Category: Crime, Thriller, Mystery

Hunted by Paul FInch (Mark Heckenburg #5)

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My Rating: 5/5

Availability: Paperback, Kindle, Nook, Kobo

Synopsis: Heck needs to watch his back. Because someone’s watching him. Across the south of England, a series of bizarre but fatal accidents are taking place. So when a local businessman survives a near-drowning but is found burnt alive in his car just weeks later, DS Mark ‘Heck’ Heckenburg is brought in to investigate. Soon it appears that other recent deaths might be linked: two thieves that were bitten to death by poisonous spiders, and a driver impaled through the chest with scaffolding. Accidents do happen but as the body count rises it’s clear that something far more sinister is at play, and it’s coming for Heck too.

My Review: One VERY important thing you need to remember to do when reading this book is BREATHE!!! I found myself holding my breath in far too many parts of this book but all in a very good way. I only recently discovered Paul Finch and his first release featuring DS Mark Heckenburg (or Heck as he is better known) was a knockout. The 3 following books in the series were all great but didn’t quite have the same pull for me as the debut to the series Stalkers. Until now…

Heck is contacted by his boss and ex-lover Gemma Piper to go and take a look at a strange case which involves a supposed accidental death. It involves going down to leafy Surrey and having to meet a new group of coppers namely one Gail Honeyford. It appears that they already have their suspicions and Gail is already on the case. However, Heck not only has the challenge of a difficult temporary colleague, but of more than one strange and bizarre cases. It seems like no type of crime from the bizarre to the downright shocking is exempt from the cases that keep cropping up.

From the outset the pace ratchets up and rarely gives you time to breathe. A few times I realised I was holding my breath for longer than necessary and as usual Heck manages to get himself into some awful positions. I for one will never look at an image of a spider in a glass jar without thinking about a particular scene in this book. Although Gemma Piper has featured in previous books she is not really a main actor in this latest instalment and if I’m honest I think that’s a good thing. It leaves open so many more possibilities, yet leaves her in the series (so to speak, sorry not very well articulated there…but you know what I mean).

Overall, this book was a first class one from Mr Finch, and certainly an instalment that will keep me going back for more. Thank goodness there is another book due for release later this year! Highly recommended book AND series.

P.S I think I am developing another fictional character crush

You Are Dead by Peter James (Roy Grace #11)

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Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: THEY WERE MARKED FOR DEATH. The last words Jamie Ball hears from his fiancée, Logan Somerville, are in a terrified mobile phone call. She has just driven into the underground car park beneath the block of flats where they live in Brighton. Then she screams and the phone goes dead. The police are on the scene within minutes, but Logan has vanished, leaving behind her neatly parked car and mobile phone. That same afternoon, workmen digging up a park in another part of the city, unearth the remains of a woman in her early twenties, who has been dead for 30 years.

At first, to Roy Grace and his team, these two events seem totally unconnected. But then another young woman in Brighton goes missing – and yet another body from the past surfaces. Meanwhile, an eminent London psychiatrist meets with a man who claims to know information about Logan. And Roy Grace has the chilling realization that this information holds the key to both the past and present crimes . . . Does Brighton have its first serial killer in over eighty years?

My Review: <HUGE sigh>, I’m not sure where to start. Peter James is a bit of a Legend in my eyes. He is one of those authors that everybody knows; the man is most certainly one of my favourites. The one small problem I have, and have continued to have with the last few books is the ongoing storyline involving his missing wife Sandy. Now for people wanting to start the series from the beginning and haven’t yet got around to it, please don’t carry on reading my review because it will no doubt contain spoilers (this also applies to people who haven’t read the latest book as things mentioned in my review refer to those events, and I HATE a spoiler.

Roy is back and is dealing with a number of big changes such as a new son, moving house and dealing with the loss of a colleague. To pick up a new Roy Grace feels like meeting up with old friends and this one is no different. Both Roy and Glen (his colleague) make these books along with a few favourites such as Norman Potting, and the ones I can’t stand such as Roy’s new boss Cassian. This new book actually opens with a pretty hair raising and dramatic abduction of Logan Somerville and the pace is pretty frantic in the beginning. In the same afternoon the discovery of remains underneath a path which look to be thirty years old mean that Grace and his team have a lot of work on.

