Bluebird Bluebird by Attica Locke

Bluebird Bluebird by Attica Locke is a novel about a black Texas Ranger, Darren Mathews, who finds himself investigating two murders which have occurred in the tiny Texas backwater of Lark. The two victims are a visiting black man from Chicago, and a local white woman. Racial tensions are close to boiling point in the district, which has a history of race related murders and tension between the black and white communities. The investigation has been made all the more difficult for Darren, because he has been suspended from duty and can no longer wear his badge. Operating undercover in a town that appears to be run by crooked cops and with a suspicion of allegiance by the white community of Lark to the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, Darren finds his life threatened and his loyalties questioned.

I loved this book. In Bluebird Bluebird Attica Locke tells an important story, one that you would imagine should be set back in the America of the 1960's but which is in fact, sadly, very relevant in the America of today, where in many areas of the country racial tension runs high and is very much a part of our daily news. And into this simmering pot of racial tension walks a young black man who is carrying a whole heap of baggage on his back - a growing drink problem, a marriage in crisis, and a career as a Texas Ranger in doubt - seeking truth and justice in a town where everyone carries a secret buried deep in their heart and will go to any length to protect it.

Attica Locke is a born storyteller, in fact she is an award winning novelist, her debut novel Black Water Rising won both the Edgar Award in 2010 and the 2010 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work. Her books are noir thrillers which explore the subject of racism in America, they stir our emotions, and cause us to ask difficult questions of ourselves, important questions. I believe Attica Locke's books should be carried in every public library and required reading on every secondary school curriculum not just in America but in all throughout the world.

Thank you to NetGalley for my free e-copy of this book in return for my review.

A Talent for Murder by Andrew Wilson

In 1926 the crime novelist Agatha Christie disappeared for ten days under mysterious circumstances. Under considerable strain following the death of her mother and after discovering her husband was having an affair, many suspected the worst. The police conducted a missing persons investigation, and Agatha turned up eleven days later staying in a hotel under an assumed name. While her disappearance was attributed to a mental breakdown, Agatha herself refused to discuss the matter, leading to much speculation about what happened and many people at the time and since have put forward theories of their own. This book is Andrew Wilson's interpretation of what happened to cause Agatha to disappear.

This was a really good read especially for fans of Agatha Christie and even those who have never read her books. I have read just a couple of Agatha Christie's books and that was many years ago, but I thought this book was very enjoyable. If I have any problem with the book, it's a small one, but i'm a bit reluctant to read fictional accounts of real peoples lives. I do have some qualms over putting words and actions into the lives of people who really lived. It is a huge responsibility, and one which Andrew Wilson has taken on and done well. I hope the Queen of crime fiction would agree with me.

I received an arc copy of this book from Lovereading.co.uk in return for an honest review.

The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova

American Alexandra Boyd travels to Bulgaria to teach English in the hope that her stay in this fascinating and historical country can help to salve the pain of her brothers disappearance. Bulgaria was somewhere he had planned to visit when he was older. Alexandra is only in the country five minutes when she finds herself in possession of a strangers ashes, driving around a strange country with a strange man, locked in a room, and at the receiving end of some nasty threats.

This book started off for me full of promise and while it did live up to some of my expectations it also became a bit of a let down on others. I loved the characters especially the main characters of Alexandra Boyd, and Bobby the taxi driver but they weren't enough to hold my interest for very long.

The writing and the story just appeared to drag in places, and it felt almost as though the author had run out of story but needed to fill out the book and so we were taken on a nonsensical journey around the Bulgarian countryside. I really don't know why Alexandra felt the need to take off in a strange country with a strange man, hauling an urn of ashes around the place for days, when she could have left the urn at the police station on day one. The whole things seemed absurd to me. I was much more interested in her brothers disappearance and the whole story behind that.

On the whole this book needs some severe pruning back and it could then be a much sharper, bouncier read.

Thank you to Lovereading.co.uk and the publisher for my printed arc of this book.

Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor

A teenage girl goes missing from a quiet country village in England. The whole village turns out to support the family of the missing girl and help to search for her, but as time goes by and she has yet to be found, life must go on. Cows must be milked, fields must be ploughed, and the villagers fall in and out of love with their surroundings and each other.

I really enjoyed reading this book, but it wasn't the story I was expecting. As a huge fan of thrillers and mysteries, I was expecting this to be the usual crime novel, where the young girl goes missing and the handsome copper rides into the village to get the perpetrator of this heinous crime. But this was not that type of book. This was a beautifully written account of what happened to the village and villagers in the aftermath of the girls disappearance and how it changed things forever.

I can't say too much about the book without giving the ending away so i'll just say that while this may not have been the book I was expecting, it was nonetheless a beautiful novel, that was such a pleasure to read, and reading it was like reading a fabulous and beautiful poem that will remain in your heart for forever.

Thank you to Lovereading.co.uk and the publisher for supplying me with a print arc of this book.

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

Just when you thought the psychological thriller had been done to death along comes Alice Feeney with a plot so wild it will shock you!

Amber Reynolds is lying in a hospital bed. She is in a coma and cannot remember what happened. The only thing she is certain of is that sometimes she lies, and the reader would do well to remember that!

Amber cannot speak and she cannot move, but she can hear, and it is while listening to the conversations of those visiting her hospital room that she begins to remember. But can we believe her? And just who is the mysterious man who visits her as she lies helpless and whispers threats in her ear?

This is a stunning debut from author Alice Feeney. Just when you think you have grasped what has happened to Amber you remember that she warned you she lies and you begin to doubt everyone in this book. It seems like everyone has something to hide and everyone not just Amber is lying! This book will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.

Thank you to the publishers who supplied me with a free advance copy via https://www.lovereading.co.uk/

The Girls Next Door by Mel Sherratt

As a community prepares for the trial of four teenagers involved in the death of sixteen year old Deanna Barker, a spate of assaults on teenage girls puts the Stockleigh police on alert. When the best friend of one of those on trial goes missing, all hell breaks lose. The missing teenager is Jess Mount, niece of Detective Eden Berrisford. Eden will stop at nothing to find her beloved niece and bring her safely home to her mother Laura, Eden's sister. Meanwhile teenager Katie Trent is having a tough time in Juvenile Detention while awaiting trial for her part in Deanna's murder, will the court believe her or will she end up in prison? Now her best friend is in peril and she is unable to help her. Will Eden find Jess before it's too late, and will Katie be sentenced for being in the wrong place at the wrong time? The tension mounts in this edge-of-your-seat crime novel.

This is the first book I have read by popular author Mel Sherratt, and it's also the first book in the Detective Eden Berrisford series, and I really enjoyed it. Mel Sherratt has a great down to earth writing style, and this book was full of interesting characters and her portrayal of the teenagers involved - none of whom is whiter than white - is particularly interesting. I look forward to reading future books in this series.

I received this e-book for free from the publisher Bookoutour via Netgalley.

Little Deaths by Emma Flint

Ruth Malone is a beautiful young mother to two angelic children, Frankie and Cindy. Ruth is separated from her husband Frank with whom she is in the middle of a bitter custody battle over their children. Waking up one morning to find both her children missing Ruth frantically rings Frank who contacts the police, and a search begins.

Pete Wonicke is a young tabloid reporter who becomes fascinated with the story of the missing children, and even more fascinated by Ruth herself. He is hypnotized by her beauty, her sexiness, and determines to uncover the truth. Soon he finds the story he uncovers is more complicated than even he imagined, and as his infatuation with Ruth grows, and the neighborhood, the press and the police all turn against her, he finds himself doing things he never would have believed himself capable of.

This book really sucked me in and kept me riveted. There is a real crime noir feel about it. Set in Queens, New York in the summer of 1965 (the year I was born), I really felt like I was there, sweltering in the heat and soaking up the atmosphere the author has drawn so well for us. The character of Ruth is complicated but believable, and you can understand why she immediately comes under suspicion, as society judges her morals and lifestyle choices, her clothes, her drinking and her sleeping around.

This is a book that will keep you guessing right up to the end. A very impressive debut literary crime novel, and a book you will keep thinking about long after you have finished it. Hopefully it will get picked up by the movie industry because it is just crying out to be made into a film.

I'm really excited that crime fiction has found a new and great talent to enrich it in Emma Flint. This is definitely an author to watch out for in the future and I can't wait to read her next book.

Thank you to Nudge/NB Mag and the publishers Pan Macmillan for my free copy of this book in return for a review.

Red Bones by Ann Cleeves

Detective Jimmy Perez is called in to investigate after an elderly woman is shot dead in the island community of Whalsay. Then a young archeologist working an ancient site discovers human remains causing much speculation locally. When a suspicious death occurs the Procurator Fiscal is prepared to call it suicide but Jimmy is wary and continues to investigate. Two deaths in a small rural community is extremely suspect. Could there be a murderer on the lose in Whalsay? Who will be next? Jimmy is convinced someone in this small secretive community knows more than they are telling.

I really love this series, there's just something about it, it's like going home, or putting on a comfy pair of slippers. I just love Ann Cleeves writing, I mean this woman can write. The setting, Shetland, is so interesting and mysterious, and the characters in these Shetland books - they give me the creeps! Everyone has secrets they want to keep hidden. Everyone has a past.

This is my third book i've read now in Ann Cleeves Shetland Series, featuring policeman Jimmy Perez. I got this e-book from the library and the minute I finished it I downloaded the next in the series Blue Lightening.

There is nothing like Jimmy Perez and Shetland on a winters evening beside the fire. Ann Cleeves is my comfort food!

Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land

This was an amazing book. I know people say it all the time, but I could not put it down, I was riveted.

Milly has moved in with Mike, Saskia and their daughter Pheobe. She is their new foster child. Milly was taken into care because her mother is a serial killer. A killer of children. Nine to be precise. Milly went to the police and told them what her mother does to children. What her mother did to her.

Milly really wants to fit in with her new family, she wants Saskia to be her new mother, and Mike her new father. She never had a sister. She would like Pheobe to be her sister, but Pheobe has other ideas.

With the impending trial coming up, and Pheobe's bullying, Milly is under a lot of stress. Will Milly be able to take to the stand and tell the truth about her mother?

This is a debut novel from author Ali Land, and she can really write. The words just seem to flow, and we really get under the skin of Milly and try to imagine what she has been through. There are lots of twists and turns, but I really did not see the ending coming! A really gripping psychological thriller that will leave your head spinning.

Thanks to lovereading.co.uk and the publisher Penguin for my copy of this book.

Book to be published on 12th January 2017.

Hello! A very happy New Year to all of you, although a bit belated I know. Life got in the way and i'm afraid I haven't been very active on the blog or FB page lately. I will however make a really big effort to get on top of things this year!

I hope 2017 finds you all well, and looking forward to all this new year has to offer. I know there will be a lot of great books published this year and I plan to review many of them on this blog throughout the year, I really hope you can join me here and on the FB page xx

Audio Book Review: White is the Coldest Colour by John Nicholl (narrated by Jake Urry)

Dr David Galbraith is employed as a consultant child psychiatrist. He lives in a beautiful Georgian house in South Wales and is married with two young daughters. He is a well respected member of the community and held in high esteem among his colleagues. The doctor leads a double life. Dr David Galbraith is a sadistic predatory paedophile. There is a cellar in his beautiful Georgian house, where he secretly abused and tortured a little boy before murdering him, a little boy he had abducted.

Anthony Mailer is another little boy, a new patient of Dr David Galbraith's. He has been referred to Dr David Galbraith because he is upset over his parents separation. His parents think he is in good hands. They do not know that Dr Galbraith has plans for Anthony, horrible vile plans.

I listened to this book on audio. It made extremely difficult listening, especially the first chapter. I had to abandon it, and come at it again a couple of days later, so upsetting are those first scenes. I thought I may have to abandon this book altogether, but I hung in there and i'm glad I did. It is important to understand how paedophiles work. How they trick the community's they belong to, and how they groom their victims.

While I was walking my dog in the park I would listen to White is the Coldest Colour by John Nichol. So intense is this book, and I got so involved in it, that I found myself shouting out at the characters in the book as I urged them to act (luckily the park was deserted). I really got emotionally involved in this fictional story.

The author John Nichol has worked as a police officer and a child protection social worker and has dedicated this book to survivors everywhere.

Now I can't leave this review without mentioning the narrator Jake Urry. He has the most fantastic voice, and i'm sure women everywhere will agree with me! I would pay this man to read out my shopping list to me every week. Seriously, he has the most perfect voice for audio books and has narrated quite a number of thriller and horror books. Check him out.

"I was provided this audio book at no charge by the author in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBoom dot com".

The Second Girl by David Swinson

Frank Marr used to be a great cop, but his drug habit got in the way and made him dirty. Now he is one of the best Private Investigators in Washington DC. Liked by most of the cops he used to work with - they don't know about his secret drug habit, they only know he was a great cop and friend who retired early from the force - and feared by criminals.

While breaking into a drug house to steal drugs, Frank rescues a captive teenage girl and becomes an instant hero. His police friends are clapping him on the back, and now Frank has been hired to find a second missing teenage girl by her distraught family.

I really liked Frank, although I felt I shouldn't like him at all. His drug habit, his violence towards those of the criminal fraternity who cross his path, all make me feel that I shouldn't like him, but despite all that Frank Marr is a decent guy, scarred by an unhappy childhood, and with a weakness he doesn't seem to want to do anything about fixing, deep down he is a gentle, caring guy.

The Second Girl is a fantastic crime thriller. Different, and with a deeply flawed protagonist, I loved this book and could not put it down. At times the drug use can be distracting and the mind boggles as to how Frank can function as he does. I found myself fearing for his future, and hoping that author David Swinson gives us more of Frank Marr in a second, and even though i know i'm being greedy, a third book! Because I don't want to leave Frank here, I want his story to go on, I need to know that he will be ok, but I can't see how his destructive way of life will not catch up with him soon, as really it should.

If you like your detectives flawed, and your crime gritty, this is the book for you. I can't wait to read more by David Swinson. I hope he will give us more Frank Marr, but whatever his next book is about, I will be at the top of the queue come publication day!

My thanks to Mulholland books for providing me with a free pb copy of this wonderful book via bookbridgr.com

Audio Book Review: Lady Justice Takes A. C.R.A.P. by Robert Thornhill

 Walter Williams is a 65 year old retired real estate agent, who may be tired of real estate, but he's not ready to sit in his rocking chair just yet. Unbelievably Walt decides to start a second career as a police officer and against all the odds he succeeds.

As a police officer Walt has loads of adventures, he goes under cover in a strip club, catches a murderer etc. There is lots of humor in this 'cozy' tale, the humor being of the 'men's locker room' type, with lots of references to male and female body parts, love making in old age, you get the picture. Much of it is witty, but a whole lot of it I just found crude. Maybe it's because I was listening to this book on audio, I don't know. There were lots of enjoyable moments, smiley moments and laugh out loud moments too, but much of it was also not to my taste and those moments over shadowed what otherwise would have been an enjoyable witty tale. Aside from my particular taste in humor, I thought the writing was excellent, the characters interesting.

As I said, I listened to this book on audio, and the narrator George Kuch, was a treat. He really captured the character of Walt for me and made him come alive in my mind. He was fabulous.

"I was provided this audio book at no charge by the author in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBoom dot com".

 

Interview with Steven Amsterdam

Check out my interview with author Steven Amsterdam on nudge-book.com
Steven is the author of The Easy Way Out, and this his latest novel is about
assisted suicide, a very controversial subject.

http://nudge-book.com/blog/2016/11/amr-steven-amsterdam-and-teresa-ohalloran-in-our-author-meets-reviewer-series/

All thanks go to nudge-book.com for facillitating this interview.

Audio Book Review: A Campy Christmas by Karen Musser Nortman

After an unexpected change of plan, Frannie and Larry Shoemaker join the Ferraros on a camping trip for the Christmas holiday. Unfortunately they all get caught up in a snowstorm and find themselves stranded, with no electricity and no phone coverage. How are they going to get out of this difficult situation? And just who made those footprints in the snow?

This was a charming novella and I listened to the audio edition. I believe it is also available in print form and e-book. It is #6 in the Frannie Shoemaker Campground Mysteries Series, and the first one I have read.

This is a wonderful way to while away an afternoon. What could be better than curled up by the fire with a cup of coffee, and listen to the Shoemakers and Ferraros struggle through a snowstorm! I really enjoyed myself, and will certainly check out the rest of the series. I was a little disappointed that there was no real mystery here, and certainly no body count, and I believe it was tamer than the other books in the series. Perhaps because this was a Christmas story it was a tad mild in the mystery stakes.

This audio version was narrated by Michelle Babb, and she did an excellent job of bringing the book alive for me.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak

Dr Evelyn Talbot was held captive by her psychopathic boyfriend Jasper, when she was sixteen. He raped and tortured her for three days. He also did the same to her three best friends, the only difference - Evelyn lived to tell her horrific story, her three friends didn't. Jasper was never caught, and Evelyn went on to study psychiatry and became among the top in her field.

Evelyn went on to establish Hanover House, a mental health facility for psychopaths, the first of its kind. Here at Hanover House, buried in the heart of Alaska, Evelyn hopes to study a prison full of psychopaths, to discover what makes them tick, why they do the terrible things they do, and how to stop them. But then a woman is found horribly mutilated and the hunt for a murderer is on.

The first half of this book was slow for me. There was a lot of romance, and racy love scenes which are not what I look for in a book. Evelyn annoyed me because she was so beautiful, every man good or bad wanted to take her to bed. The state trooper was impossibly handsome, and all the women drooled over him. Once I managed to get past this though, and the more the plot deepened and the excitement built, I really began to enjoy this book, and really tried to figure out who the murderer was, and believe me, there are a lot of red herrings here.

I loved the setting. Alaska in the middle of a bitter winter. Where the roads are impassable unless you drive a snowplough, and where there is only one law officer, despite a prison full of psychopaths just outside the town. This all added to a really creepy atmosphere.

At the beginning of every chapter we are presented with a quote from a real, true life serial killer, in which they explained or attempted to explain, how they felt, why they did what they did, essentially, what makes them tick. I really didn't like those quotes, and I wish they had been left out. Why should they be given a platform to tell us how or why they did what they did and how it made them feel. I don't want to know. I found their words deeply disturbing.

On the whole this was a good book. It came at things from a different angle to the usual thriller. This is the first in a series with Dr Evelyn Talbot at the helm. Before this book there is an e-novella, Hanover House and it might be a good idea to read it first if you can. I hadn't realized this and wondered why the characters would hint back to previous events the summer before which had obviously been covered in the novella, and I would have liked to have read it first.

Thank you to the publisher Headline via bookbridgr for my paperback copy of this book.

Audio Book Review: Silent Night, Deadly Night by Richard L. Mabry MD (Narrated by Meghan Kelly)

I don't listen to audio books very often, and after listening to Silent Night, Deadly Night by Richard Mabry MD, i'm converted!

A woman's body has been found buried in the snow. Did Ina Bell Patrick die of natural causes or was she murdered? The victim had no immediate family, so her niece Laura and two nephews Robert and Zac stand to inherit. Meanwhile the police soon realize they are looking for a killer. A killer who may not have stopped at Ina Bell, but may now be trying to eliminate those who stand to gain most from her death.

I loved this novella. This was my first time to read one of Richard Mabry MD's thrillers, and I will definitely be reading more from now on. His descriptions particularly of medical matters were really interesting, and helped to bring plenty of tension and suspense to the story. Just when I thought I knew the killer, something happened that caused me to rethink my suspicions!

