The Hospital by Leslie Wolfe

The Hospital by Leslie Wolfe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 322

Publisher - Bookouture

Source - Review copy & bought one

Blurb from Goodreads

I should feel safe here. I don’t.

I thought I had it all. The loving husband I married on a beach, sand between my toes. The career I fought for. The beautiful home tucked away between pines and mountains.

But my perfect life crumbled when my husband betrayed me. And then it started. Everywhere I went, someone was following me… But no one believed me. Were they right? Was I losing my mind?

Then, one day, I wake up with a searing pain in my head, and only the sound of sirens and distant conversations to pierce my confusion.

I’ve been attacked. I’m in the hospital.

It should be reassuring. But all I can think is: I’m trapped.

I must escape. But I know I can’t trust anyone, and I’ll do whatever it takes to save myself.

You will never see the twists coming in this jaw-on-the-floor gasp-out-loud rollercoaster from the no.1 bestselling author of The Surgeon. Fans of Freida McFadden, Lisa Jewell and Shari Lapena won’t be able to put it down!



My Review

She is running, she is injured, she wakes in a hospital, unable to move, unable to see - she can talk but that is about it. She knows she was attacked and she knows she isn't safe, how can she protect herself when she doesn't know who hurt her and can't get her body to move.

So the book bounces between the main character Emma confined to a hospital bed, immobile and we hear from the bad guy, the person who committed the atrocity against Emma and they are OBSESSED! So we know Emma was assaulted and almost died and now is essentially locked in, cared for around the clock, frustrated with her lack of memory and her body's brokenness. We bounce around as she grasps for her memories, tries to get any kind of movement going and frantically find out who is after her.

I did take a bit to settle into the book as the narrator is so unreliable, she has a traumatic brain injury so we are finding out about her as she is. Things jump around a bit which I found a wee bit distracting but I think it adds strength to the character, you are meant to be unsettled and frustrated because she is and it is her story. I had suspicious/guesses galore, I was a bit like when watching an episode of Murder She Wrote lol, I have about twenty theories so one ought to stick!

Some shady characters, cheating, manipulation, frustration, health/recovery (or lack of) and processing her past as it is all coming back to her slowly as she is confined to body and bed. I would say the last quarter really came into its own so I was back and fourth on my rating. I am going for 3.5/5 (I added the .5 because the later part really was WOW, well for me anyway). This was my first by this author, it won't be my last.

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Profile K by Helen S Fields

Profile K by Helen Sarah Fields
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 384

Publisher - AVON

Source - ARC

Blurb from Goodreads

He’s going to kill you. He just doesn’t know it yet. There’s something wrong with me. For years I’ve hidden it. Suppressed it. Blended into society. But The Test awoke something within me. It was just a routine application designed to get to know me better – with results that would show me everything I was capable of. But it showed me that the wickedness is still inside me – and that I am capable of the worst possible things. And now that I know that, there’s no telling what I’ll do next…


My Review

Ooft, the opening chapter just gets right into it and gives us an intro into the bad guy then we meet Midnight. She works in a powerful business that offers profiles to help colleges/businesses with applicants/suitability. When midnight comes across a profile K - basically someone who is off the scale abnormal like ticking all the boxes for being a killer/psychopath in their responses to what they see. When it becomes apparent that someone is killing women in a horrific way but also one that Midnight recognises who can she turn to? The business is all about the business, money, power and with that corruption is rife because the business/reputation must always comes first.

Very much a cat and mouse as Midnight tries to learn more about who she is convinced in a killer and the killer now has Midnight on their radar but very little information to go on apart from her name. The book breaks down really three fold, Midnights pov and happenings, the killers pov and outside the company ie Midnight's private life, being carer to her twin and why she does what she does like everything revolves around her and her care.

