Book Review of The Perfect Corpse by Giles Milton

Official description:

When the frozen corpse of Ferris Clark is found in the Greenland ice, forensic archaeologist Jack Raven is hired to investigate. He is suspicious from the outset. The corpse is not only naked, but in an absolutely pristine state.

As Jack unravels the mystery of Ferris Clark’s final hours, he uncovers a dark and terrible past. He also finds himself caught in a race against time. There is a murderer on the loose and Jack alone can stop the killings.

But first he must solve the greatest riddle of all. How did Ferris Clark die? And why?

Frankenstein meets Fatherland in the debut thriller by internationally bestselling author, Giles Milton.

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I want to thank the publisher Prospero Press and www.netgalley.com for providing me with a copy of this novel in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Well, I quite enjoyed it. I am not going to give any of the plot away so my review won't be going into too much detail about specific people or parts of the story as I personally don't like that ... my review is a general outline from my perspective.

This is a unique idea (as far as books I have read before) and very inventive. The author provided a clever mix of history, the present and possible future.  Yes, it stretches the boundaries of reality in a big way but isn't that what novels are supposed/allowed to do?

The main characters were an interesting mixed bag of likeable, annoying, boring and not-so-nice people some of which were developed more than others and some seemed to be just thrown in there to fill the pages. I would have liked to have had more of the story focused on "Ferris" as there was virtually none and I think this would have added a little more interest for the reader and would have tied things together a little better especially when you get close to the end.

It was also a bit technical at times and went into detail in some depth some of which, in my opinion, didn't add to the story. I did like the way in which the history and research was tackled. This, for me, was interesting and I enjoyed the way the pieces of the puzzle were put together.

I can forgive the little annoyances as mentioned above but what I can't forgive is the ending of this book. It was a HUGE let-down for me and a massive anti-climax - it could have been so much better but it felt rushed and I was extremely disappointed. In addition, the last chapter (before going back to 1944) was unnecessary and didn't add anything to the story or the ending. I think the ending is as important, if not more so, than the beginning as it is what lingers in your mind long after you have finished and unfortunately, the ending of this left a lot to be desired and was quickly forgotten.

This had a lot of potential but just didn't deliver for me. I was excited at the beginning and was giving a running commentary to my husband throughout until the end which left me really disappointed which I find quite sad.

This could have been a 5 out of 5 but, given all of the above, I have to give it a 2 out of 5.

"Old" People are NOT useless!

The Little Old Lady Who Broke All The Rules
by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg

From the back:

"79-year-old Martha Anderson dreams of escaping her care home and robbing a bank. She has no intention of spending the rest of her days in an armchair and is determined to fund her way to a much more exciting life-style. Along with her four oldest friends - otherwise known as the League of Pensioners - Martha decides to rebel against all of the rules imposed upon them. Together, they cause an uproar with their antics: protesting against early bedtimes and plastic meals. As the elderly friends become more daring, their activities escalate and they come up with a cunning plan to break out of the care home and land themselves in a far more attractive Stockholm establishment. With the aid of their Zimmer frames, they resolve to stand up for old aged pensioners everywhere - Robin Hood style. And that's when the adventure really takes off ..."

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I really enjoyed this - a little unrealistic but would love to see this happen in real life if only to show that 'old' people are not useless or boring and have dreams and aspirations as much as anyone else. I actually know a few people who would love to be in the characters shoes!

I liked the writing style and pace of the book and was very impressed on how well it was translated.

This is one of the only books that I have read that has been passed round to my work colleagues and all of them have said how good it is!

Don't Look Back by Gregg Hurwitz - fast-paced action/survival story

Don't Look Back

by Gregg Hurwitz

The blurb:

"After the breakup of her marriage, Evie takes the holiday of a lifetime. A few weeks of hiking, rafting and jungle adventure at an eco-lodge in Mexico sound ideal. But what should have been the perfect pick-me-up soon turns into a nightmare.

