My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

The blurb from Goodreads:

"Introducing the next generation of domestic thriller...

Every marriage has secrets. Everyone has flaws. Your wife isn't perfect - you know that - but then again nor are you.

But now a serial killer is on the loose in your small town, preying on young women. Fear is driving your well-behaved young daughter off the rails, and you find yourself in bed late at night, looking at the woman who lies asleep beside you.

Because you thought you knew the worst about her. The truth is you know nothing at all.

This is a thriller like nothing you've read before..."

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This book is like nothing I have read before ... in a good way of course but I am slightly worried that I may be moving onto the dark side of normal!  Why? you may ask - just read this book and you'll understand!

What we have here is an absolute gem of a read that had me hooked from the start.  I won't go into the plot as I don't want to give anything away but will describe it as being edgy, dark, twisted, engrossing, disturbingly entertaining and totally unique.   The characters are just excellent but more than that, they are frighteningly believable and rarely do I find myself feeling so wrong about liking and rooting for someone so disturbed but scarily normal!

The writing is crisp and effective and easy to read with excellent pacing; great suspense and twists leave you reading way too late into the night in anticipation of what the heck is going to happen next. 

I can't believe this is a debut and I am waiting on tenterhooks for Samantha Downing's next book and I only hope it's as disturbingly good as this one.  On her website, she says that she wants to "tell stories that make people walk into walls"; I think she did with this one.

Thank you to the publisher, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph, and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Connect with the author:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Escape by Iain Rob Wright

The blurb from Goodreads:

"Brand new Horror novel from acclaimed author Iain Rob Wright. Can you figure out the secret and escape before it's too late? 

Cheryl wants to get to know her co-workers. That's the only reason she agreed to go on a 'company outing.' She and six of her colleagues are going to be locked inside a room with only their wits to help them. If they escape in time, there'll be prize money. Fail, and the repercussions might be deadly. 

Cheryl will soon find out that the people she works with all share a secret, one they are willing to kill for. 

A brand new chiller novel from Iain Rob Wright. Grab your copy of Escape! today and try to figure out the mystery before the timer runs out."

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Once again we are treated to a great horror novel from Iain Rob Wright which isn't just full of blood and gore; it's a good story too.

This is a cross between the "escape" genre and "team building" with a bit of "Saw" thrown in for good measure.  A group of work colleagues meet in the middle of nowhere to spend the day relaxing and having fun ... little do they know what's in store for them when they enter an underground set of shipping containers.  The "game" revolves around the ugly secrets of those taking part with Cheryl unfortunately being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  What follows is a fast paced delve into the past of the lives of Cheryl's colleagues but what are they going to have to do to escape with their lives?  It's not pretty but neither are those taking part.

A well written, fast paced, intriguing story full of action and, yes, blood and although I could see the main twist coming from a mile away, it was still an enjoyable and good quick read.  Recommended to those of us who don't mind a bit of violence and carnage.

My thanks to Mr Wright as I did receive an advance copy from him prior to publication in return for an honest review however, I bought a Kindle copy too as I didn't get round to reading it in time and I'm good like that 😃

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Connect with the author:

Author twitter:  @IainRobWright

Author website:  Iain Rob Wright

However, due to a server error, there is nothing on the website currently however, you can follow a link to get 5 FREE BOOKS by visiting a temporary page

What are you waiting for? Go get 'em, I did 😉

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Other books I've read and reviewed by this author:

Click here for my review

Click here for my review

The Dogon Initiative (The Deniables #1) by Lance Morcan and James Morcan

Description from Goodreads:

"A group of foreign mercenaries hired as deniable assets by a newly-formed humanitarian division of the CIA is tasked with saving Mali’s persecuted Dogon people from genocide. The operation must be carried out in stealth while journeying across some of West Africa’s most hostile terrain. As if all that’s not enough, they are also instructed to help solve an ancient astronomical mystery linked to the pyramids of Egypt.

Mission impossible? Duh!

Nicknamed the Deniables because their existence isn’t officially acknowledged by the CIA, the mercenaries are crazy enough to accept the mission anyway. However, they soon find themselves fighting for their lives when they get caught in the middle of warring ethnic factions in Mali. Their only way to survive is to join with the Dogon in a race against the clock. The stakes are so high that not only could an entire indigenous group be wiped off the face of the Earth, but all evidence that supports advanced ancient technology theories surrounding the Dogon and a lost civilization thesis may be destroyed in the process.

Inspired by a true-life mystery of astronomy, THE DOGON INITIATIVE highlights some of the many myths and theories surrounding the fascinating Dogon people of Mali. In particular, their unexplained knowledge of the invisible-to-the-eye Sirius B white dwarf star, the rings of Saturn and other heavenly bodies, and their rumored ancestral relationship to ancient Egyptians.

THE DOGON INITIATIVE is the ninth novel by father-and-son writing team Lance and James Morcan. Their previous works of fiction include the bestselling historical epics White Spirit and Into the Americas, as well as their modern thrillers Silent Fear and The Orphan Trilogy."

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Once again, Lance and James Morcan (a father and son writing team) have not disappointed and have written a book that is not only an exciting read but an educational one too. I had never even heard of the Dogon people before and what I know about astronomy would fit on the back of a postage stamp with plenty of room to spare! I now a little bit more about them both 🌝

This book is not only well written with a unique backstory and exciting plot but has brilliant characters. It's fast paced, full of action with many scenes of peril and danger that kept me reading well into the night apart from a bit of a lull in the middle which I can overlook given the rest of the book is almost non-stop action. I can see this transferring onto both big and small screens really well and with the right actors, would be a hit and something I would watch.

I can't wait to get to know more about this group of "Deniables" and look forward to what I hope are many more capers, scrapes and close shaves.

My thanks go to Lance and James for providing me with a copy in return for an honest review.

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Connect with the authors:

Website: Morcan Books & Films

Lance's Twitter: sterlinggate

James' Twitter: MorcanJames

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Links to other books I have read and reviewed by Lance & James Morcan all of which I highly recommend:

Click here to read my review

Click here for my review

Click here for my review

Click here for my review

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The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup

Description from Goodreads:

"THE DEBUT NOVEL FROM THE CREATOR AND WRITER OF THE KILLING

The police make a terrible discovery in a suburb of Copenhagen. A young woman has been killed and dumped at a playground. One of her hands has been cut off, and above her hangs a small doll made of chestnuts.

Young detective Naia Thulin is assigned the case. Her partner is Mark Hess, a burned-out investigator who's just been kicked out of Europol's headquarters in The Hague. They soon discover a mysterious piece of evidence on the chestnut man - evidence connecting it to a girl who went missing a year earlier and is presumed dead, the daughter of politician Rosa Hartung. A man confessed to her murder, and the case is long since solved.

Soon afterwards, another woman is found murdered, along with another chestnut man. Thulin and Hess suspect that there's a connection between the Hartung case, the murdered women and a killer who is spreading fear throughout the country. But what is it?

Thulin and Hess are racing against the clock, because it's clear that the murderer is on a mission that is far from over . . ."

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If that cover doesn't draw you in and make you pick it up, you are a lost soul !!!

And if the cover doesn't do it for you, the story certainly will.  It does make for uncomfortable reading at times given the subject matter but it is a story about a serial killer so some gruesome descriptions of the crimes shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.

The plot is gripping, dark and thrilling and the pace of the book is ideal with a seamless mix of murder, politics and police procedure all wrapped up in a perfect psychological thriller package.  I actually don't normally like what is called Scandi-noir after having previously tried and failed to read one by a very successful author but this one is excellent. 

The characters are fantastic - I know it's a good book when I can see the characters as real people and imagine who would play them if the book were made into a film or TV series - the Danish actor, Kim Bodnia, from The Bridge (Bron/Broen) and Killing Eve would be perfect for the role of Hess.

This is the debut novel by this author, although he has written the highly acclaimed series "The Killing", and a very accomplished debut it is and my thanks must go to the publisher, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

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The Taken Girls by G.D. Sanders

Blurb taken from Goodreads:

"Someone is watching them…

When a missing teenage girl reappears unharmed but pregnant, the case falls to DI Edina Ogborne, the newest recruit of Canterbury Police. But Ed’s already got her hands full with a team who don’t want her, an ex who won’t quit, and terrible guilt over a secret from her past.

As Ed investigates the case, she discovers Canterbury has seen this crime not once, but several times before. And when Ed and her detectives encounter missing historic police files, falsified school records, and Ed’s new lover as a prime suspect, it becomes clear that the system has been corrupted.

Can Ed find the kidnapper behind these depraved crimes before he strikes again? Or has time already run out?"

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The Taken Girls is a unique take on the usual abduction stories in that girls are being taken but returned seemingly unharmed a short while later.  It is down to DI Edina Ogborne (Ed) to find out just what the heck is going on.

Ed is a complex character and I have to admit that I found her frustrating and quite difficult to like particularly because of some of the decisions she makes in her personal life but she did end up growing on me by the end however, I'm not going to lie ... it was hard going.  Having said that, this makes her all the more believable and if this is a start of a series, I am really interested to see how she develops and grows.

Written at a pretty good pace, although a little slow at times, with a few twists along the way, this book is a decent debut and G D Sanders is yet another author to put on my radar.

My thanks go to the publisher, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review of which this is.

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