Dark Pines by Will Dean

Dark Pines by Will Dean
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 5 days

Pages - 328

Publisher - Point Blank

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

An isolated Swedish town. A deaf reporter terrified of nature. A dense spruce forest overdue for harvest. A pair of eyeless hunters found murdered in the woods.

It’s week one of the Swedish elk hunt and the sound of gunfire is everywhere. When Tuva Moodyson investigates the story that could make her career she stumbles on a web of secrets that knit Gavrik town together. Are the latest murders connected to the Medusa killings twenty years ago? Is someone following her? Why take the eyes? Tuva must face her demons and venture deep into the woods to stop the killer and write the story. And then get the hell out of Gavrik.


My Review

This is my first dance with this author. Tuva Moodyson is our main character, a journalist in a small isolated Swedish town. Twenty years ago there were some grisly murders and then nothing. Now a body has been found in the woods with echoes of the killings years ago, is it coincidence, is it a copycat? Tuva needs to get to the bottom of it but will all small towns they all have their secrets and some secrets are worth killing over.

Tuva is a different character to any I have read before, she is deaf although with the use of hearing aids she can hear. Through her character portrayal we get a small insight into the way people treat others with hearing impairments, discrimination and downright rudeness/ignorance! It really opened my eyes and be more appreciative to issues a person with this particular impairment. Tuva is a really strong independent character and the way she uses her disability to her advantage at times, faces head on peoples ignorance and manages it all with grace and strength. She is a great read and I look forward to the next few books exploring more of her character.

It is hunting season in the book and a huge part and history to this small town and its residents, I struggled with some of the animals parts, I always do in books/movies. I loved the scene settings, when in the woods the writer creates such vivid descriptions you have no problems transporting to it.

Some of the characters are unsettling, not overly nice and some just a bit strange. The troll sculptures made me wonder if this is something the author has came across in real life, they are such weird creations as art often is. They unsettle Tuva and I did visuals how creepy it would be if someone bought, gifted or just left one for you, shudders.

I have the rest of the series on my tbrm and look forward to getting round to them. The book itself covers so many themes, murder, death, creepiness, relationships, bizarreness, friendships and a fair amount of suspense especially the scenes in the woods. The opening chapter, in the car with the elk, my heart was in my mouth, Dean certainly knows how to create tension! 3.5/5 for me this time!

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No Ordinary Girl by Cheryl Elaine

No Ordinary Girl: Mind : tainted. Body : broken. Revenge; in motion... by Cheryl Elaine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 3 hours

Pages - 179

Publisher - AAH Publishing

Source - Review copy/bought an ecopy from Amazon

Blurb from Goodreads

What started out as a night of celebration for Aimee soon turned into a nightmare. Snatched by cruel, sadistic monsters - the worst creatures mankind has ever produced - she’s thrown into a metal container, among other victims too frightened to make a single sound.

The game-keepers force everyone to play. They deliver torment and pain in equal measure. Every hunter has their own agenda and reasons to maim and torture.

Detective Johnson is one step away from catching the killers. Wrestling with his instincts as a father to serve justice his own way, this is no ordinary case for him. Can he stop the vile sadists before they damage more young girls, as well as his own daughter?

Aimee’s ordeal within the compound brings her to the conclusion that she’s no ordinary girl. But can she hang onto her sanity long enough to escape? And will she find a different way to play?

This crime thriller will keep you riveted. It’s no ordinary story.

Please note: contains graphic content.



My Review

Aimee and friend Kelly are heading out to celebrate in the hottest spot in town, what turns into flirting, drinks and joy becomes a hell neither could have imagined. Trapped and split up Aimee finds herself in a situation we only see in the worst kind of movie, she is now a pawn in a game for some of the sickest human beings imaginable. Where chances are slim to none for escape, Aimee has to get her head around what has happened to her, what is coming and start to plan how to survive.

Guys this is the second book I have read by this author, the other one is a completely different genre, it won't be my last! Very quickly the book becomes dark, depraved and you want to put the book down to get away from the horror but compelled to turn page after page. This is not a read for the faint hearted, think Hostel meets SAW and you are just starting to scratch the surface. Human life means nothing, rape, mutilation, brutality, horror are all just part and parcel for the game, human life is expendable and the supply is plentiful.

It isn't just horrific acts although there are plenty so be prepared. We have police investigation, survival, coping mechanisms, self preservation, the impact something like this has on human behaviour from different aspects. Those investigating, the families, the players, the victims and those who know it is only a matter of time before it is their turn. For such a wee book there is a lot going on, back stories on the bad guys and how the innocents react when in this kind of situation you can only imagine.

Stomach churning, bokey and you know the face you make when folk rip their nails down a blackboard am pretty sure I made that face more than once. I cannot believe this is a debut novel, you would think she had been perfecting her art for years. If you like a book that pushes you, horrifies, hooks, makes you uneasy but compels to keep going then look no further, 4.5 for me this time. This is absolutely one of the authors to keep an eye on and I do so hope this is just the start of the stories for the detective.

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