Penalties by Stephen Leather

Description from Goodreads:

“Premier League footballer Gabe Savage is on the way to one of the most important matches of his life when he gets a phone call from his wife.

She has been kidnapped along with their young son. And the message from her captors is brutal: ‘If your team wins, your family dies.’

With the kick-off only hours away, there is only one person Gabe can turn to – his brother Ray, a vicious London gangster. But a dark family secret means that he hasn’t spoken to Ray for years. Can Ray help? And will he?”

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I admit to being a huge Stephen Leather fan so was extremely happy that I was chosen to receive a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review and although I don’t think it's as good as the Spider Shepherd series of books, it comes pretty close.

The story covers a day in the life of premiership footballer, Gabe Savage, however, it’s not an ordinary day and it’s not all about football so if, like me, you’re not a huge fan of the round ball game, don’t worry. Anyway, Gabe’s wife and child are kidnapped and Gabe calls on his brother Ray for help. Ray is not your typical brother; he’s a bit shifty to say the least but the perfect person to come to Gabe’s aid.

The action comes thick and fast with violence and scenes of peril a plenty; some of which is a pushing the boundaries of believability a little but if you can’t do it in a book, when can you? so just go with the flow and enjoy. The cast of characters is diverse and interesting and I particularly liked Ray … could this be the introduction to a new protagonist for a new series????? I hope so - I would certainly like to get to know him better.

The writing is excellent, as ever with Mr Leather’s books, it flows really well and you find yourself flipping through the pages with ease and before you know it, you’re at the end and herein lies the problem for me and why I don’t think it’s as good as the Spider Shepherd series, it was a little too easy, a little too predictable and not as developed but overall, an enjoyable read anyway but maybe for a younger audience than me.

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Author website - http://www.stephenleather.com/

Author twitter - stephenleather

Publisher website - Lawsome Books

Strangers by Paul Finch

Book description from NetGalley:

“Dark, gritty and always edge-of-your-seat: the #1 bestseller is back with a standout new heroine…

Unknown, alone, and fearing for your life.

As PC Lucy Clayburn is about to find out, going undercover is the most dangerous work there is.

But, on the trail of a prolific female serial killer, there's no other option – and these murders are as brutal as they come.

Lucy must step into the line of fire – a stranger in a criminal underworld that butchers anyone who crosses the line.

And, unknown to Lucy, she's already treading it…

Always gripping. Always gruesome. Paul Finch will leave fans of Rachel Abbott and MJ Arlidge gasping for more.”

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Paul Finch has done it again!

I have read “Dead Man Walking” and “Hunted” by Mr Finch which feature the excellent character of DS Mark Heckenburg a.k.a. Heck as the main protagonist. In “Strangers” we are introduced to PC Lucy Clayborn - an equally strong and interesting character who is keen to prove herself as an adept police officer following a ‘mishap’ whilst in CID. Lucy is tasked with going undercover to find a serial killer, nicknamed “Jill the Ripper”, who is murdering and mutilating men however, she uncovers more than she bargains for and we are taken along for the ride.

This book has everything you want - suspense, intrigue, twists, turns, shocks, etc., etc., plus a smattering of wit to provide lighter moments - all told at a fast, flowing pace with a fantastic cast of characters. I love the fact that it’s set in the Manchester area; many British crime books are set in and around London so it’s refreshing for an author to move north of Watford!

Paul Finch has become one of my favourite authors and I have no shame in saying that I am a fan so I want to thank the publisher, HarperCollins UK Avon, via NetGalley for providing me with a copy in return for an honest review.

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Author website: Paul Finch

Publisher website: HarperCollins UK Avon 

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I would encourage you also to read:

Hunted

Dead Man Walking

Medea's Curse by Anne Buist

Description from Goodreads:

"Forensic psychiatrist Natalie King works with victims and perpetrators of violent crime. Women with a history of abuse, mainly. She rides a Ducati a size too big and wears a tank top a size too small. Likes men but doesn’t want to keep one. And really needs to stay on her medication.

Now she’s being stalked. Anonymous notes, threats, strangers loitering outside her house.

A hostile former patient? Or someone connected with a current case? Georgia Latimer — charged with killing her three children. Travis Hardy — deadbeat father of another murdered child, with a second daughter now missing. Maybe the harrassment has something to do with Crown Prosecutor Liam O’Shea — drop-dead sexy, married and trouble in all kinds of ways.

Natalie doesn’t know. Question is, will she find out before it’s too late?

Anne Buist, herself a leading perinatal psychiatrist, has created an edge-of-the-seat mystery with a hot new heroine — backed up by a lifetime of experience with troubled minds."

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I was really drawn to this book from the blurb and was grateful to Legend Press via the Legend 100 Club for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this a really difficult book to review because on the one hand, the story was captivating and interesting despite it being about some pretty despicable crimes (infanticide, child and domestic abuse, stalking and violence) but on the other, the writing style made it really, really hard to read which spoiled it for me in a big way. There are a lot of characters and the story jumps around a bit; I normally don’t mind this if there’s a thread which connects them all but in this novel, there were different threads that crossed but weren’t necessarily linked so this made it difficult for me to keep track. I also have an issue with the main character, Natalie King. Again, she’s difficult to critique. On the one hand she’s a very strong, independent woman but on the other, I found her to be extremely unlikeable and I wasn’t able to warm to her at all.

