Tag: crime

Could You Survive Midsomer? – Simon Brew

~ Eden Haslam ~ Leave a comment

CAN YOU AVOID A BIZARRE DEATH IN ENGLAND’S MOST
DANGEROUS COUNTY?

All is not well in the beautiful county of Midsomer. On the eve of its first Villages In Bloom competition, a man lies slain, smelling of damson jam. Who could have done it?

Well, that’s where you come in. Step into the shoes of Midsomer CID’s newest recruit, choose your own path and decide which way the story goes.

Could You Survive Midsomer? sets off on an engaging pick-your-own adventure format to challenge the reader to solve a crime or succumb to the county’s suspiciously high death rate. Set in television’s most celebrated and murderous county, the book allows readers to see if they can get to the bottom of the mystery and bring the perpetrator to justice, avoiding an untimely, and possibly bizarre death, along the way. Your task is to make the right choices, solve the case and – most tricky of all – stay alive!

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Review: I’m a huge fan of murder mysteries and love Midsomer Murders so was really excited that this book gave you the chance to make decisions to try and solve the murder yourself. The interactive element to it is similar to some children’s books where you get to make your own story and it just makes it so fun to read. I love that you are not just passively reading what the author has written, instead you are taking an active role and so you have to pay attention to avoid a disappointing ending.

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Motive – Alan McDermott

~ Eden Haslam ~ Leave a comment

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Synopsis: There are four distinctive strands to this book:

Serial killer Karen Harper who bases her murders on who has motive, killing not for revenge but simply for the thrill.

Ex-Army Ryan Anderson who starts working for a Manchester gang leader. He works hard to prove himself to the boss but can never seem to gain the trust of those he is working with.

Scott Davison, in hiding and recovering from serious injury in France. When he meets Kelly Stone he is afraid his past has caught up with him and the decision to open up is a tough one.

And Detective Inspector John Latimer who is trying to clear his friend, and former DCI, of a murder he swears he did not commit.

Alternating between the different characters, this book jumps between different times and locations , ultimately bringing the strands together to show how these separate lives are entwined.

Review: I really liked the concept of this book – four seemingly separate characters and plot lines that become entwined as more is uncovered, with DI John Latimer at the center to put all the pieces together before it is too late. However, I found that the different strands of the story took too long to link up. Almost frustratingly, I kept wondering where the book was going and when it would feel like one cohesive story. It did get there eventually, but by then I was less invested.

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The Family Tree – Steph Mullin & Nicole Mabry

~ Eden Haslam ~ Leave a comment

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Synopsis: After taking a DNA test, Liz learns two things: 1) she’s adopted, 2) there is someone in her family that is connected to a serial killer investigation. Despite warnings from the FBI, Liz is determined to meet her blood relatives. But can she stop her own personal feelings from clouding her judgement when there’s a killer on the loose?

Alongside Liz’s narrative, the story follows what happens to the women who are abducted by the Tri-State Killer. Bringing together past and present as Liz’s desire for a family risks placing her in the path of a murderer.

Review: I loved the premise of this story. With the growing use of technology it is so interesting to consider the pitfalls of sharing your DNA online, and how this technology can be used to help solve crimes. I especially enjoyed the chapters focusing on the kidnapped girls. It was interesting getting their perspective and learning more about the Tri-State Killer from that angle. With a lot of similarities, these chapters could have been too repetitive, but I found that they each helped uncover a little more about the situation and created a sense of solidarity between the different women.

However, my biggest issue with this book was its unrealistic nature. I doubt the FBI would share case details, especially when the person was blatantly lying to them. Liz was also quite irritating and immature. Although the motivations for her actions were made clear, I struggled to understand why she did what she did. Her determination to meet with her ‘new’ family seemed reckless considering the link to the serial killer which she didn’t seem to really care about. I struggle to believe that that is how anyone in that situation would actually act.

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A Public Murder – Antoinette Moses

~ Eden Haslam ~ 1 Comment

‘My mother was a very difficult person, Inspector, and not always a very nice one. I can think of any number of people who would want her dead.’

The shocking murder of the archaeologist, Stephanie Michaels in the new Leotakis Gallery in Cambridge is clearly going to be a troublesome high-profile investigation from the outset. But to track down the killer, DI Pam Gregory has to travel to the Greek island of Crete where she finds herself on a journey she never expected, one which will change her life for ever.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Review: This book is an excellent introduction to DI Pam Gregory and I am so keen to read more. Pam is the perfect main character for a story such as this – driven and highly skilled yet insecure and struggles to have a life outside of her work.  It is her deductions that help tie the story together, not because she is a genius super-sleuth but because, more realistically, she puts the work in and gets results.

The mystery aspect of this book is incredibly twisty and detailed. There are so many possible murder suspects and motives that you don’t know where to look. And, importantly, they all feel plausible rather than simply red herrings to trip up the reader. There are possibly a few too many named characters, within Pam’s team for example, who are not really relevant to the story. However, the range of personalities give the story depth and keep you guessing until the last moment.

