Tag: RATED 3/5

Cruel Justice by M A Comley (Justice Series #1)

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My Rating: 3/5

Availability: Paperback, Kindle, Nook and Kobo

Synopsis: The headless body of a wealthy widow is discovered decomposing in Chelling Forest. Then a second victim is found. Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins and her partner, DS Pete Childs are assigned the case.

Before they can discover the identity of the killer they must make a connection between the two victims.

After a third murder, Lorne receives a grisly surprise. Clearly, a vicious serial killer is on a rampage…and Lorne has become the killer’s fixation.

 Lorne can’t allow her failing marriage or her new boss–a man with whom she shares a sensuous secret–keep her from focusing on her job. She must catch the macabre murderer, or risk becoming the next victim.

My Review: I was looking forward to reading the first in the Justice Series by Mel Comley as I keep seeing such great things about it. I am however very behind considering I think she has now released book 10 in the series’ most recently. Detective Lorne Simpkins is the main lead of this series and it seems from the very beginning that all is not well in her marriage. Along with her partner DS Pete Childs they seem to work long and laborious hours. When a headless body is found, it seems their next long and arduous case has been found.

I certainly liked Lorne however although she was a good character and the writing was pretty good, there were parts of the story that felt a bit too stilted and maybe not as realistic as they could have. We meet additional characters but none that leave you wanting to know too much more. The story was interesting and certainly kept me reading, but there were parts that just weren’t authentic enough for me.

Having said all of that, the writing was great and flowed well and although Lorne may not be a favourite character she held my interest. I think that this is a great start to a series, and am pretty sure that Mel Comley, like other authors has just improved with each book she writes. I am actually looking forward to how this series progresses and have already ordered book 2. Certainly a series that has a lot of potential and is great for people looking for new authors. 

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!

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.

Fatal Act by Leigh Russell (Geraldine Steel #6)

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My Rating: 3/5

 Synopsis: A glamorous young TV soap star dies in a car crash. Returning for her sixth case, Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel is baffled as the driver of the second vehicle miraculously survives – and vanishes. Another young actress is murdered and, once again, the killer mysteriously disappears. Geraldine unwittingly risks her sergeant’s life in their struggle to track down a serial killer who leaves no clues.

 My Review: I have read all of the books in the Geraldine Steel series and this is the 6th book in the series. The series has changed somewhat with her colleague Ian Peterson leaving Geraldine (and now having his own series of books), and Geraldine relocating to London. This latest book starts off with a particularly exciting scene involving a glamorous young TV star who dies in a fatal road accident. When Geraldine is called in it appears to be a standard collision, except for the fact that the driver of the other vehicle appears to have vanished into thin air.

At first I was completely caught up in the story and it all felt like we were back in the middle of an exciting case. Sadly, a few more chapters in, and it kind of felt like it came to a bit of a standstill. I am most definitely a fan of this series but felt like this book was a little bit safe and it seemed we were veering into familiar territory. There was quite a bit of detail while the officers involved followed the case and we certainly see Geraldine interact with her new colleagues including Nick and Sam. We also see a brief appearance if Ian Peterson, and if I’m honest it felt like Geraldine and him just ‘worked’ and as soon as we went back to present day I found myself feeling uncomfortable again.

I think this latest story (although not a bad read) was a little too predictable and certainly laying too much on the safe side. The series having now split Geraldine and Ian Peterson leaves me still undecided about how well it works. I really enjoyed the last Geraldine Steel book (which didn’t include Ian Peterson, but this one just didn’t sit well with me. I feel like the characters are still finding their feet and I’m hoping that the next instalment feels more right than this one. I am most definitely a fan of these books and think that Leigh Russell is a talented writer. Whether or not the split in the series was a good move or not? I’m still undecided. I can only hope that the next books in the respective series put me right.

Scaredy Cat by Mark Billingham (Tom Thorne #2)

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My Rating:3/5

Synopsis: It was a vicious, calculated murder. The killer selected his victim at Euston station, followed her home on the tube, strangled her to death in front of her child. At the same time, killed in the same way, a second body is discovered at the back of King’s Cross station. It is a grisly coincidence that eerily echoes the murder of two other women, stabbed to death months before on the same day… It is DI Tom Thorne who sees the link and comes to the horrifying conclusion. This is not a serial killer the police are up against. This is two of them. Finding the body used to be the worst part of the job. Not any more. Now each time a body is found, Thorne must live with the knowledge that somewhere out there is a second victim, waiting to be discovered. But the whilst the methods might be the same Thorne comes to realise that he is hunting two very different killers. One is ruthless and in control, while his partner in crime is submissive, compliant, terrified. 

