Operation Mongolia by William Meikle


Operation Mongolia by William Meikle
Publisher: Severed Press
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Action/Adventure
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

It’s supposed to be a routine job, walking a pair of stranded archaeologists out of the Gobi Desert.

But when the rains come unexpectedly, S-Squad’s troubles are only starting.

There is something in the sand, something red and wriggling.

Thirsty for water.

Hungry for flesh.

When Captain Banks and his team of squaddies are told to head over to the Gobi Desert and collect two archaeologists stranded with Chinese Rebels nearby the entire team hopes they will finally have a simple, regular assignment. And all is going well, initially. They meet up with the two boffins, the squad is ready for the long walk out of the desert to their rendezvous point with a helicopter. Everything is all sorted out. Only then the rains hit and something red, wriggling and with plenty of teeth is waiting for them under the sand – and these critters are thirsty.

I absolutely love this series and am eagerly working my way through them all. They are quite short stories – about 130 pages each or so – but filled with oversized, B-grade monsters, the squaddies are believable, utterly ribald and a bunch of laughs, and usually the plot isn’t overly complicated. I find them wonderful escape fiction when work or life is dragging me down a bit. If you want something deeply plotted, or with a complex puzzle then this isn’t the series you’ll want to grab. If you’re in the mood for something lighthearted with plenty of shoot ‘em up style, a few crass and tasteless jokes and banter with a whole bunch of action and big monster sized beasties – this will suit you perfectly.

I do like how a number of the squaddies are now becoming quite familiar. These books can all absolutely be read independently of each other – and in virtually any order – though I did notice there were a few single sentence long Easter Eggs recalling previous adventures in a few places that really made me chuckle. I found personally it really added a nice zing to the story for me, but I absolutely feel readers who find this book by itself should be very happy to crack it open and give it a try having not read anything previously by this author.

A rambunctious and fun read, this was a lovely lazy afternoon I feel was very well spent. Recommended.

The Life I Owe Her by Allison Meldrum


The Life I Owe Her by Allison Meldrum
Publisher: Self-Publish
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

How far would you go to repay a debt to the friend who saved your life?

What if the thing she wants is your child?

Ava and Sylvie forged a friendship that sustained them both as teenagers. But when their high school prom night almost turns to tragedy, Sylvie saves Ava from drowning and their friendship takes on an even deeper meaning. Ava is haunted by a need to repay the debt of life she owes to her best friend.

But, years later, the opportunity comes knocking and Ava is faced with the chance to make the ultimate sacrifice for a friend whose life is torn apart by infertility. As the consequences of their actions unfold, the lives of both women are threatened by an adversary who will stop at nothing to keep control of his family.

How far would you go to repay someone for saving your life? Would your repayment be to split up your newborn twins?

This was a quick novel that made for a straightforward read. Readers are introduced to a close friendship and a life saving act that seals their bond even more. Though unusual and disturbing, the author had a good idea for a plot that piqued my interest. Although I must admit it took me some time to move past the idea of Ava giving away a child to repay Sylvie for saving her life.

It was difficult to truly connect to either of the female characters. Ava Peterson was very dramatic and strong willed. Sylvie Tellier was too soft and had low self-esteem. Sylvie’s husband Michael was the bad guy. These three were in high school together, but Michael did not seem to be the bad guy then. He was mentioned as being creepy, but I never wondered why he did not have any friends of his own because he was always with Sylvie and Ava. I don’t know if the author tried too hard to make Michael seem like a bad guy, maybe I missed something. He was an arrogant prick when Sylvie mentioned their issues with conceiving, but it wasn’t until later in the story when he was made to be the villain.

The story is told from both Ava and Sylvie’s points of view. This helps explain a lot of the story and what kept the plot moving and kept me turning pages. The time span goes from 1996 when 17-year-old Sylvie moved to Edinburgh through 2011.  The book is described as a psychological thriller, but I would not define it as such. I would label it as more suspense/mystery since there were two small surprises that were thrown in, but it just didn’t seem like a true psychological thriller to me.

