Friday, December 30, 2016

My Book Of The Year

To close the door on a year of reading here is my Book of the year. It wasnt an easy decision because there have been more than one outstanding books this year but my book of the year for 2016 is ........
See How They Run by Tom Bale

Kindle Edition

Cost: NetGalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Published: 06/05/16

Amazon uk link: Here

Goodreads Link: Here


Original Review Here
I first read this book 9 Months ago and I think its testament to how good the book is that even after 9 Months I can recall every detail of the book as clearly as when I read it. The story has everything a Thriller should, great action, great characters and a fast paced page turner of a plot. Its on Kindle for a ridiculously low £1.99. Buy it, you wont regret it.

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Books By Numbers

I have enjoyed so many Books this year and loving spreadsheets as I do, I have kept a rather nerdy one with all the data from the books I have read and below is a sample of the results from my year of reading.

Average Pages per Book - 363

Books with Girl or Girls in Title - 6

Books beginning with The - 20

Publisher Most Read - Bookouture - 19

Publisher with most 5* - Bookouture - 11

Author most read - Angela Marsons - 4 (Which surprised me)

Male Authors read - 29
Female Authors read - 38

Male Authors 5* - 17
Female Authors 5* -15

5* reviews - 32 - 48%
4* reviews - 16 - 24%
3* reviews - 15 - 22%
2* reviews - 2 - 4%
1* reviews - 1 - 1%

Who says spreadsheets are boring!!

The Twelve Books Of Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my readers and thank you for taking the time to read my posts this year. Below are my twelve favorite books that I have had the pleasure to read this year, I had hoped to read a few more but what with real life getting in the way its not going to be possible.

January
Dead Lucky by Matt Brolly



My Review

Febuary

The Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza



My Review

March
See How They Run by Tom Bale



My Review

April
Song Of The Dead - Douglas Lindsay



My Review

May
Death Do Us Part - Steven Dunne



My Review

June
The Night Stalker - Robert Bryndza



My Review

July
The Stepmother - Claire Seeber



My Review

August
All Fall Down - Tom Bale



My Review

September
The Two Oclock Boy - Mark Hill



My Review

October
Ragdoll - Daniel Cole



My Review

November
Local Girl Missing - Claire Douglas



My Review

December
Losing Juliet - June Taylor



My Review

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Zero - Matt Brolly



Kindle Edition
Publisher: Little, Brown
Published: 20/04/17
Pages: 432
Amazon Uk Link: Here
GoodReads Link: Here
Given for an honest review via Netgalley

Zero - Matt Brolly

No crime will go unpunished

It is the near future. A zero tolerance policy results in the death penalty for all crimes, no matter how minor.

When a judge is kidnapped, and a ransom note demands the release of all prisoners awaiting execution,kleptomaniac Detective Inspector Kate Swanson is put on the case.

But soon her boss also disappears. Under increasing pressure from her superiors, and caught between the security services and the growing social unrest, Swanson must race to find a man whose murdered wife and daughter link the missing men.

Can she find him before it’s too late?

Set in a Zero tolerance to crime society in a Sci-fi/Dystopian world, sometime in the near future,Probally a few years after Brexit the story revolves around the kidnapping of a Judge and DI Kate Swansons attempts to find him.

I didnt enjoy the book, I felt it to lack a spark that would keep me wanting to read. It became a bit of a chore. I love Matt Brollys DCI Lambert series so I was a bit disapointed that I couldnt really get into this. I liked the concept, which is why I wanted to read it but I never got to grips with the characters at all.

It will appeal to readers who enjoyed BladeRunner and the like but it just didnt do it for me.

Zero - Matt Brolly



Kindle Edition

Publisher: Canelo

Published: 21/11/16

Pages: 290

Amazon Uk Link: Here

GoodReads Link: Here

Book given in exchange for an
honest review via Netgalley.



The Blurb

No crime will go unpunished

It is the near future. A zero tolerance policy results in the death penalty for all crimes, no matter how minor.

When a judge is kidnapped, and a ransom note demands the release of all prisoners awaiting execution, kleptomaniac Detective Inspector Kate Swanson is put on the case.

But soon her boss also disappears. Under increasing pressure from her superiors, and caught between the security services and the growing social unrest, Swanson must race to find a man whose murdered wife and daughter link the missing men.

Can she find him before it’s too late?

