Category Archives: Book Review

Ted Bundy: The Only Living Witness by Stephen G Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth

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5 Stars from me

Wow, just wow. What a hugely interesting and insightful deep dive into the world of infamous serial killer, Ted Bundy.

I found this book to be truly fascinating. The first section is a horrible glimpse into his victims and the seemingly arbitrary method in which he chose them – or, in some cases, it seemed the virtually chose themselves.

Not a comfortable read that’s for sure – this section of the book had me sleeping with the landing light left on!

To read how close Bundy came to getting away with his crimes is really quite shocking. He was blatant, and acted seemingly with impunity when ‘picking up’ his – often initially willing – victims.

The little touches – like going out to get his hair cut and parting it on the other side when knowing he was to take his place in a police line up – are astonishing. As though he saw the whole thing almost as a game.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in crime, true crime, profiling, psychology, criminology and law, it is absolutely captivating.

Blurb: ‘This is the most complete self-portrait ever painted by a serial killer… as unique a document as Bundy was a killer. There are lessons in this book for everyone’ ROY HAZELWOOD, FORMER FBI PROFILER

Charismatic. Articulate. Evil. Killer.

Two journalists with unprecedented direct access speak to Ted Bundy and those closest to him – friends and family.

What follows is a candid and chilling full account of the life and crimes of the most notorious serial killer in history.

What Bundy had to say in over 150 hours of face-to-face interviews is as relevant today as it was at the time.

 

Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent

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4 Stars from me

Another book full of characters that you’ll love to hate! I seem to have stumbled across a few of these lately.

The family at the heart of Our Little Cruelties is dysfunctional to the max – all seemingly stemming from the mother’s infatuation with herself.

There are some great descriptive elements of the years as the story moves from the past into the present day, including the typical impact that poverty could have upon a family – the Christmas day from the 1970s in particular.

More of a family drama than a psychological thriller, however the story will keep you turning the pages and wanting to discover more.

Blurb: Three brothers are at the funeral. One lies in the coffin.

Will, Brian and Luke grow up competing for their mother’s unequal love. As men, the competition continues – for status, money, fame, women …

They each betray each other, over and over, until one of them is dead.

But which brother killed him?

The Harlech Beach Killings by Simon McCleave

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4 Stars from me

This was my first introduction to DI Ruth Hunter and I found her to be an easy to engage with lead character.

Having recently holidayed in Wales it was easy for me to conjure up images of the area and found this added to the atmosphere of the book.

I feel the need to go back and read book one to find out more about Hunter’s need to re-integrate with the police and her team – there’s clearly a great back story here.

Her partner Nick is an interesting character, classic alcoholism and a dangerous vendetta – what’s not to love?

All in all a good read with the promise of more to come in the next book it the series!

My thanks to Simon McCleave and Damp Pebbles for letting me take part in this blog tour.

Blurb: A murdered millionaire. A brutal drug operation. Can a detective with a haunted past stop the next assassination?

Detective Inspector Ruth Hunter is still struggling to deal with her stress. So when the body of a businessman washes up on a secluded North Wales shore, the former London cop is anxious to prove she can lead the local investigative team and nail the killer. But as she digs into the dead millionaire’s business affairs, DI Hunter discovers a disturbing link to an infamous Merseyside drug lord…

Tracking down clues alongside a hot-headed partner, she worries his private vendetta could seriously jeopardize bringing the gangster to justice. And between botched raids, tight-lipped suspects, and a slew of cold case murders, she’s sure the criminal mastermind must have corrupt police officers in his pocket…

Can Hunter take down the mobster before he orders a highly personal hit?

The Harlech Beach Killings is the second book in the gripping Ruth Hunter Crime Thriller series. If you like chilling police procedurals, true-to-life characters, and psychological twists, then you’ll love Simon McCleave’s page-turning thrill ride.

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Dead Wrong by Noelle Holten

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5 Stars from me

Just like the stonking debut ‘Dead Inside‘ from Noelle Holten, ‘Dead Wrong’ does not disappoint.

After reading Dead Inside I remember thinking I wish it featured DC Maggie Jamieson more, and in Dead Wrong I got my wish!

This is a fresh and exciting police procedural with a twist – a serial killer has been convicted and is in prison – so how can his freshly killed victims only just be appearing now?

Dead Wrong has a clever storyline and a whole bunch of dead ends and red herrings, it is very nicely plotted.

Raven is a beast of a character – he and Maggie together had overtures of Lecter and Clarice for me which was a nice touch.

Enjoy discovering how Maggie thinks and how she sets about proving that Raven is the killer – it’s a bumpy ride but you’ll love it.

Congrats to Noelle for another great read – made all the more enjoyable as she is such a lovely person to interact with on twitter!

Blurb: The serial killer is behind bars. But the murders are just beginning…

DC Maggie Jamieson’s past comes back to haunt her in this dark and gripping serial killer thriller.

