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Secrets Of The Dead by Carol Wyer (Detective Robyn Carter #2)

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Synopsis: Three murders. Three innocent victims. What secrets did they share with their killer?

A bottle of bubble bath and colourful, plastic boats were scattered in small puddles on the floor. In the bathtub lay Linda Upton, fully-clothed, her lips a shade of blue, and her bloodshot eyes wide open.

When a young mother is found drowned in the bath, clutching a receipt saying ‘all debts paid’, Detective Robyn Carter knows it’s just the beginning of a harrowing case. She recognises the signs of a serial killer, and when a second victim with a receipt is found, her worst fears are confirmed.

With the local press whipping the public into a frenzy, Robyn is under pressure to solve the crime yesterday. But her team can’t find a link between the two bodies, and the cracks are starting to show.

Just when her leads have dried up, Robyn discovers an unsettling clue she thinks could unlock the case. But as she chases across the plush carpets and manicured lawns of the wealthy elite, honing in on the killer’s shocking motive, one of her own is put in terrible danger.

The press call him The Leopard for his stealth, speed and brutality. Can Robyn stop the most twisted killer of her career before it’s too late?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “Secrets Of The Dead by Carol Wyer (Detective Robyn Carter #2)”

Love Me Not by M J Arlidge (Helen Grace #7)

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Synopsis: He Loves Me

A woman’s body lies in the road. At first it looks like a tragic accident. But when Helen Grace arrives on the scene it’s clear she’s looking at a coldblooded killing. But why would anyone target a much-loved wife and mother?

She Loves Me Not
Across town, a shopkeeper is killed while his customers are left unharmed. But what lies behind the killer’s choices?

She Loves Me
Who lives? Who dies? Who’s next? The clock is ticking.

She Loves Me Not
If Helen can’t solve this deadly puzzle then more blood will be shed. But any mistake and it might be her own …

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I was hooked with this series from book one and after the drama of book 6 I wasn’t sure where the series would go. However, fast forward a few months and we see DI Helen Grace trying and struggling somewhat to fit back in following her stint in prison. Helen is trying to come to terms with the fact that her now colleague DS Joanna Sanderson was instrumental in helping put her behind bars. This means she is largely relying and falling back on her trusted colleague Charlie Brooks. It’s pretty clear from the outset that Helen is struggling to trust anybody in her team and that sets an uneasy feeling throughout the book.

The team is on the hunt for a pair of killers with a Bonnie and Clyde feeling to it. The one thing I really liked about this latest book was the style of writing which included the times. It really gave a feel to how the plot was moving and gave an extra edge to the reader, knowing how fast-moving the crimes were. Within one day the pair indulge in a killing spree and the team are struggling to keep up so the book managed to keep up great pace throughout. The only thing that was slightly lacking for me was Helen herself. Don’t get me wrong, she is generally a moody and suspicious character anyway but something was missing in this latest book. Her mistrust, and her seemingly skewed judgement made me feel like she had changed too much. Part of me wonders if this is due to what happened in the last book, however it didn’t feel quite right.

However, that aside the series still appears to be going stong and with the end of this book having a rather monumental event take place, I feel like we may well see the return of a stronger and new and improved Helen in book 8. As ever this is still a fantastic read and read in two sittings so certainly still a great read, just not one of my favourites in the series. I will as ever eagerly await the next book, and can’t wait to see where M J Arlidge takes the team next.

Hard Wired by J B Turner (Jon Reznick #3)

Synopsis: When an ex-Delta Forces operative dies in a car wreck in Miami, the FBI dismiss it as a tragic accident. But Jon Reznick isn’t so sure—especially when he learns that his teetotal former colleague was apparently drunk at the wheel.

Reznick’s one-man investigation quickly enters dangerous territory when it becomes clear that this was merely the first in a series of mysterious deaths. All of the victims are ex-Delta Forces, and all were involved in a top-secret Iranian hit under Reznick’s command. Retribution will not be complete until Reznick is wiped out too.

With Iran’s ruthless Quds Force hunting him down on US soil, assisted by a powerful Mexican drug cartel determined to increase its own foothold in the country, Reznick’s survival is a threat to national security. FBI Assistant Director Martha Meyerstein is not as keen as some government officials to sacrifice him as collateral damage, but the longer Reznick runs, the more audacious his enemies become. Innocent American lives are at risk, and only Reznick’s victory—or surrender—can save them.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5 Continue reading “Hard Wired by J B Turner (Jon Reznick #3)”

THE QUIET MAN BY JAMES CAROL (JEFFERSON WINTER #4)

Synopsis: In Vancouver, the wife of a millionaire is dead following an explosion in her own home.

Everyone thinks her husband is responsible, but former FBI profiler Jefferson Winter isn’t so sure. The method is too perfect; the lack of mistakes, uncanny. He’s seen a series of carefully orchestrated murders – once a year, on exactly the same day, a woman dies in a situation just like this one.

That date is fast approaching and Winter knows another victim has been selected. Can he identify the quiet man before he strikes again?

