Tag Archives: Thriller

Somewhere in the Shallow Sea by Dennis Macaraeg – Review

Title – Somewhere in the Shallow Sea: A Novel of Suspense
Author – Dennis Macaraeg
Genre – Thriller
Length – 229 Pages
Publication – Oct 2015
My Rating –3/5 Stars

Synopsis

To save the life of his friend, a marine biologist must deliver the scientific compound he invented to kidnappers hiding deep within the jungles of the Philippines. Unexpectedly paired with his ex-lover for the mission, it’s a bit more than he signed up for.

Review

So what is the book about I hear you ask?

Well the book follows Danny a scientist, his friend Blake has been kidnapped and he has the compound the kidnappers are after. Danny, with the help of some friends and an ex-lover sets out to save Blake.

The plot was good with a few twists thrown in although I did feel events happened a little too easy at times.. just when Danny thinks all hope is gone an acquaintance of a friend can help. Nothing so bad as to ruin the plot but I would have enjoyed seeing Danny struggle a bit more for leads.

The writing was good, fast paced and easy to follow with a great amount of knowledge added by the author to set the scene. This really did help me imagine the locations described which sound lovely but at the same time dangerous.

Towards the end of the tale the plot picks up a notch and I really enjoyed the ending.

I liked the characters although with such an action packed tale it was hard to get to know them. The romance in this book didn’t feel forced, which suits my tastes. There was a natural progression to it which made it more believable and if you’ve read my reviews you’ll know I don’t do romance ha

Overall this is a good book, think spy thriller without the good guy having any skills or tech support.

The author shows great imagination with his plot and it was really great to see how well this story mixed with the descriptive text of the tale. I definitely think there has to be more to come from this author so I’ll keep an eye out for what’s next!

To find out more head to Amazon or Goodreads.

Fifth Columnist by Frank Westworth – Review

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Title – Fifth Columnist: A JJ Stoner short story (The Stoner Series Book 5)
Author – Frank Westworth
Genre – Thriller
Publication – Sept 2016
Pages – 50 Pages
My Rating – 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

An action-packed quick thriller featuring covert operative JJ Stoner, who uses sharp blades and blunt instruments to discreetly solve problems for the UK government. In Fifth Columnist, a bent copper is compromising national security but none of the evidence will stand up in court. That’s exactly why men like Stoner operate in the shadows, ready to terminate the target once an identity is confirmed…

Fifth Columnist is a quick thriller, an hour’s intrigue and entertainment. It features characters from the JJ Stoner / Killing Sisters series. You don’t need to have read any of the other stories in the series: you can start right here if you like.

As well as a complete, stand-alone short story, Fifth Columnist includes an excerpt from The Redemption Of Charm (to be published in March 2017).
Please note that FIFITH COLUMNIST is intended for an adult audience and contains explicit scenes of a sexual and/or violent nature.

Review

I actually read Fifth Columnist last year not long after it was released but I’ve been waiting to review it until I had the time to read it again as part of The Stoner Stories collection. Look out for that review soon :).

Fifth columnist is the fifth tale in the JJ Stoner short stories. The author has also wrote two full length novels that feature some of the characters but I’ve not had a chance to read them yet and can confirm it didn’t affect how much I enjoyed or understood these short stories.

Once again Frank Westworth has given us a super short, informative and intriguing tale.

What Frank does well for me is that he gives you just enough information to follow the action but not enough so to give you the full picture. For me this works perfectly. As someone who is yet to read the full length novels it hooks me in.. makes me want to know more about the characters. I can quite imagine also that if I had read the longer novels then these shorts would build nicely onto the series.

Focusing on Fifth columnist itself I have to say I enjoyed it..there’s quite a build up with this one then BANG.. twist..and I was left rereading the page so I could fully take in what had just happened..It was the wow moment I was looking for at just the right time.

I enjoy short stories like this, it’s a great way to see how an author writes before committing to larger works.

Overall this is another great short from Frank which builds nicely onto the foundations set in the previous shorts. I highly recommend you read the shorts as a collection as I feel you get more from it that way. I’ll certainly be making time to fit more of Frank’s work into my reading schedule this year.

To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon.
If you want to know more about The Stoner Stories collection my review will be posted next week but in the meantime you can find out more on Goodreads or Amazon.

Death in Profile by Guy Fraser-Sampson @GuyFSAuthor – Review

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Title – Death in Profile – Book 1 of the Hampstead Murders
Author – Guy Fraser-Sampson
Genre – Thrillers
Publication – March 2016
Pages – 320 Page
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

The genteel façade of London’s Hampstead is shattered by a series of terrifying murders, and the ensuing police hunt is threatened by internal politics, and a burgeoning love triangle within the investigative team. Pressurised by senior officers desperate for a result a new initiative is clearly needed, but what? Intellectual analysis and police procedure vie with the gut instinct of ‘copper’s nose’, and help appears to offer itself from a very unlikely source a famous fictional detective. A psychological profile of the murderer allows the police to narrow down their search, but will Scotland Yard lose patience with the team before they can crack the case? Praised by fellow authors and readers alike, this is a truly original crime story, speaking to a contemporary audience yet harking back to the Golden Age of detective fiction. Intelligent, quirky and mannered, it has been described as ‘a love letter to the detective novel’. Above it all hovers Hampstead, a magical village evoking the elegance of an earlier time, and the spirit of mystery-solving detectives. Guy Fraser-Sampson is an established writer best known for his series of Mapp and Lucia novels which have been featured on BBC Radio 4 and optioned by BBC television. This is his debut work of detective fiction, and the first title in the Hampstead Murders series.

