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The Last Time She Dies by Zoe Sharp (Blake & Byron)

Synopsis: She came back on the day of her father’s funeral, ten years after she vanished. But she can’t be who she says she is… When Blake disappeared as a teenager, on a cold dark night, her father never reported her missing. She is presumed dead.

Now, ten years later, a young woman with white-blonde hair sits comfortably in the family living room and smiles at the shocked faces around her.

“Don’t you recognise me?” she says. “I’m Blake.”

Detective John Byron isn’t sure whether she’s telling the truth. But as he investigates, he soon realises no one is happy to see her. And the people who should be welcoming her back with open arms know she can’t be Blake. Because they killed her the night she vanished…

Didn’t they?

MY RATING: 4/5

My Review: Finally! I am a big fan of the Charlie Fox series by Zoe Sharp and its been way too long so when I realised I now had two books in a new series by her to read I eagerly started with this one the first featuring ‘Blake & Byron’ as the title suggests. So the Byron in this duo refers to John Byron a copper with the Met who is currently on leave from work. The reader has no clue why he is on leave or what happened but it’s pretty clear from the outset he is up in Derbyshire for his boss looking into something through unofficial channels. The first thing that struck me was how ‘old school’ this book felt and that isn’t mean in a derogatory way at all! It had a real mystery air to it and that ‘who dunnit’ feel going on which I loved.

On the opposing side of the duo is Blake, a young woman who returns to her old home following the death of her Father. Gideon Fitzroy was a British MP and had a good standing in the community. When his long since missing daughter re-appears after the funeral a lot of eyes are raised including those of her step mother and half brother and sister. I admit that the first few chapters it took me a little while to get into the writing and story itself, but as the book progressed I could totally understand the reasons behind the slow burn of the unfolding storyline.

I don’t want to rehash the synopsis as that seems a pointless exercise, but what I will say is that following completion of book 1 I can totally appreciate the groundwork that went into building these two characters and leaving the reader wondering what next. I read this book over a couple of days and frankly slowly fell in love with both Byron and Blake, two very original characters with some wonderful character traits, best shown off over the span of the book! It’s very hard to describe what I mean (after all I am a reader and not a writer) but I guess overall this was a hugely enjoyable book featuring characters I definitely want to read more of, and that being the case would 100% recommend this as I think this could be an absolutely fantastic series.

Hard Power by J B Turner (Jon Reznick #12)

Synopsis: Hard Power ―the follow-up to the electric Hard Exit ―is a riveting new thriller from bestselling author J. B. Turner. When Amy Chang, partner of NSA hacker Trevelle Williams―a friend of Jon Reznick―is found dead on a Manhattan subway, everyone says it was a suicide. But Trevelle knows that someone had been watching Amy’s every move, and he isn’t about to let them slip away. Trevelle calls on Jon Reznick to help him uncover what happened to Amy and protect Amy’s brother, Kevin Chang, a Hong Kong student-activist living in New York. Before long, two government organizations are hunting them, forcing the trio to go on the run. Will Reznick be able to pull himself out of another mess, or have things finally gone too far? As his pursuers close in, Reznick reaches out to Martha Meyerstein, FBI assistant director, for help―but with so many political forces at play, people are not always who they seem to be. With friends’ lives on the line, Reznick will have to summon all his black-ops skills, tradecraft, and killer instincts to keep both Trevelle and Kevin alive…but he might have to sacrifice his own life to do it.

MY RATING: 5/5

My Review: I absolutely love this series and this latest release is no exception. Jon Reznick’s friend and hacker Trevelle is the one who calls Jon for help this time, a far cry from the norm. However, the situation Trevelle finds himself in is far from the ordinary. Trevelle’s girlfriend Amy Chang is found dead and he is convinced, along with Amy’s brother Kevin, that it was no accident. Although Jon has no jurisdiction he as per the norm sticks his nose in to try and get to the bottom of what has gone on. It becomes clear pretty quickly that the situation Jon, Trevelle and Kevin find themselves in proves the theory that all is not right!

There is plenty of action pretty much from the off with this latest book and as usual Jon is determined for the truth even if it means falling out with the FBI assistant Martha (which he does plenty of)! I was a little on the fence with how the Jon and Martha relationship has played out but a part of me also understands the need for it. That aside I loved the pacing of the story and there was plenty of corruption and action top keep you entertained. Although there is a slight swerve into the arena featuring Chinese politics, I can forgive it as it didn’t detract from my enjoyment. I just hope we don’t see the author going politics heavy in future books.

