Fires of Hate - Heather Peck

 

 After a successful day in court, Greg Geldard is hoping to clear up some routine cases. Then a government laboratory receives a mysterious threat, a terrorist attack precipitates a multi-agency emergency response and his investigations are seriously compromised by interference from the security service.

The enquiries lead down dangerous paths, with both Greg and someone he cares for put at risk, before he runs the perpetrators to ground. Then he's posed an ethical conundrum in court. Can hate ever be wholly sane?

 As you can see from the front cover, this is the 3rd in Peck's Greg Geldard series but it can be read as a stand alone (although there are moments that hark back to things that occurred in the earlier books).

 As it starts Geldard is in a fairly good place but that doesn't last very long at all. Soon a government lab is threatened by animal rights activists and it gets very dark, very quickly. It brought back a lot of memories for me of when this seemed a more regular occurrence than it seems to be now. Animal cruelty is something that bothers me a lot and so, yeah, it did make me feel uneasy at times but the story was good enough to keep me reading. And I'll be going for the rest of the series soon.

 Geldard as a character appealed to me a lot, and looking at the synopses (synopsi?) of the previous novels this isn't the only really disturbing case he's had but surely they can't come tougher l in future? (oh, but they will won't they - and I'll be there for them too.

 So, in short, a good crime novel with ethical questions but also, possible triggers for some people. Not an easy read at times but also not easy to put down once you get going.

Thanks to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for inviting me onto this tour (and apologies for posting a day late). Please have a look at the posts by the other bloggers on the tour (below)

Stringers - Chris Panatier

 

A genius is abducted by an alien bounty-hunter for the location of a powerful inter-dimensional object. Trouble is, he can't remember a thing.

Ben isn't exactly a genius, but he has an immense breadth of knowledge. Whether it's natural science (specifically the intricacies of bug sex), or vintage timepieces, he can spout facts and information with the best of experts. He just can't explain why he knows any of it. Another thing he knows is the location of the Chime. What it is or why it's important, he can't say.

But this knowledge is about to get him in a whole heap of trouble, as a trash-talking, flesh-construct bounty hunter is on his tail and looking to sell him to the highest bidder. And being able to describe the mating habits of Brazilian bark lice won't be enough to get him out of it.

I enjoyed this book a lot but, oh, did it make my head hurt at times - but in a good way.

Ben knows everything there is to know about bugs, the sex lives of bugs and vintage wristwatches. He hasn't studied them at all so has no idea why he has all this information and try as he might there are no answers forthcoming for him. As for regular stuff - he just knows the same as the average person. The information he carries in his head has no use for him whatsoever until he and his stoner friend Patton are abducted by an alien bounty hunter who plans to sell them to the highest bidder for the knowledge in his head.

Trust me, there's a lot going on here but Panatier makes the whole thing work. I was baffled, I laughed, I said "huh?" a lot and then I laughed a lot more. There were times I was so disgusted (in a good way - it didn't stop me enjoying the read) my face probably looked like I was sucking bitter lemons. I very much enjoyed this book but feel I will have to read it again in 6 months time or so when I think it will go from a great book to a stone cold classic.

And there are footnotes, oh so many footnotes and they are awesome (I do like a good footnote)

Thanks to Angry Robot for inviting me onto this blogtour and supplying me with a review copy (which didn't influence my opinions in any way).

Please, if you can, have a read of the reviews by the other bloggers on the tour (below).

The Coffin Club - Jacqueline Sutherland

 

Some people would kill for a second chance.

Kat is rebuilding her life. After losing her husband in a tragic accident, moving to the countryside is her chance to start again.

Encouraged by her new and only friend Ginny, Kat joins New Horizons, dubbed the Coffin Club by its members. And that’s how she meets Nico. Instantly drawn to each other, Nico seems like Kat’s perfect match. He is kind, caring, handsome and, most importantly, a father to five-year-old Magdalena. This could be Kat’s shot at the one thing she has always wanted: to be a mother.

