Book 33 - Death Do Us Part by Steven Dunne

Kindle Edition Cost: Netgallery Publisher: Headline Release date: 05/05/16 Amazon uk link: Here Goodreads Link: Here

The Blurb

Even death cannot part these couples . . .
DI Damen Brook is on a rare period of leave and determined to make the most of it by re-connecting with his daughter Terri. But with her heavy drinking proving a challenge, Brook takes the opportunity to visit a local murder scene when his help is requested.
An elderly couple have each been executed with a single shot to the heart and the method echoes that of a middle-aged gay couple killed the previous month.
With the same killer suspected and the officer currently in charge nearing retirement, Brook knows that he has little choice but to cut short his leave when forced by his superiors to take the lead on the case.
Brook believes that he can catch this ruthless killer, but already distracted by Terri's problems, is he about to make a fatal mistake and lead the killer right to his own door?

My Thoughts

I have had Steven Dunnes’ The Reaper on my Kindle for a while, been trying to catch up on my Netgallery reviews, so I haven’t had time to read it. I saw Death Do Us Part on Netgallery and the publishers blurb really made me want to read it. I didn’t even realise it was by the same author until I started it and my god I wish I had read The Reaper earlier.

This book is amazing, absolutely amazing. The characters were strong, the storyline was engrossing and absorbing and it felt so real. The dialogue was just like being there; I felt a part of the book and really couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end. It took me to many places and emotions, I gasped out loud on more than one occasion.
A must read book.

Quote from Book

“I was an only child, like you, and it used to bother me until I worked out that all they wanted was a reaction. After that, I stopped reacting even when they badmouthed my parents. I never talked to them, never sought their friendship. Nothing. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. They loved to see me get angry and aggressive, but I soon realised that when that happened they laughed and taunted me all the more. That’s what they enjoyed. That’s when they won. So I ignored them until they got bored and moved on to someone else.”

Next Review - Play Dead - Angela Marsons

Book 33 - Death Do Us Part by Steven Dunne

Kindle Edition Cost: Netgallery Publisher: Headline Release date: 05/05/16 Amazon uk link: Here Goodreads Link: Here

The Blurb

Even death cannot part these couples . . .
DI Damen Brook is on a rare period of leave and determined to make the most of it by re-connecting with his daughter Terri. But with her heavy drinking proving a challenge, Brook takes the opportunity to visit a local murder scene when his help is requested.
An elderly couple have each been executed with a single shot to the heart and the method echoes that of a middle-aged gay couple killed the previous month.
With the same killer suspected and the officer currently in charge nearing retirement, Brook knows that he has little choice but to cut short his leave when forced by his superiors to take the lead on the case.
Brook believes that he can catch this ruthless killer, but already distracted by Terri's problems, is he about to make a fatal mistake and lead the killer right to his own door?

My Thoughts

I have had Steven Dunnes’ The Reaper on my Kindle for a while, been trying to catch up on my Netgallery reviews, so I haven’t had time to read it. I saw Death Do Us Part on Netgallery and the publishers blurb really made me want to read it. I didn’t even realise it was by the same author until I started it and my god I wish I had read The Reaper earlier.

This book is amazing, absolutely amazing. The characters were strong, the storyline was engrossing and absorbing and it felt so real. The dialogue was just like being there; I felt a part of the book and really couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end. It took me to many places and emotions, I gasped out loud on more than one occasion.
A must read book.

Quote from Book

“I was an only child, like you, and it used to bother me until I worked out that all they wanted was a reaction. After that, I stopped reacting even when they badmouthed my parents. I never talked to them, never sought their friendship. Nothing. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. They loved to see me get angry and aggressive, but I soon realised that when that happened they laughed and taunted me all the more. That’s what they enjoyed. That’s when they won. So I ignored them until they got bored and moved on to someone else.”

Next Review - Play Dead - Angela Marsons

Book 32 - Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All - Jonas Jonasson

Kindle Edition Cost: Netgallery Publisher: Forth Estate Published: 21/04/16 Amazon uk link: Here Goodreads Link: Here

The Blurb

A madcap new novel from the one-of-a-kind author of The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO START AGAIN. AND AGAIN.

It’s always awkward when five thousand kronor goes missing. When it happens at a certain grotty hotel in south Stockholm, it’s particularly awkward because the money belongs to the hitman currently staying in room seven. Per Persson, the hotel receptionist, just wants to mind his own business, and preferably not get murdered. Johanna Kjellander, temporarily resident in room eight, is a priest without a vocation, and, as of last week, without a parish. But right now she has two things at her disposal: an envelope containing five thousand kronor, and an excellent idea . . .

Featuring one violent killer, two shrewd business brains and many crates of Moldovan red wine, Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All is an outrageously zany story with as many laughs as Jonasson’s multimillion-copy bestseller The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared.

