The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund

Description from the Goodreads:

" It starts with just one body – the hands bound, the skin covered in marks.

Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg is determined to find out who is responsible, despite opposition from her superiors. When two more bodies are found, it becomes clear that she is hunting a serial killer.

With her career on the line, she turns to psychotherapist Sofia Zetterlund. Together, they uncover a chain of shocking events that began decades ago – but will it lead them to the murderer before someone else dies?"

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This is another book I have had on my to-be-read pile for too many years than I should have however, I think I should have left it there because this one just wasn't for me.

For a start, it's sooooooo long and whilst this isn't always an issue, it is when, in my opinion, it doesn't need to be.   It starts off really well but then dissolves into a convoluted and unrealistic mess. While the initial murder mystery is intriguing, the subsequent plot twists and character developments are implausible and frustrating.

Now, this is just me ... there are loads of really positive reviews of this book so don't take my word for it and give it a try ... you never know, you might love it!

Thanks to the authors, Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this book and I'm sorry it just wasn't my cup of tea.

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Angel of Death: The James Ryker Series Book 12 by Rob Sinclair

Description from the Publisher:

"Ismail Karaman is one of the deadliest terrorists in recent history. So why is he free to float around the Persian Gulf on his luxury yacht?

Ex intelligence agent James Ryker thinks he knows why, and the answer lies at the corrupt heart of the SIS. Ryker isn’t one to let the bad guys get away with murder, but Karaman has many enemies, and one in particular will make all their lives much more complicated…

They call her the Angel of Death – a former agent whose last encounter with Karaman cost her everything, and left her in a Lebanese prison cell. Now she’s free, and with nothing else to lose, she’s determined to get her revenge… whatever it takes.

Ryker and the Angel may have the same target, but that doesn’t mean they’re on the same side. Who will reach Karaman first? And who will still be standing when the bodies pile up?"

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I have read a few of Rob Sinclair's books which I have thoroughly enjoyed but this is the first in this series however, despite this being book 12, I think it works well as a standalone and I certainly got to grip with the characters pretty quickly although realise there is an awful lot I have missed.

With fantastic characters, an excellent plot, loads of action, suspense and thrills and all written at a great, fast pace, this is a really good action/adventure/spy/thriller so will appeal to many.  There are violent scenes but only what you would expect for this type of book and nothing that is over the top ... well I didn't think so.  

Excellent book that I thoroughly enjoyed and many thanks to the author, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this, another excellent book from Rob Sinclair.

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Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton

Description from Publisher:

"WE WERE INSEPARABLE. UNTIL THE DAY SHE KILLED MY SONS...

What's the worst thing your best friend could do to you?

Admittedly, it wasn't murder. A moment's carelessness, a tragic accident - and your two children are dead.

Living in a small island community, you can't escape the woman who destroyed your life. Each chance encounter is an agonizing reminder of what you've lost - your family, your future, your sanity.

How long before revenge becomes irresistible?

With no reason to go on living, why shouldn't you turn your darkest thoughts into deeds?

So now, what's the worst thing you can do to your best friend?"

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I have had this on my to-be-read pile for years and I'm kicking myself as this is a gripping and unsettling thriller that explores themes of grief, guilt, and revenge.

Set against the stark and unforgiving landscape of the Falkland Islands, the story centres around Rachel, a woman haunted by the accidental deaths of her best friend's two young sons. Three years later, her friend, Catrin, is consumed by grief and seeking revenge. Meanwhile, there are a series of mysterious disappearances in the remote community.

With excellent characters and oodles of tension, this is a book full of atmosphere and anticipation and whilst it's not fast-paced, it is a book that's worth a read and many thanks to the author, Random House UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Little Black Lies.

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Here One Minute by Alex Lake

 Description from the publisher:

"Now you see her…

Julia Miller puts her teenage daughter on a plane, secure in the knowledge that she will see her again in a few days.

Now you don’t…

But when the plane lands, Anna is nowhere to be seen. She definitely got on the flight, but then she just…vanished.

Is she gone forever?

Julia’s world is about to be rocked. Because when the truth comes about what’s really happened to Anna, nothing will ever be the same again. And time is running out to save her daughter…"

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I have read a few of Alex Lake's books and enjoyed them so would consider myself a fan and this one is just another to add to the list of great books written by this author.

Julia sees her 15 year-old daughter, Anna, off on a flight from Heathrow to Manchester to be met there by her step-mother but she doesn't appear - she definitely got on the flight, got off but then disappeared and this isn't the first time this has happened.  The first time, she was kidnapped by her grandmother but she's dead so what the heck has happened?!?  Then the worst thing happens, Anna's six year-old brother, Oakley, goes missing ... this can't be a coincidence ... can it??

This is an intriguing mystery thriller that's full of red herrings, twists and turns.  It's full of really interesting characters that are well-fleshed out and it's written at a fast pace and I really enjoyed it.

Many thanks to the author, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this intriguing story.

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The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel

 

Description from the Publisher:

"Alfred Smettle adores Hitchcock.

And who better to become founder, owner and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, a remote, sprawling Victorian house sitting atop a hill in the beautiful White Mountains, New England. There, guests can find movie props and memorabilia in every room, round-the-clock film screenings, and an aviary with fifty crows.

For the hotel's first anniversary, Alfred invites the five college friends he studied film with. He hasn't spoken to any of them in sixteen years.

Not after what happened.

But who better to appreciate Alfred's creation?

His guests arrive, and everything seems to go according to plan. Until one glimpses someone standing outside her shower curtain.

Another is violently ill every time she eats the hotel food. Then their mobile phones go missing.

You should always make the audience suffer as much as possible, right?

The guests are stuck in the middle of nowhere, and things are about to get even worse. After all, no Hitchcock set is complete without a dead body."

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I haven't read anything by Stephanie Wrobel before but the fantastic book cover drew me in, unfortunately, it was just an OK read for me and I'm still in two minds as to whether it was worth my time.

This started pretty slowly and whilst I understand you have to set the scene, it was a bit too much and went on for too long.  I didn't really like any of the protagonists and whilst this doesn't usually bother me that much, I think it affected how I felt about the story as a whole as I really wasn't bothered what happened to any of them.

At about the halfway point, the 'action' started to grow, although I use the word action very loosely because there wasn't much of that at all but more than there had been for the first half; it was more of a creeping sensation that something was going to happen to someone and when it did, it was a bit of an anticlimax if I'm honest and the ending was a bit too easy.

Overall, not a book that I can rave about unfortunately but thank you to the author, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for enabling me to read The Hitchcock Hotel.

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