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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Sticks and Stones in Books
Nov 24, 2018
This is the debut novel for this author and, I think, a pretty accomplished one at that; a little unbelievable at times I admit but quite a satisfying read. Dealing with the difficult subject matter of domestic violence, this book is more about the subtleties of this abhorrent crime rather than the "in your face" violence although there is some violence.
The books starts with the funeral of a decorated Police Officer but thoroughly unpleasant man - Phillip - and "mourning" his death are 3 women; Ruby, Imogen and Naomi.
Ruby is the first wife who has never moved on and remains under Phillip's spell.
Imogen is the current but estranged wife and mother of their son.
Naomi is the girlfriend and soon to be third wife.
Phillip is an absolute a**hole; a master at manipulation and control, a bully and downright despicable person however, the tables are turned when Imogen manages to lock him in the cellar and so begins the story of the developing relationship between the three women, their growing strength and confidence and their common goal of getting revenge on the man that has caused them so much pain and heartache ... but, how did he die?
Well written with a good pace and well developed characters, this is a great debut psychological thriller and Jo Jakeman is certainly an author I will watch out for.
My thanks go to the publisher, Random House UK Vintage, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
The books starts with the funeral of a decorated Police Officer but thoroughly unpleasant man - Phillip - and "mourning" his death are 3 women; Ruby, Imogen and Naomi.
Ruby is the first wife who has never moved on and remains under Phillip's spell.
Imogen is the current but estranged wife and mother of their son.
Naomi is the girlfriend and soon to be third wife.
Phillip is an absolute a**hole; a master at manipulation and control, a bully and downright despicable person however, the tables are turned when Imogen manages to lock him in the cellar and so begins the story of the developing relationship between the three women, their growing strength and confidence and their common goal of getting revenge on the man that has caused them so much pain and heartache ... but, how did he die?
Well written with a good pace and well developed characters, this is a great debut psychological thriller and Jo Jakeman is certainly an author I will watch out for.
My thanks go to the publisher, Random House UK Vintage, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
I've read a couple of other historical novels by this author, which were quite enjoyable, but not great. I had to review this after finishing this morning as it was so much better and a really rewarding read.
The novel covers the reign of Henry VIII from the point of view of Will Somers, the man who becomes the king's jester or fool. This gives the book a totally different twist and insight from something concentrating on the usual courtly suspects. Will is in the thick of things, with a front row seat in the course of history, if you like, but he's not one of the players in the drama.
The novel is actually written in the first person, and it's very rarely that I like this because in the hands of most authors it is clunky, but here I had to go back and check that this was so, as it seemed so natural.
Obviously, hindsight is a wonderful thing in history and some of the points made are from the point of view of someone with historical hindsight, but there's also a lot of psychological truth in there and you can quite clearly see why characters act the way they do.
Now, my only problem is that MCB was not a writer of authorial afterwords, like many present authors. What I really want to know is how much of the story is true (within the bounds of fictional probability!) and what is fiction/surmise - and what happened to Will Somers next?!
The novel covers the reign of Henry VIII from the point of view of Will Somers, the man who becomes the king's jester or fool. This gives the book a totally different twist and insight from something concentrating on the usual courtly suspects. Will is in the thick of things, with a front row seat in the course of history, if you like, but he's not one of the players in the drama.
The novel is actually written in the first person, and it's very rarely that I like this because in the hands of most authors it is clunky, but here I had to go back and check that this was so, as it seemed so natural.
Obviously, hindsight is a wonderful thing in history and some of the points made are from the point of view of someone with historical hindsight, but there's also a lot of psychological truth in there and you can quite clearly see why characters act the way they do.
Now, my only problem is that MCB was not a writer of authorial afterwords, like many present authors. What I really want to know is how much of the story is true (within the bounds of fictional probability!) and what is fiction/surmise - and what happened to Will Somers next?!
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated the Xbox 360 version of Dead Space in Video Games
Oct 21, 2019
Rachel is Dead
Contains spoilers, click to show
This game, is so great. The plot, the setting, the psychological, the horror, the twist, the ending. Lets talk about it...
