Book Review - Into The Darkness by Sibel Hodge - #HolidayReading Book 19

Book 19 of 28 read on my holiday to Cyprus in June 2018.

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Amazon UK

Title: Into The Darkness

Author: Sibel Hodget

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

Publication Date: 3rd July 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

The Missing…

In a hidden basement, eighteen-year-old Toni is held captive and no one can hear her screams. She’s been abducted after investigating unspeakable things in the darkest corners of the Internet.

The Vigilante…

Fearing the worst, Toni’s mother turns to ex-SAS operative Mitchell to help find her missing daughter. And when Mitchell discovers Toni’s fate rests in the hands of pure evil, he races against the clock to find Toni and bring her out alive. But even that might not be enough to save her.

The Detective…

DS Warren Carter is looking forward to a new job and a simpler life. But when he’s called in to investigate the brutal murder of a seemingly normal couple, he becomes entangled in lives that are anything but simple. And as he digs deeper, he uncovers a crime more twisted than he could ever have imagined.

Into the Darkness is the chilling new thriller from the bestselling author of Duplicity and Beneath the Surface.

Dark and treacherous is the best way to describe this story, as it take in some of the dark side, thankfully not in too much gory detail!

The story is told in the sections from the points of view of The Missing, The Detective and The Vigilante.  At times I did wonder if or how or when there would be an crossover of stories, so although I was looking out for it when everything came together it was rather satisfying. 

In terms of the detective and the vigilante, their two ways of approaching their investigations are really different and what did make me laugh is the level of political correctness being used in the police force!

This is a fast paced, edge of you seat thriller, where you are never completely sure what the outcome will be, or just what the motives are either.

Into the Darkness is another cracking book from Sibel Hodge, and one that I'm sure will disturb my dreams tonight!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Forget Her Name by Jane Holland

Amazon UK

Title: Forget Her Name

Author: Jane Holland

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication Date: 25th January 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Rachel’s dead and she’s never coming back. Or is she?

As she prepares for her wedding to Dominic, Catherine has never been happier or more excited about her future. But when she receives an anonymous package—a familiar snow globe with a very grisly addition—that happiness is abruptly threatened by secrets from her past.

Her older sister, Rachel, died on a skiing holiday as a child. But Rachel was no angel: she was vicious and highly disturbed, and she made Catherine’s life a misery. Catherine has spent years trying to forget her dead sister’s cruel tricks. Now someone has sent her Rachel’s snow globe—the first in a series of ominous messages…

While Catherine struggles to focus on her new life with Dominic, someone out there seems intent on tormenting her. But who? And why now? She doesn't have the answers - and in one final question lies her greatest fear.

Is Rachel still alive?

I have no idea how on earth I am supposed to describe this book, but I will say I was gripped from the start and read it in 3 hours flat, without pausing except to tell mum to stop talking at me as there was only 10% left..and that yes I had started it at dinner time!!  

The first of my "OMG WTF" moments came at the end of the first chapter, and it was one of many.  For over half the book I wax utterly convinced I had cracked what was happening, but evidently I was wrong and thankfully don't have the dark depths to my being to even contemplate just how many layers are in this book that have been crafted so carefully that you are literally guessing and unsure as to the potential ending the entire time. 

I would love to tell you about the book but given what I now know, there is very little I can say that won't give potential hints as to the plot and what may be crucial, or a double bluff or something else at any given time. 

Regardless it was an immensely cleverly crafted story with some truly memorable characters. Forget Her Name is a book that got under my skin, I didn't particularly find it creepy, although in places it was slightly disturbing. 

I had a lot of empathy for the main character, especially when seeing how others were reacting to her various claims. It was like there was a mystery wrapped up in a psychological drama, that just works on so many levels. 

I truly believe this could be Jane Holland's best book so far and I've read quite a few of them.  It has everything you want in this sort of book, and a premise that I haven't seen  before, at least not in this way.  

Absolutely amazing, ultimately I dare you to Forget Her Name after you see what she has been through in this book, I bet you won't be able to! 

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Beneath The Surface by Sibel Hodge

Amazon UK

Title:  Beneath The Surface

Author: Sibel Hodge

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication Date: 27th July 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

Dean Hudson didn’t look evil…so what could drive an ordinary boy to kill?

When the teenage son of Holly Gold’s school friend brutally murders his parents before killing himself, her sleepy home town is rocked by the sudden tragedy.

Appalled, Holly investigates. What could have caused the happy-go-lucky boy she remembers to commit such a heinous crime? When another teen commits suicide, she uncovers a horrifying link between the recent deaths and a dark conspiracy to hide the truth.

But someone doesn’t want Holly asking questions and, as she hunts for evidence to prove her theory, she’s dragged into a nightmare that threatens her life and her sanity. Then tragedy strikes again—and this time it’s closer to home…

From a slow start where I was unsure exactly why I was continuing to read, as I wasn't really liking Holly or her brother Miles, it suddenly became really good, and interesting at the same time, to the extent where I needed to know what would happen next. 

The story starts with an awful situation when a teenager kills his parents and then commits suicide, and Holly used to know the family and couldn't believe the son would do such a thing. She promises the surviving family member that she would try and find out why, and from that she uncovers all sorts of information, mostly unpleasant and all rather unsettling. 

At times I found some of the revelations and research into the reasoning of this crime a bit hard to take in, as its not a field I'm fully interested in, but equally I believe the situations outlined in the book could so easily be happening in real life that its eye opening too. 

There are a good amount of characters to keep track of, and you are never completely sure if any of them are telling the truth. Occasionally between chapters there are messages between the villains, with no indication who they are, other than they seem to know a lot about what is going on from all angles. 

At times a rather harrowing book, with a troubled main character, who can be viewed as an unreliable narrator.   Oddly it was only as the complexity ramped up  that I found myself really gripped by Beneath the Surface, and its true you never really know what is going on beneath the surface of anything. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Guilt Game by L.J. Sellers

Amazon UK

Title: Guilt Game

Author: L.J. Sellers

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication Date: 6th June 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Roxanne MacFarlane is the Extractor—a former CIA agent who specializes in rescuing people from dangerous situations. She lives on the edge and works outside the law, but desperate families know she’s the only operative who can bring their missing loved ones home. Driven by guilt over the loss of her sister to a polygamous cult, she will stop at nothing to save her clients.

When Dave and Jenny Carson ask her to find their daughter, Emma, and extract her from a charismatic cult leader who preys on young women with guilt issues, Rox is eager to help them. But the experimental treatment she just started in order to improve her atypical brain patterns forces her to face conflicting newfound emotions while working feverishly to find the secret compound and craft a strategy to get Emma out.

When the bodies of young women who match Emma’s description turn up, Rox must fast-forward her plans. But the situation is more complicated and dangerous than she realizes, and her own life is soon in jeopardy. Can Rox save Emma and bring down a ruthless predator before more young women fall victim?

To me the sign of a good book is one you can read in only two sittings and spend the time you aren't reading it thinking about it, and Guilt Game for me was just that book. I was completely intrigued and hooked from the second I understood just what Roxanne's job was, to the moment it finished. 

In fact I'm already hoping that this is the first of a new series, as I would love to see more from Roxanne. For she is an Extractor - someone who tries to extract people either from abusive parents, or from cults, or other dangerous situations. She needs to come up with a plan that gets her into as little trouble as possible, while fulfilling the wishes of her client, to get a loved one to safety. 

The case this book focuses on is tricky as its trying to get a young girl away from a cult. The cult seems to prey on women which suffer from huge amounts of guilt and thus Emma was a prime target for them. Her parents just want her home safely, and its up to Roxanne, or Karina as she is known for work, to try and find out everything she can about the cult leader and how it operates. 

Rox isn't on her own completely she has a step dad who is an ex-cop and her currently boyfriend is with the police working on a large case of his own. Rox is also slightly different from "normal" people and has just started a magnetic therapy treatment to try to get her brain patterns to become more regular. You can see after each session slight changes in her personality, which I found quite interesting. 

Guilt Game is certainly a different take on a thriller, but it is now less compulsive. I was really concerned for the cult members, curious as to the sections focusing on the leader, and generally loved the investigating and thought processes Roxanne had. 

I thoroughly enjoyed Guilt Game where the action ramped up as the story progressed leaving me surprised with the direction of the ending.  Yet another great book from the talented L.J. Sellers. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Lock The Door by Jane Holland

Amazon UK

Title: Lock The Door

Author: Jane Holland

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication Date: 10th January 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

Meghan Smith has always been a protective mother. Her baby son, Harry, has a life-threatening condition and is never far from her sight. But on the evening of her wedding anniversary, as she and her husband celebrate in the garden with friends, Harry disappears from his cot without a trace.

In an instant, the perfect life she always longed for is in tatters, her family exposed to interrogation and accusation in the glare of media attention. But none of it gets Meghan answers—or brings back her son.

As her life unravels and suspicion takes hold of her sanity, Meghan begins to question everything she once took for granted. Can she trust her husband? Can she trust her friends? Can she even trust herself?

