Dead Men's Bones 5/5 I started this book last night, only to realise I have all ready read it. But no worries, it refreshed my memory ready for the next book. I'm trying to play catch up on some of the series of books I have so this is my next series to catch up on. Dead Men's Bones is the fourth novel in James Oswald's phenomenal Inspector Mclean series set in Edinburgh. But it is the first one I have read. i can safely say I will now be reading book 1,2 and 3. I didn't feel like I couldn't follow things or follow the plot by not having read the previous books, but I enjoyed this one so much I want to read the others. The book starts off with Detective Tony Mclean at the scene where the body of a naken man has been found by a local walking his dog. Then there is a shooting at a farm house. It turns out that A MSP has killed his 2 children, his wife and then himself. This is where Mclean begins his investigations into what has actually happened, he's told to do what he always does- dig deeper than is really necessary and complicate things- and that is exactly what he does. It seems though that someone somewhere is trying to cover up, some want the case closed and forgotten about. Yet others want the truth out. Can Mclean find out exactly what happened before any more bodies turn up. Or is is this just the beginning of what can only be a long journey to the truth. Brilliantly written and thoroughly enjoyable. I enjoyed every part of this book. Book Description. A family lies slaughtered in an isolated house in North East Fife . . . Morag Weatherly and her two young daughters have been shot by husband Andrew, an influential politician, before he turned the gun on himself. But what would cause a rich, successful man to snap so suddenly? For Inspector Tony McLean, this apparently simple but high-profile case leads him into a world of power and privilege. And the deeper he digs, the more he realises he's being manipulated by shadowy factions. Under pressure to wrap up the case, McLean instead seeks to uncover layers of truth - putting the lives of everyone he cares about at risk . . .
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A perfect crime needs a perfect alibi… Crime reporter Beth Chambers is committed to uncovering the truth – and she’s not afraid of bending the rules to get there. When troubled soap star Megan Fuller is found stabbed to death in her South London home, all eyes are on her ex-husband – the notorious gangster, Danny Shapiro. Determined to expose Danny as a cold-blooded killer, Beth obsessively pursues him. But in her hunt for the truth, her family are set to pay the ultimate price… I have to say I really did enjoy this book. I found it a very interesting but easy read.
Earlier this year I read Jamie Ravens Debut book The Madam. My review of that book can be read here. So when I saw this one available on Netgalley I couldn't help myself but request it, even though I had put myself on a Netgalley ban, while I try and play catch up with my outstanding books. I have to say I'm glad i broke my Netgalley ban to get this book, because I thouroghly enjoyed it. Crime reporter Beth Chambers seems to be someone who will do what it takes to get an exclusive story. And that doesn't alway mean following the rules. Megan Fuller is an actress, or she was before she was murdered. Her Ex husband Danny Shapiro is one of the suspects and needs to make sure his alibi is water tight, he know's he didn't do it, but can he prove to others that he didn't. The story in this book is totally beliveable, and at times I wanted to give Beth a slap or two for her wrecklessness, knowing she has a small child at home, upsetting some of the underworld criminals is not the best way to go. Having said that I reallly liked her character. I think her being a reporter really added to the intensity of the story. The plot is done brilliantly the way it unfolds, and you are wondering all the way through which way the story is going to go. I really got caught up in this book, and wanted to read it at every opportunity. A Brilliantly well put together gritty story.
Six book series. Available from Amazon
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Helen Grace was one of the country's best police investigators. Now she's behind bars with the killers she caught. Framed for murder She knows there is only way out: stay alive until her trial and somehow prove her innocence. Locked up with a killer But when a mutilated body is found in the cell next door, Helen fears her days are numbered. A murderer is on the loose. And she must find them. Before she's next . . .
