BLOG TOUR: The Family Tree - Steph Mullin & Nicole Mabry

 

The DNA results are back. And there’s a serial killer in her family tree…

Liz Catalano is shocked when an ancestry kit reveals she’s adopted. But she could never have imagined connecting with her unknown family would plunge her into an FBI investigation of a notorious serial killer…

The Tri-State Killer has been abducting pairs of women for forty years, leaving no clues behind – only bodies.

Can Liz figure out who the killer in her new family is? And can she save his newest victims before it’s too late?

A gripping, original thriller for fans of My Lovely Wife, Netflix’s Making a Murderer, and anyone who’s ever wondered what their family tree might be hiding…

What did I think?

I don't think I have read a dual author crime fiction book before but the way that The Family Tree is written makes it quite easy to forget that it's the work of two authors; the writing is actually seamless considering there are two different writing styles in the book.  The format of the book took me a little while to get used to as I felt like I wanted to know more about the victims but the main focus of the story is the character of Liz Catalano whose DNA result proves very interesting to the FBI. 

The story of 27-year-old Liz's discovery that she is adopted is interspersed with stories of various women who have been abducted and killed by the Tri-State Killer, who mind-blowingly is someone in Liz's biological family.  I don't know how Liz kept her sanity after discovering she's not who she thought she was and then wanting to get to know her ancestors but at the same time possibly having dinner with a serial killer.  You wouldn't have seen me for dust!

Adoption is a tricky process and I can understand the adoptive parents struggling to find the best time to tell their child that they don't share their DNA.  Liz has been completely absorbed into the Catalano family and accepted as one of their own so as much as I thought Liz's parents were crazy to keep her in the dark about her birth, I could see that they loved her so fiercely that it was easy to forget that they didn't bring her into the world.  DNA kits sound like a great gift for that difficult to buy for person but for some people it's like being handed a live hand-grenade, shattering their world.

I really liked Liz, she is filled with such dogged determination but it sometimes results in her being very reckless with her own safety.  I read the whole book quite quickly but I could feel my reading pace pick up further towards the end as Liz took more and more risks without informing the FBI.  It certainly got my heart beating at a rate of knots!

Suspenseful and incredibly tense, The Family Tree is a fast-paced, heart-pounding thriller.  I really enjoyed it, it intrigued me from the start and held my interest throughout.   

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Say No More (Sacramento #2) - Karen Rose

Perfect for fans of James Patterson and Karin Slaughter, this is the second gripping instalment of the Sacramento series from Sunday Times bestseller Karen Rose. An explosive crime thriller, Say No More will keep you gripped until the final page.

If they ever catch you, say nothing. Admit nothing. Never tell.

Mercy Callahan never thought she'd be able to talk about her past. When she arrives in Sacramento to make peace with her brother Gideon, and to help find the brutal cult that took away her childhood, she is finally ready to talk. But when Ephraim Burton - the man who made her life a living hell - follows her there, she realises she might never be safe. 

Rafe Sokolov would do anything to have Mercy back in his life and would go to any length to protect her. But when it becomes apparent that Ephraim is more determined than ever to get Mercy back, even Rafe might not be able to stop the trail of destruction he leaves in his wake. As Ephraim draws near, it's clear it's not just Mercy who is in danger; those closest to her are firmly in his sights.

Will Mercy sacrifice herself to help bring Ephraim down? Or will he finally get what he's always wanted...

What did I think?

Karen Rose is one of those authors where you don't even read the book blurb before buying her new book as you know it's going to brilliant.  I'm guilty of that too as I didn't realise that Say No More is the second book in the Sacramento series (and I haven't yet read Say You're Sorry), but Karen Rose slips in enough recaps for new readers so you don't even notice that you've missed the first book in the series.

Say No More is a chunky read (the hardback is 583 pages) but it's so gripping that time flies when you're reading and I only reluctantly put it down to rest my weary hands.  Mercy Callahan is an unlucky lady: she escaped from a cult, escaped the clutches of a serial killer and now her cult 'husband' wants her back.  Rafe Sokolov rescued Mercy from a serial killer and provides the law enforcement love interest that you would expect in a Karen Rose book.

