Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus and Steven T. Murray

May 26, 2016May 26, 20161 Comment

Helllllo readers, apologies it’s been a little while since my last review – I’m still getting back into the swing of writing reviews so often. No wonder I was exhausted all the timee but I do utterly adore it. Today’s review is a book my lovely lovely sister gave to me. If my sis were to start a book blog it would be literally all CRIME BOOKS, cause she loves crime books. Anyway thanks Char Balds hoping you’re enjoying UNIVERSITY FREE TIMEEEE. Enjoy the review.

On a September evening eleven years earlier, two seventeen-year-old girls vanished from the village without a trace. In a trial based only on circumstantial evidence, twenty-year-old Tobias Sartorius, Rita Cramer’s son, was sentenced to ten years in prison. Bodenstein and Kirchhoff discover that Tobias, after serving his sentence, has now returned to his home town. Did the attack on his mother have something to do with his return?

In the village, Pia and Oliver encounter a wall of silence. When another young girl disappears, the events of the past seem to be repeating themselves in a disastrous manner. The investigation turns into a race against time, because for the villagers it is soon clear who the perpetrator is—and this time they are determined to take matters into their own hands.

Right, so the blurb is kinda extensive so I’ll try to sum it up super quickly. We follow the truly devastating story of Tobias Sartorius. Pia Kirchoff is embarking on her saddest case so far after finding the bones of an unknown individual in an underground jet fuel tank. Pia and her partner in crime Bodenstein must unravel the secrets that surround the body. On the other side of town, there is another incident, a 7-car collision caused by the attempted murder of a woman pushed off a bridge. The woman in question is Rita Cramer and as it comes to light there are more and more secrets in the town of Altenhain. Tobias is back in town after serving ten years for the murder of two beautiful girls whose bodies were never found not that he can remember what happened – when another young girl goes missing and once again Tobias is missing his memory is everything as it seems?

Right, down to the nitty-gritty (finally.) In terms of the story there are multiple story-lines mixed in together and pulled in very quickly. The writing is really engaging and definitely draws the reader in. In terms of characters profiles, despite their being MANY MANY characters all of them are really well-developed and examined. I thought Tobias could have been developed a little better – I think because he was so closed off because of all that had happened it was at times difficult to feel for him.

I must admit at times it does feel a little stilted, I think it’s because of the translation but it is sometimes a bit awkward. I also found it a little difficult to keep up with alllllll the names. I don’t know whether I’m just really bad with names but I struggled a little when characters were mentioned super quickly and then weren’t mentioned until another ten chapters later. Some of the police procedures were very different from UK practices? I guess it’s just a European thing but it added to the slight awkwardness.

However, what I did like was that there were lots of twists and turns, lots of mixed messages, red herrings and throughout there were LOTS of possible suspects for certain parts of the mystery. It’s one of those books were I felt maybe a diagram would have been a good idea just to spell out all the twists and turns but it plays out really well – it’s not too confusing but I adored looking at the different alliances with different members of the village, the use of town anxieties, and gossip. It just helped to fuel my excitement.

Before I go on for utterly forever I would definitely recommend this book for a read. It’s one that recaptured my attention and I literally didn’t put down for over 2 and a half hours on the train to London. It’s a really good crime novel and although there are wobbles it’s still a brilliant book!

LIIIIINKKKKSSS

Goodreads

Amazon

Twitter

Once Taken by Blake Pierce

May 19, 2016July 18, 2016Leave a comment

mylittlebookblog (1)

Hellllllo readers, hope you’re well and ready for another review for yours truly. I’m really into crime books at the moment – I’ve really gone off funny or romance books so there could be a few of these coming your way. Anyway, I read this book a little while back but I just hadn’t quite got round to writing a review and posting for you. I found this author just by searching on Amazon, finding her first book and buying it – WHICH NEVER HAPPENS, and I decided to buy the second book – so enjoy.

