Before It's Too Late by Jane Isaac

Description from Goodreads:

“I concentrated hard, desperately listening for something familiar, the sound of life.

I heard nothing.

Just my own breaths and the wind, whistling through branches above... The thought made me shiver.

I am buried alive.

Following an argument with her British boyfriend, Chinese student Min Li is abducted whilst walking the dark streets of picturesque Stratford-upon-Avon alone.

Trapped in a dark pit, Min is at the mercy of her captor. Detective Inspector Will Jackman is tasked with solving the case and in his search for answers discovers that the truth is buried deeper than he ever expected.

But, as another student vanishes and Min grows ever weaker, time is running out. Can Jackman track down the kidnapper, before it's too late?”

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I haven’t read any of Jane Isaacs’ books before but after reading this, I will certainly read more by her and I feel very privileged to have been invited to provide an honest review by the publisher, Legend Press, via NetGalley. This invite in no way influenced my thoughts on the book and I say it as I read and feel it!

Before It’s Too Late introduces us to a really interesting, complex and likeable Police Officer - DI Will Jackman. He is thorough, methodical, logical and driven and is the sort of Police Officer that I would want looking for me if I had been kidnapped but, if I was a miscreant, I would be quaking in my boots. Will is also a troubled man with a huge amount of guilt being carried on his shoulders following a car accident which seriously injured his wife. Jane excellently delves into Will’s mind and describes his thought processes and reasoning as well as his frustrations with the investigation in a way that feels natural. I really like Will and feel there is quite a lot of mileage with him and his colleagues.

The victim, Min Li, is another great character and I love the way the Chinese culture is brought to life and explained by Jane in an interesting way without being cliche or patronising. I found the sections told from Min’s perspective when she was in the pit were so well described that I really felt like I was in there with her and I could really feel her absolute terror.

The story moves at a good pace and kept my interest from start to finish. There are some red herrings and twists and despite me guessing what was going on when the 2nd person was kidnapped, I still enjoyed how it all played out to the end. I’m not sure I would go as far as to say that this is a psychological thriller, well not for me anyway, but I do think it’s a good crime thriller and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys this genre.

One last thing, this is the first fiction book I have read that mentions THE greatest motorcycle rider EVER - the Doctor himself - Valentino Rossi - this alone adds a star to my rating ;)

The Slaughter Man by Tony Parsons

Description from Goodreads:

"A murdered family. A dying serial killer. A missing child. DC Max Wolfe hunts a pitiless killer through the streets of London. By the Sunday Times number one bestselling author of The Murder Bag.

On New Year’s Day, a wealthy family is found slaughtered inside their exclusive gated community in north London, their youngest child stolen away.

The murder weapon – a gun for stunning cattle before they are butchered – leads Detective Max Wolfe to a dusty corner of Scotland Yard’s Black Museum devoted to a killer who thirty years ago was known as the Slaughter Man.

But the Slaughter Man has done his time, and is now old and dying. Can he really be back in the game?

And was the murder of a happy family a mindless killing spree, a grotesque homage by a copycat killer – or a contract hit designed to frame a dying man?

All Max knows is that he needs to find the missing child and stop the killer before he destroys another innocent family – or finds his way to his own front door …

Even the happiest of families have black, twisted secrets that someone is ready to kill for…"

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This book is what I call a good old-fashioned crime caper with loads of action, thrills and violence which is fast paced and well written and I thank the publisher, Random House UK Cornerstone, for providing me with a copy via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is the second book in the Max Wolfe Series and although I have got the first one (The Murder Bag), I am ashamed to say that I forgot about it so haven’t read it but after reading The Slaughter Man, I won’t do that again as I would quite like to get to know the main characters a little more.

The book starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. The fast pace and continuous action together with an easy writing style makes this hard to stop reading. The story was gripping, compulsive and plausible and the characters were complex, interesting and believable. DC Max Wolfe was likeable but his daughter, Scout, even more so - the sections devoted to their relationship were a welcome relief from the sometimes harrowing details of the crimes and investigation. These details were however very interesting. I particularly enjoyed the sections about The Black Museum and the description of the process of death, although grim, was just excellent.

