Body Of Lies by Jo Callaghan

Body of Lies by Jo Callaghan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 4 days

Pages - 448

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

The brand-new thriller featuring DCS Kat Frank and AIDE Lock from the award-winning and Sunday Times bestselling author of In the Blink of an Eye .

Human suspicion. AI manipulation.
Who can you trust when truth has no meaning?

DCS Kat Frank returns to work at the Future Policing Unit after a tragic loss, only to find herself thrust into a new high-profile case. On the night of Halloween a local MP is found murdered, with a taunting message written in binary code that seems to target Kat Catch me if you can.

The victim’s anti-AI sentiments suggest a political motive, and as Kat investigates with her partner AIDE Lock – the world’s first AI detective – she finds herself once again battling her own prejudices about the technological future he represents. But when a cyberattack takes out the National Grid, Kat and Lock have to race against the clock to track down the hacker before thousands die.

Tangled in a web of suspicion and deception, Kat must choose who and what to believe when the truth seems to defy both instinct and logic.

Can she set aside her old doubts and put her faith in her AI partner one last time?
Or will this case send Lock down a path she just can’t follow – a path that will leave humanity behind for good?


My Review

Book four and the final book in the series, I am gutted, I wanted more! I often say you can pick up a book and just start reading but I would say to go and read the previous ones so you get the full story/impact/connection. I think from the previous book I was kinda looking a bit side eye at Lock, this book I was a bit all over the place.

A politician is found dead, publicly posed, well known for being against AI and keep in mind Kat has come around a fair bit to Lock but still has issues and reserves about AI. When a cyber attack hits and those in charge are held to ransom, realising just how heavily reliable we have become on technology and AI. Lives, thousands of innocent lives hang in the balance but the powers that be do not ever negotiate with terrorists do they?

This one had me suspicious and as Kat got more suspicious so did I but then I am totally murder she wrote with most crime fiction and side eye everyone lol. This one has threat to life especially featuring young/vulnerable in society, investigation of the murder of a outspoken MP plus the clock counting down quick to a shocking threat if demands aren't met. Gutted this is the last book but think the author done well to keep us interested for the four books and question AI use, grief, love, friendship, integrity, police work and family!

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Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp

Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 245

Publisher - Graymalkin Media

Blurb from Goodreads

High atop a Los Angeles skyscraper, an office Christmas party turns into a deadly cage-match between a lone New York City cop and a gang of international terrorists. Every action fan knows it could only be the explosive big-screen blockbuster Die Hard. But before Bruce Willis blew away audiences as unstoppable hero John McClane, author Roderick Thorp knocked out thriller readers with the bestseller that started it all.

A dozen heavily armed terrorists have taken hostages, issued demands, and promised bloodshed all according to plan. But they haven't counted on a death-defying, one-man cavalry with no shoes, no backup, and no intention of going down easily. As hot-headed cops swarm outside, and cold-blooded killers wield machine guns and rocket launchers inside, the stage is set for the ultimate showdown between anti-hero and uber-villains. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good fight to the death. Ho ho ho!


My Review

A Christmas party in a LA skyscraper, terrorists armed & dangerous with a mission to be completed and no qualms about killing their hostages. One man, an ex cop now anti terrorist consultant, visiting one of his family at the party ends up taking on the killers by himself with no shoes and his quick wit and at times banter to get him through.

Sound familiar? Instead of John McClane in Die Hard we have Joe Leland, instead of visiting his wife he is visiting his grown daughter. Otherwise the story paved the way and became Die Hard, Leland is less gun-hoe than McClane we see a much softer side and some of his quips mirror one of our all time favourite characters Bruce Willis brought to life on the screen.

The book brings a more human side and lets us get inside the head of Joe, what he is thinking and how the killings of the terrorists affects him, something that is missing in the movie. The pace and tension is very much evident and draws the reader in quickly. Joe, whilst a force to be reckoned with is also very human, flawed and I think that may make the character real because he suffers so much but powers through. The movie took the heart of this book and enhanced and blew it up to a well loved film. It isn't very often I prefer the movie to the book and for its time this story packs a punch and keeps the reader engaged but if you have seen the movie I think the book does pale in comparison. If you haven't seen Die Hard read this book first as you will absolutely love it, then check out the movie. This is the second book in a series, I haven't read the first and don't feel I have missed anything out by reading this but I think I may go back and pick up the first. Murder, mayhem, survival, terrorism, family, love, a smart mouth and fast action is the best way to highlight the main topics of this story.

This has been my longest waiting review book, actually years on my tbr purely because it was my first approval Netgalley book. Back then I had no idea how it worked and by the time I got it the book had been archived and I couldn't access or download it. I bought it as I really wanted to read this, I ploughed through it in one day and had to watch the movie immediately after. I would put this as 3/5 stars, I liked it and I think for its time it has been fabulously done. However seeing the movie prior to reading it and actually loving the changes for the film I debated between a 3.5 and a 4 star rating. If you like action and a story with violence, survival whilst looking at the human aspect of it then you can't go far wrong with this. This was my first time reading this author, I will certainly be checking out his other work. Thanks to Netgalley for highlighting this author and initially providing me with a review copy, I wanted to read it so much I ended up buying it and can finally remove it from my NG shelve.

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