Book Review / The Rooster Bar by John Grisham

 

Mark, Todd, and Zola came to law school to change the world, to make it a better place. But now, as third-year students, these close friends realize they have been duped. They all borrowed heavily to attend a third-tier, for-profit law school so mediocre that its graduates rarely pass the bar exam, let alone get good jobs. And when they learn that their school is one of a chain owned by a shady New York hedge-fund operator who also happens to own a bank specializing in student loans, the three know they have been caught up in The Great Law School Scam.
But maybe there's a way out. Maybe there’s a way to escape their crushing debt, expose the bank and the scam, and make a few bucks in the process. But to do so, they would first have to quit school. And leaving law school a few short months before graduation would be completely crazy, right? Well, yes and no . . .
Pull up a stool, grab a cold one, and get ready to spend some time at The Rooster Bar.
 

 

Published:     24th October 2017
Publisher:  Doubleday
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned
 

 

MY REVIEW

I was really looking forward to reading this one as this is one of the more recent novels that I hadn't read by this author.  Haven gone through reading all of his novels in date order, I am now at the point with John Grisham's novels where I have been purchasing the books but waiting to read them until I get to that point in the timeline.   With most of John Grisham's novels they are about the law and following a lawyer in one way or another but this story has a different spin on that.

We follow law students who are studying law at a law school.  These law students haven't been lucky enough to be able to have their education paid for them by family members so they have had to take out student loans meaning they owe hundreds of thousands of pounds even before they are able to get a job.  One of the law students has a theory that this is all a scam and the other students decide to take matters into their own hands.   I didn't necessarily agree with the fact that they were practicing law without licenses and potentially hurting lots of people (and maybe helping them) in scenarios where they probably don't know how to deal with.  But I didn't sign up to this story to like the characters I was reading about.  I was following their stories to see how they reacted and dealt with each. 

I couldn't put this book down! For me, this was fast paced, with plenty of action and lots of twists and turns in this story.   No I didn't really like a lot of the characters in this story but I enjoyed following their stories to see where they ended up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / The Last Child by John Hart

Thirteen year-old Johnny Merrimon had the perfect life: a warm home and loving parents; a twin sister, Alyssa, with whom he shared an irreplaceable bond. He knew nothing of loss, until the day Alyssa vanished from the side of a lonely street. Now, a year later, Johnny finds himself isolated and alone, failed by the people he'd been taught since birth to trust. No one else believes that Alyssa is still alive, but Johnny is certain that she is—confident in a way that he can never fully explain.

Determined to find his sister, Johnny risks everything to explore the dark side of his hometown. It is a desperate, terrifying search, but Johnny is not as alone as he might think. Detective Clyde Hunt has never stopped looking for Alyssa either, and he has a soft spot for Johnny. He watches over the boy and tries to keep him safe, but when Johnny uncovers a dangerous lead and vows to follow it, Hunt has no choice but to intervene.

Then a second child goes missing...

Undeterred by Hunt's threats or his mother's pleas, Johnny enlists the help of his last friend, and together they plunge into the wild, to a forgotten place with a history of violence that goes back more than a hundred years. There, they meet a giant of a man, an escaped convict on his own tragic quest. What they learn from him will shatter every notion Johnny had about the fate of his sister; it will lead them to another far place, to a truth that will test both boys to the limit.

Traveling the wilderness between innocence and hard wisdom, between hopelessness and faith, The Last Child leaves all categories behind and establishes John Hart as a writer of unique power.
 

Published:     12th May 2009
Publisher:  Minotaur books
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 1, Johnny Merrimon
Source:  Owned

MY REVIEW

 

I've not read this author before but his writing has definately intrigued me and has been one of those authors that I have been meaning to pick up and read for a long time now.   Also, to be honest, the cover was also one of the reasons I really wanted to read this!

We follow thirteen year old Johnny Merrimon in this story.  His sister has vanished and all of sudden his perfect life has changed.  His dad has run off, his mum has distanced herself from everything and taken to drugs and now has a boyfriend who is a less than desirable character.  Johnny really wants to find his sister, so he sets out to try and find her.

This was a slow story to read and one of those stories that you should take your time reading rather than trying to devour in one or two sittings.  For me, the best part of this story was, of course, the main character Johnny and his interactions with the local investor/cop who knows Johnny all too well and is watching his back to make sure he doesn't get into trouble.  Its a complicated friendship but one that I enjoyed following. 

There were certainly twists and turns in this story that kept me turning those pages and certainly a couple of plot twists near the end that I found very surprising!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / The Familiars by Stacey Halls

Young Fleetwood Shuttleworth, a noblewoman, is with child again. None of her previous pregnancies have borne fruit, and her husband, Richard, is anxious for an heir. Then Fleetwood discovers a hidden doctor’s letter that carries a dire prediction: she will not survive another birth. By chance she meets a midwife named Alice Grey, who promises to help her deliver a healthy baby. But Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft.

Is there more to Alice than meets the eye? Fleetwood must risk everything to prove her innocence. As the two women’s lives become intertwined, the Witch Trials of 1612 loom. Time is running out; both their lives are at stake. Only they know the truth. Only they can save each other.

Rich and compelling, set against the frenzy of the real Pendle Hill Witch Trials, this novel explores the rights of 17th-century women and raises the question: Was witch-hunting really women-hunting? Fleetwood Shuttleworth, Alice Grey and the other characters are actual historical figures. King James I was obsessed with asserting power over the lawless countryside (even woodland creatures, or “familiars,” were suspected of dark magic) by capturing “witches”—in reality mostly poor and illiterate women.
 

Published:     19th September 2019
Publisher:  Zaffre
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone: Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned

 

MY REVIEW

 

This was one of those books that I picked up on a whim.  Honestly, I thought the cover was pretty and it was a story about witches, which I love to read about, whether that his stories that are historically accurate or ones that are completely fictional.   Although I believe this story is completely fictoinal, it does have a feeling of being very historic and something that could have definately happened in the past.  

We follow Fleetwood who is in a new marriage and has tried and desperately been unable to carry a child to full term.  She is now pregnant again.  When she discovers a doctors letter which basically says that if she can't carry this child to full term it will also take her life as well, she decides to try and find a solution.  She meets Alice Gray who helps her along  We are in an era where woman who can perform miracles and even work with herbs etc are called witches and being a witch is dangerous as if you are caught you are more than likely going to go to trial and be sentenced to death.

This was a very addicting read.  This was also a slow paced book for me but I think that just added to the mystery and intrigue in this story, so I loved that part of it.   There were certainly quite a few twists and turns in this book and a few surprises that caught me off guard.

Would highly recommend this novel if you like historical reads.

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review / Cop Town by Karin Slaughter

 Atlanta, 1974. As a brutal killing and a furious manhunt rock the city, Kate Murphy wonders if her first day on the police force will also be her last. For life is anything but easy in the male-dominated world of the Atlanta Police Department, where even the other female cops have little mercy for the new girl.

Kate isn’t the only woman on the force who is finding things tough. Maggie Lawson followed her uncle and brother into the ranks to prove her worth in their cynical eyes. When Maggie and Kate become partners, and are sidelined in the search for the city’s cop killer, their fury, pain, and pride finally reach boiling point.

With the killer poised to strike again, will Kate and Maggie have the courage to pursue their own line of investigation? And are they prepared to risk everything as they venture into the city’s darkest heart?

 

 

Published:     17th June 2014
Publisher:  Cornerstone
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Owned

 

MY REVIEW

 

Having read Pieces of Her by this author a little while ago and loved the writing style and loved that story, I knew that I just had to pick up another of her novels.  Honestly, I just picked one at random and this was the one I decided to go for.  

This book was so addictive I found it hard to put down!  We are following Kate who has started her first day on the police force and she's about to learn some hard lessons from both the outside world and from those inside the police force.  This story is based back in the 1970s so you have a lot of sexism in the police force, which Kate also has to combat.  There's also a serial killer on the loose who appears to be a cop killer.  Although I don't think it is Kate's case, because her brother is involved she tries to find out the truth about what is going on.  

So addictive and fast paced, I loved every minute.  Its not often that I get surprised by a book, but this novel certainly has a few twists and turns that I genuinely didn't see coming!