There were a few things that I found a little odd - like how Max acted and was treated like he was a much higher rank than his Detective Constable (he needs a promotion) and how he and his colleagues put themselves in danger so easily when entering the house of paedophiles and when visiting the travellers site - I just don’t think this would happen in real life but then, this isn’t a nonfiction book so I just went with it and it did make for exciting reading.

Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good crime thriller with twists and turns aplenty which will keep you on your toes and enthusiastically turning the pages.

Yet another great British author to keep my eye out for in the future.

Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid

Description:

"When Daru Shezad is fired from his banking job in Lahore, he begins a decline that plummets the length of this sharply drawn, subversive tale. Before long, he can't pay his bills, and he loses his toehold among Pakistan's cell-phone-toting elite. Daru descends into drugs and dissolution, and, for good measure, he falls in love with the wife of his childhood friend and rival, Ozi--the beautiful, restless Mumtaz.

Desperate to reverse his fortunes, Daru embarks on a career in crime, taking as his partner Murad Badshah, the notorious rickshaw driver, populist, and pirate. When a long-planned heist goes awry, Daru finds himself on trial for a murder he may or may not have committed. The uncertainty of his fate mirrors that of Pakistan itself, hyped on the prospect of becoming a nuclear player even as corruption drains its political will.

Fast-paced and unexpected, "Moth Smoke" portrays a contemporary Pakistan as far more vivid and disturbing than the exoticized images of South Asia familiar to most of the West. This debut novel establishes Mohsin Hamid as a writer of substance and imagination."

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Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid

An observant tale of young Pakistanis caught between two conflicting worlds. The book was a convincing debut novel by the author.

A fantastic read, deserves a 4 out of 5.

The Pakistani writer Mohsin Hamid is more known for his prizewinning novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007), but like with many authors, he has provided us with some excellent tales before and after his ‘breakthrough’ as well.

The Characters

It takes place in the sizzling hot streets of Lahore and follows the junior banker, Daru Shezad, as his life starts taking unexpected turns. Daru is a character that is lost and insecure – a young man out of place and out of touch with himself as well as the rest of the world.

His summer becomes filled with conflict when is childhood friend returns from the US. Ozi is the opposite of Daru. Confident, in a well-paid job and he is married to a beautiful wife, Mumtaz.

The heroine, in a way, is Mumtaz, who like many strong female characters is not all that she seems to be. She is hungry for knowledge and secretly lives a life as an investigative journalist.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the pages will see Daru and Mumtaz’s relationship develop into a destructive love affair.

The Setting

The events with the twists and turns, juggling between the air-conditioned homes of the Lahori upper class and the impoverished city streets and shacks inhabited by the servants of this class.

Hamid describes quite well how a simple thing like the air-conditioning signifies this clash of the two worlds. The upper classes in their lust for cool air constantly drain the electricity grid empty, causing further chaos to the corrupt city.

The atmosphere is filled with not just the warmth of the Pakistani summer, but the escalating tension between India and Pakistan. The threat of nuclear destruction drives the narrative forward, as the characters try to deal with their own inner demons.

The Verdict

Moth Smoke is a beautifully written book that makes you feel the heat. Hamid is excellent in making you smell the tasty chicken biryani through the pages and have you reach out for cooling lemonade to quench the thirst.

The book flows beautifully, although the pace is somewhat complicated by the fact that he has chosen to switch between the narrators. There are times where you need to think about whose voice it is you’re hearing.

Some of the twists and turns also feel a little clumsy and at times forced. But then again, we are talking about a debut novel.

Overall, the depiction of the struggles of the poor and the inner turmoil of the new upper classes feels real. It all feels authentic; which is natural as Hamid grew up in Lahore and studied abroad in the US later on. You can sense this inner conflict of feeling like you don’t really belong anywhere.

It is a great book with some intelligent observations. The feelings after reading it will be a bit conflicted, you’ll almost feel like Daru.

