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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.
  
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ClareR (5869 KP) rated Black Thorn in Books

May 22, 2024  
Black Thorn
Black Thorn
Sarah Hilary | 2023 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I found Black Thorn on my kindle, downloaded last year from NetGalley and forgotten (I’m sorry). So in recompense and quite a lot of guilt, I bought the audiobook. I’m very glad I did. Imogen Church does a great job of reading this rather disturbing story from Agnes Gale’s point of view. She’s the adult daughter of one of the men responsible for the building and sale of the houses in an exclusive development on the Cornish cliffs.

Just weeks after moving in, six people, including children, are dead. All the remaining inhabitants are told to leave their homes as they’re deemed unsafe, and the whole development is cordoned off. Agnes is sure there’s more to it, so she decides to investigate.

There’s a really unnerving atmosphere to this story, probably made more so coming from Agnes’ point of view. She’s autistic, and even though she’s adamant that something isn’t right, she’s largely ignored because of her autism. The insights into Agnes’ personality and her inner thoughts were sensitively handled and realistic, I thought.

All of the characters were really well developed: Errol, Agnes’ friend; Christie her brother; and Trevor her fathers business partner, especially.

This was a thoroughly good listen, and I’m so glad that I (eventually) found it!
  
Someone Knows
Someone Knows
Lisa Scottoline | 2019 | Mystery, Thriller
5
6.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was on the fence about reading Someone Knows by Lisa Scottoline. I kept wanting to read it, but then I'd change my mind. However, when I noticed it was available at my library, I decided to check it out. While it wasn't a great read, it was still alright.

Allie is a 15 year old overweight teenage girl. When popular and beautiful Sasha talks to her and invites her to hang out, she can't say no. When another teenager moves to the area and hangs out with them one night, things go lethally wrong. None of the teens confess to what actually happen, and no one gets in trouble. However, Allie continues to feel guilty over the next twenty years. This big secret has affected every aspect of Allie's life. When Allie finally wants to confess, things turn deadly.

The plot to Someone Knows sounded very similar to a book I had read previously. However, once I started reading it, I noticed how Lisa Scottoline gave her book a bunch of little twits and turns to keep it fresh. The plot seemed very realistic. I enjoyed how each chapter was told from each character's point of view. It was interesting to see the thought process behind each person. It was easy to lose myself in the story because of how realistic everything felt. Although I've never been as privileged financially as all the teens in the book, I felt like I was part of the group. There were no cliffhangers in this book either which was nice. While I did predict one plot twist, there was one that I didn't see coming! That was a nice curve ball!

I liked Allie very much. She reminded me a lot of myself at 15 years old. I definitely could see myself as Allie. In fact, my thought process was a lot like Allie's. I've never lost a sibling like Allie, but I was saddened by the death of her sister Jill, and I sympathized with Allie's mother when it came to depression. I do wish Allie would have clued her husband about what was going on because I felt bad for him since Allie was distant throughout a lot of the marriage. I get why she kept her secret to herself, but I still felt bad for Allie's and Larry's marriage. Sasha was an interesting character. I've definitely known a few Sashas in my life! Sasha was able to make any guy putty in her hands. I loved reading Sasha's point of view. Even though she could sometimes be a mean girl, I enjoyed her very much. It was interesting to read about David and learn of his struggle especially when it came to how his father was. David came across as a nice guy. Julian was a character who I would say was a mix of Sasha and David. He could be really nice and charming when he wanted to be, but he would say mean things about Allie to Sasha which wouldn't be very nice. However, I did admire how business oriented he was. I loved Kyle so much, and I hated how he was shunned because of something his father did. Kyle seemed like such a sweet boy who was dealt a tough hand through no fault of his own.

The pacing in Someone Knows seemed to be fairly slow throughout about 80 percent of the book especially during the first half or so. I know it was probably to set up the world building and backstory, but it was just so tedious. I would have liked a bit more action or had the backstory given to me during and after the main event. The pacing is what really let this book down in my opinion.

Trigger warnings include underage drinking, adult drinking, prescription pill abuse, death, talks of suicide, violence, and sexual situations (both underage and adult which aren't overly graphic).

Although the pacing for Someone Knows lets this book down, it's still an alright read. It does have some interesting characters with realistic problems that readers can identify with. I would recommend Someone Knows by Lisa Scottoline to those aged 17+ who are looking for an alright thriller to read.
  
    Ice Lakes

    Ice Lakes

    Games

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Extropia: Mind Game (Extropia, #1)
Extropia: Mind Game (Extropia, #1)
Robin Bootle | 2017 | Film & TV, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
More reviews can be found at https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com

The main character in this book was Edvard, a seventeen-year-old school student. His father and brother created Extropia, an artificial reality game, where players can participate themselves. While testing the game, Edwards father and brother got stuck in the game and only Edward can save them. When he gets into the game, he sees that it is run by a dark, cruel and vicious tyrant. Edward needs to save his brother, but it is not that easy as it looks.

This novel brings an awesome clash between modern and medieval ages, bringing in very unique and interesting characters. While reading this book it feels like you are transported back in time, where sword and shield was a form of weapon, and where the characters still follow prophecies. I really enjoyed the wide variety of characters chosen for this book, and Edward was a very realistic boy, without superpowers and with the weaknesses which he was trying to overcome. That was plus and minus at the same time, he was very realistic and believable, but at the same time very dependable on other people in order to succeed. The whole novel was written from Edward’s perspective and even though I would’ve liked different perspectives, I still enjoyed the story as it was.

The plot of this novel is a combination of a lot of similar books and games, we have the games and their setting modifications to fit the book, we have references to Harry Potter and some parts taken from The Hunger Games. However, it has it’s own unique and interesting narrative filled with action, unexpected twists and turns, which kept me glued to this book.

The writing style of this book was very creative and easy to read, however, it has these names and places which were a bit difficult to pronounce for me. But still, I think it gives the charm and medieval feel to this novel. The chapters have a decent length and it did not drag to me, as there are a lot of things happening in every chapter. I really liked the ending of this novel, but I think it could’ve had more suspense to it. Nevertheless, I am waiting for the next part, because I wanna know what will happen next. So to conclude, if you like computer games and you loved The Maze Runner, you will definitely enjoy this book. It is filled with diverse and complex characters, interesting turns and unexpected twists, which makes it a great read. I do recommend this book and I hope you will enjoy as much as I did. 🙂