book blog – Page 6 – nigeladamsbookworm

Deaths Head

Michael Alexander McCarthy

I’m going to start this review with a quote from the book.

“He had been so engrossed in his grandfather’s journal that he read on into the late afternoon without stopping to eat or make himself a drink”

That s exactly what happened to me reading this book. I read, and read and read. This was as close as I’ve gotten to a one sitting read in a long time.

It transformed me back to reading one of my earliest favourite authors, Sven Hassel, and his stories of a band of German Soldiers during WWII.

No glamour, just the horrors of war. The conflict of the regular soldier carrying out orders of delusional, psychopathic, leaders and the gradual numbing of their own moral compasses until they fought as much for their own survival, as they did for the “greater cause”

So who is reading what journal.

David Strachan is a successful business man living in Singapore. He receives notice that his grandfather had passed away in Scotland, and as the next of kin he returns to oversee the clearing of the house and arrange the funeral.

What he finds is that the nice Polish Grandfather he knew was not the person he thought he was.

And Grandad has left a journal relating his early life on the Poland German border, and the fact that as Hitlers war machine was gearing up for war, he had joined the notorious SS.

The journal would have made a great standalone book on its own but wrapped up in the consequences of the effect it will have on Strachan, and what happens after he has finished the journal, this makes for a story which is a cut above.

The story contained in the journal reminded me a lot of the Sven Hassel books but also of the best war book I’ve ever read, The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer. The parallels with this book are striking, especially the traumatic psychological effects the experiences of the young soldiers have on them.

A must read.

Published by Rogue Maille Publishing. Print length 395 pages

Jack’s Back and Unlawfully At Large Mark Romain

Books 2 and 3 of the DCI Jack Tyler series set in London at the turn of the 21st century

By setting the books around the millennium Mark Romain has given himself the ideal era for for a great Police Procedural series

Technology is moving forward at a pace, Forensic use of DNA is well advanced and in use.

The use of Mobile Phone technology for tracking criminals is in its infancy, as is the forensic recovery of data from mobiles.

CCTV is starting to cover more of the City but is nowhere near as all-encompassing as it is now, and the quality isn’t great.

The Police have recently been criticised over their handling of the Stephen Lawrence case and the ramifications ripple through officers day to day investigations.

The woke society is not yet in full swing and officers, rightly or wrongly, get away with stereotyping and, in some cases, forming unfounded opinions of people.

All of this allows Romain to write books about what many people class as “proper policing”. Using the skills of a detective, actually carrying out an investigation into a crime, doing the boot work.

But it also allows Tyler and his team to use the incoming technology. CCTV, ANPR, mobile phone tacking, in its earliest of forms.

Jack’s Back.

A sadistic killer is using Jack The Ripper for inspiration.

Killing prostitutes in the same area of Whitechapel as the Victorian killer, using the original Jack as a template, but he is also out for revenge, could this be his Achilles Heal

As good as Romain is in writing from the police point of view it is the insight into the mind of the perpetrator.

The parts written from the point of view of the killer is chilling enough, but there are some peripheral characters that brought goosebumps.

Prostitutes and pimps feature heavily in this story and are written in a way that brings them to life as well as the Police characters.

The violence and deprivation of the seedy side of life is portrayed graphically, but without being gratuitous.

In telling the story Romain takes the reader inside the mind of minor players, and some nasty gangsters. He shows us the vulnerability of the girls working the streets and introduces us to the desperation for drugs that sees most of these women selling themselves to strangers.

Most shockingly it also shows us the dangers they face.

Unlawfully at Large.

When a vicious gangster is helped to escape police custody Tyler’s team is assigned to the team hunting him, whilst Tyler takes a back seat to that teams DCI. That is until an unfortunate case of food poisoning see Tyler take over as the SIO.

The vicious gangster escapes from custody whilst he’s in hospital. Aided by a family member and an assortment of small time gang members, and a drug dependant prostitute the group leave a trail of destruction during their getaway.

