Prime Suspect by Lynda La PLante

Prime Suspect by Lynda La Plante
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Publisher - Dell Publishing Company

Pages - 263

Blurb from Goodreads

In the dark night of the soul . . . . If Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison hadn't been a woman, she might not have noticed the victim's shoes . . . . and that they didn't match the size given on the info sheet now so obviously misidentifying the dead blonde as a hooker named Della Mornay. Being so through, so good at the details, made Jane a top investigator; being a woman made the boys in the squadron want to see her fall on her face. But Jane Tennison was determined to catch the madman stalking women in London's street shadows. She had a prime suspect, and she needed to make the charges against him stick. She also needed to keep her own secret in check: she couldn't let anyone see that she was falling apart inside, as her obsession with cracking this case and breaking out from under the heel of the station house boy's club took over life, destroying her relationship with the man she loved, pushing her closer and closer to the dark urges of a killer . . . .


My Review

The book opens with the discovery of a body of a prostitute, in her apartment by her land lord, believed to be Della Mornay. DCI Jane Tennison finally gets a crack at the case and soon spots some things the previous lead detective did not. Jane already has opposition from her male colleagues without calling into question her predecessor's investigation but Jane holds no prisoners and is determined to crack the case. With her mind set she will leave no stone unturned, even if it means exposing secrets best left hidden or her own personal relationships.

I like La Plante and have read her before however not this series or character. I found Tennnison hard to get on with at parts, harsh with witnesses and like a dog with a bone, she will do what needs done to get her results, by the book of course. Trying to break through the boys club must be hard but she is tough as old boots and isn't out to make friends. The victims need justice and Tennison will get it, even if she has to go against the teams wishes.

The is a good story, I do like how La Plante writes although, as stated Tennison isn't my favourite character although I would maybe warm to her eventually. I would read more in this series and I have most of this authors books on my tbr anyway, 3/5 for me this time.

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You Belong to Me by Samantha Hayes

You Belong To Me by Samantha Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Publisher - Century

Pages - 496

Blurb from Goodreads

The compelling new psychological suspense novel featuring DI Lorraine Fisher, from the author of Until You’re Mine and Before You Die.

Isabel left England to escape her past. For the first time in months, she's beginning to feel safe. But then a letter shatters her world once more as she learns of her parents' death in a car crash. Reluctantly she returns home, unable to shake off the feeling she's being watched but determined not to let fear rule her life any more.

DI Lorraine Fisher is in the middle of a big murder case -- a serial killer is preying on young women. And it seems they had all complained of being stalked. She too is convinced she's being watched.

Are both women victims of their own imagination or is someone out there watching and waiting? And will one of them be next?



My Review

The book opens with in February, with someone breaking free from her fear and going for a night out, it has been a month since she last her "from you" and she is going to have some fun. The prologue draws to a chilling end and the story starts. The first chapter opens in the first person point of view, another lady who is hiding out in India as a maid, 6 months has passed without incident. However a letter finds her from home that sees her facing her fears and heading back to the life she has ran away from, Mees Eezee, Isabel - Izzy for short or as he called her Belle. chapter 2 opens again in first person point of view, this time it is DI Lorraine Fisher, attending the GP, she isnt eating, isn't sleeping and is having palpitations, she has a big case to sort, a family to try and keep happy and things are spiraling. The chapters all come in on first person point of view and it isn't until your a page or two in you can work out who is speaking, Isabel, Lorraine or the man behind the ladies fears. Events unravel that link them all and Lorraine is going against the clock and her superiors to try and solve the case.

The story, told in this format, took a bit of getting used to, even if the chapters were highlighted at the top by who was speaking may have helped although it could have detracted from the story which is maybe why Hayes did it this way. It was a bit frustrating however, once you get used to it you settle right in and getting gripped down a dark path. He has a type and Isabel fits it perfectly, as the story continues we hear more about why Isabel fled and the person she has escaped from. Other ladies have been on his radar, same hair type, same build and now there is a body, so close in feature to Isabel could it be linked?

This is a dark tale about stalking, control, possessive relationships, how a victim can be left helpless and manipulated. There is more to the story than the murders, stalking and targeted ladies, DI Lorraine Fishers story is quite strong throughout as we see her trying to fight her own personal demons and keep on top of the job. Had life not got in the way I could have read this in one setting, I have read one of her earlier books and she is fast becoming a name I look out for when choosing my next read. 4/5 for me this time, thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. I believe there are others in this series but this can be picked up as a stand alone although I wonder if I had read the others I would maybe understand more what was happening with DI Fisher.

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Review - The Darkening Hour by Penny Hancock

The Darkening Hour by Penny Hancock
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 6 days

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

pages - 402

Blurb from Goodreads

Meet Theodora
And Mona
Two women, from completely different walks of life, forced by circumstances to live together under one roof.
Both women are at their wits' end, scared of losing the one thing that's most precious to them. So when tensions boil over, who will go to the most extreme lengths to survive?
Will it be Theodora, finally breaking under the pressure?
Or Mona, desperate to find a way out?
In a tale of modern day slavery and paranoia, two women tell their sides of the story.
Who do you trust?


My Review

When I read the blurb, I thought it was about two workers living together, perhaps forced into some kind of labour. However the story is quite different. Theodora is caring for her father who has dementia with little help from the family. She is trying to keep her full time career with her own local show, look after her son who has just came back to live with her after some issues and a brush with the law. Her husband gets her Mona, a live in carer to help look after her father with all of his care and the story centers around this and the relationship between the two.

Mona has left behind her sick mother and little girl, in her own country and with a secret agenda, she is looking for her husband although portrays herself as a widow. She has to juggle the increasing demands of her employer as well as trying to find her husband, in this strange country, with limited means to do so.

Mona is trapped and at the mercy of Theodora's increasing demands. It is a story of slavery and abuse, care, devotion and also a bit of a psychological thriller as you see the increasingly bizarre behavior and decline of one of the characters. The chapters alternate between Theodora and Mona so you can see the different view points on the same situations which works really well.

I think this story could have been fantastic and some of it is very well done, however, it took a while to build up. Some of the behavior I felt was too incredulous, there is a lot of questions left unanswered which I absolutely hate. My opinions of the two women changed quite a bit in the first few chapters and I didn't like either of them, as it went on I found myself feeling for Mona and total disgust for Theodora. It will be interesting to see how they were received by other readers. For the most part this book has had high praise and great ratings so I would definitely recommend it to people, for me though there was more I disliked that I actually liked. 2/5 for me this time, first time reading this author and despite not loving this book, I would read her again.

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