Category: Crime, Thriller, Mystery

Pretty Little Things by Jilliane Hoffman

Pretty Little Things

My Rating: 5/5

Jilliane Hoffman was introduced to me originally by a friend and I read her first novel Retribution (2005) which I adored. However her next book didn’t come out until a year later (Last Witness – 2006) and another two years go by before another book gets released (Plea of Insanity – 2008) and after that I forgot about her because it is so unpredictable with the timings of her books. Therefore I couldn’t wait to get my grubby little paws on her latest thriller.

Pretty Little Things tells the story of Elaine Emerson know as Lainey. She is a normal girl except for the fact that she might as well be invisible in her own home. Her mother is too busy to know or care what she does, her little brother can do no wrong, her step-father is too busy at work and her elder sister no longer bothers coming home. So when Lainey is left to her own devices online, things go terribly wrong. With their recent house move and the loss of all of her school friends Lainey is finding it hard enough as it is to fit in at her new school, so when a handsome boy makes friends with her online she sees no reason why she shouldn’t meet up with him. For Lainey this is where it all goes wrong. Where she is taken and who has taken her she can’t say but she does know that she is scared and that she isn’t alone.

Bobby Dees is a Special Agent and when he gets that all too familiar phone call one morning he knows the coming weeks will be hell. Bobby is suffering with his own demons and his marriage is falling apart at the seams following the disappearance of his own daughter over a year ago. Still, he pushes his grief to one side and gets to work on his latest case involving the missing Lainey. Bobby soon realises that Lainey was pretty much left to her own devices and it doesn’t take long for him to figure out the last contact Lainey had was with somebody known only as El Capitan. The question is can he get to her before she winds up being another statistic?

Wow, I was really thrilled with this new book and finished it within a day and a half. It took me the usual two or three chapters to really absorb myself in the story but once there I couldn’t resist going back chapter upon chapter until before I knew it I was finished. The story is laid out really well with the story told from Bobby Dees, Lainey as well as the disturbed life of the man who has taken young Lainey. The chapters were written well enough for me to start fearing for my nieces growing up! Bobby Dees is written very well and you end up liking him and Jilliane Hoffman doesn’t go overboard with the sympathy vote for him which I liked. I cannot come up with one thing I didn’t like about this book and am only sad that I now don’t know how long I will have to wait for the next one!

Hard Girls by Martina Cole

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My Rating: 2/5

Martina Cole has been writing since 1992 and has produced some fantastic crime novels. Some of her work has been turned into TV Dramas and her most recent book turned TV Programme was The Take which attracted over 600,000 viewers in the first episode. Martina Cole Books have always been popular and many of them have reached number 1 in the Bestseller lists. I have read each and every book she has ever written and have been a fan for many years. However, in recent years I felt like she was losing that something special that she had in the first few books she produced. I was, like other fans, waiting with baited breath for her latest book that brings back characters that appeared in `Ladykiller’ and `Broken’.

DCI Kate Burrows is living with Patrick Kelly. Patrick is a former criminal that has changed his life after settling with Kate and going on the `straight’ to a certain degree. Kate is no longer working as a DCI full time but is still a consultant and is drafted in when a new case arises. When working girls are found murdered and brutally tortured, Kate realises that this is a little too close to home where Patrick is concerned. He may be on the straight and narrow but when working girls start turning up dead in houses that he rents out the case becomes incredibly personal. Subsequently Kate and Patrick separate after Kate has doubts about Pat’s involvement. The more time that passes, and the more girls that turn up. Each girl seems to be in a worse state than the last. DCI Annie Carr is the lead on the new case and Kate joins her in the bid to find the killer before they murder more of the working girls.

I am so undecided about this book. This took me a whole week to read, whereas normally I would read a Martina Cole book over a couple of days. I found myself constantly putting it down and reading something else (never a good sign). The characters seem to have changed completely since the last time we met them. Admittedly Kate and Patrick are both much older now but Kate Burrows ended up being a character I really didn’t like that much. The story itself was okay, that’s it just okay. There were no great drama’s or surprises in store and the killer is pretty obvious quite early on in the book. I also found that the storyline was much like Martina’s last book in that there is so much repetitiveness it makes me bored of reading it again…and again…..and again! The crime scenes seemed to be almost skipped over and there didn’t seem to de any depth to any storyline, whether it is a violent one or a murder that had happened.

