Sepultura (The Necropolis Series Book 2) - Guy Portman

This sociopath is a ticking time bomb.

Dyson Devereux is a busy man with a new job and a young son. The cultured council worker would be coping just fine were he not a violent and compulsive murderer. His child’s mother’s hostile partner and an antagonising work colleague are becoming a serious nuisance. They better change their attitude, or it could be the end of them.

As his personal and professional lives threaten to spiral out of control, it is only a matter of time until the suave and sophisticated public sector employee explodes.

Sepultura is a darkly humorous crime novel featuring an unforgettable sociopath.

 

What did I think?

My favourite sociopath is back!  Sepultura is the second book in the Necropolis series and although it could be read as a standalone, I do think it is better to have read book 1, Necropolis as it gives you more insight into Dyson's character (and because it's absolutely brilliant and unmissable).

Dyson Devereux is such a fantastic character that I could read about his exploits for so many more pages than the 181 in the book.  If someone disagrees with Dyson, either verbally or just by their very existence, he simply gets rid of them.  Dyson's dark thoughts and actions are simultaneously shocking and hilarious, making Sepultura an incredibly entertaining novel.

I loved reading about Dyson's relationship with his son and his attempt to teach young Horatio Latin is very amusing.  I'm really looking forward to seeing how this unconventional father/son relationship progresses.

Dyson's personal life is entertaining, but his work life is even more so.  It feels really bad to say, but I totally get what he means about a lot of his colleagues and I've had similar thoughts myself (apart from actually wanting to kill them, of course!).  The work trip to Italy is a fantastic addition to the storyline and turns out to be the perfect place for Dyson to deal with a troublesome colleague.

I absolutely loved Sepultura; I am completely hooked on this marvellous series and can't get enough of it. Sepultura is like nothing else I've read before; it's dark, funny, entertaining and I'd love to see Dyson brought to life on screen - please pick this one up, Netflix!  I'll definitely be reading it again after I have devoured the rest of the series.  

If you're looking for something different to read, then look no further.  Very highly recommended.

Many thanks to Guy Portman for sending me an ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Necropolis (The Necropolis Series Book 1) - Guy Portman

Danger and deceit come naturally to a sociopath.

Public sector worker Dyson Devereux has just discovered there is a large reward on offer for the capture of a genocidal fugitive. Dyson thinks he knows exactly where to find him. All the scheming sociopath needs now is a plan. It has to be good, otherwise he will be in big trouble.

But the obstacles to his mission are mounting. To compound matters, work colleagues are becoming ever more aggravating, and his girlfriend has gone off the rails.

Will Dyson get the reward he feels he so richly deserves, or is his destiny to be a life of toil in the Burials and Cemeteries department at Newton Council?

 

What did I think?

What a great start to a new series!  It feels wrong to say I loved sociopath Dyson Devereux but I really did love him.  His witty thoughts and observations had me laughing out loud and I often found myself agreeing with him.  Uh-oh!  Am I a sociopath?  No, I'm just not a great fan of people.

Dyson works for the local council in Burials and Cemeteries but behind his professional persona is a dark and dangerous killer.  Cross him and you'll find a part of you in his keepsake tin.  He reminisces about past kills, fantasises about new ones and the only personal pronoun in his dictionary is 'it".

Dyson's thoughts about his work colleagues are absolutely hilarious and one particular colleague has caught his eye.  Could a member of Dyson's team be a missing war criminal?  Dyson has a new target but it's one he must deliver alive in order to collect the huge reward.  

Aside from the escapade with the wanted fugitive, Dyson has a rather surprising personal life.  His girlfriend (I was surprised he had one) is mixed up with some shady characters and there's a pretty graphic drug-fuelled sex scene that some readers of a sensitive disposition may find uncomfortable to read.  

Hilarious, disturbing and completely entertaining, Necropolis is a highly original dark comedy.  It's like Dexter, The Office, American Psycho and The Benny Hill Show all rolled into one and I absolutely loved it.  My only disappointment was coming to the end of the book, and the ending is a little abrupt to ensure that everyone who reads Necropolis will be eager to read the next book, Sepultura. 

Many thanks to Guy Portman for sending me a digital ARC to read and review.  I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Force of Nature - Jane Harper

FIVE WENT OUT. FOUR CAME BACK...

Is Alice here? Did she make it? Is she safe? In the chaos, in the night, it was impossible to say which of the four had asked after Alice's welfare. Later, when everything got worse, each would insist it had been them.

Five women reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking along the muddy track. Only four come out the other side.

The hike through the rugged landscape is meant to take the office colleagues out of their air-conditioned comfort zone and teach resilience and team building. At least that is what the corporate retreat website advertises.

Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a particularly keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing bushwalker. Alice Russell is the whistleblower in his latest case - and Alice knew secrets. About the company she worked for and the people she worked with.

Far from the hike encouraging teamwork, the women tell Falk a tale of suspicion, violence and disintegrating trust. And as he delves into the disappearance, it seems some dangers may run far deeper than anyone knew.