There is so much going on in the book that I could write about but I don't want to give any of the plot away, so I just want to highlight some major points that I enjoyed: the cult and family.  The cult story is brilliant, it's always intriguing and slightly sinister when cults are involved as they make up their own rules to suit them.  Eden has zero tolerance where escapees are concerned and the graveyard bears the crosses to prove it.  With Ephraim hunting Mercy, I was kept on the edge of my seat as he leaves a trail of dead bodies in his wake.  The Sokolov family reminded me of the Reagans in Blue Bloods as Rafe and his siblings all have some links to law enforcement and they all come together around the dinner table, especially for a slice of Irina's birds milk cake.

Filled with danger and brimming with tension, Say No More is a gripping and compelling read that will entertain and delight both new and long-standing Karen Rose fans.  

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon UK

Waterstones

Book Depository

Google Books

Hive.co.uk

About the author:

Karen Rose was introduced to suspense and horror at the tender age of eight when she accidentally read Poe’s The Pit and The Pendulum and was afraid to go to sleep for years. She now enjoys writing books that make other people afraid to go to sleep. Karen lives in Florida with her family, their cat, Bella, and two dogs, Loki and Freya. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, and her new hobby – knitting.

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarenRoseBooks 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenRoseBooks/ 

Website: http://www.karenrosebooks.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenrosebooks/ 

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BLOG TOUR: Deep Dark Night (Lori Anderson Book 4) - Steph Broadribb

Fearless Florida bounty-hunter Lori Anderson travels to Chicago to trap the head of a notorious crime family, in a high-stakes, nail-biting mission that sees her trapped in one of the city’s tallest buildings during a blackout…

A city in darkness. A building in lockdown. A score that can only be settled in blood…

Working off the books for FBI Special Agent Alex Monroe, Florida bounty-hunter Lori Anderson and her partner, JT, head to Chicago. Their mission: to entrap the head of the Cabressa crime family. The bait: a priceless chess set that Cabressa is determined to add to his collection.

An exclusive high-stakes poker game is arranged in the penthouse suite of one of the city’s tallest buildings, with Lori holding the cards in an agreed arrangement to hand over the pieces. But, as night falls and the game plays out, stakes rise and tempers flare.

When a power failure plunges the city into darkness, the building goes into lockdown. But this isn’t an ordinary blackout, and the men around the poker table aren’t all who they say they are. Hostages are taken, old scores resurface and the players start to die.

And that’s just the beginning…

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, Deep Dark Night is an absolutely thrilling rollercoaster ride; the Lori Anderson series just gets better and better!  Every time I read a book in this series I can't imagine how Steph Broadribb can better it but then she goes and does it again and again!  Deep Dark Night is the fourth book in this outstanding series featuring bounty hunter Lori Anderson and you could most certainly read it as a standalone, but I suspect anyone who does so will scoop up the earlier books to read more of Lori's story.

Lori's family has always played a big part in this series but they were well and truly split up in Deep Dark Night.  Lori's daughter, Dakota, takes a back seat in this novel when she is left in the care of Lori's friend, Red, while Lori does what she hopes is her final job for FBI Agent, Alex Monroe.  Lori's partner, JT, heads to Chicago with her as her wingman but even he can't protect Lori 24/7 when events conspire against them.

Steph Broadribb has really outdone herself this time; Deep Dark Night didn't just have me on the edge of my seat gripping my kindle with sweaty palms, I was also holding my breath as if any disturbance in the atmosphere would affect the characters.  The whole story is balanced on a knife edge and the plot is so perfectly crafted with little cliffhangers at the end of chapters that make you keep reading just one more chapter until there are none left.  

Tense, claustrophobic and filled with danger, Deep Dark Night is my favourite Lori Anderson book so far.  It has made me want to read the whole series all over again to get my Lori fix; I'm totally addicted to Lori Anderson and I'm never going to rehab!  This is one of those books that you want to rate more than 5 stars but I don't think even 100 stars would be enough to show how outstanding it is.

