Book Review: Dead Man Walking by Paul Finch

Dead Man Walking (DS Heckenburg #4)

by Paul Finch

"Beware the stranger in the night…

Consigned to a remote valley in the Lake District, DS Mark ‘Heck’ Heckenburg is getting used to a quieter life – a far cry from the bloodbath of his former division, the Serial Crimes Unit. But wherever Heck goes, trouble is never far behind.

Unknown to Heck, ‘The Stranger’ has returned. Last seen on Dartmoor ten years earlier, this prolific serial killer has found a new home. As a dense, frozen mist descends on the Lakes, The Stranger returns to his old ways, starting with two young women lost high on the hills. Only one girl is ever found – barely alive – but able to confirm Heck’s worst fears.

As The Stranger lays siege to the remote community, Heck helplessly watches as the killer plays his cruel game, letting off his trademark call before viciously picking off his victims.

And with no way to get word out of the valley, Heck has no choice but to play ball…"

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This is the fourth outing for the main character, DS Mark “Heck” Heckenberg. Despite not having read any of the previous ones, it didn't matter as the author was adept at developing the characters and giving them real depth and bringing them to life and I don’t feel I lost out at all not having read any of the others.

The story is set in a small hamlet within the fells of the Lake District in Cumbria. I live close to the area in which it is set - actually only 6 miles from Great Langdale, 5 miles from Chapel Stile and 3 miles from Skelwith Bridge - and I have to say that the author definitely captures the essence of the area perfectly; the beauty but also the solitude. The lack of a mobile signal is very accurate and one which many won’t believe is true - it most definitely is and you don’t even have to be in the middle of a fell!

The main story begins when two young ladies get lost on the fell - inappropriately dressed and with no real idea of what they are doing … again, very accurate as this happens almost on a weekly basis up here and definitely keeps the Mountain Rescue Teams busy! The story becomes more sinister and menacing as it goes on and the way the author used the fog to create more atmosphere, tension and a sense of bleakness was exceptional. Although the description of the murders was graphic and stomach churning, it only added to the overall feeling of the book - fast-paced, claustrophobic, exciting and, yes I know it’s corny, but difficult to put down.

It is obvious to me that the author did his research on the area well however, there were a few errors that I found (and can remember) but that’s only because I’m a local and they certainly didn’t detract at all from the overall story. The first being that the ambulance crew wouldn’t have taken Tara to Westmorland General Hospital in Kendal, they would have taken her to Barrow as Westmorland General doesn’t have an A&E and haven’t done emergency operations for several years. The second I’m not too sure about but I don’t think Windermere have a CID, they would have to come from Kendal but I may be wrong on that. The third is the B5284 road (known locally as the Crook Road) heads towards Bowness and not Windermere but now I’m being picky ;)

Overall, I really enjoyed this book made all the better by being set where I live but also that one of the main characters bears my name (Hazel) and she is brave and feisty too!

I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a meaty, edge-of-the-seat thriller with blood and guts thrown in which is obviously well researched (mostly) and full of tension and disquiet.

Disclaimer: Thank you to www.netgalley.com and the publisher - HarperCollins UK, Avon - for sending me a copy in return for an honest review.

The Nightmare Dance: Guilt, Shame, Heroism and The Holocaust - Book Review

The Nightmare Dance
Guilt, Shame, Heroism and The Holocaust
by David Gilbertson

Description:

We all know the names of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels and Heinrich Himmler, but they weren’t the only people who played a key part in the Holocaust...

The Nightmare Dance by David Gilbertson tells the stories of 5 other individuals who were at the heart of these horrifying events. The accepted view is that the murder of at least 6 million Jews, and countless other Russians, Poles, gypsies, homosexuals, etc., was the result of a small band of madmen seizing control of an entire nation. The guilt or innocence of others is at best ignored and at worst denied.

Josef Blösche and Christian Wirth were psychotic killers, whose names are unknown to all but a handful of historians. One died a decorated war hero; the other was executed after being convicted before an East German court. Their crimes shaped millions of peoples’ fates. Stella Goldschlag, a young and beautiful German Jew, if she were alive today, would no doubt argue that she was as much a victim of the Holocaust as any Jew who ever passed through the gates of Auschwitz – but she would be lying. She willingly worked for the Gestapo and was responsible for the death of hundreds – perhaps thousands – of Jews.