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: Having recently read Prey (Book 3 in this series) I was raring to go with the newest book by James Carol. Jefferson Winter is a memorable character, an ex-FBI guy with a shock of white hair who appears to live off of coffee and cigarettes. Seeing as Jeffersons own father was a Serial Killer, he has an unusual insight and has never really laid his hat anywhere. His work takes him all over the world and the latest case takes him to Vancouver in Canada.

This latest case is certainly unusual and it appears that the killer strikes just once a year on a specific date. His method of killing is by bomb and when PI Laura Anderton asks for his help he is only to happy to oblige. Anderton is a great character and seeing as she is an ex-copper it gives her an edge as well as experience. She and Winters make a great team and the cameraderie between them is obvious from the outset. Anderton was hired by the husband of the first victim and the two of therm together make a formidable team but don’t prove to be terribly popular!

Jefferson is one of those characters that has personal experience, years of actual experience as well as some twisted and warped logic at times. However, it seems to be what gets the job done. I particularly relished some of the scenes between Jefferson and a particularly irritating reporter. Although Jefferson is good at his job and such an interesting character to read he also has a darker side which makes for compulsive reading. As much as I enjoyed Prey the last book, this one feels more like the original book and was a real page turner. I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait to read book 5!

Ella’s Ice Cream Summer by Sue Watson

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Synopsis: Ella’s life just hit rock-bottom, but can a summer by the sea mend her broken heart? When life gives you lemons… make ice-cream!

Life hasn’t always been easy for single mum Ella, but she has just hit an all-time low; she’s jobless, loveless, very nearly homeless and, to make matters worse, now the owner of a pocket-sized pooch with a better wardrobe than her.

Packing her bags (and a bigger one for the dog), Ella sets off for the seaside town of Appledore in Devon to re-live the magical summers of her youth and claim her portion of the family ice-cream business: a clapped-out ice-cream van and a complicated mess of secrets.

There she meets gorgeous and free-spirited solicitor, Ben, who sees things differently: with a little bit of TLC he has a plan to get the van – and Ella – back up and running in no time.

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: I have been a huge Sue Watson fan for a long time now and once I had finished reading this book I actually pondered over exactly what it is about her books that make them so special. It comes down to the fundamentals, which for me is the characters. Yes she has amazing ability as a storyteller and creates wonderful tales that will keep you entertained, but what does she do differently that others maybe don’t? Characters….that’s what! All of Sue’s books have a wonderful laugh out loud quality to them but most of this is instilled in each character and none more so than this latest book Ella’s Ice Cream.

Ella is feeling like her life has stalled. She has two children ready to fly the nest on gap years and a seventy something Mother who seems more at ease with technology than she could ever be. Then there is the smarmy ex-husband Dick who is currently shacked up in Spain with his boss. When Ella discovers that her aunt has left her a share of her Ice Cream business down in Appledore she is taken aback. Appledore is a place that holds fond memories for her as a child, however a family rift stops her from delving too far into the past. Ella takes the bull by the horns and makes her way to Appledore against her Mothers wishes.

As much as I adored Ella, the star of the show for me was her mother Roberta! I literally fell in love with the Mother who is obsessed with Mob Wives and sexting! With Italian roots, some of the scenes that I read involving Roberta had me laughing out loud. I could literally picture some of the scenes unravelling in front of my very eyes and I felt like I was sitting on the beach at Appledore observing this crazily lovable family. The fact that there is another book coming made me jump for joy and I cannot wait to get started on it.

This book is an absolute corker and a joy to read from start to finish. Sue Watson has produced a wonderful book that I think everybody would enjoy. I cannot recommend this author highly enough and think that more people need to discover the pure joy of her books. An outstanding book that is an absolute must for your Summer Holidays!

BLOG TOUR: THE SEARCH BY HOWARD LINSKEY (DI BRADSHAW #3)

Synopsis: Someone knows where the bodies are buried…

Little Susan Verity went missing during the heatwave of 1976. An unprecedented amount of police resource went into finding her, but to no avail. Until now.

Convicted serial killer Adrian Wicklow was always the prime suspect. In the past, he’s repeatedly lied to the police about where Susan’s body is buried – playing a sick game from behind bars.

But this time, he says, he’ll tell the truth. Because Adrian Wicklow is dying.

Detective Ian Bradshaw works with investigative journalists Helen Norton and Tom Carney to find the body. However, this is Wicklow’s life’s work. Would a murderer on death’s door give up his last secret so easily…?

Kat’s Rating: 4/5 Continue reading “BLOG TOUR: THE SEARCH BY HOWARD LINSKEY (DI BRADSHAW #3)”

BLOG TOUR: Dead Souls by Angie Marsons (Kim Stone #6)

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Synopsis: When a collection of human bones is unearthed during a routine archaeological dig, a Black Country field suddenly becomes a complex crime scene for Detective Kim Stone.

As the bones are sorted, it becomes clear that the grave contains more than one victim. The bodies hint at unimaginable horror, bearing the markings of bullet holes and animal traps.