28473755

Women are being murdered in upstate New York, their bodies found mysteriously hanging in chains. With the FBI called in, given the bizarre nature of the murders—and the lack of any clues—there is only one agent they can turn to: Special Agent Riley Paige.

Riley, reeling from her last case, is reluctant to take on a new one, since she is still convinced a former serial killer is out there, stalking her. She knows, though, that her ability to enter a serial killer’s mind and her obsessive nature is what will be needed to crack this case, and she just can’t refuse—even if it will push her over the edge.

Riley’s search takes her deep into a killer’s deluded mind as it leads her to orphanages, mental hospitals, prisons, all in an effort to understand the depth of his psychosis. Realizing she is up against a true psychopath, she knows time is short before he strikes again. But with her own job on the line and her own family a target, and with her fragile psyche collapsing, it may all be too much for her—and too late.

So, as like the first book ( YOU CAN READ MY REVIEW HERE.) this book follows the exciting life of Riley as she struggles to pull herself together at the end of the first book. She finds a number of pebbles in her bed which she is 99.9% sure have been left by the serial killer that tried to take her life. But, there’s a new case to be solved; bodies are mysteriously appearing wrapped in chains and hung up for all to see. Riley must try to put the past behind her whilst solving the case and keeping one eye open at all times.

So, what did I think? I actually really enjoyed this book and although part of me preferred the story (in terms of the murders) during the first book, I found the use of the chains and the interesting character of the killer exciting to read about. It’s odd with crime books because you kind of get into the head of the killer and this author does it incredibly well. Riley has this almost second sense when it comes to reading a crime scene, and although throughout we get a little look at the what the killer is thinking and the motives, we do get to follow Riley and see how she manages to piece everything together.

Once again I thought the numerous secondary plot-lines were really well interlinked. Using a past crime from Riley’s life that we haven’t really got to experience (it happens before the first book) means we’re constantly on edge trying to piece together what has happened. I thought using Riley’s daughter a little more was really intriguing and I like the play-off between the two in their relationship as mother and daughter. The writing as before is really punchy, it moves quickly but not so fast that you’re gabbling to keep up. Instead it builds and builds until we reach the exciting climax.

The only slight wobble I had was at the end – no spoilers, but it was a little well tied up this time and I’m interested to see how the third is integrated into the story-line. It has been a little while since I read this so there might have been more of a link to the next but it doesn’t stick in my mind. Overall I think I enjoyed the first book more, I think it was creepier and I always struggle a little if we get too much from the killer’s point of view which I find we do here. I think to really amp up the excitement it needs to be kept more of a secret. Either way, I still would give this a solid 3*’s and can’t wait to read the next.

Goodreads

Amazon

I came to find a girl by Jaq Hazell

April 11, 2016July 18, 20161 Comment

Heeeelllloo readers, hope you’re well! Not quite sure what happened with my scheduling today – all the quote and image posts have kinda clumped together which is a bit annoying! I haven’t been reading as much this month so if there is a little bit of a drop off with reviews I apologise, I just need a bit of time to read a hella lot of books and then get back in but we’ll see – for now a book I was supposed to read/review FOREVER AGO. So, with masssssive apologies, for the length of time it’s been with me, the review.

“I was happy to hear Flood was dead. I wasn’t as happy as I thought I’d be, but I was happy all the same.”

A complex game of cat and mouse in the seedy streets of Nottingham ends in death. Young artist Mia Jackson is compelled to watch the posthumous video diaries of Jack Flood – controversial bad boy of the London art world and convicted serial killer. Can Mia allow Drake Gallery to show Aftermath, in their retrospective of his work? Muse or victim, why was she allowed to survive?

So, did I enjoy this? Erm, yes. Yes I did. You know that feeling when you read a lot of thriller type books you can get a little bogged down and they feel a little tired; well not this one – books like this are the reason why thriller’s are forever in my top genre’s for reading. The book follows the compelling story following the disappearances of a number of girls in and around Mia’s life. Our main character, an art student in her final year of university and living in Nottingham, needs to focus on her ‘finale’ but something scary is going on. When her close friend Jenny also goes missing and with a certain Jack Flood in the picture, who keeps appearing in and out of her life Mia must ask- is he the reason for the missing girls? How is this all linked to her? Where have the girls gone? You’ll have to read to find out.

So onto the nitty-gritty – the writing is stunning. It has such a wide lens for observations inside the story line so you constantly feel drawn into the narrative, you’re almost in the mind of Mia. A description that I’ve seen mentioned a number of times, describes this perfectly;

“Boys with shaved heads and sharp suits stood in a Reservoir Dogs group while a Jesus lookalike in an artfully torn T-shirt popped something in his mouth.”

It just flows beautifully. In terms of the dialogue it feels real – there’s no rambled passages, everything is realistic; clipped dialogue of real people. Additionally much of the story is told through the lens of a camera that is used to record a documentary film. At first it feels a little stilted and difficult to read but as I progressed through the book it felt more and more natural. It’s a brilliant way to cover a lot of ground quickly, but in a way that makes the story still feel grounded and yet somehow more exciting. I don’t want to spoil anything because you HAVE to read this – but Jack holds his character throughout, and making him a main character of the book definitely helped keep my attention. I hated him, don’t get me wrong, but I LOVED reading about him.

I loved the mystery that was woven throughout the story and as I came to the end I felt almost as though the book came to natural end rather than a massive explosive ending and for once that worked in a thriller book. Mia, is also beautifully written and many of the secondary characters are woven in and create a real world of the book. I don’t want to spoil you getting to meet Mia if that makes sense, but she makes a number of beautiful and brilliant observations;

“It’s a supermarket world and we are merely stock items pre-stamped: Best Before, Display Until, Sell By, Use By – only we don’t know the exact date.”

There’s so much more to this book than meets the eye.

So did I enjoy? Yes, yes and yes again. A book that is full of dark and light and all the shades of the palette. It’s an earthy book full of mystery beautiful characters and a real gem. One to add to your tbr now. Yes, NOW.

Linnnksssss

Goodreads

Amazon

Author Website

What to do When Someone Dies by Nicci French

April 7, 2016March 30, 2016Leave a comment

Heeeeellllo readers, hope you’re well! Today’s book is one by Nikki French and it’s actually pretty good! At home we have a book shelf where you can put books once you’ve read them but don’t mind if they’re borrowed, used, lost. It’s supposed to be a way of allowing you to keep the books you want safe and also share ones you don’t mind others reading; although it doesn’t always work that way – anyway, this is one that I borrowed from the shelf from my Mumma and it was pretty good.

‘This is not my world. Something is wrong, askew. . . I am Ellie Falkner, thirty-four years old and married to Greg Manning. Although two police officers have just come to my door and told me he is dead . . . ‘

It’s devastating to hear that your husband has died in a horrific car accident. But to learn that he died with a mystery woman as his passenger is torment. Was Greg having an affair?

Drowning in grief, Ellie clings to Greg’s innocence, and her determination to prove it to the world at large means she must find out who Milena Livingstone was and what she was doing in Greg’s car. But in the process those around her begin to question her sanity and motive. And the louder she shouts that Greg must have been murdered, the more suspicion falls on Ellie herself.

Sometimes it’s safer to keep silent when someone dies.

I’m not going to spend anytime re-writing the blurb because it’s allll there to read. The first thing to mention, is that although this is marketed as a thriller, it’s more of a find out the truth style book – Ellie’s husband Greg’s body is found in a burned out car with another woman; rather than taking the police’s belief that it is a simply a horrific accident and the two were having an affair, Ellie denies this and decides instead to take the investigation into her own hands. From this point onwards the story is narrated by Ellie in first person narrative. She has a clinical and dry personality; she doesn’t cry at the funeral she is consumed by proving that Greg wouldn’t , and couldn’t have had an affair.

The writing despite Ellie’s strained personality has a certain quality that draws the reader in. The word lyrical isn’t quite right but the contrast between her feelings; this constant desperation to find the truth in an almost soulless way and the writing style that is so engaging and interesting to read. Her constant rejection from the police’s discussions, they’re rejection of her desperation saying it is all grief and nothing else contrasted with the lyrical writing style is incredibly engaging. Lots of the reviews on Goodreads say that it’s too cold and un-engaging but I found that the stifling lack of emotion of Ellie just helped to prove the true roots of the love between Ellie and Greg and her constant persistence to clear his name.

Yes at times what she does it a little bizarre and it does make her come across a little deluded but there’s such a devotion to Greg and because he’s not there tell his side of the story it’s difficult to get a feel for Ellie before the terrible event happens. We learn more about her through her actions; sneaking herself into the place where the woman that died with her husband worked, meeting Frances, mix in the friends and family around her and the authors manage to construct a really true and intriguing character. YEs, she might be a little difficult to warm to, but in her position it is understandable.

Did I work out who did it? Yes, I did I have to admit and it wasn’t too difficult to but I didn’t think that hindered the plot or my enjoyment on the book on the whole. I must admit that I enjoyed this, but only really as a calm, interesting thriller-ish book. It didn’t really rock my world, it didn’t feel like a punch you in the face book, and on the whole it’s a little tame but it’s definitely an exciting read and definitely if you want a book that really plays with the feelings of the main character it’s on to definitely pick up.

Linnnnksssss

Gooodreads

Amazon

Baggage by S.G. Redling

March 24, 2016March 22, 20162 Comments

Helllllllo readers, hope you’re well. I’ve got some superrrr exciting books for you this week – the first thing I need to do is apologise because I was asked to read and review this book forever ago and I read it and then the review kind of got stashed in my ‘must-post-on-the-internet’ pile. But here we are, on the internet and with a super brilliant review (hopefully) sooooo, enjoy.

Over the years, terrible things keep happening to Anna Ray on February 17. First, there was the childhood trauma she’s never been able to speak about. Then, to her horror, her husband killed himself on that date.

A year later and a thousand miles away, Anna tries to find solace in the fresh start of a new job in a new place. She takes comfort in her outspoken cousin Jeannie, the confidant and best friend who’s there whenever she needs help. On the day of the dreaded anniversary, Anna and Jeannie hit the town, planning to ease the pain with an alcohol-induced stupor and then sleep…

When Anna awakes the next morning, she thinks she can put one more February 17 behind her, but fate is about to intervene in the form of two gruesome murders with eerie similarities to her violent past. This time, however, she won’t be an abandoned daughter or a grieving widow. This time, she’ll be a suspect.

So the book follows the life of Anna Shuler Rayler who is a 29 year old school counselor who when she goes to work on February 18th finds that the school she works at is surrounded by police, detectives, and the whole college is covered in crime tape. Finding that a colleague of her’s has been brutally murdered, Ellis Trachtenberg, just the day before. A day of hell for Anna that she thought would forever be forgotten and yet now, a year later she is rising to the top of a suspect list. As it becomes more and more apparent that Anna needs to find out what happened and clear her name her past that she has worked hard to keep locked away is coming close to being revealed to all.

So what did I think? I thought that the characters were really well built; I kept swapping between Anna and Jeannie and how I felt about both of them. At times I really struggled with Anna and then I would swap back to Jeannie and it definitely kept me completely consumed with the plot and what was going to happen. I thought the writing was a little slow to start off with, but after a chapter or so it definitely started to move forward – the writing had real suspense, the swapping from past to present worked incredibly well and I thought the big showdown towards the end (#nospoilers) was reallllly great. I thought the author was also brilliant at creating a really descriptive landscape to hold the book together.

I really liked the continuous swapping between the crime and also what was happening in terms of the life of Anna; we see her struggling to contain her past and using drink as a way of coping and this leads to a really interesting understanding of the main character. The author works had to contain all of these sub-plots together at once and overall I think it worked really well. There is an interesting concept worked in around some letters – I think this could have been developed more – I don’t want to ruin the book for anyone but it did leave me wanting more in terms of their involvement in the book.

