Year: 2017

The Skeletons of Scarborough House by Kitty French (Chapelwick Mysteries #1)

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Synopsis: Welcome to Chapelwick, a leafy English town in the hills of Shropshire, where chocolate fudge cake comes served with a side of murder.

Scarborough House is haunted, and it’s not doing much for Donovan Scarborough’s investment portfolio. No one wants to buy a place with levitating crockery, or (the wrong kind of) rhythmic pounding throughout the night.

Luckily, Melody “I-See-Dead-People” Bittersweet has just launched her own ghostbusting agency with best friend Marina, geeky, keen Arthur, and a one-eared pug called Lestat. They’re quick to take the case, even if it has already sort of (definitely) been given to Leo Dark, Melody’s rakish, despicable ex.

Melody soon discovers the resident phantoms are three brothers, one who was murdered at twenty, while the others lived to old age. But did the family exile the right person, or did the true killer get away with it?

Donovan Scarborough doesn’t care who solves the case. Whoever gets rid of the ghosts gets paid.

Can Melody and her new crew untangle the mystery, and bring the brothers peace, before Leo? Or will his distracting sexiness and Melody’s bonkers family cause the agency to fall at its first hurdle?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Continue reading “The Skeletons of Scarborough House by Kitty French (Chapelwick Mysteries #1)”

The Escape by C L Taylor

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Synopsis: When a stranger asks Jo Blackmore for a lift she says yes, then swiftly wishes she hadn’t.

The stranger knows Jo’s name, she knows her husband Max and she’s got a glove belonging to Jo’s two year old daughter Elise.

What begins with a subtle threat swiftly turns into a nightmare as the police, social services and even Jo’s own husband turn against her.

No one believes that Elise is in danger. But Jo knows there’s only one way to keep her child safe – RUN.

Kat’s Rating: 4.5/5

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The Girl Who Came Back by Susan Lewis

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Synopsis: When Jules Bright hears a knock on the door, the last person she expects to find is a detective bringing her the news she’s feared for the last three years.

Amelia Quentin is being released from prison.

Jules’s life is very different now to the one she’d known before Amelia shattered it completely. Knowing the girl is coming back she needs to decide what to do. Friends and family gather round, fearing for Jules’s safety. They know that justice was never served; every one of them wants to make the Quentin girl pay. 

The question is, what will Jules do; and which of them – her or Amelia – has the most to fear?

Kat’s Rating: 3/5

Kat’s Review: I have been reading Susan Lewis for years and my very first review on Amazon nearly 10 years ago was one of her books. I always enjoy them but every now and then one comes along that I struggle with and sadly this was one of them. In the beginning we see glimpses of Amelia and instantly it becomes apparent she is no ordinary child and if that continues she may well become a very disturbed individual. Jules then becomes the main focus of the story and we see her struggle to come to terms with the news she has just been told. Amelia Quentin will be released from prison following an event that had far reaching consequences for her family.

As the story continues we see both present and past explored but it was done in an easy to read way. There are many elements to this book that maybe wont sit right with some people (subject matter for a start wont be everybody’s cup of tea), however the story flowed well and was easy to get into. However, there were one or two issues within the book I just felt had no added value, as well as the fact that certain elements within the story didn’t seem authentic and to be honest this spoiled things a little for me.

I continued reading and finished the book, and although I enjoyed it there were too many things I didn’t like or had niggles with so felt that the fairest rating would be the middle of the road. I certainly hope her next book is just as enthralling as the numerous others of hers I have read.

From The Shadows by Neil White (Dan Grant Trilogy #1)

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Synopsis: He hides in the shadows, watching, waiting, until the time is right . . .

Mary Kendricks, a smart, pretty, twenty-four-year-old teacher, has been brutally murdered and Robert Carter is accused of killing her.

When defence lawyer, Dan Grant inherits Carter’s case only weeks before the trial starts, everyone expects him just to babysit it, but Dan’s not that kind of lawyer. He’ll follow the evidence – wherever it takes him.

But as Dan and his investigator Jayne Brett look into the case, they discover that there is more to it than meets the eye. In order to do their jobs they need to push the limits of the system, even if it means putting themselves in danger.

Together they will get to the truth – whatever the cost . . .

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I have always enjoyed previous Neil White books and it’s always exciting to see a new series so I was looking forward to this latest release. However, if you would have asked me when I was at the 25% mark what I thought I would have given it a 3/5 at a push. Thankfully the book picked up pace and by the end started to tick all the boxes so eventually I ended up rating it a 4/5. Surprisingly though I actually dithered over the rating of this due to a number of things that seemed a little sluggish. The book is definitely a slow starter and to be totally truthful it took me until the halfway mark to actually like one of the main characters Dan who is a defence lawyer working a new case. Jayne Brett who is the other main character was a whole other ball game and she ticked every box as far as characters go.
The story line centres around a new Murder Case that lands on Dan’s lap. Initially, I felt that it took some time to build up the case and for the reader to feel like you are the grip of things. Thankfully once past that sluggish start, everything picks up in pace and it seemed mush more like the usual type of books Neil White writes. Robert Carter is due to stand trial for Murder and Dan having only 2 weeks to prepare for the case decides to do his own sort of investigation yo allow him to get up to speed.
It soon becomes clear that this is not a simple cut and dried case of ‘he did it, put him to trial’. Dan along with Jayne’s help start to uncover a whole bunch of issue which throw the question out as to whether Carter is guilty or not. It made a change to see a lawyer in the driving seat as opposed to a copper. What makes an interesting thread to this story is Jayne and her past. She is one of Dan’s ex clients who murdered somebody and it made her character even more intriguing. After the disappointingly slow start that last part of the book more than made up for it with danger literally knocking at Dan and Jayne’s door. By the time I had finished I realised that I actually wanted to read more and was pleased that White decided to do a new series and one which I think will prove extremely popular.

