The Sentence Is Death by Anthony Horowitz

July 6, 2022 By Leave a Comment


The Sentence Is Death by Anthony Horowitz
Publisher: Arrow Books (Penguin Random House)
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

“You shouldn’t be here. It’s too late . . . “

These, heard over the phone, were the last recorded words of successful celebrity-divorce lawyer Richard Pryce, found bludgeoned to death in his bachelor pad with a bottle of wine—a 1982 Chateau Lafite worth £3,000, to be precise.

Odd, considering he didn’t drink. Why this bottle? And why those words? And why was a three-digit number painted on the wall by the killer? And, most importantly, which of the man’s many, many enemies did the deed?

Baffled, the police are forced to bring in Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, the author Anthony, who’s really getting rather good at this murder investigation business.

But as Hawthorne takes on the case with characteristic relish, it becomes clear that he, too, has secrets to hide. As our reluctant narrator becomes ever more embroiled in the case, he realizes that these secrets must be exposed—even at the risk of death . . .

This is the second book featuring the ex-Detective, now Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne and much like the first book I found myself utterly absorbed. I still find it a little odd how the entire story is written in the first person perspective by Horowitz, in a semi Watson-following-after-Holmes sort of fashion. Horowitz has been contracted to write three books about Hawthorne solving various murders that the police find too baffling to solve on their own and this lends quite a different spin to a more standard murder mystery book. And while I often find the first person perspective to be difficult to read for some reason these books don’t seem as hard for me to follow along with.

Readers will be glad that this book stands alone very well. Hawthorne and Horowitz aren’t best buddies or even particularly friendly outside of their crime-solving escapades and so I really don’t think there is much missed from book to book. And with the characters and plot explained very clearly this helps the book feel very much as a standalone story so I think readers should be happy to pick this up without needing to read the previous story.

While the story has an overall feeling slightly to me of Sherlock/Watson this book is very much a modern murder mystery, and I can never really tell if it’s just my imagination that makes the links between Hawthorne and Sherlock or if the faint echoes are there on purpose from the author. Readers who enjoy non-standard characters and enjoy a bit of conflict should really feel this suits their tastes. At times I wished we could have seen more of Hawthorne’s perspective – but the mystique surrounding the character really is a large part of the draw I expect, so again the first person perspective of Horowitz (while limiting in my personal opinion) simply adds to the drama and mystery of the ex-detective.

With a good plot, steady pacing and enough false trails and red herrings to keep even the most dedicated mystery reader guessing this is a good book and a solid read I feel that should appeal to many readers.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Angel by LJ Ross

July 5, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Angel by LJ Ross
Publisher: Dark Skies Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

He’ll make you his angel, but first you have to die…

After a turbulent time, DCI Ryan’s life is finally returning to normal and he’s looking forward to spending an uneventful Easter bank holiday weekend with his fiancée.

Then, on Good Friday morning he is called out to a crime scene at one of the largest cemeteries in Newcastle. The body of a redheaded woman has been found buried in a shallow grave and the killer has given her wings, like an angel.

Soon, another woman is found at a different cemetery, followed quickly by another. Panic spreads like wildfire as a new serial killer is born, and Ryan’s band of detectives must work around the clock to unmask him before he can strike again.

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.

The fourth installment of the DCI Ryan series is an excellent full length novel and I feel it can definitely be read as a standalone mystery. While some insight is given into the mind and reasonings behind the killer right from the first few pages, I was pleased that there was still enough mystery and shadows around the identity of the killer to keep me guessing and invested well into the story. I also really enjoyed trying to figure out before DCI Ryan’s team whether his case dove-tailed with MacKenzie’s case or whether they weren’t linked by anything other than coincidence.

