The Liar's Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard

Description from Goodreads:

"Her first love confessed to five murders. But the truth was so much worse.

Dublin's notorious Canal Killer, Will Hurley, is ten years into his life sentence when the body of a young woman is fished out of the Grand Canal. Though detectives suspect they are dealing with a copycat, they turn to Will for help. He claims he has the information the police need, but will only give it to one person - the girl he was dating when he committed his horrific crimes.

Alison Smith has spent the last decade abroad, putting her shattered life in Ireland far behind her. But when she gets a request from Dublin imploring her to help prevent another senseless murder, she is pulled back to face the past - and the man - she's worked so hard to forget."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not having read anything by this author before, I didn't know what to expect but the blurb intrigued me so I gave it a punt via Jellybooks and, to be honest, I'm glad I did as this is probably a book that would have passed me by.

I'm not going to go into the plot as this is covered in the blurb and, probably, other reviews but I will say that the story is a slow burner building in intensity as it moves on so that it becomes a pretty good thrilling read that kept me engaged until the end ... you just have to be prepared to invest a little time in the beginning to get there.

The characters are well developed and believable; the writing style I liked very much with the majority of the chapters being either from "Alison ... now" and "Alison ... then" with a few being from the killers perspective and it all comes together at the end in a nice little twist.

Overall, a pretty good read and one I would recommend to readers who enjoy a book that doesn't smack you in the face straight away but gently pokes you in the same place every time ... it has the same effect but takes longer to get there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Connect with the author:

Website:  Catherine Ryan Howard

Twitter:  cathryanhoward

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About Jellybooks (taken from their website)

"Jellybooks is a special treat for book lovers.

We offer free book candy to readers so we can collect data candy for publishers.

Jellybooks discovers the story behind a book, the story of the special relationship between reader and book. We provide free ebooks in exchange for receiving reading data back.

Jellybooks organises these test reading campaigns on behalf of publishers and authors, who are the sponsors of the test reading campaign. Most of the time, we test books that have not yet been published. Each test is different in its own way, but all campaigns are designed to delight you the reader and learn something new about the relationship between reader and book.

Readers do not have to read on the Jellybooks website. Instead they can use a wide range of ebook reading apps for reading the ebooks Jellybooks provides, but a few such as Kindle are not yet supported. The ebooks come with a special piece of software called candy.js that is embedded inside the ebook. This piece of clever technology records reading data such as when readers open the reading app, when they opened or finish a chapter, what device and operating system readers  are using, at what time of day they read and much more.

Based on the data readers send us, Jellybooks figures out how many readers finish a book, where they drop off, how fast they finish it, if it is their first or second choice and much more. Jellybooks also asks readers for their gender and age so we can understand how engagement with books varies between men and woman, young and old. This and much more Jellybooks researches for each books, because no two books are alike. Each book is different in its own unique way just like each reader is unique and different in their taste and habits.

For Jellybooks and the authors and publishers we serve, it is all about discovering the relationships between books and readers. Sometimes it is just about why a book is so popular and at other times we figure out why something did not work and the possible reasons for a book not resonating with readers. An actor performing a play on stage may get roaring applause at the end of his or her performance or the theatre might be so silent you could hear pint drop. Authors and publisher don’t get such feedback unless they use the help of Jellybooks. We provide the missing reader feedback for authors and publishers.

Smarter publishers, better books, happier readers!"

It Was Her (DI Ray Drake #2) by Mark Hill

Description from Goodreads:

"Do you want a thriller where nothing is as it seems? 

Twenty years ago Tatia was adopted into a well-off home, where she seemed happy, settled. Then the youngest boy in the family dies in an accident, and she gets the blame.

Did she do it?

Tatia was cast out, away from her remaining adopted siblings Joel and Sarah. Now she yearns for a home to call her own. So when she see families going on holiday, leaving their beautiful homes empty, there seems no harm in living their lives while she is gone. But somehow, people keep ending up dead.

Did she kill them?

As bodies start to appear in supposedly safe neighbourhoods, DI Ray Drake and DS Flick Crowley race to find the thinnest of links between the victims. But Drake's secret past is once more threatening to destroy everything.

Will they catch her?"

********************

Having read the first in this series "His First Lie" (previously named "The Two O'Clock Boy") and thoroughly enjoyed it, I was excited to get my hands on this second outing for the team of DI Ray Drake and DS Flick Crowley and I certainly wasn't disappointed.

I know that sometimes you can dip into a series out of order but not this one.  I strongly suggest you read "His First Lie" before "It Was Her" otherwise you could become a little lost as this book builds on the events of that one.  In addition, you might feel differently about the characters, especially Ray, without the back story that is so important in understanding his thought processes and actions.

What we have in "It Was Her" is not just your run-of-the-mill crime thriller, it is so much more than that and I can't even begin to describe how much I became totally immersed in the story.  I won't go into detailing the plot as it's clearly set out in the blurb but I will say that it is complex, dark, gritty and edgy with suspense and tension but amongst all that, is quite a sad story and the ending ... well, I didn't see that coming until it was on top of me and it left me having to take a few deep breaths and a few minutes to take it all in.

