Second Chance by David Perry Review

Title: Second Chance

Author: David Perry

My Rating: 2/5

Part of a series? Not yet. 

Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller.

Description/Blurb:

Pharmacist Alex Benedict’s career and personal life are collapsing around him. Battling his own exhaustion, a powerful physician and an unforgiving boss, he fights to uncover the reason behind a series of mysterious deaths in his hospital while preparing for a life-altering crisis. The suicide of a colleague thrusts Benedict into a hunt for clues leading to the ultimate, improbable answer. In the end, Benedict discovers the unthinkable and in a climactic, unforgettable scene must make an agonizing, life-defining choice that will haunt him forever.

My review: 
It's taken my quite a while to read this, I think it's been weeks which (if you read my blog) you'll know is quite unusual especially considering this isn't exactly a lengthy novel. 

The novel starts off quite well, it seems like the standard mystery that I expected from reading the blurb, mysterious patient deaths, a suicide and possible someone behind it all. Later things started getting a bit more unusual, more like sci-fi than mystery which I can live with, plenty of authors manage to blend the two dramas together nicely but it didn't feel quite right here. I struggled to do the whole suspension of disbelief thing as the universe didn't seem to follow it's own rules. I mean a character can be shot, be in serious pain and a few chapters later (and the whole book only seems to span a week or so) the same character can be in a fight with the pain from the injury and even the injury itself not even being mentioned. The story itself had a lot of promise and the characters themselves appeared to be consistent it's just the little niggles where the author doesn't follow the rules of the universe the characters live in made it a bit difficult for me to enjoy the book.  

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks review

Title: The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales

Author: Oliver Sacks

My Rating:3.5/5

Part of a series? : No

Genre(s):  Psychology, Non-fiction, Medicine, Anthology

Description/Blurb:

Oliver Sacks's The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with fantastic perceptual and intellectual aberrations: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; who are stricken with violent tics and grimaces or who shout involuntary obscenities; whose limbs have become alien; who have been dismissed as retarded yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents. 

My review: 

This is an interesting collection of one man’s experiences with patients with various neurological disorders. Some of them happen to be quite humorous while others are simply stories of interest to those who are interested in human behaviour. I would love to give it a higher star writing but I felt that some of the editing was below par with a few of the sentences not making complete sense (yes I know I have that problem too but I don’t have an editor!).  Also sometimes Sacks uses terms which somebody with no previous experience of psychology may struggle to understand without a quick google though I do admit most of the time you can just skim over the term without understanding it as the detail would only be of interest to somebody with an interest in psychology, if you’re just reading the collection for some unusual real life stories then you won’t really lose anything by just skipping over it, I’d recommend doing the same for some of the explanations of the disorders as again they can be a bit confusing for somebody who hasn’t really looked into psychology before though some of Sacks’ explanations and theories are really quite interesting.

I'm Nobody by Alex Marestaing Review

Title: I'm Nobody

Author: Alex Marestaing

My Rating: 3.5/5

Part of a series? No

Genre(s): Young adult, Mental health,

Description/Blurb:

Caleb Reed is losing his mind, at least that’s what his father thinks.

If it were only the show - America's Funniest Home Videos - the same taped episode he's watched every night for the last six years - then perhaps his parental unit wouldn't worry so much. But there’s far more to the thirteen year-old’s manic daily regimen that makes even Caleb himself question his mental health. 

For starters, there's his obsessive worry about the abandoned mansion across the street, and then there's that curious note someone left on his doorstep. It's neatly folded, black ribbon wrapped, and signed by a stranger named Emily Dickinson.

"I'm nobody. Who are you?" it reads. "Are you nobody too?"

My review: 

I know this wouldn't typically be classed as a book for adults but it's well worth a read. Ok, it's a bit odd, a long dead poet apparently sending a young boy letters but I think most people can relate to the book in a way. It shows us how a single person can touch so many lives and that with the help of others we can overcome obstacles and even our greatest fears can end up not being that great after all.

In this book we face the effects of grief and how it can damage a family and a person’s mental health, we also see how friendship can blossom from the strangest of beginnings. I really can’t say much more without giving away spoilers as ‘I’m Nobody’ is a short book (I have no idea how the author manage to pack so much into it).

This is another of those books I’d recommend to pretty much anybody, young or old, I particularly recommend it to those who feel alone in the world as her we’re offered a wonderful perspective on those the world view as strange and alone.