Then there were the people who fought back: Janusz Korczak, whose life and hero’s death has ensured that he will always be seen by those who know his story as a secular saint. King Christian X of Denmark denied that his country had ‘a Jewish problem’. The actions of the King, and the Danish people, demonstrated the leadership and bravery of a nation pitted against an implacable enemy, as well as the unifying strength that comes from doing what is right.

The Nightmare Dance focuses on the people who have been forgotten, and how the Holocaust has largely – and wrongly – been confined to Germany, a few Germans and a short period in history. “Brought up as a Catholic, it was only in later life, following the death of my mother, that I discovered that I had Jewish roots and ancestry – a family secret concealed for many decades,”  comments David on the inspiration behind his book.

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Firstly, I would like to draw your attention to the cover of the book - the look on the little boy's face is haunting.  What threat is he? What happened to him? Who is the man behind the machine gun and why?  This book provides an explanation.

I don't think you could ever describe this book as enjoyable or a thrilling read because of the nature of its content, however it was well written and well researched although I am no expert.

I wouldn't say that I am fascinated by the horrors of The Holocaust but I am interested in how apparently "normal" people can end up committing such atrocities against fellow human beings and the reverse, how strangers put themselves at risk of certain death to protect others. This book gave good insight into both perspectives.

One gripe I have, and it's purely personal, is that there are a number of "big" and "complicated" words that are not in every day use which interrupted the flow for me at times. For example "on the basis of rival power-blocs and personal fiefdoms of byzantine complexity ...." what????? Why do this? I read it once, twice, three times to try and figure out what it meant but after that, I gave up and skipped it. I don't like having to have a dictionary with me when I read so having to skip sentences it a tad annoying but maybe it's just me and I'm a bit thick!

Would I recommend this to someone else? Yes - I know there are a lot of books out there that cover this very same subject BUT they are usually about the same people - as mentioned in the description.  So, if you are interested in reading about people not normally involved or highlighted in this context plus learn about some of the history behind the hatred of the Jews, then read this.

Thanks to www.netgalley.com and the publisher, Troubador Publishing Ltd for providing me with a copy in return for an honest review.

A good thriller with a bit of blood and gore thrown in for good measure.

The River Is Dark
by Joe Hart

In a small town along the Mississippi River, separate but nearly identical attacks have left two married couples brutally murdered in their homes. A young boy?the lone survivor of the killings?now lies comatose in the hospital. And the police's only lead is the boy's terrified description of the assailant: a ?monster.?

Enter former homicide detective Liam Dempsey, whose estranged brother fell victim to the killer. Dragged into the investigation as a suspect, Dempsey vows to solve the case and clear his name. But two things stand between him and the truth: a web of local politics, and the grim secrets the victims held close. All the while, a murderer with boundless hatred continues to raise the body count.

As the troubled ex-cop tries to pull justice from the town's emotional wreckage, he realizes that his could be the next life lost to the killer's ruthless, twisted plan for revenge.

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I am embarrassed to say that I have never read anything by Joe Hart before ... well, after this, I won't make the same mistake again and I am so pleased that I took a punt and requested a copy via www.netgalley.com and am grateful that the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, sent me a copy in return for an honest review.

I liked everything about it ... the story, the pace and style of writing, the sense of tension that grows in intensity, the characters, etc, etc ... it was great.

The beginning of the story hits you right in the face straight away and leaves you wanting to read on to find out what "the monster" is and why "it" has murdered in such a brutal way? The middle of the book develops the story and provides more background to the characters as well as introducing more interesting players but what links the murders and does it have anything to do with the proposed development over the river? The ending is fast and furious and even though I saw part of it coming, it still came as a bit of a surprise.

The main character, Liam, is excellent and, again, makes you want to read long into the night to find out more about him and why he is in the place he is. All the while, the story develops and pieces of the jigsaw start slotting together. The introduction of a bit of romance was well done, not too much and, I think, appropriate for the story and the development of the understanding of the characters of Liam and Dani.

