Acts of Kindness

By Heather Barnett

Published by Serpentine Books 11th March 2021

What it’s about?

Dream Job. Fresh Start. Big Mistake.

When Bella Black arrives in a sleepy Wiltshire village, it seems like the perfect place for a new start: a lovely home, exciting job and an attractive colleague or two to take her mind off her recent divorce.

When people start disappearing, she realises she holds the key to a mystery bigger than she could have ever imagined.

Who is really pulling the strings at the secretive OAK Institute?

Can anyone be trusted?

Will Bella make the right choices before its too late?

What I think:

I really enjoyed this book!

Bella is offered her dream job – great location, great salary and a great bunch of new colleagues. She finds a lovely new cottage to rent in a welcoming village. Everything seems to be going well.

Acorn Consulting seems to good to be true. If she completes her probation period she will get to find more out more about what the company does and attend the restricted meetings.

Bella settles in well. she makes friends, meets the neighbours including the eccentric Maggie Thatcher who gives her knickers as a welcome present and passes her probabtion period. But then things start to take a strnage turn.

Maggie claims that her husband has been kidnapped by Bella’s company and asks her to help find him; Bella finds out what is really going on behind the scenes at O.A.K.; and a team building trip to a mysterious island triggers a serious of strange and increasingly dangerous events.

This book is full of fantastic characters. Bella is sharp and witty but kind and thoughtful – you instantly warm to her and want her new life in Wiltshire to be success. You are rooting for her all the way and hoping that she makes the right decisions as to who to trust. I loved her co-worker Oscar and his mother who are flamboyant and fun and make you laugh out loud. The mystery is intriguing and complex but full of humour and the danger always has an element of comedy to it – it reminded me of some of the Janet Evanovich comedy adventures.

The premise behind this book is so interesting and timely – I won’t spoil it, but it certainly makes you think about how you treat people.

This is laugh out loud adventure full of warmth and humour and I really enjoyed it.

If you fancy reading Act of Kindness, use the links below:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3fhl9Cd

Bookshop.org: https://bit.ly/333Ovz2

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/35NWnGu

About the author:

Heather Barnett gained a degree in English and French from the University of Leeds and has written ever since: from copywriting to stand-up comedy and sketches. She is now focusing on writing novels. Heather’s influences span Jane Austen and Douglas Adams at one end of the alphabet through to PG Wodehouse at the other.

Heather’s debut novel, Acts of Kindness, is an uplifting, light-hearted mystery. It was inspired by witnessing commuters helping a woman who’d fallen down the stairs at Paddington station; intermingled with wondering what was behind some grand stone gateposts that she used to drive past in Wiltshire.

Her second novel, Lord Seeks Wife, is a romantic comedy and will be published summer 2021.

Aside from writing, Heather’s interests are classic literature, cats and comedy.

Heather is head of marketing at an agency near Oxford and lives by the river Kennet in Berkshire.

For more information on Heather and her books, please visit her website: www.heatherbarnettauthor.com or join the discussion on Twitter @WritesHeather.

Social Media Links –

www.heatherbarnettauthor.com

Twitter: @WritesHeather

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writesheather/

Thank you to Heather Barnett and Serpentine Books for the gifted copy of this book and to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on this thoroughly enjoyable blog tour. Check out the other stops: