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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Liar by Lesley Pearse

Liar by Lesley Pearse
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 384

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Amelia White dreamed of being a reporter, but the closest she'd come was selling advertising in the local paper.

Until the fateful day she stumbles on a truly shocking scoop.

A murder victim, round the corner from her home.

When the police and reporters descend, Amelia is horrified at the assumptions made and lies soon to be spread about this poor young woman.

Convincing her local paper to let her take up the story herself, Amelia is determined to protect the victim from these smears. But when another body is found, the police investigation stalls.

Now, Amelia's own unfolding investigation may be the only chance of uncovering the truth, and stopping more killings.

If only she can work out who the liar is . . .


My Review

Amelia works for the newspaper selling advertising space but really wants to be a reporter so when she stumbles upon a murder victim her chance finally comes. With her easy going manner and the fact she found the body she gets to have an exclusive and write a piece that she hopes will put her on managements "map". The body discovery also brings a chance meeting of Max, a friend, neighbour and love interest, things seem to be looking up for Amelia but she cannot let go that a killer is still out there and soon finds trouble at her own door.

Set in 1970 it is nice to have a female character who wants to succeed in her career as well as her personal life. The struggles at work, dating and getting caught up in a murder case, when the killer strikes again Amelia is in the heart of it. She wants the story of the victims, who they were and for their families not just sensationalism or tearing the women's characters apart.

Amelia is a character I went back and forth on, she is kind, sweet and for a reporter (ish) she has a big heart. She also has some questionable actions and judgements but we all know someone like that and sometimes it brings a bit more realism to the character.

The book deals in a few topics, murder, abuse of a few varieties, violence, relationships to name a few. I like Pearse's stories, even when I don't love the characters I still get totally drawn in and there are a few to dislike. 3.5/5 for me this time, I think I still have one or two to buy and catch up on but I have read most and either enjoy or love them.

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A Beautiful Corpse by Christi Daugherty

A Beautiful Corpse by Christi Daugherty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time take to read - in & out over 1 week (busy week)

Pages - 384

Publisher - Harper Collins

Source - Review Copy

Blurb from Goodreads

It’s a thin line between love and murder…

A murder that shocks a city…
Shots ring out on one of Savannah's most famous streets. A beautiful law student lies dead.

A case full of secrets and lies…
Three men close to the victim are questioned. All of them claim to love her. All of them say they are innocent of her murder.

An investigation that could prove deadly…
As crime reporter Harper McClain unravels a tangled story of obsession and jealousy, the killer focuses on her. He's already killed one woman. Will he kill another?


My Review

So this is book two in a series, you can get away with starting with this one but I would recommend the first. It is a good read but also it does give you a bit more understand why there is so much animosity and grief between McClain and the police. It is covered in the book but obviously not in depth like book one. Anyways back to this one, a young law student/bar maid is murdered and the police have their obvious suspect. With a little digging it isn't as clear cut as it initially seemed, following the story McClain is doing her best but is getting the cold and aggressive shoulder from most of the police. Her previous relationship is still hanging over her and she appears to be the target of unwanted attention. Danger is lurking everywhere for McClain but nothing will get in the way of a good story!

This is one of the few times I found book two actually better than the first, that said I did like book one I just found this one gave me much more. Maybe because I got to know the character(s) in book one and this one has a more personal side as well as murder/investigation. McClain has so much happening and is facing a lot of backlash and snash from what happened in book one. A lot of it unjustly so in my opinion, she is facing obstacle after obstacle and we see a more emotive side to her this time. In book one I thought she was quite harsh in how she went about her job, covering a story but this time I actually felt a bit for her.

I also love her name is McClain, always conjures up images from Die Hard and who doesn't love Die Hard! There are some shady characters in this one and it is a busy wee book, investigation into the murder, interviewing those close to the deceased, McClain's personal/work life woes and everything in between. I am so looking forward to book three, I hope there is a book three, quite invested in some of the characters and want to know what is coming next. Sometimes with books when you are left with an unfinished story line or two (I don't mean a cliffhanger, no spoilers) I usually get annoyed or frustrated, the way things have been done I am just looking forward to what may or may not come next, 4/5 for me this time!

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The Echo Killing by Christi Daugherty

The Echo Killing by Christi Daugherty
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - as and when able over 4 days

Pages - 439

Publisher - Harper Collins

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

When a murder echoing a fifteen-year-old cold case rocks the Southern town of Savannah, crime reporter Harper McClain risks everything to find the identity of this calculated killer.

A city of antebellum architecture, picturesque parks, and cobblestone streets, Savannah moves at a graceful pace. But for Harper McClain, the timeless beauty and culture that distinguishes her home’s Southern heritage vanishes during the dark and dangerous nights. She wouldn’t have it any other way. Not even finding her mother brutally murdered in their home when she was twelve has made her love Savannah any less.

Her mother’s killer was never found, and that unsolved murder left Harper with an obsession that drove her to become one of the best crime reporters in the state of Georgia. She spends her nights with the police, searching for criminals. Her latest investigation takes her to the scene of a homicide where the details are hauntingly familiar: a young girl being led from the scene by a detective, a female victim naked and stabbed multiple times in the kitchen, and no traces of any evidence pointing towards a suspect.

Harper has seen all of this before in her own life. The similarities between the murder of Marie Whitney and her own mother’s death lead her to believe they’re both victims of the same killer. At last, she has the chance to find the murderer who’s eluded justice for fifteen years and make sure another little girl isn’t forever haunted by a senseless act of violence―even if it puts Harper in the killer’s cross-hairs…


My Review

Meet Harper McClain, one of the best crime reporters in the business, good relationships with the police (unheard of eh!) and nothing gets in the way of a story. We meet her when there is a shooting and quickly get the scope of her character, hard as nails and putting herself in the middle of danger for a story. When a murder of a house wife in an affluent area goes down, gold for reporters, Harper wants to low down. When she realises how much it mirrors a crime from the past, one with personal links for Harper she risks literally everything to get to the bottom of it.

So, we get an insight into reporters and some of the things they say in regards to the people's stories they cover, ooft! We watch a highly professional individual go through emotional turmoil and recklessness as she stops at nothing to get answers. It is a good paced story and we have a female character who is pretty head strong, forceful but dealing with her own past, personal feelings vs the job, pushing boundaries and really crossing more than a few lines along the way.

I think for book one it sets up some good foundations, we get to know her and her background. Things that matter to her, how far she is willing to go. It was interesting to read a book from the reporters perspective, the books I read are often the police or criminals, not too often I get it fro this angle. It will be interesting to see where the author takes the next book, 3/5 for me this time, this was my first dance with this author and I will be checking out the next book in the series.

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