I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a good thriller with a bit of blood and gore thrown in for good measure.

I also feel this has more mileage for prequels and sequels especially around Liam who is an extremely interesting character and I would definitely give them a go if they were to be developed ... hint hint Mr Hart ;)

Disappointed by Prime Deception by Carys Jones

"When Lorna Thomas is found dead in her car everyone believes she killed herself. But the day after her death Lorna was set to sell a scandalous story to one of Britain’s biggest tabloid papers. For six months she had been the Deputy Prime Minister’s mistress.

Will Lorna’s secret die with her? While her family try to move on and come to terms with her death one person refuses to believe that Lorna killed herself. Her twin sister, Laurie is convinced that Lorna was murdered and she’ll stop at nothing to prove it, even if that means teaming up the very man her sister had been having an affair with."

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I really don’t know what to say about this book to be honest! I thought I was going to be reading a good thriller but instead, it turned out to be an in-depth exploration of grief and guilt with a bit of thriller thrown in.

The story was interesting but could have been so much more than that; I felt there was way too much emphasis on the feelings of the main characters, which got boring quite quickly, and not enough development of the crime/thriller aspect of the story. The first third of the story was good, the second third was boring and the last third was when the tension developed but this was over very quickly.

The characters were interesting and well developed but I found they became annoying quite early. Charles (the Deputy Prime Minister) starts off ok and I did feel sorry for him in the beginning but this soon wears off and he ends up, to me, being creepy and unlikeable - he made me physically cringe at times. His wife, Elaine, was from the Victorian era and in a marriage of convenience over love - I liked her character but not as a person. I’m not a twin but I did empathise with Laurie and her quest to find out the truth about her sister’s death at all costs. John, the reporter, didn’t really get too much of a mention despite him being in the “blurb” of the book. The minor characters were great and I especially liked Faye and Arthur.

In its defence, it was well written and I particularly liked the way the author was able to write a situation from different perspectives in subsequent paragraphs however, there were a few typing errors that interrupted the flow of my reading.

Overall, I was left a little disappointed by this - it had so much promise but just didn’t deliver for me. Would I read something else by this author? Hmmm … not sure … it would have to have a great description to entice me.

I want to thank www.netgalley.com for providing me with a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

A pretty good opener to a Zombie series - Dead Islands by Tim Moon

Dead Islands: Necrose Series

Book One (Necrose #1)

by Tim Moon

Description:

Ben Chase and his friend Ty are fresh from teaching English in South Korea, and they’re on their way to experience the Big Island of Hawaii – but their vacation turns into a nightmare when two passengers unexpectedly die during their flight.

Desperate to recover their sense of excitement, they meet up with Ty’s friend Anuhea and her friend Charlotte, who Ben finds himself instantly attracted to. But their plans quickly unravel as a rampant infection hits the islands and they find themselves surrounded by flesh-eating monsters.

Law and order degenerates into a daring fight for survival, and Ben is faced with a critical decision that places the fate of his friends in his hands. And what he must do to save them is unthinkable…

Dead Islands will leave your skin crawling as you follow Ben and his friends’ terrifying encounter with the deadly Necrose-7A virus, and their desperate attempts to survive the doomed island paradise. 

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A pretty good opener to a series with enough action to “whet your appetite” so to speak and spark enough interest to read the next one to see how it all pans out and the story develops.

I thought the characters were interesting although seemed a bit “dim” and naive as to understanding and reacting to what was going on - particularly at the beginning - it was as if they had never seen or heard anything about zombies before … very strange!

The story, however, was well written with a good pace. I felt the sense of confusion and fear was put across really well and the descriptions of situations was excellent. I particularly enjoyed the airplane sequence but did feel it was a little downplayed; I expected more tension and panic which would have been more realistic in that particular scenario where there is no escape. This did however improve as the book moved on and things became a little more believable.

I admit that I haven’t read an awful lot of “zombie” books so don’t have a lot to compare against but I do watch these types of films/programmes and feel this stands up quite well and, as I said, is a pretty good opener and I am tempted to read the next book in the series.

I also love the cover.

I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and be sent a copy of this eBook by the author in return for an honest review; this did not determine the outcome of my review.