Prepare to be reading well into the deep dark night when you pick up this book as you will not be able to put it down.  Deep Dark Night is a magnificent instalment to an outstanding series and I can't recommend it highly enough.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Steph Broadribb  was born in Birmingham and grew up in Buckinghamshire.  Most  of her working life has been spent between the UK and USA. As her alter- ego - Crime Thriller Girl - she indulges in her love of all things crime fiction by blogging at crimethrillergirl.com, where she interviews authors and reviews the latest releases. She is also a member of the crime-themed girl band The Splice Girls. Steph is an alumni of the MA Creative Writing (Crime Fiction) at City University London, and she trained as a bounty hunter in California, which inspired her Lori Anderson thrilliers, She lives in Buckinghamshire surrounded by horses, cows and chickens. Her debut thriller, Deep  Down Dead, was shortlisted for the Dead Good Reader Awards in two categories, and hit number one on the UK and AU kindle charts. My Little Eye, her first novel under her pseudonym, Stephanie Marland was published by Trapeze Books in April 2018. 

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Deep Dirty Truth (Lori Anderson Book 3) - Steph Broadribb

Single-mother bounty hunter Lori Anderson returns in another nail-biting, high-voltage read. She’s as tough as they come, but when her family is threatened, she takes on a job that could change everything …

Single-mother bounty-hunter Lori Anderson finally has her family back together, but her new-found happiness is shattered when she’s snatched by the Miami Mob – and they want her dead. Rather than a bullet, they offer her a job: find the Mob’s ‘numbers man’ who’s in protective custody after being forced to turn federal witness against them. If Lori succeeds, they’ll wipe the slate clean and the price on her head – and those of her family – will be removed. If she fails, they die.

With North due in court in 48 hours, Lori sets off across Florida, racing against the clock to find him and save her family. Only in this race the prize is more deadly – and the secret she shares with JT more dangerous – than she ever could have imagined.

In this race only the winner gets out alive…

What did I think?

It's not often I read a book and actually want to BE the protagonist but oh how I wish I was even a little bit like Lori Anderson!  Lori Anderson is quite honestly my literary heroine and I could read about her exploits from dawn til dusk.  There are many words to describe bounty hunter, Lori Anderson, but sassy bad-ass springs to my mind every time I think of her.  I have read all of the series so far so I couldn't wait to dive into book 3: Deep Dirty Truth.

With her family threatened (who would even DARE to threaten Lori?), Lori has no choice but to accept an assignment from the Miami Mob.  With her daughter, Dakota, being watched over by her father, JT, Lori can concentrate on her mission although it's never far from her thoughts that Dakota and JT are trapped in the crosshairs.  I felt as if Lori takes more of a centre stage than usual in the book, with Dakota and JT having more cameo appearances, but it is so fast-paced and high-octane that there's only room for one explosive character to take the reins...and who better than Lori? (sorry JT).

I don't want to give any of the plot away but I think Deep Dirty Truth should come packaged with a defibrillator, as my heart raced and threatened to explode during Lori's escapades.  I found myself holding my breath at times but, with such a character as Lori Anderson, I had utmost confidence in Lori's abilities to pull off any feat, however impossible it may seem.

With the mob involved, you can guarantee backstabbing, double-crossing, power plays and a cast of characters who cannot be trusted.  I feared for Lori's safety, getting involved in such a volatile environment but if anyone can handle themselves, Lori can.  You can see that I am talking about Lori as a real person, which just shows the depth of character that Steph Broadribb has created.  Lori is so multi-dimensional that you can't help but think of her as a real person...and I do believe she is destined for the big screen at some point.

You could read Deep Dirty Truth as a standalone but why the heck would you do that?  You MUST pick up Deep Down Dead and Deep Blue Trouble simply because they are flawless, high-paced, action packed thrillers.  This is definitely a whole series (not just a book) that I will read over and over again to revisit Lori Anderson's crazy action-packed world.

Deep Dirty Truth is a fast-paced, high-octane and breathtaking thriller; there is quite honestly not a word out of place.  I strongly suggest you take a deep breath before you dive into Deep Dirty Truth as you may just forget to release the breath you didn't realise you were holding.  I just hope that Steph Broadribb writes as fast I read her books as I CANNOT WAIT for the next Lori Anderson instalment.  A very highly recommended read and a well-deserved 5 stars.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Riot (Saul Marshall Thrillers Book 3) - Richard Davis

Saul Marshall arrives in Atlanta in the wake of a shocking incident: a cop with a pristine record has inexplicably massacred peaceful protesters occupying the iconic CNN Center. But Saul, exhausted from months on the run from the law, fails to put up his guard. 