5/5
If you have not read the previous books please do not read this review as it may spoil it for you. Personally i would say if you are going to read this book, then it's best if you have read the previous books. 1Eeny Meeny 2Pop Goes The Weasel 3The Doll's House 4Liar LiarSeptember 5Little Boy Blue 6 Hide and seek I've been playing a big catch up with this series and read books 4, 5 and 6 in a short space of time. It was great because as each book finshed, I could dive right into the next one without having to wait. What's not great is i'm now up to date which means I have to wait for more books to be written/published. I have really grown to like Helen Grace, and throughout this book I was rooting for her. Helen is locked up, after being framed for murder. But the real killer is still out there, and what the hell can Helen do while she's inside. Could this be the end of Helen Grace? It's an outstanding read, keeps you on the edge of your seat. Keeps you guessing and guessing some more, because although you know why Helen is in prison (especially if you read the previous book) You are not prepared for what happens in there. I'm worried about giving to much away so i'm going to shut up and just say MY GOD this is a series you really should be reading if you like a good crime thriller, with likeable characters. ENJOY
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'Helen Grace is one of the greatest heroes to come along in years' JEFFERY DEAVER ***** There are some fates worse than death . . . Called to a Southampton nightclub, Detective Inspector Helen Grace cuts the duct tape from the asphyxiated victim and discovers she knows him. A man from the double life she has concealed from her superiors, Helen is determined to find his murderer - while keeping their relationship hidden at all costs. When a new victim is found, Helen works around the clock to stop her life unravelling. She'll do anything to solve this case - but dare she reveal her own darkest secrets and lose everything? And would even that be enough to stop this killer? Well that's book 5 read, and if i'm honest I have nothing but praise for this series. It's difficult to believe each time you read one of these books that the next one could be any better, but that is exactly what seems to be happening. This is the fifth book in the Helen Grace series, a series I’ve grown to really enjoy. I’m a little behind with the series, but that’s not such a bad thing as been able to read this one as soon as I finished book four, and I can now read book 6 without having to wait. As I said it’s a series I’ve really grown to like, I like the characters and I like how each case is different. If you haven’t read any of this series, then I really can recommend it. But I would say read it from book one, you could probably get away with reading it on it’s own, but I think you get a better feel for the story if they are read in order. It really is more interesting when you have followed the characters and got a feel for their back history. I always feel when I’ve followed a series as though I personally know the characters, and this is certainly the case here. I enjoy the character that is Helen Grace; she’s very different, I would say unique. But I really do like her, and the way she works. She’s been good friends with Charlie, who has also appeared in each book, and this time I think their friendship is really tested, especially so as Helen can’t seem to open up and tell her the truth. In this book we have a complex case involving murder of someone Helen knows from her past. It’s tough for Helen, and she can’t decide if to reveal that she knows the victim or not as it would then lead to her admitting what she likes to do in her free time. And Helen really does like to keep her private life PRIVATE. Helen’s arch enemy the Journalist Amelia is also out for war with Helen. After their recent truce it now seems like the gloves are off again, and it’s all out war. The ending of this book really hits you and I actually feel a little smug here, because by being behind in this series, I can now go on to read the next one. I received the book via Netgalley, so thank you for approving my request. The views in this review are only my thoughts.
A gritty crime thriller. Glasgow man Bill Ingram waits in the city's Central Station to meet his daughter, returning home from London for Christmas. When the last train pulls in, and she doesn't get off it, he makes a desperate overnight dash to find out why. His search for her takes over his life, costing him his job and, as he withdraws from home, family and friends, he finds himself alone, despairing of ever seeing her again.
5/5 OH my days, I had read a good few reviews on this book, and fellow blogger Noelle of CrimebookJunkie had raved about it on social media. So I was totally thrilled when I received an email off the author asking if I would like a review copy of this book. Hell Yeah! I don't know how but this little beauty managed to get lost in my kindle cluser of books. And when I spotted it last week thought oh hell I better read it. Wowzers i'm so glad I did. So a great big thank you the author #AlanJones for sending me a copy of this book, and so bloody sorry for it taking me so long to get around to reading it. I just loved it, Everything about this book was just brilliant. It really shows amongst other things, just how far a fathers love goes for his daughter. Bill is worried when his daughter doesn't get off the train for her Christmas visit. So after hanging around for the next two trains he realises she isn't coming. When he cant get any answer from her phone, he sets off to find her. He finds leads that send him to a London nightclub 'Bloq' where his daughter had been visiting regular. She's not there, but the hunt for her is on. There is something going on the whole way through this book, and the suspence is fantastic. It's brilliantly written with some great characters. Brilliantly put together. I wanted to keep reading this book at every chance, but the nearer I got to the end I really didn't want it to finish. If this book had gone on for another 1000 pages it still wouldn't have been long enough. This is the only book I have read by Alan Jones, but I think it's safe to say it will NOT be the last.
