The Sea Hides Its Dead by Megan Bontrager

The Sea Hides its Dead: The claustrophobic deep-sea horror full of dark secrets and dangerous truths by Megan Bontrager
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 340

Publisher - Run For It

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

The Sea Hides its Dead is a cult aquatic horror about a group of academics trapped in a sea cave who must reckon with unknowable horrors as they are forced to atone for their greatest sins.

Grad student Caro has no idea what she wants to do with her life, but when an opportunity arises to act as a research assistant on an anthropological expedition for her professor and lover, Edward Beck, she doesn't hesitate.

Beck assembles a team of academics and professionals to study the ancient sea-based Cult of the Leviathan, and the expedition descends into the sea caves where the cult are said to have dwelt.

But when the cave entrance collapses, trapping them inside, the expedition will find they are not alone in the darkness. Surrounded by strange artefacts and scattered bones, an ancient trial has been set in motion. One by one, the members of the expedition will be tested and forced to atone for their greatest sin. . . or die.

Praise for The Sea Hides its Dead:


My Review

Caro is a teaching assistant underneath Professor Beck, studying the Leviathan Cult oh and Caro is also his secret lover because of course he is an older married guy. Now they with a team head to Seal Harbour to finally test everything the Professor has felt/read/known about the Leviathan Cult and of course it is in a cave where things get dangerous, crazy and supernatural because of course it does!

So I didn't really get the Navy involvement at the start nor the rationale for their reaction to the stones/cave. Even after the I finished the book I still had a question or two and they really aren't anything to the plot but maybe I missed something, I did start it quite late into the night.

So Caro ripped my knitting for a good part of the start of the book and I don't know if that was intentional/genius on the authors part. As the book went on and we had character development, threat and danger I did actually come round to Caro and was rooting for her. I love a loyal person so that may have been why I was a bit ragey at her at the start and cliché of younger female under the spell of the older professor who was married and also a bit of a banger!

Once we got into the depths of the cave, things kicked off quickly, danger looming, creepy supernatural, absolutely yes! I would LOVE to see this as a movie, it was giving the descent vibes with a couple of other horror movies. An ancient cult, who doesn't want to read more on that plus anything Leviathan is ALWAYS going to be creepy and the movies I have seen has been of the monster creature feature variety so this was a different/interesting spin to that.

The action kicks off quickly, second guessing what is coming, you always get people's character/morals challenged/pushed in these types of stories, I really like that and it was good to read of a new scary threat. I couldn't guess where the book was going or what was coming, I did get freaked out which you always want in a book. A solid 3.5/5 for me this time, I haven't read this author before and I would absolutely check her out again!

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Gallery of the Dead by Chris Carter

Gallery of the Dead by Chris Carter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 448

Publisher - Simon and Schuster

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads


‘Thirty-seven years in the force, and if I was allowed to choose just one thing to erase from my mind, what’s inside that room would be it.'

That’s what a LAPD Lieutenant tells Detectives Hunter and Garcia of the Ultra Violent Crimes Unit as they arrive at one of the most shocking crime scenes they have ever attended.

In a completely unexpected turn of events, the detectives find themselves joining forces with the FBI to track down a serial killer whose hunting ground sees no borders; a psychopath who loves what he does because to him murder is much more than just killing – it’s an art form.

Welcome to 'The Gallery of the Dead'.



My Review

Book nine in the Robert Hunter series, a killer who seems to kill at random, his victimology changes, his trophies changes, the writing on the corpses change. How do you catch a killer who is sporadic in location, gender, trophies? The FBI come on board and join forces to track down one of the worst criminal masterminds they have came across.

I love these books, the FBI agent clashes with members of the LAPD team - well Garcia comes into his own I felt in this book. With the clashes with the FBI agent I thought we saw a bit more of him which I really enjoyed.

We get a bit more of Hunter's personal life and of course his mindset, thinking and reading of crime scenes, I think he is such a fascinating read and character. As always Carter doesn't pull any punches with his kills/gore so not for the faint hearted but if you have read him before you know what to expect. If you haven't, go back to the start, the books are so good you don't want to miss out. Also, how Carter closes this tale makes me want to bump the other(s) up my tbrm so I doubt it will be long before we hit up book 10, 4/5 for me this time.

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The Executioner by Chris Carter

The Executioner by Chris Carter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 472

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Imagine your worst fear - and then meet your worst nightmare...

Inside a Los Angeles church, on the altar steps, lies the blood-soaked, decapitated body of a priest. Carefully positioned, legs stretched out, arms crossed over the chest, the most horrifying thing of all is that the priest's head has been replaced by that of a dog. Later, the forensic team discover that, on the victim's chest, the figure '3' has been scrawled in blood.

At first, Detective Robert Hunter believes that this is a ritualistic killing. But as more bodies surface, he is forced to reassess. All the victims died in the way they feared the most. Their worst nightmares have literally come true. But how could the killer have known? And what links these apparently random victims?

Hunter finds himself on the trail of an elusive and sadistic killer, someone who apparently has the power to read his victims' minds. Someone who can sense what scares his victims the most. Someone who will stop at nothing to achieve his twisted aim.



My Review

We open with a priest being murdered, when the police find him, the scene is so horrific many officers struggle to keep their breakfast. Is it a message to the chapel? Hunter & Garcia are called in due to the brutality of the crime. When the next body turns up they know they have a serial killer on their hands, one that kills the victims with their worst fears.

If you have read Carter before you know he is pretty gruesome, this one is no different. We are with the killer at parts and the majority we are with Hunter and the team, investigating, digging. How can a killer know someone's worst fears & then manage to carry them out. Are the victims randomly picked, how does the killer choose the victim and manage to set it all up?

As well as all of that Hunter has a new captain, a woman who is ready to make her mark and take no crap from anyone, including Hunter who we know has a tendency to do his own thing. Page turner as always, utterly horrific and brief mentions of animal torture, I always struggle with that but thankfully it doesn't feature loads throughout. 4/5 for me this time I have a fair few in the series on my tbrm so hopefully catch up sooner rather than later.

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The Curator by M W Craven Blog Tour

Today is my stop on the blog tour for "The Curator" by author M W Craven, for my stop I have my review.

About the book



A serial killer is leaving displayed body parts all over Cumbria.
A strange message is left at each scene:
Called in to investigate, the National Crime Agency's Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw are faced with a case that makes no sense. Why were some victims anaesthetized, while others died in appalling agony? Why is their only suspect denying what they can irrefutably prove but admitting to things they weren't even aware of? And why did the victims all take the same two weeks off work three years earlier? And when a disgraced FBI agent gets in touch things take an even darker turn. Because she doesn't think Poe is dealing with a serial killer at all; she thinks he's dealing with someone far, far worse - a man who calls himself the Curator. And nothing will ever be the same again . . .




About the author




A brand-new voice in British crime fiction, M. W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle. He joined the army at sixteen, leaving a decade later to complete a social work degree and spent seventeen years as a probation officer in Cumbria, rising to the rank of assistant chief officer.




Available to buy NOW, treebook and ebook, from Amazon.

Criss Cross by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 389

Publisher - Little Brown and Company

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

A killer with all the skills of a master detective has made Alex Cross the subject of his deranged "investigation."
In a Virginia penitentiary, Alex Cross and his partner, John Sampson, witness the execution of a killer they helped convict. Hours later, they are called to the scene of a copycat crime. A note signed "M" rests on the corpse. "You messed up big time, Dr. Cross."

Was an innocent man just put to death? Alex soon realizes he may have much to answer for, as "M" lures the detective out of the capital to the sites of multiple homicides, all marked with distressingly familiar details -- details that conjure up decades-old cases. Details that conjure up Cross family secrets. Details that make clear that M is after a prize so dear that -- were the killer to attain it -- Alex's heart would no longer have reason to beat.


My Review

An execution, a family convinced Cross and the state are killing the wrong man and soon after another murder, taunting Cross he got the wrong guy. M has been playing with Cross for years and is back, this time the stakes are higher and much is at risk.

I love the Cross books, the family, the pace and the chapters are only a page or two long so perfect as I have, like many, been struggling to read during lock down. This has brought my mojo back, we see more of our beloved Cross family, yet another cat and mouse type case. A murderer taunting the police and taunting Alex specifically. Is this another copycat? Did Alex catch and convict the wrong man?

As always a good pace, engaging, roping the reader in from the opening pages. 27 books in and I still love the series, if you have enjoyed the previous books you will enjoy this one. If you haven't read Patterson before you could start here but I would advise heading back as so many great stories before this one and you get all the back history. 4/5 for me this time, I look forward to the next in the series! I wish they would make more films of the Cross books, every time I read Cross talking I hear Morgan Freeman's voice, we need more of Mr Cross on the big screen!

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