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#BookReview Dominoes by Grace Jelsnik #thriller #Tuesdaybookblog

Detective Stephen Corcoran turns to his sister, Reggie to catch a particularly brutal killer but Reggie’s connection to the killer works both ways and he knows she is watching. Stephen’s cynical partner, Zack is a seasoned detective and both find themselves in a race against time to catch the killer as they protect Reggie.

I loved this crime thriller for its supernatural angle and the banter between the two detectives. Reggie was a compelling character to read and her complicated and strained relationship with her large family also made this read more interesting.

I got so caught up in this book, I couldn’t stop reading it until I had reached the end. The romance between Zack and Reggie was well paced and not at all cringeworthy. A definite hit for me from an author I have not read before.

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#BookReview The Girl Before by JP Delaney #psychological #thriller

1 Folgarth Street is a minimalist technology ridden monument that the residents of the street hate and the very discerning architect and landlord, rarely leases out to, whom he considers worthy tenants. This psychological thriller tells the story of two women, Emma, a previous tenant and Jane, a prospective tenant of 1 Folgarth Street. As both women pursue their applications to live in the property after major life events and are approved the lease, which comes with a list of 200 rules, affects them in ways that seem to mirror each other, but in a game of many potential pitfalls, who will be the one standing.

This highly publicised psychological thriller is apparently going to have the Hollywood treatment by Ron Howard and although I could see it coming to the screens as more than a passable thriller as a thriller book it didn’t impact on me as strongly as I hoped it would. This may have been due to the two protagonists Emma and Jane not being convincingly the damsel in distress you would feel sorry for and the complex nature of all the characters in the book diluting the surprises of the twists and turns that the plot took.

I didn’t dislike the book, it was a reasonably gripping thriller but it wasn’t the breathtaking affair I hoped it would be.

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#BookReview Code Breaker: An Alex Hastings Novella by AJ Trevors

Alex Hastings has been gifted in the art or hacking and other technical stuff since his formative years, however, when he got caught it altered his destiny as he was adopted and taught to respect the law. His adopted parent and mentor Tobias changed the course of his life but Alex has never forgotten or forgiven his first mentor and when an opportunity arises to face him again he takes the challenge, but isn’t prepared for the shock of his life which has him on the run in an ultimate battle.

Easy and quick to read, this novella easily captured my imagination and fuelled my curiosity as I rooted for Alex to win the fight against all odds. An interesting series to watch for.

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Advance #BookReview The Watcher by Ross Armstrong #Thriller

An avid bird watcher, Lily lives in a new build of flats on the site of a slowly dismantling council estate. Lily is not just watching birds but seems to be an intuitive people watcher. As is usual in London she doesn’t know her neighbours by name but she has assigned them personalities and names based on her observation. When Lily catches a glimpse of something that looks like an assault, she cannot let it go, but wanders unwittingly into the crosshairs of a killer.

The narrative in this thriller is fishy to say the least from the beginning and I felt a sense of deception or delusion straightaway from Lily. However, as I read on it became harder to distinguish what was perceived and what was real in Lily’s world. I found Lily, nonetheless a compelling and edgy character and it was partially my attachment to her and finding the culprit in the whodunit that kept me turning pages to the end.

My biggest bugbear of this read was the pace which I found slow in places and together with an unreliable narrator made puzzling reading from time to time. However, my overall admiration for the book prevails as a tale intriguingly told.

This book will be available for purchase from 29th December 2016.
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Choosing Books

There’s absolutely nowhere else on the planet that my heart swings and sings so much than a bookshop. However, since 2007, my first Kindle e-reader, I leave bookshops mostly empty handed.

There’s something to be said about volumes of novels laid out in front of you, taking up space and represented in colour. I never know quite where to start when I get in the shop, but find myself gravitating to the book charts. This gives me an idea of what others are reading (and buying). It’s an opportunity to see if I fit into community and it’s popular culture.

I then look at new releases, this section is increasingly familiar as I am fortunate to read a handful of books pre-release and I secretly hope the ones I have loved do well. Next I browse the crime thriller and horror sections, I always fervently hope I will find hidden gems here.

The literary fiction section has me writing down the most titles I need to read. At this point a fierce debate rages in my head between knowing I could get the book cheaper online or free from my local library and buying the well packaged end products of some very serious marketing.

Before I leave the shop I find myself scanning the miscellaneous products for the ever increasingly rare item, the bookmark. The bookmark seems to have disappeared from the shelves of bookshops and when I do make the effort to ask a sales assistant if they have any, I’m met by the negative and embarrassed quizzical expression, as if the concept of marking where you are in a book is a foreign, if not, taboo practice altogether.

Finally, I leave before I succumb to buying things that take up space and have little functional purpose.

Advance #BookReview Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult #literary fiction

A powerful story about Ruth, an experienced midwife (or Labor and Delivery Room Nurse as they are called in the U.S), who has been directed to have no involvement in the care of a baby boy because of her race, but when she is left to observe the infant momentarily as the department is shorthanded, he arrests and her care of the baby is questioned leading to her being charged with murder of the infant.

This is another well-crafted and compelling read from master storyteller, Jodi Picoult, who shows tremendous depth of understanding once again as she delves into the question of racism and equity. The story unfolds from numerous points of view including Ruth, her lawyer and the father of the baby. I found each of these voices very convincing as the characters are well written.

This book undoubtedly deals with some very unsettling and uncomfortable themes, but I felt enlightened and full of self-reflection once I had finished the book. Although I was consumed about what was going to happen to Ruth, part of me did feel a little sceptical about the escalation of the matter to a criminal court case, but suspending my doubts on the plausibility of the story proceeding in the direction it did, the strength of this read was in the depth of the characters and the issue of race and racism, both active and passive.

An electrifying legal drama to boot, there’s a lot going on in this novel and I cannot recommend it enough. This book will be available for purchase from the 22nd November 2016.

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#BookReview The Devil’s Work by Mark Edwards #Thriller

Sophie returns to work after her daughter is four years old. She has her dream job with children’s book publisher, Jackdaw Books, but the job is tainted by what happened to Sophie at University, something she has kept from coming to mind for fifteen years. Is her new job everything she hoped for, or are darker forces at play looking for revenge?

This psychological thriller was a joy to read and a very polished novel in terms of its editing and the rate of the plot. Parts that were supposed to be atmospherically creepy and suspenseful were so without feeling rushed and the speed of the story didn’t noticeably vary.

I was particularly impressed with reference to earlier work seamlessly slotted into the novel, as an avid reader of Mark Edwards’ books, this was a treat. Also reference to the book in the story whilst I was reading it was very clever and intriguing indeed.

Definitely within the top ten thrillers of my 2016, I highly recommend this dark psychological thriller that will inevitably keep you up at night. This book is available to read for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

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