Bad Blood by Angela Marsons

Bad Blood by Angela Marsons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 4 days

Pages - 368

Publisher - Bookouture

Source - Bought (ebook and treebook)

Blurb from Goodreads

The victim is lying under the trees, arms lifted above his head, unnaturally still. His muscles are slack. His eyes are empty. There are no signs of life. But he is not quite dead…

When Detective Kim Stone races to the crime scene, there is no body waiting for the paramedics are desperately trying to save the victim’s life. But there is something very strange about the way the man was found, his arms raised above his head, his legs spread apart. When he dies on the way to the hospital, Kim is certain she’s on the hunt for a killer… but all evidence at the scene has been destroyed.

The dead man, Eric Gould , seems ordinary, until the team dig into his past. As a teenager, he was locked away for attacking his girlfriend, and Kim suspects he was hurting his fiancé now. Was someone trying to stop history repeating?

Then another man is found on the verge of death, his bones broken to force him into an unnatural shape. The team realise the killer is sending a message – the victims’ bodies are spelling out their sins. As boys, they were both part of a group of six who bragged about their terrible crimes. But they were children then, and when she sees the grief on the faces of their loved ones now, Kim swears to find answers.

Is someone finally getting revenge… or do they think these men are still dangerous? The killer is threatening to strike again, and the only way Kim can crack the case is by tracking down the rest of the six first.

But then a revelation about what one of her team is suffering makes Kim understand why people take the law into their own hands. Do these victims deserve what’s coming to them? Or is there even more to fear from their brutal killer?

Unputdownable from start to finish, Bad Blood is a brilliantly gripping crime thriller with a reveal you’ll never see coming. Fans of Karin Slaughter, Robert Dugoni and Val McDermid will love the latest compulsive read from multi-million-copy bestseller Angela Marsons.

Can be read as a standalone.


My Review

Guys this is book nineteen in the series and normally I would say you can read as a standalone or start here BUT I would absolutely advise reading the others. One because it is a great series but if you don't want to go back that far at least read book eighteen first as there is a central storyline in this one that I feel hits more with the context/background of the previous book. A victim has been found under a tree, no signs of life, Stone is called down. A shock turn of events has no body waiting for Stone and the start of some nasty bodies popping up. From the previous book we see Stacey struggling with her stalker, trying to deal with it alone as she hasn't told anyone what is happening. With a team as small and tight as Stone's nothing remains a secret for too long and Stacey's secret has huge impact on all of the team.

I do love the Stone series, the team is such a great bunch and I love how Bryant is the Ying to Stones Yang. The investigation into the almost dead victims, why would someone do this and what are they trying to say with each body/victim. We see Stone go tonto when she discovers what has been happening to Stacey and the impact it now has not only on Stacey but the team and an investigation.

Kim is like the maw of the group and Bryant the dad I would say we see this more in this book. The usual police investigation parts with relationships, danger and shady individuals. Despite this being book nineteen Stone manages to keep the writing and plots fresh and pulling you in from the opening chapter, 4/5.

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Silent Evidence by Clea Koff

Silent Evidence by Clea Koff
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 6 days

Pages - 384

Publisher - Avon

Source - Review copy & bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Every body has secrets...

Jayne and Steelie founded Agency 32/1 with one purpose in using their specialist forensic skills to help police solve crimes.

When a bundle of frozen body parts fall out of a van on a Los Angeles freeway, FBI agent Scott Houston knows just where to go for an off-the-record post-mortem. But to everyone’s horror, Jayne and Steelie quickly determine the parts aren’t from one body. The body parts are from multiple bodies.

A serial killer is on the loose. Worse, Scott’s call has put Jayne and Steelie’s lives in jeopardy, as their unique skills can uncover evidence to unmask the killer. Can they find the killer, before the killer finds them?


My Review

So this is my first time reading this author Jayne and Steelie are main characters who founded Agency 32/1, specialists in Forensics and help with cold cases identifying body parts and bringing closure to loved ones. When body parts are found and appear to be from different people the girls are invited in and consult on the case. A serial killer who is very knowledgeable in what they do and showing no signs of stopping, the FBI are on the case and the killer shows no signs of stopping.

I took a wee bit to warm to this one, it was a little bit, I don't want to say chaotic but that is the closest word I can get to in that different povs but not always clear. I am the first to admit my head space isn't the best at present and if a book takes me this long when I have no interruptions I know its a me issue. I had to keep tabs, the investigation, the issues between the hierarchy in the ranks/agencies. The spark between two of the characters and some throwbacks references to their history, I felt I was maybe reading a second book not first, like had I missed some story. I think it is a bit of how it is written and my mild readers block but I did settle to it.

The baddy was well done, evil, shocking, shady and sometimes makes the hair on the back of your neck stand. I would read more of this series and think it was a good start for book one and a foundation book, 3.5/5.

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Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 3 days

Pages - 432

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Twenty years ago Claire Scott's eldest sister, Julia, went missing. No one knew where she went - no note, no body. It was a mystery that was never solved and it tore her family apart.

Now another girl has disappeared, with chilling echoes of the past. And it seems that she might not be the only one.

Claire is convinced Julia's disappearance is linked.

But when she begins to learn the truth about her sister, she is confronted with a shocking discovery, and nothing will ever be the same...