The case is personal for Tyler and his team and they stretch the limits to try to arrest the group before the main man can make the ultimate escape across the channel.

Again this is a gritty story that doesn’t hold back on the shock factor. But what really impressed me in this book is the feelings and emotion described within some of the main characters.

The pure desperation and unhinged logic of the escaping gangster. The realisation by some of the group that he has become unhinged and that they are involved in something way over their heads.

The pure blissful ignorance of one of the gang as he seems to want a normal life, but doesn’t really seem to realise just how much trouble, and danger he’s in.

On the Police side Tyler and his team are pushing the hours to a ridiculous rate. What Romain doesn’t shy away from is the fact that bad decisions can be made when somebody is exhausted.

The Series so far.

I can’t praise this series highly enough. Reading is subjective and everyone has their own likes and dislikes. I know this series won’t be for everyone but for me it ticks all of my boxes.

It’s realistic, it’s set in an era when policing was coming to terms with new technology and the investigations were not over reliant on CCTV or DNA.

Each of these books can be read as a standalone but I’d really suggest reading the whole series in order.

The Mind Of A Murderer. Michael Wood

Billed as the first Dr Olivia Winter book, I’m really hoping this turns into a long series.

Dr Olivia Winter carries the scars of a failed attempt on her life when she was 9 years old.

The attacker killed her mother and sister, and was the last attacks of a notorious serial killer. He was also her father, who is now serving a life sentence.

Olivia has become a world renowned expert on serial killers, travelling the world to interview them, publishing books on them, and doing lecture talks to students and academics.

But, she won’t work live cases. She has been asked numerous times but she won’t get involved.

When her best friend, a Detective in the Met, visits with a file on four recent murders she still refuses to get involved, until the unthinkable happens, then she has no choice.

Somebody is just walking into peoples houses and killing women. There’s no sign of a forced entry, no attempt at sexual assault, but there is signs of a chase. All of the scenes indicate that the killer likes to instil fear into his victims before making the final stab or slash.

Nobody has seen them come, or go, from the buildings.

The Police are at a dead end.

So what can Olivia add to the investigation.

As it turns out her insight and thoughts are brilliant, but there’s one person that could help identify the killers thought process even better, her father.

The story is great and I enjoyed every page. Michael Wood has created at least one character, in Olivia, that I’m really looking forward to reading more of.

My only problem is all the time I was reading this book I was thinking I’ve know this story, or at least the plot.

As much as the story felt familiar I know haven’t read a version this good.

The one thing I hope is that the series doesn’t turn into the daughter, brilliant minded, police consultant; and father, incarcerated mass murderer, forming an alliance that is unwanted by Olivia, but manufacturing by her father’s manipulations.

That really would be too similar to other things

Pages: 454. Publisher One More Chapter. Publishing date: 28th March 2024

Turf War. Mark Romain

A new author to me, and the start of a five book series.

Before I did a bit of research on the author I already knew I was going to find he had served as a Police Officer, and was not surprised to find he was an experienced Met Officer who had done two stints on Homicide.

You really can’t write a book that catches the essence of an investigation this well without having “earned the t-shirt”

When the leader of one of three gangs, struggling to take overall control of an area of London, decides to hire outsiders to hit a rivals operation, he only has one thing in mind.

Blaming another gang and a tarting a turf war between his rivals.

DCI Jack Tyler’s team are in the middle of the investigation, into the killing of three Turkish Gangsters when he becomes aware that the incident may be linked to an operation being run by his friend, Tony Dillon, in the Organised Crime Group.

To cap Tyler’s day off his ex-wife is caught in a Violent Steaming incident on a train.

The incidents are all linked by different gangs, and the individuals in the gangs.

The way Mark aroma in has written this makes it a real page turner.

The plot of the crimes, and the characters for each, overlap like a well planned Venn Diagram.

Tyler is undoubtedly the main character but Dillon, and several of the gang members are given almost equal time in the book, and the story unfolds with the reader getting an almost 360 degree insight into what is happening.

