Tuesday 31 December 2019

Farewell to the Tens

Well, it's the end of the decade, and it's been a pretty good one for me professionally, given I went from zero published books to six, with another one to come next year.


In 2010 if you'd told me I would not only have written this many books, but had them published by an actual publisher and read by real people, well I would have been pretty happy with that.

It's been incredible to go through the process of getting published and meet so many wonderful people on the circuit, from other authors to publishing people and, of course, readers.

To round out the year, here's a couple more reviews of What She Saw Last Night, from Barry Forshaw in the Financial Times (my very first broadsheet review):




...and I was also delighted to be selected by Geoffrey Wansell in the Daily Mail as one of their festive 'books to put under the tree':



And what's coming up next? That's a story for a new year, and a new decade.

In the meantime, I hope you have a great New Year's wherever you are and whoever your with. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Roaring Twenties will bring.

Wednesday 18 December 2019

The Gigantic Blog Tour


As you may have noticed if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, all this month, I've been fortunate to have a deluge of book blogger reviews around the paperback release of What She Saw Last Night. My tour was put together by a couple of experts: Alex Layt from Orion and Tracey Fenton of compulsivereaders.com  Big thanks to them and the (literal) dozens of bloggers below.

I've been blown away by both the number of reviews and how good the general consensus is. Here's what they said (click through for full reviews)...

MoMo Book Diary
"Loved every minute of this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good suspense thriller – but maybe not for anyone who travels on the sleeper…"

A Knight's Reads
"The fast paced chase up and down the country kept me glued to the pages right to the very end."

Love the Smell of a Book
"A story that had me hooked from the first few pages and kept me hooked throughout."

Joy Kluver
"This was my first M.J. Cross read – it won’t be my last."

Suze Reviews
"A character driven thriller, with a hugely believable and relatable protagonist and strong supporting players"

Bookish Blogging
"I read this in one day, desperate to finish it, and genuinely almost missed my train stop!"

Jan's Book Buzz
"There’s danger, twists, secrets and lies and our two intrepid investigators need to overcome the odds to get to the bottom of a mystery that has them baffled. All of it makes for a thrilling, page-turning read."

Shalini's Books & Reviews
"I loved it. A fantastic rip-roaring thriller of a read."

Liz Loves Books
"Creatively clever to keep you turning the pages this is definitely one of those “just one more chapter before bed” books that ultimately finds you finishing it bleary eyed in the early hours. With everything I look for in my crime fiction right here I can’t do anything except highly recommend it."

The Bookwormery
"The tension builds making this a real nail biter of a thriller. Brilliant."

Roachie's Reviews
"What She Saw Last Night is a fantastically fast-paced thriller, which really doesn’t slow down until the bitter end."

Steph's Book Blog
"A great standalone introduction to Mason Cross."

Rachel Read It
"The plot is as claustrophobic and air tight as the tiny ‘room’ (read cupboard!) aboard the Caledonian sleeper that Jenny is travelling on and the plot is as taut as the tightrope Jenny balances on as she assesses her own sanity and the truth of what she saw with her own eyes."

Mac Reviews Books
"Mason has created a fantastic story, stifling settings and memorable characters. I can’t wait to read more."

West's Words
"What She Saw Last Night is pure escapism which you’ll eagerly consume in a maximum of two sittings."

GNTxReads
"I found myself racing through the final pages. Afterwards I was left feeling exhausted from such a brilliant psychological thriller, and needed a warm cup of tea to calm down!"

Alex J Book Reviews
"Cross paces this perfectly, culminating in a fast adrenaline filled cracker of a finale."

Stacy is Reading
"What She Saw Last Night is a fly by the seat of your pants thriller with enough twists and turns en route to satisfy any Train Noir fan out there."

Nicki's Book Blog
"Loved this. One to enjoy and envelop you."

Books from Dusk till Dawn
"There are some really hairy moments within these pages from an author who definitely knows how to shock and throw his readers off-balance."

One More Word
"The pacing of the book was great – it was filled with short snappy chapters, changes in POVs and the plot was littered with little cliff-hangers. "

RamblingMads
"The plot whizzes along, the writing is tight and carries you along with it, just like a train."

What Do I Read Now?
"This is a great read and even greater the twists that crop up throughout."

Karen Reads and Recommends
"a fabulous page turner that is gripping, unpredictable and has a real dark side"

My Chestnut Reading Tree
"An entertaining suspense thriller with a gripping storyline"

Lost in the Land of Books
"It’s an emotional read that has you hooked from start to finish, it keeps you on your toes and every so often your a bit thrown because it becomes so unpredictable. "

Bookish Jottings
"What She Saw Light redefines compulsively readable thrillers and this is one nerve-twisting and heart-pounding page-turner that is impossible to put down and difficult to forget."

Kelly's Book Space
"I was hooked right from the start and with all the twists and turns the story took I was very reluctant to put the book down, I just wanted to know what would happen next."

Night Time Reads
"Not only did this make me late for work but because I was running late my son got a detention for being late to school."

Baker's Not So Secret Blog
"I was gripped from start to finish and couldn’t read this fast enough."

Book After Book
"I loved the plot, I loved the protagonist and her determination in finding out the truth, no matter the cost, I loved the setting and the dark atmosphere. What She Saw Last Night is a compulsive and thrilling story full of twists and shocking surprises and kept me glued to the pages until the very end."

MyBookishBlogspot
"The isolation of the Highlands played its part wonderfully as the novel wound itself up into a thrilling ending that had me sat on the edge of my seat."

Varietats
"If you are searching for a mystery with some Agatha Christie plot and a little girl missing, this is the book you’ll have to read right now."

Hair Past a Freckle
"Gripping, emotional and devastating; this is a superbly crafted thriller and it gives me enormous pleasure to wholeheartedly recommend it.”

Hooked From Page One
"This is a really suspenseful read right the way through that kept me turning the pages. And then MJ Cross hits you with twist after twist, one scene, in particular, left me reeling. What She Saw Last Night is compulsive and hugely engaging."

Over the Rainbow
"Fast paced and hugely addictive"

Cal Turner Reviews
"With strong and likeable characters, a story that keeps you guessing and an atmospheric setting that draws you in from the very start, What She Saw Last Night is a psychological thriller that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. Loved it!"

***

If that's convinced you to give the book a try, you can get it now from the usual places like Waterstones, Amazon and Hive - or go here for a full list of retailers and formats.