I absolutely loved this book! First time reading C. K. McDonnell's works and I'm hooked. I'm already planning on purchasing the first in the series once I have finished this review. It felt in the same vein as the rivers of London series- so if you loved them this will be right up your street! I have never laughed so much in my life and the brilliant Birkenhead name check sealed the deal with me. I enjoyed all the character portrayals and I'm interested in finding out more about DI Sturguss's new adage. Brilliant and engrossing throughout. Thank you to the author and netgalley for the ARC.

I am a real fan of the _Stranger Times_ series of books, so I was best pleased to receive an ARC from NetGalley. FYI, my pre-order of the book is still in place, and I will likely re-read it when it's officially released.

In _Love Will Tear Us Apart_, we start back in the offices of the _Stranger Times_ to find the editor in chief up to his usual ways, pointing the business end of his blunderbuss at someone in his office. This, of course, is a typical day for the editor. There is some talk about a character that is no longer there, and I have to say I began by thinking to myself, 'That doesn't make sense. There's no real person to quit! It's a book! You don't have to write that person out! I loved that character!' Then the character does turn up in the next chapter, doing their own thing for Reasons™. I felt a little foolish, but relieved.

As usual, the book is written in a fun style, which I find to be reminiscent of Terry Pratchett, but with a hint of Douglas Adams mixed in. The pacing is good, and all the characters we've come to know and love get their fair share of time, plus there's a new character or two to help move the story along in different directions.

Some mysteries from previous books are solved. Some more mysteries are presented and left hanging. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I can't wait for the next one.

Aaaand we’re back for another adventure with the eccentric employees of The Stranger Times. McDonnell writes with a lot of warmth, and his worldview, which celebrates ordinary humanity while excoriating its worse excesses, is not a million miles from Terry Pratchett’s (who gets a namecheck here). Once again, this is is an entertaining and lively read, with a cast of characters you will be rooting for. A lot of fun, and Hope there are many more to come.

Oh Mr McDonnell. You made me snort with laughter, you made me shout at the staff of The Stranger Times to run faster before something bad happened, you made me cry. I LOVED this third instalment. I don't know where we're going next but I'm definitely along for the ride.

We rejoin The Stranger Times at a point of turmoil. Hannah has gone back to her husband, Betty the new assistant editor is stranger than your average journo, Grace is up to her ears in am audit, Stella is struggling with her new powers/career/past and Banecroft is ... well Vincent us behaving very oddly (yes, more oddly than usual).

We are then treated (and this book is a pure treat) to an almost breathless race to help them all regain their lives. It's not easy with the Founders on their tail.

We have more interaction with Cogs and Zeke, Simon Brush and DI Sturgess but the undoubted new star of the show is Betty the new assistant editor. I don't know how he does it but Caiomh McDonnell writes the best women's roles. I loved Betty.

Yeah, I'm a huge fan of this series so carry on please, just make the next episode sooner rather than later (Bunny McGarry won't mind).

Highly recommended for all CK (or Caoimh) McDonnell fans. I'm not sure if you'd be able to read this as a stabd alone but I would seriously recommend reading The Stranger Times and This Charming Man anyway. Funny, crazy and intelligent writing.

There was plenty left up in the air at the end of CK McDonnell’s second Stranger Times book This Charming Man. So for fans if this urban fantasy meets comedy meets horror series, the third volume Love Will Tear Us Apart could not come soon enough. Being the third book in a series this review is likely to contain some minor spoilers.
As with the previous two volumes, the action of Love Will Tear Us Apart is set around the offices of the fringe Manchester newspaper The Stranger Times. When the book opens, curmudgeonly editor Vince Banecroft is trying to find a new assistant editor as Hannah, a lynchpin of the previous two books, has taken off and checked herself into a kind of wellness facility known as the Pinter Institute. Banecroft himself is not doing well as he has come to believe his wife is talking to him through the ghost of an ex-employee. Before long all of the staff are involved in trying to make sense not only of Hannah’s departure and Banecroft’s behaviour but of a kidnapping and an impending audit.
Suffice to say that this precis does not cover half of what is going on in Love Will Tear Us Apart. While the action takes a little while to set up, once it gets going McDonnell effortlessly juggles his huge cast of regular and returning characters. The intersecting plots build on and go some way to resolving events set up not only in this book but in previous books. It does mean that this volume is not the best place to start, these books almost demand to be read in order.
Love will Tear Us Apart is another great entry in this series. McDonnell does some impressive world building and deploys a range of types of humour great one liners and some (at times intense) body horror. But at the heart of this series is McDonnell’s great compassion for the crew of The Stranger Times. On top of plenty of ongoing mysteries, this is the secret ingredient that will keep readers coming back.

