Author / thecrimereviewadmin

by thecrimereviewadmin

REVIEW: Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (Cormoran Strike #3)

Series: Cormoran Strike

Book Number: 3

Read this book for: contemporary noir, hard-bitten PI, London mysteries, serial killer, this time it’s personal

Quick Review: Another brilliant instalment in one of the most exciting contemporary noir PI series currently being published; a must-read that is hard to put down.

***

A message with gruesome content. A brutal series of murders. And a killer who knows too much. A ‘Sunday Times’ and ‘New York Times’ Bestseller.

When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman’s severed leg. Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible – and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality.

With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands, and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them… Continue reading →

by thecrimereviewadmin

REVIEW: A Fool’s Circle by Suzanne Seddon

Series: N/A

Book Number: N/A

Read this book for: domestic thriller, psychological thriller, twists and turns, abuse warning, shifting loyalties, satisfying premise

Quick Review: Decent premise, unpolished execution — worth a read if you love the genre.

***

Kate Sanders has suffered many years of physical and mental abuse at the hands of her abusive husband Alan, and convinces herself that she is only holding the family together for the sake of her eight-year-old daughter. If it wasn’t for her best friend Jill Reynolds, she would have taken the suicide option a long time ago.

As she desperately seeks a way to escape, she is contacted by a solicitor. Kate’s old aunt has died and she has been left a small fortune.

For the first time, she sees the light at the end of the tunnel. She dreams of a fresh start, a new home, a new life. What Kate doesn’t know is that Jill and Alan have their own secrets, and are both desperate to get their hands on her money.

Kate soon finds herself falling for the charms of Jonathon Jacobs in what she believes to be fate finally intervening and offering her a second chance, unaware that each move he makes has been directed, orchestrated and well-rehearsed as he begs her to leave her husband Alan.

But is it all too late, as she finds herself in the frame for murder… Continue reading →

by thecrimereviewadmin

REVIEW: Mystery Tribune Magazine (Issue 7)

Series: Mystery Tribune Magazine

Book Number: Issue 7 / N/A

Read this book for: mystery art, short stories, quarterly mystery and suspense content

Quick Review: A beautifully styled and diverse magazine, filled with excellent mystery content, and a particularly well-chosen selection of short stories from across the genre’s many subcategories.

***

Mystery Tribune magazine is a celebration of excellence in mystery and suspense.

In our view, mystery is not limited to reading but can be a multi-sensory experience. It encompasses many artistic products such as photography, film, music and comics.

Our aim is to excite and inspire our readers by showcasing the finest examples of such artistic work via publishing daily articles as well as print and digital issues.

With the firm belief that “behind extraordinary mystery books or pieces of art, there are extraordinary people”, we search the globe to bring you the most captivating work from both established authors and creatives as well as emerging talents.

Continue reading →

by thecrimereviewadmin

REVIEW: The Fire Maker by Peter May (China Thrillers #1)

Series: The China Thrillers

Book Number: 1

Read this book for: Chinese thriller, cultural differences, love story, career police officers, high-stakes thriller

Quick Review: Packed with detail about investigations and culture in Beijing, this is a well-paced thriller with an enticingly uncommon backdrop.

*** Continue reading →

by thecrimereviewadmin

REVIEW: Mary Russell’s War by Laurie R. King (Mary Russell #14. 5)

Series: Mary Russell

Book Number: Short Story Collection; Not Chronological

Read this book for: more back story on Mary Russell, Sherlock Holmes pastiche, period mysteries, WWI historical fiction

Quick Review: A lovely collection for Russell fans, including some previously released and some brand new stories.

***

Laurie R. King illuminates the hidden corners of her beloved Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series in this dynamic short story collection.

In nine previously published short stories and one brand new, never-before-seen Sherlock Holmes mystery—available together for the first time—Laurie R. King blends her long-running brand of crime fiction with historical treats and narrative sleight of hand. At the heart of the collection is a prequel novella that begins with England’s declaration of war in 1914. As told in Mary Russell’s teenage diaries, the whip-smart girl investigates familial mysteries, tracks German spies through San Francisco, and generally delights with her extraordinary mind—until an unimaginable tragedy strikes.

Here too is the case of a professor killed by a swarm of bees; Mrs. Hudson’s investigation of a string of disappearing household items—and a lifelong secret; a revealing anecdote about a character integral to The God of the Hive; the story of Mary’s beloved Uncle Jake and a monumental hand of cards; and a series of postcards in which Mary searches for her missing husband, Sherlock Holmes.

Last but not least, fans will be especially thrilled by Mary’s account of her decision, at age ninety-two, to publish her memoirs—and how she concluded that Ms. King should be the one to introduce her voice to the world. Continue reading →

by thecrimereviewadmin

REVIEW: After He Died by Michael J Malone

Series: N/A

Book Number: N/A

Read this book for: Scottish mystery, psychological thriller, emotional characters, female leads, creepy thriller

Quick Review: Slow-paced and set on a refreshingly small scale, this thriller seems to swirl around the main character while she grieves the death of her husband, in an interesting and rare perspective.

***

You need to know who your husband really was…

When Paula Gadd’s husband of almost thirty years dies, just days away from the seventh anniversary of their son, Christopher’s death, her world falls apart. Grieving and bereft, she is stunned when a young woman approaches her at the funeral service, and slips something into her pocket. A note suggesting that Paula’s husband was not all that he seemed… When the two women eventually meet, a series of revelations challenges everything Paula thought they knew, and it becomes immediately clear that both women’s lives are in very real danger.

Continue reading →

by thecrimereviewadmin

REVIEW: The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

Series: N/A

Book Number: N/A

Read this book for: author self-insert, reality/fiction blend, UK mystery, amateur detective, consulting detective, unique format

Quick Review: A unique and well-crafted mystery; a must read, especially for fans of Horowitz’s work!

***

One bright spring morning in London, Diana Cowper – the wealthy mother of a famous actor – enters a funeral parlor. She is there to plan her own service.

Six hours later she is found dead, strangled with a curtain cord in her own home.

Enter disgraced police detective Daniel Hawthorne, a brilliant, eccentric investigator who’s as quick with an insult as he is to crack a case. Hawthorne needs a ghost writer to document his life; a Watson to his Holmes. He chooses Anthony Horowitz.

Drawn in against his will, Horowitz soon finds himself a the center of a story he cannot control. Hawthorne is brusque, temperamental and annoying but even so his latest case with its many twists and turns proves irresistible. The writer and the detective form an unusual partnership. At the same time, it soon becomes clear that Hawthorne is hiding some dark secrets of his own. Continue reading →