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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2579 KP) rated Under the Radar in Books

Apr 25, 2024 (Updated Apr 25, 2024)  
Under the Radar
Under the Radar
Annette Dashofy | 2020 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Can Zoe and Pete Target the Right Killer?
When Zoe Chambers is called to the scene of a shooting, she is surprised to find the shooter is Horace Pavelka, a friend from high school. Horace has confessed to shooting Dennis Culp, a man who has bullied and abused him since they were in school together. The evidence for self-defense is compelling, so Pete Adams lets Horace go. However, Horace has only been out a couple of hours when another of his tormentors winds up dead and everyone on the case seems to go missing. Can Pete find any of his suspects? Will Zoe be able to prove her friend innocent?

This author has a way of pulling you in from the first page, and this book is no exception. The book has several strong subplots that make for even more compelling reading. There was one twist I didn’t quite feel was earned, but that’s a minor issue. Things come together for a tense and logical climax. The characters are strong as always, and I love watching Zoe and Pete’s relationship deepen. This is a little darker than my typical cozies, but as long as you know this going in, you’ll be fine. Once again, we spend equal time in Zoe and Pete’s heads, allowing the suspense to grow as they work on things from different angles. Fans who haven’t read this one yet are in for a treat, and if you’ve missed this series, be sure to start it soon.
  
Darkness Falls (Kate Marshall #3)
Darkness Falls (Kate Marshall #3)
Robert Bryndza | 2021 | Crime, Thriller
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I really didn't think that Mr Bryndza could better the first and second instalments in this excellent series but he has and yet again, I was totally engrossed from the first to the last word. You don't have to have read either of the first two books but I would highly recommend you do.

The characters are strong and I am really getting attached to Kate and Tristan; they are a brilliant duo and work really well together. The pace was spot on, the plot gripping and the tension spine-tinglingly good. The chapters which are written from the point of view of the killer are goosebump-inducing; he is so cold it really gave me the creeps - it was perfect! There is a great twist and the ending was so good I read way too late into the night and then was really disappointed that I had finished ... I didn't want it to end!
This series just keeps getting better and better and I can't wait for the next one. In the "Author's Letter" at the end, Mr Bryndza says that "Kate and Tristan will return shortly for another gripping murder investigation!" and I for one am waiting with bated breath!

Highly recommended for readers who love dark, exciting, suspense-filled stories that despite making you feel ill at ease at times, you read on into the night.

Many, many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
  
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Merissa (14024 KP) rated Bring Me A Dream (Reveler #5) in Books

May 8, 2021 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)  
Bring Me A Dream (Reveler #5)
Bring Me A Dream (Reveler #5)
Erin Kellison | 2014 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review.

The tagline on this book is "The madman and the nightmare..." and I really can't say better than that. Erin Kellison has managed to make an unlikeable villain into a funny, psycho hero! Vincent knows he is going insane and is enough to admit it. His perfect partner is a nightmare, none other than Didier Lambert's daughter, Mirren.

The story arc that is through all of the books continues in this installment. Didier Lambert is still the evil of the piece but who is the new player that we are hearing about, The Sandman. We learn more about him as we go through with Vince and Mirren. She has grown up hearing about him and believes in him. Vince thinks he is made up and is just the 'boogeyman'. As they journey into the Reve they will found out one way or another. They have allies and friends along the way but will they be able to keep them?

This novella is action-packed, well paced and full of suspense all the way through. This is part of a series so it must be read in order for any of it to make sense but I can highly recommend the whole thing! Once you start, you will want to carry on. Each of the characters we have met before make an appearance, as well as new ones to keep you on your toes. Highly enjoyable and the pages whizz by.


December 22, 2014
  
The Life She Wants
The Life She Wants
Mel Sherratt | 2021 | Crime, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am a fan of Mel Sherratt's work and always look forward to reading her books but, I have to say, never have I been so confused as I was with this one.

Now, whilst at first this might seem to be a negative, let me reassure you that if you stick with it, everything falls into place very nicely and the confusion was well worth it in the end.

Told from different perspectives over different timelines, this is a complex storyline which deals with various unsavoury but important and contemporary themes; coercive control, domestic abuse and loss. These are hard-hitting subjects but Mel deals with them with respect.

There are a number of characters and all have a part to play but I found I didn't really focus on them that much as I was more interested in the story and how it was going to play out. That's not to say they weren't great characters, far from it, it's just that the story was so engrossing that they felt secondary to me somehow.

Full of secrets, lies and manipulation, this is a book that makes you angry and sympathetic all at the same time. It's definitely one that kept me totally engrossed and I couldn't read fast enough.

With atmosphere, suspense and tension aplenty, this is a book that I would definitely recommend to lovers of psychological thrillers and I have to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.