I loved book one in this series. However by book three I'm losing interest. Book one was well thought out and an excellent read in passing but serialisation has kind of killed the magic.

I've recently finished reading Love Will Tear Us Apart which is book number 3 in The Stranger Times series by C.K. McDonnell. Huge thanks to the publishers and Netgalley as always. As you may know I have read the first two books in the series and absolutely adored them both. My expectations for this book were therefore high as I'd loved the previous two and this one did not disappoint. We learn more about Vincent and his marriage as in this book we find out how far he will go to save the woman he loves. We learnt in the past book that Vincent did not believe his wife died and, in this book, we find out whether he was right or not. Hannah meanwhile has checked into a spa, sounds lovely? Well, this is the Stranger Times universe, and nothing is ever as it seems. There are cherubs, birds, ghosts, and some things that perhaps are better left in the past.

This part is slightly irrelevant but it really amused me that the starling had a Welsh accent (I'm also Welsh).

C.K. McDonnell is my favourite author of the past few years and I really want more books in this series. I love the main cast of characters and am enjoying getting to read more about this alternate Manchester.

I've loved all of these so far and this one did not disappoint. They're always such a fun romp with a heart underneath. Everyone at the Stranger Times is so fun to have as a PoV character, to spend time with them, to laugh at them, to watch Banecroft's slow descent into despair... I enjoyed the slow reveal mystery of why Hannah is where she is, the resolution of Simon's arc, Grace's box-collecting. It was just all such fun. But also, I welled up over Banecroft's loss.

The third foray into 'The Stranger Times' is a multi-faceted beast - clever, funny, poignant and, in places, a little sad - and an excellent read. The writing is well paced, offering up clues and mis-directions as well as any cosy crime novel, but with the same madcap energy that we've come to expect from McDonnell's writing, both as Caimh and CK.

This series, and this book in particular, does an exceptional job at blowing away all expectations for any one genre, neatly stitching sci-fi, fantasy, crime and suspense together into a patchwork quilt of supernatural action and adventure. Not quite as good as his Bunny McGarry series, but a series that I will very happily read.

It's worth noting that I struggled to get into this series at the start, but it is worth persevering - there's magic in these words, but you may need to put aside any expectations you have for the books and just lean into them, enjoy them for what they are, which is a masterful canter through the bizarre nature of humanity.

The third instalment in the Stranger Times series sees our protagonists take a wider view of the world, with their paper and their lives under threat from multiple directions and one of their number upping and quitting on the team.
McDonnell does a wonderful job of making the reader look one way while something is happening elsewhere and ties the story together excellently.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the publishers' blurb...

Having read all the previous "Stranger Times" titles, I was literally over the moon to receive an ARC of this, the latest book in the series. As usual, I was so engrossed by the book that I couldn't put it down, and stayed up late to finish it.

The cast of characters is expanded in this book - to include both new and powerful enemies, and friends. We also delve deeper into the pasts of some of the main characters. The plot is - as usual - well thought out, with plenty of unexpected twists and turns to keep us on our toes.

The writing is both humorous and poignant (not at the same time obviously!), and I came away liking Vincent a lot more than before.

As usual, I loved the Manunian references - CKM obviously has a lot of affection for his adopted city!

The book ends on a suitably intriguing cliffhanger...so I cannot wait to read the next instalment!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Love Will Tear Us Apart by C. K. McDonnell

4.5 STARS

...And the gang are back! Admittedly broken up, battered and bruised but still hilarious and improbable.

We've got the usual cast of characters with some added news ones in for good measure. A few of the familiar faces have taken more of a backseat in this one and the storyline is split across several different arcs which all come together for one satisfying conclusion.

Cannot wait for the next installment in this series!

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are quite definitely my own.
This series - unlike many in the urban fantasy genre - keeps getting better with each book. Don't get me wrong, McDonnell started off strong, but he just goes from strength to strength.
He doesn't reinvent the wheel as regards the evil doers and supernatural entities: his strengths lie in the development of his main characters, who are growing more real with each installment; his humour, which is not forced, and often offer some genuine contender-for-the-Terry-Pratchett-Crown moments; and lastly, the man can actually write a complex sentence in decent English, which is pleasantly surprising. Probably Christian Brothers education (Irish joke).
I shall be starting his other series as soon as I clear my TBR pile, and recommending him highly to management for author visits (expenses paid, Caoimh!!)

