Category: Reviews

Blog, Dark Iceland by Ragnar Jonasson, Reviews, Series Reviews

REVIEW: Blackout by Ragnar Jonasson (Dark Iceland #3)

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REVIEW: Blackout by Ragnar Jonasson (Dark Iceland #3)

Series: Dark Iceland (Ari Thor)

Book Number: 3

Read this book for: realistic police procedure, contemporary mystery, minimalist writing, traditional whodunnit, Scandanavian/Nordic Noir, journalist investigator

Quick Review: Slightly different from the rest of the series, given that Ari Thor doesn’t do all the investigating, but still a beautifully written and compelling addition to a must-read series. If you’ve read the rest of the Dark Iceland series, pick this one up!

***

A man is found near a remote and unoccupied home, brutally and gruesomely killed during the 24-hour light of the Arctic summer. Ari Thor Arason is assigned to help the lead investigators. He throws himself into it, despite being only peripherally connected to the case, partly to distract himself from his problems with his girlfriend. Meanwhile, a journalist who is dealing with her own demons escapes the volcanic ash cloud that hangs over Reykjavik to drive north and begin her own investigation. As they unwind the less-than-legal threads of the victim’s life, neither of them realizes another innocent life hangs in the balance…

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Blog, Reviews, Series Reviews

REVIEW: The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (Cormoran Strike #2)

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REVIEW: The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (Cormoran Strike #2)

Series: Cormoran Strike

Book Number: 2

Read this book for: realistic investigation, alibi-breaking, literary mystery, enjoyable prose, grisly murder, some lighter moments

Quick Review: Great addition to a very promising series, this book and the characters feel familiar from the beginning. Strike and Robin are old friends to readers, and you should definitely pick this up to learn more about them as they solve another complex and engaging mystery.

***

Private detective Cormoran Strike is hired by the wife of missing novelist Owen Quine, who she believes has gone off by himself for a few days as he had done before, to locate him. But something about the case catches Strike’s attention, and the unflattering portraits of many of Quine’s literary contemporaries in his latest novel have made him a lot of enemies. Following a grisly discovery by Strike, he is once again at odds with the police in order to help clear up a seemingly unsolvable mystery in order to save an innocent person from prison.

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Blog, Reviews

REVIEW: Before The Fall by Noah Hawley

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REVIEW: Before The Fall by Noah Hawley

Series: N/A

Book Number: N/A

Read this book for: uniquely suspenseful thriller, fantastic writing, gripping story, brillian character drama, whodunnit

Quick Review: A unique, brilliant, and utterly gripping thriller that will not let you put it down once you start it. Absolutely add this one to your to-read list – you will not be disappointed!

***

A private jet departs Martha’s Vineyard for New York, carrying two wealthy families and one unknown painter. Sixteen minutes later, it plummets into the ocean, the only survivors a four-year-old boy and Scott, the painter. As the histories of the passengers and crew come to light, the ultimate question gets harder and harder to answer: who caused the plane to crash, and why?

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REVIEW: Easy Motion Tourist by Leye Adenle

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REVIEW: Easy Motion Tourist by Leye Adenle

Series: N/A

Book Number: N/A

Read this book for: gritty, dark thriller, strong female heroine, political and cultural themes, violence, original and unique work

Quick Review: Gritty, gripping, and hard to put down, EASY MOTION TOURIST delves into the dark side of Lagos, with a narrative structure that feels fresh and an incredibly immersive atmosphere. A welcome twist on the contemporary thriller.

***

British journalist Guy Collins is in over his head. After witnessing the dumping of a body that has apparently been part of a ritual killing, he is picked up by police as a suspect, then rescued by Amaka – a woman trying to single-handedly change the lives of hundreds of women working as prostitutes. He’s swept along in her wake, lost and out of his depth, while trying to keep them both from being killed by the powerful enemies that Amaka is up against.

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REVIEW: Head of State by Andrew Marr

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REVIEW: Head of State by Andrew Marr

Series: N/A

Book Number: N/A

Read this book for: political satire, dark humour, complex plot, multilayered thriller

Quick Review: A highly appropriate book for the recent UK referendum, and an incredibly fun, surprisingly funny, and satisfyingly complex thriller. A must-read, particularly if you have even a passing interest in politics or British history.

***

It’s 2017, and the UK is on the verge of the referendum to decide whether or not to remain part of the European Union. But when a crucial player in the vote threatens to twist the results with an unexpected event, a small group decides to stage one of the most difficult cover-ups in history – with the fate of the country hanging on its success.

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REVIEW: Maestra by LS Hilton (Maestra Trilogy #1)

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REVIEW: Maestra by LS Hilton (Maestra Trilogy #1)

Series: Maestra Trilogy

Book Number: 1

Read this book for: female-led mystery, erotic moments, dark thriller

Quick Review: A decent premise but one that relies unfortunately on shock to drive it. A decent light read, but will likely make a better film than a book.

***

Judith Rashleigh is struggling to get into the art world at one of the most prestigious auction houses, but she knows she’s not from the right background to make it. Stumbling across and exposing a fraud gets her fired from her job, and circumstances send her running from authorities across Europe. Can she fake it well enough to become accepted as one of the rich and famous to remake her life – and can she use her knowledge of the fraud to fund her transformation? Along the way, she will discover that she is more dangerous than she imagined…

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REVIEW: Written in Dead Wax by Andrew Cartmel (The Vinyl Detective #1)

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REVIEW: Written in Dead Wax by Andrew Cartmel (The Vinyl Detective #1)

Series: The Vinyl Detective

Book Number: 1

Read this book for: fun mystery, alternative mystery subjects, fast paced thriller, humorous writing

Quick Review: This incredibly entertaining and refreshingly different mystery briskly twists its way toward an interesting conclusion. Definitely worth picking up for a fun read.

***

The Vinyl Detective is a record collector who is offered a large sum to find a rare album. Given that he’s almost out of money for cat food, he can’t turn down the proposition, even though it may kill him. But there is more to this record hunt than just a collector’s love of music…

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REVIEW: The Body In The Library by Agatha Christie (Miss Marple #2)

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REVIEW: The Body In The Library by Agatha Christie (Miss Marple #2)

Series: Miss Marple

Book Number: 2

Read this book for: lighthearted mystery, classic whodunnit, cozy mystery

Quick Review: This ticks all the boxes of the mystery novel but is so incredibly vivid and intensely real that it is well worth a look. It’s a refreshingly unique read!

***

It’s 7am, and the Bantry household wakes to find the body of a young girl they don’t know in their library. Shocked by this turn of events that seems so like a detective story, Mrs. Bantry calls in her close friend Miss Marple to help the police investigate and solve the mystery before gossip starts to harm her family’s standing in the village.

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REVIEW: The Lazarus Effect by H.J. Golakai (Vee Johnson #1)

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REVIEW: The Lazarus Effect by H.J. Golakai (Vee Johnson #1)

Series: Vee Johnson

Book Number: 1

Read this book for: vibrant setting, intense and intimate mystery, believable and diverse characters, richly written narrative

Quick Review: This ticks all the boxes of the mystery novel but is so incredibly vivid and intensely real that it is well worth a look. It’s a refreshingly unique read!

 

***

Vee Johnson is an investigative journalist chasing the story of a missing girl in a red woolen hat that has been haunting her. Along with new assistant Claire Bishop, she sets out to find the truth about what happened to that girl, uncovering a dark and twisted family drama and putting herself in danger in the process.

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Blog, Reviews, Series Reviews

REVIEW: The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (Cormoran Strike #1)

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REVIEW: The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (Cormoran Strike #1)

Series: Cormoran Strike

Book Number: 1

Read this book for: realistic investigation, alibi-breaking, great characters, very readable prose, page-turning mystery

Quick Review: Contains all the elements of a great mystery; incredibly enjoyable read that will keep you turning pages till the end.

 

***

Private detective Cormoran Strike is called in to investigate the apparent suicide of a supermodel who has fallen to her death from the balcony of her London home. Strike’s personal life is a mess, but he must force his way out of his own issues to find out whether the model’s brother is right in asserting his sister’s death was a murder – and to stop it from happening again.

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