However, the writing was brisk and smooth, and the dialogue was insightful. By the end of the story Ava’s debt is paid for Sylvie saving her life and the author gives the story a happy ending. It is an interesting story and a unique premise; the author did a good job of structuring the plot and I saw no editing issues. The story was not bad, and I’m not sorry I read it, but it just did not meet my expectations.

The Night in Question by Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson


The Night in Question by Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson
An Agathas Novel
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Action/Adventure, YA (15+ yrs)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Last October, Alice Ogilvie’s ex-best friend, Brooke Donovan, was killed—and if it weren’t for Alice’s unlikely alliance with her tutor, Iris Adams, and her library of the complete works of Agatha Christie, the wrong person would almost certainly be sitting in prison for the crime. The Castle Cove police aren’t exactly great at solving crimes. In fact, they’re notorious for not solving crimes.

Which is why, on the night of Castle Cove High’s annual Sadie Hawkins dance, Alice takes the opportunity to explore Levy Castle—the site of one of Castle Cove’s most infamous deaths. Mona Moody—­the classic film star—died there almost a century ago, and Alice is pretty sure the police got that invest­igation wrong, too. But before she can even think about digging deeper, she walks right into the scene of a new crime. Rebecca Kennedy, on the ground in a pool of blood. And standing over Kennedy? Another one of Alice’s ex-friends—Helen Park.

The Castle Cove Police Department thinks it’s an open-and-shut case, but Alice and Iris are sure it can’t be that simple. Park isn’t a murderer—and the girls know all too well that in life, and in mysteries, things are rarely what they appear to be. To understand the present, sometimes you need to look to the past.

Castle Cove is full of secrets, and Alice and Iris are about to uncover one of its biggest—and most dangerous—secrets of all.

There’s something going down and it’s up to the Agathas to figure out what.

I loved the first book in this mystery series, The Agathas. I liked the inventiveness of two teen girls, totally opposites, being brought together by their love of Agatha Christie and solving mysteries. The first book had all the hallmarks of a great mystery–twists, turns and I couldn’t figure out the ending.

This book has many of the same hallmarks–there’s a mystery and intrigue, but I had a few issues with it. The characters seemed to sound a bit the same after a while. I liked that it’s told from Iris and Alice’s POVs, but they tended to sound the same. Now that’s not totally bad because best friends tend to talk alike after a while, but it made it hard to keep straight who’s POV I was in. I also had an issue with the sheer volume of characters. It took some work to keep them straight (Like it would in an Agatha Christie book).

The characters are good. Iris has some issues and Alice is a bit snobbish. I’d hoped Alice would help Iris a bit as Iris has been abused and needs someone to be there for her. I didn’t like that the issue of child abuse and the after-effects weren’t really handled. Iris just sort of bucked it up, but not very well. I also thought Alice regressed a bit and got snobbier through the book. I liked Iris, but I wanted to root for her and Alice, but it wasn’t always easy with Alice.

The mystery is good, but almost comes second to the bumbling of the police department. It’s like the girls should be the ones in charge and the PD should go back to school. I don’t know if that was intentional, but I wanted to see the cops respect the girls a bit more and for them to work a bit harder.

Still, this was a good book and those who like mysteries, it’ll satisfy. There are enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. Give this book a try.

The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz


The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz
Publisher: Jove
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Decades ago in the small town of Fogg Lake, The Incident occurred: an explosion in the cave system that released unknown gases. The residents slept for two days. When they woke up they discovered that things had changed—they had changed. Some started having visions. Others heard ominous voices. And then, scientists from a mysterious government agency arrived. Determined not to become research subjects of strange experiments, the residents of Fogg Lake blamed their “hallucinations” on food poisoning, and the story worked. But now it has become apparent that the eerie effects of The Incident are showing up in the descendants of Fogg Lake.…

Catalina Lark and Olivia LeClair, best friends and co-owners of an investigation firm in Seattle, use what they call their “other sight” to help solve cases. When Olivia suddenly vanishes one night, Cat frantically begins the search for her friend. No one takes the disappearance seriously except Slater Arganbright, an agent from a shadowy organization known only as the Foundation, who shows up at her firm with a cryptic warning.

A ruthless killer is hunting the only witnesses to a murder that occurred in the Fogg Lake caves fifteen years ago—Catalina and Olivia. And someone intends to make both women vanish.

Catalina and Olivia grew up together in a small town called Fogg Lake. Having gone into the private investigator business together the two life-long friends are surprised but happy to find they not only enjoy it but are quite talented at it too. But when Olivia goes missing and Slater Arganbright turns up on her doorstep seeking help and an offer Catalina can’t refuse, their lives suddenly become a whole lot more complicated.

I have been a huge fan of Krentz and her various series for a number of years now. I have always thoroughly enjoyed her romantic suspense series and I was curious when she clearly started this new series (the Fogg Lake trilogy) as a new paranormal romantic suspense. Readers who have enjoyed her Arcane series, or the Harmony based books under her pseudonym Jayne Castle should find this book runs along a similar vein and enjoy it. I could understand though if readers who pick this book up having not read anything previously by Krentz might find that there’s a fair bit of terminology and references that they have to catch up on. Personally, I wouldn’t let coming to this book cold stop me from giving it a try – I strongly feel that Krentz is a superlative writer and she excels at romantic suspense. I absolutely feel this book is well worth a bit of effort in understanding her paranormal powers and world, but I could understand if it might not suit every readers tastes.

While the paranormal aspects to the story are very strongly influential to the plot, I did feel the more usual mystery/suspense (the plotlines of who killed the paranormal artefacts dealer and what happened to/who kidnapped Olivia) are still very well written and gripping each in their own rights. The romance blossoming between Catalina and Slater was very well written and quite steamy in places, but I have to admit I felt for much of the book this took a somewhat back seat to the other more vibrant plotlines going on.

Also understandably since this is the first book in the trilogy there was a bit of world building and scene setting – which I quite enjoyed, but other readers might feel slowed the pace of the plot in the very beginning of the book. Personally I’d have thought not setting the scene properly – explaining who Catalina and Olivia are, what the circumstances of day-to-day life was in Fogg Lake etc would have been highly unusual and likely lessened my enjoyment of the story, but for a modern romantic suspense often a breakneck pace and having the plot be highly action orientated is considered necessary. Additionally, while the main plots of this story are well rounded and fully resolved – there is clearer a larger story arc that encompasses the whole trilogy, so there are still plenty of questions left revolving around this much larger arc.

An exceptional writer, I find Krentz almost never misses the mark and this was yet another excellent story to add to my shelf of hers. Interesting characters, a few gripping plotlines all neatly interwoven and a steamy romance really had me eagerly turning the pages well into the night. A brilliant read and one I can strongly recommend.

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle


In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
Publisher: Atria books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Women’s Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Dannie Kohan lives her life by the numbers.

She is nothing like her lifelong best friend—the wild, whimsical, believes-in-fate Bella. Her meticulous planning seems to have paid off after she nails the most important job interview of her career and accepts her boyfriend’s marriage proposal in one fell swoop, falling asleep completely content.

But when she awakens, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. Dannie spends one hour exactly five years in the future before she wakes again in her own home on the brink of midnight—but it is one hour she cannot shake. In Five Years is an unforgettable love story, but it is not the one you’re expecting.

Something strange happens to Dannie, a corporate lawyer. Dannie lives in New York with her fiancé, David, when one night she wakes up five years in the future with a different man. They spent some heated moments together; then Dannie wakes back up in her present. What happened to David? Why weren’t they still together?