Quieter Than Killing by Sarah Hilary (Marnie Rome #4)

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Synopsis: It’s winter, the nights are dark and freezing, and a series of seemingly random assaults is pulling DI Marnie Rome and DS Noah Jake out onto streets of London. When Marnie’s family home is ransacked, there are signs that the burglary can have only been committed by someone who knows her. Then a child goes missing, yet no-one has reported it. Suddenly, events seem connected, and it’s personal.

Someone out there is playing games. It is time for both Marnie and Noah to face the truth about the creeping, chilling reaches of a troubled upbringing. Keeping quiet can be a means of survival, but the effects can be as terrible as killing.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5 

Kat’s Review: I was looking forward to once again getting re-acquainted with DI Marnie Rome and her colleague Noah! One thing I will say is that I always really enjoy these books but have a feeling there is something ‘missing’. I have come to the conclusion that Sarah Hilary has something planned and I think that is the reason I have that niggling feeling. These books are so enjoyable but I have now realised that what makes her books a little different to others is that nagging feeling. Did I miss something? What is going on? I actually think that this part of what draws me to return to the series as I still feel like as a reader we are only at the scratch the surface stage with these characters.

I always enjoy reading about Marnie as she has a seriously warped history between the death of her parents, her adopted brother Stephen and her strange detachment. I think that this is what makes me have that unsettling feeling. There is so much history and it seems Rome is surrounded by violence and it gives it that dark undertone that never goes away. In addition Noah her colleague is my absolute favourite. He and Marnie work well together but again with his own issues in his personal life it seems that neither of them have a straightforward home life. This book at first seemed a little jagged, and what I mean by that is there seemed to be so much going on. Marnie’s family home is ransacked and that seems to be merely the tip of the iceberg. In addition there are a number of attacks going on in London, and to put the icing on the cake a child goes missing.

Something which I though was done exceptionally well was the narrative from Finn, I can’t say any more for fear of spoilers but this really gave the book that dark edge and horrible sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. I found the start a little slower that I would have liked and I wondered at one point if I was keeping up correctly. With plot threads crossing as well as characters it finally started to unravel and make more sense. This is certainly a fast paced and complex book and I hugely enjoyed it, especially towards the last quarter. I think that this author has managed to produce a very dark series of books which I would highly recommend, however I think I will always have that sinking feeling while I almost wait for the worst to happen! I think this can certainly be read as a stand alone but think the build up and history of the series makes it that little bit more enjoyable.

The Caller by Chris Carter (Robert Hunter #8)

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Synopsis: After a tough week, Tanya Kaitlin is looking forward to a relaxing night in, but as she steps out of her shower, she hears her phone ring.  The video call request comes from her best friend, Karen Ward.  Tanya takes the call and the nightmare begins.

Karen is gagged and bound to a chair in her own living room.  If Tanya disconnects from the call, if she looks away from the camera, he will come after her next, the deep, raspy, demonic voice at the other end of the line promises her.

As Hunter and Garcia investigate the threats, they are thrown into a rollercoaster of evil, chasing a predator who scouts the streets and social media networks for victims, taunting them with secret messages and feeding on their fear. After a tough week, Tanya Kaitlin is looking forward to a relaxing night in, but as she steps out of her shower, she hears her phone ring.  The video call request comes from her best friend, Karen Ward.  Tanya takes the call and the nightmare begins.

Karen is gagged and bound to a chair in her own living room.  If Tanya disconnects from the call, if she looks away from the camera, he will come after her next, the deep, raspy, demonic voice at the other end of the line promises her.
 
As Hunter and Garcia investigate the threats, they are thrown into a rollercoaster of evil, chasing a predator who scouts the streets and social media networks for victims, taunting them with secret messages and feeding on their fear. 
Kat’s Rating: 4/5

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The Kicking The Bucket List by Cathy Hopkins

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Synopsis: Three sisters. Their mother’s dying wish. One last chance to be a family. Meet the daughters of Iris Parker. Dee; sensitive and big-hearted; Rose uptight and controlled and Fleur the reckless free spirit.At the reading of their mother’s will, the three estranged women are aghast to discover that their inheritance comes with very tricky strings attached. If they are to inherit her wealth, they must spend a series of weekends together over the course of a year and carry out their mother’s ‘bucket list’. But one year doesn’t seem like nearly enough time for them to move past the decades-old layers of squabbles and misunderstandings. Can they grow up for once and see that Iris’s bucket list was about so much more than money.

