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Gridlock by Sean Black (Ryan Lock and Ty Johnson #3)

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Adult movie actress Raven Lane is one of the most lusted after women in America, with millions of fans to prove it. But when a headless corpse turns up in the trunk of her car, she realizes that fame carries a terrible price.

Fearing for her life, and with the LAPD seemingly unable to protect her, Raven turns to former military bodyguard Ryan Lock for help. As events spiral out of control, Lock is drawn into a dangerous world where money rules, sex is a commodity to be bought and sold, and no one can be trusted, least of all his beautiful new client…

My Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: I read Sean Blacks first and second books and absolutely loved them. Ryan Lock is an ex-military bodyguard who has worked private security and has now set up his own company that can be called upon for any type of job. He has a partner Ty Johnson who is an ex-marine who Ryan met whilst in Iraq. Together they make a formidable team and seem unafraid to take on any type of work.

In this book, Ryan and Ty are asked to work for famous adult movie actress Raven Lane. Raven is lusted after by many people across the world and has an army of fans, however, when a headless corpse turns up in the boot of her car she feels compelled to get Ryan and Ty in for her private security. Before long what seems like a simple stalking case gone wrong, turns into a horrific crime spree by what looks like a cold blooded killer.

Sean Black is now on his third book and you can tell that he is pushing himself and the book came across even better than his first two. The book is very fast paced, and this is a lot easier to read as things start off relatively simple but before long the pace picks up and you are thrown along with the characters as things progressively get worse.

The one major difference between this book and his previous is that the murders and crime scenes are a lot more graphic and descriptive. In my opinion this made the book a lot better because you then start questioning who is on the right side of the law and who isn’t. There are quite a lot of twists and turns too and I must say that I was shocked and saddened by the ending. Although shocked, it is an absolutely first class platform for the next book which I cannot wait to get my hands on. Sean Black is certainly coming into his own in this genre and I think this is his best yet, I can only hope that they continue to be this good.

Dead End by Leigh Russell (Geraldine Steel #3)

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My Rating: 5/5

In Leigh Russell’s third installment of ‘DI Geraldine Steel’ Series we once again see Geralding thrown into a messy and disturbing case. In this particular book, headmistress Abigail Kirby is found dead in a park, but in this instance it seems that her tongue has been cut out. DI Geraldine Steel, along with her colleague Ian Peterson are put on the case, and when a potential witness is blinded and murdered, the case seems to get out of control.

I admit that I am a sucker when it comes to ‘series’ featuring the same people. In particular I liked Leifh Russell as I have read each of her books from her debut novel ‘Road Closed’. This time around the writing is so much better as the story flows so easily. LeighRussell is a writer that is going from strength to strength with every book she writes.

I found that in the first book we didn’t learn enough about Geraldine herself, or the people she worked with. In this book Geraldine’s personal life seems to run alongside her career and we get to see the more emotional side to her which I loved. We also see a lot more of Ian Peterson and this is a true testemant to how much better this book is than her first.

The characters have developed so much more and as reader you feel like you are taking their life journey with them. Geraldine is far from perfect but is a complete workaholic who has some serious personal issues that can sometimes affect her judgement. It is things like this that add the touch of realism to this book.

The crimes in the book are as ususal gruesome and bloody, and extremely well detailed, without being too over the top. We see the workings of real police who make some huge errors along the way (which is always nice).

I only have one criticism about the book and that is that I had a sneaking suspicion of the killer around halfway through. Having said that, I do that with many of the books I read. Apart from being suspicious (and then being correct in my assumption) this book is absolutely, 100% the best book Leigh Russell has written so far. I am now eagerly awaiting the next installment and there were major parts of Geraldine’s life that are unanswered and I realloy need to know more about.

Thoroughly reccommended and I truly think that Leigh Russell has now created a series that can rival other major crime writers out there. I would suggest starting at book one and working your way through as by the time you get to this one you will be itching to read book 4. Can’t wait for the next one!

L’Auberge by Julia Stagg

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My Rating: 4/5

The nice thing about debut novels is that your expectation is set pretty low as you have nothing previously to base your opinion on. When I got this book I was quite surprised as it was a lot smaller than what I thought I would get for a debut novel at a mere 280 pages. However, undeterred I made a start on this book and soon found myself in the thick of things in Fogas.