Exhilarating..heart pounding are I think the best emotions I can express for how I feel having just finished the superb Lock The Door. Within about 2 or 3 pages, I was already very interested in the story, as the prologue implies a not fabulous diagnosis for baby Harry, but it doesn't give any details, so instantly I wanted to know more about this little boy. 

The next few chapters give a great insight into Meghan's mental state, and just how protective she is with Harry, and what a normal day would involve. We see her first interactions with husband Jon, before they have a party in their garden with friends for their anniversary. It is during this party that Harry disappears, and the urgency and pacing increases from there. 

Thanks to the initial back ground information, I was already starting to feel a real interest in Meghan, and I was absolutely devastated for her, when her child goes missing. It is once the police become involved that we learn the true nature of Harry's illness, and it is this illness that gives the whole book its momentum, more so than with other missing children books that I have read. 

The entire focus of the book is on Meghan, her interactions with her friends and neighbours, and how she is coping with not knowing what is happening with Harry. Her husband is not the most pleasant of chaps, and I really didn't like the way he was trying to make out Meghan was going mad. I would have perhaps liked to have seen the way the police were looking into the case, but that would have destroyed the pacing, so although I'd be curious to see it, I'm glad the book was all about Meghan. 

It is a book that contains many twists and turns, and plenty of red herrings just to keep you on your toes. I devoured this book, reading it in about 3 hours in one sitting. It is a very quick book to read, especially if it hooks you, like it did to me. I really felt drawn into the story, and desperately wanted to know what was going to happen next the whole time. 

Did I love the big reveal that is usually how books of this genre finish? Well it was certainly unexpected and I would never have seen it coming, but I would have perhaps ideally loved the scenes to last slightly longer, for me to fully try and understand motivations. However I love being completely surprised, and Lock The Door surprised me quite a few times, which is always good! 

If you are looking for a book with plenty of intrigue that is utterly gripping, then Lock The Door is definitely all of that and more. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this copy of Lock The Door which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.  

Book Review - Duplicity by Sibel Hodge

Amazon UK

Title: Duplicity

Author: Sibel Hodge

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication Date: 27th December 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

There are three sides to every story: Yours. Mine. And the truth…

Max and Alissa have a fairy tale life—newlywed, madly in love and enviously rich. Then Max is brutally stabbed to death at their home and Alissa, miraculously, escapes with her life. But why was she spared?

The hunt for the killer begins, uncovering a number of leads—was Max’s incredible wealth the motive? Had his shady business practices finally caught up with him? Or was it a stalker with a dangerous obsession?

Devoted friends rally around gentle, sweet Alissa as she is left to mourn the loss of her husband and pick up her life. But not everyone is who they seem…Deep-rooted jealousies, secrets and twisted love lie just beneath the surface, and not all fairy tales have a happy ending.

Duplicity is a suspenseful thriller from the bestselling author of Look Behind You and Where the Memories Lie.

For a lot of the first part of the book, I will admit I was wondering if I had made a mistake, the story seemed to be fairly open and shut at least on the police's behalf and it all felt too neat and tidy to me. Don't get me wrong I was still interested in what was happening, but I felt as though the story needed a bit more oomph! I then had a day at work and returned to the book, praying that my gut feeling was there had to be a twist that would make the book suspenseful and gripping, and thankfully that was my reward for reading on. 

From the point where things start to make a bit more sense, while understanding more about the murder, from the murderer's point of view, I was fascinated and hooked. 

You need to pay attention at the start of each chapter, as they are all written in the first person, but the person changes depending on the chapter, and the header tells you who you are for that section. I didn't quite twig to start with, so doubled back while I worked out what was going on! 

The main perspectives you get are that of the person "who did it", complete with their childhood background and everything leading up to the moment, in bite sized chunks, so you can get to know them over the course of the book, and try to understand potential motivations. 

The other perspective is that of the detective. I initially struggled to get to grips with this detective and his team, but I was impressed with his determination to not be too bossed about by his superiors and to follow his own hunches. 

As the story progressed I was drawn more and more into it, and it soon became really hard to put the book down at all. The twists were far better than I could have predicted myself, and I loved the whole sequence towards the end, where the pacing suddenly sped up, and there was  a race against time involved. 

This is what I would call a strong suspenseful police procedural that had be second guessing my hunches, and had me completely immersed in the writing towards the end.  There were even some traits from the villain that I was really impressed with, despite them clearly being a sociopath!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this copy of the book. This was my honest and voluntary review. 

