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The Close (Maeve Kerrigan #10)
The Close (Maeve Kerrigan #10)
Jane Casey | 2023 | Crime, Thriller
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Yet another cracker from Jane Casey in her excellent Maeve Kerrigan series that never gets stale and whilst this may be book 10 in the series, I think you could just about get away with it as a standalone but I really would recommend you read the rest of the books if only because they are all excellent!

The Close is yet another gripping read with the right mix of intrigue and action, red herrings and plot twists. Being a fan of Maeve and Josh, I loved that they were working undercover together acting as a couple and it really brought a different dimension and added tension to the story and kept my grubby little eyes reading as fast as they possibly could.

Highly recommended series and I can't wait for the next and many thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Close.
  
The Girl's Last Cry (Detective Lexi Bennett #2)
The Girl's Last Cry (Detective Lexi Bennett #2)
Alison Belsham | 2023 | Crime, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I listened to the audiobook of the first in this series and thoroughly enjoyed it so was eager to get my grubby little fingers on this, the second and I definitely wasn't disappointed. You don't have to have read the first book as I think this works really well as a standalone but I would recommend it as it's a cracker!

Once again, Alison Belsham has constructed a story that is absolutely gripping with bundles of tension, characters that are believable and written at a pace that is perfect.

Please be warned that this book deals with teenage suicide so if that is a trigger for you, I would move on although I think Alison deals with it sensitively and without any sensationalism.

My thanks go to Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this latest Lexi Bennett investigation and I look forward to the next.
  
Vampires and Villains (Magical Mystery Book Club #2)
Vampires and Villains (Magical Mystery Book Club #2)
Elizabeth Pantley | 2022 | Mystery, Paranormal
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!


The book club has decided it's time for their second adventure. They have the addition of a new member to get to know as well. When and where will the snapdragon inns magical mystery book club take them this time?

This is the second book of the magical mystery book club series and yet again it's another series by Elizabeth that I absolutely am obsessed with. She has a way of involving you in the story so that you feel you are there and solve the mystery with them. She is so talented I think its great that she makes a reference to the destiny falls series (the book that Paige is reading) it's a real personal touch and I found myself grinning as I read that bit.


Elizabeth has produced another gripping series and yet again I cannot wait for the next instalment. Thank you, Elizabeth.


** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
  
The Children of Berlin
The Children of Berlin
Sharon Maas | 2023 | History & Politics
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am becoming a fan of historical fiction and this book has only cemented that opinion.

Leah and Magda grew up as best friends but their friendship is put to the ultimate test when the monster that was Hitler came to power and everything changed.

The story is told from both Leah's and Magda's perspectives; Leah's from her memories and Magda's in letter form. I have to admit that I preferred Leah's story as Magda's was a little repetitive and 'wordy' however it did show how easy it was for people to be brainwashed and to take a path in their lives that has far reaching and devastating consequences for them and those they love.

The Children of Berlin is a gripping and powerful story of love, loss, bravery and forgiveness and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to those who enjoy this genre and many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this book.
  
Gladiator (2000)
Gladiator (2000)
2000 | Action, Classics, Drama
Are you not entertained?
"The General who became a slave.
The slave who became an Gladiator.
The Gladiator who defied an Emperor.
A gripping tale, is it not ..."

So says Joaquin Phoenix's Emperor Commodus towards the end of this movie, talking to his erstwhile friend Maximus (Russel Crowe), after seizing power in the early parts of the film and believing the General to be dead in Germania (as per his command) and after also killing Maximus's wife and son.

The plot, then, basically, is a straight A to B revenge.

This, I believe, is also the film that launched Russel Crowe and Phoenix both to stardom - I struggle, personally, to think of any other since where either have been as electric as they are in this movie.

It may also help that they have a stacked supporting cast, including the likes of Oliver Reed (in his last onscreen role), Connie Nielsen, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi and Djimon Hounsou and some spectacular action scenes of the Roman games ...