Overall this is a fast paced and action packed story with a character you can’t help but love. A great series which I am thoroughly enjoying and would happily recommend.

Sleep by C L Taylor

Synopsis: Seven guests. Seven secrets. One killer. Do you dare to SLEEP? All Anna wants is to be able to sleep. But crushing insomnia, terrifying night terrors and memories of that terrible night are making it impossible. If only she didn’t feel so guilty…

To escape her past, Anna takes a job at a hotel on the remote Scottish island of Rum, but when seven guests join her, what started as a retreat from the world turns into a deadly nightmare.

Each of the guests have a secret, but one of them is lying – about who they are and why they’re on the island. There’s a murderer staying in the Bay View hotel. And they’ve set their sights on Anna. Seven strangers. Seven secrets. One deadly lie.

My Rating: 2/5

My Review: Recently I have been selecting books that are the oldest on my to read list and this was one of them. I have read a few CL Taylor books and largely enjoyed then however this one for me was a bit of a miss. Anna is the lead character and we see her starting a new job in a remote area of Scotland, an Island named Rum. She is helping run a guest house in the hope that following a horrific accident she can get away and start again.

First up Anna was just annoying as a character, yes she had experienced trauma but she just grated on me and I don’t even know why (I seem to have a problem connecting with characters lately). The general premise is that there are 7 guest and they get trapped there because of bad weather an all sorts of things start happening. I got the impression this was maybe meant to be a little creepy but I just got irritated by the characters. I finished the book but in all honesty I didn’t care much because it all became a little bit unbelievable.

We Can See You by Simon Kernick

.Synopsis: You have it all. Success, a beautiful home, a happy family. Until, in a heartbeat, it’s gone. We’ve kidnapped your daughter, and we know everything about you. Including the dark secrets from your past you thought were forgotten. We tell you not to contact the police – and that we’ll know if you do. Because we can see you. And now you know this is no ordinary abduction. It’s worse. Within hours you’re on the run, with only one thought in your head:That you will stop at nothing to get your daughter back

My Rating: 3/5

My Review: I have to start by saying that I am a big fan of Kernick especially books such as Relentless and The Last Ten Seconds however this….not so much. The synopsis felt like a departure from my expectations of a Kernick novel so I was excited to try something a little different. Brook Conner is on her way home and is excited to see her daughter Paige. When she arrives she just knows something is off as her housekeeper Rosa is not there with Paige but her car is. Confused she calls Rosa to no reply followed shortly thereafter to her husband. It becomes all too clear that her daughter has been kidnapped.

Now right out the gate I admit I did not warm to any of the characters in this book. Brook, her husband, her lawyer, literally everybody! The storyline also bordered on the ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong I have nothing against stretching the realms of reality for a story, but it has to be a good story for me to be on board with it! I managed to trudge my way through this but it felt like a chore. Every now and then you can read a book by an author you love and just not gel with the book and this is one of those times.

Brutal by Mandasue Heller

Brutal Synopsis: A bereaved husband is faced with a devastating choice in Brutal, an engrossing, gritty thriller from the top ten bestselling author Mandasue Heller.

When Frank Peter’s wife Maureen dies, he feels that his once-idyllic life on the Yorkshire Moors is over. And with a daughter emigrating to Australia and a son who has his own marital problems, Frank feels resigned to a life of loneliness. Then one night he finds a frightened young woman hiding at the back of his farmhouse. She explains that her name is Irena and was brought to this country by a man who promised her the world and then forced her into prostitution.

Frank offers her a bed for the night but it’s the middle of winter, and when heavy snowfall prevents her from leaving the next day, he’s forced to extend the invitation. But the longer Irena stays, the easier it gets for the men she’s trying to escape from to find her.

People-trafficking could just be the tip of the iceberg, and Frank has no idea what these people are really capable of . . .

My Rating: 3/5

My Review: It’s been a very long time since I read a Mandasue Heller and chose this one from my very long to be read pile. We meet Frank Peters an ordinary man who lives on a farm in the Yorkshire moors. Following the death of his wife, he is managing okay but with his daughter now moving to Australia and his son who has his own problems he does feel the loneliness start to creep in. One night in the middle of winter he comes across a scared woman in the snow hiding behind his farm. With the snow making it hard to get about he offers her a bed for the night and hopefully some relative safety.