My Review

This is my first Karin Slaughter, it won't be the last, my goodness it is jaw dropping. We hear from Julia's father in journal like entries peppered through the book. Julia was the much loved older sister of Claire and Lydia who disappeared and her family never got over it. Claire is married and the book opens at a bar with her and her husband, they nip up a wee alley and the unthinkable happens. Lydia, her sister is a mum and couldn't be living a different life from Claire, Claire has money galore, Lydia is making ends meet and the girls haven't spoken in many years. Claire doesn't rock the boat, Lydia is firey and will kick off and say what needs said, when circumstances bring the two together the past can no longer stay in the past.

So guys there is a lot of shocking and shady stuff in this, predatory behaviour, really sick bad people, abuse, murder, SA, exploitation, secrets, lies and a family torn apart by the disappearance of their loved one and the past.

The book is really dark at times and just when you think it can't get any darker or shocking BAM, rug pulled out. I thought I had a dysfunctional family LOL. The depravity of some folk may make some scenes difficult to read but my God you will struggle to put this down. I know I have others of hers on my tbrm, we won't be leaving it so long to get to the next one, just need to find it/them on my five bookcases, 5/5.

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Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan Blog Tour

Today is my stop on the blog tour for "Leave No Trace" by Jo Callaghan.

For my stop I have my review, non spoiler. The book is out to buy, LINK HERE for Amazon UK.

Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - as able over 3 days

Pages - 383

Publisher - Siimon & Schuster

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

DCS Kat Frank and AIDE Lock return in the provocative new thriller from the author of In the Blink of an Eye.

One detective driven by instinct, the other by logic.
It will take both to find a killer who knows the true meaning of fear . . .

When the body of a man is found crucified at the top of Mount Judd, AIDE Lock – the world’s first AI Detective – and DCS Kat Frank are thrust into the spotlight as they are given their first live case.

But with the discovery of another man’s body – also crucified – it appears that their killer is only just getting started. With the police warning local men to be vigilant, the Future Policing Unit is thrust into a hostile media frenzy as they desperately search for connections between the victims. But time is running out for them to join the dots and prevent another death.


My Review

This is book two in the Kat and Lock series, now I sometimes say you can pick up a book mid series and start but with this one, no go to book one. Purely because I do think you need the background, that knowledge and feel for how everything came together, working with the AI, dynamics within the team etc. So, previously we worked on a cold case, now we are getting to work with a live case, murder, graphic, brutal and it doesn't look like it is going to be a one off. With media watching, pressure building Kat needs to use AI to the fullest effect but it is difficult when people are turning on the thumbs screws (I think that is the expression).

Lock is evolving, book one he/it was brand new but in this book, along with the active investigation we see it gaining more insight. Like itself as we know it is super effective at information collation but this is more insight into itself as a "being". For me it had echoes of Johnny 5 and maybe Jarvis or as he became later, Vision - like not as advance or "living" as they were but as I say, echoes of that. We have ripples from things that happened in book one so again another reason to read that before this.

The murderer we hear from in alternating chapters so it is interesting (well I always thing so) to hear from their view point, selection and what is going on in their mind as they plan or go for their next chosen victim.

Kat is still dealing with her grief and trying to juggle the job, devotion to the job, being there for her son especially after everything he has endured so it is quite a busy book. Murder, investigation, personal lives, team dynamics, power struggles and the voice of the killer peppered throughout, 4/5.

I am very much looking forward to the next in the series and I would love to see Lock become more with personality development which I feel we did see snippets of in this book.

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Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh

Pre order available now, on Amazon UK, out to buy August 1st.

Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1.5 days

Pages - 421

Publisher - Headline

Source - ARC

Blurb from Goodreads

Ruby Johnson is a nanny and maid to wealthy families in Manhattan's West 74th Street.
She knows their routines. Their secrets.
One night, on her way home, Ruby witnesses a neighbour's murder.

She knows the victim. She knows the killer.
She makes an anonymous call to the police and names the murderer.
But Ruby didn't tell the truth...
Because there's something wrong with Ruby Johnson.

Eddie Flynn, conman turned trial lawyer, must defend an innocent man accused of this terrible crime.
As Ruby's deadly game begins, one thing is certain.
It won't be the last murder this witness is involved in...


My Review

It is no secret I LOVE Eddie Flynn, if you are new to him do yourself a favour and go and read the previous books then this one. You absolutely can read this as a standalone but it is book 8 of an absolutely fantastic series so read the others if you haven't yet! Right, Eddie is a lawyer, previous conman (but not a bad guy like he never done anything to good people) now a lawyer who only represents innocent people. Having previously had a foot in the "underworld" he has an advantage over other lawyers and whilst they are often slimy/shady and some more crooked than the folks they represent - Eddie is a good guy with unconventional contacts at his disposal.

So Eddie is representing a guy accused of murdering someone in his neighbourhood, his posh affulent neighbourhood. Crème de la crème, he is a skilled rich surgeon and the victim is a rich wife who is known to have had many a dalliance with other married men. Someone witnessed the murder, they called it in anonymously and they have their own agenda, enter Ruby. Ruby is a nanny/maid to the rich and who knows all of their business and often secrets, how they operate because Ruby used to be one of them. Now instead of being a wealthy neighbour she works in the house she used to live in and the neighbouring houses. Ruby has fingered the wrong guy intentionally , Ruby has motives and reasons that only she knows. Ruby will have what she wants, she is master of a deadly game that noone but her knows they are playing.

