Year: 2023

AFTER SHE’S GONE BY SHERYL BROWNE (MATTHEW ADAMS #1)

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Synopsis: He’s killed your child and kidnapped your wife. What would YOU do?
 
There’s evil and then there’s Patrick Sullivan. A drug dealer, pimp and murderer, there are no depths to which Patrick would not sink, and Detective Inspector Matthew Adams has found this out in the most devastating way imaginable.
 
When Patrick’s brother is shot dead in a drug bust gone wrong, the bitter battle between the two men intensifies, and Matthew finds it increasingly difficult to hold the moral high ground. All he wants is to make the pimping scum suffer the way he did … the way Lily did.
But being at war with such a depraved individual means that it’s not just Matthew who’s in danger. Patrick has taken a lot from Matthew, but he hasn’t taken everything – and now he wants everything.
 
Kat’s Rating: 5/5
 
Kat’s Review: WOW! I am SO annoyed at myself. These books have been sitting on my Kindle for 5 long years but in my extreme effort to not be swayed by new releases I am slowly making my way through my older books and now I am SO pleased that I made that choice. Sherly Browne is an author I have seen around for a while and keep meaning to read her stuff so decided to go back and start with this series of books featuring Matthew Adams. Well, I was NOT prepared to get stuck into not one but all three of these books! Matthew Adams is copper that cares about people, however he has his own personal misery going on. Patrick Sullivan is the bad guy here and as a drug dealer and pimp that is bad enough but when you realise he was responsible for the death of Matthew’s daughter it changes the game.
 
Matthew is a very likeable character but it’s clear that he (like any parent I imagine) is struggling after the death of his daughter. Patrick Sullivan is a man that is firmly on his police radar but even more so on his personal radar. Matthew’s colleague Steve was also a brilliant character that I hope I get to see in the follow on books. In addition to Matthew his wife Rebecca is a mainstay in the story. Matthew and Rebecca decide to take on his niece Ashley as Matthew’s sister is struggling with addiction. The story becomes very ramped up very quickly as Matthew comes up against Patrick in a very dangerous situation.
 
Overall I read this book in two straight sittings and absolutely loved it. It was fast paced and edgy with great characters and a strong storyline. It was so good I wasted no time and dove straight into book 2. A brilliant book by Sheryl Browne and I really hope the next one is just as good. Highly recommended.

THE CHRISTMAS WISH BY LINDSEY KELK

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Synopsis: Newly single lawyer Gwen Baker is hoping that a family Christmas – countryside, a mountain of food and festive films – will salve the sting of her career hanging by a thread and her heart being trampled on. Because everyone else has their life sorted: even Dev, her boy-next-door crush, is now a tall, dark and handsome stranger with a fiancée. She can’t help wishing her future was clearer.
Then Gwen wakes up to discover it’s Christmas day all over again. Like Groundhog Day but with turkey. And family arguments. On repeat.
As she figures out how to escape her own particular Christmas hell, Dev is the one bright spot. He might be all grown-up but underneath he’s just as kind and funny as she remembers.
Maybe, just maybe, her heart can be mended after all.
But how do you fall in love with someone who can’t remember you from one day to the next?
 
Kat’s Rating: 3/5
 
Kat’s Review: Over the years I have really enjoyed Lindsey Kelk books and was looking forward to this Christmas themed one. Gwen Baker is on her way to her Mum and Dad’s house along with her cousin Manny. Her life has gone a little bit pear shaped and she hopes that the Chritsmas break will get her mind into the right place and help her figure things out. At first the chapters ease you in and introduce to her very funny family and I was certainly enjoying it. However when Christmas Day goes terribly wrong it left you wondering what Boxing Day would bring. However when Gwen wakes up she is stuck on a Groundhog day situation and has to relive Christmas Day over and over again.
 
At first this seemed endearing and quirky, however this soon wore off for me and I found myself getting a little annoyed with it all. The story and writing was as ever brilliant but for me this whole Groundhog day situation just wore a little thin and I found myself wishing I had finished the book. It certainly isn’t a bad book, it’s just not my cup of tea and I will look forward to the next Lindsey Kelk book I read back in her usual style.

