Tag: RATED 4/5

Jail Bait by June Hampson (Daisy Lane #5)

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Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I have mixed feelings about this book but to explain why you need to understand a little of the background to the story. The Daisy Lane books are written in sequence so to have any sort of knowledge of the characters you should try to read them in order. Having read all of her books I have built up a good knowledge of these characters and what role they play in each others lives.

In her previous book Fatal Cut we met Daisy when she was with her lover Vinnie Endersby who is a police officer. She ends up having her son Jamie by him, but he ends up reuniting with his wife Claire. Daisy then falls into the arms of Roy Kemp, who although plays the role of a top Gangster in his area, has always loved Daisy. In this book we barely see Vinnie and the only references to her son Jamie are to highlight that he has clearly been born half human-half devil! I find it strange that there was no warning to this part of the story it has just appeared as if from nowhere.

In previous books we have met many characters who all have their place within Daisy’s life yet they all seem to have had a personality transplant since last year. The main character Daisy was always a really strong woman who rolled her sleeves up and got things done. She appears a lot more crass and to be honest not quite herself in the latest outing. I don’t know quite what has happened to her but she appears to have been written in a completely different light. Daisy’s friend Vera was always a favourite character of mine but again in this book she has been written in a different way and seems to have lost her sparkle.

Having said that, don’t let this put you off the book. Her first three books were amazing. Her fourth book I didn’t think was as strong as the others but enjoyed it all the same. This fifth book is even less enjoyable for the character Daisy but what we do have is a five star read for the more prominent characters. I am hoping that when she publishes her next book, we start to see the life of Eddie, Daisy’s eldest son. I almost feel that this was the author’s intention in writing this book.

I wondered halfway through if the characters and story had just run out of steam. In saying that there were glimpses of June Hampson’s brilliant writing and storytelling, I just think its time Daisy took a back seat and the author got her teeth into a new set of characters that focus on her son.

The story itself as a whole wasn’t bad but wasn’t great, if I were to rate it I would be giving it 3.5 out of 5. Based on the fact that the author is laying a great starting block for Eddie I would rate it 4 out of 5. I have previously compared June Hampson to authors such as Martina Cole and I stand by that. Her writing is brilliant and I love her books (even though this wasn’t her best). If you haven’t read her before but like people such as Martina Cole, Mandasue Heller and the like then maybe this will be your cup of tea too.

WORST CASE BY JAMES PATTERSON AND MICHAEL LLEDWIDGE (MICHAEL BENNETT #3)

My Rating: 4/5

Detective Michael Bennett works in the busy city of New York. His wife died two years ago leaving behind their amazing ten adopted children. Michael Bennett’s life is solely his work and his children. Thankfully he has the help of his Grandfather Seamus and Nanny Mary Catherine. Apart from his children the most important thing in his life is his work. He had previously come up against killers and cases that he has solved and this year is no different. A young man who has one of the wealthiest set of parents in New York is snatched and held hostage.

The only problem is that this killer doesn’t want money. The killer insists on questioning the young man and it dawns on the hostage that money can’t help him, only the correct answers can. Michael Bennett is called to the family home of the boy and then starts the race to find the boy before the killer makes it a murder case. Drafted in to help is Emily Parker an FBI Agent who is an Abduction Specialist. Between them they try to figure out the killer’s next move. What they aren’t prepared for is a killer that takes his beliefs to the extreme. Michael is not prepared for this case as well as managing his family brood without incidence. What he is even more shocked at is when his love life suddenly becomes part of the mix.

I have read all of James Patterson’s books and to be frank they can be hit and miss. Sometimes he can produce fantastic stories but in recent years it seems like he churns out so many books that sometimes the story doesn’t have the author’s whole focus. The Michael Bennett series is co-written with Michael Lewidge. This particular book I really enjoyed. I have also read the two previous Michael Bennett novels so I already had some background on the characters which always helps.

The second book in the Michael Bennett series (Run for your life) I rated at 4 out of 5 and to be honest this book was no different. The character himself is pretty good, he is clearly a family man but one who lobes his family and that comes across well with the writing. The added bonus of this book is the angle of the love life interest. The only thing was with this angle is that it felt very rushed, almost like JP/ML felt they had to introduce somebody. We don’t hear as much about Michael’s family which is a shame because his Grandfather Seamus was featured a little more heavily ion the previous book and he is a great character.

