Deserve to Die
By Miranda Rijks 4 stars A trolling murder mystery. With realistic characters running through the storyline, without overdoing it as some novels tend to do. Engaging storyline told from the viewpoint of the two main characters and arch nemesis. Happily married with two wonderful children, Dom and Stacey are living the dream. He runs a successful design agency, she is finding fame as an author of children’s books. Everything is perfect. But then they meet the mesmerizing Tamara and their lives are changed forever. This title has been reviewed by www.books-reviewed.weebly.com https://books-reviewed.weebly.com/This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review. #DeserveToDie #NetGalley
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The Scholar
By McTiernan 4 Stars An engaging crime / murder mystery. When Carline Darcy the heir apparent to Irish pharmaceutical giant Darcy Therapeutics, is found death on university grounds, detective Cormac are thrust into a high profile and high pressure case. As Cormac investigates, evidence mounts that the death is linked to a Darcy laboratory and, increasingly, to his partner Dr Emma. In a novel that twists and turns, with the characters questioning their own decisions and loyalty. The storyline engages the reader, in its search for the truth and the identity of the of the killer. This title has been reviewed by www.books-reviewed.weebly.com This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review. #TheScholar #NetGalley
Deserve to Die
By Miranda Rijks 4 stars A trolling murder mystery. With realistic characters running through the storyline, without overdoing it as some novels tend to do. Engaging storyline told from the viewpoint of the two main characters and arch nemesis. Happily married with two wonderful children, Dom and Stacey are living the dream. He runs a successful design agency, she is finding fame as an author of children’s books. Everything is perfect. But then they meet the mesmerizing Tamara and their lives are changed forever. This title has been reviewed by www.books-reviewed.weebly.com https://books-reviewed.weebly.com/This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review. #DeserveToDie #NetGalley
No Death for the Wicked
By Drea Damara 4 stars Great spy novel that draws in the reader. Realistic action and the characters leap of the page. The story flows around the two main characters, with the supporting characters adding to the believability of the story. Broken hearted and bullet-ridden, agent Caria Milosc returns to work after the attack that nearly toppled the Trinity intelligence organization. As she digs deeper into her new mission, she uncovers secrets about her boss, leaving her with a moral dilemma—show mercy or taste revenge. After a favor that nearly cost him his life, mercenary Ivan Skavinsk reunites with an underworld group he had infiltrated. Deep in the jungles of Bolivia he finds he may have pushed his vigilantism to the brink. Readers will find the story intriguing, but perhaps a bit long, with some of the later part of the book a little tiresome. Overall though it is a good read, bring back some of the missing actions and tension of sky novels of yesteryear. This title has been reviewed by www.books-reviewed.weebly.com https://books-reviewed.weebly.com/This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review. #NoDeathForTheWicked #NetGalley
The Kazak Contract
by PAUL PURNELL 4 stars A fast-moving action story. Apart from the rather abrupt ending which is seeing up a second book in the series, the book flows well. James Ballantyne travels to Kazakhstan on a minor diplomatic assignment. A simple task, but he falls for the glamorous aide Ocksana Petrova, sent to guide him through the process. Fate leads him to the rescue of a US special agent who is the target of assassination by the Kazak authorities. Getting out of Kazakhstan alive will draw upon all of James’s military skills, and a lot of luck. With ambush and deception along the way, will he make it to the border and safety? How can he protect his lover? This journey through a wild country stretches every nerve The main characters are well developed, although the love relationship is a little flimsy, which ties the plot together. Set in Kazakhstan, which makes a different setting for which allows for a bit more mystery in the story - exotic, unknown locations. Overall, a good read. This title has been reviewed by https://books-reviewed.weebly.com/ This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review. #TheKazakContract #NetGalley
Eye for Eye
By J.K. Franko 4 stars A quality murder mystery. How to plan and carry out the perfect murder. Author sucks the reader in with a clever use of dialogue and story telling, with believable characters. What would YOU do? That’s the question racing through the reader’s mind as they get swept up in the heart-pounding thriller Eye for Eye, Book I of The Talion Series by J.K. Franko. Roy Cruise and his wife Susie are still grieving the tragic loss of their daughter when they are approached by another couple with a bizarre Strangers on a Train crisscross-style revenge proposal. Full of compelling twists and turns, dark secrets begin to surface throughout the story, putting the Cruise’s marriage and, eventually, their lives at risk. This title has been reviewed by www.books-reviewed.weebly.com This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review. # EyeForEye #NetGalley
Somewhere in the Mediterranean
Into the Night Book 1 by Mark Tiro Four Stars The first book in a series of short stories that move quickly and are full of drama. In this story a ship loaded with refugees, desperately seeking to escape the Second World War, arrives off the coast of Israel, just fifty years too late. This book is a clever merging of drama and sci-fi. The quick story pulls the reader in with a twist at the end. This title has been reviewed by https://books-reviewed.weebly.com/ This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review. #SomewhereInTheMediterranean #NetGalley
