Book Review – Page 16 – Best Crime Books and More

Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham

41SWJCXtmCL._SY346_ Synopsis: Six years ago, Evie Cormac was discovered, filthy and half-starved, hiding in a secret room in the aftermath of a shocking crime. Now approaching adulthood, Evie is damaged, self-destructive and has never revealed her true identity.

Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven, a man haunted by his own past, is investigating the death of champion figure-skater Jodie Sheehan. When Cyrus is called upon to assess Evie, she threatens to disrupt the case and destroy his ordered life. Because Evie has a unique and dangerous gift – she knows when someone is lying. And nobody is telling the truth.

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

My Review: Wow! This was an absolute belter of a book and I was absolutely gutted when I finished it. I can only hope that we see the return of these two characters I absolutely loved. Evie Cormack is damaged and has had a horrendous start to her life. Now she is approaching adulthood her life is getting even more complicated. Psychologist Cyrus Haven somehow ends up agreeing to be her responsible foster parent and that is where the book gets even more interesting.

Both of the characters are very different and extremely engaging. It’s clear that Evie is overly bright and intelligent albeit damaged in other ways. This story actually follows two threads, one being Evie’s background and what she appears to be hiding. The other is Cyrus helping on a murder case featuring Jodie Sheehan. Gone are the days where where I will re-hash the story line to pad a review. What I will say is that this book was absolutely brilliant and I would LOVE to read the second book featuring these two and think this could be an amazingly good series. An absolutely excellent read and one that I would HIGHLY recommend

Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay by Ali McNamara

download Synopsis: Amelia is a single mother, doing her very best to look after her young son, Charlie – but money is tight and times are tough. When she first hears that she is the last descendent of the Chesterford family and that she has inherited a Real-Life Castle by the sea, Amelia can’t quite believe her ears. But it’s true!

She soon finds that owning a castle isn’t quite the ticket to sorting out her money problems that she’d first hoped: she can’t sell, because the terms of the ancient bequest state that any Chesterford who inherits the castle, must live there and work towards the upkeep and maintenance of the family home. So ever-practical Amelia decides to uproot her little family and move to this magnificent castle by the sea.

Living in a castle on the beautiful Northumberland coast is fun at first, but organising the day-to-day running is a lot more complicated than Amelia first imagined. Luckily she has help from the small band of eccentric and unconventional staff that are already employed there – and a mysterious unseen hand that often gives her a push in the right direction just when she needs it most.

It’s only when she meets Tom, a furniture restorer who comes to the castle to help repair some antique furniture, that Amelia realises she might get the fairy-tale ending that she and Charlie truly deserve…

My rating: 4/5

My review: I love Ali McNamara books but have to say I actually started this book twice and put it down. It has a little bit of a slow start and I think that was my issue initially. However, putting it down and coming back to it was the best thing to do. Once I came back to it I started again and it was an easy read. I think I needed to be in the right frame of mind (anyone else get that?).

Amelia is a single mum who is struggling to make ends meet. She receives a call from a solicitor who tells her that she is the last descendent of the Chesterford family and that she has inherited a Castle by the sea. When she finally realises this is an opportunity she needs to take she finally makes the move and her and her son Charlie take the chance and move to Chesterford Castle.

The additional characters that appear in this story absolutely make it and they include Dorothy and Arthur who live there as Castle staff along with Joey and Tiffany. As Amelia and Charlie settle, Amelia begins to realise that living in the castle although great, also comes with the responsibility of ensuring the castle stays in tip top shape and that people still come to visit.

As a reader you are definitely taken along for the journey and although there is also a ‘ghost’ element to this story (not normally something I like) it was done fantastically and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Tom arrives at the castle and becomes the restorer as well as builders who start t covert outbuildings and as time goes on more and more things start to happen which cause Amelia to wonder whether she has made the right choice.

This story although slow to start (for me anyway) ended up being a book I thoroughly enjoyed. Although it seems to be a slight step away from what McNamara normally does it still has her signature style of writing and characters you love. In the end I wondered why I had waited so long to read this and would definitely recommend.

Hard Shot by J B Turner (Jon Reznick #7)

51Rq3q-Qq8L._SY346_ Synopsis: When a group of homegrown attackers takes aim at cops outside a Fourth of July baseball game, black-ops specialist Jon Reznick and his daughter, Lauren, are caught in the cross fire. Jon hunts down two of the gunmen. But the last member of the group is at large and about to launch a fresh killing spree across the city. Cops are under fire, and Jon must stop this madman before more people are killed.

