Ravage (Ravaged World Trilogy #2) by Iain Rob Wright

Blurb from Goodreads:

"FIRST PEOPLE GOT SICK. THEN THEY GOT VERY SICK..

Nick Adams is just a normal guy. He loves his family, appreciates his home, and covets his car. But he absolutely hates his job. Which is what makes it so difficult that not a single customer has come by his store today. It seems as though there’s a bug going around, something that has come out of nowhere and is keeping people at home. Still, it’s probably nothing to worry about. People get sick all the time.

And besides, things are finally starting to look up. Nick’s first customer of the day has just stumbled through the door… 

HIS DAY IS ABOUT TO GET WORSE..

It won’t be long before Nick’s entire life is turned upside down, sending him on a frantic journey through a ravaged world that will ultimately lead him 500 feet upwards to a hilltop amusement park. Is it the last safe place on Earth, or are the monsters at the top of the hill even worse than the ones below?

WELCOME TO RIPLEY HEIGHTS. WHERE THE FUN NEVER STARTS."

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I just love a good horror book every now and then as it enables me to put all believability aside and just go along for the ride ... this one did the job and is another great story from Iain Rob Wright.  Despite it being the second in the series ("Sea Sick" being the first), it can easily be read as a standalone.

I don't read an awful lot of zombie apocalypse books so don't have anything to compare this one with which, I think, is probably a good thing as I had no expectations but I was a lover of The Walking Dead and I do think this is similar in it's plot, i.e. a band of survivors coming up against hordes of the living dead and various miscreants in society where no one is safe and anyone can meet their end at any time regardless of their importance.

There is your usual set of characters in this book from the nice to the downright nasty some of which are more developed than others which I think is out of necessity as there are many of them.  The various settings are perfect and "normal", the writing is set at a good pace and is easy to read.  There are, as you would expect, many scenes of peril and death with a good smattering of blood and gore (not always due to the zombies) but also more tender moments that provided some relief and softness in what would otherwise be a bleak read.

I felt the addition of "The Path of Infection" at the end was excellent and provided an explanation as to how the virus spread from when it came ashore to reaching one of the main characters, Nick, and it makes you think just how easily this could happen in the real world with any virus or infection such as flu, Ebola, etc.

Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read and now I'm off to read "Savage", the last in the series.

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The Scent of Death (David Hunter #6) by Simon Beckett

Publication date - 3rd October 2019

Blurb from Goodreads:

"It has been a good summer for forensics expert Dr David Hunter. His relationship is going well and he's in demand again as a police consultant. His life seems to be on an even keel.

But not for long. The call comes from an old associate: a body has been found, and she’d like Hunter to take a look . . .

St Jude’s Hospital now stands empty. Slowly rotting and silently awaiting demolition, the vast, oppressive building’s only visitors have been society’s outcasts, addicts and dealers. And it’s here that the partially mummified corpse has been discovered. Hunter is not sure how long the body has been hidden in the hospital’s cavernous loft, but he’s seen enough to know it’s a young woman. And that she was pregnant.

As the remains are removed for closer examination, a floor collapses revealing a previously sealed off part of a ward. Bricked up inside this hidden chamber are three beds. Two of them are occupied . . .

What other grisly secrets will St Jude’s reveal? The local community is alarmed and the police need answers. For David Hunter, what began as a challenging if straightforward case is about to become a twisted nightmare threatening him and those around him.

Featuring his trademark authentic forensics, claustrophobic sense of place and nerve-shredding tension, Simon Beckett’s new thriller will leave you gasping."

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I remember, many moons ago, reading The Chemistry of Death and Written in Bone and thoroughly enjoying them and have always had Simon Beckett on my radar as an author to pick up but alas I seem to have been side-tracked by the sheer plethora of excellent books out there so have sadly missed out on the other books in this series but on starting to read this, it was like putting on a comfy pair of slippers and snuggling down on the sofa (or, in my case whilst on holiday, in front of a swimming pool in the Portuguese sun) and losing a few hours amongst the pages of this gripping book.

The blurb gives an outline of what the story is about so I won't repeat it but what I will say is that it's as good, if not better, as it sounds.  The setting is perfect and provides an additional layer of atmosphere and general creepiness and tension to this excellent book.  The characters are well developed and believable; the details of the forensic side is not over done or too technical that you either get lost or lose interest and the plot development and twists means this is one book that I found hard to put down (cliché I know, but true).

I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this book to lovers of fast-paced thrillers from a different perspective than the usual police-procedurals and don't be put off that this is the 6th in the series as it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone.

My thanks go to the Publisher via NetGalley for accepting my request for a copy in return for an honest and unbiased review; you have helped to remind me of how good Simon Beckett's work is.

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Dakota Burn (Leine Basso #8) by D.V.Berkom

Blurb from Goodreads:

"A kidnapped girl. A ruthless criminal who preys on the innocent. Two killers who will stop at nothing to bring him down.

Former assassin Leine Basso was supposed to be in sunny LA, watching the first class of operatives graduate from the new anti-trafficking academy. Instead, she’s in North Dakota in the middle of a brutal  winter, helping ex-poacher Derek van der Haar track down and eliminate a deadly group of criminals hell-bent on providing young girls to the highest bidder.

The closer Leine and Derek get to the organization, the more dangerous the mission becomes. Soon, it’s evident that the traffickers are playing for keeps—and don’t care who they kill.

In a story ripped from the headlines, Dakota Burn reveals the dark underbelly of the Bakken oil fields, where human life is a commodity and outlaws still rule.

If you enjoy books by Mark Dawson, Barry Eisler, and Mark Greaney, you’ll love D.V. Berkom. Download this gritty, action-packed thriller today!

And you thought the Wild West was dead…"

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I seem to have run out of superlatives to describe this series of books by D.V. Berkom and containing the awesome Leine Basso so will just say it's another fantastic read and a must-read addition to anyone's bookshelf be it a physical one or electronic.

With an extremely disturbing but, tragically, all too realistic story line, this book contains subject matter which is distasteful and abhorrent to the majority of the "normal" population however, it is treated with respect and restraint by the author.

Excellent and believable characters litter this book from the goodies to the villains with Derek being a particular favourite of mine along with Jinn who gets better and better with each outing.  The setting amongst the bleakness of an oil town in North Dakota is perfect and adds to the atmosphere and darkness of the subject matter. 

Full of action and a fair amount of violence, this book is written at a quick pace which had me devouring it at every opportunity with the only complaint I have being that I finished it too quickly!

Another hit for me and I have no hesitation in recommending any of them in the series; you don't particularly need to read them in sequence but I would certainly advise that you do in order to get the most out of the characters and to have a greater understanding of their motivations and thought processes.

I must thank the author for sending me a copy in return for a honest and unbiased review - I can't wait for the next one.

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Cruel Acts (Maeve Kerrigan #8) by Jane Casey

Description from Goodreads:

"From award-winning author Jane Casey comes another powerful Maeve Kerrigan crime thriller which will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page!

Leo Stone is a killer. A year ago, he was convicted of murdering two women and sentenced to life without parole. But now, a juror from his trial has revealed the jury was prejudiced, and a retrial is called.

Detectives Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent are tasked with re-examining the evidence. Before long, they uncover links between Stone and a possible third victim.

But with Stone behind bars, a fourth woman disappears in similar circumstances. Is there a copycat killer out there, or have they been wrong about Stone from the start? And will Maeve discover the truth before another innocent victim is killed?"

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Once again, I find myself enthusing about one of Jane Casey's books starring the unparalleled partnership of Detectives Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent.  This might be the 8th outing in this series, but it doesn't show and remains fresh and a riveting read from start to finish.  I won't go into any of the plot as the blurb explains it well enough and to say more would give the game away but what I will advise is that you be prepared for twists and turns, tension and scenes of peril!

With fantastic characters, a gripping plot and enough back story so it can be read as a standalone, this is one not to be missed for all you fans of police-procedural/crime/suspense/thriller/etc/etc., lovers out there.

Thank you once again to the Publisher via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

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Cold As the Grave (Inspector McLean #9) by James Oswald

Description from Goodreads:

"Her mummified body is hidden in the dark corner of a basement room, a room which seems to have been left untouched for decades. A room which feels as cold as the grave.

As a rowdy demonstration makes its slow and vocal way along Edinburgh's Royal Mile, Detective Chief Inspector Tony McLean's team are on stand-by for any trouble. The newly promoted McLean is distracted, inexplicably drawn to a dead-end mews street... and a door, slightly ajar, which leads to this poor girl's final resting place.

But how long has she been there, in her sleep of death? The answers are far from what McLean or anyone else could expect. The truth far more chilling than a simple cold case..."

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This is a treat for crime fiction lovers with a bit of the supernatural thrown in for good measure.  Mr Oswald knows how to write a great story and he has done it once again with "Cold as the Grave".

DCI Tony McLean finds himself, quite unexpectedly, in the midst of a strange and disturbing investigation following his discovery of the mummified remains of a young girl.  Being a DCI, Tony is not supposed to get into the day to day investigation of crime however, Tony being Tony just can't help himself and he quickly becomes in the thick of it.

This is a dark and sinister case to investigate and includes themes on refugees, asylum seekers, illegal immigrants, trafficking, modern slavery, the murder of children and violence towards women as well as introducing a less than "normal" slant on the perpetrator of the crime and the method used for committing murder.

With fantastic characters throughout and written in a sympathetic rather than sensationalist way with the back drop of a winter in Edinburgh, this is a great read.

I admit to not having read all the previous books in this series and although I have probably missed out massively on back story, character development, etc., it did not detract from my enjoyment of this book.

On to the next .... when it comes out!

My thanks must go to the Publisher and NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.

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