Blunt Force by Lynda La Plante Blog Tour

Today for my stop on the #TeamTennison tour we have my review, non spoiler as per, enjoy loves!

Blunt Force by Lynda La Plante
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages -

Publisher - Zaffre

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

From Lynda La Plante, the international bestselling author who "practically invented the thriller," (Karin Slaughter) comes a brilliant new page-turner that follows Jane Tennison into the salacious world of theatre to solve a brutal murder in the heart of London's West End

Things can't get much worse for detective Jane Tennison. Unceremoniously kicked off the adrenaline-fuelled Flying Squad, she now plies her trade in Gerald Road, a small and sleepy police station in the heart of London's affluent Knightsbridge.

With only petty crime to sink her teeth into, Tennison can feel her career slowly flatlining. That is until the discovery of the most brutal murder Jane has ever seen: Charlie Foxley has been found viciously beaten to death with a cricket bat - his body dismembered and disembowelled.

As a big-time theatrical agent, Foxley had a lot of powerful friends - but just as many enemies. And alongside her old friend DS Spencer Gibbs, Tennison must journey into the salacious world of show business to find out which one is the killer, before they strike again.



My Review

Jane is still reeling from the after effects of all that happened in the last book with the Flying Squad, dropped from the team and now in a slow moving station in a decent area. In a sleepy affluent neighbourhood where crime is petty Jane feels everything she has worked so hard for is slipping through her fingers. Taking steps to train for better reactions in situations as those she recently encountered (and being held against her) she also comes across an old familiar face, Spencer. When a routine enquiry turns into a murder so heinous the specialists are called in too, Jane finds herself fighting to prove her right to be heard on the team and an effective investigator.

Ah I do love Jane, faults and all, it really grinds my gears though the chauvinistic eejits she has to deal with and proving herself over and over again. Her and Spencer get bumped down the chain as seniors come in and they (the team) find themselves rubbing shoulders with some of Hollywood elite whilst trying to investigate the murder.

As always we have skulduggery, lies, secrets, murder, fame, money and all the traipsing that comes with it as Tennison and co try to figure out who would want the victim dead, who he was, who had motive and what would drive someone to utterly annihilate a person the way the victim was.

Pacey, shocking, vile behaviours from some of the wealthiest people but amongst a cesspool how do you pick out who has the potential to murder and what secrets may have lead to it. Lets face it, most folk in showbiz, those who help them along the way and those who try to make it would do almost anything to make it and everyone (mostly) has secrets in their closets, some may just well be worth killing for! 4/5 from me, very much looking forward to the next!

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Good Friday by Lynda La Plante Book Tour

Good Friday by Lynda La Plante
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 400

Publisher - Zaffre

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

BEFORE PRIME SUSPECT THERE WAS TENNISON.

Every legend has a beginning . . .

During 1974 and 1975 the IRA subjected London to a terrifying bombing campaign. In one day alone, they planted seven bombs at locations across central London. Some were defused - some were not.

Jane Tennison is now a fully-fledged detective. On the way to court one morning, Jane passes through Covent Garden Underground station and is caught up in a bomb blast that leaves several people dead, and many horribly injured. Jane is a key witness, but is adamant that she can't identify the bomber. When a photograph appears in the newspapers, showing Jane assisting the injured at the scene, it puts her and her family at risk from IRA retaliation.

'Good Friday' is the eagerly awaited date of the annual formal CID dinner, due to take place at St Ermin's Hotel. Hundreds of detectives and their wives will be there. It's the perfect target. As Jane arrives for the evening, she realises that she recognises the parking attendant as the bomber from Covent Garden. Can she convince her senior officers in time, or will another bomb destroy London's entire detective force?


My Review

Book three of the Tennison series and we see Jane growing a wee bit more - professionally and personally. Getting her own place, moving into the CID and still having to deal with the all the male chauvinistic style attitudes. The timeline in 1974/75 the book is very much terrorist/bombs/IRA and as one of our mains get caught right in the heart of it at the start so it is very graphic, breath taking and heart stopping. La Plante is so good at creating the situations/atmospheres that even me, not a visual reader was absolutely enfolded in the scene/emotions/terror. and that is just the start!

I think what I like about these books is that you have the police side, investigation, crime, murder(s) whatever the book is taking you to. You also get the feel of the times, the vile attitudes/prejudices/stereotypes/racisms et al of that era but also down to tv shows & things that will take you back. The family dynamics, the personal side of Jane whilst striving to be the best she can be at the job despite so much stacked against her and relationships in her life.

Tennison can be so relatable because she isn't perfect but she is a good person, she makes mistakes but never from a bad place, she is good people and for me, characters like that are a breath of fresh air. The pace is bang on, hooked as usually quickly, blend of characters to like, dislike, hate and I can't wait to hit the next one, 4/5.

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Hidden Killers by Lynda LaPlante BookTour

Book two of the #TeamTennison tour - "Hidden Killers" - for my stop I have my review, enjoy. You can buy your own copy now, from Amazon or any other good retailer.

We read ours with the pelting rain, in the nook with a blanket (is there anything nicer!).

Hidden Killers by Lynda La Plante
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - as able over 5 days

Pages - 496

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

A prostitute dressed in a blue rabbit fur coat walks through the darkness of Hackney Fields, seemingly alone. But someone is waiting for her...

A woman is found dead in her bath, a small child crying in the room next door... Is it an accidental death or the perfect murder?

When WPC Jane Tennison is promoted to the role of Detective Constable in London's Bow Street CID, she is immediately conflicted. While her far more experienced colleagues move on swiftly from one criminal case to another, Jane is often left with doubts about their findings.

Becoming inextricably embroiled in a multiple-rape case, Jane must put her life at risk in the search for answers. Will she toe the CID line, or endanger her position by seeking the truth...?



My Review

Oooh book two and we find Jane Tennison is promoted to Detective Constable in Bow Street, London CID. There are two cases being investigated, a rape and a young mother dead in a bath tub, Jane is finding just how different things work here. From new bosses, some of the same issues we found in book one, sexism, racism, skulduggery and hints of things not being quite above board Jane is feeling the pressure to do a job she loves, remain true to herself and conform.

I try to remember the time period this is set in, so sexism was (and still prevalent in some areas/places), hierarchy, unethical behaviours but you do get riled at how she is treated by her peers a fair bit.

From being put in danger, questioning her fellow officers and even putting her much loved job at risk by following her heart and intuition we follow Jane on some dark and questionable paths. There are some very unsettling themes in the book, rape, murder, people, cops struggling with their own demons, addictions - it is a busy book and mixed bag.

There is so much more to the series and I look forward to getting into them and seeing what the future holds for Jane and co, 4/5 for me this time.

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Do No Harm by Jack Jordan

Do No Harm by Jack Jordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 432

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

My son has been taken. And I’ve been given a choice…
Kill a patient on the operating table. Or never see him again.

The man lies on the table in front of me.
As a surgeon, it’s my job to save him.
As a mother, I know I must kill him.
You might think that I’m a monster.
But there really is only one choice.
I must get away with murder.
Or I will never see my son again.

I’VE SAVED MANY LIVES.
WOULD YOU TRUST ME WITH YOURS?



My Review

Oooft, fast paced/tense! We have Anna, renowned surgeon, Margot who is a theatre nurse and Rachel is a cop. We bounce between the three as the story unravels, we meet the characters, get to know them and from the very beginning - well even the blurb we know the jist. A surgeon is told - kill your patient or you kids dies instead and leave absolutely no room for second guessing.

So talk about a bunch of characters you don't like, meet this lot, individuals who should be trusted but are dodgy. Anna, surgeon, cold fish, unlikeable even a self saboteur in some instances (pre this horrible predicament), Margot, nurse and has some very questionable life choices/work *ethic*.

We bounce from one disaster to another, shady behaviours and choices and I don't just mean the bad guys, offt. Thrilling, shocking, violent, murders it is a very full bag and keeps the reader enrapt and guessing, what is coming next!

I didn't like a lot of the characters but even the dodgy/shady ones I absolutely wanted to know what was coming next. I also wanted to slap a few of them lol, sometimes you love to love characters and sometimes the ones you hate are just as captivating - if not more so, 4/5 for me!

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The Woman On The Bridge by Holly Seddon Blog Tour

The Woman on the Bridge by Holly Seddon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 320

Publisher - Orion

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

A stranger in need - would you invite them into your home? The electrifying new thriller from Holly Seddon.

On the worst night of her life, in the middle of nowhere, lonely Charlotte Wilderwood saves a runaway bride from falling to her death.

Soon Maggie is staying in Charlotte's home, safely hidden from the man that she was so desperate to escape. The immediate bond between the two women eclipses anything they've ever known and before long they will go to extreme lengths to protect each other.

But is Maggie the best friend Charlotte has always dreamed about, or the nightmare she never saw coming...


My Review

Charlotte is heading home FURIOUS after an encounter with her friend and co worker when she clocks a woman in her wedding dress close to her own demise. When Charlotte talks her down and takes her home they strike up a friendship that will have consequences neither could have forsaw.

My reading mojo has been out the window, grieving, stress, loss and just a whole heap of emotive heartache has really mucked up my reading mojo. Concentration is out the window and something we all love reading for is we can escape our own lives/trauma to jump into someone elses. Seddon has weaved a world of chaos and drama that helped me escape my own and start sparking back the missing mojo!

A fast finding friendship, each woman lonely and needing what the other has to offer, an ear, a solution, friendship and trust. Sure don't they say the road to evil is paved with good intentions? Well with the ladies helping each other what could go wrong, the answer, just about everything. We follow Charlotte and Maggie (the damsel in distress) from one chaos to another, even hearing what brings them to their current predicaments, particularly Maggie, I gasped! Talk about bad luck and evil men, ooft. Then you think ok so all this has happened what can possibly happen next? The book gives and gives and I think the reader would be hard pushed to guess ahead the path any of the story line is taking. Well that was the case for me, I didn't know where we were headed next but for the first time in ages didn't want to put the book down and see what these two were about to get into next!

Some utterly shocking characters, skulduggery, shameful, shady, bad, I would even go as far as to say evil or certainly rotten (to their core) in some cases. A page turner that will keep you guessing to what is coming next, hoping this is my mojo back or at least going in the right direction. 4.5/5 for me this time, I have at least one more of Seddon on my tbrm I need to bump up and will see what I am missing from the back catalogue!

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The Lost by Simon Beckett blog tour

Today is my stop on the blog tour for "The Lost" by Simon Beckett. For my stop I have my review, enjoy.

Buy link for the book, available from AMAZON UK, available for PRE ORDER HERE, Out on 25th of November.

The Lost by Simon Beckett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 368

Publisher - Orion Books

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

A MISSING CHILD

Ten years ago, the disappearance of firearms police officer Jonah Colley's young son almost destroyed him.

A GRUESOME DISCOVERY

A plea for help from an old friend leads Jonah to Slaughter Quay, and the discovery of four bodies. Brutally attacked and left for dead, he is the only survivor.

A SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH

Under suspicion himself, he uncovers a network of secrets and lies about the people he thought he knew - forcing him to question what really happened all those years ago...



My Review

Jonah Colley gets a call from his old friend (they haven't spoken in a long long time) asking him to meet him, he is the only one he can trust. Jonah is a cop, his pal is a cop and one thing he has never heard in his voice, fear. Jonah goes off to Slaughter Quay and finds a horrific sight before being attacked. What follows is Jonah getting suspicion from his fellow officers, he needs answers to what happened and his past comes back with a vengeance, a past he thought had been grieved over, a link to his missing child.

The book is pretty fast paced and Jonah has to be one of the most unlucky people/police officers ever. We learn about his past, what happened to his marriage and with the brutal murders he has been linked to he NEEDS answers. Add to all that he is banged up pretty badly it isn't an easy task. The past and present gets interlinked and we flip back a few times to Jonah's past all the while questioning why the crackpot went to an abandoned place to meet his auld pal he hasn't spoken to in so long.

Colley is a flawed character, he makes mistakes, he seems weak at times then surprises you with gumption and strength. The story is a bit like an onion, lots and lots of layers, a fair few characters but written well enough to not distract or take away from the plot. There was one character I would have liked a bit more scenes and information from, I think, for the smart parts they appeared they were a great addition to the story. I hope this is the first in a new series and we hear more from some of the characters, 4/5 for me this time.

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The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow

Today is my stop on the blog tour for "The Ten Thousand Doors of January" by Alix E Harrow, how fabulous is that cover!







The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 384

Publisher - Orbit

Source - Review book

Blurb from Goodreads

In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

Lush and richly imagined, a tale of impossible journeys, unforgettable love, and the enduring power of stories awaits in Alix E. Harrow’s spellbinding debut–step inside and discover its magic.


My Review

You know how many times we have all wanted to find a magical world or door way to another place, welcome to "The Ten Thousand Doors of January" a debut that takes you on that journey. All January wants is to go travelling with her dad instead she is stuck behind in the big house with the beautiful artefacts and her guardian, Mr Locke. As the chapters go on we discover what January's dad does for Mr Locke, the society Mr Locke is part of and some of the items dottered around the house.

The book has different timelines, different worlds and characters and it took me a wee bit to get into the flow when we weren't following January. I love the idea of doors to other times/worlds and there is a lot of emotion as well as magic and creativity in this story. It absolutely does not read like a debut, beautifully created and themes that cross over, like an onion there are many layers.

The book covers race, grief, societal classes, family, loss, love, secrets, history, magic, evil and that is just the surface. I love mystical, magic with sentiment but adventure, action and a story that keeps you from knowing where it is going or what is coming next, Harrow gives all of that. I will be keeping an active eye out for her next offerings and whilst there isn't a follow up in the plans I like in hope, 4/5 for me!

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