Pinch punch, it’s the first of the month! The clocks have gone forward, it’s spring and there’s so much to look forward to this month. Easter is around the corner – hello long weekend – and what better way to spend it than with a good book! If you’re short of ideas then this month’s book pick could be the answer.

The Guilty Party by Mel McGrath

This month’s book is the latest novel by Mel McGrath, The Guilty Party. I pre-ordered this one on Amazon when I saw that she was releasing a new book as I absolutely loved reading Give Me The Child! Enjoy lovelies.

On a night out, four friends witness a stranger in trouble. They decide to do nothing to help. Then, a body is found.

Cassie, Anna, Bo and Dex have been friends since university and have a close-knit relationship with one another. But hiding behind their friendship lies a series of secrets that they’re keeping from the outside world, and each other.

Everything starts to take a wrong turn when they’re out at a festival in Wapping and witness a young girl in trouble. Frozen by what they’re seeing and unable to help without being exposed to the police, they decide to turn a blind eye and head home. But when they awake the next morning, a body has been found. Was it the girl they saw in the alleyway? If they’d tried to help would she still be alive?

You did nothing. That doesn’t mean you’re innocent.

The story moves between the evening of 14 August in Wapping and a weekend away on the Isle of Portland, at the end of September, where the group are spending the weekend celebrating Bo’s birthday. Each chapter alternates between the four characters sharing different perspectives and stories about their past and present.

As with all Mel’s books, it gets increasingly darker as you go on with lots of plot twists and turns right up until the very end. This book is a rollercoaster of emotions with an ending that is sure to make you gasp!

Mel McGrath

Mel is a non-fiction writer and crime novelist. She’s written a variety of titles under various names (M J McGrath, Melanie McGrath & Mel McGrath), including the best selling psychological thriller Give Me A Child, which was my book club choice in May 2018!

She’s also the co-founder of Killer Women which I stumbled upon last year. Killer Women is an author collective of 21 female crime-writers who have built an online/offline community around the genre. They host events with keynote speakers and offer free chapters from new books, run competitions and keep members updated about what’s happening in the world of crime writing. If you’re a fan of this genre then I’d encourage you to check it out for more info!

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