This Little Piggy

This Little Piggy is a great read that engages you from the beginning and keeps the momentum up until the end. Set against the backdrop of a troubled North East housing estate during the miners strike of the 1980's. Claire Jackson is a reporter following the suspicious death of a 9 month old baby.

There are a number of strands to the novel that maintain the interest over and above the search for the child's killer. What is the unspoken reason for Claire failing to attend for interview which means she was passed over for promotion? What is the truth about the enigmatic and mysterious Finn, the newly appointed Head of the Miners Union? What really happened at the Police station that resulted in the death of an innocent suspect? Why does Claire allow herself to become involved with Amy, a young 9 year old girl from the estate who claims to know what happened? What is the nature of her relationship with Joe (the photographer)?

It was interesting to see how the case develops from a viewpoint other than a traditional police procedural angle. Seeing how the search for the possible killer develops through the eyes of those reporting as well as those living on the estate offers a viewpoint often lost and makes the story more human. Again seeing the Miner’s Strike and its’ effects reported on from the inside offers a balance to the oft reported media and government viewpoint that those of us who remember it were fed at the time.

Claire is a very likeable character, and the depiction of a reporters’ life is a less than glamorous one that depends on hard work and dedication – something that Claire and her photographer colleague have in spades.

I did have an idea of who was responsible from quite early on, but that did not spoil the enjoyment as I still wanted to know how and why, as well as wanting answers to all the other strands running through the book. I am more than happy to recommend this book, it was a good read and I’ll be looking out for more from Bea Davenport.

great thrilling story

Set during a realistic time and even, the story takes you through the horrific murder and consequent investigation of a brutal murder of a baby

The story line is both realistic and thought provoking

The characters are believable and you get pulled in...

Page turner from the offset, could not put this down

There isn't anything I didn't like about this book. I loved it from beginning to end. Not once did I get bored, not once did I sit and think "Oh I have to review this book". In fact, each time I had to place it down because I was needed to do others things I resented my time away from the story and couldn't wait to get back to it, it was like having a movie on pause. You hate interruptions!

This Little Piggy.

I wondered how the title was chosen and how it would play out [if at all] in the story.
I found out soon enough.

The author takes you in many directions.

I do remember the Miner's strikes when Thatcher was in power and how badly handled everything was, also, how the Police seemed totally unprepared to handle outbreaks of violence. My daughter and son were born in the 1980's and I remember the reports around about that time.

This is also about a murder of a little baby boy named Jamie.

Clare is the reporter handling the case.

We find out early on how Clare was up for promotion but was unable to attend the interview. I wondered why, but that too came to light as time went on. I did have a hunch earlier on in the book, not 100% correct how, but certainly I understood why.
That fella who got the job didn't like how popular Clare was, infact, he didn't like that Clare was an avid reporter and good at her job. We see how he tries to muscle in.

As Clare is trying to befriend and get to know certain people on the Estate where the baby died she comes in contact with a little girl named Amy. There is a lot of things going on in little Amy's life. Not good things due to her Mother [Tina] who really isn't good at parenting at all and leaves Amy to her own devices a lot of the time, well......actually MOST of the time. There are lots of things that Clare sees that really should be reported to Social Services but she is reluctant to do so and gets more involved that she should.

Clare has been through an emotional journey herself and for my take on it, she finds it hard to do the right thing and I kind of understand why.

The author portrays little Amy as a 9 year old girl, spirited, independent but also needy at times. Totally unable to manage in practical terms with a lack of a solid parent. But Amy is ballsy, she has a street like quality with a need to look after her.

Amy is able to help a lot with the inquiries of the baby murder and tells what she knows, however, because Amy is known to have a very vivid imagination as most youngsters that age have, so what is to be believed and what to dismiss is hard to ascertain. This leads the book in many directions keeping you guessing along the way.

Clare does get a love interest in amongst the pages. But that too has an unexpected twist.

I could tell you lots and lots about this story Bea Davenport has weaved for our enjoyment but I would spoil it. Even by telling you this, there is heaps left to learn.

This is one book that I will remember because although I read heaps of books as a reader and reviewer you sometimes get books that merge into one another, then like this one, you get one that stands out.

This is the first book I have read by Bea Davenport and so I have bought another book by her as I enjoyed her style of writing so much.