As for the killer himself, we see the story written from his perspective and to be honest this was the weakest are of the book. It almost felt a little rushed and there was no real depth to him. However as usual, James Patterson manages to balance out these flaws with his style of writing. His chapters are short and sharp and always paced quickly meaning they keep you a little hooked. I always find that no matter what my opinion of the story or characters I am always compelled to keep reading. Maybe this is why his books are such a success? Up until the release of `I Alex Cross’ which was quite recent, I actually preferred the Michael Bennett series. After that recent release I again became latched with the Alex Cross character. I must say though that after reading this Michael Bennett book, he may not be my favourite of the JP characters but I definitely want to see more of him.

All in all James Patterson hasn’t failed to deliver a good book. My only concern is that I never feel like it’s a five star read lately like I have with other authors such as Dennis Lehane. I think that he produces so many books in such a short space of time that the reader never quite feels like he has immersed himself fully with one character and concentrated on that one book. Overall he is still a great author and I would recommend his books to anybody as they are an enjoyable read. JP had better watch out though, recently some great authors have been producing 5 star books which may threaten his status as the number one Crime Writer.

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.

Naked Truths by Jo Carnegie

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My Rating: 4/5

My Review– In this follow up to `Country Pursuits’ I was expecting another 5 star read. Although I enjoyed this book it wasn’t as good as the first one.

Once again we meet Caro and her new husband Benedict who move away from Churchminster back to London to be closer to Benedict’s work. They move to Montague Mews where they meet their new neighbours. Saffron is a young, hip and trendy socialite who lives with her Aunt Velda along with Stephen and Klaus who have a holiday home in Churchminster and the reclusive Rowena. We are also reintroduced to Harriett who also lived in Churchminster and is working at Soiree, a popular women’s magazine as a PA to Catherine Connor. Add into the mix Benedict’s sister Amelia who appears on their doorstep looking to stay for a while following her stint of living abroad. Both Catherine and Amelia are both hiding dark secrets which turn Montague Mews into a very interesting place to live. Caro finds it hard to adjust to living in London and spends most of her time ferrying her son Milo to and from Nursery and wondering just what is going on with their reclusive neighbour Rowena. Saffron is busy trying to carve out her career whilst fighting with her awful boss Annabel who is incredibly lazy. Harriet is thriving in her new job and is determined to find love in London. Catherine meanwhile is fighting to save the magazine from closure. With the pressures of deadlines from her Company Board she is thrown into turmoil when an old friend from her past turns up.

All in all the book was enjoyable but I couldn’t help feeling there was something missing. The characters were fantastic (as they were in the last book), and the storytelling good but I couldn’t help feeling there was maybe a bit too much going on to focus on any one particular character.

In Jo Carnegies last book we really got to know the characters involved an you could clearly follow each plot as they developed. This book can be read as a stand alone book but is a bit better when you have already read the first. I will definitely read and look forward to her next book and hope that maybe we get to find out a bit more about some of the individual characters

The Perfect Man by Sheila O’Flanagan

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My Rating: 4/5

My Review – This story starts by introducing us to Britt and Mia who are sisters. Sisters who are polar opposites and have been thrown together onboard a cruise ship, for two whole weeks. Britt used to be a lawyer handling divorce cases, which as a bitter and complete unromantic, suited her down to the ground. When her marriage broke up Britt turned to writing and surprisingly managed to churn out Ireland’s most romantic novel that was an instant hit. Being thrust into the limelight as the most unlikely romantic author, Britt has to attend a workshop onboard the ship giving talks on how to write your own romantic novel. Her agent has an unfortunate accident meaning her sister Mia is left to accompany her on the tour.

Mia has a young child and lives in Spain, following her own romantic troubles. The two sisters have never been that close and being thrown together for two weeks tests their limits and their relationship. The cruise ship starts the ball rolling for both of them in completely different directions as they meet Leo, the heartbroken widower who is struggling to move on with his life. Also onboard is the ships officer Steve who seems to take a shine to both sisters. They also meet Pippin, a glamorous wannabe model who is all blonde hair and gleaming teeth. The story throws all of them together and makes for some extremely surprising events. When the cruise ends they think that things will return to normal but as Britt end up having to remodel her house she decides to stay with Mia in Spain for a while which makes them both re-evaluate their life and choices.