I do admit that I feel a large part of my interest and emotional investment into DCI Ryan’s team was due to having read the previous stories in this series. That said, I believe the easy and enjoyable writing style that LJ Ross has would lend itself to readers getting attached to the characters, especially as they work together through hard cases and difficult situations. The plotline and murder-mystery aspect to this book I feel is definitely self-contained. Aside from a few brief references to the previous cases this book centers around a new killer with new victims and reasonings, which I feel means readers who have not read the first three books of the series should not find themselves lost if they start with this book.

Fans and readers should be aware though that the last chapter or so of this book definitely acts as a “lead in” to the next book. I feel it ends on quite a cliff hanger (which I personally really hate in a series, particularly if I haven’t been forewarned and don’t have the next book on hand to continue reading). A major development occurs (not related to this books murder plot) and a major incident with one of the main characters happens all within the last few pages of the book. While I don’t exactly feel like this detracts from the book, I do hope this isn’t a frequent occurrence in upcoming books in the series.

With a well-drawn cast of main characters who I have really come to enjoy, and a very strong murder mystery plot I feel this book has a good level of tension and conflict. I found the mystery to be strongly written and suspenseful, the potential for danger to one character in particular was realistic without being overwhelming.

Overall, I found this to be a good addition to the series and I absolutely will be reading the next in the series.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The House at Sea’s End by Elly Griffiths

July 1, 2022 By Leave a Comment


The House at Sea’s End by Elly Griffiths
Publisher: Quercus
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Just back from maternity leave, forensic archeologist Ruth is finding it hard to juggle motherhood and work when she is called in to investigate human bones that have surfaced on a remote Norfolk beach. The presence of DCI Harry Nelson, the married father of her daughter, does not help. The bones, six men with their arms bound, turn out to date back to World War II, a desperate time on this stretch of coastland.

As Ruth and Nelson investigate, Home Guard veteran Archie Whitcliffe reveals the existence of a secret the old soldiers have vowed to protect with their lives. But then Archie is killed and a German journalist arrives, asking questions about Operation Lucifer, a plan to stop a German invasion, and a possible British war crime. What was Operation Lucifer? And who is prepared to kill to keep its secret?

Dr Ruth Galloway is learning how to juggle a newborn baby daughter and her work as a Forensic Archaeologist. When sand erosion unearths a number of skeletons buried from the World War 2 era her path once again collides with DCI Nelson. Can Ruth and Nelson find answers to this puzzle, but also find their way to a new equilibrium with their very complicated relationship.

I’ve been really enjoying this series. A delightful mixture of archaeology and modern mystery I fight the author has an excellent way of blending the past and present. I also have been really excited about the very non-traditional professional – and complicated personal – relationship between Ruth and Nelson. Nelson is a happily married man and I find it so refreshing and different that there is such an interesting professional relationship and odd friendship between Ruth and Nelson. I feel the complications between Ruth and Nelson are extremely well handled and personally I really enjoy the delicate balance they are both aiming for. I find this so interesting and refreshing to read and the very non-traditional-ness of the whole situation really keeps me coming back for more.

I feel that readers could fairly easily pick this book up and read it as a standalone. The connections between Ruth and Nelson are very well explained – though I do feel it would be sensible for readers to go back to the first book and not start with this, the third. A deeper understanding of this would enrich the readers enjoyment of the book I feel, and the two previous cases are mentioned a few times in passing. That said this book can absolutely be read – and enjoyed, I feel – if it’s read by itself. There is a strong cast of secondary characters and I enjoy the other layers they add both to the story and the situation as a whole.

The mystery was interesting and somewhat slower paced in the first half of the book. The personal and emotional relationships were explored in a bit of depth in the first half of the book, but the mystery and complexity of the plot takes comes to the fore in the latter half of the book and while I don’t feel this could be slotted as an “action” type of mystery the plot and murder mystery aspects definitely ramp up in the second half of the book. I feel readers who enjoy both character-based stories and police procedural style of murder mysteries will each enjoy this book. I also really enjoyed the glimpses into archaeology and the more historical aspects to the story as well and found this really rounded out the book in a delightful and different way.