What transpires is a rather unusual plot where Frank become unwittingly caught in the middle of an elaborate scheme involving sex trafficking. To be honest the book was definitely readable but for me the plot was kind of ‘out there’ and it instantly put me off. I loathed Franks son and daughter from the off and the fact that Frank was so naïve just felt a little too contrived for me.

I certainly finished this and it wasn’t a bad book but for me I preferred MH older books with slightly different settings and storylines. For me this was just middle of the road

After That Night by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent 11)

After That Night Synopsis:

Sara doesn’t think about that night.

About the attack.

About the way it tore her world apart.

About the man who did it, now safely behind bars.

She thought that night was over. Until a new victim appears…

And now a young woman’s life depends on Sara uncovering exactly what happened after that night…

My Rating: 5/5

My Review: Will and Sara are back and unfortunately for Sara when she sees to a young rape patient named Dani Cooper she has no idea that it will unleash her own tragic past. When Dani dies from her injuries Sara is determined to get to the bottom of who was responsible having no clue that she would be directly in the firing line. She ends up testifying against Tommy McAlistair and soon realises that there are links between Dani and her own brutal rape many years before.

The end result is that Will along with his partner Faith go behind their boss Amanda’s back to try and get to the bottom of it all. This also opens old wounds for Will as he is faced with speaking to his Aunt Eliza whom he loathes but has to work with to help Sara. The story progresses with multiple moving parts and frankly I didn’t want to put this one down. This was pretty gut wrenching in parts but was very well written and I found myself just continuously turning pages and getting completely lost in the story.

Whilst the underlying theme throughout the book may not sit well with some people (sexual assault/rape) I feel like it was done well and as this is something that has formed part of Sara’s character over many years it is fitting to see her working through this element of her past. Overall another brilliant book which I thoroughly enjoyed

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter

The Good Daughter Synopsis:

Twenty-eight years ago, Charlotte and Samantha Quinn’s childhoods were destroyed by a terrifying attack on their family home. It left their mother dead. It left their father – a notorious defence attorney – devastated. And it left the family consumed by secrets from that shocking night.

Twenty-eight years later, Charlie has followed in her father’s footsteps to become a lawyer. But when violence comes to their home town again, the case triggers memories she’s desperately tried to suppress. Because the shocking truth about the crime which destroyed her family won’t stay buried for ever…

My Rating: 5/5

My Review: This has been sitting in my to read pile for some time and I decided to finally opick it up and boy am I glad I did. The story starts by looking back in time to the loves of Samantha and Charlotte (Charlie) Quinn. Their Dad Rusty is a lawyer well known around town as he defends murders and rapists , and their mother Gamma is very unique but a doting and loving Mother. What happens to the family on night years ago leaves their Mother dead and the two girls devastated and traumatised.

Fast forward nearly 30 years later and we see Charlie still living near to her father and working as a defence lawyer. Something bad then happens to Charlie and she is literally catterpaulted into a horrendous situation which not only affects her, but the town she lives in and the people living there. I admit the first quarter of the book I was trying to get to grips with everything going on but as each element of the story unfolded I became utterly absorbed in the book and literally couldn’t stop reading. This truly does pack a punch and seems to pack suspense, drama, fear, adrenaline and sadness all into one story!

This story itself is pretty complex but is done in such a way that you are completely invested in the characters and their own battles that emerge. I can honestly say this was an exceptionally good read and one that I finished and was left wanting more. I sincerely hope we get to see these characters again as they were quite simply amazing!

The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent, #10)

The Silent Wife Synopsis:

He watches.

A woman runs alone in the woods. She convinces herself she has no reason to be afraid, but she’s wrong. A predator is stalking the women of Grant County. He lingers in the shadows, until the time is just right to snatch his victim.

He waits.

A decade later, the case has been closed. The killer is behind bars. But then another young woman is brutally attacked and left for dead, and the MO is identical.

He takes.

Although the original trail has gone cold – memories have faded, witnesses have disappeared – agent Will Trent and forensic pathologist Sara Linton must re-open the cold case. But the clock is ticking, and the killer is determined to find his perfect silent wife….