State of Lies
By Siri Mitchell 4 stars. An excellent read of mystery and espionage. Who to trust and who to run from? When Georgie's husband is killed in an accident, she has her son struggle to get on with life. When she discovers some unanswered questions about his death, she starts asking questions. The more questions she asks the more people die. How does what her husband was working on link back to her father? Written in an easy to read, fast paced style, this book is engaging. The plot, set in Washington politics and military is realistic, and the characters, except the husband generally realistic. A good mystery to sit back and enjoy. This title has been reviewed by https://books-reviewed.weebly.com/ This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review. #StateOfLies #NetGalley
Galley of the Dead
By Chris Carter 4 stars. Enthralling thriller that builds tension as you read through the novel. This book sets up the two LAPD heroes who speciality is the most violent of crimes. This story certainly fits into this. The plot, although scary is believable and the characters generally well developed. ‘Thirty-seven years in the force, and if I was allowed to choose just one thing to erase from my mind, what’s inside that room would be it.’ That’s what a LAPD Lieutenant tells Detectives Hunter and Garcia of the Ultra Violent Crimes Unit as they arrive at one of the most shocking crime scenes they have ever attended. In a completely unexpected turn of events, the detectives find themselves joining forces with the FBI to track down a serial killer whose hunting ground sees no borders; a psychopath who loves what he does because to him murder is much more than just killing – it’s an art form. This title has been reviewed by https://books-reviewed.weebly.com/ This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review. #GalleyOfTheDead #NetGalley
Hunting Evil
By Chris Carter 5 stars A gripping thriller that will leave you on the edge of you seat. Fast paced story line that is full of action, along with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged from the first to the last page. As roommates, they met for the first time in college. Two of the brightest minds ever to graduate from Stamford Psychology University. As adversaries, they met again in Quantico, Virginia. Robert Hunter had become the head of the LAPD’s Ultra Violent Crimes Unit. Lucien Folter had become the most prolific and dangerous serial killer the FBI had ever encountered. Now, after spending three and a half years locked in solitary confinement, Lucien has finally managed to break free. And he’s angry. This title has been reviewed by https://books-reviewed.weebly.com/ This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review. #HuntingEvil #NetGalley
Deadly Secrets
By OMJ Ryan 2 stars Slow to start. The story premise is great. However that’s where the good news finishes. The storyline is slow. Deadly slow. Tension doesn't really build until the final pages if you get that far. The characters are hardly believable. The whole book lacks the depth of a dramatic work, or the action and tension of a thriller. Millionaire Marty Michaels had the perfect life - until he found a dead girl in his bathroom… But Marty discovers that power comes at a price when he wakes in a strange hotel room and finds a murdered girl in the bathroom. He’s been set up, someone wants to destroy him. Things go from bad to worse when tenacious DCI Jane Phillips is assigned to his case, determined his celebrity won’t get in the way of justice. Even Marty’s powerhouse lawyer, Nicolette Johnson, fears this is a case she simply can’t win. This title has been reviewed by https://books-reviewed.weebly.com/ This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review. #DeadlySecrets #NetGalley
The day the Lies Began
By Kylie Kaden 3 stars While this is a well written drama, that develops tension, it is a slow read. Both the story line and the characters are well developed, which slowly builds. The story is painfully slow to build though. In main due to the amount of work in the character development. It happened the day of the Moon Festival. It could have been left behind, they all could have moved on with their lives. But secrets have a habit of rising to the surface, especially in small towns. Two couples, four ironclad friendships, the perfect coastal holiday town. With salt-stung houses perched like lifeguards overlooking the shore, Lago Point is the scene of postcards, not crime scenes. Wife and mother Abbi, town cop Blake, schoolteacher Hannah and local doctor Will are caught in their own tangled webs of deceit. This title has been reviewed by https://books-reviewed.weebly.com/ This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review. #TheDayTheLiesBegan #NetGalley  Island Fever
By Jeremy DCP 1 star Slow to build tension. I question which genre this title belongs in. Probably best located in erotica, because there is so little plot. What character development there is seems a filler between sex scenes. The whole story line needs tightening and the book edited for cohesion and fluency. This is supposedly the first in a series. It will require the sexual content to sell titles if the story is anything to go by. Six gorgeous women. One mysterious man. Alone together in an escape to paradise. This title has been reviewed by https://books-reviewed.weebly.com/ This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review. #IslandFever #NetGalley
Little Girls Sleeping (Detective Katie Scott Book 1)
by Jennifer Chase A gripping murder mystery detective story, featuring new detective Katie Scott. When Katie starts digging through some cold cases, she stumbles on some over looked clues that lead to the discovery of two bodies on young girls. An eight-year-old girl, Chelsea Compton, is missing in Pine Valley, California and for Detective Katie Scott it’s a cruel reminder of the friend who disappeared from summer camp twenty years ago. Unable to shake the memories, Katie vows she won’t rest until she discovers what happened to Chelsea. The story catches you from the first to the last page, drawing the reader in. Well written and authentic storyline. #LittleGirlsSleeping #NetGalley
