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Long Bright River
Long Bright River
Liz Moore | 2020 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
8
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Tale of Two Sisters
An engaging story of two sisters whose lives take very different paths. I loved the writing in this book and felt I was drawn into seeing the run-down Philadelphia neighborhood this book is set in.

Less a thriller and more a very character-driven tale of Michaela (Mickey,) a cop and her complicated relationship to her drug-addicted sister. When women start turning up dead on Mickey’s patch her concern for her sister intensifies. The book switches between the present day with Mickey’s search for a killer and her sister in a neighborhood suspicious of police and the tale of their growing-up in less than ideal circumstances.

Part police procedural/mystery/thriller I wouldn’t pick this book up if that’s what you are really craving as this isn’t done in a particularly satisfying way with what felt like a slightly rushed resolution after a slow-burn start to this aspect. I would, however, recommend picking it up if you fancy a gritty emotional look into the world of a neighborhood ravaged by drugs and the strong family ties that persevere.

Many thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
  
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ClareR (5572 KP) rated Close to Home in Books

Jan 7, 2020  
Close to Home
Close to Home
Cara Hunter | 2017 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
9
7.6 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
I didn’t want to put this down!
Eighteen months ago, I wouldn’t have picked up this book. I thought I didn’t like police procedural, crime or thriller novels. However, The Pigeonhole has opened up a whole new genre to me, and I’m so glad - I wouldn’t have read this book for a start!

I think Adam Fawley is going to be a detective that I will enjoy reading about. This isn’t a pleasant subject: an eight year old child, Daisy Mason, goes missing, and rather than doing everything they can to help find her, her parents are positively obstructive. Her younger brother is withdrawn - in fact it really doesn’t look good for the parents.

The police team are all great characters to read about, and DI Fawley is very human. We learn about his tragic background, and the reason why he works so hard to find Daisy.

I just really liked everything about this - the storyline isn’t needlessly gruesome, the characters are really well described and the ending was so good (oh, it had me rubbing my hands together!). To be honest, I’ve already bought the next two books in the series!

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and Cara Hunter for reading along.
  
Blood Runs Cold (DS Max Craigie #4)
Blood Runs Cold (DS Max Craigie #4)
Neil Lancaster | 2023 | Crime, Thriller
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wow ... just wow!!!

Once again, Mr Lancaster has written an absolute cracker in this brilliant series and whilst this is the fourth, it is quite successful as a standalone however, I would highly recommend you go back and read the other three because it will help with getting to know the main characters but also because they are just really good books!

DS Max Craigie and his team are strong characters that work well as a small but formidable team rooting out corruption within Police Scotland; Mr Lancaster has written them so well that I have found myself becoming really attached to them. Their relationship and dialogue feels authentic and I found myself tittering away to myself at times which helped to lighten what is, essentially, a very dark story.

This is a dark, gritty and fast paced police procedural that I was totally and completely absorbed by from the very start. The plot is scarily plausible and realistic with some excellent twists and turns which adds to the intensity.

Highly recommended and I urge everyone to read this excellent series; I can't wait for the next instalment and I must thank HQ, an imprint of HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of the brilliant Blood Runs Cold.
  
Cruel Acts (Maeve Kerrigan #8)
Cruel Acts (Maeve Kerrigan #8)
Jane Casey | 2019 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
9
9.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Once again, I find myself enthusing about one of Jane Casey's books starring the unparalleled partnership of Detectives Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent. This might be the 8th outing in this series, but it doesn't show and remains fresh and a riveting read from start to finish. I won't go into any of the plot as the blurb explains it well enough and to say more would give the game away but what I will advise is that you be prepared for twists and turns, tension and scenes of peril!

With fantastic characters, a gripping plot and enough back story so it can be read as a standalone, this is one not to be missed for all you fans of police-procedural/crime/suspense/thriller/etc/etc., lovers out there.

Thank you once again to the Publisher via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
  
Force of Hate (DS Jo Howe #2)
Force of Hate (DS Jo Howe #2)
Graham Bartlett | 2023 | Crime, Thriller
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wow ... what an exciting and thrilling read that was and is the best book I have read this year so far!

