Category: Crime, Thriller, Mystery

Wanted by Emlyn Rees (Danny Shanklin #2)

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My Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Hunted by 9 international Intelligence Agencies for a terrorist atrocity he did not commit, hostage negotiator Danny Shanklin is now the world’s most WANTED man, with a reward of $10,000,000 being offered for his capture dead or alive.

Trapped in a deadly race against the clock, as well as protecting his family, Danny’s got to track down the terrorists who framed him. And stop them before they get their hands on 6 lethal smallpox formulations, any one of which could trigger a global pandemic, which would leave only 1 in 3 people alive.

With just a 7 foot Ukrainian mercenary and a ruthless female assassin hell-bent on avenging her father’s death to help him, Danny soon finds himself being forced into becoming both predator and prey as he desperately tries to win the fight of his life.

My Review: This latest book by Emlyn Rees is the second in the Danny Shanklin series. I liked the first book and the writing is fantastic, but…I had the sinking feeling with book one of “I’ve been here and read this before”. I had high hopes with the second book, and although it was a solid read I found that by the end it just felt like that special something was missing. Having said that it was still an incredibly fast paced book that kept me turning the pages.

Danny Shanklin is on the run, following a terrorist atrocity, which he was framed for. From the very beginning you go in at full pelt with more than one thread to follow. Danny has to follow the threat of a deadly virus falling into the wrong hands. In addition to this a ruthless and evil killer who goes by the name The Director is also chasing Danny. I absolutely loved Danny’s sidekick named Spartak and thought he added to the story in a big way.

The other really great thing about this book is that it keeps you thinking about the next turn and there are plenty of plot twists to keep you guessing. I finished this book in a day and a half and it has that high octane kind of energy about it. I’m trying to really pinpoint what it is I thought was missing and I really cant work out what it is. The writing is first class, and I really like the character of Danny Shanklin. The stories are always well thought out and well paced, so in all honesty I can’t explain why I feel like that. I think that with the addition of more books in this series they can only get better. It really was an enjoyable book and certainly one for fans of the Simon Kernick kind of books, so definitely recommended.

The Burning Girl by Mark Billingham (Tom Thorne #4)

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My Rating: 3/5

Availability: Hardback, Paperback, Kindle, Nook and Kobo

Synopsis: A MAN WHO KILLS FOR MONEY

X marks the spot – and when that spot is a corpse’s naked back and the X is carved in blood, DI Tom Thorne is in no doubt that the dead man is the latest victim of a particularly vicious killer.

A BRUTAL VENDETTA

This is brutal turf warfare between north London gangs. Organised crime boss Billy Ryan is moving into someone else’s patch, and that someone is not best pleased.

A COP WHO IS PLAYING WITH FIRE

And when an X is carved on DI Tom Thorne’s front door, he knows the smouldering embers of this case are about to erupt into flames…

 My Review: I have thoroughly enjoyed the Thorne series up until now, however I have to be honest and say that I struggled a little bit with this latest book (the 4th in the series).  The writing itself is still great although in this particular book I found it more difficult to get into the story. When corpses appear with an X marked into their skin, Thorne is as usual tied up with the case. Enter the organized crime Boss Billy Ryan and the stage is set. However, for some reason the booked lacked the spark that previous books have had.

Recurring characters such as Chamberlain and Tughan appeared but I just felt like they didn’t go anywhere. I’m actually struggling to review this book as although it was far from terrible, it almost felt like it was written in a hurry or without any real spark, which is certainly a world away from the usual Billingham style. The chapters flowed relatively well but the overall feeling was that it was failing to spark any real interest, beyond completing another stage of the Thorne books.

I’m still certainly a fan of Chamberlain and hope we continue to see her in future books. However, I was disappointed with the lack of characters featured such as Holland and Hendricks. It may sound like I am being really picky and I promise you I’m not. I’m sadly failing to be all that articulate either, but I think you get the gist. Overall, it seems like this book was solidly written but lacked it’s usual oomph! Having said that I will eagerly move onto book 5 as soon as my ridiculously long reading list allows!

Unlucky 13 by James Patterson (Womens Murder Club #13)

My Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: When two dead bodies are found inside a wrecked car on the Golden Gate Bridge, Detective Lindsay Boxer doubts that it will be anything as simple as a traffic accident.

The scene is more gruesome than anything she has seen before. It definitely wasn’t the crash that killed these people.

