Category: Crime, Thriller, Mystery

From The Shadows by Neil White (Dan Grant Trilogy #1)

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Synopsis: He hides in the shadows, watching, waiting, until the time is right . . .

Mary Kendricks, a smart, pretty, twenty-four-year-old teacher, has been brutally murdered and Robert Carter is accused of killing her.

When defence lawyer, Dan Grant inherits Carter’s case only weeks before the trial starts, everyone expects him just to babysit it, but Dan’s not that kind of lawyer. He’ll follow the evidence – wherever it takes him.

But as Dan and his investigator Jayne Brett look into the case, they discover that there is more to it than meets the eye. In order to do their jobs they need to push the limits of the system, even if it means putting themselves in danger.

Together they will get to the truth – whatever the cost . . .

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I have always enjoyed previous Neil White books and it’s always exciting to see a new series so I was looking forward to this latest release. However, if you would have asked me when I was at the 25% mark what I thought I would have given it a 3/5 at a push. Thankfully the book picked up pace and by the end started to tick all the boxes so eventually I ended up rating it a 4/5. Surprisingly though I actually dithered over the rating of this due to a number of things that seemed a little sluggish. The book is definitely a slow starter and to be totally truthful it took me until the halfway mark to actually like one of the main characters Dan who is a defence lawyer working a new case. Jayne Brett who is the other main character was a whole other ball game and she ticked every box as far as characters go.
The story line centres around a new Murder Case that lands on Dan’s lap. Initially, I felt that it took some time to build up the case and for the reader to feel like you are the grip of things. Thankfully once past that sluggish start, everything picks up in pace and it seemed mush more like the usual type of books Neil White writes. Robert Carter is due to stand trial for Murder and Dan having only 2 weeks to prepare for the case decides to do his own sort of investigation yo allow him to get up to speed.
It soon becomes clear that this is not a simple cut and dried case of ‘he did it, put him to trial’. Dan along with Jayne’s help start to uncover a whole bunch of issue which throw the question out as to whether Carter is guilty or not. It made a change to see a lawyer in the driving seat as opposed to a copper. What makes an interesting thread to this story is Jayne and her past. She is one of Dan’s ex clients who murdered somebody and it made her character even more intriguing. After the disappointingly slow start that last part of the book more than made up for it with danger literally knocking at Dan and Jayne’s door. By the time I had finished I realised that I actually wanted to read more and was pleased that White decided to do a new series and one which I think will prove extremely popular.

Quieter Than Killing by Sarah Hilary (Marnie Rome #4)

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Synopsis: It’s winter, the nights are dark and freezing, and a series of seemingly random assaults is pulling DI Marnie Rome and DS Noah Jake out onto streets of London. When Marnie’s family home is ransacked, there are signs that the burglary can have only been committed by someone who knows her. Then a child goes missing, yet no-one has reported it. Suddenly, events seem connected, and it’s personal.

Someone out there is playing games. It is time for both Marnie and Noah to face the truth about the creeping, chilling reaches of a troubled upbringing. Keeping quiet can be a means of survival, but the effects can be as terrible as killing.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5 

Kat’s Review: I was looking forward to once again getting re-acquainted with DI Marnie Rome and her colleague Noah! One thing I will say is that I always really enjoy these books but have a feeling there is something ‘missing’. I have come to the conclusion that Sarah Hilary has something planned and I think that is the reason I have that niggling feeling. These books are so enjoyable but I have now realised that what makes her books a little different to others is that nagging feeling. Did I miss something? What is going on? I actually think that this part of what draws me to return to the series as I still feel like as a reader we are only at the scratch the surface stage with these characters.

I always enjoy reading about Marnie as she has a seriously warped history between the death of her parents, her adopted brother Stephen and her strange detachment. I think that this is what makes me have that unsettling feeling. There is so much history and it seems Rome is surrounded by violence and it gives it that dark undertone that never goes away. In addition Noah her colleague is my absolute favourite. He and Marnie work well together but again with his own issues in his personal life it seems that neither of them have a straightforward home life. This book at first seemed a little jagged, and what I mean by that is there seemed to be so much going on. Marnie’s family home is ransacked and that seems to be merely the tip of the iceberg. In addition there are a number of attacks going on in London, and to put the icing on the cake a child goes missing.