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THE FOURTH DI HELEN GRACE THRILLER BY BESTSELLING AUTHOR M J ARLIDGE 'Helen Grace is one of the greatest heroes to come along in years' JEFFERY DEAVER In the dead of night, three raging fires light up the city skies. It's more than a tragic coincidence. For DI Helen Grace the flames announce the arrival of an evil she has never encountered before. Because this is no firestarter seeking sick thrills, but something more chilling: a series of careful, calculating acts of murder. But why were the victims chosen? What's driving the killer? And who will be next? A powder keg of fear, suspicion and dread has been laid. Now all it needs is a spark to set it off . .
5/5
This is the fourth book in the Helen Grace series, a series I’ve grown to really enjoy. I’m a little behind with the series, but that’s not such a bad thing as I’ve decided now when reading books that are part of a series, I’m going to read the whole series before I start anything else. So I now get to start the next book in the series. And trust me it’s only a good thing, because the way ‘Liar Liar’ ended, I NEED TO READ THE NEXT ONE. And I need to read it NOW. I have to say, this is another bloody good read. The fourth in a series that is by far proving to be one of the best series of books I’ve read, and believe me I’ve read a lot. It has you hooked the whole way through. And what I enjoyed is the short chapters as it means you just have to give one more chapter a go. I seem to have read this at the right time of year as it’s based around December. Set in Southampton Helen Grace is back with a new case, Charlie Brooks is back from maternity leave, and trying to juggle mummy hood and work. The case for the team this time is what appears to be an arsonist. 3 fires have been set, all in a very short time scale, and the team are wondering if and why they are all linked, it’s not just homes, its businesses too. It soon becomes clear when the second night another 3 fires are started, that they are certainly linked, but can Helen and her team figure out who or why before any more fires are started. I love Helen and Charlie in these books, they great coppers, and I like the way they work and engage with each other, in work and outside. I like how we are still learning about Helen’s private life and Charlie’s home life as she struggles working now she has a little one. I love how with each book the author manages to find new and interesting things to write about, and not one of the books feels samey as any other. Helen has a new boss in this book, and the way this book went I think we’ll be hearing a lot more of him real soon. This book will have you gripped the whole way through, read to spit you out at the end with an ending you just didn’t see coming. Bravo M J A... Brilliantly done. I’d love to tell you a lot more, but luckily for me I have Little Boy Blue waiting on my kindle for me to start. So I’m off to read. Buy it, Enjoy it. Product details
A violent attacker is on the loose. His calling card: a tattoo on his victims’ skin. With no witnesses and no evidence left at the crime scenes, it will take all of the National Crime Agency’s resources to track him down. At the head of the investigation, codenamed Operation Juniper, Senior Investigator Joanne Stuart knows that the clock is ticking. The time between abductions is decreasing and the perpetrator grows ever more brazen. She fears it won’t be long before his assaults turn deadly. As the hunt closes in, Jo’s already troubled personal life is put under further pressure. With danger closer than she thinks, just how far will Jo go to solve the case—and at what cost? I was looking forward to reading this book, because Bill Rogers is a reletivly new author for me. I recently read the first book in this series, The Pick, The Spade and The Crow. Secondly because it's based around Manchester. I always seem to enjoy a book when I can actually visualise the places that are mentioned, I find I like books that have familiar locations in them. And enjoy reading how the author describes those places.
