Category: Crime, Thriller, Mystery

Publication List – Graham Smith

  1. Snatched From Home (2015) Harry Evans #1
  2. I Know Your Secret (2016) Harry Evans #2
  3. When The Waters Recede (2018) Harry Evans #3
  4. No Comment (2018) Harry Evans #4
  5. Lines of Enquiry (2015) Major Crimes Team #1
  6. Matching the Evidence (2016) Major Crimes Team #2
  7. Watching The Bodies (2017) Jake Boulder #1
  8. Kindred Killers (2017) Jake Boulder #2
  9. Past Echoes (2018) Jake Boulder #3
  10. Die Cold (2018) Jake Boulder #4
  11. The Silent Dead (2018) Detective Beth Young #1
  12. A Body in the Lakes (2019) Detective Beth Young #2
  13. Fear in the Lakes (2019)

Publication List – Karen Rose

  • Don’t Tell (2003) Chicago #1
  • Have You Seen Her? (2004) Chicago #2
  • I’m Watching You (2004) Chicago #3
  • Nothing to Fear (2005) Chicago #4
  • You Can’t Hide (2006) Chicago #5
  • Count to Ten (2007) Chicago #6
  • Die for Me (2007) Philadelphia #1
  • Scream for Me (2008) Philadelphia #2
  • Kill for Me (2009) Philadelphia #3
  • I Can See You (2009) Minneapolis #1
  • Silent Scream (2010) Minneapolis #1
  • You Belong to Me (2011) Baltimore #1
  • No One Left to Tell (2012) Baltimore #2
  • Did You Miss Me? (2012) Baltimore #3
  • Broken Silence (2013) Baltimore #3.5
  • Watch Your Back (2013) Baltimore #4
  • Closer Than You Think (2014) Cincinnati #1
  • Alone in the Dark (2015) Cincinnati #2
  • Every Dark Corner (2016) Cincinnati #3
  • Monster In The Closet (2017) Baltimore #5
  • Edge of Darkness (2017) Cincinnati #4
  • Death Is Not Enough (2018) Baltimore #6
  • Into the Dark (2019) Cincinnati #5
  • Say You’re Sorry (2019) Sacramento #1
  • Say No More (2020) Sacramento #2
  • Say Goodbye (2021) Sacramento #3
  • Quarter to Midnight (2022) New Orleans #1
  • Beneath Dark Waters (2023) New Orleans #2
  • Buried Too Deep (2024) New Orleans #3
  • A Knife In The Back (2025) New Orleans #4
  • Cold Blooded Liar (2023) San Diego #1
  • Cheater (2024) San Diego #2
  • Dead Man’s List (2025) San Diego #3
  • The One Who Walked Away
  • Family Lies (2026) San Diego #4

Publication List – Howard Linskey

  1. The Drop (2011) David Blake #1
  2. The Damage (2012) David Blake #2
  3. The Dead (2013) David Blake #3
  4. No Name Lane (2015) Ian Bradshaw #1
  5. Behind Dead Eyes (2016) Ian Bradshaw #2
  6. The Search (2017) Ian Bradshaw #3
  7. The Chosen Ones (2018) Ian Bradshaw #4
  8. Hunting the Hangman (2017) 
  9. Ungentlemanly Warfare (2019)
  10. Alice Teale is Missing (2019)
  11. Don’t Let Him In (2021)
  12. The Inheritance (2022)

The Knock by Jessie Keane

44798262._SY475_ Synopsis: Dora O’Brien had a good start in life, but things went bad when she began to mix with the wrong company. Pregnant by her gangster lover, she found herself on the streets and then in the grips of a bent copper called Donny Maguire.

When her daughter Angel is born, Dora is already under the influence of drink and drugs, and handed around to Donny’s mates. Growing up in the shadow of her mother’s abusive relationship, Angel is nothing like her mother, but when matters turn murderous, Angel is forced to grow up fast and survival becomes the name of the game.

For some, being on the wrong side of the law is the safest place to be . . .

My Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “The Knock by Jessie Keane”

The Empty Nest by Sue Watson

48118701._SY475_ Synopsis: ‘Sometimes we can’t see what’s right in front of us, Kat. Everyone has secrets, even the people we love, the people we live with…’

Kat remembers the days when her only daughter Amy wouldn’t leave her side. Amy was the baby who cried when you walked out of the room, the toddler who was too shy to speak to strangers, the small child who clung to Kat’s legs in the school playground.

But now Amy is grown up, and Amy is gone – to university in a town several hours away. Kat’s house – which once felt too full, too noisy, too busy – is deathly quiet, and Kat awaits the daily phone call to tell her that her beloved daughter is thriving and happy. Continue reading “The Empty Nest by Sue Watson”

Child’s Play by Angie Marsons (Kim Stone #11)

51+76Zht6yL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_ Synopsis: Late one summer evening, Detective Kim Stone arrives at Haden Hill Park to the scene of a horrific crime: a woman in her sixties tied to a swing with barbed wire and an X carved into the back of her neck.

The victim, Belinda Evans, was a retired college Professor of Child Psychology. As Kim and her team search her home, they find an overnight bag packed and begin to unravel a complex relationship between Belinda and her sister Veronica.

Then two more bodies are found bearing the same distinctive markings, and Kim knows she is on the hunt for a ritualistic serial killer. Linking the victims, Kim discovers they were involved in annual tournaments for gifted children and were on their way to the next event. Continue reading “Child’s Play by Angie Marsons (Kim Stone #11)”

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

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.

Down to the Woods by M J Arlidge (Helen Grace #8)

51xACdIlkaL._SX323_BO1,204,203,200_ Synopsis: If you go down to the woods today . . .

The last thing Tom Campbell remembers is camping in the New Forest with his girlfriend, Melissa. Now he is helpless, alone and consumed by fear, hunted through the woods by a sinister, masked figure…

When Tom’s body is found, displayed with grisly relish, Helen Grace takes the case. But before she can catch her breath, a second victim is taken – a serial killer is on the loose.

You better not go alone . . .

Something dark and deadly stalks the forest. Helen and her team must race against time to catch the perpetrator, before more blood is shed. But the hunt will take Helen back into the eerie twilit woods – and this time she might not make it out alive.

My Rating: 4/5 Continue reading “Down to the Woods by M J Arlidge (Helen Grace #8)”

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