The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund

Description from the Goodreads:

" It starts with just one body – the hands bound, the skin covered in marks.

Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg is determined to find out who is responsible, despite opposition from her superiors. When two more bodies are found, it becomes clear that she is hunting a serial killer.

With her career on the line, she turns to psychotherapist Sofia Zetterlund. Together, they uncover a chain of shocking events that began decades ago – but will it lead them to the murderer before someone else dies?"

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This is another book I have had on my to-be-read pile for too many years than I should have however, I think I should have left it there because this one just wasn't for me.

For a start, it's sooooooo long and whilst this isn't always an issue, it is when, in my opinion, it doesn't need to be.   It starts off really well but then dissolves into a convoluted and unrealistic mess. While the initial murder mystery is intriguing, the subsequent plot twists and character developments are implausible and frustrating.

Now, this is just me ... there are loads of really positive reviews of this book so don't take my word for it and give it a try ... you never know, you might love it!

Thanks to the authors, Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this book and I'm sorry it just wasn't my cup of tea.

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Angel of Death: The James Ryker Series Book 12 by Rob Sinclair

Description from the Publisher:

"Ismail Karaman is one of the deadliest terrorists in recent history. So why is he free to float around the Persian Gulf on his luxury yacht?

Ex intelligence agent James Ryker thinks he knows why, and the answer lies at the corrupt heart of the SIS. Ryker isn’t one to let the bad guys get away with murder, but Karaman has many enemies, and one in particular will make all their lives much more complicated…

They call her the Angel of Death – a former agent whose last encounter with Karaman cost her everything, and left her in a Lebanese prison cell. Now she’s free, and with nothing else to lose, she’s determined to get her revenge… whatever it takes.

Ryker and the Angel may have the same target, but that doesn’t mean they’re on the same side. Who will reach Karaman first? And who will still be standing when the bodies pile up?"

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I have read a few of Rob Sinclair's books which I have thoroughly enjoyed but this is the first in this series however, despite this being book 12, I think it works well as a standalone and I certainly got to grip with the characters pretty quickly although realise there is an awful lot I have missed.

With fantastic characters, an excellent plot, loads of action, suspense and thrills and all written at a great, fast pace, this is a really good action/adventure/spy/thriller so will appeal to many.  There are violent scenes but only what you would expect for this type of book and nothing that is over the top ... well I didn't think so.  

Excellent book that I thoroughly enjoyed and many thanks to the author, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this, another excellent book from Rob Sinclair.

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Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton

Description from Publisher:

"WE WERE INSEPARABLE. UNTIL THE DAY SHE KILLED MY SONS...

What's the worst thing your best friend could do to you?

Admittedly, it wasn't murder. A moment's carelessness, a tragic accident - and your two children are dead.

Living in a small island community, you can't escape the woman who destroyed your life. Each chance encounter is an agonizing reminder of what you've lost - your family, your future, your sanity.

How long before revenge becomes irresistible?

With no reason to go on living, why shouldn't you turn your darkest thoughts into deeds?

So now, what's the worst thing you can do to your best friend?"

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I have had this on my to-be-read pile for years and I'm kicking myself as this is a gripping and unsettling thriller that explores themes of grief, guilt, and revenge.

Set against the stark and unforgiving landscape of the Falkland Islands, the story centres around Rachel, a woman haunted by the accidental deaths of her best friend's two young sons. Three years later, her friend, Catrin, is consumed by grief and seeking revenge. Meanwhile, there are a series of mysterious disappearances in the remote community.

With excellent characters and oodles of tension, this is a book full of atmosphere and anticipation and whilst it's not fast-paced, it is a book that's worth a read and many thanks to the author, Random House UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Little Black Lies.

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Here One Minute by Alex Lake

 Description from the publisher:

"Now you see her…

Julia Miller puts her teenage daughter on a plane, secure in the knowledge that she will see her again in a few days.

Now you don’t…

But when the plane lands, Anna is nowhere to be seen. She definitely got on the flight, but then she just…vanished.

Is she gone forever?

Julia’s world is about to be rocked. Because when the truth comes about what’s really happened to Anna, nothing will ever be the same again. And time is running out to save her daughter…"

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I have read a few of Alex Lake's books and enjoyed them so would consider myself a fan and this one is just another to add to the list of great books written by this author.

Julia sees her 15 year-old daughter, Anna, off on a flight from Heathrow to Manchester to be met there by her step-mother but she doesn't appear - she definitely got on the flight, got off but then disappeared and this isn't the first time this has happened.  The first time, she was kidnapped by her grandmother but she's dead so what the heck has happened?!?  Then the worst thing happens, Anna's six year-old brother, Oakley, goes missing ... this can't be a coincidence ... can it??

This is an intriguing mystery thriller that's full of red herrings, twists and turns.  It's full of really interesting characters that are well-fleshed out and it's written at a fast pace and I really enjoyed it.

Many thanks to the author, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this intriguing story.

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The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel

 

Description from the Publisher:

"Alfred Smettle adores Hitchcock.

And who better to become founder, owner and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, a remote, sprawling Victorian house sitting atop a hill in the beautiful White Mountains, New England. There, guests can find movie props and memorabilia in every room, round-the-clock film screenings, and an aviary with fifty crows.

For the hotel's first anniversary, Alfred invites the five college friends he studied film with. He hasn't spoken to any of them in sixteen years.

Not after what happened.

But who better to appreciate Alfred's creation?

His guests arrive, and everything seems to go according to plan. Until one glimpses someone standing outside her shower curtain.

Another is violently ill every time she eats the hotel food. Then their mobile phones go missing.

You should always make the audience suffer as much as possible, right?

The guests are stuck in the middle of nowhere, and things are about to get even worse. After all, no Hitchcock set is complete without a dead body."

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I haven't read anything by Stephanie Wrobel before but the fantastic book cover drew me in, unfortunately, it was just an OK read for me and I'm still in two minds as to whether it was worth my time.

This started pretty slowly and whilst I understand you have to set the scene, it was a bit too much and went on for too long.  I didn't really like any of the protagonists and whilst this doesn't usually bother me that much, I think it affected how I felt about the story as a whole as I really wasn't bothered what happened to any of them.

At about the halfway point, the 'action' started to grow, although I use the word action very loosely because there wasn't much of that at all but more than there had been for the first half; it was more of a creeping sensation that something was going to happen to someone and when it did, it was a bit of an anticlimax if I'm honest and the ending was a bit too easy.

Overall, not a book that I can rave about unfortunately but thank you to the author, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for enabling me to read The Hitchcock Hotel.

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Dead Man Walking by M.K. Murphy [Audiobook]

 🎙🎙🎙 Narrated by Ethan Kelly 🎙🎙🎙

Description from the Publisher:

"His team is compromised

As dusk falls the night before the trial of notorious crime boss Thomas Unwin, the prosecution’s star witness is brutally murdered, his killer escaping in plain sight from a secure hotel.

His girlfriend is in danger

Detective Rick Turner spent months building the case against Unwin, and he’s not willing to give up now. But Unwin has one final trick up his sleeve to turn the trial in his favour: he has Rick’s girlfriend, Jess, kidnapped in a plan to coerce Rick into throwing his own testimony.

The biggest case of his life hangs in the balance

Faced with a stark choice, Rick must find Jess or give false testimony which would cost him his career and let Unwin walk free. But with the net closing in Rick must soon face a terrifying truth: the killer is closer to him than he ever expected, and as the case turns personal there is no one he can trust, not even his closest colleagues…"

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This is the first in a new series starring Detective Rick Turner and I, for one, became totally immersed and engrossed in the story.

I admit to initially thinking that this wasn't going to be the book for me as it took me a while to get into it but once I did, I couldn't stop listening so desperate was I to find out how it all worked out and I wasn't disappointed.

With great characters, an intriguing plot, some great twists and excellent narration, this is a really good start to a new series and one which I am looking forward to reading/listening to more of in the future.

Many thanks to the author, HarperCollins UK Audio, HQ Digital and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of this great start to a new series.

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Life or Death by Michael Robotham

Description from Goodreads:

"Why would a man escape from prison the day before he's due to be released?

Audie Palmer has spent a decade in prison for an armed robbery in which four people died, including two of his gang. Five million dollars has never been recovered and everybody believes that Audie knows where the money is.

For ten years he has been beaten, stabbed, throttled and threatened almost daily by fellow inmates and prison guards, who all want to answer this same question, but suddenly Audie vanishes, the day before he's due to be released.

Everybody wants to find Audie, but he's not running. Instead he's trying to save a life . . . and not just his own."

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I am slowly getting round to my 'to-be-read' pile and this has been on it since 2015!!!  I can't believe it has taken me this long to read this as I definitely missed a treat.

The plot is engaging and compelling being written in the past and present perspectives.  It's full of excellent characters, twists, turns, action and all written at a great pace.   The tension is palpable so much so that I had to take a break towards the end as I was desperate to get to the end and reading so fast that I felt I was missing things but when it came, it was very satisfying.

Definitely recommended to lovers of this genre and if you haven't read this yet, go and find it ... you won't be disappointed.

Many thanks to the author, Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Life or Death.

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The Wartime Nurse (The Dutch Girls #3) by Imogen Matthews

 Description from Goodreads:

"An ear-splitting blast blows me sideways and debris starts to fall on top of me. In my shock it takes me a moment to realise the very worst has happened – the hospital has been bombed. The screams of panicked patients are deafening. But I can only think about one thing – my darling Will. Where is he?

1944, Nazi-occupied Holland. As Nurse Freddie cycles through the tulip fields, she looks like any other law-abiding citizen. But beneath her innocent smile lies an iron will to fight for freedom. The Nazis have no idea she is part of the resistance, and that she risks her life every day to deliver food and messages to hidden refugees.

After a failed attempt to take the life of a Nazi collaborator, Freddie is sent to an underground hospital to tend to a group of injured Allied airmen. And when unconscious English pilot Will wakes up and locks his dazzling blue eyes with hers, her heart jolts. As she tends to his wounds, she can’t help but fall deeply in love with this charming English officer.

Will and Freddie start to dream about a future after the war, but when the hospital is bombed by the Nazis, they lose each other in the chaos. With her heart shattered, Freddie vows to find Will and get him to safety – even if that means letting him go forever.

But Freddie’s world comes crashing down when she learns that Will has been captured. To save him, Freddie must infiltrate the hospital where he is held captive. But will saving him cost Freddie her life or her heart?"

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Although this is a fictional story, the characters are based on real people and after reading this book, you will want to go and do a search but be warned, you will find yourself down a rabbit hole and quickly engrossed.  

I cannot begin to imagine what it was like for the people of Holland having to live in their country with a brutal occupier who didn't even think twice about making lives even more difficult than they already were and that's for the Dutch; what it must have been like to be a Jew ... I cannot comprehend.

In this book we focus on Freddie, a young nurse who just happens to be in the resistance. I'm not going to go into all the ins and outs of the story but what I will say, is that it's heartbreaking, uplifting, full of tension and totally riveting and one I would definitely recommend to those of you who enjoy reading books covering this period that has a touch of everything.

Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this riveting book.

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