​D/C Mike O’Shea, a young cop with a knack for working hard and following hunches, is on the verge of cracking a prostitution ring when an undercover from another unit burns him. With only days left before their pimps shuttle the girls out of the country, Mike pushes his team into overdrive. Hours later, with too little information, sleep, or luck, the unthinkable happens.


And now, the chase is personal.


In the first of the Mike O’Shea Crime Fiction Series, 10-33 Assist PC draws us into the dirty world of human trafficking through the eyes of the cops who put their lives on the line every day to shut it down. Written by a Real Detective, 10-33 Assist PC is the story of a cop who must decide how to move forward without forgetting the past.


Real Detective. Real Crime. Fiction.

​Desmond P. Ryan - Author Bio
Very few books give you the real crime experience because even fewer authors have it.
Desmond P. Ryan has it.
For almost thirty years, he worked the back alleys, poorly-lit laneways, and forgotten neighbourhoods in the city where he grew up. Murder often most unkind, assaults on a level that defied humanity, and sexual violations intended to demean, shame, and haunt the victims were all in a day’s work. Days, evenings, midnights--all the same. Crime knows no time.
Exhilarating. Exhausting. Often heartbreaking.
Whether as a beat cop or a plainclothes detective, Desmond Ryan dealt with good people who did bad things and bad people who followed their instincts. He wrote thousands of reports describing their lives, the places they lived, and the things they did. He investigated their crimes and wrote detailed accounts of the activities that brought him into their world. Detective Ryan also held victims as they wept, talked desperate people off of ledges, and sat beside the decomposing bodies of men and women who, in life, had been discarded and long-forgotten by society.
Now, as a retired detective with three decades of research opportunities under his belt, Desmond Ryan write crime fiction.
Why?
Because he wants to tell you a story like no other. Because he wants to bring you inside a world that will both fascinate you and challenge what you thought you knew about human nature. Because he wants to seamlessly weave truth and fiction together to create a place for you where the Good Guys ultimately win.
And because you deserve to have the most authentic crime fiction experience every time you pick up one of Desmond Ryan’s books.
Real Detective. Real Crime. Fiction.

10-33 Assist PC
Chapter One
Saturday, October 29th, 2005 - 2:30 p.m.
Detective Constable Mike O’Shea casually drove the unmarked scout car around the corner. He felt good. Maybe it was the bright October sunlight reflecting off the crushed beer cans scattered on the overgrown lawns. Maybe it was the police-issued snubby holstered in the small of his back. Or maybe it was the anticipation of a successful end to a long project. Whatever the reason, it made him smile.
“Mike! Left!” Sal grabbed the dashboard with one hand while instinctively reaching for his gun with the other.
The clang of metal rang in their ears as a streak of green flashed in front of them.
Someone bounced off the hood of the car.
Mike slammed the brakes, one hand on the wheel and the other reaching for the snubby. Despite their ratty sweatshirts, stained jeans, and unshaved faces, neither cop looked quite as rough as the
scrappy man who popped up from the pavement next to Mike’s door. They watched, hands on their still-holstered guns, as the scruffy man yanked a battered bike from under the front tire of the car. Without a word, he wobbled away, apparently none the worse for wear.
“Hey!” Mike hollered after the cyclist, who responded with a suggestive finger in the air.
“Bike’s stolen and he’s drunk. Or stoned. Let him go,” Sal said, spitting sunflower seed shells
on the floor of the car before settling back into his seat.
“Unbelievable,” Mike mumbled, shaking his head.
“No shit,” Sal agreed, stuffing another handful of sunflower seeds into his mouth.
“I’m talking about you, asshole. You’re not spitting those shells in the car, are you?”
“Yeah.”
“Use the fucking window.”
Sal spat a shell at Mike’s feet.

​It started with a phone call. Just one word - ‘Jessica’ - and now Detective Inspector Jessica Daniel has a big problem.

Her missing friend, Bex, called from a battered seaside payphone and yet, by the time Jessica arrived, there was nobody there.

One man claims he can help – but then he turns up on a beach stabbed to death.

Jessica believes someone must be framing her. Someone who is always a step ahead. When she finds a boy whose tattoo matches Bex's, she becomes more desperate than ever for answers. But, with the police growing more suspicious, Jessica doesn’t have long to find Bex before she becomes the prime suspect for a murder.

With more than her career at stake, can Jessica clear her name - and find her friend - before it’s too late for them both?

