Book Review / My Sister's Bones by Nuala Ellwood

ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH TO GO BACK?

Kate Rafter is a successful war reporter. She's the strong one. The one who escaped Herne Bay and the memories it holds. Her sister Sally didn't. Instead, she drinks.

But when their mother dies, Kate is forced to return to the old family home. And on her first night she is woken by a terrifying scream.

What secret has Kate stumbled upon?
And is she strong enough to uncover the truth . . . and make it out alive?









Published:     9th February 2017
Publisher:  Penguin
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  After passing the hurdle mentioned below I did really enjoy this book.   I hadn't before read a book about someone suffering from PTSD so this was an interesting read for me.  After I understood a bit more about this the story made more sense to me.  At first I thought everything was a bit confusing but then understood that this was how it was meant to be because of what the main character was going through and what secret she has to uncover.   What I also liked about the book was the pace.  At the beginning it was very slow (maybe a bit too slow but looking back after finishing the story I understand why the story has to be slow) and when you get to the middle of the book and nearer the end it picks up rapidly until the end.  It took me a while to get through the first part of the book but by the time we come to the middle I fastened up with the pace. 


What I didn't like about this story...  Honestly, this book too me ages to read.  It was very confusing at the beginning with a lot of things happening, coming from different directions.  Looking back after having finished the book, I know now that this is what it was meant to be.  It took me a while to get into the story and really understand and appreciate what I was reading. 

Book Review / Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks

At thirty-two, Russell Green has it all: a stunning wife, a lovable six-year-old daughter, a successful career as an advertising executive and a beautiful home. But underneath the shiny surface of this perfect existence, fault lines are beginning to appear . . . and no one is more surprised than Russ when he finds every aspect of the life he took for granted turned upside down.

In a matter of months, Russ finds himself without a job or wife, caring for his young daughter London. Trying to launch his own business while grappling with the demise of his marriage, the only thing he knows for certain is that London must be sheltered from the consequences of these radical changes.

Then a chance encounter with an old flame tempts him to take a chance on love again, and with the loyal support of his parents and his wise older sister Marge, and in the hard-won lessons of fatherhood, Russ will finally come to understand the true nature of unconditional love.




Published:     4th October 2016
Publisher:  Sphere
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned

MY REVIEW

When I sit down to read a Nicholas Sparks novel I usually know what I am going to get.  A dramatic romance with a few twists and turns and maybe a tragic ending.  This one was different for me.  I should mention first that I loved this book, from start to finish.  Not only do you have the story of Russell and his wife, where it is obvious from the very beginning that this relationship was doomed but you also have the story of London, their daughter and how she copes with this.  Alongside this you also have the story of Russell's family which in itself is a story on its own with a very emotional storyline.

This book also made me angry in places.  Not angry in a bad way but angry in a 'I really don't like this character and I want her to die or move away'' kind of angry and that was mainly directed at Russell's wife.  I found her completely unreasonable and selfish, especially when it came to their daughter London.  She would have her 'me time' on Saturdays, which is fine in itself but the 'me time' drags on longer and longer and she just seemed to care more about herself and what she wanted rather than what was best for her kid.  Russell, as her husband, should come into the equation but as it seemed that the relationship was not on the best terms I can understand why there might be a bit of friction there.

This was an interesting book to read and one that made me feel a lot of emotions when reading it (won't say which ones as that will spoil the story...) and emotions are one of the things that I love and expect to get when I read a Nicholas Sparks novel, he does them brilliantly!  A heartbreaking portrayal of the breakdown of a marriage, what happens during and what happens afterwards with a few twists and turns along the way. 

Book Feature / Roam by Erik Therme

When Kevin finds Sarah stranded by the side of the road, he’s more than willing to give her a ride. Young, beautiful and distraught—she’s everything a single guy could ask for in a girl. What he doesn’t know is that she already has a guy: an abusive, drunken boyfriend who left her there in a fit of rage. And when that boyfriend comes back and finds Sarah missing, a simple ride will turn deadly.

Website

https://www.eriktherme.com

 

Twitter

https://twitter.com/ErikTherme

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Roam-Erik-Therme-ebook/dp/B01MSAA345

Blog Tour Book Review / The Witchfinder's Sister by Beth Underdown

A thrilling debut novel, a literary historical thriller based on the devastating witch hunts in 1640s England conducted by Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins for readers of Sarah Waters and Katherine Howe.