With complicated and interesting characters, a number of emotional storylines mingled very well with a historical/archaeological plot and a more traditional murder mystery plot this is a wonderfully layered and richly interesting book I feel should appeal to a wide range of readers. An excellent series and one I am eagerly anticipating the next installment to. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Heavenfield by LJ Ross

June 28, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Heavenfield by LJ Ross
Publisher: Dark Skies Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The hunter becomes the hunted…

When a man is found dead at the remote church of Heavenfield, DCI Ryan is the only other person for miles around. The police have no weapon, no motive and no other suspects.

Already suspended from Northumbria CID, Ryan must fight to clear his name. But soon, more than his career is at stake when prominent members of the mysterious ‘Circle’ begin to die. Somebody wants Ryan’s name to be next on the coroner’s list and to survive he must unmask the devil who walks among them – before it is too late.

Unfortunately for Ryan, the devil looks just like everybody else…

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit from LJ Ross, set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape.

When newly suspended DCI Ryan is found crouched over a recently murdered man, he is arrested, and things look dire. Ryan knows he must fight to clear his name, but the murdered man is an extremely close friend of Anna – Ryan’s girlfriend – and despite the fact he currently is suspended and not in a position to officially investigate Ryan can’t help himself. He needs answers and Ryan believes he is willing to face the consequences of getting them – and justice.

This is the third book in the DCI Ryan series by LJ Ross and while I enjoyed it, I have to be honest that I am starting to get tired of the shadowy sect “The Circle” that simmers below the surface of these first three books. While I feel the occult/pagan rituals and ties of the sect are interesting and they certainly add colour and flavour to the storyline, I personally feel I am ready to move on from this particular plot/sub-plot and I was hoping for a new, unconnected murder mystery. That said, I am hopeful the author may have wrapped things up enough in this book to move on to fresher ground for the next book in the series, so for now I’m willing to stick with it as the characters and writing are really quite good.

Readers may find that they need to start back at book 1 (Holy Island) and read at least these first three books in order. While there is plenty of explanation as to how DCI Ryan finds himself in his current predicament there is quite a bit of backstory around The Circle, the first murder victim and the connection to Anna that really needs the fuller explanation of the previous two books for the reader to fully grasp all the nuances of what’s going on. I have to admit had I picked up this book and simply read it by itself there are a number of factors and subtle connections that might have skipped my attention even with a very careful read of the story. I do feel these three books really need to be read together and in order for the fullest enjoyment to be reached.

I did greatly enjoy the authors writing style and feel the murder and mystery itself was very well handled, as well as some commendable tension of conflict surrounding DCI Ryan himself and his suspension from the police force. That was all very well written, and I found myself quickly sucked into the story as a whole. There is a small but solid group of main/secondary characters with Anna and the small police unit, and with a number of members of The Circle to add flair and tension there is a lot to commend to this book.

Readers who like a fair dollop of paranormal/cult like activity in with their British murder mysteries should find that this is a solid read and a good author to keep note of.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Head In The Sand by Damien Boyd

June 27, 2022 By 1 Comment


Head In The Sand by Damien Boyd
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer Publishers
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

The discovery of a severed head in a golf course bunker triggers a frantic race to find a serial killer that brings the town of Burnham-on-Sea to a standstill.

A connection is made with a series of unsolved murders harking back to the 1970s, and Detective Inspector Nick Dixon finds himself caught in a race against time that takes him the length and breadth of the country.

The brutal killing of an elderly man raises the stakes and, as he closes in, Dixon begins to question whether he is chasing one serial killer or two.

DI Nick Dixon has his lazy Sunday morning interrupted by a phone call, a severed head has been found in 12th holes bunker at the local golf club. What follows is an increasingly complicated mystery where the bodies – and body parts – begins to increase at an alarming rate. Can Dixon and his colleagues solve the connection between the victims and top the killer?

I found this to be a really interesting and well-paced story. While it’s the second book in the DI Nick Dixon series I feel it can easily be read as a standalone. The characters and their connections are very well explained without a huge amount of info-dumping or rehashing their histories so I feel readers should easily be able to follow along and enjoy the story on its own merits. I also really enjoyed how this is very much a British police procedural style of story – with a clear murder mystery plot and a good number of suspects and twists in the storyline.

I also thought the author did a very good job of balancing the action in this story with investigation and understandable police work. It’s very clear to my mind that the author has a solid grasp of police practices and the fundamental steps inherent to any investigation and this shines through the story and makes it a real pleasure to read. Readers on the lookout for a solid, well-paced but logical and realistic murder mystery should find this book as enjoyable as I did.

A good and engrossing read, I really enjoyed this book and will be eagerly looking for the next in the series.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Point Of No Return by John Carson

June 22, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Point Of No Return by John Carson
Publisher: Vellum
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

An old mystery solved after thirty-five years. And a new one just beginning…Millionaire Murdo Wolf took off in a small plane from the island where he lived, and neither he nor the plane was ever seen again. Until now. The Wolf family have gathered on the island they used to call home. They’re celebrating the life of their father, Oliver Wolf, who died six months ago. Now, one of Oliver’s sons has been murdered. And when his body is discovered, so is the body of his grandfather. Did the son know where his grandfather was hidden? Did he die because of it? DCI Harry McNeil is sent to the island to investigate the cold case and track down a killer who may or may not still be there. Helping with the investigation are two detectives from Glasgow, DCI Jimmy Dunbar and DS Robbie Evans. This isn’t an open-and-shut case and they discover the killer is still lurking on the island, and the body count is increasing. But with no clear motive and no direct links to the patriarch going missing all those years ago, this is going to be one of the hardest cases Harry has ever worked on.

I found this to be an excellent addition to the DCI Harry McNeil Scottish mystery series. With a small cast of long-standing characters and an interesting murder mystery plot this book was a solid addition. Best of all while I do feel readers who have read some of the previous installments will get a deeper understanding from the book, the characters and setting is well-laid and explained fully enough that readers should feel comfortable picking this up and reading it as a stand-alone.

I greatly enjoyed the “closed room” aspect to the mystery plot. The murder occurs on a small Scottish island – off the Isle of Mull – with a limited number of local inhabitants and the members of a wealthy family who have gathered for the patriarch’s funeral service. This lent the whole book the air of an older style who-did-it sort of mystery with a limited number of people who could possibly have committed the crime – with the rich family members right at the top of the list.

Indeed, I strongly feel the characters and their interactions are what make this story so wonderful to read. The author does a really good job to my mind of writing the Scottish police characters in a realistic and relatable manner, without being too cliched or over-the-top. I found the main characters to be particularly vivid and enjoyable, their camaraderie and clearly solid relationships were really well handled and made the reading quick and pleasurable for me. While the other characters and suspects were also very well drawn I was pleased a large part of the story focused on the police investigation and interactions. This might make the plot feel a little slow moving for some readers – those used to high-octane and strongly action orientated novels – but personally I enjoyed the deeper characterizations and slightly slower pace.

Readers who enjoy closed room murder mysteries – or smaller town settings like, say Agatha Christie or more plot and character centric novels with a little less action and adrenaline, should find this book really fits the bill. I found the mystery to be interesting and well handled, though admit there is an equal – if not slightly greater – focus on the main characters and their interactions and investigation. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to the next in the series. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Asset by Chris Lowry

June 15, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Asset by Chris Lowry
Publisher: Grand Ozarks Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Action/Adventure
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

It ain’t easy being a spy.

It sounded fun at first. Just listen. Pay attention. Make note of who comes to the house. Who stops by.

And a poor boy from the wrong side of the tracks gets a chance to travel the world with the girl he loves.

But her do-gooder ways can get them in trouble.

