In Harm’s Way by Owen Mullen. Bloodhound Books.

 

Blurb:

What if someone you loved was in harm’s way?

    

What if you were being stalked and no one believed you?

What if you were abducted in broad daylight?

What if you were held captive in a cellar?

What would you do?

Mackenzie Crawford screamed.

 

What if your wife admitted she had a lover?

What if she went out without saying where she was going?

What if you discovered she’d left?

What would you do?

Derek Crawford fell apart.

 

What if a troubled woman disappeared?

What if her brother begged you to help?

What if there was no evidence of a crime?

What would you do?

In Glasgow, DI Andrew Geddes puts the case to the top of his list.

 

My Thoughts:

I have been a fan of Owen’s writing since his Charlie Cameron days. I’m a fan to say the least. His writing has improved with each book., in the quality of his writing, the roundness of his characters and the depth of his stories. This book was no exception.

The opening of the book sets the tone and pace of the story.

We have a mysterious stranger looking to buy a house. A house that seems to have few requirements; a basement containing enough room for a bed,a heater, a chemical toilet and the chain. Also remoteness.

And we also find Mackenzie doing her food shopping, fighting against, and failing her temptation to buy alcohol.

Mackenzie and Derek Crawford’s marriage is falling apart at the seams. Mackenzie is an alcoholic and Derek?; he is an older husband with a controlling streak. He seems to be a caring  husband but Mackenzie resents his interference, which she sees it as.

Mackenzie and Derek start out having a day out in Glasgow; a day that ends in arguments, accusations and recriminations. It carries on as the day progresses.

The action involves two other couples; Gavin and Monica, Blair and Adele. All is rosy with these couples or is it?  Gavin and Adele just happen to be siblings of Mackenzie. Not only do they carry the shame of being related to an alcoholic, but do they have skeletons of their own?

As I have said earlier, Owen has created a multilayered tale with, with plenty of false trails and food for though. The man just gets better with each book. Well you know what they say practise makes perfect.

The only thing wrong with this book is, you will race through it and will be left bereft waiting on the next one from Owen.

I recommend this book to you all and urge you to read it!

The Author:

 

Author Profile:

Owen Mullen is a McIlvanney Crime Book Of The Year long-listed novelist.

Games People Play will be translated for the German market.

And So It Began earned a coveted Sunday Times Crime Club Star Pick.

Owen graduated from Strathclyde University, moved to London and worked as a  rock musician, session singer and songwriter, and had a hit record in Japan with a band he refuses to name; he still loves to perform on occasion. His passion for travel has taken him on many adventures from the Amazon and Africa to the colourful continent of India and Nepal. A gregarious recluse, he and his wife, Christine, split their time between Glasgow, and their home in the Greek Islands where both the Charlie Cameron and Delaney series’ were created. His latest novel In Harm’s Way is a  psychological thriller set in Scotland.

Links:

bit.ly/OwenMullenBlogOnGoodreads

bit.ly/YouTube-OwenMullen

bit.ly/Twitter-OwenMullen6

bit.ly/FB-OwenMullen

bit.ly/Instagram-OwenMullen

bit.ly/Google-OwenMullen

bit.ly/Goodreads-OwenMullen

bit.lyLinkedIn-OwenMullen

bit.ly/Pinterest-Owen-Mullen

Buy Owen’s books on Amazon and all good book sellers.

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Thanks to Cheryl Elaine.

No Ordinary Girl: Mind : tainted. Body : broken. Revenge; in motion…

by

Cheryl Elaine

What started out as a night of celebration for Aimee soon turned into a nightmare. Snatched by cruel, sadistic monsters – the worst creatures mankind has ever produced – she’s thrown into a metal container, among other victims too frightened to make a single sound.

The game-keepers force everyone to play. They deliver torment and pain in equal measure. Every hunter has their own agenda and reasons to maim and torture.

Detective Johnson is one step away from catching the killers. Wrestling with his instincts as a father to serve justice his own way, this is no ordinary case for him. Can he stop the vile sadists before they damage more young girls, as well as his own daughter?

Aimee’s ordeal within the compound brings her to the conclusion that she’s no ordinary girl. But can she hang onto her sanity long enough to escape? And will she find a different way to play?

This crime thriller will keep you riveted. It’s no ordinary story.

Please note: contains graphic content.