CUT TO THE BONE BY ALEX CAAN (RILEY & HARRIS 1)

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Synopsis: One Missing Girl. Two Million Suspects.
Ruby is a vlogger, a rising star of YouTube and a heroine to millions of teenage girls.
And she’s missing . . .
But she’s an adult – nothing to worry about, surely?
Until the video’s uploaded . . .
Ruby, in the dirt, pleading for her life.
Enter Detective Inspector Kate Riley; the Met’s rising star and the head of a new team of investigators with the best resources money can buy. Among them, Detective Sergeant Zain Harris, the poster boy for multiracial policing. But can Kate wholly trust him – and more importantly, can she trust herself around him?
As hysteria builds amongst the press and Ruby’s millions of fans, Kate and her team are under pressure to get results, and fast, but as they soon discover, the world of YouTube vloggers and social media is much darker than anyone could have imagined.
And the videos keep coming . . .
 
Kat’s Rating: 3/5
 
Kat’s Review: Continuing my theme of reading older books on my Kindle I figured I would try an author new to me. Alex Caan released this in 2016 and it features DCI Kate Riley and Zain Harris. The opening of the book is pretty straightforward with Harrix being sent to the home of a missing woman Ruby who also happens to be a You Tube Vlogger. Both Kate and Zain are revealed and sections of their own personal lives show they both have their own issues. I have to be honest and say that I didn’t particularly warm to Kate as a character. She just rubbed me up the wrong way from the get go and it didn’t improve as the story progressed.
 
The chapters are nice and short and sharp and nothing wrong with this author’s style of writing however due to my dislike of Kate it made the book harder to enjoy. The storyline explores the world of social media and like I said before elements of characters are revealed as the story progressed. For me although the writing was decent I felt a little bit like I was struggling to finish. Sometimes it can feel like this with a new series so I think I will at some point try book 2 in the hope I can gel a little more with the characters.

THEN SHE WAS GONE BY LISA JEWELL

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Synopsis: She was fifteen, her mother’s golden girl.
She had her whole life ahead of her.
And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.
 
Ten years on, Laurel has never given up hope of finding Ellie. And then she meets a charming and charismatic stranger who sweeps her off her feet.
 
But what really takes her breath away is when she meets his nine-year-old daughter.
 
Because his daughter is the image of Ellie.
 
Now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.
 
What really happened to Ellie? And who still has secrets to hide?
 
Kat’s Rating: 4/5
 
Kat’s Review: My aim this year was to read some of the books that have been on my Kindle for ages and this one stood out. Released in 2017 it was time I gave it a try and with such good reviews I had high hopes. The story starts by introducing us to Laurel who is after ten years of her daughter going missing desperately stuck in her own grief. Laurel’s daughter Ellie had gone missing ten years prior just before her exams and Laurel still had no answers. Her remaining daughter and Son struggle to maintain a good relationship with Laurel along with her ex-husband Paul. However, she finally begins the journey of moving on once she thinks she has some answers. That is when she meets Floyd who sweeps her off her feet.
 
The first thing I will say and the reason that I didn’t rate this a 5 star read was that both Floyd and his daughter Poppy gave me serious ick vibes! To the point it left a sour taste in my mouth reading about them. Don’t get me wrong it’s a serious show of just how talented Lisa Jewell is as an author, but it still left me with a bad feeling. The story unfolds as we find out more about Ellie and the lead up to her disappearance. We also get to see Laurel’s relationship with Floyd progress and with it relevant parts of the story are revealed. I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it reminded me of how much I enjoy this author’s books. I can see why it was a bestseller and am pleased I made the time to read it.

THE FEAR BY C L TAYLOR

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Synopsis: Sometimes your first love won’t let you go…
When Lou Wandsworth ran away to France with her teacher Mike Hughes, she thought he was the love of her life. But Mike wasn’t what he seemed and he left her life in pieces.
Now 32, Lou discovers that he is involved with teenager Chloe Meadows. Determined to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself, she returns home to confront him for the damage he’s caused.
But Mike is a predator of the worst kind, and as Lou tries to bring him to justice, it’s clear that she could once again become his prey…
 
Kat’s Rating: 4/5
 
Kat’s Review: It’s been a long while since I have read a CL Taylor so I was looking forward to getting stuck into something new. This subject matter may be a little too much for people as it involves child grooming (just a warning) but it was written extremely well. Lou Wandsworth is our main character and we meet her in the midst of a ‘surprise’ from her new boyfriend. Sadly that surprise triggers her emotions and she snaps! It appears that Lou’s old school teacher Mike had groomed her and she had been suffering with the consequences of that ever since. When she has to return to her old town and realises he lives there it sends her mind into overdrive. In addition when she considers confronting him she soon becomes aware that a he hasn’t changed and another girl is in danger.
 
