The Soul Collectors by Chris Mooney

The Soul Collectors by Chris Mooney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 4 days

Pages - 468

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Bought copy

Blurb from Goodreads


Charlie Rizzo has his family at gunpoint and when Darby arrives to defuse the scene, she finds him horrifically mutilated, with a mask of human skin sewn in place over his own face. Within minutes, a group of men disguised as SWAT officers bursts in and releases deadly Sarin gas, killing the Rizzo family outright and leaving Darby herself barely alive.

Where has Charlie Rizzo been held all these years? Who are The Twelve who have been executing this gruesome torture? And why are the FBI running scared in the face of this particular, chilling episode? Darby is facing the toughest case of her career...and, as the body count rises, one that will bring her into great personal danger and leave her in fear of losing her mind, if not her soul.



My Review

Darby has been called to a hostage situation, a kid that went missing years ago has apparently resurfaced and is now holding his family hostage. Bizarre in itself Darby heads in, backed up by SWAT and nothing goes as planned. As Darby investigates, the stakes are high, the killer will stop at nothing and noone could have guessed how deadly and dark things get.

Murder, abuse, danger on every corner and Darby is up against it trying to keep focused on the case, stay alive and not get too wrapped up in the issues in her personal life. The thought of something so cruel and organised out there is creepy and I hope we get more insight or back story in a future book.

Darby is super tough in this one but has a softer side when we see a glimpse into her personal life. Otherwise she is a bit of a one man band because she seems to be hitting walls at almost every turn. I defo wanted to see where it was going so a page turner from that perspective but a little unsatisfied with how some of it went and hoping to get more closure from the next in the series - I have it ordered. 3/5 for me this time, I don't remember much of the previous books that had relevance to this one so you could pick this book up and read as a standalone but I would read the previous ones if you are able.

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ARC - All Fall Down by Louise Voss & Mark Edwards

All Fall Down by Louise Voss & Mark Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - 2 days

Blurb from Goodreads

Two years on from uncovering a terrifying conspiracy of rogue scientists, all Kate Maddox wants is to lead a normal life with her partner Paul and son Jack. But then a face from the past turns up, bringing chilling news.
A devastating new strain of the virus that killed Kate’s parents is loose in L.A. – and when a bomb rips through a hotel killing many top scientists, it becomes clear someone will do anything to stop a cure being found.
While Paul goes on the hunt for answers, Kate finds herself in a secret laboratory in the heart of California, desperately seeking a way to stop the contagion. But time is running out and soon it will be too late to save their loved ones, themselves, and the world…

My Review

Kate Maddox is a virologist and the world is about to need her. Terrorists have released a new strain of virus that spreads and kills quicker that its predecessor ever did. The terrorists means business and bomb a convention with top scientists and a specific target or two amoung them to stop any chance of a cure. Kate has to make a choice, to help the world and leave her family behind or stay with them and watch it collapse and die slowly. Time is running out and Kate finds herself targeted, under pressure and in a life threatening situations.

I really enjoyed this story from the start and it kicks off fairly swiftly with patient zero. We then are introduced to Kate and the story really goes from there when she is addressed to come and help deal with the situation. Paul is her boyfriend and plays a big part in the story too however he branches off searching out people relating to his brothers death. The story also breaks off into the terrorists and the main characters from there, building up a picture of how they work and why they are doing what they do. It sounds like a lot to take in but actually it isn't, they all slot into their parts and the story links in very quickly to each other.

The chapters are really short, which as you know I love, so as the story flips between them you can follow it easily and dip in and out as you have to. To be honest I could have read it in one sitting had time permitted. It has a great pace to it, really good story and you don't have to be virus savy or have a high IQ to follow the scientist viral stuff. There is some sex in the book but not a huge focus and you can skip by if without missing anything from the story. The idea behind what drives the terrorists is really interesting too and I enjoyed having a wee read up on that and learning something new from that side (sorry to be vague but I hate spoilers).

Even as you approach the big conclusion there are still more surprises and action to come. This is my first time reading these authors and it won't be my last. Kate Maddox has made an appearance in at least one previous book (I believe this would be the 3rd joint effort) and this can be read, as I did, as a stand alone. I will seek out their previous books as I did like the style of writing and quick pace, 4/5 for me.

Thanks so much to HarperCollins for sending me this ARC. You can get your own copy when this book comes out on the 14th of February 2013 (or you can get the ebook from Amazon.co.uk from the 20th of December 2012).

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