My thoughts :

What a fast read this was. A crossover between horror.and crime . I could see it as a film as well as a novel. When you look at the author’s face you wonder why a nice face could mask such a twisted mind. But they sometimes say the nice ones are the worst! If you are looking for a nice gentle read then this is not for you. But if you don’t mind graphic content,and a read that crosses into realms of horror, violence and sexual explicit content and OMG! moments.then this is the read for you. Thanks Cheryl for this book. Just what I needed to cleanse my jaded palette . Look forward to your next book. Keep up the good work. OMG I F#####G loved this.The Author:   Cheryl Elaine GOODREADS AUTHOR   Born March 23   Website http://www.cherylelaine.co.uk/   Twitter CherylElaine15   Genre Crime, Fantasy, Horror   Member Since June 2017 Cheryl Elaine was born in Germany but moved to England as a young child. she resides in Yorkshire with her husband and three daughters. Cheryl Elaine is an avid reader and enjoys watching horror movies- the more gruesome the better! she enjoys travelling and socialising but also loves spending time at home with her family and her ever expanding menagerie which currently includes two dogs, a budgie, two fish and a rat called Rocky! Throughout her life she has wrote many short stories and with her love of writing, she has just published her first crime thriller, No Ordinary Girl, an adult novel that contains graphic content! Get her books: Amazon and all good book sellers.

 

Thanks to Sapere books# Blog Tour#Lying and Dying.

Author Bio.

Graham Brack hails from Sunderland and met his wife Gillian in Aberdeen where they were both studying pharmacy. After their degrees Gillian returned to Cornwall and Graham followed. This is now called stalking but in 1978 it was termed “romantic”. They have two children, Andrew and Hannah, and two grandchildren, Miranda and Sophie.

Graham’s foray into crime writing began in 2010 when he entered the Crime Writers’ Association’s Debut Dagger competition and was highly commended for The Outrageous Behaviour of Left-Handed Dwarves (reissued as Lying and Dying), in which the world was introduced to Lt Josef Slonský of the Czech police. The Book of Slaughter and Forgetting (reissued as Slaughter and Forgetting) followed and Sapere Books have published book three, Death On Duty,

In 2014 and 2016 Graham was shortlisted for the Debut Dagger again. The earlier novel, The Allegory of Art and Science, is set in 17^th century Delft and features the philosophy lecturer and reluctant detective Master Mercurius. Sapere Books will publish it as Death in Delft in 2018.

Twitter: @GrahamBrack

Blurb:

Lying and Dying

(Josef Slonský Investigations #1)

by

Graham Brack

An international crime thriller with an unforgettable detective. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, Jo Nesbo and Peter Robinson.

What do you do when the poison comes from within…?

The body of a young woman is found strangled by the side of the road.

There are no obvious clues to what happened, apart from the discovery of a large amount of cash concealed on her person.

The brilliant, but lazy, Lieutenant Josef Slonský is put in charge of the case.

With a wry sense of humour, a strong stubborn streak and a penchant for pastries, Slonský is not overly popular with the rest of the police force. But he is paired with the freshly-graduated, overly-eager Navrátil, whom he immediately takes under his wing.

When fingers start to point inwards to someone familiar with police operations, Slonský and Navrátil are put in a difficult position.

If what they suspect is true, how deep does the corruption run? Are they willing to risk their careers in their pursuit of the truth?

Anyone could be lying – and others may be in danger of dying…

LYING AND DYING is the first international crime thriller in the detective series featuring Lieutenant Josef Slonský: an atmospheric police procedural full of dark humour.

JOSEF SLONSKÝ INVESTIGATIONS SERIES
BOOK ONE: Lying and Dying
BOOK TWO: Slaughter and Forgetting
BOOK THREE: Coming Soon!

*** LYING AND DYING WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS THE OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIOUR OF LEFT-HANDED DWARVES *** ***

My Thoughts:

The first in a new series and a new character for me.

Enter Josef Slonsky a lazy and eccentric member of the Prague police force.

Beneath his Shambolic exterior there is a shrewd mind at work.

He is asked to take on a trainee, one detective Navratil. A task he shows, at first, extreme reticence to carry out.  But much to his chagrin a task he grows to warm to.

They strike up an unlikely partnership, laced with wry humour and sarcasm.

Slonsky himself is reminiscent of an Eastern European Columbo; and his relationship with Navratil reminds me a lot like Morse and Lewis.

This is a book where Slonsky, carrying hangups with the previous Communist regime clashes with the new ideas of the modern world.