Three missing women running out of time…

They were abducted years ago. Notorious serial killer Bill Raven admitted to killing them and was sentenced to life.

The case was closed – at least DC Maggie Jamieson thought it was…

But now one of them has been found, dismembered and dumped in a bin bag in town.

Forensics reveal that she died just two days ago, when Raven was behind bars, so Maggie has a second killer to find.

Because even if the other missing women are still alive, one thing’s for certain: they don’t have long left to live…

Hidden Steel by Stuart Field

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3.5 Stars from me

This is book 2 of a series featuring John Steel, the hero, who is on a cruise ship ‘Neptune’ where he has a matter of days to work out what is going on and beat the bad guys.

I wonder if John Steel is a bit marmite – will you love or loathe his all action hero style? He is a bit of Bond, Bruce Willis (from every Bruce Willis movie), Siegal, Cruise et al pretty much rolled into one ‘dude’ who has ladies falling at his feet.

Meanwhile back in New York, Sam McCall, is busy clearing down some cases which all appear to be separate but soon begin to show links… to each other and to the Neptune.

There follows a fast paced race to find answers, with rapid scene and point of view changes and definitely a high octane read!

Synopsis: In the UK, Detective John Steel is investigating the organization who killed his family. When he comes across information that something big is going to happen on the cruise ship Neptune, Steel goes undercover. He has fourteen days to figure out what is going to happen – and to stop it.

In New York, Steel’s NYPD partner, Detective Samantha McCall, is investigating a series of deaths. All seems run of the mill for the homicide detective until they find out that the deaths are somehow connected to the cruise ship John Steel is on.

McCall is convinced there is a mole in the department, but can she figure out who he is – and who he’s working for? Meanwhile, Steel is running out of options… and the clock is ticking.

All The Best Lies by Joanna Schaffhausen

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4 Stars from me

A gripping tale which follows FBI agent Reed Markham as he tries to delve deep into his own past to discover who murdered his mother – while he slept in a cot.

The story is rich and full of layers and depth – it crosses the timespan very well and with an authenticity.

Along with Reed is Ellery Hathaway who would appear to be someone who he rescued many years before – this back story is one I want to read more about and I will be backing a point of going back to book 1 to learn more! Their relationship develops during this book and it is clear that Reed has very genuine feelings for Ellery.

Reed’s family life is hugely privileged on one hand but also hugely complex on the other. His father is a certainly an interesting character and he fits the ‘all american bigshot’ brief well and truly!

Overall, this is a well put together whodunnit with interesting backstory.

Synopsis: FBI agent Reed Markham is haunted by one painful unsolved mystery: who murdered his mother? Camilla was brutally stabbed to death more than forty years ago while baby Reed lay in his crib mere steps away. The trail went so cold that the Las Vegas Police Department has given up hope of solving the case. But then a shattering family secret changes everything Reed knows about his origins, his murdered mother, and his powerful adoptive father, state senator Angus Markham. Now Reed has to wonder if his mother’s killer is uncomfortably close to home.

Unable to trust his family with the details of his personal investigation, Reed enlists his friend, suspended cop Ellery Hathaway, to join his quest in Vegas. Ellery has experience with both troubled families and diabolical murderers, having narrowly escaped from each of them. She’s eager to skip town, too, because her own father, who abandoned her years ago, is suddenly desperate to get back in contact. He also has a secret that could change her life forever, if Ellery will let him close enough to hear it.

Far from home and relying only on each other, Reed and Ellery discover young Camilla had snared the attention of dangerous men, any of whom might have wanted to shut her up for good. They start tracing his twisted family history, knowing the path leads back to a vicious killer—one who has been hiding in plain sight for forty years and isn’t about to give up now.

All That’s Dead by Stuart MacBride

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5 Stars from me!

This is book 12 in the Logan ‘Laz’ McRae series so don’t be a numpty – go back and start with book 1, Cold Granite.

Once you’ve done that and read your way up through all of the books in the series, then, and only then, will you be worthy of appreciating book 12 – All That’s Dead.

This book – this work of genius – is stuffed full of cleverness and cuttingly witty observations.

In All That’s Dead we follow Inspector Logan McRae – who is presently fulfilling a role working for Professional Standards (a version of AC12, think ‘Line of Duty’) and is essentially only involved in the case because he is monitoring DI Frank King who is successfully hitting self destruct.

As well as a great storyline, we get treated to some exceptional throwaway comedic moments between Steel, McRae and Tufty and somehow among all the gore, horror and swearing there is a very tangible human side to all involved.

Pure brilliance – go buy it!

Synopsis: Darkness is coming…

Inspector Logan McRae was looking forward to a nice simple case – something to ease him back into work after a year off on the sick. But the powers-that-be have other ideas…

The high-profile anti-independence campaigner, Professor Wilson, has gone missing, leaving nothing but bloodstains behind. There’s a war brewing between the factions for and against Scottish Nationalism. Infighting in the police ranks. And it’s all playing out in the merciless glare of the media. Logan’s superiors want results, and they want them now.

