A missing woman, a disfigured corpse, a chillingly persuasive serial killer. A gripping crime thriller perfect for fans of LJ Ross, Mel Sherratt and Mark Billingham
True-crime writer Tom Carney receives a letter from a convicted murderer who insists he is innocent. His argument is persuasive - but psychopaths are often said to be charming. Across the city, Detective Ian Bradshaw has a murder case on his hands. But he can't catch the killer if he can't ID the victim, and this woman's identity has been extinguished in the most shocking manner imaginable. And meanwhile, journalist Helen Norton is one step away from uncovering a massive criminal conspiracy. Soon, she will learn the price of the truth. Three crimes. One chilling connection. A gripping crime thriller that will keep you turning the pages long into the night.
I hate when i've had a book to read for ages, and it turns out this good. Maybe I should not tell myself off, for not getting around to reading it sooner, and realise that some things are worth the wait.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I certainly look forward to reading more from this author. I found once I'd started the book, it was quite difficult to put it down. I wanted and needed to know exactly what was coming. I think the book description above gives enough detail about the book. Some great character in this one, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
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When Zoe was taken into care at the age of 13, she thought she was finally going to escape from the cruel abuse she had suffered throughout her childhood. Then social services placed her in a residential unit known to be 'a target for prostitution', and suddenly Zoe's life was worse than it had ever been before.
Abused and ostracized by her mother, humiliated by her father’s sexual innuendos, physically assaulted and bullied by her eldest brother, even as a young child Zoe thought she deserved the desperately unhappy life she was living. ‘I’ve sharpened a knife for you,’ her mother told her the first time she noticed angry red wounds on her daughter’s arms. And when Zoe didn’t kill herself, her mother gave her whisky, which she drank in the hope that it would dull the miserable, aching loneliness of her life. One day at school Zoe showed her teacher the livid bruises that were the result of her mother’s latest physical assault and within days she was taken into care. Zoe had been at Denver House for just three weeks when an older girl asked if she’d like to go to a party, then took her to a house where there were just three men. Zoe was a virgin until that night, when two of the men raped her. Having returned to the residential unit in the early hours of the morning, when she told a member of staff what had happened to her, her social worker made a joke about it, then took her to get the morning-after pill. For Zoe, the indifference of the staff at the residential unit seemed like further confirmation of what her mother had always told her – she was worthless. Before long, she realised that the only way to survive in the unit was to go to the ‘parties’ the older girls were paid to take her to, drink the drinks, smoke the cannabis and try to blank out what was done to her when she was abused, controlled and trafficked around the country. No action was taken by the unit's staff or social workers when Zoe asked for their help, and without anyone to support or protect her, the horrific abuse continued for the next few years, even after she left the unit. But in her heart Zoe was always a fighter. This is the harrowing, yet uplifting story, of how she finally broke free of the abuse and neglect that destroyed her childhood and obtained justice for her years of suffering.
I need to start this with saying, What an amazing courage this must have take to tell your story.
This subject has been very topical recently in the news, and after the big Rochdale scandal that broke out, being just a few miles from my home town, it was something I followed. This book is very similar to what happened there, only in this case no one wanted to help Zoe. Unloved and uncared for by her family, Zoe found herself in care. What goes on to happen to this poor girl whilst in care is utterly tragic. It hard to imagine it is happening. That those vulnerable children are being take advantage of. Zoe was failed by everyone around her, it makes you angry reading this, it makes you cry, it makes you want to reach out and help. Heartbreaking, and very upsetting. This was a difficult read due to the subject, yet it was brilliantly told and put together. Knowing it really is happening out there, yet children like Zoe find a strength to carry one. An amazing person. This book stays with you long after you finish reading it.
It’s the early hours of the morning and Rose Denton wakes up behind the steering wheel of her car. She’s off the road, through a hedge and in a field.
There’s blood on the windscreen and bonnet – but it’s not hers and there’s no sign of anything or anyone she might have hit. The last thing she remembers is being in a hotel on a business trip but now she’s miles away. Back home and her daughter’s boyfriend is missing. The last thing he did was argue with Rose over money. He left no note, no text, no clue as to his whereabouts. The police have questions – and so does Rose’s family. But those are little compared to the ones she has for herself. What happened last night? And, perhaps more importantly, does she really want to know the answer? A totally addictive psychological thriller which will keep you turning the pages until the final dramatic twist.