Nothing is quite what it seems. There are secrets hidden that can't be allowed to leave their jungle hiding place. And which their keeper will kill to protect.

If she is ever to see her son again, Evie will be forced to find reserves of strength, courage and ingenuity she never dreamt existed. Or die trying.

With great pace and pitch-perfect characterisation, Gregg Hurwitz rachets up the tension in Don't Look Back, his exceptional new thriller. Fans of Harlan Coben and Simon Kernick will be hooked from the word go."

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I would like to thank www.netgalley.com and the publishers, Penguin Books (UK) for sending me a copy of this novel in return for an honest review.

Once a brief history is provided about why Eve is alone on a “trip of a lifetime”, it gets down to it in a big way with non-stop action and tension throughout. The scene is set so well, I was transported into the jungles of Mexico; the beauty and the dangers within described to great effect.

The mix of characters was excellent with the main heroine (Eve) one tough cookie - she didn’t start off that way but with the determination to see her son again, she quickly had to become Amazonian-like and someone I would want on my side. When she (and you) thought she couldn’t do or go anymore, she dug deep and kept on.

The villain (Bashir) is everything you would want in a bad guy - ruthless, heartless, cruel, excellent at what he does and right at home in the jungle.

Don't Look Back, is an edge-of-the-seat, fast-paced action/survival story that will keep you on your toes until the very end.

This is the first time reading a Gregg Hurwitz book, but I will definitely be reading more.

Creepy!

The Facts of Life and Death

by Belinda Bauer

'Call your mother.'
'What do I say?'
'Say goodbye.'

This is how it begins.

Lone women terrorised and their helpless families forced to watch - in a sick game where only one player knows the rules. And when those rules change, the new game is Murder.

Living with her parents in the dank beach community of Limeburn, ten-year-old Ruby Trick has her own fears. Bullies on the school bus, the forest crowding her house into the sea, and the threat of divorce.

Helping her Daddy to catch the killer might be the key to keeping him close.

As long as the killer doesn't catch her first...

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I really enjoyed it. The first few chapters are a bit slow but necessary to develop the characters and lull you into a false sense of security. The story is told from a few different perspectives but mainly via a young girl which was interesting at first and took a bit of getting used to but worked very well with the way the book developed. The characters were believable, the way the author was able to describe the people and especially the locations made me feel I was there.

I would also like to commend the design of the book cover - very eye catching and creepy and fits with the book totally.

I have never read anything by this author before but if her other books are anything like this one, I will definitely consider reading more.

Sounded good but disappointing

The Benjamin Atkins Story:

America's Most Prolific Serial Killer

by Alan Bradley

The blurb:

"Benjamin Atkins was the fastest serial killer in American history, murdering eleven women in nine months and leaving their bodies scattered among the ruins of Detroit. Author Alan Bradley grew up in the neighborhood where Atkins plied his deadly trade and brings a unique perspective to the tale of Atkins, his victims, and the broken landscape they prowled."

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I was lucky enough to download this for free from Amazon and, unfortunately, I am quite pleased because I feel I would have been a little disappointed had I paid for it. Having said that, the way the scene was set was well described and definitely enabled me to have a clear vision of what living in that area was like at the time - this may have been it's downfall - too much description about the area and not enough detail about "Tony" himself. I didn't feel the story flowed well and jumped from one thing to another and this made it feel rushed. It would make a better full length book rather than a very short story.

Unrealistic and annoying

Zack's Choice

by Harry E. Gilleland Jr.

The blurb:

"Zack's Choice is a crime/heist/mystery novel. Zackery Gresham has his life all planned. His mother is a lawyer; his father is a federal judge; and he is Pre-Law at Yale, with Harvard Law School to follow before he joins his mother’s prestigious law firm. He plans to marry his high school and Yale girlfriend once he graduates from Law School. During a school break Zack takes a once-in-a-lifetime motorcycle trip through the southern states. In New Mexico he has a chance encounter with a strange hitchhiker. The resulting chaos will bring Zack face-to-face with a choice that could alter his life forever."

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I received a free copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review ... however, he probably wishes he hadn't sent it to me!

The first few chapters really annoyed me as they were so totally unbelievable that I nearly gave up but I persevered.

It did get slightly better as the story moved on but remained unbelievable and, at times, laughable by it being so unrealistic but I did like the style and pace of writing and although it took me a while to get to like Zack, I did eventually although his naivety astounded me.

I do feel that this book is aimed at a teenager or young adult but, sadly, it just wasn't for me and I'm not sure I would read anything else by this author.

A different zombie apocalypse

Dead Petals - An Apocalypse
by Eric Ortlund

The official blurb:

"Not just your garden-variety zombie apocalypse...

"It was a week ago when it happened. Exactly a week when I heard the stomping on the front porch. I remember it sounded like someone was drunk. I opened the door and it was my neighbor. She lunged at me."

Oz, a former professor driven to the brink of madness by a tragedy he cannot face, begins to notice that the people around him are acting strangely. They're eating each other. And they're scraping at his door.

Fleeing south, Oz and a motley crew of survivors begin to notice that this isn't the zombie apocalypse they'd seen in countless movies and books. These creatures seem somehow 'closer' to the Earth, yet, perversely, somehow deader, less human, than even zombies are meant to be. The creatures are transfixed by the Sun, and they transform, their faces peeling back in short tentacles until they uncannily resemble flowers. And these zombies can't be stopped. Hack off a limb or a head and it re-joins or just grows back, like the toughest plants.

The Dead have a global leader, a purpose - beyond that of just eating any remaining humans. And the seven survivors, led reluctantly by Oz, discover that they have a central role to play in the macabre new order of 'life' on Earth.

Dead Petals is a different species of zombie tale. Apocalypse, Rapture and the transformation of reality, all sprouting from the same seed."

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I received a free copy of this from www.netgalley.com in return for an honest review.

An interesting take on the zombie theme but I found it confusing and the story difficult to follow or really understand what was going on. It started off well but I quickly became confused and was scratching my head for most of the way through and I found it hard going. I wasn’t able to connect with any of the characters and found the dialogue a bit awkward, unnatural and, at times, all over the place.

I did however like the zombies - they weren’t the run of the mill, normal zombie and the way the author described them was excellent.

I can see a really good book in here but I just don’t think this was it.

I wouldn't class this as a "horror" but would put it in the supernatural or weird category.

My rating:  2 out of 5 stars

An interesting and absorbing collection of stories from Africa

The blurb:

"A scorned wife returns to wreak a terrible vengeance on the husband and mistress that caused her untimely death!

A morgue assistant fails to follow the strange night-time rules of the mortuary and gets himself “a follower”, the restless spirit of a murdered young woman.

The ghost of a young boy returns to his school to complete his classes, tragically cut short by the cruel fists of death.

The Reluctant Dead is a unique collection of six spine-chilling ghost stories from the farthest lands of Africa. Be warned! These stories will leave you glancing over your shoulders for a very long time!"

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I would like to thank www.netgalley.com for sending me a copy in return for an honest review.

A collection of 6 short stories all based in Africa. Each of the stories are easy to read and quite absorbing and introduced a different culture which was a refreshing change and intriguing to read from a different perspective. I personally didn't find them too scary - more interesting to be honest - and unlike other books I have read, didn't have any problems sleeping like a baby after reading before bed. Unfortunately, there were countless incidents of two words being merged into one which resulted in some confusion and a break in the flow of reading - maybe this was due to the formatting, I don't know but it was a little annoying. Having said that though, the author was adept at describing the characters and places and was successful in explaining the beliefs and culture of the various characters without it becoming boring and detracting from the stories.

Overall, an enjoyable read and an author I will look out for in the future.