If this was a movie:

Daru – Aamir Khan

Ozi – Ajay Devgan

Mumtaz – Kareena Kapoor

Disclaimer: This review has been kindly provided to me by Robert Reeve

I have not read this book 

Scarecrows by Christine Hayton

Description from Goodreads:

"They do more than frighten birds. Much more.

Early one morning in the fall of 1964, Robert searched for his missing six-year-old daughter, Cathy. He found her asleep in a nearby cornfield, covered in blood and holding a small axe. A few feet away lay the mutilated body of her classmate Emily.

Assumed guilty of murder, Cathy lived in a hospital for insane children. She always gave the same account of what happened. She talked of murderous scarecrows that roamed the cornfield on moonlit nights. Her doctors considered her delusional. The police, her neighbors and the press thought she was dangerous. And so she remained incarcerated. No one believed her. That was a mistake."

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I am a sucker for horror books ever since I picked up The Rats by James Herbert when I was a teenager and I have been hooked ever since so when I saw this title offered for review by the publisher, Samhain Publishing, on Netgalley, I requested a copy in the hope that I would be chosen to provide an unbiased review. I was. Unfortunately, what I read wasn’t horror for me which was a bit of a disappointment to be honest; it was more like a murder/mystery.

Despite my disappointment, the story itself kept my interest and I liked the way the author alternated between the past and the present and she made it easier to keep track of which time period you were in by using italics for the past. The main characters were interesting but I did feel that Cathy, who was supposed to be 6 years old during the “past” and 8 in the “present”, came across as much older at times especially when she was with Jimmy which confused me a little. I also found the psychiatrists a little odd and I couldn’t quite work out why one of them went to live on the farm with Cathy’s father, yes I know he wanted to find out what happened but going to live with the father seemed a little unprofessional and unbelievable to me. Some of the dialogue also felt a little unnatural and awkward at times which interrupted the flow of my reading experience. Having said that though, there were a few twists and I always enjoy trying to guess “whodunit” and although we find out some of the “who”, you are kept guessing as to all of the “who” as well as the “how”.

If I am judging this as a horror, I can’t give it top marks - I didn’t find it in the least bit scary or particularly creepy at all however, I don’t think I will look at scarecrows quite the same way again! As a murder/mystery it stacks up quite well and for a fairly quick read, I would give it a go and judge for yourself.

One By One: Before, During and After by Simon Kernick

BEFORE

The first part in a direct to digital short-story in a murder mystery three-part thriller from the bestselling author of Ultimatum, Stay Alive and The Final Minute.

Six ex school-friends have been brought together on a remote island.

They haven’t all been in contact since a fateful night twenty-one years ago, when their friend Rachel Skinner was found dead. The man arrested for her murder has now been acquitted, and the seven friends are fearing for their lives.

But are they hiding from the right person? Or have they fallen into a deadly trap?

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The opener to the 3 part series sets the scene and introduces the characters as they make their way to the island. Straight away you get a sense that something is not quite right - everyone has been told to keep their trip to the island a secret so you just know things aren’t going to work out well for some or all of them.

Charlie - an up and coming politician.
Karen - an unhappy woman who seems to have lost all she holds dear.
Marla - a high powered businesswoman who uses her sexuality and good looks to get what she wants.
Luke - young, free and single and enjoying his bachelor lifestyle.
Louise - a very happy housewife.
Crispin - a not very successful author who lives with his mum.

Once past the Prologue, the story is told from the point of view of Karen and she provides us with the reasons why they have come together - the official story and an indication that this isn’t the whole truth of what happened to their friend, Rachel, over 20 years ago.

Despite this being quite short (around 30 pages on the Kindle), Simon is able to draw you into the story and just when things start to get interesting, it ends on a cliffhanger and leaves you rushing for the “buy now” button for the next part.

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DURING

The second part in a direct to digital short-story in a murder mystery three-part thriller from the bestselling author of Ultimatum, Stay Alive and The Final Minute.

Six ex school-friends met together on a remote island being stalked by an unseen killer, and unable to contact help.

But who is after them and why?

As the body count mounts, it becomes clear that at least one member of the group can’t be trusted.