My Thoughts


Set in a Zero tolerance to crime society in a Sci-fi/Dystopian world, sometime in the near future, Probally a few years after Brexit the story revolves around the kidnapping of a Judge and DI Kate Swansons attempts to find him.

I didnt enjoy the book, I felt it to lack a spark that would keep me wanting to read. It became a bit of a chore. I love Matt Brollys DCI Lambert series so I was a bit disapointed that I couldnt really get into this. I liked the concept, which is why I wanted to read it but I never got to grips with the characters at all.

It will appeal to readers who enjoyed BladeRunner and the like but it just didnt do it for me.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Losing Juliet - June Taylor



Kindle Edition

Publisher: Killer Reads

Published: 25/11/16

Pages: 343

Amazon Uk Link: Here

GoodReads Link: Here

Book given in exchange for an
honest review via Netgalley.



The Blurb

You can’t escape the past…

Juliet and Chrissy were best friends until one fateful summer forced them apart. Now, nearly twenty years later, Juliet wants to be back in Chrissy’s life.

But Chrissy doesn’t want Juliet anywhere near her, or her teenage daughter Eloise. After all, Juliet is the only person who knows what happened that night – and her return threatens to destroy the life that Chrissy has so carefully built.

Because when the past is reawakened, it can prove difficult to bury. And soon all three of them will realize how dangerous it can get once the truth is out there…

My Thoughts


I found losing Juliet quite by accident. Whilst browsing twitter I happened upon a tweet from whom I dont remember. The tweet told me to forget my TBR pile and put Losinh Juliwet to the top. As I believe everything I read on twitter I had no choice. I had to do as I was being told by a faceless 140 character paragraph on the internet.

The book is told in alternating chapters through the eyes of Chrissy, who is reluctantly explaining to her daughter Eloise why she no longer speaks to her one time best friend Juliet. This comes about after Juliet, who is now a worldwide fashion designer, finds Chrissy and wants to rekindle their friendship. So we are taken back to France 1989 with the two of them working their way their summer break.

The second part of the book takes part in Italy where Chrissy, Juliet and Eloise are staying at a luxury getaway. This is where plans come to a head. Truth and lies are exposed until a quite fantastic last 20%, which left me on a few occasions breathless, quite literally.I hold my breath when im reading tense parts of a story. There are a few twists and I just didn't see the first one. It was marvelous. The kind that made me turn off my kindle to take it all in. My only tiny criticism of the book is the start of the second part felt like a tourist guide to Italy but that's me being extra picky. I loved this book and felt so so sorry for Chrissy. I have read some fantastic books this year and without doubt losing Juliet is in my top 10. Loved it.

Losing Juliet - June Taylor



Kindle Edition

Publisher: Killer Reads

Published: 25/11/16

Pages: 343

Amazon Uk Link: Here

GoodReads Link: Here

Book given in exchange for an
honest review via Netgalley.



The Blurb

You can’t escape the past…

Juliet and Chrissy were best friends until one fateful summer forced them apart. Now, nearly twenty years later, Juliet wants to be back in Chrissy’s life.

But Chrissy doesn’t want Juliet anywhere near her, or her teenage daughter Eloise. After all, Juliet is the only person who knows what happened that night – and her return threatens to destroy the life that Chrissy has so carefully built.

Because when the past is reawakened, it can prove difficult to bury. And soon all three of them will realize how dangerous it can get once the truth is out there…

My Thoughts


I found losing Juliet quite by accident. Whilst browsing twitter I happened upon a tweet from whom I dont remember. The tweet told me to forget my TBR pile and put Losing Juliet to the top. As I believe everything I read on twitter I had no choice. I had to do as I was being told by a faceless 140 character paragraph on the internet.

The book is told in alternating chapters through the eyes of Chrissy, who is reluctantly explaining to her daughter Eloise why she no longer speaks to her one time best friend Juliet. This comes about after Juliet, who is now a worldwide fashion designer, finds Chrissy and wants to rekindle their friendship. So we are taken back to France 1989 with the two of them working their way their summer break.