But when he is visited in the dead of night by a street gang, deploying extreme and seemingly unprovoked violence, Saul is forced to either get his guard up, or perish. And when he discovers that this same gang has already targeted two of his team-mates from his days serving in the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team, striking back against the gang becomes not just a matter of survival, but revenge. 

But once Saul realizes that someone else is calling the shots – a deeply unhinged video-game addict, known only as Red, obsessed with inciting mass civil unrest – he quickly learns there’s a whole lot more at stake.

What did I think?

I'm a huge fan of the Saul Marshall books by Richard Davis and I'm completely honoured to have a character named after me in Riot, the third book in the series.  I've never met the author but, aside from being a robot scientist (how cool), the character he created does surprisingly bear an uncanny physical resemblance to me.  I just want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Richard Davis for bestowing such an amazing honour on me.  So enough about my immortality in print, lets see what Saul Marshall is up to in this third instalment.

Saul, Greg and Thom were all members of the elite FBI unit HRT (Hostage Rescue Team) and when Thom is killed, the two remaining members become targets.  Saul teams up with Rosa, Greg's ex-wife, who works for Homeland Security when riots sweep the USA.  The riots are all being masterminded by uber-gamer, Red, who is manoeuvring people like pawns on a chess board as he turns virtual reality into reality.  Red is after a certain prize: an antique gas mask last seen in Thom's possession, putting anyone who knew Thom in immediate danger.  The question is: can Saul and Rosa stop Red before it's game over?

It actually gives me goosebumps just thinking about events in Riot.  We hear so much on the news about shootings and knife attacks influenced by computer games so I wouldn't be surprised to find the events in Riot replicated in real life at some point.  Or perhaps they already have been...

Riot is a very clever book, but I have to say that it was sometimes a little bit complicated - it's quite technological so anyone who likes gaming and computers will positively love it.  I know my fair share of computer coding but I've never been one for computer games so I did find it hard to engage now and again.  Fortunately, Saul Marshall is such a well-developed character that he maintained my interest when the story sometimes got a bit geeky and with Saul around there are always going to be a multitude of heart in the mouth moments to raise my eyebrows and drop my jaw.

Richard Davis is a highly talented author and I am frequently recommending the Saul Marshall series to other readers.  Riot can definitely be read as a standalone but it will make you want to read the other two books in the series to find out Saul Marshall's back story, so my recommendation would be to read them in order to get the most out of them.  Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next in the colourful, crazy and unpredictable life of Saul Marshall.  Riot is so shockingly true to life that I defy anyone to read it without getting goosebumps.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

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Need to Know - Karen Cleveland

You get to work. Make a coffee. Turn on your computer.

Your task: break into a Russian criminal's laptop and find proof that he's concealing five deep-cover agents - seemingly normal people living in plain sight.

You’re in. Five faces stare back at you.

One of them is your husband.

What did I think?

What a scorching debut!  I read this via The Pigeonhole so read this in 10 staves over 10 days but I definitely think that this would have been a book I would have read in one sitting.  It was torture waiting 24 hours for the next instalment after being left on so many end of chapter cliffhangers and I even set my alarm 30 minutes early so I could read the last instalment before going to work.  It really is THAT good and I don't want to inadvertently reveal any of the plot so I'm going for a brief review.  

Need to Know is a book that constantly has you questioning 'what would I do?' as Viv cracks a Russian spy's computer and sees her husband's picture among his assets.  What would you do?  Call your boss and destroy your family or hit delete and go home to your husband, the spy?  What a moral dilemma for Viv and it's easy to say you'd do one or the other until you're actually presented with the same situation.  I didn't blame Viv at all for her actions although could see her getting deeper and deeper into a hole from which she could never climb out of.

My huge question was 'can Viv trust her husband, Matt?' and I changed my mind over and over again.  I went from yelling 'don't trust him' to thinking that their whole life couldn't be a lie...could it?  The whole book reminded me of a series of 24 with the suspense and tension building with each chapter, so I wasn't surprised to learn that Universal Studios have acquired the movie rights to Need to Know.  If it's half as good as the book, it'll be AMAZING!

Need to Know is an edge of your seat suspense filled thriller that begs a follow up and consider me on my knees begging you for a sequel, Karen Cleveland. A 100% definite 5 star read; do not miss this book!  