And the surviving members need to figure out who it is before it’s too late.

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This 2nd part to the 3 part series moves at a faster pace than “Before” and follows the friends on the island as they start to be whittled down in number but who is the murderer and how are they going to get off the island?

The story continues to be narrated by Karen and Simon Kernick expertly uses her voice to portray the fear she is experiencing whilst trying to work out which one of them is the killer whilst dropping vague clues and red herrings to us, the readers but then, just when you think you know who it is, a twist throws a spanner into the works and starts you guessing again.

Again this is a fairly short part (about 35 pages on the Kindle) but is packed with a lot of action and scenes of peril and, once again, ends on a cliffhanger which makes you want to get the 3rd part to find out what happens

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AFTER

The final part in a direct to digital short-story in a murder mystery three-part thriller from the bestselling author of Ultimatum, Stay Alive and The Final Minute.

Six people met together on a remote island and with a killer on the loose, only four remain.

Three have been brutally murdered in front of their eyes as a punishment for their actions on a night over twenty years ago.

But as the old school-friends start to turn on each other, will any of them leave the island alive?

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The final part in the 3 part series continues where the other 2 left off. The body count continues to rise along with the mistrust between the survivors which comes to a head as they turn on each other. The truth about Rachel’s murder 21 years ago is revealed but there are further twists to come.

This part has slightly less action than “During” but only slightly. It is well written and easy to read and although I worked out what was going on quite early on, this didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment.

As with the other 2 parts, this is fairly short (53 pages on the Kindle) but this one has the added delight of an extract from Simon’s latest novel, The Final Minute, which I highly recommend.

Overall, I enjoyed this series but think I would have loved it if it had been a little longer.

Only The Brave (DS Allie Shenton #3) by Mel Sherratt

Description from Goodreads:

"When one of the notorious Johnson brothers is murdered and a bag of money goes missing, a deadly game of cat and mouse is set in motion.

DS Allie Shenton and her team are called in to catch the killer, but the suspects are double-crossing each other and Allie has little time to untangle the web of lies.

As she delves deeper into the case, things take a personal turn when Allie realises she is being stalked by the very same person who attacked her sister seventeen years ago and left her for dead.

Set over forty-eight tension-filled hours, Only the Brave is the latest gut-churning book from acclaimed author Mel Sherratt."

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I feel very privileged to have been invited to review this book by the author and duly received my copy from Netgalley and the publisher, Thomas & Mercer/Amazon Publishing and, yet again, I was most definitely not disappointed and I thoroughly enjoyed getting lost amongst the words of Mel Sherratt.

This is the 3rd installment in the DS Allie Shenton series and although you don’t have to have read the previous 2 novels, I would certainly recommend reading at least 1 of them as there is a thread that runs through all 3 novels and I feel that you would miss out on the understanding of Allie and her motivations and character development. Having said that, don’t let that put you off; I have only read 1 previous novel “Follow the Leader” and I was able to become totally engrossed very quickly which is a testament to the skill of Mel as the author.

This story is different to the previous novel in that you don’t know who the murderer is. There are many clues and red herrings thrown in which keeps you guessing and on your toes and I just love that in a book especially when I guess wrong. It is also told over a 48 hour period which, for me, lent an authenticity to the way in which the police investigation was told and meant the pace was fast and constant from the beginning to the very end … and what an ending!

The characters in this book are fabulous; particularly the more colourful residents of the flats and despite some of them being a tad shady, you quickly become drawn into their world. I admit that there were a few notable male characters that I took an instant dislike to and a couple of the female characters that irritated me but this only added to my enjoyment and total immersion into the story.

DS Allie Shenton is an excellent female character. She is strong yet vulnerable and not afraid to show both sides. She is driven to find justice and has a “nose” for rooting out the answers. I believe Mel has found a truly distinct and interesting character that has reams and reams of potential for further development and some fantastic storylines to come and I, for one, look forward to reading more.

I would most definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy a fast, paced, thriller with interesting and believable characters which just flows and is a pleasure to read.