When she volunteers them to help at a refugee camp in South Africa, they’re protected by her father’s reputation.

Until rebels show up and all hell breaks loose.

Now his adventure in a new world takes a deadly turn and drives him into a nightmare. He can give in and give up or dig deep and fight to become the man he always wanted to be.

It’s not a simple choice and the only easy day was yesterday. But Brill Winger will have to learn to fight if he wants to survive, and wreak havoc on the men who shattered his world, and tried to shatter him.

Grab your copy of book 1 in the action packed series about the boy who became the world’s luckiest hitman.

Brill was a poor young man who had grown up on the wrong side of town in desperate circumstances. Everything changes when he is offered a unique opportunity, just listen and pay attention to what goes on around him, then report back to his shadowy benefactors. In return he gets to stay with the young South African woman he loves and be a part of her life. Only Brill and his love are both thrown into a nightmare situation and Brill has to decide whether he will fight and take his vengeance, or whether he will give up everything he is.

I picked up this book on a whim and mostly I’m happy with the purchase. This story definitely won’t be every reader’s cup of tea. I found the writing style quite bare and very different to most of the books I read. I feel the author takes the “lean” or “gritty” style of writing to an extreme. There is very little extra description or world building in this story and I feel some readers won’t enjoy the bareness of the narrative very much at all.

The pace of this story was quite fast and I feel readers who enjoy action/adventure style fast-paced novels should really enjoy this. The plot was simple but effective – not very unique but I thought it was well handled. I personally found we received enough details about Brill and Laurette to give me a good mental picture of their characters and who they were, but I wouldn’t blame other readers who felt there needed to be at least a little more description to help make the story more fulfilling to read.

Fairly early on in the story Brill and Laurette are kidnapped with a bunch of other people by some rebels while they were volunteering in one of the refugee camps in Laurette’s home country and South Africa. After this, the story becomes far more focused on Brill and his personal growth, though the pace remains quite fast in this as well. Readers looking for a light hearted or easy read won’t find that here. There is one very full-on rape scene around this time in the story too. I feel readers should be aware this rape scene is fairly graphic – though still in the books style of bare and gritty. I definitely didn’t find it written in a titillating or glorified manner, but also the author was in no way vague with the scene, it definitely wasn’t glossed over. I really feel it won’t suit all readers and could certainly be a trigger to some, though I personally was able to read it (and I frequently skim or properly skip more graphically violent scenes – in this sense the bareness of the author’s writing style was definitely a blessing).

While Brill is caught in this nightmare situation it’s truly the making of his character. Although part of me feels there is a little too much coincidence in the unfolding of the further scenes – they were realistic and logical enough I could accept them and I found it deeply engrossing to watch Brill turn from a young man in love into what is the beginnings of a hardened warrior and a deeply rooted sense of Brill’s personal mission and the skills he would learn to grow into a man determined to carry out this journey he was beginning.

While there are a few rough corners in this story that I hope are a bit smoother in the next few books, I admit I’m hooked enough on the plotline and general premise I expect to purchase and read the second in this series. I feel there was a good enough writing style, interesting enough characters and a solid plot to this story and I admit I’m interested in knowing what happens next, so I’ll be getting the next book and giving it another try.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Lightning Rod by Ged Gillmore

June 3, 2022 By Leave a Comment


The Lightning Rod by Ged Gillmore
Publisher: deGrevilo Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

All she wanted was an Uber – instead she got a corpse.

When gunshots ring out on a respectable Sydney street, Anna Moore finds herself sharing an Uber with a dead man. To make matters worse, the dead man was part of the feared Mendoza drug cartel, and now Anna’s the only one who knows his whispered last words.

Ruthless undercover cop, Charlie Hall, sees a perfect opportunity when she interviews Anna. Charlie has a secret agenda, and Anna might just be the perfect pawn for her to use to bring down Mendoza’s operation.