The politics, and democratic, of each gang is really well portrayed.

The thoughts, observations, and concerns of Tyler from the policing side, and the Meeks brothers from the gang side, are really well written and take the reader right into the heart of the story.

I loved the story, the characters and ten way it was written, the next book, Jacks Back, is already on my Kindle and has gone straight to the top of my to-be-read list

Print length: 674 pages.

The Detectives Daughter. Erica Spindler

I’ve been through a bit of a reading lull recently and was finding it hard to get into books, unusual for me as I’ll tend to read at least 2 a week.

I googled authors similar to Greg Iles, my favourite US crime author, and Erica Spindler came up at the top of several reviewers suggestions.
I wasn’t disappointed.

The Detectives Daughter is my first of her books, and it held me from page one.

A fast paced story which never wonders into the fanciful, or impossible.
The story of two murders linked by two families and two detectives.
The first led to the older detective’s untimely resignation and death. The crime he never solved.

His daughter, now also a detective has always wanted to look at the crime again, but when a murder brings some of the same people into the spotlight she has her chance.

Will it finish her career of also.

Based in New Orleans Detective Quinn Conners is a no nonsense murder detective. Following in her father’s footsteps she deals with crime in Americas Deep South.

Called to a shooting at a party it first appears to be an open-an-shut case, but soon things start to look a bit more complicated.

One of the families involved was also involved in the case that haunted her father to his grave.

Although years apart the cases seem to be connected.

The problem is there’s some New Orleans Old Family money involved.

I have to say that I thought the ending to the plot was a bit telegraphed, until my hypothesis proved only partially right. But this didn’t spoil the story. In fact it added to it because all of a sudden the plot took another turn, and the story that gripped me from the start held on to me tightly until the end.

Publisher: Double Shot Press. Pages: 458

Bad Blood. Angela Marsons

I’ve been with this series since the start, and dispite my old bias that I always thought books lost their impact the longer the series went on, this series just keeps getting better and better.

In an unusual chain of events DI Kim Stone is sent to a murder, only to find that the body isn’t actually a dead…….yet!

To all intents and purposes, to the point it’s even confused the pathologist, it looks dead, but suddenly somebody realises the man is still alive.

He doesn’t survive long and Kim, and the team, start a murder investigation that has them scratching their collective heads.

When another body turns up, killed and posed in a similar manner, there appears to be no link between the two victims.

But there is, and as the team start to put the pieces of the puzzle together hey begin to build a list of suspects.

Based on revenge, but revenge for who, and by who. The killer has an agenda, and is the epitome of the “a dish best served cold” killer.

But it’s not just the murders that Kim is having problems with. One of her team is struggling. They made a mistake and are suffering for it. Their work is affected, as is their home life.

But what really gets on Kim’s nerves is that they didn’t feel they could share the problem with her and the rest of the team.

Angela Marsons writes these books as if she’s been in an incident room. The procedures, are there but rules are to be broken, and not just by Stone. Things get done because the team use their knowledge and experience to push boundaries.

The relationships in the team. Stones trusty DS Bryant acting as the filter between her and the DC’s, and at times, her and the public. The DC’s both loving working with her but scared of her wrath hence things aren’t going well.

Even though stone hasn’t got a family she is the matriarch of her little Police team. So when one of the DC’s falls out of favour it affects everybody.

He humour is also spot on, the gallows humour of the emergency service first responders is sometimes overlooked, by others, but not here.

The interaction between Stone and Keats, the Pathologist, had me chuckling….I mean, he did think a living man was dead.

One of the things I love about these books is the way Angela introduced that element of doubt early in the series, by killing off one of the main characters. There’s not guarantee that everything’s going to turn out rosy. So you can’t take it for granted that bridges will be mended.

I saw a post on TikTok the other day where a blogger had started a thread, “ Which books do you wish you could read again for the first time” I didn’t even have to think about it. The Kim Stone series. From book 1, Silent Scream, right up to this latest instalment, all in one binge.