I found it a little slow to start with but a few chapters in and I was beginning to get a feel for the characters living in this small French village. We meet all sorts of different people from Josette, the owner of a small shop and makeshift bar, to Serge Papon the Mayor, to the postmistress Veronique. In addition to these after a few chapters we meet the English couple, Lorna and Paul, who are unwittingly the talk of the village. The characters were all easy enough to get a grasp of but if ound it difficult to get a feel for a few of them and Josette the shop owner as well as Christian, the deputy mayor, was another. I persevered and let the story tell itself, hoping that the non-connection with a few characters wouldn’t matter.

Luckily overall it didn’t have that much of an impact but left me feeling a little bit like something was missing. From the point of view of the story itself, it is something I can imagine has happened many times in many different small villages across the world. There is nothing like new people trying something new to get villagers worried. In the case of L’Auberge it is no different. We see the Mayor and his plotting revenge on the English couple and the struggle they have against all the local anger and foreign red tape.

I enjoyed the setting and think Julia Stagg did a grand job of describing what sounded like a very quaint village in France. The ending was wrapped up nicely and there was a romantic element for a couple of characters thrown in too.

I certainly enjoyed this book but my main gripe was that I didn’t connect with a couple of the characters and ended up feeling like the story was just that tad too short. Having said that, I really liked the style of writing and it was certainly an enjoyable read. The great thing about debut novels is that if you enjoyed it you have a solid start. After all her books can only get better and for that reason I am really looking forward to reading the next one.

The Making of Us by Lisa Jewell

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My Rating: 5/5

Wow, what can I say? This was an absolutely brilliant book and not what I expected at all. This is a totally original story, with wonderful characters and as usual first class writing. Lisa Jewell is showing the world what she is made of that’s for sure!

When I received the book I was looking forward to reading it and the cover with it’s bright turquoise colours looked as usual very appealing. Lydia, Robyn and Dean are the glue that holds this story together along with their anonymous sperm donor father Daniel.

We are introduced to each of the characters in turn and learn their current situation as well as a little of each of their pasts. The story was unhurried but not slow, it gives the reader time to get a real feel for each of these people and how their lives have been affected by being the result of a sperm donor as a father.

The character Lydia was the first we meet and as we see her wealth and personal success we also see the downside to her life and the way in which she deals with the problems she faces. Lydia seems to be the catalyst for the others joining in the story and slowly we meet young Robyn who seems to have it all but knows there is something missing. Lastly we meet Dean whose life seems to be one big train wreck, and although he isn’t making smart choices I loved his character.

By the time you are over halfway through the book you are rooting for all of them involved as you feel like you are taking the journey that links their pasts with them. I read this book in a day and a half and though it was absolutely brilliant.

It isn’t your typical `chick lit’ story but Lisa Jewell’s brilliant writing style shines through as ever and she has an edge of humour even amongst the sadness. This certainly wasn’t what I expected but I have to say it equated to so much more in my eyes. Lisa Jewell has produced a very touching story with loveable characters and has introduced an original storyline to boot.

Even though this may not seem like her sort of book, trust me it’s even better and well worth picking up to read, highly recommended!!!

Fame by Tilly Bagshawe

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My Rating: 5/5

The first Tilly Bagshawe book I read was her last release entitled Scandalous. As a lover of all chick lit type books it was right up my street. I have to be honest and say that I was really looking forward to this latest release and was excited to receive it a few days ago.

At 560 pages it looked an average size book and the cover had a rather slender and glamorous woman posing on a sun lounger, it looked like just my kind of book. Thankfully as soon as you start reading you are drawn into the fabulous world of the stars in the book. Sabrina Leon is the first character we meet and she is sassy, strong and has a very big mouth. Of course I instantly liked her!

We also meet the rather handsome but slightly brooding Viorel who is also an actor looking for his next big part. Dorian Razmirez is the glue that bonds them all together. With his rival Director Harry Greene snapping at his ankles, Dorian is determined to get his new film off the ground with the stars he thinks will make or break his movie.

Tish Crewe is a woman that runs her own orphanage in Romania and is called back home to England to try and salvage the family home that her brother now owns. With her brother off gallivanting Tish decides to take her son Abel and stay the summer back at Loxley Hall and try to repair and salvage what is left of the beautiful stately home that has been in her family for many years.

As the movie Dorian is making coincides with Tish’s life, the fireworks really begin. I literally couldn’t put this book down. You could almost feel the tension, tantrums and inevitable upheaval between the characters coming. The characters were all written so well that I liked each of them for various reasons and although none of them were perfect they all had redeeming qualities.

