Search
Search results
The Devil's Workshop: Scotland Yard Murder Squad: Book 3
7.0
Rate It
Book
The Devil's Workshop is the third historical thriller in Alex Grecian's acclaimed Scotland Yard...
Debbiereadsbook (1454 KP) rated Scorch (Homecoming Hearts #1) in Books
Apr 5, 2018
a deliciously sexy read!
I was gifted my copy of this book, that I write a review was not required, however, I found this review written up on my desk when I cleared it off, so here it is!
Faced with the end of his boy band career, 23yr old Blake runs home to his family, only to find his parents have signed him up to an internet reality show. Elion happens to have had a crush on Blake since school. When the film crew following Blake blow an innocent encounter into something massive, Blake finds himself with Elion as a boyfriend. What starts off as a fictitious relationship rapidly turns into a real one for both young men. But someone doesn't want Blake to have Elion and both men could be in grave danger.
How I can file a book on the "crime/thriller" shelf AND the "too stinking cute" shelf is beyond my current comprehensive, but when a book tells me that's where it needs to be, who am I to argue!
The crime bit comes from the stalker/superfan who has targeted Blake as the object of their affections. I did see that one coming at me a mile off, though, and it's great to watch my ideas unfolding correctly. Ms Welch knows how to keep you on your toes, and even if I did see who it was, I did NOT see it going down like that!
And the too stinking cute bit is the way Elion and Blake develop their relationship. Because, yes, in the beginning, it was all for show, it very quickly became something else for both of them. Something very REAL. And I loved watching that happen!
A very delicious, steamy, sexy read.
5 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Faced with the end of his boy band career, 23yr old Blake runs home to his family, only to find his parents have signed him up to an internet reality show. Elion happens to have had a crush on Blake since school. When the film crew following Blake blow an innocent encounter into something massive, Blake finds himself with Elion as a boyfriend. What starts off as a fictitious relationship rapidly turns into a real one for both young men. But someone doesn't want Blake to have Elion and both men could be in grave danger.
How I can file a book on the "crime/thriller" shelf AND the "too stinking cute" shelf is beyond my current comprehensive, but when a book tells me that's where it needs to be, who am I to argue!
The crime bit comes from the stalker/superfan who has targeted Blake as the object of their affections. I did see that one coming at me a mile off, though, and it's great to watch my ideas unfolding correctly. Ms Welch knows how to keep you on your toes, and even if I did see who it was, I did NOT see it going down like that!
And the too stinking cute bit is the way Elion and Blake develop their relationship. Because, yes, in the beginning, it was all for show, it very quickly became something else for both of them. Something very REAL. And I loved watching that happen!
A very delicious, steamy, sexy read.
5 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Darkness the Color of Snow: A Novel
Book
Like No Country for Old Men and Snow Falling on Cedars, a haunting, suspenseful, and dazzlingly...
Night Prayers
Howard Curtis and Santiago Gamboa
Book
A thrilling literary novel about crime and corruption in Latin America told in alternating voices...
Crime thriller
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
7.4
Rate It
Book
Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural...
Girl Next Door (Jack Ryder Book 5)
7.0
Rate It
Book
Inspired by a true story. He came in the morning when they were still making lunches and getting...
police prodecural fiction adult series Jack Ryder suspense
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death in Books
Jul 27, 2017
A unique series of crime
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads
In 2014, ITV broadcasted the first episode of Grantchester, a drama series based on books by British novelist, James Runcie. Although written during the twenty-first century, the story is set in the 1950s in a village on the outskirts of Cambridge. Sidney Chambers, a young Canon in charge of the Church of St Andrew and Mary, is a polite and friendly character who, despite his reluctance, ends up acting as a detective in a variety of crimes.
Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death is the first book of six in The Grantchester Mysteries. Split into six individual baffling cases, the background story of Sidney’s private life continues to develop throughout. Each crime is committed and swiftly solved by the Canon and his friend, Inspector Geordie Keating, although it is Sidney who ultimately resolves the case.