But now we might just have something to look forward to in that respect. Angela Marsons announced a few weeks ago that the series has been taken by a TV company that produces dramas for the BBC.

So maybe we will get to enjoy them all over again.

Pages: 415. Publisher: Bookouture. Available now. Audiobook. 8 hours 12 minutes. Narrator: Jan Cramer.

AMZ: https://geni.us/B0CFK57VD9social

Apple: https://ow.ly/iQUQ50Q6JbI

Kobo: https://ow.ly/yIkI50Q6JbQ

Google: https://ow.ly/CBLS50Q6Jc0

The Running Grave. Robert Galbraith

Strike and Robin are back for their latest instalment and the story is really good.

The latest client wants his son brought to safety from a Cult run from a farm in Norfolk.

The clan have long been accused of abusive and coercive behaviour, but hide behind a wall of of litigation against those that make the accusation they appear almost bomb proof.

The only way to shut them down, and release their clients son, is to gather evidence from inside.

Somebody needs to go undercover. Join the “religion” and live at the farm.

Whoever that is is going to need a strong mind to withstand the torturous regime inside that attacks both body and mind.

It fall to Robin to enter the building but both Strike, her family, and her new Police Officer boyfriend are against it..

Nevertheless she insists she has to be the one and worms her way in.

What follows is a dark tale of a manipulation of the mind and a weakening of the body.

Can she stay strong enough to stay true to herself, to gather evidence, and to get out unharmed and mentally undamaged.

Meanwhile on the outside Strike and his team carry on that investigation whilst covering the usual distractions of day to day detective agency work.

Bullet points. I loved the story, I loved the characters, I loved the little side stories that detract from the main plot and give a bit of humour, and yes there’s a but coming.

“But” it’s long and I’m pretty sure the story wouldn’t have lost any of its impact if some of the more erroneous text was left out. As much as I like descriptive narratives at times it can go too far.

On numerous occasions I found myself skipping pages which described the decor of a pub, or room within the compound.

I like long books, but only where the text is relevant. Unfortunately, and really unusually for me, I stopped reading this book twice and went to read other books before going back.

After reading 900 plus pages the end seemed a little rushed. Which surprised me.

But the last few paragraphs, of the last chapter , made reading every word worth it.

Pages 961. Audio book length 34 hours 13 minutes. Narrator Robert Glenister

The Scorned. Alex Khan

A good Police Procedural novel with strong characters.

At times this book is a tough read and contains triggers for anybody who has suffered domestic abuse.

A tough Asian Lady who has run away from her own “arranged” , and abusive marriage is now a Detective Sergeant working on serious crimes. Moomy Ali is a great character.

When two women, with no apparently link are brutally murdered, within hours of each other Moomy and her team are tasked to investigate.

Why have the Home Office sent an observer in to watch over the team, even before the first victim is identified.

The teams fears that they are being used as some form of political pawn doesn’t stop them carrying out an investigation that uncovers a disturbing scenario.

There appears to be a group of people being manipulated to kill, born on their hatred of women.

During the investigation they uncover bigoted hate in various forms, which are unfortunately very realistic and believable.

But which group, and which leader are responsible for the killings.

As much as this book is a great story it’s also a sad reflection on elements of today’s society.

Frighteningly realistic, and at times hard to read, it’s a great book.

Pages 377. Publisher: Hera Release Date: 5th October 2023

Anna O. Matthew Blake

I’ve read a few books with really original plots recently but I think this one stand out.

Anna O is an infamous young lady who was found lying between two people who had stabbed to death. She was asleep, and four years later she still is.

The judiciary wants to put her on trial, but first they need to get her into a fit enough condition to stand trial.

They have her moved to the Abbey sleep clinic on Harley Street and place her under the treatment of Dr Benedict Prince, who has recently published a paper on Resignation Syndrome. (That had me reaching for Google and spending a good hour reading about the syndrome)

From there the plot splits between several characters.

Benedict himself.

His ex wife, who was the first Police Officer on the scene of the murder.

Anna O’s Mom, an ex Shadow Minister, now Vicar , who was, and is, more interested in saving her own reputation than that of her daughter.

Anna’s Dad, a Banker who has little in common with his wife or daughter.

Lola, a blogger and armchair detective that is linked to Anna, and possibly the murders. Her online persona is @Suspect8. Insinuating she was at the scene.

The plot is brilliantly woven from the outlook of each of these characters.

It’s a battle for the truth. Is Anna O a murderer, or a convenient scapegoat.

Can Benedict rouse her from her sleep and have her sufficiently compos mantis enough to tell her story.

The Publishers Gumph

What if your nightmares weren’t really nightmares at all?

We spend an average of 33 years of our lives asleep. But what really happens, and what are we capable of, when we sleep?

Anna Ogilvy was a budding twenty-five-year-old writer with a bright future. Then, one night, she stabbed two people to death with no apparent motive–and hasn’t woken up since. Dubbed “Sleeping Beauty” by the tabloids, Anna’s condition is a rare psychosomatic disorder known to neurologists as “resignation syndrome.”

Dr. Benedict Prince is a forensic psychologist and an expert in the field of sleep-related homicides. His methods are the last hope of solving the infamous “Anna O'”case and waking Anna up so she can stand trial. But he must be careful treating such a high-profile suspect–he’s got career secrets and a complicated personal life of his own.

As Anna shows the first signs of stirring, Benedict must determine what really happened and whether Anna should be held responsible for her crimes.

Only Anna knows the truth about that night, but only Benedict knows how to discover it. And they’re both in danger from what they find out.

What I thought

It’s a real page turner of a book. I’d never heard of Resignation Syndrome before, and I’ve found out that it’s a relatively newly diagnosed condition, but I can see many more authors using it as the spine of a plot.

The plot itself is really good and with one exception I didn’t second guess where the story was going.

At 448 pages it’s a bit long but not a page is wasted.

I can’t wait to see what Matthew Blake writes next.

Saving Myles. Carl Vonderau

Every parents nightmare, and that’s just the beginning.

As a father I would do anything to ensure my daughters safety, and that’s where things start to go wrong for Banker Wade.

His son Myles is really troubled, failing school, heavily into drugs, slowly ruining his own life.

Wade arranges an intervention. He has Myles forcibly taken from his home and placed into rehab, for a year.

When Myles comes home he runs off to Mexico with his “Girlfriend” and is kidnapped by the cartel.

To raise the ransom Wade agrees to work for another Bank, but what he is actually doing is working for the Cartel.

This is a story of love and sacrifice that leads to a parents downward spiral.

Moralistically I emphasised with Wade, and wanted to slap Myles.

But ultimately I wanted to shout at Wade to wake up and see what he was getting himself into.

And all of this is only the begining

Publishers Gumph ⬇️⬇️⬇️

When the FBI can’t help, an unassuming banker takes matters into his own hands to bring his son home

Wade, a respected banker in La Jolla, CA, and his estranged wife, Fiona, make the unbearable decision to send their teenage son, Myles, away to an expensive treatment center after a streak of harmful behavior. After a year of treatment, Myles comes home, seemingly rehabilitated. But soon, he sneaks off to Tijuana to buy drugs—and is kidnapped.

When the ransom call comes, Fiona is frantic and accepts help from Andre, the Quebecois whose charity Fiona runs. Wade is wary of Andre’s reputation and the bank he owns, but seeing no other way to secure a kidnap negotiator or the ransom, he swallows his doubts to get his son home.

In order to get the ransom money, Wade makes a deal with Andre—he’ll work for Andre’s bank in exchange for the cash. But as Wade races to rescue Myles before his kidnappers lose their patience, he realizes he’s wrapped up in more crime than just a kidnapping—he’s now indebted to a cartel.