The Last Girl: Book One, The Dominion Trilogy by Joe Hart

"Pleasantly surprised"

Blurb:

“A mysterious worldwide epidemic reduces the birthrate of female infants from 50 percent to less than 1 percent. Medical science and governments around the world scramble in an effort to solve the problem, but twenty-five years later there is no cure, and an entire generation grows up with a population of fewer than a thousand women.

Zoey and some of the surviving young women are housed in a scientific research compound dedicated to determining the cause. For two decades, she’s been isolated from her family, treated as a test subject, and locked away—told only that the virus has wiped out the rest of the world’s population.

Captivity is the only life Zoey has ever known, and escaping her heavily armed captors is no easy task, but she’s determined to leave before she is subjected to the next round of tests…a program that no other woman has ever returned from. Even if she’s successful, Zoey has no idea what she’ll encounter in the strange new world beyond the facility’s walls. Winning her freedom will take brutality she never imagined she possessed, as well as all her strength and cunning—but Zoey is ready for war.”

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First off, I have to say that I am not a huge fan of post-apocalyptic books but I was drawn to this as I have read some of Mr Hart’s work before and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

The story, as the blurb describes, is set in the not too distant future where female births are as rare as rocking horse poo! The solution, thought to be the best idea by scientists, is to take girls from their families and house them in a highly fortified complex where they are kept until they turn 21 at which point they go through a door to a place where they are told they will be reunited with their family. One girl, Zoey, has her doubts and so begins her plan to escape and to find out just what is through the door and on the other side of the walls.

For me, I felt it took a bit too long to get to the real ‘page-turning’ stage and there were a few plot holes that I struggled to overlook with the major one being why are they treating these girls/women so poorly when they are a rare and important “commodity” that should be pampered and cared for; if they are the only potential future mothers of the world, they need to know how to be a mother.

Despite this, the way the book is written draws you in; the characters are interesting and complex especially Zoey - she is one tough cookie! There is tension and atmosphere aplenty with action and suspense.

Overall, a good read which I think is aimed at young adults and even though I’m far from one of them, I would be interested in seeing where the story goes in the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, for providing me with an e-copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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Author website: http://www.joehartbooks.com/

Author twitter: @AuthorJoeHart

Other books I have read by Joe Hart:

The River is Dark

The Line Unseen 

The Teacher by Katerina Diamond

"Not particularly memorable"

Blurb:

“You think you know who to trust? You think you know the difference between good and evil?

You’re wrong …

A LESSON YOU WILL NEVER FORGET

The body of the head teacher of an exclusive Devon school is found hanging from the rafters in the assembly hall.

Hours earlier he’d received a package, and only he could understand the silent message it conveyed. It meant the end.

As Exeter suffers a rising count of gruesome deaths, troubled DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles must solve the case and make their city safe again.

But as they’re drawn into a network of corruption, lies and exploitation, every step brings them closer to grim secrets hidden at the heart of their community.

And once they learn what’s motivating this killer, will they truly want to stop him?

SMART. GRIPPING. GRUESOME.

This is a psychological crime thriller in a class of its own.

WARNING: Most definitely *not* for the faint-hearted!”

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Since reading this book, I have read about 5 more and, for the life of me, I can’t remember much about it which says a lot. I must have thought it was ok as I finished it but as I type this, I am struggling so it can’t have been particularly memorable which is a real shame as the blurb and “warning” are so enticing to me … which is a bit worrying!!

I have had to read other people’s reviews to remind myself what it was about and they helped me to recall that I had a modicum of sympathy for the killer and little for his victims who expired in rather gruesome ways and I remember telling my husband that it would be a great book if it wasn’t so confusing because of the constant switching of perspectives but that’s about it.

If someone asked me if they should read it … I would have to be totally honest and say “not a clue!”

Thanks to the publisher, HarperCollins UK, Avon via NetGalley for providing me with a copy in return for an honest review and to whom I apologise for it being so poor … note to self … write the review as soon as you’ve finished the book!

The Hanging Club by Tony Parsons

"Once again, a great book"

Description from Goodreads:

“A band of vigilante executioners roam London's hot summer nights, abducting evil men and hanging them by the neck until dead.

SENTENCED TO DEATH

- The gang member who's abused vulnerable girls.

- The wealthy drunk driver who's mowed down a child.

- The hate preacher calling for the murder of British soldiers.

As the bodies pile up and riots explode across the sweltering city, DC Max Wolfe hunts a gang of killers who many believe to be heroes.

And discovers that the lust for revenge starts very close to home …”

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I admit to being a bit of a fan of Tony Parsons having previously read and enjoyed “The Slaughter Man” so I was more than pleased when I was accepted to review The Hanging Club by the publisher RandomHouse UK Cornerstone via NetGalley and for which I am grateful as, yet again, Mr Parsons has written a great book.

This is the third in the DC Max Wolfe series and although this is part of a series, I don’t feel you have to have read the others to enjoy this as a standalone. The story is gripping and scarily plausible. The writing style is such that it’s easy to pick up and very hard to put down. The characters are complex and interesting with Max being even more so given that he is a single father. The glimpses of his relationship with his young daughter are touching and a relief from the horrors he has to face investigating the brutal and very public vigilante murders.