Overall it wasn’t bad but I just found that it wasn’t a gripping enough read, the characters nowhere near as good as they used to be and her style of writing has changed. I was really hoping that her new book would be back to her `old style’ types where you literally couldn’t put the book down. Unfortunately it wasn’t and I find myself wondering whether Martina Cole has lost her touch. I am disappointed that somebody that in her heyday produced books that I couldn’t wait to read, has now produced something that makes me think I won’t bother with the new releases she brings out in the future. I will save my pennies for authors that I really love, and will probably wait until her new books are on special offer somewhere.

I, ALEX CROSS BY JAMES PATTERSON (ALEX CROSS #16)

My Review: 4/5

Alex Cross is a character that has been one of James Patterson’s longer running themes. He returns in this blockbuster along with a few familiar faces.

They are celebrating Alex’ birthday in the opening chapter, but as usual are interrupted with the phone call they always dread…Work! Alex and his long-time girlfriend Detective Briana Stone along with his kids Ali and Jannie (who live at home), and the ever faithful Nana are welcomed back. Nana and his children have been the one consistence in his life that has brought him stability, support and love, however his love for his job sometimes gets him putting his priorities the wrong way round. The call he receives becomes personal as Alex finds out that a killer has got to one of his own. His niece has been murdered and they want him in on the case. He throws himself into the case head first and discovers that this serial killer won’t be so easy to catch. This is no ordinary serial killer and Alex soon discovers that the whole case is wrapped up with some high rollers who are protected by those around them. That means breaking the rules and doing what needs to be done to catch the killer. Alex realises that to do his job he has to trust nobody and do things his own way.

I have on a few occasions’ mentioned that I was unsure what James Patterson was doing to quality of his own work, due to the sheer volume of novels he seems to produce or complete with a co-author. My opinion has been in the past that his novels (especially the Cross ones) seem to decline the more books he produces. This book showed me glimpses of some of the great work that he has produced in the past, however still left me undecided as to whether his work is back to its usual quality. His chapters are short and sharp but keep the pages turning. The story was a good one and flowed throughout, with the added bonus of ending the book on a great opening for the next one.

I did enjoy this and think it is better than his last Alex Cross Novel (Cross Country). However, although still an avid James Patterson fan I find that I am leaning towards his other follow on books with the lead character of Michael Bennett (e.g. Run for your life). I will continue to read James Patterson’s work and can only hope that the Alex Cross books continue to catch the audience. This book can be read as a standalone but I would advise that if you enjoy this, that you try some of his other earlier books.

SCARLET WOMAN BY JESSIE KEANE (ANNIE CARTER #3)

My Rating: 5/5

Jessie Keane has produced a series of books. They are all running along the crime/thriller end of the market with a strong female lead. We have yet to experience what else she has to bring.

This book is the follow up from book 1 (Dirty Game) and book 2 (Black Widow). Once again Annie Carter is back in London and trying to run her husbands business. It’s now the 70’s and her arch enemy’s the Delaney’s are still around and running the brothel that her good friend Dolly runs. When prostitutes start getting killed Annie gets involved, wanting to know who is involved. In doing that she gets herself caught up in the middle of a war and puts her own life at risk. One of close friend’s Chris Brown ends up being framed for the murders and Dolly want’s to do everything she can to clear his name. Not only does she have to find the culprit, but she is working against her own boys who don’t like answering to a woman. She is working at having to prove herself as the Boss and also manage looking after her business along with her young daughter Layla. When Constantine Barolli turns up it complicates the situation even further. He is a dangerous Mob Boss and Annie finds herself fighting off her real feelings for him in an attempt to keep her business at the top. Can she find the real killer before it is too late or will she end up having to identify another young girl?

This book was an absolute corker and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was well worth the wait for the final instalment in the Annie Carter books. I didn’t put this down once I’d started. The writing style and the fact that you know this is the conclusion keeps you turning page after page. The only negative is what to expect from Jessie Keane next. With her last three books being as good as they have been there are high expectations for the next one. I can’t wait!

Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo (Kate Burkholder #1)

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My Review: 5/5

Wow, what can I say? I picked up this book after reading the jacket info and let me tell you, it gives you no clue as to how good a read this book really is. The story is set in Painters Mill, a sleepy town which is both English and Amish. Kate Burkholder was born and raised Amish and then went against the grain and ended up as acting Police Chief in the same town that she was born and raised in. One night they get a call that is par for the course in a town like Painters Mill saying there are cows running loose. When one of Kate’s colleagues arrives he doesn’t find just loose cows on the road.

When Kate arrives on the scene she is greeted with a crime scene so horrific it will have the hairs on your arms standing on end. Kate isn’t sure whether she can deal with a case like this but vows to catch the killer. John Tomasetti is a cop that has had to deal with his own demons and he is drafted in to help with the case. When he meets Kate, he realises that not only is this case a reason to drag himself out of the hole he has been in the last year or so, but a time to delve into the troubled past of Kate Burkholder.

Together they work at not only solving the case and finding the killer, but dealing with their own secrets and troubled pasts. I can honestly say that I had no expectations for this book but was thoroughly engrossed (to the point that I missed my train stop because I was too busy finishing it). I loved the writing style and because of the Amish angle, found it quite a refreshing read as I haven’t read a book quite like this one before. The characters were good but maybe it would be nice to get more insight into Kate Burkholder but this still didn’t stop my enjoyment of the book. The last few chapters made for a fantastic ending too. Wonderful book and I look forward to the next one.

Fatal Legacy by Elizabeth Corley (Fenwick #2)

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My Rating: 4/5

We meet DCI Andrew Fenwick again who has featured in all of her books. This story is a complex case which involves the huge family run Wainwright business. Alan Wainwright, the owner of this empire is found dead and his death is ruled suicide. His only son is expecting to inherit his fortune but he, along with the rest of the Wainwright family are shocked, when half of his assets along with the company are left to Alan’s nephew Alex.

Alex is married to the elusive Sally who is certainly not popular with the family after a whirlwind romance and very quick wedding to Alex. When Fenwick initially looks at the case it seems that it is a simple case of family jealousy. When Graham starts investigating Alex’s wife, he doesn’t like what he finds. When a second Wainwright family member is found dead Fenwick smells the starting of a murder case. The only problem is that he has to prove it. He along with the trust sidekicks Cooper and Nightingale throw themselves into the case head first. The story takes a turn for the worse when Fenwick’s family are directly involved.

Unfortunately for me, I read Corley’s books in the wrong order and I think this has maybe had an impact on my opinion of this book. I enjoyed Requim Mass which was her first novel and felt that the storyline was the strongest thing. However, my second book was then Grave Doubts which I gave a 5 star to and I absolutely loved. In reading Fatal Legacy I was in fact going back one step. I felt that the characters were under-developed (which is maybe why I enjoyed Grave Doubts so much) and that we didn’t really get to know Fenwick, Cooper and Nightingale all that well.

Aside from the characters themselves, the storyline was great (as usual), if like I said before a little complex. The book is based largely around the financial aspects of the company and Fenwick working out if the case is as simple as `Murder for Money’. Corley’s descriptions of settings and scenarios are excellent and when you can feel the Detectives getting closer to the answers you can almost feel the tension rising in your body. In my (limited) opinion this makes for fantastic reading! Like her other books I felt I had to really involve myself in the story so I knew exactly who everybody was.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I would only give it 3.5 out of 5. The reason for this is that because I have read Grave Doubts (the follow up to this story); I know just how good her writing can be. I am now eagerly anticipating reading her latest book Innocent Blood. I think that with her development of the characters in the follow up book and her great storytelling her latest one should be an absolute corker.

Evil At Heart by Chelsea Cain (Sheridan & Lowell #3)

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My Review: 4/5

 Having never read Chelsea Cain I had not read the first and second instalment in the “Gretchen Lowell” series however this didn’t’ make the slightest bit of difference. There is enough history about the characters to be able to get a feel for the previous 2 books in this current story. Having said that I think I would like to go back and read the other two to get the bigger picture.

The story picks up with Archie Sheridan who is busy facing his own personal demons when Henry Sobol his old partner comes along and shatters his world with the news he has been hoping he won’t get. The serial killer who made Archie’s life hell and had escaped was not only on the run but was now back on the warpath and murdering once again.