The second part of the book takes part in Italy where Chrissy, Juliet and Eloise are staying at a luxury getaway. This is where plans come to a head. Truth and lies are exposed until a quite fantastic last 20%, which left me on a few occasions breathless, quite literally.I hold my breath when im reading tense parts of a story. There are a few twists and I just didn't see the first one. It was marvelous. The kind that made me turn off my kindle to take it all in. My only tiny criticism of the book is the start of the second part felt like a tourist guide to Italy but that's me being extra picky. I loved this book and felt so so sorry for Chrissy. I have read some fantastic books this year and without doubt losing Juliet is in my top 10. Loved it.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Dark Water - Robert Bryndza



Kindle Edition

Publisher: Bookouture

Published: 20/10/16

Pages: 368

Amazon Uk Link: Here

GoodReads Link: Here

Book given in exchange for an
honest review via Netgalley.



The Blurb

Beneath the water the body sank rapidly. Above her on dry land, the nightmare was just beginning.

When Detective Erika Foster receives a tip-off that key evidence for a major narcotics case was stashed in a disused quarry on the outskirts of London, she orders for it to be searched. From the thick sludge the drugs are recovered, but so is the skeleton of a young child.

The remains are quickly identified as seven-year-old Jessica Collins. The missing girl who made headline news twenty-six years ago.

As Erika tries to piece together new evidence with the old, she must dig deeper and find out more about the fractured Collins family and the original detective, Amanda Baker. A woman plagued by her failure to find Jessica. Erika soon realises this is going to be one of the most complex and demanding cases she has ever taken on.

Is the suspect someone close to home? Someone is keeping secrets. Someone who doesn’t want this case solved. And they’ll do anything to stop Erika from finding the truth.

My Thoughts


Without sounding like a gushing fanboy I believe that Robet Bryndza will become one of the big "names" in the Crime / Thriller genre. The writing in the previous 2 Erika books has been fast paced with fluid story lines that are easy to follow, unpretentious and realistic, and with each book it gets better and better. This book is no exception.

I was afraid that like some of his peers who have found a formula that works, he would fall into the same trap of rehashing and repeating story lines from past books to cover for poor story lines. Needn't have worried because with this story we see a different side to Erika. A softer more human side to her. Personally I would have left the sex out of the book, didnt think the story needed it, but that is just a personal thing.

The case is different as well. This time it is a 25yr old cold case that Erika stumbles upon after searching a quarry for drugs in a case she was working on. There are new characters and a few old ones from the previous books. The ending is a good one and left me slightly upset for the perpetrators.

In the future I would love to see a longer, grittier story with Erika.

A great read which I highly recommend.

Dark Water - Robert Bryndza



Kindle Edition

Publisher: Bookouture

Published: 20/10/16

Pages: 368

Amazon Uk Link: Here

GoodReads Link: Here

Book given in exchange for an
honest review via Netgalley.



The Blurb

Beneath the water the body sank rapidly. Above her on dry land, the nightmare was just beginning.

When Detective Erika Foster receives a tip-off that key evidence for a major narcotics case was stashed in a disused quarry on the outskirts of London, she orders for it to be searched. From the thick sludge the drugs are recovered, but so is the skeleton of a young child.

The remains are quickly identified as seven-year-old Jessica Collins. The missing girl who made headline news twenty-six years ago.

As Erika tries to piece together new evidence with the old, she must dig deeper and find out more about the fractured Collins family and the original detective, Amanda Baker. A woman plagued by her failure to find Jessica. Erika soon realises this is going to be one of the most complex and demanding cases she has ever taken on.

Is the suspect someone close to home? Someone is keeping secrets. Someone who doesn’t want this case solved. And they’ll do anything to stop Erika from finding the truth.

My Thoughts


Without sounding like a gushing fanboy I believe that Robet Bryndza will become one of the big "names" in the Crime / Thriller genre. The writing in the previous 2 Erika books has been fast paced with fluid story lines that are easy to follow, unpretentious and realistic, and with each book it gets better and better. This book is no exception.

I was afraid that like some of his peers who have found a formula that works, he would fall into the same trap of rehashing and repeating story lines from past books to cover for poor story lines. Needn't have worried because with this story we see a different side to Erika. A softer more human side to her. Personally I would have left the sex out of the book, didnt think the story needed it, but that is just a personal thing.

The case is different as well. This time it is a 25yr old cold case that Erika stumbles upon after searching a quarry for drugs in a case she was working on. There are new characters and a few old ones from the previous books. The ending is a good one and left me slightly upset for the perpetrators.

In the future I would love to see a longer, grittier story with Erika.

A great read which I highly recommend.