Something which I though was done exceptionally well was the narrative from Finn, I can’t say any more for fear of spoilers but this really gave the book that dark edge and horrible sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. I found the start a little slower that I would have liked and I wondered at one point if I was keeping up correctly. With plot threads crossing as well as characters it finally started to unravel and make more sense. This is certainly a fast paced and complex book and I hugely enjoyed it, especially towards the last quarter. I think that this author has managed to produce a very dark series of books which I would highly recommend, however I think I will always have that sinking feeling while I almost wait for the worst to happen! I think this can certainly be read as a stand alone but think the build up and history of the series makes it that little bit more enjoyable.

The Caller by Chris Carter (Robert Hunter #8)

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Synopsis: After a tough week, Tanya Kaitlin is looking forward to a relaxing night in, but as she steps out of her shower, she hears her phone ring.  The video call request comes from her best friend, Karen Ward.  Tanya takes the call and the nightmare begins.

Karen is gagged and bound to a chair in her own living room.  If Tanya disconnects from the call, if she looks away from the camera, he will come after her next, the deep, raspy, demonic voice at the other end of the line promises her.

As Hunter and Garcia investigate the threats, they are thrown into a rollercoaster of evil, chasing a predator who scouts the streets and social media networks for victims, taunting them with secret messages and feeding on their fear. After a tough week, Tanya Kaitlin is looking forward to a relaxing night in, but as she steps out of her shower, she hears her phone ring.  The video call request comes from her best friend, Karen Ward.  Tanya takes the call and the nightmare begins.

Karen is gagged and bound to a chair in her own living room.  If Tanya disconnects from the call, if she looks away from the camera, he will come after her next, the deep, raspy, demonic voice at the other end of the line promises her.
 
As Hunter and Garcia investigate the threats, they are thrown into a rollercoaster of evil, chasing a predator who scouts the streets and social media networks for victims, taunting them with secret messages and feeding on their fear. 
Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Continue reading “The Caller by Chris Carter (Robert Hunter #8)”

Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

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Synopsis: Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped into the night with her young daughter and left an abusive relationship. Her ex-husband, Andrew, was sent to jail and Lindsey started over with a new life.

Now, Lindsey is older and wiser, with her own business and a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When Andrew is finally released from prison, Lindsey believes she has cut all ties and left the past behind her. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her, tracking her every move. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded, and her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it’s her ex-husband, even though he claims he’s a different person. But has he really changed? Is the one who wants her dead closer to home than she thought?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 … maybe even 6/5

Kat’s Review: Wow! Read this in just over one day and didn’t want to put it down. I only read my first CS book back in June 2015 (That Night) and since then have read Those Girls and I loved both of them. As soon as I saw this I wanted to get stuck in but had no idea how quickly I would be drawn in. Linsey Nash is married to Andrew and the first part of the book explores their early years and the descent into abuse by her husband who I learned to loathe pretty much from the start. Linsey has a daughter Sophie and a lot of what goes on, it’s clear is allowed to happen due to the threat of something happening to her, and leaving her daughter without a Mother. The writing and descriptions of Linsey’s home life are very dark and sinister and set the mood for the book.

We then fast forward and see Linsey and her daughter Sophie moving on with their life. However, when news filters through that Andrew has been released from prison the years fall away and Linsey is gripped with the fear she had become accustomed to in her early days from her marriage. You can literally feel the fear rolling off the pages and it makes for an incredibly tense read. Linsey is determined to move on but everything has now changed and although she is fighting for her safety and independence she cannot shake the feeling of being watched and followed.

Sophie, the daughter also has her own part to play in this book and as her own secrets are revealed the book becomes more involved and to be frank I ended up suspecting anybody that wasn’t a woman to be a potential suspect in becoming a danger to both Linsey and Sophie. The magical thing about this book is that it lulled me into a false sense of security and then the ending was just super exciting! Although the subject of abuse (domestic/verbal/physical) seems to be cropping up in many books I have read lately, this lady shows how it’s really done. There were moments my skin was crawling, and others where I would unconsciously feel a little bit wary. That level of skill to draw a reader in that much is something I absolutely love. I devoured this book and have no doubt this will make it to my top ten list for the coming year. Massively recommended, and I for one will be adding all of her unread books to my ‘to-read’ list.

Blood Mother by Dreda Say Mitchell (Flesh & Blood #2)

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Synopsis: Book 2 in a trilogy following one family over forty years on an East London estate, BLOOD MOTHER goes back to the 70s to tell the next story in the Flesh and Blood series

1970s London has stopped swinging, but it’s not staying still. Babs thought she had all the world ahead of her. Then she got pregnant and the father did a runner. Salvation comes in the form of a man who’ll look after her. Or so she thinks.

But Stan Miller is the devil in disguise…and over the next twenty years, Babs will have reason to regret she ever met him. Can she protect her family – or will he get the better of her?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

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BLOG TOUR – The Promise by Casey Kelleher

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Synopsis: Growing up in squalor with their drug-addicted prostitute mother, sisters Georgie and Marnie Parker have had to endure the very darkest side of life. When their mother is sentenced for brutally murdering a client, Georgie and Marnie’s already precarious lives are blown apart and they now share a terrible secret. Sent to a children’s home, the sisters hope this might finally be their safe haven after years of neglect. But they soon discover they’re in real danger.

Desperate to find a place of safety, Georgie and Marnie run for their lives, but end up in the hands of Delray Anderton. A violent London gangster and notorious pimp, Delray has big plans for beautiful teenager Georgie, seeing her as a chance to make some serious money. Fiercely protective of each other, Georgie and Marnie must escape the clutches of a man who will do anything to keep the sisters for himself. And, they must keep the promise they made to each other – no one can ever know the truth. 

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I love Casey’s books and her last one The Taken was an absolute belter of a book. Unfortunately as much as I enjoyed this latest release I couldn’t help thinking it wasn’t as good as the last book. Josie Parker is the mother of two young girls Georgie and Marnie Parker. Josie has spent her years selling her body and has ended up at the lower end of the market having abused drink and drugs. In all honesty the woman is a mess. Her two young children are forced to look after themselves and as such you can’t help but feel for these two poor defenceless children.

The story is a bit of a slow starter but there is a wide variety of characters to get your teeth into. Javine Turner is a young woman on the lookout for a wealth man and once she sets her sights on someone there is no getting away from her. Although on paper Javine is every mans worst nightmare she is a character I loved and was rooting for her throughout the book. Delray Anderton and his sidekick Lenny are known faces and are making their mark in London with their criminal activities. Both of them are brutal and fierce and widely feared.

When Josie is jailed for the murder of a man, Georgie and Marnie find themselves in their own fight for survival. The second half of the story was fast paced and the story was enthralling. However, I think the overlying reason this book wasn’t an entire success in my mind was that I had absolutely no sympathy for Josie. In fact I would go as far as to say I loathed the woman who was so selfish that her kids had to take care of themselves. By the time I had finished this I knew that it was a great read, and once again Casey Kelleher is firmly stamping her mark in this genre. However, it lacks the full rating down to my intense dislike of both Josie and Delray. That small issue aside this was another solid read and one that fans of Mandasue Heller and Martina Cole will love.

Continue reading “BLOG TOUR – The Promise by Casey Kelleher”

A Room Full of Killers by MIchael Wood (DCI Matilda Darke #3)

51yPuavxa1L._SY346_ Synopsis: Eight killers. One house. And the almost perfect murder…

Starling House is home to some of the nation’s deadliest teenagers, still too young for prison.

When the latest arrival is found brutally murdered, DCI Matilda Darke and her team investigate, and discover a prison manager falling apart and a sabotaged security system. Neither the staff nor the inmates can be trusted.

The only person Matilda believes is innocent is facing prison for the rest of his life. With time running out, she must solve the unsolvable to save a young man from his fate, and find a murderer in a house full of killers…

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “A Room Full of Killers by MIchael Wood (DCI Matilda Darke #3)”

BLOG TOUR: Don’t Look Behind You by Mel Sherratt (Eden Berrisford #2_

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Synopsis: She got into bed but sleep didn’t come easily. Every creak in the house made her alert. She was waiting for him to come and get her.

The small city of Stockleigh is in shock as three women are brutally attacked within days of each other. Are they random acts of violence or is there a link between the victims? For Detective Eden Berrisford, it’s her most chilling case yet. 

The investigation leads Eden to cross paths with Carla, a woman trying to rebuild her life after her marriage to a cruel and abusive man ended in unimaginable tragedy. Her husband Ryan was imprisoned for his crimes but, now he’s out and coming for her. 

As Eden starts to close in on the attacker, she also puts herself in grave danger. Can she stop him before he strikes again? And can Carla, terrified for her life, save herself – before the past wreaks a terrible revenge? 

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: We are finally back for the second installment featuring Eden Berrisford, and thankfully we didn’t have that long to wait! I really enjoyed the first in this series and was looking forward to seeing where Eden was at now. The one thing that struck me with the first book was that I didn’t really thing I got that much of an insight into Eden’s personal life. Sure we got the overview, but by the end of the first book I still wasn’t entirely sure what I thought of her, and I certainly wasn’t sure what sort or character she would turn out to be. It felt like we had only scratched the surface. Again this book takes back another layer, but I am still at the end of this book keen to know more about the lady herself. I have come to the conclusion though, that I am massively biased as my favourite character of Mel Sherratt’s has always been Allie Shenton!

This latest book brings you some uncomfortable reading material, but one that makes for a compelling read. There are a few stand out characters, and Carla is one such character. A woman who is trying to rebuild her life following the breakdown of her marriage to a violent and abusive man. That is just the tip of the iceberg for Carla and as event unfold in the book, events in Carla’s past also unfold bringing about an understanding as to why she has got to the situation she currently finds herself in.

Eden and her team are meanwhile trying to catch the perpetrator if some vicious attacks on the women in the area. Each attach becomes more brutal and violent and Eden and the team are left trying to work out what attacks are linked, if any and if they are then the need to find the person responsible. Eden’s team consist of a good bunch but actually the addition of the old school and almost neanderthal colleague Phil was actually a character that by the end, I was hoping would make a repeat appearance. However the characters within Eden’s team are all written in such a way it seems they are all meant to be together, so I look forward to seeing them all in the next installment,

There is a lot of violence surrounding domestic abuse and obviously the attacks on women add to that general theme of the book so sometimes it doesn’t make for light reading that’s for sure, but it certainly has the desired effect of putting an edge to every element of the story. This latest book was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I especially loved seeing a bit more about Eden’s home life, however I have a sneaking suspicion that with all that has gone on in this book, the next one will reveal even more. Another great series buy Mel Sheratt, although I have to confess it still doesn’t quite live up to the Allie Shenton books for me.

Backstabber by Kimberley Chambers (Butlers #5)

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Synopsis: If you don’t face your enemies – they’ll stab you in the back.

One of them has a gun to his head. Who will pull the trigger?

When king of the underworld Vinny Butler goes into business with respected villain Eddie Mitchell, it’s a match made in East End legend. Friends and family are treated like gold, enemies like rats – it’s the life.

Then mysterious packages arrive, dead creatures and threats. Someone is out for revenge. Who the enemy is, nobody knows, anyone could be taking a pop. The gypsies who cursed Eddie, ghosts from Vinny’s past, enemies needing revenge. Even their own flesh and blood? There are some people you should never cross, some who can’t forgive or forget.

Who is the backstabber?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

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Love You Dead by Peter James (Roy Grace #12)

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Synopsis: An ugly duckling as a child, Jodie Bentley had two dreams in life – to be beautiful and rich. She’s achieved the first, with a little help from a plastic surgeon, and now she’s working hard on the second. Her philosophy on money is simple: you can either earn it or marry it. Marrying is easy, it’s getting rid of the husband afterwards that’s harder, that takes real skill. But hey, practice makes perfect . . .

Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is feeling the pressure from his superiors, his previous case is still giving him sleepless nights, there have been major developments with his missing wife Sandy, and an old adversary is back. But worse than all of this, he now believes a Black Widow is operating in his city. One with a venomous mind . . . and venomous skills. Soon Grace comes to the frightening realisation that he may have underestimated just how dangerous this lady is.

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Continue reading “Love You Dead by Peter James (Roy Grace #12)”