Review

Twist after twist after twist.. with misdirection thrown in.. wow.

This story follows a police investigation into a series of murders. The case has been stagnant for some time but when a body turns up with new evidence to look at things start to pick up.

Something I really liked form the start was the mention of “copper’s nose” and how the author showed relationships and motivations in the police department itself. It’s the whole issue of old school and new school techniques and ideas. Loved it.

As the case progresses a profiler is brought in to help them narrow the search..using this profile leads them to a suspect…

What happens after that is some wonderful twists and misdirection that had me engrossed. At one point I thought I’d figured it out but no.. twist.

The plot was great, characters were believable and interesting and I liked there was more to this tale than just a simple police procedural book, the characters had more depth to them.

For me it kept me guessing right until the end and I was that engrossed I finished it in 2 days.. it wasn’t a case of I didn’t want to put it down but more that I just couldn’t put it down!

My thanks go to the authour for the chance to read/review their work

To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon

Dark Fragments by @RSinclairAuthor – Review

Dark Fragments: an edge of your seat thriller from the best-selling author of The Enemy Series

Murder. Money. Revenge.

Outwardly, Ben Stephens appears to be a normal, hard-working family man. In reality, his life has been in turmoil since the murder of his wife, Alice, seven years ago. The killer was never caught.

Now re-married – to the woman he was having an affair with while still married to Alice – Ben’s life is once again spiralling out of control, and he’s become heavily indebted to an unscrupulous criminal who is baying for Ben’s blood.

When Ben’s estranged twin sister, a police detective, unexpectedly returns to his life, asking too many questions for comfort, it becomes clear that without action, Ben’s life will soon reach a crisis point from which there will be no return.

In order to avoid falling further into the mire, Ben must examine the past if he is to survive the present – but just how much pressure can one man take before he breaks?

Dark Fragments is a fast-paced thriller with a blend of mystery, suspense and action that will appeal to readers of psychological thrillers, as well as a broad section of crime, thriller and action fans. If you like authors like Mark Edwards, Robert Bryndza and C.L. Taylor you will love this unforgettable thriller.

Review

First off I must admit I’m new to Rob’s work but I’ve heard many a good thing about his work so when I was offered the chance to review this book I jumped at it to see what all the fuss was about.

Did Rob live up to expectations? More than I could have imagined!

The book follows Ben. His past is marred by the death of his wife but we quickly learn that over time he has moved on.. the tone of the book is set early on and you know things won’t turn out rosy for Ben.

He’s is in deep with a local criminal.. who may have links to his murdered wife and Ben’s estranged sister is keen as a detective to exploit her brother..go down that rabbit hole and see what she can find..

Along the way Ben’s character gets darker. He’s holding a lot of the puzzle pieces but we have to wait for things to be pieced together. This suspense was done perfectly. Just the right amount to keep me reading without me getting bored.

One of the best things about the story has to be the plot itself, so well written and one hell of a twist thrown in at the end!

I really enjoyed this book being told from Ben’s perspective also, we really see him fragment as his world falls apart. There’s a lot going on in Ben’s personal life and his sister opening old wounds shatters this perfect life he’s hoping for. His kids mean the world to him and you really feel for him at times.

Since the focus of the tale was on Ben few characters have enough word count to develop but the story didn’t need it… it’s his tale.. and i loved it.

At one point I did wonder why Ben and his twin sister didn’t get along; I didn’t quite understand why the author didn’t build on this but the author gives small slithers of info as the book goes along that gather to make the full picture.. in the end everything becomes clear and you have that “Oh My” moment when clarity hits.

I’ve wanted to read some of Robs work for a while now and I’m very glad I finally had the chance.

A brilliant and well thought out story that had me interested from the start. Great development of the lead character and one hell of a finish leaves me in no doubt I’ll read this authors work again.

My thanks go to the author for the chance to read/review their work. An ARC by no means guarantees a good review and i look forward to reviewing the authors previous works which i gladly paid for 🙂

The book is out today! to find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon

Daddy Dearest by Paul Southern – Review

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Title – Daddy Dearest
Author – Paul Southern
Genre – Thriller/Suspense
Length – 245 Pages
My Rating – 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

An estranged father’s weekend with his beloved five-year-old daughter turns into a nightmare when she gets into the lift of a city centre tower block and goes down without him. She vanishes without a trace. It sets off a race against time, and a nationwide manhunt, to find her. As the police investigation closes in, suspicion falls on those closest to her – with devastating consequences. Daddy Dearest is a terrifying story of love, obsession and psychological meltdown.

‘My daughter has always had a thing about lifts. There’s something about the thrill of pressing a button and seeing the lift doors close which excites her imagination. It terrifies me. Every time she walks in, I imagine it’s the last time I’ll see her. What if she hits the button before I get there? What if the lift doors close and I can’t get her out? It drives me nuts. There are eight floors in the Sears building, nine if you count the basement, and the lift is fast: more like a fairground ride, really. It does top to bottom in twelve seconds. I’ve timed it. Taking the stairs, I’ve done it in forty-two. That leaves a gap of thirty seconds. You’d be surprised what can happen in that time. I was.’

Review

This is a very psychological tale told from the viewpoint of the dad when his daughter goes missing after getting in a lift

I never give away spoilers but I can say for certain this is has a very clever plotline with some very interesting developments that happen throughout the course of the book

There is a underlying tone of love to the tale and I think the author did a great job in making the reader understand the motives behind certain actions.

Emotion played a big part in the tale and the emotion made the tale real for me

For me the best thing about the book had to be the storyline itself. After reading one chapter Paul Southern hooked me in enough that I had to keep reading to see how the story would finish

Overall I felt this was a very well planned and written, raw and real. The storyline is so smart I could easily envisage this one being made into a TV programme.

I very much enjoyed the book and I’ll be looking out for the author’s next release

I really do wish I could give you more to go on but if I say anything else it would give the whole plot away.

My advice is that if you enjoy psychological thrillers or mysteries then you’ll enjoy this one

My thanks go to the author for the chance to read/review his work

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

The Theseus Paradox by David Videcette – Review

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Title – The Theseus Paradox
Author – David Videcette
Genre – Crime, Thriller.
Length – 438 Pages
Publication – Nov 2015
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

“I can’t tell you the truth, but I can tell you a story…”
How much is fact and how much is fiction, only YOU can decide…

‘A chillingly credible tale based on real circumstances.’
‘A five-star, explosive finale.’
‘Leaves the reader hungry to research this version of events!’
‘A believable conspiracy theory with an incredible ring of truth.’
‘This fictional thriller holds a lot of water. Do not miss!’
‘A powerhouse of a fact-fiction mash-up.’
‘A stunning ‘big reveal’ at the end.’
‘Brilliant stuff that smacks you in the face!’

July 2005: in the midst of Operation Theseus, the largest police investigation that the UK has ever known, Detective Inspector Jake Flannagan begins to ask difficult questions that lead to the mysterious disappearance of his girlfriend and his sudden suspension from the Metropolitan Police.

Who masterminded London’s summer of terror?
Why can’t Flannagan make headway in the sprawling investigation?
Is Jake’s absent girlfriend really who she claims to be?

While hunting for the answers to the most complex case in British history, one man will uncover the greatest criminal deception of our time.

Terror, extremism and fear of the unknown,
Sometimes the answer is much closer to home.

The author: David Videcette is a former Scotland Yard investigator who has worked on a wealth of infamous cases, including the 7 July 2005 London bombings. He has twenty years of police and investigative experience as a British detective, specialising in counter-terrorist operations and organised crime. He currently consults on security operations for high-net-worth individuals and is an expert media commentator on crime, terrorism, extremism and the London 7/7 and 21/7 attacks.

David says, ‘I can’t tell you the truth, but I can tell you a story..’

Review

Ok so this was a really interesting one for me, based around the 7/7 bombings it gives you a very plausible, fast paced tale.

Jake the lead character is great, he relies on his gut instincts.. he’s a pain when it comes to his bosses and police procedure but he gets results… the line is blurred a but when it comes to Jake but this gives him great depth and makes him believable. He’s flawed and it makes you like him.. I hope there’s more to come as I’d love to see his character develop further

One thing I really enjoyed was that this book shows you there are lots of things going on behind the scenes that we never know about. There’s must have been so much evidence to collect that it did become more of a hindrance than helping with the investigation. This book gives a well rounded view of an investigation not just a clear cut line that some novels do

The fact the author is former Police works well for him, the book flowed so well. Credit to the author his knowledge made this such a good tale you could believe this is actually what did happen.. Everything is spot on.. everything is explained perfectly.

Another great feature in the book is the super short chapters, packed full of info that build in intensity as the book progresses. You could argue that some chapters didn’t really need to be split up but it made the story such a fast flowing ride that you barely notice you’ve been reading for an hour

In the end the plot, although about a sensitive subject worked well and I didn’t see the twists coming that the author through in. David clearly had put a lot of time into this tale and it pays off big style

If you’re a fan of the genre you’ll love this and for anyone who has never ready a crime book before this would be the prefect intro.

My thanks go to the author for the chance to review the book. In complete honesty I will be adding David to my “authors to watch list” so I don’t miss when he releases a new book

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

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: Thriller

Somewhere in the Shallow Sea by Dennis Macaraeg – Review

Fifth Columnist by Frank Westworth – Review

Death in Profile by Guy Fraser-Sampson @GuyFSAuthor – Review

Dark Fragments by @RSinclairAuthor – Review

Dark Fragments: an edge of your seat thriller from the best-selling author of The Enemy Series

Daddy Dearest by Paul Southern – Review

The Theseus Paradox by David Videcette – Review

Death by Dangerous by Olly Jarvis – Review

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