INVISIBLE VICTIM BY MEL SHERRATT

Invisible Victim Synopsis: ‘Let me out! Please!’ I shouted, banging on the door. How had I got here? What day was it? I couldn’t remember anything. But I knew I had become the fifth woman to be abducted.

As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I’m filled with dread. Everything looks just like the others described: a small hole in the door, a mattress and a narrow window allowing only a small chink of light. The jewellery given to me by my loving husband has gone and I’m in someone else’s clothes.

Just days before, I had interviewed the third victim for the local paper. She couldn’t stop shaking. Her story was the same as those before her: an ordinary woman, locked away for ten days then released with no explanation, and nothing – nothing she could think of – to link her to the others. Throughout the ordeal, her abductor stayed eerily silent.

I tell myself I’ll be safe in ten days. But I can’t help thinking of the fourth victim who is still missing. And then I hear the voice coming through the door. ‘You said everything would be fine. But it wasn’t was it?’ It is then that I realise. If I am to make it out alive, I need to revisit a dark secret of my own that I have spent a lifetime trying to forget.

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

My Review: It’s been a while since I read a Mel Sherratt and thought I would break up a series I am reading with a standalone and this seemed to fit the bill. Eva Farmer is a journalist who absolutely loves her work. Recently she has been covering the cases of women being snatched and then released after ten days. There seems to be no common links and none of the victims can seem to shed any light on the person responsible.

Early on in the book we get an idea of Eva’s personal life with her police husband Nick and her life seems just ordinary. It’s clear she has compassion for victims and her newspaper pieces tend to be very fair and balanced. When Eva herself is taken she has absolutely no ide why and more to the point what will happen to her. I must admit I felt like this was a bit of a departure from other Mel Sherratt books I have read, however that isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it, just to note that it is slightly set apart from her other style of books.

LEFT FOR DEAD BY CAROLINE MITCHELL (DI AMY WINTER 3)

Left For Dead Synopsis: A victim on display. A detective on the rails.

Shopping with her sister, DI Amy Winter is admiring a Valentine’s Day window display of a perfect bride encrusted in diamonds and resplendent in lace—until she notices blood oozing from the mannequin’s mouth.

This is no stunt. A post-mortem reveals the victim was left to die on her macabre throne for all to see. When a second victim is found, it emerges that both women were ‘Sugar Babes’ arranging dates with older men online—and Amy finds herself hunting an accomplished psychopath.

As she tracks down the killer, Amy’s instincts go into overdrive when the charismatic head of the agency behind the display makes no attempt to hide his fascination with her serial-killer parents. What exactly does he want from Amy? With her own world in freefall as her biological mother, Lillian Grimes, appeals her conviction, Amy pushes the boundaries of police procedure when a third ‘Sugar Babe’ disappears…Is she as much at risk as the killer’s victims?

My Rating: 5/5

My Review: I started this series and have read books 1 and 2 back to back going straight onto book 3. This book was just as good as the last and I read this in a day and a half it was that good. Every opportunity was spent sneaking a few pages in until such time as I could actually sit and read a big chunk. While Amy is spending some time shopping with her sister she comes across a macabre window display and as she looks closer and realises that the ‘model’ is in fact a murder victim. All hell breaks loose and before you know it Amy and the team are working on this newest case.

The difference with this book is that we know who the killer is early on but that makes not one bit of difference to the story. If anything it amps up the drama and intrigue. We see Amy continue down a strange path with her mother the serial killer Lillian Grimes, as well as coming to terms with new working arrangements. DI Donovan is now her Boss and with her foot in both professional and personal camps where he is concerned she struggles to adapt.

This latest instalment flowed very well with lots packed into a book that flew by. This series is absolutely brilliant so far and I hope I continue enjoying the books as much as I have so far!

THE SECRET CHILD BY CAROLINE MITCHELL (DI AMY WINTER 2)

THE SECRET CHILDSynopsis:

DI Amy Winter knows evil. She’s lived through it.

Four-year-old Ellen is snatched by a stranger in the dead of night. Her devastated mother, Nicole, receives four identical phials and a threatening note in a familiar scrawl that chills her to the bone. But she always knew this would happen. She’s been expecting it for years . . .

According to the note, one of the phials is poisoned. Nicole is given a deadly challenge: if she drinks one, the sadistic kidnapper will notify the police of Ellen’s location. The sender claims to be Luka Volkov but Luka is supposed to be dead, killed long ago in a fire that haunts all those involved.

