Best Crime Books and More

The Mum Who Got Her Life Back by Fiona Gibson

Synopsis: When her 18-year-old twins leave for university, single mum Nadia’s life changes in ways she never expected: her Glasgow flat feels suddenly huge, laundry doesn’t take up half her week, and she no longer has to buy ‘the Big Milk’. After almost two decades of putting everyone else first, Nadia is finally taking care of herself. And with a budding romance with new boyfriend Jack, she’s never felt more alive.

That is, until her son Alfie drops out of university, and Nadia finds her empty nest is empty no more. With a heartbroken teenager to contend with, Nadia has to ask herself: is it ever possible for a mother to get her own life back? And can Jack and Nadia’s relationship survive having a sulky teenager around?

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: I really enjoyed this book and it made for a nice light-hearted read. Nadia is finally in a position where her twins go off to University and she is left with nobody but herself to answer to. She has her first relationship with a great guy named Jack and things seem to be going swimmingly…until her son Alfie drops out and returns home.

Suddenly her life is just not the same as she battles to try and keep things on an even keel. There are some real laugh out loud moments in this book which I think many people will relate to and I found myself chuckling on several occasions. The story tells a very relatable tale to many which makes the reader really will Nadia on to make the right decisions.

This book took me no time at all to finish and one that I would definitely recommend for a bit of escapism.

The Importance of Being Me by Caroline Grace-Cassidy

The Importance Of Being Me Synopsis: Thirty-eight-year-old divorcee Courtney Downey has no idea who she is any more. She has devoted her life to bringing up her beloved 15-year-old daughter Susan, but Courtney just doesn’t get the celebrity-obsessed, Snapchat-filtered teenage world Susan is part of, and they’re growing apart. When Susan announces she wants to live with her dad and his new, younger girlfriend, Courtney is devastated. But could the end of one life be the beginning of another?

When Courtney is offered a job in beautiful, sun-kissed Cornwall, she and her vivacious best friend Claire follow their hearts and leave their problems behind for a summer of sand, sea and second chances. And when she meets sexy but infuriating builder Tony, Courtney rediscovers her passions for life, for cooking and for love.

But just as Courtney is finally looking to the future, a crisis with Susan pulls her back to Dublin, and back into old habits. Will she ever be able to let go of the past and embrace the importance of being herself?

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: I have only read I think one other Caroline Grace-Cassidy book and am certain I enjoyed it so have become determined to read some books on my Kindle that have been waiting for ages for me to read. The synopsis seemed okay for this story but I didn’t have any pre-conceived opinions and I was so happy I decided to read this as I really enjoyed it.

I did have a couple of niggles with the characters but aside from that this story really does highlight a theme of looking after yourself. Courtney is the lead character and is in her late 30’s with a teenage daughter Susan and an ex-husband. Courtney has spent her whole life devoted to her daughter and always putting her first, however when Susan announces she wants to live with her Dad and his new partner her life seems to have turned on its head.

She decides to take a chance and take a temporary job assignment down in Cornwall. Along with her closest friend Claire who also has her own problems they decide to take the bull by the horns. I admit I didn’t particularly have too much sympathy for Courtney in the beginning as she seemed such a doormat, however as the story progressed she grew on me.

By the halfway mark I was totally engrossed and the last half of the book absolutely flew by. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting but thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it.

No Safe Place by Patricia Gibney (Lottie Parker #4)

Synopsis: As funeral mourners stand in silence at Ragmullin cemetery, a deafening cry cuts through the air. Lying crumpled at the bottom of an open grave is the bloodied body of a young woman, and Detective Lottie Parker is called in to investigate.

Knowing the body can’t have been there long, Lottie wonders if it could be Elizabeth Bryne, a young woman who vanished without trace just days earlier. And with a new boss who seems to have it in for her, Lottie is under pressure to solve both cases quickly.

As two more women go missing from Ragmullin, Lottie and her team fear there is a serial killer on the loose. And the disappearances are strikingly similar to a cold case from ten years earlier. Could history be repeating itself?