Before Salem, there was Manningtree. . . .

This summer, my brother Matthew set himself to killing women, but without ever once breaking the law.
Essex, England, 1645. With a heavy heart, Alice Hopkins returns to the small town she grew up in. Widowed, with child, and without prospects, she is forced to find refuge at the house of her younger brother, Matthew. In the five years she has been gone, the boy she knew has become a man of influence and wealth but more has changed than merely his fortunes. Alice fears that even as the cruel burns of a childhood accident still mark his face, something terrible has scarred Matthew s soul.
 
There is a new darkness in the town, too frightened whispers are stirring in the streets, and Alice s blood runs cold with dread when she discovers that Matthew is a ruthless hunter of suspected witches. Torn between devotion to her brother and horror at what he s become, Alice is desperate to intervene and deathly afraid of the consequences. But as Matthew s reign of terror spreads, Alice must choose between her safety and her soul. 

Alone and surrounded by suspicious eyes, Alice seeks out the fuel firing her brother s brutal mission and is drawn into the Hopkins family s past. There she finds secrets nested within secrets: and at their heart, the poisonous truth. Only by putting her own life and liberty in peril can she defeat this darkest of evils before more innocent women are forced to the gallows. 

Inspired by the real-life story of notorious Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins, Beth Underdown s thrilling debut novel blends spellbinding history with harrowing storytelling for a truly haunting reading experience.

Published:     2nd March 2017
Publisher:  Penguin
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

MY REVIEW

Its not often that I pick up a historical novel and on those occasions when I do I seem to strike gold and this book is no exception to that.  I love a good witch story and what makes this even more interesting is the fact that it is based on an actual person, Matthew Hopkins really existed and that really fascinated me.  What also drew me in was the fact that nearly every location that is mentioned in this book I have visited.

I liked the fact that this story did not concentrate on Matthew himself but followed the story of his sister.  We followed her story with growing up with him, arriving on his doorstep after disaster strikes, learning to live with him and wanting her to discover who her brother really is. 

After reading book I spent several hours researching the real Matthew Hopkins, a fascinating but horrible character in history.  

Book Review / The Breakdown by BA Paris

THE NEW CHILLING, PROPULSIVE NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.

If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?

Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside―the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she’d stopped.

But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn’t have a baby.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

Or the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…

Published:     20th June 2017
Publisher:  St Martin's Press
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

MY REVIEW

I enjoyed this very much!    This book had me on the edge of my seat nearly the whole way through.  You have this great beginning where Cass drives past a woman who has broken down in a side road.  She stops but the woman does not get out, so Cass drives on thinking that she is ok.  It is only the next day she finds out that the woman she passed was dead.  Ashamed to admit that she drove past her before she died, Cass keeps this to herself.  We follow Cass in this story as strange things start happening to her, is someone now out to get her too or is she going mad.

What I loved about this book the most was the build up.  I had to find out what happened next, is Cass mad or is there really someone out to get her. I had to know.  I read this in two sittings, but on the same day.  I could not put this down!  And that ending, such a great plot twist!  I saw half of it coming but the other half of the twist I had not been expecting and I loved that!

Book Review / Eyes Like Mine by Sheena Kamal

It's late. The phone rings.

The man on the other end says his daughter is missing.

Your daughter.

The baby you gave away over fifteen years ago.

What do you do?

Nora Watts isn't sure that she wants to get involved. Troubled, messed up, and with more than enough problems of her own, Nora doesn't want to revisit the past. But then she sees the photograph. A girl, a teenager, with her eyes. How can she turn her back on her?

But going in search of her daughter brings Nora into contact with a past that she would rather forget, a past that she has worked hard to put behind her, but which is always there, waiting for her . . .

In Eyes Like Mine, Sheena Kamal has created a kick-ass protagonist who will give Lisbeth Salander a run for her money. Intuitive, not always likeable, and deeply flawed, Nora Watts is a new heroine for our time.

Published:     9th February 2017
Publisher:  Bonnier Zaffre
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this book...  For me, the mystery and the 'what's going to happen next' was the main pull for me in reading this book.  Honestly speaking, I was more interested in learning more about the character of Nora and what her past was.  There were certainly hints to some kind of mysterious past and I really want to find out what that was.  She was also the kind of main character that I loved to hate.  Some of the things she said and did made sense but some of it I was sitting in my chair thinking 'why did you just do that?'.  To me, it made the character more real than someone who just made the right decisions all the time, which let's be honest and say that just doesn't happen!

