Review: Crossbones Yard by Kate Rhodes

Friday 27 February 2015 0 comments
Title: Crossbones Yard (Alice Quentin, #1)
Author: Kate Rhodes
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: 28th February 2013
Source: Library
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781444738766
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon
Ray and Marie Benson killed 13 women before they were caught, tried and imprisoned. Five of their victims were never found.

Six years later, psychologist Alice Quentin discovers a woman's body on the waste ground at Crossbones Yard. The wounds are horrifyingly similar to the Bensons' signature style. But who would want to copy their crimes?

When Alice is called in to consult, her first instinct is to say no. She wants to focus on treating her patients, not analysing the mind of a murderer.

But the body at Crossbones Yard is just the start, and the killer may already be closer than Alice knows.

Review: 14th Deadly Sin by James Patterson

Thursday 26 February 2015 0 comments
Title: 14th Deadly Sin (Women's Murder Club, #14)
Author: James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Publisher: Century
Publication Date: 26th February 2015
Pages: 384
ISBN: 9781780892870
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon
A new terror is sweeping the streets of San Francisco. And the killers look a lot like cops...

As Detective Lindsay Boxer investigates whether the perpetrators are brilliant imposters or police officers gone rogue, she receives a chilling warning to back off.

On the other side of the city, an innocent woman is murdered in broad daylight in front of dozens of witnesses. But there are no clues and no apparent motive.

With killers in disguise, a maniac murderer on the loose, and danger getting ever closer to Lindsay's door, could this be one case too many for the Women's Murder Club?

Review: Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

Wednesday 25 February 2015 0 comments
Title: Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery
Author: Jenny Colgan
Publisher: Sphere
Publication Date: 26th February 2015
Source: Review Copy
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9780751558852
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon
Summer has arrived in the Cornish town of Mount Polbearne and Polly Waterford couldn't be happier. Because Polly is in love: she's in love with the beautiful seaside town she calls home, she's in love with running the bakery on Beach Street, and she's in love with her boyfriend, Huckle.

And yet there's something unsettling about the gentle summer breeze that's floating through town. Selina, recently widowed, hopes that moving to Mount Polbearne will ease her grief, but Polly has a secret that could destroy her friend's fragile recovery. Responsibilities that Huckle thought he'd left behind are back and Polly finds it hard to cope with his increasingly long periods of absence.

Polly sifts flour, kneads dough and bakes bread, but nothing can calm the storm she knows is coming: is Polly about to lose everything she loves?

Review: The Killing Season by Mason Cross

Tuesday 24 February 2015 0 comments
Title: The Killing Season (Carter Blake, #1)
Author: Mason Cross
Publisher: Orion
Publication Date: 9th April 2015
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9781409145691
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon
When Caleb Wardell, the infamous 'Chicago Sniper', escapes from death row two weeks before his execution, the FBI calls on the services of Carter Blake, a man with certain specialised talents whose skills lie in finding those who don't want to be found. A man to whom Wardell is no stranger.

Along with Elaine Banner, an ambitious special agent juggling life as a single mother with her increasingly high-flying career, Blake must track Wardell down as he cuts a swathe across America, apparently killing at random.

But Blake and Banner soon find themselves sidelined from the case. And as they try desperately to second guess a man who kills purely for the thrill of it, they uncover a hornets' nest of lies and corruption. Now Blake must break the rules and go head to head with the FBI if he is to stop Wardell and expose a deadly conspiracy that will rock the country.

Guest Post: Kyrgyzstan: Creating a Sense of Place by Tom Callaghan

Monday 23 February 2015 0 comments
Title: A Killing Winter
Author: Tom Callaghan
Publisher: Quercus
Publication Date: 26th February 2015
Pages: 400
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon
‘The Kyrgyz winter reminds us that the past is never dead, simply waiting to ambush us around the next corner’.

When Inspector Akyl Borubaev of Bishkek Murder Squad arrives at the brutal murder scene of a young woman, all evidence hints at a sadistic serial killer on the hunt for more prey.

But when the young woman’s father turns out to be a leading government minister, the pressure is on Borubaev to solve the case not only quickly but also quietly, by any means possible. Until more bodies are found…

Still in mourning after his wife’s recent death, Borubaev descends into Bishkek’s brutal underworld, a place where no-one and nothing is as it seems, where everyone is playing for the highest stakes, and where violence is the only solution.


Review: A Killing Winter by Tom Callaghan

Title: A Killing Winter
Author: Tom Callaghan
Publisher: Quercus
Publication Date: 26th February 2015
Pages: 400
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon
‘The Kyrgyz winter reminds us that the past is never dead, simply waiting to ambush us around the next corner’.

When Inspector Akyl Borubaev of Bishkek Murder Squad arrives at the brutal murder scene of a young woman, all evidence hints at a sadistic serial killer on the hunt for more prey.

But when the young woman’s father turns out to be a leading government minister, the pressure is on Borubaev to solve the case not only quickly but also quietly, by any means possible. Until more bodies are found…

Still in mourning after his wife’s recent death, Borubaev descends into Bishkek’s brutal underworld, a place where no-one and nothing is as it seems, where everyone is playing for the highest stakes, and where violence is the only solution.

Review: The Two of Us by Andy Jones

Friday 20 February 2015 0 comments
Title: The Two of Us
Author: Andy Jones
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: 12th February 2015
Pages: 464
ISBN: 9781471142444
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 3.5/5
Purchase: Amazon
Falling in love is the easy part. What matters most is what happens next...

Fisher and Ivy have been an item for a whole nineteen days. And they just know they are meant to be together. The fact that they know little else about each other is a minor detail. Over the course of twelve months, in which their lives will change forever, Fisher and Ivy discover that falling in love is one thing, but staying there is an entirely different story.

The Two of Us is a charming, honest and heart-breaking novel about life, love, and the importance of taking neither one for granted.

Review: Dead Time by Tony Parsons

Thursday 19 February 2015 0 comments
Title: Dead Time (DC Max Wolfe, #1.5)
Author: Tony Parsons
Publisher: Century
Publication Date: 19th February 2015
Source: NetGalley Review Copy
Pages: 71
Rating: 3/5
Purchase: Amazon
One am, Boxing Day. Snow falls, the city sleeps.

Not DC Max Wolfe. He is looking out of his loft apartment at the deserted streets below.

A van has just drawn up. Two men get out. Dressed in black and wearing ski-masks, they are dragging something.

It’s a man. Half-naked. Half-dead. But still alive.

Not for much longer.

Soon Max Wolfe is hunting a gang of killers who decapitate their victims.

And this time it’s personal …

Review: The Secret Friend by Chris Mooney

Wednesday 18 February 2015 0 comments
Title: The Secret Friend (Darby McCormick, #2)
Author: Chris Mooney
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: 23rd February 2012
Source: Purchased
Pages: 448
ISBN: 9780718196004
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon
Two dead girls in the river

Two tiny statues of the Virgin Mary concealed in their clothing

One CSI on the hunt for their killer


When Judith Chen is found floating in Boston's Harbour, links are made with the murder of Emma Hale, a student who vanished without trace, only for her body to wash up months later.

CSI Darby McCormick is assigned to the case and uncovers a piece of overlooked evidence from the Hale investigation - which brings her into contact with Malcolm Fletcher, a former FBI agent now on the Most Wanted list after a string of bloody murders. And when a third student goes missing, Darby is led into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with deadly links to the past - and a man who speaks to the Blessed Virgin. A man who wants to be a secret friend to the girls he abducts ...

Review: Silent Scream by Angela Marsons

Tuesday 17 February 2015 3 comments
Title: Silent Scream (D.I. Kim Stone, #1)
Author: Angela Marsons
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: 20th February 2015
Source: Review Copy
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9781909490925
Rating: 5/5
Purchase: Amazon
Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult-sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood …

Years later, a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country.

But when human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. D.I. Kim Stone fast realises she’s on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades.

As the body count rises, Kim needs to stop the murderer before they strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past before it’s too late?

Review: Jigsaw Man by Elena Forbes

Monday 16 February 2015 0 comments
Title: Jigsaw Man (DI Mark Tartaglia, #4)
Author: Elena Forbes
Publisher: Quercus
Publication Date: 1st January 2015
Pages: 384
ISBN: 9781849163392
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon
DI Mark Tartaglia spends a night in a west London hotel with a woman he has just met. When he is called out to the same hotel the next morning to investigate a murder, he realises it must have taken place while he was there. If things weren’t already complicated enough, the investigation takes a new and horrifying turn when he recognises the young female victim.

Still reeling from the shock, he learns that another case he has been investigating – the body of a homeless man found in a burnt-out car – is also not what it seems. Tests reveal that the corpse has been assembled from the body parts of four different people.

Under mounting pressure from the media and unsure where his loyalties lie, Tartaglia must solve this new macabre puzzle before the Jigsaw Killer strikes again.

Review: The Ties That Bind by Erin Kelly

Friday 13 February 2015 0 comments
Title: The Ties That Bind
Author: Erin Kelly
Publisher: Hodder
Publication Date: 29th January 2015
Pages: 368
ISBN: 9781444728392
Source: bookbridgr
Rating: 3/5
Purchase: Amazon
Luke is a true crime writer in search of a story. When he flees to Brighton after an explosive break-up, the perfect subject lands in his lap: reformed gangster Joss Grand. Now in his eighties, Grand once ruled the Brighton underworld with his sadistic sidekick Jacky Nye - until Jacky washed up by the West Pier in 1968, strangled and thrown into the sea. Though Grand's alibi seems cast-iron, Luke is sure there's more to the story than meets the eye, and he convinces the criminal-turned-philanthropist to be interviewed for a book about his life.

Luke is drawn deeper into the mystery of Jacky Nye's murder. Was Grand there that night? Is he really as reformed a character as he claims? And who was the girl in the red coat seen fleeing the murder scene? Soon Luke realises that in stirring up secrets from the past, he may have placed himself in terrible danger.


Review: Tell Tale by Mark Sennen

Thursday 12 February 2015 0 comments
Title: Tell Tale (DI Charlotte Savage, #4)
Author: Mark Sennen
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: 12th February 2015
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9780007587872
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon
DI CHARLOTTE SAVAGE KNOWS WHO KILLED HER DAUGHTER

But before Charlotte can get her revenge, disturbing events start to unfold on Dartmoor…

A woman’s naked body is found near an isolated reservoir on the bleak winter moors. When the woman’s housemate also goes missing, Charlotte knows she must move fast.

But in a police force tainted by corruption, Charlotte’s hunt for the killer won’t be easy.

And resisting her own urge to kill will be even harder…

Review: Tied Up With Love by Amelia Thorne

Title: Tied Up With Love
Author: Amelia Thorne
Publisher: Carina
Publication Date: 14th February 2015
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon
‘We’re from KMW. Do exactly as you’re told and you won’t get hurt...'

Being grabbed off the street, blind folded, tied up and thrown into a van was not what Izzy expected to happen when she stepped out the door that morning. But when an accidental kidnapping at the hands of the sexy Ethan Chase and his 'Kidnap My Wife' sexual fantasy business leads to just that, Izzy seizes the chance to turn her misfortune into a brilliant new job opportunity…

Since then, life has been one big tangle of new client meetings, fake kidnapping pick-ups, and handling the temperamental, but drop dead gorgeous 'bad boy' Mr Chase. But, as liberating as being tied up in Ethan's life is, Izzy knows the time is fast approaching when she must make some decisions and take charge of her future. The only question is: will Ethan allow himself to be a part of it?

Review: The Doll's House by M.J. Arlidge

Wednesday 11 February 2015 0 comments
Title: The Doll's House (DI Helen Grace, #3)
Author: M.J. Arlidge
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: 12th February 2015
Pages: 448
ISBN: 9781405919197
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 5/5
Purchase: Amazon
A young woman wakes up in a cold, dark cellar, with no idea how she got there or who her kidnapper is. So begins her terrible nightmare.