While Lindsay starts to piece this case together, she gets a call she wasn’t expecting. Sightings of her ex-colleague-turned-ruthless-killer Mackie Morales have been reported.

Wanted for three murders, Mackie has been in hiding since she escaped from custody. But now she’s ready to return to San Francisco and pay a visit to some old friends.

My Review: My last few books in this series have been something of a let down. However, this latest instalment has somewhat restored some of my previous faith in these Patterson books. It seems that Lindsay Boxer has returned somewhat to her previous personality. What at first appears to be a routine accident on the Golden Gate Bridge, actually turns out to be the start of a disturbing case. The victims look like they have ingested bombs. Lindsey and Richie need to work out who and why.

In addition to this, we see Yuki (2nd of the 4 WMC) get married to Brady (who also happens to be Lindsay’s boss). As they go off on their honeymoon, it appears that another thread to the story emerges with an attack on their Cruise ship. If that wasn’t enough then the return of Mackie Morales is the thread to complete the lot. Mackie was an ex-colleague of Lindsay’s who turned out to be a ruthless killer. She is now back and looking for her revenge. It seems that while Mackie is back, Cindy (the 3rd in the 4 of the WMC) is chasing her right back to give her, hopefully, the biggest story of her career in journalism. It appears that Clare (the 4th of the WMC) didn’t want to make much of an appearance.

The writing style is the usual short and sharp affair, which always maintains my interest. Although there are three threads to the story the downside was that it at times appeared a little disjointed. That aside, I thought it was pretty pacey and the reintroduction of Mackie Morales made for a pretty exciting story too. I think the series is a far cry from being where it was in the early days, however this latest book I think is a big improvement on some of the others.

Now You See Me by Sharon Bolton (Lacey Flint #1)

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My Rating: 4/5

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

Synopsis: Despite her life-long fascination with the infamous Jack the Ripper, young London policewoman Lacey Flint has never worked a murder case or seen a corpse up close. Until now…

As she arrives at her car one evening, Lacey is horrified to find a woman slumped over the door. She has been brutally stabbed, and dies in Lacey’s arms.

Thrown headlong into her first murder hunt, Lacey will stop at nothing to find this savage killer.

But when Lacey receives a familiar letter, written in blood, pre-fixed Dear Boss, and hand-delivered, it is clear that a Ripper copycat is at large. And one who is fixated on Lacey herself. Can this inexperienced detective outwit a killer whose role model has never been found?

My Review: Once again I have embarked on a new series this time by Sharon Bolton. Our lead character is a trainee with the Met Police and her background is more chequered than you can imagine. Lacey Flint (great name for a character me thinks) is young and inexperienced. When she arrives at her car one evening to find a woman slumped on the ground and bleeding she realises that she cannot save her, and the woman subsequently dies in her arms. As she inadvertently becomes drawn into the case surrounding the woman, things take a murky turn.

The first quarter of the book was a little hard going for me. Certainly not in terms of the writing style, I just wasn’t too sure what to make of Lacey. The additional characters that appear such as Mark Joesbury and Dana Tulloch were absolute peaches and I loved them both from the start. The plot of the book and subsequent murders revolves around some sort of copycat from the Jack the Ripper cases. The book was clearly researched well from this perspective but to be honest the writing style and plot twists were enough to keep me hooked alone. As the book progresses the story gets much more intricate and the layers begin to peel back to show just what Lacey is hiding. As each layer was peeled back I found myself liking her more and more.

In addition to this the crime scenes aren’t short on descriptive gore which make it all the more realistic. The book is packed full of twists and is certainly not short on action. The last half of the book just flew by and just when I thought I had all the answers it turned out I was wrong. The ending gives the reader that real urge to just carry on reading (which I love) and I immediately downloaded book 2. I think this has the potential to turn out to be an extremely engaging and addictive series…I’m looking forward to it.

The Killing Club by Paul Finch (Mark Heckenburg #3)

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My Rating: 4/5

Availability: Paperback & Kindle, Nook and Kobo (available 22nd May 2014),

Synopsis: DS Mark ‘Heck’ Heckenburg is used to bloodbaths. But nothing can prepare him for this. Heck’s most dangerous case to date is open again. Two years ago, countless victims were found dead – massacred at the hands of Britain’s most terrifying gang.

When brutal murders start happening across the country, it’s clear the gang is at work again. Their victims are killed in cold blood, in broad daylight, and by any means necessary. And Heck knows it won’t be long before they come for him.

Brace yourself as you turn the pages of a living nightmare. Welcome to The Killing Club.

