The Hunted by Gabriel Bergmoser

Description from Goodreads:

"Where does the adventure end . . .

and the nightmare begin?

Frank owns a service station on a little-used highway. His granddaughter, Allie, is sent to stay with him for the summer, but they don't talk a lot.

Simon is a dreamer and an idealist, in thrall to the romance of the open road and desperately in search of something.

Maggie is the woman who will bring them together, someone whose own personal journey will visit unimaginable terror on them all. . ."

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A brutal and breathless race for survival

If you’re looking for something that hits the ground running and doesn't let up, then this is definitely the book for you. I’ve had this sitting on a very dusty virtual to-be-read pile on my Kindle since 2020, but I’m so pleased I finally got around to reading it because it’s a proper adrenaline-fuelled ride.

The story starts with a woman named Maggie who arrives at a remote petrol station in the Australian outback, badly injured and clearly terrified. From that moment on, it’s a fight for survival as a group of hunters closes in. It’s incredibly fast-paced and quite cinematic - I could easily see this being turned into a gritty survival film.

It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted though. There’s a fair amount of graphic violence and it gets pretty brutal in places, which might be a bit much for some. I also felt that because it’s so short and action-heavy, we didn't get to go quite as deep into the characters' backgrounds as I would’ve liked. A bit more development there would’ve made it a full five stars for me, but it’s still a fantastic, edge-of-your-seat read.

If you enjoy survival thrillers that are lean, mean and keep you hooked until the very last page, I’d highly recommend giving this a go. It’s a real "one more chapter" kind of book that’ll leave you feeling pretty breathless. 

Many thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts.

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The Quiet Kill (Detective Jamie Day #1) by Robert Bryndza

Description from Goodreads:

"Winter, 1987. Detective Jamie Day arrives in London determined to prove himself. After years policing a quiet seaside town, his promotion to the Metropolitan Police feels like the opportunity he has been waiting for.

But the capital is a very different world.

On his first day in plain clothes, Jamie makes a grim discovery: the dismembered body of a young man, left in a dark corner of the city. What should have been a routine first shift quickly becomes the beginning of a major murder investigation.

Then another victim is found.

As winter deepens, young men are being killed late at night across London, their bodies discovered in eerily similar circumstances. The detectives soon realise they may be hunting a serial killer.

Working alongside a tough and experienced team, Jamie must prove he belongs while navigating the pressures of a high-profile investigation. But as the case grows darker, the killer’s pattern begins to emerge. And if they don’t stop him soon, another body will be waiting in the shadows."

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A great start to a gripping new crime series

I've been a huge fan of Robert Bryndza for ages so I was absolutely buzzing when I got hold of the first book in a brand new series. I loved Erika Foster and Kate Marshall so the bar was set incredibly high for Detective Jamie Day and let me tell you, he didn't disappoint. From the very first page, I was completely hooked and I ended up flying through it in just a couple of sittings.

Jamie is a brilliant new lead character with less of the flaws than a lot of fictional detectives. He feels quite innocent and 'wet behind the ears', having just moved to London and immediately being dropped straight into a gruesome murder case.

What really gave this book an extra edge for me was the setting. It is set back in the 80's, right at the height of the fear and misinformation surrounding the AIDS virus. Having been a teenager myself in the 80's, I vividly remember that time and Mr Bryndza captures that tense, uncertain atmosphere perfectly. It adds a really heavy, realistic layer to the whole investigation.

The pacing is absolutely spot on. Even though you know who the killer is from early on, I still thoroughly enjoyed seeing how everything unravelled.  The tension just keeps building up to a satisfying ending. However, the final wrap-up did feel a bit rushed in comparison to the rest of the book which builds beautifully.

The sharp dialogue, the realistic police work and those addictive short chapters that make you say "just one more" before bed are all present and correct and what I have come to expect from Mr Bryndza.

I am very much looking forward to seeing how the characters and relationships develop in subsequent books. If you're a fan of crime fiction or his previous books, you really need to add this one to your reading list. It's an excellent start to what I'm sure is going to be a brilliant series and I already can't wait for book two.

Many thanks to the author, Raven Street Publishing and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this, the start of an exciting new series.

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Senseless by Ed James

Description from Goodreads:

"THREE MISSING PEOPLE... ONE TWISTED PREDATOR.

DAY ONE

Six weeks after vanishing, Sarah Langton is suddenly found - delirious and starved close to death.

The police struggle to find any answers.

DAY TWO

When another missing person reappears, half-crazed and hysterical, a terrifying pattern a twisted predator is pushing his victims to insanity.

