It Was Her (DI Ray Drake #2) by Mark Hill

Description from Goodreads:

"Do you want a thriller where nothing is as it seems? 

Twenty years ago Tatia was adopted into a well-off home, where she seemed happy, settled. Then the youngest boy in the family dies in an accident, and she gets the blame.

Did she do it?

Tatia was cast out, away from her remaining adopted siblings Joel and Sarah. Now she yearns for a home to call her own. So when she see families going on holiday, leaving their beautiful homes empty, there seems no harm in living their lives while she is gone. But somehow, people keep ending up dead.

Did she kill them?

As bodies start to appear in supposedly safe neighbourhoods, DI Ray Drake and DS Flick Crowley race to find the thinnest of links between the victims. But Drake's secret past is once more threatening to destroy everything.

Will they catch her?"

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Having read the first in this series "His First Lie" (previously named "The Two O'Clock Boy") and thoroughly enjoyed it, I was excited to get my hands on this second outing for the team of DI Ray Drake and DS Flick Crowley and I certainly wasn't disappointed.

I know that sometimes you can dip into a series out of order but not this one.  I strongly suggest you read "His First Lie" before "It Was Her" otherwise you could become a little lost as this book builds on the events of that one.  In addition, you might feel differently about the characters, especially Ray, without the back story that is so important in understanding his thought processes and actions.

What we have in "It Was Her" is not just your run-of-the-mill crime thriller, it is so much more than that and I can't even begin to describe how much I became totally immersed in the story.  I won't go into detailing the plot as it's clearly set out in the blurb but I will say that it is complex, dark, gritty and edgy with suspense and tension but amongst all that, is quite a sad story and the ending ... well, I didn't see that coming until it was on top of me and it left me having to take a few deep breaths and a few minutes to take it all in.

So, would I recommend this book?  Absolutely.  Would I recommend this author?  Without a doubt.  Do I want to read the next instalment?  Hell yes!!

My thanks go to the publisher, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and NetGalley for my e-copy in return for an honest review.

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Author website - Mark Hill Author

Author twitter - markhillwriter

Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

Description:

“Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped into the night with her young daughter and left an abusive relationship. Her ex-husband, Andrew, was sent to jail and Lindsey started over with a new life.

Now, Lindsey is older and wiser, with her own business and a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When Andrew is finally released from prison, Lindsey believes she has cut all ties and left the past behind her. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her, tracking her every move. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded, and her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it's her ex-husband, even though he claims he's a different person. But has he really changed? Is the one who wants her dead closer to home than she thought?”

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Having never read any of Chevy Stevens books before, I didn’t know what to expect but having read the description, I thought I would give it a go and I wasn’t disappointed.

This is a fast paced, chilling read with twists that are well-thought out, well developed and believable. Domestic abuse is a difficult subject to write about sensitively and without sensationalism and Chevy does this very well whilst not losing any of the suspense, darkness and fear that comes with living in a very poisonous and controlling relationship.

With great characters and a great story-line, I found this a highly addictive read from start to finish and I will definitely be checking out her other books.

I want to thank the publisher (Little, Brown Book Group UK) and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

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Author website: Chevy Stevens

Author Twitter: @ChevyStevens

Publisher website: Little, Brown Book Group UK

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The Two O'Clock Boy by Mark Hill

           

Description from Goodreads:

“TWO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS...ONE BECAME A DETECTIVE...ONE BECAME A KILLER...

One night changed their lives

Thirty years ago, the Longacre Children's Home stood on a London street where once-grand Victorian homes lay derelict. There its children lived in terror of Gordon Tallis, the home's manager.

Cries in the fire and smoke

Then Connor Laird arrived: a frighteningly intense boy who quickly became Tallis' favourite criminal helper. Soon after, destruction befell the Longacre, and the facts of that night have lain buried ...until today.

A truth both must hide

Now, a mysterious figure, the Two O'Clock Boy, is killing all who grew up there, one by one. DI Ray Drake will do whatever it take to stop the murders - but he will go even further to cover up the truth.

Discover the gripping, twist-filled start to a fantastic new London-set crime thriller series starring morally corrupt DI Ray Drake - the perfect new addiction for fans of Luther.”

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This is the debut novel for Mark Hill and, I think, a successful one and I want to thank the publisher, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

I admit to being a crime book addict so I can be hard to please but I really enjoyed this one. The story is a familiar one of past misdemeanors coming back to haunt you but it’s told in a quite unique way. The characters are great particularly DI Ray Drake who is far from perfect and isn’t afraid of bending the rules; I found him compelling and I was desperate to find out how far he would go to hide the past. DS Flick Crowley has recently been promoted and is the lead investigator into the gruesome murders of people from Ray’s past and their families but she finds herself hampered by Ray who wants to keep the past buried however, it becomes clear that this is not going to be possible as the killer, named The Two O’Clock Boy, has him and his daughter in his sights.

This is a compelling read with great characters, an intricate plot which is well written at a great pace and, I think, will be enjoyed by readers who enjoy a dark story with twists and turns and a satisfying ending.

Mark Hill has created an interesting and complex character in DI Ray Drake and I am very much looking forward to the next installment in the series.

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Author website - http://markhillauthor.com/

Author twitter - markhillwriter

Publisher website - Little, Brown Book Group

The Loving Husband by Christobel Kent

Blurb from Goodreads:


“A RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK AND SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER

'Wow. This one will keep your bedside light on until the small hours - it's unputdownable.'

Richard & Judy

For fans of Apple Tree Yard and The Silent Wife, The Loving Husband draws readers into a marriage where nothing is as it seems...

Fran Hall and her husband Nathan have moved with their two children to a farmhouse on the edge of the Fens - a chance to get away from London and have a fresh start.

But when Fran wakes one night to find Nathan gone, she makes a devastating discovery. As questions about her husband and her relationships start to mount, Fran's life begins to spiral out of control.

What is she hiding from the police about her marriage, and does she really know the man she shared her bed with?”

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I have previously read one of Christobel’s novels - The Crooked House - which although I enjoyed I found it a confusing read and I felt the same way about The Loving Husband although there was less enjoyment with this one.

The premise of the story is a familiar one - a seemingly happily married couple, one dies and so opens the floodgates of secrets and lies. The book starts off pretty well but, and herein lies the problem for me, it switches from past (years ago) to past (recent) to present and I found it difficult to keep track. I struggled to connect with any of the characters or muster up any sympathy for the main character, Fran who, for me, was a dull as dirty dish-water. The investigating Police Officers were, in my opinion, very unprofessional and lacking in any sympathy.

There was a positive however, I felt Christobel captured the isolation and desolation of the setting extremely well. Her description of the farmhouse and how she captures the cold was excellent but, unfortunately, this didn’t do much to make me enjoy the book any more and I just couldn’t get into it and it seemed to take an absolute age to finish it.

This book has been described as an “unputdownable” psychological thriller which is “utterly compulsive”, “eerily menacing” and “terrifyingly good” but for me it was too easy to put it down and not so easy to pick it back up.

My apologies to the author who has put blood, sweat and tears into this book but it just wasn’t for me but I would like to thank the publisher, Little Brown Book Group UK via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

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The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid

"A great example of story telling"

Description from NetGalley:

"When a skeleton is discovered hidden at the top of a crumbling, gothic building in Edinburgh, Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie is faced with the unenviable task of identifying the bones. As Karen's investigation gathers momentum, she is drawn deeper into a world of intrigue and betrayal, spanning the dark days of the Balkan Wars.

Karen's search for answers brings her to a small village in Croatia, a place scarred by fear, where people have endured unspeakable acts of violence. Meanwhile, someone is taking the law into their own hands in the name of justice and revenge, but when present resentment collides with secrets of the past, the truth is more shocking than anyone could have imagined . . ."

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I haven’t read anything by Val McDermid before (shock, horror!!) so didn’t really know what to expect but I have heard many good things about her previous books so took a punt and requested a copy via NetGalley and was approved by the publisher, Little, Brown Book Group UK to receive it in return for an honest review.

Set in Scotland, England and Croatia, the book follows the investigation into the murder of an unknown male found as a skeleton at the top of a derelict building in Edinburgh. The murder is put in the hands of the Historic Cases Unit and DCI Pirie who, with the help of her colleagues, discovers the identity of the body which leads her on a trip to Croatia and the discovery of secrets from the Yugoslav war of the 1990s. Running alongside Pirie’s investigation, we enter the world of two lawyers who work for the International Criminal tribunal who are attempting to find a killer who is assassinating war criminals. In amongst all this, we are transported into the world of Professor Maggie Blake, her relationship with a Croatian General and work in the underground universities in the former Yugoslavia.

This is a complex book with complex characters, interweaving timelines and historical events with the present. For me, it’s not particularly fast paced and it took a while to get into it but once I did, it held my interest to the end. The characters are believable and the locations are expertly described.

Would I recommend this book? In the main, yes but although it is described as a crime thriller, for me it lacked the “thrills” but is a great example of crime writing and story telling.

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Author website - click here

Author twitter - valmcdermid

The Darkest Secret by Alex Marwood

"Full of people you love to hate"

Description from Goodreads:

"Apologies for the general email, but I desperately need your help.

My goddaughter, Coco Jackson, disappeared from her family's holiday home in Bournemouth on the night of Sunday/Monday August 29/30th, the bank holiday weekend just gone. Coco is three years old.

When three-year-old identical twin Coco goes missing during a family celebration, there is a media frenzy. Her parents are rich and influential, as are the friends they were with at their holiday home by the sea.

But what really happened to Coco during her father's 50th birthday weekend?

Set across two weekends - the first when Coco goes missing and the second, at the funeral of Coco's father, where at last, the darkest of secrets will be revealed..."

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This is a subject matter that is any parent’s worst nightmare; their 3 year old child goes missing but, in The Darkest Secret, that is only the beginning of the story and when money and reputations are at stake, it becomes something even more sinister.

The story builds from the first page and takes a very firm grip on you. It covers 2 main timelines - the days leading up to Coco’s disappearance and the days leading up to her father’s funeral some years later. It’s told from various perspectives which, I think, was very clever as it provides different views of the same events and how each of the characters explain and, at times, justify their actions.

We meet some of the most thoroughly abhorrent and loathsome characters you are ever likely to meet but, on the other hand, we meet 2 sisters who, despite their childhood and upbringing, turn out to be half decent human beings. There are characters that you dislike at the beginning but develop sympathy for and their are others you take an instant aversion to which grows in intensity as the book develops, the story unfolds and the shocking truth starts to emerge.

I can’t recall having read anything by Alex Marwood before but after reading this, I will certainly read something by her again. If you enjoy dark, twisty stories that are full of people you love to hate, then this is the one for you.

I want to thank the publisher Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for a copy of this engrossing book in return for an honest review.

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Author website - click here

Author twitter - AlexMarwood1

Wake by Elizabeth Knox

Description from Goodreads:

"An invisible monster is what you can't see coming. With an invisible monster you never know when you're in danger and when you're safe—if you retreat to your fortress you can't be sure you haven't locked it in with you. The invisible monster is something on which no one is an expert. But everyone has the same relationship to it. It could just as well be peering over your shoulder as mine.

On a sunny spring morning the settlement of Kahukura in Tasman is suddenly overwhelmed by a mysterious mass insanity. A handful of survivors find themselves cut off from the world, and surrounded by the dead. As the group of try to take care of one another, and survive in ever more difficult circumstances, it becomes apparent that this isn't the first time that this has happened, and that they aren't all survivors and victims - two of them are something quite other. And, it seems, they are trapped with something. Something unseen is picking at the loose threads of their characters, corrupting, provoking, and haunting them.

Wake is book that asks: 'What are the last things left when the worst has happened?' It is a book about extreme events, ordinary people, heroic compassion—and invisible monsters."

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Once again, I am in the minority with this book. It has received so many good reviews of 4 and 5 stars that I am beginning to think there’s something wrong with me because I just didn’t get it.

It starts off brilliantly with all kinds of mayhem and unspeakable acts which are excellently described by Elizabeth Knox who really captures the fear and confusion well - this first bit is not for the feint-hearted. I thought this was the start of something that was going to keep me up and make me bleary eyed at work the next day but, alas, this did not last too long as once the initial madness was over, it became quite a monotonous story about the group of people who had survived.

The book is written from the point of view of the survivors and there are quite a few. Each of the survivors are well developed but there are a lot of them and the story changes from one person to the other which I felt was a little confusing and resulted in me not developing a connection or any particular feelings towards any of them and I wasn’t particularly bothered what happened to them either.

The premise of the story is great but it's just written in a way that neither captured nor engaged me but I would like to thank the publisher, Little Brown Book Group UK, via NetGalley for the copy in return for an honest review.

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Bite by Nick Louth

Description from Goodreads:

“Tomorrow should be the greatest day of Erica Stroud-Jones's life. In just 24 hours this brilliant young scientist will present her secret work to a conference in Amsterdam - research that promises to revolutionise the battle against a deadly tropical disease. Millions of lives could be saved; a Nobel Prize beckons.

Arriving to watch her are sceptics and rivals, admirers and enemies. Erica's own eyes will be on sculptor Max Carver, her American new love to whom she will dedicate her achievement.

Tomorrow never comes.

Erica vanishes during the night. Max, desperate, terrified, sets out to find her, descending into an underworld full of malice and cunning. But even he is shocked by the dark terror he finds in the heart of the woman he loves.

Discover the massive number one bestseller that thousands of readers have said is the most addictive, page-turning novel of the year. “

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I really quite enjoyed this book. I have never read anything by this author before so took a punt and requested a copy via the publisher, Sphere an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group, and NetGalley. Now it does purport to be “the most addictive, page-turning novel of the year” and "the most gripping thriller you'll ever read" and although I would disagree with this as I have read a few books which are better, I was entertained by this novel and gripped from start to finish. I admit that it is a little OTT at times but books aren’t always supposed to be believable and sometimes it’s nice to just go along with it and enjoy the ride!

The storyline has a few threads to it and once you get your head around them, everything slots into place. The main themes are malaria and the hunt for Erica and in amongst all that is a glimpse into Erica’s past. I did particularly like the entries from Erica’s diary when she was in Africa and feel this could have made a pretty good novel in itself albeit rather disturbing. The pace is pretty relentless from start to finish with some twists, turns and surprises along the way.

The characters are an interesting bunch of people some more likeable than others but all are well described and believable … well mostly … that is where the OTT comes in as Max seems to go from a normal bloke to a superhero and what he does goes slightly beyond the realms of possibility but don’t let that put you off reading this, like I said … just shake your head and go along for the ride.

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

Twitter - @NickLouthAuthor 

The Crooked House by Christobel Kent

Description from Goodreads:

“Alison is as close to anonymous as she can get: with no ties, no home, a backroom job, hers is a life lived under the radar. She's a nobody; she has no-one and that's how she wants it.

But once Alison was someone else: once she was Esme Grace, a teenager whose bedroom sat at the top of a remote and dilapidated house on the edge of a bleak estuary. A girl whose family, if not happy, exactly, was no unhappier than anyone else's—or so she thought.

Then one night a terrible thing happened in the crooked house, a nightmare of violence out of which Alison emerged the only witness and sole survivor and from which she has been running ever since. Only when she meets academic Paul Bartlett does Alison realize that if she's to have any chance of happiness, she has to return to her old life and confront the darkness that worked its way inside her family and has pursued her ever since.”

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This is a difficult one for me to explain how I feel about it. On the one hand, I really enjoyed it but on the other, I found it a little confusing.

So, what did I like about it? Well, it’s a dark, psychological thriller about the murder of family 13 years ago with the lone survivor returning to the scene of crime to attend a wedding which brings the whole horrendous experience back to the fore. The setting, within a closed-knit coastal community, is dark and foreboding which lends itself to the story extremely well. The cast of characters is quite large but all are interesting and well developed with many being as dark and foreboding as the story and setting! The main character, Alison, is interesting and believable but I’m not sure she is particularly likeable as I didn’t seem to warm to her that much and I wasn’t convinced about her relationship with Paul - it came across as uncomfortable and lacking in any feeling or proper intimacy. The story is full of atmosphere and palpable tension and is an exploration of Alison’s memories of the night of the murder of her entire family and her quest to uncover the truth albeit with fear and trepidation. The way this is done throughout the book is commendable - the author provides clues and snippets of the truth which are drip fed throughout never quite giving enough information to enable to reader to piece them all together and I loved that about this book.

What didn’t I like about it? I found it a little confusing and all over the place in its writing style that took some getting used to as it kept jumping between times with no obvious separation between them. For me, this meant that I struggled to differentiate whether I was reading about something that happened years ago or 5 minutes ago. There were times when I felt this jumping around was totally unnecessary, for example, Alison and Paul were asleep in the hotel room, there was a fire alarm which forced them outside and then the author went on to tell us what happened in the hotel room before they fell asleep … why not just tell us before, it didn’t add anything to the story for me it just annoyed me and resulted in a “head shaking” moment.

Overall though, I found there was more to like than not. Yes, it’s a little annoying and confusing with the shifts in timelines but the story outweighed the frustration I felt about this. Would I recommend this book to someone else, yes I think I probably would but with a caveat to be prepared to have to use your brain to keep track of what’s going on.

I must thank the publisher, Little, Brown Book Group UK via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.