The only wobbles were that I thought that there were a lot of unnecessary details and when a book is kind of short it took away from the rest of the plot-line and made the movement of the book a little sluggish. I thought more suspects could have been easily incorporated to make it a little more exciting and add a little more suspense. I also found, and don’t hate me, that being inside the head of Anna for a little while became a little tiresome; she is an addict, she does exhibit a typical addict behavior but over time it does become a little tiring. The only final wobble was a cliffhanger ending – I just wish more of the loose ends had been tied up but that’s a smaller issue for me.

Overall I would definitely recommend this – I think if you’re a reader that likes thriller books that have a family feel to them and mix that into the suspense this will be brilliant read for you and also, if you like thrillers that have NO ROMANCE, this will definitely be one for you. A solid read with a few wobbles but a book I really enjoyed.

Linnnnnks

Amazon

Goodreads

The One You Love by Emma Holden

March 12, 2016March 12, 20165 Comments

Helllllllo readers, it’s another day, another dip into Lizzo’s Amazon history, which sounds a little odd. I’ve read so many books and yet I have reviewed so few of them. Not completely sure how I’ve missed so many but I’m getting round to then. This is a book I read in 2013 which is a long time ago but I really remember this one. It was one that I couldn’t finish when reading and that’s maybe why I chose not to. But I’m pretty sure of my final outcome so lets give it a go.

Days before their wedding, during their last separate nights of hard-partying singledom, Emma Holden’s fiance has gone missing. Not only has Dan disappeared without a trace, his brother is found beaten and left for dead, and may not wake up from a coma. Without any evidence, suspicion for the attempted murder falls on Dan – but Emma refuses to believe his guilt.

When crime scene photos get splashed across the pages of London tabloids, Emma knows that someone is following her. Watching her. It is an old, familiar feeling, though no less terrifying. A long-hidden family secret seems to unite Emma’s troubled past with her dangerous present. As time runs out her trust in her family, her friends — and Dan — faces an ultimate test.

So, as the blurb suggests the book follows the complete nightmare that happens to Emma Holden. One night her fiancé disappears, and all that is left is the battered and bruised body of his brother in their London apartment. To add to the horror she is now being stalked and is under the gaze of someone who is watching her every move. Emma must uncover the truth not only to find out what happened to her finance but also clear his name as to the attack of his brother (Richard.)

So how did this turn into a DNF at the time for me? Well, it’s just a bit confusing really. It looks like we’re in for a really exciting thriller/who dunnit. Well it just feels a little non-committal. Firstly the main characters are really tiring; Emma is so confusing, waspish and deluded to be completely honest with you. Her finance goes missing and our little Emma doesn’t contact any of her family or his family – for a minute you would be forgiven thinking Emma did it if she wasn’t so dim-witted. At times she flouts the law a number of times (not that the police notice,) and she constantly makes silly comments and she very rarely visits her fiance’s poor brother.

There were so many characters that did so many things I didn’t expect them too; very rarely the police stepped in, other than to clear up the mess Emma was making. Richard (the brother,) bless him, came very close to being killed in the hospital due to no-one seemingly noticing a complete stranger walking over to a potential murder victim and just you know bend completely over him – no one even noticed. The police, the nurses, no ID required – WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THIS BOOKISH WORLD.

In terms of the writing the author kept repeating and repeated what had happened as though the reader had simultaneously forgotten the last page they had read, or maybe it was for Emma’s lack of brain, seeing as she seemed to have forgotten her fiancés brother was desperately ill in hospital. It’s also very bitty – for example at one point Emma is in a rowdy pub and her phone rings; she thinks the conversation won’t be heard so she goes outside and then repeats this to the person on the end of the line of the phone; you can understand how frustrating that is. Allllll the way through.