As journalists begin to interfere with Lottie’s investigation, she fears the killer is about to strike again. Lottie is in a race against time to find the missing women, but the killer is closer than she thinks. Could Lottie be his next target?

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: I am very involved with this series now and know that I will continue to read until I am totally up to date (only 4 more to go!). After the end of the last series I wasted no time in launching straight into this book. An open grave is the opener for this storyline and as usual Lottie’s trusty colleague Boyd is by her side. In addition her colleagues Lynch and Kirby are back in addition to a new but familiar boss!

The storyline was more engaging than the last book but in this book we once again delve into the characters and their personal lives more. Lottie has her three children, her grandson and her Mother to deal with, and in addition we meet Boyd’s sister Grace! There are a lot of elements to this story and it kept me engaged from start to finish.

Once I had finished this I literally opened page one of book 5…and then stopped myself. I decided to break it up with another genre so will eagerly go back to book 5 in a few days. This series is getting stronger with each book that is released and I would certainly recommend it.

The Lost Child by Patricia Gibney (Lottie Parker 3)

The Lost Child Synopsis: ‘Let me out! Please…’ My tiny fists pound the door, but my voice reverberates off the stone walls and hangs in the air as if suspended by spider’s webs. No one comes…

Years later, a woman is found face-down in a pool of blood. Detective Lottie Parker is called to the remote farmhouse in the bleak Irish countryside. Inside, she finds a scene that speaks of uncontrollable rage: glasses smashed, chairs ripped apart, the woman’s body broken.

A black rain jacket makes Lottie think she knows the killer’s identity, but then she finds a disturbing clue: is the murder linked to an old case at St Declan’s asylum? A case investigated by her own father, just before he took his life.

When another victim is left without her tongue on the hospital steps, and a young girl goes missing, Lottie knows she has to act fast. Can she face her own demons and uncover the truth before another life is taken?

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: I have recently started this series and was pleased to move onto book 3. Lottie Parker is a character that I really enjoy reading about even though she has serious issues and isn’t actually a pretty selfish and screwed up woman (but in a likeable way if you know what I mean). Her colleague Boyd is back alongside her other colleagues Kirby and Lynch and they are as usual assigned to the newest murder. In this case its the death of an elderly woman who is found in her daughters house.

I have to say I enjoyed the actual murder case storyline less than the last two in this book, however the personal elements of the story mad up for that in my opinion. In addition to the murder enquiry we see Lottie’s friend Annabelle in her own crisis of a situation. IN addition we see Lottie’s relationship and more development of this in terms of her Mother, three kids and grandchild.

The murder case they are working made the story at times a little muddled as there was so much going on, but eventually it gained traction. Boyd her colleague is as usual taking the abuse that Lottie dishes out, but by the end of the book he was the best person to be there for her. The ending was a corker and made me want to just go straight through to book 4, but I’m trying to pace myself. I think this read was a little more middle of the road but the series is definitely one I am keen to continue.

Five Years From Now by Paige Toon

Synopsis: Nell and Van meet as children when their parents fall in love, but soon they are forced worlds apart.

Five years later, they find each other. Their bond is rekindled and new feelings take hold, but once again they must separate.

For the next two decades, fate brings Nell and Van together every five years, as life and circumstance continue to divide them. Will they ever find true happiness? And will it be together?

‘One day, maybe five years from now, you’ll look back and understand why this happened…’

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: I have always enjoyed Paige Toon books and decided to start going through my long list of unread books and selected this one. I didn’t read the synopsis so was going in with no idea of the story line but I was very pleased I selected this book. Nell and Van are the stars of the show and the book slowly unfolds in increments of five years starting from when they met as children. Nell’s Dad was in a relationship with Van’s Mum and as such they met as young children and their friendship blossomed.

As the story progresses so do Nell and Vans life and it was an absolute joy to go along for the ride. It was glorious tale of friendship, love and loss and frankly although it is very different from her other books it was a brilliant read. I was surprised at the ending but though it was fitting and not too contrived. Although a departure from her normal type of book it was very enjoyable and one I would recommend.

