Category: Book Review

BLOG TOUR: The Broken by Casey Kelleher (Byrne #2)

Synopsis: They took her dad, but she won’t let them take her.

Nancy Byrne was the apple of her daddy’s eye. He might have been one of the most-feared gangsters in London, yet Jimmy Byrne idolised his little Nancy. But now Jimmy is dead, gunned down in cold blood – and Nancy vows to avenge his death.

She’s only twenty years old, but as the new head of the ruthless Byrne gang, running a lucrative world of drugs, sex and violence, she’s in over her head. Keeping her family together while her beloved grandma falls apart and her brother Daniel goes off the rails forces Nancy to grow up – fast.

But while Nancy takes the men on at their own game, there’s a greater danger hiding on the dark streets. Jimmy’s killer is on her trail – and will stop at nothing to shut her up.

Blood might be thicker than water, but soon, Nancy realises she can’t trust anyone. Not even her own family.

Especially her own family.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5 Continue reading “BLOG TOUR: The Broken by Casey Kelleher (Byrne #2)”

Look For Me by Lisa Gardner (DD Warren #9)

Synopsis: Detective DD Warren and Flora Dane are in a race against time to save a young girl’s life – or bring her to justice.

A family home has become a crime scene. Five people are involved: four of them have been savagely murdered; one – a sixteen-year-old girl – is missing.

Was she lucky to have escaped? Or is her absence evidence of something sinister?

Detective D. D. Warren is on the case, as is survivor-turned-avenger Flora Dane.

Seeking different types of justice, they must make sense of the clues left behind by a young woman who, as victim or suspect, is silently pleading, Look for me.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5 Continue reading “Look For Me by Lisa Gardner (DD Warren #9)”

Hard Fall by J B Turner (Jon Reznick #5)

Synopsis: A friend in danger. A shadowy psych ward. A conspiracy beyond Reznick’s worst nightmares.

When an old Delta Force buddy comes to Jon Reznick for help, paranoid and fearing for his life, Reznick feels duty-bound to protect him. As a black-ops specialist, loyalty to his brothers in arms comes before everything—even the law.

But Jerry White proves difficult to protect. A runaway from a top-security psychiatric facility in upstate New York, he’s considered a danger to himself and others, and Reznick is powerless to stop shadowy senior hospital managers taking Jerry back by force. When FBI Assistant Director Martha Meyerstein warns him off, Reznick ignores her advice, suspecting the Wittenden Institute is not what it seems.

Digging deeper into the hospital’s background—and that of its esteemed manager, Dr. Robert Gittinger—Reznick begins to unravel a sinister plot that will bring warzone black ops to American soil. And when his own life comes under threat, he discovers that Jerry is trapped in a web of high-level conspiracies more terrifying than anything he has ever encountered…

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

The Silent Children by Carol Wyer (Detective Robyn Carter #4)

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Synopsis: The boy studied the bruise turning yellow at the base of his neck. With quick fingers his mother tightened his tie, and pulled his collar high above it. Her eyes alone said, We will not speak of this…

Years later, a man is found shot dead in a local park. On his phone is a draft text: I can’t keep this secret any longer. The recipient is unnamed.

Detective Robyn Carter knows this secret is the key to the case, but his friends and family don’t offer any clues, and all her team have to go on is a size-ten footprint.

Then a nurse is found in a pool of blood at the bottom of her staircase, and a seemingly insignificant detail in her friend’s statement makes Robyn wonder: are the two bodies connected, and has the killer only just begun?

When another body confirms Robyn’s worst fears, she realises she’s in a race against time to stop the killer before they strike again. But just as she thinks she’s closing in, one of her own team goes missing.

Buried in the past is a terrible injustice. Can Robyn uncover the truth before another life is lost?

Kat’s Rating: 4/5 Continue reading “The Silent Children by Carol Wyer (Detective Robyn Carter #4)”

Doorways by Robert Enright

Synopsis: The Otherside is located at the fringes of our world, hiding in plain sight and existing within our shadows. Shielded from humanity, the Otherside is watched over by the BTCO, a highly secret government agency. BTCO agents are the few humans who possess ‘The Knack’, a genetic anomaly that allows them to see the truth of existence. Franklyn ‘Bermuda’ Jones is the BTCO’s finest agent, the only human to have passed to The Otherside and returned. Gifted with the ability to physically interact with The Otherside, Bermuda reluctantly stands between both worlds, pining for the life he had to leave behind and the daughter he can no longer see. Teamed with Argyle, an enigmatic Otherside warrior, Bermuda is assigned the case of a missing woman who has vanished under mysterious circumstances. As Bermuda delves further into the disappearance, he uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to destroy the truce between two worlds…and finds himself in a race against time to safeguard humanity’s very existence.

