Adrift 2: Sundown by K R Griffiths

Description from Goodreads:

"1 night. 1 city. 8 million people. No warning. No safety...

Having survived the massacre aboard the doomed cruise ship Oceanus, all Dan Bellamy wants is peace; a chance to go home and attempt to put his life - and his mind - back together.

He's not going to get it.

Dragged back to the UK by the remaining members of the Rennick family, Dan finds himself once more pitched into a nightmare. Vampires are rising, gathering in force for an assault on London which could blow the secret of their existence wide open, and Dan's captors are convinced that he alone holds the key to defeating them.

Dan knows he has some strange connection with the creatures. Trouble is, as chaos erupts on the streets and the bodies begin to pile up around Dan, it looks like the vampires know it, too…"

**************************************************

I am fast becoming a fan of Mr Griffiths’ work having read 2 of his previous novels - Survivor and the first in this series, Adrift. I highly recommend you read Adrift as it introduces the main players and background to the story; I wouldn’t say it was essential but you would lose out massively on a highly entertaining read.

As with Adrift, this is excellent from start to finish. The pace is flowing and it is very well written and easy to read. The characters are interesting and believable and the “monsters” are so well described, they could be in the room with you! Be warned however, there is a smattering of blood and gore throughout so if you don’t like that sort of thing, that’s a shame because you will be missing out on what is a fabulous book and I for one can’t wait to read the next installment - hint hint Mr Griffiths ;)

This and Adrift - need to be made into a film or series of films as I definitely feel that with good actors on board, they could be as good as the Alien franchise.

Disclaimer: I received a free eBook copy from the author in return for an unbiased review.

**************************************************

Author website: http://www.krgriffiths.org/

Click here to join Mr Griffiths free mailing list and be the first to discover new releases, launch-day discounts and bonus content

Twitter: KRGriffiths1

The Dying Hours by Mark Billingham

Description from Goodreads:

"A fantastic, never-before-published Tom Thorne novel by England's crime king.

It's been twenty-five years since Tom Thorne last went to work wearing the "Queen's cloth" but now, having stepped out of line once too often, he's back in uniform. He's no longer a detective, and he hates it.

Still struggling to adjust, Thorne becomes convinced that a spate of suicides among the elderly in London are something more sinister. His concerns are dismissed by the Murder Squad he was once part of and he is forced to investigate alone.

Now, unable to trust anybody, Thorne risks losing those closest to him as well as endangering those being targeted by a killer unlike any he has hunted before. A man with nothing to lose and a growing list of victims. A man who appears to have the power to make people take their own lives."

****************************************

This is the 11th instalment in the saga that is Tom Thorne; a fantastic, interesting and unorthodox police officer wonderfully created by Mark Billingham and I want to thank my local library for lending me a copy at no cost :)

The synopsis pretty much explains the story of the book so I won't repeat it but what I will say is how much I enjoyed reading this.  Once again, Mark successfully manages to keep the Tom Thorne novels feeling new and refreshing and although you don't have to have read the previous 10 books, it does help and if you do, Tom will very quickly become an old friend.

The story flows well and is easy to read with a fantastic cast of characters.  The plot itself is, I feel, quite creative and it makes a change to have the "baddie" as a senior citizen; this brings a unique and different perspective to that of other books.

I felt that this particular story provided more insight into Tom's character especially his almost obsessive and selfish desire to prove his theory is correct that the apparent suicide victims are actually being murdered.  Tom is single-minded in his quest to prove that he is right despite the very real danger he has of losing his trusted colleagues and friends.  Having said that, it also shows a vulnerable side to the hard-nosed detective which is well explored throughout and brings a new and more human dimension to the character.

Overall, a great read ... probably not as enthralling as previous Tom Thorne stories ... but pretty damn good all the same and I would most definitely recommend it to others who enjoy this genre and also to people who don't ;)

**************************************************

Author Website:  http://www.markbillingham.com/

Twitter:  @MarkBillingham

UK Publisher:  Little, Brown Book Group

**************************************************

I was lucky enough to have been sent an eBook copy of Mark's latest Tom Thorne novel - Time of Death - which is the 13th instalment and it is captivating, thrilling, absorbing, exciting and all the other superlatives that you normally use to describe a brilliant read.  As you can see, you don't have to read these books in the correct order to enjoy them ... just buy or borrow them :)

Hunted: A DS Heckenburg Thriller by Paul Finch

Description from Goodreads:

"Brace yourself for another heart-stopping thriller from #1 bestseller Paul Finch.