What did I think?

I named The Dry as one of my Top Books of 2017, so wild horses couldn't have kept me away from reading Force of Nature.  Although it didn't quite match The Dry, in my opinion, it was still a great read.  I apologise in advance for comparing Force of Nature to The Dry, but I blinking loved that book so will drop it in wherever I can.

Alice Russell joins her work colleagues on a team building corporate retreat.  Now, anyone who has ever been on one of these will know just how much fun they are NOT!  I always say that I spend enough time with them at work, I don't want to socialise with them in my free time (sorry, work 'mates').  So 10 colleagues set out to hike across the bush split into men’s and women’s camps.  Alice, along with her colleagues Jill, Lauren and twins Beth and Bree, make up the women's camp.  Nothing good is ever going to come of pitting 5 women against the elements and it isn't long before they turn on each other, resulting in Alice storming off.  The others assume that she has made her way back to the meeting point but Alice never made it back and a search party is assembled.  The reader knows that Alice's last phone call was to Aaron Falk, with Aaron putting pressure on Alice to 'get the contracts'.  Did somebody silence Alice before she could deliver evidence to the police?

When the colleagues turn on each other, I could have pointed my finger at any one of them, as women are so vicious.  The speed of implosion of the relationships was staggering, and frighteningly true to life.  I could totally imagine this happening and I'm never going on a work outing ever again - I'm sure Jane Harper will write me a note (Yay!).

Back to comparisons with The Dry, the only reason I knocked one star off Force of Nature is that there just wasn't enough Aaron Falk in the book.  He seemed like a secondary character so for anyone who hasn't read The Dry, they might not recognise him as the glue that binds the two.  I would have liked a bit more about Falk so we could have developed his character a bit further.  

Aaron Falk aside, Force of Nature is a mighty fine story that shows just how far women will go to protect themselves and their loved ones.  Don't ever underestimate a woman - they have claws!

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

My rating:

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Coping with the Horroffice: How to tame your working day - Heena Pattni

• Do you have an impossible boss? 

• Do you have an overflowing in-tray? 

• Do you struggle with difficult work colleagues? 

If any of these situations ring a bell with you, then Coping with the Horroffice might just help. 

Inside you'll find tried and tested, easy to implement tools and strategies to help you deal with things like: 

• how to deal with difficult people – and their agendas 

• how to deal with self-doubt and lack of confidence 

• how to successfully manage excessive workloads 

• and much, much more… 

Helping you cope with tough workplace situations, this guide will help you navigate your working day, reclaim your power, increase your confidence and improve your working day. 

From setting goals and creating a supportive work life balance to building self-confidence and learning techniques such as mindfulness and gratitude, as you work through this novel business coaching book it should guide you back to happiness and success in your career as you reclaim your sanity, serenity and sense of humour. 

In fact, this book might be the one thing stopping you from going crazy, quitting your job or dreaming of murdering your boss. 

So take the chance to change things forever – pull up a chair and join Heena Pattni at the first ever Coping with the Horroffice meeting today.

What did I think?

It's been a while since I've read a self-help book and even then I usually read them, try out a few of their recommended exercises then forget about them and go back to my old ways.  This is definitely not the case with Coping with the Horroffice - I have picked up hints and tips that have helped me immediately and will come in useful for however many working years I have left.

It's set out in such a fun way; a meeting agenda that held my interest throughout, unlike many meetings I've been to.  Before the meeting gets started we get to see a list of the attendees;

Sam – the inept office junior

Vera – the office long-termer

Neil –the know-it-all

Edna –the ideas thief

Tracey –the tattle-tale rumour-monger

Patsy – the passive-aggressive martyr

Dick – the overbearing, fire-breathing dragon boss 

I'm sure many of us who work in an office will recognise our colleagues (and ourselves) from the descriptions of each person.  So from the very start, I recognised myself from Heena Pattni's excellent interpretation of each office character.  Ok, I'll share it with you - I'm Patsy, the passive-aggressive martyr; nearly always first into the office and last to leave with an in-tray resembling the Eiffel Tower.

Thanks to Coping with the Horroffice, I have now set myself clear goals and targets for many things including my latest project of clearing my inbox.  After having 2 weeks off sick in May (not with stress, I might add), my inbox had become so overgrown that I was worrying about what I hadn't read and what wood I couldn't see for the trees.  Thankfully, I read Coping with the Horroffice at just the right time as Heena Pattni advised an 'email cull' - going through emails and unsubscribing from all the many things we have been subscribed to throughout the years.  At the same time, I set myself a target of clearing 200 emails per day - either dealing with them or filing them - thereby reducing my stress as I saw my inbox reduce from almost 2,000 emails to 900 emails in just one week.

For this virtual mentoring alone, I have awarded 5 stars.  There are other tips within the book that I know I will refer to and use for many years to come.  Do yourself a favour and read Coping with the Horroffice - it really will change your life.  

I received this e-book from BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

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