Hazel (2934 KP) rated Cold Christmas (Antonia Hawkins #4) in Books
May 10, 2020
Cold Christmas is the fourth in the Antonia Hawkins series but only the second I have had the pleasure of reading. I read the first in the series, The Advent Killer, and found that to be very satisfying and it has been nice to catch up with DCI Hawkins and her team and although I think this works well as a standalone, in order to appreciate the main characters, I do think reading at least one of the previous books would be a good idea because although you get some of the backstory, you don't truly appreciate or understand DCI Hawkins motivations without previous insight.
From the cover and the title, you might think this would be a Christmas story but you would be wrong ... what we have here is a dark thriller written at good pace with intrigue abound and excellent characters. The method used by the killer to murder his victims is ingenious and not one I have come across before which made a nice change and with a good mix of investigation into this complex case and into the equally complex personal life of DCI Hawkins, this is, once again, a satisfying read ... well, that is until the end ... oh Mr Gunn you are mean!
Despite this, I will be reading more from this author and I want to thank Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
The Missing Ones
9.0
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Hester Thursby has given up using her research skills to trace people who don’t want to be found....
The Man on the Roof
6.0
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Someone has been creeping in the dark while the others sleep, and they've done terrible, terrible...
The Antiquarian
7.0
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A Los Angeles Times Best of Summer pick An Amazon Best Book of the Month (Mystery, Thriller &...
Behind His Eyes: Consequences (Consequences, #1.5)
10.0
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From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes the much-anticipated first...
The Committee Will Kill You Now
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The gripping new book from the author of The Algorithm Will See You Now. Based on the true-life...
Medical Thriller
ClareR (6256 KP) rated A Flicker in the Dark in Books
Jan 28, 2026
There’s a lot of promise in this, but I found it quite uneven. It’s very slow for a lot of the book, with a lot of time being spent on Chloe’s reliance on prescription medication (she’s an addict, and writing her own prescriptions for her boyfriend and collecting them ‘for him’). I just thought this was a rather lazy way to build tension, blaming the strange goings-on on her altered mental state. I mean, clearly there were lots of strange things going on anyway!
I do feel that I perhaps just chose the wrong book - I can see this being very popular with those who enjoy a good psychological thriller with a lot of build up to an explosive denouement. Because that’s pretty much what happens. And I just didn’t feel any connection or sympathy with the main character. Oh, and I guessed what had happened about halfway though, convinced myself that I was wrong, I couldn’t possibly be right, and then was thoroughly disappointed when I was right 🤷🏼♀️
So, basically, this book wasn’t for me, but I’ve seen a lot of positive reviews!
Corpse Thief (Joshua Hawke #1)
7.0
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PART ONE of the searing new thriller featuring Joshua Hawke; Criminal, Informant, Body Snatcher,...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Broken Girls in Books
Mar 20, 2018
This is a wonderful, captivating book that drew me in immediately. I've never read anything by Simone St. James, so this was a welcome surprise. The novel alternates between two time periods: 1950 and 2014. In 1950, we hear from four girls attending Idlewild Hall--Katie, CeCe, Sonia, and Roberta. One of the girls soon goes missing and her disappearance ties to 2014, where Fiona is both searching for more information about her sister's death and, eventually, more knowledge about the missing Idlewild student. It's incredibly well-done and extremely suspenseful, drawing you quickly into the narrative and the two separate but related worlds.
The book plays on the boarding school mystique and offers up more supernatural elements than I was expecting, but they somehow work here. The novel is creepy and not one I always wanted to be reading alone in the dark! Like some of my favorites, Jennifer McMahon and Carol Goodman, St. James has a flair for the eerie and the ghostly, and it works well in this context. The boarding school stands stark and haunting in the book-terrifying at times-and you feel the fear ooze across the pages from the various characters.
Indeed, St. James does a great job capturing her characters, whom practically come to life before your very eyes. The group from boarding school are excellent--each different in their own way--and Fiona is an excellent, complicated character as well. While the two eras stood alone, I enjoyed how the stories intermingled and slowly tangled together, making the book quite fascinating and a real page-turner. This one wasn't what I expected; at times, it could be quite heartbreaking and touching.
Overall, this is an incredibly well-done thriller. It's quite captivating with lovely characters. A great discovery. I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. More at http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com.