Suspense is achieved with this in mind, and it increases when Dannie’s best friend Bella introduces Dannie to her new boyfriend, the man Dannie had woken up next to in the future. Dannie would never betray Bella or David, so she is determined not to allow herself and Bella’s boyfriend to become close, but they do—in a way. Dannie increases her efforts to get closer to David and speed up the time until she marries him, yet she still hesitates.

This story is a good exploration of friendship and being true to oneself. Dannie’s job is an expedient backdrop to the plot and offers a peek into a demanding industry. Dannie makes some hard choices, especially when she receives some shocking news. She discovers more about herself and faces strong emotions.

In Five Years is an entertaining book showing life in New York at its best. It is worth the read.

The Captivating Flames of Madness by Jeff Parsons


The Captivating Flames of Madness by Jeff Parsons
Publisher: Hellbound Books Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

This book’s title comes from the reality that – like a moth to the flame – we’re all just one event, mishap, or decision away from things that could change our lives forever.

What would you do if fate led you astray into a grim world where you encountered vengeful ghosts, homicidal maniacs, ancient gods, apocalyptic nightmares, dark magic, deadly space aliens, and more?
If you dare, why not find out?

Read for yourself the twenty-two gloriously provocative tales that dwell within this book – but be warned, some of my dear readers have experienced lasting nightmares…

Prepare for a wild ride.

Chelsea was a drug addict who had run out of money for her next fix in “Control.” After spotting an old woman who was earning a small sum by entertaining children with a marionette doll at a park, she thought she’d found the perfect victim. I loved the plot twists in this tale and how my terrible first impression of the main character evolved over time as Chelsea planned out her robbery and then put her ideas into action. This was a great example of how to write a character who was simultaneously a terrible human being and a fascinating one.

My reactions to these tales varied quite a bit. Some were truly wonderful, but others were hard for me to get into because of how few details were provided about what was happening in them and why the characters behaved the way they did. “The Variant,” which was about a lab specialist named William who was hired to create a variant of the Ebola virus that would be 100% lethal, was one of them. I struggled to understand why William agreed to work on such a deadly project, much less his reaction when funding for it was suddenly cut off. There was so much more I needed to know about this character and his work. This is something I’m saying as someone who has reviewed countless anthologies and short story collections for Long and Short Reviews over the years. Mr. Parsons is a good storyteller overall, and I hope I’ll be able to give his next book a much higher rating as there was a lot to enjoy about my first experience with his writing style.

Ellen was dying of cancer in “At Any Cost,” but she was given one final chance to be in a drug trial that might prolong her life. Her desperation for more time, or maybe even a cure, endeared me to her. The science fiction twist to her experiences is something best left for other readers to be surprised by for themselves. With that being said, I thought they were a clever way to reveal more of her personality just when I thought I more or less had her all figured out.

The Captivating Flames of Madness piqued my curiosity.

The Cove by LJ Ross


The Cove by LJ Ross
Publisher: Dark Skies Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

THE PERFECT ESCAPE…

Gabrielle Adams has it all – brains, beauty, a handsome fiancé, and a dream job in publishing. Until, one day, everything changes.

‘The Tube Killer’ takes his victims when they least expect it: standing on the edge of a busy London Underground platform, as they wait for a train to arrive through the murky underground tunnels of London.

Gabrielle soon learns that being a survivor is harder than being a victim, and she struggles to return to her old life. Desperate to break free from the endless nightmares, she snatches up an opportunity to run a tiny bookshop in a picturesque cove in rural Cornwall.

She thinks she’s found the perfect escape, but has she swapped one nightmare for another?

Suspense and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced thriller, set amidst the spectacular Cornish landscape.

Gabrielle Adams has everything she needs in life, an exciting job in publishing, a wonderful fiancé she loves and she’s living in the middle of London city. Then all in the space of a few moments her perfect world is shattered. Nearly killed by a serial killer, unable to work or cope with her busy city life and with her engagement well and truly over, Gabrielle decides a change of scenery is absolutely needed. So, she moves out to a small Cove and takes a job in a tiny bookstore. Can Gabrielle rebuild her life?