Murder, jewellery theft and art forgery and just some of the felonies Sidney grudgingly gets involved with. In fact, unresolved crimes tend to land in his lap rather than offering his assistance willingly. Up at dawn to work on sermons before rushing off to capture criminals, Sidney is never off duty.
A vicar may seem like an unlikely candidate for a detective, however, people tend to open up to him and unintentionally reveal delitescent information. Listening to suspects and witnesses without pre-judgement allows Sidney to think things through carefully rather than jumping to conclusions. From the moment the crime is committed right up until the story’s denouement, Sidney passionately does everything he can to make sure the correct culprit is discovered.
What makes this series different from other crime novels is the focus on Sidney Chambers’ own life. James Runcie emphasises the loneliness of a bachelor living in a vicarage with only a curate and crotchety housekeeper for company. Readers are drawn into Sidney’s stories and hold onto the hope that his dalliances with the beautiful Amanda turn out to be something more concrete.
Those who have watched the ITV series will be familiar with the stories in this book because the producer has stuck to the exact storyline, not missing a single thing out or adding anything extra. The fact that there were only two years between publishing and screen production goes to show how well written and thought out these stories are. Unlike famous detective novels such as Sherlock Holmes or those by Agatha Christie, The Grantchester Mysteries are not set at the time of writing, so, although they are historically accurate, the prose is suitable for present day readers.
Each story is quick to read and is easy going, making it a relaxing and enjoyable book. It is not a thriller or horror, although some of the crimes are quite terrible. Instead, it is entertaining and often humorous. It is suitable for crime fiction fans as well as those new to the genre.
Regardless of whether you have watched the television series or not, Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death is a delight to read. Of course, ITV has given away all the endings, but it is a different experience to read it in print rather than seeing it acted out on screen. Featuring the face of James Norton on the cover so as to work as a TV tie-in, the series will be easy to spot in prime position on bookshelves both in shops and personal collections.
In 2014, ITV broadcasted the first episode of Grantchester, a drama series based on books by British novelist, James Runcie. Although written during the twenty-first century, the story is set in the 1950s in a village on the outskirts of Cambridge. Sidney Chambers, a young Canon in charge of the Church of St Andrew and Mary, is a polite and friendly character who, despite his reluctance, ends up acting as a detective in a variety of crimes.
Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death is the first book of six in The Grantchester Mysteries. Split into six individual baffling cases, the background story of Sidney’s private life continues to develop throughout. Each crime is committed and swiftly solved by the Canon and his friend, Inspector Geordie Keating, although it is Sidney who ultimately resolves the case.
Murder, jewellery theft and art forgery and just some of the felonies Sidney grudgingly gets involved with. In fact, unresolved crimes tend to land in his lap rather than offering his assistance willingly. Up at dawn to work on sermons before rushing off to capture criminals, Sidney is never off duty.
A vicar may seem like an unlikely candidate for a detective, however, people tend to open up to him and unintentionally reveal delitescent information. Listening to suspects and witnesses without pre-judgement allows Sidney to think things through carefully rather than jumping to conclusions. From the moment the crime is committed right up until the story’s denouement, Sidney passionately does everything he can to make sure the correct culprit is discovered.
What makes this series different from other crime novels is the focus on Sidney Chambers’ own life. James Runcie emphasises the loneliness of a bachelor living in a vicarage with only a curate and crotchety housekeeper for company. Readers are drawn into Sidney’s stories and hold onto the hope that his dalliances with the beautiful Amanda turn out to be something more concrete.
Those who have watched the ITV series will be familiar with the stories in this book because the producer has stuck to the exact storyline, not missing a single thing out or adding anything extra. The fact that there were only two years between publishing and screen production goes to show how well written and thought out these stories are. Unlike famous detective novels such as Sherlock Holmes or those by Agatha Christie, The Grantchester Mysteries are not set at the time of writing, so, although they are historically accurate, the prose is suitable for present day readers.
