As If By Magic (DS Jessica Daniel #2.5)

Amazon.co.uk - As If By Magic (Jessica Daniel #2.5) Kindle Exclusive

As If By Magic (A Jessica Daniel Kindle Exclusive) (#2.5)

Blurb 

After finding an abandoned package at Manchester’s Piccadilly Station, Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel has two choices. One option leads to the entire North West transport network grinding to a halt—and more importantly Jessica missing her train—the other involves her opening the box.

For Jessica, the choice is clear—but what’s in the box, who left it, and how will it affect her weekend away?

This 50,000-word “half-book” was released to celebrate the one-year anniversary of UK no.1 bestselling novel Locked In being released. It contains a bonus features section, with scans of the original hand-written plot outline and the full first chapter of the upcoming Think Of The Children (Jessica Daniel book four).

It can be read standalone, or as part of the rest of the Jessica Daniel series.

Review 

Found this to be a nice short read in between books – another excellent addition to the Jessica Daniel series.

Jessica still has the banter between her and Dave and you get to know Hugo a bit more.  Great book and can’t really do much of a review or would give the story away.

The Woman in Black (Jessica Daniel Series Book 3)

Amazon.co.uk - The Woman in Black (Jessica Daniel #3)

The Woman in Black (Jessica Daniel Series Book 3)

Blurb

The Woman in Black is the third gripping Jessica Daniel novel from bestselling sensation, Kerry Wilkinson.

Someone has left a severed hand in the centre of Manchester and the only clue Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel has to go on is CCTV footage of a woman in a long black robe placing it carefully on the ground.

With a lengthy missing persons list and frantic families wondering if the body part could belong to their absent loved ones, she has plenty to deal with - and that's before a detached finger arrives for her in the post.

By the time a second hand is found and a local MP's wife goes missing, Jessica is left struggling to find out who the appendages belong to, how they are connected and just what the mysterious woman in black has to do with it all.

Review 

The story begins with a severed hands being discovered in a busy part of Manchester and then the index finger turning up at Longsight police station for Jessica Daniels.

Daniels is not the hero, has failings that lead her up blind alleys, and make mistakes, but then again not everyone is perfect are they!

Great series and excellent that if you read these in order you know there is more to be read. 

Locked In (Jessica Daniel, #1)

Amazon.co.uk - Locked In (Jessica Daniel #1)

Locked In – Jessica Daniel (#1)

The story set in Manchester revolves around a serial killer who leaves his victims behind in locked rooms.

Newly promoted DS Jessica Daniels is in charge of her first murder.  Victim has been found in a locked house with no clue as to how the killer got in or back out. 

Jessica investigates the crime with her colleague DC Dave Rowlands and a reporter who she has the fortunate or unfortunate pleasure of knowing Garry Ashford. 

The book is fast paced (in my opinion), short chapters which have you turning the pages faster and faster and the giving you the gentle reveals as you work your way through.  Ends in the usual Kerry Wilkinson way (I have come to know due to having read all of his books so far) where you are itching to get the next book loaded on your kindle in readiness for reading. 

The book and the subsequent books that follow are set in Manchester, around the Gorton, Longsight and centre of Manchester itself. 

If you plan on picking any of Kerry’s books up then make sure you a) have the time it will consume to read the books and b) be prepared that you will want to read the rest of the books he has written.

Something Wicked (Andrew Hunter #1)

Amazon.co.uk - Somthing Wicked (Andrew Hunter #1) 

Please note this book is not released until 5th June 2015.

Received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

WOW what a book. Great story and kept me hooked.

Something Wicked is the first book in a new series Kerry Wilkinson is writing based on the character Andrew Hunter.

Andrew Hunter is a private investigator set in the heart of Manchester.

When I first started reading this book and the opening chapter I was left puzzled as to what this book was going to be about, talking about radio presenters with fake American accidents playing 1980's music on a busy Manchester road through morning rush hour. The next minute your following a grey Audi who is brought to an abrupt halt by a) change of traffic lights and b) a girl with an attitude problem. (Not giving the next bit away you need to read!)

All I will say is the girl is called Jenny and low and behold is Andrew's assistant and was part of the first case the book opens with.

The next case is the one that the book centres around with a missing boy of 18 called Nicholas Carr and his father Richard Carr whose looking for him. Nicholas disappeared after a night out with his friends and girlfriend Lara.

Things progress through the book with you getting to know how the characters work, the way Jenny is and her love of "biscuits and fizzy drinks". How Andrew ended up with a beautiful apartment in the heart of Manchester considering his well paid is job isn't.

Not prepared to give much more away, think you need to wait for the release of this book in June and read. If you are lover of the Jessica Daniel's series you will have briefly met Andrew Hunter and if you enjoyed that series I cannot see why you won't like this.

Enjoy reading.

Last thing I would like to say is a massive thanks to Kerry Wilkinson for granting me an ARC to read and review, it was a pleasure and a privilege to read and cannot wait for book #2

Think of the Children (DS Jessica Daniel #4)

 

 Amazon.co.uk - Think of the Children (Jessica Daniel #4)

Loved this book definitely not the ending I thought. Excellent book and a great series. Well done to Kerry Wilkinson for creating such a great character.

Playing With Fire (Jessica Daniel, #5)

Amazon.co.uk - Playing with Fire (Jessica Daniel #5)
Excellent book and excellent series, really didn't want to get to the end of the book and so looking forward to the next one in the series. Hope Kerry Wilkinson has plenty more up his sleeve for this character and the series.

