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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House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 320

Publisher - Bantam books

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

WANTED - Bloodmaid of exceptional taste. Must have a keen proclivity for life's finer pleasures. Girls of weak will need not apply.

A young woman is drawn into the upper echelons of a society where blood is power, in this dark and enthralling gothic novel from the author of The Year of the Witching.

Marion Shaw has been raised in the slums, where want and deprivation is all she knows. Despite longing to leave the city and its miseries, she has no real hope of escape until the day she spots a peculiar listing in the newspaper, seeking a bloodmaid.

Though she knows little about the far north--where wealthy nobles live in luxury and drink the blood of those in their service--Marion applies to the position. In a matter of days, she finds herself the newest bloodmaid at the notorious House of Hunger. There, Marion is swept into a world of dark debauchery--and at the center of it all is her.

Countess Lisavet, who presides over this hedonistic court, is loved and feared in equal measure. She takes a special interest in Marion. Lisavet is magnetic, and Marion is eager to please her new mistress. But when her fellow bloodmaids begin to go missing in the night, Marion is thrust into a vicious game of cat and mouse. She'll need to learn the rules of her new home--and fast--or its halls will soon become her grave.



My Review

Meet Marion, working for a pittance, scrubbing floors, keeping her addict brother and herself barely making ends meet. When she sees and and advert for a "bloodmaid". The money and conditions is beyond any luxury Marion could dream of but the shame and stigma of such an "occupation". Marion goes for it and is thrust into a world of temptation, debauchery, competitiveness and the letting of blood of course. There is so much to learn, so many dangers and things Marion could not even guess at.

Well this was my first time reading Henderson and I have to say she does write really well and draws you into the atmospheric creepy world inhabited by the rich. Countess Lisavet is rich, beautiful, admired, feared, loved, has her loyal followers and also those who will use and exploit who and what they can.

I felt echos of Caligula/hints of historical figures, the Countess is in need of the maids because of her health issues and we see sparks as we meet the maids and as Marion finds her feet. Gothic, horror veins, spooky, creepy and absolutely not for the easily offended. When a bloodmaid goes missing Marion can't help but poke about, she is smart, inquisitive and we fall down a dark and dangerous rabbit hole with Marion as she questions/explores.

I think this was a good start/introduction to this author, I will check out her other works, 3.5/5 for me this time.

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The No,1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 233

Publisher - Abacus

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Warm, humorous and uplifting, Alexander McCall Smith's hugely popular novels featuring Precious Ramotswe, proprietor of Botswana's only female private detective agency, have become international bestsellers, sold over seven million copies, and been translated into 26 languages. These acclaimed productions, complete with vibrant music, bring the exotic world of the books vividly to life.

The Daddy introduces us to Mma Ramotswe as she embarks on her first case and takes on a new secretary, the resourceful and talented Mma Makutsi. Together, they must find the truth about a Daddy who appears to have returned from the dead—as well as investigating a wayward teenage girl and attempting to find a vanished child. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 10 September 2004.

The Bone sees the determined duo following Mr Patel's daughter to find out whether she has a boyfriend. They must also solve the darker and more frightening case of the finger bone found in a car—does it belong to a missing boy snatched by a witch doctor? First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 17 September 2004.

Starring Claire Benedict as Mma Ramotswe and Nadine Marshall as Mma Makutsi, these dramatisations are guaranteed to appeal to all fans of the engaging lady detective.



My Review

So I have read Smith before (the Bertie books) and assumed this one would be humourous too (it does say so), whilst there are snippets of "humour" there is a lot of dark issues within the book too. Domestic violence, spousal gaslighting, missing persons - it is a busy wee book.

The main character Mma Precious Ramotswe is a super strong individual, despite having some really hard situations to overcome she does, she is positive, has ideas galore and determined to make her business a success.

I love travelling to other places/cities/countries via books and in this one we hit Botswana Africa and I love descriptions of places/people and animals native to X place. Some of the things within the book may offend or upset some people, there are different cases explored and different topics. For being a thinish book it covers a lot, I believe this is a long series so will get book two when I come across it, 3/5 for me this time.

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