Tag: police procedural

#Bookreview Broken Bones (DI Kim Stone Book 7) by Angela Marsons #crime #thriller

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The seventh book in this long running police procedural crime fiction series sees Kim left holding a baby on Christmas night and the team being called out to investigate the murder of a prostitute. It has been a while since I read the previous books in the series and I embarked on this novel with the recollection of the main characters, namely Kim and her team, but found I was at no disadvantage if I hadn’t read the previous books in the series when it came to enjoying this one.

Stacy and Kevin are assigned to find the parents of the abandoned baby, which leads them to a factory of Romanian workers. After finding no clues but gut feeling something isn’t right with the set up of the employees at the factory they follow their hunches unearthing seemingly unrelated illegal immigrant activity in the area, but when another body turns up things get more urgent.

Kim and Bryant’s investigation leads them to Kai Lord, a gang leader who is known to run a prostitution ring they cannot crack. Kai is so well covered his operation seems beyond their reach but when more deaths seem tied to the original Kim is not about to let matters slide.

Dealing with difficult themes such as grooming, prostitution, slavery and people trafficking this is another compelling read in the series and as always I find Kim Stone a valiant protagonist. Looking forward to the next one already.

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#BookReview Money For Love (Tales from the Robbery Homicide Division Book 3) by Peter S Berman #thriller

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​This US crime thriller set in California sees homicide detectives Donahue and Thompson, long time work partners and best friends, thrown into the mix when Donahue receives a call for help from a Russian woman, Nika, who had previously been trafficked into the US. Unfortunately, before Donahue could meet her, Nika is killed, her body found by Donahue. Shaken by the loss of someone she had previously helped out of a life of vice and despite warnings to stay out of the investigation, Donahue and Thompson cannot help initially pursue leads, but a car bombing in the carpark of a Hollywood night club allows them to investigate legitimately whether both killings are linked.

I found the plot and technicality of this police procedural compelling and got drawn easily into the story. I found it refreshing to have female lead detectives and support investigators, but I found this read somewhat spoiled by stilted dialogue, which didn’t do the characterisation justice. The book was definitely in need of an editor who could sharpen up the narrative and enforce the compelling pace the story demanded.

I have not read any of the previous books in the series and did not find that a draw back in picking this book up, but there is much potential waiting to be realised in this thriller and I will be interested in seeing if the next book in the series evolves to give the reader the promising thriller waiting to emerge from this author’s work.

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#BookReview The Advent Killer (DCI Antonia Hawkins Book 1) by Alastair Gunn

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A killer taunts the police in London after murdering three women at 1 am on consecutive Sundays. Dubbed The Advent Killer by the media can acting DCI Antonia Hawkins stop the death toll mounting before tarnishing her promising career?
There are reasons why I tend to be less enthusiastic than I used to be about crime thrillers. Unless it’s really something out of the ordinary these serial killer crime fiction books become much of muchness. In this case I had successfully guessed who the killer was quite early on and found the journey to his detention meandering and laboured rather than gripping and suspenseful.

Even DCI Hawkins political power play with her bosses failed to intrigue but I kept reading anyway hoping there would be something that turned the tide for me in the book, which unfortunately didn’t happen.

The Advent Killer for me was not a bad read but was not a particularly memorable one in its genre.

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#BookReview Beneath The Ashes (DI Will Jackman Book 2) by Jane Isaac

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​The second book in the DI Will Jackman series sees the discovery of a body in a burnt barn, whilst a young woman wakes up the kitchen floor with no memory of what happened the night before when she went out with her boyfriend. 

This highly procedural crime thriller has twists and turns and a complicated plot that will demand your attention. No one is who they appear to be and DI Jackman has political career considerations alongside the on going stress of his disabled wife. 

For a detailed police procedural the story still moves on quite quickly and I was totally engrossed in finding out just what was going on. I have read other police procedurals by this author but not any of the books in the DI Will Jackman series prior to this one, which did not really affect my enjoyment of reading this thriller.

This book is available to read for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

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#BookReview Blood Lines (DI Kim Stone Book 5) by Angela Marsons

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The fifth book in the DI Kim Stone series sees Kim face up once again with her arch nemesis Alexandra Thorne. Not willing to relinquish playing a worthy opponent, Alex sets into motion a series of events to test Kim’s sanity and resolve. The team also have a new case to investigate with the death of a woman found in her car. 

Every time I read a DI Stone book I am at the edge of my seat; I know the book will enthrall and I will glimpse more about Kim’s troubled past. This one seriously surpassed all my expectations and I found myself in the rare position of not wanting this book to end. All the books in the series can be read as a stand alone but if you’re anything like me you will want to read them all in the correct order as they really are that good and Kim is a formidable character and detective.

As always, I wait in great anticipation of the next crime thriller in this fantastic series. 

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#BookReview I’ve Been Watching You by KA Richardson #thriller

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​Crime scene officer, Ben Cassidy, finds herself vulnerable as she meets Jacob Tulley, a man with scars of his own and finds a demon from her past returns.

I have not read the first book in this series but this did not detract from my enjoyment of this police procedural crime thriller. With th a added bonus of two rather heinous antagonists, this was compulsive reading and the story did not disappoint right to the very end.

What I really liked about the book was the emotional attachments of the character’s and the relationships they had in their lives with other people, their hopes and fears, which made this read touching and memorable as opposed to cold and clinical as some crime thrillers can be.

A good crime read that makes me want to check out other books in the series. This book is available to read for free to kindle unlimited subscribers.

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#BookReview The Theseus Paradox by David Videcette #Thriller

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​This police procedural crime thriller centers around the real life events of 7/7/2005. Detective Inspector Jake Flannagan of the Metropolitan Police Service Anti-Terrorist Branch SO13 has been conducting his own enquiries, which failed to stop the catastrophic events on 7/7. 

Jake is determined to unravel the group responsible for the terror attacks but unfortunately his private life and distaste for authority catch up with him as his girlfriend disappears and he is suspended from the Metropolitan Police Force. 

Following his instincts and whatever lease he can find, Jake is on his own to make a difference and uncover the hidden truths about the attack.

This is a fast-paced page turner with short chapters and high adrenaline. For me the book read somewhat clinically and lacked any depth of emotion. I found the narrative a cold recounting of events. 

Despite my criticisms, this is still a book that will have you at the edge of your seat. It’s short chapters increase the plot pace. This is a great read for those looking for a sharp, fast-paced thriller. This book is available to read for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

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Book Review: Little Bones (A Cat Connolly Thriller) by Sam Blake

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An intriguing crime thriller which starts with the discovery of bones sown into the hem of a wedding dress. The find is accidental after what appears to be a break in and vandalism. Garda Cathy Connolly is first on the scene and along with superior officer O’Rourke, has her work cut out unravelling the mystery of the bones and a nest of family secrets.

I found this debut crime thriller easy to get into as the characters were multidimensional and interesting to read. The story itself was well littered with mystery and the central story of the bones found in the dress was well woven with the pursuit of an international killer.

This book offers much entertainment in terms of crime, mystery and suspense and probably had one of the best endings I have read in forever.

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Book Review: The Dance of Dimitrios by Patrick Brigham

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I chose this book to read from Rosie Amber’s Book Review Team book list.

When a body of a woman is found in the river, local Greek police file it as the death of a Muslim refugee. No real investigation takes place as the body is considered of no consequence until it is suspected the body is of British National Marjorie Braithwaite. DCI Lambert working for Europol is despatched to investigate. He has been furnished with information about Marjorie Braithwaite that complicate the case further. Teaming up with an old colleague in Greece, Elektra Boulos, Lambert has his work cut out unravelling who Marjorie Braithwaite was in life and who could have wanted to and had opportunity to kill her.

This grown-up pan-European crime thriller laced with espionage and intrigue was compulsive reading with an edge of reality that set the story on fire. Whilst building out picture of the victim, we are presented with in-depth characterisations of both Lambert and Boulos, who are even at odds in this complex thriller whilst they try to make sense of the case they inherited. Lambert is very much his own man and a black sheep who picks his way through cases mostly singlehanded, as in his business it is default to trust no one. I felt no disadvantage from not having read any of the previous books in the DCI Lambert series.

There are suspects with motives ranging from getting bad book reviews to international espionage and human trafficking. If you like your police procedural crime thriller well written with that additional factor of plausibility and a huge dose of double dealing then you do not want to miss reading this one.

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Book Review: Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama

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Six Four is a Japanese crime, police procedural thriller about a former detective, Yoshinobu Mikami, who is now an officer in media relations within the regional police force, who is tasked to mediate between the father, Amaminga, of kidnap and murder victim Shoko, who was abducted and killed fourteen years previously and whose killer was never brought to justice. In order to raise the profile of the case once more in an attempt to find new leads, the visit of a commissioner is arranged but thrown into jeopardy as the the victim’s father is reluctant to take part and the press are threatening to boycott the event.

Whilst trying to do his job, Mikami stumbles across information about the case that was suppressed fourteen years ago to cover up a mistake. However, can he alone get to the bottom of who was responsible for Six Four, whilst dealing with the quagmire of politics affecting his own position?

Told solely from Mikami’s point of view we are led down this story off the strength of his investigative instinct. Although, Mikami was one of the officers involved in the original case, much has been kept quiet and we follow his re-investigation as we also learn that his 13 year old daughter, Ayumi, left home three months ago.

The plot is undeniably slow and we follow the machinations of Mikami’s mind as well as the daily drama of his job, which sadly slows things down even more. The characters are well written, but it is difficult to keep track as many have similar names. But despite some of these issues I could not stop reading this thriller until it finished because after all I really wanted to know what happened to Shoko and who the culprit was who managed to stay hidden for fourteen years.

I was hoping the mystery of Ayumi, Mikami’s daughter would also have a positive resolution but although somewhat elaborated upon, it was by no means concluded.

There are many aspects of this best selling thriller that I found interesting but it was not the fast-paced easy read that reaches a conclusion without challenge. If you have patience in abundance to see this one through, the twist, when it finally comes will be worth your endurance.

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