Meanwhile, the Uber driver, Bassam, still has the dead man’s bags in his trunk. He should tell the cops. But what harm will it do to take a look first?

The cops want results. The drug cartel wants no loose ends.

As Anna, Bassam and Charlie descend into the murky depths of the criminal underworld they’ll have to trust each other to outwit Mendoza. But when pressure mounts and morality blurs, the three will face a desperate fight that only two of them will survive…

Anna’s walk of shame late one Saturday evening is interrupted by what she’s positive is the sound of a gunshot in a ritzy Sydney suburb. In a matter of moments her regular life is thrown into chaos when she shares her Uber home with a stranger who ends up dying in her arms. Anna is the only person who hears this dying man’s final words and all too soon her regular existence is tied up with a fierce skirmish between one of the biggest drug cartels and the police. Anna has a ruthless cop on her heels, determined to use Anna as bait in shutting the cartel down, and the uber driver, Bassam, is left literally holding the bags everyone forgot in the rear of his car. These three lives are now forever entwined – but can they all survive?

I’ve read a few of Gillmore’s previous books and have thoroughly enjoyed them. I’ve found his gritty, darkly humorous writing tone really appeals to my tastes and I adore how Gillmore isn’t afraid to make his characters – even his heroes – be flawed and all too human. I find it refreshing and an excellent read although the darker undertones often won’t be to everyone’s tastes. Readers who enjoy heavily and well plotted action packed mystery/thrillers should absolutely give this book a try. I was pleased Gillmore didn’t rush the first chapter of this book – this was no movie-like, high octane, heart pounding rush of a scene, but still managed to a hundred percent grab my attention and empathy and hook me in to the story. I enjoyed Anna’s character and found her modern and relatable but it was very clear there were numerous layers bubbling under the surface. The fact I could so easily see this very scene happening in reality pretty much anywhere in the world just helped draw me in and grab me and not let go.

The three main characters took a bit of time to explore in greater detail, but this full length novel had ample time to really delve into each character and show the reader many of the complex and multi-faceted layers. No character is ever really as simple or straight forward as a quick glance might portray and so I really enjoyed that Gillmore spent quite a bit of time unraveling Anna, Charlie and Bassam. The pace of the plot moved along well but I was glad it wasn’t some over-the-top, movie style, action sequence where there just wasn’t time to catch your breath. I really enjoyed that the longer length of this novel was such that the events – and in particular the three main characters – could all be explored in depth and in good time.

Readers who like a modern, realistic and complicated plot with strongly written characters should find this story really fits the bill for them. With enough action and pace to keep readers attention, but enough detail and complexity to appeal to those who like a more plot and character driven story I felt Gillmore struck an excellent balance and really delivered with this. An excellent concept that was superbly written and carried out this was an awesome story and one I will really enjoy rereading again in the future. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Kill Our Sins by JM Dalgliesh

May 25, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Kill Our Sins by JM Dalgliesh
Publisher: Hamilton Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

What would you do to keep your past a secret?

When the mutilated remains of a woman are retrieved by local fisherman, it falls to DI Tom Janssen and his team to identify how she came to be in the water and what put her there. Joined on the case by his new permanent boss, DCI Tamara Greave, it remains to be proven if the woman’s death was a result of foul play or a tragic accident.

The victim carried no means of identification, was poorly dressed for the winter and horribly disfigured when pulled from the water. As the case progresses old ghosts return to haunt those living in the present. Matters thought settled a long time ago face intense scrutiny… attention that some hoped would never come to pass. When childhood friends begin to question one another, suddenly the long forgotten past comes to the fore.

The misadventure of youth can have grave consequences. No matter how much time passes nor how deep you bury them, your sins will always return to haunt you. But who has the most to lose and what else are they willing to sacrifice in order to keep what they have? Is someone prepared to kill for their sins?

Janssen must reveal and catch a killer without a conscience before they strike again…

Set within the mysterious beauty of coastal Norfolk, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery with moments of humour, one that will keep you guessing until the very end when the final shocking twist is revealed.

This is the third book in the “Hidden Norfolk” series featuring DI Tom Janssen and DCI Tamara Greave and I found it to be a solid addition. I was very pleased not just with the plot of the mystery itself, but that this time I felt there was significant growth in Tom’s character. We learn a bit about his past, and there was a good amount of time spent showing the conflict and growth in Tom’s personal relationship with his girlfriend. I thought the author did an excellent job balancing these two critical aspects to the book – the mystery plot and the more personal aspects to the story as a greater whole. The book not only felt well balanced but as a result very satisfying. There was a well-woven, interesting and well paced murder mystery plot, but this is the first book where I felt genuinely interested and pleased with Tom’s character and the growth/revelations that were shown to me as the reader. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

The mystery was one I personally found quite interesting – the murder of a woman with deep secrets hidden in her past and a delightfully complicated history. While in many ways a standard British style of police procedural plot, I thought there were enough turns in the storyline and plenty of depth to the mystery of the victim to easily keep my attention. I found the working relationship between Tom and Tamara to be a little easier and smoother in this book – the previous book in the series in particular I had a lot of trouble with the fluctuating emotions and mixed signals, so I was really pleased to find this had all seemed to sort itself out.

While I do feel readers can pick up this book and enjoy reading it as a stand alone story, there are two previous installments in the series. I feel readers will find a deeper appreciation for the working cohesion between the police team unit if they’ve read the two prior stories, though this isn’t strictly necessary. The plot and the personal relationship between Tom and his girlfriend stand very well on their own in this book – and while I had no problems sorting through the characters of the small police unit, I do feel readers will gain a deeper appreciation for their working relationship with the background in the previous stories.

An excellent read, this British police procedural style story is a good book with complex characters, a delightfully twisting plot and plenty of personal growth in the characters. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Wrong Mate by Jade Marshall

May 11, 2022 By Leave a Comment


The Wrong Mate by Jade Marshall
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Finding your mate should be the happiest time in any wolf shifter’s life. But what if your mate is the wrong mate?

Raine is finally old enough to find her mate, and she couldn’t be happier. Being in love with Max since the first time she met him, he is the only male that she has ever wanted. Now she has to convince Max that they’re meant to be together. Getting Max to accept their mating bond is the least of Raine’s problems, especially with the hunters closing in again.

Max loves Raine, but she can’t be his mate. He isn’t worthy. He can’t offer her the life that she deserves, so he leaves. Now he only has to convince his wolf to stay away because he knows he will never be able to refuse her. But when Raine is in danger, will he really have a choice?

There might be a ten-year difference between Max and Raine, but they’ve been best friends for a very long time and Max is not looking forward to the fact now Raine is about to turn eighteen her fated mate will likely claim her, and their friendship will be at an end. When Max meets Raine to give her the present he bought for her birthday, he discovers to his shock it’s he who is her fated mate. Certain this must be a mistake, can Max and Raine retain their friendship but still be what the other needs in a mate?

This is a very steamy and short shifter romance. While the plot was certainly little cliched to my mind, I still found this was an enjoyable read. Max needed to fight his own lack of self-confidence and realize that he and Raine were very well suited. Raine, for her part, was a modern woman – and confident enough in herself to know what she wanted. I enjoyed this balance of power and felt it added a good amount of conflict to the plot.

I was pleased the author added an interesting secondary plot once Max and Raine finally started to come together and work on their intimacy and their relationship began to grow. Rather than have the second half of the book just be purely sex-based I felt this really added a welcome depth and complexity to the short story that helped make it stand out amongst the other man paranormal shifter types of books out there. With a number of strong secondary characters and an interesting shifter world I feel this could be an interesting place for this author to set more future stories about other members of the pack.

With interesting characters, a bunch of steaminess and an interesting plot this was a great, albeit quick read. I’d definitely read more by this author.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »