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ClareR (5726 KP) rated The Misadventures of Margaret Finch in Books

May 20, 2023  
The Misadventures of Margaret Finch
The Misadventures of Margaret Finch
Claire McGlasson | 2023 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Don’t let this book fool you like it did me. When I read the title and saw the cover, I was expecting something entirely different to what I got - and I wasn’t disappointed at all!

Margaret has escaped her controlling stepmother by working for the Mass Observation project in Blackpool. She becomes involved with the Vicar of Stiffkey (he was a big deal in the late 1930s - and no! She wasn’t involved like that!), and starts to observe him and his sideshows as part of her work.

Margaret is very good at what she does. She’s an expert at staying on the periphery, invisible, but I don’t think this does her any good in the long run. She starts to feel lonely and separate from everyone else, and she doesn’t know how to deal with it.

I though Margaret was fascinating, and her boss James, was lovely. The vicar was only interested in his own life and problems, which isn’t really something I’d expect from a vicar.

Oh, and my advice for reading this: DON’T GOOGLE ANYTHING! Really, you’ll spoil it for yourself.

It’s a fabulous book - you really should read it! Thanks to The Pigeonhole and to Claire for reading along with us.
  
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KarenRC (6 KP) rated Faceless (DI Rosalind Kray, #1) in Books

Jul 23, 2018  
Faceless (DI Rosalind Kray, #1)
Faceless (DI Rosalind Kray, #1)
Rob Ashman | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the first on a new series from Rob about DI Roz Kray. She has just returned to work after horrific attack that left her physically and mentally scarred and her husband dead, so she is desperate to prove that she is ready to get stuck back in. The first case she is called to is at a flat where other residents have complained of a smell. What she finds is the decomposed body of a young woman who has been killed in a horrific way that leaves them all confused and starts the ball rolling on an investigation that will challenge Roz more than she could have imagined.

Elsewhere the killer is plotting their next move and we are given an insight into their twisted thoughts and the meticulous planning behind the killings. They are not random and the killer has a very clear and well rehearsed system which Roz and her team are going to have to work to try and figure out.

The switching narratives between Kray and the killer is done very well and keeps the story moving along at a lightning fast speed.

I loved the setting in Blackpool, a place not far from me, but was surprised to find part of it set in the Trafford Centre, which is literally up the road from me! Always seems to make stories feel more 'real' to me if I know the setting well!

This was my first book by Rob and it won't be my last. I loved the writing, how the story was paced and am looking forward to hearing more from Roz very soon!
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Insylum in Books

Feb 4, 2018  
Insylum
Insylum
Z. Rider | 2015 | Horror
7
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Not to be taken at face value
This is one of those books that if you read it and then let it digest for a while, it becomes much more than it originally appears. Unfortunately, as this is quite a short story, I can’t go into much detail without giving the game away but I would suggest that if you want to get the most out of it, you don’t take it at face value.

The premise of the story is simple, two friends (Nate and AJ) spend their last night together in a “funhouse” before AJ gets shipped off to Afghanistan. The “funhouse” is not what you would find at Blackpool Pleasure Beach; there is no fun involved. From the entrance, Nate and AJ need to discard all their possessions in exchange for a pair of pyjamas and paper shoes and once inside, they are not allowed to go back - they become inmates/patients.

It doesn’t take long for the shenanigans to begin and we are “treated” to some pretty graphic descriptions of what befalls the participants. I’m quite a hardened horror reader but even some of the “treatments” made me squirm. There were a couple of “tutting” moments though as is usual with horror books (and films) whereby the characters do things that you really wouldn't do in real life but, on the whole, it’s pretty good.

I’m not sure that I can say that the main characters of Nate and AJ are particularly likeable as I didn’t feel myself warming to them at all or particularly caring about what happened to them but they are believable and well developed for such a short story.

I have read another book by Z Rider - Suckers: A Horror Novel - which was thoroughly engrossing and, like this book, has more to it than first meets the eye and I would recommend them both to anyone who enjoys this genre.

Thank you to the publisher, Dark Ride Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in return for an honest review.