Chloe Meadows is Mike’s intended next target and Lou makes it her mission to help her. There were many elements to this story and it made for incredibly engaging reading. There were times I felt I wasn’t reading quickly enough and I needed to know what happened. Plenty of tense and dramatic events which kept me page turning into the early hours. This book was definitely an emotional and at times dark book to read but utterly enthralling. Another great book by this author I thoroughly enjoy!

THE LOST ONES BY BEN CHEETHAM

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Synopsis: Some secrets are better left undiscovered.
When a nine-year-old girl goes missing in Harwood Forest, the search for her brings back memories of an unsolved double murder some forty years earlier. Could the key to Erin Jackson’s disappearance lie in the bloody fate of Elijah and Joanna Ingham, bludgeoned to death while their young daughters slept? Were the Inghams really the victims of opportunistic burglars—or a more sinister fate?
The woods are combed for signs of the child, but Erin’s brother, Jake, mounts his own investigation, uncovering evidence that puts the Inghams’ daughters—vanished Rachel and ‘crazy’ Mary—in the frame. Meanwhile, Erin’s father suspects that the ragtag army of eco-warriors besieging his quarry development may have something to hide.
As devastating secrets and betrayals are revealed, the Jackson family is brought to a breaking point. But time is running out. Erin is still missing and Jake’s unorthodox enquiries have left him dangerously exposed. They must find Erin and lay the past to rest—before they become its latest victims.
 
Kat’s Rating: 3/5
 
Kat’s Review: I have read one other Ben Cheetham and rather enjoyed it so had high hopes for this one. Sadly although it wasn’t a terrible book it wasn’t as good as his other I had read. I normally enjoy the missing persons kind of cases and this one features missing child Erin Jackson. Whilst out walking with her mother Amanda she literally vanishes into thin air. Amanda’s husband Tom is informed and he is beside himself with worry. There are elements of the story that will make the reader question a variety of characters as they all have hidden secrets and skeletons in the closet.
 
The story feels a little stilted in places but I think that is more because the culprit was pretty obvious to me, but then maybe that is just me. The pace seemed okay and the writing is certainly as decent as the last book I just didn’t gel as well with this story. Overall not a bad book, just not a favourite for me!

SOMETHING HIDDEN BY KERRY WILKINSON (ANDREW HUNTER #2)

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Synopsis: Everyone hates Fiona Methodist.
 
Her war veteran father shot a young couple in broad daylight before killing himself. The engaged pair had witnessed a robbery and were due to give evidence but, with all three now dead, no one knows the true motive.
 
For Fiona, it’s destroyed her life. It’s not just those who whisper behind her back or the friends who pretend she doesn’t exist; it’s the landlords who spot her name and say no, the job agencies who can’t find her work.
 
But Fiona knows her dad didn’t do it. He couldn’t have – he’s her father and he wouldn’t do that . . . would he?
 
Private investigator Andrew Hunter takes pity on the girl and, even with stolen bengal cats to find, plus an ex-wife who’s not quite so ‘ex’, he can’t escape the creeping feeling that Fiona might be right after all.
 
Kat’s Rating: 3/5
 
Kat’s Review: I haven’t read the first book in this series but figured Book 2 was as good a place as any to start. The story features Andrew Hunter who is a Private Investigator who takes on a case working for Fiona Methodist. A young couple are shot and killed by a war veteran and then it’s discovered they were witnesses due to give evidence on a robbery they witnessed. That war veteran is Fiona’s father Luke and Andrew takes the case pro-bono. Alongside Andrew is his assistant Jenny and while Andrew is working one case she takes on another. Jenny is a great character and I really liked the fact that she and Andrew were polar opposites.
 
We also get to see Andrew dealing with family including his ex-wife and his Aunt. I liked Andrew but I think it may have helped me to read the first book to get a real idea of the main characters that are appearing again. The story kept me reading and the writing was decent but for some reason I couldn’t really engage with this book on some level. It is definitely not a bad book but I think I should have either read book 1 first or maybe tried this authors series featuring Jessica Daniel. I think I may well give it a couple of months and try book 1 of that series.