Search
Search results
Finding Esme
9.0
Rate It
Book
Twelve-year-old Esme’s life changes when she discovers dinosaur bones on her family’s peach farm...
Texas Middle Grade magical realism
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Mark (Detective Louise Blackwell #4) in Books
Nov 7, 2021
Having not read any of the previous books in this series, I wasn't quite sure what to expect but what I got was a very engaging and enthralling story.
I don't think you have to have read any of the previous books to enjoy this but I recognise that there is a lot of history that is missing, particularly when it comes to the difficulties DI Blackwell has with her superior, however, I feel the author provides enough of the back-story to get you up to speed.
DI Blackwell is an interesting and complex character; she has her issues (who doesn't!) but her determination, strength and fortitude shines through in this multi-threaded story. The cast of supporting characters are equally as good and all have their place and their own stories. As I said, this is a multi-threaded story but the underlying plot is the branding attacks which ultimately turns into murder. Told from both DI Blackwell's and the killer's point of view, this provides a comprehensive view of the case and into the mind and motivations of the killer.
With scenes of peril, descriptions of violence and body modification that some may find difficult, and brimming with suspense and a host of suspects, this is a book that's easy to get your teeth into and I need to thank Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
I don't think you have to have read any of the previous books to enjoy this but I recognise that there is a lot of history that is missing, particularly when it comes to the difficulties DI Blackwell has with her superior, however, I feel the author provides enough of the back-story to get you up to speed.
DI Blackwell is an interesting and complex character; she has her issues (who doesn't!) but her determination, strength and fortitude shines through in this multi-threaded story. The cast of supporting characters are equally as good and all have their place and their own stories. As I said, this is a multi-threaded story but the underlying plot is the branding attacks which ultimately turns into murder. Told from both DI Blackwell's and the killer's point of view, this provides a comprehensive view of the case and into the mind and motivations of the killer.
With scenes of peril, descriptions of violence and body modification that some may find difficult, and brimming with suspense and a host of suspects, this is a book that's easy to get your teeth into and I need to thank Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The New Girl in Books
Jan 23, 2022
After experiencing an horrific event whilst at university, Sophie has tried to re-build her life and put her past behind her. She is not happy at home and wants more from her life and when she is offered a job in London that sounds perfect and will give her the new start she is desperate for, she jumps at the chance but what's the saying "If it sounds too good to be true ... it probably is!"
Sophie is, in my opinion, a little naïve and pretty gullible. There were red flags and flashing warning signs everywhere but Sophie didn't seem to see them ... really??? A little implausible given her past, but I found the anticipation of how and when the penny would drop for her was quite engaging.
Full of interesting characters, well written and at a good pace, this is an enjoyable thriller with contemporary themes and whilst it isn't full of violence, blood or gore, there is a palpable sense of unease throughout. Some of the twists were quite obvious (to me anyway) and whilst the ending was satisfactory, the epilogue was disappointing in it's unrealistic outcome.
If you can get past the frustration of wanting to put your hands in the book and shake some sense into Sophie, this is an entertaining read and my thanks must go to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
Sophie is, in my opinion, a little naïve and pretty gullible. There were red flags and flashing warning signs everywhere but Sophie didn't seem to see them ... really??? A little implausible given her past, but I found the anticipation of how and when the penny would drop for her was quite engaging.
Full of interesting characters, well written and at a good pace, this is an enjoyable thriller with contemporary themes and whilst it isn't full of violence, blood or gore, there is a palpable sense of unease throughout. Some of the twists were quite obvious (to me anyway) and whilst the ending was satisfactory, the epilogue was disappointing in it's unrealistic outcome.