DI Amy Winter is still reeling from the discovery that she is the daughter of a serial killer, and her childhood trauma only makes her more determined to bring Ellen home. When another child is taken, Amy finds herself in a race against time. To rescue the children, must she seek help from the one person she wants to forget?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: I am always pleased when I finally catch up with an author I like to find they have an amazing new series and Caroline Mitchell is one such author! Thsi new series featuring Amy Winter I thoroughly loved the first book and was pleased to be able to move straight onto book 2. This latest installment features a missing 4 year old Ellen. What I love about this series is Amy Winter’s background is far from ordinary. She realised in book 1 that she was the daughter of an infamous serial killer couple and has had to deal with the trauma surrounding her childhood.

Thankfully it seems that she uses this to her advantage and has a knack of spotting people that are slightly ‘dark’. There are plenty of people playing various roles within this dark and shady storyline and it takes some time to work out who has played what part but as each element is revealed it becomes clearer for the reader to see where this story could go. I found myself totally absorbed in the storyline and love the fact that we still get to see elements of Amy’s relationship with her deranged biological Mother.

This series is turning out to be pretty amazing and I am pleased that I still have a few books left in the series to become caught up. Definitely a great series to read and I would definitely reccomend!

TRUTH & LIES BY CAROLINE MITCHELL (DI AMY WINTER 1)

Truth & LiesSynopsis:  Meet Amy Winter: Detective Inspector, daughter of a serial killer.

DI Amy Winter is hoping to follow in the footsteps of her highly respected police officer father. But when a letter arrives from the prison cell of Lillian Grimes, one half of a notorious husband-and-wife serial-killer team, it contains a revelation that will tear her life apart.

Responsible for a string of heinous killings decades ago, Lillian is pure evil. A psychopathic murderer. And Amy’s biological mother. Now, she is ready to reveal the location of three of her victims—but only if Amy plays along with her twisted game.

While her fellow detectives frantically search for a young girl taken from her mother’s doorstep, Amy must confront her own dark past. Haunted by blurred memories of a sister who sacrificed herself to save her, Amy faces a race against time to uncover the missing bodies.

But what if, from behind bars, Grimes has been pulling the strings even tighter than Amy thought? And can she overcome her demons to prevent another murder?

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: Ohhhh I just LOVE getting stuck into a new series and this one is right up my alley! DI Amy Winter is a copper just like her highly respected Dad who was also a serving officer. However, we meet Amy at a crucial time in her life as she buries her Father and is coming to terms with never seeing him again. Not only is she going through the tragedy and grief over losing a parent she has to deal with an even bigger bombshell.

Lillian Grimes is one half of a serial killer pair along with her husband and is currently in jail serving time for the deaths of many young women. She is the absolute definition of a psychopath however she also happens to be Amy’s biological Mother. She decides that it’s time to reveal the location of three of the victims but only on her terms and those terms heavily include Amy. Alongside all this a young girl is taken from her doorstep and Amy’s team are racing against the clock to try and find her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and getting to know Amy, her colleague Paddy and her Mother Flora as it’s given me such good history each character. The storyline has plenty going on, and I didn’t want to put it down. Thank goodness I am at the beginning of the journey and can now go straight onto book 2 to find out what is going to happen next.

PIECES OF HER BY KARIN SLAUGHTER

Pieces of HerSynopsis:

She’s the person you think you know best…

But what if you don’t actually know her at all?

Andy Oliver thinks she knows everything about her mother Laura.

Until, in a moment of terrible danger, Laura steps forward into the line of fire.

Now, Andy must embark on a desperate race against time to uncover the secrets of her mother’s past.

Before they both run out of time…

Kat’s Rating: 3/5

Kat’s Review: I must say I am a huge fan of Karin Slaughter, whether it’s a part of her series of books or a standalone I am normally thoroughly absorbed with her books…until now! For some reason this book just rubbed me up the wrong way! The synopsis kind of gives you the idea as follows:-

“What if the person you thought you knew best turns out to be someone you never knew at all . . . ?

Andrea knows everything about her mother, Laura. She knows she’s spent her whole life in the small beachside town of Belle Isle; she knows she’s never wanted anything more than to live a quiet life as a pillar of the community; she knows she’s never kept a secret in her life. Because we all know our mothers, don’t we?

But all that changes when a trip to the mall explodes into violence and Andrea suddenly sees a completely different side to Laura”

Well all I can say is that by the end of the third chapter I wanted to slap the hell out of the character Andrea. She made me feel like she was a slightly spoiled and at times slow on the uptake woman. The idea behind the story was good and as the story unfolds flipping between the current time with Andrea and the past with her Mum I could see that the idea was a great one…for me it just wasn’t executed not because of the writing, but because I just didn’t particularly like any of the characters, To be fair the last quarter of the book was more well paced and things unfolded in a way that made you want to read more.

