Deadly Decisions by Kathy Reichs

Deadly Decisions by Kathy Reichs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 416

Publisher - Arrow

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

A nine-year old girl dies on her way to ballet class, caught in outlaw biker crossfire. Violence is spilling on to the streets of Montreal and Dr Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist for the state, has to pick up the pieces.

She knows she shouldn't let emotion get in the way of her role as scientist, but when nine-year-old Emily's body is wheeled into the morgue she cannot help but react. Tempe's nephew, Kit, is mesmerised by motorcycles. Does he understand the dangers posed by the outlaw gangs?

An exhumation uncovers the bones of another innocent, hidden in a clandestine grave close to a biker headquarters. With her boss in the hospital and her sparring partner Andrew Ryan disturbingly unavailable, Tempe begins a perilous investigation into a lawless underworld of organised crime.


My review

This book has been on my shelves for years so it was really nice to reacquaint with Tempe, Doctor Temperance Brennan, bone doctor /forensic anthropologist. A nine year old little girl is killed when rival biker gangs target each other and she is caught in the crossfire. Tempe helps the team investigate and get answers on some bones linked with one of the gangs. Along with this her young nephew has come to town and has a keen interest in motorbikes but he wouldn't get caught up with the wrong people surely. Trying to do her job, look out for her family and then her relationship with her boyfriend takes an unexpected surprise.

I love the way you sink into some books, Tempe is very thorough in her job so we learn a wee bit of something with each body she examines. The book has lots going on, her and the cop rubbing the wrong way, her family life/relationships and then the unexpected turn with the boyfriend.

Rival gangs are dangerous territory and with Tempe being on the news that adds another level of danger for her. The book is busy, paced and keeps you hooked because there is so much going on at each turn. I have a fair few of these on the tbrm and although I have been known to read out of sequence but I think the next few are in order. Looking forward to picking the next one up, 4/5 for me this time.

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The Caller by M A Comley & Tara Lyons

The Caller by M.A. Comley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 198

Publisher - Jeamel Publishing Limited

Blurb from Goodreads


When The Caller rings... what would you do?

The Organised Crime Team is a newly-formed unit with one of the toughest tasks in London. Led by DI Angie North, their first investigation is a cold case that has foxed several officers in the Met for months.
After Angie holds a TV appeal regarding the case, a number of similar aggressive attacks are brought to her attention. The team call on their contacts on the street for help. Their interest is sparked when several local names surface.
To bring the criminals to justice a member of the Organised Crime Team is asked to risk their life in a dangerous covert operation.


My Review

Meet DI Angie North, leading member of the Organised Crime Team, tasked with solving a cold case and bringing the new team together. More attacks come to light and the clock is ticking for Angie and her team to capture the culprits and save the unsuspecting public from another attack.

This tale is two fold, one is the team relationship and how they come together, bond, react to each other and the second is the criminal aspect of the story. The hierarchy of the gang members, the dynamics of their group and how loyalties are tested. As well as examining police procedures, pulling an investigating team together and the inner workings of a gang and gang mentalities we see the difficulties police have to endure during this type of operation/investigation.

The prologue sets the reader straight on the theme of the book, brutal, graphic, sexual violence, murder and that is just the opening! The theme is fast paced and jumps between the bad guys and the police officers trying to catch them. The chapters are relatively short in length which is something I personally like in a book. There are some dark themes that some readers may struggle with, violence, murder, sexual abuse, torture, drugs and of course some bad language all of which you would expect when gangs are involved.

This is my first time reading these authors, although I have some of their independent work on my tbr, and I really enjoyed it. A tale that is both dark and deep, if you like thrillers or crime then this is a book for you, 4/5 for me. Thanks so much to the authors for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Torn Apart by M A Comley

Torn Apart by M.A. Comley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 198

Blurb from Goodreads

Everyone understands about the no-go districts--areas of the city so overrun with gang violence even the police stay away. In this book, the first in a new series, DI Hero Nelson sets out to combat the issue. When Saskia Hartley and her nine-year-old son are run down outside a restaurant, DI Nelson knows it is no ordinary hit-and-run incident. He's looking at a homicide case... and the evidence points to the brutal Krull Gang. When two prostitutes are murdered, but little interest is given to the women on the Krull's payroll, Nelson connects the dots. DI Nelson has to decide whether he's dealing with a turf war or something far more sinister.

My Review

This is my first dance with this author. The opening scene is pretty traumatic, there is a gang running wild in Manchester and the opening scene shows just how tight their grasp is. They commit a horrific crime, rape and murder and are without fear of punishment or capture. As the tale develops we are given a glimpse into why they have this no fear attitude. DI Hero is our main character with his sidekick Julie, they investigate the crime and murders that follow. After a woman and her child are brutally murdered it seems we have a vigilante on the scene and the police need to clue up to catch them.

This book has a strong, yet uncomfortable and brutal start, you are drawn into a dark culture that the DI is trying to break through despite meeting opposition. However, as the book progresses and we are exposed to the main characters the plot weakens, I knew really quickly who the killer was and mostly the why. The detective isn't a particularly likable character although as the story develops he does get better, well his attitude to his family. His investigative techniques reminded me of a mix between Inspector Clouseau of the pink panther and Columbo without the wit.

Despite the negatives, the story itself was engaging, dark, horrific and if the dialog between the detective had ran more smoothly with a bit more input about why the higher up authorities were loathe to go into the estate, I would have ranked this book higher. I like to have my I's dotted and my T's crossed and for a good pat of this book I was left questioning behaviors, attitudes, discussions and actions on a few of the characters however the theme of the story was good and from reading other reviews, I should head back and read the other series by this author. I plan to do this and see how I get on from there, a fair 3/5 for me this time. If you have read this author I would love to hear your thoughts on this one and your recommendations on where to start next. Thanks to #TBConFB for introducing me to a new author and giving me this book to review in exchange for an honest review.

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