So, would I recommend this book?  Absolutely.  Would I recommend this author?  Without a doubt.  Do I want to read the next instalment?  Hell yes!!

My thanks go to the publisher, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and NetGalley for my e-copy in return for an honest review.

********************

Author website - Mark Hill Author

Author twitter - markhillwriter

Game Players by Anita Walker

Description from Goodreads:

"When a gang of six children playing in their den in the woods spot a man burying drugs nearby, it marks the beginning of the end of their childhoods.

Unsure what to do, the children dig up the drugs and take them away. But when the dealer, who they watched bury the stash, shows up dead, the youngsters are thrown into turmoil.

Scared of what might happen, the children tell the police about the body they have discovered.

Meanwhile, a group of gangsters start searching for their missing drugs.

Soon the children and their families become the target of the vicious criminals who will stop at nothing to retrieve their narcotics…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is an intense and enthralling read with sharp contrasts between the innocence of youth and the dark underbelly of society.  It is unique in that it centres around a group of 6 young children enjoying the freedom of childhood until they naively become embroiled in something that will change their lives forever.

Well written, great pace, fantastic characters and a complex plot makes this book a must read.

Thanks to the publisher, Bloodhound Books, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dark Return (Leine Basso #6) by D.V. Berkom

Description from Goodreads:

"A former assassin, battling her demons. A sinister enemy, determined to destroy her. A wily street kid, caught in the middle.

Former assassin and SHEN operative Leine Basso is fresh off an assignment rescuing an American teenager from a terrorist group in Libya when she thwarts the murder of a street kid in Tripoli. Leine agrees to help the girl find her family, but must first visit a refugee camp in the desert where there are disturbing reports of mysterious abductions.

Leaving the camp, Leine comes under a surprise attack–but only a handful of people knew her true mission. Who has betrayed her? The more she discovers about the abductions, the more of a target she becomes, forcing her to revisit a dark and violent past she thought she’d left behind. But it's easy--too easy to fall back to her old ways.

And it could get her killed.

Will she be able to survive a dark return?

If you like gritty, fast-paced, can’t-put-it-down thrillers with a strong female lead who won’t take no for an answer, then you’ll love Dark Return."

******************************

Once again, D V Berkom writes a brilliant, fast-paced, thrilling read with a very strong female lead character in Leine Basso but she is not the star of the book in my humble opinion ... that would be Jinn, the little streetwise girl Leine saves from being murdered.  What a star she is and I was as much enthralled by her story as I was with Leine's.

This book has it all ... action, murder, double-crossing, human trafficking, terrorism, espionage, intrigue, surprises, tension ... you name it, it's got it and all wrapped up in a well-written, fast-paced story that is not beyond the realms of possibility.

This is part of a series but, I feel, holds up extremely well as a stand-alone.  There are recurring characters but the author has the ability to provide just enough information so you don't get lost but not so much that it detracts from the current story.

I received a copy of this book direct from the author which in no way influenced my review in any way shape or form and I would happily recommend this and any of D V Berkom's books especially if you are fed up with the usual male lead characters that most books of this genre seem to have ... you won't be disappointed.

******************************

Connect with the author:

Website:  D. V. Berkom

Twitter:  @dvberkom

******************************

Previous books I have read by D.V. Berkom

The Body Market

The Last Deception

The Good Sister by Chris Morgan Jones

Blurb from Goodreads:

"Morgan Jones' heart-stopping thriller, The Good Sister, sees one father go further than he ever knew possible, to rescue a daughter who doesn't want to be saved.

A missing daughter. A desperate father. A journey to save them both.

Sofia Mounir’s world is not her own. Her mother is sick, her father broken, the London they live in is dying of greed and self-obsession.

So she flees, to Raqqa: heart of the caliphate, foundation stone of a just world that she will help to build. From violence and sacrifice will grow something beautiful, and she will be part of it. Her faith will be equal to everything asked of her.

Until it isn’t. Until it becomes clear that not all her new brothers’ and sisters’ intentions are as pure as her own. Until even her faith becomes a liability.

Where do you turn, when the future you’ve longed for wants you dead?"

******************************

A very thought-provoking, interesting and challenging read about a very real and current situation.

Written from the two perspectives of the father and daughter, Sofia and Abraham, makes this book flow extremely well with the pace being good.  Both Sofia and Abraham are believable and definitely grow on you as the book progresses; I do admit that I didn't particularly like them at the start but the more their inner-workings are explored, the greater the understanding of their motives which resulted in me becoming fully invested in their stories and completely engrossed in their respective journeys.

The book comes across as pretty authentic ... whether it is or not I would only know if I was in Sofia and Abraham's situation which is highly unlikely .... but I do wonder how and where the author got the information for the book from and how accurate it is because, as I said, it feels pretty authentic.

Thank you to Jellybooks for giving me the opportunity to read something a bit different.

******************************

Jellybooks offers readers free advance reading copies and complimentary ebooks in exchange for their reading data

Website:  Chris Morgan Jones

Publisher:  Pan Macmillan

Twitter:  @panmacmillan