The Ex
By Nicola Moriarty 3 stars Advertised as a mystery, but fits better into the drama genre It starts well, but fails to build tension so that the middle of the book is slow and dry. Getting through the middle in hard work, and you have to question if the effort is worth it. A love story with a twist. His former partner wants him back, and will do anything to make it happen. #TheEx #NetGalley
Two Victims
By Helen H. Durrant 4 stars An enthralling murder mystery that engages the reader throughout the entire story. Although this is the second in a series, it is easily read on its own, as I did. The characters are self-supporting from the first title. The story line moves along quickly and easily, without various side tracks that are often found in modern books. The book picks up the story of DCI Rachel King. A thirty-nine year-old divorced mother of two teenage daughters. She is good at her job, gets results but does make mistakes. One of them was getting involved with a budding villain in her teens. No one, family, friends or colleagues know anything about this. Detective Rachel King has two victims to deal with. The first woman was local nurse, Agnes Moore. One of the victim’s friends makes contact but then disappears. Does Rachel have a serial killer on her hands? And what was Agnes really helping local girls with? This title has been reviewed by https://books-reviewed.weebly.com/ This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review. #TwoVictims #NetGalley
To the Lions
By Holly Watt 1 stars. Slow & Disjoined Some books engage the reader from the first word. Others take a few chapters to draw the reader in. Unfortunately “To the Lions” fails to do either. At least, it fails to engage the reader in the first seven chapters, at which point I gave up. The plot follows a female reporter who tries to expose corruption in government and business, taking her on a journey through Europe and Northern Africa. Thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. #ToTheLions #NetGalley Reviewed by Heath Henwood www.books-reviewed.weebly.com
Skin Game
By J. D. Allen Boring. After reading the first quarter of the book and not yet finding a hook or a reason to continue reading I gave up. This is the second book in the series, and fails dramatically to reach the same pace or interest as the first. Private investigator Jim Bean has worked hard to create his new identity in Vegas. He doesn't have a great life, but it's his. When his ex-fiancée Erica Floyd walks into one of his investigations looking for her missing sister, the tragic past he wanted to leave behind comes flooding back. Despite serious reservations, Jim agrees to search for Erica's sister. Clues lead him to a human trafficking ring and one of Vegas's most influential mobsters. Unless Jim can face the ghosts of his past, the anger of his present, and a new enemy out for his blood, four women will suffer a fate worse than death There are better things to do with my time then read this book. Thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. #SkinGame #NetGalley Reviewed by Heath Henwood www.books-reviewed.weebly.com
A Cold Cold Heart
By John Nicholl 4 stars. Well Written Crime Triller Nicholl has written a Welsh Crime triller that engages from the first word. While the plot is fairly predictable. DI Gravel and his daughter Emily are oblivious to the terrible danger she is in when she accepts a job working for the solicitor Charles Turner. Gravel is on the hunt for a serial killer, who becomes obsessed with Emily. Cold, Cold Heart is an easy read, that keeps the reader engaged from the first to the last page. Thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. #AColdColdHeart #NetGalley Reviewed by Heath Henwood www.books-reviewed.weebly.com
The Burglar
by Thomas Perry 3 stars The book starts well, engaging the reading in moving action. It does however get bogged down to a slow read through the middle. While this is trying to build tension – it is just slow. It does however improve the pace building to a climax. Elle Stowell is a young woman with an unconventional profession: burglary. But Elle is no petty thief - with just the right combination of smarts, looks, and skills, she can easily stroll through ritzy Bel Air neighborhoods and pick out the perfect home for plucking the most valuable items. This is how Elle has always gotten by - she is good at it, and she thrives on the thrill. But after stumbling upon a grisly triple homicide while stealing from the home of a wealthy art dealer, Elle discovers that she is no longer the only one sneaking around. Somebody is searching for her. As Elle realizes that her knowledge of the high-profile murder has made her a target, she races to solve the case before becoming the next casualty, using her breaking-and-entering skills to uncover the truth about exactly who the victims were and why someone might have wanted them dead. Thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. #TheBurglar #NetGalley Reviewed by Heath Henwood www.books-reviewed.weebly.com
Real Tigers
By Mick Herron 3 stars. Gripping Crime Triller. Real Tigers is the third in Herron’ Jackson Lamb spy novels, and he doesn’t let the reader down. Intelligence Officer Catherine Standish has been taken hostage, and believes the reason to be her ties to Jackson Lamb, the only man who can save her. While I found the plot slow to start, the mystery deepened and thickened as the story unravelled. Thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. #RealTigers #NetGalley Reviewed by Heath Henwood www.books-reviewed.weebly.com
Such Dark Things