Each story is quick to read and is easy going, making it a relaxing and enjoyable book. It is not a thriller or horror, although some of the crimes are quite terrible. Instead, it is entertaining and often humorous. It is suitable for crime fiction fans as well as those new to the genre.
Regardless of whether you have watched the television series or not, Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death is a delight to read. Of course, ITV has given away all the endings, but it is a different experience to read it in print rather than seeing it acted out on screen. Featuring the face of James Norton on the cover so as to work as a TV tie-in, the series will be easy to spot in prime position on bookshelves both in shops and personal collections.
Darren (1599 KP) rated President Under Siege (2016) in Movies
Sep 26, 2019
Characters – Michael is the Prime Minister of Belgium, he is about the close one of the biggest deals of his career with a meeting with the President of United States of America, but he must show his levels of commitment to his cause and his family, when he gets blackmailed into killer the President. We get from this character a man that is pushed to his limits to do the right thing and protect his family. Christine is Michael’s wife, captured and forced to wait for her husband to complete his tasks while caring for their children. Eva is the assistant that has a secret with Michael and forced into playing into the games that are being played.
Performances – Koen De Bouw is great in this leading role, we see his desperation to keep his family safe and the turmoil he is feel inside about which decision to make. Tine Reymer is good as the wife which is shown to be strong for the children. Charlotte makes for a good supporting character too. The performances from the whole cast are good because they all play their part in the puzzle.
Story – The story follows the idea that a person in power is blackmailed into committing a crime which will ruin their career, life and legacy. We see how he tries to figure out a way to allude the enemies, while playing along with the game. As for twists and turns we are kept on edge wait to see where thing could go next, this is a highlight of the film and like all time-based movies, this story works for everything we are seeing.
Thriller – This movie does keep us on the edge of our seats from start to finish, we are left to see just how everything will unfold.
Settings – We do get multiple settings for this movie, this shows the life of the Prime Minister when it comes to having guests from America over for big announcements.
Scene of the Movie – Alone with the President.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Strange decisions being made by the Presidents staff.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting thriller that does keep us guessing, it shows how politicians can be pushed to limits, even the good ones and throws up a story which would leave us wondering if it could happen in real life.
Overall: Thriller that truly does keep us guessing.
Performances – Koen De Bouw is great in this leading role, we see his desperation to keep his family safe and the turmoil he is feel inside about which decision to make. Tine Reymer is good as the wife which is shown to be strong for the children. Charlotte makes for a good supporting character too. The performances from the whole cast are good because they all play their part in the puzzle.
Story – The story follows the idea that a person in power is blackmailed into committing a crime which will ruin their career, life and legacy. We see how he tries to figure out a way to allude the enemies, while playing along with the game. As for twists and turns we are kept on edge wait to see where thing could go next, this is a highlight of the film and like all time-based movies, this story works for everything we are seeing.
Thriller – This movie does keep us on the edge of our seats from start to finish, we are left to see just how everything will unfold.
Settings – We do get multiple settings for this movie, this shows the life of the Prime Minister when it comes to having guests from America over for big announcements.
Scene of the Movie – Alone with the President.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Strange decisions being made by the Presidents staff.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting thriller that does keep us guessing, it shows how politicians can be pushed to limits, even the good ones and throws up a story which would leave us wondering if it could happen in real life.
Overall: Thriller that truly does keep us guessing.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Isabelle (2018) in Movies
Sep 26, 2019
Characters – Michael is the Prime Minister of Belgium, he is about the close one of the biggest deals of his career with a meeting with the President of United States of America, but he must show his levels of commitment to his cause and his family, when he gets blackmailed into killer the President. We get from this character a man that is pushed to his limits to do the right thing and protect his family. Christine is Michael’s wife, captured and forced to wait for her husband to complete his tasks while caring for their children. Eva is the assistant that has a secret with Michael and forced into playing into the games that are being played.