But Jon’s renegade tactics and vigilante justice are starting to ruffle some feathers, and his friends in high places might not be able to help him anymore. With leaks inside the FBI and resistance from the NYPD, Reznick doesn’t know whom to trust.

He knows one thing: he won’t watch the city he loves be torn apart, especially not with his daughter in the crosshairs. But can he get to her in time?

My Rating: 5/5

My Review: YES! Finally another installment featuring Jon Reznick. I like Jon as a main character and it seems like things are starting to take its toll and I think this latest book we see him try and take a step back (well at the end at least). This book is a typical high octane and action packed book that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Jon attends a ball game with is daughter when attackers start to take out police officers. Jon being Jon means he cannot leave it and as such becomes embroiled in this latest attack on US soil. Only this time it seems the attackers are closer to home. At 248 pages it isn’t a particularly long read but certainly an entertaining one.

I really love the characters and am crossing my fingers that we get to see Jon make a few changes in his personal life in the next book. I could easily read these books over and over as they are fantastic and I admit I am a bit of a fan. I cannot wait to see what’s next for Jon and highly recommend this series.

Escape to Giddywell Grange by Kim Nash

Synopsis: Even if she’s lost most of her friends because of spending all her time at work, and can’t remember when she last had fun, it’s worth it.

Until she’s suddenly made redundant. Now she’s 37, jobless, and after the breakup with the former love of her life, unhappily single.

Enter Maddy’s childhood friend, Beth, the owner of Growlers, the doggy daycare centre at Giddywell Grange, on a mission to make Maddy see there’s more to life than work.

Soon, Maddy is swapping spreadsheets for volunteer duty at the library and her Prada handbag for doggy poo bags… And with Beth’s gorgeous brother, Alex, back from the States, Maddy starts to think that Giddywell might just be her happy place.

But when her old life – and her old boyfriend – comes calling, will Maddy go back to the job she loved so much? Or will she discover that the key to happiness lies in making others happy?

My Rating: 5/5

My Review: Oh…My…God! I absolutely LOVED this book from the very first page to the very last one. When Maddy loses her job suddenly following a split with her boyfriend she returns home to stay with her Mum and get herself together. It’s a story that will probably resonate with people and really highlights how much Maddy has missed out on while she juggles work and the day to day things that bog us down. Once she has returned home she really makes the effort to reinforce her friendship with Beth who she has known since she was a young girl. But like other areas of her life, her long term friendships also suffered s we see her take the opportunity to reignite her friendship.

I loved all the characters that popped up in this book as well as falling in love with her life at Giddywell Grange (including all the pooches). The writing was effortless and the story flowed so well the pages just drifted by and before I knew it, I was finished and left feeling a little bereft. I really enjoyed Kim’s last book but fell head over heels in love with this latest. I literally cannot wait for her next release!

Dry Hard by Nick Spalding

512CHERNnvL._SY346_ Synopsis: Kate and Scott’s marriage has always been a lot of fun, with alcohol at the heart of it. After all, what’s more entertaining than a good laugh and a large drink… or six? But recently, those relaxing drinks have become more crutch than comfort—and the couple have almost forgotten how to talk to each other sober.

Then their teenage daughter Holly uploads a video of their humiliating drunken escapades, which gets picked up by YouTube superstar PinkyPud—and goes horrifyingly viral. In a last-ditch attempt to prove to the world they’re more than just boozy idiots, Kate and Scott quit alcohol completely. But with Holly’s… er… ‘help’, what begins as a family promise soon escalates into a social media phenomenon: #DryHard!

With the eyes of the Internet upon them, can Kate and Scott stay teetotal—and save their marriage in the process?

My Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “Dry Hard by Nick Spalding”

My Girl by Jack Jordan

download Synopsis: Paige Dawson: the mother of a murdered child and wife to a dead man. She has nothing left to live for… until she finds her husband’s handgun hidden in their house. Why did Ryan need a gun? What did he know about their daughter’s death? Desperate for the truth, Paige begins to unearth her husband’s secrets. But she has no idea who she is up against, or that her life isn’t hers to gamble – she belongs to me. From the bestselling author of Anything for Her, Jack Jordan’s My Girl is the new chilling thriller that you won’t want to miss.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

My Review: This is my first book by Jack Jordan and I was pleasantly surprised. Paige Dawson is our lead character and in short she is a mess. She is a functioning alcoholic who pops pills to make her life seem a little easier. Since her daughters death 10 years previously as well as her husbands more recent suicide she is sliding down a slippery and very destructive route. At first she is written off as somebody who is seeing things when she convinces herself she didn’t leave the TV on, or the recorder playing. Of course everybody else assumes its Paige in her own world. Pretty soon Paige knows that something is amiss especially when she discovers that her husband was hiding a gun in their house.

The writing was good and the pace was certainly set early on in the book. However, there were a couple of things that I think could have been left out (such as the issue with her Doctor, that made me super uncomfortable) and at parts the story felt padded when it didn’t need to be. Those small niggles aside I think this was an interesting read which certainly kept my attention. I will definitely be reading other books of his I have waiting on my ever growing to be read list

My Lemon Grove Summer by Jo Thomas

Synopsis: When life hands you lemons … is it ever too late for a second chance?

Zelda’s impulsive nature has got her precisely nowhere up until now. A fresh start in a beautiful hilltop town in Sicily looking for new residents, together with her best friend Lennie, could be just what she needs. And who better to settle down with than the person who knows her best?

But the sun-filled skies and sparkling seas can’t hide the shadow hanging over Citta d’Ora, which means not everyone is pleased to see their arrival. The dreams Zelda and her fellow new residents had of setting up a new life might be slipping away. But a friendship with restauranteur Luca could be about to unlock the possibilities that lie in the local lemon groves. And there’s a wedding on the horizon that might be just what the town needs to turn it around…

Could a summer in Sicily help Zelda learn to trust her instinct and follow her heart?

My Rating: 4/5

Deceit by Kerry Barnes

Synopsis: Living in a beautiful home on the edge of a council estate, Kara Bannon can’t imagine what it’s like to have nothing.

An eerie phone call plays on her mind and within three days she loses everything – her job, her home and Justin, the only person she thought she could trust.

Alone and terrified, she makes a decision that will change her life forever.

Suddenly she has to enter a new world – Prison.

Revenge is not always so sweet…

My Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “Deceit by Kerry Barnes”

The Innocent Ones by Neil White

51+5dZjEMkL Synopsis: Three lives cut short. Two decades of silence. One evil secret.

By day, the park rings with the sound of children’s excited laughter. But in the early hours of the morning, the isolated playground is cloaked in shadows – the perfect hiding place to conceal a brutal murder.

When London journalist, Mark Roberts, is found battered to death, the police quickly arrest petty thief, Nick Connor. Criminal defence lawyer, Dan Grant, along with investigator Jayne Brett, are called to represent him – but with bloody footprints and a stolen wallet linking him to the scene, this is one case they’re unlikely to win. Continue reading “The Innocent Ones by Neil White”

BLOG TOUR: What She Did by Alex Kane

Synopsis: Beth
Beth is a woman running from her demons. Moving to Glasgow to escape the tragedy that ended with the death of her ex-boyfriend, she’s trying to build a new life, to tentatively find new love. But her past is following her, and try as she might, she can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching her every move.

Victoria
Victoria is unhappily married to Greg. On their wedding day he told her he would love her until they grew old, but now he’s becoming secretive, staying out for ‘business meetings’ and growing distant from his wife. After finding incriminating texts on his phone, Victoria contacts an old friend for support, the one person in her life that has never let her down yet.

Lydia
Lydia knows she is the only one that can help Victoria. Jumping straight back into their friendship, despite the four-year absence from Victoria’s life, she vows to stop at nothing to help her get revenge. Good friends will do anything for each other, right?

But Lydia has made a new friend in Beth, and now, none of them are safe…

My rating: 4/5

My review: I absolutely LOVED this book. Based around three women Beth, Lydia and Victoria all of whom have their own pasts and all of them trying to move on with their life. I didn’t favour one character over another and at first they are all very separate as you learn about each of their lives.

Before long their stories intertwine and slowly things begin to emerge. As the book progresses I found myself more and more drawn into the story and I ended up reading the last three quarters of the book in one sitting. There was a particular part of the story I totally didn’t see coming which threw me. This also had a quite dark side to it and made it seem quite sinister but I truth it just made the book even more engaging. A truly fantastic read and one of highly recommend