Someone out there is trying to make a point, and they’re making it in blood. If Logan can’t stop them, it won’t just be his career that dies.

Watch Over Me by Jane Renshaw

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4 Stars from me

Well if this isn’t the sweariest book I’ll read this year then I’ll eat my f***ing hat hen.

Packed full of F-words, heavy Scottish dialect, casual violence (and good old fashioned hardcore violence and murder), Watch Over Me is humdinger of a story.

It is a book that needs you to suspend belief a little and just go with it – I think if you can successfully do that then you will love Watch Over Me.

There are some superb characters in here – Lorraine, Saskia, Caroline, Beckie, Aylish to name but a few (most of the Johnson clan deserve a mention to be fair although I did get a little lost at times are there are a few of them!). I do wish that Flora and Neil had had a bit more about them though, I couldn’t really find myself bonding with Flora unfortunately – Jeez what does it say about me that I preferred Lorraine to Flora?! Don’t answer that…

There are so many layers to this book and lots of twists, turns and surprises – if you like a psychological thriller that will keep you on your toes then this is the book for you!

My thanks to Damp Pebbles and Jane Renshaw for letting me be a part of this blog tour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis: Flora always dreamed of the day she’d become a mother. But some dreams turn into nightmares.

Flora and Neil are happily married, but they can’t have children so decide to adopt. And when Flora  meets little Beckie it’s love at first sight. Deep in her heart, she knows they’re meant for each other, destined to be mother and daughter.

When Flora officially becomes Beckie’s mum, it’s like a part of her that’s always been missing is finally in place. She is complete, every day filled with purpose and joy.

There’s only one problem. Beckie was taken from her birth family, the Johnsons, because they have a history of violence and criminal behaviour and so are judged to be unfit to care for a child.

But the Johnsons don’t agree. As far as they’re concerned, Flora has stolen their little girl and they are determined to get her back. They’re very smart, utterly ruthless – and they have a plan. One that will turn Flora’s life into a living hell and push her to the very edge of insanity. 

Operation Large Scotch by William Flockhart

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3 Stars from me

This is an astounding debut novel from an author in his seventies – the storyline is deep and engaging and you are quickly pulled into the life of a young man sent away to South Africa (for his own safety), alongside that of the terror and tensions of military life in Northern Ireland at the time.

For me, the writing style had hallmarks of a seasoned male and I know my father in law would love all of the nuances and the tone of the dialogue!

My thanks to Emma from Damp Pebbles for letting me take part in this blog tour.

 

Synopsis: A dissident IRA terrorist cell, in opposition to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, plan to attack the Scotch Whisky Industry unless the British Government pay a ransom.

Armitage Brown, the assistant controller of M15, is given the task of preventing the threat which is planned to coincide with the Millenium Celebrations. Brown co-ordinates all the emergency services under his command in an effort to minimise casualties, using the code name ‘O.L.S.’ an abbreviation for Operation Large Scotch.

Both the terrorists and the security forces have carried out murderous deeds in the past which now come back to haunt them. John Jonhston, a young Northern Irishman, living thousands of miles away in South Africa releases information to Mossad, the Israeli Secret Service, in his effort to seek revenge for the killing of his father in Belfast.

The Introvert Confounds Innoncence by Michael Paul Michaud

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4 Stars from me

Bit of an odd one… literally! This is one of the most unusual books I have read in a long while, featuring one of the most unusual lead characters.

I shall have to call him ‘the introvert’ for we do not learn his name, and he is SO introverted it really is a bit of a mystery to me that he managed to ensnare the long suffering Donna! Let alone that she helps him ‘achieve it’.

I liked the reference to the ‘Columbo’ sells technique, swiftly followed by the Columboesque detective, in fact there were several clever little references throughout this engaging tale and I liked it more and more as I read it.

For such a simple style, there are a lot of ‘hot’ topics covered in the story – discrimination and domestic violence to name but two. However, this very much slips under the radar of a good – but quirky – story and the Introvert’s desire to see people ‘red and open’ is all too relatable!

He is a dark but delightful character and his antics are somewhat of a guilty pleasure! I look forward to seeing what he gets up to in future books.

My thanks to Anne from Random Things Tours for letting me take part in this blog tour.

Synopsis: THE INTROVERT CONFOUNDS INNOCENCE continues the story of the eponymous anti-hero introduced in THE INTROVERT.

With his life disrupted by an unscrupulous work colleague and a bully at his son Toby’s school, things go from bad to worse when his neighbor’s abusive boyfriend goes missing, plunging the introvert into the center of a murder investigation.

Increasingly hounded by a meddlesome detective, and with his thoughts continually urging him to make people “red and open” and to “achieve it” with his girlfriend Donna, what follows is a sometimes brutal, oftentimes hilarious, and absurdist account of the life of one very anti-social and unexpected anti-hero.