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The Yard: Book 1
8.0
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A gripping debut from Alex Grecian, The Yard evokes London in the wake of Jack the Ripper. Victorian...
Lord of the Flies: With an Introduction by Stephen King
Stephen King and William Golding
8.0
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Since it was first published in 1954, William Golding's classic debut novel has remained a stark...
Elizabeth is Missing
8.1
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Sunday Times Top Five Bestseller Elizabeth is Missing is the stunning, smash-hit debut novel from...
Anuvahood (2011)
8.0
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The story follows Kenneth (Adam Deacon) who likes to call himself "K". He has an ambition of...
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Secrets of a Serial Killer in Books
Jul 5, 2020
This is the chilling, creepy and unnerving story of a serial killer, his victim, her mother and 2 young children out for a bit of an adventure amongst the ruins of an old mental hospital in the north west UK city of Lancaster.
Told from multiple points of view, this is a pretty fast moving book, once the usual introductions to the various characters has been completed, and what a great cast of characters the author has created here. The author is also clearly adept at describing the eerie setting and at creating atmosphere ... I was transported to the old hospital, the derelict caravan and the woods surrounding them. The tension and fear in each of the characters is really well told and builds and builds throughout until the gripping and nail-biting conclusion.
Although I enjoyed this book, I do have a few issues that prevent this from being a 5 star read - there was next to nothing regarding the Police input or investigation and they came across as being inept and pretty useless, particularly at the end but I won't go into it here as it would be a spoiler but you will see what I mean when you read it. Also, the blog posts inserted at various points didn't really do anything for me or add to the story that much and I wonder if they were put there as a red-herring?
Despite the niggling issues, this is a creditable and decent debut and even though there are a few unanswered questions, in addition to the cliff-hanger, they are either left to the imagination of the reader or are going to be resolved in another instalment? If so, I would definitely read it.
My thanks go to HarperCollinsUK and One More Chapter via NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.
Told from multiple points of view, this is a pretty fast moving book, once the usual introductions to the various characters has been completed, and what a great cast of characters the author has created here. The author is also clearly adept at describing the eerie setting and at creating atmosphere ... I was transported to the old hospital, the derelict caravan and the woods surrounding them. The tension and fear in each of the characters is really well told and builds and builds throughout until the gripping and nail-biting conclusion.
Although I enjoyed this book, I do have a few issues that prevent this from being a 5 star read - there was next to nothing regarding the Police input or investigation and they came across as being inept and pretty useless, particularly at the end but I won't go into it here as it would be a spoiler but you will see what I mean when you read it. Also, the blog posts inserted at various points didn't really do anything for me or add to the story that much and I wonder if they were put there as a red-herring?
Despite the niggling issues, this is a creditable and decent debut and even though there are a few unanswered questions, in addition to the cliff-hanger, they are either left to the imagination of the reader or are going to be resolved in another instalment? If so, I would definitely read it.
My thanks go to HarperCollinsUK and One More Chapter via NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2204 KP) rated Bones to Pick in Books
Apr 18, 2021 (Updated Apr 18, 2021)
I’m Glad I Picked This Debut
Vegan chef Brie Hooker hadn’t planned to start working on her aunt Eva’s goat farm and dairy, but when Eva needs help, Brie is happy to step in. That’s before a pot-bellied pig turns up bones – human bones. The skeleton turns out to be Eva’s husband, who disappeared four decades ago. There was no love lost between Eva and her husband, but Eva didn’t kill him. However, he has too many relatives in the area who are willing to blame Eva, so Brie starts investigating, hoping to clear her aunt. When another dead body turns up, Brie finds herself in trouble with the law as well. Are the two dead bodies related? Can she figure out what happened?
The characters drew me into this book right away; they are fully developed and fun. Their teasing and Brie’s creative meat and cheese curses added a level of humor that I enjoyed. The book was hard to put down with plenty of events to keep me engaged. Unfortunately, I did feel that the events took the place of the investigation moving forward, which frustrated me. However, the climax resolved things and upped the stakes in a major way. This book is a bit edgy for my normal reads, on the border between PG and PG-13, thanks in part of the teasing Brie gets about her love life. Yes, this book does introduce a love triangle. While I am getting tired of them, I do like both of the guys here, so I hope it doesn’t get dragged out for very long. Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you enjoy humor in your mysteries, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
The characters drew me into this book right away; they are fully developed and fun. Their teasing and Brie’s creative meat and cheese curses added a level of humor that I enjoyed. The book was hard to put down with plenty of events to keep me engaged. Unfortunately, I did feel that the events took the place of the investigation moving forward, which frustrated me. However, the climax resolved things and upped the stakes in a major way. This book is a bit edgy for my normal reads, on the border between PG and PG-13, thanks in part of the teasing Brie gets about her love life. Yes, this book does introduce a love triangle. While I am getting tired of them, I do like both of the guys here, so I hope it doesn’t get dragged out for very long. Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you enjoy humor in your mysteries, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2204 KP) rated The Thursday Murder Club in Books
Feb 10, 2021
Enjoyable but Flawed Debut
Welcome to Coopers Chase Retirement Village. It’s a community for active seniors in England. There are all kinds of activities happening on a regular basis, but the most unusual, and smallest, is a group of four friends who meet every Thursday to discuss cold criminal cases. Then one day, the murder of a developer takes place near the community. Naturally, these four friends jump at the chance to figure out what is really going on. Will they be able to solve the case?
