Tell No Tales by JM Dalgliesh

July 28, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Tell No Tales by JM Dalgliesh
Publisher: Hamilton Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

In a world of lies, one truth remains. Dead men tell no tales…
When the body of an unidentified man is found at the foot of Sheringham cliffs with injuries inconsistent with a fall, DI Tom Janssen must piece together his final days to determine how he fell to his death… or who pushed him…

The investigation quickly reveals a network of locals with ties to the victim, but as for the man himself… he remains something of a mystery. The dead man doesn’t fit in; not with his social circle, not with his business interests and when others come looking for him, the intrigue only deepens.

Joined in the investigation by his new Detective Sergeant, Cassie Knight, Janssen uncovers closely guarded secrets alongside long-held grudges. Any one of them could be a motivation for murder. This man had powerful enemies and even more dangerous friends…

As the inquiry develops it is clear that someone wanted him dead but, a formidable character in his own right, who would dare to take him on? One death threatens to unravel a wider conflict where neither the innocent… or the guilty… can feel truly safe. Janssen must bring down the wall of silence encircling his childhood town, coming up against old antagonists as well as facing new adversaries, or risk an escalation in the violence.

Secrets are kept… Deceit is commonplace… And dead men Tell No Tales…

DI Tom Janssen and his team investigate the questionable death of a man found at the foot of Sheringham cliffs. The more they look into the circumstances, and the man himself, the more questions they have and the deeper the complexities become. Can Tom and his team unravel the knot of powerful people involved in this murky situation?

I have been mostly enjoying this Hidden Norfolk series, but I truly feel this is the best book so far. I think the author is finally hitting his stride with the characters, setting and plot and this book in particular really shines for me. I was ecstatic that Tom’s personal life has finally taken a back seat and there was a lot more focus in this story on the murder mystery and the various subplots revolving around that. I also found it surprising (in a good way) that I didn’t miss the fact that DCI Tamara Greave has a far, far smaller part to play in this story. The strong secondary characters in Eric and Cassie (the other members of Tom’s team) really started to grow and shine and I feel they easily made up for the smaller and more managerial – rather than boots-on-the-ground colleague – part Tamara played in this book.

I also strongly feel readers should feel comfortable picking this book up by itself. While there is absolutely a team dynamic between the officers the plot is very well contained to just this book. I think particularly with such a strong focus on this plot and the police procedural aspect to the solving of the crime readers who haven’t caught the previous installments won’t find themselves lost or trying to work out any of the dynamics or “in” jokes.

With a strong and well-crafted plot and a number of interesting peripheral characters I enjoyed trying to work out which people were involved in the crime, and which just got caught up in it with people’s lives crossing over as they do in smaller communities. I also greatly enjoyed how – for the first time for me – after the police conducted an interview there was a short chapter of what each suspect did/thought directly after the police left. I loved how this gave me as the reader a bit more insight into each character’s motivation, reaction and a small part of the puzzle as to how they fit the growing picture. I really enjoyed this and would love it if this style continues in Dalgliesh’s further books.

With a delightfully layered plotline, some solid police procedural work and a bunch of interesting characters this was a really good mystery book and a highlight for me, personally, so far in this series. I’m very eager to read more.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Think Twice by John Carson

July 22, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Think Twice by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

As the end of the year draws to a close, Detective Chief Inspector Sean Bracken is called to a murder scene near the Writer’s Museum. The body of a woman is sitting on a bench in the square, her frozen hand holding a paperback.

The book is by famous American professor of psychology and crime writer, Edwin Hawk. Who has just ended a book tour, culminating in Edinburgh.

Hawk doesn’t know her and thinks she may be just a fan of his.

Knowing he is the number one suspect, he sets out to convince Bracken of his innocence. But Bracken has dealt with people like Hawk before. Is the man telling the truth or using psychology to get away with murder?

Bracken discovers the real reason the professor is still in Edinburgh, and it’s not for Hogmanay. And when he discovers the secrets he’s been keeping, not only could his own life be in danger, but those around him.

Bracken will have to deal with not only a vicious killer but somebody who doesn’t like to lose. But Bracken has played these games before, and one of them has to lose.

And for the loser, life will never be the same again.

DCI Sean Bracken has been back in Edinburgh for only a few weeks and already he’s drawn into another murder investigation. A woman is murdered and left holding a book – the author of whom she was a strong fan of and had been to a small soiree for just hours before her death. The more DCI Bracken investigates the deeper and more complicated the mystery – and everyone’s motives – become.

This is the second book featuring Sean Bracken and I really enjoyed it. I’m a big fan of this author’s DCI Harry McNeil’s books but while the tone of the author’s voice is similar in a “more-ish” manner I was really pleased that the actual feel and structure of the story was quite different for this series. Sean Bracken is a fair bit harder and grittier than Harry McNeil and there’s a noticeable amount of more force and swearing in this series. The whole feel to the story rather than a fun romp through a police investigation is a lot harder and sharper. Readers who enjoy the darker edge many British based stories tend to lean towards should really enjoy this series and this book in particular.

I strongly feel readers can pick this book up as a standalone. The entire events of the first book were all crammed into a little over one week of story timeline – so quite a bit of explanation and background/character history was parceled out in this story. This should help keep fresh readers completely aware of what’s going on and the plot itself is very well written and completely contained in this book.

With a small cast of vibrant characters and a solid plot that kept me turning the pages and guessing well into the story this was a good book and an exceptional new series I plan to thoroughly enjoy.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Return To Evil by John Carson

July 12, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Return To Evil by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

A woman is found in a local cemetery, crushed to death under a gravestone. A production company is there, filming the remake of a classic sci-fi TV show in the grounds, making the investigation more difficult for DCI Harry McNeil. It’s his first day in charge of the cold case unit in Edinburgh. After spending four years in Professional Standards, he has little choice but to take the promotion. The Crown Office decides which cold cases should be reviewed, and this time, they’ve decided the murder of a teenage girl from twenty years ago should be re-opened. A girl who was murdered by somebody pushing a gravestone on top of her… The case gets more complicated when they find out who the latest victim is. Suddenly there are no shortage of suspects. As the filming continues, so does the killing. And McNeil wonders, has a killer been murdering for twenty years? Or is this case completely unconnected? With Frank Miller’s help, he’s going to find out…the hard way…

DCI Harry has just transferred out of Professional Standards and into the Cold Case unit. With a short period under his mentor to ease the transition for both Harry and the other officers no one expected them to suddenly pick up such a large and active case. Someone has murdered a woman in the cemetery in an identical manner to the killing of a pregnant teenage girl twenty years ago. With a film crew also currently inhabiting the cemetery shooting for a TV show there are any number of complications as Harry and his new team try to piece everything together.

I found this to be a fun and well-paced story. While this book was written after Sticks and Stones (the first in the DCI Harry McNeil series) the setting in the fictional world is shortly before Sticks and Stones – being Harry’s first case after leaving Professional Standards. It is still quite modern though and I found it was quite easy to read it out of chronological order.

There are a number of other cast members, including DCI Frank Miller who is featured in another of Carson’s series. At times I wondered if maybe there were too many secondary characters, but I feel Carson handled this quite well and I thought the story was better for having the somewhat larger size to its cast.

The mystery plot was very interesting and captured my attention pretty much from the beginning. This is a very well written police procedural style of story and Carson has an excellent writing style – the “voice” of which I really enjoy and personally I feel it flows very well and is easy to get sucked into the characters and stories. I greatly enjoy this series and am always happy to read more when each book is completed. This book – despite it being chronologically moving backwards – is no different.

A strong and well written police procedural style murder mystery book that I really enjoyed; I’ll definitely be purchasing more of Mr. Carson’s works.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Sentence Is Death by Anthony Horowitz

July 6, 2022 By Leave a Comment


The Sentence Is Death by Anthony Horowitz
Publisher: Arrow Books (Penguin Random House)
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

“You shouldn’t be here. It’s too late . . . “

These, heard over the phone, were the last recorded words of successful celebrity-divorce lawyer Richard Pryce, found bludgeoned to death in his bachelor pad with a bottle of wine—a 1982 Chateau Lafite worth £3,000, to be precise.

Odd, considering he didn’t drink. Why this bottle? And why those words? And why was a three-digit number painted on the wall by the killer? And, most importantly, which of the man’s many, many enemies did the deed?

Baffled, the police are forced to bring in Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, the author Anthony, who’s really getting rather good at this murder investigation business.

But as Hawthorne takes on the case with characteristic relish, it becomes clear that he, too, has secrets to hide. As our reluctant narrator becomes ever more embroiled in the case, he realizes that these secrets must be exposed—even at the risk of death . . .

This is the second book featuring the ex-Detective, now Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne and much like the first book I found myself utterly absorbed. I still find it a little odd how the entire story is written in the first person perspective by Horowitz, in a semi Watson-following-after-Holmes sort of fashion. Horowitz has been contracted to write three books about Hawthorne solving various murders that the police find too baffling to solve on their own and this lends quite a different spin to a more standard murder mystery book. And while I often find the first person perspective to be difficult to read for some reason these books don’t seem as hard for me to follow along with.

Readers will be glad that this book stands alone very well. Hawthorne and Horowitz aren’t best buddies or even particularly friendly outside of their crime-solving escapades and so I really don’t think there is much missed from book to book. And with the characters and plot explained very clearly this helps the book feel very much as a standalone story so I think readers should be happy to pick this up without needing to read the previous story.

While the story has an overall feeling slightly to me of Sherlock/Watson this book is very much a modern murder mystery, and I can never really tell if it’s just my imagination that makes the links between Hawthorne and Sherlock or if the faint echoes are there on purpose from the author. Readers who enjoy non-standard characters and enjoy a bit of conflict should really feel this suits their tastes. At times I wished we could have seen more of Hawthorne’s perspective – but the mystique surrounding the character really is a large part of the draw I expect, so again the first person perspective of Horowitz (while limiting in my personal opinion) simply adds to the drama and mystery of the ex-detective.

With a good plot, steady pacing and enough false trails and red herrings to keep even the most dedicated mystery reader guessing this is a good book and a solid read I feel that should appeal to many readers.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Angel by LJ Ross

July 5, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Angel by LJ Ross
Publisher: Dark Skies Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

He’ll make you his angel, but first you have to die…

After a turbulent time, DCI Ryan’s life is finally returning to normal and he’s looking forward to spending an uneventful Easter bank holiday weekend with his fiancée.

Then, on Good Friday morning he is called out to a crime scene at one of the largest cemeteries in Newcastle. The body of a redheaded woman has been found buried in a shallow grave and the killer has given her wings, like an angel.

Soon, another woman is found at a different cemetery, followed quickly by another. Panic spreads like wildfire as a new serial killer is born, and Ryan’s band of detectives must work around the clock to unmask him before he can strike again.

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.

The fourth installment of the DCI Ryan series is an excellent full length novel and I feel it can definitely be read as a standalone mystery. While some insight is given into the mind and reasonings behind the killer right from the first few pages, I was pleased that there was still enough mystery and shadows around the identity of the killer to keep me guessing and invested well into the story. I also really enjoyed trying to figure out before DCI Ryan’s team whether his case dove-tailed with MacKenzie’s case or whether they weren’t linked by anything other than coincidence.

I do admit that I feel a large part of my interest and emotional investment into DCI Ryan’s team was due to having read the previous stories in this series. That said, I believe the easy and enjoyable writing style that LJ Ross has would lend itself to readers getting attached to the characters, especially as they work together through hard cases and difficult situations. The plotline and murder-mystery aspect to this book I feel is definitely self-contained. Aside from a few brief references to the previous cases this book centers around a new killer with new victims and reasonings, which I feel means readers who have not read the first three books of the series should not find themselves lost if they start with this book.

Fans and readers should be aware though that the last chapter or so of this book definitely acts as a “lead in” to the next book. I feel it ends on quite a cliff hanger (which I personally really hate in a series, particularly if I haven’t been forewarned and don’t have the next book on hand to continue reading). A major development occurs (not related to this books murder plot) and a major incident with one of the main characters happens all within the last few pages of the book. While I don’t exactly feel like this detracts from the book, I do hope this isn’t a frequent occurrence in upcoming books in the series.

With a well-drawn cast of main characters who I have really come to enjoy, and a very strong murder mystery plot I feel this book has a good level of tension and conflict. I found the mystery to be strongly written and suspenseful, the potential for danger to one character in particular was realistic without being overwhelming.

Overall, I found this to be a good addition to the series and I absolutely will be reading the next in the series.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The House at Sea’s End by Elly Griffiths

July 1, 2022 By Leave a Comment


The House at Sea’s End by Elly Griffiths
Publisher: Quercus
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Just back from maternity leave, forensic archeologist Ruth is finding it hard to juggle motherhood and work when she is called in to investigate human bones that have surfaced on a remote Norfolk beach. The presence of DCI Harry Nelson, the married father of her daughter, does not help. The bones, six men with their arms bound, turn out to date back to World War II, a desperate time on this stretch of coastland.

As Ruth and Nelson investigate, Home Guard veteran Archie Whitcliffe reveals the existence of a secret the old soldiers have vowed to protect with their lives. But then Archie is killed and a German journalist arrives, asking questions about Operation Lucifer, a plan to stop a German invasion, and a possible British war crime. What was Operation Lucifer? And who is prepared to kill to keep its secret?

Dr Ruth Galloway is learning how to juggle a newborn baby daughter and her work as a Forensic Archaeologist. When sand erosion unearths a number of skeletons buried from the World War 2 era her path once again collides with DCI Nelson. Can Ruth and Nelson find answers to this puzzle, but also find their way to a new equilibrium with their very complicated relationship.

I’ve been really enjoying this series. A delightful mixture of archaeology and modern mystery I fight the author has an excellent way of blending the past and present. I also have been really excited about the very non-traditional professional – and complicated personal – relationship between Ruth and Nelson. Nelson is a happily married man and I find it so refreshing and different that there is such an interesting professional relationship and odd friendship between Ruth and Nelson. I feel the complications between Ruth and Nelson are extremely well handled and personally I really enjoy the delicate balance they are both aiming for. I find this so interesting and refreshing to read and the very non-traditional-ness of the whole situation really keeps me coming back for more.

I feel that readers could fairly easily pick this book up and read it as a standalone. The connections between Ruth and Nelson are very well explained – though I do feel it would be sensible for readers to go back to the first book and not start with this, the third. A deeper understanding of this would enrich the readers enjoyment of the book I feel, and the two previous cases are mentioned a few times in passing. That said this book can absolutely be read – and enjoyed, I feel – if it’s read by itself. There is a strong cast of secondary characters and I enjoy the other layers they add both to the story and the situation as a whole.

The mystery was interesting and somewhat slower paced in the first half of the book. The personal and emotional relationships were explored in a bit of depth in the first half of the book, but the mystery and complexity of the plot takes comes to the fore in the latter half of the book and while I don’t feel this could be slotted as an “action” type of mystery the plot and murder mystery aspects definitely ramp up in the second half of the book. I feel readers who enjoy both character-based stories and police procedural style of murder mysteries will each enjoy this book. I also really enjoyed the glimpses into archaeology and the more historical aspects to the story as well and found this really rounded out the book in a delightful and different way.

With complicated and interesting characters, a number of emotional storylines mingled very well with a historical/archaeological plot and a more traditional murder mystery plot this is a wonderfully layered and richly interesting book I feel should appeal to a wide range of readers. An excellent series and one I am eagerly anticipating the next installment to. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Heavenfield by LJ Ross

June 28, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Heavenfield by LJ Ross
Publisher: Dark Skies Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The hunter becomes the hunted…

When a man is found dead at the remote church of Heavenfield, DCI Ryan is the only other person for miles around. The police have no weapon, no motive and no other suspects.

Already suspended from Northumbria CID, Ryan must fight to clear his name. But soon, more than his career is at stake when prominent members of the mysterious ‘Circle’ begin to die. Somebody wants Ryan’s name to be next on the coroner’s list and to survive he must unmask the devil who walks among them – before it is too late.

Unfortunately for Ryan, the devil looks just like everybody else…

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit from LJ Ross, set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.

When newly suspended DCI Ryan is found crouched over a recently murdered man, he is arrested, and things look dire. Ryan knows he must fight to clear his name, but the murdered man is an extremely close friend of Anna – Ryan’s girlfriend – and despite the fact he currently is suspended and not in a position to officially investigate Ryan can’t help himself. He needs answers and Ryan believes he is willing to face the consequences of getting them – and justice.

This is the third book in the DCI Ryan series by LJ Ross and while I enjoyed it, I have to be honest that I am starting to get tired of the shadowy sect “The Circle” that simmers below the surface of these first three books. While I feel the occult/pagan rituals and ties of the sect are interesting and they certainly add colour and flavour to the storyline, I personally feel I am ready to move on from this particular plot/sub-plot and I was hoping for a new, unconnected murder mystery. That said, I am hopeful the author may have wrapped things up enough in this book to move on to fresher ground for the next book in the series, so for now I’m willing to stick with it as the characters and writing are really quite good.

Readers may find that they need to start back at book 1 (Holy Island) and read at least these first three books in order. While there is plenty of explanation as to how DCI Ryan finds himself in his current predicament there is quite a bit of backstory around The Circle, the first murder victim and the connection to Anna that really needs the fuller explanation of the previous two books for the reader to fully grasp all the nuances of what’s going on. I have to admit had I picked up this book and simply read it by itself there are a number of factors and subtle connections that might have skipped my attention even with a very careful read of the story. I do feel these three books really need to be read together and in order for the fullest enjoyment to be reached.

I did greatly enjoy the authors writing style and feel the murder and mystery itself was very well handled, as well as some commendable tension of conflict surrounding DCI Ryan himself and his suspension from the police force. That was all very well written, and I found myself quickly sucked into the story as a whole. There is a small but solid group of main/secondary characters with Anna and the small police unit, and with a number of members of The Circle to add flair and tension there is a lot to commend to this book.

Readers who like a fair dollop of paranormal/cult like activity in with their British murder mysteries should find that this is a solid read and a good author to keep note of.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Head In The Sand by Damien Boyd

June 27, 2022 By 1 Comment


Head In The Sand by Damien Boyd
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer Publishers
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

The discovery of a severed head in a golf course bunker triggers a frantic race to find a serial killer that brings the town of Burnham-on-Sea to a standstill.

A connection is made with a series of unsolved murders harking back to the 1970s, and Detective Inspector Nick Dixon finds himself caught in a race against time that takes him the length and breadth of the country.

The brutal killing of an elderly man raises the stakes and, as he closes in, Dixon begins to question whether he is chasing one serial killer or two.

DI Nick Dixon has his lazy Sunday morning interrupted by a phone call, a severed head has been found in 12th holes bunker at the local golf club. What follows is an increasingly complicated mystery where the bodies – and body parts – begins to increase at an alarming rate. Can Dixon and his colleagues solve the connection between the victims and top the killer?

I found this to be a really interesting and well-paced story. While it’s the second book in the DI Nick Dixon series I feel it can easily be read as a standalone. The characters and their connections are very well explained without a huge amount of info-dumping or rehashing their histories so I feel readers should easily be able to follow along and enjoy the story on its own merits. I also really enjoyed how this is very much a British police procedural style of story – with a clear murder mystery plot and a good number of suspects and twists in the storyline.

I also thought the author did a very good job of balancing the action in this story with investigation and understandable police work. It’s very clear to my mind that the author has a solid grasp of police practices and the fundamental steps inherent to any investigation and this shines through the story and makes it a real pleasure to read. Readers on the lookout for a solid, well-paced but logical and realistic murder mystery should find this book as enjoyable as I did.

A good and engrossing read, I really enjoyed this book and will be eagerly looking for the next in the series.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Point Of No Return by John Carson

June 22, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Point Of No Return by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

An old mystery solved after thirty-five years. And a new one just beginning…Millionaire Murdo Wolf took off in a small plane from the island where he lived, and neither he nor the plane was ever seen again. Until now. The Wolf family have gathered on the island they used to call home. They’re celebrating the life of their father, Oliver Wolf, who died six months ago. Now, one of Oliver’s sons has been murdered. And when his body is discovered, so is the body of his grandfather. Did the son know where his grandfather was hidden? Did he die because of it? DCI Harry McNeil is sent to the island to investigate the cold case and track down a killer who may or may not still be there. Helping with the investigation are two detectives from Glasgow, DCI Jimmy Dunbar and DS Robbie Evans. This isn’t an open-and-shut case and they discover the killer is still lurking on the island, and the body count is increasing. But with no clear motive and no direct links to the patriarch going missing all those years ago, this is going to be one of the hardest cases Harry has ever worked on.

I found this to be an excellent addition to the DCI Harry McNeil Scottish mystery series. With a small cast of long-standing characters and an interesting murder mystery plot this book was a solid addition. Best of all while I do feel readers who have read some of the previous installments will get a deeper understanding from the book, the characters and setting is well-laid and explained fully enough that readers should feel comfortable picking this up and reading it as a stand-alone.

I greatly enjoyed the “closed room” aspect to the mystery plot. The murder occurs on a small Scottish island – off the Isle of Mull – with a limited number of local inhabitants and the members of a wealthy family who have gathered for the patriarch’s funeral service. This lent the whole book the air of an older style who-did-it sort of mystery with a limited number of people who could possibly have committed the crime – with the rich family members right at the top of the list.

Indeed, I strongly feel the characters and their interactions are what make this story so wonderful to read. The author does a really good job to my mind of writing the Scottish police characters in a realistic and relatable manner, without being too cliched or over-the-top. I found the main characters to be particularly vivid and enjoyable, their camaraderie and clearly solid relationships were really well handled and made the reading quick and pleasurable for me. While the other characters and suspects were also very well drawn I was pleased a large part of the story focused on the police investigation and interactions. This might make the plot feel a little slow moving for some readers – those used to high-octane and strongly action orientated novels – but personally I enjoyed the deeper characterizations and slightly slower pace.

Readers who enjoy closed room murder mysteries – or smaller town settings like, say Agatha Christie or more plot and character centric novels with a little less action and adrenaline, should find this book really fits the bill. I found the mystery to be interesting and well handled, though admit there is an equal – if not slightly greater – focus on the main characters and their interactions and investigation. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to the next in the series. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Asset by Chris Lowry

June 15, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Asset by Chris Lowry
Publisher: Grand Ozarks Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Action/Adventure
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

It ain’t easy being a spy.

It sounded fun at first. Just listen. Pay attention. Make note of who comes to the house. Who stops by.

And a poor boy from the wrong side of the tracks gets a chance to travel the world with the girl he loves.

But her do-gooder ways can get them in trouble.

When she volunteers them to help at a refugee camp in South Africa, they’re protected by her father’s reputation.

Until rebels show up and all hell breaks loose.

Now his adventure in a new world takes a deadly turn and drives him into a nightmare. He can give in and give up or dig deep and fight to become the man he always wanted to be.

It’s not a simple choice and the only easy day was yesterday. But Brill Winger will have to learn to fight if he wants to survive, and wreak havoc on the men who shattered his world, and tried to shatter him.

Grab your copy of book 1 in the action packed series about the boy who became the world’s luckiest hitman.

Brill was a poor young man who had grown up on the wrong side of town in desperate circumstances. Everything changes when he is offered a unique opportunity, just listen and pay attention to what goes on around him, then report back to his shadowy benefactors. In return he gets to stay with the young South African woman he loves and be a part of her life. Only Brill and his love are both thrown into a nightmare situation and Brill has to decide whether he will fight and take his vengeance, or whether he will give up everything he is.

I picked up this book on a whim and mostly I’m happy with the purchase. This story definitely won’t be every reader’s cup of tea. I found the writing style quite bare and very different to most of the books I read. I feel the author takes the “lean” or “gritty” style of writing to an extreme. There is very little extra description or world building in this story and I feel some readers won’t enjoy the bareness of the narrative very much at all.

The pace of this story was quite fast and I feel readers who enjoy action/adventure style fast-paced novels should really enjoy this. The plot was simple but effective – not very unique but I thought it was well handled. I personally found we received enough details about Brill and Laurette to give me a good mental picture of their characters and who they were, but I wouldn’t blame other readers who felt there needed to be at least a little more description to help make the story more fulfilling to read.

Fairly early on in the story Brill and Laurette are kidnapped with a bunch of other people by some rebels while they were volunteering in one of the refugee camps in Laurette’s home country and South Africa. After this, the story becomes far more focused on Brill and his personal growth, though the pace remains quite fast in this as well. Readers looking for a light hearted or easy read won’t find that here. There is one very full-on rape scene around this time in the story too. I feel readers should be aware this rape scene is fairly graphic – though still in the books style of bare and gritty. I definitely didn’t find it written in a titillating or glorified manner, but also the author was in no way vague with the scene, it definitely wasn’t glossed over. I really feel it won’t suit all readers and could certainly be a trigger to some, though I personally was able to read it (and I frequently skim or properly skip more graphically violent scenes – in this sense the bareness of the author’s writing style was definitely a blessing).

While Brill is caught in this nightmare situation it’s truly the making of his character. Although part of me feels there is a little too much coincidence in the unfolding of the further scenes – they were realistic and logical enough I could accept them and I found it deeply engrossing to watch Brill turn from a young man in love into what is the beginnings of a hardened warrior and a deeply rooted sense of Brill’s personal mission and the skills he would learn to grow into a man determined to carry out this journey he was beginning.

While there are a few rough corners in this story that I hope are a bit smoother in the next few books, I admit I’m hooked enough on the plotline and general premise I expect to purchase and read the second in this series. I feel there was a good enough writing style, interesting enough characters and a solid plot to this story and I admit I’m interested in knowing what happens next, so I’ll be getting the next book and giving it another try.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »