Book reviews - Relax and Read Book Reviews

Promises to Keep - Elizabeth Haynes

27/2/2014

4/5

Book Description
Haunted by a tragic death, Jo finds temporary respite from the all-consuming memories through running; it's the only thing that is keeping her sane. So when she discovers a young boy living rough in the woods, Jo is determined to do everything within her power to keep him safe. DS Sam Hollands wants to get her relationship back on track, unsure of how to make things right. But everything changes when she returns from work one night to find a stranger in her home . . .

My review
I love Elizabeth Haynes’ novels, because through them she always tries to raise the readers’ consciousness of problems encountered by particular sectors of people in society. In ‘Into the Darkest Corner’, we are made aware of persons suffering from physical and psychological violence and OCD. ‘Human Remains’ urges us to take more care of lonely neighbours who might need our help.

With ‘Promises to Keep’, the author focuses on the difficulties encountered by asylum seekers and the systems through which they are processed. These people leave everything behind and risk their lives in order to try and start a new life in a foreign country.

We meet Jo, a civilian detention officer and her female partner Sam, a Detective Sergeant. Jo is currently on long term sick leave suffering from stress, caused by the death of a detained teenage asylum seeker whom she had promised to help. She goes out jogging in the woods to release tension and clear her mind. On one particular day, her usual jogging route takes an unexpected turn.

I think that this literary work is just the prequel to other novels to come as it ends quite abruptly with certain issues still unsolved. I enjoyed reading it, but I must advise all those that want to read it, that it is very short, just 6 chapters long.

The Sad Man - P.D. Viner

25/2/2014

5/5

Book Description
Police officer Tom Bevans is nicknamed the Sad Man by his colleagues. As a Family Liaison Officer he is always the bearer of bad news - it is his job to tell the friends and family of victims the fate of their loved ones. But Tom is weighted down by crimes both old and new - haunted by the death of his best friend Dani, whose murder has never been solved.
When a rare opportunity emerges for Tom to take the lead in a horrific murder investigation, he is determined to get justice for the victim. A young girl has been found in her own home, cut so badly - and so carefully - that she has bled to death, leaving a deliberate pool of blood in the shape of angel wings....

My review
Police officer Tom Bevans, also known as 'The Sad Man', is a Family Liaison Officer (FLO). He delivers tragic news to families of murder or accident victims. Tom suffers with these people as he knows well enough what it means to lose a loved one. Dani Lancing, a girl he loved all his life has been the victim of a yet unsolved murder. He is still in love with her and continuously hears her voice echoing in his mind. He talks to her as if she is still alive.

After twelve years as FLO, Tom wants to advance in his career. An opportunity arises when a horrible murder takes place and the current DI is out on sick. He is temporarily appointed Acting DI to solve this murder.

The body of a young woman is found in an art gallery. The killer is very meticulous. The victim's blood is artistically displayed in the shape of angel wings. Tom soon realises that this will not be an easy case to solve. Being his first case, will he succeed in putting this killer behind bars?

At one point the story took a turn I found somewhat strange and was about to lose interest, however soon after that an unexpected twist rekindled my full attention and kept me hooked till the end.

This was a really well written book and I was impressed with the author's ability to write a complete and interesting murder account together with background information and believable characters in just over 100 pages. Well Done !!

Killing Mum - Allan Guthrie

23/2/2014

2/5

Book Description
Receiving ten grand as down payment on a hit isn't that much of a surprise to Carlos Morales. After all, arranging contract killings is his business. But he never expected that someone might want his mother dead!
What's equally troubling is the fact that the anonymous package arrived addressed to 'Charlie'. Only two people call him by that name: his wife and his mother. Has his wife just hired him to whack her mother-in-law? Or is his mother just looking for some help to put an end to her misery? Or maybe there's another answer entirely.
One thing's for sure: Carlos is about to find out.

My review
Carlos Morales is not a killer. He's just an intermediary. He makes arrangements for someone else to do the killing.