The story is set in present day London but also has glimpses into the historical London. I found this fascinating and added to my overall enjoyment of the book.

This book is not only a compulsive read, it also makes you think about justice and your own personal ethics and morals. I’m sure a lot of us have been dismayed at a particular sentence for a heinous crime but would you take the law into your own hands? What must it be like for the Police, lawyers and judges being stuck in the middle? What of the families and friends of those on both sides? Yes, this book gets you asking those questions and gets you thinking a bit and I, for one, would definitely recommend it and Tony Parsons as a great British author.

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Author/publisher website - click here

Author twitter - TonyParsonsUK

I also found an interesting website devoted to the main character DC Max Wolfe - http://dcmaxwolfe.com/ - where you can explore a little bit more about Max.

Die of Shame by Mark Billingham

Synopsis from Goodreads:

“From British thriller master Mark Billingham, a recent finalist for the Crime Writers' Association Dagger in the Library, Die of Shame is a chilling story of addiction, subterfuge, and murder.

Every Monday evening, six people gather in a smart North London house to talk about shame. A respected doctor, a well-heeled housewife, a young male prostitute . . . they could not be more different. All they have in common is a history of addiction. But when one of the group is murdered, it quickly becomes apparent that someone else in that circle is responsible. The investigation is hampered by the strict confidentiality that binds these individuals and their therapist together, which makes things difficult for Detective Inspector Nicola Tanner, a woman who can appreciate the desire to keep personal matters private. If she is to find the killer, she will need to use less obvious means. The question is: What could be shameful enough to cost someone their life? And how do you find the truth when secrets, lies, and denial are second nature to all of your suspects?”

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I am a huge Mark Billingham fan and am at the front of the queue when a new book comes out so it is with massive regret that I have to say that this one just didn’t grab me by the neck like his other books have - you have no idea how upset this makes me feel. It’s not that it is a bad book - it’s well written, has interesting characters and a good story line - but I found myself being rather indifferent about reading it and it took me a little longer than it normally does to read it when I compare it to others written by the same author.

The story, as the synopsis indicates, is set around a support group for people who have addictions and when one of the members is murdered, it becomes clear that another of the group is the culprit. The book is written in the “now” and “then” with the “now” covering the investigation of the murder and the “then” covering a period of time before the murder happened. At times I did find this a little confusing but I think it’s because I was reading it on a Kindle which made it a little harder to flick back and forth to double check which time period you were reading; had it been a physical book, I really don’t think I would have any problems with this.

The characters are interesting however not particularly likeable and this includes the lead investigating officer DI Nicola Tanner who has very few redeeming qualities and whom I found to be cold, rude and antisocial. I could not connect to anyone and found myself not caring about them, their stories or what happened to them.

The story itself is a little slow going with a lot of it covering the group sessions; this, together with tidbits of life outside the group for its members provided plenty of suspects to the murder which kept me guessing and re-evaluating who I thought did it and although I didn’t guess right, it did take quite a while to get there and there weren’t many twists or turns on the way.

Overall, although not a bad read, it just didn’t capture me in the way I would like but please, please don’t let this put you off from reading other Mark Billingham books.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic, Atlantic Monthly Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in return for an honest review.

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Author Website: http://www.markbillingham.com/

Twitter: @MarkBillingham

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My reviews of other books by Mark Billingham:

The Dying Hours

Time of Death

The Missing Hours by Emma Kavanagh

"A fantastic book"

Description from Goodreads:

“A woman disappears

One moment, Selena Cole is in the playground with her children and the next, she has vanished without a trace.

A woman returns

Twenty hours later, Selena is found safe and well, but with no memory of where she has been.

What took place in those missing hours, and are they linked to the discovery of a nearby murder?

‘Is it a forgetting or a deception?’”

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I have read “Hidden” by Emma previously and found it to be a riveting read so when “The Missing Hours” appeared on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it and am grateful to the publisher, Random House UK, Cornerstone, for providing me with a copy in return for an honest review.

What a fantastic book! I was completely absorbed from the start - a 7 year old girl has wandered off from her mum and younger sister only to return to find mum has disappeared and her sister left alone on a swing. This little girl is already trying to come to terms with the death of her father and her greatest fear has come true - her mum has gone now too. Meanwhile, a body of a local solicitor is found on a ledge off an isolated road in the mountains - could there be a link between the 2 cases?

The story is unique (for me anyway - I haven’t read anything quite like it before) and is told from different perspectives. I can safely say that the cast of characters is excellent - all of them are interesting, believable and add to the overall authenticity of the story. The pace is just right and flows really well and the snippets of case studies from the Kidnap and Ransom world were an interesting addition.

This is a great murder, mystery, crime novel - well written, great story, brilliant characters, excellent twist, etc., etc., and I will most definitely read more from Emma Kavanagh in the future.

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Author twitter: @EmmaLK