The Forget-Me-Not Summer by Katie Flynn

The Forget-Me-Not Summer by Katie Flynn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - on and off over 4 days

Pages - 432

Publisher - Century

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Liverpool 1936

Miranda and her mother, Arabella, live comfortably in a nice area. But when her mother tells her she can no longer afford their present lifestyle, they have a blazing row, and Miranda goes to bed angry and upset. When she wakes the next morning, however, her mother has disappeared.

She raises the alarm but everyone is baffled, and when searches fail to discover Arabella’s whereabouts, Miranda is forced to live with her Aunt Vi and cousin Beth, who resent her presence and treat her badly.

Miranda is miserable, but when she meets a neighbour, Steve, things begin to look up and Steve promises to help his new friend in her search, and does so until war intervenes…


My Review

We open the book with a young Miranda, her mother goes missing and life is her trying to adapt to the new situation she finds herself in, her family and her new friend Steve. The book moves along from the mystery of Miranda's mothers disappearance to Miranda as an adult, never giving up hope of finding her mother. Covering her life into adulthood we follow her personal relationships, work life and getting through the war and all that comes with it.

The first part of the story I liked, Miranda as a kid, the ?haunting of the house they come across and the story and friendships that follow. Then it skips more to adulthood and it just changed the tone of the story for me, it could have been two different stories to be honest. Things that happened in the first part of the story, characters, I would have liked to have stayed relevant in the time change but it focuses on Miranda, her journey at the point and Steve and his part.

Considering how it all starts and how the author decided to bring the ending about it just wasn't for me. The pace was ok, some bits I liked a lot more than others. A lot of the characters had questionable behaviour/characteristics and some you really warmed to. Really mixed and I am sure some folk will love it but overall I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to and I think had I got more depth for some of the characters and depth I would have really like this one. This was my first read of this author, I would read her again, just this one wasn't for me, 2.5/5.

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Grimalkin Manor by S Roit

Grimalkin Manor by Sherry Roit
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - Over 8 days

Pages - 288

Publisher - Snow books

Source - Pound shop

Blurb from Goodreads

The case seems simple enough: prove to a wealthy client that his mansion is not haunted. Five American ghost hunters and one English psychic converge on the old house to complete the routine task. One night, like so many others they've spent, to put to rest the frightening rumors. Apart from the clashing of personalities, nothing will happen. Or so they assume. It would seem Grimalkin Manor has other ideas… and she knows their secrets.


My Review

Hired to stay over night in a haunted house and disprove the rumours or get conclusive proof of ghost a team of five ghost hunters and an psychic from England team up. The man who hired them is nowhere to be seen but they have their equipment and set out to do their task. Tensions are running high, the team have their own issues and things quickly start to get out of hand.

I found this story quite hard to get into, there always seemed to be something I was missing. Everyone has their own secrets, James (the English psychic) is a sensitive, can read people and places so it puts the rest of the team on edge. There is a lot of in house bickering and I felt it took an age before anything really kicked off in the house.

When it started to get into it, the scenes in the house did get a bit eerie and I liked the tension and spooky aspects. You are constantly left in a state, or I was, of perplexity, I genuinely wasn't sure what was happening a lot of the time. I had to put it down and read a book or two inbetween as I found it hard going. Not because it was badly written but I didn't like how the characters interact with each other, their lingo, cutting sentences off half way through. I felt I was left with a lot of questions and had to go back and re read a few bits just in case it was me missing something. The chapters themselves aren't too long which is great for putting it down and dipping in and out as required.

Dark, intrigue, mystery and certainly spooky in places, I am sure many will love this wee book, sadly it just wasn't for me, 2/5 for me this time.

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The Loving Husband by Christobel Kent

The Loving Husband by Christobel Kent
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - on and off 4 days

Pages - 416

Publisher - Sphere

Blurb from Goodreads

Fran Hall and her husband Nathan have moved with their two children to a farmhouse on the edge of the Fens - a chance to get away from London and have a fresh start. But when Fran wakes one night to find Nathan gone, she makes a devastating discovery. As questions about her husband and her relationships start to mount, Fran's life begins to spiral out of control. What is she hiding from the police about her marriage, and does she really know the man she shared her bed with?


My Review

We open with a relatively uncomfortable chapter, a sexual encounter in a bit of a haze and the reader is alerted immediately that something isn't right. Her husband is not in bed, Fran goes to find him and makes a horrifying discovery. The police start digging into Nathan and Fran's life and Fran soon discovers secrets and lies leading her to question what did she actually know about her life.

The story jumps around a fair bit, both in timeline and from character to character. The chapters are not signposted so it isn't until you are a few sentences down the page you know if it is Fran or the police, then a quarter in the chapters are headed with what day of the week it is. The wife, Fran, is a mousy type character and appears to be on edge all the time alluding to some kind of abuse or being in a horrible situation. The information is teased out, both about what has happened and Fran and Nathan's relationship in general. There is a lot of scandal, secrets, lies, infidelity, sex, murder and relationships to name just some of the themes covered in this story.

For me, if I remember correctly, it read a bit like Girl On The Train in that is jumps around so much. The character isn't so much the unreliable narrator, more the way the story is constructed and told. I think some people will love this because it keeps you guessing as to what has happened and what is coming. I personally don't like that as I had to try and keep track of what happened, what is going on, who is the chapter centered on at that moment. I think some readers will love this format and the building suspense however for me it just didn't work and frustrated more than intrigued me. This was my first time reading this author, I would read her work again I just personally don't like this type of format, sure others will love it, 2/5 for me this time.


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One by Conrad Williams

One by Conrad Williams
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 6 days

Pages - 363

Publisher - Virgin

Blurb from Goodreads

This is no country he knows, and no place he ever wants to see, even in the shuttered madness of his worst dreams. But Richard Jane survived. He walks because he has no choice and at the end of this molten road, running along the spine of a burned, battered country, his son may be alive. The sky crawls with venomous cloud and burning rain while the land is a scorched sprawl of rubble and corpses. Rats have risen from the depths to gorge on the carrion, and a glittering dust coats everything. It hides a terrible secret as new horrors take root. He walks on, with one hope.


My Review

This book started off really strong, Richard Jane is a diver and down in the ocean when it hits. After witnessing horrors and experiencing his own brush with death, Jane makes it to the topside the world as we know it is gone. Death is everywhere, people, animals, the land, the sky is wrong and the rain burns. Jane fits himself with protective gear and heads for home, the idea of getting to his son the only thing that keeps him going. When Jane thinks all is lost and that he is the only survivor, he finally finds others. Together they struggle to come to terms with earth as it is now, surviving, loss, self purpose and trying to stay alive.

This first part of this book I really liked, the main character goes through all of the trials and tribulations, emotions, struggles and a few hairy moments that are so well written at times I felt claustrophobic. However, the books splits off to a decade later about half way through, no explanation of why and the set up in the later part is completely different. I really dislike when books do that, it also took the apocalypse in a whole other direction, we have more survivors, what happens to them is completely different, there is a tiger running around. The later part reminded me of so many other books and movies it seemed like two completely different books merged into one and all apocalypse ideas thrown in.

It is gory, creepy, tackles lots of different areas of apocalyptic stories, had it stuck to the formula in the first part I think I would have really enjoyed it. Instead, for me, by covering so much it rather diluted the story for me, too many plot holes, unanswered questions and I generally don't like that. To be fair, Justin Cronin did that with The Passage, one story broke into two parts, and The Road which I also didn't enjoy. If you liked the format of those books you may well love this, sadly it just wasn't for me, 2/5 this time.

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Willnot by James Sallis

Willnot by James Sallis
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 192

Publisher - No Exit Press

Blurb from Goodreads

In the woods outside the town of Willnot, the remains of several people have suddenly been discovered, unnerving the community and unsettling Hale, the town's all-purpose general practitioner, surgeon, and town conscience. At the same time, Bobby Lowndes--his military records disappeared, being followed by the FBI--mysteriously reappears in his hometown, at Hale's door. Over the ensuing months, the daily dramas Hale faces as he tends to his town and to his partner, Richard, collide with the inexplicable vagaries of life in Willnot. And when a gunshot aimed at Lowndes critically wounds Richard, Hale's world is truly upended.


My Review

By reading the blurb, I took this book to be a crime/murder/who done it with the effects it has on the small town. It isn't that kind of book at all really, whilst there are bodies found and shootings, the book is not primarily about that. It is more centered on the ripples the bodies found has on the town and the main character, who he is, what he does for the town, flashbacks to things that happened in his life.

I have found this to be the case before, reading the blurb sets a bar and raises expectations of what said book will be about, as a result I didn't enjoy this book. I think had I picked it up and just read it I would have liked it far more as most readers loved it and it has high praise indeed. Instead I found there was a lot of characters that I couldn't quite see what part they would play in the crime aspect of the book and looked for plots and skulduggery where there weren't any.

A book that focuses on relationships, how events from the past can shape us as people and how a small town accepts folk quirks and all. It has quite a bit of medical talk in it being as the main character is the town doctor/surgeon I actually quite enjoyed these bits and it kept me reading. Not badly written at all however when you go into a book thinking it is one thing and it ends up being something entirely different it does dampen the enjoyment and raise expectations. Sadly 2/5 for me, I would read this author again however I would skip the blurb next time. Well written and enjoyed by many so give it a bash, it just wasn't for me.

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Dodgers by Bill Beverly

Dodgers by Bill Beverly
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 6 days

Publisher - No Exit Press

Pages - 304

Blurb from Goodreads

Dodgers is a dark, unforgettable coming-of-age journey that recalls the very best of Richard Price, Denis Johnson, and J.D. Salinger. It is the story of a young LA gang member named East, who is sent by his uncle along with some other teenage boys—including East's hothead younger brother—to kill a key witness hiding out in Wisconsin. The journey takes East out of a city he's never left and into an America that is entirely alien to him, ultimately forcing him to grapple with his place in the world and decide what kind of man he wants to become.

Written in stark and unforgettable prose and featuring an array of surprising and memorable characters rendered with empathy and wit, Dodgers heralds the arrival of a major new voice in American fiction.



My Review

A fifteen year old gang member, East, has lost his drug house. In order to make it up to the boss, he takes on a job, to kill a witness with three other males. One being his younger brother Ty, always a law unto himself and two teenagers he hasn't met. With no credit cards, mobile phones and warned to avoid drawing attention to themselves, the boys set off on a journey that will change their lives.

Firstly, let me say I am in the minority in not loving this book, the reviews out so far are glowing and speak highly of this tale. Sadly it was not for me, the youths in this book are given huge responsibility from the crime boss when the oldest boy is only seventeen. The gun totting youngster has been dabbling with violence and guns since possibly as young as eleven. This may well add authenticity to crime happenings in that part of America and therefore weight to the story, I found it really hard to click with. The boys know how big a deal the job is, yet cause quite a commotion on route and draw a lot of attention to themselves. This may add credence to the tale as they are young men battling for leadership among each other, each with a reputation.

