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Monday, 27 May 2019

All That's Dead (Logan McRae #12) by Stuart MacBride


Blurb from Goodreads:

"The stunning new Logan McRae thriller from No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller Stuart MacBride. 

Scottish crime fiction at its very best. 

Darkness is coming… 

Inspector Logan McRae was looking forward to a nice simple case – something to ease him back into work after a year off on the sick. But the powers-that-be have other ideas…

The high-profile anti-independence campaigner, Professor Wilson, has gone missing, leaving nothing but bloodstains behind. There’s a war brewing between the factions for and against Scottish Nationalism. Infighting in the police ranks. And it’s all playing out in the merciless glare of the media. Logan’s superiors want results, and they want them now.

Someone out there is trying to make a point, and they’re making it in blood. If Logan can’t stop them, it won’t just be his career that dies."


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Having read and thoroughly loved one of Mr MacBride's previous outings starring Logan McRae - A Dark So Deadly - I was thrilled to be accepted by the publisher, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, via NetGalley to read and review "All That's Dead" before publication in return for an honest and unbiased review.

This instalment had a lot to live up to and, overall, it hit the mark with it's dark humour, the fantastic characters, the setting, the twists and all wrapped up in an excellent plot amongst the backdrop of domestic terrorism and the independence movement in Scotland which although results in a fair bit of English-bashing, does mirror Brexit (oh how I hate that word!) in many respects which makes it topical and current too!

I did have a few niggles that did irritate me somewhat ... one or two of the characters who were supposed to be Police Officers did not come across as very believable; they were overly childish and not very good at their jobs.  In addition, I found the word "sooked" extremely annoying for some reason - not sure why but it just wound me up.

I am absolutely certain that it would be better to read the series in order, it does work as a standalone pretty successfully and although the niggles prevented me from awarding this a 5 star read, I would still recommend it.


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Saturday, 11 May 2019

Smashbomb




"Smashbomb is a social platform that lets you research and discover new things through recommendations from your friends, influencers, experts, and heroes."


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This is not something I normally do, i.e. review websites/apps, but I really wanted to share this great resource for finding, rating and reviewing just about anything and the more you use it and contribute, the more "kudos" you receive.

When I said you can review just about anything, I meant it:


  • Apps
  • Books
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Board/Tabletop Games
  • Tech
  • TV
  • Video Games


You can follow people with like-minded interests, you can add videos, create polls, you can join or create "orbs", you can see the latest reviews that have been posted and discover what's trending in all categories which is great for finding new stuff, you can create lists which can be shared or private and if that's not enough, there's also great giveaways that you can enter for free and you earn badges too!

I have to admit though that I did find it a bit fiddly at first to use but I soon got the hang of it; I joined Smashbomb in January 2018 when it was still in "beta" and it has got better and better.  The app can also be a bit "buggy" in that it freezes and becomes unresponsive occasionally but I haven't had any problems with the website at all.

Overall, Smashbomb is a great app/website and indulges the geek or nerd in us all and lets us share our "nerdiness" with the rest of the world 😀



The Sting by Kimberley Chambers


Blurb from Goodreads:

"TWO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS

Best friends Tommy Boyle and Scratch always had each other’s backs. Dragged up in care, and cruelly betrayed by everyone they trusted, they made a pact to fight their way out of the gutter – together.

TWO SIDES OF THE LAW

Old loyalties die hard on the streets of London. Tommy throws his lot in with the notorious Darling family – even if it means leaving Scratch to the wolves. She’s destined for a different path, reinventing herself as copper Kim Regan.

ONE DEADLY SHOWDOWN

Now they’re on opposite sides of the law. Running Operation Sting, Kim will rip the heart out of the Darling’s empire – and only her old pal Tommy stands in her way.

As gritty and dangerous as the London streets in which it’s set, this is No.1 bestseller Kimberley Chambers at her best. Get ready for a shocking read with a STING in the tail . . ."


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What a roller-coaster of a ride that was!  I'm sure I experienced all the emotions known to man whilst reading this book - joy, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger, anticipation and fear to name but a few.

The characters are believable and brilliant although not all of them are particularly likeable.  The story is gripping and had me hooked from start to finish and although I anticipated the end, it didn't disappoint or spoil it for me.  The only complaint I have is the epilogue ... what the heck?!?! I found it cheesy and, in my humble opinion, totally unnecessary apart from tying up a couple of loose ends which could have been put elsewhere in the book however, this didn't ruin it for me it just made me "tut" and roll my eyes.

Kimberley Chambers isn't known as the "Queen of Gangland Crime Fiction" for nothing and I would definitely recommend to readers who enjoy a gritty story that's not all about violence and hate.

Thank you to the publisher, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.


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Previous book reviewed:


Click here to read my review