My review of Things That Go Bump in the Night: Here There Be Monsters by Wilson Jackson

The blurb:

"THE BIG BAD WOLF MEETS DEXTER One city. Two killers. A serial killer who preys on adulterers. A supernatural shape-shifter who kills unknowingly once it becomes human again. The city knows about the serial killer calling himself Sin Killer and leaving a weird poem on his victims. He is blamed for all the murders including the ones he does not commit. Questions arise throughout the city whether Sin Killer is also capable of cannibalism since the victims are eaten and mutilated. As the body count continues to grow, Police Captain Frank Penn is under heavy fire. He knows there is more than one killer in his city, but must keep it to himself until he solves the case. With a plate full of trouble, he tries to withstand pressure from the mayor, the FBI, a city in fear, and two killers on the loose. Plus, the knowledge of the supernatural killer is his own nephew. Frank Penn must make a decision that will change his life forever."

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I received a copy of this from the author in return for an honest review.

The book centres around 2 people - one a serial killer and the other someone who doesn’t know he is - and the authorities trying to catch them one of whom happens to be related to one of the killers.  It was an interesting and enjoyable story and although I had guessed who the serial killer was early on, the pace and style of writing kept me interested as I wanted to see if and how the two came together.

The story was well written although the dialogue between characters was difficult to follow at times - it was not always clear who said what in a conversation as there was sometimes no distinction between what was being said by which character - however, this could have been due to how the book formatted on my reading device and it certainly didn’t detract too much from the flow of the writing.

The characters were well developed and I enjoyed getting to know them.  They were believable and I found myself feeling sorry for the main character, Jalen, and the predicament he was in through no fault of his own.

I would have liked the serial killer’s character to have been developed a bit more than it was - it felt like he was more of an aside or afterthought to make the story more interesting and different but nevertheless, it was an entertaining read and one that I would recommend.

My first blog

Well, here goes, my first blog post.

I started this purely for my own use and to keep track of the books that I read.  I am and have always been an avid reader with my earliest memories of reading under the covers by torch light so my sister couldn't tell on me to my mum; she always found out though because she used to find me having fallen asleep reading.

As I got older, I lost my way a little with reading and it went by the wayside but this was rekindled when I had my children.  I wanted them to grow up with the same sense of excitement of starting a new book and that unmistakable smell that goes with it.  I am pleased to say that both my children enjoy reading although my daughter more so than my son, and I hope they pass on this pleasure to their children one day ... although lets hope this doesn't happen too soon.

I still love the smell of books, both old and new, but have moved over to the darkside (!) and have the Kindle App on my Google Nexus.  It has taken some getting used to and although I don't get the same feeling when I read it, I still love a new book and have bagged some real bargains by keeping my eyes and ears open to special offers, free downloads and advance copies for review that author's send out prior to publication.

I have also recently started to share my thoughts on the books that I read.  I am always honest and even if I don't enjoy the book, I always find a positive there somewhere.  I am a believer that you learn more from your mistakes than successes and a bit of constructive criticism is a good thing.

Anyway, I think that'll do for my first post and will be back when I have finished reading my next book.