I’m delighted to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for the superb Half-Past Tomorrow by Chris McGeorge. Thank you to Tracy Fenton and Orion Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this addictive page turner of a novel.
About the book:
Shirley Steadman, a 70-year-old living in a small town in the North East of England, loves her volunteer work at the local hospital radio. She likes giving back to the community, and even more so, she likes getting out of the house. Haunted by the presence of her son, a reluctant Royal Navy officer who was lost at sea, and still in the shadow of her long dead abusive husband, she doesn’t like being alone much.
One day, at the radio station, she is playing around with the equipment and finds a frequency that was never there before. It is a pirate radio station, and as she listens, the presenter starts reading the news. But there is one problem – the news being reported is tomorrows. Shirley first thinks it is a mere misunderstanding – a wrong date. But she watches as everything reported comes true. At first, Shirley is in awe of the station, and happily tunes in to hear the news.
But then the presenter starts reporting murders – murders that happen just the way they were reported.
And Shirley is the only one who can stop them.
About the author:
Chris McGeorge studied MA Creative Writing (Crime/Thriller) at City University London where he wrote his first novel as his thesis. His interests are broad – spanning film, books, theatre and video games. He is a member of the Northern Crime Syndicate, a supergroup of writers from Northern England. He lives in County Durham with his partner and many, many animals.
My Review:
As soon as I read the blurb for Half-Past Tomorrow by Chris McGeorge I knew I had to read it. I love anything a little bit different and this book ticked all the boxes for me! But even I wasn’t prepared for just how mind blowingly good this book is. With twists, turns and surprises that kept me turning the pages long into the night, this is a cleverly plotted and thrilling tale that kept me guessing throughout.
Shirley Steadman is a 70 year old widow who works as a hospital radio volunteer. Haunted by the loss of her son and still in the shadow of her long dead abusive husband, Shirley loves her volunteer work at the local hospital. But one day everything changes when she chances upon a radio frequency that was never there before. As she listens, the presenter starts reading the news. Only, much to Shirley’s disbelief, the news being reported is for the following day. At first she thinks it must be a mistake, but then everything she hears begins to come true. And when things begin to take an even more sinister turn as the news being reported turns to murder, Shirley comes to the realisation that she is the only one who can stop it…
What follows is a brilliant mind trip of a journey that left me reeling. And just when I thought this book couldn’t surprise me any more, it goes and does just that, taking the story in a whole new direction that is as shocking as it is unexpected.
I warmed to Shirley from the moment she was introduced. At 70 years old she’s beginning to feel the passing of the years. Her health isn’t the best, but she tries to keep active, enjoying her time at the radio station and doing her best to come to terms with events from the past that continue to haunt her. I love an author who isn’t afraid to put an older character front and centre and Chris McGeorge certainly does that with Shirley here. She’s a strong, feisty woman who doesn’t suffer fools gladly, especially after the years she spent in the shadow of her abusive husband. I couldn’t help but fall in love with her, my heart aching for her as the story continued.
Half-Past Tomorrow is a superb psychological thriller that keeps the momentum going throughout, throwing unexpected curveballs that I honestly did not see coming. It’s an addictive and exciting read that is everything I hoped it would be and more. I adored it!
A mind blowing page turner of a novel that I would highly recommend.
Half-Past Tomorrow by Chris McGeorge is available to purchase now.
Check out what these other lovely bloggers have to say about this book:
Cal Turner Reviews 