Category: Crime, Thriller, Mystery

Hard Exit by J B Turner (Jon Reznick 11)

Hard Exit Synopsis:

When a Swiss intelligence agent goes missing—taking with him thousands of classified documents that have the potential to expose covert agents and information around the world—he also threatens to expose the one secret that will change Jon Reznick’s life forever.

Hans Muller has found someone on Swiss CCTV footage—someone who is supposed to be dead, someone from long ago in Reznick’s past. If her true identity is as Muller suspects, and if he divulges her secret, it could be dangerous for her and her loved ones, not to mention disastrous for national security.

In a shocking twist of fate, the mysterious woman looks exactly like Jon Reznick’s late wife, who was thought to have died in the 9/11 attacks. Reznick has to know: Is this just a case of mistaken identity, or has Elisabeth been alive all this time?

Reznick jumps into an international fray with Swiss Intelligence agents and the CIA to find the missing classified documents and his own answers. Anyone who knows Jon Reznick knows he won’t rest until he finds the truth…even if it upends his life as he knows it.

My Rating: 5/5

My Review: Well wow. I did NOT see this coming. I am a fan of this series and have always loved all the books. However, book 10 I struggled with a little and felt like it didn’t fit with the others. Picking this book up it also didn’t necessarily fit with what you have read about Reznick in the past because this book goes a lot deeper than the norm and it’s hugely personal for Jon.

Hans Muller is the start of this story and it’s when he finds someone on CCTV footage that cannot be identitfied he realises just what he has stumbled upon! The identity of that person is someoe who is meant to be dead, and sadly for Hans Muller the person whose life it affects the most is Reznick. Reznick doesn’t know whether to believe that this missing person is his wife but he is determined to find out. The story is an absolute rollercoaster from start to finish and I read this in just a handful of sittings over a day and a half.

I think you really do have to have read the series to undstad the gravity of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was so pleased with the way the story was wrapped up. I was so worried it would be cliched but I needn’t have worried. I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait to see what is nect for Jon.

Hard Fire by J B Turner (Jon Reznick 10)

Hard Fire Synopsis:

Jon Reznick is not a man to cross. A brutally effective black-ops veteran, Reznick has a history of taking the law into his own hands. So when a group of masked men murders his closest friend, he swears to exact vengeance. The now-deceased Bill Eastland had been Reznick’s last living tie to his father, leaving him devastated…and furious. Whether or not the FBI approves, he swears to hunt down whoever issued the hit on his friend.

With the help of hacker Trevelle Williams, Reznick tracks the masked murderers from Maine to Texas to New York, quickly becoming embroiled in the shadowy world of the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mafia. As Reznick’s own body count begins to climb, clues lead him to one of the most dangerous crime families in New York, headed by the infamous Paul Moretti. But FBI Assistant Director Martha Meyerstein has just learned a crucial secret that could derail Reznick’s quest for revenge—Moretti is a high-level FBI informant.

Reznick faces a stark choice: take on the FBI and risk severing ties with Martha, or inflict his own form of rigorous justice no matter the possible fallout. How far will he go—and how many government agencies will he undermine—to get retribution for his best friend’s death? He might just have to create his own set of rules.

My Rating: 3/5

My Review: I have read this series from the beginning and have absolutely loved them all. Somehow this latest book I didn’t feel fit with what I knew about this character so far and by the time I finished the book I wondered what had happened. I won’t re-hash the synopis as that is pointless and to be fair the storyline never seems to be an issue which shows the skill JBT has as an author.

What I found hard to stomach was the character I have grown to know and love reading about. Jon is returning from a trip and intercepts some bad guys, when he realises they killed his old pal Bill Eastland it rams up his revenge factor. For some reason this story didn’t sit right with me at all. It didn’t feel anything like the character I had read about for the last ten books because this version of Jon was a little too crazy. He didn’t care for Martha (definitely didn’t sit right with me) and he cared little for anybody else’s feelings.

An average read which for some reason didn’t resonate with me, I can only hope that the Jon I know and love returns for book 11

THE NURSERY BY SUE WATSON

The Nursery Synopsis: Then: Morning light shines into the nursery, casting shadows across the pale pink walls and wooden cot in the middle of the room. She opens the door expecting to hear the soft coo of her daughter Sofia stretching herself awake. But the room is silent. The cot is empty. Her little girl has vanished…

Now: Twelve years have passed, but Emily will never forget the night her life changed forever and she’s happy to have her daughter back beside her. A teenager now, Sofia – who was once a star student – is getting into trouble at school and she’s started asking questions about when she was a baby, but Emily can’t tell her what really happened the night she went missing. Nobody would understand why Emily did what she did, and if anyone ever found out, she could lose her daughter forever.

