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Presumed Puzzled (Puzzle Lady #17)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Roger Martindale is missing, and his wife, Pamela, has received a crossword puzzle. That evening, he returns home only to be hacked to death. Chief Harper thinks that Pamela did it since she was found with the bloody knife in her hand, but the twists for Puzzle Lady Cora Felton are just beginning.

And twists there are. Yes, Cora is right in the thick of things, and as the book progresses she gets even more involved. The characters are a little thin, but they usually are in this series. The real star here is the verbal battles the characters have, which are fun and funny as always. The quick wit and the banter made me laugh several times before we reached the logical conclusions.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/06/book-review-presumed-puzzled-by-parnell.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Pretty Ugly Lies
Pretty Ugly Lies
Pamela Crane | 2018 | Thriller
8
7.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
In “Pretty Ugly Lies” Pamela Crane reveals the lives of four very different women in this dramatic, intimate domestic noir, of which I could not put down, especially upon opening the book to suddenly discover how someone is killing a whole family!

As the story unravelled I found myself really keen to find out who had murdered not just the husband but the kids in such a horrific way! We hear, through the voices of four women, Jo Trubeau, Ellie Harper, Shayla Kensington and June Merrigan, how their seemingly unconnected lives and problems eventually intertwine in this cleverly written tale of domestic bliss gone wrong.

We also hear the evil thoughts of the kidnapper and for me that made this read even more entertaining, sending chills down my spine!

Overall, Pretty Ugly Lies raises some series issues, from kidnapping a child, stalking, and infidelity, to marriage breakdowns, autism, and suicidal thoughts. There’s certainly a huge amount of problems within these girl’s lives and the neighbourhood they live in. I wouldn’t want to live there, however affluent it looked on the outside.

If you love a book full of some pretty ugly lies, then the killer secrets and domestic misery within this dark thriller will have you double checking what’s lurking in the shadows as you read! Not to mention checking where your kids are. A powerful statement of how a twisted, disfigured need for love can evolve into a terrible tragedy with disastrous consequences!

Oh, and as a side-note, I loved how, at the very end of this story, Pamela’s daughter Talia (7) wrote her own version of “The Girl Who Got Kidnapped” and why! It’s such a cute, Grimm Fairy Tale like story, (totally different to the actual book) and pretty well written for such a young age. I can safely put money on Talia definitely following in her mum’s footsteps as a writer herself! I hope I get to see that day!

My thanks to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in any way.