Love Lies Beneath
5.0
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Collateral comes a gripping novel about a woman...
The Burning Wire (Lincoln Rhyme #9)
8.0
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The weapon is invisible and omnipresent. Without it, modern society grinds to a halt. It is the...
Arbor Day Can Be Deadly
8.0
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He came to stay out of trouble. But when a new friendship pulls him deep into danger, can he make it...
Debbiereadsbook (1554 KP) rated Fall to Pieces in Books
Dec 11, 2021
I liked this book, I liked it a lot!
Xavier is sent to assess Alexandra's mental capacity to do her job, following the suicide of her detective husband. But things are not as they seem and Xavier and Alex are soon fighting her department as well as a child killer hellbent on driving Alex mad.
This is a dark book. Suicide, child murder and abuse. How cops deal with stress. And I liked that. I liked that it made me think about those things. I have no triggers though, and some readers might not like it.
Both Alex and Xavier have a say, and they have a lot to say about a lot of things! Both of them are suffering from things that happened but while Alex' is (mostly) clear from the start, it takes time to get the whole picture. Xavier's pain is far deeper and we don't get the whole picture there til much later. I like being made to wait.
The romance between Alex and Xavier takes a back seat to the crime aspect of the book and I loved the twist that took. I did think Alex would push Xavier away more than once and, Lord she tries! But Xavier is strong and even though the reasons he comes into Alex' life are beyond his control, keeping her safe is within his control and he will do that.
I liked this, a lot. It's the first I've read of this author, I would like to read more.
4 stars
*same worded review ill appear elsewhere
ClareR (5996 KP) rated Shrines of Gaiety in Books
Dec 5, 2022
Shrines of Gaiety is set in the 1920’s, post First World War, and encompasses post war life with all of its excesses, poverty, grief and debauchery.
Nellie Coker is a self made woman who owns a series of nightclubs in London. She’s a single mother, and five of her six children help her to run her empire (the sixth is too young). How she came to own these clubs is a mystery. But the chances are that it wasn’t legal money!
Then there are the 14 year old runaways, Freda and Florence, who want to take to the stage to find fame and fortune.
Detective Chief Inspector Frobisher is determined to bring Nellie Coker and her corrupt empire down, as well as the corrupt police officers that support her. He also becomes involved in the search for the two runaways, thanks to Gwendoline Kelling, a librarian who has inherited a considerable amount of money. She’s a friend of one of the runaways sister, and vows to find her.
I won’t just regurgitate the story, that’s no fun, and you need to read this book for yourself! Needless to say, I loved these characters - the whole novel in fact! It’s a gripping, entertaining story, and it was a joy to read.
Very highly recommended.
Oh, and for the book cover fans, it’s a gorgeous one!
Aerobics Can Be Deadly
10.0
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When this odd couple signs up to be extras in a fitness video, it's lights, camera... murder. Sho...
The Last Truehart
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1898, Geelong, Victoria. Stella Truehart is all alone in the world. Her good-for-nothing husband has...
David McK (3623 KP) rated Peace Talks (The Dresden Files, #16) in Books
Mar 23, 2022
Long enough for me to go back and re-read the entire thing from scratch, anyway.
I'd also seen several reviews (on Amazon, mainly) bemoaning the fact that this is more like half a book: first impressions, upon receiving it, where that they were right: this was roughly half the size of that previous novel.
Having said that, there was also an argument to be made that those later novels (from around Changes onward) had themselves become too bloated, unlike the earlier entries in the series when Harry was (mainly) a detective.
Now that I've finished reading this, I can see where some of those reviews were coming from: more than any other I can think of in the series, this definitely sets up the next (Battle Ground, cutting off just as it 'tees up' the conflict to come and how the supernatural community is going to react to it.
After having conspicuously being absent in the previous, this also see's the return of Thomas Raith (and his sister Lara), both of whom play a large role in the proceeding within this, as does Harry's mentor Ebenezer McCoy, with the concept of family coming to the fore.
Did I enjoy it?
Yes.
Do I feel slightly cheated by the fact that it sets up but doesn't resolve the conflict to come, meaning I would have to buy the next book?
Also yes.
(I was going to anyway, having made it - and mainly enjoying them - this far)
Murder on the Steel Pier (A Tess Mancini Time Travel Mystery #1)
Book
Greetings from the Nifty Fifties… The morning after a blowout birthday celebration in Atlantic...
Historical Mystery Time Travel
Merissa (13378 KP) rated Seeing Death (The Augur #1) in Books
Sep 9, 2025
The slow-burning relationship between these two is simply magnificent! They start as strangers, but quickly become more, without anything happening. They tease each other in a way that made me laugh out loud more than once. Not only them, but you also have Warden and Emmett. The relationship between all four of them is perfect, and Talbot is there for a dose of sweetness in case you need it. You also have Agent Bell, who has a dry wit and works well with Gunnar and Bryn.
The story is left wide open, although this instalment comes to a satisfactory conclusion for now. Gunnar and Bryn have now kissed. Warden is subtly staking his claim. And I want more! From all of them! This was a brilliant introduction to their world, and I can't wait to return to it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 9, 2025