The Kill by Jane Casey

The Kill (Maeve Kerrigan #5)

by Jane Casey

Maeve Kerrigan is used to investigating murders. But this time a killer has struck far too close to home...

When a police officer is found shot dead in his car, DC Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent take on the investigation. But nothing about the case prepares them for what happens next: a second policeman dies . . . and then another . . .

The Metropolitan Police struggle to carry out their usual duties, but no one knows where or how this cop killer will strike again. While London disintegrates into lawlessness Maeve's world starts to fall apart too. For if the police can't keep themselves safe, how can they protect anyone else?

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I received a copy of this book from the Dead Good Crime Book Group on www.goodreads.com and I want to thank them, once again, for introducing me to another new author that I may never have found.

I haven't read any of the preceding books in this series so started reading with no background or information on any of the characters at all.  In hindsight, I think it would have been better to have that knowledge as I did find myself wondering where some of the characters were coming from.  Having said that though, I thought it was well written with engaging and complex characters.  The storyline was great, delivered with good pace and with interesting twists.  I like the relationships between the various characters and despite Derwent being a chauvinistic pig, he was the cause of an internal battle I had with myself - one minute I liked him, the next he was a total [insert appropriate swear word].  Derwent was also the one who made me laugh out loud by his ludicrous statements and the situation he found himself in towards the end of the book.

Overall, a good read but one that would probably have been much better had I read previous books in the series.

Adrift - intense, thrilling and full of suspense

Adrift

by K.R. Griffiths

For artist Dan Bellamy and his new bride Elaine, a trip on the world's biggest, newest cruise ship represents more than just the honeymoon of a lifetime: it is also a celebration of the progress Dan has made toward beating the agoraphobia that has plagued him since he suffered a horrific knife attack two years earlier.

The ship is a perfect floating paradise, but when Dan spots what he thinks is a body being thrown overboard, he begins to suspect that not everybody aboard the Oceanus is there for a vacation.

Soon, Dan will discover that there are some things worse than murder, and the body he saw is just the beginning. Because something is coming for the passengers on the Oceanus.

Something that isn't supposed to exist...

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I received a copy of this book direct from the author in return for an honest review and I want to thank him for this.

This is the second book I have read by K R Griffiths author, the first one being “Survivor” (http://haziegaze.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/my-review-of-survivor-horror-thriller.html), and the second one by him that I have thoroughly enjoyed.

What a story from start to finish … intense, thrilling, full of suspense, great characters, excellent twist on the “monsters” and an imaginative setting. The main character, Dan, was developed in such a way that I was really rooting for him. He had the perfect mix of vulnerability and bravery going from unsuspecting victim to unsuspecting hero. The supporting cast were equally interesting and enhanced the whole thing.

I can see this story being developed into a series and if it is written half as well as this one, it will be just as good.

If you like a good horror/thriller, then give K R Griffiths a try ... you won't be disappointed.

An OK Début: The Boathouse by R.J. Harries

Book description:

A criminologist seeks revenge for his journalist girlfriend’s murder.
A property tycoon’s wife is kidnapped for an ever-increasing ransom.
Sean Archer must find the Boathouse to solve these seemingly unrelated cases.
But the Boathouse is an off-grid torture facility operated by black-ops mercenaries.

Sean Archer is a self-taught criminologist and profiler who has been obsessed with crime since his parents were found dead when he was fourteen. A computer savant who has developed digital profiling tools that the police have come to depend on, Sean has acquired a reputation for being able to solve crimes that no one else can. But when his own girlfriend, Alex, is brutally murdered while researching an off-grid torture facility called The Boathouse, his brilliant inventions are of no use. Alex has left little for Sean to go on – only a list of names. Then Peter Sinclair, a property billionaire, contacts Sean for help. His wife, Becky, has been kidnapped and will be killed if he goes to the police or doesn’t follow instructions. Sean agrees to help. Not because he wants the case, but because Peter Sinclair was on Alex’s list. When Sean tracks Becky down, she leads him right where he wants to go. Or so he thinks. As he climbs over the wall of the Boathouse, he’s sure he’s just one step from finding Alex’s killers. But Sean is utterly unprepared for this crime and this place. The Boathouse is more heinous, more sinister than anything Sean has ever imagined.

