Tag Archives: Mystery

Games People Play by Owen Mullen – Review

Title – Games People Play (Charlie Cameron #1)
Author – Owen Mullen
Genre – Crime Fiction/Mystery
Length – 405 Pages
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

On a warm summer’s evening thirteen month old Lily Hamilton is abducted from Ayr beach in Scotland, taken while her parents are yards away. Three days later, the distraught father turns up at Glasgow PI Charlie Cameron’s office and begs him to help. Mark Hamilton believes he knows who has stolen his daughter. And why.
Against his better judgement Charlie gets involved in a case he would be better off without. But when a child’s body is discovered on Fenwick Moor, then another in St Andrews, the awful truth dawns: there is a serial killer out there whose work has gone undetected for decades. Baby Lily may be the latest victim of a madman.
For Charlie it’s too late, he can’t let go. His demons won’t let him.

The stunning first novel featuring Glasgow PI Charlie Cameron. Games People Play will have the reader guessing to the very last page.

Review

This book starts with a bang.. I literally felt compelled to keep reading just so I could find out the truth about what happened.

Charlie is a PI who’s tasked to find a missing person, he knows he should take this case since it’s too close to an ongoing police investigation but he just can’t help himself.

Along the way we find out more about the PI’s own past and his motivations which gave him some depth and made him likable, he’s flawed but you want things to go his way.

The book has two stories playing side by side, one being the investigation and the other Charlies own complicated life. This brought a freshness to the story.. with each turn of the page the story would shift focus seamlessly kept me engaged and interested in what was happening

The story was well written and planed out. I must admit I did not see the ending coming until the author put all the pieces together.. it really had a wow finish for me..the hand over mouth moment when you finally see what Charlie has figured out.

Suspense is the word that best describes this book.. it’s all about the build-up and Owen Mullen did this really well. Some books just make the suspense plane boring but not this book!

The characters were great and I really loved the development throughout of the main character Charlie as you slowly learn more about him

For me this definitely is one of the best Crime Fiction novels I’ve read, not only does it have the investigation side you’d expect but with the underlying story behind Charlie I couldn’t help but be hooked in.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series

My thanks go to the author for the opportunity to read/review their work

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Murder In-Absentia by Assaph Mehr – Review

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Title – Murder In-Absentia
Author – Assaph Mehr
Genre – Fantasy
Length – 306 Pages, Print Length
Publication – Oct 2015
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

A young man is found dead in his bed, with a look of extreme agony on his face and strange tattoos all over his body. His distraught senator father suspects foul play, and knows who to call on.

Enter Felix, a professional investigator. In the business of ferreting out dark information for his clients, Felix is neither a traditional detective nor a traditional magician – but something in between. Drawing on his experience of dealing with the shady elements of society and his aborted education in the magical arts, Felix dons his toga and sets out to discover the young man’s killers.

Murder in absentia is set in a fantasy world. The city of Egretia borrows elements from a thousand years of ancient Roman culture, from the founding of Rome to the late empire, mixed with a judicious amount of magic. This is a story of a cynical, hardboiled detective dealing with anything from daily life to the old forces roaming the world

This is a story of Togas, Daggers and Magic – it will appeal to lovers of urban fantasy, detective murder mysteries and ancient Rome.

Review

I thought this book was brilliant; it’s a murder/mystery book in a pure fantasy world drawing on themes from Roman culture and i have to thank the author for the chance to read/review the story.

I won’t lie.. I wasn’t sure if setting a murder mystery in a more historical time point would work.. but it did.

We follow Felix, he’s a private detective of sorts.. has his hands in a lot of things.. knows a lot of people.

His help has been requested to help find out what happened to a young boy who is found dead in some rather strange circumstances.

One of the best things about the book is that since it’s a fantasy novel the author has been able to had some magic into the mix.. so it’s not a clear cut murder as you might expect.

Throughout the book the author gives great insight into the character for Felix, how he knows what he does and why he’s involved in the business he is. The development of the main character definitely has me interested in future stories.

