Faceless by Rob Ashman

Faceless by Rob Ashman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - less than 1 day

Pages - 296

Publisher - Bloodhound Books

Source - Fellow book worm

Blurb from Goodreads

After surviving a vicious knife attack, which left her husband dead, DI Rosalind Kray returns to work and is handed a serial killer investigation.

This killer is different, he doesn’t just want to take the lives of his victims, he wants to obliterate their very existence. The murders appear random but the killer selects his quarry with meticulous care.

While fighting her superiors Kray must conquer her own demons, which are tearing her apart.

Kray has the ability to think like a killer and her skills lead to a series of horrifying revelations that turn the case on its head. She believes she is getting close, then her world comes crashing down with devastating consequences.

Will Kray find the murderer and escape with her own life in tact?

The truth is closer than she could have ever imagined…




My Review

DI Kray has just came back to work after almost losing her her own life in a vicious attack, one that killed her husband. Her first proper case is a serial killer and this is a killer unlike any they have came up against so far. Murdering people in a horrific fashion but the violation does not end there and this killer is smart, has a plan and no one is getting in their way.

Ooft guys, this is my first dance with this author. The scenes are really graphic so absolutely not for the faint hearted. You can here the noise in the room (in one particular scene), feel the vibrations, taste the acrid smell and it is a talented writer that can carry you into a scene like that. The killer is really smart and meticulous in the details, choices and planning that goes into everything they do.

The chapters are short and you know, if you follow my reviews, that I love that. We have first and third person narration, first person is when we hear from the killer and it also gives us insight into a tormented soul who has decided on the direction their live will take. Things from their part that shaped the person they have become and the why behind the horror they create. Third person is when we are with the investigation and everyone else.

Kray is a great character, obviously dealing with a horrendous recent past and bereavement, returning to her job and taking on a mammoth task. Not only that, some of her colleagues are actual muppets, vile, pathetic and you want to slap them. She is skilled in catching bad guys and her skills are pushed to the limit, no one is safe and the killer is fearless. Absolutely a page turner, whilst it is my first dance with this author it won't be my last, 4.5/5 for me this time. I have the next book on my tbrm, I will need to bump it up!

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The Optician's Wife by Betsy Reavley

The Optician's Wife by Betsy Reavley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 225

Publisher - Bloodhound Books

Blurb from Goodreads

Can you ever really know someone?

When Deborah, an unpopular seventeen-year-old, meets the charming and handsome Larry, he sweeps her off her feet. The trouble is Larry has a secret.

Then a series of grisly murders cast a shadow over everything.

As Deborah’s world starts to fall apart she begins to suspect the man she loves of a terrible betrayal. And to keep their marriage alive, sacrifices must be made.

A compelling, psychological thriller that unpicks what goes on behind closed doors and reminds us that sometimes the worst crimes can take place closer to home than you think.

The Optician's Wife is a powerful psychological thriller by the best-selling author of Carrion, The Quiet Ones and Beneath The Watery Moon. If you are a fan of authors like Angela Marsons, Kathryn Croft, Helen Durrant, Barbara Vine or Rachel Abbott you will be gripped by this brilliant and bracing psychological thriller.



My Review

Hello and welcome to one of the weirdest relationships you have come across. Deborah is a plain, quiet, an outcast at seventeen when she meets Larry. Larry is beautiful, charismatic, confident and really sees Deborah. As they start dating and things look up for Deborah, a killer strikes within their community. Is it a coincidence Larry and a killer show up? Is Deborah safe and how far would you go for your partner?

This is a great wee read, we get small passages from the killer , insights into the killers mind and happenings but leading the reader no further forward to the identity. As well as a murderer we get to look at the relationship dynamics. Deborah becomes Dee, who she is completely changes for her handsome new boyfriend. A transformation that readers will find uncomfortable in places, controlling, manipulative we see Larry taking over and shaping who he wants Dee to be and how it impacts on her as a person.

Quick to get started, really short chapters which I do love in a book, sex, murder, violence and quite graphic in parts. A book that draws the reader in and when you think you have a handle on what is going on turns about, keeping you on your toes. This is my first read by this author, it won't be my last, 4/5 for me this time, if you have read Reavley you really need to get acquainted!

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