The Department of Sensitive Crimes (Detective Varg #1)
6.5
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In the Swedish criminal justice system, certain cases are considered especially strange and...
Twenty Something: The Quarter-Life Crisis Of Jack Lancaster
9.0
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Twenty-five is far too young to be having a mid-life crisis, but Jack Lancaster is going to make a...
Full Bodied Murder
7.0
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As the newest member of the Rose Avenue Wine Club, Halsey wants to expand her palate—not solve...
The Untold Tale
6.0
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Forsyth Turn is not a hero. Lordling of Turn Hall and Lysse Chipping, yes. Spymaster for the king,...
ClareR (5726 KP) rated End of Story in Books
Apr 14, 2023
It’s 2035, fiction has been banned for the last five years, and even owning a work of fiction is a criminal act. Fern Dostoy had won a prestigious book award before the laws came in to force, and now she isn’t allowed to write. She has random home checks by frightening men in suits, is threatened by imprisonment - or worse.
I found this a very disturbing read - I mean, I would be among the first to be booked in to a stay at His Majesty’s Pleasure (aka, prison). And is this so very far from the truth right now?
Some aspects of the pandemic are referred to, especially the isolation that so many people struggled through.
This is a pretty bleak read, but I just loved it. It’s touching, too, and gave me a lot to think about. This isn’t a book to race through (or it at least needs a second read), because it throws up so many questions with regards to fiction, the arts and society in general.
As Fern says: “if you tell a story we’ll enough, it’s true”. I honestly hope not in this case!
Highly recommended - and many thanks to The Pigeonhole and Louise for reading along with us.
Dawn of a Demon (NightFly #1)
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The fight to save my city and everyone in it has only just begun. It's time to sharpen the cat claws...
Urban Fantasy
Miranda Writes by Gail Ward Olmsted
9.0
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A disgraced attorney seeking redemption. A single mother desperate to regain custody of her son. Two...
Contemporary Women's Fiction
Christmas Past
8.0
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Behind every Christmas tradition is a story — usually, a forgotten one. Each year, as we decorate...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2204 KP) rated Mistletoe and Murder in Books
Oct 18, 2023
I find missing person mysteries to be that much more compelling, so I was hooked on this one quickly. I did figure a couple of things out early, but there were still plenty of surprised on the way to the climax. Meanwhile, I loved spending time with the characters old and new. We get some good updates on ongoing storylines, and the ending sets up the next full length book. I am a bit surprised that the wedding came in an ebook only novella, and there isn’t a lot of time for Christmas trappings, but both of these are minor issues. Fans will be happy to get a chance to visit the characters again. While this might not be the best place to start if you are new to the series, I definitely recommend you start the series soon.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Front in Books
Apr 3, 2022
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The Front
By Mandasue Heller
⭐️⭐️⭐️
When old school friends Lee, Mal, Ged and Sam decided to make some easy money, nothing could have prepared them for the catalogue of disasters that was soon to follow. Robbing a supermarket should have been an easy job; nothing could possibly go wrong. But it did. With one of them wounded and a dead body on their hands, could matters get any worse? They should have known that a small supermarket on a Manchester estate wouldn't make that much money; they should have known that the aisles of tinned tomatoes and loss leaders was just a cover up for something a lot more dangerous. But they didn't know. They had no idea that as small fish they had unwittingly plunged into a very big pond and were now swimming with the great whites of the criminal underworld. The shop they robbed, their ticket to an easy life, was merely The Front for something very bid indeed.
This book was so frustrating. I was really enjoying it and the build up towards the end was great but then it ended how it did and I was so disappointed with it. It so could have been a 4 star but that ending just wasn’t what I expected.