Performances – Koen De Bouw is great in this leading role, we see his desperation to keep his family safe and the turmoil he is feel inside about which decision to make. Tine Reymer is good as the wife which is shown to be strong for the children. Charlotte makes for a good supporting character too. The performances from the whole cast are good because they all play their part in the puzzle.
Story – The story follows the idea that a person in power is blackmailed into committing a crime which will ruin their career, life and legacy. We see how he tries to figure out a way to allude the enemies, while playing along with the game. As for twists and turns we are kept on edge wait to see where thing could go next, this is a highlight of the film and like all time-based movies, this story works for everything we are seeing.
Thriller – This movie does keep us on the edge of our seats from start to finish, we are left to see just how everything will unfold.
Settings – We do get multiple settings for this movie, this shows the life of the Prime Minister when it comes to having guests from America over for big announcements.
Scene of the Movie – Alone with the President.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Strange decisions being made by the Presidents staff.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting thriller that does keep us guessing, it shows how politicians can be pushed to limits, even the good ones and throws up a story which would leave us wondering if it could happen in real life.
Overall: Thriller that truly does keep us guessing.
Performances – Koen De Bouw is great in this leading role, we see his desperation to keep his family safe and the turmoil he is feel inside about which decision to make. Tine Reymer is good as the wife which is shown to be strong for the children. Charlotte makes for a good supporting character too. The performances from the whole cast are good because they all play their part in the puzzle.
Story – The story follows the idea that a person in power is blackmailed into committing a crime which will ruin their career, life and legacy. We see how he tries to figure out a way to allude the enemies, while playing along with the game. As for twists and turns we are kept on edge wait to see where thing could go next, this is a highlight of the film and like all time-based movies, this story works for everything we are seeing.
Thriller – This movie does keep us on the edge of our seats from start to finish, we are left to see just how everything will unfold.
Settings – We do get multiple settings for this movie, this shows the life of the Prime Minister when it comes to having guests from America over for big announcements.
Scene of the Movie – Alone with the President.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Strange decisions being made by the Presidents staff.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting thriller that does keep us guessing, it shows how politicians can be pushed to limits, even the good ones and throws up a story which would leave us wondering if it could happen in real life.
Overall: Thriller that truly does keep us guessing.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Edge of Darkness (2010) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
Story: Edge of Darkness starts when Craven (Gibson) get to spend his daughter Emma (Novakovic) only for an unknown gunman killing her on his doorstep, Craven being a homicide detective isn’t allowed to investigate the case for legal reasons, so he decides to go against the law in his search for the murderer.
The early signs make it looks like Craven himself was the target, but it soon comes to light that it might be Emma’s work for a government company run by Jack Bennett (Huston) that might have made her the target and the deeper he digs the more he learns about his daughter.
Thoughts on Edge of Darkness
Characters – Craven is a respect homicide detective, everyone in the force knows just how capable of solving a murder he can be, but when his own daughter is murdered, he starts to go against the law to figure out who and why she was murdered. He will not stop at anything to locate the truth and take out the people that murdered his daughter. Jedburgh is an English man that will help Craven fill in the gaps, while trying to keep him away from the answers, he has been hired to make sure the investment stays safe, without building up a body count. Jack Bennett runs the company that Emma works for, he knows how to answer questions to keep the press happy, while keeping the shady operations under wraps. Emma is the daughter that Craven is delighted to spend time with once again, only she gets murdered and it is her life before this meeting that we get to see her in.
Performances – Mel Gibson might well have had his problems in Hollywood, but when it comes to crime thrillers, he is in his element always shining in these roles without ever looking out of place, and demanding the screen whenever he steps on screen. Ray Winstone is great in his role, which only seems to be around for the calmer or criminal sides of the film. Danny Huston is an actor that can play a villain in his sleep and this is no different, he brings the smug figure to life here. Bojana Novakovic is great in her smaller role which doesn’t need to get much more screen time to add to the story.