Blood, Sweat & Tea by Tom Reynolds Review

Title: Blood, Sweat & Tea: Real-Life Adventures in an Inner-City Ambulance

Author: Tom Reynolds (aka Brian Kellett)

My Rating: 4/5

Part of a series? Yes, there is a second book 'More Blood, More Sweat & Another Cup of Tea'

Genre(s): Non-fiction, Memoir, Medicine, Humour

Description/Blurb:

Is there anyone who hasnt wondered about the state of the occupant of an ambulance, screaming along with its sirens on and blue lights flashing? And have you wondered about the other people inside the ambulance? Meet Tom Reynolds, an Emergency Medical Technician who works for the London Ambulance Service in East London. He has kept a blog of his daily working life since 2003 and his award-winning writing is, by turn, moving, cynical, funny, heart-rending, and compassionate. From the tragic to the hilarious, the stories Tom tells give a fascinatingand at times alarming picture of life in inner-city Britain, and the people who are paid to mop up after it.

My review: 

I should start off by pointing out that this book is basically a collection of blog posts from the blog 'Random Acts of Reality' which is no longer updated as the author no longer works for the ambulance service full time and has moved onto other things. 

As you can probably tell from the rating, this is one of those books I truly enjoyed. Ok, I read it over a couple of weeks during the breaks between lectures when I had nothing better to do but just because I didn't get so sucked in I couldn't put the book down it doesn't mean this book wasn't gripping. The blog post type format made it easy to find a place to stop as the stories weren't really related so you're not compelled to turn the page to find out about what happened to the person you were just reading about.

This one can get a bit depressing at times, nobody thinks reading about sick children and dying patients is fun and games but there's enough humour (sometimes quite dark humour) to offset this. Oh, and reading about some of the reasons people call out the emergency services can make you lose a little bit of faith in humanity (I don't seem to be conveying how much I enjoyed the book very well here) but all those moments are worth it just to read the descriptions of traffic dodging and the weird panicky things people seem to do when they hear a siren.

Zephyr: Phase One by Warren Hately Review

Title: Zephyr: Phase One

Author: Warren Hately

My Rating: 4/5

Part of a series? Yes

Genre(s): Superhero, Adult, Fantasy, Science fiction 

Description/Blurb:

Zephyr phase one isn't exactly an average book, it's from a prose web-comic series to find out more look here.

It's 2011 on the eastern seaboard of the United States. The place is Atlantic City: a sweeping longitudinal metropolis rebuilt following widespread devastation in 1984. Superhumans are not only real, they're human. All too human, as Nietzsche would say.

Zephyr is a "novel" alt.superhero adventure influenced by postliterary writing and Sturgeon's law. The style is cynical, cinematic and systematically against standard expectations of the genre. Imagine if Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho was about costumed vigilantes rather than stockbrokers and you have half an idea.

Zephyr tells the story of a major, if somewhat jaded superhero in an alternate universe where New York City has been abandoned and the Beatles were a superhero team. Zephyr is a regular guy, but with powers, and it's easy to wonder if his life might have been better without them as supervillains and other problems that only superhumans can deal with derail his efforts handling life.

In Phase One, Zephyr tackles the pressure to reform his old Sentinels superhero team for financial gain, saves his best friend Twilight, endures sexual blackmail, reconciles his daughter's expulsion from high school and deals with a close betrayal, all as the star-god Hariss as-Sama prepares for its assault on Atlantic City.

My review: 

Finally a superhero story for grown ups! There's the super powers, the villains, the slightly ambiguous in betweens (I'm having to really try to avoid spoilers in this review). We get to see our hero Zephyr deal with the press and trying to keep his normal identity secret which isn't something comics really touch on too much. Warren Hately also manages to include all the battles and plots that comic readers tend to love, there seems to be something going on around every corner, I really feel for the poor normal people living in that world who have to deal with all the supercharged criminals without any powers of their own.

There's a fair bit of adult content in this, well I'm not sure how to describe it, novel? comic? so even though it's great and at certain points quite witty writing I would avoid letting children or anyone a bit on the prudish side read it.

The idea that Zephyr is a veteran in the superhero world at just 35 is quite an interesting point, especially in the youth obsessed world we live in ourselves where older celebrities tend to get less press. Though really it’s more likely that he’s a veteran because of how dangerous the superhero world is, I mean how many of us would survive in a world where people can control pretty much any element I could easily see myself accidentally injuring myself with my own powers if they were decent ones.

Anyway to cut away from the weird rambling in the last paragraph I'm seriously recommending this book to someone who likes the whole superhero thing, you don’t even have to be the greatest fan. I've never read a ‘proper comic’ and most of my superhero experience comes from films like The incredibles or Batman and I really enjoyed this book.

The Caregiver by Astrid 'Artistikem' Cruz Review

Title: The Caregiver

Author: Astrid 'Artistikem' Cruz 

My Rating: 3/5

Part of a series? Yes

Genre(s): Crime, Thriller

Description/Blurb:

Scarlett Lang always dreamt of becoming an Interpol agent. When her hard work pays off and she's given the chance to work as an undercover agent with London's biggest drug lord, Armand Sayer, she can't help being ecstatic about it. She's employed by Armand's sister (to aid in his recovery from a gun attack) as both caregiver and bodyguard. Her resourcefulness in both areas helps her win much more than Armand's trust, to the dismay of both his right-hand man and her ex-boyfriend / colleague. As she makes her way into the business she swore to help tear down, she's faced with the dilemma of choosing between being loyal to her profession or her heart. And we all know it can't be both.

My review: 

This book deals with more violence than the average crime novel with a female protagonist  Scarlett isn't an investigator really she's more of a hit-man (hit-woman?) which made a nice change. There's not really an overly complicated plot or loads of detail for the reader to get bogged down in which makes it a nice light read, easily readable in an hour or two.

I did have a couple of issues believing that the book was set in London though, it felt a lot more like some of the American cities I've read about. I'm not sure if it's because I'm more familiar with London than cities in the U.S. so it's harder for me to just go with the flow of the plot or something along those lines. I felt that maybe there was a bit too much gun crime going on, normally you read of more stabbings than gun crime in the papers so that didn't really feel right with me. There also weren't many landmarks mentioned so you could easily have been in any generic city. 

Anyway despite that little niggle I still found the book enjoyable, it was good for a quick read. I might even end up reading the sequel to learn more about Scarlett's past as I don't think we learnt enough about it in this book, I love to know what motivates a character when I'm reading but I appreciate that because this book is a rather short one an in-depth run down of Scarlett's history would have felt out of place and slowed down plot development massively.

I would quite happily recommend this book to anybody who wants a short, fast paced thriller or somebody who fancies a break from traditional romance novels. 

Misery Loves Company by Rene Gutteridge Review

Title: Misery Loves Company

Author: Rene Gutteridge

My Rating: 3/5

Part of a series? No.

Genre(s): Christian fiction, Mystery, Thriller.

Description/Blurb:

Filled with grief, Jules Belleno rarely leaves the house since her husband’s death while on duty as a police officer. Other than the reviews Jules writes on her blog, she has little contact with the outside world.

But one day when she ventures out to the local grocery store, Jules bumps into a fellow customer . . . and recognizes him as her favorite author, Patrick Reagan. Jules gushes and thoroughly embarrasses herself before Regan graciously talks with her.

And that’s the last thing she remembers—until she wakes up in a strange room with a splitting headache. She’s been kidnapped. And what she discovers will change everything she believed about her husband’s death . . . her career . . . and her faith.

My review: 

This book threw me off for the first few chapters; a blogger who reviews the odd book gets kidnapped not long after posting a negative review… I really don’t want any authors who read my reviews to get inspired from that little idea. So yes, I was a little thrown off but luckily I don’t need to write a negative review for this book. I have tagged this book as a piece of Christian literature, mainly because a few characters in this book question their faith throughout the course of the plot leading to a few mentions of God, Jesus and Heaven. The references aren't too heavy though, I'm not a Christian myself and I didn't feel like the book was trying to preach to me which can sometimes happen when a book has characters who find faith important.

 I don’t want to go too deep in reviewing the plot as it would be so easy to give something away, the author keeps adding little points that may or may not be important to the main plot. For example; was Jules kidnapped because of that bad review or was there something else behind the kidnapper’s actions.

I’d like you to trust my judgement on this one rather than listen to me ramble on and on about the description and strength of the plot whilst trying not to give anything away.  I gave this book a 3/5, meaning that in my opinion this book was above average but was a fair way off being my perfect read. I found some of the switching between scenes a bit unnecessary and almost distracting at times, usually I seeing the story through the eyes of different characters but sometimes the writer changed character in a way that was far from smooth leaving me feeling like maybe I’d missed a paragraph out somewhere. That’s not to say that the book wasn't enjoyable, it was, there were interesting concepts and as a Psychology student I do enjoy looking at how authors take on mental health. Here Gutteridge takes on grief and shows us people reacting to it in different ways, we get to see how the characters’ development is affected by their mental state while still treating the matter delicately. 

Letters From a Murderer by John Mathews Review

Title: Letters From a Murderer

Author: John Mathews

My Rating: 5/5

Part of a series? This is book one of the Finley Jameson & Joseph Argenti series.

Genre(s): Mystery, Historical fiction, Crime, American literature.

Description/Blurb:

New York, 1891. A prostitute is found brutally murdered. The victim bears the same hallmarks as a notorious recent killing spree in England. Could it be that killer has crossed the Atlantic to fresh killing grounds? Or is this simply a copycat murder? Fear spreads through a city already rife with cut-throat gangs, corruption and vice. Aristocratic English pathologist, Finley Jameson, is teamed up with Joseph Argenti, a streetwise New York cop, to solve the case. But as the body-count rises and the killer taunts his pursuers in open letters, Jameson and Argenti find themselves fighting not just to prevent yet more victims, but also to save the city’s very soul.

My review: 
I know this is jumping right into things but I need to say it, I really hope the author carries on with this series. The plot is based on the notorious murderer 'Jack the ripper', a mystery that has gripped people since the time of the murders in Victorian London, so it's something a lot of readers will go into already being comfortable with the setting. The idea of the ripper going to the U.S. and carrying on with his work isn't exactly a new one but Mathews explores it well. The author provides the reader with well fleshed out characters and the reader gets to see parts of the story from the points of view of different characters, allowing the reader to know more about events than the characters but not enough to get too far ahead and sit around waiting while the characters play catch up.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to fans of literature set in the 1800’s particularly those who also enjoy mysteries. Fans of Conan Doyle may also find this book to be of interest. The answer to the riddles aren't obvious and at many points in this novel the characters find themselves having to face more than one adversary and question exactly what can be trusted. All in all a good read, there’s nothing in there likely to give you nightmares so I’d suggest this one as a good bedtime read. 

The Hard-Boiled Detective Series by Ben Solomon Review

Ok, I know I don't normally put a whole series up as a review, and  I'm not really doing it here either as I'll be reviewing "No. 3: Simeon Von Runck" rather than the series itself but as the series is an on-line subscription rather than a traditional book it makes sense to use the series as the post title rather than the story itself.

I know I probably explained that really badly so pop along to thehardboileddetective.com if you want to find out more about how that manages to work.

Title: No. 3: Simeon Von Runck

Author: Ben Solomon

My Rating: 3.5/5

Part of a series? Yes, this is part of the The Hard-Boiled Detective on-line sbscription series.

Genre(s): Retro detective, Crime. 

Description/Blurb:

The Hard-Boiled Detective Statement Series goes back to the school of old-school detective fiction. There isn’t really a set time period so in your head it could be anything from the 1920’s to the 1950’s as you follow the cases of the P.I. who “seeks truth, justice, and sometimes a living”. The stories are the detective’s statements to the police, in his own words of course.

No 003: Simeon Von Runck: "Have you ever planned a murder?" That's one hell of an opener. And it makes for one hell of a party game. Or is it a game?

My review: 

My first thought after reading this short story was, ‘well I’m guessing “Sometimes my line of work calls for it” might just be out detective’s catchphrase’ I admit that’s not the most useful first thought when I’m trying to write a review but the P.I. does say it a couple of times, it might even turn into some sort of joke.

Anyway, this was quite a good little story, it wasn’t dark or ‘heavy’ and it’s easily readable in a lunch break if you feel like escaping a little. The detective was the stereotypical old style detective though, with all of the language and mannerisms you’d expect from a 1940’s movie policeman, so bear that in mind if you’re thinking of taking out a subscription. If you don’t like that sort of character then this series really isn’t for you. However if you are the type who enjoys old timey detective novels where the crimes are of the traditional type rather like a condensed version of Sherlock Holmes where the clues are easier to spot and follow, then these stories might just be for you. So basically at times it feels a bit corny, but this story was a bit of good fun that could be easily read to assume yourself on a commute or lunch break.

The author has a couple of samples up on the Hard-Boiled Detective website if you want to sample some of his work.

Dukkha Reverb by Loren W. Christensen Review

Title: Dukkha Reverb: A Sam Reeves Martial Arts Thriller

Author: Loren W. Christensen

My Rating: 2.5/5

Part of a series? Yes, this is book two of the Sam Reeves series. 

Genre(s): Thriller, Martial arts.

Description/Blurb:

Up until six weeks ago, Sam Reeves, a respected Portland, Oregon police detective, martial artist, and teacher, had a good life. That is until a series of unimaginable events turned it upside down some good, some very, very bad. Still reeling from this maelstrom of fate, Sam takes a leave of absence and heads to exotic Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam seeking refuge with his family, and to reflect on his deadly past. Sam is captivated by the contrast of beauty and struggle of a country still recovering from war, and by the warmth of his newfound family his father Samuel, wife Kim, half sisters, and the beautiful enchanting Mai. But the grief-crazed mob boss, Lai Van Tan, seeks revenge against Samuel who he holds responsible for the death of his son. Ever the protector, Sam Reeves joins the fight to thwart Lai Van Tan s deadly attacks on the family. Dealing with a crazed mob boss is difficult enough but when the family learns that Lai Van Tan s people have kidnapped 27 young girls to be sold into the sex trade, and that the corrupt police and government won t help, Sam, Samuel, and Mai, along with a bizarre group of seemingly old and disabled Vietnamese soldiers with unique fighting skills, join forces to rescue the young girls. Enraged, Lai Van Tan strikes back with a fury that tests the mettle of these warriors. Before it s over, the family is forced to defend themselves again and again, including in a warehouse full of life-sized Buddha statues. The results well, if you re going to fight the bad guys you might as well make them really mad at you.

My review: 
Before reading this I'd never found myself reading a martial arts thriller before, I didn't even know a lot about the genre itself and I'm slightly ashamed to admit this but pretty much all of my (extremely limited) martial arts knowledge comes from watching films, so I apologise now in case my ignorance insults somebody.

This book had considerably less violence than I expected, that's not saying there was no violence as this book has its air share of fights, murders and distressing content at times, but the author concentrates on more than the violence, and he would be forgiven for doing so in a thriller book, instead he focused more on the chi, state of mind and energy required in a fight. This did lead to the book feeling a bit like a fantasy at times due to the frequent talks around chi, moving faster than the eye can follow, 'mind reading' and other skills displayed by Samuel and 'Sifu'. Other elements were a lot more realistic, Sam's post traumatic stress following the events of the previous book (which I have not had the opportunity to read) showed that the main character was in fact a human being, the post traumatic stress as well as adding some realism to the novel also allowed the reader to learn enough of the key elements if the previous book to understand this one without having read the first book in the series.

I loved the authors description of the traffic in Saigon, it was so easy to imagine the close shaves that I found myself gripping my e-reader a bit too tight whilst reading these passages almost as if I was gripping some car part for dear life. I didn't have such an intense reaction to the fight scenes despite them being equally as well written but it is much easier for me to imagine crazy traffic which I have experienced  than mortal combat, which I hope to steer well clear of.

Anyway, back to the point. I would recommend this to somebody who is interested in martial arts and interested in thrillers as they would perhaps appreciate the more spiritually components more than myself. I'd also recommend this to somebody who fancies a bit of escapism, there are plenty of points where you could easily put the novel down for a few hours making this a suitable read for a commute.

The Infernal Republic by Marshall Moore Review

Title: The Infernal Republic

Author: Marshall Moore

My Rating: 4/5

Part of a series? No

Genre(s): Fantasy, Anthology. 

Description/Blurb:

A lonely demon in a remote corner of Hell oversees a divine but rigged typing contest. A sentient house in San Francisco decides to become vacant once again... by any means necessary. A supernatural first date in Hong Kong goes hysterically, horribly awry. How did this become my life? And... now what? These questions recur throughout The Infernal Republic as a cast of characters you'd either love or run from confront the unlikely and surmount the impossible. The Infernal Republic is the new collection of short fiction from Marshall Moore, the author of The Concrete Sky, Black Shapes in a Darkened Room, and An Ideal for Living. 

My review: 
I know that I've reviewed Marshall Moore's work before (feel free to take a look at the review for Bitter Orange) so I did go into this book with a couple of preconceptions as I did enjoy reading his novel Bitter Orange but I've tried to only consider this collection of short stories in this review.  

Each of the stories in this collection could easily stand alone on their own merit. Although they vary in length with some being just over a page long while others are long enough to be divided into chapters, they were all well written (and edited). The stories flowed easily with no hang ups on grammar or unusual word choices and each story felt drastically different from the last.

This collection does have quite a few dark undertones to it and would probably be best appreciated by somebody with a slightly dark or twisted sense of humour. Some of the studies (betting on whether somebody will commit suicide and a superpower that can mess with the less than sanitary bodily functions are just some of the milder examples in my opinion) could be considered bad taste or offensive, but as you can tell by the rating I still found this collection perfectly enjoyable as a whole.

The only reason I didn't give this 5/5 was because not all of the stories were to my taste and I found myself wanting to skip over a couple, such as the one where a man hears a ‘shark’s’ voice in his head, it did have an interesting concept and I'm sure others would name it as their favourite story in the collection but it just wasn't the sort of story I would choose to read if it wasn't in the collection.

My Name is Dee by Robin Wyatt Dunn Review

Title: My Name is Dee

Author: Robin Wyatt Dunn

My Rating: 1.5/5

Part of a series? No

Genre(s): Science fiction

Description/Blurb:

My Name is Dee is a novel for the reader who enjoys noir action, intrigue and dark romance, for the child in all of us who wants to go on adventures, and for the fearful adult too who marvels at the terrifying scale of this universe.
Battling aliens, journeying between dimensions, exploring the
immensity of the human mind, and saving a woman are on the docket for John Dee in this noir adventure. 
He must choose what moral course his life is going to take: can he stand to still wear the grey hat?

My review: 

If I’m honest I have to say that I found this book difficult to read, which is probably why it’s taken me the best part of a month to read this. I found myself needing to go back over parts to make sure I was reading it properly and it was page 30 before I found myself really understanding what was going on.

The story itself was great, full of action and I loved the author’s take on magic. It was quite interesting to see magic as a more subtle force rather than the in your face form (think Harry Potter style spell casting when I say this) seen in quite a lot of books at the moment.  It seemed to be the writer’s style that wasn’t to my taste rather than anything else. Dunn would often change settings so fast that I was left unsure about whether that part was a flashback or if it really was a change of location, this left the piece feeling really disjointed, though this may have been a reflection of the main characters rapid descent into madness as he comes to terms with what he has done in his life. In a way the writing style reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’ though ‘My Name is Dee’ felt more disjointed and didn’t have the same satirical air.

Although I wasn’t overly fond of this book I would still recommend it to a sci-fi fan who enjoys the whole disjointed writing style thing because I found the story itself to be very good. I really wouldn’t recommend anybody with a short attention span or somebody who prefers to speed read to read this though as I found that it does require a thorough read through.

Where the Dead Men Go by Liam McIlvanney Review

Title: Where the Dead Men Go

Author: Liam McIlvanney

My Rating: 4.5/5

Part of a series? Yes, this is the second book in the Conway Trilogy

Genre(s): Crime, Mystery, Glasgow, Journalism

Description/Blurb:

After three years in the wilderness, hardboiled reporter Gerry Conway is back at his desk at the Glasgow Tribune. But three years is a long time on newspapers and things have changed - readers are dwindling, budgets are tightening, and the Trib's once rigorous standards are slipping. Once the paper's star reporter, Conway now plays second fiddle to his former protégé, crime reporter Martin Moir. 

But when Moir goes AWOL as a big story breaks, Conway is dispatched to cover a gangland shooting. And when Moir's body turns up in a flooded quarry, Conway is drawn deeper into the city's criminal underworld as he looks for the truth about his colleague's death. Braving the hostility of gangsters, ambitious politicians and his own newspaper bosses, Conway discovers he still has what it takes to break a big story. But this is a story not everyone wants to hear as the city prepares to host the Commonwealth Games and the country gears up for a make-or-break referendum on independence. 

My review: 

I haven’t read the first book in this series which might be why I wasn't hooked straight away but I've got to say that this book really grew on me while I read it. For the first couple of chapters I kept wondering when the story was going to pick up pace but I grew to appreciate the pace of the story telling. The slower pace made the events feel more realistic, the main character/narrator Gerry is a journalist not a policeman so he doesn't have a team of people to help him make discoveries, and he doesn't have access to all of the details. He makes his discoveries slowly; a newspaper story that doesn't make sense, unusual phone numbers, a policeman who hears thing. The reader gets to feel the frustration that Gerry feels at the lack of progress, this helped me connect with Gerry, I could understand why he had to miss a few of his sons’ events, I could see why his marriage fell apart and what could happen to his current relationship without it needing to be spelt out in plain letters.

McIlvanney is quite heavy on the description in parts of this book which I know isn't to everybody’s taste, but as somebody who hasn't yet lived in Glasgow or even a city of a similar size for a reasonable length of time I found the detail helped me with getting to grips with elements of the plot and picturing the locations in my mind’s eye.

All in all this is decent crime novel, and I’d say this book is well worth a read, especially during a holiday or when you’re on a long journey, where you can appreciate the pacing of the plot. Although I haven’t read the first book of the trilogy yet I'm going to tentatively recommend reading it and working through the books as the character and story development were really quite enjoyable once I got into the book properly. 

The Advent of Murder by Martha Ockley review

Title: The Advent of Murder

Author: Martha Ockley

My Rating: 4/5

Part of a series? Yes, this is 'Faith Morgan mystery' book two. 

Genre(s): Mystery, British literature. 

Description/Blurb:

Faith Morgan, former policewoman and vicar of the small English village of Little Worthy, goes to visit one of her parishioners at his farm, only to discover the house surrounded by police cars. A body has been found in the local river and farmer Markham is charged with murder.

Though busy with preparations for Christmas, Faith is called on to investigate when it's found out that the victim is also a member of her congregation--Lucas Kemp, a member of the choir.

Faith's informal inquiries lead her to uncover a hotbed of tensions and romantic rivalries in the choir, questions about drugs, and a run-in with an unsavory uncle--which leads to a dramatic rescue by Ben, Faith's former detective partner and ex-boyfriend.

My review: 

Goodness knows why but throughout this book I kept thinking of ‘The Vicar of Dibley’ and imagining the main character as looking a bit like Dawn French, I can’t even remember what Faith was meant to look like according to the book so it looks like she’ll always be Dawn French to me.

 

I haven’t read the first book in this series but I don’t think that it really held me back, Faith’s connection to each character was well described and although events in the previous novel were alluded to they weren't really a big part in this novel. The author also left me in the dark enough to be able to go back and read the previous novel.

 

The characters in this book where surprisingly realistic, I could imagine meeting most of Little Worthy’s in an English village. In fact Pat reminded me of one of my Brownie pack leaders, so you know. It’s a very middle English novel, mostly wealthy villagers and a nice little parish church.

 

Despite the book having a Christian theme non-religious people can still enjoy this book quite easily. Yes, Faith is a vicar and she does have strong beliefs herself and she does spend a lot of time thinking about church related tasks but the novel itself doesn't preach religion. It’s just a light hearted crime novel set at Christmas time, it also does the job of getting you in a wintry mood even though at the moment for me it’s still summer.

 

I’d recommend this to anybody who enjoys a light mystery with a main character who has a strong resolve to stick to their morals despite this sometimes creating a bit of a dilemma for them.

The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler review

Title: The Bookstore

Author: Deborah Meyler

My Rating: 2/5

Part of a series? Not at the time of writing this. 

Genre(s): Contemporary, Romance, Chick lit, New York.

Description/Blurb:

Impressionable and idealistic, Esme Garland is a young British woman who finds herself studying art history in New York. She loves her apartment and is passionate about the city and her boyfriend; her future couldn’t look brighter. Until she finds out that she’s pregnant.

Esme’s boyfriend, Mitchell van Leuven, is old-money rich, handsome, successful, and irretrievably damaged. When he dumps Esme—just before she tries to tell him about the baby—she resolves to manage alone. She will keep the child and her scholarship, while finding a part-time job to make ends meet. But that is easier said than done, especially on a student visa.

The Owl is a shabby, second-hand bookstore on the Upper West Side, an all-day, all-night haven for a colorful crew of characters: handsome and taciturn guitar player Luke; Chester, who hyperventilates at the mention of Lolita; George, the owner, who lives on protein shakes and idealism; and a motley company of the timeless, the tactless, and the homeless. The Owl becomes a nexus of good in a difficult world for Esme—but will it be enough to sustain her? Even when Mitchell, repentant and charming, comes back on the scene?

My review: 

Warning this review may be a bit harsh.

This book made me feel seriously guilty for reading books on my ipad, the second hand bookshop in this story is built up so well, you can imagine the atmosphere and how the small number of staff care for and interact with each other really pulls on the heartstrings when you think of all the business they must have lost through eBooks and websites like Amazon.

Reading this left me quite frustrated at times, I lost count of the number of times I wanted to shout at Esme (the main character) or slap some sense into her. She makes bad decision after bad decision in her relationships; she could have got rid of the boyfriend to save herself all the games. The relationship with Mitchell didn't really make much sense anyway. The author puts Esme across as this intelligent women who’s independent enough to cross the Atlantic to further her education and then decide she’s capable of raising a baby on her own, yet she becomes completely dependent on the love/approval of a man who to be quite frank is a complete arse (not to mention not particularly well developed as a character). I know this is a trait that is fairly common amongst chick-lit romances but at least the author could give us a consistent character.

Another slight niggle I had with the book were the frequent literary and art references, some of them quite obscure. I don’t usually mind the odd reference, they’re one of the reasons why I found jasper fforde’s ‘Thursday Next’ books so enjoyable, however there is a point where they get too much. They didn't really add too much to the plot other than to verify Esme’s knowledge of Art History so the reader is able to just over look them and move on but if you are the curious type and not a literature or art buff you may find yourself having a sneaky Google every now and then.

The author appears to make the occasional attempt at social commentary in the book through the bookstore owner’s habit of paying a couple of homeless people to do odd jobs such as clean the windows and then through Esme’s thoughts on these people and the life they live (don’t want to give out too many spoilers).

While I do have to say that this book wasn't 100% to my own personal taste, I have to give this book 2/5 instead of say 1/5 is because I do believe that some people, particularly fans of chick-lit, might enjoy it. I didn't find any structural problems such as odd spelling or grammar which would make the book difficult to read, all my nit-picking was with the characters and story itself so I can see somebody picking this book for a slower paced holiday read.

The Darkness of Shadows by Chris Little Review

Title: The Darkness of Shadows

Author: Chris Little

My Rating: 3.5/5

Part of a series? Not at the time of posting

Genre(s): Urban fantasy 

Description/Blurb:

Natalie’s parents weren't the nurturing type—and she has the physical and emotional wounds to prove it. For sixteen years she’s hidden behind a wall of sarcasm and decadent desserts, but now her father is back, and she has only one thought: to kill him before he can hurt the family that took her in.

But there’s more to his darkness than even his own daughter can understand, and a gun is no defence against magic that can raise the dead.

It turns out those scars he left on Natalie’s back were more than just a sadistic hobby. Now her father demands that she finish a ritual so ancient, so terrifying, that even the vampires and werewolves are nervous.

My review: 

An interesting take on the world of Urban Fantasy this. Our main character is not a superwoman; she doesn't go running off after the bad guys, she hobbles after them and for most of the book she’s in the dark about a few things regarding the world of magic. For a start for a long time Nat doesn't believe in the whole magic thing which is a bit of an issue considering her deranged father is quite good at it.

This is quite a good first novel from Chris Little, the plot is well constructed and the little of the mythology we do learn is easy to grasp as it follows some of the basic rules we’re used to but there are a few changes in there to keep it interesting. A couple of the characters do seem to be more of a stereotype than a well-developed character as Tina seems like a self-centred bitch stereotype without any more real development, there didn't seem to be a believable motivation for her more extreme actions. Nat’s father was a little better developed, and I get that he was meant to be some sort of insane, beyond reason sort of villain but the author had a chance to go into how he became that way while talking about the characters’ past and didn't go into it. The pace of the plot isn't really suitable for the type of reader who constantly needs something going on to keep them interested in the story, but I enjoyed it. I was able to sit back and relax for a bit before the next major event came along and added some more drama.

Overall, I’d recommend this to an urban fantasy fan who likes a book being filled with magic but is light on the mythology (saves you having to remember loads of obscure species names etc.). It’s  not a great read if you’re easily frustrated by books as at times you may feel an urge to yell at the main characters but it’s an enjoyable read all the same, you don’t have to be in love with all the characters to enjoy the book.