I won’t give away the plot but it’s well written and planned out. Lots of twists to keep you engaged and interested.

I’m a big fantasy fan and this book but a nice twist on the genre I’m used to reading and it was a very refreshing read that I must certainly want to follow up on.

Any fan of murder mysteries or detective novels should enjoy the historical twist on the usual tales.

Credit to the author, he’s left me with a need.. and he happily fills this need in his notes at the end of the book where he points out some other authors and tales a reader might be interested in reading. I will certainly be looking up these authors and will be adding Assaph Mehr to my “to watch” list.. eagerly awaiting the next Felix story.

Overall I couldn’t fault this book in any way, nothing felt wrong or out of place. The story flowed well and was highly intoxicating.. I was compelled to finish the story.. I had to find out how things played out.
The good news is that it looks like more tales are planned and being set in a fantasy world it leaves the door open to so many possibilities for stories… can’t wait.

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Death by Dangerous by Olly Jarvis – Review

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Title – Death By Dangerous
Author – Olly Jarvis
Genre – Thriller/Mystery
Length – 368 Pages (Paperback)
Publication – June 2015
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

Death by Dangerous is a compelling legal thriller set in Manchester and Bradford.

John Anderson is one of the North West’s most dedicated and successful prosecution barristers. His career is going from strength to strength and he is on the verge of becoming Queen’s Counsel. But the life he once knew suddenly comes crashing down following a fatal road traffic accident…

“They’re saying it was your fault. Someone died.”

Recovering from his injuries, he has no memory of the collision. Was he responsible for the death of a child? Who was his female passenger? Facing charges of causing death by dangerous driving, the professional and personal life he once knew now lies in tatters. Depressed and taking refuge in alcohol, Anderson refuses, in the face of so many unanswered questions, to accept his guilt. He becomes convinced that the gangster he was prosecuting at the time of the crash is in some way involved.

The mystery deepens as his search for the truth draws him into Manchester’s sordid criminal underworld. Shunned by his former colleagues, Anderson finds help from an unlikely source, enabling him to confront his prejudices and re-evaluate his past life. He embarks on a journey of self-discovery and, ultimately, the path for his own redemption.

Anderson knows that defeat means deliverance to a prison full of violent criminals he has prosecuted over the years. He now has to find the strength to fight the most important trial of his life.

Review

From the synopsis I was already intrigued to read this book and I’m glad I did. It turned out to be a book I was unable to put down.

The story focuses on John Anderson, a barrister who lands himself in trouble after apparently falling asleep at the wheel of his car.. but he doesn’t remember what happened

From here we see his life fall apart, friendships broken, family bonds tested and within the space of a few chapters John’s life is gone from high flying barrister to a nobody facing prison time.

I really can’t give too much away as it would spoil the plot but Olly has created a wonderful tale here and has used his life experiences to give this book lot of detail which adds to the authenticity of the story. It felt real. I felt worried myself what would happen to John and how I would have felt in the same situation where you just can’t control the direction your life takes.

It was really good to see John’s character grow throughout the story. At first he came across maybe a bit arrogant but as the book progresses you find out why he is that way and we also see him change because of what happens. John hits rock bottom but manages to climb his way back up

There were also some wonderful characters in this book aside from John and I enjoyed how each person seemed to have their own motives which came to light as the book progressed

The storyline played out perfectly for me and kept me guessing as to what would happen next and I was hooked right until the end.

This is definitely a book I’d recommend! And I’m glad to hear Olly is working on his next book Cutthroat Defence as we speak.

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Elephant In The Room by Diana J. Febry – Review

The Letters by Ella Drayton – Review

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Title – The Letters
Author – Ella Drayton
Genre – Mystery
Length – 258 Pages (Kindle)
Publication – January 2015
My Rating – 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

Brodie Barrett is a widowed mother of a 10 year old girl and a homicide detective for the Birmingham Police Department. Everything seems fine in her world until her ex-fiance, Keaton Maddox walks back into her life. She’s ready to start a new life with Keaton but he’s also got a pregnant girlfriend working at his restaurant. Things at work start heating up for Brodie when someone decides to send her love letters at work. These aren’t your ordinary love letters, though! These letters leave clues for Brodie to find bodies of her admirer’s victims. Who could be sending these letters and why do they want Brodie to find the bodies?

Review

Full disclosure I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ok so this book is the first book from author Ella Drayton about a detective called Brodie. Bodies soon turn up and killer wants her to find them.. the book is all about her trying to figure out who the killer is whilst also trying to sort out her personal life.

The synopsis grabbed me straight away, the idea the killer was linked to her somehow intrigued me.

I enjoyed the story line, the book was written well and very easy to read. The mix of private life and work life seemed to work well for the story.

There was strong development of the character Brodie. Since the murders are linked to her it gave Ella a great opportunity to give you more information on her and the relationships she has with other people in the book. These relationships and the information you gain made me certain who the killer was but Ella keeps the motive/background unknown until late in the book to keep you interested..

It’s very hard to pick faults with this book, if i’m honest i guess i just didn’t really like Brodie. I would have liked to see more bodies turn up, maybe a few more twists to throw you off the killers trail and to see the struggle Brodie would have gone through, accusing those close to her, doubting everyone.

The only other comment i would have is that i noticed a couple grammar or spelling errors but nothing major and it definitely didn’t spoil the book

In conclusion I enjoyed reading the book, it has a lot going for it and would definitely be interested in seeing what Ella comes up with next.

Gone Fishing by J.W. Metcalf – Review

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Title – Gone Fishing
Author – J. W. Metcalf
Genre – Mystery
Length – 409 Pages (Kindle)
Publication – December 2014
My Rating – 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

After being Injured during his last case. Tony Gavel decides to head up to his hunting cabin in Red Valley Falls to recuperate.
While there, Tony learns that a serial killer escaped transfer to a Federal Penitentiary and has killed a few people in the surrounding woods around town.
When Sheriff Myers, one of Tony’s good friends, winds up murdered Tony takes up the manhunt to find Doogan ‘The Ear’ Ashe.
Evidence suggests that his friend Sheriff Myers was not killed by Doogan but by someone trying to make it look like he did. Now it’s a race against time to find out who really killed Sheriff Myers and also to capture Doogan Ashe before he kills again.

Review

Full disclosure, I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the Tony Gavel series. Tony is a PI, trouble seems to be attracted to him and even when he needs to be resting he gets drawn into a case.

I found the story line very intriguing, the whole Doogan Ashe mystery kept me thinking and every turn of the page I was waiting for him to show his face.It’s fast paced and full of twists. By the end of the book I was sure i knew who the killer was only to find out i was wrong all along.

Talk about character development! This book is full of it! You are given a great deal of info on a lot of people. If anything this is where the 4 star rating comes from. I think a great deal of time went into each character but I found myself wanting more information on one particular person – Marshal Greta Ostmen. I just felt maybe that being a Marshal she could have brought more to the man hunt and we could have had more scenes with Greta and Tony searching for Doogan. I would go as far as to suggest Greta Ostmen could be a character to use in a spin off series

This book is a great read, flows well and easy to follow. I would have no problem in suggesting you read this if you like a bit of a mystery and detective work.

I’d never read the previous Tony Gavel novel but now I’ve read this book i will definitely be purchasing it and will be eagerly awaiting book 3

Driven to Kill (The Killing Game Book 1) by Eugenio Salvato – Review

David's Book Blurg

Book reviews from a guy up north (UK)

Tag Archives: Mystery

Games People Play by Owen Mullen – Review

Murder In-Absentia by Assaph Mehr – Review

Death by Dangerous by Olly Jarvis – Review

Elephant In The Room by Diana J. Febry – Review

The Letters by Ella Drayton – Review

Gone Fishing by J.W. Metcalf – Review

Driven to Kill (The Killing Game Book 1) by Eugenio Salvato – Review