A very exciting read. Well drawn characters; old and new school clashing.

A dark read interspersed with humour, which lightens the mood, without distracting from the story. Old meets new and after initial clashes learn to work together.

I have thoroughly enjoyed book one and look forward to book two.

Thanks to Sapere books for the ARC, the thoughts are my own and I urge you to seek out and enjoy this book.

 

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Alert (Michael Bennett, #8)
by

James Patterson (Goodreads Author),

Michael Ledwidge

Blurb;

New Yorkers aren’t easily intimidated, but someone is doing their best to scare them, badly: why? After two inexplicable high-tech attacks, the city that never sleeps is on edge. Detective Michael Bennett, along with his old pal, the FBI’s Emily Parker, have to catch the shadowy criminals who claim responsibility—but they’re as good at concealing their identities as they are at wreaking havoc.

In the wake of a shocking assassination, Bennett begins to suspect that these mysterious events are just the prelude to the biggest threat of all. Soon he’s racing against the clock, and against the most destructive enemy he’s faced yet, to save his beloved city—before everyone’s worst nightmare becomes a reality.

 

Read over 2 days.
Every so often you just need to read something that entertains, not over think; just be entertained. A fast moving tale, that asks you to suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride!
If so then James Patterson is your man.
His books are a cross between comics for adults and having a movie projector playing in your head.
Short, concise chapters; with no wasted words. He boils scenes down to the basics, no extravagant descriptive passages. He boils things down to the bare essence and keeps the action going along at a furious pace.
Some may think reads like a screenplay; and that is what it is for, the movie projector in your head.
If you are looking for literature then this wont be for you. But fast moving escapist action this is your type of read.
As I said earlier; not great but not bad either.
You can do worse than give James Patterson a try.

Available at Amazon and all good booksellers.

The author:

James Patterson has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today, with his Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Private, NYPD Red, Daniel X, Maximum Ride, and Middle School series. As of January 2016, he has sold over 375 million books worldwide and currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers. In addition to writing the thriller novels for which he is best known, he also writes children’s, middle-grade, and young-adult fiction and is the first author to have #1 new titles simultaneously on the New York Times adult and children’s bestseller lists.

The son of an insurance salesman and a schoolteacher, Patterson grew up in Newburgh, New York, and began casually writing at the age of nineteen. In 1969, he graduated from Manhattan College. He was given a full ride to Vanderbilt University’s graduate program in English but dropped out after a year, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to continue reading and writing for pleasure if he became a college professor.

Instead, he moved to New York to become a junior copywriter for the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson, eventually becoming CEO of its North American company.

In 1976, while still working for J. Walter Thompson, Patterson published his first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, with Little, Brown and Company. After being turned down by thirty-one publishers, it won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Patterson’s 1993 novel, Along Came a Spider, his first book to feature Alex Cross, was also his first New York Times bestseller in fiction.

In 2001, Morgan Freeman starred as Alex Cross in a film adaptation of Along Came a Spider, and Tyler Perry also played the character in the 2012 film Alex Cross. A film adaptation of Patterson’s middle-grade novel Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life was released in theaters in October 2016.

For his initiatives to help kids become passionate readers and for his philanthropic efforts, Patterson was awarded the National Book Foundation’s 2015 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community.

James Patterson has donated more than one million books to students, focusing on some of the most under-resourced schools and youth programs in the country. In 2015, He donated $1.75 million to public school libraries throughout the United States, $1 million to independent bookstores, and an additional $250,000 in holiday bonuses to individual bookstore employees. He also gave $1 million to independent bookstores in 2014.

Patterson has recently donated over $26 million to his and his wife’s alma maters—the University of Wisconsin, Vanderbilt University, and Manhattan College—and he has established over four hundred Teacher Education Scholarships at twenty-four colleges and universities throughout the country. Patterson has also donated over 650,000 books to U.S. soldiers at home and overseas.

In May 2015, Patterson launched a new children’s book imprint at Little, Brown—JIMMY Patterson—that is unwaveringly focused on one goal: turning kids into lifelong readers. This imprint also provides resources, strategies, and programs to serve teachers, parents, librarians, and booksellers. Patterson invests proceeds from the sales of JIMMY Patterson Books in pro-reading initiatives.

Patterson also founded ReadKiddoRead.com, a website designed to help parents, teachers, and librarians ignite a new generation’s excitement for reading. Awarded the National Book Foundation’s Innovations in Reading Prize and the American Library Association’s Great Websites for Kids, the site features thoughtful book reviews from a variety of genres and age ranges, a large and lively Facebook community.

All through the Night/ M.P. Wright.

All Through The Night

(Detective J.T. Ellington #2)

by

M.P. Wright

Heartman’s J T Ellington returns…

“It’s quite simple Mr Ellington. When you find Fowler, just ask where we can find the truth.”

With these words, private detective JT Ellington embarks on a seemingly simple case of tracking down a local GP with a dubious reputation and retrieving a set of stolen documents from him.

For Ellington, however, things are rarely straightforward. Dr Fowler is hiding a terrible secret and when he is gunned down outside a Bristol pub, his dying words send JT in pursuit of a truth more disturbing and deadly than he could possibly have imagined.

M.P. Wright’s debut novel Heartman was longlisted for the Crime Writers Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger.

GET A COPY:

Amazon and all good bookstores.

My thoughts:

This was a cracking read! This was the second adventure I have read of J.T.Ellington escapades. The second book in the series . A series I seem to be reading back to front. Having read the third first. The two books I have read can be read as a stand- alone but you miss a certain amount of backstory, but this can be gleaned from the story-line. The writing and characterisation of the book are of a superb quality. Drawing in the reader and making them turn pages eager to know what is going to happen next. The main character of J.T. is a larger than life persona, but not the sole driver of this vehicle. A story in which all characters are well rounded and superbly fleshed out. The story centres around J.T. being asked to recover a number of death certificates which are the possession of a GP with a dubious reputation. His dying words leave J.T. searching for the Truth. But what is the Truth? To find out you will have read this novel to find out. What makes this novel stand out for me is superb quality writing and the fact it is set in the sixties. An era of no mobile phones, internet and other technology. The main character having to find a payphone to pass on a message. Also the usage of brand names of the time, such as, Old Spice Aftershave, Corrona soft drink and Comer van. This brought the story to life and was so refreshing for the reader in an age when even crime novels are laden with technology. Another thing that tickled me was J.T. saying he was an enquiry agent and not a private detective. The capture of the personae and the times was brilliant A four star read for me and I urge you to give it a go. The Author: Mark Wright was born in Leicestershire in 1965. He was employed in various roles within the music industry before working as a private investigator. He retrained in 1989 and spent the next twenty years in the mental health and probation services in the UK, specialising in risk assessment. A self-confessed aficionado of film, music and real ale, and father of two beautiful daughters, Mark lives with his wife and their two Rottweiler dogs, Tiff and Dylan

 

James Patterson. Women’s Murder Club

 Read

14th Deadly Sin: (Women’s Murder Club #14)

by

James Patterson

Detective Lindsay Boxer and her three best friends are back and recovering from the events that pushed them all to the edge. After her near-death experience, Yuki is seeing her life from a new perspective and is considering a change in her law career. San Francisco Chronicle reporter Cindy has healed from her gunshot wound and has published a book on the infamous serial killers she helped to bring down. Lindsay is just happy that the gang are all still in one piece.

But a new terror is sweeping the streets of San Francisco. A gang dressed as cops are ransacking the city, and leaving a string of dead bodies in their wake. Lindsay is on the case to track them down and needs to discover whether these killers could actually be police officers. Maybe even cops she already knows… (less)

GET A COPY

• Amazon UK

 

My Thoughts:

Literature it isn’t. A quick easy read it is, Think cinema on the page and you’ve got the idea. The fourteenth instalment in the Women’s Murder Club. A fast paced story. Short crisp chapters, always time for one more. An ideal beach read or commute book. Pick up and put down as circumstances dictate. I enjoyed it and I think you will to. A good 3 stars from me The Author James Patterson has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today, with his Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Private, NYPD Red, Daniel X, Maximum Ride, and Middle School series. As of January 2016, he has sold over 375 million books worldwide and currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers. In addition to writing the thriller novels for which he is best known, he also writes children’s, middle-grade, and young-adult fiction and is the first author to have #1 new titles simultaneously on the New York Times adult and children’s bestseller lists. The son of an insurance salesman and a schoolteacher, Patterson grew up in Newburgh, New York, and began casually writing at the age of nineteen. In 1969, he graduated from Manhattan College. He was given a full ride to Vanderbilt University’s graduate program in English but dropped out after a year, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to continue reading and writing for pleasure if he became a college professor. Instead, he moved to New York to become a junior copywriter for the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson, eventually becoming CEO of its North American company. In 1976, while still working for J. Walter Thompson, Patterson published his first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, with Little, Brown and Company. After being turned down by thirty-one publishers, it won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Patterson’s 1993 novel, Along Came a Spider, his first book to feature Alex Cross, was also his first New York Times bestseller in fiction. In 2001, Morgan Freeman starred as Alex Cross in a film adaptation of Along Came a Spider, and Tyler Perry also played the character in the 2012 film Alex Cross. A film adaptation of Patterson’s middle-grade novel Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life was released in theaters in October 2016. For his initiatives to help kids become passionate readers and for his philanthropic efforts, Patterson was awarded the National Book Foundation’s 2015 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community. James Patterson has donated more than one million books to students, focusing on some of the most under-resourced schools and youth programs in the country. In 2015, He donated $1.75 million to public school libraries throughout the United States, $1 million to independent bookstores, and an additional $250,000 in holiday bonuses to individual bookstore employees. He also gave $1 million to independent bookstores in 2014. Patterson has recently donated over $26 million to his and his wife’s alma maters—the University of Wisconsin, Vanderbilt University, and Manhattan College—and he has established over four hundred Teacher Education Scholarships at twenty-four colleges and universities throughout the country. Patterson has also donated over 650,000 books to U.S. soldiers at home and overseas. In May 2015, Patterson launched a new children’s book imprint at Little, Brown—JIMMY Patterson—that is unwaveringly focused on one goal: turning kids into lifelong readers. This imprint also provides resources, strategies, and programs to serve teachers, parents, librarians, and booksellers. Patterson invests proceeds from the sales of JIMMY Patterson Books in pro-reading initiatives. Patterson also founded ReadKiddoRead.com, a website designed to help parents, teachers, and librarians ignite a new generation’s excitement for reading.

 

Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources

The Benevolent Dictator

Ben longs to be prime minister one day. But with no political connections, he is about to crash out of a Masters degree with no future ahead. So when by chance he becomes fast friends with a young Arab prince, and is offered a job in his government, he jumps at the chance to get on the political ladder.

Amal dreads the throne. And with Ben’s help he wants to reform his country, steering it onto a path towards democracy. But with the king’s health failing, revolutionaries in the streets, and terrorism threatening everyone, the country is ready to tear itself apart.

Alone in a hostile land, Ben must help Amal weigh what is best against what is right, making decisions that will risk his country, his family, and his life.

Purchase Links

https://tomtrott.com/tbd

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Benevolent-Dictator-Tom-Trott-ebook/dp/B07BZQHTDB

My thoughts:

A story of two men.

Ben who wishes to be Prime Minister but is naive in matters concerning world politics.

Amal who is born into wealth and power; but has no wish to exercise it.

Both men are what is loosely termed idealists. A chance meeting at university brings them into each others orbits. Just when they are getting to know each other Amal must return home and Ben is invited to enter his world. A shady world of intrigue , politics and personal ambition.

It is a dictatorship; but is it a dictatorship of the King’s making or one shaped by the mandarins who pull the strings behind his back. Circumstances dictate that Amal must become King and Ben hopes to mould him into the Benevolent Dictator.

This fast moving novella grips the reader and plunges them into a murky world, where men jockey for position and the King’s ear. It is also a clash of cultures and both men quickly realise what may fit in the western world or mindset, has no place in the Arab domain. It is also an exercise in how ideals are held cheaply when you are threatened with torture or even death. A case of one man’s meat is another’s  poison. A short novella that packs a punch and food for thought in it’s pages.

An excellent quick read that you will enjoy.

Author Bio – Tom Trott was born in Brighton. He first started writing at Junior School, where he and a group of friends devised and performed comedy plays for school assemblies, much to the amusement of their fellow pupils. Since leaving school and growing up to be a big boy, he has written a short comedy play that was performed at the Theatre Royal Brighton in May 2014 as part of the Brighton Festival; he has written Daye’s Work, a television pilot for the local Brighton channel, and he has won the Empire Award (thriller category) in the 2015 New York Screenplay Contest. He is the proverbial Brighton rock, and currently lives in the city with his wife.

Social Media Links – www.twitter.com/tjtrott, www.facebook.com/tomtrottbooks, www.tomtrott.com,