Review of Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

Books are meant to be held and read - but you don't just hold this book, it holds you! 

Rating: 5 out of 5*

I loved this book. 

As much as it's always great catching up with "old friends" like Sara Linton and Will Trent when a writer continues an exciting series, it is also very enjoyable discovering new characters and those of Lydia and Claire were very interesting to get to know.

This is superbly written and told from two different perspectives which not only makes for good reading but adds another dimention to the tale. It kept me thinking as much as enthralled throughout the whole book as any well composed psychological thriller should. With each new discovery and each new character introduced I found myself reassessing the information I already had learned, adding and adjusting, and trying to predict where I was being taken. Yet around each turn I found something new and unexpected.

I was very lucky to receive a proof copy of this book, but would have been very happy with my purchase even if I had to wait like most for it to be available to buy.

3 massacres, 2 detectives, 1 writer, 0 answers!

Deadly Messengers by Susan May is described as a “can’t-put-it-down thriller” and most definitely lives up to its reputation. A real page turner which not only captivates and entertains but makes you think too. The book is very well written looking at not only the what and the whom, but also the why. Could this happen? Who is the killer? Could anyone be a killer? Are killers simply evil or do we need to dig deeper to get to the truth?

I can confidently say those choosing to read this book will thoroughly enjoy each page, unwilling to put it down, desperate to find out what happens next.

This is the first book by Susan I have read and I really look forward to reading more.


(This ebook was kindly given to me free for review purposes but I would happily have paid for a book of this calliber.)

This delightful story made me feel like the cat who got the cream!

Oliver the Cat Who Saved Christmas: The Tale of a Little Cat with a Big Heart 

By Sheila Norton

“A friend who brings light at the darkest of times...

Oliver the cat is a timid little thing, and rarely ventures from his home in the Foresters’ Arms.

Then his life changes dramatically when a fire breaks out in the pub kitchen and he is left homeless and afraid. But, with the kindness of the humans around him, he soon learns to trust again. And, in his own special way, he helps to heal those around him.

However, it isn’t until he meets a little girl in desperate need of a friend that he realises this village needs a Christmas miracle...

A warm and uplifting novel, this is the tale of a little cat with a big heart. Perfect for fans of A Streetcat Named Bob and Alfie the Doorstep Cat.”

***

Reviewed for MCT by Jan G and Samantha G.

I normally read from within the Crime/Mystery/Thriller genres, but chose this book as it was one I felt my daughter and I could both read, enjoy and review.  This is our joint review of Oliver, the Cat Who Saved Christmas – from a 46 year old’s point of view and a 12 year old’s.  Jan G.

***

This delightful story made me feel like the cat who got the cream! 

Reviewed by Jan G.

5 out of 5*

When Oliver’s home is taken by fire, his life changes completely.  But he discovers that the fire at the pub has changed life for the whole village, not just him.  He wants to help and sets about doing so in his own special way.  

This heart-warming tale of a little cat made me laugh out loud numerous times and smile frequently.   The story is told by Oliver himself in a manner that felt believable (considering it was a cat telling a story!)  The human characters, as well as the animals, are well crafted and described.  There is a fine attention to detail and nice cat-descriptions (such as children described as human kittens, hands being paws etc.) that anyone who has ever had a cat will enjoy and appreciate.  But it’s not just a book for cat lovers, all who enjoy the company of animals will enjoy Oliver.  The pace of the book is very good, padding along smoothly and evenly, just like a cat, to its ultimate conclusion.  

Will Oliver save Christmas?  Can a cat really do that?  Well, I suggest you read this charming book and find out.  I can honestly say I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

***

Reviewed by Samantha G.

5 of 5*

This is the story of a cat who was introduced to us humans more and more as the book goes on, and although he didn’t really understand half of what was going on, he solved everyone else’s problems. The book is written in the point of view of a cat, adored by the public, telling a story to you. It certainly seems that way until you realise it’s actually a kitten he’s talking to. As the story goes on we learn more about Oliver, the kitten, the other cats, and all the human inhabitants. This book makes you laugh a lot with things like ‘Us cats don’t get the respect we deserve sometimes’, and Oliver adds little comments all over the book that made me smile.

In the end, you’re left with a feeling of satisfaction when everything comes together, and you no longer wonder in every turn of the page… How does the cat save Christmas?!

ARC received from  http://mysteriesandcrimethrillers.blogspot.co.uk/ for review purposes.

A real page turner from Solange Ritchie

The Burning Man by Solange Ritchie

5 out of 5*

 A wonderful book - a real page turner.

Who is The Burning Man?  Why does he do it?  Can he be stopped?  And at what cost? 

Solange Ritchie has written an excellent psychological thriller that will keep you trying to work out the answers to these and many other questions, with twists and turns all the way through this novel.

Cat is the lead character, a wonderful strong female FBI Agent and Forensic Pathologist who struggles like many successful and powerful women to balance her work and home life.  But even with her amazing understanding of the minds of killers and all her FBI training, can she find this man and stop the trail of havoc he leaves in his wake? 

Very much a recommended read.  I thoroughly enjoyed The Burning Man and look forward to seeing what Solange brings out next.

Review of Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen

Rating: 4.5* out of 5

From the beginning in Rome to the end in (… well you’ll just have to read the book to find that out!) this stand-alone thriller, by the always entertaining best-selling author Tess Gerritsen, will enthral and captivate you.  If you’re looking for a Rizzoli and Isles type novel, you won’t find that here.  What you will find is another fascinating side to Tess’s knowledge and abilities and a wonderfully satisfying thriller.

Julia, from whose perspective the book is mainly written, is a professional violinist and happily married mother to three year old Lily living in current-day Boston.  She happens upon a piece of unknown music in a little bookshop while on a trip to Rome, but little does she realise the chain of events that playing this piece will begin upon her return home.  Is Lily really trying to hurt her?  Is something wrong with her precious child?  Why will no-one believe her?  Who is good and who is bad?  From hardly being apart to being afraid of her own daughter, Julia’s story gathers pace quickly really making the reader wonder about the cause of the strange, and very frightening, behaviour.

Interwoven with Julia’s story is another, set in the days before, and early days of, World War 2.  It tells the story of Lorenzo, a Jewish musician and composer living in Venice, and his family and friends.

Though they have never met, and their stories are from different times and places, danger is no stranger to either Julia or Lorenzo making you want to read on and find out more as the pace of this novel accelerates.  Finding out Lorenzo’s story and the history of the Waltz he wrote become vital to Julia (and the reader), leading her own story down unexpected paths with many twists and turns.  

Danger is ever present for both Julia and Lorenzo, but so are beauty, love and music.  The whole book is wonderfully written, even though sometimes about painful subjects, leading the reader to change their mind several times about some of the well thought out characters as the story unfolds and ultimately leads to a very satisfactory ending.

ARC received from  http://mysteriesandcrimethrillers.blogspot.co.uk/ for review purposes.