Slow Burn (Dan Shepherd #17) by Stephen Leather

 

Description from Goodreads:

"Should we bring them back?

There are thousands of jihadi brides in refugee camps in the Middle East. Some of them were once British before they were stripped of their citizenship. Were they brainwashed or simply naive when they set out for Syria as teenagers? And, if they were allowed to return, would they pose a threat to our country?

Spider Shepherd is about to be sent on an extraordinary mission to the Syrian border by his MI5 boss. There he will have to decide which of the women he meets is still a threat, and if not, which of them has information useful to the Secret Service and can be allowed back. His are life or death decisions.

But there is one bride he must take back to the UK whatever her circumstances. She is the wife of a notorious ISIS bombmaker, Salam Jaraf. Jaraf is an asylum seeker who has information on terrorist cells in Britain. But the bombmaker will only tell MI5 what he knows if his wife and son are brought to him. But it soon becomes obvious that hostile forces are following Spider and Mrs Jaraf across Turkey. Bringing this woman back from the warzone will become one of the most dangerous missions Spider has ever undertaken."

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Number 17 already ... I can't believe it ... I never get bored of reading about Dan "Spider" Shepherd's escapades, scrapes and feats of derring-do!  Mr Leather is extremely adept at keeping things fresh and exciting; these books never get old or feel like they are being re-hashed just for the sake of it and if you haven't yet read any of them, what is wrong with you!!!  You don't even need to read them in order to appreciate them but be warned, once you read 1 you will want to read them all.

Here we have the topical and very believable and scarily plausible tale of home-grown terrorism, the use of drones as weapons by terrorists, the question of whether to allow jihadi brides to return to the UK and the minor story of Chinese spies.  This sounds like a lot but don't be put off, it flows seamlessly and effortlessly and, for me, it feels like an accurate reflection of the life of an MI5 agent having to keep lots of plates in the air at once whilst trying to stop a disaster of epic proportions from happening.

This is an exciting read full of brilliant characters which is hard to put down ... yes I know this is a cliché but absolutely accurate in this instance.  There is less of the personal story in this one and more action ... I wonder if this is because the next instalment sees Spider and his son, Liam, team up on an operation?  Or is it going to delve into the Chinese intelligence angle?  Whatever it is, I for one can't wait, so hurry up Mr Leather and write faster 😀

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.

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Cry Baby (A Tom Thorne Thriller) by Mark Billingham

 

Description from the Publisher's website:

"It’s 1996. Detective Sergeant Tom Thorne is a haunted man. Haunted by the moment he ignored his instinct about a suspect, by the horrific crime that followed and by the memories that come day and night, in sunshine and shadow.

So when seven-year-old Kieron Coyne goes missing while playing in the woods with his best friend, Thorne vows he will not make the same mistake again. Cannot.

The solitary witness. The strange neighbour. The friendly teacher. All are in Thorne’s sights.

This case will be the making of him . . . or the breaking."

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I am a huge fan of Mark Billingham and of his character, Tom Thorne, and have avidly followed the series and so I was absolutely thrilled to see a prequel was available which went back to the beginning in 1996 when "portable" phones are a novelty, smoking in pubs was the norm and England weren't doing too badly in the Euro's!

Tom is a young Detective Sergeant going through a bit of a rough patch after separating from his wife and experiencing recurring nightmares of an old case when along comes every persons worst nightmare ... the abduction of a little boy from a local park.  The book follows the investigation into the abduction where everyone is a suspect and the mystery deepens when the body of one of those suspects turns up, quickly followed by the body of the boy's father.  

This is a tense read written mainly from the perspectives of Tom, Cat (mother of the abducted child) and Kieron (the abducted child); the pace built up as the investigation progressed and I loved it.  I particularly enjoyed meeting the characters that I have grown to love at the beginnings of their relationship with a particular highlight being the first meeting between Tom and Phil Hendricks which made me literally laugh out loud.

I would most definitely recommend this book and you don't have to have read any of the others in the series as this makes a really good starting point for those of you who haven't discovered the delight that is Tom Thorne and who have clearly been living under a rock!!

I was extremely lucky to have won a copy of this book via a Facebook competition but thanks also to Little, Brown Book Group via NetGalley for an e-copy in return for an unbiased and honest review.

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One Eye Open by Paul Finch

⭐⭐⭐ published 20 August 2020 ⭐⭐⭐

Description from Goodreads:

"YOU CAN RUN

A high-speed crash leaves

a man and woman clinging to life.

Neither of them carries ID. Their car has fake number plates.

In their luggage: a huge amount of cash.

Who are they? What are they hiding?

And what were they running from?

YOU CAN HIDE

DS Lynda Hagen, once a brilliant detective, gave it all up to raise her family.

But something about this case reignites a spark in her...

BUT YOU'LL ALWAYS SLEEP WITH ...

What begins as an investigation soon becomes an obsession.

And it will lead her to a secret so dangerous

that soon there will be nowhere left to hide.

ONE EYE OPEN"

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I have made it no secret that I am a fan of Paul Finch ... how could you not be with characters from his previous books like DS Mark "Heck" Heckenburg and PC Lucy Clayborn?  Well here we have another memorable character ... DS Lynda Hagan.

This is a stand-alone book which follows the investigation into a seemingly straight forward car crash involving an ex-Formula 1 driver (Wade) and his wife Harriet (Harri) but it is anything but and we are soon taken on a non-stop ride full of action, suspense and intrigue involving gangs, grasses/snitches and one relentless and determined copper.

Told from Lynda's perspective in the present and Wade's timeline from the weeks leading up to the crash, with a great plot and a break-neck pace with twists and breath-holding moments, this is a great crime thriller.  I wonder if there are going to more books featuring DS Hagan, I would quite like to get to know her a bit more because I think we only scratched the surface in this and I think there is more to her than meets the eye!  If so, I will be the first in the queue.

Thank you to Orion Publishing Group via NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Other books by Mr Finch that I have read and reviewed and would encourage you to do the same:

   

Secrets of a Serial Killer by Rosie Walker

🌟🌟🌟 Out in ebook 17th July 2020, in paperback 14th October 2020 🌟🌟🌟

Description from Goodreads:

"There it is: fear. It’s crawling all over her face and in her eyes, like a swarm of insects, and it’s all because of him.

A serial killer has been terrorising Lancaster for decades, longer than should ever have been possible. The police are baffled, eluded at every turn by the killer whose victims span generations. Speculation is rife among the true crime forums; is someone passing on their gruesome trade?

Every local mother's worst nightmare has become Helen Summerton's reality; he’s taken her daughter, Zoe. As the clock runs down so do her chances of survival. Can Helen unearth the secrets of the killer before it’s too late?"

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This is the chilling, creepy and unnerving story of a serial killer, his victim, her mother and 2 young children out for a bit of an adventure amongst the ruins of an old mental hospital in the north west UK city of Lancaster.

Told from multiple points of view, this is a pretty fast moving book, once the usual introductions to the various characters has been completed, and what a great cast of characters the author has created here.  The author is also clearly adept at describing the eerie setting and at creating atmosphere ... I was transported to the old hospital, the derelict caravan and the woods surrounding them.  The tension and fear in each of the characters is really well told and builds and builds throughout until the gripping and nail-biting conclusion.

Although I enjoyed this book, I do have a few issues that prevent this from being a 5 star read - there was next to nothing regarding the Police input or investigation and they came across as being inept and pretty useless, particularly at the end but I won't go into it here as it would be a spoiler but you will see what I mean when you read it.  Also, the blog posts inserted at various points didn't really do anything for me or add to the story that much and I wonder if they were put there as a red-herring?

Despite the niggling issues, this is a creditable and decent debut and even though there are a few unanswered questions, in addition to the cliff-hanger, they are either left to the imagination of the reader or are going to be resolved in another instalment?  If so, I would definitely read it.

My thanks go to HarperCollinsUK and One More Chapter via NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.

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The Resident by David Jackson

🌟🌟🌟 out 16th July 2020 🌟🌟🌟

Description from Goodreads:

"THERE'S A SERIAL KILLER ON THE RUN AND HE'S HIDING IN YOUR HOUSE

Thomas Brogan is a serial killer. Having left a trail of bodies in his wake, and with the police hot on his heels, it seems like Thomas has nowhere left to hide. That is until he breaks into an abandoned house at the end of a terrace on a quiet street. And when he climbs up into the loft, he realises that the can drop down into all the other houses on the street through the shared attic space.

That's when the real fun begins. Because the one thing that Thomas enjoys even more than killing, is playing games with his victims. And his new neighbours have more than enough dark secrets to make this game his best one yet...

Do you fear The Resident? Soon you'll be dying to meet him."

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This is the first David Jackson book I have read and it certainly won't be the last ... The Resident is a deliciously eerie and unnerving read which I thoroughly enjoyed however I did have to send my husband up to the attic to make sure there were no gaps between us and the next door neighbours as I live in a terrace!!!

This is a totally engrossing psychological thriller told from the perspective of the main protagonist Brogan and what an excellent character he is ... a perfect bad guy but with a vulnerable side to him that almost makes you feel sorry for him ... I say almost because he is one sick and deranged individual who enjoys playing with his victims before inflicting pain and suffering.

There is plenty of dark humour to lighten this dark book and with a simple and straight forward plot written at a good pace, this is a great read that I have no hesitation to recommend to readers out there who enjoy a book that takes the mundane of daily life and turns it into something sinister.

Thank you Serpents Tail / Profile Books / Viper Books via NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.

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