The story itself flits back between the LA, the countryside of beautiful Derbyshire in England and Romania. That in itself always gave the reader a different setting to be absorbing yourself in. There is certainly no lack of drama in this book and although, as in most chick lit books, it can seem obvious who ends up with whom, there was an element of doubt until the final few chapters which made it much more enjoyable.

As usual you get the awful characters thrown in which readers will no doubt love to loathe such as Harry Greene and Dorian’s wife Chrissie. The story was well put together and flowed so easily, it truly was a very enjoyable read. I would highly recommend this to anybody that likes this genre and I am really looking forward to her next release.

The Murder Exchange by Simon Kernick

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My Rating: 4/5

I am slowly working my way through Simon Kernick’s books and this is the second book he released. Simon Kernick has a very certain type of writing style. His books are usually very fast paced and normally it takes only a matter of a chapter or two before you are thrown in at the deep end of a story.

This book followed the same format and we dive straight into Max Iversson’s bad decision and when it all goes wrong. However, although you are thrown in at the deep end very quickly, the suspense level is not as high as I am used to with a Kernick book. I think this is a sure sign of the amount of time he has been writing. The fact that I read his newer stuff first and have gone back to his older work has the disadvantage of showing his weaker points at the beginning of his career.

Although slightly weaker than usual the story itself was a good one. Max Iversson was a great character, and although he usually stays within the law, he finds himself inadvertently being drawn over to the other side in his fight for the truth. John Gallan was also a pretty good character and although the typical `copper’ we see in books, there was no glossing over his very mundane personal life which actually brought more realism to the book in my eyes. We flit between characters by chapter and as the story progresses you see more and more of each one and they eventually overlap.

Other characters making a brief appearance is Tina Boyd (who appears in later Kernick books) as well as the Holtz family who are a central part of the plot. As ever there is no holding back on the levels of violence and gore, although it’s all done in keeping with the story. As usual towards the end we pick up even more pace before getting to the climax and pretty good ending. Overall I really dud enjoy the book, but for some reason there seemed to be something lacking. I have thought about it and really do think this is a case of reading his newer books first. This is certainly not a bad book by any means, but think that it certainly isn’t a good example of the first class work that he has gone on to produce. Another solid read, but slightly lacking that magic something!

Review of Killing Hour by Andrew Gross

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My Rating: 3/5

I had high expectations for this as I have loved his other books. I have to be honest and say I wasn’t as thrilled as I thought I would be. The story itself was okay, but just that, okay.

We meet Dr Jay Handler who is living happily with his wife and children when he receives a desperate phone call from his brother Charlie. Charlie’s son Evan has committed suicide. Ay decides to fly to visit them and help Charlie and his wife through this difficult time whilst grieving for Evan. What he doesn’t bank on is the fact that Evan’s death looks suspicious. Before long Jay is dragged into finding out what really happened to his nephew.

I liked the character of Jay and the story was well paced, but there were things I wasn’t keen on. Jay’s brother Charlie was lacking depth and there seemed to be a lot of the story elements that repeated too often.

I was saddened to read that the character Evan was based around Andrew Gross nephew who also committed suicide. The writing was good and the story not bad, I just don’t think this was his best.

Buried Alive by J A Kerley (Carson Ryder #7)

My Rating: 4/5

Jack Kerley has now written 7 of these books in the series featuring Detective Carson Ryder. I have not read the earlier books in the series but did read the last book entitled `Little Girls Lost’.

After Ryder witnesses the escape of the violent psychopath Bobby Crayline from prison, he decides a holiday is in order. He takes a rare break in the mountains with his faithful dog named Mix-Up (GREAT name for a dog by the way!). As usual, Carson’s break is interrupted, as any good fictional Detective should expect! He gets called to a grisly murder scene by an anonymous phone call.

His unexpected presence at the crime scene doesn’t go down well with local Detective Donna Cherry, but before long there are too many bodies to be fighting between themselves. Unwittingly Carson gets dragged into the murders and tries to help Cherry get to the bottom of it.

With the arrival of the FBI, things certainly don’t go smoothly and before long Carson realises there is a lot more at stake that a serial killer, as things and people from his past begin to emerge.

I enjoyed the last Kerley book I read and was looking forward to the next instalment. This didn’t disappoint in terms of Carson and the storyline. When I saw other reviews of the book, a couple of people complained there was a major plot spoiler quite early on that looked like an editorial mistake. Thankfully, I am not that bright and was so engrossed in the book I must have missed it!