What a wonderful follow on from This Charming Man, we begin finding Hannah has disappeared and returned to her cheating husband and Victor is interviewing replacements.
It’s all go at The Stranger Times and it’s only getting weirder!
A woman arrives and takes over called Betty who automatically bristles against Banecroft.
Simon is still visiting the office every night but Banecroft is getting worse in his grief.
I don’t want to give too much away but it’s both heartbreaking and funny in its own way. A must read for Caimh fans

Well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters. This is the third book in the series, but the first one I have read, and I thihnk it worked well as a standalobe but it has left me wnating to read more.
If you like paranormal reads with a dark hunour twist then this is a book for you

What is going on at the newspaper Stranger Times? Who is the ghost in the office? What has really happened to the editors wife? How does it relate to the strange cult like health farm nearby? Our heroes encounter lots of spirits and disembodied souls, disinter graves, get a colonic, and chase about the countryside in a dodgy car.
I found the book difficult to get into because I had not read the previous parts of the series, so a lot of knowledge was assumed, and characters and places were parachuted in with little description or context. Overall I enjoyed the book, but I doubt I will return to it to re-read, certainly not without reading the previous two books first.

📰Love Will Tear Us Apart📰

By C. K. McDonnell @caimhmcd

Description:

Love can be a truly terrible thing.

Marriages are tricky at the best of times, especially when one of you is dead.

Vincent Banecroft, the irascible editor of The Stranger Times, has never believed his wife died despite emphatic evidence to the contrary. Now, against all odds, it seems he may actually be proved right; but what lengths will he go to in an attempt to rescue her?

With Banecroft distracted, the shock resignation of assistant editor, Hannah Willis, couldn't have come at a worse time. It speaks volumes that her decision to reconcile with her philandering ex-husband is only masurprising than Banecroft and his wife getting back together. In this time of crisis, is her decision to swan off to a fancy new-age retreat run by a celebrity cult really the best thing for anyone?

As if that wasn't enough, one of the paper's ex-columnists has disappeared, a particularly impressive trick seeing as he never existed in the first place.

Floating statues, hijacked ghosts, homicidal cherubs, irate starlings, Reliant Robins and quite possibly several deeply sinister conspiracies; all-in-all, a typical week for the staff of The Stranger Times.

📰📰📰📰📰

The next instalment of The Stranger Times series was every bit as fun as the previous one. There were a couple of really fun new additions to the cast, Betty and Moira, who I insist on seeing more of in the next book!

The three storylines are equally intriguing and enjoyable and the ongoing plot line is advanced well too.

There were also references to Terry Pratchett and Reds True Barbecue @redstruebbq which are a massive thumbs up for me!

Love Will Tear Us Apart is a great addition to the Stranger Times series, and I am really looking forward to the next one.

Thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouse #bantampresspublishing for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the first two in this series I was pleasantly surprised to see a new instalment and this one didn't disappoint. All the favourite characters, warts and all, return for another supernatural mystery that needs unravelling. Assistant Editor Hannah has left The Stranger Times to reconcile with her cruddy ex and gone to a celebrity run exclusive retreat to help her relationship. Banecroft is communicating with the ghost of Simon about his wife, still unconvinced that Mrs Banecroft is dead. All the while Grace is drowning in paperwork under the newly appointed Assistant Editor that turned up announced to replace Hannah. And it's Loon Day! The Stranger Times annual event where they open the doors to everyone and anyone to come to the newspaper with their supernatural newsworthy stories with the hope they will be printed.

Just the right balance of pace, character development and dark humour it keeps me hooked throughout. I hope there will be another instalment soon! Until then I'm reading "In Other News" a free download from The Stranger Times website with some of the newspapers articles to tide me over.

Netgalley ARC for an honest review.

Vincent Banecroft has women trouble.

His assistant editor has left him high and dry, and gone back to her adulterous almost ex-husband.

The paper’s owner has landed him with a replacement of her choosing, a cheerful but firm jolly hockey sticks type who has Banecroft reaching for his antique blunderbuss within minutes of her arrival.

Oh, and there’s his wife. His supposedly dead wife. She’s passing messages through the paper’s junior reporter, Simon (also dead), and he’s starting to believe that she’s not really dead after all. But how can he find her, and is that really his wife?

Caimh/CK McDonnell is an author who rarely disappoints, and the third instalment in the brilliant Stranger Times series is certainly no exception. McDonnell proves yet again that he is a master of the mixed genre, seamlessly blending dark comedy with fantasy and mild horror. The multiple storylines of this novel can get a little too much at times, but neither the narrative nor characterisation suffers. I can’t wait for the next in this series.

New readers need to be aware that Love Will Tear Us Apart is not a book they can read without having read the rest of the series; there’s way too much that relies on prior knowledge. Just read the others first – it’s worth it.

I received a free reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have not read the earlier books in this series so perhaps jumping in at book three put me at a disadvantage, but I spent the whole. book hugely confused about who was who and what they were all doing.
I love fantasy and paranormal but I found the constant need for humour in this book unnecessary and forced.
Sorry but this was really not for me.
With thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for an early copy in return for an honest review.