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Pretty good storyline with an interesting cast of characters. Good pace and flow throughout but particularly towards the end.

Lots of detail and description which, at the beginning, seemed a bit too much but was something that was appreciated as the story went on as it put you right at the heart of the action and enabled vivid pictures to grow and develop as you read on.

I would have liked to have been given more background into the main characters, especially Archer. This would have been helpful and would have enhanced my reading experience but as it was, I felt like I'd been thrown into the action without much information or "meat on the bones". To me, this made it come across as though it was the second book in a series and I actually had to check to make sure it wasn't.

Overall though an OK début and opener to a series - if that is the intention - and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a book with action and tension but be prepared to be a little lost at times.

Thank you to www.netgalley.com and Troubador Publishing Ltd for the copy in return for an honest review.

Stay Alive by Simon Kernick - enjoyable and engrossing with guaranteed action

ONE WITNESS

You’re on a trip with your family, miles from anywhere. A shot rings out – and your whole life changes in an instant.

ONE SECRET

A woman is racing towards you, chased by three gunmen. Although you don’t know it, she harbours a deadly secret. She’s in terrible danger. And now you are too.

NO ESCAPE

You’re running, terrified, desperate to find safety.

You know that the men hunting you have killed before.

And if they catch you, you’ll be next …

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I must admit that I am a huge Simon Kernick fan. I discovered him by accident when browsing at my local library and he fast became one of my favourite authors. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book from the publisher via www.netgalley.com in return for an honest and unbiased review.

To those who have read other novels by this author, Stay Alive sees a return of some familiar characters. For those who haven’t, where have you been? Stay Alive sends you on a roller-coaster ride of twists and turns, murder and mayhem from the very start and although the plot is not as complex as some of Simon’s other novels, it keeps you on your toes and provides you with those “doh” moments when you realise the clues have been drip-fed throughout the story but only come together at the end.

Some reviews I have read say that it is unbelievable - it’s not a non-fiction book people, it doesn't necessarily have to be believable to make it an enjoyable and engrossing read with guaranteed action delivered at breakneck speed.

Review - short story - Swamp Bones by Kathy Reichs

Swamp Bones: A Temperance Brennan Short Story

(Temperance Brennan #16.5)

by Kathy Reichs

A new, exclusive straight-to-digital Temperance Brennan short story from Kathy Reichs, world leading forensic anthropologist and No.1 bestselling author of Deja Dead, Bones Are Forever and Bones of the Lost.

Forensic anthropologist Dr Temperance Brennan has just arrived in Florida's Everglades for a much-needed break when she is unwittingly thrown into the middle of a deadly case with its roots in the darkest depths of the swamp.

Swamp Bones also gives readers the first chance to read the opening chapters of Kathy’s highly anticipated new Temperance Brennan novel, Bones Never Lie, out in September.

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I received a free copy of this short story from www.netgalley.com and the publisher, Randomhouse UK, Cornerstone and I wish to thank them for this.

I am only a little familiar with Temperance Brennan having read only one of the previous books - funnily enough, it's the one that's mentioned in this story - "the case of a body found in a barrel of asphalt at the Charlotte Motor Speedway" but it was a few years ago and I can't remember what it's called but I must have enjoyed it otherwise I wouldn't have remembered it!

Anyway, this short story will only take a couple of hours to read but it packs a lot in and not only is it entertaining but it's educational too - I learnt a lot about pythons!  The descriptions of the setting made me feel that I was there - my hair even went frizzy!  The characters, not only Temperance herself, but the "extras" were developed just enough to add to the overall interest and made me want to read more.

I enjoyed it.  It was well written, had good pace and tension and a twist ... what more do you want from a story even one that is as short as this.