Search

Search only in certain items:

Dark Sky Island (Jennifer Dorey Mystery #2)
Dark Sky Island (Jennifer Dorey Mystery #2)
Lara Dearman | 2018 | Crime
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonists in this novel were Jenny and Michael. Jenny is a journalist who’s curiosity and wish of a great story always leads her to very unpleasant situations. Michael is a DCI, who is leading the murder investigations on Sark, a little island with less than 500 people. I really enjoyed Jenny’s character in this novel, I liked her informal way of gathering the information and her smartness in “connecting the dots”. Michael is smart, but his lack of fitness didn’t allow him to be the DCI I enjoy reading about.

The novel starts quite slow, and it takes a while for both of these characters to gather decent information. I really enjoyed the twists and turns in this novel, it was quite refreshing after the slow beginning. I really liked the way the author described Sark, the streets, the houses, the people, it is visible that she knows a lot about life on an island. I also really liked the horror element and the folk stories used in this book, it was very interesting to read about them, and the unexplained chilling creatures gave this mysterious vibe about the whole island.

The writing style of this book is very pleasant and easy to read, even though the author used quite a few French names in it, which I had no idea how to pronounce. 😀 At times, the novel felt a little like a cosy mystery, but towards the end, this changed drastically. I really liked the surprising and unexpected ending of the book, it rounded this novel extremely well. The chapters were quite long at times, but new findings and plenty of action later on in the book helped, and the pages just flew by.

So, to conclude, even though this is a second book, it can be read as a stand alone easily. The setting and the characters are very well picked for this novel, and the plot thickens as you carry on reading. It is a good book full of small island life, unexpected discoveries, twists, and I really liked it.
  
Where Every Man (Inspector James Given #4)
Where Every Man (Inspector James Given #4)
Charlie Garratt | 2020 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Where Every Man by Charlie Garrett is set in rural France at the beginning of the second World War. James Given has retired from the police force back in England and has moved with his wife Rachel, to work on a farm. He seems happy with the work, and their plan is to move south with the good weather. This looks increasingly less likely as time progresses because of the approach of the German army towards France’s borders. Regardless, James and Rachel love their lives in the small French town, and consider staying anyway. Rachel teaches local students to play the violin, and it’s one of these students who draws James back in to his role as an investigator when the local librarian dies unexpectedly. The local policeman believes its merely a cycling accident, but it increasingly looks like it’s murder. When James looks further in to the accident, it appears there is a German spy in the village. Before he can do anything about it, the spy disappears. Did the spy have anything to do with the death of the librarian?

This mystery played out so well, and I loved the interactions between James and the violin student. She wants to work as a police officer when she leaves school - much to her fathers disapproval. The students role in the story was a really good way of showing how James approached the task of solving a murder.

I have to say, I read a lot of this with a feeling of mild panic, especially when James goes to visit his uncle and his family nearby. It showed the vulnerable position he and his family were in as Jews in France. Even though James and Rachel have forged passports that showed that they were Christians, there was still that worry for them and their family - and the spectre of the Nazis is hanging over this whole story.

I always enjoy these James Given books, and I’m intrigued to see what comes for him next as war approaches.

Many thanks to Sapere Books for a copy of this book to read and honestly review - I really enjoy this series (I bought books 2 and 3 myself, if that’s anything to go by!)
  
    The Paranormal Society™

    The Paranormal Society™

    Games and Entertainment

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    From the company that brought you Hidden City® comes the first-ever free-to-play hidden object...

    alQibla

    alQibla

    Utilities and Travel

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    *Supports local notifications for Adhan alerts on iOS 7+ for iPhone/iPod/iPad* *Please purchase the...

    Bodyfat Calculator 2

    Bodyfat Calculator 2

    Health & Fitness and Sports

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    If you want to lose weight or are trying to build muscle then you need an accurate and simple way to...

    Type Nine - T9 Keyboard

    Type Nine - T9 Keyboard

    Utilities and Productivity

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Automatic language detection: Type Nine suggests words from multiple languages at the same time. No...