Jessica Daniel book 13 - I feel like I've waited forever to read this book.  So much so, that the day I received this book I started it, I stopped the other book I'd started and made an immediate start on this.  It didn't take me long to jump right back into the world of Jessica Daniel. 
For anyone who doesn't know I am a huge Jessica Daniel fan and this series has been one of my all time favourites.  There is just something so familiar about Jessica then gives an instant liking towards her, and having grown with her over 13 books, she's almost like an old friend. 
Jessica this time around is not in windy, rain soaked Manchester, she's in even windier, more rain soaked Blackpool.
After receiving a phone call from her missing friend Bex (Rebecca) she Jumps in her car and heads along the motorway. 
Finding a bit of a grotty B&B to stay in, because this is the place that is right facing the telephone kiosk that Bex called her from. 
The call she received was just one word 'Jessica' and Jessica knew right away it Bex. Trying to understand why she phoned and only spoke one word is something Jessica need's to figure out. She believes that maybe Bex is in some sort of trouble and would know that Jessica would follow up on her call. 
Jessica is puzzled when she see's the phone booth, and see's a poster of a missing girl who looks just like Bex. It certainly can't be a coincidence, which gears Jessica up even more. 
Jessica calls the number on the poster, and things take a very dramatic turn for her, has she been set up, if so why and who by.
This is a great story of the Hunter becoming the hunted, the story itself left me wanting to read on, at the end of each chapter it becomes, just one more chapter. It was good to see Jessica flying solo and not having her team out with her, it was also good that Andrew Hunter, a character from another series of Kerry Wilkinson's  books made an appearance.  I can't believe how different this book felt from others, but no less engaging, no less interesting, and certainly no less thrilling. It seam's odd saying it was a roller coaster of a ride, when it's set in Blackpool, the town with one of the biggest roller coasters in the country.
One of the best. I can't wait to read more about Jessica and it will be interesting now to see what direction her life takes, what ever it is, I'll be rooting for her the whole way.  Mr Wilkinson, can you please write some more, and very quickly. 

​Is a killer still on the loose?
The thirtieth gritty mystery in Quintin Jardine's bestselling Bob Skinner series, not to be missed by readers of Ian Rankin and Peter May. Praise for Jardine's gripping mysteries: 'Well constructed, fast-paced, Jardine's narrative has many an ingenious twist and turn' Observer
When a murder investigation that's been closed for thirty years is suddenly re-opened, former Chief Constable Bob Skinner is quickly drawn into the action.
The story of the Body in the Quarry was well-known around Edinburgh all those years ago: a popular priest found dead in a frozen quarry; a suspect with a clear motive charged; a guilty verdict. But with a journalist uncovering new evidence, the cold case has come back to haunt Skinner's old mentor Jimmy Proud - and only one man can help him.
Skinner is long out of the police force, but he can't say no. With the clock ticking, and his friend's reputation at stake, he must uncover the truth to find out if an innocent man was convicted for murder. And if a killer is still on the loose . . .

Wow... Book 30 in the Bob Skinner series. A series I have said many times before that I truly love reading. There have been a whole heap of colourful characters in this series, some amazing characters whose lives I have followed through the pages. 
Bob Skinner no longer the Chief Constable of Edinburgh, now just plain old Bob, if there could ever be a plain old Bob Skinner that is. 
​Bob has a way of attracting trouble, of getting involved in things to help out his friends. Bob is the go to guy when friends find they need help. Although he no longer works for the police, he does work on private commissions, he is also now carrying around as he puts it ' a piece of plastic that gives him Security Service credentials, he could be asked for help at any time. 
This time around it's Sir Jimmy, or 'proud Jimmy. Bob's ex boss as it was. The ex Chief Constable, who is in need of Bob's services. Sir Jimmy wants closure on an old case and knows Bob is the man to help. I'm not going into to much regarding this story as it would inevitably give too much away. 
There are a whole heap of the wonderful characters we have gotten to know through the previous 29 books, I can't believe this is book 30. It's one of my all time favorite series of books, I have no hesitation what so ever recommending these books. I will say though for the best of them, they need reading in order. I know at some point this is a series I will go back and re read. 
​One thing I will say is, I wish I hadn't been in a public place when finishing this book. Tissues were needed for me. 

​I'm so ready for the next book and I really can't wait. 

​Product details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1069 KB
• Print Length: 481 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan; Reprint edition (12 Feb. 2015)
• Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
• Language: English

​Dangerous by Jessie Keane is a deadly story of London's criminal underworld, from the bestselling author of Nameless.
Whatever the cost, she would pay it . . .