Thank you to Legend via Net Galley for allowing me auto selection to read and review this book

Journalist Clare Jackson is an excellent reporter, working for her local paper ‘The Post’. She has a close professional relationship with Joe; they have known each other forever and work very well together. She is hardworking, talented and driven to report her news fairly and impartially. When a baby is found dead on the Sweetmeadows estate, dumped by some rubbish bins not far away from the place of his death, the only witness to come forward is a nine year old girl called Amy, whose evidence is contradictory. The baby’s grandmother is absolutely certain the baby was killed in a revenge attack. The miner’s strike of the hot summer of 1984 is raging at the time. The Father of the baby had broken the picket line, and this was the only motive she could think of for the crime. So a police investigation begins.

The Sweetmeadows estate had always been Jenny’s ‘patch’ and she files reports about the suspicious death of the child alongside reports about the impact the strike is having on the residents of the rundown estate, mainly miners and their families. When news gets around that miners may have been involved in the crime, feelings on the estate escalate and it becomes a bit of a ‘no-go’ area: a tinder box just waiting to be lit. Working with the police to help solve the crime and defuse the tension, Joe and Clare use their local knowledge and contacts to inform the police investigation. But things are not right in a big way and Jenny is struggling with her own personal problems. However, she is determined to unearth the truth.

This is a tremendous crime novel. It’s fizzing with energy and the sub plots are strong and emotive. The story telling is compelling and moves along at a cracking pace but is never confusing or overloaded with irrelevant facts and confusing details. My favourite character was Amy, the witness of the crime. She’s grubby, a habitual truant and emotionally and physically neglected, but she’s also spirited, sparky and bright as a button. She’s also exceedingly manipulative but kind hearted – a really flawed character. This is one of the best crime novels I have read so far this year. My thanks go to Netgalley for my copy of this novel and my congratulations to Bea Davenport, a very talented author.

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A gripping, unputdownable, unconventional thriller with a strong female lead in Clare Jackson. You'll drop everything to finish it and then want to read it again.

I enjoyed this book so much it's impossible to write a coherent review. Will have to wait until publication date on 1 October and spread the word on Amazon, Goodreads, etc.. In the meantime I'll continue to recommend it on Twitter and put my notes here for reference:

- Totally unputdownable - read it in one sitting;
- Gripping;
- Outstanding character development, I felt I knew Clare Jackson really well within the first couple of chapters and the book continues to build the reader's "relationship" with her;
- Very atmospheric (set in a run-down council estate during Thatcher's reign when the Tories decided to get even with the miners, no matter how many got hurt in the process);
- What will happen to Amy in the future? Is a sequel planned?
- Unexpected ending (last paragraph).
- What happened to Max?
- Keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel.

Loved this book.stayed up all night reading,real page turner

Bea is fantastic! A great author for both adults and children alike.

This Little Piggy By Bea Davenport is a book that really played on my mind. Although like many 'accidents' you really don't want too look, but have too - well that's how this book was for me. It wasn't really scary or gruesome although at times I'll admit it was 'uncomfortable' but you just had to keep reading to see what would unfold.

Bea Davenport (The author) has a way of reeling you on and given you the little breadcrumb trail to follow, you walk along it like a good little reader, some things are given too you, some you have to work for and some are definitely unwanted gifts that will shock you. I will say this book was completely original for me, it had some nice twists and turns in it but also some things I worked out myself with no issues either.

I can't say I loved Clare Jackson, the leading lady. Nor can I say I was that warm to Amy either, in fact as cruel as this may sound, Amy was one of those children who well and truly creeped me out even when there was no reason to be creeped out. Call it intuition or maybe its just the cunning skills of the author, either way there were certain things I didn't see coming and times when I wanted to literally throttle Clare for her sure stupidity. This book doesn't have a lot of romance at all, something I was actually glad for. I've read my share of romance recently and this was such a refreshing change.

I loved the character engagements in this book, the speed of the story, the time line (I would have been 8 years old when this book was set and knew about the mining strikes and music/cultures at that time, so it was a relatable book for me) - there wasn't much I didn't like about this book.

In fact, without giving spoilers its hard to say what I didn't like, but for those of you who read/have read This Little Piggy the whole last page had me confused in what 'she had to do' or 'could do'. Although I did wonder if the author deliberately left it that way.