But when Emily catches Sofia messaging a stranger online, her heart pounds in her chest as she reads the last message received.

Your mother isn’t who you think she is.

Days later, Emily returns home to find the house silent. She checks every room but Sofia has vanished, again. She shudders as she remembers that night in the nursery. Has her past finally caught up with her? And is she already too late to save her precious daughter?

My Rating: 3/5

My Review: I have to start by saying that I would definitely say I am a fan of some of Sue Watsons books, however this one infuriated me beyond belief. Emily and her daughter Sofia are the stars of this latest story and at first it was pretty readable and it was very clear that Emily had run from something. The story flowed well and I got into it pretty quickly but there were a few niggles that continued to irritate and just seemingly got worse.

Emily as a Mother was ridiculously over the top, but I could forgive that to a point. However, considering she trusted nobody, she then decides to trust a dude she literally met five minutes before? That annoyed me, as did her friend Nancy. She needed a good slap and to be told to disappear off the face of the planet. The final and worst thing for me was the addition of stating the obvious at the end of what felt like every chapter!

These few niggles really put a dampner on this book for me and lessened the enjoyment hugely. It was still an okay read but nowhere near what I have come to expect from this author and this definitely wouldn’t be on my list of books from her I love.

BAD BLOOD BY ANGELA MARSONS (KIM STONE 19)

Bad BloodSynopsis: The victim is lying under the trees, arms lifted above his head, unnaturally still. His muscles are slack. His eyes are empty. There are no signs of life. But he is not quite dead…

When Detective Kim Stone races to the crime scene, there is no body waiting for her: the paramedics are desperately trying to save the victim’s life. But there is something very strange about the way the man was found, his arms raised above his head, his legs spread apart. When he dies on the way to the hospital, Kim is certain she’s on the hunt for a killer… but all evidence at the scene has been destroyed.

The dead man, Eric Gould, seems ordinary, until the team dig into his past. As a teenager, he was locked away for attacking his girlfriend, and Kim suspects he was hurting his fiancé now. Was someone trying to stop history repeating?

Then another man is found on the verge of death, his bones broken to force him into an unnatural shape. The team realise the killer is sending a message – the victims’ bodies are spelling out their sins. As boys, they were both part of a group of six who bragged about their terrible crimes. But they were children then, and when she sees the grief on the faces of their loved ones now, Kim swears to find answers.

Is someone finally getting revenge… or do they think these men are still dangerous? The killer is threatening to strike again, and the only way Kim can crack the case is by tracking down the rest of the six first.

But then a revelation about what one of her team is suffering makes Kim understand why people take the law into their own hands. Do these victims deserve what’s coming to them? Or is there even more to fear from their brutal killer?

My Rating: 5/5

My Review: I am not quite sure how Angela Marsons has managed and continues to produce such engaging stories with Kim and the team at the 19 books in stage! Many series tend to run their course and people tire of the characters or feel there is nowhere else to go. I feel like there is still plenty of life in this series and I am continuing to love every book as much as the last with this latest book being no excpetion.

This latest storyline and its crime scenes were bordering on the disturbed with vicitms being left not ‘quite’ dead. Yes you read that correctly. Although the first victim does end up dying it opens pandoras box into why a killer would leave somebody ‘not quite dead’ and in addition to this they seem to be laid out in a certain way. Kim and the team have their work cut out for them. In addition to the latest scene they are working I was keen to see how the storyline featuring Stacey panned out in this latest book.

I don’t want to say too much as I don’t want to spoil it for other people but Kim really does love her team members that is all I will say. I read this in record time and then once again berated myself for reading it too early. This now means I have a longer wait until the next one….an absolutely cracking series that shows no sign of slowing down.

SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER BY CAROL WYER (NATALIE WARD 7)

Somebody's Daughter Synopsis: One by one the girls disappeared…

When the frail body of a teenage girl is discovered strangled in a parking lot, shards of ice form in Detective Natalie Ward’s veins. As Natalie looks at the freckles scattered on her cheeks and the pale pink lips tinged with blue, she remembers that this innocent girl is somebody’s daughter…

The girl is identified as missing teenager Amelia Saunders, who has run away from home and her controlling father. Natalie’s heart sinks further when it becomes clear that Amelia has been working on the streets, manipulated by her violent new boyfriend Tommy.

A day later, another vulnerable girl is found strangled on a park bench. Like Amelia, Katie Bray was a runaway with connections to Tommy, and Natalie is determined to find him and track down the monster attacking these scared and lonely girls.

