The Goodbye Gift by Amanda Brooke

This book has three stories running alongside each other.  The first story is called 'The Accident'.  A major car accident occurs at the very beginning of the book before we are introduced to the other characters.  

The second story is about Lucy who has been ill all her life and is waiting for a heart transplant.  Determined to try to live her life to the full she is planning to go abroad on holiday for a few days with her sister Hannah.  

The third story is about the three friends Pheobe, Helen and Julia. Pheobe live with her nan who suffers from dementia and her condition is deteriorating.  Helen is a busy single parent and Julia and her husband Paul are desperately trying to conceive a baby.  Helen is a nurse and occasionally sees Lucy when she attends appointments at the hospital.  

From the outset we know there has been an accident and we keep going back to the scene or to the hospital where patients are being treated.  The other two stories start from an earlier timeline and we work our way up to 'The Accident'.  The extent of the injuries and who will or won't survive are not revealed until the very end.  

This was an enjoyable story which works through a number of different friendship issues both past and present for Pheobe, Helen and Julia as they all try to offer support to each other as they each deal with their own personal problems.  

There is an interview with the author at the back of the book.  The subject of transplant and donation is obviously something she feels very passionately about as her own son received a bone marrow transplant from a stranger.  The book is dedicated to the donor. 

Deadly Lies by Chris Patchell

Jill Shannon has been married to Detective Alex Shannon for 5 years.  They are both dedicated to their careers and are spending less and less time together.  Jill is very ambitious and has a successful career in a male dominated area of data and software.  Alex is happy with his current job and doesn't like being pushed by Jill to move up the career ladder.  

One morning Alex receives a phone call from Abby, his old girlfriend, to say that her younger sister Natalie is missing.  Alex helps out in the case and becomes obsessed with finding the person he believes abducted Natalie.  This puts him in regular contact with Abby and causes a further rift with Jill.  

After a successful conference presentation, Jill meets reporter Peter Young who requests an interview with her for his magazine.  Jill goes to his hotel suite to conduct the interview.  When she was younger Jill was abused by her step-father and is determined that she will never again be a victim.  She becomes determined to make Peter pay for treating her and other women badly.  Using knowledge gained from Alex she covers her tracks as she takes her revenge.  

The two stories run along side by side with Alex and Jill occasionally managing to spend some time together.  After Jill sets out on her course of revenge, Alex's investigations begin to reveal some information he would rather not have found.  

This is the first of two books written by Chris Patchell and is a good thriller story.