I said of the first book, that it could be the start of a promising series of books. And having read this one, the second book, I still feel it could become a really great series. The National Crime Agency are investigating what looks to be a serial rapist on the loose. Operation Juniper. Its Senior Investigator Joanne Stuart (Jo) who is heading up the team. A team who know they have their work cut out to find who this person is. The attacks are becoming more frequent, so the Attacker seems to be gaining confidence in what he is doing. The team are concerned if they don't catch him soon, he could become more violent or even kill. Jo's private life is also causing her problems. This continues from the first book, and things really don't seem to be getting any better for her. A good interesting read, leaves you thinking and wondering where it's going. I'm looking forward to following this series as more books are added. 3.5/5 I cannot go on like this. I feel such a burden to you. You are young and can start again. You deserve that chance. By the time you read this I will be dead. Do not grieve for me, for I am now without pain. Yours truly for ever, Monica Monica suffers from chronic neuropathic pain. Every second of her life is spent in agony, and she is coping with it the best she can. However, there are whole years of her life which are a blur to her. But when she finds what appears to be her own suicide note, Monica begins to question everything. She has no memory of writing it - so who did? And if someone tried to kill her once, what's to say they won't try again . . . 4/5
This book features a very brave lady Monica Woods, and her life of struggling with pain. Constant Pain, agony beyond anyone’s belief. Following an accident she suffered years ago that has left her with Chronic neuropathic pain. Good days and bad days, she doesn’t really have a choice but to try and get through it the best she can, and sometimes that means being stuck lay on the floor in agony for hours on end. I think this is one of those books, that most people would find hard to understand how anyone can be in that sort of pain, how any human being can suffer like she does, it’s not right. But suffer is exactly what she does, and having a life long illness that causes me a great deal of pain I could really relate to her, I could almost be her, her medication she takes is pretty much what I have to take, to try and function on a daily basis, to try stop your muscles spasming and to try and keep the pain at a minimum. To try and keep going enough to you don’t stiffen up, but not over doing it that you pay for it for days after. I really felt like I’d been dragged into this book and went on a journey with Monica. Monica in my book, is an amazing lady. Her husband Dominic works in advertising, trying to understand her illness, and trying to work full time to support them both. He’s at the brunt end of a lot of Monica’s frustrations., They say you take it out on the ones closest to you. Monica is horrified when she finds a suicide note, one that she has written years early, she knows she wrote it as its in her hand writing. And as most of her drugs cause a lot of memory loss, she doesn’t remember it at all. Her husband just shrugs it off, with an answer of you were in a very dark place back then. But it has unnerved Monica. Is there more to it that she thinks? Bit by bit Monica starts to feel that something is not quite right, but as she’s been so poorly, she can’t figure a lot of it out. But she’s certainly to try to, and bit by bit she manages to piece together the last few years. There are some great twists in this book, that gives it the edge, and keeps you thinking and wondering where things will be going next. You just have to keep going because you want to know. And that (along with being in pain) is what kept me up a full night reading this book. It’s a long time since I’ve done a book in one sitting. I really didn’t see where this was going, and I think the twist was just first class. I have to say the researching and the knowledge into the descriptions of the pain, and the drugs and side effects etc, is just spot on. I would recommend this book to Anyone that likes a bloody good read. Blog TourBook Description Format: Kindle Purchase from Amazon UK True identity comes from within you. All her life Kamila had wanted to find her birth family. She hoped that retirement would give her the much-needed time to trace her roots, but a diagnoses of terminal ovarian cancer had put paid to that. They say curiosity kills the cat, but not in Kamila’s case:it is keeping her alive. As her future becomes uncertain, the past, suddenly begins to open up, clearly, for the first time. Chasing Ghosts is the true story of one woman’s quest to find out the origins of who she is, along with the unexpected and remarkable insights that will light up her path to discovery. Author Kamila Zahno was - as legend has it - born under a gooseberry bush on Hampstead Heath. She was adopted in 1952 by an Indian-English couple and raised in their family home in Birmingham,along with her adoptive siblings Patrick, Tim, Nicky and Ellen. Heralding from different ethnic backgrounds, their Dad referred to their family as Heinz 57 varieties. Life was regimented but happy and full of laughter; expectations were high and her parents would not let race, racism or the fact of their adoption give them excuses for under-achieving. As Kamila reached adulthood, the myths of their family began to create a sense of unease for Kamila and her siblings. Where was her mother, the Swiss nurse? What had happened to Patrick’s Sudanese student father? Who were Tim’s parents, thought to have been killed in the London Blitz? And did Ellen’s Sri Lankan airline pilot father really exist? With each of their identities bound up by secrecy and intrigue it was hardly surprising that they would each embark on a quest to uncover the truth behind their adoption. My turn today on this blog tour. Big thanks to Rachel at Authoright for contacting me