But when a wealthy young woman is found murdered the next morning, the word ‘guilty’ scrawled on her forehead, Natalie realises that the case is more complex than she first thought. Determined to establish a connection between her three victims, Natalie wastes no time in chasing down the evidence, tracing everyone who crossed their paths. Then, a key suspect’s body turns up in the canal, a mole in Natalie’s department leaks vital information and everything seems to be against her. Can Natalie stop this clever and manipulative killer before they strike again?

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: Things have changed greatly over the course of the last 6 books and as a new case is brought to the team everybody has different roles. Natalie is now DCI and as such this means Lucy Carmichael steps up to run and oversee the investigation. It was strange to see them in new roles and it was clear from the characters that this certainly isn’t an easy adjustment for any of them.

The absolute worst case possible is also the first for Natalie to oversee and Lucy to run with the death of a teenage girl. As usual the team all get stuck in, and although I feared Natalie wouldn’t be as involved it soon became apparent that she most certainly would be. For me one of the strengths about this series is the fantastic balance between the crimes being committed and the personal lives of all the characters.

We get to see Natalie adjusting to now living with Mike following the breakdown of her marriage. We also get glimpses of the team working the case and this is what makes for such an interesting and easy to read book by Wyer. This storyline in terms of the murder team wasn’t necssarily my favourite but as usual there is plenty of action going on and as areader you feel totally engaged. Another highly enjoyable book in this series.

THE SECRET ADMIRER BY CAROL WYER (NATALIE WARD 6)

The Secret AdmirerSynopsis:  Sasha’s eighteen-year-old daughter Gemma was all she had in the world. Sasha fell pregnant with Gemma when she was still at school, and the two are as close as sisters. So when Gemma’s burned and broken body is found, Sasha’s world ends. What kind of person would want her beautiful daughter dead?

Leading the case is Detective Natalie Ward, scarred by her own recent tragedy. When she finds a note in Gemma’s diary from ‘a secret admirer’, she moves quickly, determined to un-mask them. But interviews with Gemma’s devastated ex-boyfriend, and her charismatic teacher, who has been seen embracing his student far away from the classroom, don’t give Natalie the answers she’d hoped for…

And then the case takes a devastating, personal twist. CCTV footage reveals Natalie’s estranged husband David followed Gemma home every evening the week before she died.

Natalie is forced to put personal feelings aside and follow procedure, even though she can’t believe David could be guilty. But when Gemma’s housemate is found murdered, Natalie thinks the killer could still be at large. Is she right to trust her instincts about David and can she discover the truth before another precious life is taken? Continue reading “THE SECRET ADMIRER BY CAROL WYER (NATALIE WARD 6)”

THE BLOSSOM TWINS BY CAROL WYER (NATALIE WARD 5)

The Blossom TwinsSynopsis: Their parents thought they were hiding…

One beautiful summer’s evening, thirteen-year-old twins Ivy and Erin Westmore snuggle down in a tent in their back garden, giggling and sharing secrets.

When their mother goes to wake the girls the next morning, their tent is empty.

The alarm is raised and Detective Natalie Ward is put onto the case. When the twins’ bodies are discovered on nearby marshland, covered with deep pink petals, an icy shiver travels down Natalie’s spine. Everything about the girls’ deaths reminds her of a horrifying case she worked on earlier in her career, which saw a killer of the worst kind placed behind bars.

The next day, that feeling is heightened when she receives a chilling note saying ‘I’m back’. Is this killer a copycat or did Natalie put the wrong person in prison all those years ago? In a small town, where no stranger goes unnoticed, what is Natalie missing?

Consumed by the case, determined to prevent more deaths, Natalie misses the fact that it is her attention the killer wants. And to get it, he has his sights set firmly on her precious daughter Leigh… Continue reading “THE BLOSSOM TWINS BY CAROL WYER (NATALIE WARD 5)”

THE SLEEPOVER BY CAROL WYER (NATALIE WARD 4)

THE SLEEPOVERSYNOPSIS: When fourteen-year-old Roxy says she’s going for a sleepover at her best friend Ellie’s house, Cathy sees no reason to check her daughter’s story. The two families are neighbours, and the girls are in and out of each other’s homes every day.

It is a decision she will regret. A day later, Roxy is found murdered in exclusive Linnet Lane, miles across town, in a house owned by two brothers with no apparent connection to Roxy. Detective Natalie Ward, called to lead the investigation, is determined to get to the bottom of why Roxy was in the basement of this grand Victorian mansion when she should have been eating chocolate in her pyjamas with her best friend.

As Natalie begins to look closely at Roxy’s stepfather and three brothers, she discovers that Roxy had recently been admitted to hospital with suspicious injuries. Her mother Cathy seems very jumpy and Ellie refuses to talk. Who are the people that knew Roxy best in the world protecting?