The Plot: it puts the player in control of an engineer named Isaac Clarke who fights Necromorphs, monstrous reanimated human corpses, aboard an interstellar mining ship, the USG Ishimura.
The player controls Isaac Clarke, a ship systems engineer who must fight his way through a mining starship infested with an alien scourge. The crew has been slaughtered, and their corpses reanimated into creatures known as "Necromorphs". Various types of Necromorphs appear throughout the game, each with different abilities and requiring different tactics to defeat.
The game has a strong science fiction atmosphere and is set in a spacecraft. It is also set way in the future.
Lets talk about the twist:
This was nothing more than another hallucination from Isaac. He’s gone mad, and in his mind, has somehow turned Nicole into one of them. The real Nicole is still dead.
Finally take the first letter from each mission to reveal a secret message… and it spells out Rachel is Dead, which is a intreating easter egg, that comes true. No one really thought about that, until years laters. To take the first letter from each mission and spell it out.
It is a great twist and when you find out, later on in the game, like close to the end, you are surpised.
I highly reccordmend this game, it is great and horrorfying.
The Plot: it puts the player in control of an engineer named Isaac Clarke who fights Necromorphs, monstrous reanimated human corpses, aboard an interstellar mining ship, the USG Ishimura.
The player controls Isaac Clarke, a ship systems engineer who must fight his way through a mining starship infested with an alien scourge. The crew has been slaughtered, and their corpses reanimated into creatures known as "Necromorphs". Various types of Necromorphs appear throughout the game, each with different abilities and requiring different tactics to defeat.
The game has a strong science fiction atmosphere and is set in a spacecraft. It is also set way in the future.
Lets talk about the twist:
This was nothing more than another hallucination from Isaac. He’s gone mad, and in his mind, has somehow turned Nicole into one of them. The real Nicole is still dead.
Finally take the first letter from each mission to reveal a secret message… and it spells out Rachel is Dead, which is a intreating easter egg, that comes true. No one really thought about that, until years laters. To take the first letter from each mission and spell it out.
It is a great twist and when you find out, later on in the game, like close to the end, you are surpised.
I highly reccordmend this game, it is great and horrorfying.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated Trust Me in Books
Mar 29, 2020
Claustrophobic Game of Cat and Mouse
Mercer Hennessey is a former reporter who is getting over a deep personal loss. Her life is altered when her former editor, Katherine, asks her to cover the Baby Boston trial. Ashlyn Bryant is about to go on trial for the death of her daughter, Tasha Nicole. Mercer is among those who is certain that Ashlyn is guilty, and Katherine is asking Mercer to write a book about the case and the trial. With the way it grabbed headlines, it is certain to be a best seller. Mercer reluctantly agrees, but Ashlyn’s constant claims of innocence begin to get to Mercer. As Mercer delves further into the book, Ashlyn begins to get into her head. What is true? Is Ashlyn guilty?
I had intended to read Hank Phillippi Ryan’s stand-alone suspense novels before now, but I’m glad I picked up this first one. The book starts out a little slowly. Yes, we are getting needed background, but it feels like it could have been shortened a little. However, once things really get going, I was completely hooked. This is a strong psychological suspense story as Mercer is forced to question everything she thinks is true. The almost claustrophobic feeling of this part of the book certainly helps with that. To pull this off, the characters have to be strong, and they absolutely are, making me question what I thought was going on the entire time. Once you start, you’ll have to know how this book ends.
I had intended to read Hank Phillippi Ryan’s stand-alone suspense novels before now, but I’m glad I picked up this first one. The book starts out a little slowly. Yes, we are getting needed background, but it feels like it could have been shortened a little. However, once things really get going, I was completely hooked. This is a strong psychological suspense story as Mercer is forced to question everything she thinks is true. The almost claustrophobic feeling of this part of the book certainly helps with that. To pull this off, the characters have to be strong, and they absolutely are, making me question what I thought was going on the entire time. Once you start, you’ll have to know how this book ends.
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