Forced to work alongside Detective Travis, with whom she shares a troubled past, Kim begins to uncover a dark secretive relationship between the families who own the land in which the bodies were found.

But while Kim is immersed in one of the most complicated investigations she’s ever led, her team are caught up in a spate of sickening hate crimes. Kim is close to revealing the truth behind the murders, yet soon finds one of her own is in jeopardy – and the clock is ticking. Can she solve the case and save them from grave danger – before it’s too late?

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Continue reading “BLOG TOUR: Dead Souls by Angie Marsons (Kim Stone #6)”

A Baby At The Beach Cafe by Lucy Diamond

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A Baby at the Beach Cafe is an engaging short story follow-up to Lucy Diamond’s bestselling novel The Beach Cafe.

Evie loves running her beach cafe in Cornwall but with a baby on the way, she’s been told to put her feet up. Let someone else take over? Not likely.

Helen’s come to Cornwall to escape the stress of city living. She hopes a seaside life will be the answer to all her dreams. When she sees a job advertised at the cafe it sounds perfect.

But the two women clash and sparks fly. . . and then events take a dramatic turn. Can the pair of them put aside their differences in a crisis?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: I adore Lucy Diamond’s books and was shocked when I realised I had missed this little nugget. I thoroughly enjoyed the Beach Cafe books and was excited to read a little more about Evie and her husband Ed. At only 145 pages it’s certainly a short story and I read it in one sitting but it was so nice to be back with the characters. Evie is now heavily pregnant and her husband Ed decides they have to employ a new Cafe Manager for when Evie goes on Maternity leave.

With the Beach Cafe being Evie’s baby she is reluctant to allow anyone else to run her perfect little business. When Helen escapes city life by moving down to Cornwall she hadn’t planned on working but the opportunity presented itself and both her and Evie are not keen on each other for various reasons. Although Helen could be abrasive as a reader you knew why and actually it was such a lovely story I almost thought it was a shame when it ended as I would have loved to have known more about Helen.

If you haven’t read any of Lucy Diamonds books you are missing out. The books of hers I have read to date have been nothing but delightful and the Beach Cafe books are amazing. Definitely a recommended author.

BLOG TOUR: Sleep Tight by Caroline Mitchell (Ruby Preston #2)

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Synopsis: A killer stalks the streets of East London. All over the area, murdered young women are discovered, their bodies posed into disturbing recreations of fairy tale princesses.

Detective Ruby Preston is determined to hunt down the murderer who is using the women to realise his dark fantasies. But when body parts are found at the home of her lover, Nathan Crosby, Ruby is torn between her job and her heart.

Convinced that he is being framed, Ruby must catch the killer before Nathan becomes the number one suspect. But as more victims are found, it becomes harder to prove his innocence.

As Ruby starts to close in on the twisted individual, can she stop him before he strikes again? And how well does she really know the man she loves?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “BLOG TOUR: Sleep Tight by Caroline Mitchell (Ruby Preston #2)”

PREY BY JAMES CAROL (JEFFERSON WINTER #3)

Synopsis: Six years ago a young married couple were found brutally stabbed to death in their home in Upstate New York. Local police arrested a suspect who later committed suicide. But what if the police got it wrong?

Ex-FBI profiler Jefferson Winter is drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a mysterious female psychopath as she sets him a challenge: find out what really happened six years ago.

The clock is ticking and, as Winter is about to find out, the endgame is everything.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I was blown away by the first book in this series Broken Dolls and moved straight onto book 2. Book 2 (entitled Watch Me) was also a great read however didn’t have quite the same pull the first book did. After finishing book 3 I felt the same. It was a great read, but it didn’t blow me away. Knowing that book 4 is soon to be released was as good as any a reason to get caught up right in time for it. Jefferson Winter is a brilliant character, he smokes too much, he has a shock of white hair, an IQ that is crazy and to top it all off he works for himself. He used to be an FBI profiler however now he works freelance and it means he doesn’t have quite the same rules to follow as others. What makes this character even more special is that his Father was a Serial Killer. Yep, you read that right! It always gives Jefferson an edge and it feels like he is fighting his own battle to prove he is not like his Father.

The opening chapters of the book throw you quite literally in to the deep end as a killer manages to murder a cook in front of Jefferson, all before he ate his breakfast! What gave this book an interesting edge was that the killer was female. As openings go, it certainly started with a bang. Knowing that he has to find this woman Jefferson enlists the help of Mendoza, an NYPD Homicide Detective. Mendoza is a closed book but I like the fact that she is inclined to disbelieve Jefferson first, it certainly makes for an interesting dynamic.

Their search takes them to a cold case with the murder of a young married couple in Upstate New York. The story picks up pace and as clues are uncovered the story unravels little by little. Jefferson and Mendoza fight until they unravel all of the threads that hold this story together and layer by layer is revealed, usually with a graphic scene or two thrown in! I am a huge fan of James Carol and really love Jefferson Winter, I am just waiting for that wow factor again. Even without that extra wow, his books are enjoyable and I will definitely continue to follow this series.