East is really the main character, despite his criminal background he cares for his mother and seems to long for a better relationship with his unruly younger brother. The job finds him going on a journey of who he is and who he wants to be. There is violence, murder, self examination and growth, crime, challenging behaviour and the main group frequently swear and use the N word to each other which some readers may find offensive. There are a few unexpected and surprising moments, one particular scene I didn't see coming and has quite an impact on young East. Colloquialisms from that area in America are also used making the dialogue between the characters, I found, hard going at times. Some of the terminology used and grammar I found I had to go over a few times to accurately get what the writer was saying. As I said though, so many people have enjoyed this story so I would urge you to give it a whirl if you have read and enjoyed similar books of this nature, sadly it just wasn't for me. 2/5 this time from me, thanks so much to RealReaders for providing me with an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review, Dodgers is available to buy from the 5th of April, 2016.

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The Deep by Nick Cutter

The Deep by Nick Cutter
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 5 days

Publisher - Headline

Pages - 394

Blurb from Goodreads

A plague is destroying the world's population. The 'Gets makes people forget. First it's the small things, like where you left your keys ... then the not-so-small things, like how to drive. And finally your body forgets how to live.

But now an unknown substance with extraordinary power to heal has been discovered in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Nicknamed ambrosia, it might just be the miracle cure the world has been praying for.

A research lab has been established eight miles below the sea's surface, but all contact with the team has been lost. Dr Luke Nelson's brother is down there and as desperation for a cure outweighs common sense, he agrees to descend through the lightless fathoms ... perhaps to face an evil blacker than anything he could have imagined.


My Review

We start with The 'Gets - people are dying and the plague is cruel, people forgetting simple things at first until your body forgets how to function. Luke Nelson knows how it feels to lose someone to it and wants a cure, everyone does. His brother Clayton, a mad scientist, is part of a team working 8 miles under the sea surface on a cure. If anyone can crack this it will be Clayton, but contact with the team has been lost and Luke must descend to find his brother, to face his family demons and hopefully establish if there is a cure. Why lies waiting beneath may be worse than that which Luke has left above.

This is really a sci-FY style story. We have a horrible plague robbing humans of who their are before they eventually die. Then we have a research lab, 8 miles under the surface where Clayton is experimenting trying to find a cure. When Luke finally agrees to head down, memories of his past surface and Luke has to try and deal with that, as well as some of the impossible sights in front of him.

Wonders of the earth, death, madness and destruction are waiting below. This book is quite eerie in the way the atmosphere is build up when Luke descends. The writer has you feeling claustrophobic as the walls close in and the tension builds. However, I felt initially the story was going to be about The 'Gets plague, this was really a precursor for everything that comes when Luke gets below the sea. That is the main focus of the story, that and his childhood and his abusive mother. There is also animal experimentation and cruelty which I found quite hard to read although it was within context for the story. I think this will be a huge hit with many people, for me though I just didn't enjoy it. A lot of jumping around, the animal thing and I would have liked more on The 'Gets, 2/5 for me this time. Thanks so much to BookBridgr for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. I would read this author again, I just didn't love this particular story.

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The First Thing You See by Gregoire Delacourt

The First Thing You See by Grégoire Delacourt
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 236

Publisher - Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Blurb from Goodreads

Imagine you are a young mechanic living in a small community in France. You own your own home, and lead a simple life. Then, one evening, you open your front door to find a distraught Hollywood starlet standing in front of you. This is what happens to Arthur Dreyfuss in the village of Long, population 687 inhabitants.

But although feigning an American accent, this woman is not all that she seems. For her name is Jeanine Foucamprez, and her story is very different from the glamorous life of a star. Arthur is not all he seems, either; a lover of poetry with a darker past than one might imagine, he has learnt to see beauty in the mundane.

THE FIRST THING YOU SEE is a warm, witty novel about two fragile souls learning to look beyond the surface - for the first thing you see isn't always what you get!


My Review

Arthur Dreyfuss is quite an attractive man, pleasant kind and a mechanic by trade living in a small village. His fairly normal life comes to a halt when Scarlett Johansson arrives at his door, seeking refuge from Hollywood. It soon becomes apparent Scarlett is actually a look a like, her name is Jeanine Foucamprez and her whole life she has struggled to be Jeanine. Slowly they open up to each other, their attraction grows and learn who they really are.

This is possibly one of the most bizarre reads I have read, there is a huge focus on Scarlett/Jeanine's breasts and they are referred to in a fair few passages. The whole thing is almost like playing out a fantasy, the whole town is enthralled with this starlet. Yet all Jeanine wants is someone to see her as her despite encouraging and allowing people to believe she is Scarlett. There are a lot of poetry references dottered throughout the book which was a nice change as poetry isn't something I generally read much to be honest. It also makes you think the impact on people trying to live up to others expectations can have.

There is humour, awkward sex references/scenes, dark discussions fliting over abuse, self harm, love and personal growth are just some of the issues covered. I am not normally one to comment on covers but this one is quite quirky and appealing, despite not knowing this author I would have been tempted with the cover alone which isn't always something that draws me. This is also the book Scarlett Johansson apparently tried to stop from being published which I am sure only encouraged sales. The story left me feeling like I had missed something, I finished it thinking I had missed the point of it, I didn't hate it I actually found reading it relatively easy, I just didn't get it. 2/5 for me this time, thanks so much to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. I think I would read this author again, the writing was easy to follow and different from what I would normally pick up myself, I just didn't really get this particular tale.

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Water Angels by Mons Kallentoft

Water Angels by Mons Kallentoft
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 5 days

Publisher - Hodder

Pages - 471

Blurb from Amazon

A married couple is found dead in their jacuzzi. Their adopted five-year-old daughter has vanished. Inspector Malin Fors, the troubled but brilliant star of the Linkoping police force, is put in charge of the case.

But this is a haunting mystery where the borders have been blurred: those between the living and the dead, between good and evil.

Malin is only too aware of her own tendencies towards obsession and addiction. As the investigation takes a darker turn, forcing Malin to confront her own demons, will she hold out long enough to find the killer - and the missing girl - before it's too late?


My Review

Patrick and Cecilia are found dead in their jacuzzi, their adopted five year old daughter Ella is missing, Inspector Malin Fors is heading the case. The investigation starts with the family, searching Patricks computer to try and find leads. Who may have wanted this couple dead and most importantly, where is little Ella. If Foors can find the little girl or the motive, she may be able to crack open this case.

This is my first dance with this author and I am in the minority from the reviews I have seen in that I really didn't like this story much at all. The opening chapter itself, the prologue was confusing to start with although after finishing the story and re reading it I did understand it a bit better. We are briefly introduced to Fors and then a page where the writing is in italics, this is the voice(s) of the deceased couple. They feature a page or two throughout the book, merely viewing what is going on. I personally felt they really offered nothing more than observation of whatever they were looking at, that which the reader has just read with no new insight.

The characters all had a voice, the telling of what was happening at that time or interaction and then there was what they were thinking internally. This really wasn't required as I don't feel it offered anything at all to the story or event that had happened or was being discussed. The inspector is an HR nightmare and yet despite becoming erratic and more off the rails, she isn't removed from the case at all. A lot of the story is overshadowed by the personal thoughts and angst going on out with the case. There are a few random sexual encounters or inappropriate thoughts from people involved in the investigation. It didn't seem to be relevant or add to the story so I am not sure why it was included.

The mystery of what happened to the little girl kept me going, I wanted to know what happened to her, why were the parents killed and to be fair a lot of the main questions were answered which is why it scores 2 stars instead of 1. A lot of the behaviours of the characters are very questionable and for those of the officers I found it very hard to believe that would be tolerated in any department, let alone a murder investigation.

All of that said, this is the 6th in a series and a lot of people seem to love and enjoy it. It just didn't hit the mark for me at all. I won't be pursing the earlier works of this author, I just don't think the writing style is for me although a lot of people will enjoy the in depth insight you get to the characters every thought as the tale progresses. Thanks so much to the publicist for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review, 2/5 for me this time. Give it a go yourself, I would love to hear how others receive this if your reading this author for the first time or a long standing fan.

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The GraveDigger's Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates

The Gravedigger's Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 19 days

Publisher - Harper Perennal

Pages - 582

Blurb from Goodreads

In 1936 the Schwarts, an immigrant family desperate to escape Nazi Germany, settle in a small town in upstate New York, where the father, a former high school teacher, is demeaned by the only job he can get: gravedigger and cemetery caretaker. After local prejudice and the family's own emotional frailty result in unspeakable tragedy, the gravedigger's daughter, Rebecca, begins her astonishing pilgrimage into America, an odyssey of erotic risk and imaginative daring, ingenious self-invention, and, in the end, a bittersweet - but very "American" - triumph. "You are born here, they will not hurt you" - so the gravedigger has predicted for his daughter, which will turn out to be true.


My Review

Rebecca Schwart aka Hazel Jones aka Hazel Gallagher is our main character. We open up with Rebecca reflecting 10 years post her fathers death. Then we skip to New York, Rebecca has another name and is living a working married lady who encounters a man following her and mistaking her for another woman. We follow this time in her life briefly before heading into her childhood and her life as the Gravedigger's daughter. Here we get a view of Rebecca's life and her journey into early adulthood. The story then goes to her life as an adult and the tale follows from there.

I don't know what I expected from this book however it wasn't what I got. The main theme is really just about Rebecca the individual, who progresses in her life and becomes Hazel. She goes through a lot of hardship, loss and hurt, we follow the life of her, her husband and her son. It then, I felt, abruptly changes, leaves you hanging although in the letters at the end it hints at the sons outcome. The chapters are quite short in length which I really did appreciate and generally like in a story and a warning that there is some bad language throughout. There are many themes touched upon within the story, Nazi's, war, grief, murder, suicide, violence, love, abuse to name just some that are covered.

I found the character of Rebecca/Hazel very different although she is shaped by things that happen to her, there isn't a clear cut reason to why the big change. The relationship with the men in her life is so different, this could be reflective of the time and past male influences. Some people have loved this book, I just found it really hard to get through. I can honestly say I think this is the longest I have read a book as I had to keep putting it down to try something else as my interest would drop. Some of it is quite interesting, the decline of her fathers mental health during and after the war, how her brother reacts to the town despising them. Rebecca's personal growth and changes, in between there was a lot I really didn't like and found it didn't hold my attention. Your left with questions and the ending, whilst is can be perceived as cleverly done and well thought out, it is also rather abrupt which I personally am not a fan of. 2/5 for me this time, this was my first time reading this author and I am not sure I would read her again. Her writing style just didn't engage me however, as I have said, some people really loved this book so I would suggest giving it a bash.

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Bubba and the Dead Woman by C L Bevill

Bubba and the Dead Woman by C.L. Bevill
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 213

Blurb from Goodreads

Bubba Snoddy is a good old country boy with a big problem. Although he’s personable, handsome, and lives in a historical Southern mansion in a small Texas town, he has just discovered the dead body of a woman to whom he was once engaged to marry. His ex-fiancée was responsible for Bubba being thrown out of the military which in turn caused his shameful return to the tiny town of Pegramville, where everyone is a consummate gossip and no one has any secrets. Sheriff John Headrick believes Bubba killed his ex-fiancée in a fit of vengeful rage. The townsfolk believe that Bubba killed his ex-fiancée in a fit of vengeful rage. Bubba’s own mother believes that Bubba killed his ex-fiancée in a fit of vengeful rage. To top it all off, there are some mighty strange goings-on at the Snoddy Mansion, where ghosts walk the halls rattling chains in the midnight hour, and Bubba’s own sainted mother, Miz Demetrice, runs an illegal gambling ring. Rumors run merrily rampant about Bubba, decadent Snoddy ancestors, missing Civil War gold, a to-die-for sheriff’s deputy with the greenest eyes Bubba’s ever seen, and a Basset Hound named Precious who likes to nip first and ask questions later. Bubba has to find out exactly who did murder his ex-fiancée and quickly before he goes to jail for the crime, or before someone murders him.

Book one in the Bubba series.

This novel has been revised for errors. I don't guarantee that there aren't any in it, but there's a whole lot less now.


My Review

Bubba is living in a historical mansion, with his mother, in Texas. He is a catch by all accounts and a hard working chap with his dog Precious. When a dead body is found in the grounds at his house and found to be his ex fiance, he is arrested. He gets out and starts his own investigation, why was she back, who wanted to kill her and could he be in danger?

This book really missed the mark for me, his mother is a card and the humour these guys have is what saved the book from a 1 star rating. The murder and actions of the investigating police was farcical, a lot of the dialog is stretched and so descriptive when one simple sentence would suffice. Some of the things the characters said. For example "He drank gratefully from it, sighing with relief at the influx of the much-needed addictive substance into his body". Or "That's a loose tooth all right. It's my professional opinion, based on years of advanced training in the area of human medicines, and years of practice that you should have a shot of twelve-year-old scotch, and then go see a dentist. Now lemme have a look at that eye". Just lots and lots of paragraphs like that really detracted from the enjoyment and the story for me. However, lots of people love it and felt it was fitting with the setting of the book.

You always get answers to most of your questions which again is for me always a good thing, however, the whole tale was just a bit silly and out there. Even the tongue in cheek humour and great character of his mother wasn't enough to rescue this book for me. I wouldn't read any more of this series but I would try the author again, 2/5 for me this time. I think this may be a marmite book as, like I said, many people seem to love it, it just was not for me.

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Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell

Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 280

Publisher - Vintage

Blurb from Goodreads

First in the Kurt Wallander series. Winner of the inaugural Glass Key Award.

It was a senselessly violent crime: on a cold night in a remote Swedish farmhouse an elderly farmer is bludgeoned to death, and his wife is left to die with a noose around her neck. And as if this didn’t present enough problems for the Ystad police Inspector Kurt Wallander, the dying woman’s last word is foreign, leaving the police the one tangible clue they have–and in the process, the match that could inflame Sweden’s already smoldering anti-immigrant sentiments.

Unlike the situation with his ex-wife, his estranged daughter, or the beautiful but married young prosecutor who has piqued his interest, in this case, Wallander finds a problem he can handle. He quickly becomes obsessed with solving the crime before the already tense situation explodes, but soon comes to realize that it will require all his reserves of energy and dedication to solve.


My Review

The tale opens with an older gentleman being disturbed during the night, upon exploring what woke him up he finds his elderly neighbour slain. The police investigate and we are introduced to Inspector Kurt Wallander, as the tale goes on we learn more about him and his dysfunctional relationship with his daughter. As the investigation goes on, tempers flare, racism rises its ugly head and lives hang in the balance as the police try to uncover the murderer.

I personally think so much of this book has been lost in translation, it seemed disjointed, lots of things left unanswered and in some points more question raised. I was bored reading it, some parts worked well but so much of it just seemed irrelevant or nothing to do with the plot.

I wouldn't read another in this series unless I could do so in the language it was published in as I think there was so much promise however for me, it fell flat, 2/5 this time for me. Lots of people seemed to like it though so give it a bash and I would love to hear your thoughts on it!

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Blueeyed Boy by Joanne Harris

Blueeyedboy by Joanne Harris
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 7 days

Pages - 410

Publisher - BlackSwan

Blurb from Goodreads

'Once there was a widow with three sons, and their names were Black, Brown and Blue. Black was the eldest; moody and aggressive. Brown was the middle child; timid and dull. But Blue was his mother's favourite. And he was a murderer.'


My Review

Black, Brown and Blue all boys born to Mrs Green, hard working, bitter, angry, twisted and her boys the product of it. The story centers around Blue, although Black and Brown are discussed in small sections at different parts of the story. The format is online entries to a fiction site run by Blue, restricted and open diary entries by him and another who is linked to Blues past. There are tales of murder, posted by Blue on his fiction website however you pause at parts and think, is this cleverly done as truth posted as fiction posted as truth?

I am in the minority with this book, I really didn't like it to be honest. I found the format off putting and hard to follow at times having to go back and check was this a fiction post, was it a restricted, was it posted for manipulation?

None of the characters are likable, the main characters are linked in one way or another although it takes an age to discover who and why. The synesthesia aspect was really interesting though as I haven't came across that before and it worked well with the back story.

Give it a go, lots of people loved it or really enjoyed it, alas it just was not for me, 2/5 this time. I have read this author before and I would read her again however, if she brought out another from this series, I would not.

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A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 257

Publisher - Penguin

Blurb from Goodreads

"New Year's Eve at Toppers' House, North London's most popular suicide spot. And four strangers are about to discover that doing away with yourself isn't quite the private act they'd each expected." "Perma-tanned Martin Sharp's a disgraced breakfast TV presenter who had it all - the kids, the wife, the pad, the great career - and wasted it away. Killing himself is Martin's logical and appropriate response to an unliveable life." "Maureen has to do it tonight, because of Matty being in the home. He was never able to do any of the normal things kids do - like walk or talk - and loving-mum Maureen can't cope any more. Dutiful Catholic that she is, she's ready to commit the 'biggest sin of all'." "Half-crazed with heartbreak, loneliness, adolescent angst, seven Bacardi Breezers and two Special Brews, Jess's ready to jump, to fly off the roof." "Finally, there's JJ - tall, cool, American, looks like a rock-star, sometimes thinks he plays his guitar like one - who's weighted down with a heap of problems, and pizza." "Four strangers, who moments before were convinced that they were alone and going to end it all that way, share out the pizza and begin to talk ... Only to find that they have even less in common than first suspected." Nick Hornby's A Long Way Down is a novel that asks some of the big questions: about life and death, strangers and friendship, love and pain, and whether a group of losers, and pizza, can really see you through a long, dark night of the soul.


My Review

Four individuals looking to end in all on New Years eve happen upon each other. Toppers house in London, aptly named so as many people choose it to jump from and end their lives. That is the plan for Jess, young, loud and had enough after her boyfriend abruptly broke it off. Maureen, mum to Matty her son who is severely disabled and totally dependent on her. Martin, disgraced tv personality, reputation ruined after jail time and lost his family and career and lastly JJ, failed "rock star", each finds themselves on the rooftop and ready to call it a day when they meet each other and their plans change.

The chapters are short, written in first person point of view and named with the person who is talking for that chapter. The only character I felt any kind of likening for was Maureen, her life is completely around her son, she has noone bar him and the picture of their live together is very sad and lonely. Jess is a self absorbed, very young, loud mouthed individual who doesn't think before she engages her mouth. JJ is a bit of a pathetic figure, he feels the need to embellish his reasons for being on the roof that night because his life is so lacking. Martin, yet another self involved fool who can't see past himself, a legend in his own living room comes to mind.

The four form an unlikely friendship and get to know each other and form a "survivors" pact. The story gets a bit ridiculous in quite a few areas and to be honest, I was glad when it was over. It wasn't all bad, there are a few redeeming qualities within the story, Maureen was the saving grace of the group however it was a bit of an effort to get through. I am in the minority though as I know lots of people who loved this story and the movie, give it a go and see what you think. 2/5 for me this time, this was my first dance with this author, I would read him again though.

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Review - Long Way Home by Eva Dolan

Long Way Home by Eva Dolan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time take to read - 3 days

Publisher - Vintage

Pages - 400

Blurb from Goodreads

A man is burnt alive in a shed.





No witnesses, no fingerprints - only a positive ID of the victim as an immigrant with a long list of enemies.





Detectives Zigic and Ferreira are called in from the Hate Crimes Unit to track the killer, and are met with silence in a Fenland community ruled by slum racketeers, people-trafficking gangs and fear.





Tensions rise.


The clock is ticking.


But nobody wants to talk.


My Review

Detective Zigic is our main character, along with Detective Ferreira, both work in the Hate Crimes Unit and have a killer to catch. The victim has been set on fire, there are no witnesses and no finger prints. Once they identify the victim as an immigrant, they find people are reluctant to talk and the more digging the detectives do the more corruption they uncover.

I really found this book hard to get into, although the prologue gives a gripping start to the story, an unnamed individual is being hunted by men with guns and then we go to four days before the incident at the beginning of the book. A body is found, locked in a shed and burned to death, Zigic and Ferreira investigate and soon the book uncovers human trafficking, abuse, racism, slum racketeers and danger for the detectives as this kind of business is big bucks and the law won't get in the way.

Despite having a good start and drawing you in, I felt it focused on far too many mundane things, certain police procedures and a lot of it was drawn on and at parts boring. However, other parts are really engaging and even brutal in how little disregard there is for human life. The end came around quite suddenly and was ok but for me, it was just a bit too little too late. That said, I am in the minority, it seems most people who read this loved it, I just didn't warm to any of the characters, well none of the main ones anyway. 2/5 for me this time, thanks to Dead Good books for sending me a copy, I would maybe try this author again but on another series, this just wasn't for me.

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Review - The Murderer's Daughter by R S Meyers

The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 8 days

Pages - 368

Publisher - Sphere

Blurb from Goodreads

Sisters Lulu and Merry share a terrible past. When Lulu was only a child, she let her drunken father into the family home and watched him kill her mother and then turn on six-year-old Merry. Years later, clinging to the wreckage of their childhood, the sisters try to make sense of what happened.


My Review

The book starts fairly quickly, it is 1971 and the first line of the book captures you immediately with the opening line "I wasn't surprised when Mama asked me to save her life". This is from Lulu, the older sister and she describes what happens on that fateful day that changed life for her and her sister Merry. For the first few chapters Lulu tells us what happened and where their life went after their father killed their mother. Then we hear from Merry and the chapters there on after are title by the speaker and what year it is. The girls stick together and cling to each other to get through and survive being in care and all the way through adulthood. Each sister deals with it differently, one avoids all contact or mention of her father whilst the other goes in a compleely different direction. The book follows their choices in life, the impact their mothers murder has had on them and ultimatelty what it is like, living as The Murderer's Daughters.

When I first starts this book I thought it packed quite a punch, it was a terrible and brutal event, fuelled by alcohol abuse, distrust and family dysfunction. It concentrates on how two girls, scarred by violence try to cope and how they turn out as adults and adapt to and face life without their parents. The judgement of others, being rejected by family, experience life in care and then make their own way in the world.

I felt the story tapered off after the first quarter or maybe even first half. It was interesting to read how the girls tried to cope and deal with life however I found it started to lose my interest and was really let down by how the whole thing ended. That said, a lot of people really liked this book and found it quite deep on a few levels. For me though it is a 2/5, give it a go for yourself though and see what you think.

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Virals by Kathy Reichs

Virals by Kathy Reichs
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Publisher - Arrow

Pages - 454

Blurb from Goodreads

Fourteen-year-old Tory Brennan is as fascinated by bones and dead bodies as her famous aunt, acclaimed forensic anthropologist, Tempe Brennan. However living on a secluded island off Charleston in South Carolina there is not much opportunity to put her knowledge to the test. Until her and her ragbag group of technophile friends stumble across a shallow grave containing the remains of a girl who has been missing for over thirty years. The question is, did whoever was responsible for the girl's death have anything to do with the sick puppy they rescued from a secret laboratory on the same island?





With the cold-case murder suddenly hot, Tory realises that they are involved in something fatally dangerous. But events take a turn for the bizarre when they escape some would-be attackers by using physical powers more akin to a dog than a human... Could the puppy hold the key not only to the murder, but also the strange changes that are taking place in their bodies?




My Review

I have read Kathy Reichs before and quite enjoyed her writing, on the tales of Temperance (Tempe) Brennan although this is the first book in a new series. Told through fourteen year old Tory Brennan, the niece of Tempe, Tempe is refered to in this book although she does not appear. Tory lives on a secluded island with her father, their relationship is strained and new to both of them. Tory is an outcast with most of the other kids, she has a close group of technophile friends, kids into their technology and generally smarter than most of the kids on the island. When they discover a body buried in a shallow grave and a break in to a near by secured facility they find themselves the target of someone who will kill to keep the past in the past.

The book, for me, started off ok. We have some cute wolve-dog family living on the island, a father and daughter trying to adjust to their fairly new and thrown upon them relationship and some mean old professor who dislikes the kids. The kids are really smart, curious and end up breaking into a restricted facility and coming upon secret testing in a lab. The fall out of this is the children find themselves changing and having new "powers", they also discover a few secrets that people have killed to keep quiet. The kids then go on exploring and digging into the past as well as trying to keep their "find" a secret as well as dealing with teen angst stuff.

There was a bit too much of everything flung into this story for me and some of the things that happened and the kids pulled off, you would need to suspend reality in order to get through it. A character does a complete 1-80 with no real reason given as to why, which always annoys me. I loved the parts about the wolve-dog animals, I thought that was a nice touch, however most of the other stuff was just too far fetched for me. Considering horror is my favourite genre, I don't mind suspending belief for stories but the way this one is done, it just didn't work, for me personally. This is the start of a new series I believe and if I came across it I would read the second book but I wouldn't go out of my way to get it and I definitely wouldn't be buying it. 2/5 for me this time, I think I will stick to the Tempe books as I remember enjoying them a lot more than this one.

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Review - Bridget Jones Mad About The Boy by Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 5 days

Pages - 386

Publisher - Jonathan Cape

Blurb from Goodreads

What do you do when your girlfriend’s sixtieth birthday party is the same day as your boyfriend’s thirtieth?

Is it better to die of Botox or die of loneliness because you’re so wrinkly?

Is it wrong to lie about your age when online dating?

Is it morally wrong to have a blow-dry when one of your children has head lice?

Is it normal to be too vain to put on your reading glasses when checking your toy boy for head lice?

Does the Dalai Lama actually tweet or is it his assistant?

Is it normal to get fewer followers the more you tweet?

Is technology now the fifth element? Or is that wood?

If you put lip plumper on your hands do you get plump hands?

Is sleeping with someone after two dates and six weeks of texting the same as getting married after two meetings and six months of letter writing in Jane Austen’s day?

Pondering these and other modern dilemmas, Bridget Jones stumbles through the challenges of loss, single motherhood, tweeting, texting, technology, and rediscovering her sexuality in—Warning! Bad, outdated phrase approaching!—middle age.


My Review

Oh how I have missed Bridget! I have read the previous two books and watched the movies countless times so I couldn't wait for this book. Sadly I had heard the spoiler, which incase you have not, I will not repeat here. This of course gave me a heads up I may not enjoy the book but I decided to go in with an open attitude approach, since I had left it on the tbr for a long time.

We open in 2013, 18th of April & it is a Thursday. She is true to form sticking to the diary format and upon reading the first page, the reader, isn't disappointed, well I wasn't. Bridget is dating again, only this time she is in her fifty first year and the object of her affection is Roxster, thirty years old, fit, lean, young and utterly attractive. Whilst trying to keep her diary up to date, she is juggling a toyboy, two young children, trying to follow dating rules, not focus on the past, learn twitter & texting etiquette, keep her weight in check and get the kids to school in one piece. The introduction also gives the reader a headsup briefly to Mark Darcy. We then head back, to one year ago and the build up to present day, Bridgets trials and tribulations, done in a humerous or frank entry to her diary.

The first few pages and chapters, it was like sliding into your old favourite slippers. Bridget is humerous, bumbling her way through one mishap after another. Never fitting into that perfect sized dress, focusing on her weght loss and often failing to maintain her weight. However, once I got into it I noticed, quickly, that Bridget had changed to quite a different person. She still has the humour and I don't mean her age rather, just about every thing else. Her circumstances have completely changed she is not focused on her job pursuits in the way she has done previously. Her home and financial situation again has completely changed and I, for one, found that something I could relate to previously.

I think bringing children into the story was a downside, Bridget is still scatty and trying to impress the male species fumbling through dating, with two children it just didn't seem right with the added background. Sorry to be vague but I hate spoiler reviews. Of course parents date but Bridget has quite a unique take and recent sadness that it just didn't fit. There seemed to be two themes for me, the original funny Bridget trying to do all the things, with the addition of mother duties now, and a serious theme that, whilst not the main focus, certainly brings the overall feeling down. Even Daniel Cleaver, who still is a naughty boy in a mans body is still in the story, however even he has some adult catastrophy issues that ruined so much. You can't do heavy themes like that in a comedy, well I don't think you can and I don't think it had its place in Bridget Jones.

I would love to reach out to Fielding and beg her to make this book a Dallas moment, you know when Bobby was magically in the shower as it was all a dream. Make book four about Bridget and Marks wedding and all the silliness that can and does go wrong. The inlaws, cousins from abroad, families meeting and clashing, the dress disasters, I imagine it to be something like bridesmaids but funnier and all about Bridget.

I think the one thing we all loved about Bridget was her likeability, how we could relate to her, imagine ourselves doing all the silliness she does. This book was just so far removed from our original Bridget and her ordinary circumstances it really pulled the book down for me. I thought I would hate the book, I didn't but I disliked it for a lot more reasons than just the change in Bridgets relationship status. 2/5 for me this time, would I read another Bridget Jones diary? If the third one was disgarded as a dream and we go back to Bridget in her 30s, where we left her, then yes I would. Otherwise I think no, it was just too sad in some parts although I did enjoy reading the diary entries and Bridget trying to grasp dating, twitter and other disasters.

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Review - The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - on and off over 7 days

Pages - 599

Publisher - Macmillan Pan Books

Blurb from Goodreads

Summer 1924

On the eve of a glittering society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again.

Winter 1999

Grace Bradley, ninety-eight, one-time housemaid of Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet's suicide. Ghosts awaken and old memories - long consigned to the dark reaches of Grace's mind - begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge, something history has forgotten but Grace never could.

Set as the war-shattered Edwardian summer surrenders to the decadent twenties, The House at Riverton is a thrilling mystery and a compelling love story.



My Review


Grace Bradley is 98 years old, reminiscing on her days as a housemaid, and later as a ladies maid at Riverton Manor. A movie is being made of its history and Grace is being interviewed, this brings back many memories and secrets, some of which the family, and Grace would prefer to stay in the past.

The story goes between the 1920s and present day, set to 1999. The story revolves around Grace going into employment within the Riverton Manor, where her mother worked years previously. There is a blatant theme from the servants that they know something about Grace, and her mother, that she isn't aware of. The story build up is long, drawn out and takes, I felt, forever for anything to actually happen or come to fruition. The last quarter of the book is where it really starts to come together, you get an insight into what has been hinted at throughout the book and some closure with the characters, past and present.

I think it is a nice tale if you like a sedate pace, a long and winding tale with lots of mundane stages that allude to something big coming. It was nicely written and a well received book by many, however, for me I prefer a bit more meat to my read. 2/5 for me this time, I would read this author again however I won't be rushing out to buy up her work.

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Review - Feed by Mira Grant

Deadline by Mira Grant
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to rad - 8 days

Publisher - Orbit

Pages - 524

Blurb from Goodreads

Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organization he built with his sister has the same urgency as it used to. Playing with dead things just doesn't seem as fun when you've lost as much as he has.
But when a CDC researcher fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun has a newfound interest in life. Because she brings news-he may have put down the monster who attacked them, but the conspiracy is far from dead.
Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun.


My Review

This is the second book in this series, I would strongly suggest reading Feed, the first in this series, to get an idea of the background story. Shaun Mason has nothing left to lose, nothing is what it used to be, nothing is fun, he has only one purpose left now. Reporting the truth, reporting what is happening with the zombies and trying to unravel what happened in the first book is what drive Shaun. When a CDC researcher reaches out to Shaun and his team, after faking her own death, she puts his team in peril and gives him another opening to pursue the truth and try and expose the conspiracy, once and for all.

Ok so yes it is a zombie book however, it is more dealing with whats happened in the past, focusing on and unraveling the conspiracy and, I felt, product endorsement! There isn't a whole lot of zombie action, the threat is always there, always looming, however it is who is the bad guys, why have they done what they did and picking up the pieces and trying to escape and get the truth. Shaun and his team blog the news, they have cameras following them, reporting to the people about the zombie situation whilst the surviving public go to work in controlled environments.

I have to say, for large portions, I was bored or frustrated. I wanted something to happen, don't get me wrong, sometimes something did but it was a long time coming. There isn't enough zombies, if there was one comment about why the main character drinks copious amounts of coca cola, there was thirty. Not quite as much, but still in repetition, Avon skin so soft, mentioned several times that I did feel if there isn't a product endorsement, there should have been as she mentioned them often enough!

The story itself could have been cut down by at least a quarter and not affect the tale that is told and the main character Shaun I could have slapped at times. Often he is threatening violence towards other characters, women included and sees nothing wrong with this, which really annoyed me. That said, the last three pages made me want to get the next installment of this trilogy, three pages generated enough spark for me to want to find out what happens. I can't say I liked many, if any, of the characters. I didn't hate the book, I just didn't like a whole lot of it, the parts I did like, reminded me a bit of resident evil, especially the last three pages. So 2/5 for me this time, I feel I have to read the next one, for closure and just because I am too nosey not to.

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