Sycamore Gap (The DCI Ryan Mysteries Book 2) - LJ Ross

THE EXPLOSIVE SEQUEL TO THE UK #1 BESTSELLER HOLY ISLAND 

The past never stays buried for long... 

Detective Chief Inspector Ryan believes he has put his turbulent history behind him. Then, in the early hours of the summer solstice, the skeleton of a young woman is found inside the Roman Wall at Sycamore Gap. She has lain undiscovered for ten years and it is Ryan's job to piece together her past.

Enquiry lines cross and merge as Ryan is forced to face his own demons and enter into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a killer who seems unstoppable.

Murder and mystery are peppered with a sprinkling of romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular scenery of Hadrian's Wall country in Northumberland.

What did I think?

Brilliant!  Brilliant!  Brilliant!  I could read a DCI Ryan mystery every day of the week!

You don't need to have read Holy Island to enjoy this but in order to fully appreciate its magnificence, I suggest that you do.  I'm a big fan of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch and it was towards the end of this book that I saw a resemblance to Bosch - when Ryan says "I'm coming for you" I almost squealed with delight, in fact I think I did exclaim out loud, but thankfully I was reading in bed and not on public transport!!!

I can't rate Holy Island highly enough but I think LJ Ross has managed to raise the bar a little higher with Sycamore Gap.  The writing is impeccable, the story engrossing and realistic, with characters that I feel like I know well and love a little, yes Ryan I'm talking about you!

I am so lucky to live in the area that the book is set in, I know Sycamore Gap well and Hadrian's Wall is my all-time favourite place in the world, but I can imagine that those who have never visited the wall will want to do so after reading this book.  I have to give a quick shout out to my old school that got a mention towards the end of the book - as they turned into Eskdale Terrace I couldn't help but exclaim an "eeeeeeeeeeh!"  Recognisable landmarks aside, this is a book that does not disappoint from start to finish.

From the stunning cover to the scorching pages within, this is a book not to be missed.  If you haven't discovered LJ Ross yet, what are you waiting for?  Head over to Amazon now and get both books in your basket!  Be warned though, you will be on tenterhooks for DCI Ryan book 3.

I received this e-book from Booklover Catlady Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Buy from Amazon

The Life I Left Behind - Colette McBeth

She's dead but she's the only one who knows what really happened;

What your friends have said.

What the police missed.

Who attacked you.

So if you want the truth who else are you going to turn to?

What did I think?

Oh that was pretty creepy!  It's an absolutely brilliant format for a book - the murdered girl who was investigating an attempted murder of the one who got away.  I wasn't a big fan of The Lovely Bones so I was a bit concerned about the narration by Eve, the dead girl, but it links together so beautifully that I had no cause for concern whatsoever.

It's really quite a unique book as Melody and Eve's stories link together.  I suspected everybody and pored over every bit of evidence as it was revealed.  Who was the little boy in the beginning of the story who found his dead mother?  Why did he try to kill Melody, succeed in killing Eve, and try to kill Melody again?  So many questions that will be answered within these wonderful pages.

I wasn't surprised to discover that Colette McBeth had been a TV reporter, as the writing and investigative style is impeccable.  I was fascinated and delighted by Melody's awakening from her self-inflicted prison and surprised by each turn of events.  Once I got a third of the way into the book I rocketed through it and kicked myself when I found out that my suspicions were being directed to the wrong person!

A fabulously original book that had me intrigued and kept me guessing throughout.

I received this book from the publisher, Headline,  via bookbridgr in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

The Willow Tree (Fragment Trilogy Part 1) - Bekki Pate

"I heard the snap of their jaws, the click and scrape of their fingernails on the cold, metal door. They were angry, impatient and hungry. Their loud tortured screams pierced the otherwise quiet corridor; there was no one left now. No one left, except me."

Nick Jenkins cannot sleep. He drinks too much. All he can think about is her, and the night she disappeared. He is being taunted by her face, by those creatures who keep wearing it, mocking him. He is close, so close, but he is not the only one looking for her. Who will get to her first? And if he finds her, will she be the same as he remembered?

What did I think?

There really aren't enough horror books out there; I suppose many authors feel that they can't compete with the likes of Stephen King or Michael Slade, but Bekki Pate certainly gives them a run for their money.  From the dark and moody cover to the disturbing scenes within, Bekki shows that she can not only compete in this genre but come out on top.  The King of Horror may have just been usurped by a new Queen!