Creepy, atmospheric, the killing aspects is horrific and not for the faint hearted. In between all of that what have family, friendship and relationships. I tutted and NOOOOOOOO/FGS Midnight what are you thinking, don't do/say that, ahhhhh. That being said sometimes people behaving daft/questionable is very reflective of real life. Stalking has a big part in the book too so just an fyi/headsup for you. We have read Fields before and will read her again, she has a knack for creating bad guys/creeps and Profile K is no exception, 4/5 from me.

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Written In Blood by Chris Carter

Written in Blood by Chris Carter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time take to read - 3 days

Pages - 496

Publisher - Simon & Schuster UK

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

IF HE WRITES YOUR NAME DOWN, IT'S A DEATH SENTENCE . . Los Angeles, December 4th - exactly three weeks until Christmas day. Angela Wood, a master in the art of pickpocket, has just finished for the day - six hundred and eighty-seven dollars – not bad for less than fifteen minutes work.

As she celebrates her profitable day with a cocktail, one of the patrons in the lounge she’s in catches her attention by being rude to an old man. Angela decides to teach him a lesson, and steals the man’s expensive-looking leather bag.

Inside is no money ... no laptop computer ... nothing of any value ... at least not to Angela. Just a black, leather-bound book, surprisingly heavy. Curiosity takes over and in the comfort of her apartment, Angela quickly leafs through the pages.

That is when the worst nightmare of her life begins.
This is no ordinary book.
Read it at your own peril.



My Review

An exceptional thief decides to punish someone for their rudeness and steals something that puts her life in danger. A serial killer that wasn't on anyone's radar, killings follow seemingly no pattern or victimology. When Angela tangles with a cold calculated killer and takes what is his she tries to offload to the police and go about her business. Unfortunately for her she has no idea who she has robbed and Hunter and co may have to face a killer like none they have faced before.

This is book eleven, you could well pick this up as a standalone but the books are so good I would say go read them. Hunter is one of the best detectives, he has been head hunted by the FBI he is that good. Him and partner Garcia are up against a killer that has no fear, no set pattern and a unique insight into the killers crimes.

Brutal in how some of the killings are yet one or two have vibes of previous book kills or themes. I still really enjoy Carters books, the chapters are short, the storyline engaging and in this one very much cat and mouse yet it isn't always the police playing the role of the cat. Always interesting to hear from a cold killer and the *motives* of this killer is chilling, 4/5 for me. Looking forward to book twelve, can't believe that is me caught up with the whole series!

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Stalker by Lars Kepler Blog Tour

Today is my stop on the blog tour and the final stop, I am sharing today with fellow blogger Karen Twitter who blogs over at Hair Past A Freckle, we are closing the tour.

I did a bookstagram piccy with the book, you can find my Instagram HERE if you like book accounts.




I am sharing my review as part of the tour.

This is the book cover and you can buy your own copy now, available as ebook and treebook format, here is the link to Amazon!


Stalker by Lars Kepler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out 2 days

Pages - 560

Publisher - Knopf Publishing Group

Source - Review Copy

Blurb from Goodreads

The internationally bestselling authors of The Sandman and The Hypnotist return with a terrifying new thriller: Detective Joona Linna--recently returned from compassionate leave--reunites with hypnotist Erik Maria Bark in a search for a seemingly unassailable sadistic killer.

The Swedish National Crime Unit receives a video of a young woman in her home, clearly unaware that she's being watched. Soon after the tape is received, the woman's body is found horrifically mutilated. With the arrival of the next, similar video, the police understand that the killer is toying with them, warning of a new victim, knowing there's nothing they can do. Detective Margot Silverman is put in charge of the investigation, and soon asks Detective Joona Linna for help. Linna, in turn, recruits Erik Maria Bark, the hypnotist and expert in trauma, with whom Linna's worked before. Bark is leery of forcing people to give up their secrets. But this time, Bark is the one hiding things.
Years before, he had put a man away for an eerily similar crime, and now he's beginning to think that an innocent man may be behind bars--and a serial killer still on the loose. . .