I haven't read anything by this author before but if this anything to go by, I won't be making that mistake again! Even though this is the second in the series, I don't think it mattered that much and certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment of this thrilling book.

Force of Hate has everything you would want in a gritty, police procedural ... excellent characters, perfect setting, brilliant writing, exciting, thrilling and gripping plot covering realistic and disturbing topics resulting in a tension filled read from the start.

Highly recommended and I very much look forward to reading the next in the series and I must thank Allison & Busby and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Force of Hate.
  
Local Gone Missing
Local Gone Missing
Fiona Barton | 2022 | Contemporary, Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Local Gone Missing is an engaging police procedural with a bit of a difference. The main character, Detective Elise King, is on sick leave, recovering from breast cancer treatment. But when one of the villagers in her village goes missing, she finds herself back at work in a more informal way.

I liked this a lot. For such a small village there’s a lot going on: drugs, tensions between new and old villagers, fires - and a disappearing neighbour. Honestly, it made me vow to never move to a village!

The main characters are great. Dee, who knows everyone’s secrets and flies under everyone’s radar; Ronnie, the typical nosey neighbour who wants to be Elise’s sidekick; and Elise, who is worried about going back to the job she clearly loves.

I didn’t guess who did it, as is usual.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this and expanding my reading horizons!
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Chosen Ones in Books

Oct 20, 2018  
The Chosen Ones
The Chosen Ones
Howard Linskey | 2018 | Crime, Thriller
8
8.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have never read anything by Howard Linskey before but if this book is anything to go by, I won't be making that mistake again ... what a great read and even though this is book number 4 in the series, I don't think it's totally necessary to have read the previous ones. Yes you may miss out on some of the back story and relationship building that has gone on before but I think there is enough provided to give you a good idea but not so much that it becomes tedious.

The writing flows well making it easy to read and with great characters, creepy and disturbing storyline and a great ending, I have no hesitation in recommending this to those who enjoy a good police procedural with a psychologically thrilling edge.

Thanks go to the publisher, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review and for introducing me to another fantastic British author.
  
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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated The Other Guys (2010) in Movies

Sep 20, 2020 (Updated Sep 20, 2020)  
The Other Guys (2010)
The Other Guys (2010)
2010 | Action, Comedy
9
7.3 (20 Ratings)
Movie Rating
"𝘐'𝘮 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘸!" - Mark Wahlberg, this movie.

Hadn't seen it since the theater approximately ten years ago but still one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, and at least twenty times more quotable than either 𝘈𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯 film. An old-school police procedural pretty impressively melded with a more restrained McKay comedy - switching the focus (smartly, with this one) from his patented over-the-topness to squarely on the jokes. Exhibit A on why Wahlberg is one of the most underused comedic actors on the planet, dude is fully game to satirize his tough guy image and lean into it at the same time. My biggest complaint is that all the vehicle action is shot and edited like utter crap, but the stuntwork and practicals are as sound as can be and there's a pretty bitchin' little shootout near the end of this thing. Plus they blow up the Trump tower less than five minutes into it, what more can you ask for?
  
Good Girl (DS Grace Allendale #4)
Good Girl (DS Grace Allendale #4)
Mel Sherratt | 2020 | Crime, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have never been disappointed by anything written by Mel Sherrratt so had no hesitation in reading this, the fourth in the series, and, once again, it was as good as I was expecting and, as an added bonus, you don't have to have read the others in the series, as this works well as a standalone so don't worry!

What we have in "Good Girl" is a pretty dark and hard-hitting police procedural which follows the investigation of DS Grace Allendale and her team into the apparent mugging and murder of a young 16 year old but as Grace delves deeper, all is not what it seems.

With believable characters, an authentic and frighteningly realistic story line written at a great pace and with sensitivity, given the subject matter which is difficult to read at times, this is another excellent book.

Thank you to Avon Books UK, a division of HarperCollins, and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.