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Revenge
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
180 of 235
Book
Revenge
By Martina Cole
⭐️⭐️⭐️

He thought he was invincible. He was wrong.

REVENGE by the 'undisputed queen of crime writing' (Guardian) and Sunday Times No.1 bestseller Martina Cole is an unflinching novel that exposes a world that many would rather ignore...

Michael Flynn is untouchable. He's the boss of a dangerous empire, the biggest the criminal world has ever seen. No one crosses him, no one gets in his way, and everyone does what he says - including the law.

But you don't get to where Michael is without making enemies. Someone is out for revenge. And it's best served when least expected.

I liked this but it wasn’t my favourite of hers I found some of it too similar to some of her other stories and yes I know she has a type and way of writing but this wasn’t as good as those she’s written before. Although it was brutal and possibly more so than others.
  
The Demon Next Door
The Demon Next Door
Bryan Burrough | 2019 | Crime
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Narrator too upbeat (0 more)
Informative but no depth
When audible originals offered this book up as part of their two free originals a month program, I just had to snag it. One of the weird quirks I have is that I hate mysteries, but I LOVE true crime. This 2 hour and 45-minute novella was right up my alley. When I was looking for something short to listen to, I decided that this something different than the romance books that I'm currently reading.

The information in this novella was interesting and well researched but still lacked depth. Most of the information that was presented in this book felt glossed over. One of the things I thought Bryan Burrough was exceptional at was not being too graphic about the crimes. Unfortunately, it seems that that lack of detail was present throughout the entire book. I would have loved to see more information about the background of the individuals and the town itself.

Something else that felt off in this audiobook was the narration. Steve White is an excellent narrator, but I don't feel that he was the right choice for this book. His intonations seemed to be too upbeat for a true crime novel about rape and murder. I would have preferred a more somber tone & his voice did not do this book justice.

All in all, this was an okay book. The details were interesting, but I wish that there would have been more depth to it.
  
Even If I Fall
Even If I Fall
Abigail Johnson | 2018 | Contemporary, Young Adult (YA)
8
4.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Stand alone YA novel that focuses on how family members are affected by one person's crime
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

In "Even If I Fall" by Abigail Johnson, Brooke's life is destroyed when her beloved brother confesses to killing his best friend, Calvin. Beginning about a year after the confession, the story focuses on Brooke, her family, and the struggles they have while trying continue with their lives.Brooke can not talk to her family so, because of a rainy day and a broken drown truck, she finds the one person she can talk to and who will understand, Calvin's brother.

I work in the criminal justice system and have seen how families are affected by one person's crime. They often can not talk to other family members because they are hurting just as much. One case sticks out among all of the others I have seen. At the beginning of the trial, two grandmothers, the defendant's and the victim's, sat as far away as possible from each other. By the end of the trial, when the verdict was read, they held each other up for support and said, "No one wins. Two young men's lives are ruined". The grandmothers left the courtroom still holding each other.

I have added both of Johnson's other book to my want to read list.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

May 20, 2022  
Sneak a peek at the culinary cozy mystery novel IT'S A MAD, MAD MURDER by Cindy Vincent on my blog, and enter the giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy of the book, a sweetheart-neckline apron, a set of multicolored, Farberware measuring cups, and a set of stainless steel, oblong measuring spoons!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2022/05/book-blitz-and-giveaway-its-mad-mad.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Things are a little too hot to handle for famous culinary-mystery author, Maddie Montgomery, in her normally quiet neighborhood set in the Houston suburb of Abbott Cove. Especially after her neighbor, Randall Rathburn, has a heart attack and rams his vintage car into a light pole. Though his death is ruled an accident, another of Maddie’s neighbors insists that Randall was murdered, and he implores her to investigate. But Maddie isn’t on board with the half-baked idea, not until she attends the over-the-top funeral where she develops some suspicions of her own. That’s when she decides to take the leap from crime writing to crime solving. After all, she doesn’t exactly want a killer running around her cul-de-sac . . .

But the murder of her neighbor isn’t the only mystery she’s got cooking. When her publisher goes belly-up and her agent happily dumps her in favor of younger, dystopian authors, Maddie boils over into a full-blown career crisis. And while she tries to simmer down, her new role as amateur sleuth only stirs the pot even more. Then from car chases to stakeouts, and from a neighbor who owns a suspicious amount of spy gadgetry to a widow who seems a little too merry, Maddie’s first case has her head spinning like the beaters on her handheld mixer. And soon Maddie finds that solving a crime in “real life” is a lot more difficult . . . and a lot more dangerous . . .