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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Before The Storm (DCI Lorimer #18) in Books
Mar 28, 2021
Where have I been living and why have I never read anything by Alex Gray before? This is book 18 for heaven's sake!!! I must have been living under a rock and walking around with my eyes closed to have missed this series because if the previous 17 are anything close to being as good as this, I really have been missing out on a treat. I was a little concerned that coming into an already well established series wasn't a good idea but I needn't have worried as this worked really well as a standalone.
This is an excellent police procedural with a very up-to-date and relevant story line. It is not a white-knuckle, action packed story and it's not full of swearing, violence or gory details but it is written at a steady pace with a growing sense of tension and urgency which makes it a compulsive and riveting read.
The characters are so good and so well developed that I really felt I knew them. I read a lot of crime fiction and police procedurals and I have to say that it is refreshing for the main character not to be full of his own troubles or issues or who is in conflict with either his colleagues or his bosses. Daniel was an excellent addition and his relationship with his neighbour, Netta, was a joy to read ... I do hope that these 2 make an appearance in subsequent books.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and would very much recommend this to everyone and I must thank The Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.
Alex Gray is definitely on my watchlist now!
This is an excellent police procedural with a very up-to-date and relevant story line. It is not a white-knuckle, action packed story and it's not full of swearing, violence or gory details but it is written at a steady pace with a growing sense of tension and urgency which makes it a compulsive and riveting read.
The characters are so good and so well developed that I really felt I knew them. I read a lot of crime fiction and police procedurals and I have to say that it is refreshing for the main character not to be full of his own troubles or issues or who is in conflict with either his colleagues or his bosses. Daniel was an excellent addition and his relationship with his neighbour, Netta, was a joy to read ... I do hope that these 2 make an appearance in subsequent books.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and would very much recommend this to everyone and I must thank The Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.
Alex Gray is definitely on my watchlist now!
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Killer Inside (Joe Stark #3) in Books
Jul 20, 2021
Loved it - proper rollercoaster of a ride that I didn't want to get off!
At first, I didn't realise this was the third in the series starring Joe Stark as I have never read anything by Matthew Frank before but first the title and then the blurb enticed me and had I not read some other reviews first, I wouldn't have known. So, I can safely say that this can be read as a standalone because although I have probably missed a lot of backstory and character development, for me it didn't detract from my enjoyment one little bit.
I absolutely love the character of Joe Stark - yes, he is a bit of a cliché being ex-military with a troubled history now working within the police but, for me, this made him an interesting and complex character. The supporting cast were equally well developed and I think Julian Sinclair was a great "baddie".
At first, you think the plot is going to be pretty simple and straightforward but as the book progresses, it becomes more complex; the police investigation plays this out really well with them struggling to put the pieces of the puzzle together with many of their leads ending in dead ends. The politics within the police also provide an interesting side story as does Joe's complicated life.
This is fast paced with plenty of twists and action. It is also a dark read with some scenes that some might find disturbing so if you are easily shocked, I would give this a miss but I would definitely recommend this to others who enjoy this genre and eagerly await the next instalment.
Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
At first, I didn't realise this was the third in the series starring Joe Stark as I have never read anything by Matthew Frank before but first the title and then the blurb enticed me and had I not read some other reviews first, I wouldn't have known. So, I can safely say that this can be read as a standalone because although I have probably missed a lot of backstory and character development, for me it didn't detract from my enjoyment one little bit.
I absolutely love the character of Joe Stark - yes, he is a bit of a cliché being ex-military with a troubled history now working within the police but, for me, this made him an interesting and complex character. The supporting cast were equally well developed and I think Julian Sinclair was a great "baddie".
At first, you think the plot is going to be pretty simple and straightforward but as the book progresses, it becomes more complex; the police investigation plays this out really well with them struggling to put the pieces of the puzzle together with many of their leads ending in dead ends. The politics within the police also provide an interesting side story as does Joe's complicated life.
