Category: Crime, Thriller, Mystery

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)”

Shadows by Paul Finch (Lucy Clayburn #2)

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Synopsis: As a female cop walking the mean streets of Manchester, life can be tough for PC Lucy Clayburn. But when one of the North West’s toughest gangsters is your father, things can be particularly difficult.

When Lucy’s patch is gripped by a spate of murder-robberies, the police are quick to action. Yet when it transpires that the targets are Manchester’s criminal underworld, attitudes change.

Lucy is soon faced with one of the toughest cases of her life – and one which will prove once and for all whether blood really is thicker than water…

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I was looking forward to the second installment in this series as I loved the first book. This second book was I thought very different to the first. For a start the beginning was a little…sludgy? Is that even a word? I absolutely loved Lucy but couldn’t help but feel like she was stuck in a rut? When a spate of Robberies start occurring Lucy of course has to get involved and it seems like there could be crossover with other cases. A few characters in this book I didn’t warm to and by the end of the book I discovered why. However I still felt like the beginning was like she was wading in deep mud. 

Skip forward to maybe the halfway point and it turns into a full on action packed 5 star read. It was literally like reading about a different woman. With Manchester’s Underworld leading figures now being targeted it felt like the book ratcheted up the ante and it was every man for themselves. Lucy finds herself in literally more and more hot water as the book continues which just makes it all the more engaging and the second half of the book I read in one sitting, it was absolutely first class. 

As for the ‘Daddy Issue’ let’s not spoil for others but suffice to say this is a cracking element to the series made all the more interesting with this book. I was almost smiling ‘gleefully’ at the events that transpired for Lucy on this front. I think for me there was only one element missing and that’s a senior figure that is there for Lucy. normally in books like this there is a chain of command but it seems Lucy is almost on her own for most of the time and think that doesn’t sit quite right with me. I am a HUGE fan of this series and would highly recommend reading both this and the earlier books in order, another cracker by Finch! 

BLOG TOUR: When A Killer Strikes by R C Bridgestock (DI Jack Dylan #8)

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Synopsis: “Boss, we’ve got a body”.

Hardly what Detective Inspector Jack Dylan needs to hear on his day off, especially as he’s in the middle of house-hunting with his wife Jen.

Detective Sergeant Vicky Hardacre greets him at the scene, but what awaits them behind the blood red door of Colonial House is undoubtedly a murder. The approach identifies several prime suspects. But who is telling the truth; and who is lying?

Before the killer can be caught, another body is discovered, this time in a putrefying mixture of mud and slime, lain among the remnants of decaying food within a waste-bin shelter. Now it’s the task of the man in charge to make the call. 

Are the two murders connected? 

There’s only one way to find out, and that’s by working long hours, within strict budgets, and the usual pressure from above to obtain quick results. 

However, Dylan is distracted by personal matters, with Jen being keen to seal the deal on a renovation project. He suggests they delay finalising the purchase; until he discovers the significance of the house, and that it’s about to be demolished.

In his absence, Jen’s pleas for help from his estranged siblings are answered, resulting in hidden secrets coming to light, as Dylan continues, through a twisting and turning plot, to ensure justice is done in respect of the murder victims, whose bright hopes for the future were cruelly snatched away.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5 Continue reading “BLOG TOUR: When A Killer Strikes by R C Bridgestock (DI Jack Dylan #8)”

When The Killing Starts by R C Bridgestock (Jack Dylan #7)

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Synopsis: Crime is a way of life for the Devlin brothers. Groomed at an early age and trained as criminals by local gangsters, the Devlin brothers get their thrill out of creating fear among their victims. They have a macabre pact; not to be arrested or caged. Brutality hits the town of Harrowfield when the scourge of the community is found dead, his companion slaughtered. The locals react with praise for the killers. The same day firefighters respond to a fire but lose the fight to save Merton Manor. Among the debris two bodies are discovered; executed. As Dylan struggles to cope with the pressure, armed officers await his judgement call. Can he remain professional or will he release his anger?

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I came to the party late with this series and as such the first book in the series I read was the last one which was book 6. I struggled with it a little but only due to the fact that I had no history with these characters (proof enough of why I like to start a series at the beginning). Going in to book 7 I was instantly drawn to the story from the very first page. It was incredibly graphic and violent very early on in the book, and yes I know many people may not like that but I was truly gripped and horrified in equeal measure and for me that’s a winning formula. 

I don’t want to delve too much into the storyline as I fear it would spoil the book for somebody new to the book or series. However it results in DI Jack Dylan looking for the person responsible for the murders that occur in the rather grand home that was once Merton Manor. In addition to that Jack and his team are dealing with the death of a local hooligan and although the community aren’t sorry the bloke is dead Jack needs to ensure this crime is solved too. There is certainly a lot going on in Jack’s career and the book holds a lot of pace very early on. Jack and his team are all incredubly readable and there is a real sense of cameraderie between them. The storyline has plenty of action and a has a true police procedural feel to it. 

What I loved about this book was the depth we see Jack and his wife Jen’s personal situation develop. Although a truly terrible time that Jack and Jen are having, the situations the book touches on are done with sensitivity and I felt incredibly drawn to them as characters. I have to be honest and say I was a little blown away with this book. The reason being I just wasn’t expecting it to be as good as this (meant in a non-rude way). Where I struggled to connect in the last (and my first) book in the series this book made up for all of that and some more on top!

The fact that both the writers (RC Bridgestock are a husband and wife writing team) have 50 years experince between them on the Force is blatantly obvious. The book is done incredibly well with the finer details looked at when it comes to Police work and less of the dramatic and flair we sometimes see in fiction (nowt wrong with that either just pointing out what I see). I can truly say I was thrilled with this book and even more so because I stupidly made the assumption I would struggle with it. This is now a series I would love to keep up with! Luckily for me book 8 is ready to go and for the rest of you book 8 is due for release Thursday 19th October 2017!

The Hit by Anna Smith (Rosie Gilmour #9)

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Synopsis: Rosie Gilmour is hot on the trail of a ring of baby-sellers and people-traffickers. The problem is, her main suspect is a dead man. Or is he?

A money-laundering accountant disappears in Romania. The hitman hired to disappear him is found dead in a Glasgow flat. And the owner of the flat, the accountant’s widow, claims she knows nothing about it.

Crime reporter Rosie Gilmour isn’t convinced by Helen Lewis’s innocent facade – she is convinced Helen was the one who ordered the hit on her husband, and she’s going to prove it. But when she discovers that Helen’s husband worked for a ring of gangsters selling babies from Romanian orphanages, her focus shifts. Now she has two sets of criminals to bring to justice – she’d better pray they don’t catch up with her first.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I am a huge fan of Anna Smith and love the Rosie Gilmour series. I was pleased to get stuck into book 9 although wan’t entirely sure what to expect. This book felt like it had 2 clear parts and elements to the story even though they are intertwined. Rosie ends up making her usual hair raising type of trip this time to Romania on the hunt for the people responsible for stealing babies from Orphanages and then selling them on to unsuspecting buyers. 

The other layer of the book deals with Helen Lewis who is on the run. As usual Rosie is in the thick of all of it. Not content with just ‘getting the story’ she manages to become part of it. For some reason the first half of the book was slower than Anna Smith’s usual offerings but once the second half started it picked up the pace and was back on top form. There is plenty of action, chills and thrills and for some this may be seen as the end of an era for Rosie. I on the other hand think the ending was absolutely perfect. 

I for one am thrilled at the ending solely because of Rosie’s personal life and maybe things will work out and we may see Rosie in the future, just not quite in the same light. This was a cracking read, not my favourite of the series but another solid read. Anna Smith is a fantastic wriiter and I am thrilled she has a new ‘Gangland style’ thriller book out in March next year. This series has been one of my favourites and has cemented Smith as one of my favourite Authors. Fingers crossed I love her next book as much as I’ve loved this series. If you haven’t read these books do yourself a favour and settle in with book 1, I promise you won’t regret it!

Worst Fear by Matt Hilton (Grey and Po #4)

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Synopsis: Private investigator Tess Grey discovers that someone from her past is pursuing a deadly vendetta and she could be the next to die.

“If I?m dead, contact Teresa Grey at Cumberland County Sheriff’s Dept. Tell her”

When the body of a young woman is found on a rocky Maine beach, having fallen from the cliffs above, the initial verdict is suicide. But hidden on the dead woman’s social network page is a post requesting that Tess Grey be informed in the event of her death. And why would Chelsea Grace, who was terrified of heights, have chosen to end her life in a way that invoked her very worst fear?

Having not seen Chelsea for years, Tess has no idea why her old university roommate would leave such a message. But, determined to find out what really happened to her, Tess and her partner Po discover that Chelsea isn’t the first of her old university friends to suffer ? and she won’t be the last. It would appear that someone is holding a deadly grudge: could Tess herself be a target?

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I am a massive fan of this series and the characters are hugely appealing to me. Tess Grey a PI who was an ex-copper working alongside her partner and lover Nicholas ‘Po’ Villere. This latest installment starts out with Tess looking into the death of somebody she went to college with. Would her old friend really have jumped to her death when she was afraid of heights? It’s ppretty clear early on that this is something more than a one off and somebody from Tess past is trying to even up the score.

Tess and Po are the characters that make this story (especially Po). Although this time around is isn’t just Tess who has problems. Po’s bar is being targetted and he is determined to get to the bottom of the who and the why with his own unique style! Meanwhile as Tess begins to dig through her own memories of the past she begins to see a pattern forming. The great part of this book is we see how and why the crimes are being committed before Tess does. Although I love this series I felt there was a little something missing. Maybe it’s because I see Tess figuring out other people’s problems as opposed to her own? That aside, this still made for a fantastic read.

My one small niggle was that we didn’t see the appearance of Po and Tess good friend Pinky until far too late in the book. As usual he wades in with every ounce of his being to do what he can to help his two friends. The later part of the book was a little more pacey and I enjoyed it more than the first half because the action was ramped up to the maximum.

As ever another cracking read in this series that I love. I literally cannot wait for the next book as this series is firmly in my Top 5 of must reads. With original and engaging characters, and a storyline that will keep yu turning pages you can’t really ask for too much more!

Hard Way by J B Turner (Jon Reznick #4)

Synopsis: Jon Reznick has never played by the rules, a trait that has brought him into conflict with FBI Assistant Director Martha Meyerstein in the past. But now Meyerstein has been taken by a shadowy gang, and the renegade black-ops specialist may be her only hope for rescue.

The FBI are reluctant to let Reznick anywhere near the case, but he’s not in the habit of seeking their permission—especially once his covert investigation leads him straight to the head of the Russian mob. And it soon becomes clear that it’s not only Meyerstein who’s in danger: her abduction is just the start of a campaign to undermine American law and order.

With Meyerstein’s whereabouts unknown, and the CIA and FBI seemingly operating at cross-purposes, it falls to Reznick to go it alone. Can he get to Meyerstein before the mob get to him?

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I have really enjoyed this series so far, and it seems to be a tried and tested story formula that works. This latest book is no different although this wasn’t as good as book 2! Jon is a great and very readable character although not entirely original, however the fact the he seems to work only on caffeine, adrenaline and illegal drugs is something that I find quite amusing! Although Jon has never worked for the FBI, he has contracted with them to help his friend and Assistant Director of the FBI Martha Meyerstein. When she goes missing, Martha’s ex-husband contacts Jon as he is desperate to find her.

Jon ploughs in like a bull in a china shop as usual with absolutely no regard for rules or protocol. His aim is to find Martha and to find her alive and well and nobody will stop him. Put some rogue CIA agents, corrupt FBI people and throw in some Russian mobsters and you have yourself a rather engaging Reznick read. These sorts of books and Turner’s in particular speed along with cracking pace and are pure escapism with a capital E. This series is a joy to read and shows no signs of slowing down.

I admit I was surprised by the people who were playing against the FBI (!) but I guess you never can tell with a series like this who plays on the right side of the field. The only thing lacking for me was that extra special something and at times it felt like it was a safe bet (if that makes sense). That aside another cracking read and means I can’t wait to get my hands-on book 5 (due out Feb 2018).

Cold Blood by Robert Bryndza (Erika Foster #5)

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Synopsis: The suitcase was badly rusted, and took Erika several attempts, but it yielded and sagged open as she unzipped it. Nothing could prepare her for what she would find inside…

When a battered suitcase containing the dismembered body of a young man washes up on the shore of the river Thames, Detective Erika Foster is shocked. She’s worked on some terrifying cases but never seen anything like this before.<blog_break>

As Erika and her team set to work, she makes the link with another victim – the body of a young woman dumped in an identical suitcase two weeks ago.

Erika quickly realises she’s on the trail of a serial killer who’s already made their next move. Yet just as Erika starts to make headway with the investigation, she is the victim of a brutal attack.

But nothing will stop Erika. As the body count rises, the twin daughters of her colleague Commander Marsh are abducted, and the stakes are higher than ever before. Can Erika save the lives of two innocent children before it’s too late? She’s running out of time and about to make a disturbing discovery…there’s more than one killer.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5 Continue reading “Cold Blood by Robert Bryndza (Erika Foster #5)”