BUT SOMETIMES BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR…

Well, this was a curious one. I'll be honest, although I was intrigued by the description and eager to read it I still wasn't sure what kind of tale was going to be told.

As you can see from the blurb above Kat is mourning the death of her husband which left her, as well as being a widow, with facial scarring that always reminds her of her loss.

A fresh start in the countryside doesn't seem to be fixing things for her and she decides to take her own life. Thankfully her attempt at death by driving fails and she instead hits a deer. Taking the injured deer to an animal rescue centre Kat meets Ginny and things start to look up. Kat and Ginny become friends and Ginny gets Kat to join the Coffin Club, a group for widows and widowers who are keen to try for a second chance at love and here she meets Nico. The pair are attracted from the off and it seems Nico is just what Kat needs and, with him having a five year old daughter she could still have a chance at the big thing missing in her life - being a mum.

 Things soon start to go awry though and secrets are there to be uncovered. Is anybody who they say they are? You'll find plenty of twists and turns before you get to find out (I thought I had it sussed bit I was very wrong). 

A very good psychological mystery 

4/5*

Thanks to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for inviting me onto this blogtour, please try and have a look at the other blogger's posts (below).

Shadow Flicker by Gregory Bastianelli

 

'An old man nearly chokes to death after stuffing dandelion heads into his mouth. A pregnant cow repeatedly runs headlong into a fence post. Oscar Basaran investigates a series of strange events on the Kidney Island.'

 Oh, yes, it's certainly fair to say things are a bit 'off' on Kidney Island, just off the coast of Maine. It seems the wind turbines put up on the island by tech company Aerosource are causing the Shadow Flicker of the title and the effect that is having on the islanders is strange to say the least. 

 Basaran goes to Kidney Island thinking it will be a quick solve job but after talking to some of the claimants he soon realises that won't be the case.

 And then he starts to feel the effects of Shadow Flicker himself. . .

 I must say I really enjoyed this slow burn horror story. More creepy than scary but it still had me slightly anxious at times (you know that feeling when you can see what is coming but both want to know but also don't want to turn the page!). The setting of Kidney Island works well too as it gives the feeling of isolation to the cast.

 Difficult to tell you much more without giving away spoilers but suffice to say I read this in two sittings (it would have been one but I had to work the next day so needed sleep). 

 I have never read anything by this author before (to the best of my knowledge) but will certainly be looking to remedy that fact.

 Another winner from Flame Tree Press 

 4/5*

 Many thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto this blogtour and to Flame Tree Press for providing the review copy. Please take a look at the posts by the other Random Things bloggers on the tour (below)

The Way Of The Worm - Ramsey Campbell

 

 'More than thirty years have passed since the events of Born to the Dark. Christian Noble is almost a century old, but his and his family’s influence over the world is stronger than ever. The latest version of their occult church counts Dominic Sheldrake’s son and the young man’s wife among its members, and their little daughter too. Dominic will do anything he can to break its influence over them, and his old friends Jim and Bobby come to his aid. None of them realise what they will be up against – the Nobles transformed into the monstrousness they have invoked, and the inhuman future they may have made inevitable . . .'

 So, here we are at the end of Mr Campbell's trilogy and the final chance for Dominic Sheldrake and friends to defeat Christian Noble's (now global)  dark church.

 Dom, Jim and Bobby are getting on a bit by the time this endgame comes around experience (or so it is said) but can anything really have prepared for the hellish Lovecraftian horrors ahead? Even more so when Dom's family are involved.

 I have enjoyed this series from the page 1 and waited eagerly for each new episode, watching the Sheldrake and co. go from youth to old age and seeing how the Noble's church and plans would develop. What has surprised me most is how much story Campbell manages to fit in the books, even when, at times, it feels like it is a slow burn. When he pulls everything together the results are as good, if not better, than anything out there in the genre. Campbell has been doing this job for decades and this trilogy 'The Three Births of Daoloth' shows the master still at the top of his game.

 I don't like to use phrases like 'edge of your seat stuff' but The Way Of The Worm really was that

Highly Recommended (best read as a series though)  5/5*

 

Many thanks to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for inviting me onto this blogtour, and please check out the posts by the other bloggers (below)

The Kaiju Preservation Society - John Scalzi

 Oh, this was so much fun. Imagine getting a job where you get to go to a parallel earth and study/protect humongous Godzilla and almost Cthulu type creatures. That's what happens when lead character (Jamie) gets screwed over at work and ends up as a deliveroo type bicycle food delivery operative. While making one of his deliveries he meets an old acquaintance who offers him the chance of better employment.

 And that's where the fun begins - and trust me, this novel is a whole heap of fun.

 The job involves a portal jump to an alternate earth where these giant creatures live. Jamie and his new friends and co-workers are the titular Kaiju Preservation Society and the job basically describes itself. 

 Now, this kind of story needs a big bad out to spoil everything and use the Kaiju for their own personal gain and, to be fair, they are kinda signposted from the get-go but, you know what? I don't care 😉.

 I don't care, because this isn't some deep morality tale, it's a fun read with an alternate earth and 

Giant!

Freakin'!

Monsters!!

 The banter between the leads made me chuckle at times and the whole pitch of the thing was just right.

 I haven't read much Scalzi before but I will be raiding his back catalogue with a vengeance.

 Thanks to Black Crow PR for inviting me onto this tour. Please have a read of the posts by the other bloggers (below)

Our Lady Of Mysterious Ailments by T L Huchu

 

                   About The Book

Some secrets are meant to stay buried

When Ropa Moyo discovered an occult underground library, she expected great things. She’s really into Edinburgh’s secret societies – but turns out they are less into her. So instead of getting paid to work magic, she’s had to accept a crummy unpaid internship. And her with bills to pay and a pet fox to feed.

Then her friend Priya offers her a job on the side. Priya works at Our Lady of Mysterious Maladies, a very specialized hospital, where a new illness is resisting magical and medical remedies alike. The first patient was a teenage boy, Max Wu, and his healers are baffled. If Ropa can solve the case, she might earn as she learns – and impress her mentor, Sir Callander.

Her sleuthing will lead her to a lost fortune, an avenging spirit and a secret buried deep in Scotland’s past. But how are they connected? Lives are at stake and Ropa is running out of time.

         

                        My Thoughts

 Well, here we go, back into the dystopian, post apocalyptic Edinburgh that we first saw in The Library Of The Dead . . . oh, and it's so good to be back.

 With her previous business now behind her Ropa is now she is now working a new job that will, hopefully, allow her to develop her skills and get lots of experience - but she soon finds out that it's an unpaid internship. This being the case Ropa, who is her family's bread winner has to take on side jobs to earn cash. 

 One of these is trying to find a cure for a teenage boy who is in a coma at Our Lady Of Mysterious Ailments. Time is short and more teen-agers are going the same way. Ropa's search leads her to one of the four Schools of Magic and plenty of scrapes in her search for answers.

 This second in the Edinburgh Nights series is an improvement on The Library Of The Dead (which is going some, as I really enjoyed that too). Maybe it is the author growing in confidence but the characters felt more fleshed out here and the Edinburgh of this book felt just a bit more 'real'. As before the speech is quite Scottish a good bit of the time which could put people off (not me, I read quite a lot of Scotland based fiction so I'm used to it) but I hope it doesn't as this series is a lot of fun.

 I've seen the Edinburgh Nights series compared in story style to the Rivers of London  and actually think that is quite apt.

 The second in a series that is going from strength to strength and I'm already looking forward to the next one.

 4.5/5*

 Many thanks to Stephen Haskins, Black Crow PR and Tor books for inviting me to review the book and providing a copy of said book. All views and opinions are my own.