Book Review - Witness by Caroline Mitchell

Amazon UK

Title: Witness

Author: Caroline Mitchell

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley 

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication Date: 20th December 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

To Rebecca it was a brave decision that led to her freedom from domestic abuse. To Solomon it was the ultimate betrayal.

It’s been ten years since Rebecca’s testimony saw Solomon locked away. Enough time for the nightmares to recede, the nerves to relax; enough time to rebuild her life and put the past behind her.

Then one day a phone rings in her bedroom—but it’s not her phone. Solomon has been in her home, and has a very simple message for her: for each of the ten years he has spent in jail, Rebecca must witness a crime. And, to make matters worse, she has to choose the victims.

Fail to respond and you get hurt. Talk to police and you die. Ready to play? You have sixty seconds to decide…

As the crimes grow more severe, the victims closer to home, Rebecca is forced to confront a past she had hoped was gone forever.

10 years ago Rebecca testified against Solomon and he was put into prison for murder, it allowed her an escape from her abusive relationship, and she set up a brand new life for herself the other side of the country. 

However Solomon is now out of prison, and wants revenge. He manages to place a phone in Rebecca's new house, that when it starts to ring, she knows isn't hers but due to the ring tone knows exactly who its from. 

She is "invited" to "play" a "game". For each of the 10 years he was in prison, she has to witness a crime, and not tell anyone, and she gets a choice in the victims. The crimes as you may expect progress in severity, and as you understand more about the setup, I found myself feeling quite mixed. 

Solomon is clearly a despicable character and I really hated what he had done in the past and what he was currently doing, but at the same time, I was impressed with his computer skills, his cunning and just how well thought out his whole silent witness game is. 

Slowly the details of their past relationship are made clear from a series of journal entries, and it was those that had me the most worried and gripped, as I desperately wanted to see just how it would all turn out, while also being horrified as to just what Solomon is capable of. 

Rebecca in her new life now has a husband, a dog and a 4 year old little girl who seemed lovely. She is of course scared for all their lives and also petrified that her past may come out in more details. You can't help but feel a bit sorry for her as she is stuck between a rock and hard place. 

The level of detail was incredibly well thought out, and I was honestly worried as I was reading Witness. I have a feeling that I may not sleep well for a while, as it is scary just how easily someone can infiltrate a house nowadays with technology. 

Equally I found Witness to be quite thought provoking as to how far you would go, to protect your loved ones. What level of crime would you be able to witness comfortably happening to someone you know, and not step in and stop it or report it?  This really is a story about pushing you to the extremes and its fascinating for it. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this copy that I have reviewed voluntarily and honestly. 

Book Review - Death Deserved by L.J. Sellers

Amazon UK

Title: Death Deserved (Detective Jackson Mystery Book 11)

Author: L. J. Sellers

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

Publication Date: 19th July 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Detective Wade Jackson is in for a shock when he’s summoned to the police chief’s office—his sergeant has been poisoned, and Jackson’s been tapped to lead the investigation.

But before the Eugene Violent Crimes unit has a chance to respond, two people are gunned down at a licensed marijuana nursery. Jackson and his colleague Detective Lara Evans are on the case—but there are more suspects than evidence, and the crime is baffling.

Soon, more people are hospitalized, and when Evans discovers a link between the poisonings and edible pot, she and Jackson suspect that the product tampering and shootings are connected.

As the task force investigates new leads, it’s clear that the detectives are on a dangerous trail, one that forces them to question everyone—even their own team. But they’ll have to uncover the truth fast…before the next victim falls prey.

The second I spotted Death Deserved on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it, it had been far too long since I last read a Detective Jackson book, so clearly needed my latest fix. Well I definitely wasn't disappointed, I thankfully remembered the characters with relative ease and had a whole new set of crimes to learn about. 

As a side note I do believe this can be read as a standalone, all relevant background information is touched upon, even though having read the full series up to this point, it did remind me of many other great stories in the series. 

The main premise behind this story, was to do with the legalisation of Marijuana in Oregon, and as a result there are people being shot dead at a pot farm, and then we discover there are some poisonings that may also be related too drugs. 

However due to the nature of the crimes, there is almost an over abundance of potential suspects, and its up to Detective Wade Jackson and his team to work out who may be convicted for what, and also if any of them are actually innocent. 

There are leads from all manner of sources and the action is high paced throughout as, the police try to get these latest threats off the streets and hopefully save more lives in the process. 