When I first started reading it, unusually it took me three or four chapters to get into this, which had me worrying that; maybe she had lost her touch. Luckily I was wrong and by chapter 5, I was as usual engrossed with Sheila O’Flanagan’s latest book. As usual she has created a really strong storyline with characters that you will love. Definitely one to read!

Lock Down by Sean Black (Ryan Lock and Ty Johnson #1)

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Synopsis: It may be Christmas Eve in New York, but for ex-military bodyguard Ryan Lock it’s business as usual. His task: to protect the CEO of the world’s largest bio-technology company from a group of radical, and highly determined, activists.

But when a failed assassination attempt leaves the streets of midtown littered with bodies, and hours later the son of the company’s chief research scientist is abducted from his Upper West Side prep school, Lock’s hunt for the boy turns into an explosive game of cat and mouse.
Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: Well I am a fan of this type of book anyway and wondered whether this would be up to scratch. There is so much competition out there that it is hard to grab the readers attention but can honestly say that Sean Black certainly grabbed mine. This is the first novel with the lead character of Ryan Lock. Lock is an ex-soldier who now works for a Pharmaceuticals company. He runs the operations team there as an elite bodyguard. Things turn sour when an animal protest march goes wrong and Lock is working against the clock to find the people responsible. With his good friend and partner Ty, they hunt down one of the worlds most feared and dangerous women. The story runs smoothly from start to finish and is a real page turner. I loved the style of writing and the book kept me gripped from start to finish. We also meet Locks love interest in this book as well as his partner Ty and I can only hope that they all appear in his next book. I thought only Jack Reacher and Alex Cross were my favourite characters but I can now add Ryan Lock to that list!

The Neighbour by Lisa Gardner (DD Warren #3)

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My Rating: 4/5

I am a Lisa Gardner fan and was eagerly awaiting this book. This isn’t so much a follow on from the ‘Bobby Dodge’ series that she has done, it was more of an extension of the series. In the book we meed DD Warren who featured in the last two Bobby Dodge books (Alone and Hide). DD is a tough talking female cop who is on the trail of a missing woman. The Jones are a normal couple. It seems that Jason Jones and his wife Sandra along with their daughter Ree had a normal life, until Jason comes home and finds his wife missing. All there is to prove this theory is a broken lampshade and some missing bed sheets. DD starts the investigation and finds that Jason and Sandra’s life seems a little ‘too’ normal for her liking. After delving, we are introduced to possible suspects for Sandra’s dissapearance one of whom is registered in the sex offenders list and just happens to live on the same street as her. Sandra’s father is also an unknow in this case and DD doesn’t like the vibes she is picking up from him. She finds the case gets incredibly complicated the more she looks into both Sandra and Jason’s past.

This particular book had me (literally) on the edge of my seat. It gave so many suspect possibilities, along with quite a few scenarios that you wondered…”did they do it”. I think her descriptions of characters are fantastic and you end up having very strong feelings about them very early on (always a good sign I think). It was just what a good crime book needs and Lisa Gardner (yet again) has delivered it. As usual I will be placing my pre-order months before so I don’t miss out on her next book. FANTASTIC!

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

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My Rating: 4/5

Now upon reading the jacket of this book I was a little concerned. Sophie Kinsella’s style of writing does not normally involve ghosts. To say I was a little scepticle was an understatement!

The first 5 chapters of the book I spent telling myself that I would give the book a fair chance. By chapter 6 I needn’t have bothered as I flowed through the book in no time and actually found myself getting carried along with the story.

We meet Lara who to be truthful is a bit of a flake. She is pining after her ex boyfriend who clearly isn’t interested and attends the funeral of her great aunt Sadie. She had never met Sadie and had no idea what was in store for her when she attended the funeral. To her surprise, her great Aunt Sadie appears in Lara’s life as a ghost, and spends the whole time getting Lara to chase around looking for a lost necklace that she so desperately needs before crossing over.

Along the way we meet Lara’s partner in business Natalie, who has done a bunk and left Lara to run her company. We also meet a man named Ed who Lara meets under extreme (and very funny) circumstances! Sadie ends up forcing Lara to perform a lot of strange things for her that Lara wouldn’t normally dare do. At first Lara is convincing herself that all she needs to do is find this necklace, give it to her Aunt Sadie and let her cross, so she can move on with her own life. Lara is constantly fighting with her Aunt Sadie over her ex-boyfriend, who Sadie thinks is no good and whom Lara is still in love with. We also meet Lara’s Uncle Bill who is famous for making and starting a very popular coffee chain. Lara finds herself becoming closer to Sadie and eventually, with the help of her Aunt, she starts to make decisions regarding her own life and makes changes to herself along the way without even realising it.

I must say that I didn’t start off with high hopes but can honestly say with my hand on my heart I enjoyed this book and the characters thoroughly. Aunt Sadie is very funny and some of the things she did or made Lara do had me chuckling to myself. In turn some of the scenes between Ed and Lara made me feel like I was sitting right next to them. That in itself is a sign of a fantastic writer. Although I had my reservations they were completely unfounded. Although this tale is not the ‘norm’ Girl meets boy and falls in love tale that we find, I thought it was brilliantly written and would recommend.

Genesis by Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #3)

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Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: After Karins last book I was a little unsure but have to say that this book has taken me back to being an avid fan again. After reading the last book, I missed the characters I had grown to love in previous books. However this book took us further into the lives of Will Trent and his partner at GBI, Faith Mitchell. These two along with Sara Linton make for fantastic characters which I am looking forward to seeing again in the next book. This story sees Will and Faith hunting a man that is abducting and torturing young women. Not only is the story fast paced and edgy but you get to learn about all their strange quirks and what their lives have held for them in the past. This book is a great grounding for the next one and leave the questions hanging in the air regarding Sara Linton, Faith and Will. There were no shortcuts in this book and although quite a hefty read it was well worth it. I think if you havent read Karin Slaughter before I would advise reading her books in order of publication, as you get to know the characters a lot more. You could still pick this book up and love it even having not read previous ones but think knowing more about Saras history makes for an even more thriling read. Cant wait for the next one

Fatal Cut by June Hampson (Daisy Lane #4)

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Synopsis: Daisy Lane is gradually coming to terms with her troubled past, while building a future for herself and her two sons. Roy Kemp, the notorious gangster and Daisy’s former lover, is banged up in prison along with the Kray twins. Daisy wants to enjoy her new-found freedom, but must watch over Roy’s criminal empire in his absence, all the while attempting to continue her illicit relationship with Vinnie Endersby – just about the only straight-dealing copper in Gosport. But it isn’t long before another gangster decides to challenge Roy’s dominance…

While Roy counts his days to freedom, the criminal landscape is changing. Vice and extortion are being replaced by new pursuits – hard core pornography and drugs. Soon, the bodies of mutilated girls are found dumped around the outskirts of Gosport – the deadly product of a ruthless gang. Meanwhile, Daisy must make a difficult choice. The greater the threat to Roy’s empire, the more involved Daisy becomes in his life. But Vinnie and Daisy have waited years to be together. Will this be their chance at last?

Before Daisy can make any decisions, matters take a deadly turn – with Roy’s business under threat, she is forced to confront his enemies, and by doing so, puts her life and that of her sons, in desperate peril…

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

Kat’s Review: I discovered June Hampson quite recently and was absolutely bowled over by her writing. Shes as good if not better than Martina Cole. After reading the first three books in the Daisy Lane series I was more than excited to read this new one. We go back to the life of Daisy Lane and her business relationship with Roy Kemp, a big-time gangster, who although broke her heart, is still both her business partner and a big part of her life. We also come accross Vera who helps run Daisys business with her and her lover, detective Vinnie Endersby. Daisys life is complicated when one of her girls gets in trouble with a debt collector and another starts hitting the drugs. Vinnie is meanwhile trying to crack the case concerning girls going missing and pictures of dead women and children turning up. Fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable but just lacked a certain something that her last book had. Fantastic all the same. If you haven’t read them give them a go