Fifteen-year-old Clara Dolan's world is blown apart following the death of her mother. Battling to keep what remains of her family together, Clara vows to protect her younger siblings, Bernadette and Henry, from danger, whatever the cost.
With the arrival of the swinging Sixties, Clara finds herself swept up in London's dark underworld where the glamour of Soho's dazzling nightclubs sits in stark contrast to the terrifying gangland violence that threatens the new life she has worked so hard to build.
Sinking further into an existence defined by murder and betrayal, Clara soon realizes that success often comes at a very high price . . .

​Oh my dayzzz where has my head been. I have just done a 2 book Jessie Kean binge and thinking I was up to date, double checked goodreads, to find I hadn't read this one, so off I popped to Amazon to find out I purchased this book on 28 February 2015.
Why on earth do I do it? So thinking my hat trick of Jessie Keane books could be completed by reading the new book The Edge:  (Ruby Darke Book 3) I was wrong, I finished it by reading this one. So lucky me I still have another one to read, which should then take my little binge up to 4 Jessie Keane books in a row. The down side of reading such amazing books back to back is finding something to match the high standard of writing I'm getting used to. 
This book was a standalone.
15 year old Clara Dolan is about to have her world blown apart when her mother dies, Clara has to take charge and take on the responsibility of her younger brother and sister. 
Clara has to flee from her home before the authorities realise she is underage and to young to be looking after her siblings. In a very short space of time Clara has to grow up and grow up quickly. Thinking she is doing the right thing by her siblings Clara Has to find someone who can help and support them. This is exactly what she does. This is not without problems and as time goes by Clara is on a mission to get what she wants, Money to fund her and her siblings lives. 
Packed with some brilliant and some not so brilliant characters this book takes Clara on a huge learning curve, some amazing twists and a fantastic story line this will have readers gripped from the start. 
Well worth reading and I would highly recommend it. 
​

I normally struggle to pick out a top ten, it a difficult choice sometimes knowing I tend to read and review books I think I'm going to love. I've read some exceptionally good books this year. Some have made me laugh out loud, some have made me reach for the tissues. 
At the beginning of 2018 I started a tag with 2018 must reads, and decided as I went along with my reading, any that really grabbed me, really made me get stuck in and enjoy the story, the characters. Any of the 5 star reads that deserved to be more than 5 stars, I decided I'd tag them and make it easier now, when we are almost at the end of the year for me to decide what my top 10 reads of the year would be. It's made things super easy because as I got to these 2018 must reads, it just so happens there are actually 10 books tagged in there. No messing, no changing my mind, here are the books that for me are some of the best of 2018.

I'd like to thank, while I have the chance, the authors writing all these amazing books. The bar has been set really high over the last few years, with many new authors coming on the scene, it's getting more and more difficult to find books that are different, that grab you in a way other books don't. So thank you to each and every author whose books I have read this year for giving me many many hours of entertainment. I look forward to reading all your new books in 2019.

Product details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 2098 KB
• Print Length: 449 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1447254341
• Publisher: Macmillan; Reprint edition (8 Sept. 2016)
• Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.

Stay Dead is the heartstopping sixth book in Jessie Keane's bestselling Annie Carter series.
Annie Carter finally believes that life is good.
She and Max are back together and she has a new and uncomplicated life sunning herself in Barbados. It's what she's always dreamed of.
Then she gets the news that her old friend Dolly Farrell is dead, and suddenly she finds herself back in London and hunting down a murderer with only one thing on her mind . . . revenge.
But the hunter can so quickly become the hunted, and Annie has been keeping too many secrets. She's crossed and bettered a lot of people over the years, but this time the enemy is a lot closer to home and she may just have met her match . . .

Go me, another book read from my back log of books. Good old Amazon informed me I'd purchased this book in 2016, I really thought I was up to date with this series, but clearly I wasn't. It was only after I'd just read LAWLESS that I decided to check what other outstanding books I had by this author and come across this one. 
I've loved my little Jessie Keane binge, it's cemented again my thoughts that this lady certainly can write a page turner.  Annie Carter at her best, this book I have read in just over a 24hour period, not sleeping very well certainly had it's advantages for me. 
Some brilliant twist and turns in this book and a lot I really didn't see coming, I love when a book can surprise me and this one certainly did that. 
Personally I have to say, that to fully enjoy this book then the series needs reading in order. It really will help to have the back history of a lot of the characters. 
When Annie Carter receives news that her friend Dolly Farrell is dead, she heads back to London. What then unfolds is a roller coaster of a ride, heart pounding, nail biting read. I was hooked from the beginning and I know we say it a lot about good books, but I really couldn't put this down. 
There is an awful lot packed into these pages, and it was good to read it over a short time period so my little mind didn't get lost. Some of our favourite characters from this series really show their colours here. 
How or where Jessie Keane gets her story idea's from I don't know, I just hope they continue for a long time to come.
Thrilled to have finally caught up, and absolutely loved this book. 
It's a big 5 stars from me. 
​