My Review: Paul Finch’s series of books featuring DS Mark Heckenburg (otherwise known as Heck) started with book one featuring a nasty bunch of killers named The Nice Guys. The Nice Guys were a horrific bunch of people who ran a ‘rape-for-hire’ business catering to the most sadistic of men. In the first of the series (entitled Stalkers) only one person ended up being behind bars and that was Peter Rochester. Between Heck’s boss DS Gemma Piper and the lead guy Frank Tasker, part of the Serious Crime Unit they are desperately trying to get some insider knowledge from him, with a view to shutting down the Nice Guys for good.

What actually happens is that they manage to set off a chain event which is nothing short of an absolute cluster fuck. As with Finch’s previous books there are more bodies than most people have hot dinners. In addition to this you get a serving of violence, a handful of plot twists and a dash of gore. The book certainly ratchets up the dial in terms of suspense and it’s incredibly fast paced. The writing was great and you feel yourself being pulled into the story for the very beginning.

For me though, it’s all about the characters. Now Mark Heckenburg on paper appears like many other typical Crime leads (especially where coppers are concerned). I have now realised (by the very end of this book) that Heck is a little bit special. He may appear to be like many others on paper, but in reality this is a bloke that actually doesn’t give a shit either way. Heck has some serious attitude, without appearing cocky. This latest Heck book also takes him head first into the danger zone and although he is by no means Rambo, the boy can look after himself. One thing I noted (and loved) was that there were a few situations where you realise Heck is almost at the point of giving up, and sometimes he just gets lucky. It’s nice when there isn’t always a character solving an issue because he knows everything, he is just damn lucky.

There were loads of plot twists and believe me you wont have time to put this one down and ‘go back to it’. Its one of those you just have to keep reading. I thought this was a great book absolutely packed full of action and a thoroughly enjoyable read. However, Stalkers still holds the edge as my favourite out of the three. The ending to this latest book was also fabulous and it’s made me want to read the next one even more.

Sacrifice by Paul Finch (Mark Heckenburg #2)

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My Rating: 4/5

Availability: Paperback, Kindle, Audio, Nook & Kobo

Synopsis: Innocent people are dying. Who will be next?  A vicious serial killer is holding the country to ransom, publicly – and gruesomely – murdering his victims.

When a man is burnt alive on a bonfire, it seems like a tragic Guy Fawkes Night accident. But with the discovery of a young couple on Valentine’s Day – each with an arrow through the heart – something more sinister becomes clear. A ‘calendar killer’ is on the loose.

Detective Mark ‘Heck’ Heckenburg is up against it. With a rising body count and the public’s eyes on him, Heck must find the killer before he executes more victims. Because this killer has a plan. And nothing will stop him completing it.

My Review: I read the first book by Paul Finch in this series entitled ‘Stalkers’ and absolutely LOVED it! I was really looking forward to reading the second in this series. Detective Mark Heckenburg is a bloody brilliant character. He is (well in my head anyway) very attractive in that ‘just got out of bed way’ and has a very defiant nature (what more could a woman ask forJ). Mark Heckenburg is known simply as Heck and in this latest offering is part of a team tracking down a vicious serial killer. This particular serial killer is a little different as he likes his kills to be shared with the public.

As ever the scenes described are brutally descriptive and totally engaging! The story certainly has the pace and drama but for some reason I felt that a couple of parts in the book were hard going, it just seemed a little too scripted, but that certainly didn’t deter from the overall enjoyment of the book. I really like some of the recurring characters in this series such as Gemma Piper who Heck happens to have been in a brief relationship with in the past. I must say one thing I like about Paul Finch book is that I get the feeling nobody is safe. I think he may well be a writer that will like to take major chances with characters so I am always on guard when reading wondering who he is going to kill off nextJ

The only other thing I didn’t like about this book was the last scene involving the serial killer felt a little too ‘convenient’ but other than that small factor I was kept pretty much on the edge of my seat right up until the end. Although I didn’t like this as much as I did Stalkers, I am absolutely ready for book 3. Mr Finch appears to be challenging my latest fictional crush (currently Sean Blacks character Ryan Lock) and reeling me in to maybe feel the same about Heck. Mmmmmm, book 3 may well make my mind up!

Lost Souls by Neil White (McGanity and Garrett #2)

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My Rating: 3/5

Availability: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, Nook and Kobo

Synopsis: A woman is found brutally murdered on a quiet housing estate, her tongue and eyes ritualistically gouged out.