Vigilante (Jessica Daniel, #2)

Amazon.co.uk - Vigilante (Jessica Daniel #2)

Vigilante (Jessica Daniel #2)

Second book in the series and another good read by Kerry Wilkinson

Blurb

A killer behind bars is still killing.

Dead bodies are piling up for Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel.

Usually when a serial killer is on the loose, the pressure would be building to find the perpetrator but the victims are all hardened criminals themselves.

The national media can’t believe their luck with an apparent vigilante on the streets, while Jessica’s new boss seems grateful someone else is doing their job for them.

But things aren't so straightforward when forensics matches blood from the apparent killer to a man already behind bars

Review

Dead bodies are piling up for Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel. A serial killer is on the loose and Jessica and her team are tasked with solving this.  Jessica and her team upon investigating the case find prints left on some of the victims matching a killer (McKenna) that is already in prison.

The murderer is on a crusade to rid Manchester of dangerous criminals. All victims upon investigation were in prison with McKenna in the past. Is the vigilante McKenna, if so how? Is there someone helping in from the outside? Or does someone have access to his hair and blood?

Read the book to find out more.

It was nice to have the familiarity of the characters from the first book, with some taking a larger role.  Nice to see the characters developing and Jessica finding a love interest with Adam along the way.

Thicker Than Water (Jessica Daniel, #6)

 

Amazon.co.uk - Thicker Than Water (Jessica Daniel #6) 

Another fantastic Jessica Daniel book, kept me entertained throughout with the usual twists and turns he (Kerry) does so well. Love the way Jessica is developing in the books.Looking forward to 2014 and the next one. Long may this character continue. Keep up the good work Kerry.

Behind Closed Doors: 7 (DS Jessica Daniel Book 7)

 

 Amazon.co.uk - Behind Closed Doors (Jessica Daniel #7)

Excellent book as usual from Kerry Wilkinson, loved the way it was written, in that the way Jessica was feeling upon starting the the book, evolved into the story of her slowly returning back to work, with each section of the book having its own implications upon a certain stage in Jessica's life. 

Keep up the good work Kerry, can't wait to read the next one now!

Crossing The Line (Jessica Daniel, #8)

Amazon.co.uk - Crossing The Line (Jessica Daniel #8) 

  
On a rare day off work, waiting for furniture to be delivered I made the most of the day by chilling and reading the rest of this book.

As usual Kerry Wilkinson has done it, excellent way to start the series 2 of the Jessica Daniel's books.  Set in Manchester (before the Ferris wheel arrived) for those of you familiar with the area.  Starts off with a gathering in Piccadilly where the Home Secretary is, visiting and a few local Councillors are there as well. 

The book then continues with one of the Councillors being injured, along with various other members of the public in what appear to be unprovoked attacks, the reoccurrence of the story regarding the Stretford Slasher 25 years on. 

Found this part hard to get into, but knowing what Kerry's writing is like knew I had to preserve and all would make sense and low and behold I was right!!!

Things take a drastic turn towards the end when Jessica is helping out an "old friend" which makes you think where is this going and having me guessing all sorts of things, having read the previous books and knowing what happened to her in those, then it picks up to a fast conclusion which kept me hooked.

Great continuation to the series and look forward to reading the next one in the series which has already been written and has a taste at the end of this making you want more. 

One thing in the book that made me giggle was the quote "skin flaking like a dried-out Danish" - will never look at a Danish in the same light again.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks go to Kerry for letting me read this advance copy which as usual was excellent.

The Sword of God – Mark Dawson

Amazon.co.uk - The Sword of God

Received as an ARC and read in exchange for an honest review.

The main character in this book is John Milton – This is book 5 of a series (but can be read as a standalone book as can the others). This was the first book in the series I read and I can guarantee that this won’t be the last.  Books 1 – 4 are loaded on my kindle to be read this year and looking forward to starting them.

John Milton has a very intriguing past, ex solider, ex assassin but a hero in his own rights.

This book is set in a tiny town called Truth and a town that Milton was planning on passing through until Truth’s Sheriff picks him up and drives him right through the town depositing him outside and tells him to continue on his way.  Now in the real world some might continue on their journey and not think any more about it (or maybe wonder for a split second why) but in Milton’s world that is not going to happen and John Milton proceeds to walk back into the town and check into a hotel (for what was meant to be one night) before proceeding on his travels again.

Upon checking in and then going to the bar in the town for a drink and food, trouble finds him in the form or a bar brawl and he is soon spending the night in a cell rather than a hotel bedroom.  Upon release the following morning, a witness to the bar brawl Mallory Stanton tracks him down and asks for his help in finding her brother Arty (a vulnerable boy) who has become involved, through no choice of his own with a group of bank robbers, which the FBI are trying to find.  Mallory in the meantime wants her brother found before the FBI does.

This isn’t a job that Milton really wanted to do but Mallory had that persuasive way of saying she would do it on her own knowing that Milton would eventually be persuaded to help.  He does as does a FBI Agent called Ellie.

The book is then fast paced and a rollercoaster of a ride, involving camping in the forest, Christian militia group, the local police force  and Milton himself getting hurt.  It is a book that you will have to pick up to find out the rest of the story.  It is worth it and needs to be read!!!

Well worth the 5 stars it has been given and a pleasure to have the opportunity of reading this book.  Thanks Mark and look forward to reading more of your books – especially since 2015 is the year you have chosen to be a full time writer.  Good luck – on second thoughts you don’t need luck with books written like this.