Lost girls by Angela Marsons

Lost Girls by Angela Marsons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 465

Publisher - Zaffre

Source - Book shop

Blurb from Goodreads

Two girls go missing. Only one will return.
The couple that offers the highest amount will see their daughter again. The losing couple will not. Make no mistake. One child will die.

When nine-year-old best friends Charlie and Amy disappear, two families are plunged into a living nightmare. A text message confirms the unthinkable; that the girls are the victims of a terrifying kidnapping.

And when a second text message pits the two families against each other for the life of their children, the clock starts ticking for D.I. Kim Stone and the squad.

Seemingly outwitted at every turn, as they uncover a trail of bodies, Stone realises that these ruthless killers might be the most deadly she has ever faced. And that their chances of bringing the girls home alive, are getting smaller by the hour…

Untangling a dark web of secrets from the families’ past might hold the key to solving this case. But can Kim stay alive long enough to do so? Or will someone’s child pay the ultimate price?



My Review

This is book three in the series, whilst you could get away with reading this as a standalone I would suggest reading the previous two. One it will give you better knowledge of the team, dynamics, relationships and two the books are fantastic, book two is one of my fav this year.

So, two little girls go missing, best friends, parents are besties and it is quickly established it is an organised kidnap. If that isn't horrific enough the families are played against each other and forced to make a horrific decision. Stone is in charge, feathers are ruffles, two innocent lives are at stake and Stone won't rest until she gets the girls home.

As with Marson's previous books the chapters are short, I love it! We hear from Stone, the investigation and the bad guys. One is a sick, twisted and evil individual, guys there is animal torture, homophobia, violence, brutality and not for the faint hearted. It is a grabbing story, as with the previous books it all kicks off really quickly and you are soon absorbed. What is going to happen to the kids, how will Stone fair against such evil, what is the motive, what is the end game?

Marson's is one of those authors you can help but be delighted to come across, I want to devour all her books but also keep them because there are only four left to read. Engaging, challenging and all absorbing, do not pick this up before bed thinking you will only read one chapter, or any of her books as you will be up all night reading. They hook me in, I love Stone, she is such a great character, flawed but so loyal and has a strong purpose/sense of what is right and wrong, loyalty and I bloody love her and her wee dogs relationship. 4.5/5 for me this time, book four is sitting on my shelves and if I don't get the others for my birthday I will absolutely be ordering them. A fantastic creation of characters, she just needs to learn to write faster :D

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The Woman in Silk by R J Gadney

The Woman in Silk by R.J. Gadney
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 5 days

Publisher - Quercus

Pages - 472

Blurb from Goodreads

Captain Hal Stirling is flown to England from Afghanistan after a roadside bomb renders him battered and broken.
Once home, he retreats to his ancestral family seat of Stirling Towers--a gothic mansion that dominates the landscape near the remote Scottish Borders--for a Christmas of quiet recuperation. But on arrival he discovers that his mother, a fanatical spiritualist, has died and been hastily buried.
Isolated from the insular local community, Hal finds himself at the mercy of his mother's two mysterious nurses, the harshest winter on record and, before long, the horrific visions; experiences he attributes to his heavy medication. Yet as the December weather deteriorates, so does Hal's certainty that his home is a place of safety.
Who, or what, is trying to frighten him to death?


My Review

Oh I really hate to give a book 1 star rating and it is rare that I do but I honestly couldn't give it any higher. Captain Hal Stirling is going home to England, from Afghanistan after a roadside bomb goes off and he is injured. Hals home is a Gothic mansion, isolated and his mother and two nurses await him. However upon arrival home, his mother has passed and been buried, the weather is getting worse and Hal is at home with his two nurses and some horrific visions. Are they a result of his injury, is it his medications, do the nurses play a part in it or is it something else, supernatural in his home?

The book is very disjointed, it jumps around and to be honest I think this does add to what Hal has been through and gives authenticity to his experience. However, as a reader I was so confused to what was going on, was it real or was Hal imagining it? The themes didn't work for me, you had religion, animals being killed, a patient being drugged by nurses and sex all over the place. The issue of the nurses behavior and how it would fair with their governing body, like realistic things with unrealistic actions. Spirits, supernatural, disjointed visions and then introducing but what would their governing body say if they knew of their behavior. I honestly had a headache trying to keep up with it all and digest it.

Hal is a complex character, he has clearly been traumatized by what happened to him and in love with his girlfriend yet he then proceeds to sleep with almost everyone he comes into contact with. I really didn't like any of the characters in this story, I couldn't work out their behavior and even when I finished the story, I was left with more questions than I started with. 1/5 for me, some people did like this book so if you like a challenging read this would be a good one for you to try.

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Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Publisher - Phoenix

Pages - 321

Blurb from Goodreads

When two girls are abducted and killed in Missouri, journalist Camille Preaker is sent back to her home town to report on the crimes. Long-haunted by a childhood tragedy and estranged from her mother for years, Camille suddenly finds herself installed once again in her family's mansion, reacquainting herself with her distant mother and the half-sister she barely knows - a precocious 13-year-old who holds a disquieting grip on the town. As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims - a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming.



My Review

Camille Preaker is our main character and a journalist. When a child goes missing from her home town and one had gone missing previously she is sent home to get the scoop. Camille has many issues that stem from a strained childhood and troubled relationship with her mother. She has a 13 year old sister who has some major issues and controls and dominates some of the town. Trying to break down the barriers to get the story in town, deal with her sister and cope with her mother and their relationship proves to be quite a task for Camille.

This story is really quite disturbing I found to be honest. Camille has scars all over her body, her way of coping with her issues growing up. As the story progresses we discover just how dark Camilles past is and why she behaves as she does. The previous murder of the little girl was uncomfortable to read about, any ill to a child is however this killer makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

Whilst this is a book about a troubled reporter investigating in her own home town it is largely more about her dysfunctional family. Her coping mechanisms of trying to deal with it, her personal demons being quieted or confronted. There is some uncomfortable references to sexual encounters that some people may be fine with but worth giving a heads up. There is also a reference to some animal cruelty, in my opinion, that makes for uncomfortable reading too.

It is a dark tale that, for me, was like a car crash, horrific but you find it hard to look away. I felt I needed a shower after reading it, dark, gritty, brutal but very enthralling, 3/5 for me. I have read Gone Girl and have Dark Places still to read by this author, she has a specific tone to her writing, if you liked Gone Girl I think you may well "enjoy" this one.

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Review - The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Publisher - Abacus

Pages - 244

Blurb from Goodreads

Two years after I killed Blyth I murdered my young brother Paul, for quite different reasons than I'd disposed of Blyth, and then a year after that I did for my young cousin Esmerelda more or less on a whim.

That's my score to date.

Three.

I haven't killed anybody for years, and don't intend to ever again.

It was just a stage I was going through.

Enter - if you can bear it - the extraordinary private world of frank, just sixteen, and unconventional, to say the least.



My Review


I am so very glad to be finished this book, if you have problems reading about animal torture and cruelty then avoid this book at all costs. Frank Cauldhame is sixteen and our main character, his brother has been sectioned after terrorizing the children of the island and torturing local dogs. His relationship with his father is dysfunctional, he has killed three people and makes regular animal sacrifices and game of torturing them.

The book goes back and forth between events in recall, Frank talks about something that happened to him as a child so he is different, later in the story this comes up and we get an explanation. The same with his brother, he is very matter of fact about his brother being crazy and later this is brought up and explained.

The story is about a dysfunctional young man, his day to day life and some glimpses into how he is the way he is and his family life. For me, I couldn't get into the story as the animal torture which starts on page one. Any kind of animal torture I find affects a story for me however it is so strong and prevalent throughout this one that it affected the entire tale. To be honest it does emphasize how unhinged Frank is and for people who can read this kind of content and be untouched by it I am sure they will enjoy the story. There are some shocks in it, aside from the animal torture and the end I didn't see coming which is why it has the second star. It isn't that it is a terribly written book, it isn't, I just couldn't get on board or past the cruelty. 2 out of 5 for me this time, I would try Mr Banks at another time however I will research it before picking it up.

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