Tag: RATED 5/5

Flare by Paul Grzegorzek

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My Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: Malcolm King is a journalist living in trendy Hove on the south coast of England. His days are taken up with video meetings and research on the internet while he writes articles for magazines around the world. 

When a solar flare of unprecedented magnitude hits the Earth, effectively hurling us back to the stone age in a matter of hours, Malc is thrust into a terrifying new world as he travels the length of the country to find his young daughter. 

Society, a fragile construct at best, shatters as the survivors fight each other for food and water, neighbour killing neighbour as fires rage through the cities, destroying much of what’s left. 

Faced with difficult choices at every turn, Malc draws his strength from those around him; Emily, a tough, no-nonsense soldier with a soft spot for lost causes and Jerry, a disgraced astrophysicist who may be the only person left who understands what’s happening with the sun. 

With their help, he must struggle to answer the ultimate question. 

What won’t he do to get his daughter back? 

My Review: Okay I have to start by being completely honest. When I read the synopsis I made a very hasty judgement. I decided that seeing as I didn’t really read this sort of thing, I wouldn’t enjoy it. I mean, yes, I have managed to sit through a couple of what I like to call Disaster Movies; and yes they were okay. That’s just it though, they were okay. So the thought of reading the equivalent didn’t fill me with joy. However, after reading the first few chapters I realised that the book was not only bloody good, I realised there wasn’t a hope in hell of me actually putting the damn thing down?

Malcolm King (known as Malc) is a journalist who in the first few chapters receives a phone call from his friend Jerry. Jerry is an astrophysicist and he is convinced that something bad is going to happen involving a solar flare. Malc refuses to believe it at first and within a matter of hours, he realises that he should have listened. Before he knows it, Malc is living ion a world where everything he knows is gone. The one problem he has is that he is currently living in the South of England and his young daughter is living in Manchester. He decided then and there that no matter what it takes, he will reach her.

Well in a nutshell as soon as Malc starts his travels the book ratchets up a gear and the reader gets to see just what might happen in the event of a catastrophic event? I know it sounds melodramatic, but at some point you must have wondered what would happen if everything electronic just stopped working; I know I have! The great thing about this book is that although the subject matter may seem extreme, there is always an element of what-ifs in it. The other characters that come into this book also made it that little bit more exciting.

 Mac meets Emily and her family, and soon realises that if anyone can help him Emily is it. She is a tough nut soldier and her attitude is what makes their journey even more exciting. At literally every turn there is another threat that has to be dealt with differently. If I’m honest there is a part of this book that kind of gave me the creeps, because I can imagine this country and the people living here becoming everything this book describes (the recent riots proved that!). I raced through the book in one day and by the time I got to the end I was desperate to know what happened next. I was so shocked that I loved it so much, not because of the author (his previous Crime novels are great), but the synopsis just didn’t sound like my cup of tea. Thankfully, I didn’t think about it and ended up reading an absolutely brilliant book. I can only hope that Paul gets his arse in gear and hurries up with the sequel! Even if you don’t think you like the sound of it, give it a go; I think you’ll enjoy it (and for £2 on Kindle it’s a bargain too!!

Fourth Day by Zoe Sharp (Charlie Fox #8)

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My Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: The cult calling itself Fourth Day is well-funded and fiercely guards its privacy. Five years ago Thomas Witney went in to try and get evidence that the cult’s charismatic leader, Randall Bane, was responsible for the death of Witney’s son. Witney never came out.

Now, ex-Special Forces soldier turned bodyguard, Charlie Fox, agrees to go undercover into Fourth Day’s California stronghold. This is a fast covert op, no real danger for someone with her mindset and training. But Charlie is not prepared for the lure of Randall Bane, or how easily he will pinpoint her weaknesses…

My Review: Please note, this is the 8th in a series of books featuring Charlie Fox. For those wishing to read the series in order, maybe don’t read this review. It’s incredibly difficult to review this without inevitable plot spoilers due to the length of time the series has been going.

I am having a somewhat marathon session with this series and am now onto the 8th book in the Charlie Fox series with this latest one. When I started reading I was a little bit confused. The ending of the last book left me with so many questions, however I soon realised that the new operation was a good way for Charlie not to think about what happened at the end of the last book! The story was pretty intense early on and we soon see that Charlie and Sean are trying to extract their ‘principal’ from a so called cult. As usual with any Fox and Meyer story, things are never cut and dried, and they end up with a bigger problem once the first part of their operation is done.