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: Oh. My. God. I cannot believe how much I loved this book. I don’t read Science Fiction and to be honest had no idea this book fell into that Genre. By the time it was in front of me and I started reading I actually groaned out loud AND rolled my eyes!!! Now having finished this in 2 sittings, I feel a little foolish. I mean, ME…reading Sci-Fi and LIKING IT?!?!?!?! So yes it seems I have a new genre to add to my ‘like’ list.

I have no previous knowledge on Sci-Fi books so am probably not the most qualified but the basis of this whole ‘world’ is that there are three types of people. ‘Others’ that belong to the other world, ‘Neithers’ which are stuck in between and us humans! Sounds weird but surprisingly made complete and utter sense when reading it. What made this even more interesting is that the main character Franklyn ‘Bermuda’ Jones is the only bloke who has the ‘knack’ of seeing the Neither and Others but is also the only human that has survived a journey to the other side. With that gift (which he feels is a curse) he is an agent for a specialist and very secretive agency known as the BTCO.

Essentially this book sees Bermuda fighting to find a missing woman along with his sidekick Argyl. What makes Argyl a little bit special is that he is a Neither, so he is stuck between the two worlds and only Bermuda can see him. Your every day passer by just thinks Bermuda is a crazy guy. Argyl is a cracking character and I instantly loved him. He is determined to be the warrior that always keeps Bermuda safe. Once the two of them start to investigate the disappearance of the young girl, they realise that this is a lot more than a straightforward disappearance, and this may well be the thing that tips the world over that edge they have stayed so desperately to one side of.

This book had everything to keep me well and truly entertained and nobody is more surprised at this than me! This author has not only written a compelling book, but has literally converted me now, and it’s a great feeling that I now know I can enjoy Sci-Fi without the eye-rolling! A fantastic read and one that has now made me want to read the next one…Mr Enright PLEASE tell me there will be another!!!

Continue reading “Doorways by Robert Enright”

Class Murder by Leigh Russell (Geraldine Steel #10)

Synopsis: Geraldine Steel is back for her tenth case. Reunited in York with her former sergeant, Ian Peterson, she discovers that her tendency to bend the rules has consequences. The tables have turned, and now he’s the boss.

When two people are murdered, their only connection lies buried in the past. As police search for the elusive killer, another body is discovered. Pursuing her first investigation in York, Geraldine Steel struggles to solve the confusing case. How can she expose the killer, and rescue her shattered reputation, when all the witnesses are being murdered?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “Class Murder by Leigh Russell (Geraldine Steel #10)”

Save Me by Mandasue Heller

Mandasue Heller Save MeSynopsis: When Ellie Fisher misses her train home one night, she has no idea that being in the right place at the wrong time will change her life forever.

That night she comes across Gareth, a young man about to take his own life, because as far as he’s concerned there is nothing left to live for. Putting her own life in danger Ellie convinces Gareth that there is always something left. Her own life is no bed of roses, she explains, but she always pushes on.

However, good deeds aren’t always repaid the way we want. Has Ellie unwittingly put her life in danger, or is the real danger a lot closer to home?

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I was excited to read the new Mandasue book but have to be honest and say I was surprised at the type of book this turned out to be. It seems like a bit of a departure from the gritty gangland style books she normally produces and leans more towards a psychological thriller. 

Ellie Fisher is introduced to us on her commute to work. She has no idea that her day will change when she attempts to help a young guy named Gareth who is attempting to take his own life. In the meantime she is dealing with her own problems with her husband Matt and her Mother and Sister. The thing that struck me most about this book was that I didn’t actually like any of the characters which is unusual. Ellie seems to be downtrodden and has almost zero backbone. Although I felt sorry for her it seems like she just doesn’t have the strength to be anything other than a doormat. On the other side of the fence we have her seemingly controlling and frankly abysmal husband Matt who I just wanted to smack for most of the book.

That strange sensation aside, what I realised was that in a strange was I was thoroughly enjoying this departure in style. It’s certainly different to her previous stuff but although I disliked the characters I felt the need to keep reading. Although this doesn’t have the edge of your seat type tension running through it there is a dark element which seems to be present almost from the beginning. I read this in one sitting and although initially I was thinking it wasn’t as good as previous stuff, I ended up really enjoying it. I also didn’t quite see the ending and found myself being pleasantly surprised. Overall, different but I think good different.