By Courtney Evan Tate 3 stars. An engaging start, with a plot that starts well, and fades towards the end. Dr Corinne Cabot is living the American dream. She's a successful ER physician in Chicago who's married to a handsome husband. Together they live in a charming house in the suburbs. But appearances can be deceiving – and what no one can see is Corinne's dark past. Troubling gaps in her memory mean she recalls little about a haunting event in her life years ago that changed everything. She only remembers being in the house the night two people were found murdered. Her father was there, too. Now her father is in prison; she hasn't been in contact in years. Repressing that terrifying memory has caused Corinne moments of paranoia and panic. Sometimes she thinks she sees things that aren't there, hears words that haven't been spoken. Or have they? She fears she may be losing her mind, unable to determine what's real and what's not. So when she senses her husband's growing distance, she thinks she's imagining things. She writes her suspicions off to fatigue, overwork, anything to explain what she can't accept – that her life really isn't what it seems. Good summer reading, but in the end, a book that will be read, and forgotten a week later. Thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. #SuchDarkThings #NetGalley Reviewed by Heath Henwood www.books-reviewed.weebly.com
Summoned to Thirteenth Grave
By Darynda Jones 3 stars. This is the final episode of Darynda Jones fiction series combining action, supernatural and romance. Featuring Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper. Charley sees dead people, and it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e., murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper extraordinaire, is pissed. She’s been kicked off the earthly plane for eternity—which is exactly the amount of time it takes to make a person stark raving mad. But someone’s looking out for her, and she’s allowed to return after a mere hundred years in exile. Is it too much to hope for that not much has changed? Apparently it is. Bummer. She’s missed her daughter. She’s missed Reyes. She’s missed Cookie and Garrett and Uncle Bob. Now that she’s back on earth, it’s time to put to rest burning questions that need answers. What happened to her mother? How did she really die? Who killed her? And are cupcakes or coffee the best medicine for a broken heart? It all comes to a head in an epic showdown between good and evil in this final smart and hilarious novel. While not my usual genre, I found the books engaging and face paced to keep me picking up title after title. The series has become somewhat repetitive and tired. Thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. #NetGalley #SummonedToThirteenthGrave Reviewed by Heath Henwood www.books-reviewed.weebly.com
The Trouble with Twelfth Grave
By Darynda Jones 3 stars. Darynda Jones fiction series combining action, supernatural and romance. Featuring Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper. Charley sees dead people, and it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e., murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Ever since Reyes Farrow escaped from a hell dimension in which Charley Davidson accidentally trapped him, the son of Satan has been brimstone-bent on destroying the world his heavenly Brother created. His volatile tendencies have put Charley in a bit of a pickle. But that’s not the only briny vegetable on her plate. While trying to domesticate the feral being that used to be her husband, she also has to deal with her everyday life of annoying all manner of beings—some corporeal, some not so much—as she struggles to right the wrongs of society. Only this time she’s not uncovering a murder. This time she’s covering one up. Add to that her new occupation of keeping a startup PI venture—the indomitable mystery-solving team of Amber Kowalski and Quentin Rutherford—out of trouble and dealing with the Vatican’s inquiries into her beloved daughter, and Charley is on the brink of throwing in the towel and becoming a professional shopper. Or possibly a live mannequin. But when someone starts attacking humans who are sensitive to the supernatural world, Charley knows it’s time to let loose her razor sharp claws. Then again, her number one suspect is the dark entity she’s loved for centuries. So the question becomes: Can she tame the unruly beast before it destroys everything she’s worked so hard to protect? While not my usual genre, I found the books engaging and face paced to keep me picking up title after title. The series has become somewhat repetitive and tired. Thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. #NetGalley Reviewed by Heath Henwood www.books-reviewed.weebly.com
Eleventh Grave in Moonlight
By Darynda Jones 4 stars. Darynda Jones fiction series combining action, supernatural and romance. Featuring Charley Davidson: part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper. Charley sees dead people, and it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (i.e., murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Now, Charley is learning to make peace with the fact that she is a goddess with all kinds of power and that her own daughter has been born to save the world from total destruction. But the forces of hell are determined to see Charley banished forever to the darkest corners of another dimension. With the son of Satan himself as her husband and world-rocking lover, will Charley be able to defeat the ultimate evil and find a way to have her happily ever after, after all? While not my usual genre, I found the books engaging and face paced to keep me picking up title after title. Thank you to Netgalley for providing a review copy in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. #NetGalley Reviewed by Heath Henwood www.books-reviewed.weebly.com |
AuthorHeath writes reviews regularly for newspapers and magazines. Archives
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