What I didn't like about this book...   Maybe it was just me but I felt that despite the main part of this story is that Nora's daughter has gone missing this book focused less and less on that and more about Nora and her story.  Maybe that is what it was meant to be but I would have liked to  have learned more about her daughter and the situation she found herself in at any given time. 

Author Interview / David Young

How do you solve a murder when you can't ask any questions? The gripping new thriller from the bestselling author of Stasi Child.

East Germany, 1975. Karin Müller, sidelined from the murder squad in Berlin, jumps at the chance to be sent south to Halle-Neustadt, where a pair of infant twins have gone missing.

But Müller soon finds her problems have followed her. Halle-Neustadt is a new town - the pride of the communist state - and she and her team are forbidden by the Stasi from publicising the disappearances, lest they tarnish the town's flawless image.

Meanwhile, in the eerily nameless streets and tower blocks, a child snatcher lurks, and the clock is ticking to rescue the twins alive . . .

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1.  If you could work with any other author, who would it be and why? 

I’m not sure I could work with another author. I’m too much of a control freak! Within genre, possibly William Ryan as I’ve loved all his books. But fellow Bonnier author Chris Whitaker invents great characters, as evidenced by his fantastic debut Tall Oaks. So maybe Chris.

2.  What would be a typical working day for you? When and where do you write? 

I tend to write in mad spurts, and don’t follow the ‘write something every day’ maxim. So there isn’t really a typical day. I split my writing time between my garden log cabin in Twickenham and a caravan I bought on the Isle of Wight with the Stasi Child advance, specifically as a writing retreat. So when I’m writing a first draft, it can be for up to sixteen hours a day, though more usually eight to ten. The rest of the time I’m researching, promoting, rewriting, but not in a set daily pattern. The nature of the work changes with the publishing year. At the moment, with Stasi Wolf being published, I’m in promotion mode even though I’ve got a redraft of Book 3 I need to tackle.

 

3.  What is the hardest part of the writing for you? 

Rewriting and editing. I long for the day when an editor says ‘This is perfect, well done!’ Of course, it will never happen. But I find it agony working out how any changes will work on the rest of the book. You’re always terrified of bringing the whole house of cards down.

4.  When and why did you first start writing? 
My first memory is of trying to write my own version of Black Beauty when I was about five. In my era at school, ‘creative writing’ didn’t seem to be part of the English curriculum – and as a result I hated English Literature. After dropping out of a Geology degree, my first long piece of writing was my dissertation at Bristol Poly on Stalin’s purges. I then became a reporter on local papers, then a news editor at the BBC. In the early noughties I had my first stab at writing a novel – which I self-published with limited success – and then got down to it seriously when I joined the inaugural Crime Thriller MA at City University London in 2012. Why? With Stasi Child I wanted to escape from the day job – and I’ve been lucky enough to achieve that.

5.  How did you come up with the idea for your book? 

Stasi Wolf was inspired by a story I heard when researching Stasi Child about how East Germany’s secret police took over an investigation into baby murders at a Leipzig hospital. They wanted to be sure that news of the investigation didn’t leak out and alarm the public. That was the main thrust of the idea.

6.  Are you a big reader? If so, what are you reading now?

To my shame, no. In many ways, I prefer watching crime series on TV. I do enjoy reading novels, but it tends to be on holidays. I was lucky enough to be sent a review copy of Arnaldur Indridason’s new one, The Shadow District, which I’ve just started. Next up is The Harbour Master by Daniel Pembrey and I also like the sound of Abir Mukherjee’s A Rising Man, so have just purchased that. Unfortunately, my TBR pile just grows and grows. 

7.  Do you have any advice for other aspiring writers? 

Make sure your ideas are distinctive, because it’s a very crowded market, and concentrate on telling an engaging story. And ideally don’t set your crime series in East Germany as I don’t want any more competition!

Blog Tour Book Review / The One by John Marrs

How far would you go to find THE ONE?

One simple mouth swab is all it takes.

One tiny DNA test to find your perfect partner - the one you're genetically made for.

A decade after scientists discover everyone has a gene they share with just one person, millions have taken the test, desperate to find true love.