Nearby, the body of another young woman is discovered buried on a remote beach. But the dead girl was never reported missing - her estranged family having received regular texts from her over the years. Someone has been keeping her alive from beyond the grave.

For Detective Inspector Helen Grace it's chilling evidence that she's searching for a monster who is not just twisted but also clever and resourceful - a predator who's killed before.

And as Helen struggles to understand the killer's motivation, she begins to realize that she's in a desperate race against time . . .

Review: Dangerous by Jessie Keane

Title: Dangerous
Author: Jessie Keane
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication Date: 12th February 2015
Pages: 400
ISBN: 9781447254263
Source: Review Copy
Rating: 5/5
Purchase: Amazon
Coronation year: 1953. Fifteen-year-old Clara Dolan's world is turned upside down following the shock death of her mother. Battling to keep what remains of her family together, Clara vows to keep her younger siblings, Bernadette and Harry, safe whatever the cost.

With the arrival of the swinging sixties, Clara finds herself swept up in London's dark underworld where the glamour of Soho's dazzling nightclubs sit in stark contrast to the terrifying gangland violence that threatens the new life she has worked so hard to build.

Sinking further into an existence defined by murder and betrayal, Clara soon realises that success often comes at a very high price . .

Review: Follow the Leader by Mel Sherratt

Tuesday 10 February 2015 0 comments
Title: Follow the Leader
Author: Mel Sherratt
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Publication Date: 10th February 2015
Source: NetGalley Review Copy
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9781477821855
Rating: 5/5
Purchase: Amazon
A man’s body is found on a canal towpath. In his pocket, a magnetic letter in the shape of an E.

Days later, a second victim is found, this time with the letter V tucked into her clothing.

As the body count rises, the eerie, childlike clues point to a pattern that sends DS Allie Shenton and her colleagues into full alert.

The race is on. Allie and the team must work quickly to determine where the killer will strike next. The rules are simple but deadly—to catch the killer, they must follow the leader.

Guest Post: Mel Sherratt on Writing Inspirations

Monday 9 February 2015 0 comments
I'm late to the party but I am now a huge Mel Sherratt fan having loved three of her books (and really want to move The Estate Series up my TBR!). Today, on publication week for Mel's latest novel Follow the Leader I am very excited to share a guest post from Mel where she tells us about her writing inspirations which I very much enjoyed reading (and had no idea Mel started out writing Women's Fiction!) I hope you enjoy the guest post, and I will be sharing my review for Follow the Leader tomorrow (10th).


My Week in Books #6

Friday 6 February 2015 0 comments
Goodreads Target


Review: Taken for Dead by Graham Masterton

Title: Taken for Dead (Katie Maguire, #4)
Author: Graham Masterton
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication Date: 12th February 2015
Pages: 384
ISBN: 9781781856802
Source: Unsolicited Review Copy
Rating: 3.5/5
Purchase: Amazon
It is a sunny Saturday in county Cork, and an Irish wedding is in full swing. Drunk uncles are toasting the bride. The Ceilidh band have played for hours. But the cutting of the cake will bring the wedding to a horrifying end. For there, grinning gruesomely up from the bottom tier, is the severed head of the local baker.

Katie Maguire, of the Irish Garda, does not have any leads - until another local businessman goes missing in horrific circumstances. The murders appear to link to The Kings of Erin, a terrifying gang of torturers and extortionists. But these are dangerous men. And they will stop at nothing to throw Katie off the trail...

Sophie and Suze's NetGalley Challenge (09/02 - 23/03) - My TBR!

Thursday 5 February 2015 1 comments
Fellow bloggers Sophie and Suze are running the NetGalley Challenge from February 9th to March 23rd and the aim is to read and review as many books on your shelf as possible. I took part in a challenge back in September where I got my ratio to 100% and that is my aim for this challenge as well. You can read more about the challenge and sign up here

My ratio is currently 94% so with just six books to read, 100% should be doable. Most of them aren't out for a while though, so it will be a case of reading and scheduling the review for closer to release. And, with new books being added daily I might request a couple more during the challenge!

Review: The Noah's Ark Quest by Boyd Morrison

Title: The Noah's Ark Quest (Tyler Locke, #1)
Author: Boyd Morrison
Publisher: Sphere
Publication Date: 19th August 2010
Pages: 576
ISBN: 9780751544152
Source: Library
Rating: 4/5
Purchase: Amazon
Do the remains of Noah's Ark really exist?

Before he dies, the father of ambitious young architect Dilara Kenner leaves her tantalising clues about the location of the legendary historical artefact - Noah's Ark.

The most fabled relic of all time, the search for Noah's Ark has obsessed many over the years. And when Dilara starts her quest - aided by former army engineer Tyler Locke - she rapidly becomes transfixed by the thought of discovering it.

But there are sinister forces gathering who have deadly reasons for wanting to be the first ones to get to the relic.

From a helicopter crash in the Atlantic, to a sinister sect in Arizona's Mojave desert, to the remote slopes of Mount Ararat, this thrilling page-turner blends nonstop action with fascinating historical fact.

Review: The Lawless Kind by Matt Hilton

Wednesday 4 February 2015 0 comments
Title: The Lawless Kind (Joe Hunter, #9)
Author: Matt Hilton
Publisher: Hodder
Publication Date: 31st July 2014
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9781444728781
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon
Ex-counterterrorist soldier Joe Hunter has been called to Mexico to bring an end to a cartel that preys on the people they smuggle across the US border. Once the mission's ended, however, Joe's mission leader and mentor, CIA Black Ops director Walter Hayes Conrad, confesses that the bloody mission is not the real reason Joe has been summoned south of the border.

For years, Walter has kept the details of his private life - especially his family - secret from everyone, even his closest friends. But disaster has struck: his great-grandson Benjamin has been abducted, kidnapped by Walter's sworn enemy, the leader of one of Mexico's largest drug cartels. Walter will do whatever it takes to get the boy back. And he know Hunter is the man for the job.

But there's one complication -- the drug boss just happens to be Benjamin's father.

Review: The Dead Wife's Handbook by Hannah Beckerman

Tuesday 3 February 2015 0 comments
Title: The Dead Wife's Handbook
Author: Hannah Beckerman
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: 13th February 2014
Pages: 496
ISBN: 9780718178147
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4.5/5
Purchase: Amazon
'Today is my death anniversary. A year ago today I was still alive.'

Rachel, Max and their daughter Ellie had the perfect life - until the night Rachel's heart stopped beating.

Now Max and Ellie are doing their best to adapt to life without Rachel, and just as her family can't forget her, Rachel can't quite let go of them either. Caught in a place between worlds, Rachel watches helplessly as she begins to fade from their lives. And when Max is persuaded by family and friends to start dating again, Rachel starts to understand that dying was just the beginning of her problems.

As Rachel grieves for the life she's lost and the life she'll never lead, she learns that sometimes the thing that breaks your heart might be the very thing you hope for.

Review: The Originals: The Rise (Created by Julie Plec)

Monday 2 February 2015 1 comments
Title: The Originals: The Rise
Author: Ghostwritten
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Publication Date: 27th January 2015 (USA) | 5th February 2015 (UK)
Pages: 352
Source: NetGalley Review Copy
Rating: 3/5
Purchase: Amazon US | Amazon UK
Family is power. The Original vampire family swore it to each other a thousand years ago. They pledged to remain together always and forever. But even when you're immortal, promises are hard to keep.

Arriving in New Orleans in 1722, Original vampire siblings Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson believe they've escaped their dangerous past. But the city is lawless, a haven for witches and werewolves unwilling to share territory. The siblings are at their mercy…especially after Klaus meets the beautiful and mysterious Vivianne. Her impending marriage is key to ending the war between the supernatural factions—and Klaus's attraction to her could destroy the uneasy alliance. As Elijah works toward securing a piece of the city for his family, and Rebekah fights her unexpected feelings for a French captain, will Klaus's volatile desires bring their world crashing down—and tear them apart for good?

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