I can't believe how quick these books seem to be coming out. I love, love love Kerry Wilkinsons books. The way you are drawn in, and captivated the whole way through the story. Kerry has a fantastic Knack of making you want to read and read and read before you know it your at the end of another book.
This one is another good read. Another one that within hours of downloading it, i'd started to read it. Another book that I didn't even bother reading what it was about, it's by an author I trust to write something i'll enjoy. This time around the writing felt a little different somehow, I felt it took a little while to get going, and although it interested me, I wasn't gripped as I usually am. It had me wondering all the way through what had actually happened at the beginning and why. Rose Denton seems to have had a car accident, when she comes to, she's in a field, behind the wheel of her car. There is blood on the windscreen but it's not hers. There are no dead animals around, no people, so what the hell has happened. Rose doesn't tell anyone about the accident, and can't figure out what has happened. She also can't figure out why mysterious, odd things keep happening to her. The only way to find out exactly what was going on was to keep reading. It was an interesting read, with a decent storyline. I really didn't see what was coming towards the end. It ended with a good twist.
Description
The perfect marriage. A devastating secret. An impossible choice. Lucy was always sure of one thing – her future with husband and soulmate Luke. But after eight long, heartbreaking years trying to have a baby, that future is crumbling before her eyes. When a terrible accident puts Luke into a coma, Lucy is forced to reassess everything she thought she wanted. Then Stella arrives. A woman Lucy’s never met, but with a secret that will change her world forever . .
What an amazing yet emotional read, I was in pieces right at the beginning of this book. This book at the beginning brought back so many memories and our journey to conception.
I could fully relate to all that Lucy and her husband Luke were going through. The emotion in the book was real. The descriptions of them going through IVF was just spot on. The emotions of wanting a baby so much, that you will go through anything to get there. Regular scans, Check ups the never ending tests, the exhaustion. The mind changing experiences. When Luke is involved in an accident, Lucy needs to decide just what it is she really wants from life. There are going to be shocks in store that will suddenly put everyone's lives into perspective. This was although at times an emotional read, it was enjoyable. I did however find the book a little repetitive as it went on. That aside, it was a decent read. One to really get your attention.
Police sergeant Lacey Flint thinks she’s safe.
She thinks her new job with the river police, and her new life on a house boat, will keep her away from danger. But she’s wrong. When Lacey discovers a body in the water, and sinister offerings appear in her home, she fears someone is trying to expose her darkest secret. And the river is the last place she should be.
This is book 4 in the Lacey Flint series . I have just realised, as I finished this book that I seem to have jumped from book one to book four. I don't know how that happened.
Ahh well, i've read it now, I can go back and read the other two books. Lacey Flint book 4. I like the character that is Lacey Flint. She's quite interesting, yet complex. A little out of control at times, but it works well for her. I thought this book seemed a little slow at the start, but it soon changed when it ramped up a gear. Lacey is now working with the River Police. Once i had gotten my head around which character was which, this turned into a really enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more from this author, and have just downloaded a short story from Amazon to keep me going. The Killing House - Claire McGowan #Review #PaulaMaGuire #Book6 @headlinepg @inkstainsclaire25/3/2018
Forensic psychologist Paula Maguire returns in THE KILLING HOUSE, the sixth novel in Claire McGowan's series. For fans of Sharon Bolton's DAISY IN CHAINS and Elly Griffiths' THE WOMAN IN BLUE. Peter James calls her novels 'astonishing, powerful and immensely satisfying'.
When a puzzling missing persons' case opens up in her hometown, forensic psychologist Paula Maguire can't help but return once more. Renovations at an abandoned farm have uncovered two bodies: a man known to be an IRA member missing since the nineties, and a young girl whose identity remains a mystery. As Paula attempts to discover who the girl is and why no one is looking for her, an anonymous tip-off claims that her own long-lost mother is also buried on the farm. When another girl is kidnapped, Paula must find the person responsible before more lives are destroyed. But there are explosive secrets still to surface. And even Paula can't predict that the investigation will strike at the heart of all she holds dear.
