Month: April 2013

Bookish Magic: what does it for you?

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magic in the pages image

magic in the pages image

There’s something magical that happens when you’re reading a good book isn’t there?

It’s as if you’ve been transported to another place, into another life, experiencing things that you don’t usually, and piecing together situations that, in real life, might be terrifying, but from between the pages of a book are fascinating.

For me, the thing that always grabs my attention, and my imagination, is a good puzzle. A locked room mystery perhaps, or a really compelling ‘why dunnit’. Once there’s a puzzle to be solved, a puzzle with high stakes and lots of tension, then I can’t help but read on.

What does it for you?

What keeps you reading?

Review: BLEED LIKE ME by Cath Staincliffe

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cover image

cover image

What the blurb says: “The Journey’s Inn, Lark’s Estate, Manchester. Three bodies have been found, stabbed to death in their beds. A man – apparently the father and husband of two of the victims – has fled. The police are in a race against time to find him – especially when they discover his two young sons are also missing …

Manchester Metropolitan police station. Having survived a near-fatal attack, DC Janet Scott is quietly falling apart. And her best friend and colleague DC Rachel Bailey is reeling from a love affair gone bad. DCI Gill Murray is trying to keep the team on track, but her own family problems are threatening to tip her over the edge.

Finding the desperate man is their top priority. But none of them knows where he is going or what he intends to do next. Or what will they have to do to stop him …”

BLEED LIKE ME is based on the characters from the hit ITV series SCOTT & BAILEY.

It’s a police procedural, but as well as a race-against-time premise to find the missing children and their father, it delves deeper into the stormy personal lives of the three female protagonists.

And their lives are certainly complex. Covering challenges that many will relate to – from juggling work and home life, bringing up teenagers, and the illness of a parent – to the more extreme – recovering from an attempt on your life – the three women are up against it from the outset. Artfully written, this exploration of the characters lives doesn’t slow the pace, instead it adds layers of tension onto an already tense situation.

The setting is highly atmospheric, with Manchester and the surrounding area painted with a gritty realism. From getting the call, the three women work tirelessly, often a great personal cost, to try to find the killer and his two young children before it’s too late. The story twists and turns towards a nail-biting conclusion, defying you to put the book down until you’ve read the very last page.

With a great pace, deeply drawn characters, and high action, I think BLEED LIKE ME will appeal to fans of the series and those new to Scott & Bailey.

Highly Recommended.

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ITW announce the nominees for the 2013 Thriller Awards

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That’s right, International Thriller Writers have announced their 2013 Awards nominees.

 

The award catagories are:

 

  • Best Hardcover Novel
  • Best First Novel
  • Best Paperback Original Novel
  • Best Short Story
  • Best Young Adult Novel
  • Best E-Book Original Novel

 

To find out who the nominees are, head over to the ITW website at: http://thrillerwriters.org/ 

 

The winners of the 2013 Thriller Awards will be announced at ThrillerFest VIII on 13th July 2013, at the Grand Hyatt (New York City).

 

Many congratulations to all the nominees.

 

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Review: Retribution by Adrian Magson

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cover image

cover image

What the blurb says: “An atrocity that allegedly took place under Harry’s watch in Kosovo in 1999 returns to haunt him when he receives a summons from an old UN contact. A lone assassin is tracking down all those who were present that fateful night, despatching his victims with cold, skilful efficiency. Who is he and why does he want revenge? If he is to uncover the identity of this ruthless killer and stay alive in the process, Harry must uncover what really happened in Mirovica back in 1999.”

I love a good action thriller and this novel doesn’t disappoint.

Harry Tate, an ex-M15 hunter now working in the private sector, doesn’t hang around. He’s a dynamic character, utterly focused on getting the job done, and with a strong moral compass. Hired to stop a potential terrorist plot and find the lone assassin picking off all those present at a UN compound on a specific night in 1999, Harry’s moral code is challenged when he discovers the horror of the crime the assassin is avenging. Pragmatic and logical, but prepared to do what’s necessary for justice, Harry is faced with a difficult dilemma.

What I especially like about this story is that Magson creates an utterly ruthless assassin, known as Kassim, yet although he commits a series of murders across the timeline of the novel, as a reader I found him both chilling and empathetic. That said, whilst Kassim certainly racks up the highest body count, the true title of ‘villain’ for this story really rests with another character (which I won’t name or it will spoil the story for you).

From London, across Europe and over to the States, Harry follows the clues, and the bodies. With the tension tightening notch by notch through each chapter, by the time you’re heading for the end the pace is breathlessly rapid and, as a reader, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

A joy to read.

Highly Recommended.