The ending parts (which I read through before reviewing) are also equally odd; there were so many things to be said, so many people to reconcile and yet there was none of it; nothing was really said. There was so much potential to make the ending really warm and engaging but instead it fell completely flat. It was such a shame as well because there was space there to bring the book together and make the reader feel more engaged at the end but it was missed.

There were also lots of odd parts in the book that made little sense; at one point a character seems to talk to himself, one chapter makes no sense at all, the police tale reasoned an alibi safe from a woman that suffers from dementia and used her as a viable witness. The version I read was littered with mistakes, errors, spelling wobbles. These have since apparently been wiped out but at the time of reading this only added to the confusion.

I’ve gone on long enough; this book really struggled. I think there’s potentially a really good book here based on the really basic plot-line but for everything else, this really doesn’t work at all.

Liiiiiinnnkkks

Amazon

Goodreads

Once Gone by Blake Pierce

February 4, 2016February 4, 20162 Comments

Helllllllo readers, hope you’re well and all happy bunnies. I’m on day 5 of dry February which feels pretty damn awesome still although tomorrow could be a struggle after the week I’ve had. However, today, it’s still Thursday but I’ve got a fantastic book to tell you about. Without further Lizzo warbling, onto the review.

Women are turning up dead in the rural outskirts of Virginia, killed in grotesque ways, and when the FBI is called in, they are stumped. A serial killer is out there, his frequency increasing, and they know there is only one agent good enough to crack this case: Special Agent Riley Paige.

Riley is on paid leave herself, recovering from her encounter with her last serial killer, and, fragile as she is, the FBI is reluctant to tap her brilliant mind. Yet Riley, needing to battle her own demons, comes on board, and her hunt leads her through the disturbing subculture of doll collectors, into the homes of broken families, and into the darkest canals of the killer’s mind. As Riley peels back the layers, she realizes she is up against a killer more twisted than she could have imagined. In a frantic race against time, she finds herself pushed to her limit, her job on the line, her own family in danger, and her fragile psyche collapsing.

Yet once Riley Paige takes on a case, she will not quit. It obsesses her, leading her to the darkest corners of her own mind, blurring the lines between hunter and hunted. After a series of unexpected twists, her instincts lead her to a shocking climax that even Riley could not have imagined.

I’m going to do something a little less Lizzy and going to go straight into the review because I think the blurb gives enough away already. The first thing I have to mention is this book was free, and I know what you’re thinking free books are normally a little bit watery. This is full on whack – immediately we are thrown into the action; there’s barely time to take a breath and we’re in the horrifying atmosphere, tied up with a young woman who is terrified for her life. From here we’re taking on a rip-rolling adventure, with red-herrings, murders, terrifying back-stories and intriguing characters.

In terms of the characters we follow the story of Riley and her partner in the FBI Bill. Riley is struggling with her past and a terrifying event that happened on her last case. Currently taking leave from the force she is pulled back to her job needed for her intense ability to put herself in the shoes of the murderer. Her past story is fed into the tale to add intrigue and interest and I did wonder whether I was reading the second book in the series (I wasn’t I must add.) Bill is her lovable partner who has a lot of respect for Riley and constantly supports her. Both help to give the tale depth.

In terms of plot it does move quickly and I have seen a number of reviews that have commented it moves too fast. For me, I don’t think it does although I think an extra 150-200 page wouldn’t have hurt I’m not sure that it wouldn’t have reaaaaly added anything and could have been a little bit of over-waffling so I’m not complaining. The writing is really excellent; it builds suspense and mystery and also weaves in a number of sub-plots that are well-written and add to the drama. The writing is gutsy, full of intrigue and exciting elements. It honestly drew me and kept me there.

The only wobbles come towards the end which I will try to explain without spoiling the plot. We see the backstory of the main character and how it affects her and yet she follows the complete same actions knowing how dangerous it is. I did actually take a minute to stop and say to myself ‘girl – what are you doing’ because it felt like exactly the same actions all over again. Additionally there are parts that feel a little over the top and we do spend a lot of time in the main characters mind for me it worked but only just. It’s a little bit dense.