I'm a big fan of the tv show Supernatural, so from the prologue I had visions of Sam and Dean Winchester.  Dean wouldn't hesitate to stand up to evil in order to save his little brother Sammy, just like Mark does in The Willow Tree so that he can save Nick.  The Supernatural similarities continued with the introduction of shapeshifters and lots of blue goo!  Nick becomes a bit of a hunter as he searches for his girlfriend, Jenny, and obliterates all of the fake-Jenny shapeshifters.  Jenny's memory has been erased so she doesn't know what horrors she experienced but it also means that she can't find her way home and back to Nick.

Jenny ends up staying with a pair of x-men type friends.  Ash and Beth have abilities which mean that they don't fit in to the normal world but they are also a target for the evil Freya.  They can protect Jenny to a certain degree but their abilities also make them a target...although also a highly effective weapon in the case of Ash and his burning fireball brain.

I really enjoyed the flashbacks to Freya's life in the 1850's and what happened to cause her to become so evil.  It's certainly food for thought for all those bullies out there!

If you love Supernatural on tv and Stephen King books, you'll love The Willow Tree.  I'm really looking forward to reading more of the Fragment Trilogy to see how the stories intertwine with this one as it definitely has a "to be continued" ending.

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

The Tea Planter's Wife - Dinah Jefferies

Dinah Jefferies' unforgettable new novel, The Tea Planter's Wife is a haunting, tender portrait of a woman forced to choose between her duty as a wife and her instinct as a mother... 

Nineteen-year-old Gwendolyn Hooper steps off a steamer in Ceylon full of optimism, eager to join her new husband. But the man who greets her at the tea plantation is not the same one she fell in love with in London.

Distant and brooding, Laurence spends long days wrapped up in his work, leaving his young bride to explore the plantation alone. It's a place filled with clues to the past - locked doors, a yellowed wedding dress in a dusty trunk, an overgrown grave hidden in the grounds, far too small for an adult...

Gwen soon falls pregnant and her husband is overjoyed, but she has little time to celebrate. In the delivery room the new mother is faced with a terrible choice, one she knows no one in her upper class set will understand - least of all Laurence. Forced to bury a secret at the heart of her marriage, Gwen is more isolated than ever. When the time comes, how will her husband ever understand what she has done?

The Tea Planter's Wife is a story of guilt, betrayal and untold secrets vividly and entrancingly set in colonial era Ceylon.

What did I think?

This is an absolutely magnificent book that successfully manages to sweep the reader away to Ceylon, a most amazing trip from which I am yet to return.  It is Dinah Jefferies second novel and it is written so beautifully that I will be adding her first novel, The Separation, to my must read list.

From the prologue set in 1913 to the ending in 1934 the story weaved its intricate web around me and I didn't want to put the book down for a minute.  It's a family saga like no other, with shocking secrets that if only they had been revealed earlier could have avoided such terrible heartbreak.  I did have a tear in my eye towards the end, but don't mistake this for a weepy Mummy's book - it's quite unique and I'd struggle to slot it into just one genre.  It has all the ingredients for a perfect novel - mystery, intrigue, secrets and betrayal.

Gwen's story is one of a naive young lady travelling half way across the world to be with her new husband in Ceylon.  On the ship she meets dashing Savi Ravasinghe, an artist who makes several appearances in the story as all the ladies fall in love with him!  When Gwen falls pregnant and later gives birth I thought that the story could have quite easily taken a predictable turn but the web that Dinah Jefferies was weaving was not yet complete.  I felt so sorry for Gwen, she should have had a perfectly happy life but for deeply buried family secrets, not to mention a troublesome sister in law.

I'm not surprised to learn that this book has been chosen for Richard & Judy's autumn bookclub 2015.  It's an absolutely brilliant family saga and you can't wait to turn the page to see what secrets might be revealed next.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Double Indemnity - James M. Cain

A true crime masterpiece, and highly acclaimed 1940s movie

DOUBLE INDEMNITY is the classic tale of an evil woman motivated by greed who corrupts a weak man motivated by lust.

Walter Huff is an insurance investigator like any other until the day he meets the beautiful and dangerous Phyllis Nirdlinger and falls under her spell. Together they plot to kill her husband and split the insurance. It'll be the perfect murder . . .

What did I think?

Another quick read out of my classic film pack - I actually enjoyed this more than The Postman Always Rings Twice.  It was easy to read and drew me in quite quickly as it jumped straight into the meeting with the femme fatale, Mrs. Nirdlinger.