The storyline was certainly woven with enough mystery and intrigue to keep me turning the pages and once again we see flashes of potential closure regarding Roy’s missing/presumed dead wife Sandy. As these parts of the story (albeit small parts) were revealed I was once again hoping that this element of the storyline would be concluded. Sadly, I was mistaken! Back to the main events in the book and it seems that Roy’s work life is overtaking his ability to control his personal life. I love the fact that we see both in this series. The other thing that I think is absolutely brilliant is that you get a real feel for the actual police work that Roy and his team have to go through. There is no magical ‘tah dah’ moment where Roy cracks the case as if by magic. It’s done and the story told with all of the team working and pulling their weight. This gives a real authenticity to the story as well as previous books which I love.

Sadly, I figured out part of the story towards the end but actually liked the way the story was wrapped up. However, the reason for the 4 stars and not 5 is this whole Sandy thing. I’m not entirely sure whether this is a conclusion to it, but am pretty sure it can’t be…can it? It was one of those moments that seem a little bit like a cliff-hanger. Or was this PJ’s way of closing the chapter on it all. Because I’m really not sure I don’t quite know how I feel. If this is PJ’s was of closing it, then I feel cheated. If it isn’t then I am so bored of waiting for it all to go belly up. Either way I am still a little bit confused. That aside, another really solid read once again from the main man!

REVIEW OF ONE MILE UNDER BY ANDREW GROSS

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Kat’s Rating: 4/5 (just!)

Synopsis: Leading a tour down the rapids outside Aspen, Colorado, whitewater guide Dani Haller comes across the body of a close friend. Refusing to believe it was an accident, Dani uncovers evidence that backs up her suspicions and takes her case to Wade Dunn, local police chief and her ex-stepfather. Wade insists the case is closed but Rooster, a hot-air balloon operator, claims he saw something that Dani needs to know. Before she can find out, however, Rooster plunges to his death in a fiery crash. Dani threatens to go public with her evidence, and finds herself thrown in jail. When ex-detective Ty Hauck receives word that his god-daughter is in trouble, he immediately jumps to her aid. Together he and Dani step foot into a sinister scheme running deep beneath the surface of a quiet, Colorado town that has made a deal with devil to survive.

Kat’s Review: I am a fan of both Andrew Gross and the character Ty Hauck. However, this is the first Ty Hauck book in 5 years and I admit I was a little nervous. After reading around 20% of the book I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Ty, but to be honest I wasn’t missing him. The main character Dani Haller is a feisty girl who works as a white-water guide. She comes across the body of a friend and is then like a dog with a bone, convinced that it was no accident. Dani is a great character and is gutsy and smart which always pulls me in. When Ty Hauck finally got a mention a fifty of the way I, I was quite surprised. It turns out that Dani is his God Daughter and he is the one that gets the phone call to go and help her out of the trouble she has landed herself in.

First off I had to try and reach the corners of my brain to work out what happened to Ty in the last instalment. Yu do get a brief overview but it wasn’t ringing any bells so I finally relented and went back and read my review to jog my memory. When Ty first appears it almost seems like he has had a bit of a personality transplant, either that or his extreme absence just hasn’t made my heart grow fonder! Anyhow, when he picks up Dani and gets collared with looking into the death of her friend it then starts to get interesting. There are certainly a lot of bad guys in this book and an awful lot of dodgy dealings and underhand tactics with a large corporation.