In addition to the focus on Wade, his colleague Detective Lara Evans is also getting some of her own chapters, and I was excited to see all her SWAT team training finally paying off as she responds to her first call out. The other main character was Sophie Speranza the journalist at the local paper who has an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time for a story. 

I am a huge fan of this series and thoroughly enjoyed reading every second of this latest offering. I'm not convinced its my favourite book of the series, but it definitely comes very close and already I am needing another fix from my favourite Violent Crimes Unit. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review - Point of Control by LJ Sellers

Amazon UK

Title: Point of Control

Author: LJ Sellers

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication Date: 19th January 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

In her personal life, FBI agent Andra Bailey works hard to control her sociopathic tendencies. But on the job, her cold logic comes in handy.

Now two world-renowned scientists have disappeared, and the bureau assigns Bailey to find them and hunt down the kidnapper. The agent soon suspects that a rare-metal shortage may be the link between the disappearances and that the motive is far more dangerous than she imagined. With the market in turmoil and prices sky-high, electronics companies and their power-hungry CEOs are ready to do anything—even kill—to keep production lines going.

When a third scientist disappears, Bailey throws caution aside to track the crimes to their source. But by immersing herself so deeply in the case, she risks letting down the defenses she’s built to contain the sociopath inside her.

Point of Control is a new standalone thriller from LJ Sellers, the author of the Detective Jackson series that I have been reading for years, and love, so I was eager to start reading this. I think that if you are new to the author then the Detective Jackson series is probably a better introduction as I think its better than Point of Control, but this new book is still a very compulsive thriller. 

What I found fascinating about Point of Control was FBI agent Andra Bailey, as she is a sociopath, that works for the FBI and has just enough self awareness to generally keep a handle on her condition. Despite her general lack of empathy, I really  liked her, and she is a highly intelligent agent, and very capable. 

There is a lot of details with regards the mobile phone manufacturing industry and extraction of rare metals, and encryption that  didn't always follow at times, but helped set the scene and was relevant to the story. 

I found the story was fast paced and at points I didn't want to put it down. You see the plot unfold from a variety of viewpoints, and just for once I didn't feel complete disgust at the criminals. 

I wish this was the start of a series as I would love to know more about Andra Bailey and her future career as she is an intriguing character. 

Overall I really enjoyed Point of Control and found it to be a very good thriller that is worth reading. 

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review - Where the Memories Lie by Sibel Hodge

Amazon UK

Title: Where The Memories Lie

Author: Sibel Hodge

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication Date: 22nd September 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Twenty-five years ago Katie ran away from home and never came back. But now she’s suddenly reappeared in her best friend Olivia’s life—in the form of a chilling confession. Olivia’s father-in-law, wracked with guilt, says he murdered her all those years ago. Tom suffers from Alzheimer’s and his story is riddled with error and confusion. Except for one terrifying certainty: he knows where the body is buried.

As Olivia and the police piece together the evidence, they are left with one critical question. They have a crime, they have a confession, and now they have a body—but can any of it be trusted?

Where the Memories Lie is a very gripping story, that had me hooked right from the start. It also deals with a variety of tricky issues and moral dilemmas, that if I put myself into Olivia's shoes, I honestly don't know for sure how I would have reacted. 

The main question is, if your father in law, who has Alzheimers, confesses to a murder, and also reveals the location of a body, and its of someone you used to be good friends with, what would you do. Do you risk making life tougher for your father in law and tell the police, or do you sweep it under the rug for the sake of your family. Is it even a real memory, or was he getting confused perhaps with a news story, or something on TV?

Well that is what Olivia, and her entire family are dealing with, in Where the Memories lie, and it leads to all sorts of consequences. 

And with regards the police,  once they inevitably do get involved, and find a body, there are then even more incredibly hard to answer questions about just what happened 25 years ago. Will dredging up ancient history have pleasant consequences for anyone, or will it just tear the family apart?

These are just some of the thoughts that are likely to go through your mind as you read the start of the book, and then of course you will have to wonder just "who did it, and why?" I was so enthralled by how the story was playing out in front of me, that I honestly didn't have a clue as to the answer to that, and hadn't come up with many theories myself. 

This is set in Dorset, and there were a whole bunch of settings named, that seemed incredibly familiar to me. I have a feeling I saw some of these places on an A-Level Geography field trip, or we learnt about them in school, but it was great for me to have some sort of familiarity with a setting, that isn't where I live!

Where The Memories Lie is the sort of psychological thriller that will get under your skin as you are reading it, picking at you until you get all the answers you desire. It is very well written, with just the right amount of details, and with enough details about the extended family life of  Olivia, to really care what happens to these characters. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.