10-33 Assist PC by Desmond P Ryan

10-33 Assist PC by Desmond P. Ryan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 4 days

Pages - 177

Publisher - self

Source - Review Copy

Blurb from Goodreads

D/C Mike O’Shea, a young cop with a knack for working hard and following hunches, is on the verge of cracking a prostitution ring when an undercover from another unit burns him. With only days left before their pimps shuttle the girls out of the country, Mike pushes his team into overdrive. Hours later, with too little information, sleep, or luck, the unthinkable happens.

And now, the chase is personal.

In the first of the Mike O’Shea Crime Fiction Series, 10-33 Assist PC draws us into the dirty world of human trafficking through the eyes of the cops who put their lives on the line every day to shut it down. Written by a Real Detective, 10-33 Assist PC is the story of a cop who must decide how to move forward without forgetting the past.

Real Detective. Real Crime. Fiction.


My Review

We meet two of the Juvenile Prostitution Task Force, Mike and Sal who have a pretty horrendous job to do. Investigating the disappearance of young impressionable girls who are drawn into a dark and depraved world, often not to be seen again. Whilst chasing a lead on a missing kid they come up against another agency giving the reader an insight to just how many obstacles these guys face in house, on the streets, with the families, the list goes on, the danger is real!

Heads up, if swearing bothers you you will have an issue because Mike swears every other word, be it with other cops, families or suspects his mouth is going. Sal is a bit of a sweetie with a weakness for sunflowers seeds and leaving the shells around to get into everything, much to the rage of Mike. The two are a bit ying and yang but work well and it is sweet to see their relationship grow as they work together, eat together and bounce off one another.

The book itself has some humour depsite the darkness of some parts, we are dealing with sexual deviants exploiting kids/teens. As with most jobs that deal with dark sides of humanity humour is often used to deal with it. There are some really brutal and graphic scenes that send the reader on an emotive journey. I took a wee bit to settle into the book and them bam, about three quarters in, when I thought I knew where the book was going, the rug was pulled out from under me. I actually sat bolt upright and from then on I couldn't put the book down, I had to know where it was headed. I think this is a good foundation book, we have a good insight into the characters personalities, who they are and some big impacts to their lives. I look forward to seeing what the next book holds for these characters and what Ryan brings next, 3.5/5 for me this time. Thanks to Bakers Blog Tours for introducing me to a new author, I will be actively looking for their next offering.

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Can't Get You Out Of My Head by Sue Shepherd

Can't Get You Out of My Head by Sue Shepherd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 450

Publisher - Corazon Books

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Amazon

A moving and funny story about sisters, secrets and second chances.

Twin sisters Beth and Lisa do everything together, so what will happen now they both want a life of their own?

Beth has a secret she's kept from everyone except her sister. But it's time to get on with her life. Could a seductive Italian, a smooth-talking charmer or backpacking around Australia be the answer?

Lisa feels she's always lived in her sister's shadow. Maybe now it's her turn for some fun, whatever the consequences. But will her drunken antics land Beth in trouble?

And when it comes to the crunch, will one sister have to give up what she wants so the other can have what she needs?

Another entertaining page-turner from the No.1 bestselling author of Doesn't Everyone Have a Secret? – where things, and people, are not always as they first appear!



My Review

Twin sisters Beth and Lisa could not be more different, Beth is pretty much meek, a people pleaser and relatively submissive. Lisa is opinionated, forth right, will seize the day at any given opportunity and life and soul of any party given half a chance. We open with the girls as children then flip to adulthood, the frustrations sisters endure that we all know too well and maybe a few new ones too!

This is a pretty unique read and can I just say until I checked Amazon for the pages count (I always add that) I can't believe the book is 450 pages it certainly didn't seem that long! I would have read it a lot quicker if life didn't get in my way.

I always write non spoiler reviews, seriously what book "lover" does that and ruins a book for other readers, ugh. Anyways, certain things are hard to discuss because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. Relationships are at the heart of the story, mostly centred around Beth, Lisa and their family, boyfriends and friends. Sibling relationships can be a nitemare the girls provide a fresh take on the old sibling rivalry. There is humour in some of the scenes and some heart wrenching moments too, love, loss, life, personal growth, self discovery and I feel like I am harping on but relationships/family are everything with this tale. Someone you love making you second guess yourself, manipulating, scathing and yet the sisters are so close.

I think we all have a relationship or know someone who has someone like that in their life. I went through periods of mixed feelings for both Beth and Lisa. Like, hate, dislike, sadness and it is hard to say why in any great detail. Beth is very doormat like, I just wanted her to have a backbone and rise up, I felt so sorry for her at times though and frustrated on her behalf. Lisa I disliked quite quickly but as the story progresses I flip flopped a bit there too. As we learn more about the characters and what they have experienced/endured you can't help but reevaluate your feelings and ideas about them both.

It is a story that flings curve balls that you really don't see coming. You are pulled in quickly with a childhood incident and then wonder what is coming next, where is the story going. As Shepherd teases out the details you are absorbed in their world before you realise you are a quarter of the way through the book and the rug has been pulled again. 4/5 stars for me this time, I can't believe this is my first dance with this author but it certainly won't be my last!

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