The last quarter of the book was much more ‘old-school’ Ty Hauck and it was much pacier and full of quite a few tensions and hair raising moments. Having said all of that, I struggled to rate this. Initially I wanted to give it 3, middle of the road but felt that the last part of the book more than made up for it so finally decided on a 4. I think my reluctance to be more positive is that I have come to the conclusion 5 years is too long to not read about a character (just in my opinion). It has been too long between books and I felt like it was meeting a new character all over again. There are numerous parts of this book that show just how awesome an author Andrew Gross is, but please Mr G….don’t leave Ty out for too long next time

The Wronged by Kimberley Chambers (Butlers #3)

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My Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: When the going gets tough, the Butlers get even… ‘Murdered in 1980 she was, bless her. Now I’ll tell you the story of everything that’s happened since…’ No parent should ever have to bury their child, but God knows the Butlers have buried more than their fair share. Now, Vinny and Michael are planning the downfall of all who’ve wronged them. The Butlers don’t forgive or forget, and they take their secrets to the grave. As yet more tragic events rip the family apart, loyalties are on a knife edge. Times are changing in the East End, and the brothers who have always stuck together are at each other’s throats. As the old saying goes – you keep your friends close, and your enemies closer… But you keep your family right where you can see them. Continue reading “The Wronged by Kimberley Chambers (Butlers #3)”

Only The Brave by Mel Sherratt (Allie Shenton #3)

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Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: When one of the notorious Johnson brothers is murdered and a bag of money goes missing, a deadly game of cat and mouse is set in motion. DS Allie Shenton and her team are called in to catch the killer, but the suspects are double-crossing each other and Allie has little time to untangle the web of lies. As she delves deeper into the case, things take a personal turn when Allie realises she is being stalked by the very same person who attacked her sister seventeen years ago and left her for dead.

*Please note that due to this book being part of a series, if you haven’t read the previous books and plan on doing so then don’t continue to read the review as it will inevitably contain spoilers*

Kat’s Review: I was so excited to get an early copy of the new Mel Sherratt, and especially pleased that it was another ‘Allie Shenton’ book. Taunting The Dead and Follow My Leader are books 1 and 2 respectively and I would strongly recommend you read the books in order. Allie is back and facing the worst possible scenario in her personal life. Her sister was attached 17 years prior and life has never been the same for her since. It seems that now, the person who attacked her sister is now targeting Allie. In addition to this the body of Jordan Johnson is found and typically it seems he has links to Terry Ryder (featured in previous book).

The big difference in this latest book is Allie herself. She seemed somehow more vulnerable than usual and maybe not as strong as in previous books (which isn’t always a bad thing). On the other side of the fence we meet all the neighbours living in the flats where Jordan’s body was found. It seems before long that there are numerous candidates and it seems there is more double-crossing going on than you can shake a stick at. The endless list of people who could be potential suspects are brilliant and I could picture each and every one of them. The other difference with this book is that it’s set over 24 hours so the chapters are started with the relevant time frame. I’m not that much of a fan of short time span books but this one worked well and had loads of pace and momentum.

Overall this was pretty much packed with all sorts of goings on and kept my interest right the way through. There are two storylines running throughout and for once this book finishes on something of a complete note. Hopefully this means that Allie will return fighting fit for another book and another new case. There is only one small thing that I consider a negative in this and previous books and that is Allie’s husband Mark. He doesn’t seem that prominent and to be honest would prefer that she got rid of him. I haven’t really felt like I connected with him as a character and he seems far too boring for her. The danger element of a man (such as in the last book) worked like a charm in my eyes. This is just a personal opinion but one that bugs me. Aside from the extremely boring husband another cracker for Mel Sherratt!

THE MOURNER BY SUSAN WILKINS (KAZ PHELPS #2)

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Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: If she can’t get justice, will she settle for vengeance? Kaz Phelps has escaped her brother and her criminal past to become an anonymous art student in Glasgow. But can life under the witness protection scheme ever give her the freedom she craves? Banged up and brooding, Joey Phelps faces thirty years behind bars. Still, with cash and connections on the outside, can an overstretched prison system really contain him? Helen Warner, once Kaz’s lawyer and lover, is a rising star in Parliament. But has she made the kind of enemies who have no regard for the democratic process, or even the law? Ousted from the police and paralysed by tragic personal loss, Nicci Armstrong is in danger of going under. Can a job she doesn’t want with a private security firm help her to put her life back on track? A murder dressed up as suicide and corruption that goes to the heart of government unite ex-cop and ex-con in a deadly quest to learn the truth. What they discover proves what both have always known – villainy is rife on both sides of the law.