Children are being abducted and then returned to their family’s days later without a scratch and with no knowledge or where they have been – or with whom. If DC Laura McGanity thought moving from London to sleepy Lancashire was taking the easy option then she can think again. Already worried about uprooting young son Bobby to follow her reporter boyfriend Jack Garrett back to his hometown, she must quickly get a handle on these mystifying cases terrifying the people of Blackley – without putting the local officers’ noses out of joint.

Meanwhile, restless Jack is itching to get back to his writing and the cases provide the perfect opportunity to do so. But as he delves deeper into them, he finds murky connections between the two crimes and skeletons buried in the most unlikely of closets.

Most astonishing of all, he meets a man who ‘paints’ the future – terrible events come to him in vivid dreams which he then puts onto canvas. This ‘precognition’ is not so much a gift as a curse and to Jack it becomes terrifyingly that many people, including his own family, are in danger…

My Review: I enjoyed the first book in this series and was looking forward to getting stuck in to book 2. This time around Laura and Jack have relocated from London back up to Lancashire and are starting afresh. I liked both Jack and Laura in the first book and nothing has changed since then. They are easy to read characters and the writing has a nice easy flow about it. The opener of this latest book sets the scene for what Laura will have to deal with working alongside new colleagues in her job as a police officer.

Laura’s colleague on the job Pete was a really good character and one that I hope I get to see again. However, nobody else within the book made that much of an impression on me. The storyline was certainly okay, but in my opinion it didn’t feel strong enough. That may sound slightly ‘wishy-washy’ but it’s the only description I can think of. There is quite a lot of action and when the characters are introduced they all seem to interlink somewhere along which certainly kept me interested. I just couldn’t help but feel like something was missing and whatever that something was, it just didn’t make the story that memorable for me.

Jack and Laura obviously clash heads within their personal lives due to the nature of their respective careers. However, with that in mind I couldn’t help but feel like that rule only applied when the story suited. Overall, I am finding this review hard to write, or even explain in any great details. What I will say is that it’s certainly not a bad book, just one that could do with being better. Seeing as Neil White has such a great following and has gone on to write another 3 in this series I will certainly be continuing in the hope that the next book doesn’t leave me feeling the same way.

Betrayed by Anna Smith (Rosie Gilmour #4)

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My Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: You don’t mess with Rosie Gilmour and get away with it. 

Crime reporter Rosie Gilmour is back at The Post, bruised and battered from her last investigation but determined to find missing barmaid Wendy Graham. 

Convinced that Wendy is the key to an explosive new story, Rosie’s search leads her deep into the dangerous world of Glasgow’s Ulster Volunteer Force. This time Rosie will find herself at the mercy of the most vicious gangsters she’s ever encountered. Has she met her match?

My Review: I have really enjoyed this series so far and was really looking forward to this instalment. Thankfully I was in for a real treat and it took me no time to catch up with the wonderful Rosie Gilmour. This is Anna Smith’s fourth book in the series and it appears she is now at full throttle. We catch up with Rosie after her last investigation (Book 3) and she is now back at work and ready to go. When barmaid Wendy Graham goes missing, Rosie starts to delve into it and as usual finds herself in a situation where she may have to take a few risks. I immediately loved the fact that we get to see Rosie back in her normal day to day job, and her colleagues and friends make appearances once again making you feel you know her that bit better with each book you read.

The subject matter in this latest book delves into matters concerning Glasgow’s UVF and it’s not a pretty picture. I think its times like this, where Anna’s history as a journalist shine through. When Rosie begins to dig deeper into the UVF, she comes across more people involved in both the UVF, and Wendy’s life. Eddie, Jimmy and Mitch are the three main characters within the UVF which catch her attention, and as ever her search for the story takes her into dangerous waters.

The book takes us from Scotland to Spain and once more we get to see the people that help Rosie try to get her story. Matt her work colleague as always goes with her and we also see the return of Adrian. Adrian has appeared in her previous book and I am SO glad that we saw his return in this current one. I just hope that we get to see more of him again? The storyline dragged me in from the beginning and it kept me hooked from start to finish. Rosie is fast becoming a firm favourite of mine and I just cant wait to see what happens to her next. We see a smaller proportion of Rosie’s personal life, but in a strange way….you get to see how she feels about things pretty much all the way through the book.

