A very well written police procedural novel set in and around Edinburgh that may well lead to comparisons with the likes of Mark Billingham and Ian Rankin and in my opinion those comparisons would be well deserved.
What starts out as a missing person case quickly becomes a hunt for a serial murderer. The trail leads to several dead ends and red herrings. The chief has his eye on a possible promotion and is wanting to close the case quickly, convinced he knows who the guilty party is but DC Scott Cullen isn't as certain. Can he find the killer before the wrong man is arrested and charged? Or is the chief right all along?
Cullen, the star of this story is no high flying detective, just a lowly DC which makes for a refreshing change and as a character he comes across well.
The killer is picking his victims via Schoolbook, a Facebook like online site for meeting people you knew at school, which asks the question "how well do you really know the people you meet on the 'net".
As a first novel this was a highly enjoyable and accomplished effort. The next of the Scott Cullen novels "Devil in the Detail" is high on my 'to read pile
Friday, 30 November 2012
Price of Justice by Alan Brenham (a review)
This book begins in a really dark place with the lead character, Detective Jason Scarsdale alone, in his car, contemplating blowing his brains out.
It is only five weeks since his wife was killed in an automobile accident and he blames himself. All that really saves him is his five year old daughter Shannon. She needs her daddy to help her get through these troubling times and he needs her too.Some of the conversations they have, early on in the story really tug at the heartstrings.
The main bulk of the story revolves around Scarsdale and his partner Sean Harris trying to convict a pedophile and break the ring he is a part of. Someone in the police department seems to be leaking information to the suspect so he always seems one step ahead. Can they crack the case before Scarsdale is removed from duty?
Helping them is Dani Mueller, a police crime analyst but she has a secret that could threaten the case and lose Dani her job.
The characters of Jason and Dani are really well written. They both have a sadness in their life - Jason, the loss of his wife and Dani the brutal abuse and murder of her young daughter. They meet through work and although Shannon instantly falls for Dani (as only a young child can) it is to the authors credit that Jason and Dani are not thrown together as a romantic sidebar to the story. The attraction is there but both are wary, for their own reasons and attraction is really as far as it goes.
Towards the end of the story things really hot up with threats to all and a race to save lives and break the case.
The story ends in a much better place than where it started and, I must say, I cared about the characters enough for that to please me immensely.
It is only five weeks since his wife was killed in an automobile accident and he blames himself. All that really saves him is his five year old daughter Shannon. She needs her daddy to help her get through these troubling times and he needs her too.Some of the conversations they have, early on in the story really tug at the heartstrings.
The main bulk of the story revolves around Scarsdale and his partner Sean Harris trying to convict a pedophile and break the ring he is a part of. Someone in the police department seems to be leaking information to the suspect so he always seems one step ahead. Can they crack the case before Scarsdale is removed from duty?
Helping them is Dani Mueller, a police crime analyst but she has a secret that could threaten the case and lose Dani her job.
The characters of Jason and Dani are really well written. They both have a sadness in their life - Jason, the loss of his wife and Dani the brutal abuse and murder of her young daughter. They meet through work and although Shannon instantly falls for Dani (as only a young child can) it is to the authors credit that Jason and Dani are not thrown together as a romantic sidebar to the story. The attraction is there but both are wary, for their own reasons and attraction is really as far as it goes.
Towards the end of the story things really hot up with threats to all and a race to save lives and break the case.
The story ends in a much better place than where it started and, I must say, I cared about the characters enough for that to please me immensely.
Sunday, 4 November 2012
Book Links - a request to authors
This is just a request to authors so if any of you reading this agree with me please put the message out there.
Thing is, I get a heck of a lot of posts on my facebook and twitter pages saying books are available as special offers, freebies or just 'there' but the only link is the one to amazon.com.
This leaves me with two options - to stop what I'm doing and go looking for the book myself on amazon or leave it until I've finished and hope I remember.
The U.K. has a large market for ebooks and by not putting a link to amazon.co.uk I feel authors are missing out on sales.
This is only my opinion, obviously, but I feel it is a valid point that needed to be made.
Thing is, I get a heck of a lot of posts on my facebook and twitter pages saying books are available as special offers, freebies or just 'there' but the only link is the one to amazon.com.
This leaves me with two options - to stop what I'm doing and go looking for the book myself on amazon or leave it until I've finished and hope I remember.
The U.K. has a large market for ebooks and by not putting a link to amazon.co.uk I feel authors are missing out on sales.
This is only my opinion, obviously, but I feel it is a valid point that needed to be made.
Sunday, 14 October 2012
Lunar by Paul Kane (a review)
Nick Skinner is awoken in the night when his girlfriend attacks him. She is feral and her eyes are somewhat different. She is not the person he was out celebrating with the previous evening.
As he escapes he finds she is not the only feral - the town seems to be full of them.
And also - the clock stopped at one second past midnight, as did all clocks. Most cars will not work but some will. Most guns will not work, but some will.
Nick flees the town in search of fellow survivors and, hopefully, answers.
The answers, when they do come, are very clever indeed, but the clues are drip-fed in such a way that I don't think many people will get there before the big reveal.
So, interesting ideas, plenty of tension and loads of action - another winner from Paul Kane. Surely it is only a matter of time before this man hits the big time.
As he escapes he finds she is not the only feral - the town seems to be full of them.
And also - the clock stopped at one second past midnight, as did all clocks. Most cars will not work but some will. Most guns will not work, but some will.
Nick flees the town in search of fellow survivors and, hopefully, answers.
The answers, when they do come, are very clever indeed, but the clues are drip-fed in such a way that I don't think many people will get there before the big reveal.
So, interesting ideas, plenty of tension and loads of action - another winner from Paul Kane. Surely it is only a matter of time before this man hits the big time.
The Promise by Lauren Hunter (a review)
The Promise is a regency romance tale with more than a hint of the paranormal
added to the mix.
The story begins in tragedy as Anthony,the 18 year old son of the Duke of Aldbourne loses Lady Marianne in a freak accident involving a carriage. As lady Marianne dies a daughter, Elizabeth, is born to the Duchess of Wickford.
The story then moves forward 18 years to where Elizabeth meets Anthony at the annual Thornhill Ball. And this is where the fun really begins. There is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the pair as they keep crossing paths.
Anthony seems determined to woo Elizabeth but she tries to rebuff his advances, seeing him as a rake. Throughout the story their are minor flashbacks for Elizabeth which she doesn't understand and finds quite disturbing. The tale moves to a thrilling climax that I wasn't expecting but thoroughly enjoyed.
The story is well told and with a sense of the era that leaves me in no doubt that the author both knows her stuff and has done her research well. I will be looking out for more of Lauren Hunter's work.
The story begins in tragedy as Anthony,the 18 year old son of the Duke of Aldbourne loses Lady Marianne in a freak accident involving a carriage. As lady Marianne dies a daughter, Elizabeth, is born to the Duchess of Wickford.
The story then moves forward 18 years to where Elizabeth meets Anthony at the annual Thornhill Ball. And this is where the fun really begins. There is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the pair as they keep crossing paths.
Anthony seems determined to woo Elizabeth but she tries to rebuff his advances, seeing him as a rake. Throughout the story their are minor flashbacks for Elizabeth which she doesn't understand and finds quite disturbing. The tale moves to a thrilling climax that I wasn't expecting but thoroughly enjoyed.
The story is well told and with a sense of the era that leaves me in no doubt that the author both knows her stuff and has done her research well. I will be looking out for more of Lauren Hunter's work.
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
The Demon's Head by Richard C White (a review)
This short story is a fantasy world set, Indiana Jones style that packs a hell
of a lot into its 21 or so pages.
The hero of the story is a thief, down to his last few silvers who hears talk of a temple and treasure in the nearby swamp and decides to have some of the bounty for himself.
The story has huge possibilities for a follow up and I hope to see much more from this author
I got through this story in one sitting but when I got out of bed just now I decided to have another read over coffee and biscuits, and it's even better second time around. There is a hell of a lot of world building for a short story. This author is surely going to be one to watch.
And it only costs 77p (I think that's a dollar and change in the USA but don't quote me on that)
The hero of the story is a thief, down to his last few silvers who hears talk of a temple and treasure in the nearby swamp and decides to have some of the bounty for himself.
The story has huge possibilities for a follow up and I hope to see much more from this author
I got through this story in one sitting but when I got out of bed just now I decided to have another read over coffee and biscuits, and it's even better second time around. There is a hell of a lot of world building for a short story. This author is surely going to be one to watch.
And it only costs 77p (I think that's a dollar and change in the USA but don't quote me on that)
Monday, 8 October 2012
A is for Angelica by Iain Broome (a review)
I met the author at a signing in Waterstones a few weeks ago and decided to give the book a try. And I am really glad I did.
Here's the review;
Gordon, the lead character in this book is a bit of an oddity. He spends all his time either looking after his wife (who has had a stroke) or spying on his neighbours (he keeps notes on all of them in his files).
He comes across at times as a mixture of Adrian Mole and the boy from The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night-time, but for all his quirks he is not a bad person.
The fact that he keeps his bed-ridden wife upstairs and tells nobody she has had a second stroke could be seen as sinister but he truly believes he can look after her alone.
When Gordon befriends the new neighbour, Angelica, things start to become a bit unravelled, eventually Gordon will have to tell someone.
This debut novel by Iain Broome is by turns, comic, tragic and quite touching. I will be looking out for more by Mr. Broome in the future and would highly recommend this book to all
.
Here's the review;
Gordon, the lead character in this book is a bit of an oddity. He spends all his time either looking after his wife (who has had a stroke) or spying on his neighbours (he keeps notes on all of them in his files).
He comes across at times as a mixture of Adrian Mole and the boy from The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night-time, but for all his quirks he is not a bad person.
The fact that he keeps his bed-ridden wife upstairs and tells nobody she has had a second stroke could be seen as sinister but he truly believes he can look after her alone.
When Gordon befriends the new neighbour, Angelica, things start to become a bit unravelled, eventually Gordon will have to tell someone.
This debut novel by Iain Broome is by turns, comic, tragic and quite touching. I will be looking out for more by Mr. Broome in the future and would highly recommend this book to all
.
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