Search

Search only in certain items:

I See You
I See You
Clare Mackintosh | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
9.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Monday through Friday for most people is like Groundhog Day. You leave home at the same time every day, take the same route to work and then do the same thing on the way back home. Zoe Walker is on such a commute when she spots a picture in an advertisement that looks a lot like her. Her family can't believe it's her, but when more women appear in the same advertisement, then she is convinced she is correct. Officer Kelly Swift is the first to hear from Zoe and the pictures in the paper. She makes the connection between other pictures in the paper and crimes against women that have happened in the area. Will Kelly be able to find out who is behind the ads before it's too late?

Than you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book. This is the first book I have read by Clare Mackintosh and I look forward to reading more by this author.

At first this book started off a bit slow for me. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. At about the half way mark, things began to pick up. Can you imagine what you would do if you found your picture in the paper? A picture you didn't pose for or give the paper permission to use. What if you found out that there are other women who have had their picture in the advertisement as well and they have been violated in different ways.

I don't know what I would do if I knew someone may be following me to work every day. Ready to either meet me and ask me out for a date, or do something even more serious to me. Can you imagine being on guard all the time. That is how Zoe feels and there isn't much she can do, but wait for the police's help. You never know who is going to do something to you or who is just being friendly.

Early on I thought I knew who the culprit was and when Zoe made the discovery, I was like, "I knew it!" only a few pages later to find out how wrong I was. The last final chapters had me on the edge of my seat and I'm sure it will do the same for you. I can't wait to read
  
Genesis: Vision of the New World (Terra Nova #2)
Genesis: Vision of the New World (Terra Nova #2)
D. Ellis Overttun | 2019 | Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Following on from the events in Universe: Awakening, the first book in the series (which you need to read before this one), this picks up events on Arkos after some time has passed. Minister Odessa is still concerned about the findings of the DEUS probes, and when there is an astronomical anomaly and a disaster on the planet itself she realises that she needs her most trusted allies to determine the threat that is posed. Meanwhile there is a change at the head of the lower-status Gendu, both in terms of politics and religion, which aren't universally popular. Society may be under threat from within and without.

This is a long book, but like the first one it covers a lot of ground. There is a far more investigation of the Gendu, their politics and their religion. The succession of Darius as head of the Gendu, and the rise of a greedy and flawed priest in the religious sect provide the backbone of the story. The Celesti are frustrated by only being allowed to observe and not interfere, but are focused on exploring the anomaly. Odessa also starts a related project to enhance some of the indigenous apes.

This is not a book that can be read in isolation. As the middle of a trilogy it answers few questions from the first book and raises many that are due to be resolved in the final installment. It is clear that everything is converging, momentum carrying people and events along as much they are exerting their own control. The author has constructed a world where the plot is driven from a number of different directions and this ensures that each chapter has something to add.

The writing is very confident. Overttun has really found his voice as an author and uses it to show the reader all of his creation. From the clinical efficiency of Odessa's experiments to the dirt and grime of the seedier areas of Gendu society, the narrative weaves its way inexorably onwards. The prose is lean and efficient, lending impetus to the story. The exploits of the already known characters will entertain as they are old friends, the new characters are all interesting and nuanced.

This is building to be a fabulous epic trilogy, epic in depth, breadth and scale. It isn't science fiction, it isn't a political thriller, it isn't a philosophical treatise. It is all these and more. I really cannot wait to see what happens next. Stunning.
  
Gallowstree Lane (Collins and Griffiths #3)
Gallowstree Lane (Collins and Griffiths #3)
Kate London | 2019 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
9
7.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fans of The Wire or Broadchurch will love this.
I didn't realise until after I'd finished this, that it was actually the third in the series - not that it made any difference whatsoever to my enjoyment!
It's a really well told, gritty police procedural, heavy on the character building. In fact I became very attached to these characters: the struggling single parent WPC; the teenaged boys who had become involved in drug dealing; the officer involved with a big operation; the DC investigating a murder. I didn't like the big drug dealer though (which I think was the whole point. He was a man devoid of conscience).
The mothers in this really resonated with me: women trying to do their best , one working long hours and sacrificing time with her baby to be able to provide for him in a job she loves; the other, a woman who risks losing her son to drug dealing and violence. Both women backed into impossible-to-get-out-of corners.
I really, really enjoyed this book, and I'll be buying the first two in the series to read and catch up!!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and to the author, Kate London, for reading along with us!
  
IA
In at the Deep End
Kate Davies | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A funny, honest book
The first quote in the blurb on the cover of this book says:'Every woman should own a copy of this book' (Erin Kelly). Well. Perhaps not if you're easily shocked.
Julia lives with her best friend Alice and her boyfriend, Dave, and after yet another night of listening to their enthusiastic sex life through the wafer thin walls of their flat, Julia decides it's time to end her three year sex-drought. Except I don't think that she expects to learn that her drought might be because she has been looking in the wrong places.
After a disastrous experience with a one night stand where she's accused of 'breaking' the man's penis (!!), she meets a female artist - and learns that she's much happier and more fulfilled with a woman.
This book is sexually graphic, and definitely not for the faint-hearted. Julia is rediscovering her life, and is on a mission to make radical changes - she wants to be happy.
It's a great story. I laughed, I felt sad and sorry for Julia in some places. It illustrated complicated relationships really well.
It's a great debut, and I'll be interested to see where the author goes next.
Thanks to The Pigeonhole for choosing another great book to read along to.