If you can get past the frustration of wanting to put your hands in the book and shake some sense into Sophie, this is an entertaining read and my thanks must go to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2536 KP) rated Stardust Trail in Books
Aug 23, 2022 (Updated Aug 23, 2022)
Searching for a Missing Writer
PI Nate Ross is a rarity in 1938 Hollywood – someone who lives in the LA area but isn’t that interested in the movie industry. Still, he’s willing to take on a case for one of the smaller studios. The writer of a picture they are hoping will propel them into a more respected part of the market has gone missing, and they need him for rewrites. As Nate begins investigating, he learns of other issues the film has been having, and soon he’s looking into the sabotage, too. Are the two things connected?
I bought this book when the author gave a talk at my local library a few months back. I’m glad I did. As always, I enjoyed the Hollywood setting, but I especially enjoyed the scenes that took Nate to the area I live. Granted, it has changed a lot since the time when the book was set. The story itself is strong with plenty of action to keep us engaged. I had a few things figured out, but I missed some other clues that Nate used to solve things. The characters are engaging, as well. This has the feel of a classic PI novel, so it has a bit more content than I would typically read. It also means that Nate’s sense of humor made me laugh as I was reading. Fortunately, I already have the sequel since I’m looking forward to visiting Nate again soon.
I bought this book when the author gave a talk at my local library a few months back. I’m glad I did. As always, I enjoyed the Hollywood setting, but I especially enjoyed the scenes that took Nate to the area I live. Granted, it has changed a lot since the time when the book was set. The story itself is strong with plenty of action to keep us engaged. I had a few things figured out, but I missed some other clues that Nate used to solve things. The characters are engaging, as well. This has the feel of a classic PI novel, so it has a bit more content than I would typically read. It also means that Nate’s sense of humor made me laugh as I was reading. Fortunately, I already have the sequel since I’m looking forward to visiting Nate again soon.
PING
Lisa Lucas and Steve Landsberg
Book
PING, which was originally conceived in 2016, precedes the current cultural popularity in Ping Pong,...
Literary Fiction Historical Fiction Women in Sports Table Tennis
Silent as the Grave
5.0
Rate It
Book
Retired Detective Molly Murphy Sullivan goes undercover in the next book in the New York Times...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2536 KP) rated Murder by Invitation Only in Books
Feb 14, 2026
You Are Invited to a Very Real Murder
Agatha Christie and her husband, Max, are in London, not in their country home, so when a weird invitation to a murder arrives at Mallowan Hall, Phyllida goes in the place of her famous employer. As expected, it turns out the new neighbors have created a murder game they are using to get to know the locals. Their host is playing the victim. Phyllida isn’t that interested and is about to leave when another guest discovers that the victim is actually dead. Suddenly, Phyllida finds herself thrust into a real case, and she is more than ready to figure out what is going on. Can she identify the daring killer is?
Normally, I advise people to read a series in order. In this case, the focus is on the new mystery with only vague references to past cases. And the character arcs are pretty self-contained as well. Not that I’m complaining since I found Phyllida charming as always and the rest of the characters engaging. The book spends as little time as needed setting things up. From there, we are off on a puzzling mystery that surprised up to the page turning climax. I also enjoyed the scenes about the new invention Phyllida brings to the house – a vacuum cleaner. Whether you are a fan of Christie’s works or not, you’ll enjoy this book.
Normally, I advise people to read a series in order. In this case, the focus is on the new mystery with only vague references to past cases. And the character arcs are pretty self-contained as well. Not that I’m complaining since I found Phyllida charming as always and the rest of the characters engaging. The book spends as little time as needed setting things up. From there, we are off on a puzzling mystery that surprised up to the page turning climax. I also enjoyed the scenes about the new invention Phyllida brings to the house – a vacuum cleaner. Whether you are a fan of Christie’s works or not, you’ll enjoy this book.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated A Cold Day in Hell in Books
Jan 29, 2018
Engaging characters (2 more)
Great courtroom scene
Strong female lead
Engaging debut mystery
Lauren Riley is a thirty-eight-year-old twice-divorced mother of two college age daughters, working cold case homicides. She has a great, younger cold case partner, Reese, and carries a torch for her ex-husband, Mark. Meanwhile, her ex, Joe Wheeler, is a Garden Valley homicide detective and a total (excuse my language) a-hole, who brazenly punches Lauren in the mouth after learning she's working against him on a case. Lauren's working two jobs -- her daytime gig on cold cases and also as a certified Private Investigator (PI). Lauren is hired by her nemesis, attorney Frank Violanti, to work the high-profile case of David, who is accused of murdering Katherine Vine, the beautiful, younger wife of Anthony Vine, who runs a successful chain of gyms. Lauren knows taking the case could stir up some issues in her department, with the DA, and with Reese. But in her gut, she feels that David is innocent. Can she and Frank make peace and prove it?
I read a lot of mysteries and while there are thankfully more strong female detectives coming on the scene (see Kristen Lepionka's Roxanne Weary and Emily Littlejohn's Gemma Monroe, for instance), they are still few and far between. While Lauren Riley may still be finding herself (there's a lot of side coverage of emotional entanglements and relationships here), I still love finding and championing a complicated, real, strong female detective.
Lauren's PI case is really the star of the show, and it's interesting and engaging throughout the entire novel. It keeps you guessing throughout, questioning whether David did it or not, and who else played a key role in Katherine and Anthony Vine lives. Nothing is cut or dried.
Also fascinating is Lauren's main cold case. While you could argue some of it ties up neatly, it doesn't go as expected, per se, if that makes sense, and the characters involved are intriguing and different. All the cases kept me interested as I read. A lot certainly happens in this novel, between Lauren's work and personal life. Nothing is boring, and there's never really a dull moment, especially once you get into the swing of things and realize that the book covers both her personal life and her work life in-depth. It also tells the story from more than Lauren's POV, even if she's the main focus, which works surprisingly well.
I don't think it's a spoiler to say that the book culminates in a trial related to Lauren's PI case, and it's a great, suspenseful, incredibly well-written piece of work. The courtroom scenes were so well-done and really had me on the edge of my seat. One of the things I loved about this novel was how I could so easily picture each of these characters-- each is well-described and fleshed out. Redmond writes darn good trial scenes (and a darn good book), and I was frantically flipping the pages to see how things would turn out.
It wasn't until I finished the book that I learned the author is a retired homicide detective, but it definitely shows as you read. The novel is written expertly in terms of police and courtroom procedure, but still enjoyable in terms of the characters. There is a lot of personal "stuff" in terms of Lauren; this will be a little different if you are used to the Bosch type of detective (the love of my life and my hero). Still, it's completely refreshing to see a complicated female lead detective, and, as mentioned, so nice to be reading more of these stories. I grew to really love Lauren.
The courtroom scenes are great, and a lot will keep you guessing. Sure, some of the cold cases wrap up what seem a little easily, but even Lauren addresses that as she works. I read some reviews that Joe Wheeler is a cliche character, and I guess I could see where people get that, but for me, society as of late seems to be showing us everyday that these sort of angry, abusive men truly exist. Everywhere. To me, Joe was a sadly realistic portrayal of a horrible man, and his slow, boiling anger only added to the tension of the entire novel.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It looks like it's going to be a series, and it ends with some unfinished issues that make me even more eager for book two.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
I read a lot of mysteries and while there are thankfully more strong female detectives coming on the scene (see Kristen Lepionka's Roxanne Weary and Emily Littlejohn's Gemma Monroe, for instance), they are still few and far between. While Lauren Riley may still be finding herself (there's a lot of side coverage of emotional entanglements and relationships here), I still love finding and championing a complicated, real, strong female detective.
Lauren's PI case is really the star of the show, and it's interesting and engaging throughout the entire novel. It keeps you guessing throughout, questioning whether David did it or not, and who else played a key role in Katherine and Anthony Vine lives. Nothing is cut or dried.