However the ending is superb and will 100% be tuning in to the next book, if it’s half as good as this one, this reader will be a happy bunny.

Linnnnnks

Amazon

Goodreads

‘I love crime, I love mysteries, and I love ghosts.’ – Stephen King

January 16, 2016January 3, 2016Leave a comment

Corruption of Power by G.W. Eccles

January 7, 2016January 7, 2016Leave a comment

Hello readers, hope you’re well. It’s been a bit of a crazy week so apologies if I’ve been a little quiet. Getting my head back in the blogging game after Christmas took a little longer than I thought and I’ve just has 564758385757 post ideas but no time to get them all down. Saying that having the time off has meant lots more reading time (despite the reading slump) and I’ve been reading some stunning books – today’s is pretty wonderful, enjoy!

Independent troubleshooter, Alex Leksin, is recruited by Prime Minister Saidov when the plan to reduce Russia’s reliance on an ever more hostile Europe is put at risk. Hell bent on expansion, President Karpev’s strategy is first to shift the markets for his country’s vast energy resources to the East and Saidov has been charged with overseeing a planned pipeline for Russia’s oil through Turkmenistan and Afghanistan to access these markets. Failure could mean catastrophe, spreading the conflict raging in the Middle East to Russia’s own borders.

Against a background of political corruption, state-sponsored terrorism and increased Taliban insurgency, Leksin moves on to Turkmenistan, one of the world’s most sinister countries, right at the heart of Central Asia. Initially his enquiries reveal nothing to cause alarm. Other factors, though, suggest otherwise: wherever Leksin goes, someone tries to kill him; people in a position to help him are assassinated; and information turns out to be misinformation.

So you’ll have to forgive me a little because this is the second book in the series and I don’t believe I’ve read the first – it’s been one of those days. This book follows the protagonist Alex Leksin who is a trouble-shooter working for both Prime Minister Saidov and President Karpev. His job is simply to investigate and monitor the deal that will see Russia moving its vast energy resources to the East. Leksin is put in charge of making sure everything is above-board so to speak. However, there’s a bit of a time constraint, as Leksin only has twelve days to report back before Karpev needs to sign the contract with the President in Ashgabat – you still following? As Leksin continues his investigations he finds that there are people on his trail that will stop at nothing to take him off the grid and assassinate him and the knowledge that he has collected.

So now we’ve got through the nitty-gritty plot onto the good bits. Did I enjoy this book? Yes, although I’m not sure I understood all of it. When it comes to political, action books I do struggle sometimes. There is a lot of plot to understand and to keep your finger on and at times I did find myself confused as to what exactly was going on. However Eccles has created a really strong character in Leksin. Easy to warm to and a strong exciting character I really enjoyed reading along and learning more about the corruption of powers and the dangers that were constantly playing with our main characters.

It is also important to know that this book is incredibly well-researched. It appears that Eccles has spent a large portion of his life living and working in Kazakhstan Russia and it really shows. The descriptions and the detail put in is of a wonderful quality and it adds flair to the writing – you can tell that this really is a passion of the authors and it comes through strongly on the page. It’s not just seen in the action and the political parts but also in the parts that talk about culture and the lifestyles that are found in the different locations of the book – whether we’re in Russia or in Turkmenistan it’s got so much flavour and understanding that can only come from real-life experiences.

Although it has a very real feeling to it there are parts that are a little, over-the-top. For me, this added to the plot because there were parts that were quite heavy and with these more exciting, action style interludes it helped to break-up the heavier bits of text. The book does include a lot of twists and turns and I enjoyed the juxtaposition between the two governments in Russia and Turkman and I think the author did a great job in explaining it in a way that was interesting and exciting. I’m sure there are bits that I missed in terms of detail but I felt I got a very rounded experience from the book as a whole.

So would I recommend this? Yes, definitely. I not only really enjoyed this book but I felt that I learnt something. It’s been sold as a thriller but it is more than that. It’s a literary experience and one I really, really enjoyed. Thumbs up and can’t wait to see what the author writes next.

Linnnnks

Goodreads

Amazon

The Highway by C.J. Box

December 31, 2015December 31, 20154 Comments

Helllllo readers, it’s time for another book review. I’m sorry for the lack of Christmas tales but I don’t tend to buy/get requests/have time around this time of year. It’s one of the wobbles with scheduling posts in the future and it’s something I want to get better at – but having to shut my review requests inbox I’ve been battling through the books and festive tales have just been disregarded this year *sobs.* I must just say before we start this is the second in the Cody Hoyt series by C.J Box and I haven’t read the first because I’m silly and didn’t realise! Without delay le review.

It was Danielle and Gracie’s secret. A teenage adventure. A 1,000 mile drive along the spine of the Rocky Mountains to visit Danielle’s boyfriend in Montana. Their parents were never to know. But now the girls have simply vanished.

The only person who knows they’re missing is Danielle’s boyfriend. He persuades his father – a disgraced, suspended cop – to search for them. But he too simply disappears.

Now it’s up to rookie cop, war widow and single mother Cassie Dewell to find them. Her investigation will introduce her to FBI’s Highway Serial Killer Task Force, compel her to confront a spate of roadside sexual mutilations and murders, and lure her towards a darkness greater than anything she could ever have imagined.

As the blurb states the book follows two sister Gracie and Danielle Sullivan who set out from their mother’s home in Denver to celebrate Thanksgiving with their father. However Danielle has a secret; they’re going to visit her old boyfriend Justin but neither her sister nor Justin know until they’re on the road. Justin’s father Cody Hoyt is an ex-law enforcement officer fired for planting evidence and once he learns from Justin that the two girls have gone off the grid after failing to arrive, he goes out to search for them despite being fired for planting evidence in a previous murder trial. Cody aware that many young women have been vanishing in the region enlists Cassie to help him find the girls and the man he believes to be the kidnapper. Can they find the girls in time?

I’m going to try really hard to not give away any spoilers and yet still let you know how brilliant this book is. In terms of the writing the characters are wonderfully deep and full of character profiling. They spring from the page with realistic dialogue and believable actions. The build up of the characters Danielle and Gracie is skillfully done and seeing one play the hero or survivor and one more of a victim was a good contrast. The author also really plays with the different personalities of Cassie and Cody. We see Cassie come into her own as the good cop who though having to deal with the stresses of being a female officer in terms of sexism and the like – although not from Cody, grows strongly in confidence.

The action with the girls is continually intermixed with the life of a long-distance trucker who calls himself the Lizard King. Here we get insights into the life on the road and the traffic laws and the continuing hierarchy of the different truckers at the gas stations and the rules they live by. The writing has lots of different sub-plots that are intermixed well and flow well together. The descriptions are heady and the swapping between the girls, the Lizard king and the detectives story lines works well despite there being a lot to keep an eye out for.

I guess the only negative I can really come up with was there is definitely an unsavory tone to the book as a whole. The use of the truckers and girls they pick up and what happens next is disturbing and dark. There were quite a few horrific moments and this book definitely stayed with me and made an impact. For me, it’s a work of fiction and it’s important to remember that but there definitely was a very dark side to this book that surprised me a little. The only other complaint was some bits were overly repeated as if we couldn’t keep an eye on the plot twists which over time became tedious.

Overall though I thought this was a well crafted and created book. I thought the storyline was quite original (for me.) I know numerous readers would disagree with that looking at Goodreads and Amazon but I am yet to encounter a book that looks at this type of thriller plot. It also seems that those have read the first book in the series were a little angry. For me, reading the second only it didn’t affect me as much. Overall I solid although a little bit of a terrifying read.

Linnnnnks

Author Goodreads

Goodreads

Amazon