For a thin book it sure packs a lot of punch!  It became apparent quite quickly that all was not as it appeared and I found myself exclaiming, "oh Walter, you silly man, you have been played."

It was so detailed how the scene was set and alibis were created that I can't see what enhancement could be made in the movie. Although I will be looking out for the film starring Barbara Stanwyck to see if, as suspected, the book is better than the film.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

F**k This Journal: Betterness Through Bitterness - Dale Shaw

Many journals exist to encourage and provoke inspirational activity in the artistically and creatively inclined. But what is out there for those paralysed with bitterness and an overwhelming desire to push people over?

F**k This Journal faecally pollutes all over the notion of positive creative encouragement and instead uses anger and resentment as the pointy stick to goad their inner artistic pursuits.

With 'testimonials' from famous creative types through history, inspiring instructions to spur your bitter creative core and lots of blank space to exhort your artistic spirit and save costs, F**k This Journalliberally takes the wee out of twee inspiration journals and forges its own path into the brooding heart of darkness that is 'Cre-hate-tivity'.

With added fun!

What did I think?

I had high hopes for this - I have a good sense of humour so I did have a few laughs but not as many as I expected.  I liked the journal style of the book and the fun illustrations throughout.  I loved the "I wonder what your pet is thinking?" page along with the "Think outside the box, push the envelope" page.  My favourite has to be the star that I will share with you - because next time somebody says "you're a star" don't take it as a compliment, take it as the insult it was clearly intended to be!  I shared this quote with my cousin, John-Paul, and I'm proud to say that I made him laugh!  He is the king of humour and I've never been able to tell him a joke or share a pun he hasn't heard before...until now!

It was funny that all the hate is directed towards Carol, the ex-wife, and her new partner the car boot salesman!  A super-quick read as it is mainly hand-drawn illustrations but, whilst reading it, I embraced the "betterness through bitterness" idea, sharpened my pencils in the face of  cre-hate-ivity, and vowed never to leave the house - outside is full of people!!

A great gift book for the difficult to buy for and anyone with a dark sense of humour, although not as funny as I expected - perhaps more my style of humour rather than the book's fault.

I received this book from the publisher, Headline, via Bookbridgr in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Buy from Amazon

The Widow - Fiona Barton

We've all seen him: the man - the monster - staring from the front page of every newspaper, accused of a terrible crime.

But what about her: the woman who grips his arm on the courtroom stairs – the wife who stands by him?

Jean Taylor’s life was blissfully ordinary. Nice house, nice husband. Glen was all she’d ever wanted: her Prince Charming. 

Until he became that man accused, that monster on the front page. Jean was married to a man everyone thought capable of unimaginable evil.

But now Glen is dead and she’s alone for the first time, free to tell her story on her own terms.

Jean Taylor is going to tell us what she knows.

What did I think?

This must be one of the most highly anticipated books of 2016 and I'm really grateful to Ben Willis from Transworld for sending me an early review copy.  The hype is totally correct; once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down - if I hadn't needed to sleep I would definitely have read it in one sitting!

I loved the layout of the book with each chapter being told from the perspective of the widow, the reporter, the detective, the mother or the husband.  It gave a brilliant investigative feel to the story and I felt like I was sitting on the jury myself.

I felt so sorry for Jean, she doesn't even realise that she is an abused wife.  Glen has taken all her self esteem and made sure that her whole world revolves around him.  Only he hasn't quite managed to take all of her dreams...she has a secret dream that she has hidden from him but that in turn becomes a piece of evidence in the case against Glen.

Whilst there are no massive shocks or surprises, this book had me clamouring for more as each chapter ended.  I felt like I was gathering evidence and trying to prove a cast-iron case against Glen.  The psychological effect Glen's mental abuse had on Jean was fascinating and made me wonder how many women like Jean are out there.  Some of her actions were quite shocking and completely unexpected, but it's almost like she had to keep her emotions bottled up with Glen and now she's free she's like a stick of unexploded dynamite.

I definitely recommend reading this book; it is written with such precision that it is not surprising to learn that Fiona Barton is an award winning reporter.  I feel like she stripped the case down to its bare bones and we were all present for the autopsy.  I think that is the magic of this book - the story is told from every single aspect so that no stone is left unturned as we uncover the truth about what really happened to little Bella and the effect that this devastating event had on all concerned.

I received this book from the publisher, Transworld, in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon