Book Review: While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

Title: While Justice Sleeps (available on Amazon*)

Author: Stacey Abrams

Political thrillers typically don’t draw me in. But when I saw who the author was I decided to give it a go. Let me tell you, it was a decision I did not regret. From the very opening sentences I was hooked. Set in the world of Washington politics, the story brings you deep into a plethora of mysteries, and the more that Law Clery Avery unravels, the more she unearths. Stacey Abrams knows the world she is writing about, so it felt inherently real, yet the story was fast paced, full of buried secrets, twisting plot paths, conspiracy theories, and a terrifying thriller of a story was delivered through this. It felt real, yet surreal. With a tinge of could this really happen? Which makes the reader love it all the more. I could not stop reading this book. Next please!

*I received this book from NetGalley for review but all opinions are my own.

This review is also listed on Amazon.co.uk and Goodreads & NetGalley.

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Book Review: Dead Secret by Noelle Holten

Title: Dead Secret (available on Amazon*)

Author: Noelle Holten

This is the first book I have read in this series by Noelle Holten. While it is apparent reading it that there is more to DCI Maggie Jamieson and her friends and colleagues, and that reading the previous books would loop you in more, starting this book without having read the previous three did not leave me feeling at a huge disadvantage. The book does a good job of making you feel like you understand what is happening, and who each character is regardless. 

As for the story, it is full of twists, with parallel storylines that you are just waiting to link up, urging the characters to make the connections. When they eventually do link up it is fast paced, flying along, and it is not the expected outcome. A fractured police force, a domestic violence refuge, murders, self doubting DCI as the main protagonist, this story weaves a lot throughout, and brings it all together very well. Just what is the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath anyway? An extremely enjoyable read, that left me seeking out the previous books in the series to delve further into the world of DCI Jamieson. 

*I received this book from NetGalley for review but all opinions are my own.

This review is also listed on Amazon.co.uk and Goodreads & NetGalley.

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Book Review – Discarded by M.A. Hunter

Title: Discarded  – The Missing Children Case Files: Case 4 (Available on Amazon*)

Autor: M.A. Hunter

Just like with all the previous books, I went straight into this fourth installment of The Missing Children Case files from Case 3 because I was still hooked. This book comes closer to the truth that Emma Hunter has been looking for all along, with a suitcase of bones potentially opening the door for the answers she has never given up on finding. But when she starts to realise that these bones, along with another long missing child’s grave could be opening up an even wider, and more horrific crime than first thought, Emma and Jack struggle with who to trust.

Quite often by book four in a series, I find myself starting to slow. The series can lose momentum, or I start to disengage. But not this series. Before I realise it, I am on the last page. Reaching for the next book. Needing to know what happens next. I am as invested in Emma’s journey as Emma herself at this stage! She has really drawn us in as a character, and made us feel that we all need to find out how to solve this mystery. There is a lot at stake. Lives, and much innocence. Another cracker of a read!

*I received this book from NetGalley for review but all opinions are my own.

This review is also listed on Amazon.co.uk and Goodreads & NetGalley.

*No affiliate links, I am just linking to make your life easier!

Book Review – Trafficked by M.A. Hunter

Title: Trafficked – The Missing Children Case Files: Case 3 (Available on Amazon*)

Autor: M.A. Hunter

Just like with the previous books, I went straight into this third installment of The Missing Children Case files from Case 2 because I couldn’t get enough. This book opens with a young woman making a panicked escape from a nightmare situation deep in a forest. Her parents call in Emma Hunter, to find out where she has been and to work on sharing her story. But we soon find out there is much more than meets the eye, it is not simply the story of a young girl, taken 10 years ago. The case starts to crack things open for Emma, and her cold case liaison Jack. Along with Emma’s best friend, and investigative reporter Rachel, they uncover more than just bones. How many secrets will they unearth? And will Emma find the answer to the one mystery that has been haunting her for nearly 20 years? 

I devoured this book. I had the story unraveled page by page, with just enough hook to keep me tantalized, and frantically flipping the page to find out what happened next. As soon as I finished I swept onto Case 4. I don’t know if I could have coped had I had to wait for the books, there is too much leaving you hanging, and wanting, for Emma’s sake, to get to the bottom of the common thread that weaves through all the books. There is a fantastic job done of bringing the bigger picture through, even with all of the smaller cases, and seeing the connections happen over time. Another gripping read!

*I received this book from NetGalley for review but all opinions are my own.

This review is also listed on Amazon.co.uk and Goodreads & NetGalley.

*No affiliate links, I am just linking to make your life easier!

Book Review – Isolated by M.A. Hunter

Title: Isolated – The Missing Children Case Files: Case 2 (Available on Amazon*)

Author: M.A. Hunter 

I went straight into this second installment of The Missing Children Case files from Case 1 because I couldn’t get enough of Emma Hunter and her investigations. The first case was concluded, but the underlying case was still unsolved. Case 2 brings us straight into another case – dark and mysterious, a missing child, with wiccan undertones, but is it quite what it seems? The investigation is sparked off by Emma witnessing a traumatic incident with her own eyes, and plunges her into the investigation, which gets more and more confused at every turn. But teaming up with her reporter best friend, along with Jack, the cold case ex detective, she dives right in and does what she does best – find the truth. And the missing child.

Again I could not put this book down. It was fast paced, without being rushed, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Just one more chapter before…then suddenly it was finished. Leaving me racing to download Case 3 for my next fix to find out what happens next. Overall a gripping read, that leaves you rushing to get the next installment of the series!

*I received this book from NetGalley for review but all opinions are my own.

This review is also listed on Amazon.co.uk and Goodreads & NetGalley.

*No affiliate links, I am just linking to make your life easier!

Book Review: Ransomed – M.A Hunter

Title: Ransomed (Available on Amazon*)

Author: M.A Hunter

Best selling author and investigative journalist, Emma Hunter should be on a high from the success of her latest book. But its subject rankles – an expose of horrific crimes carried out at a boys home. Her empathy to the victims, her tenacity to tearing the long buried case apart, and getting justice, shows just how good Emma is at her job. But she doesn’t want the life of celebrity, notoriety and recognition that she finds suddenly thrust upon her. She wants to settle back down in her seaside flat in the town of Weymouth, and continue to work on her own case that keeps her tied there. Instead, she finds herself drawn into another cold case. A missing child, a ransom gone wrong and more to the case than it seems. Especially when it seems like all is resolved.

I devoured this story. The ending left me hanging and wanting more, and upon finishing this book I was immediately delighted that this was The Missing Children Case Files: Case 1, and I went straight onto Case 2 for more of a fix! The story pulls you in and keeps you wanting more.

*I received this book from NetGalley for review but all opinions are my own.

This review is also listed on Amazon.co.uk and Goodreads & NetGalley.

*No affiliate links, I am just linking to make your life easier!

Book Review: The House of Killers – Samantha Lee Howe

Title: The House of Killers (available on Amazon*)

Author: Samantha Lee Howe

I don’t always find myself drawn in by spy thrillers. This one however had everything you would want in a read, and more. Spy networks, assassins, brain washing, budding romance, action, MI5. The good guys against the bad. But who is really good and who really bad? The lines get blurred fast and you find yourself brought along on a rollercoaster. It dips a little in the middle of the storyline, almost to let you catch your breath. It almost lost me. But then it picked back up fast. I won’t share any more on the story. All I will say is that I will be looking out for book two. I need to know what happens next!

*I received this book from NetGalley for review but all opinions are my own.

This review is also listed on Amazon.co.uk and Goodreads & NetGalley.

*No affiliate links, I am just linking to make your life easier!

Book Review: The Castaways – Lucy Clarke

Book: The Castaways (Available on Amazon*)

Author: Lucy Clarke

After a rough breakup a tropical holiday with your sister, who is also your best friend, is just what you need, right? However, almost from the very start of the trip things go wrong, leaving both sisters, Erin and Lori, deeply regretting the last words they said to one another. The story unfolds from each sister’s perspective, from two different timelines. As the story evolves, the twists get sharper, the pace more frantic, and you will find yourself turning the pages faster and faster. You will be as desperate as the sisters to find out what happens next.

A great read, that will have you thinking that a tropical paradise may not be all it seems!

*I received this book from NetGalley for review but all opinions are my own.

This review is also listed on Amazon.co.uk and Goodreads & NetGalley.

*No affiliate links, I am just linking to make your life easier!

Book Review: The Good Neighbour – R.J. Parker

Title: The Good Neighbour (Available on Amazon)

Author: R. J. Parker

Leah is driving home alone at night and gets into a crash on a lonely stretch of road. She sees a light on, and knocks on the door looking for help. She finds a charming man, friendly, polite, willing to welcome her in and offer her help, even though she interrupted his evening meal, is babbling and is covered in blood. His name is Martin Tate, and he is a perfect gentleman. He invites her in, tells her to get herself cleaned up, calls the police for her, catches her when she faints from shock, and calls roadside recovery for her. The perfect charmer, right? A building sense of unease and tension starts to urge Leah from the house, willing to wait in the rain for the recovery truck. 

Despite this, she finds herself drawn back the next day, gift in hand, to say thank you. Unsure of quite what she was feeling the previous night, but wanting to find out more. However, when she arrives at the house she finds a crime scene and police swarming the area. Someone has been horrifically murdered. Mutilated. Graphically, brutally. The homeowner. But Martin Tate is not the homeowner….

This discovery sends Leah spiraling into a frantic race, with horror after horror unfolding, and a scramble against the clock to save all she loves. Or thinks she loves.

A fast paced read, the story doesn’t let up, with momentum continually gathering, and the story gripping you from the start. Highly recommend you read – and then think twice about EVER knocking on a stranger’s door!!

*I received this book from NetGalley for review but all opinions are my own.

This review is also listed on Goodreads & NetGalley.

*No affiliate links, I am just linking to make your life easier!

Book Review: The Disappearing Act – The Impossible Case of MH370

Book: The Disappearing Act (Available on Amazon*)

Author: Florence de Changy

On the 8th of March 2014 Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared, and to this day, has never been found. It was carrying 239 passengers at the time. Their families and friends have never had closure. 

Touted as aviation’s greatest mystery, what happened to the flight? How could an aircraft completely vanish? de Chagny’s book is a fantastic piece of investigation, taking you from the early days of the incident, and spanning across years. She delves deep into all evidence, reports, expert opinions, eyewitness testimonies, and more. She has gathered together a plethora of information, catagorised it, sorted into a timeline, and presented it in a manner easy to follow, yet makes your head reel – making you deeply unsettled at the ‘truth’ we were told about the incident, particularly so, when you see how much more there was that was left unreported, obfuscated or straight out buried.

I don’t often read books in this genre, but this was an absolutely gripping read. I bookmarked pages. I took notes. I reread chapters. I sent excerpts to friends, and had them as invested in the book as I became! I found I needed to talk about what I was reading, I had to internalise it, then discuss it with others. It was a gripping read, an exhausting read, but one that I would highly recommend. de Chagney has done an incredible job of pulling together the story, presenting it to us, but all throughout, reminding us, at the heart of it all, there are 239 people who never made it home. 

*I received this book from NetGalley for review but all opinions are my own.

This review is also listed on Amazon.co.uk and Goodreads & NetGalley.

*No affiliate links, I am just linking to make your life easier!