Sadly for me the dislike of the main characters was the first hurdle and I just couldn’t gel quite as well with the story and writing as well as I usually would with this author. Overall an okay book, but not one I would return to unless I literally had nothing left to read!

SAY GOODBYE BY KAREN ROSE (SACRAMENTO 3)

Say GoodbyeSynopsis: FBI Agent Tom Hunter has been chasing down leads to find the brutal cult that damaged some of his closest friends. They managed to escape to tell their stories, but Eden’s location has always remained a mystery.

Liza Barkley is struggling with her feelings for Tom and wonders if their friendship can survive the secrets they’ve kept from one another. But they may be forced to confront the truth when a chance to help the investigation puts Liza directly in the line of fire.

When the perpetrator of an attempted sniper attack on Liza and her friends is discovered to be one of the cult’s leaders, DJ Belmont, it becomes clear that he is out to get revenge on the victims who escaped Eden’s clutches.
But there is one person who has always had control over DJ, and who no one outside of Eden has ever glimpsed: cult leader Pastor. When a serious injury forces Pastor to seek help outside the confines of the Eden, Tom and his team finally have a chance to bring the cult down.

But DJ Belmont has his own plan, and is not going to stop until he gets what he wants…

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: Say Goodbye is the third and final instalment in The Sacramento series and this book sees more about ex basketball player Tom Hunter who now works for the FBI along with his lifelong friend Liza. Liza was an army medic so is no shrinking violet when it comes to dealing with difficult situations and this book certainly sees her in plenty of those! For those that have read the first two books they will know they are centered around a cult named Eden and its leader who is known only as Pastor.

In addition we meet pregnant teenager Hayley and her younger brother Graham who are being held within the Eden compound. We also see the return of Gideon, Mercy, Rafe and the rest of the Solokov clan. I absolutely loved reading more about Tom as he featured in Books 1 and 2 and to get the backstory with him and Liza was also compelling reading. I powered through this book and it kept me hooked all the way through. I was sad to get to the end as the trilogy has been absolutely amazing but this set of books is highly recommended!

SAY NO MORE BY KAREN ROSE (SACRAMENTO 2)

Say No More Synopsis: Mercy Callahan never thought she’d be able to talk about her past. When she arrives in Sacramento to make peace with her brother Gideon, and to help find the brutal cult that took away her childhood, she is finally ready to talk. But when Ephraim Burton – the man who made her life a living hell – follows her there, she realises she might never be safe.

Rafe Sokolov would do anything to have Mercy back in his life and would go to any length to protect her. But when it becomes apparent that Ephraim is more determined than ever to get Mercy back, even Rafe might not be able to stop the trail of destruction he leaves in his wake. As Ephraim draws near, it’s clear it’s not just Mercy who is in danger; those closest to her are firmly in his sights.

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: Karen Rose has this ability to draw you in to not only one book but a whole series. After reading book 1 I knew it was impossible to leave it alone until I had read all of the books. So on to book 2 I went with baited breath. I suppose in theory these books could be read as standalones but I have absolutely no idea why anybody would want to. My recommendation would be to read book 1 and go straight onto book 2 as I did.

Book 1 featured Gideon and all of the other characters one of which was his sister Mercy Callahan. Mercy is the central focus of book 2 and I was thrilled that we got to learn more about her. The basis of these stories is that both Gideon and Mercy were kept in a cult when they were younger and have spent many years both running and hiding. The Solokov family play an integral part in this series and Rafe Solokov features heavily in this second book.

The elders of the Eden Cult are chasing both Mercy and Gideon and Mercy is literally fighting life and death. Mercy knows that if she is captured she will never make it out of Eden alive again and this makes for a VERY high-octane read with lots of action and drama. You really don’t need a blow by blow account and the synopsis of these books gives you a taster to see if it fits the bill for your sort of book.

What I will say is that this is a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable book which kept me reading at every opportunity. I read this in around 4 sittings over two days and am already eagerly well into book 3. Karen Rose as an author is absolutely brilliant and somebody that I would highly recommend.

SAY YOU’RE SORRY BY KAREN ROSE (SACRAMENTO 1)

Say Youre Sorry Synopsis: When a killer closes in, there’s only one way to stay alive. Say You’re Sorry is the gripping first book in a brand new series from Sunday Times bestselling author Karen Rose.

A serial killer is on the loose in California, leaving letters carved into the torsos of his victims.

When Daisy Dawson fights off a masked attacker one night, she grabs a necklace from around his neck. What she doesn’t know then is that she’s found the missing link to a cold case that Special Agent Gideon Reynolds has been tracking for seventeen years. With Daisy’s help, he finally has the opportunity to get closer to the truth than ever before.

But it soon becomes clear that Daisy’s attack was just the beginning. Now the bloodied bodies of young women are showing up all over the state. As Gideon tries to track down the killer, it’s clear he has a new target. Daisy is in more danger than they ever could have realised…

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

Kat’s Review: Oh. My. Goodness! I was a HUGE fan of the Cincinnati books and was a little sad when they ended. I decided on a whim to pick this book up and LOVED the fact that this is like an extension of the series by linking characters from the previous series to this one. This first book introduces us to Special Agent Gideon Reynolds. Gideon was a member of a cult named Eden but is trying to move on with his life with the help of his close friend who are like family the Sokolov’s.

When Daisy Dawson is attacked but manages to run free she enlists the help of her friend which in turn brings in the Solokov family and the meeting of both Daisy and Gideon. I absolutely fell in love with every character in this book and am very much hoping we get to see all of them feature somehow in the upcoming books to this series. There are. alot of threads running through this book and a lot of leads and avenues for everybody to follow up on. This is packed with action, drama, tears, romance and a splash of violence….there isn’t really much that isn’t covered to be fair.

Overall a thoroughly engaging book and I enjoyed it that much I moved straight onto book 2 (I can see me binge reading all three books in this series). Very much reccomended!

DANGEROUS BY JESSIE KEANE

Dangeroud Synopsis: Whatever the cost, she would pay it . . .

Fifteen-year-old Clara Dolan’s world is blown apart following the death of her mother. Battling to keep what remains of her family together, Clara vows to protect her younger siblings, Bernadette and Henry, from danger, whatever the cost.

With the arrival of the swinging Sixties, Clara finds herself swept up in London’s dark underworld where the glamour of Soho’s dazzling nightclubs sits in stark contrast to the terrifying gangland violence that threatens the new life she has worked so hard to build.

Sinking further into an existence defined by murder and betrayal, Clara soon realizes that success often comes at a very high price . . .

My Rating: 4/5

My Review:Well it seems that Jessie Keane can do no wrong, this latest book of hers I have read included! 15 year old Clara is left alone in the world with her two siblings and finds herself way out her depth as a teenager. However, she is determined to make things right and ensure the safety of her brother Henry and her sister Bernie. The book is set in London in the 50’s and 60’s and Keane has the ability to physically transport your mind back to that time.

In all honesty I can’t say I particularly liked Clara as a character but you can see her grit and determination and just kept on turning the pages to see how life pans out for all of them. The storyline is fast paced and there are. alot of things in store in Clara’s life that you couldn’t inamgine making the story all the more engaging. In a way I liked the slight departure from her usual character type and era and although this maybe wasn’t my favourite book by this author it was certainly a very enjoyable read!

THE MINUTE I SAW YOU BY PAIGE TOON

41fGhhExpvL Synopsis: Attraction is easy… Falling in love can be hard

When Hannah meets Sonny, she’s irresistibly drawn to him: he’s sexy and confident, but only in town on holiday. That’s fine with Hannah – she doesn’t do long-term relationships. And luckily for her, neither does Sonny. But before they can even so much as kiss, Sonny receives some shocking news and commits to making serious life changes – ones that can’t and won’t include romance.

With even a short fling now off the cards, Hannah and Sonny settle for being friends. But as summer hots up and their chemistry shows no signs of cooling, they start to question their reasons for shutting each other out.

Are they both too broken to find love? And if they tear down the walls between them, will they still like what’s on the other side?

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I generally really enjoy Paige Toon books and this one was no different, however the subject matter within the storyline was very sensitive but was dealt with incredibly well by the author. Hannah is house sitting for her uncle and also looking after his dog Bertie. She has a job working at the opticians in town which she thoroughly enjoys. However, when she meets Sonny she has instant chemistry with him. However, it becomes clear pretty quickly that both Hannah and Sonny each have their demons to deal with.

The reason behind Hannah’s reluctance for a relationship was very unexpected and was not something I can recall reading in a fictional book before and this made it all the more enjoyable to read about. I don’t want to say too much more for fear of spoling the plot. In addition to Hannah, Sonny is also reluctant to engage in any kind of relationship due to his past. The nice thing about this book is how each character’s past is revealed. It’s done very slowly and with compassion by the author. I felt like this had an overall different feel to other Paige Toon books I have read but it wasn’t any less enjoyable.