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Death by Arrangement – Kathleen Torian Taylor

~ Eden Haslam ~ Leave a comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sarah’s structured life as an accountant in downtown San Francisco is about to take a hard left. She knows all about deceit but not about how to trust again. For three years her love life revolved around a liar and a cheat. But now she yearns to become a torch singer. Sarah’s attracted to Jerard from Los Angeles. His strange scar and mysterious ways both entice and discourage her. A serial killer haunts the 24-hour news cycle, and when she comes face to face with his latest victim, fear and self-doubt creep in like uninvited guests. Once again, she questions her trust. Is Jerard “the one” or another mistake? An unexpected encounter thrusts her into darkness, and Sarah must use every ounce of strength in a battle for her life and dream of singing her song.

Review: From the very first page I was totally hooked. The tension builds steadily throughout making it so exciting to read. Getting the perspective of the murderer in the first chapter was really effective as it meant I was trying to figure out who the murderer could be as we met each of the different characters. I was so on edge, second-guessing everything that people were saying and doing, trying to figure out if they had a hidden agenda. And this really helps you feel some of the paranoia that Sarah has knowing there is a serial killer on the loose.

The book has such good detail and description, it really draws you in to Sarah’s life and her surroundings. I loved the humorous elements as they help lighten the feel of the book and, alongside the aspects of romance and friendship, help to make this book feel more than simply a murder mystery. Sarah felt so real and relatable, making her a great main character.

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A Mirror Murder – Helen Hollick

~ Eden Haslam ~ 3 Comments

Eighteen-year-old library assistant Jan Christopher’s life is to change on a rainy Friday evening in July 1971, when her legal guardian and uncle, DCI Toby Christopher, gives her a lift home after work. Driving the car, is her uncle’s new Detective Constable, Laurie Walker – and it is love at first sight for the young couple.

But romance is soon to take a back seat when a baby boy is taken from his pram, a naked man is scaring young ladies in nearby Epping Forest, and an elderly lady is found, brutally murdered…

Are the events related? How will they affect the staff and public of the local library where Jan works – and will a blossoming romance survive a police investigation into murder?

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Review: I loved reading this book, I could barely put it down. In such a short number of pages the author creates a twisting yet satisfyingly ended mystery with red herrings, strong characterisation, and a real sense of atmosphere. I enjoy reading cosy mysteries but sometimes feel they lack a bit of substance. However, this was definitely not the case for this book. I was amazed at how much is packed in to such a short tale.

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I Am Watching You – Teresa Driscoll

~ Eden Haslam ~ Leave a comment

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Synopsis: I Am Watching You starts with a woman (Ella) watching two teenage girls on a train as they start chatting to two guys just out of jail. The next day one of the girls has gone missing and Ella is wracked with guilt at not calling one of the girls’ mothers and intervening.

The rest of the story follows the points of view of 4 people – the witness (Ella), the father (Henry), the investigator (Matthew), and the friend (Sarah). After a few chapters it moves forwards one year, the teenager Anna Ballard has still not been found and Ella has started to get threatening letters. As the story moves on it becomes clear that there is more to the story, everyone has secrets of their own and some are lying about what happened the night Anna disappeared.

Review: Every review I write for a mystery/suspense/thriller style book always includes me going on about how much I love this genre, and this love is so important because it leads to high expectations which unfortunately were not met in this case.

This story has good potential. Yes, everyone had secrets, not all of them relevant to Anna’s disappearance, which I enjoy as it keeps you guessing. And it was interesting to hear how Anna’s disappearance affected the different people in her life. However, there was not enough information given to the reader throughout the book to keep them invested. Multiple chapters ended with a vague statement with the intention of generating suspense – something along the lines of ‘she couldn’t tell anyone what she knew’ – but there was very little resolution to these statements which quickly lost their impact.

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Blood Orange – Harriet Tyce

~ Eden Haslam ~ Leave a comment

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Synopsis: Allison is a character who appears to have an ideal life. She has a loving family, a great job and a bright future. However, it soon becomes clear that this perfect life is a lie. She drinks too much, works too much, and, despite continuously claiming she will stop her destructive behaviour, cannot seem to end her affair with a colleague. All this uncontrollable and negative behaviour results in Allison not spending enough time with her family, something her controlling husband constantly berates her for.

The story follows Allison as she is given her first murder case to defend. A woman accused of stabbing her husband who is willing to plead guilty and go to jail. As both a lawyer and wife, Allison can tell that there is something which does not add up in the story the woman is telling and uncovering the truth shows Allison more about her own life than she wants to admit. If this was not enough, on top of the pressures of her home and work life, Allison is receiving threatening messages every time she is with her secret lover. Someone knows the truth and is not afraid to expose her.

We see as Allison’s life falls apart around her. Her successful career is not enough to hold together her family and amidst a tangled web of lies and deceit one wrong move could destroy everything.

Review: This book somehow managed to be compelling whist uncomfortable to read. The characters were highly dislikeable, almost frustratingly so, and yet whilst Allison’s self-destructive behaviour drove me mad it was also relatable. There is very little good to be found in her situation and any sympathy you would have for her family due to her drinking and overworking quickly evaporates due to her husband’s controlling and critical behaviour.

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