 Thorne must catch a man whose need to manipulate is as great as his need to kill; a man who will threaten those closest to Thorne himself; a man, who will show him that the ability to inspire terror is the deadliest weapon of all…

My Review: Okay so I know this is only my second Thorne book, but in comparison to the first book this one didn’t have as much, shall we say shine, as the first one. In the first book I was quite gripped, but with this one the first quarter of the book seemed to be quite hard going. The things I love about a series, and this one as well is getting to know characters. Thorne is actually quite a hard character to get to grips with, but I actually like him more for that reason. I’m also quite fond of his colleague Holland, and in this book we see more of him than in book 1.

This latest case involves not one but two killers and the key to it all is what they struggle with. As usual the murders themselves have an air of creepiness about them (which is always a bonus in my eyes) but the actual story felt a bit boggy. I apologise for my descriptions (this is why I am a reader and NOT a writer). Do you know what I mean though, you are enjoying it, but you just feel like its all too much effort?!?

The only other reason I didn’t enjoy this as much is that I had worked the killer out by just after the halfway mark. I know this is sometimes a sticking point for people, and sometimes it irritates me and other times not so much. I think the fact that this story was plodding rather than racing, meant I fell into the ‘irritated’ group for guessing the killer. That aside, there are flashes of genius in the writing and I can see that this series is one that I bet will improve as time goes on. Although this was just middle of the road for me I’m actually looking forward to book 3.

Watching Over You by Mel Sherratt

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My Rating: 3/5

Availability: Paperback and Kindle

Synopsis: Following the death of her husband and unborn child, Charley Belington sells the family home and bravely starts life over again. On moving into a new flat, she is befriended by her landlady, Ella, who seems like the perfect friend and confidante.

But, unbeknown to Charley, Ella is fighting her own dark and dirty demons as the fallout from a horrific childhood sends her spiralling down into madness—and unspeakable obsessions.

 As Ella’s mind splinters, her increasingly bizarre attentions make Charley uneasy. But with every step Charley tries to take to distance herself, Ella moves in a tightening lockstep with her, closer and closer and closer…

My Review: I feel pretty torn with my opinion on this book. I have read the first of Mel’s Estate books and really enjoyed it. It’s also clear from reading this latest of her books that she has bundles of talent and is overall a great writer. For some reason though, this book just didn’t sit all that well with me. I liked Charley Belington and the reader gets to see this brave woman try to get over the death of her husband. She is trying to move on and that means moving out of the home she shared with her husband Dan. When she moves into a new flat she meets the Landlady Ella who seems like an ideal friend.

At first Ella seems to be the ideal landlady and is going out of her way to welcome Charley into her new home. What the reader soon discovers is that Ella has her own demons and her horrific upbringing is seemingly now responsible for the adult she is becoming. It was clear from pretty early on that Ella has some serious issues and I thought that Mel Sherratt handled them in a way that made the reader understands a little more the way that their minds work. It certainly brings to the forefront the major issue with mental healthcare that many people still shy away from.

We also see neighbours that are part of the plot line appear and in their own way, they become part of Ella and Charley’s lives without them even being aware of it. The one thing I really did like is the plot thread that brought them all together. I thought this was probably the highlight of the book and cleverly done. For me though, I just felt like certain parts of the book were too repetitive and that it felt a little like overkill on certain issues. The book certainly had great pace and the storyline itself and suspense kept you reading. I just felt like overall, there were some things that were too much in my opinion. I’m certainly not prudish or shy (nothing could be further from the truth), but the sexual elements of the story seemed too much and I wasn’t sure they needed to be as much at the forefront as they were.

Overall it was an enjoyable read, but I felt like it was let down by a few things. No doubt Mel Sherratt will go on and produce even more amazing books such as she has been doing for some time. This is by no means indicating that the lady doesn’t have talent because she does. I just feel like this (in comparison to the Estate books), doesn’t do her the justice she deserves. Will no doubt be a winner with the majority, just didn’t quite do it for me.

Merry Christmas Alex Cross by James Patterson (Alex Cross #19)

My Rating: 3/5

Synopsis: On the night before Christmas, Detective Alex Cross is at home celebrating with his family. But when Alex’s phone rings, he knows that this won’t be a merry Christmas.