What results is an opportunity for Charlie to get up close and personal with Randall Bane, the guy running the cult named Fourth Day. Not much time had passed since I had started reading and I was surprised to realise I was once again over halfway through the book. With lots of opportunity to delve, we see Charlie take major risks (as per usual) only this time we see her vulnerabilities in a huge way. I would go as far as to say that although Charlie Fox is one of my favourite female lead characters, she is also one of the craziest. Maybe that’s why I like her so much? Not only does she take huge chances, she is also ridiculously screwed up. Her personality leads you to think she actually verges on the edge of becoming as lethal and dangerous as the people she is normally chasing.

Fourth Day held my interest from very early on with all the weird goings-on at the so called cult. However, when you add in the fact that this appears to be the closest we get to layering back Charlie’s personality it made for a pretty explosive read. It had everything I wanted and some! What I wasn’t prepared for was the ending. I almost shouted out loud because I just couldn’t believe it. Zoe Sharp has certainly whetted the fans appetite to want to plough straight onto the next one. I think after reading so many ZS books I will take a break at just the right time. I will anticipate the next book even more, waiting to find out the outcome of the latest Sharp/Meyer disaster.

Third Strike by Zoe Sharp (Charlie Fox #7)

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My Review: 5/5

Synopsis: Bodyguard and ex-Special Forces soldier Charlie Fox is slowly recovering from gunshot wounds but is desperate to prove herself to her new boss. Little does she know there’s a personal matter on the horizon that’s going to take up all of her attention – her father is in trouble and needs her help. It seems he has upset the wrong crowd and they’re using increasingly violent methods to systematically destroy the man’s immaculate reputation. It’s up to Charlie to find out why and stop the situation from getting seriously out of hand…

My Review: WOW! My heart really can’t take much more when it comes to Charlie Fox. For those of you that haven’t read a Zoe Sharp book you may want to not continue to read this review as it will inevitably contain spoilers (especially if you are reading the series from the beginning). With that to one side, I am now on to my third Fox book in succession and I’m about to start the next one!

In this book, Charlie is still recovering from her injuries from her last job. Whilst progress is slow, she is now ready to be back in the field. With her and Sean now working in the US, Charlie has no idea that her next assignment will be a lot closer to home. Throughout the series we have seen Charlie struggle with her parents and their relationship has always been difficult. Charlie is ex-Special Forces and she has more battle wounds, both physical and emotional, than most. Charlie’s parents have a very bizarre relationship with Charlie and it was actually wonderful to realise that it was finally time that her father had to accept help from Charlie.

The whole situation is completely out of character for Charlie’s Dad Richard, and Charlie along with Sean are determined to find out the truth about why Richard’s reputation is being sullied. From the very beginning of this book I was absolutely gripped. The story had taken a personal turn of events which drew me in even more. In addition to the precarious situations presented to them, we get to see the more personal relationships flounder. This, like the last book, was read in under a day and to be honest by the time I got to the end, I just sat there gaping for a few minutes.

Not only did this book have everything a Sharp book normally has (action, danger, and loads of shooting), it also had the best ending. Zoe Sharp, you naughty lady, you knew full well that the majority of people who finish this book will HAVE to get the next one…great move. This is by far the BEST in the series so far and I have decided I may as well make this a marathon and go for the fourth book in as many days. I can honestly say that if you haven’t read Zoe Sharp’s Charlie Fox series you are seriously missing out!!! AN absolute AMAZING read which I highly recommend!

Post by Sean Black (Byron Tibor #1)

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I recently interviewed Sean Black and asked him about his new book Post. I finished his new book Post yesterday and was blown away!

MY RATING: 5/5

Available: Online now on Kindle

Synopsis: THE WAR IS COMING HOME

Exhausted by years of combat, and haunted by the ghosts of his past, nothing is going to stop special forces operative Byron Tibor returning home to the woman he loves. But is Byron who he appears to be, and why is American government determined to stop him?

From the blood-soaked mountains of the Hindu Kush to the glittering lights of Manhattan, via the dark underbelly of the Las Vegas Strip, POST is the story of one man’s struggle to retain his humanity – before it’s too late.

Kat;s Review: I am a huge fan of the Ryan Lock series by Sean Black and was looking forward to testing the waters with his new stand alone thriller Post. I have to be honest and say that when I read the synopsis I was a little worried. You see I’m not particularly a fan of the kind of war books that this one seemed to be on the surface; especially not the ones that involved Government type conspiracies. <BIG sigh> how wrong could I have been?