I kept hearing about this book, so I had to give it a try. The premise is certainly right up my alley, and there was much I enjoyed about it. The characters are charming, and there were plenty of twists to the mystery. In fact, I feel like we could have done without a twist or two. Yes, everything makes sense at the end, but there are so many twists at the end, it is a little overwhelming. The book is funny, although at times it feels like it is trying too hard to be charming and funny. The police let the lead characters get away with a little too much, although I usually ignore that in the books I read, so this is worth noting in passing. I did struggle a bit with the justice done at the end of this book. The story is told in present tense from multiple points of view, but we always follow which character is our focus. This is one of those books with some obvious flaws, but I still enjoyed it overall. If you are interested in it, I definitely recommend you pick it up. I’ll be visiting the characters again for the sequel.
I kept hearing about this book, so I had to give it a try. The premise is certainly right up my alley, and there was much I enjoyed about it. The characters are charming, and there were plenty of twists to the mystery. In fact, I feel like we could have done without a twist or two. Yes, everything makes sense at the end, but there are so many twists at the end, it is a little overwhelming. The book is funny, although at times it feels like it is trying too hard to be charming and funny. The police let the lead characters get away with a little too much, although I usually ignore that in the books I read, so this is worth noting in passing. I did struggle a bit with the justice done at the end of this book. The story is told in present tense from multiple points of view, but we always follow which character is our focus. This is one of those books with some obvious flaws, but I still enjoyed it overall. If you are interested in it, I definitely recommend you pick it up. I’ll be visiting the characters again for the sequel.
ClareR (5726 KP) rated The Sanatorium in Books
Feb 14, 2021
The Sanatorium is a chilling, atmospheric thriller, set in the Swiss Alps. Elin has been invited to her brothers engagement party in a 5* mountain retreat - a hotel in a converted sanatorium. Understandably (I think), I was creeped out by this whole scenario, and the opening chapter didn’t do much to put me at my ease - but it’s OK, I like being scared witless by a book! Frankly, if a book sells itself as being unnerving or potentially scary, and you can still go up to bed with the landing light off, then it won’t have fulfilled the brief. I sent my husband upstairs first to switch the lights on whilst I was reading this...
Elin is a troubled character, and clearly needs some help with past trauma. This makes her a nervy person who doesn’t have any self-confidence. She shuts her boyfriend out - and can I just say here that he seemed to be an incredibly patient person? I liked his character a lot. Most of the other characters are pretty unpleasant people if I’m honest, and I think any of them could have been the murderer. Some of the people reading along with me on the Pigeonhole worked out who the murderer was, but as usual, I merrily read on without a clue (this is OK by me - I’m in it for the ride and don’t feel the need to try and work it out).
I can’t quite believe that this is a debut, and I really enjoyed it. I would most definitely recommend it!
Many thanks to the Pigeonhole for serialising this. It was a great experience, as always, made all the better by sharing my thoughts with my fellow Pigeonholers! Oh, and thanks again for helping me read another book off my NetGalley list!
Elin is a troubled character, and clearly needs some help with past trauma. This makes her a nervy person who doesn’t have any self-confidence. She shuts her boyfriend out - and can I just say here that he seemed to be an incredibly patient person? I liked his character a lot. Most of the other characters are pretty unpleasant people if I’m honest, and I think any of them could have been the murderer. Some of the people reading along with me on the Pigeonhole worked out who the murderer was, but as usual, I merrily read on without a clue (this is OK by me - I’m in it for the ride and don’t feel the need to try and work it out).
I can’t quite believe that this is a debut, and I really enjoyed it. I would most definitely recommend it!
Many thanks to the Pigeonhole for serialising this. It was a great experience, as always, made all the better by sharing my thoughts with my fellow Pigeonholers! Oh, and thanks again for helping me read another book off my NetGalley list!
Tim Booth recommended Micah P. Hinson & the Gospel of Progress by Gospel of Progress / Micah P Hinson in Music (curated)
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2204 KP) rated Murder Goes to Market in Books
Oct 16, 2020
To Market, to Market, to Find…A Corpse?
Claudia Simcoe has started her life again in the California coastal town of San Elmo Bay by opening a market where locals can sell their locally produced wares. Most of the offerings are food related, but she has learned that the bags and other items Lori Roth sells are just things she has bought over the internet. The morning after Claudia confronts Lori about this, she finds Lori’s dead body in the middle of the market. The police think Claudia is a great suspect, and they are keeping the market closed until they solve the case. With a double motive to learn the truth, Claudia begins her investigation. Can she figure out what really happened?
It took a bit of work to get into the book. The early chapters, while advancing the story, still fall a bit too much into exposition for me, and the third person narration kept me a little at bay. However, by the time I hit page 50, I was fully hooked. The mystery is complex with lots of puzzling things for Claudia to figure out, yet it all makes sense at the end. Claudia is a strong main character, and I enjoyed getting to know her. The rest of the cast still has some room to grow, but I did like what I saw here. Claudia can be sarcastic, and I loved that. Additionally, some lines in the narration made me laugh. I grew up in Sonoma County, the location of the fictional San Elmo Bay, and I really enjoyed spending time in a location I know in real life. This debut grew into a book I really enjoyed, and I can’t wait to visit the characters and location again.
It took a bit of work to get into the book. The early chapters, while advancing the story, still fall a bit too much into exposition for me, and the third person narration kept me a little at bay. However, by the time I hit page 50, I was fully hooked. The mystery is complex with lots of puzzling things for Claudia to figure out, yet it all makes sense at the end. Claudia is a strong main character, and I enjoyed getting to know her. The rest of the cast still has some room to grow, but I did like what I saw here. Claudia can be sarcastic, and I loved that. Additionally, some lines in the narration made me laugh. I grew up in Sonoma County, the location of the fictional San Elmo Bay, and I really enjoyed spending time in a location I know in real life. This debut grew into a book I really enjoyed, and I can’t wait to visit the characters and location again.