Across the south of England, a series of bizarre but fatal accidents are taking place. A local businessman is burnt alive in his car, two car thieves are bitten to death by poisonous spiders and a driver is impaled through the chest with scaffolding.

Accidents do happen but as the body count rises Detective Mark ‘Heck’ Heckenburg suspects that there is something far more sinister at play.

Who is hunting these people down and can Heck stop the killer before they stage the grisliest ‘accident’ of all?"

**************************************************

Paul Finch is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Having read and enjoyed the fourth book in the series - Dead Man Walking, I was well chuffed to be accepted to receive a copy of Hunted from the Publisher HarperCollins UK Avon via NetGalley in return for an honest and unbiased review.

This is the fifth outing for DS Mark Heckenburg a.k.a. Heck but you don’t necessarily have to have read any of the other books to enjoy this one as a standalone as once again the author is proficient in creating characters so that you feel that you know them very quickly.

The story starts as it means to go on with a bizarre accident that is told in all its gruesome glory. The accidents get increasingly complex and shocking and Heck is tasked at convincing his new temporary colleagues that these are no accidents. That’s easier said than done and Heck has to use all his “charm” and investigative skills to get them on side, particularly DC Gail Honeyford who is less than pleased that Heck has appeared and is sticking his nose into her investigation. He soon wins her over however and what follows is a fast paced and excellently written book which is so easy to read that you find the pages just flying by as you get stuck in.

This book has it all - crime, thriller, police procedural, suspense, twists and turns with a good helping of grisly murders and scenes of peril all told in glorious 3D! I for one won’t forget the funnel and the jam jar in a hurry.

As I said at the beginning, Paul Finch is fast becoming a favourite author of mine and I can safely say that I am a fan and I would encourage all who enjoy a well written, fast paced, edgy book with brilliant characters and unique storyline should definitely give this a go.

**************************************************

Author website: http://paulfinch-writer.blogspot.com/

Three Sisters by Helen Smith

Description from Goodreads:

"Three Sisters introduces twenty-six-year-old amateur sleuth Emily Castles in this entertaining new mystery series from best selling British author Helen Smith.

Emily receives an invitation to a party in a large house at the end of her street, hosted by a mysterious troupe of circus performers. She accepts, despite her misgivings, because her dog has died and she needs cheering up. But when she witnesses a murder in the midst of the surreal entertainment, no one will believe what she has seen. Is Emily befuddled with grief at the loss of her pet? Or has something wicked happened in plain sight of all the party-goers? Emily and her eccentric neighbours attempt to discover the truth in a charming story that will have you giggling at every funny line.

"Readers of M C Beaton or Alexander McCall Smith will enjoy discovering a new mystery author."

Chosen as a "Book of the Year" by Elizabeth at The Frugal Ereader.

This short mystery is a standalone story set in London. The Emily Castles mysteries can be read in any order. "

****************************************

Thank you to the author for send me a copy of this book in return for an honest review - this in no way influenced my review as you will see.

I had absolutely no expectations with this book having never heard of the author or of the main character, Emily, but have to say that I was a little disappointed especially having seen the many 4 and 5 star reviews it has received.

Maybe it’s me but I just found too much wrong with it to enjoy it and I’m sorry about that. I found nothing redeeming about Emily, I didn’t warm to her at all nor did I find any of the other characters particularly likeable or interesting - they were just all a bit weird. I found the dialogue between the characters was stilted and unnatural. The “mystery” the story claimed to be was given away by the title [why would you do that?] and, in fact, the only mystery for me is what significance does the recently deceased dog have to the story [baffled].

I really don’t like leaving bad reviews for anyone as I know how much of themselves, blood, sweat and tears the authors put into their writing but I really can’t find anything positive about this book apart from that I was glad it was only a short story.

I realise that I am in the minority with my review so I may have missed something so I suggest you give it a go and make your own mind up.

****************************************

Sign up for Helen Smith's Book News and receive a FREE Kindle copy of one of Helen Smith's books: http://helensmithbooks.com/gr