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Sunday, 21 June 2015

The Man Who Watched Women by Hjorth & Rosenfeldt





Description from NetGalley:

"As a heatwave blazes in Stockholm, a series of women are found brutally murdered and the Criminal Investigation Department is getting nowhere. The murders bear all the hallmarks of Edward Hinde, the serial killer jailed by psychological profiler Sebastian Bergman fifteen years earlier.

Sebastian desperately needs some order in his chaotic life. The revelation that he has a daughter, Vanya, could provide this longed-for stability. But should he tell her the truth and risk destroying her life and career?

Forcing his way into the investigation, Sebastian soon learns that the murders are connected to him and that no one around him is safe. Including Vanya."



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I must admit to not having read many so-called Scandi-Noir - in fact, I am ashamed to say that I have only ever read one by a highly successful author who shall remain nameless and, to be honest, it put me off as I just couldn't get into it at all … ok, I only read ½ of it so feel free to berate me as I probably deserve it! When I was invited to receive a free copy of The Man Who Watched Women from the publisher, Random House UK / Cornerstone Digital via NetGalley, I decided to put my previous experience aside and give it a go and I am quite pleased I did.

To be honest, it did take me a while to get into this book. I don’t think it was the story itself, which was pretty good with an interesting plot, it was more the characters that I found difficult to connect with. There weren't that many redeeming qualities with any of them and I particularly disliked the main character, Sebastian Bergman, who I found to be thoroughly unlikeable, creepy and a bit weird. I know he comes with significant baggage following a tragedy but that’s no excuse for being a total [insert suitably disparaging remark here] and don't even get me started on Haraldsson, the governor of Lövhaga Prison - I don’t want to give anything away but this guy is an idiot.

The members of the National CID murder squad known as Riksmord are a tight-knit unit who work well together but there is also some disquiet amongst its members particularly between Billy and Vanja who seemed like they were in competition with each other as to who was the best Police Officer when they should just get on with the job. Is this true to life? Probably but I found it petty.

The killers were the stars of the book for me … and Ellinor. Hinde, the serial killer behind bars, is an interesting character who is adept at manipulation and using people for his own gain as all good serial killers do. The copycat is equally as intriguing as he learns his ‘craft’ from someone he calls ‘the master’ with whom he is communicating via his obscure website. It couldn't possibly be Hinde as he has no way to communicate with the outside world … or does he? Ellinor is what I can only describe as an oddball … a strange and eccentric woman who, for some bizarre reason, is attracted to Sebastian. Despite this, she is a chink of light and welcome relief from the darkness of the narrative.

The story grows from the beginning and draws you in. It does become a little tedious for a time in the middle whilst the characters are developed and although this was necessary, I just felt it was a little overdone and long-winded.

In summary, The Man Who Watched Women was well written with a captivating storyline and complex characters and although I felt it was a little long, there was something that kept me reading to the end and I am happy to say that I would happily pick up another Scandi-Noir book in the future.

Wednesday, 3 June 2015

Insylum by Z Rider



Description from Goodreads:

"The Last Ones In...Never Come Out

A.J. changed in boot camp, coming out all straight-backed and short-haired. His best friend Nate hardly recognizes him anymore, especially when it comes to the way he acts. His priorities. Now he’s about to ship out to Afghanistan, and despite the rift growing between them, the two decide to have one last hurrah—at Insylum, the extreme traveling funhouse they’ve been waiting for a chance at for years.

They're last in line on the last night of the show. They are the last two to go in.

And they may never come back out.

Warning: Some tentacular activity. (Also body horror. And maggots.)

Insylum comes out June 9, 2015. Pre-order now on Amazon.
"



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This is one of those books that if you read it and then let it digest for a while, it becomes much more than it originally appears. Unfortunately, as this is quite a short story, I can’t go into much detail without giving the game away but I would suggest that if you want to get the most out of it, you don’t take it at face value.

The premise of the story is simple, two friends (Nate and AJ) spend their last night together in a “funhouse” before AJ gets shipped off to Afghanistan. The “funhouse” is not what you would find at Blackpool Pleasure Beach; there is no fun involved. From the entrance, Nate and AJ need to discard all their possessions in exchange for a pair of pyjamas and paper shoes and once inside, they are not allowed to go back - they become inmates/patients.

It doesn’t take long for the shenanigans to begin and we are “treated” to some pretty graphic descriptions of what befalls the participants. I’m quite a hardened horror reader but even some of the “treatments” made me squirm. There were a couple of “tutting” moments though as is usual with horror books (and films) whereby the characters do things that you really wouldn't do in real life but, on the whole, it’s pretty good.

I’m not sure that I can say that the main characters of Nate and AJ are particularly likeable as I didn’t feel myself warming to them at all or particularly caring about what happened to them but they are believable and well developed for such a short story.

I have read another book by Z Rider - Suckers: A Horror Novel - which was thoroughly engrossing and, like this book, has more to it than first meets the eye and I would recommend them both to anyone who enjoys this genre.

Thank you to the publisher, Dark Ride Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Tuesday, 2 June 2015

Kindle Paperwhite Giveaway via BritCrime




Kindle Paperwhite Giveaway
via BritCrime


Ends 14th July 2015 at 01:00 UK time

Read the giveaway rules at the bottom of the page as there are quite a few countries that aren't able to enter

You've got to be in it to win it!

Good luck and let me know if you win :)