Byron Tibor has spent years in Combat and serving his country. The first few chapters of this book kind of took my breath away. We fall straight into a combat situation where Byron is working as a lone operator. The sheer energy and exhilaration I went through when reading this reminded me of that feeling you get when you watch a really intense film! I was amazed (and I don’t mean that to sound disrespectful), a woman that doesn’t read this type of book and I just HAD to carry on reading.

When I did carry on reading I began to get a little confused. Had Sean Black made a major error in the storyline? Why didn’t it make any sense? Well, I now realise that’s the whole point in the beginning; you need to question it as you go along. This whole book centres on the US Government and their new programme which involves inserting an implant into their best soldiers to create a ‘guilt free and enhanced’ soldier. I know that some people will be shaking their heads at this description. Believe me, I am normally one of them so I totally get that. However, this story is one of those that will get your brain ticking. I’m certainly not somebody who believes in far fetched ideas; however there is a real ‘Big Brother’ syndrome with this book.

Aside from that aspect of the book we get to see Byron Tibor, who is by the way an awesome lead character, fight his way through his battle to get to the truth about himself. I went through varying emotions when reading this, but the overlying emotion was one that meant I didn’t want to stop reading. I was actually pretty sad to get to the end and couldn’t believe how amazing I thought this book was. Yep, many people will think ‘well the author gave her a copy so she would say that’. I need you to understand something though. I review because I love books, I don’t get paid one single penny to do it, and I’m certainly not shy in coming forward (which I’m sure some authors will happily confirm). I can be very critical when needs be, but in this case Sean Black put me firmly in my place.

Finally, I just wanted to touch on the genre of this book. It’s pegged as a thriller and it certainly falls into that category. But some people may say it should fall into Science Fiction. If that’s the case I need to change my standard “I don’t read Science Fiction” line, to “I don’t read Science Fiction, but I do read Sean Black”.

Sean Black has proved that you need nothing and nobody to produce an amazing book, just the talent. For the price of this book (less that £2 on Kindle) you really should give it a try. This was an amazing book that took my breath away and left me with more questions than answers. I sincerely hope that this is the start of what looks to be an amazing series.

The Death Box by J A Kerley (Carson Ryder #10)

My rating: 5/5

 Synopsis: Carson Ryder thought he’d seen everything …

A specialist in twisted crimes, Detective Carson Ryder thought he’d seen the lowest depths of human depravity. But he’s barely started his new job in Miami when called to a horrific scene: a concrete pillar built of human remains, their agony forever frozen in stone.

Finding the secret of the pillar drags him into the sordid world of human trafficking, where one terrified girl holds the key to unravelling a web of pain, prostitution and murder. 

There’s just one problem: Ryder’s not the only one chasing the girl. And the others will kill to keep the secret safe.

My Review:  I’ve been reading about Carson Ryder since around the halfway mark with book 5 (this is book 10 in the series). Carson Ryder books are incredibly readable (if you know what I mean). They may not be books that have a major impact at the time, but there is something about this series which keeps me (and plenty of others) coming back for more.  This book however is by far my favourite and was an absolutely fantastic read. Carson is a pretty cool character and his old partner Harry was also a favourite of mine. However, Carson has moved on and is now in a new town down in the Florida Keys. It almost has a ‘fresh start’ feel to it, which certainly makes the book seem fresh even though this is now the tenth book in the series.

With Harry no longer by his side, I wondered whether anybody else would make an appearance. Sure enough when Carson gets drafted into a new Specialist team he is paired up with the least likely of people. Ziggy Gershwin appears to be a nerdy college type of kid that initially seems fresh out of nappies. Thankfully the pairing worked brilliantly and I found myself hoping this is the start of a new pairing. Carson and Ziggy end up getting drafter into a case that takes them into the very dark world of human trafficking. The bad guys were suitably bad, the storyline twisted enough to keep you turning the pages, and the characters are now so real to me I feel like I need to meet them!!!