This is fast paced with plenty of twists and action. It is also a dark read with some scenes that some might find disturbing so if you are easily shocked, I would give this a miss but I would definitely recommend this to others who enjoy this genre and eagerly await the next instalment.
Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Spilled Blood in Books
Jan 15, 2018
I won an ARC of this book from First Reads.
This is the first Brian Freeman book I've ever read. Now that I'm done with it I feel like I've been missing out on a fantastic author! This book was so well written! It had colorful but realistic & well developed characters. The suspense was top notch. The conclusion was fast paced & 1 that I did not see coming in the least. So many books like this turn out to be too predictable. Thankfully this one was not!
Spilled Blood tells the story of Olivia Hawk, a high schooler who is arrested for murdering another high school girl. The evidence points strongly to her, both in the physical evidence from the scene & from the gossip around town. In sweeps her dad, a lawyer, who beings to slowly unravel the mysteries of the crime while struggling with the ever present, "Did she do it?" question. I hate to say much more than that for fear of ruining a fantastic plot!
This book had action, mystery, big companies, cancer, cover-ups, and bombs all covered yet still managed to throw in a good romance without feeling forced. This was an AMAZING read!!
This is the first Brian Freeman book I've ever read. Now that I'm done with it I feel like I've been missing out on a fantastic author! This book was so well written! It had colorful but realistic & well developed characters. The suspense was top notch. The conclusion was fast paced & 1 that I did not see coming in the least. So many books like this turn out to be too predictable. Thankfully this one was not!
Spilled Blood tells the story of Olivia Hawk, a high schooler who is arrested for murdering another high school girl. The evidence points strongly to her, both in the physical evidence from the scene & from the gossip around town. In sweeps her dad, a lawyer, who beings to slowly unravel the mysteries of the crime while struggling with the ever present, "Did she do it?" question. I hate to say much more than that for fear of ruining a fantastic plot!
This book had action, mystery, big companies, cancer, cover-ups, and bombs all covered yet still managed to throw in a good romance without feeling forced. This was an AMAZING read!!
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Nest in Books
May 10, 2018
The Plumb family are anxiously awaiting the youngest, Melody's, 40th birthday that's when they are allowed to get "The Nest", an inheritance their father has left for them later in life, when they will be able to use it more sensibly. When the oldest, Leo gets into some trouble, their mother decides to use some of The Nest to help get him out of the jam. The time has now come for them to retrieve The Nest, but will Leo give them the money they need in order to get the amount they were expecting.
I found it very hard to connect with the characters in this book. No one grabbed my attention or made me interested to read the book. The story, overall has some interesting aspects to it, the connection to 9/11 and each individual character had an interesting enough story. The family as a whole seemed like a bunch of whiney babies that should be better able to handle their issues at 40 and over. I'm not sure if I will read other books by this author, but I'm down to try.
I found it very hard to connect with the characters in this book. No one grabbed my attention or made me interested to read the book. The story, overall has some interesting aspects to it, the connection to 9/11 and each individual character had an interesting enough story. The family as a whole seemed like a bunch of whiney babies that should be better able to handle their issues at 40 and over. I'm not sure if I will read other books by this author, but I'm down to try.
Wayne (2 KP) rated This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor in Books
May 22, 2019
Good Read, became very repetitive towards the end
This book really did give me an insight into how our NHS is being run into the ground. A business (and that is what the NHS is) that is run by senior leaders who do not care about the workers. This highlighted this on numerous occasions and was really sad to see and hear. If people red the book who had been thinking about joining the NHS they may now have had a change of heart.
Adam's anecdotes and stories are fantastic, what some people do for sex :) is concerning.
I really enjoyed who Adam took us through a journey and a rollercoaster of emotions. It is a shame that him and probably so many others are leaving the profession because of being under paid and over worked.
At the end of the book it felt that the stories did become very similar and therefore lost its shock value. But it was however an interesting read and I would recommend to friends.
Adam's anecdotes and stories are fantastic, what some people do for sex :) is concerning.
I really enjoyed who Adam took us through a journey and a rollercoaster of emotions. It is a shame that him and probably so many others are leaving the profession because of being under paid and over worked.
At the end of the book it felt that the stories did become very similar and therefore lost its shock value. But it was however an interesting read and I would recommend to friends.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated A Killer Kebab (Greek to Me Mystery, #3) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
With the restaurant closed for the season and most of her family out of town, Georgie figures now is the perfect time to do some much needed renovations on the restrooms. But Georgie comes back to find a dead body in the rubble of one of the bathrooms. The victim is her divorce lawyer, and the police are quick to arrest a former employee of the restaurant. While Russ is not a nice man, Georgie doesn’t think he’s a killer. But what happened to the victim?
With many of the series regulars out of town, it falls to a minor character from the previous books to step up. That’s not a problem since I really enjoyed getting to know Brenda better. The plot twists in some surprising directions, although I do have a couple of niggles with it. The book ties in some of the on going series plot threads, so it is best to read them in order to fully appreciate this book.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-killer-kebab-by-susannah.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
With many of the series regulars out of town, it falls to a minor character from the previous books to step up. That’s not a problem since I really enjoyed getting to know Brenda better. The plot twists in some surprising directions, although I do have a couple of niggles with it. The book ties in some of the on going series plot threads, so it is best to read them in order to fully appreciate this book.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-review-killer-kebab-by-susannah.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
David McK (3562 KP) rated Batman: Year One in Books
Jan 28, 2019
Not all that long ago, I watched the cartoon movie version of this graphic novel, and did quite enjoy it. I'd also heard, but couldn't verify, that it was actually pretty close to its source material: well, now I can co firm that that is indeed the case!
Written shortly after The Dark Knight Returns (which concerns an ageing Batman, and is set towards the end of his career), this takes the opposite approach and is instead set during his first year back in Gotham (after travelling abroad for 12(?) years in the wake of his parents murder), which is also coincidentally Jim Gordon's first year working for the corrupt Gotham P.D.
If anybody has also seen the recent(ish) live action movie Batman Begins, it's also pretty obvious where a large chunk of that movie gets it's influence from, with one sequence in particular almost a straight riff from the pages of this graphic novel.
All in all, and while it is true that I've only read a few of the Batman graphic novels so far, this is a strong contender for the best of those I've read.
Written shortly after The Dark Knight Returns (which concerns an ageing Batman, and is set towards the end of his career), this takes the opposite approach and is instead set during his first year back in Gotham (after travelling abroad for 12(?) years in the wake of his parents murder), which is also coincidentally Jim Gordon's first year working for the corrupt Gotham P.D.
If anybody has also seen the recent(ish) live action movie Batman Begins, it's also pretty obvious where a large chunk of that movie gets it's influence from, with one sequence in particular almost a straight riff from the pages of this graphic novel.
All in all, and while it is true that I've only read a few of the Batman graphic novels so far, this is a strong contender for the best of those I've read.
David McK (3562 KP) rated The Dark Tower (2017) in Movies
Jul 7, 2019
Well, that was nothing at all like I expected.
I've read the first book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and (honestly) hadn't really thought it was all that great or understood what all the fuss was about - for my money, David Gemmell did a far better job in his Jon Shannow trilogy of novels.
Having said that, I recognise that Gemmell's name may not have quite the same resonance, the same 'pull' as Stephen King.
I wanted to see this when it came in the cinema, and now haven't watched it on Netflix, honestly? I'm glad I didn't waste my money.
Having only read the first book in Stephen King's series, I can't say how true (or otherwese) this is to the novel(s), but I've always thought the best book and movie adaptations compliment each other: watching (or reading) one, say, would make you want to hunt out the other. This was far from the ideal: only an hour and a half long, but felling MUCH longer, I found this to be slow, plodding, and lacking any real originality or flair or excitement.
One to avoid!
I've read the first book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and (honestly) hadn't really thought it was all that great or understood what all the fuss was about - for my money, David Gemmell did a far better job in his Jon Shannow trilogy of novels.
Having said that, I recognise that Gemmell's name may not have quite the same resonance, the same 'pull' as Stephen King.
I wanted to see this when it came in the cinema, and now haven't watched it on Netflix, honestly? I'm glad I didn't waste my money.
Having only read the first book in Stephen King's series, I can't say how true (or otherwese) this is to the novel(s), but I've always thought the best book and movie adaptations compliment each other: watching (or reading) one, say, would make you want to hunt out the other. This was far from the ideal: only an hour and a half long, but felling MUCH longer, I found this to be slow, plodding, and lacking any real originality or flair or excitement.
One to avoid!
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Angel's Flight (Legion of Angels, #8) in Books
Jan 9, 2020
This has been borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited library.
This starts from where the last one left off. Leda is now an angel. Pandora, The Angel of Chaos. She is given her own territory but things never run smooth for Leda. There's a plague of issues attacking the New York City office of the Legion, making its members turn on each other and causing mayhem that eventually starts to travel further afield to the Chicago office and beyond. Initially suspecting demons, Leda and the team try to find the cause but there's nothing that stands out. Then Nerissa, the Legion doctor figures it out, taking everyone by surprise.
I don't want to spoil it by going into too much detail, you'll have to read it to see what else happens in this one.
I do enjoy reading this cast of characters. I love Leda and Nero. I've been cheering them on from their first meeting in book 1, so to see them so happy makes me want to squeal in excitement. They are the perfect bad-arse angel couple.
I cannot wait to read more of this series and this couple.
This starts from where the last one left off. Leda is now an angel. Pandora, The Angel of Chaos. She is given her own territory but things never run smooth for Leda. There's a plague of issues attacking the New York City office of the Legion, making its members turn on each other and causing mayhem that eventually starts to travel further afield to the Chicago office and beyond. Initially suspecting demons, Leda and the team try to find the cause but there's nothing that stands out. Then Nerissa, the Legion doctor figures it out, taking everyone by surprise.
I don't want to spoil it by going into too much detail, you'll have to read it to see what else happens in this one.
I do enjoy reading this cast of characters. I love Leda and Nero. I've been cheering them on from their first meeting in book 1, so to see them so happy makes me want to squeal in excitement. They are the perfect bad-arse angel couple.
I cannot wait to read more of this series and this couple.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Legend in Books
Jan 6, 2021
I tend not to read books with characters under the age of 17 because they can come across as being immature and annoying.
However that is not the case in this, both Day and June are really mature for 15, maybe it's their upbringing; life on the streets and growing up in a posher area and being a member of the Republic.
I'll admit it took me a while to get into the story--about the 20-25% mark--what with the dual POV and one hunting the other down but once they finally met and got to now each other I became quickly engrossed in their story.
I wasn't sure how to feel about June's brother, Metias, but the more I read and grew to know him through June's memories and his journal, the more I liked him and was sorry that he'd died. He seemed like a really great big brother.
Action, political corruption, dystopia, a bit of romance; it was everything I like in a book and I liked a lot of things about it. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for the rest of the series
However that is not the case in this, both Day and June are really mature for 15, maybe it's their upbringing; life on the streets and growing up in a posher area and being a member of the Republic.
I'll admit it took me a while to get into the story--about the 20-25% mark--what with the dual POV and one hunting the other down but once they finally met and got to now each other I became quickly engrossed in their story.
I wasn't sure how to feel about June's brother, Metias, but the more I read and grew to know him through June's memories and his journal, the more I liked him and was sorry that he'd died. He seemed like a really great big brother.
Action, political corruption, dystopia, a bit of romance; it was everything I like in a book and I liked a lot of things about it. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for the rest of the series