Only the lawless will survive . . .
It is 1975 and Ruby Darke is struggling to deal with the brutal murder of her lover, Michael Ward.
As her children, Daisy and Kit, battle their own demons, her retail empire starts to crumble.
Meanwhile, after the revenge killing of Tito Danieri, Kit is the lowest he's ever been. But soon doubt is thrown over whether Kit killed the right person, and now the Danieris are out for his blood and the blood of the entire Darke family.
As the bodies pile up, the chase is on – can the Darkes resolve their own family conflicts and find Michael Ward's true killer before the vengeful Danieris kill them? Or will they take the law into their own hands . . .
Lawless is the heart-racing sequel to Nameless, from bestselling author Jessie Keane.


My thoughts.

Well according to good old Amazon, 'You purchased this item on 19 July 2014'. so why the hell am I only just getting around to reading it. I trawled through my reviews and goodreads to double check if I had read it, yet as soon as I started it I knew I hadn't previously read it. How bad of me is that. 
Well as they say, better late than never. I really do need to stop buying books until I'm going to read them. lol

I also had a feeling I hadn't read book 1 yet, although good reads is telling me I have, and some parts of this story the characters seemed familiar. Once I got going and slowly remembered some of the characters I was back in to the story. 

Ruby Darke, has lost her love, Michael and is trying to get on with life. It's not easy to do when your son seems to hate you, but is trying to help you as he promised Michael, Ruby's love, that he would look out for his mother. 
There is just trouble here, trouble at ever turn. Every few pages there is drama and more trouble. What a read this turned out to be. 
Ruby's son Kit, believes that Tito Danieri killed Michael, So its down to Kit to kill Tito. It doesn't mater who tries to tell him any different his mind set is set. Only one thing can happen when families clash. This book needs reading to enjoy it, and it needs you sat somewhere quiet where no one can disturb you until that last page. 
There are a good few twists and turns in this book that throw up a good few surprises. some amazing characters.
Well worth reading. If you have read any of Jessie Keane's other books then you know what sort of treat you are in for, believe me this book really does not disappoint. 

I am now lucky that I have book 3 to read, while all characters are fresh in my mind, I really can't wait to see what happens. 

​What if you made one mistake and it came back to kill you?

When Met Police Detective Troy McEwen, is found dead in his home. The official verdict is suicide. But his friend and fellow detective, Zac, believes it was murder. And he thinks he might be next on the killer’s list.

If Troy didn’t take his own life, then who did? As he investigates, Zac discovers a link to an incident from decades earlier. Mistakes were made that day. Lives were lost and secrets kept. Until now…

As more people who were there on that fateful day are found dead, Zac knows that the killer is closing in on him…

A tense crime thriller for fans of Lee Child, Mark Billingham and Mark Dawson. Last Witness is a gripping, fast-paced thriller that will have you hooked from the first page.

​I went to start book 3 in this series and suddenly realised I hadn't read book 2, how bad of me is that. So over Christmas I decided while I had a little time off work, I could play catch up on some of the series I've gotten a little behind with. Starting with this bad boy. 
What a brilliant read I picked. I was introduce to Zac Boateng in book one, Bring her back. That book opened with such a gripping start it was so difficult to put it down. This one was no different. Another brilliant start to a book, and a main character who is growing on me the more I read about him. What is it with Bookouture authors, they seem to crate some of the best fictional characters there is. Mainly detectives. 
This book kicks off with Detective Inspector Zac Boateng receiving a call from an old friends, a long time friend, yet when he arrives at the house there is no answer. gaining entry to the house he discovers his friend, Troy McEwen is dead. It looks like suicide to anyone but Zac, Zac is convinced that his friend would not have committed suicide.
Zac has to investigate Troy's death off the record, there is no way he can leave it at a suicide verdict, he know's different. When other things start happening that seem to relate to something that had happened in Zac and Troys past, Zac knows he's on the right tracks.
But at what expense will Zac go to to prove himself right.
A brilliant nail biting read. Any crime thriller fans will enjoy this series. There is only one thing for me to do now and that is to start book 3. 

