Category: Anna Smith

My Review: Rosie Gilmour is something of a compelling series. Maybe it’s because she isn’t a copper? Maybe it’s because she is just a darn interesting character, who knows the exact reasoning but whatever it is, it draws me back to each new book in the series. Rosie Gilmour is a journalist that takes far too many risks just to scoop the story. This is book 5 in the series and after Rosie’s last escapade I was expecting it to be quieter and for Rosie to take less risky escapades. Not sure why I thought that and as usual Rosie has only just got herself back on safe ground when a new story breaks that piques hers and her boss Micks interest.

The shooting of a University lecturer at point blank range is what gets Rosie’s knickers in a twist this time and the victim Tom Mahoney is a seemingly mild mannered retired lecturer. Rosie’s instincts know this isn’t straightforward. I was pleased to see that Rosie’s colleague Matt returns (albeit briefly) as well as Adrian to help her out and follow leads. As usual Rosie’s leads are always fraught with danger and you end up holding your breath when she gets herself cornered in certain situations. There is a change in tack with the type of story Rosie follows but it made the book no less thrilling.

I swear to God I spend half the time when reading a Rosie book waiting for her to get killed, and the other half trying to work out how on earth she will get the answers she is looking for. We see all sorts of murky secrets uncovered and towards the end I still wasn’t sure whether the good guys were actually bad guys or what! Another great read which will have you turning the pages late into the night. I think maybe the reason this series is so popular is down to the tough character of Rosie, combined with varying themes that she works on. I guess Anna’s real life journalist experience helps her keep her books feeling very different without losing the main threads of the characters. Highly recommended!

I only read Anna’s first book in October but as I knew her new one was due out at the end of January I figured I’d better catch up with Rosie and how she was doing. In Anna’s second book To Tell the Truth we start off by seeing Rosie on holiday. She’s taking a well earned break, but as usual nothing stays quiet when Rosie is about. In a scene that is hauntingly similar to a news story a few years back, a young girl is snatched from a beach in the Costa del Sol. 

When Rosie realises the huge news impact she speaks to her boss and she decides to cover it herself. Rosie’s boss McGuire sends out Matt to help her cover and between them they start the task of trying to get to the bottom of what’s happened.

The same as her last book, Anna doesn’t mess about, and throws the reader straight in at the deep end. I really love Rosie and after reading this current one I love her even more. As usual, she likes to get involved irrelevant of the danger and this case is no different. Rosie knows from the off that the mother of the missing girl is covering up for what really happened that day, and in addition she is approached by an illegal sex worker with information about the abduction.

The pace is full speed pretty much from start to finish and with this book and the last there is a certain frenetic energy about the books which I love. The only other author who I can think of that has that same kind of pace is Simon Kernick. What I also loved about this book is that although we see Rosie completely absorbed in the case we still see glimpses of her personal life and her real vulnerability. A friend of Rosie’s named Adrian made a brilliant addition to this story and I would love to see him appear again at some point. Towards the ending I dismissed dinner, TV and phone calls just to make sure I finished it. I cannot believe I didn’t read her books sooner, but having said that I am pleased that I can get straight onto book three entitled Screams in The Dark.

Anna also added a wee bit of a question mark right at the end of this book with regards to Rosie’s personal life. All this made me do was groan “For GODS SAKE!” but in a good way. I would say in all honesty that her first book held a slight edge for me, probably just in terms of story. Other than that I loved this book. Absolutely itching to get started on book three and cannot recommend her highly enough. If you haven’t read an Anna Smith before, you may want to start now!

I only read Anna’s first book in October but as I knew her new one was due out at the end of January I figured I’d better catch up with Rosie and how she was doing. In Anna’s second book To Tell the Truth we start off by seeing Rosie on holiday. She’s taking a well earned break, but as usual nothing stays quiet when Rosie is about. In a scene that is hauntingly similar to a news story a few years back, a young girl is snatched from a beach in the Costa del Sol. When Rosie realises the huge news impact she speaks to her boss and she decides to cover it herself.

Rosie’s boss McGuire sends out Matt to help her cover and between them they start the task of trying to get to the bottom of what’s happened. The same as her last book, Anna doesn’t mess about, and throws the reader straight in at the deep end. I really love Rosie and after reading this current one I love her even more. As usual, she likes to get involved irrelevant of the danger and this case is no different. Rosie knows from the off that the mother of the missing girl is covering up for what really happened that day, and in addition she is approached by an illegal sex worker with information about the abduction.

The pace is full speed pretty much from start to finish and with this book and the last there is a certain frenetic energy about the books which I love. The only other author who I can think of that has that same kind of pace is Simon Kernick. What I also loved about this book is that although we see Rosie completely absorbed in the case we still see glimpses of her personal life and her real vulnerability. A friend of Rosie’s named Adrian made a brilliant addition to this story and I would love to see him appear again at some point. Towards the ending I dismissed dinner, TV and phone calls just to make sure I finished it.

Cannot believe I didn’t read her books sooner, but having said that I am pleased that I can get straight onto book three entitled Screams in The Dark. Anna also added a wee bit of a question mark right at the end of this book with regards to Rosie’s personal life. All this made me do was groan “For GODS SAKE!” but in a good way. I would say in all honesty that her first book held a slight edge for me, probably just in terms of story. Other than that I loved this book. Absolutely itching to get started on book three and cannot recommend her highly enough. If you haven’t read an Anna Smith before, you may want to start now!

My Rating: 5/5

I keep getting told by FB followers that I MUST read Anna Smith and that her books are brilliant. Sadly, my to read list is stupidly long which means authors whose books I have on my Kindle, can sometimes sit there `undiscovered’ for months! Anna Smith is one such author. What an idiot I felt once I’d finished this book, her debut novel. As soon as I was finished, I immediately downloaded her second book, and have her third release firmly in the calendar (31st Jan 2013 for anybody interested!).

The synopsis sounded great before I had even started the book, but once I got going I was in for a treat. It’s Glasgow in the 1990s and when the body of a young girl washes up on a beach, people don’t pay much attention. It’s just another dead junkie, except the media gets hold of the fact that the victim Tracey Eadie was just 14 years old and was meant to be in the safety of a children’s home. The first few chapters had me hooked and from then on, things got put on the back burner (such as dinner!).

The main character in this book is the journalist Rosie Gilmour. Rosie is certainly not whiter than white, but comes across as a little bit vulnerable too. One of the things that struck me about this book is the language, and I don’t mean swearing. My husband family are from Glasgow so I am very well adjusted to the way they talk and their accent. Anna Smith manages to get across the accent and the way in which the Glaswegians talk, which translates on paper (if that makes sense?!?). In my opinion it gives the writing a real edge and you get a real feel for the way they speak which I really loved.

The plot was what really kept me gripped, and the shocking part about it, is that it is 100% believable. It was gritty and particularly dark in places, covering subjects that won’t be everybody’s cup of tea but done with sheer brilliance. I am now obsessed with finding out what Rosie does in the future (yippee for book 2) and thought that she was such a solid character. All in this entire book had me totally and utterly enthralled from start to finish. It’s already been recommended to all my friends and family, and now I’m recommending it to you lot too.

Don’t put it off a moment longer and grab yourself as copy, you’ll love it!