I have read and enjoyed all 6 books in the Paula Maguire series. It's been a great journey with her.
Book 6 is just as good, if not better than the others. I felt this time around one or two things were settled. Although there certainly is scope for a lot more of Paula Maguire, her character is first class. She's by no means perfect, yet wants to do the right thing, most of the time. She has a knack of getting herself into quite a bit of trouble at times. After moving to London to start a new life with her young daughter, it's not long before Paula ends up back in Ballyterrin. Back to the old ways in no time. Paula has returned when she was asked to help try to identify two bodies. The bodies have been found buried on a farm that is currently being renovated. It soon comes to light that Paula's mother, who as been missing for many years could have a link with this farm. Is Paula finally going to be able to solve the mystery of her missing mother, and find out once and for all if she is 'Dead or Alive'. Claire McGowan has certainly created a series here that drags you in, as each book ends you just can't wait for the next one. Superb writing that draws you in right from the word go. Thrilled to be part of this blog blitz. Let's find out what this book is all about.
When a single mother, Julie Simon, is found in her kitchen with a stab wound to her stomach, Cumbria’s Major Crimes Team are handed the case. Under the supervision of DI Campbell and witîh advice from his former DI, Harry Evans, DC Amir Bhaki fights to discover who assaulted an innocent woman and left her with life-threatening injuries.
Nothing is as it first appears and when the team looks into Julie’s life they uncover a hidden sex-life that may just hold the key to the identity of her attacker. Fancy checking out some more about this book, here are the Blog Blitz details.
I'm finding the one a toughie to review, I feel like I should start with I'm not really sure I liked this book. I bloody loved it!
So why not do what I did. Grab a cuppa, a big bag of Maltesers, a blanket and get comfy. Pick up the book and get lost in those pages. Back in Cumbria with the Major Crimes Team. The team are tasked to find out who stabbed Julie Simmons. After she is found on her Kitchen floor, with serious injuries. DC Amir Bhaki while working the case, enlists the help of former boss, Harry Evans. Evans just can't help himself, but if helping Amir takes Harry's mind off his own situation then that's good for Harry. Helping Amir soon gets them looking on the right track. Not all is as it seems, and as this is a tough case it's going to need the whole team pulling together. As this is a short story I really don't want to go into too much of the book, I would hate to spoil it to much for anyone. It seems like forever since I read one of the Major Crimes Team books, Since the last one, I have read 3 of Grahams other books from his Boulder series. Oh my days, you need to also read those. As always with his books, even this short story at just less than 100 pages, Graham Smith manages to pack everything into it. Everything you want from a damn good read, is here in this book. What more needs saying? Just treat yourself and buy it. ( you might as well buy all Grahams other books, because trust me, you'll want to read them ALL.
About Graham Smith
Graham Smith is a time served joiner who has built bridges, houses, dug drains and slated roofs to make ends meet. Since Christmas 2000, he has been manager of a busy hotel and wedding venue near Gretna Green, Scotland. He is an internationally best-selling Kindle author and has four books featuring DI Harry Evans and the Cumbrian Major Crimes Team, and three novels, featuring Utah doorman, Jake Boulder. An avid fan of crime fiction since being given one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books at the age of eight, he has also been a regular reviewer and interviewer for the well-respected website Crimesquad.com since 2009 Graham is the founder of Crime and Publishment, a weekend of crime-writing classes which includes the chance for attendees to pitch their novels to agents and publishers. Since the first weekend in 2013, eight attendees have gone on to sign publishing contracts. Graham can be found at Facebook https://www.facebook.com/grahamnsmithauthor Twitterhttps://twitter.com/GrahamSmith1972 Websitewww.grahamsmithauthor.com #NoSafePlace #Netgalley
There's nothing more dangerous than a familiar face...
