan of Tom Bale’s books so I was thrilled to be able to read and review Each Little Lie as part of the blog tour.

Each Little Lie focuses on Jen, and her son Charlie. One day, Jen finds a set of keys on her neighbours lawn, and ends up setting herself on a very treacherous course. When Jjen is arrested for a crime she did not commit, it becomes a race against time to get those she loves to believe her, and to clear her name.

Tom Bale has a gift for turning the innocuous, normal and ordinary life decisions into something far more sinister than one would expect. I’ve said that before, and I stand by it, especially after reading Each Little Lie. Everyday decisions are turned into something completely different, and it goes to show that a having a good moral compass doesn’t always work in your favour. The fallout is what keeps the reader turning those pages!

Each Little Lie is a compulsive age-turner, with elemetns of a psychological thriller combined with a hefty dose of humanity. It is gripping, and more than a little scary in the sense that the author can essentially ruin a person’s life between the pages. I look forward to each new Tom Bale book, and I am never disappointed!

Highly recommended!

Previous reviews:

See How They Run by Tom Bale

All Fall Down by Tom Bale

Follow the blog tour:

All Fall Down by Tom Bale

First off, big thanks to Kim and the lovely folks at Bookouture for letting me have an early read of Tom Bale’s new book, it was a fab surprise!

Today’s my stop on the blog tour for All Fall Down and I get to FINALLY share my review with you all!

About the book:

You tried to save a life. Now you’re fighting to save your own.
It should have been an idyllic day for the Turner family – until a dying man, beaten beyond all recognition, arrives at their home, uttering the words, HELP ME.

Rob and Wendy Turner and their children try to explain away the horrific scene as being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but in the days that follow their lives are threatened in ways they could never imagine.

The family is unaware that they are being watched by someone with their own terrifying agenda, who will stop at nothing to fulfil their own twisted desires.

But when hidden secrets come rushing to the surface, it’s clear not everything is as it seems in this happy family. Are the Turners a victim of circumstance – or does the key to their fate lie closer to home?

Forced to fight for everything they hold dear, can they save themselves before time runs out – or will their act of compassion see them paying the ultimate price…?

About the author:

Tom Bale has had a variety of jobs including retail assistant, claims negotiator and project manager, but none was as exhausting as the several years he spent as a househusband with two pre-school children. Tom has been writing since the age of seven, and completed his first novel at fifteen. After twenty years and hundreds of rejection slips, his first novel SINS OF THE FATHER was published under his real name, David Harrison. With his next book, SKIN AND BONES, he acquired an agent, a pseudonym and a book deal that enabled him to write full-time. His latest novel is the thriller SEE HOW THEY RUN, published by Bookouture in May 2016.

My Thoughts:

I am a huge fan of Tom’s, I’m not going to lie! I unapologetically fangirl on Twitter because I really enjoy his work so I was more than a little excited to read All Fall Down a MONTH before its release! Having read and LOVED See How They Run earlier this year (that review is here –> See How They Run by Tom Bale) I was thrilled to get this one!

All Fall Down is twisted and brilliant in equal measure. To be fair, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I started it but that opener certainly sealed the deal in that I was hooked immediately and cursing the fact that I had to leave my kindle down to do real life stuff! I mean come on, do I have to make dinner? I’m at a really good part!!!! (Nobody went hungry, don’t worry!)

Tom Bale has a way with words. His writing is enough to give me the heebie jeebies about everyday, mundane things. Like locking your door at night (SHTR freaked me out for a while after that!) and now I have to contend with making sure our gate is locked too!!!! I don’t like being freaked out Tom!!! *evil eyes*

Scolding aside (he knows I love him really) All Fall Down is a super grippy, page turning rollercoaster of a book! I couldn’t fault the pace, I’m surprised my Kindle is in one piece with the speed I was page tapping towards the end if I’m honest!

I’m an absolute sucker for action in a book. And All Fall Down has it in spades. The characters are excellent too! A mature family is a departure from the characters in SHTR, and it seemed to give Tom much more scope in terms of what they may have experienced in their lives and pasts which gave them a bit more depth and made them seem knowledgeable if that makes sense?!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Tom Bale as the ability to put ordinary characters in extraordinary situations and still manages to keep the momentum going within the plot. All Fall Down is a whirlwind of a book, it will pick you up, spin you around and throw you back down to the ground with a bang!!!

#ALLTHESTARS for this one!!! 😍

Make sure to catch up with the blog tour!