My Review

Welcome to the team seeking a brutal voyeuristic killer who videos the unsuspecting victim, sends it to the cops and then goes in for the kill. Hot on their tail is psychiatrist and hypnotist Erik Maria Bark brought in by detective Margot Silverman, heavily pregnant and against the clock before the killer strikes again.

This is my first time reading this author and although this is book five I still managed to keep up with the story, characters and didn't feel particularly lost not knowing all their back story. The book gives an intimate look at the characters, we get an insight into the victims right before they meet their killer. The book has a lot of focus on police procedure, the investigation and the victims immediately before the brutal murder and during.

The chapters are relatively short which I love, if you work long shifts but still like to read everyday or are struggling to keep switched on it offers you the option to dip in and out without causing much distraction.

It is pacey, dark, hair raising, riveting and down right creepy at points. There is so much going on I don't think we will ever see the word boring associated with this book! From questionable practices, unreliable characters we get to follow the professionals in a game of cat and mouse before another is killed.

This isn't a book for the faint hearted, if you like to be creeped out and enjoy multiple characters/plot lines with a killer you will struggle to figure out then this is absolutely for you. I am not a huge fan of translated books but I really enjoyed this one and will be checking out the previous books in the series. I cannot wait to hear more about these guys and what is still to come for them, 4/5 for me this time. Thanks to the publishers for giving me a chance to try a new author, it may be my first dance with this author it certainly won't be my last.

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The Intruder by P S Hogan

The Intruder by Phil Hogan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1.5 days

Pages - 281

Publisher - Black Swan

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

He has the key to hundreds of houses.
Maybe even to yours.

William Heming is an estate agent. He’s kept a copy of every key to every house he’s ever sold. Sometimes he visits them. He lets himself in – quietly, carefully – to see who lives there now, what they’re like, what they’ve been doing.

But what will happen when he gets caught?


My Review

William Heming is not your ordinary estate agent, William takes great interest in the people moving into his homes. He keeps copies of all the keys, he spies on the people moved into his home, he tracks them, he visits them and sometimes, just sometimes, he involves himself in their lives.

Told in first person point of view we get to hear exactly his thoughts and reasoning or the things he does. Flashes back in time to when he was younger also gives the reader a bit of insight into a bit more of his character. His outward persona is vanilla, non threatening, someone you wouldn't give another glance but William is a dangerous man, obsessive, a stalker and may even be in your house without you knowing.

Oooft after reading this, if you didn't change your locks when you moved into your house, you will. If you haven't checked your loft, you will. Every noise will have the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. I think the grab for this kind of book is how easily it could be true, it could happen to you. The atmosphere builds up very quickly, eerie, creepy without being over the top and wraps itself around you so have to find out how it plays out. The end was a bit too quick for me, they say an author is doing their job properly if they leave you wanting more. 3.5/5 for me this time, this is my first time reading this author, I would be interested in checking out more of his work!

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You Belong to Me by Samantha Hayes

You Belong To Me by Samantha Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Publisher - Century

Pages - 496

Blurb from Goodreads

The compelling new psychological suspense novel featuring DI Lorraine Fisher, from the author of Until You’re Mine and Before You Die.

Isabel left England to escape her past. For the first time in months, she's beginning to feel safe. But then a letter shatters her world once more as she learns of her parents' death in a car crash. Reluctantly she returns home, unable to shake off the feeling she's being watched but determined not to let fear rule her life any more.

DI Lorraine Fisher is in the middle of a big murder case -- a serial killer is preying on young women. And it seems they had all complained of being stalked. She too is convinced she's being watched.

Are both women victims of their own imagination or is someone out there watching and waiting? And will one of them be next?



My Review

The book opens with in February, with someone breaking free from her fear and going for a night out, it has been a month since she last her "from you" and she is going to have some fun. The prologue draws to a chilling end and the story starts. The first chapter opens in the first person point of view, another lady who is hiding out in India as a maid, 6 months has passed without incident. However a letter finds her from home that sees her facing her fears and heading back to the life she has ran away from, Mees Eezee, Isabel - Izzy for short or as he called her Belle. chapter 2 opens again in first person point of view, this time it is DI Lorraine Fisher, attending the GP, she isnt eating, isn't sleeping and is having palpitations, she has a big case to sort, a family to try and keep happy and things are spiraling. The chapters all come in on first person point of view and it isn't until your a page or two in you can work out who is speaking, Isabel, Lorraine or the man behind the ladies fears. Events unravel that link them all and Lorraine is going against the clock and her superiors to try and solve the case.

The story, told in this format, took a bit of getting used to, even if the chapters were highlighted at the top by who was speaking may have helped although it could have detracted from the story which is maybe why Hayes did it this way. It was a bit frustrating however, once you get used to it you settle right in and getting gripped down a dark path. He has a type and Isabel fits it perfectly, as the story continues we hear more about why Isabel fled and the person she has escaped from. Other ladies have been on his radar, same hair type, same build and now there is a body, so close in feature to Isabel could it be linked?

This is a dark tale about stalking, control, possessive relationships, how a victim can be left helpless and manipulated. There is more to the story than the murders, stalking and targeted ladies, DI Lorraine Fishers story is quite strong throughout as we see her trying to fight her own personal demons and keep on top of the job. Had life not got in the way I could have read this in one setting, I have read one of her earlier books and she is fast becoming a name I look out for when choosing my next read. 4/5 for me this time, thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. I believe there are others in this series but this can be picked up as a stand alone although I wonder if I had read the others I would maybe understand more what was happening with DI Fisher.

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The Book of You by Claire Kendal

The Book of You by Claire Kendal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 6 hours

Publisher - Harper

Pages - 362

Blurb from Goodreads

What a great wee debut novel!

For Clarissa, being called to do jury duty is a relief. It means she can leave work for a couple of weeks and avoid the unwanted attentions of her university colleague, Rafe. An intense man who is an expert on grisly folk tales, Rafe has always unnerved her, and Clarissa still cannot understand how she could have let herself have a drunken one-night stand with him.

As the trial unfolds, Clarissa begins to see the parallels between the violent tale related by the young woman whose attackers she is judging and her own situation. But with no crime to report and only her gut feeling to guide her, she is powerless. What can you do when the lines between fantasy and reality, love and fixation become dangerously blurred? How do you protect yourself from an enemy that no one else can see?

With an original structure and a heroine whose voice is equal parts unsettling and unforgettable, The Book of You is tinged with the darkness of a macabre fairy tale, yet is terrifyingly close to reality, a story that will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.


My Review

The book opens in diary form, Monday, 2 February, 7.45 a.m. from Clarissa in first person form. The book goes with this theme as well as 3rd person narrative. The diary entries are well signposted and flip back to when she first really encounters Rafe and things go down hill from there, it does it really well and you can follow the time shift easily. Rafe is obsessed with Clarissa, stalks her, believes they are in a relationship and won't take no for an answer. We follow their encounters both in present day as Clarissa keeps a diary of "evidence" of their interactions and going back to how they got to where they are now.

This is a really creepy, thought provoking story about just how easy it can be to fall into the clutches of an unhinged human being. I have read many crime and thriller books, even a few psychological thrillers but this is my first stalker type one and it is really haunting. Some of it is graphic, sexual and makes for really really uncomfortable reading. However, busy as I am with coursework, I couldn't put it down. The author has done an amazing job of creating a tale filled with fear & horror for the main character which you are dragged right into. I have never been stalked however after reading this book, I felt like I had experienced the trauma of it, such is the vividness of Clarissa's world she paints.

There were one or two issues I had with the book however it was more to do with unanswered questions and a few stickler points that are a personal preference when reading. I honestly think, if you like a good book that will freak you out and have you looking over your shoulder, you really must give this a read. 4/5 for me this time and I look forward to more from this lady and hope she is in the process of writing her next! Thanks so much to Harper for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review and highlighting a debut novel to me.!

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