One day he receives a note together with a bundle of cash for such a job, but he is shocked. The note is addressed to 'Charlie' giving instructions to eliminate Valerie Anderson. Now only his wife and mum call him Charlie and Valerie Anderson is his mother! Is this a sick joke? Who wants his mother dead?

This is a short story that starts off in a very interesting and promising way, but which unfortunately gets increasingly confusing as it progresses. By the end I could not understand what was happening. The ending was disappointing and just made no sense at all.

Human Remains - Elizabeth Haynes

22/2/2014

4/5

Book Description
Annabel, a police analyst, is shocked when she discovers her neighbor’s decomposing body in the house next door. And she’s appalled to think that no one noticed her absence.
Back at work, she sets out on her own to investigate, and finds that such cases are frighteningly common in her hometown.

My review
After reading Elizabeth Haynes' wonderful debut novel 'Into the Darkest Corner', I read 'Human Remains', her third novel. Whilst this book cannot be compared to her first one, I found it quite tough to read and it was a real struggle for me to get through to the end. I'm not saying that it's a bad novel because obviously Ms.Haynes did a lot of research to write it. It's probably because of the central themes of the book which are lonliness and body decomposition. This is in fact quite a disturbing, dark novel.

'Human Remains' raises certain questions such as: How much do we know our neighbours? Do we look onto and care about neighbours who live alone, especially elderly people?

We meet Annabel Hayer, a police analyst who lives alone with her cat. One night, smelling a foul smell goes to investigate her neighbour's house which she thought was empty and discovers a decomposed body inside. Through further research at work she realises that the number of lonely people found decomposed long after they have died in their own homes in that county has increased remarkably from the last year. Not being considered as suspicious deaths, since no evidence is ever found, the police is not interested to investigate such cases. Annabel is however determined to dig further.

We also meet Colin Friedland, or 'Creepy Colin' a weird, highly intelligent man who has no real friends. He also lives alone and studies a lot. As the book chapters progress, Colin's sick mind and doings are gradually exposed. I ended up hating Colin and I began to dread reading his chapters. At some points Colin interacts directly with the reader by asking specific questions. I think that this was a brilliant, original concept brought about by Ms.Haynes because it brings the reader even closer to the character.

The various victims found also interact with us throughout the book. In fact each one recounts his/her lives so that we may understand better why they had ended up all alone in their homes.

Unfortunately I found this book to be quite boring at times as we are given chunks of scientific explanations related to decomposition, which though highly interesting, I found rather off putting. However on the whole, Ms Haynes' excellent and evocative narration just makes the pages flow by and that is the main reason why I didn't rate it less than 4 stars.

In Cold Blonde - James L. Conway

10/2/2014

5/5

Book Description
Alice was hot. Blonde hair. Green eyes. Great body. And smart. Only one problem, she was a cold-blooded murderer. But Alice wasn’t targeting just anyone. She had a list of men who had to die. Men who deserved to suffer because of what they did to her.

The cops called her the Lady in Red. And two of LAPD’s best homicide cops were trying to stop her, Ryan and his beautiful partner Syd. They were ambitious, talented detectives with a secret -- they were also lovers. But the secrets didn’t stop there. Ryan and Syd also hid deadly secrets from each other.

My review
This book had been waiting to be read in my kindle for months. Since it was free on amazon, I had the notion that it would be another nonsense story and kept pushing it back. Now that I've finished it, I know how mistaken I was. This is an incredibly good, well written book.

A cold-blooded serial killer is on the loose...

Two L.A.P.D. homicide detectives, Ryan Magee and his beautiful redhead partner Syd Curtis (who are also secret lovers) are called to a murder scene in a car park at the back of a Hollywood nightclub. The scene is gruesome, bloody, the victim has been mutilated. Initial investigations indicate that the killer is probably a woman. In fact the victim has been seen in the company of a hot, blonde, green-eyed woman in a sexy red dress that night. She is hence appropriately dubbed 'The Lady in Red'.

From the beginning the killer's identity is known...she's Alice Waterman. She's not killing at random and she's killing for a reason. She has a list of men she needs to punish for something that happened eleven years earlier.

As the body count rises, Ryan and Syd realise that in order to trace the killer, they need to find a link between the victims, but this does not prove easy.

A 47 million dollar lottery winning ticket also plays a central role in this thriller. A ticket that everybody wants and that can change the lives of many people.

With the exception of one character, who I really hated, I really loved all the others, especially Ryan and Syd, the detectives. As well as hiding their relationship from everyone, they also keep secrets from each other. Secrets regarding their past lives. I even ended up liking The Lady in Red.

While the story is slightly predictable, this did nothing to mar the general plot and I really enjoyed myself reading it through to the surprise ending which I also liked.

If you feel disgusted by detailed sex and rape scenes, if you don't like bloody, gruesome scenes, then this book is not for you. To the others all I can say is grab this book and read it. You will not be disappointed.

Grave Intention - M.A.Comley

6/2/2014

5/5

Book Description
Private investigator Ellen Brazil is hired to find ex-banker Charles Dugan, who disappeared after his mansion burned to the ground. Ellen quickly discovers that Dugan's new profession--playing poker full time--has earned him a circle of very dangerous "friends." Ellen's investigation is disrupted when her mother is injured, leaving Ellen to wonder why her mother's abusive husband has gone missing when he should be at the hospital. Ellen finds herself trying to solve two cases at once while smoothing over her own personal issues. When she learns Dugan has plans to flee the country, Ellen knows it's imperative to find him before the gang he owes money to discover his whereabouts and carry out their grave intentions.

My review
'Grave Intention' is the latest top-notch thriller by M.A. Comley. It is the second in her new 'Intention' series following 'Sole Intention' featuring Ellen Brazil and Brian Lynx from the Worcester Missing Persons Hotline. I loved and enjoyed reading 'Sole Intention' very much but this was even better.

As from the beginning, this thriller is full of suspense and intrigue, but it also includes some moments of laugh-out-loud humour throughout (which I really enjoyed) and even a sprinkle of romance. We learn how the relationship between Ellen and Brian develops. Ellen's mother and her step dad also take a central role.

A decision...
To everyone's surprise, Charles Dugan, a wealthy top banker decides to quit his job and become a professional high-stake poker game player. After several encouraging wins, his gambling obsession gets out of control and he loses all money won and becomes bankrupt. He had been messing with the 'big boys' and is now highly in debt with them.

A tragedy...
Flames engulf the Dugan's mansion and it is completely destroyed. Three charred bodies presumed to be those of the family members, Charles and Tina Dugan and their daughter Peaches are found inside.

A call...
As plumes of smoke still rise from the burnt house, Marsha Lord, the late Tina Dugan's sister receives a phone call from Charles Dugan, her brother-in-law who was supposed to have died in the inferno. He doesn't say where he is, he seems to be in distress but he's evidently alive... and on the run.

A search...
A frantic Marsha contacts Ellen Brazil to help her find Charles Dugan. From the outset, Ellen smells something fishy and is convinced that not everything is as it seems in this case. Was the fire an accident or intentional? Who wanted the Dugan family dead and why? Where is Charles Dugan? Why did he run away while his house burned down? With the help of her partner Brian Lynx and cop brother Jim, Ellen begins her investigation and delves into the life history of Charles and his family, but will she make it on time to find him before something terrible happens to him?

I really had a good time reading this book and I highly recommend it. As usual with M.A. Comley's books, the characters and dialogue are very realistic. The book also teaches a lesson...that before taking any major decision in life, one must always carefully consider the repercussions that such decision might bring about on them and their families.

The Merry Widow - M.A.Comley

2/2/2014

5/5

Book Description
It’s just an ordinary day in the life of D I Lorne Simpkins until she gets a phone call from a woman whose husband has died in unusual circumstances.
Lorne takes up the case with disastrous results for both her and her partner DS Pete Childs.

