Following on from my recent post about stepping back from reviewing (see here), one of the things that concerned me was the books I’d read and not reviewed. I wanted to give the authors the shout out they deserved, especially when in some cases I’d agreed a review.
Now I know that some people do a mini-review, but with the number I have that puts me right back in the pressure firing line to even do those. So I’ve decided to simply shout out, by way of a few words, over the course of several posts. Essentially I really enjoyed these books and thoroughly recommend them. Had I written a full review, I can assure you it would have been a glowing one. So have a look and see what takes your fancy.
I love a good police procedural and this one perfectly fitted the bill. Set in the early noughties it has a great sense of time and place. While investigating a fairly run of the mill case, DI Strong finds himself drifting into cold case territory with the infamous Wearside Jack tape. It’s a strong story line and introduces journalist and friend Bob Souter to create a realistic, working relationship. The good news is, if you enjoyed this like I did, there’s another 3 books in the series.
When DI Colin Strong interviews a suspect on suspicion of handling stolen goods he’s convinced he’s heard their voice before. Nearly 25 years ago the tape of Wearside Jack taunted West Yorkshire Police and his suspect fits the profile.
Then the body of a known burglar shows up and a mysterious metal case is discovered at the scene.
Strong turns to his close friend, journalist Bob Souter, and embarks on an awkward alliance to probe areas he is unable to explore.
As the murder suspects start to disappear Strong must discover just who the shadowy figure inciting fear and panic amongst those he encounters is.
Strong wants to bring a murderer to justice and Souter is hungry for a story.
Who will get to the truth first and can their friendship remain intact?
Disaster Inc by Caimh McDonnell
My OH loves this series, but coming late to the party I started with this one, which sees Bunny McGarry move Stateside (albeit illegally). It’s a creative story line, with Bunny stumbling into trouble and investigating his way out, with his own unique brand of comedic chaos. Clever, pacy and very, very funny. The good news – the next in the series is also available now.
All Bunny McGarry wants is a spot of breakfast and a decent cup of tea. So imagine how annoyed he gets when two masked men attempt to rob the New York diner he is in? Unfortunately, dealing with that problem just leads to a whole lot more. One of the diner’s other customers isn’t who she appears to be, and the odds aren’t great that she is going to live to see another breakfast.
So just how much trouble is she in?
Well, you know how they’re always telling us to pay attention to our pensions? Some ex-employees of the US government are really taking that advice to heart by using their mayhem-creating abilities to maximise their investments. When one of their fund managers has a momentary crisis of conscience and confesses all to a woman he hardly knows, they will stop at nothing to deal with the problem. Amy Daniels is in big trouble and the only thing keeping her alive is a man who is supposed to already be dead.
A cracking debut novel with a gritty, though not unrealistic story line of human trafficking (I will admit I had to flick pages a couple of times). Couple that with the ongoing struggle of Detective Boone to adapt to her old/new life after memory loss and it’s a gripping read. It has some brilliant characterisation and the inclusion of Boone’s old work colleague Barb adds a lighter touch, as well as a working relationship that surely has future partnership written all over it.
Waking up, she couldn’t remember anything. Who she was. Who had taken her. How to escape.
Detective Abigail Boone has been missing for four days when she is finally found, confused and broken. Suffering retrograde amnesia, she is a stranger to her despairing husband and bewildered son.Hopelessly lost in her own life, with no leads on her abduction, Boone’s only instinct is to revisit the case she was investigating when she vanished: the baffling disappearance of a young woman, Sarah Still.
Defying her family and the police, Boone obsessively follows a deadly trail to the darkest edges of human cruelty. But even if she finds Sarah, will Boone ever be the same again?
The Chemical Detective by Fiona Erskine
On the face of it, not normally a book I’d be drawn too but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a pacy, adventure/thriller that grabs you from the start. Jaq Silver is a kick ass heroine, if James Bond and Lara Croft had an adult love child, then I imagine Jaq would fit the bill nicely. She’s an intelligent, older woman with a penchant for young attractive men – sounds like my kind of role model. If you want a gripping, location hopping tale, with an intelligent, well researched contemporary plot, then give this ago. It’s an impressive debut and I’m hoping that it isn’t the only adventure for Jaq Silver.
Dr Jaqueline Silver blows things up to keep people safe.
Working on avalanche control in Slovenia, she stumbles across a delivery problem with a consignment of explosives. After raising a complaint with the supplier, Zagrovyl, a multinational chemical company and her ex-employer, her evidence disappears. She is warned, threatened, accused of professional incompetence and suspended. Taking her complaint to Zagrovyl head office, she narrowly escapes death only to be framed for murder. Escaping from police custody, she sets out to find the key to the mystery.
From the snowy slopes of Slovenia, to the wreckage of Chernobyl, Jaq attempts to expose the trade in deadly chemical weapons, while fighting for her life.
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