This is my honest and unbiased opinion of my first, but definitely not my last, Pigeonhole book.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: False Prophet - Richard Davis

As the third book in the Saul Marshall series is imminent (yay!), I am delighted to take part in the False Prophet blog tour.  I am re-posting my review for the tour but make sure that you check out all of the other stops on the tour to read all of the great reviews.

When a rogue cult turns deadly, the authorities call on former conman Agent Saul Marshall. Drawn into a cat and mouse chase with the leader of the cult Ivan Drexler, news arrives that he has taken Marshall’s son hostage. Removed from the line of duty, Marshall must work alone, off-grid.

As the attacks intensify, Saul will stop at nothing to defeat Drexler. But people are questioning Saul’s own part in the carnage. He must work fast to save both his country and his son. 

As wave after wave of attacks break, the clock is ticking...

What did I think?

I took far too long to get around to reading False Prophet but once I started to read it, I really couldn't put it down and it turned out to be a very quick, riveting read.  Saul Marshall is such a multi-faceted character; he's a con-man turned FBI agent so he knows more than most how the criminal mind works, basically because he has a criminal mind himself. 

The prologue will not fail to hook every single reader that turns the first page of False Prophet.  Imagine sitting down to breakfast with your morning newspaper and seeing your obituary in the paper.  That's what happened to Aaron Woolf, who then received a phone call from his missing son rapidly followed by masked men entering his apartment to stage his apparent suicide.  Saul Marshall has something in common with Aaron Woolf; his son, Samuel, has gone missing too.  As Saul races to save his son, he uncovers something bigger than he could ever have imagined.

False Prophet is an absolutely stonking first thriller from Richard Davis and a fast-paced rollercoaster of a read; I think I held my breath several times during the book and almost forgot to breathe at the heart-stopping finale.  It certainly gets you thinking as the story links to the 20th anniversary of the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and the 40th anniversary of the 1973 failed bomb plot codenamed Tribomb.  It's a brilliant idea, and one probably very true to life, to have a false prophet using religion to 'cash in' on the jihadi mentality of willing suicide bombers.  Are these islamic militants really any different to religious cult leaders?

With a character as strong and flawed as Saul Marshall, Richard Davis is definitely on to a winner here.  I was so eager to read more of Saul's story that I immediately went on to read the next book in the series, Never Forget.

I chose to read to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon


About the author:

Richard Davis graduated from University College London in 2011 and Cambridge University in 2012.

The Saul Marshall series was born from Davis’s extensive travels around the United States and his long-standing obsession with thriller fiction.

He lives in North London, UK, with his girlfriend.

If you want to know more you can find Richard on Twitter @DickDavisDavis

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BLOG TOUR: Deep Blue Trouble - Steph Broadribb

Single-mother Florida bounty hunter Lori Anderson’s got an ocean of trouble on her hands. Her daughter Dakota is safe, but her cancer is threatening a comeback, and Lori needs JT – Dakota’s daddy and the man who taught Lori everything – alive and kicking. Problem is, he’s behind bars, and heading for death row. 

Desperate to save him, Lori does a deal, taking on off-the-books job from shady FBI agent Alex Monroe. Bring back on-the-run felon, Gibson ‘The Fish’ Fletcher, and JT walks free. Following Fletcher from Florida to California, Lori teams up with local bounty hunter Dez McGregor and his team. But Dez works very differently to Lori, and the tension between them threatens to put the whole job in danger. 

With Monroe pressuring Lori for results, the clock ticking on JT’s life, and nothing about the Fletcher case adding up, Lori’s hitting walls at every turn. 

But this is one job she’s got to get right, or she’ll lose everything… 

Breathlessly paced, and bursting with high-voltage action and edge-of-your-seat jeopardy, Deep Blue Trouble is the unmissable next instalment featuring one of the most memorable and fearless female characters in crime fiction.

What did I think?

I was late to the party when I read the AMAZING Deep Down Dead last month, but this gave me the added benefit of being able to read Deep Blue Trouble right after it.  Deep Blue Trouble picks up right where Deep Down Dead left off, but Steph Broadribb includes a brilliant concise recap to remind us and also to benefit those readers who might crazily pick up Deep Blue Trouble first.

In this instalment, much as she can't bear to be parted from her, Lori makes sure that her daughter, Dakota, is safe from harm by sending her to camp.  Meanwhile, Lori's old mentor and Dakota's father, JT, is in prison but is far from safe from the mob who want revenge: a life for a life.  So when an FBI agent offers Lori the chance to get JT's charges dropped, she doesn't hesitate and sets off on her own to bring back her latest target: the slippery fish, Gibson Fletcher, and a missing valuable chess set.  Reporting to the FBI, Lori gets instructions to work with another bounty hunter, Dez McGregor, but JT taught Lori to never work in a team so I prepared myself for fireworks.

The inclusion of a the missing chess set was a stroke of genius as not only were people looking for the missing pieces but, unbeknown to them, they themselves were actually being moved around an invisible board.  I felt like the whole story was a carefully planned game of chess and I put my money on Lori to play the final move and shout checkmate!

This is another top-notch fast-paced thriller from Steph Broadribb and she is definitely on to a winner with such a strong female lead as Lori Anderson.  I love how Lori religiously sticks to her own set of rules and although she's tough on the outside, she shows lots of affection for her family and friends.  The pacing is so fast that you can't help but hurtle through this book as fast as you possibly can and with tantalising unfinished business leading nicely on to the next instalment, I am on tenterhooks for book 3.  I can see that this is going to be a series I will want to read again and again; I can't recommend it highly enough.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

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Seven Seconds - Lisa Compton

Neuro-imaging studies show that there is a brief interval during cognitive processing, just before we make a conscious decision, when our subconscious mind takes over. There is no scientific explanation for what happens during these seven seconds. Olivia Osborne knows. And it’s terrifying. 

Olivia Osborne is a forensic psychologist and former FBI agent who is blessed (or cursed, depending on who you ask) with unique gifts. Olivia is able to sense what others cannot--the spiritual presence of those who have "crossed over," as well as the living who are influenced, or in some cases possessed, by evil. The passing of her beloved Gran was the catalyst Olivia needed to leave the FBI behind and return to her native San Antonio, Texas. But a familiar evil has followed on her heels. 

When a series of brutal murders rock her city, Olivia is pulled into the investigation despite her plans to leave that part of her life behind. What if she isn't supposed to run? What if she was always supposed to stand and fight? 

Seven Seconds is the first book in this exciting new paranormal crime procedural.

What did I think?

I was drawn to this book by the paranormal edge to it, you know it's not just any old crime book when the perpetrator is evil itself.  The paranormal element was just a small part of the book, so people who love crime thrillers and dislike fantasy will still enjoy Seven Seconds.

The character of Dr Olivia Osborne is very well thought out.  Like all women in her family, she has a gift and can communicate with spirits.  As an ex-FBI agent she has returned to her home town of San Antonia and is called on by the San Antonia Police Department to help them with a series of murders.  These murders seem to link to something that happened in Olivia's past and I felt like whatever evil spirit was involved 'then' has unfinished business with Olivia 'now'.

What I found so interesting is that the seven seconds idea is TRUE!  The idea that our subconscious makes a decision before our conscious mind even knows about it is really eye-opening.  If, like me, you think of your subconscious as your spirit or soul, it is very possible that other elements on the astral plane could influence your decisions.  In those seven seconds before our conscious mind takes over, who's to say we aren't open to suggestion?  Scary stuff indeed.

It took me a good few chapters to get into this book, but once I did I was gripped.  I would have liked to explore the paranormal a bit more but I think Lisa Compton has cleverly weighted the normal/paranormal to appeal to many readers.  I am intrigued to see what comes next for Olivia Osborne.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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A Twist of the Knife (Brigid Quinn #3) - Becky Masterman

It takes a strong woman to be able to watch someone die.

Brigid Quinn is tough, determined, steely and sharper than sharp. As an ex-agent of the FBI she has seen it all, and survived. But nothing can cut her closer to the bone than family...

When Brigid gets a call from her mother saying her father is in hospital with pneumonia, she decides to check on her former colleague Laura Coleman who is living nearby. Having saved Brigid's life, Laura is now working on an 'innocence project', investigating cold cases. And one in particular seems to have caught her attention. Fifteen years before, Marcus Creighton was accused of killing his wife and three children. Now the state governor has signed the warrant for his execution.