Then Roxy’s mother Cathy disappears.

When Cathy’s body is discovered close to where her daughter was found, Natalie is forced to face the grim fact that the killer is just getting started. She is troubled by the reaction of Roxy’s brother Seth to the tragedies and when his alibi falls through she brings him in for questioning, certain she is making headway.

But while Seth is in custody, one of Roxy’s school friends is found murdered and Natalie knows she must cast her net wider. Things take a more sinister turn when Ellie vanishes, her mobile phone switched off. What is Ellie hiding about the night Roxy died that could put her in terrible danger? And can Natalie work it out before another innocent life is taken? Continue reading “THE SLEEPOVER BY CAROL WYER (NATALIE WARD 4)”

THE DARE BY CAROL WYER (NATALIE WARD 3)

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Synopsis: When thirteen-year-old Savannah Hopkins doesn’t come straight home from school as she always does, her mother Jane immediately raises the alarm. With her blonde ponytail and red school jumper, someone must have spotted Savannah.

Detective Natalie Ward is determined to help the distraught mother – her own daughter is the same age as Savannah. But before Natalie and her team can get started, their worst fears are confirmed when the teenager’s broken body is found in nearby shrubland.

Evidence points towards a local recluse, but just as Natalie closes the net around him, one of Savannah’s friends, Harriet, is reported missing. Harriet might look grown up and sophisticated but she is only fourteen…

As Natalie delves into the lives of both girls, she soon discovers a sinister video on both their phones, daring the girls to disappear from their families for 48 hours. She’s sure this is the key to the case, but before she can act, Harriet’s body is found discarded on a roadside.

Natalie’s superiors don’t have to put any extra pressure on her. Devastated, she and her team work without sleep, watching that video over and over. But just as she thinks they’re getting close, the person Natalie loves more than anything goes missing.

Natalie is no stranger to loss. She is terrified and the clock is ticking. Can she push through her fear to catch this depraved killer, before her loved one becomes the next victim?

Rated: 4/5

My Review: Because I went straight from book 2 on to book 3 no introduction was needed and I was keen to see what the gang were up to now. Of course another time and another murder investigation! This however seems to be only the tip of the iceberg as another girl goes missing. What makes this whole scenario even worse is that our lead character Natalie has a daughter the same age as these girls that are being found murdered and going missing.

There is an added element to this latest story as the reader experiences flashbacks from the killer which makes you wonder who this person is. Once again we also get to see a little more of the team and their personal lives. On the flip side of the work, Natalie’s home life is becoming more fraught as her marriage is under serious strain. I cannot say I am disappointed as I absolutely loathe David as a character and think Natalie needs to move on from him.

Overall, another brilliant read and once again this made me want to continue reading about everybody so straight onto the next book I go!!!

LAST LULLABY BY CAROL WYER (NATALIE WARD 2)

42510908Synopsis: Charlotte’s baby is safe. But is she?

When the body of young mother Charlotte Brannon is discovered by her husband in their immaculate, silver bedroom, Detective Natalie Ward is first on the scene. The killer has left a chilling calling card: the word ‘Why?’ written on the wall in blood.

Determined to find justice, Natalie quickly discovers the husband is hiding a troubled past, and she’s sure the teenage babysitter’s alibi doesn’t quite add up.

But before Natalie can dig deeper, another mother is murdered, her young son left distraught, staring at a fresh ‘who’scrawled beside her.

Natalie knows it’s only a matter of time before the killer strikes again, but all the key suspects have alibis. It’s her toughest case yet, and with her marriage hanging by a thread, the cracks are beginning to show.

Just when Natalie finds an unsettling clue she thinks could solve the case, another young woman and her baby disappear, and a member of Natalie’s team is put in terrible danger.

Can Natalie stop this twisted killer and save one of her own before more families are torn apart forever?

Rated: 4/5

My Review: It’s been a long time since I read the first book in this series but starting at book 2 after so long made no difference. This small but mighty team of coppers comprise Natalie, Lucy, Ian and Murray. They are faced with solving the murder of a young mother Charlotte Brannon. It’s a grisly scene and even more disturbing is the writing on the wall and the fact that her young baby is perfectly unharmed in the other room.

This book got me straight back into this small team and really get a feel for all of the individual characters. The storyline surrounding the murder is well plotted and fast paced and certainly kept me interested. I also loved the fact that we got to see into Natalie’s personal life and I have to be honest and say I loathe her husband David. I read this in a few days and thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so that I decided to continue my binge read of this series and totally catch up.

I still believe that the Robyn Carter series has the edge over this one as I absolutely LOVE that series but think this could become just as good given time!