DS Corcoran, haunted by a previous case, and Dr Marie Palmer, a leading criminal psychiatrist, must try to establish a link between the survivors.

DAY THREE

As it becomes clear others are in grave danger, every second will be critical. But can Corcoran and Palmer unravel the deadliest of puzzles in time?"

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A chilling and incredibly dark start to a new crime series

This one has been sitting patiently in my dusty to-be-read pile since 2020 and I have finally got round to reading it! I haven't read anything by this author before so wasn't sure what to expect but I am so glad I finally picked it up. Starting a brand new crime series can always be a bit of a gamble, especially when you are being introduced to a new detective duo, but this grabbed me pretty quickly. The story follows DI Rob Marshall as he returns to his childhood home in the Scottish Borders and gets thrown straight into a deeply unsettling case involving a serial killer who removes the victims' senses.

It is a really dark and gritty read with an intense level of suspense that kept me turning the pages late into the night. The atmospheric Scottish setting really added to the tense mood, making the whole investigation feel isolated and urgent. Marshall is an interesting lead character with plenty of his own personal baggage and I liked watching him work alongside the local team to piece the clues together.

The plot moves along at a great pace with enough twists to keep you guessing about the killer's motives. My only minor niggle was that a couple of the procedural details felt slightly stretched but it really didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the mystery. It is a solid, gripping thriller that sets up the rest of the series well and I will definitely be seeking out for the next book to see where these characters go next.

Many thanks to the author, Headline and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts.

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The Violent Hour (Inspector McLean #15) by James Oswald

Description from Goodreads:

"The victim of the murder cannot be identified; its brutal nature of the shocking both the public and the police. What could possibly have inflicted such gruesome injuries? Was it a wild animal on the loose, or the beginning of some horrific gang warfare?

Another body is found on Musselburgh naked, comatose, but this time still alive. DI Tony McLean can't shake the feeling that there is a connection to the killing - but there are few leads for him and the team to go by.

The police are at a loss, and the city is on edge - will the killer strike again?"

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A sweltering and gruesome addition to a fantastic series

I can't quite believe we're already at book fifteen in the Inspector McLean series but James Oswald has done it again. This time Edinburgh is absolutely baking in a summer heatwave right in the middle of the festival season which makes the city feel completely claustrophobic and chaotic. It's the perfect backdrop for a seriously grim murder where the injuries are so brutal that the police don't even know if they're looking for a person or a wild animal.

Tony McLean is as brilliant as ever trying to navigate the madness while balancing his usual down-to-earth policing with those eerie supernatural vibes that always seem to follow him around. When a second victim is found alive but comatose on Musselburgh Beach the team really have their work cut out for them.

The plot keeps you guessing all the way through and the pacing is spot on. My only tiny niggle is that it felt a bit slow in the middle sections but the build-up to the climax definitely makes up for it. If you're a fan of Scottish crime fiction with a dark twist you won't want to miss this one.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this, another excellent addition to this series.

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The Island (Hidden Iceland #2) by Ragnar Jónasson

Description from Goodreads:

"Elliðaey is an isolated island off the coast of Iceland. It is has a beautiful, unforgiving terrain and is an easy place to vanish.

The Island is the second thrilling book in Ragnar Jonasson's Hidden Iceland trilogy. This time Hulda is at the peak of her career and is sent to investigate what happened on Elliðaey after a group of friends visited but one failed to return.

Could this have links to the disappearance of a couple ten years previously out on the Westfjords? Is there a killer stalking these barren outposts?"

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A slow burn mystery that didn't quite land for me

It’s always a bit of a relief to finally tick a book off the TBR pile, especially when it’s been sitting there since 2018! I’ve finally sat down with The Island by Ragnar Jónasson, which is the second book in the Hidden Iceland series.

The story starts off so well and the opening really grabbed my attention. It’s set across two different timelines, focusing on a cold case from the 1980s and then moving forward to a reunion on a remote island ten years later where things go wrong. It has all the ingredients for a classic locked-room mystery.

However, after that strong start, the middle sections just didn't grab me as I'd hoped they would. I found the pacing quite slow, and it felt like more of a police procedural or a slow-burn mystery than the gripping thriller I was expecting. I know many people love the atmosphere of Scandi-noir, but I think I've decided it's just not for me. I often feel like the tone or the flow gets a bit lost in translation, and having tried a few now without much success, I think I’ll be giving the genre a miss from now on.

If you enjoy a very methodical, atmospheric mystery where the setting is a character in itself, you might get more out of this than I did. For me, it was okay, but it didn't quite hit the mark. 

Many thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and share my honest thoughts.

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