My Thoughts

I have read all of Jonas Jonassons books and have always found them to be farfetched amusing tales. This one is no exception. It’s a story of Money, Greed and the Gullible. Although the characters are of a questionable moral attitude they are still likeable. Anders, Per and Johanna hop from one wacky adventure to another across Sweden, even forming a new religion. I like Jonas’ writing style its straight to the point, funny and original. Another success.

Next Review - Death Do Us Part by Steven Dunne

Book 32 - Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All - Jonas Jonasson

Kindle Edition Cost: Netgallery Publisher: Forth Estate Published: 21/04/16 Amazon uk link: Here Goodreads Link: Here

The Blurb

A madcap new novel from the one-of-a-kind author of The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO START AGAIN. AND AGAIN.

It’s always awkward when five thousand kronor goes missing. When it happens at a certain grotty hotel in south Stockholm, it’s particularly awkward because the money belongs to the hitman currently staying in room seven. Per Persson, the hotel receptionist, just wants to mind his own business, and preferably not get murdered. Johanna Kjellander, temporarily resident in room eight, is a priest without a vocation, and, as of last week, without a parish. But right now she has two things at her disposal: an envelope containing five thousand kronor, and an excellent idea . . .

Featuring one violent killer, two shrewd business brains and many crates of Moldovan red wine, Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All is an outrageously zany story with as many laughs as Jonasson’s multimillion-copy bestseller The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared.

My Thoughts

I have read all of Jonas Jonassons books and have always found them to be farfetched amusing tales. This one is no exception. It’s a story of Money, Greed and the Gullible. Although the characters are of a questionable moral attitude they are still likeable. Anders, Per and Johanna hop from one wacky adventure to another across Sweden, even forming a new religion. I like Jonas’ writing style its straight to the point, funny and original. Another success.

Next Review - Death Do Us Part by Steven Dunne

Book 31 - Stalker - Lars Kepler

Kindle Edition Cost: Netgallery Publisher: HarperCollins Published: 05/04/16 Amazon uk link: Here Goodreads Link: Here

The Blurb

A video-clip is sent to the National Criminal Investigation Department. Someone has secretly filmed a woman through her window from the garden. The next day she is found dead after a frenzied knife-attack.
The police receive a second film of another unknown woman. There is no way of identifying her before time runs out.
When her husband finds her he is so traumatised that he cleans the whole house and puts her to bed. He may have seen a vital clue, but is in such an extreme state of shock that the police are unable to question him.
Psychiatrist Erik Maria Bark is called in to hypnotise him - but what the man tells him under hypnosis leads Erik to start lying to the police.
If the lights are on, a stalker can see you from outside. But if the lights are off, you can't see a stalker who is already inside the house.

My Thoughts

This was my first foray into Scandinavia crime novels and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Straight from the start you are sucked into this dark, brooding world that Lars Kepler has created. The characters are well written and believable each with their own problems but this doesn’t clog the book down with unnecessary waffle. Its not a quick 15 minute read but the chapters are manageable. Its very graphic in its description of the murder scenes, which I liked and it flows well and keeps you guessing most of the way through. I did guess who it was early on but didn’t understand why until the last chapter or two. The last few chapters were very good and made for an exciting ending. Yet another author to add to the growing must read list.

Next Review - Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All - Jonas Jonasson

Book 31 - Stalker - Lars Kepler

Kindle Edition Cost: Netgallery Publisher: HarperCollins Published: 05/04/16 Amazon uk link: Here Goodreads Link: Here

The Blurb

A video-clip is sent to the National Criminal Investigation Department. Someone has secretly filmed a woman through her window from the garden. The next day she is found dead after a frenzied knife-attack.
The police receive a second film of another unknown woman. There is no way of identifying her before time runs out.
When her husband finds her he is so traumatised that he cleans the whole house and puts her to bed. He may have seen a vital clue, but is in such an extreme state of shock that the police are unable to question him.
Psychiatrist Erik Maria Bark is called in to hypnotise him - but what the man tells him under hypnosis leads Erik to start lying to the police.
If the lights are on, a stalker can see you from outside. But if the lights are off, you can't see a stalker who is already inside the house.

My Thoughts

This was my first foray into Scandinavia crime novels and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Straight from the start you are sucked into this dark, brooding world that Lars Kepler has created. The characters are well written and believable each with their own problems but this doesn’t clog the book down with unnecessary waffle. Its not a quick 15 minute read but the chapters are manageable. Its very graphic in its description of the murder scenes, which I liked and it flows well and keeps you guessing most of the way through. I did guess who it was early on but didn’t understand why until the last chapter or two. The last few chapters were very good and made for an exciting ending. Yet another author to add to the growing must read list.

Next Review - Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All - Jonas Jonasson

Book 30 - Tastes Like Fear- Sarah Hilary

Kindle Edition Cost: Netgallery Publisher: Headline Release date: 07/04/16 Amazon uk link: Here Goodreads Link: Here

The Blurb

The young girl who causes the fatal car crash disappears from the scene.
A runaway who doesn't want to be found, she only wants to go home.
To the one man who understands her.
Gives her shelter.
Just as he gives shelter to the other lost girls who live in his house.
He's the head of her new family.
He's Harm.

D.I. Marnie Rome has faced many dangerous criminals but she has never come up against a man like Harm. She thinks that she knows families, their secrets and their fault lines. But as she begins investigating the girl's disappearance nothing can prepare her for what she's about to face.
Because when Harm's family is threatened, everything tastes like fear...

My Thoughts

A very average crime thriller. A good plot but lacking any action with too many characters that where superfluous and ultimately made the book drag on to the point I lost interest in what was going on. I absolutely hated the Sol storyline, went nowhere. It gave absolutely nothing to the story or character development and the Gay cliché that was Dan was just as bad. I fail to see where the 5 stars have come from, perhaps the bloggers who review these books are scared that if they don’t wax lyrical they will be blacklisted by the publisher. It’s not bad, far from it, it’s just not mind-blowing as a lot of the reviews suggest.
>
Next Review - Stalker by Kepler, Lars

Book 30 - Tastes Like Fear- Sarah Hilary

Kindle Edition Cost: Netgallery Publisher: Headline Release date: 07/04/16 Amazon uk link: Here Goodreads Link: Here

The Blurb

The young girl who causes the fatal car crash disappears from the scene.
A runaway who doesn't want to be found, she only wants to go home.
To the one man who understands her.
Gives her shelter.
Just as he gives shelter to the other lost girls who live in his house.
He's the head of her new family.
He's Harm.

D.I. Marnie Rome has faced many dangerous criminals but she has never come up against a man like Harm. She thinks that she knows families, their secrets and their fault lines. But as she begins investigating the girl's disappearance nothing can prepare her for what she's about to face.
Because when Harm's family is threatened, everything tastes like fear...

My Thoughts

A very average crime thriller. A good plot but lacking any action with too many characters that where superfluous and ultimately made the book drag on to the point I lost interest in what was going on. I absolutely hated the Sol storyline, went nowhere. It gave absolutely nothing to the story or character development and the Gay cliché that was Dan was just as bad. I fail to see where the 5 stars have come from, perhaps the bloggers who review these books are scared that if they don’t wax lyrical they will be blacklisted by the publisher. It’s not bad, far from it, it’s just not mind-blowing as a lot of the reviews suggest.
>
Next Review - Stalker by Kepler, Lars

Book 29 - The Missing Hours - Emma Kavanagh

Kindle Edition Cost: Netgallery Publisher: Century Published: 21/04/16 Amazon uk link: Here Goodreads Link: Here

The Blurb

A woman disappears
One moment, Selena Cole is in the playground with her children and the next, she has vanished without a trace.
A woman returns
Twenty hours later, Selena is found safe and well, but with no memory of where she has been.
What took place in those missing hours, and are they linked to the discovery of a nearby murder?
‘Is it a forgetting or a deception?’

My Thoughts

Its not very often that something new comes along but with The Missing Hours, Emma Kavanagh has written a delightful story with an interesting storyline and unique lead characters. Dc Leah Mackay and DS Finn Hale are siblings as well as work mates and despite my original misgivings it really does work. The storyline is unlike anything I have read and the research that went into must have been immense. It is written from multiple view points, interspersed with reports from the Cole group. Again I had my misgivings but again they proved to be unfounded. I really enjoyed the book the only reason I didn’t give 5 stars was because I thought the ending seemed a little rushed. Having said that the ending was a surprise to me and not one that I had even entertained.

Next Review - Tastes Like Fear - Sarah Hilary

Book 29 - The Missing Hours - Emma Kavanagh

Kindle Edition Cost: Netgallery Publisher: Century Published: 21/04/16 Amazon uk link: Here Goodreads Link: Here

The Blurb

A woman disappears
One moment, Selena Cole is in the playground with her children and the next, she has vanished without a trace.
A woman returns
Twenty hours later, Selena is found safe and well, but with no memory of where she has been.
What took place in those missing hours, and are they linked to the discovery of a nearby murder?
‘Is it a forgetting or a deception?’

My Thoughts

Its not very often that something new comes along but with The Missing Hours, Emma Kavanagh has written a delightful story with an interesting storyline and unique lead characters. Dc Leah Mackay and DS Finn Hale are siblings as well as work mates and despite my original misgivings it really does work. The storyline is unlike anything I have read and the research that went into must have been immense. It is written from multiple view points, interspersed with reports from the Cole group. Again I had my misgivings but again they proved to be unfounded. I really enjoyed the book the only reason I didn’t give 5 stars was because I thought the ending seemed a little rushed. Having said that the ending was a surprise to me and not one that I had even entertained.

Next Review - Tastes Like Fear - Sarah Hilary