The Apostle by J A Kerley (Carson Ryder #12)

J A Kerley The Memory KillerSynopsis: The Reverend Honus Schrum, a nationally renowned minister and owner of a broadcasting empire, tells the media he has come home to Key West to die. Meanwhile, Detective Carson Ryder is investigating the ritualistic murders of young women with chequered pasts, discovering the killings have religious overtones.

Simultaneously, a newly retired Harry Nautilus takes a job as a driver/bodyguard for Richard Owsley, an ambitious pastor in Mobile. They come to Florida, where Owsley meets with Schrum and is enlisted to complete a special and mysterious ‘project’ Schrum has promised a billionaire benefactor.

As Carson digs deeper into the murders, Harry, interest piqued by all the hush-hush goings-on of his new employer, begins to covertly investigate the strange project. Their independent investigations begin to converge, and Carson and Harry uncover a horrifying connection between the cases.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I really do like this series by Jack Kerley and was pleased to have caught up so I can go straight onto the newest release and Book number 13 entitled The Death File. In this latest release Carson is faced with a murder investigation that features some weird religious overtones. The absolute BEST part about this book is that we see the return of Harry Nautilus. Harry was Carson’s old partner but has now retired and has taken a job working as a driver to TV pastor Richard Owsley and his family.

Carson’s help this book comes in the form of Holly Belafonte, a young female originally from Bermuda. I really liked her and think she made a great team member along with Carson. I also love the fact that we see the return of Carson’s brother Jeremy. I have to be honest and say that as much as I really enjoyed this latest book the religious stuff really irritated after a while, but that’s just a personal thing I think.

What Carson and Harry soon realise is that there is a definite overlap with their jobs and before you know it they are both back side by side trying to layer back the secrets that form part of this weird circle of religious personalities. I really liked the daughter of pastor Richard Owsley, Rebecca. She and Harry made a prety good partnership! Overall a good read but frankly that was more down to the characters. I’m now really looking forward to the next book!

The Memory Killer by J A Kerley (Carson Ryder #11)

Synospsis: Detective Carson Ryder faces a cunning and inventive adversary in this terrifying thriller from the bestselling author of Her Last Scream.

Young men in Miami are being abducted and tortured after their drinks are spiked with a cocktail of drugs that leaves them unable to recall their ordeal. Despite this, Detective Carson Ryder knows the predator’s name, height, age, colouring … everything. It’s impossible for the perpetrator to avoid detection. Yet he does.

When Carson seeks answers from his brother, a wanted criminal intimate with twisted minds, Jeremy’s odd behaviour sparks even more questions. With each abduction, the violence becomes more horrific, and it’s only a short time until torture turns to murder.

But how do you catch an invisible man?

Kat’s Review: 4/5

Kat’s Review: The reason for stepping back from so many Blog Tours were books like these! I am a big Carson Ryder fan and I discovered it had been 3 years since I read one in this series and I was now 3 books behind so I got back in the saddle with book 11, determined to be caught up this year! Carson has moved areas and is now based in Miami Keys and works alongside Ziggy his colleague. I remembered quickly how much I liked Ziggy and how well he and Ryder go together, although he is certainly not as good as Harry (Carson’s old partner).

This latest installment sees young gay men in Miami being adbucted and tortured and it’s far from pretty. Jack Kerly has an incrediibly descriptive manner and this book’s descriptions of these men had my skin literally crawling. The story had me guessing at who the killer was which I alwasy love and I was so thrilled to see a little more of Carson’s personal life taking a turn for the better. It was fabulous to get back into this series and I realised that I had left it far too long. The other element of this story which has always made it that little bit more special is the addition of Carson’s brother Jeremy and yes, he is back (Thank GOD!).

I absolutely loved getting back in touch with Carson and Ziggy and the rest of the characters in this series. This is a great series of books and I just know that reading this one has put me back on track and I will soon be back to read book 12 in the series named The Apostle.

Broken Bones by Angie Marsons (Kim Stone #7)

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Synopsis: The murder of a young prostitute and a baby found abandoned on the same winter night signals the start of a disturbing investigation for Detective Kim Stone – one which brings her face to face with someone from her own horrific childhood.

As three more sex workers in the Black Country are murdered in quick succession, each death more violent than the last, Kim and her team realise that the initial killing was no one-off frenzied attack, but a twisted serial killer preying on the vulnerable.
At the same time, the search begins for the desperate woman who left her newborn baby at the station – but what at first looks like a tragic abandonment soon takes an even more sinister turn. Continue reading “Broken Bones by Angie Marsons (Kim Stone #7)”