My review
A short, somewhat funny story featuring my favourite DI, Lorne Simpkins and her partner Pete Childs.
An agitated woman asks Lorne to investigate the death of her husband who died in unusual circumstances. Their visit to her home is surely not short of surprises and by the end poor Pete gets more than he had bargained for.

Into the darkest corner - Elizabeth Haynes

1/2/2014

5/5

Book Description
Catherine Bailey has been enjoying the single life long enough to know a catch when she sees one. Gorgeous, charismatic and spontaneous, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true. And her friends clearly agree, as each in turn falls under his spell. But what begins as flattering attentiveness and passionate sex turns into raging jealousy, and Catherine soon learns there is a darker side to Lee. His increasingly erratic, controlling behaviour becomes frightening, but no one believes her when she shares her fears. Increasingly isolated and driven into the darkest corner of her world, a desperate Catherine plans a meticulous escape.

Four years later, Lee is behind bars and Catherine—now Cathy—compulsively checks the locks and doors in her apartment, trusting no one. But when an attractive upstairs neighbour, Stuart, comes into her life, Cathy dares to hope that happiness and love may still be possible . . . until she receives a phone call informing her of Lee’s impending release. Soon after, Cathy thinks she catches a glimpse of the former best friend who testified against her in the trial; she begins to return home to find objects subtly rearranged in her apartment, one of Lee’s old tricks. Convinced she is back in her former lover’s sights, Cathy prepares to wrestle with the demons of her past for the last time.

My review
Wow! Elizabeth Haynes is a phenomenon!!

'Into the Darkest Corner' is one of those books that is so full of suspense that it boosts your adrenaline to sky high levels. It takes hold of your mind from the first page, keeps your eyes pinned to the pages and won't let you put it down until you've finished it.

This is the story of Catherine Bailey, a young, beautiful woman, recounted over two separate timelines, 4 years apart. At the beginning it took me a little while to get used to the shift from one time period to the other as this occurs from one chapter to the next throughout the book, but soon I noticed that despite the 4 year gap, the author has cleverly correlated consecutive chapters in some way or another.

At the beginning, Catherine is a fun loving, party going girl. She goes out every night with her friends to bars and clubs. She drinks a lot and every night either drags someone to her place or ends up in some stranger's bed.

One night she meets a gorgeous, sensual man named Lee. They are immediately attracted to and fall for each other. Their relationship is very sexual from the start and we have numerous steamy sex scenes. However, after some time it becomes obsessive. Lee focuses all his attention absolutely on her. At first she feels protected but then she begins to feel suffocated. She becomes increasingly isolated by his jealous and controlling behaviour. All her friends abandon her. I compared Lee's effect on Catherine with grey clouds slowly covering a bright moon and bringing about complete darkness. At one point looking back she realises that : "It wasn't about walking away anymore. It was about running. It was about escape".

Four years later Cathy is a very different person, a shadow of her former self, living alone a very insecure life. She's always afraid and trusts no one. Suffering from an extreme case of OCD she constantly checks the locks on her front door and windows. In fact we have a LOT of checking in this book. We know that something extremely bad has happened to her to have changed her to the state she's in. We also know that her relationship with Lee has ended but we are given the details further on in the book.

Stuart, an attractive young man comes to live in a flat upstairs. He patiently begins to help her with her condition and to rebuild her life. In time Cathy starts to feel better and regains some confidence. She begins to hope that once again love and happiness will make part of her life. This until one phone call arrives and all that she had so painstakingly recreated comes tumbling down to rubble.

I really loved this book and I highly recommend it. I didn't want it to end. My coffee remained untouched and turned cold as I couldn't stop reading the last quarter. The author gives life to her characters in such a realistic way that it made me appreciate the difficulties faced by people suffering from OCD and to realise that each and everyone of us could find him or herself in Catherine's situation. If it were so, would we be able to fight and have our lives back?