I found this to be a really interesting and well written, slow moving mystery style of book. An excellent standalone novel I found it a good and solid, read. I didn’t mind the slower pace as this book is not linked to others in a series – and so as the reader I needed a bit more detail and time spent explaining Gabrielle, her circumstances and the events unfolding in her life. Had the action been at a breakneck speed I really don’t think I’d have been able to follow along as well.

This book had a definite “summer reads” sort of feel to it – one where you have more time to meander and enjoy the scenery and not need the hectic action-packed thrill ride. I was also pleased that this wasn’t like Ross’ other series, and it wasn’t really a police procedural style of story but more of a regular character driven mystery of “what happens next” with a lower level of “who dun it”. I guessed a few parts of the plot, but was pleasantly surprised by other aspects, which also helped me turning the pages and enjoying as the puzzle pieces fitted together.

At times I felt like some of the characters were a little cliched, but I have to admit there was enough freshness to keep me guessing and at heart I really enjoyed watching everything unfold as Gabrielle found herself and her strength and built a new life. Readers looking for an action packed, or breathtakingly unique story might not find this fits the bill for them – but for a solid and well-paced mystery, with interesting characters and a well-rounded ending I feel this was a really good read.

I’ve enjoyed a number of other titles by this author, and this was another to add to the pile. I’ll be happy to read more books by this author in the future.

Angel Of Death by JM Dalgliesh


Angel Of Death by JM Dalgliesh
Publisher: Hamilton Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

An innocent man has everything to fear…

When the partial remains of a young woman are unearthed during a violent storm, it falls to DI Tom Janssen and his team to discover her identity and what brought her there.

A man is released from prison having been the apparent victim of a miscarriage of justice and returns home to rural Norfolk. Questions are being asked, not only of the police and their flawed investigation, but also of the man himself. A loner, strange and disinterested, is he truly innocent? Convicted without a body, if he didn’t commit the murder he was sent to jail for, then where is she? Has a guilty man managed to evade justice and get away with murder or has a killer been hiding within the community all along?

Tensions are running high among the locals, people are split, with some threatening to take justice into their own hands. Old wounds, still to fully heal, are reopened and everyone wants resolution. But will Tom and his team be able to offer it, or will the investigation reveal dark secrets, long harboured, that will tear families apart?

A violent storm uproots a tree and uncovers parts of a dismembered body of a young woman. DI Tom Janssen is immediately drawn into the complicated investigation – a man having been imprisoned for five years, convicted of murdering the young lady, only to be released and now her body seeming to irrevocably prove he was innocent. With the small community up in arms, the local circus travelers back in town and the family of the victim all circling around, outraged tempers are running high, and Tom and his team need to use their every skill to solve this murder.

I’ve been really enjoying this series and this latest book is an excellent addition. I found the mystery plot compelling and well woven. All the main characters are present and work extremely well together as a team and with a bunch of strong secondary characters I feel many mystery readers should find this an excellent book to pick up. While there’s plenty of history between the main characters and the team working together, the plot and most of the book should be very easily read by itself – I don’t really feel it necessary for any of the previous books to have been read before this one. That said there are a few larger character arcs going on – Tom and his imminent marriage, and Eric and his small family in particular – that had some more movement and insights added which should appeal to readers who have been enjoying the series for a while.

While the main plot is a fairly standard police procedural for a small British country town, I do feel the author handled the various tempers and characters quite well. I thought there was a strong semblance of reality and logic without the usual characters or easy prejudices thrown in simply to make some drama. I feel the overall tone of the book was really well handled and I greatly enjoyed both the plot and the flow of the story right from the start.

Readers looking for something heavily action orientated might not find this suits their tastes – but for a well plotted, strongly written British murder mystery I felt this was a good book and a series I am greatly enjoying.