Having said all that, it’s very clear that the author knows her stuff and despite the difficulties I had in reading this particular book, I would be tempted to read another written by her.

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Publisher website:  Legend Press

Author Website:  Anne Buist

Holding by Graham Norton

"Surprisingly Good"

Blurb from Goodreads:

“Graham Norton's masterful debut is an intelligently crafted story of love, secrets and loss.

The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama; and yet its inhabitants are troubled. Sergeant PJ Collins hasn't always been this overweight; mother of­ two Brid Riordan hasn't always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn't always felt that her life was a total waste.

So when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke - a former­ love of both Brid and Evelyn - the village's dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated PJ struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community's worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret.

Darkly comic, touching and at times profoundly sad. Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of loveable characters, and explore - with searing honesty - the complexities and contradictions that make us human.”

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I don’t normally read books written by “celebrities” but I admit that I was pleasantly surprised by this written by Graham Norton. What initially grabbed me was the fact that it is set in a remote Irish village and I was curious to see how it compared to my experiences of spending my summer holidays in a village in Northern Ireland and I have to say that I feel that Mr Norton captured the atmosphere, the people and the humour excellently but then I would expect that really with him being Irish ;)

Set in the fictional village of Duneen where nothing remarkable happens until builders unearth a body and so opens long hidden secrets and lies of various inhabitants. The book is written from the perspectives of those inhabitants and this is where Mr Norton excels; he has created some excellent, believable characters who continue to develop throughout the book.

The writing style makes this easy to read and it flows really well from character to character. The descriptions of the people and the village are vivid and you quickly become immersed in the story and the mystery contained therein. It could quite easily be a dark and brooding story which could have resulted in a bleak read but Mr Norton interjects some of his well-known wit and humour to lighten the mood whilst not overdoing it.

Overall I enjoyed this book, it isn’t full of “edge of the seat” moments but it is perfect for those cold, winter days when you just want something comfortable to read that is not over-taxing on the brain and I will look out for further books written by Mr Norton. Thank you to the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

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Publisher website - Hodder & Stoughton

Twitter - Graham Norton

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About Graham Norton (copied from Hodder & Stoughton website)

Graham is one of the UK's most treasured comedians and presenters. Born in Clondalkin, a suburb of Dublin, Norton's first big TV appearance was as Father Noel Furlong on Channel 4's Father Ted in the early 1990s. He then secured a prime time slot on Channel 4 with his chat shows So Graham Norton and V Graham Norton.

Known for his quick wit and flamboyant style Graham began hosting a variety of talent shows on BBC One from Strictly Dance Fever and Andrew Lloyd Webber's How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? to The Eurovision Song Contest and BAFTAs. Graham was soon approached by the BBC to front his own self-titled chat show The Graham Norton Show in 2007.

Graham Norton has won 7 BAFTAs for Best Entertainment Performance, and Best Entertainment Programme. He presents a show on BBC Radio 2 every Saturday and also writes, as Agony Aunt, weekly in a column for The Telegraph.

The Loving Husband by Christobel Kent

Blurb from Goodreads:


“A RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK AND SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER

'Wow. This one will keep your bedside light on until the small hours - it's unputdownable.'

Richard & Judy

For fans of Apple Tree Yard and The Silent Wife, The Loving Husband draws readers into a marriage where nothing is as it seems...

Fran Hall and her husband Nathan have moved with their two children to a farmhouse on the edge of the Fens - a chance to get away from London and have a fresh start.

But when Fran wakes one night to find Nathan gone, she makes a devastating discovery. As questions about her husband and her relationships start to mount, Fran's life begins to spiral out of control.

What is she hiding from the police about her marriage, and does she really know the man she shared her bed with?”

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I have previously read one of Christobel’s novels - The Crooked House - which although I enjoyed I found it a confusing read and I felt the same way about The Loving Husband although there was less enjoyment with this one.

The premise of the story is a familiar one - a seemingly happily married couple, one dies and so opens the floodgates of secrets and lies. The book starts off pretty well but, and herein lies the problem for me, it switches from past (years ago) to past (recent) to present and I found it difficult to keep track. I struggled to connect with any of the characters or muster up any sympathy for the main character, Fran who, for me, was a dull as dirty dish-water. The investigating Police Officers were, in my opinion, very unprofessional and lacking in any sympathy.

There was a positive however, I felt Christobel captured the isolation and desolation of the setting extremely well. Her description of the farmhouse and how she captures the cold was excellent but, unfortunately, this didn’t do much to make me enjoy the book any more and I just couldn’t get into it and it seemed to take an absolute age to finish it.

This book has been described as an “unputdownable” psychological thriller which is “utterly compulsive”, “eerily menacing” and “terrifyingly good” but for me it was too easy to put it down and not so easy to pick it back up.

My apologies to the author who has put blood, sweat and tears into this book but it just wasn’t for me but I would like to thank the publisher, Little Brown Book Group UK via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

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