Susan Ward is a journalist who found herself involved in the last case between Gretchen and Archie and finds herself once again embroiled into the dark world of murder. Between them they follow various murder victims to what they hope will be Gretchen’s hiding place. The murders themselves are quite gruesome in detail and not for the squeamish or faint hearted. WE learn quite a bit about Susan who is a fantastic character. She is a reporter/journalist who is quite feisty and tends to not listen when told she cannot do something. Her and Archie spend an awful lot of time together chasing demons and both getting caught out in situations they shouldn’t have been in, in the first place.

The finale of this book was great and without giving any spoilers Archie is faced head on with all his demons at once and by the final chapter I was already wondering when the next instalment is out. Although I wouldn’t rate this as one of my favourite crime thrillers I thought this was a fantastic read and would definitely recommend.

Requiem Mass by Elizabeth Corley (DCI Fenwick #1)

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My Rating: 4/5

We meet DCI Andrew Fenwick who is back to work following the break up of his marriage under awful circumstances. He is trying to manage his family on his own with the help of his mother when he goes back to work and is given the mundane task of desk duty. Before long he moves on to a new case which takes him away from the desk and straight into the firing line.

It involves five school friends who twenty years earlier were on a school trip when tragedy struck and one of those girls was killed in a freak accident. He has the help of WDC Louise Nightingale and Cooper who both prove to be valuable assets to the case. When Fenwick, Nightingale and Cooper realise that the women involved are now on a hit list they have to race against time to try and track down the man responsible before all of these women become victims.

Will they manage to do it or will Fenwick’s next call be a to attend a new murder scene? I enjoyed this book and felt that I got to know the characters Fenwick along with his two officers working on the case with him, Nightingale and Cooper. However if I am honest I struggled a couple of times where the book got quite detailed (hence the 4 star, although if I could it would have been 4.5 out of 5) but it didn’t deter me and I finished the book with a sense of satisfaction. Corley is very detailed in her descriptions of crime scened which both thrilled and scared me in equal measures. I am a fan of crime authors that use the same characters and create a series so I am pleases I have found a new author. I already have the next Corley/Fenwick book lined up which I have already started

Cut Short by Leigh Russell (Geraldine Steel #1)

226x346 (3)My Rating: 3/5

I read this book based on its review for a book that I may have normally overlooked. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found that it got a lot better the further into the book I got. The beginning was a little slow but picked up pace. As a reader I wanted to know a lot more about the character. In this debut novel we meet Geraldine Steel who has taken a DI position in Woolmarsh. She is thrown into the deep end with a serial killer on the loose who is preying on young girls walking in the nearby park. The great thing about this book is we see the serial killers actions as well as that of the police. We meet Geraldine’s boss Kathryn Gordon and her colleague Ian Peterson. The only thing I would say is that I am hoping in the follow up we find out more about Kathryn and Ian, as well as finding out a lot more about Geraldine herself. Would definitely recommend.

BLACK WIDOW BY JESSIE KEANE (Annie Carter #2)

My Review: 5/5

 This second book in the follow up from book 1 (Dirty Game), starts out in Spain with Max and Annie living the perfectly quiet life with their daughter Layla. Annie Bailey is now Mrs Annie Carter and she loves her life as a happily married woman. Max’ brother Jonjo is also there and they are all enjoying the sun until everything goes blank for Annie. When she comes round there is no sign of Max, Jonjo is dead and her daughter missing. Armed with nothing but her determination and her passport, a phone call sends her on a plane and back to London.

She resorts to staying with her good friend Dolly who runs a brothel to try and work out the mess she is in. Staying there is a dangerous game as it is also in the middle of the Delaney’s patch. With the Delaney’s being the Carters enemy and arch rival Annie has to carve out her own niche with her husbands firm. Annie has to gain respect from all the boys on the firm to stand a chance at getting her daughter back. Will she be able to, or is it already too late?

Jessie Keane has created a book with characters that you end up loving and loathing in equal measures. I found that the book was so easy to read and follow. The plots were all linked together without being too intricate and it was a very exciting read from start to finish. The opening few chapters are explosive. We pick up from where the previous book left off and this book left me wanting to find out what happens next for Annie Carter. This was certainly left with room for more and that’s exactly what I am now waiting for. Am eagerly anticipating her third book and would highly recommend Jessie Keane. If you are a Martina Cole, Mandasue Heller or June Hampson fan this is something you will love.