Review: Blood and Stone by Chris Collett

 

DI Tom Mariner decides the perfect cure for his grief after the death of his ex-girlfriend is to take a walking holiday in Wales. Unfortunately trouble seems to follow Tom and in short succession several people around him are dead. Is it the work of a recently released convict, a criminal from Mariner’s past or someone else entirely?

Blood and Stone has everything you need from a crime thriller – a realistic lead character, an interesting setting and so many interweaving threads that you’ll be kept guessing until the end. Tom Mariner is a very fallible character and like most in the book is characterised well. Collet switches between several characters when telling the story and so leads you on a merry chase which will have you swearing blind that you know who the killer is several times before the truth is revealed in a surprise ending. For those of you who have an aversion to gore, Collet gets the balance just right, not glossing over it but not going into every little detail.

This is sixth book in the DI Mariner series, and whilst past events are mentioned several times, I did not feel like I missed out having not read the previous five books, so Blood and Stone is fine when read as a stand alone novel.

Overall a very well done crime thriller which whilst thrilling leaves you with a nice cosy feeling at the end. Highly recommended for all readers – there is romance, murder and suspense.

Blood and Stone is available in dead tree from Amazon.co.ukfor £14.99.

[An ARC was provided through NetGalley]

Review and Giveaway: Snow Day by Dan Maurer

Snow Day reads like an old campfire story, and that is what the author intended. Billy, our narrator, tells the story of how, as a child, he stumbled into a horror story which left another boy dead and gave him nightmares every snow day since.

Snow Day is a novella, only 100 pages long, but that is the perfect size for this story, as any longer and it would loose the thrill with too much detail. If anything, it could have been a little shorter, as I felt the first section dragged and, whilst building the background of the characters, wasn't needed in a story so short. The first few pages also revealed a bit too much for me, as horrifying as they were. These two small points were the reason I didn't award it the full 5 stars - but they should not put off a potential reader, as they are soon forgotten as the rest of the book unfolds.

Although short, the story is substantial, and leaves the reader with a satisfied feeling when you finish the book, rather than feeling like there could have been more. The writing is elegant in its simplicity, and the innocent but slightly cocky voice of the narrator takes you back to a much simpler time, and also makes the story that much creepier. There is even a surprise twist at the end.

A great read when you want to finish a story in one go. I very much enjoyed it, even though I usually steer clear of novellas.

Snow Day is available from Amazon for £1.32 as a Kindle e-book. There is also an audio book version available. A sample chapter can be found here.

Giveaway: The author is currently running a giveaway (ends Sep. 28th 2013) to win a Kindle Fire HD and copies of the audio book. Details can be found on his website here. Note: Tomes of the Soul is in no way associated with the giveaway.

[A review copy was provided by the author]

Free e-book: The Unburied Dead by Douglas Lindsay

Get your hands on the new detective novel picking up lots of five star reviews on Amazon. The first book in Douglas Lindsay's new Thomas Hutton detective series, The Unburied Dead is currently available on Amazon free of charge.

Douglas Lindsay is no stranger to the writing game, he is the author behind the successful Barney Thomson serial killer series, the first book of which is also free to download on Kindle here.

There is already a second installment to the new Thomas Hutton series on the way, so this is a perfect opportunity to get yourself up to speed and to discover a new series over the summer.

The following summary is from GoodReads:

"A psychopath walks the streets of Glasgow, selecting his first victim. He sees his ex-girlfriend everywhere, and he will have her back.

When a woman is savagely murdered, her body stabbed over a hundred times, the police know from the nature of the crime that the killer will strike again. DCI Bloonsbury, the once-feted detective, is put in charge of the investigation, but as the killer begins to hit much closer to home and an old police conspiracy starts to unravel, Bloonsbury slides further into morose alcoholic depression.

In the middle of it all is Detective Sergeant Thomas Hutton, juggling divorce, deception, alcohol, murdered colleagues, and Dylan. He could use a break but the dead will not rest and the past will not be buried until he can catch the latest serial killer to haunt the streets of his city"

Choose the right site to download your copy now:

Amazon US
Amazon UK

Note: Always check the price listed on Amazon before purchasing. The price here was correct at the time of being posted but may change without notice. 

Review: Two Evils by PJ Tracy

I'm a big fan of the Monkeewrench series by PJ Tracy and Monkeewrench #6 - Two Evils (or Off the Grid for US readers) is the latest installment. We find Grace relaxed for the first time in a long time, wearing a dress and enjoying the high seas with ex-FBI agent John Smith. However their peaceful existence is shattered when two men board their boat late on night and try to kill John. We later find out that John has been monitoring the internet for terrorist groups and accidentally stumbled upon a Halloween terror plot.

A big part of the Monkeewrench series is the suspense in each book, and whilst Two Evils has some great moments of suspense, there isn't that same build up of tension that you find particularly in the first few books. That being said, the book was well written and the moments of suspense that were present had me on the edge of my seat. The plot was very good, with enough complexity to keep me guessing, though the final 'encounter' was a bit anti-climatic with very little action. I especially liked the sub-plot between Grace and Magozzi, and am looking forward to it being explored more in the next novel.

Overall a good solid, enjoyable read which will appeal to both fans of the series and new readers. Two Evils will be available as a Kindle e-book in the UK on January 17th.

[A review copy was provided by Penguin Books]

Review: The Frozen Shroud by Martin Edwards

The Frozen Shroud is Martin Edward's latest offering from the Lake District Mysteries series, a series I've been meaning to read for quite a while. The Frozen Shroud is based around two historical murders in the remote fictional Lakeland village of Ravenback, and the events when a third murder happens mirroring the first two.

The novel is well written, with little touches, such as referring to a non-Cumbrian as an incommer, making it very realistic in its setting; a fact that I'm sure will please lovers of the Lake District, as too few books are true to this setting. The pace however is too slow for my liking with the action not really getting going until 40% into the book. There are also a few too many long conversations between characters that add little to the plot, which is a particular bug bear of mine. The main characters are well written, but the extended cast of characters - particularly in the first half of the book, can make following what is going on difficult. The large number of characters comes in very useful in the last section of the book, providing many possible suspects and motives to the killings. The twist at the end is superb  the killer being someone you would never have suspected.

Overall, a 'soap-opera' style mystery that is well written and which kept me guessing till the end.

The Frozen Shroud is released on April 2nd and will be available in dead-tree format from Amazon for £8.33. Currently there is no information on an e-book release, however as Kindle versions of several other books in the series are available I've no doubt one will be available after release.

[An ARC was provided by NetGalley]

Review: Long Gone by Alafair Burke

Alice Humphrey, fiercely independent daughter of a movie tycoon, gets her dream job after months of searching. It all seems too good to be true, well, that’s because it is. When her manager is found dead in the gallery, in the midst of accusations of child pornography, Alice suddenly finds her life turned up side down and discovers years of deceit has led to her being the police’s number one suspect in her bosses death.

Alafair Burke’s latest offering starts slowly, and it did take me a while to get into it, especially with the constant switching between characters during the first short chapters. However, it soon gets going and it becomes a gripping read. What really sets this book apart is that it doesn’t go for the ‘easy’ plot option, instead an idea is dangled in front of the reader then snatched away; the plot turns are unexpected which makes the novel even more suspenseful.

Overall a fantastic thriller, with many twists and turns, and a very surprising ended.

Long Gone will be released on the 21st July (28th July for the e-book version) and will be available from Amazon UK for £4.49 and from Barnes and Noble for $11.99.

[A review copy was provided by Avon]

Review: The Sex Club by L.J. Sellers

The Sex Club is the second L.J. Seller's novel I have had the pleasure to read, and like The Baby Thief it is a gripping thriller. It starts as a bomb goes off at a Planned Parenthood clinic, which young teen Jessie narrowly misses, however her luck runs out when she is found dead in a dumpster. Planned Parenthood worker Kera is intrigued and begins to uncover a secret 'sex club' amongst the city's young teens. As another teen is found dead, and more bombs are threatened, Kera must discover the links before it's too late.

From Amazon

The Sex Club is an enjoyable read, that kept me gripped throughout. However there are some elements that detract from the overall reading experience which has reduced the rating. The major problem is that the plot is too readily reveled, it becomes clear to the reader early on what is happening and the rest of the book, whilst enjoyable, is spent waiting for Kera and Detective Jackson to figure it out, rather than waiting to discover it yourself. In addition, the 'sex club' plot, is just a little too unbelievable the way it is presented, I'm not saying teens don't have sex, but the way the idea of the 'sex club' is set up is just too much of a stretch for me. The book falls apart towards the end, as while it's dramatic, the plot becomes even more stretched, and some character's become less believable.

It was very hard to rate this book as I really enjoyed it and feel that it would make a great holiday-read for many people. On the other hand there are plot and character issues that I feel would frustrate many readers, and did irritate me at points. Therefore I am giving it 3 and a half stars, although I do recommend you give it a go as it is only 69p from Amazon.

The Sex Club is available from Amazon UK for just 69p.