Penalties by Stephen Leather

Description from Goodreads:

“Premier League footballer Gabe Savage is on the way to one of the most important matches of his life when he gets a phone call from his wife.

She has been kidnapped along with their young son. And the message from her captors is brutal: ‘If your team wins, your family dies.’

With the kick-off only hours away, there is only one person Gabe can turn to – his brother Ray, a vicious London gangster. But a dark family secret means that he hasn’t spoken to Ray for years. Can Ray help? And will he?”

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I admit to being a huge Stephen Leather fan so was extremely happy that I was chosen to receive a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review and although I don’t think it's as good as the Spider Shepherd series of books, it comes pretty close.

The story covers a day in the life of premiership footballer, Gabe Savage, however, it’s not an ordinary day and it’s not all about football so if, like me, you’re not a huge fan of the round ball game, don’t worry. Anyway, Gabe’s wife and child are kidnapped and Gabe calls on his brother Ray for help. Ray is not your typical brother; he’s a bit shifty to say the least but the perfect person to come to Gabe’s aid.

The action comes thick and fast with violence and scenes of peril a plenty; some of which is a pushing the boundaries of believability a little but if you can’t do it in a book, when can you? so just go with the flow and enjoy. The cast of characters is diverse and interesting and I particularly liked Ray … could this be the introduction to a new protagonist for a new series????? I hope so - I would certainly like to get to know him better.

The writing is excellent, as ever with Mr Leather’s books, it flows really well and you find yourself flipping through the pages with ease and before you know it, you’re at the end and herein lies the problem for me and why I don’t think it’s as good as the Spider Shepherd series, it was a little too easy, a little too predictable and not as developed but overall, an enjoyable read anyway but maybe for a younger audience than me.

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Author website - http://www.stephenleather.com/

Author twitter - stephenleather

Publisher website - Lawsome Books

Strangers by Paul Finch

Book description from NetGalley:

“Dark, gritty and always edge-of-your-seat: the #1 bestseller is back with a standout new heroine…

Unknown, alone, and fearing for your life.

As PC Lucy Clayburn is about to find out, going undercover is the most dangerous work there is.

But, on the trail of a prolific female serial killer, there's no other option – and these murders are as brutal as they come.

Lucy must step into the line of fire – a stranger in a criminal underworld that butchers anyone who crosses the line.

And, unknown to Lucy, she's already treading it…

Always gripping. Always gruesome. Paul Finch will leave fans of Rachel Abbott and MJ Arlidge gasping for more.”

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Paul Finch has done it again!

I have read “Dead Man Walking” and “Hunted” by Mr Finch which feature the excellent character of DS Mark Heckenburg a.k.a. Heck as the main protagonist. In “Strangers” we are introduced to PC Lucy Clayborn - an equally strong and interesting character who is keen to prove herself as an adept police officer following a ‘mishap’ whilst in CID. Lucy is tasked with going undercover to find a serial killer, nicknamed “Jill the Ripper”, who is murdering and mutilating men however, she uncovers more than she bargains for and we are taken along for the ride.

This book has everything you want - suspense, intrigue, twists, turns, shocks, etc., etc., plus a smattering of wit to provide lighter moments - all told at a fast, flowing pace with a fantastic cast of characters. I love the fact that it’s set in the Manchester area; many British crime books are set in and around London so it’s refreshing for an author to move north of Watford!

Paul Finch has become one of my favourite authors and I have no shame in saying that I am a fan so I want to thank the publisher, HarperCollins UK Avon, via NetGalley for providing me with a copy in return for an honest review.

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Author website: Paul Finch

Publisher website: HarperCollins UK Avon 

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I would encourage you also to read:

Hunted

Dead Man Walking

Medea's Curse by Anne Buist

Description from Goodreads:

"Forensic psychiatrist Natalie King works with victims and perpetrators of violent crime. Women with a history of abuse, mainly. She rides a Ducati a size too big and wears a tank top a size too small. Likes men but doesn’t want to keep one. And really needs to stay on her medication.

Now she’s being stalked. Anonymous notes, threats, strangers loitering outside her house.

A hostile former patient? Or someone connected with a current case? Georgia Latimer — charged with killing her three children. Travis Hardy — deadbeat father of another murdered child, with a second daughter now missing. Maybe the harrassment has something to do with Crown Prosecutor Liam O’Shea — drop-dead sexy, married and trouble in all kinds of ways.

Natalie doesn’t know. Question is, will she find out before it’s too late?

Anne Buist, herself a leading perinatal psychiatrist, has created an edge-of-the-seat mystery with a hot new heroine — backed up by a lifetime of experience with troubled minds."

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I was really drawn to this book from the blurb and was grateful to Legend Press via the Legend 100 Club for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this a really difficult book to review because on the one hand, the story was captivating and interesting despite it being about some pretty despicable crimes (infanticide, child and domestic abuse, stalking and violence) but on the other, the writing style made it really, really hard to read which spoiled it for me in a big way. There are a lot of characters and the story jumps around a bit; I normally don’t mind this if there’s a thread which connects them all but in this novel, there were different threads that crossed but weren’t necessarily linked so this made it difficult for me to keep track. I also have an issue with the main character, Natalie King. Again, she’s difficult to critique. On the one hand she’s a very strong, independent woman but on the other, I found her to be extremely unlikeable and I wasn’t able to warm to her at all.

Having said all that, it’s very clear that the author knows her stuff and despite the difficulties I had in reading this particular book, I would be tempted to read another written by her.

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Publisher website:  Legend Press

Author Website:  Anne Buist