As I listened to this novella on audio, I found the narrator Meghan Kelly to be excellent at articulating the story and projecting just the right atmosphere, really bringing the characters alive for me.

I would like to thank the author Richard Mabry MD for my audio copy of this book via Audiobook-Boom and Audible.com.

The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza

The body of a beautiful young socialite has been found beneath the ice in a South London park by a young man following the sound of a ringing iPhone. DCI Erika Foster has been called in to head the murder investigation after the body has been identified as that of Andrea Douglas-Brown whose father is thee Sir Simon Douglas-Brown, millionaire business man and member of the House of Lords.

Erika believes Andrea had many secrets, and it is those secrets that will hold the key to her murder, but she finds her investigation into Andrea's private life is a no-go area as far as her superiors and Andrea's father are concerned. However, Erika is not one to allow convention or internal police politics to hold her back, and she soon finds herself suspended from duty and removed from the investigation, just as she is beginning to get somewhere. Erika believes the person responsible for Andrea's murder has killed before and they should now be hunting a vicious and dangerous serial killer. The question is, will Erika be his next victim?

This was a brilliant book. I was gripped from start to finish and even found myself resenting those moments where I had to do mundane things like sleep, when I really wanted to read this book!

In Erika Foster, Robert Bryndza has found the perfect protagonist. Feisty, spirited, and troubled Erika will do whatever it takes to fight evil and bring the guilty to justice. I just loved her, and her police colleagues.

I came to this book late, but i'm really delighted about that because it means I will soon be reading books two and three in the series and which I already have waiting for me on my Kindle. 'The Night Stalker' and 'Dark Water', so i'm a lucky girl! And if they are half as good as 'The Girl in the Ice', I am in my element.

Many thanks to the publishers Bookouture for this arc, via NetGalley.

Murder on the Marsh by Anne Penketh

First a little boy has been found murdered, his heart cut out. Now a woman's body has been found. Everything is pointing to a serial killer on the loose in Glaveny, a quiet Norfolk village. The police are under pressure to find a killer before he kills again. For Detective Inspector Sam Clayton this case has arrived just when his personal life lies in tatters, and he struggles with anger issues.

I enjoyed this book, the first of a new crime series, with DI Sam Clayton in charge of a team of police which also includes DS Neil Pringle and DS Julie Everett, both of whom are struggling with difficult personal lives of their own. In fact, I did at times find I was more interested in the private lives of the police officers than I was in finding out who the murderer was. We were presented with several possible suspects, but I didn't really care who committed the murder, because the victim came across as a horrible woman. A woman dabbling in the occult, and messing with the heads of those around her.

I'm interested in reading the second book, because I want to find out how things are with DI Sam, DS Neil and of course DS Julie, and should they be out fighting crime while they struggle on the domestic front, well i'm interested in that too!

I received this galley from the publishers via NetGalley.

Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris

This book was amazing! I cannot believe that this was a debut novel for author B. A. Paris.

Grace has been very unlucky in love. As soon as her boyfriends meet her sister Millie they leave. Millie is the sweetest, most loving sister anyone could have, and Grace is determined that no-one will come between them. When Grace meets Jack she cannot believe how lucky she is. Jack is incredibly handsome, with beautiful manners, but most importantly Jack is really fond of Millie, and is not put off by the fact that Millie has special needs. When Jack asks Grace to marry him she doesn't hesitate. Jack is perfect. Or is he? Is he not just too good to be true?

I love psychological thrillers, and i've read a lot of them, and I love how they mess with your head! But I have never read one before that terrified me like this one did. This was a truly scary and frightening book about domestic violence, and how a person can be completely taken in by someone only to discover when it is too late, just what they really are.

It is difficult to believe that this is B. A. Paris's debut novel. The writing is just flawless and the plot gripping. Her characters are believable and very real, and the hairs were standing on the back of my neck for most of the book! I can't wait to read B. A. Paris's second novel, because if it is anything like Behind Closed Doors I know it will blow me away.