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: So having caught up with Will and Sara in book 9 I went straight on to book 10 and this one was no less graphic than the last. I personally love books that are dark and gritty but some may find the subject matter uncomfortable as rape and the depravity that comes with it is not in short supply here. It seems that the GBI have an issue at hand as a convicted rapist who is serving time in prison is claiming his innocence. Not only that but he is claiming that Sara’s dead husband Jeffrey Tolliver is responsible.

In all honesty you do need to have read the other books in the series for this one to have an impact. This feels like an unravelling of things especially for Sara’s current partner Will. When another woman is raped and left for dead, everybody soon realises that this is the same MO as the man currently serving the sentance for those historic crimes. This is a no holds barred book in both description and storytelling and isn’t for the feint hearted. That’s not to say the author is at fault as she has always said she will always write honestly about violence againt women.

The storyline drills down into the personal lives of Sara and Will too as we see them both struggling with Jeffrey being brought into the forefront of their lives. This book was as usual written impecibly with that dark and edgy style that Karin Slaughter is famous for. A great read and once again getting me prepped and ready for book 11!

The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent, #9)

The Last Widow Synopsis: She might be the first victim, but she won’t be the last.

Three…

A woman is abducted in front of her child.

Two…

A month later, a second is taken in explosive circumstances.

One…

But the web is bigger and darker than anyone could imagine.

The clock is ticking to uncover the truth.

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: It’s been a long time since I read a Will Trent book by Karin Slaughter and was looking forward to catching up with both Will and Sara. Having read this latest book I also realised how much I love both Faith, Will’s partner and Amanda his boss. The book starts with Michelle and her daughter being snatched following a shopping trip to the mall. Following a few weeks of investigation they find nothing it’s like they have vanished off the face of the planet. A few weeks after the kidnap Will and Sarah witness an accident which quickly turns into something much worse.

When Sara is snatched Will’s world literally turns upside down and he is left feeling bereft and absolutely determined to find her. This story is gritty and fast paced with truly despicable people at the heart of the case. I realised that I was truly gripped and wouldn’t put the book down until I had finished once I got through the first half. The second half has some very nail biting moments that had me wondering just how it was going to turn out.

I absolutely loved this book and it was a great way to get back into the series. I am just glad that I have the next book ready and lined up ready to read.

A Home at Cornflower Cottage by Tilly Tennant

61047827 Synopsis: Amelie has lived in Cornflower Cottage since she was born. She did her homework at the scrubbed kitchen table and helped her mum hang washing from the line on the old oak tree in the garden. And when her beloved parents died, Cornflower Cottage became Amelie’s armour against the world.

The trouble is that Cornflower Cottage is too big for just her. With a broken boiler and a leaking roof, Amelie knows she must do something to make ends meet. When she meets Xander, a scruffy, brown-eyed nature documentary maker living out of his backpack in a nearby hotel, Amelie rents him a room, hoping a lodger will solve her problems.

She soon realises that her troubles are only just beginning. Xander’s muddy clothes all over the cottage and early morning jaunts to photograph otters are going to take some getting used to. But when an argument turns into a heart-to-heart, she finds herself confessing how lonely she has been.

Before long, laughter echoes round the cosy farmhouse kitchen once more and sparks begin to fly. But when a face from Xander’s past appears at Cornflower Cottage Amelie’s happy home is shaken once more. Xander has changed Amelie’s quiet country life forever. Should she open her heart to someone who has hidden things from her? Or let him leave, and lose the love that makes her house a home?

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: It’s been a fair while since I read a Tilly Tennant book and this one sounded up my street so I dove in. Amelie is living in her childhood home following the death of her parents. She is determined to never leave and is constantly struggling. Cornflower Cottage is her safe place and one that she is determined to keep. The problem is that the house is falling apart and her job doesn’t exactly pay tons so she decides to take drastic action.

At first Amelie decides to try the extra shifts at the local hotel she works in but it soon becomes apparent that isn’t going to cut it. That is until she meets Xander who is pretty much lodging at the hotel Amelie works in. Before she knows it she has offered Xander and his girlfriend lodging at her cottage. Her boyfriend Decker isn’t pleased to find that Amelie has rented out a room at the cottage but frankly I was glad as I couldn’t stand him. As a character he was just one big red flag!!! This was a nice feelgood and easy read which reminded me why I enjoy Tilly’s books. This was certainly a pleasure to read and I would reccomend it for sure.