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.  

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. 

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 Paris Lawyer by Sylvie Granotier Review

Title: The Paris Lawyer

Author: Sylvie Granotier (translated by Anne Trager) 

My Rating: 4/5

Part of a series? No

Genre(s): European literature, Mystery.

Description/Blurb:

As a child, Catherine Monsigny was the only witness to her mother's death. Twenty years later as an ambitious attorney in contemporary Paris, she catches a professional break when her boss assigns her to major felony case in rural France. An immigrant stands accused of poisoning her husband, but her secrets are not the only ones hidden in the scenic rolling hills of Creuse. While preparing the defence  Catherine is reunited with images of own past and a high-intensity search for two murderers ensues. Who can she believe? And what will Catherine do with her past should she discover it?

My review: 
Granotier presents the reader with a wonderfully compelling story that I struggled to put down. I ended up finishing the book in just two days as I couldn't stop myself from trying to unravel the mystery of what really happened in Catherine's big case and the mystery that surrounds the murder of Catherine's mother. The description was spot on as well, it was easy to imagine the locations in France both the countryside and more slum like areas. 

There were a couple of slight errors in the translation but I imagine that it's quite difficult to translate a novel perfectly without losing anything from the story so to keep the meaning of it a few words may end up feeling a bit out of place.

I enjoyed the exploration of Catherine's relationships with the people in her life. The father who shuts out the path, the boss who acts as more of a father figure than the man who raised her and the lover whose moods are constantly changing, amongst others. 


I would recommend this novel to fan of mysteries, psychology and crime. This book could also be of interest to somebody who is interested in France and would perhaps recognise some of the locations.

The Grrrl of Limberlost by Annie Pearson Review

Title: The Grrrl of Limberlost

Author: Annie Pearson

My Rating: 3/5

Part of a series? yes, book two of the Rain City Comedy of Manners series

Genre(s): Adult fiction, Mystery, Social commentary, some comedy. 

Description/Blurb:

A murder in a Seattle coffee house. A murder on her father’s decaying boat dock on Puget Sound. All of this has nothing to do with Sam, she insists. She’s heroically fending off a criminal attack on the world’s cyber infrastructure—if she could only get anyone to answer the phone on Christmas day. 

After escaping exurban life on Limberlost Island a decade earlier, Sam became a rockstar among anti-hacker security programmers: appearing at BlackHat conferences in vintage t-shirts and combat boots; investigating international security conspiracies with the FBI and NSA. 

Now Sam is dragged sideways by chaos back on Limberlost Island: her brother accidentally embroiled her flakey father with gun runners; the boy next door came home as prodigal son, hiding from Eastern European gangsters; a porn farmer thinks he’s in love. 

Meanwhile, the local weather guru promises that the large cold air mass headed for the Puget Sound Conversion Zone will dump record snow. Seattle is always paralysed when it snows.

The Grrrl of Limberlost follows three self-absorbed voices through the frenzy and terror in their daily lives, mired in family losses and betrayals, while weaponised malware threatens to ruin Christmas. The key mystery: which voice is the unreliable narrator?

My review: 

Well this book was certainly something different. It took me a little while to get into the book because for a while you're having to maintain three separate storylines in your head but it gets easier to read when you can begin to see the links between the characters as their stories cross over though many things don't become entirely clear until the end and even then you're left assuming that you're right as not everything is written down in black and white.

I would recommend this to a person who likes a true mystery, who doesn't mind being kept in the dark for long periods. This book needs patience to be enjoyed, the reader has to be happy to lie back and let the story take its course, sure it's possible to pick up clues along the way but because of the twists and turns you can't put it all together half way through the book as you can with some other novels. This can be good or bad depending on how you like your books, personally I found it quite refreshing. Now I did have bit of a niggle with the comments to the blog in Nicky's story, the book starts off with these comments and it was a bit confusing to jump straight into this as I wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but I can't really complain because it didn't take me long to grasp the idea and the comments actually added an interesting dimension to the story.

The characters were generally quite well fleshed out, not all of them were likeable or relatable but this helped add to the suspense in my eyes. Nicky felt a bit misguided, even a bit delusional at times so you can't really predict what he's going to do next. Matt's character was another one who added to the suspense, you think you know him and can begin to see where he's going from then something from his past comes to light and you have to go over all his actions in you head in this new light. This really helped keep the book interesting, though there were still a couple of places where the plot development felt a little slow.

This book is worth a read if you enjoy a bit of a mystery and have a spare few hours, I don't see it becoming a world famous classic but it's enjoyable all the same.

Unleashed by Emily Kimelman Review

Title: Unleashed

Author: Emily Kimelman

My Rating: 3.5/5

Part of a series? Yes, this is book one of the Sydney Rye series

Genre(s): Mystery, Dogs, Chick lit, Crime, Adult themes. 

Description/Blurb:

When the series begins Sydney Rye is named Joy Humbolt. She does not like people telling her what to do, so it comes as no surprise that she was just fired from her last job. When she buys Charlene Miller's dog-walking business on Manhattan's exclusive upper east side, it seems like the perfect fit: Quiet environment, minimal contact with people.

But then one of her clients turns up dead, and Charlene disappears. Rumors say Charlene was having an affair with the victim--and of course, everyone assumes Joy must know where she is. Joy begins to look into the crime, first out of curiosity then out of anger when there is another murder and threats start to come her way.

When police detective Mulberry is assigned to the case, Joy finds a kindred spirit--cynical and none-too-fond of the human race. As they dig deep into the secrets of Manhattan's elite, they not only get closer to the killer but also to a point of no return. One last murder sends Joy Humbolt hurtling over the edge. Her only chance of survival is to become Sydney Rye.

My review: 

It took me a while but I've finally worked myself up to reading Unleashed. I was a bit worried about something horrible happening to the dog leaving me a blubbering wreck but it wasn't too upsetting on the animal front, the human front was a different matter but that’s easier to handle.

I finished the book last night and it’s taken me a while to figure out how I feel about the book as a whole. I loved the character of Joy, she felt like the everyday person you'd meet on the street, her move from witness to investigator wasn't an instant one and while it wasn't a completely gradual transformation it was slow enough to appreciate the situation Joy was in and understand why she might be curious. After all, the investigating starts with gossip and who doesn't like to hear the latest gossip?

A couple of things didn't sit quite right with me though, the motive behind the murder and how the person spotted near the seen managed to get away without being seen seemed very much like the sort of thing you'd find in a children's book which made me do a little bit of a double take when the clues started to come together. I'm not saying that these parts weren't well written though, because they were and the momentum of the story does pull you along so you don't have any real time to wonder where Kimelman came up with the motive.

Overall I'd say that this book is quite a fun read, it's not overly long (I managed to finish it by using it as bedtime reading for a couple of nights) or complicated. There are just enough characters that Joy can have relationships with other people and progress the story but few enough characters that it doesn't take long for the reader to remember who is who. Also Joys rescue dog Blue is a little bonus to any dog owners, the way his actions are described are spot on and I think most dog owners can relate!

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes a mystery that isn't all darkness and gore or somebody who just fancies an interesting/quirky read.

The Express Diaries by Nick Marsh Review

Title: The Express Diaries

Author: Nick Marsh

My Rating: 5/5

Part of a series? No

Genre(s): Horror, Mysetry, Lovecraftian. 

Description/Blurb:

EUROPE, 1925. The continent still licks its wounds from the devastating war that raged across it a few years before. Meanwhile, in London, an ageing professor has uncovered the clues to the whereabouts of pieces of an ancient statue, all but forgotten by history.

When his investigations lead him to fear for his life, he enlists the aid of an unlikely group of allies; a retired colonel, a secretive academic, a magician’s wife, and a Yorkshire matriarch with her reluctant assistant.

Together they will journey across Europe to recover the long-lost statue. They will travel in style, on the most luxurious train the world has ever seen. Unbeknownst to them, however, their activities have already attracted the attention of a sinister cult, desperate to acquire the artefact for their own dark purposes, and now a terrible creature, trapped for centuries, senses that the opportunity for revenge has come at last... 

My review: 

I had no idea a novelization of a role playing game could be so good, not that you see too many in the first place. 

The diary entries felt quite realistic, all the characters had their own voice and way of phrasing things which meant that it was possible to completely forget that they were (mostly) written by one person. The newspaper clippings, portraits etc. could be a collection of art work in its own right. 

The story itself was an easy read (as long as you don't mind one or two disturbing mental images), beautifully written and the characters had clear individual personalities with even some of the minor characters being fleshed out rather well. 

I have to say that this book is a must read for a Lovecraft fan or somebody who enjoys fantasy stories set within a version of this reality.

Dawn Undercover by Anna Dale Review

Title: Dawn Undercover

Author: Anna Dale

My Rating: 3/5

Part of a series? No

Genre(s): Children, Spy, Mystery.

Description/Blurb:

Dawn Buckle spends most of her days trying to get people to notice her, but whether at home or at school, it's as if she's invisible. And that's exactly what makes her the ideal recruit for S.H.H. (Strictly Hush Hush)--a secret intelligence agency. How the world's most forgettable girl transform herself into a world-class spy (and brings in a surprising double agent) makes for a rollicking read.

My review: 

My mother got me a copy of this when I was younger because of me going through a bit of a spy phase (still love James Bond films now) and I was hooked. I think I read the book in a weekend and spent the next couple of weeks making up secret codes with my friends. Though looking back this is more a mystery than a spy novel I found it gripping and despite the main character being female the book wasn't girly so I would happily recommend it to any child/young adult who is interested in mysteries.

21:37 by Mariusz Czubaj Review

Title: 21:37

Author: Mariusz Czubaj (translated by Anna Hyde)

My Rating: 4/5

Part of a series? Yes, this is book one of the Rudolf Heinz series, but is currently the only one translated into English.

Genre(s): Crime, Mystery, European Literature. 

Description/Blurb:

Rudolf Heinz’s life is far from perfect. His son avoids him, he’s a terrible guitar player, and he lives in constant pain. But there is one thing Rudolf Heinz is really good at – he’s the best profiler in Poland when it comes to serial killers.

When the police find the dead bodies of two young men, their heads covered in plastic bags marked with the numbers 21 and 37, Heinz faces his most challenging case. Taking on a killer who likes to play games, the investigation is complicated when he discovers the victims are priests, and the local police close ranks against him. As he analyses each lead, Heinz’s search for the killer pushes him deep into his own past, unaware that he will soon have to save his own life. And he’s running out of time…

My review: 

My first thought after finishing this book was something along the lines of "I think I might have weaned myself off (Ian Rankins) Rebus books". Czubaj manages to create a gritty believable crime novel that keeps the reader guessing until the end, we have the grizzled police profiler Heinz with his slightly alcoholic tendencies and dysfunctional family life and a personality that takes his colleagues a while to warm to. The case itself is interesting and kept me guessing until the end but it wasn't the only mystery in this story, we have the mystery of Heinz's past to deal with, what exactly was the inquisitor (a series killer from Heinz's past) talking about and why exactly does he want to get in touch with Heinz again all of a sudden. Not everything was solved in this novel but Czubaj gives the reader enough to be satisfied with this novel but holds back enough for the reader to want to read the next instalment in the Heinz series. I know I'm now eagerly awaiting the English translation of the next book.

My only real gripe with this novel is that there are a few faults in the translation, a few turns of phrase that don't work as well in English and a couple of sentences that could have been arranged slightly differently. This doesn't really take away from the enjoyment of the book however as the translation for the most part is good and you can't really expect a novel to be translated perfectly and still retain the writer's style it's just that sometimes I found myself being pulled out of my little fantasy world and instead focusing in the words themselves rather than the story they create.