​The Taken Girls
Someone is watching them…
 
When a missing teenage girl reappears unharmed but pregnant, the case falls to DI Edina Ogborne, the newest recruit of Canterbury Police. But Ed’s already got her hands full with a team who don’t want her, an ex who won’t quit, and terrible guilt over a secret from her past.

As Ed investigates the case, she discovers Canterbury has seen this crime not once, but several times before. And when Ed and her detectives encounter missing historic police files, falsified school records, and Ed’s new lover as a prime suspect, it becomes clear that the system has been corrupted.

Can Ed find the kidnapper behind these depraved crimes before he strikes again? Or has time already run out?

​Ed was surprised when Jenny opened the door to Lucy’s room. She’d expected they’d have to pick their way around a typical teenager’s bedroom. Instead, everything appeared to be in its appointed place. There were no pop posters. Delicate floral wallpaper covered the walls and the same pattern was continued on the duvet cover and pillowcase. A well-worn teddy bear was propped against the bed head. Other fluffy toys formed an orderly line under the window.
‘Check the wardrobe and bookshelf, Jenny. I’ll take the desk.’
Lucy’s laptop had been taken for forensic examination the previous evening. Now there was nothing on her desk except a blank pad of lined A4 paper and a pot with assorted pens and pencils. Ed turned her attention to the drawers, which contained other stationery items and a journal or diary with a small brass-coloured lock. She searched the drawers but failed to locate a key.
‘Anything interesting, Jenny?’
‘Not in the wardrobe. You?’
‘Nothing promising except for this.’ Ed waved the journal. ‘It’s locked but a bent paperclip should crack it. What’s on the shelves?’
‘Her very neatly filed A-level notes, study guides, a complete set of the Harry Potter novels and a couple of box files.’
At that moment the simple lock clicked open. Ed riffled through the pages and sighed.
‘I thought it looked suspiciously new. The pages are completely blank. It’s not been used.’

So, what did I think of this book?
An interesting protagonist and a decent story line, once I had started and gotten into this book, I really enjoyed it. Learning about new characters, getting know what makes them tick, why they act the way they do, is always interesting when starting a new book. 
This book certainly makes you think the whole of the way through it. Although it felt a little unusual, it was very enjoyable. 
For a debut, I think the author has done exceptionally well and should be very proud of what they have achieved. 
Arriving  in Canterbury, DI Edina ‘Ed’ Ogborne is a character very different to others, getting to know her was great. Thrown right into a case where a teenage girl is taken, kidnapped yet not harmed in anyway it seems. It also seems very odd that the kidnapper hasn't wanted to harm her. So why has he taken her. Well, all that is revealed from reading the book. 
It soon becomes apparent that this is not the first girl he has taken. It's down to Ed and her team to try and figure out what connections these girls have, what or who do they have in common, only then can things move forward and the case move on. 
I found this book to have some good twists and turns and seemed to move on at a decent pace, it wasn't to slow, but didn't race on with itself.
 
​

​‘Spooky and absorbing. I was gripped from the first page!’ CASS GREENThere’s a stranger in your house…
When her stepmother dies unexpectedly, Caro returns to her childhood home in Derbyshire. She hadn’t seen Elizabeth in years, but the remote farmhouse offers refuge from a bad relationship, and a chance to start again.
But going through Elizabeth’s belongings unearths memories Caro would rather stay buried. In particular, the story her stepmother would tell her, about two little girls and the terrible thing they do.
As heavy snow traps Caro in the village, where her neighbours stare and whisper, Caro is forced to question why Elizabeth hated her so much, and what she was hiding. But does she really want to uncover the truth?
A haunting and twisty story about the lies we tell those closest to us, perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Cass Green.
Readers love CUCKOO:

Caro is an artist and illustrator, fining life a little bit of a struggle, when returns to her childhood home for the funeral of her stepmother Elizabeth, little does she know how much of her life is about to change.
 Steph the sister of Caro has made the journey over from New York for the funeral and is meeting her younger sister for the first time in many, many years. Although the sisters are now relative strangers to each other  there is always a bonding, a sibling bond between them which has never left them really stemming from the time they spent growing up at the isolated farmhouse in rural Derbyshire with their stepmother.
This remote farmhouse now offers refuge from a bad relationship, and a chance to start again for Caro.
The village seems strange for Caro, why are people looking at her oddly. What is it with this place. 
There were parts in this book it felt a little odd, and I found if I stopped part way through a chapter, then I had to go back and re read it, there were parts in this book that felt rather spooky, that made you want to continue reading it. 

overall an interesting read.