The Stolen Girls by Patricia Gibney (Lottie Parker 2)

The Stolen Girls Synopsis: One Monday morning, the body of a young pregnant woman is found. The same day, a mother and her son visit the house of Detective Lottie Parker, begging for help to find a lost friend.

Could this be the same girl?

When a second victim is discovered by the same man, with the murder bearing all the same hallmarks as the first, Lottie needs to work fast to discover how else the two were linked. Then two more girls go missing.

Detective Lottie Parker is a woman on the edge, haunted by her tragic past and struggling to keep her family together through difficult times. Can she fight her own demons and catch the killer before he claims another victim?

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: I really enjoyed the first book in this series so decided to go straight into book 2. The story kicks off with the discovery of the body of a young pregnant woman, followed by another body only this time it is found by the same man that found the first body. The storyline itself was certainly interesting, yet for some reason I found myself more drawn to the development of the characters.

Lottie as the main character isn’t actually that likeable but that just makes her so much more readable in this case. It sounds weird I know but having a character with SO many flaws actually makes this more of a hook for me. Seeing how badly she manages her personal life make me more and more intrigued. I also love her colleague Boyd.

You can probably read this as a standalone but I love seeing the characters lives unfold like this series seems to be doing. Lottie seems to be a car crash of a character, but it’s obvious she has her demons she is battling and it also seems to make her more determined to get each case right. I found this book flowed a lot easier than the first and it took me very little time to plough through it.

Although when finished I had to read a different genre, I am already well over halfway with book 3. I think this is a series I will quickly become very involved with and cannot wait to see what happens with Lottie and her friends and family.

Avenue of Thieves by Sean Black (Ryan Lock & Ty Johnson #11)

Synopsis: When one of the world’s wealthiest men is suddenly hunted by deadly forces, guns-for-hire Ryan Lock and Ty Johnson are enlisted to protect the financier’s family in New York City. The two former military men must act quickly and decisively to stop the shadowy forces in deadly pursuit…

A tense, action-packed novel that shuttles between Russia in the late 1980s, and modern-day New York, where a Russian oligarch is plunged into a living nightmare.

What would you do for a million dollars? Now what would you do for a billion? Continue reading “Avenue of Thieves by Sean Black (Ryan Lock & Ty Johnson #11)”

The Missing Ones by Patricia Gibney (Lottie Parker #1)

Synopsis: The hole they dug was not deep. A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror.

The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. ‘I wonder which one of us will be next?’

When a woman’s body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It’s clear the pair are connected, but how?

The trail leads Lottie to St Angela’s, a former children’s home, with a dark connection to her own family history. Suddenly the case just got personal.
Continue reading “The Missing Ones by Patricia Gibney (Lottie Parker #1)”

Hard Target by J B Turner (Jon Reznick #8)

41go4J3e0YL Synopsis: When hacker Trevelle Williams discovers documents that threaten national security and put his life in jeopardy, there’s only one person he can turn to—Jon Reznick. Williams has learned that Rosalind Dyer, a key congressional witness, is about to be killed in order to stop her testimony. She has stumbled into the middle of a cover-up that goes deep into the United States government. Dyer knows her days are numbered, but that won’t stop her from doing what she has to do.

Trevelle Williams has helped Jon out of many a scrape in the past. Now, Jon is the only person he can turn to for help saving Rosalind’s life, as well as his own, and protecting national security in the process. Continue reading “Hard Target by J B Turner (Jon Reznick #8)”

The Garden on Sparrow Street by Tilly Tennant

Synopsis: As Christmas cheer fills Sparrow Street with excitement, grieving widow Nina is having a hard time. December is always a difficult month to face without her beloved husband Gray, the days feel long and bleak, and to cap it all, she’s just lost her job.

So when Nina hears that Sparrow Street’s Community Garden, one of Gray’s favourite places, is to be put up for sale she knows she must do something. Filled with purpose, she gathers the residents of Sparrow Street around her to turn the neglected patch of land into a Garden of Memories.
Continue reading “The Garden on Sparrow Street by Tilly Tennant”