regarding this book. When I first read the blurb for this book, I wasn't really sure it was my kind of read. I then sat down with a cuppa and re read it. It sounded so much better when I read it properly and thought it was worth giving it a go. I'm kind of glad I did. It really was an interesting read. A truly emotional read. One woman’s journey to seek out who she really is, and who her real parents are. It was certainly a change from the Crime fiction books I normally have my head stuck in, but I needed a little change from serial killers, and murderers. I really felt for Kamila in this book, It must have been a difficult journey to go on, and amazing that she has shared it with us, the readers. I can’t help but wonder just how difficult it must have been writing it and sharing it with complete strangers. Not only about her life being adopted and trying to discover who she is or who her parents are. But also the struggle and fight against Cancer. I think nearly everyone now a days knows someone or of someone who has struggled with Cancer and it’s not an easy battle. But to be fighting that and searching for your roots, must really have been a difficult thing to do. At times I almost felt like I was delving into someone’s personal life, that I shouldn’t be reading it. But I had to read it, I really wanted to keep on reading and to see where Kamila ended up in her life, to see if she got answers to all the questions she had. It’s funny when reading it how things seem so different now, from when she was first given up for adoption. And some of these points are highlighted in her story. Thank you to the publishers and author for allowing me to the chance to read this book ADOPTION There are four of us: Ellen, Tim, Patrick and me. Post War babies. The late 1940s must have been a heady time for our mothers. Working independently in London they were free to spend their clothes rations on a beautiful dresses, dance to Glenn Miller’s big band music at the Hammersmith Palais - and meet ‘coloured’ young men. But that glamorous time ended abruptly when we arrived on the scene. Secreted away for several months in mother and baby homes, our mums grew to believe that their best option was to give us up for adoption. Unencumbered by babies they could start afresh, leaving us to adapt like kittens to a new family. Adoption in those days was known as the Clean Break: no contact between the child and the birth mother. Ever. Not only were we illegitimate, a taboo that remained until the 1960s, we were mixed race. All four of us ended up in the nurseries of adoption agencies, but we weren’t even considered adoption material. When my sister Ellen researched her adoption papers, the fact that she was ‘slightly coloured’ meant that she was ‘impossible to adopt’. But we were lucky. We were found by exceptional parents. Our adoptive mother was a doctor working in post-natal clinics in Birmingham; she came across Ellen languishing in an adoption agency’s nursery. Instantly attracted to her she asked if she could bring her husband to see Ellen with a view to adoption. Our adoptive mother was Indian, our adoptive father English - and in his words “a child of our own might have been ‘slightly coloured’”. And so our family was born. The four of us were an interesting mix - Dad would call us Heinz 57 varieties, which I didn’t really like. All of us had white birth mothers; my father was Indian, Ellen’s from Ceylon, Patrick’s from the Gold Coast, and Tim’s was French Canadian - although this was always a bit of a mystery because he looks south Asian. We always knew we were adopted but no big deal was made of it. We were a family. In those days there was no possibility of meeting our birth parents, so even if I did wonder what my Swiss mother and Indian father were doing now, there was nothing I could do to find them. It was not until 1976 that adoption law changed in England so that adopted children over the age of eighteen could search for their birth parents. By then we were young adults with busy lives and we didn’t really consider searching. It also seems disrespectful to search for your birth parents when your adoptive parents are still alive. Isn’t one set of parents enough? But in common with many adoptees I started searching when our adoptive mother had died. The death of a parent acts as a trigger for many adoptees. Why is it necessary? Is it just curiosity or something more? It certainly wasn’t to do with replacement parents. Ours was a good adoption. I think it’s about a sense of completion. It’s like completing the puzzle of my life. So in 1991, one year after Mum died, I tried to access my adoption file. I had to have an interview to make sure I was sane enough to be able to take any information about my birth circumstances. The counsellor asked me why I wanted to search and what I would do with the information. She was rather a frosty character and came across as the keeper of my past. All I went away with were my parents’ names, where they came from and what they were doing in London. I also learned that my mother had returned to Switzerland. I wasn’t allowed to see or take away my own file! I joined a not-for-profit organisation run by and for adopted people. They had useful information on how to search for your birth parents’ records - and a flow chart to go with it. A bit like a snakes and ladders board! Not only that but they could contact your parents on your behalf. Things were still a bit sensitive, even in the ’90s and you weren’t supposed to contact them yourself in case your parents didn’t want to know you. But they were unable to help me as they didn’t do searches outside Britain. Did I find my records in the end? You’ll have to read Chasing Ghosts to find out! www.kamilazahno.com About Kamila Zahno Living in north London with her cat, Kamila Zahno has enjoyed a long career working as a consultant for local and central government, as well as the voluntary sector, researching and evaluating socio-economic policy. |
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