A Lesson in Woo-Woo and Murder by David Unger, PhD


A Lesson in Woo-Woo and Murder by David Unger, PhD
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Recent Historical (1985), Cozy Mystery
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

David’s chakras are stimulated and he takes a skeptical step into the unknown when he’s asked for support at the Santa Monica Whole Life Expo – bad juju is coming, and positive therapeutic auras are required.

Murder soon spoils the cosmic karma, and with the posse on hand to spice up the mystic mix, David’s sleuthing leads him to places he’s never been before, and most likely won’t return to.

But David is distracted – Nova, the Love Doctor, puts the “oo” in his personal woo-woo, and when a psychic foretells of romance in his future, he all but enters a different dimension.

David’s special brand of voodoo-therapy-magic has never been more at home, but can he overcome his super Nova distraction for long enough to unmask the killer before anyone else gets hurt?

This is a clever way to present a murder mystery…with a bit of the paranormal, or rather, paranormal practitioners. Dave is a psychologist at an event with booths and people featuring such things as tarot readings, psychics, and tantric sex. While there, someone is murdered and then someone else loses their life.

Dave wants to figure out who the guilty party is. He is friendly with the others at this convention and follows people in order to see what they are up to. As this is going on, there is a romantic subplot, kind of. He’s interested in a woman in this group.

Dave talks to these believers with respect, but he doesn’t really believe himself. This gives the conversations between him and the others a slightly humorous feel. Is he being sarcastic after all? It’s set in the 1980s. Perhaps, it could have used more emphasis on this time because really, it could have been modern day.

It’s a quirky tale that will have readers wondering who did the evil deed. Why not follow along and try to figure out the case for yourself?

Blood On Snow by Jo Nesbo


Blood On Snow by Jo Nesbo
Publisher: Penguin Random House UK
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Olav is a fixer for a high-profile crime kingpin in 1970s Oslo. He easily takes care of anyone who causes trouble for his boss. But he is more complicated than he seems. Olav’s latest job puts him at the pinnacle of his trade, but it may become his greatest mistake: It turns out that the more you know about your boss’s business, the more your boss might want you fixed yourself—especially if you’re falling for his wife.

Olav lives a solitary life as the “fixer” for one of the two main heroin drug lords in Oslo, Norway. He’s used to fixing the problems of his boss, but suddenly he’s given a problem he can’t bring himself to fix. Olav is hired to kill his boss’s wife. Olav finds his problems quickly spiraling and all too soon his solitary life is quite crammed with people – most of them his enemies.

I really enjoy Scandinavian noir books, and this one was no exception. Jo Nesbo (and Scandi noir in general, in my opinion) is a somewhat acquired taste. I personally feel most of the writing styles of the Scandinavian authors is slightly different to UK and US authors – usually a bit grittier and more bare in style, but also a lot of the themes and cultural aspects are somewhat different too. This all adds up to mean I fully recognize frequently Scandinavian written books – especially noir style stories – are not to everyone’s taste. This book most certainly falls into that category.

Readers looking for a different sort of thriller, or assassin book, or even a gritter style of mystery should definitely find this fits the bill. I thoroughly enjoyed Nesbo’s writing and Olav’s voice, finding it different and more hard boiled than I’m used to, but I also really enjoyed how despite the cleaner style of writing there were ample twists to the plot and quite a few curves I personally didn’t see coming. I found my attention quite riveted to Olav and his story and even as I was trying to guess exactly what was going on I was drawn deeper into the mess he found himself in.

Readers should also be quite aware that this story does not have a traditional ending. I personally found it interesting and thought-provoking, but readers expecting a certain style of conclusion might not find this suits their tastes or needs. That said, I found the whole book really interesting and with enough plot and twists to easily capture my attention. I was happy with this quick read and enjoyed all the differences from the more normal mysteries out there on the market.