Something seems to have shifted with this latest book and it’s all good. If you haven’t read any of the previous books, although not necessary I think it helps give you the background of Carson and his brother Jeremy. I can’t say too much (for fear of spoilers), but for those who have kept up with the series, we only see Jeremy for the briefest time. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that Jack Kerley has special things planned for book 11! I find it hard to believe that many people haven’t heard of J A Kerley, and if you are one of those people, yu may want to take notice. Kerley is a very talented author who has created a fantastic series that keeps you interested. The storylines are all great and there is no ‘padding things out’ just for the sake of word count. I am so pleased that I am up to date with the series and cannot wait to get my hands on the next book. A brilliant read that I didn’t want to put down.

Shiver by Karen Robards

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My Rating: 5/5

Released: January 2013 available in paperback and Kindle

Synopis: When she swore off love, he was the last man she imagined would steal her heart.

If driving a tow truck through the seediest part of town with a gun beside her means putting a roof over her son’s head; then single mother Samantha is going to be the best repossession woman on the books. But when she hooks her truck up to a flashy BMW, the last thing she expects is to find a beaten, bloody man in the trunk – or to be catapulted into a terrifying fight to survive.

Daniel knows the drug runners who kidnapped him from protective custody will stop at nothing to see him dead. With his life on the line, his only option is to take his pretty saviour hostage and force her to help him. 

Sam and her four-year-old son are in too deep. With ruthless killers on their trail, she must reluctantly trust this handsome, menacing stranger. And as Sam relinquishes control, she feels an unmistakable desire. But what is the price of falling for a man who operates on the edge of danger – her heart, her life . . . or both?

My Review: I admit it, I had never heard of Karen Robards (shameful I know) and the only thing that caught my eye was the cover. I as once again ploughing through hundreds of books trying to work out how long things had been there and the cover just caught my eye and that was all it took! I read the synopsis and thought I’d give it a go. I can safely say that I’m VERY glad that I bothered to put it to one side.

The book is based around Sam and her four year old son Tyler. Sam is struggling to make ends meet and is subsequently working as a Repo driver. Although that involves driving in the seediest parts of town when her son is in bed, she doesn’t care as it pays for the roof over their head. Her first job of the night should have been a straightforward one. As with any great story, that small detail is the start of a rather bizarre nightmare Sam gets dragged into. What she finds is a man beaten and shot, in the trunk of the flashy BMW.

I guess at this point I was only a few chapters in and I was already hooked. The writing style and type of book this is, reminded me of Karen Rose (who I am a fan of). From that point in the book, Sam goes from being on the outside, to being taken hostage by Daniel in a fight to protect not only him but her and her son. It’s harder than this to detail too much of the storyline as it would become a spoiler, but suffice to say there is more to Daniel than meets the eye.

One thing I need to point out is that this is classed as a ROMANTIC SUSPENSE! FYI there WILL be romance in it! It drives me crazy when I see people complain that books like these aren’t on the right genre blah, blah, Blah! This book is ultimately a suspense/thriller. It does however (much like Karen Rose books) have a rather large portion of romance and steamy scenes going on! (no complaints from me, I love a bit of romance). With the romance aside, this is a very fast paced and action packed thriller that had me reading quickly. I was astonished to find myself at the last chapter on the same day I started it.

Overall I was incredibly happy to have read this and will now find the other 2 books of hers I have and bump them up my ‘to read’ pile. For fans of Karen Rose, if you haven’t read Karen Robards I think you should try her.

Fear Nothing by Lisa Gardner (DD Warren #7)

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Synopsis: My name is Dr Adeline Glen. Due to a genetic condition I can’t feel pain.

All Boston Detective D.D. Warren remembers is walking the crime scene. Next, a creaking floorboard, a voice in her ear… Now D.D. is seriously injured and unable to return to work.

My sister is Shana Day, a notorious child murderer. She has killed more people in prison than as a free woman.

Then a second victim is found with the same calling cards left at the scene: champagne and a single red rose. Only D.D. may have seen the killer, but she recalls nothing from the night that may have cost her everything.

Our father was Harry Day, an infamous serial killer dead for over forty years. The Rose Killer knows things about my father he shouldn’t. All I know is my family still has the power to hurt me.

Now D.D. is back on the hunt. Because the Rose Killer isn’t just targeting lone women, he is targeting D.D. And D.D. knows there is only one way to take him down:

Fear nothing.

RATED: 5/5

My Review: Detective DD Warren is back in a new addition to this series and I was looking forward to catching up with her. The first few chapters actually gave me the chills and before you knew it instead of DD being at the forefront, she is recovering from a serious physical injury which leaves her in no state to work. This was the first thing that was odd, was that the DD of old was no longer physically present so it made for a different type of read. We see DD on the back foot as she desperately tried to piece together her last memories before entering her last crime scene. The crimes in question are themselves chilling when reading about them, and as usual Lisa Gardner has the ability to make you squirm when reading what the latest sick and twisted murdered has done. In this case bodies are turning up along with champagne and a single rose.

The story has a few layers to it and we meet Dr Adeline Glen, who is a somewhat oddity to the norm as she has a condition meaning she feels no pain. The secret she holds is that her sister is a notorious child killer and is serving the rest of her natural life in prison. In addition to that their father was an infamous serial killer, and although dead for many years still has a rather sick cult like following. There seemed to be no room to breathe when I was reading this, as no sooner had one thing happened, the story took you to a different element and drew you straight back in.

I was thoroughly engrossed from start to finish and although I had a sneaking suspicion (which proved correct) about who was doing what, the suspense and writing itself kept me hooked from beginning to end. Lisa Gardner has consistently produced great crime thrillers and this latest one is no exception. There is plenty of action, plot twists and suspense to keep you up until the early hours. She has once again left me swallowing the bitter pill that I now have to wait a whole year for the next instalment. Other than my ridiculous impatience, a first class book which shows just how talented Lisa Gardner is. This one is highly recommended.

The Unpredictable Consequences of Love by Jill Mansell

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My Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: When Josh Strachan, newly returned to his home in north Cornwall from sunny California, first meets Sophie Wells, he’s immediately smitten. Sophie’s pretty, she’s funny, she has lots of friends and she clearly loves her job as a photographer, despite the sometimes tricky clients. There’s just one problem: Sophie has very firmly turned her back on love. It’s nothing personal, she tells Josh, but she just doesn’t do dates. And no one – even Sophie’s scatty best friend Tula – will tell him why. Josh is sure Sophie likes him, though, and he’s just got to find out what’s put her off romance. And then put things right…

My Review: When I received this latest offering by Jill Mansell I was a little surprised. The book itself looked like it was a little smaller than previous offerings. After a little scout on Amazon I saw that it was actually only marginally shorter than her two latest books. Not deterred I started the book and within the first few pages was once again transported into the wonderful fictional word Jill created. Sophie at first glance appears to be the main character but in this book, by the end I felt like there were maybe 5 or 6 ‘main’ characters. Initially Sophie wasn’t a character that I immediately liked. She seems like a friendly girl who lives in Cornwall and is trying to build up her photography business. The thing was she was such a closed book it was really difficult to warm to her that much. Shortly after we meet Sophie’s friend Tula who is somebody who is an open book and a character you like almost from the off. In addition to them, we see Dot who is running her hotel in Cornwall jointly with her Grandson Josh. Josh has recently moved back to the UK and in addition to seeing him work around the hotel we meet his friend Riley. Now do you see what I mean about the characters?

Jill Mansell has a magical ability to transport you into the worlds she creates and by the end of the book I found myself wanting to go and visit the hotel in Cornwall and meet the characters she has lovingly created. Each character has its own flaws and the most major one, seems to be Sophie. As the story unfolds we see everybody’s issues start to jump to the forefront and as time went on and I realised what Sophie’s issues were it made me like her even more. There were plenty of plot threads going on too, but I can assure you this wasn’t overdone and the characters all made their own mark on me.

I was so engrossed in this book that by the time I finally got around to starting it (two weeks later than planned)! I finished it the same day. Jill’s last two books were 5 star reads and this one is no different. I found myself totally absorbed, and this book gives you everything you could want from a book in this genre. It has fantastic characters and an interesting storyline that takes you straight into their world without pausing for breath. In my eyes, Jill Mansell is a legend! I kid you not people; the lady has been writing books for over two decades and the only way I can describe her (in the nicest possible way) is like a fine wine. She just gets better with age! Do yourself a favour and pre-order this one, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Stay Alive by Simon Kernick (Scope #2)

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My Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

ONE WITNESS: You’re on a trip with your family, miles from anywhere. A shot rings out – and your whole life changes in an instant.

ONE SECRET: A woman is racing towards you, chased by three gunmen. Although you don’t know it, she harbours a deadly secret. She’s in terrible danger. And now you are too.

NO ESCAPE: You’re running, terrified, desperate to find safety. You know that the men hunting you have killed before. And if they catch you, you’ll be next .

My Review: Holy Shit! You know that feeling you get when you’re watching some really intense thriller and the music gets a bit slower, and the tension mounts…..that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach…do I watch? Do I turn away? Yep that one! Well this started from page 1 and finished pretty much when I had finished. If you haven’t read Simon Kernick before (first of all where on earth have you been) then you can compare his work to one of those movies! Sometimes SK books are hit or miss for me, some people (I agree occasionally) think that they are too unrealistic. Other times they are amazing. To date my favourite read has always been Relentless, until now! Although it may be a joint winner this latest book is certainly up there with his best stuff!

Amanda Rowan finds herself in a dangerous situation and is forced to flee her home. When she moves away she figures that her life is relatively safe and she can go about her normal day to day life. When she realises that this couldn’t be further from the truth she inadvertently drags a family into her mess. Jess is the elder sister up visiting her sister when Amanda Rowan drags her and her family into her dangerous world. From the moment this part of the story begins my heart was racing even faster than it had been up until that point. Mike Bolt makes a welcome return, although in my opinion we didn’t see nearly enough of him. Having said that I was so wrapped up in the story I soon forgot that!

Kernick has certainly exceeded my expectations and has produced an absolute heart thumping page turner. It was a book that I literally couldn’t put down. Every time I picked it back up that all too familiar sick feeling in the pit of my stomach returned. You almost feel like you are taking the journey with them. Every chapter throws up new danger, violence and more twists and turns than the best rollercoaster in the world! The pace was bordering on frenetic but the story had me gripped from the outset. Towards the end I thought I knew where the book was headed but boy was I wrong! I finished with a real feeliong that I may be visiting a cinema to see the movie version as this book has MAKE ME INTO A MOVIE written all over it. This latest Kernick is a true delight that his fans will be itching to get their fingers on!

Watch Your Back by Karen Rose (Baltimore #4)

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My Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:UNFORGETTABLE

Stevie Mazzetti knew she would never get over the murder of her husband and son. But with their killer behind bars, she was able to move on with her life, if only for her daughter’s sake.

UNIMAGINABLE

Now, eight years later, the Baltimore detective always fights for the victims she meets and when she learns that her ex-partner may have miscarried justice, Stevie’s determined to right the wrong, even if it means she is in danger.

UNDENIABLE

Clay Maynard has always wanted Stevie and when she is targeted by a vicious psychopath, he believes that protecting her may give him the chance to have her in his life forever. Clay will do anything to keep Stevie safe but with a killer on her tail who has everything to lose and a secret to hide, will they stay alive long enough to find happiness?

My Review: For me this book was a perfect wrap-up of all the events that have taken place in past books. But the first thing I feel like I need to point out is that you should probably read previous books first. If you haven’t the sheer amount of plot lines going on and the reasoning behind them may take longer to grasp. I also need to say that if you are planning on reading previous books please don’t continue reading this review as it will inevitably have spoilers. Having read nearly all of Karen Rose’ books I was itching to get this latest one and as soon as it was ready to go on my Kindle I eagerly started.

Stevie Mazzetti is a ballsy woman, however she is also a woman that has spent 8 years grieving the loss of her husband and son. With the killer behind bars she has a path to follow and is desperate to rectify some things. Her ex-partner turned out to be a dirty cop and as Stevie starts to dig cases up, it seems her life as well as her daughters are now in danger. The danger levels are pretty high up from early in the book and to be fair don’t drop until the very end making for a fast-paced and pretty tense read.

The additional characters that are involved in this story could take a while to detail, but the main player being Clay Maynard the PI who wants to protect Stevie and her kid. Clay is a great lead character and although he is the main lead in this story we see the return of many other characters from previous books. One of the things I love about the Karen Rose books is that the characters are not forgotten. They may appear frequently or just the once but you get to see glimpses of people from previous stories and how they link to the current characters. Some people may wonder how they can even work out who belongs where, but check out Karen Rose Website as there is a place there that explains the relationship between people and books (which is a bloody great idea if you ask me). Check it out as http://www.karenrosebooks.com/krose-relationships.php.

Back to the story, there is a lot going on and that is by no means an understatement. There are numerous plot threads and just when you think that things are coming to a close, something else pops up. I have to say that at nearly 600 pages this is a humdinger of a book, even by KR standards. Even so, once again Karen Rose has produced a first class thriller that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat. I for one will be eagerly awaiting the next book, as it seems Karen Rose is hitting the jackpot with each and every book.