Now, five more people take the test. But even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking - and deadlier - than others...

A psychological thriller with a difference, this is a truly unique novel which is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat



Published:     4th May 2017
Publisher:  Del Rey
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher
(Previously published as 'A Thousand Small Explosions')

MY REVIEW

Oh this book was good, really good.  I always love a story about love and finding your perfect partner and this book just took that to the next level and I loved it.  This book was so much fun to read I read it in two sittings (both on the same day though!).

This story is split into different character perspectives.  First you have Ellie who is her own boss at a very successful company but she has a secret she is trying to hide.  She finds her match and thinks that things are going to be 'happily ever after'.  Is it really that simple?    Then you have Mandy who finds her match but discovers that she might be too late to meet him...  Next there's Christopher who has a massive sinister secret that he is hiding from his newly found match.  Jade is next where she wants more than just being able to speak to her match on the phone.  She decides to travel to where he lives in Australia to meet him but things aren't always what they seem.  Lastly you have Nick.  Nick is happily engaged to Sally and really had no intention of registering with the MatchYourDNA.com website until a dinner date with friends gives Sally the suggestion to give it a try to see what happens.  So after a lot of persuasion they do but unfortunately they do not get the results they wanted.

If I had to pick favourites, there were two characters here that stood out for me.  The first being Christopher, the more sinister character of the bunch.  His secret is the worst ever and it really was entertaining following him and seeing what he does next when he adds a new girlfriend to the mix.  My other favourite character is Nick.  After taking the text and finding his match, things go downhill for him and his fiance.  In a completely unexpected match, dreams really can come true..

I had so much fun reading this story and could not put this down...  If I had to catagorise it, I would say that it is part romance, part science fiction (a little bit) and part comedy.

Month in Review / January 2017

Firstly I have to apologise for this post being so late.  I was so engrossed in New Year reading that I completely forgot about it!  I suppose that is a good excuse, reading is always a good excuse for everything!  I had a very interesting reading month in January.  I read books both that I loved and that I wished I had loved more than I actually did. 

My favourite for the month has to be See Me by Nicholas Sparks.  I can't believe I waited this long to read it!  I am always a sucker for a good romance novel!  There were two other really great books for me this month, The Alibi and Bone Meal for Roses.  Both novels are ones that I would not have normally picked up to read but did because I was very kindly provided a copy for review by publishers.  The book that I didn't get on very well with this month was Talking as Fast as I Can.  Now that is not because it wasn't good or the writing wasn't good, it was simply that this book was more about Gilmore Girls than I had anticipated and for someone who hasn't watched a lot of episodes of that show, this book was not geared towards someone like me.  That said, if you are a Gilmore Girls fan this book is a definite must read! 

BOOKS READ

Trouble Makes a Comeback

The Alibi

Bone Meal for Roses

The Memory Book

See Me

Talking as Fast as I Can

BOOKS PURCHASED

SMALL GREAT THINGS 

Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years' experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she's been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene?

Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy's counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family—especially her teenage son—as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other's trust, and come to see that what they've been taught their whole lives about others—and themselves—might be wrong.

With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion—and doesn't offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game.

THE WHISTLER

 We expect our judges to be honest and wise. Their integrity and impartiality are the bedrock of the entire judicial system. We trust them to ensure fair trials, to protect the rights of all litigants, to punish those who do wrong, and to oversee the orderly and efficient flow of justice.

But what happens when a judge bends the law or t

takes a bribe? It’s rare, but it happens.

Lacy Stoltz is an investigator for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct. She is a lawyer, not a cop, and it is her job to respond to complaints dealing with judicial misconduct. After nine years with the Board, she knows that most problems are caused by incompetence, not corruption.

But a corruption case eventually crosses her desk. A previously disbarred lawyer is back in business with a new identity. He now goes by the name Greg Myers, and he claims to know of a Florida judge who has stolen more money than all other crooked judges combined. And not just crooked judges in Florida. All judges, from all states, and throughout U.S. history.

What’s the source of the ill-gotten gains? It seems the judge was secretly involved with the construction of a large casino on Native American land. The Coast Mafia financed the casino and is now helping itself to a sizable skim of each month’s cash. The judge is getting a cut and looking the other way. It’s a sweet deal: Everyone is making money.

