Beautifully written a joy to read - 5 star

During and after the 2nd ww, children were evacuated from England to countries of the commonwealth namely Australia, Canada and New Zealand. This was done in order to safeguard the children and find a safe refuge for them in a loving family. Alone on a wide wide sea is a fictional story of the young life of one Arthur Hobhouse despatched on a boat to Australia and hopefully safety. Unfortunately it was not uncommon for these young people to be mistreated, beaten and used as a form of slave labour.

Arthurs story is aimed at a reading audience of 10+ and told with elegance and a certain aplong. In short it is beautifully written with many stand out moments. From the horror that was everyday life with " The Piggys"......" you're a slave they don't just take away your freedom, they take away everything else as well because they own you" The young man's journey has many unexpected moments and a beautifully orchestrated conclusion showcasing the author's love of the ocean and his utlimate belief in human nature....."Death, I discovered that day, is not frightening, because it is utterly still. And it is still because death, when it comes, is always over"....." Someties, though, the fog does clear, and you see the icebergs all around. You can hear them groaning, and grinding and you just want to sail through the field of iceberg and out the other side, or just long for the fog again".....
Highly recommended for young and old alike :)

A work of some brilliance - 5 star

I find reading a Stuart Neville book both exciting, exhilarating, exasperating and frightening. His characters don’t appear to have an easy life, and this agony is laid bare on the printed page and I felt every word. I must also mention, at this stage, the dazzling DCI Serena Flanagan books, and Neville’s portrayal of life on the edge with Serena balancing home and work and not always successfully. However I hear you say, and quite rightly so, we are here to discuss and review the author’s  latest work of angst: Blood like Mine. My goodness this is a 400 page work of some brilliance, as Stuart aptly and expertly balances a police thriller with horror undertones that becomes evident after a number of chapters.

Rebecca Carter and her daughter Monica, known as Moonflower, are on the run throughout the United States from what or whom gradually becomes clear. We learn that Rebecca will do anything to keep Moonflower safe including killing or sacrificing herself. Meanwhile special agent Marc Donner has spent the last 2 years trying to identify and apprehend a serial killer who strikes with regularity and leaves no trace or clues at the scene of the crime. Donner is a troubled soul, he has become obsessed with the apprehension of this individual to the detriment of the love of his wife and children. 

This novel was never going to have a happy ending, as the two sets of players attempt to achieve their individual goals, the tension and the pain is written across every page. I truly found it hard to put this book down, Stuart Neville had me hooked from page one. I hoped that mother and daughter would be safe but as the chapters flew by I began to doubt. Donner, a cop with a mission, was on a self-destruct course and only he had the power to turn this around for surely the love of his wife and young children would prove more important…or would it?

If you are going to read one thriller spiced with horror this year I heartily recommend Blood Like Mine, It is a brilliant, addictive read from one of Northern Ireland’s finest authors.