Worried that her friend is getting in too deep, Brigid promises to help. But what if her instincts are betraying her? If she can't even trust her memories of her own childhood, how can she make a call on some stranger's story that took place over fifteen years before?

What did I think?

Although A Twist of the Knife is the 3rd book in the Brigid Quinn series, I decided to jump straight in and I'm really pleased that I did. For me, you can tell that this is part of a series as the characters are already very well developed and I think I missed out a little bit by not reading the first 2 books (something I do intend to remedy very soon).  Putting that to one side, this is a great book and there is so much going on that your head will be in a spin until the cleverly drawn out conclusion.

A Twist of the Knife has one of the most chilling prologues I have ever read, as Brigid witnesses her first execution.  35 years later Brigid heads to Florida as her Dad is in hospital and whilst there meets up with Laura Coleman.  Laura is working on a death row case, that of Marcus Creighton who was convicted of killing his wife and children.  The bodies of the children were never found, which has caught the attention of Alison Samuels who works for an organisation specialising in locating missing children.  With four days left before Marcus Creighton is executed, can Laura, with help from Brigid, prove that he didn't kill his family and will Alison Samuels find the missing Creighton children?

Brigid Quinn is such a feisty character.  She keeps her emotions very close to her chest and I loved her interactions with her very dysfunctional family over her father's hospital bed.  The Quinns know just which buttons to press in each other and you can almost feel them fizzing with barely controlled emotions.  It was while enjoying such scenes that I realised how much of the building up of Brigid's character that I had missed by not reading the first 2 books.  Not that it spoiled my enjoyment of the story at all, I just think it would have been enhanced by knowing more about her in advance.

The story of Marcus Creighton was excellent.  Not that I could say whether it was accurate or not, but the police procedural element appeared to have been meticulously researched.  I felt like I was in a race against time as the countdown to Marcus's execution began and I truly believed that he was as innocent as Laura claimed him to be.  Will Brigid be able to uncover the truth before it is too late? You will just have to read it and see!

This definitely has the potential to be a 5 star book but, through no fault of the author, I have awarded 4 stars purely because I felt that I was missing something.  Totally my fault by not reading the books in order, but it is the mark of a good book when I am looking to add the earlier books to my TBR pile in order to catch up with Brigid's story.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Never Forget (Saul Marshall Thriller Book 2) - Richard Davis

Saul Marshall is on the run.

As a wave of seemingly random assassinations engulfs California, Marshall finds himself drawn into a situation spiralling out of control.

He soon discovers some of the webs’ most secure protocols have been compromised by a rogue team of former Chinese agents. When Marshall realises what they plan, the stakes are raised…

And that’s before the Secretary of State gets involved. Can Marshall unravel the deceit and tricks before it’s too late? Can he stop the carnage, or will he become part of it? One thing is for certain: either way his enemies will never forget.

What did I think?

I absolutely LOVED the first Saul Marshall thriller, False Prophet, and you can read my review here so I started reading Never Forget straight after as I couldn't get enough of Saul Marshall.  We are introduced to Saul again as he listens in to police radio.  He's like a modern-day real-life Batman: a shadowy vigilante trying to put a spanner in the works of criminals on the streets of California.  When he hears something on police radio, he starts his engine and rushes to the scene.  What he sees puts him on a rollercoaster he can't get off and when a lady needs his help he puts on his bat-cape and (hopefully) saves the day (and the girl).

Saul swoops in to save the damsel in distress and teams up with Ellen, the attempted abductee, and puts together all the pieces of the puzzle to see why she is so valuable.  Saul is a wanted man so he can't go to the authorities but he still has some friends in law enforcement who are willing to put their jobs on the line to help him.  As he helps Ellen, he puts himself back on the radar again and he must be one step ahead to avoid being caught whilst removing the threat that could tear the government apart.

Wow!  What a ride!  I love the character of Saul Marshall, he could be any man on the street.  It's absolute genius to have a main character who was a con-man, FBI agent and now a wanted man.  If Saul is Batman, then Vann is definitely Robin; his trusty sidekick who can swoop in to save the day.  Although this was a bit too techie for me at times, it is a fantastic edition to an AMAZING series.  I'm not a fan of politics but I will grab with both hands any political thrillers starring Saul Marshall.  Hollywood, take note, Saul Marshall is destined for the big screen!

I chose to read to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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