As funeral mourners stand in silence at Ragmullin cemetery, a deafening cry cuts through the air. Lying crumpled at the bottom of an open grave is the bloodied body of a young woman, and Detective Lottie Parker is called in to investigate. Knowing the body can’t have been there long, Lottie wonders if it could be Elizabeth Bryne, a young woman who vanished without trace just days earlier. And with a new boss who seems to have it in for her, Lottie is under pressure to solve both cases quickly. As two more women go missing from Ragmullin, Lottie and her team fear there is a serial killer on the loose. And the disappearances are strikingly similar to a cold case from ten years earlier. Could history be repeating itself? As journalists begin to interfere with Lottie’s investigation, she fears the killer is about to strike again. Lottie is in a race against time to find the missing women, but the killer is closer than she thinks. Could Lottie be his next target? If you love Angela Marsons, Robert Bryndza and Rachel Abbott, you’ll love the latest pulse-pounding thriller from Patricia Gibney. No Safe Place will keep you guessing until the very last page.
Detective Lottie Parker Book 4
Well, well, I can't believe it's book 4 all ready. It's great to be back with the dysfunctional Lottie Parker.
Her home life is chaos, her whole life is chaos. What a brilliant character she is. Ragmullin is the setting, and a young woman has gone missing. Then a body is found in the cemetery, as a funeral about to take place. We then have another girl go missing, it's a race against the clock for Lottie and her team to get to grips with what the hell is going on. Alongside this we have Lottie's private life, to put it mildly it's a bit crazy. I feel this is what helps the character of Lottie stay real. I love the relationship she has with her partner Boyd, the banter between them and honesty with each other is great. Everyone needs someone that they can trust to work with. I really do love this series of books, each one seems to get better with a bigger story. A totally gripping and unputdownable read. Keeps you wanting more right up to the end. Patricia Gibney certainly knows how to write a page turner. Personally I would say read the other books first, but I also think this would be fine as a standalone. About The Author
Patricia lives in the midlands of Ireland. She is an avid crime reader so naturally she found herself writing in the crime genre.
A life changing experience in 2009, with the death of her 49 year old husband, meant she had to give up her career, and over the following few years, she rekindled her love of art and writing. Initially Patricia wrote and illustrated a children’s book, but her real ambition was to write a novel. And she did! In January 2016, she joined with Ger Nichol of The Book Bureau Literary Agency. In July 2016, Patricia signed with Bookouture for four DI Lottie Parker crime novels. The Missing Ones (Book 1) published in March 2017 and to date has reached a high of number 2 in Amazon UK Kindle charts and number 6 in the US. It also achieved number 1 in all its categories. It is a bestseller in UK, US, Canada and Australia and has sold over 600,000 copies and has now also been published by Hachette Ireland in paperback. Book 2 in the series, The Stolen Girls, published on July 6th, 2017. Book 3, The Lost Child, was published on October 27th, 2017.
When I was pregnant, I imagined our new family life as a romantic film montage… the three of us rolling around on the rug together, laughing, or my husband and me pushing a buggy around the park with my perfect hair flowing in the wind.
Spoiler alert: it is not like this. For a start, we never lie on the rug together because it’s covered in crumbs from the slice of toast I have been trying to eat since breakfast… Jenny has too much on her plate: literally – she’s only expecting one child but she’s eating for at least three. Not to mention trying to juggle her nightmare boss, a know-it-all sister, and an infuriatingly laid-back husband. She used to be known for her ‘Single Girl About Town’ column. But when her boss gives her job to a younger colleague, Jenny panics and proposes she blogs instead about being a clueless new mum. Surely people will find her new friendship group fascinating? (Even if the only thing they seem to have in common is that they all had sex around the same time 9 months ago...) And if her readers aren’t quite hooked yet, maybe Jenny will just have to be more liberal with the truth. After all, none of the other mums will read it… will they?
Oh my Days. I loved this book. Every now and then you see a book and you know you just have to read it. As I mainly read crime, thriller books, every so often I like something like this to break up the blood and gore.
As soon as this was put up on Netgalley I had to request it, within an hour it was on my kindle and I was reading it. The Undercover Mother is certainly in parts a laugh out loud read, it's also a comfort read, sometimes happy, funny and sometimes a little sad, the book has lots of emotion running through it. Expectant mother, Jen is due to start her maternity leave. Working her 'Girl About Town' column has been great, nights out, dancing until the early hours all to write her column and she's devastated when her boss passes the column to a younger colleague. Jen has an idea, and it seems a great idea to her. Why doesn't she blog about being a new mum. Not sure how much content she can get for this, I mean what can she write about a baby sleeping, pooing, eating. Jen joins and antenatal class, she makes a couple of friends with some of the other expectant mothers, and her ideas for her blog start coming to her. She is determined to make this work. Weather she can convince her boss that writing a blog about being a new mother will work is another story. Jen needs to go the extra mile to get content to keep it fresh and new. There are some great laugh out loud moments, some cringeworthy moments. Jen shares it all, no holding back. Antenatal classes should stop giving leaflets, pamphlets, brochures out at classes, and give this book out. Told as it is. I could relate to so much of this from when I was a new mum. How can such a tiny little turd change your life so much. Winging it, thinking everyone else has their sh*t together, and there is only you in the world that isn't managing everything, only you in the world that hasn't got the energy to get out of your pj's because you are sooooooooo tired. Wondering why weeks on, everyone else is wearing great fitted clothing, yet you are still only comfortable in big knicks, and pregnancy pants because you'll never ever get back into your old clothes. Being totally tired and worn out, yet all other mums just don't look anything like you feel, why haven't they got leaky boobs, and baby milk on the shoulder of their top. First Class read, I recommend this book to anyone who wants a fun, yet real read. Friendships, secrets, lies, revelations, laughter, tears, relationships. This book covers it all. I will certainly be looking out for more books from this author in the future. About the author:
About the author:
Emma Robinson thinks of herself as one of the ‘Bridget Jones generation’ – who are now grown up and having children – and writes novels for women who feel the same. She also has a blog, Motherhood for Slackers, which takes a humorous look at parenthood, and includes poems such as ‘Dear Teacher’ about her son starting school which has been shared around the world. Emma is an English teacher and lives in Essex with a patient husband and two children who are an endless source of material. https://www.facebook.com/motherhoodforslackers/ https://twitter.com/emmarobinsonuk
The lifeless body sat, hands bound, silver tape over his mouth. Patches of blood had soaked into the cheap carpet around him. Zac had spent years gaining scientific insight into the mind: human motivation and behaviour. And this scene wasn’t right...
It’s been five years since Detective Zac Boateng’s daughter was murdered and her killer was never found. Now Zac is back working for the Metropolitan Police and is more determined than ever to bring the city’s killers to justice. When a man is found brutally murdered in a rundown south London shop, all fingers point to the highly intelligent and manipulative Darian Wallace. Two years ago, the victim helped send him to prison. And he’s just been released. Still grieving, Zac knows it will take everything he's got to catch this dangerously clever killer. But just as he feels he’s getting closer, he realises all is not quite as it seems and he makes a devastating personal discovery. Zac has a choice to make – risk letting this killer escape or watch his daughter’s murderer get away again… Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.I have to say, this book had me from the opening pages, it kicks off with you holding your breath, by the time i'd finished it, I needed an oxygen tank. OMG AND THIS IS A DEBUT. Wow I can't wait to see what more this author has in store for us. I can see this becoming another of my must read detective series. Eagerly awaiting the next one. I love discovering new authors, and this is certainly one that's been added to my 'must read any future books' list. When pawnbroker Ivor Harris is found dead, having been tortured and killed with a hammer to his head, it's down to Zac and his team to not only figure out the whys of this brutal attack, but it's down to them to solve it. What an interesting character Detective Zac Boateng is, I really think i'm going to enjoy this character and following him on journey. Still struggling to come to terms with the death of his daughter 5 years previously. Zac takes any opportunity to jump back into investigating the case. This is all done without the knowledge of others. His little girl was gunned down on trip to the shop with her daddy, and this is something Zac will never get over. Maybe if he got the answers he needed he could move on from it. But how far would a father go to get answers? I'm not sure where Bookouture keep finding these amazing writers, but i'm so glad they do. |
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May 2023
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