Also fascinating is Lauren's main cold case. While you could argue some of it ties up neatly, it doesn't go as expected, per se, if that makes sense, and the characters involved are intriguing and different. All the cases kept me interested as I read. A lot certainly happens in this novel, between Lauren's work and personal life. Nothing is boring, and there's never really a dull moment, especially once you get into the swing of things and realize that the book covers both her personal life and her work life in-depth. It also tells the story from more than Lauren's POV, even if she's the main focus, which works surprisingly well.
I don't think it's a spoiler to say that the book culminates in a trial related to Lauren's PI case, and it's a great, suspenseful, incredibly well-written piece of work. The courtroom scenes were so well-done and really had me on the edge of my seat. One of the things I loved about this novel was how I could so easily picture each of these characters-- each is well-described and fleshed out. Redmond writes darn good trial scenes (and a darn good book), and I was frantically flipping the pages to see how things would turn out.
It wasn't until I finished the book that I learned the author is a retired homicide detective, but it definitely shows as you read. The novel is written expertly in terms of police and courtroom procedure, but still enjoyable in terms of the characters. There is a lot of personal "stuff" in terms of Lauren; this will be a little different if you are used to the Bosch type of detective (the love of my life and my hero). Still, it's completely refreshing to see a complicated female lead detective, and, as mentioned, so nice to be reading more of these stories. I grew to really love Lauren.
The courtroom scenes are great, and a lot will keep you guessing. Sure, some of the cold cases wrap up what seem a little easily, but even Lauren addresses that as she works. I read some reviews that Joe Wheeler is a cliche character, and I guess I could see where people get that, but for me, society as of late seems to be showing us everyday that these sort of angry, abusive men truly exist. Everywhere. To me, Joe was a sadly realistic portrayal of a horrible man, and his slow, boiling anger only added to the tension of the entire novel.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It looks like it's going to be a series, and it ends with some unfinished issues that make me even more eager for book two.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
LilyLovesIndie (123 KP) rated A Time of Myths in Books
Nov 5, 2018
I received this book as a complimentary, signed review copy through the Goodreads Giveaway scheme. Instantly after reading the title and the blurb, I was incredibly intrigued by this book that promised myth, events of legendary stature (Woodstock) and a mysterious edge to it as well.
It seemed perfect, and when I received it I was eager to get started, but then I hit what I thought would be a huge stumbling block for me. It was right up my street with regards to the content and genre, but when I started to read I initially struggled with Blamires' style of writing. He switches perspective initially to introduce all of the main characters, which, in someone with less talent would be confusing, however Blamires does this with a certain skill which weaves the separate narratives together into one intertwining story of humanity at it's grittiest and most basic level.
Initially set in the mid 80s, the mystery set and questions begin to swirl in the readers head before jumping into the next 'book'. As the story progresses, in a very natural and well written way, we follow this intertwined story of a group of youngsters from the age of free love, flower power and smoking dope, of course, I'm referring to the 60s for those of you scratching your heads! The description and atmosphere created by Blamires in describing the Woodstock festival is admirably done, and as someone who only knows of 'hippies' from watching reruns of bad tv shows and my own limited cultural knowledge, I have to hold my hands up and say I'm no expert. However, it felt utterly believable and very much in line with my limited knowledge, so much so that at times I actually felt like I would have loved to be part of this group of people.
Again, the book returns to the modern day of the 80s, told from the perspective of Nathan, the character who seems the most likeable and least tragic of the group, but oh how that changes! I won't spoil it, but his perspective is fantastic and easy to read, and he is a very believable character. You want to help him uncover his past and in the process find out exactly what happened to the rest of the group as, if there isn't enough that Blamires does well, he is also fantastic at drawing you totally into the story and keeping you guessing right to the very end, truly engaging you with every character. Well, except Derek, he simply repulsed me and I was glad with his ending!
The final 'book' was fantastically written, full of the same atmosphere and drama seen in the rest of the story, but also neatly tidying up all, well, nearly all, the questions you ask throughout the story, whilst still delivering the drama and tension you have come to expect from the book so far. Again, Blamires tells it in a very believable and engaging manner, and I think the greatest strength of this story is that it is so believable, I actually found myself wondering if there weren't groups of people just like these out there today as lost as Nathan and Maddy are in this 'hellhole' of a world we live in.
Great credit has to be given to Blamires in the creation of this story as it is truly fantastic. The characters are engaging, in their own ways, real and so easy to relate to. I wanted so badly to be their friend, to help Jo with her inner turmoil, to fix the issues they all had, and more than anything to have been part of that group at Woodstock having a laugh with like minded people. It transported me to times and places I will never be able to experience, but through this book, I feel I have, in some small way, been able to experience a tiny ounce of what it may have been like. The story was never superficial, at times it is really philosophical and 'deep', and this is absorbed by the reader without really noticing it, but at the end, it al makes sense.
Chris Blamires is a hugely talented author, great story teller, deep thinker and all of this comes through in just over 300 pages of excellently written tales. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I think is clear, and it is one I look forward to reading again and recommending to my friends. And as for the author, well, he certainly is one to watch and I look forward to reading more of his work in the near future!
It seemed perfect, and when I received it I was eager to get started, but then I hit what I thought would be a huge stumbling block for me. It was right up my street with regards to the content and genre, but when I started to read I initially struggled with Blamires' style of writing. He switches perspective initially to introduce all of the main characters, which, in someone with less talent would be confusing, however Blamires does this with a certain skill which weaves the separate narratives together into one intertwining story of humanity at it's grittiest and most basic level.
Initially set in the mid 80s, the mystery set and questions begin to swirl in the readers head before jumping into the next 'book'. As the story progresses, in a very natural and well written way, we follow this intertwined story of a group of youngsters from the age of free love, flower power and smoking dope, of course, I'm referring to the 60s for those of you scratching your heads! The description and atmosphere created by Blamires in describing the Woodstock festival is admirably done, and as someone who only knows of 'hippies' from watching reruns of bad tv shows and my own limited cultural knowledge, I have to hold my hands up and say I'm no expert. However, it felt utterly believable and very much in line with my limited knowledge, so much so that at times I actually felt like I would have loved to be part of this group of people.
Again, the book returns to the modern day of the 80s, told from the perspective of Nathan, the character who seems the most likeable and least tragic of the group, but oh how that changes! I won't spoil it, but his perspective is fantastic and easy to read, and he is a very believable character. You want to help him uncover his past and in the process find out exactly what happened to the rest of the group as, if there isn't enough that Blamires does well, he is also fantastic at drawing you totally into the story and keeping you guessing right to the very end, truly engaging you with every character. Well, except Derek, he simply repulsed me and I was glad with his ending!
The final 'book' was fantastically written, full of the same atmosphere and drama seen in the rest of the story, but also neatly tidying up all, well, nearly all, the questions you ask throughout the story, whilst still delivering the drama and tension you have come to expect from the book so far. Again, Blamires tells it in a very believable and engaging manner, and I think the greatest strength of this story is that it is so believable, I actually found myself wondering if there weren't groups of people just like these out there today as lost as Nathan and Maddy are in this 'hellhole' of a world we live in.
Great credit has to be given to Blamires in the creation of this story as it is truly fantastic. The characters are engaging, in their own ways, real and so easy to relate to. I wanted so badly to be their friend, to help Jo with her inner turmoil, to fix the issues they all had, and more than anything to have been part of that group at Woodstock having a laugh with like minded people. It transported me to times and places I will never be able to experience, but through this book, I feel I have, in some small way, been able to experience a tiny ounce of what it may have been like. The story was never superficial, at times it is really philosophical and 'deep', and this is absorbed by the reader without really noticing it, but at the end, it al makes sense.
Chris Blamires is a hugely talented author, great story teller, deep thinker and all of this comes through in just over 300 pages of excellently written tales. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I think is clear, and it is one I look forward to reading again and recommending to my friends. And as for the author, well, he certainly is one to watch and I look forward to reading more of his work in the near future!