Ryder is a great character and again is written well with all his baggage too. It’s nice to see him in an area that is not his local stomping ground and the character Donna Cherry made for a good match up as she is certainly not a pushover. The story itself starts with the escape of convict Bobby Crayline, and before long I forgot all about him while the other murders were taking place. This meant that there were two major plots running through the story which made it quite interesting.

The murder scenes were as usual very grisly and descriptive, but I must point out that Jack Kerley actually made me wince whilst reading one particular section of the book. I actually had to stop reading one scene involving a dead corpse laid out for viewing as it had my stomach turning! Either I have a very active imagination, or he is a great writer. I think it may be a combination of the two, but it makes for great reading.

The introduction of Carson’s brother was very interesting and although I don’t want to introduce a plot spoiler, I am glad the story panned out the way it did giving the story more room to grow in future books. The book was paced very well and towards the end we see it reach its climax and wrap things up nicely. All in all, once again a thoroughly enjoyable read, although not one for the weak stomached!

Destiny by Louise Bagshawe

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My Rating: 3/5

I only recently started reading Louise Bagshawe. I know that she has written for many years but have not read any of her earlier books. The most recent book I read was named Desire and had a suspiciously similar cover to this one. I enjoyed the last one and felt that it was chick lit with an element of `thriller’ thrown in for good measure. I felt that this book was firmly rooted back to the solely chick lit genre which is not necessarily a bad thing.

The first thing that struck me in the first half of the book was how much I disliked the main character Kate Fox. As a main character I almost expect to instantly like them and this was not the case with this book. Although I didn’t warm to her the story was easy to absorb yourself in. Kate is a typical money-grabbing woman. The only difference with her to other stereo-typical gold-diggers was that she seemed to be a very independent and intelligent woman. It kind of made me wonder why she was choosing this path for her life.

Sure enough it becomes apparent that this life is not for her but to extract herself from it means a long and dirty fight with her husband Marcus Broder. Broder was a despicable character that had wealth and power and absolutely zero respect for women. The second half of the book we see Kate struggle with her decisions and then a major event impacts her life in a way that she is unsure how to deal with.

This particular event is one that I didn’t see coming so adds to the element of surprise which is a good thing. I can’t say that this book throws up anything particularly new in this genre (which is very hard to do anyway) but Bagshawe has created characters that you find easy to get to know which is always a plus for me. The story is paced pretty well and towards the latter part of the book it picks up pace.

The ending was a little predictable but written well and I enjoyed it. The one thing that threw me a little bit was the amount of sex in the book. Don’t get me wrong you see it countless times in this genre and it is par for the course, but I just don’t remember Louise Bagshawe writing this raunchily in the last book. If you are a little prudish then maybe this isn’t for you. However, this book was pretty readable but with the amount of competition out there, I’m not sure its at the top of the selections!

Deadline by Simon Kernick

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My Rating: 4/5

I am slowly working my way through Simon Kernick’s books ever since picking up the book Relentless. Now I have to point out that after reading Relentless which is a 10 out of 10 book, the expectation was high. I also had the misfortune of not reading the books in order of publication which I dislike doing, even if they are stand alone novels.

In this book we meet Mike Bolt, a member of the SOCA. I get the impression that he may have appeared in previous books but you still get an overall history of him so this book can be read on its own. Mike is dragged into the investigation but has no idea that Andrea Devern is the lady in trouble. This is a major part of the storyline which adds to the tension of the story itself.

Andrea Devern is a woman in distress and as usual Simon Kernick manages to translate the fear onto paper. You can almost imagine yourself standing right next to this woman whose daughter’s life is being threatened. The first few chapters we are thrown in at the deep end with Andrea and see her making split second decision in order to try and save her daughter. There is also an underlying element of suspicion with the woman.

As usual the pace is frighteningly fast and before you know it you are halfway through the book. One of the things I love about Kernick is that when you start reading his books you feel like you are being physically dragged in and you are powerless to stop reading. There are many twists and turns in this book and the suspense level is cranked high. We get to read about Andrea chasing her daughter, Mike chasing the case and surprisingly we also see a glimmer of Andrea’s daughter Emma and the nightmare she has been dragged in to.

We also see Tina Boyd make an appearance on the case, and she can be seen in other Kernick books. I love Simon Kernick’s style of writing and don’t think for that he can be faulted. This isn’t my favourite book of his (as Relentless is just the best), but this is definitely an easy to read, high octane thriller with lots of plot twists. Overall another corker of a read from Kernick, sit down and hold on tight for the ride.