Unquiet Souls

 

 

 

 

 

Unquiet Souls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First of all my thanks go to Bloodhound Books for allowing me to read and review this book. This is my honest opinion.

 

Unquiet Souls is set in alternating chapters over two specific years 2003 and 2015. It took me a while to realise why this is set out like this, however as the chapters progress it allows you to understand the series of events that happened, and what unfolded over the specific years. It had me hooked once I made the connection and wanting to read more.

 

Gus is a DCI who has been on sick leave following a previous incident, and now back on duty after finally been given the all clear. Back to where he belongs, dealing with a case of child trafficking, a case involving The Matchmaker, a case that opens wounds for some members of the police force.

 

This book has had me on a roller coaster of a ride, wondering who was behind this horrible child trafficking ring, thinking I'd figured it out to be shocked again. There were scenes in the book that gave me goosebumps and I seriously hope that they were fiction, because I would hate to think that this could/does happen.

 

Excellent book by Liz Mistry and I am seriously looking to read more by this author. Bloodhound Books have found an excellent author here! 

Something Hidden (Andrew Hunter #2)

Something Hidden (Kerry Wilkinson)

First of all many thanks go to Kerry Wilkinson for allowing me an ARC of this book.  This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Something Hidden is the second book in the Andrew Hunter series.  Andrew Hunter is a private investigator living in Beetham Tower and running a very small private investigator business.  He has an assistant Jenny, a girl that has a hidden past (which we start to learn a little bit more about in this book).  We also start to learn a bit more about Andrew Hunter, and he starts to face up to his past including dealing with the break up from his ex-wife. 

This story is set in Manchester and I love that I can relate to the majority of places that are described, this gives me a sense that I am in the book with them, along with the references to the Manchester weather as well.

Andrew Hunter is a private investigator who cannot seem to say no to people and ends up investigating cases that he wouldn’t normally want to touch.  He doesn’t like confrontation and tries to please people constantly. 

Something Hidden starts with a young university couple who witness a robbery whilst in a Manchester jewellery store, who are then subsequently found dead.  The killer Luke Methodist was found next to them and therefore the case is deemed open and shut.  However Luke’s daughter Fiona doesn’t believe that her dad was responsible for the shootings and hires Andrew (with the little money she has managed to save) to investigate this matter.

This investigation is run alongside another investigation involving missing Bengal cats, another case that Andrew somehow manages to find himself dealing with.

I don't want to give too much away, so if you like Kerry's other books, or books set in Manchester then this one is for you.  

The book keeps the reader entertained and you are able to appreciate where the writer is going with the book, and how the characters are starting to develop.  I cannot wait to hear and read more of Andrew Hunter and his assistant Jenny.  

 

      

 

 

       

Bloq - Alan Jones

My thanks go to Alan Jones for allowing me to read a copy of this book.   This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

I had heard so many good things about this book from my other blogger friends who kept telling me to pick this up and read it.  You won’t be disappointed were the words of one friend, just make sure you can forget about what’s around you whilst you read, and I can honestly say she was right.   The cover makes the book mysterious and I couldn’t wait to start this

The book opens with an illegal burial and has you asking questions from the beginning. 

Bill Ingram is waiting at Glasgow train station for his daughter’s visit at Christmas time from London.  After the last train has pulled in and she still hasn’t got off, he begins to worry.  His daughter Carol is not answering her phone and despite numerous messages being left he cannot contact her.  He begins to ask himself why his daughter has not arrived after promising to be on the train.  What could have possibly happened?  Not wanting to think the worse, he travels to London to see if things are alright.  They aren’t!

What follows is every parent’s worst nightmare, a world that makes him leave his job, and take drastic action. (A search that takes over his life, leads him into the mysterious world of what happens in the London Blog nightclub scene, the way the owners dabble in organised crime and the drug scene.)  A search that takes over his life, leads him into the mysterious world of what happens in the Blog’s nightclub, the way the club dabble in organised crime and the drug scene. 

This book is a tense and gripping story and one that had me wishing for a few more minutes to continue reading, not wanting to put down my kindle as I was glued with each page turn, hooked from page 1, and drawn further and further into the story with each page turn.   Reading a chapter and doing the old cliché of I’ll just read one more and then I’ll stop!   

Alan Jones is a fantastic writer and has certainly grabbed my attention with this book and I can honestly say I am so glad that I have one of his other books in my every increasing TBR pile.  I will certainly be pushing this up towards the top and reading this soon.