Oooft talk about shady characters! The chapters jump between Ruby (the nanny) and Eddie and co as they try to work out a defense but when the prosecution have their killer and a seemingly bullet proof case Eddie and co sure have their work cut out. And in true Eddie fashion (trouble seems to follow him) they unknowingly shake up a hornets nest and soon they don't just have to look out for their clients!

Action packed but if you know the series this isn't a surprise, investigation and weeding through the facts and evidence of the case. Trying to prove the seemingly unprovable, odds stacked against them but Eddie's team are some of the best, sometimes not the most stable folks, some from the underworld and they work well together, often uphill battles.

Jaw dropping, frustrating characters, shocking behaviours, emotive, skulduggery characters, murder, bad guys and some very unstable people. Jumping between Eddie and Co and Ruby, the chapters flow seamlessly, when we were on Eddie I didn't want to leave, when we were on Ruby I didn't want to leave. Had work/life not gotten in the way I would have read this in one sitting. Gripping, keeping you on the edge of your seat, desperate to fly through it and see where it is going but not wanting it to end because it is just too fricken good!

I eagerly await the next Flynn book(s) with baited breath, I would LOVE to see him on screen (although someone asked me who I pictured when reading him and I am one of those who don't visual my characters as I go), I would need to think. I think what makes them such gripping reads/beloved is they aren't white as snow characters, they have flaws but they work together for the greater good. Eddie has often stood for the underdog and many a times we meet a pompous or read nasty character, often in the courtroom and Eddie brings them down a peg or two, I LOVE THAT. He is just a good dude, I could talk about him/this series all day, no surprises 5/5 for me this time. When you think you know where it is going - you just don't, for being on book 8 I do worry sometimes picking them up, will it have lost its magic? Absolutely not, fresh, page turning, fabulous and some scenes make you feel a bit Annie Wilkes lmao, if you know you know. I cannot recommend this book (and series) enough. Out to buy 1st of August but you can pre order now, moan Eddie, get them!

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Profile K by Helen S Fields

Profile K by Helen Sarah Fields
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 384

Publisher - AVON

Source - ARC

Blurb from Goodreads

He’s going to kill you. He just doesn’t know it yet. There’s something wrong with me. For years I’ve hidden it. Suppressed it. Blended into society. But The Test awoke something within me. It was just a routine application designed to get to know me better – with results that would show me everything I was capable of. But it showed me that the wickedness is still inside me – and that I am capable of the worst possible things. And now that I know that, there’s no telling what I’ll do next…


My Review

Ooft, the opening chapter just gets right into it and gives us an intro into the bad guy then we meet Midnight. She works in a powerful business that offers profiles to help colleges/businesses with applicants/suitability. When midnight comes across a profile K - basically someone who is off the scale abnormal like ticking all the boxes for being a killer/psychopath in their responses to what they see. When it becomes apparent that someone is killing women in a horrific way but also one that Midnight recognises who can she turn to? The business is all about the business, money, power and with that corruption is rife because the business/reputation must always comes first.

Very much a cat and mouse as Midnight tries to learn more about who she is convinced in a killer and the killer now has Midnight on their radar but very little information to go on apart from her name. The book breaks down really three fold, Midnights pov and happenings, the killers pov and outside the company ie Midnight's private life, being carer to her twin and why she does what she does like everything revolves around her and her care.

Creepy, atmospheric, the killing aspects is horrific and not for the faint hearted. In between all of that what have family, friendship and relationships. I tutted and NOOOOOOOO/FGS Midnight what are you thinking, don't do/say that, ahhhhh. That being said sometimes people behaving daft/questionable is very reflective of real life. Stalking has a big part in the book too so just an fyi/headsup for you. We have read Fields before and will read her again, she has a knack for creating bad guys/creeps and Profile K is no exception, 4/5 from me.

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Taste Of Blood by Lynda La Plante

Taste of Blood by Lynda La Plante
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days (in and out as able)

Pages - 403

Publisher - Zaffre

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Detective Jane Tennison made a bad choice.

She was the one who put in a transfer to the quiet, local police station in Bromley, keen to escape the relentless pressure of her former West End department.

Now she regrets her decision. The tedium of petty crime investigations even makes her question remaining in the force.

But then a complicated domestic assault case lands on her desk - one that might still result in a murder charge if the victim dies of his injuries.

The warring neighbours who witnessed the assault intrigue Jane. The case has a sinister underbelly, she can sense it. And when Jane discovers a handsome young boy had recently disappeared after the tragic death of his girlfriend, every family in the private close becomes a suspect.

As Tennison hunts for the link between the crimes, she uncovers a truth more shocking than she could have contemplated. One that will either make her career - or break it.


My Review

Jane has transferred to a smaller/quieter station, really what was she thinking, we all know she loves to be in the thick of it. The new place mostly investigates small crimes - not a long more than petty squabbles in some cases and it isn't long before Jane questions her choice. An ongoing feud with neighbours turns into an assault with one landing in hospital, badly injured. Jane and co have to investigate and as is with Jane's track record there may be more to the incident and squabbles than first thought. Neighbours can often have secrets and some darker than others, could that explain the erratic behaviours by some of the residents?

So whilst this book looks at an assault and then ?a missing person (older case) we find Jane doing what she does best, digging where folk don't want her to until she gets her answers. We also get a lot more of the person side with Jane, family, relationships and touching on loss and issues that often come hand in hand. She is a bit more tetchy and feisty in this book, she has found her feet and her voice and is a strong character who doesn't suffer fools gladly.

At one point I wanted to hug her, I also went through a few irritational moments with her. This book has a very domestic feel to it both in the investigation and her private life. I like that, this is book nine, we have been with Tennison from the start so it is nice to get a bit more meat from the characters as well as the police stuff. 4/5 for me this time, a few themes that will be emotive to some people. Huge fans of La Plante and really enjoying the Tennison series, looking forward to the next book and seeing what is next for oor Jane.

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Deadly Fate by Angela Marsons

Deadly Fate by Angela Marsons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out as able over 5 days

Pages - 353

Publisher - Bookouture

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

The woman’s bright blonde hair floats in the breeze. She almost looks like she could be resting on the soft green grass. But her brown eyes stare unblinking up at the sky, and the final cut across her mouth is dark with blood. Her words silenced forever…

Late one evening, as the final church bell rings out, Sandra Deakin’s cold and lifeless body is found in the overgrown graveyard with multiple stab wounds. When Detective Kim Stone rushes to the scene, the violence of the attack convinces her that this murder was deeply personal. What could have caused such hate?

As the team dig into Sandra’s life, they discover she believed she could communicate with the dead. Was that why she was targeted? The last people to see her alive were a group of women who had a session with her the night before she was killed, and as Kim and her team pay them a visit, they soon learn each of the women is lying about why they wanted Sandra’s help…

Kim realises she must dig deep and open her mind to every avenue if she’s going to stand a chance at solving this case. And when she learns that Sandra was banned from the church grounds and had been receiving death threats too, she’s ever more certain that Sandra’s gifts are at the heart of everything.

But just when she thinks she’s found a lead, the broken body of a nineteen-year-old boy is found outside a call centre – a single slash across his mouth just like Sandra’s. Kim knows they are now racing against time to understand what triggered these attacks, and to stop a twisted killer.

But they might be too late. Just as Kim sits down at a local psychic show she discovers something that makes her blood run cold. Both Sandra and the call centre were named in an article about frauds. And this show stars the next name on the list. She looks around the audience with a feeling of utter dread, certain the killer is among them…


My Review

If you haven't read the previous ooks in the series, seriously where have you been! This is book 18 and whilst yes this can be read as a standalone I would absolutely read the previous ones because they are such a great series and you know the backstory for the characters. Anyways back to the book/review, this one features two main themes guys, psychics and stalking!

The book opens with the murder of a psychic and there kicks off the investigation by Stone's team. As the book goes on we quickly find that someone has a murderous hate for psychics and this is just the beginning. We have a separate "case but not a case" of a dead homeless man whose identity is unknown and if you know Stone you know the minimal Stone likes is for the dead to at least have their name so as a side thread that is going on. Whilst investigating the psychic a stalker comes up in their investigation and Stacey finds some disturbing info, could this be our killer?

I love the banter/camaraderie with the team especially Stone and Bryant, they are so different and compliment each other as does the team to be fair. The research as always is bang on and woven in to go smoothly and seamlessly with the story. Like I am a fan of psychics and one of the characters in the book debunks them and goes into detail on how they manage to do what they do, I find that so fascinating. The stalker stuff, I am shouting RED FLAG RED FLAG, why why why to X character, pulled right into the story as always. Despite being eighteen books deep Marsons manages (in my opinion) to keep you hooked and invested in the characters, even when you get annoyed you are absolutely invested and questioning why X character is doing XYZ behaviour(s).

I think this book is setting up some bits for the next book and as always we are always waiting with bated breath. Also the pathologist guy, whilst he doesn't make huge appearances in the books I do enjoy their character and their *relationship with Stone. Here is to the next one 4/5 for me this time.

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Dark Rooms by Lynda La Plante

Dark Rooms by Lynda La Plante
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 3 days

Pages - 336

Publisher - Zaffre

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Helena Lanark is the only one who knows about the horrors which once occurred in her family's house. The heiress of an immense family fortune, she now resides in a luxurious care home; her mind and memory fading fast. Jane Tennison is leading a murder investigation into the recent brutal death of a young girl, her decomposed, starved body discovered in an old air raid shelter in the garden of the Lanark's now derelict house. Initially the focus is on identifying the victim, until another body is found hidden in the walls of the shelter. As the investigation and search for answers intensifies, Jane travels to Australia. There she discovers the dark secret that the Lanark family has kept hidden for decades. A secret that not only threatens to bring down a family dynasty, but also places Jane Tennison in mortal danger . . .


My Review

Welcome to book eight in the Tennison series, you can read it as a standalone but the series is so fab and you would miss so much backstory/character development if you start here. Jane is into yet another new team but this time she will be the lead on a case her superiors aren't enthusiastic about. During work being done on an older wealthy owned estate a body is found chained up in an air raid shelter not on the building plans. Jane being the lead heads down and uncovers another body, this one causing more annoyance from Janes "superiors". Jane is like a dog with a bone and will stop at nothing to find out what happened and get justice and as always to the truth.

This book is really busy, it has a lot going on, the investigations, dealing with the original owners - the attitudes, more inappropriate attitudes, sexism, abuse of position, inappropriate conduct from Janes male counterparts. Honestly I feel in this one we see a different side to Jane, we get the usual where she is absolutely dedicated to the job and victims and regardless of who she may annoy or upset she is getting to the bottom of her case(s). I feel she was a bit more almost wreckless this time, in some of her behaviours, speaking freely about her case to the guy she has in doing work on the house.

We also see Jane dabbling with a relationship and maybe it was ripples from her previous relationships and why she is a bit different/guarded this time. Yet that being said there was also an incident within her home and something she did that I was shocked. Nothing overly major but just from what we know of Jane I felt it was so out of character, she seemed to have a different side showing this time. Not bad but just risks that I didn't expect from her, character development maybe, response to all she has been through, age, I don't know but it is certainly interesting to see her flash a bit off the straight and narrow so to speak.

Family secrets, scandals, touching on some horrific themes, SA, murder, abuse of power/status, police investigation and as always Janes metal at not being badgered or bullied into dropping something or behaving a certain way. I think that is why we are big Tennison fans, she has some flaws (don't we all) but she comes from a good place and always an advocate for the victims who can no longer speak for themselves, 4/5 from me.

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Unholy Murder by Lynda La Plante

The #TeamTennison tour continues, today we have our review for "Unholy Murder" by author Lynda La Plante.

Unholy Murder by Lynda La Plante
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days (inbetween shifts as able)

Pages - 380

Publisher - Zaffre

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

'Help me turn the coffin lid over.' Jane Tennison said, grabbing one end.
'What you looking for?' Doctor Pullen asked.
'I want to see the condition of the interior lining.'
'The right hand on the body has a broken fingernails, some are worn down to the fingertips.' Doctor Pullen informed them as they gently turned the lid over. The mouldy white satin lining was torn and hanging loose at the head end. Jane gently brushed it to one side revealing deep fingernail scratch marks on the interior metal.
'Oh my God,' Tennison exclaimed. 'She was buried alive.'

In Unholy Murder, Tennison must lift the lid on the most chilling murder case of her career to date . . .


My Review

This is book seven in the Tennison series, Jane is doing pretty well/established and respected considering we are in the early 80s and she is a female officer. This time we have a coffin found on a construction job, when it is opened we do indeed have a body, whilst one cop wants to declare it normal/case closed Jane has always been one to look at everything. Not only is it the body of a nun but upon closer inspection she has been murdered. Now to establish an identity, time line and if a case is to be answered to.

I love that Jane is always force for the victims, no matter what she is faced with and lets face it, the previous six books she has more than had her work cut out for her. This time, with the investigation we have to look at the Catholic church and deal with priests, nuns and those in higher capacities. We have bad blood already between some of the officers and those in the holy order. Much is at risk for all concerned and some people will do anything to keep past secrets exactly that, in the past.

This time, as much as we have the investigation into the murder/identity, we see more of a person side for Jane and of course how that impacts or clashes with the job. A bit more of a flawed version of the Jane we have come to know and love, not in any huge capacity but a few things in this book make her seem more, I don't think vulnerable is the word I am looking for but certainly mis stepping once or twice.

Because there are practicing religious folk and some questionable/shady behaviours/secrets I think there may be a few gasps for those who hold people of the cloth in higher esteem that those who don't. Also the fact the victim is a nun is also a bit of a chest skelp as there are some folk you often put in untouchable categories, innocents, kids, animals, people serving/giving their lives to a higher order. So whilst the book isn't break neck pace it absolutely smacks you in the chops from early on, who would target a nun and in such a horrific way and then you are hooked! 4/5 for me this time, book eight is giving me the eyeball from the shelf already to see what is next in store!

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No Mercy by Martina Cole

No Mercy by Martina Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over a few days

Pages - 436

Publisher - Headline

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Family always comes first. Until now.

Get ready for the ultimate summer read with the explosive new novel from Sunday Times No.1 bestseller and 'undisputed queen of crime writing' ( Guardian ) Martina Cole.

Diana Davis has been head of the family business since the death of her husband, an infamous bank robber. She's a woman in a man's world, but no one messes with her.

Her only son, Angus, is a natural born villain, but he needs to earn Diana's trust before she'll allow him into the business.

Once he's proved he has the brains to run their clubs in Marbella, he is given what he's always wanted. It's the beginning of a reign of terror that knows no bounds.

But Angus has a blind his wife, Lorna, and their three kids, Angus Junior, Sean and Eilish. And as the next generation enters the business, Angus has a painful truth to learn. Even when it comes to family, he must show no mercy...


My Review

Diana Davis is a woman to be reckoned with. In the world of drugs/crime/violence it isn't known for having women in the face leagues. Diana has proven herself time and time again and her eldest Angus is desperate to make his own mark in the game & butts heads a bit with mother dearest. We span across the years as Angus becomes a face in his own right, has his own family & faces the threats & issues that comes with the territory of drugs, violence and crime.

It has been a wee while since I read Cole & I don't know why, i do enjoy her books. For anyone not familiar with her work the characters are gritty, grim, shady, violent, some are very loyal and almost all swear like troopers. This book, like some of the others, features some dark themes that others may find triggering, SA, abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, mental health, murder, violence etc.

Short chapters which I love, characters that you love to hate, action and skulduggery costly afoot or the threat of. I will be checking to see what others I have still to read and getting them. If you want to leave behind your own world and submerge into the gritty no holds barred world of criminals then look no further, 4/5.

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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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Alex Cross Must Die by James Patterson

Alex Cross Must Die by James Patterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 416

Publisher - Randomhouse UK

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

Detectives Cross and Sampson are tracking a serial killer who's fatally ambushing young men in the “Dead Hours” murders. They don't hear the machine gun fire. At first.

“Drop whatever you're doing, Dr. Cross, and head to Reagan Airport,” DC Metro Police dispatch says. “A plane just crashed and exploded on the runway. The chief and the FBI want you and John Sampson there pronto.”

The weapon that took down the plane is a remote-controlled Vietnam-War-era machine gun. The list of those who possess the training and expertise to operate the stolen, .50-caliber weapon is short. And time runs even shorter.

As Cross and Sampson race to prevent another mass murder, their fearsomely armed opponent once again looks skyward.


My Review

It has been a few years since I picked up a James Patterson and more so since I read an Alex Cross. I LOVE the Alex Cross series and going on the title I thought this would be a cat and mouse with Cross and a baddy/taunting him. Maybe that is why I liked but didn't love this one.

There are a fair few storylines, we have a terrorist attack on a commercial plane, a missing friend in the process of making a multimillion business launch, one of Alex's kids friends has gone missing, a killer targeting runners and if that isn't enough a teacher loved and trusted by all may not be all he seems to be.

I love a busy book and there is no denying there is plenty to keep you hooked by I think maybe there was so much we spread just a little thinly. I felt like we hardly seen a whole lot of Alex Cross because there were so many characters to visit/see/chase/action.

Page turner yeah, short chapters - we love but I think had we maybe had a wee bit less we may have had more if that makes sense. I liked it I just didn't love it so therefore 3.5/5 for us, terrorism, murder, families, dark web the book has loads to keep you occupied.

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Born In A Burial Gown by M W Craven

Born in a Burial Gown by M.W. Craven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 304

Publisher - Constable

Source - Bought


Detective Inspector Avison Fluke is a man on the edge. He has committed a crime to get back to work, concealed a debilitating illness and is about to be made homeless. Just as he thinks things can’t get any worse, the body of a young woman is found buried on a wet, Cumbrian building site.

Shot once in the back of the head, execution style, it is a cold, calculated murder. When the post-mortem reveals she has gone to significant expense in disguising her appearance, and the only clue to her identity is a strange series of numbers, Fluke knows this is no ordinary murder.

With the help of a psychotic ex-Para, a gangland leader and a woman more interested in maggots than people, Fluke must find out who she was and why she was murdered before he can even think about finding her killer. As the body count rises and his investigation takes him from poverty stricken estates to picture perfect Lake District villages, he realises his troubles are only just beginning.

Because someone, somewhere has a plan and if Fluke can’t figure out what’s happening, he may just be next.



My Review

So I came to Craven's books with the Tilly and Poe series and I LOVE them so I was a bit cautious approaching this because I can be a pie like that. You know what I mean like you enjoy something so much so when you try something different by the same author you can be biased against it. Anyways, Fluke is a cop (detective inspector) and manages a team of misfits, we don't see too much of them in this book but his partner Towler is ex army or marine, I like him. He is nuts, an absolute machine of a man, fantastic at what he does and has some mouth on him, if swearing upsets you this isn't the book for you. There was one line "Listen, you little tit," I was howling, the character isn't Scottish but I heard it in a Scottish accent and haven't heard someone insult someone calling them a wee tit in years! The character is brilliantly brutal and he isn't even the main dude. Anyway, back to Fluke, we know quickly there is something wrong with him but he is back at work, pushing on and folk don't know, nor do we what is wrong with him. As the book progresses I was so impressed by the realism of a lot of the medical stuff and actually the author has been through the mill, medically, himself and the authenticity of that really shows in those parts of the book.

The opening chapter is brutal/graphic and quite dark, the male prostitute who witnesses a body dump and there begins our story. The body is passed to Fluke's team because the higher ups don't think it is going to be anything more than maybe a domestic however it turns out to be an execution (no spoilers its on the back cover) and things really kick off. I also liked the in depth chat on how they work out information with bugs/flies/maggots etc information from a dead body and how that helps with the investigation.

The book bounces between the investigation and Fluke trying to do his job whilst battling a condition he is keeping from his colleagues. It is a pretty dark, twisted thriller and book one of two (I checked Fantastic Fiction) and will be getting the second one. I hope we get to know more of the team but Fluke and Towler make for good reading, 4/5.

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Murder Mile by Lynda La Plante Team Tennison Tour

Today we are reviewing Murder Mile by Lynda La Plante for the Tennison Tour.

Murder Mile by Lynda La Plante
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 419

Publisher - Zaffre

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Prime Suspect meets Ashes to Ashes as we see Jane Tennison starting out on her police career . . .

The fourth in the Sunday Times bestselling Jane Tennison thrillers, MURDER MILE is set at the height of the 'Winter of Discontent'. Can Jane Tennison uncover a serial killer?

February, 1979, 'The Winter of Discontent'. Economic chaos has led to widespread strikes across Britain.

Jane Tennison, now a Detective Sergeant, has been posted to Peckham CID, one of London's toughest areas. As the rubbish on the streets begins to pile up, so does the murder count: two bodies in as many days.

There are no suspects and the manner of death is different in each case. The only link between the two victims is the location of the bodies, found within a short distance of each other near Rye Lane in Peckham. Three days later another murder occurs in the same area. Press headlines scream that a serial killer is loose on 'Murder Mile' and that police incompetence is hampering the investigation.

Jane is under immense pressure to catch the killer before they strike again. Working long hours with little sleep, what she uncovers leaves her doubting her own mind.


My Review

This is book four in the Tennison series, you can get away with reading this as a standalone but you would be missing great books so I would read the others first. Jane is working her way up the ranks, slowly albeit faster than any female really in the 1970s! Keep in mind the attitudes of males especially in places like the police force and despite Jane being a higher rank she faces misogyny, derogatory and discriminatory behaviours/attitudes from some of her colleagues. Jane is a detective now and this book is investigating a dead body found amongst the gathering rubbish in the streets - there is a strike ongoing. Not long after another body is found and the pressure on Jane and the team is mounting, many eyes are watching and trying to manipulate from all corners!

By book four we are well versed with some of the shocking attitudes of Jane's colleagues, sexism is alive and well and she ends up on the biting end often. We see Jane contemplating her personal life issues as well as huge pressure/stress at work. I like the balance between personal Jane and work Jane because she has to be different with the way work is. I love the authentic feel you get for the time period, from what they wear, the music, even the "mundane" everyday things. If you are of a certain age you appreciate these things and how much it strengthens the world/timeline created.

We also get throwbacks/mentions/nods to things that had happened in previous books and I love how Tennison gets overlooked or put down and she shines through and shows her metal and intelligence over and over. I don't mean I like how bad she is treated because it rips my knittin but that the way they put her in a box or mistreat/belittle her and it just pushes her through.

I have the next couple of books lined up and can't wait to see what is next for our team especially in light of what happened in this one. Pacey, shocking and more than a few oh no they didn't moments, 4/5 from me for this one!

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Let Me Go by Chelsea Cain

Let Me Go by Chelsea Cain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 358

Publisher - Minotaur books

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Detective Archie Sheridan is about to receive a birthday present from the last person he ever wants to see again: Gretchen Lowell.

The investigation into Jack Reynolds's drug enterprise is heating up and has Archie heading off to attend a masked Halloween party on Jack Reynolds's island, where Susan is a reluctant guest. But the next morning one of the guests is found murdered, and Archie quickly realizes that nothing is what it seems. Only one thing is clear: Gretchen is back, and she's been closer than anyone thinks. On Halloween Eve, with time running out, Archie will have to risk everything, and choose wisely whom to trust, if he and his loved ones are going to live through the night.

My Review

I really enjoy (if that is the right word) the Gretchen/Archie series but read them out of order so this was me going back the way. I think the thing with these books is the psychotic killer is a beautiful female but she is beyond dangerous, she can take out whole teams of trained killers. Her obsession with Archie is something else, gave me Hannibal/Clarise vibes to be fair.

Gretchen is on the loose, there is a killer out there and Archie knows Gretchen is stalking him. He has a "relationship not relationship" with his neighbour and he is just trying to get through yet another day without pills. Poor Archie is really put through it in this book, embarrassed, used, humiliated and always trying to do the right thing.

Mobsters, killers, threats, violence, abuse, sa, the books has just about a bit of everything. Gretchen is ruthless and brutal as usual and we see another glimpse of her madness/obsession levels with Archie, 4/5 for me. Absolutely not for the faint hearted though guys, graphic and brutal!

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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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Tennison - Prime Suspect 1973 by Lynda La Plante

Celebrating #TeamTennison all of the Tennison books in prep for the tenth which is yet to be published. Over the next ten months we will be reading/reviewing all the Jane Tennison books (I also aim to watch the tv show). Thanks to Tracy from Compulsive Readers for getting me on board for the tours.

Tennison: Prime Suspect 1973 by Lynda La Plante
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 7 days

Pages - 624

Publisher - Simon and Schuster

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

In 1973 Jane Tennison, aged 22, leaves the Metropolitan Police Training Academy to be placed on probationary exercise in Hackney where criminality thrives. We witness her struggle to cope in a male-dominated, chauvinistic environment, learning fast to deal with shocking situations with no help or sympathy from her superiors. Then comes her involvement in her first murder case.


My Review

Book one of the series and whilst I have read La Plante before this is my first of this series. Jane Tennison is a rookie and in her probationary period in Hackney, it is the early 1970s so it is a very heavily male environment. There is sexism, racism, chauvinistic, jealousy, hierarchy, prostitution, murder, drugs and homophobic tones in interactions. I think it brings the reality of the times in that profession/time and it is set in a high crime area.

There is a lot going on, we get the dynamics of the officers, the way the police works, how women were viewed and the metal of Jane's character. Starting a new job in that type of environment, that time period women where expected to be more about settling down. Even Jane's family expect the job to be backseat to what they deem high importance ie rehearsal dinners or family dinners, inviting people around.

There are a lot of shady characters within the book and like or loathe them they do make for compelling reading. I would have gotten through this quicker if not for work/life, it is a chunky book, over 600 pages and I am looking forward to reading the rest in the series. I have book two ready and waiting and looking forward to seeing what Jane and co are facing next, 4/5.

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Hidden Scars by Angela Marsons

Hidden Scars by Angela Marsons
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days as able

Pages - 356

Publisher - Bookouture

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Netgalley

While Jamie’s cold, lifeless body lay in the morgue, Detective Kim Stone stared at the empty board in the incident room and felt her anger boil. Why were there no photos, details, or lines of enquiry?



When a nineteen-year-old boy, Jamie Mills, is found hanging from a tree in a local park, his death is ruled a suicide. Detective Kim Stone’s instincts tell her something isn’t right – but it’s not her investigation and her temporary replacement is too busy waiting for the next big case to be asking the right questions.

Why would a seemingly healthy boy choose to end his life?

Why does his mother show no sign of emotional distress at the loss of her son?

Still mending her broken mind and body from her last harrowing case, Kim is supposed to be easing back into work gently. But then she finds a crucial, overlooked detail: Jamie had a recent injury that would have made it impossible for him to climb the tree. He must have been murdered.

Quickly taking back charge of her team and the case, Kim visits Jamie’s parents and is shocked to hear that they had sent him to a clinic to ‘cure’ him of his sexuality. According to his mother, Jamie was introverted and prone to mood swings. Yet his friend speaks of a vibrant, outgoing boy.

The clues to smashing open this disturbing case lie behind the old Victorian walls of the clinic, run by the Gardner family. They claim that patients come of their own accord and are free to leave at any time. But why are those that attended the clinic so afraid to speak of what happens there? And where did the faded restraint marks identified on Jamie’s wrists come from?

Then the body of a young woman is found dead by suffocation and Kim makes two chilling discoveries. The victim spent time at the clinic too, and her death was also staged to look like a suicide.

Scarred from an ordeal that nearly took her life, is Kim strong enough to stop a terrifying killer from silencing the clinic’s previous patients one by one?

A compulsive page-turner that will have your heart hammering in your chest and leave you absolutely reeling when you discover the explosive final twist. If you’re a fan of Karin Slaughter, Val McDermid, and Robert Dugoni, you’ll love Hidden Scars.



Can be read as a standalone.


My Review

If you haven't read the previous books you should because they are awesome but the precious book is really required as it helps understand DI Kim Stone's transition from what happened previously to where she finds herself now. Everything that transpired before has long lasting ripples and helps the reader grasp everything Stone has dealt with to get to this point. Her team is epic but Stone's replacement is an absolute tool, everything that is wrong with a leader/supervisior. With Stone just coming back and not quite there to take over the lead she can't ignore what makes her her and this suicide doesn't sit well and before we know it there is another "suicide" that calls for a closer look.

Kim Stone is such a great character, she has flaws, she is human but her inner compass pushes her past just about everything to do the right thing for the victims they come across as officers. This book has a trio of main themes, Stone and her recovery, the case(s) of course and the team dynamics and sexuality/LGB.

Some parts of the book are absolutely heart wrenching to read, what people will do to their supposed loved ones if they are gay, the lengths some gay people will go to in order to fit into what societal norms are expected in some areas of the world and the absolute extremes of this. I really struggled with that and whilst it is a fictional book/characters there are absolutely clinics/camps/conversions still active and it is 2023!

Murder most horrid, some really horrific individuals that will make you absolutely enraged and an abundance of things going on with our favourite team! You would think by book 17 things would be beginning to get overdone or boring or even just dropping in quality/ideas, nope. Marsons manages to keep it freh, the readers engaged and create more shady horrors that have us cheering on for our team to catch the baddy, 5/5 for me this time!

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206 Bones by Kathy Reichs

206 Bones by Kathy Reichs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 384

Publisher - Arrow Books

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

There are 206 bones in the human body. Forensic anthropologists know them intimately, can use them to reconstruct every kind of violent end. When Tempe finds herself regaining consciousness in some kind of very small, very dark, very cold enclosed space—bound, hands to feet—Tempe begins slowly to reconstruct...

Tempe and Lieutenant Ryan had accompanied the recently discovered remains of a missing heiress from Montreal to the Chicago morgue. Suddenly, Tempe was accused of mishandling the autopsy—and the case. Back in Montreal, the corpse of a second elderly woman was found in the woods, and then a third. Seamlessly weaving between Tempe’s present-tense terror as she’s held captive and her memory of the cases of these murdered women, Reichs reveals the incredible devastation that would occur if a forensic colleague sabotaged work in the lab. The chemistry between Tempe and Ryan intensifies as this complex, riveting tale unfolds, proving once again, that Reichs is the dominant talent in forensic mystery writing.


My Review

Book 12 of the Tempe Brennan series, I will admit I haven't read all twelve nor in order I don't think in any actual sequence however I do try with the ones I have got. Temperance is a Forensic Anthropologist and whilst there is murder and investigations going on I love learning stuff from books and the examinations she does with the authors expertise brings a story and education. So when I see the books I check if I have read them if not I buy and add to the pile and just go from there. We know her and Lieutenant Ryan have a history and the book does briefly cover why they aren't together but there is no denying the attraction is there. So inbetween that we have the case(s) and bones being investigated, a killer on the loose and a newbie in the workplace who clearly wants to make a name for herself, I did not like her from the off.

The book goes between work place dynamics, the back and forth between Tempe/Andrew, we spend a wee bit of time with her ex hubby's family which I liked but not sure it added anything to the plot. This book looks at a few cases, work politics, bitchy colleagues and your usual murder/bones examination and some seriously shady behaviours by some.

I liked it I didn't love it, I have more of this series on my tbrm and will read them and continue to buy them as I come across them, 3/5 for me.

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