But now Greg wants to put a stop to it. His only client is a person who knows the truth and wants to blow the whistle and collect millions under Florida law. Greg files a complaint with the Board on Judicial Conduct, and the case is assigned to Lacy Stoltz, who immediately suspects that this one could be dangerous.

Dangerous is one thing. Deadly is something else.

TWO BY TWO

At 32, Russell Green has it all: a stunning wife, a lovable six year-old daughter, a successful career as an advertising executive and an expansive home in Charlotte. He is living the dream, and his marriage to the bewitching Vivian is the center of that. But underneath the shiny surface of this perfect existence, fault lines are beginning to appear...and no one is more surprised than Russ when he finds every aspect of the life he took for granted turned upside down. In a matter of months, Russ finds himself without a job or wife, caring for his young daughter while struggling to adapt to a new and baffling reality. Throwing himself into the wilderness of single parenting, Russ embarks on a journey at once terrifying and rewarding—one that will test his abilities and his emotional resources beyond anything he ever imagined.

LYREBIRD
Life is in two parts: who you were before you met her, and who you are after.

A documentary crew discover a mysterious young women living alone in the mountains of West Cork. Strikingly beautiful she has an extraordinary talent for mimicry, like the famous Australian Lyrebird. The crew, fascinated, make her the subject of her story, and bestow the nickname upon her.

When they leave, they take Lyrebird with them back to the city. But as she leaves behind her peaceful life to learn about a new world, is she also leaving behind a part of herself? For her new friend Solomon the answer isn’t clear. When you find a rare and precious thing, should you share it – or protect it…

 

 

Blog Tour Author Interview / Mary Gibson

Frank Rossi promised Matty the world. The Cockney Canary would become a world famous movie star. As his wife, she would be one half of a power couple, feted and adored by all. 

But the Wall Street crash puts paid to that and as Frank becomes more violent and unstable, Matty knows she must escape and so she flees at dead of night.


Once home in Bermondsey, she goes into hiding and starts desperately looking for work. But only the hated biscuit factory, Peek Frean's, is hiring. 

Then, as a secret from her past comes back to hurt her, Matty learns that Frank is on the move, determined to find her and get her back.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW 

1.  If you could work with any other author, who would it be and why? 

Ursula K. Le Guin. I have always admired her spare, vivid writing style. A science fiction/fantasy writer may seem an odd choice as a collaborator, but we both write about world’s that do not exist – hers are imagined and mine vanished. She is also a great teacher of the craft of writing and I’m sure I’d learn a lot on the way!

2.  What would be a typical working day for you? When and where do you write? 

I am fortunate to have a small study where I can shut myself away. I usually start writing around 10am. I write straight on to the laptop and like to move from desk to a sofa where I can look up from the screen and see my favourite winter flowering cherry tree. I begin by reading over what I’ve written the previous day, making quick edits as I go. I find this the best way to encourage the new writing to flow! I am most prolific in the afternoons and aim for a word count of at least 1500 words a day. When you are producing a book a year, you have to be disciplined about writing - even when you’re not feeling inspired! So, I keep a writing calendar with monthly reminders of my target word count. I usually finish writing at about 5pm and like to come down and cook the evening meal. I find It’s a good way to ground myself back into this reality after living in bygone Bermondsey all day!

3.  What is the hardest part of the writing for you? 

Plotting is the hardest part for me. Settings, characters and situations seem to flow naturally but I am always looking for new tips and tools to help with plotting. I use graphs and charts, time lines and chapter outlines - but I think over planning can also be a mistake and can squash creativity. Sometimes the characters and their stories just refuse to fit the plan!

4.  When and why did you first start writing? 

I have always written short stories but it was only after I took early retirement at the age of fifty-six that I wrote my first novel. I was looking into my family history and realized that the tale of my great-great grandfather might make a good basis for a novel. He cycled from Hull to London on a penny farthing in order to find work and make a better life for his family.

Sadly, that novel is still unpublished. However, it did get the attention of an agent who asked to see my second novel Custard Tarts and Broken Hearts, which is a loose sequel. I again used a family story as my inspiration – that of my grandmother who worked at Pearce Duff’s custard factory and was part of a ground-breaking women’s factory workers’ strike in 1911. 

 

5.  How did you come up with the idea for your book?

Lots of readers wanted to know what happened to Matty Gilbie, the budding music hall star who appeared in Custard Tarts. In Bourbon Creams and Tattered Dreams, I pick up her story in 1930, when she’s found fame in music hall and is trying to break into the talkies in America. But the Wall Street crash, a bad man and a personal tragedy, force her to flee home to Bermondsey, where she is thrown into factory life once more at the Peek Frean’s biscuit factory. Needless to say, with a heroine as resilient as Matty, she doesn’t intend to stay there for long!

6.  Are you a big reader? If so, what are you reading now? 

I’ve always been a great reader. I love the 19^th Century classic novelists and am currently re-reading Jane Eyre - the second book ever to make me cry, the first being Little Women.

7.  Do you have any advice for other aspiring writers? 

Read a lot. Write what you can, when you can and don’t worry if it isn’t perfect - that’s what rewrites are for! Make sure you finish something - even if it’s only a very short story. Finally, never give up. I didn’t have my first novel published until I was 60, it’s never too late!

Blog Tour Book Review / Echoes in Death by J D Robb

This chilling new suspense novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author J.D. Robb is the perfect entry point into the compelling In Death police procedural series featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas.


As NY Lt. Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband Roarke are driving home, a young woman—dazed, naked, and bloody—suddenly stumbles out in front of their car. Roarke slams on the brakes and Eve springs into action.


Daphne Strazza is rushed to the ER, but it’s too late for her husband Dr. Anthony Strazza. A brilliant orthopedic surgeon, he now lies dead amid the wreckage of his obsessively organized town house, his three safes opened and emptied. Daphne would be a valuable witness, but in her terror and shock the only description of the perp she can offer is repeatedly calling him “the devil”...


While it emerges that Dr. Strazza was cold, controlling, and widely disliked, this is one case where the evidence doesn’t point to the spouse. So Eve and her team must get started on the legwork, interviewing everyone from dinner-party guests to professional colleagues to caterers, in a desperate race to answer some crucial questions:


What does the devil look like? And where will he show up next?

Published:     7th February 2017
Publisher:  Piatkus
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 44, In Death
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher
 

MY REVIEW

There's a certain comfort that comes from arriving home at the end of each day after a long day at work.  It's that moment when you know you are home, can enjoy the rest of the evening and have lots of fun.  Every time I pick up a J D Robb book now I get that same feeling of comfort and familiarity, which I love!  On the one hand you have this deeply disturbing story of murder but on the other hand you have characters you are familiar with and are glad to see again. 

As always you have Eve Dallas and many other characters that come up in almost every book I have come across so far.   One of the top things for me when reading a book in this series is that you have the main story of murder but then you have Eve Dallas, her husband and her friends who also have their own lives going on around the murder and with each book I have read so far their stories progress as the books come along, making the characters seem more real. 

As with most of the books I have read in this series, the stories of murder are not easy to read but with the way the story is brought together I do have a lot of fun trying to piece together the parts of the puzzle to try and figure out how the bad person is.  With this one I have to say that I didn't guess who it was, that was definitely a surprise.  A very interesting twist in the story. 

Book Review / Remember Me by Christopher Pike

Shari Cooper hadn't planned on dying, but four floors is a long way to fall. Her friends say she fell but Shari knew she had been murdered. 

Making a vow to herself to find her killer, Shari spies on her friends, and even enters their dreams. She also comes face-to-face with a nightmare from beyond the grave. 

The Shadow - a thing more horrible than death itself - is the key to Shari's death, and the only thing that can stop her murderer from murdering again








Published:     6th July 2010
Publisher:  Simon Pulse
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 1, Remember Me
Source:  Owned Copy

MY REVIEW

This book has been on my shelf for years. I keep meaning to pick it up but always get distracted by one thing or another so I thought it was about time I picked this up.  The first book in this trilogy, Remember Me, was really good.   Despite the fact that I thought the pace was really slow, I did enjoy following Shari as she discovers what has happened to her and what is happening to her after her death.  I was so excited to pick up the second book.

However, all good things must come to an end.  Having started the second book I found that I could not get into it.  It didn't seem to have the same pace and theme of the first book and to be honest I found the story a bit confusing.  It was at about the 50 page mark that I decided not to continue with this series.  The direction this trilogy was going I just was not interested in.  

Given the chance to read this trilogy again for the first time, I would still read the first book but would leave it there, reading it as a stand-alone.