My Review: I was really pleased that I had the second book by Susan Wilkins as I have only recently finished the first. I wanted to know what happened with Kaz and Nicci. Kaz Phelps is currently living in Glasgow under a different name. She was the one that helped put her brother Joey behind bars. However, when she hears news that Helen Warner, her one time lover and her lawyer had been found dead the first thing she did was return to London. We also catch up with Nicci Armstrong, the one-time copper who has suffered extreme personal tragedy. She is now working with one of her old colleagues in private security.

I was shocked with the opening of the story even though the synopsis makes it clear that Helenr Warner is the victim. I liked Helen and was sad to see her leave the story. However when Kaz decides to approach Helen’s long term partner Julia things get very interesting. As for Nicci, well she is just a fantastic character to read about. Sadly in the beginning we se her struggle as she is trying to remain working to stop herself from travelling down a grieving path which probably involves a lot of drinking. It makes you really root for her as she is fundamentally a good person who is struggling to come to terms with what has happened to her.

In the meantime, Kaz seems to be getting herself more and more involved and before long she crosses paths with people that work for Joey. The Joey element of the story was done really well and I was totally engrossed from start to finish. It felt like even as just the reader, you were taking part on the journey to get to the truth and you second guess every single person! There was so much going on that you didn’t know where each thread was taking you, but there are no un-necessary complications, just plenty of action and drama. Susan Wilkins certainly has that flair for writing, which I guess is why she is such a successful script writer! However, its more than that, she has slotted into this part of the genre, that gritty and realistic type book that grabs you at page one and refuses to put you down until the end.

I was surprised by the ending, but the end result was that if book 3 was ready and waiting I would have moved straight on to it, so I guess the desired result was met. If you haven’t read Susan Wilkins, take a look at her first book and I will guarantee you want to read the second. Can’t wait to see what she produces next!

Lifeless by Mark Billingham (Tom Thorne #5)

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Kat’s Rating: 3/5

Availability: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, Audio, Nook and Kobo

*Please note if you plan on reading the series in order, then do not continue reading this review as it will inevitably contain spoilers*

Synopsis: To his friends, his foes and even to himself it looks as though Tom Thorne’s career is on the skids. On his last case he had seriously over-stepped the mark, and now gardening leave has been suggested and all he has to tend is a window box. So when it appears someone is targeting London’s homeless community it seems perfectly natural for Thorne to take a step nearer to the gutter and go undercover amongst them. He blends into the sometimes invisible community easily – too easily perhaps – but the information he gleans quickly proves that this is no random killer, it is someone with a very distinct purpose and a very specific list of victims and only the team supporting Thorne from the outside don’t have the key to motive or identity. Then somehow the fact that a policeman is working undercover becomes public.

My Review: I like Tom Thorne, really I do…but for some reason this latest instalment was slow going. The premise sounded pretty good, but with the recent loss of his Dad, it seems Tom is somewhat on the edge. He is on Gardening leave, but when the opportunity comes up to go undercover within the London homeless community he can’t resist. The writing is fabulous and to be honest this book made me realise just how bad the homeless situation in this country really is. From that perspective Billingham has done a stellar job, however when it comes to Thorne, by the end all I wanted to do was slap him around the chops and tell him to get a grip.

The crux of this latest book is that it seems a killer is targeting homeless people. With the homeless community closing ranks Tom Thorne elects to become ‘homeless’ and befriend some of the people on the street with the hope of getting clues on what people know and have seen. I really like recurring characters and Tom’s colleague Dave Holland is no exception. It seems that even Holland is becoming tired of Thorne’s transformation. The story rumbled along and there were moments that the suspense ratcheted up, but then it seemed to die off and I didn’t feel the same oomph that I did when I read his first book Sleepyhead.

Overall, this latest instalment was a decent read, but certainly not enough to grab me by the short and curlies! I love the characters and MB’s writing is great, I just felt like this book lacked its normal magic, so I will hope that the next book recaptures that by the bucketload.

THE INFORMANT BY SUSAN WILKINS (KAZ PHELPS #1)

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Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Available: Kindle, Paperback, Audio, Kobo, Nook

Synopsis: As a drug-fuelled teenage tearaway, Kaz Phelps took the rap for her little brother Joey over a bungled armed robbery and went to jail.

Six years later she’s released on licence. Clean and sober, and driven by a secret passion for her lawyer, Helen, Kaz wants to escape the violence and abuse of her Essex gangster family. Joey is a charming, calculating and cold psychopath. He worships the ground Kaz walks on and he’s desperate to get her back in the family firm. All Kaz wants is a fresh start and to put the past behind her. When Joey murders an undercover cop, DS Nicci Armstrong is determined to put him behind bars. What she doesn’t realize is that her efforts are being sabotaged by one of their own and the Met is being challenged at the highest level. The final test for Kaz comes when her cousin, Sean, gets out of jail. He is a vicious, old-school thug and wants to show Kaz who is boss. Kaz may be tough enough to face down any man, but is she strong enough to turn her back on her family and go straight?

My Review: I was looking forward to this and had seen some pretty good reviews for it. The synopsis sounded very readable and I was pleased that I finally got around to it. First off it’s very readable, now I know that sounds like a silly thing to say but you know what I mean. The writing flows well and the book can be picked up and read with no effort. Realising that Susan Wilkins has moved from the world of script writing is no surprise. Kaz is the main character followed by her brother Joey. It seems Joey has been running the business while Kaz has spent a good few years in prison, for a crime her brother committed.

Kaz and Joey are complete opposites and it was easy to like Kaz as you see her struggle to get to grips with life on the outside. What makes it worse is that she wants to go straight, and Joey seems set on becoming more dangerous than he already is. I liked the copper Nicci Armstrong and thought her and Mal Bradley worked well together. There were a few threads going on within the story but each one held my interest. There was quite a lot of action and the story flowed well, held my interest and kept me reading, which I think I did in just a few sittings, and in a day and a half.

It has been left in such a way that the follow up is something you want to read but I still felt it had been wrapped up well enough and there was no major cliff-hanger. I was very pleased to realise that the second book by Susan Wilkins is out in May 2015 entitled The Mourner. It’s one that I think will be making it to my Kindle sooner rather than later. Certainly a cracking debut and an author I will be looking out for in the future

The Lie by C L Taylor

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Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Available: Released 23 April 2015 – Kindle, Paperback, Kobo, Nook

Synopsis: This was no accident…Haunting, compelling, this psychological thriller will have you hooked. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl and Daughter. I know your name’s not really Jane Hughes . . .Jane Hughes has a loving partner, a job in an animal sanctuary and a tiny cottage in rural Wales. She’s happier than she’s ever been but her life is a lie. Jane Hughes does not really exist. Five years earlier Jane and her then best friends went on holiday but what should have been the trip of a lifetime rapidly descended into a nightmare that claimed the lives of two of the women. Jane has tried to put the past behind her but someone knows the truth about what happened. Someone who won’t stop until they’ve destroyed Jane and everything she loves . . Continue reading “The Lie by C L Taylor”

A Cold Killing by Anna Smith (Rosie Gilmour #5)

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Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Crime reporter Rosie Gilmour returns from hiding in Bosnia to a story of a brutal execution. University lecturer Tom Mahoney was shot at point blank range, the killing has all the signs of a hit. But who would want to kill a retired lecturer? Rosie throws herself into the investigation, looking for a witness that has gone missing. A witness that might hold the key to the story. But she has her own reasons to stay hidden. As Rosie digs deeper, she finds the story has connections to the Ministry of Defence and MI6 and Mahoney’s past is darker than anyone could imagine. Rosie’s running out of time to find out the truth, before Mahoney’s killers silence her for good.

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!