A truly captivating car wreck of a book, I recommend this to anyone who enjoys an eerie psychological thriller - 4 stars from me.

This book transported me right back to the 1980's. Set in 1984 amidst the miners’ strike, a baby dies in suspicious circumstances on the notorious Sweetmeadows Estate. Journalist Clare Jackson is on hand to cover the story. Hostilities are running high on the Estate, due partly to the police handling of the strike, but also their botched inquiries into the child’s death, and she finds herself becoming more and more involved with the local residents, especially Amy, a young girl neglected by her mother. Clare is eager to prove to her boss that she should be chief reporter, so she sets out to find out the truth behind the death of the child unaware that she is putting her own life in danger..

Bea Davenport brilliantly captures the pressures of the miners’ strike, and the brutal reality of living through it. She has paid real attention to the details of that era, and I really felt that I had been transported back to a time before computers and mobile phones, a time when the Walkman was the latest technology, and Britain was in the grips of political unrest.

As Clare became closer to the residents on the Estate I began to get a real sense of the deprivation and poverty they were coping with, and could almost feel the tension building up. Clare herself is very likeable protagonist and I warmed to her immediately. I really loved her ability to make a story out of almost any incident, which added far more depth to her character, it also gave me an insight of how a journalist works. I also liked the way her back story was trickled in throughout the book, and added another layer of mystery to an already engaging tale.

The suspense builds up throughout the book as Clare battles with the police, her boss and her own internal demons to discover the truth.

This is an excellent book and I liked it immensely. All in all a very enjoyable read. I thoroughly recommend it!

I wish to thank Legend Press and Netgalley for my copy in return for an honest unbiased review of this novel.

A good read. Very likeable character in Claire. There were several elements happening throughout the book which added further interest in the book. I would recommend this book.

It is 1984 and England is in the grip of a miners' strike making headlines around the country. In a poor housing estate a nine months old baby is killed by a fall from a balcony, and fould play is suspected. Is it the work of unionists paying back the father for being a strike breaker? Or is there a madman on the loose? Clare Jackson, a young gutsy reporter who was cheated of her position as chief reporter by a cruel twist of fate, takes it upon herself to infiltrate both sides and gain some interesting insights into the circumstances surrounding baby Jamie's death. Many of Clare's most interesting leads come from nine-year old Amy, who lives on the estate and has taken a liking to Clare. But does Amy know more than she lets on? I really loved the 1980's setting of the novel - with its gutsy protagonist it reminded me a bit of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone mysteries, and I can see Clare solving a lot more crimes in future novels. Without the convenience of the internet and mobile phones it is up to Clare's sheer determination and hard work to follow her leads and produce interesting stories for the local paper. With hints at a recent tragedy in her personal life it soon becomes clear why she feels so drawn to the young waif Amy, with consequences Clare could not have imagined.
The author really captures the atmosphere of the time and the emotions surrounding the miner's strike. Sweetmeadows Estate was brought to life so vividly that I could almost smell the despair, the poverty, the hopelessness. Whilst the ending did not come as a complete surprise I still felt saddened by many aspects of it and wished it had ended differently for all characters involved. There were some parts which dragged a bit, and could have benefited from a bit tighter editing, but all in all the story drew me in and kept me reading. I felt I really warmed to Clare and would like to see her back in action chasing her byline.

I really never would have noticed this book except for Margitte's review. I'm so glad she brought it to my attention.

It really was a unique story. It takes place in 1984 while the miner's strikes are going on in Britain. Clare is a reporter who was passed over for a job promotion at her newspaper. So she begins to try and become "super-reporter". She takes on the story of a baby's death at the local slums called Sweetmeadows. Is the baby's death related to his father's recently coming off the picket line to return to work?

It sounds like such a simple story. I'm flabbergasted at how much this book wrapped me up. Clare befriends a nine year old girl that lives at Sweetmeadows and my heart broke for the girl. Her mom leaves her alone even at night, she has her boyfriends parading in all the time, filthy conditions and then to top it off the girl named Amy seems like she might not tell the truth at all times.

Clare has recently had a personal breakdown and the book doesn't tell you what has happened to her until almost the very end but when it does everything in the story falls into place. Her co-workers and friends try and help her to see how close she has became to the story she is following but she refuses to see until it's almost too late.

Thanks Margitte for letting me know about this gem of a little book!