The Stepmother - Claire Seeber

The Stepmother - Claire Seeber 

My thanks go to Claire Seeber and the publishers Bookouture via NetGalley for allowing me to read and review a copy of this book.  This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.   

The Stepmother is about Jeanie and her sister Marlena.  They had a difficult childhood and one which affected their adult lives, each had their own secrets and problems.  The story is told from the two sister’s perspective in alternating chapters.

Jeanie has met and married Matthew and is now living in Matthew’s house, trying to create their own family unit, Jeanie with her teenage son and Matthew with his two children.  However Jeanie has a secret!

Marlena is a high flying journalist, always following an important story, and never really having time for her sister apart from a snatch few minutes on a phone every now and again.     

It was a dark and mysterious tale of how step parents have obstacles to overcome by bringing two families together, the impact things can have on their lives.  A psychological thriller that had you wanting to know more.      

I would like to apologise for the delay in writing this review, this has been for two reasons, the first due to family and personal commitments and secondly, because this book has had me thinking of how to write my review.   Don’t get me wrong I liked this book and it kept my interest as I went along, had me turning the pages frantically to see what happened as the story progressed, but I was somehow not drawn into the story immediately. 

I loved the short snappy chapters each told from a sister's point of view, but this took me a while to get my head around and the way the story was being told.  I felt that at the end of some chapters some things were left unanswered and not covered until further along in the story and despite me frantically turning the pages to see what happened next, I felt that the ending of the book had my questioning a few things.

I will say that Bookouture do a fantastic job in designing covers that draw the reader in and this cover is no exception.  It makes the reader wonder what the story will be about, will it or won’t it be a fairy tale.    

The author Claire Seeber certainly knows how to write a story and keep her readers entertained and I have already got one of her other books on my TBR (to be read) pile in readiness for reading shortly.

The Jungle - Mark Dawson

 The Jungle (John Milton #9)

John Milton is back, and helping out a friend by driving a lorry to Europe, via Calais (and the camp which is known as “The Jungle” where the refugees camp out, before trying to hitch a ride via whatever means they can over to the United Kingdom.

This book centres around a young man who manages to hide in Milton’s friends lorry and upon arriving in the UK is found by Immigration and sent to a holding facility whilst his case is reviewed, but not before Milton manages to obtain the reason as to why he travelled in the back of the truck and the sole purpose of the reason he wanted to get across the border.

Milton advises that he will help him, after hearing his tale and the fact that the young man in question wants to find his sister, who has been kidnapped by people smugglers and sold.  Milton therefore enlists the help of Hicks to assist him in this “mission”, and we are also treated to another personal insight into what makes Milton tick, what his inner demons are and what he is trying to do to keep these at bay.

Another cracking read by Mark Dawson and I am so looking forward to the next episode in this series. 

If you haven’t read any of Mark’s books, I would suggest starting from the beginning to understand who Milton is and why he is the way he is.  However, these books can be read as standalones should you wish.

My thanks go to Mark Dawson for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.  I look forward to reading book 10. 

Valentina - S E Lynes

 

 

Valentina 

My first thoughts on starting reading to read this book, after the first few pages were “do I have to continue?”, not because I didn’t want to read this, I did!  It sounded right up my street, but because the opening pages were not what I expected to read.

Once I read a quarter of the book (my cut off point as to whether to continue) I realised why the writer / author wrote as she did and set the scene as it’s set.

Shona and Valentina are friends, they met through their children after Shona visits a nursery with her daughter Isla, upon moving to a rural cottage in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with her partner Michael (Mikey) who works away on the oil rigs, on a rotating shift of two weeks on / two weeks off.  Valentina is a mysterious woman, married to a man (that Shona never gets to meet) and they also have a son, who is the same age as Isla, Shona’s daughter.  Shona is happy and excited to have made a friend, as she is lonely after moving into the remote cottage, but then things start to happen which makes her question the friendship.       

This is a book that once I finished, had me thinking about friendships / relationships and the hidden depths people go to!   

This book makes you think, makes you question the things that can and do happen in relationships.  The lengths some people go to, to keep / get what they want.

My thanks go to S E Lynes for contacting me and asking would I like to review this book.  I am so glad I did.  I look forward to reading more by this author.  I would also like to the publishers Blackbird Digital Books.