I can honestly say that this book was a first class read. It has everything I want from a Crime book and more. Great characters, bundles of drama and characters you love to hate. The writing is top notch and I think this is by far her best book to date. I absolutely loved this latest Gilmour book and would suggest if you haven’t read any of them you get started with book one in the series….I sincerely doubt you will regret it!

Review of Everything to Lose by Andrew Gross

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My Rating: 3/5

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

 Synopsis: WHEN YOU HAVE EVERYTHING TO LOSE, YOU STOP PLAYING BY THE RULES

 Hilary Cantor’s life is falling apart. She has lost her job, is about to lose her house, and is running out of money to care for her young son with Asperger’s syndrome.

But when Hilary is first on the scene of a fatal car accident, she finds a satchel full of cash on the backseat – enough to solve all of her problems. Her split-second decision has devastating consequences…

Because the money she takes is at the heart of a conspiracy involving murder, blackmail and a powerful figure who’ll do anything to keep the past buried. They don’t just want their money back: they want Hilary’s life – and that of her son…

My Review: I really struggled over the rating of this book. I am a huge Andrew Gross fan and was dithering between 3/5 and 4/5. Sadly after thinking about it, this latest release just didn’t cut it for me. Although, having said that, this is entirely a personal choice and is also based upon his previous work. Hilary Cantor is the lead character in this book and her life seems to be literally falling apart at the seams. Her son has Aspergers Syndrome and she has been left to deal with that and her mounting debts by her ex.

She is involved in a car accident and as a subsequence ends up making a very costly mistake with somebody else’s money. The fact that Hillary finds and decides to keep the half a million dollars is the start of a pretty obvious story, being that the original recipients want it back. What follows is Hillary’s fight to keep both her and her son alive. The first thing I think I struggled with was the character of Hilary as I just didn’t particularly like her. There are other elements to this story following the major Storm, which involves people losing their homes, and a subsequent plot weave involving gangsters and shady politicians.

The writing is as sharp as ever but for me the key elements were missing. The fact that I didn’t like the lead character is always a negative for me. Add on to that the fact that the story was too far fetched (even by my standards) dropped my opinion even more. I am actually a huge Andrew Gross fan and normally love his books, but this one just wasn’t up to par.

It’s pretty obvious that the book is most certainly readable (I read it in just under a day and a half) and for some they will really love this. For me, I still miss the Ty Hauck books (Andrew Gross series of books), and this just wasn’t as good as some of his other stand alone books. I can only hope that this was just not a good fit for me and his next book is as awesome as some of his others.

The Accident by C L Taylor

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My Rating: 4/5

Availability: Paperback, Kindle, Kobo and Nook (entitled Before I Wake)

Synopsis: Sue Jackson has the perfect family but when her teenage daughter Charlotte deliberately steps in front of a bus and ends up in a coma she is forced to face a very dark reality.

Retracing her daughter’s steps she finds a horrifying entry in Charlotte’s diary and is forced to head deep into Charlotte’s private world. In her hunt for evidence, Sue begins to mistrust everyone close to her daughter and she’s forced to look further, into the depths of her own past.

Sue will do anything to protect her daughter. But what if she is the reason that Charlotte is in danger?

My Review: Cally Taylor is certainly not new to the writing scene and has written two romantic comedy books under that name; however The Accident is her first in the suspense/thriller genre. The synopsis sounded pretty good and I was looking forward to getting stuck in. The story opens up with Sue Jackson visiting her daughter as she lies helplessly in a coma. Sue and her husband Brian have no idea why their teenage daughter Charlotte deliberately stepped in front of a bus resulting in her current state.

The writing was great from the very beginning and I found myself very drawn into the story. Sue is convinced that her daughter would not have deliberately stepped in front of a bus and is determined to get to the bottom of it. What follows is a woman’s determination to get to the truth no matter what the cost. The tension was pretty high especially as the book progresses. In addition to this storyline we get to read chapters of Sue’s past which goes a long was to explaining her current state of mind. Cally Taylor has gone all out to put you in the shoes of a Mother who is distraught and has to find the truth, and I think she has done that magnificently.

The past stories involving Sue and her ex James made you question the current situation even more. At times I even questioned Sue’s mental state wondering if her imagination was going into overdrive or if the things she had seen and heard were real. In just under a day and a half I had got to the last part of the book, but must admit the final few chapters left me feeling a little disappointed. I think the ending smacked of convenience too much for my liking and I was a little annoyed by that. With that to one side there is no way I could have rated it less than 4 as the writing and suspense was certainly up where it should have been. I for one will be looking out for future works by Cally in this genre and look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.