Kat’s Rating: 3/5

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Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

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Synopsis: Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped into the night with her young daughter and left an abusive relationship. Her ex-husband, Andrew, was sent to jail and Lindsey started over with a new life.

Now, Lindsey is older and wiser, with her own business and a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When Andrew is finally released from prison, Lindsey believes she has cut all ties and left the past behind her. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her, tracking her every move. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded, and her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it’s her ex-husband, even though he claims he’s a different person. But has he really changed? Is the one who wants her dead closer to home than she thought?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 … maybe even 6/5

Kat’s Review: Wow! Read this in just over one day and didn’t want to put it down. I only read my first CS book back in June 2015 (That Night) and since then have read Those Girls and I loved both of them. As soon as I saw this I wanted to get stuck in but had no idea how quickly I would be drawn in. Linsey Nash is married to Andrew and the first part of the book explores their early years and the descent into abuse by her husband who I learned to loathe pretty much from the start. Linsey has a daughter Sophie and a lot of what goes on, it’s clear is allowed to happen due to the threat of something happening to her, and leaving her daughter without a Mother. The writing and descriptions of Linsey’s home life are very dark and sinister and set the mood for the book.

We then fast forward and see Linsey and her daughter Sophie moving on with their life. However, when news filters through that Andrew has been released from prison the years fall away and Linsey is gripped with the fear she had become accustomed to in her early days from her marriage. You can literally feel the fear rolling off the pages and it makes for an incredibly tense read. Linsey is determined to move on but everything has now changed and although she is fighting for her safety and independence she cannot shake the feeling of being watched and followed.

Sophie, the daughter also has her own part to play in this book and as her own secrets are revealed the book becomes more involved and to be frank I ended up suspecting anybody that wasn’t a woman to be a potential suspect in becoming a danger to both Linsey and Sophie. The magical thing about this book is that it lulled me into a false sense of security and then the ending was just super exciting! Although the subject of abuse (domestic/verbal/physical) seems to be cropping up in many books I have read lately, this lady shows how it’s really done. There were moments my skin was crawling, and others where I would unconsciously feel a little bit wary. That level of skill to draw a reader in that much is something I absolutely love. I devoured this book and have no doubt this will make it to my top ten list for the coming year. Massively recommended, and I for one will be adding all of her unread books to my ‘to-read’ list.

Blood Mother by Dreda Say Mitchell (Flesh & Blood #2)

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Synopsis: Book 2 in a trilogy following one family over forty years on an East London estate, BLOOD MOTHER goes back to the 70s to tell the next story in the Flesh and Blood series

1970s London has stopped swinging, but it’s not staying still. Babs thought she had all the world ahead of her. Then she got pregnant and the father did a runner. Salvation comes in the form of a man who’ll look after her. Or so she thinks.

But Stan Miller is the devil in disguise…and over the next twenty years, Babs will have reason to regret she ever met him. Can she protect her family – or will he get the better of her?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

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Rome Is Where The Heart Is by Tilly Tennant

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Synopsis: Can a holiday romance ever have a happy ending? Escape with Kate to the sun-drenched city of Rome where a love affair is just about to begin …

When Kate’s husband Matt dumps her on Friday 13th she decides enough is enough – it’s time for her to have some fun and so she hops on a plane to Rome. A week of grappa and gelato in pavement cafes under azure blue skies will be just what the doctor ordered.

What she doesn’t count on is meeting and falling for sexy policeman Alessandro. But the course of true love doesn’t run smoothly – Alessandro has five meddling sisters, a fearsome mama and a beautiful ex Orazia. They’re all certain that Kate is not the girl for him.

Can Kate and Alessandro’s love last the distance? Or will she return home with the one souvenir she doesn’t want – a broken heart …

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I love the Tilly Tennant books I have already read and was really looking forward to reading this latest release. Kate is the star of the show and as the story starts we see her husband soon become her ex-husband as he decides they aren’t meant to be together any more. Fast forward a few months and Kate has made a bold decision. She is taking some holiday due from work and visiting Rome on her own. She decided that now she was on her own it was time to start doing things she wanted to do. When Kate lands at Rome airport she happens to run into a man named Jamie and they decide to share a taxi to the centre. That is the start of her remarkable holiday!

I fell in love with Jamie instantly and the descriptions of Rome were fantastic and have made me more excited about my own upcoming trip to Rome! During the course of her stay she also runs into local Policeman Alessandro and before you know it the two men involved seem to be turning her trip to Rome into something much more interesting. I also loved Alessandro’s crazy sister, and the story thread involving Jamie and his trip to Rome.

I thought I knew where the story was going however there was a slight change to that and the story took a sad but unexpected turn featuring Kate’s sisters. Although I loved this latest book it wasn’t my favourite of hers (hence the 4 stars instead of 5) but it still a thoroughly enjoyable read. This book is an ideal easy read to get you in the mood for you holidays. I also would love to see more on the characters we met in this book whether it be Jamie, or Kate’s sisters or indeed Kate herself. Another enjoyable book and I will look forward to the next one!