A father has taken his children and ex-wife hostage. Armed to the teeth and high on crystal meth, Henry Fowler is dangerously unstable. The lives of everyone in that house are hanging by a thread.

As this suburban nightmare is unfolding, another far greater threat is approaching. It will be a terrorist attack like Washington DC has never seen, and when nobody expects it.

My Review: When I read the synopsis, I immediately thought “is that it?”. The synopsis just seemed a bit ‘bleugh’ if you know what I mean. Sadly this latest Cross novel left me feeling exactly the same way. As ever with any JP book, the chapters are short and sharp meaning it’s incredibly easy to read. Sadly a few chapters in, and I just had that dreaded feeling of “I’ve been here before with this character”.

The Henry Fowler character takes his children and ex-wife hostage and as usual Alex Cross is called in, but it happens to be Christmas morning. The story started to pick up pace and I thought we may well have been in for a treat, but I was to be disappointed as that part of the story finished rather abruptly. The reader is then briskly rushed onto the next part of the story involving a terrorist plot. I don’t recall how far into the book this happened but it all just felt a bit disjointed.

The second plot of the book involving the terrorist plot certainly had all the right elements. However, it just seemed to lack any real feeling. I have been reading James Patterson for years and I took the time to pull my older reviews up today. It seems like my opinion of mediocrity has been recurring for a few years now and it seems like I am not learning my lesson. It feels like a huge number of us Patterson readers keep reading through both loyalty, and the hope that he will once again create brilliance like his early days.

Overall, it’s a book that would keep you entertained for a few hours, but that’s it. It shows how my interest is waning when I wait nearly a year from publication to read a Cross book. No doubt I will swiftly move onto the next book (book 20 in the series entitled Alex Cross Run). Overall, not a terrible read, just not like some of his earlier books.

12th Of Never by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club #12)

My Rating: 3/5

Synopsis: A baby on the way and two killers on the loose. Will Detective Lindsay Boxer be pushed to breaking point? An eccentric professor walks into Lindsay’s homicide department to report a murder that hasn’t yet happened. A convicted serial killer wakes from a two-year coma. He says he’s ready to tell where the bodies are buried, but does he have a much more sinister plan in mind? Lindsay doesn’t have much time to stop a terrifying future from unfolding. But all the crimes in the world seem like nothing when she is suddenly faced with the possibility of the most devastating loss of her life.

My Review: I have read each and every one of the Women’s Murder Club books and just lately they seem to be losing their flair. It seems that for each book, one of the characters has a major change of personality. Having said that, book 11 was a vast improvement on book 10! With this latest instalment, I was hoping to see things settle down once again but sadly this wasn’t the case.

With Lindsay Boxer as a new mother, her baby’s birth was the intro to this latest book. That alone is something that just feels secondary to the series and no real thought had gone into it. Yuki is now running a case which seemed to take over for the majority of the book and I have to be honest and say that this particular part of the story didn’t grab me. It is a case involving Keith Herman, a disgraced attorney, who is being prosecuted for the murder of his wife. Whilst Lindsay and Yuki are busy, we see Claire get demoted following the disappearance of a body from her Morgue, and finally we see fleeting glimpses of Cindy whose relationship with Lindsay’s partner Rich Conklin appears to be running into trouble.

I read this book pretty quickly, which wasn’t difficult as JP books are never meaty anyway. But by the end of the book, although I couldn’t say it was terrible, I also couldn’t say it was brilliant. It felt like storylines were created for all 4 characters and there was far too much going on for them individually. This made me feel like I was jumping from pillar to post, without any real sense of connection. Like many others I have probably read at least 60-70% of James Patterson’s books, but am finding that my patience is wearing a bit thin. I would prefer to wait all year for one book from the man himself, than to constantly try and catch up with all the various series and co-written books he produces. Overall, another James Patterson disappointment!

Cold Sacrifice by Leigh Russell (Ian Peterson #1)

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My Rating: 3/5

Synopsis: When Henry’s wife is stabbed to death, he pays a prostitute to give him an alibi. Her body is discovered, strangled, and the police realise they are dealing with a serial killer who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks. While they are hunting for evidence, another prostitute is brutally murdered. On the track of a vicious killer, Ian doesn’t realise he is risking the life of his young colleague, Polly

I have been reading Leigh Russell since book one in the Geraldine Steel series. Something I will point out is that book one in that particular series was a little, shall we say, ‘lukewarm’. However, I could see it being a great series and it turns out I was right. Leigh Russell then went on to create a series that seems to get stronger with each book she writes and is now writing some of her best stuff featuring Geraldine Steel. One thing I mentioned in the early books was the colleague that worked alongside her Ian Peterson. He piqued my interest and I wanted to see more of him. Fast forward a few years and here we are with Ian Peterson featuring as the lead in the first of the series.

The book opening introduces us to Ian Peterson, and as he now works alone (Geraldine having re-located) we get a quick refresh on his colleagues such as Polly. Ian is now a DS but is looking for promotion. Pretty early on in the book we see the first of the murders take place and Ian, his colleague Rob and Polly start investigating the case. The actual crime element of this story wasn’t as good as Leigh Russell usually produces. However, I think that is because this is the first in the series, so some groundwork is put in with the characters.

Ian Peterson as a character could potentially be just as good (if not better than Geraldine Steel). But, with this first book I found him a little bit lacklustre and to be honest he grated on me with all his moaning about his wife Bev. He is also a typical ‘people pleaser’ and seems to bend over backwards for his wife! NOT a good trait for a DS. I am hoping that in future books, we see that side of him change and have a feeling that there are a lot of changes to come for him in the future.

The story was just too average, considering Leigh Russell’s capabilities, but I can understand why that is. I figured out who the killer was pretty early on and I found that as I have read all of her other books I can see a pattern, and feel like this is just the platform for the whole series to take off from. Overall it wasn’t a bad read, but I’ve certainly read better, especially from the lady herself. I really hope that people who are reading Leigh Russell for the first time persevere. If her previous series is anything to go by you certainly won’t be disappointed. I can see this series improving with each book, much like it has for the Geraldine Steel series. I for one will certainly look forward to book 2 and hope we see more of a catchy storyline.

It’s Raining Men by Milly Johnson

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My Rating: 3/5

Synopsis: Best friends May, Lara and Clare are desperate for a holiday. They have been dreaming of a little cottage in the middle of nowhere, long walks in the country and just a bit of time away from it all. But when they arrive in Ren Dullem, a small Yorkshire seaside town, it seems it is not the place they thought it was…

May can’t wait to get away from men after being cruelly deceived. Then in Dullem she falls hook line and sinker at first glance for one of the inhabitants – but he’s already taken…

Lara is living with James and his awful step-children who taunt her with tales of his younger, prettier ex whom they adored – the woman who Lara walks in to find James in bed with despite all his protestations that he wouldn’t touch her again with a barge pole. Reeling from the hurt, she needs the sea air of Dullem to heal her. What she doesn’t need is to be constantly in battle with the owner of the holiday cottage – a man who is every bit as bitter and resentful and untrusting of the other sex as she is.

Clare’s kind, steady boyfriend Lud wants her to go and live abroad with him for two years, but she’s just been offered the promotion of a lifetime. It gives her the excuse she needs to end the relationship and find some single excitement which happens to turn up in the form of a very bad boy who is everything Lud isn’t – impulsive, wild and dangerous. Will this holiday be the break they all need? Or will the odd little town with all its secrets bring them all to breaking point…?

My Review: I was looking forward to reading the new Milly Johnson as there isn’t one of her books I have yet disliked! This one sounded interesting and I knew that it wouldn’t take me long to get into it, if her past books are anything to go by. I really liked the three main characters Lara, May and Clare. All of them were very different and as they prepare for their holiday you can see why things might go very wrong for all of them.

As soon as they arrive at Ren Dullem, they realise the place they are staying is not quite what they imagined. Milly Johnson did a stellar job of describing the quaint town and the mad and crazy characters that live there. The only thing that I found different in this book to other’s, is that I didn’t really feel like I had an opinion on the men of Ren Dullem either way. I was so indifferent I surprised myselfJ. By the end of the story I felt a little warmer towards them, but felt like we never really got to know them very well.

The girls on the other hand I felt we got to see for who they really were. I liked all of them, and felt like this highlighted just what Milly Johnson is fabulous at! She manages to create characters the reader really likes. This current book is no different and as more characters are added in, to weave the tale of the mysterious village, it makes the story so much more interesting. IF I am being 100% honest, there was one slightly ‘magical’ element to the story which just wasn’t to my taste. Thankfully, this didn’t deter from me liking the book. As usual Milly Johnson has created an enchanting book that I’m pretty sure the majority will like. It’s not one of my favourite MJ books, but I enjoyed it all the same.