Story – The story here follows a homicide detective that starts to investigate the murder of his daughter only to find himself in the middle of a much bigger conspiracy that puts his own life in danger. This story starts off looking like it is going to be a revenge like movie because of how the first murder happens only to become a big conspiracy movie that offers up plenty of miss-direction as we lead to the truth. Any story that can keep you guessing and let try to figure out the ending yourself is an entertaining watch, with the outcome not even needing to be spoon fed to us either. This might well be a remake of a television show, but it plays into the modern ideas and works with how the conspiracy could be relevant for today’s climate.
Crime/Mystery – The crime side of the film starts by just looking like a murder, it soon dives into cover ups, conspiracy and secret groups which shows how the government might go about trying to cover up a secret. The mystery in the film comes from just how the conspiracy keeps managing to unfold to expose more truth about what Emma was involved in.
Settings – The film uses the Boston setting to show how many crimes have been committed in this stricter state which does show us just how big of a conspiracy needs covering up.
Scene of the Movie – Riverside meeting.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It would have been nice to see more of Jedburgh.
Final Thoughts – This is a wonderfully intense crime thriller that does keep you guessing throughout the film, we get strong performance throughout and a story that has been modernized without looking out of place.
Overall: Hugely entertaining crime thriller.
The early signs make it looks like Craven himself was the target, but it soon comes to light that it might be Emma’s work for a government company run by Jack Bennett (Huston) that might have made her the target and the deeper he digs the more he learns about his daughter.
Thoughts on Edge of Darkness
Characters – Craven is a respect homicide detective, everyone in the force knows just how capable of solving a murder he can be, but when his own daughter is murdered, he starts to go against the law to figure out who and why she was murdered. He will not stop at anything to locate the truth and take out the people that murdered his daughter. Jedburgh is an English man that will help Craven fill in the gaps, while trying to keep him away from the answers, he has been hired to make sure the investment stays safe, without building up a body count. Jack Bennett runs the company that Emma works for, he knows how to answer questions to keep the press happy, while keeping the shady operations under wraps. Emma is the daughter that Craven is delighted to spend time with once again, only she gets murdered and it is her life before this meeting that we get to see her in.
Performances – Mel Gibson might well have had his problems in Hollywood, but when it comes to crime thrillers, he is in his element always shining in these roles without ever looking out of place, and demanding the screen whenever he steps on screen. Ray Winstone is great in his role, which only seems to be around for the calmer or criminal sides of the film. Danny Huston is an actor that can play a villain in his sleep and this is no different, he brings the smug figure to life here. Bojana Novakovic is great in her smaller role which doesn’t need to get much more screen time to add to the story.
Story – The story here follows a homicide detective that starts to investigate the murder of his daughter only to find himself in the middle of a much bigger conspiracy that puts his own life in danger. This story starts off looking like it is going to be a revenge like movie because of how the first murder happens only to become a big conspiracy movie that offers up plenty of miss-direction as we lead to the truth. Any story that can keep you guessing and let try to figure out the ending yourself is an entertaining watch, with the outcome not even needing to be spoon fed to us either. This might well be a remake of a television show, but it plays into the modern ideas and works with how the conspiracy could be relevant for today’s climate.
Crime/Mystery – The crime side of the film starts by just looking like a murder, it soon dives into cover ups, conspiracy and secret groups which shows how the government might go about trying to cover up a secret. The mystery in the film comes from just how the conspiracy keeps managing to unfold to expose more truth about what Emma was involved in.
Settings – The film uses the Boston setting to show how many crimes have been committed in this stricter state which does show us just how big of a conspiracy needs covering up.
Scene of the Movie – Riverside meeting.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It would have been nice to see more of Jedburgh.
Final Thoughts – This is a wonderfully intense crime thriller that does keep you guessing throughout the film, we get strong performance throughout and a story that has been modernized without looking out of place.
Overall: Hugely entertaining crime thriller.