Okay. How is it nearly the end of May already. One more week and it’ll be our last Bank Holiday until the summer! The bonus of that is that it’s one week closer to my holidays (cannot wait for a week off work) but still. This year is absolutely flying past. Gah.
I’ve had an amazing week reading wise this week, although a lot quieter bookishly. Only one book buy which was The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks. Because why not, right? From Netgalley I was granted Murder at Holly House by Denzil Meyrick (09 November) by Transworld. Needless to say that made me very smiley.
And that’s my lot. Try not to be too shocked. I sometimes (rarely) show some restraint …
Books I have read
Five million reasons why Ben Koenig had to disappear. Only one to bring him back . . .
Ben Koenig is a ghost. He doesn’t exist any more.
Six years ago it was Koenig who headed up the US Marshal’s elite Special Ops group. They were the elite unit who hunted the bad guys – the really bad guys. They did this so no one else had to.
Until the day Koenig disappeared. He told no one why and he left no forwarding address. For six years he became a grey man. Invisible. He drifted from town to town, state to state. He was untraceable. It was as if he had never been.
But now Koenig’s face is on every television screen in the country. Someone from his past is trying to find him and they don’t care how they do it. In the burning heat of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a town called Gauntlet, and there are people in there who have a secret they’ll do anything to protect. They’ve killed before and they will kill again.
Only this time they’ve made a mistake. They’ve dismissed Koenig as just another drifter – but they’re wrong. Because Koenig has a condition, a unique disorder that makes it impossible for him to experience fear. And now they’re about to find out what a truly fearless man is capable of. Because Koenig’s coming for them. And hell’s coming with him . . .
Children of the Mist by Douglas Skelton
We come from the mist, and to the mist we will return . . .
A memorial service witnessed in the historic Black Wood of Rannoch sets Rebecca Connolly on the trail of a baffling story. Fergus MacGregor told people he was going to Pitlochry for the day. He was never seen again. Five years later his deeply religious mother stills holds a memorial in the place Fergus loved because of its connections to the outlawed MacGregor clan, the Children of the Mist.
What happened that day in this last vestige of the great Caledonian forest?
Does a family feud hold the key? Does an old recluse have the answers?
Or is there something malevolent hiding among the ancient trees?
Meet Elsa Zero: Bad neighbour. Single mother. Ex-deep cover agent.
And right now, the most dangerous person on Earth.
When Elsa’s dull but dedicated boyfriend proposes in a packed restaurant, she doesn’t think her evening can get any worse.
But as the clock strikes midnight, her world is turned upside down. Suddenly Elsa is running for her life, trying to keep her children safe, and desperate to discover what the hell is going on.
Every intelligence agency in the world wants her dead because she’s in possession of a deadly secret – she just has to stay alive long enough to figure out what it is.
But this is Elsa Zero we’re talking about.
And it’s a very bad idea to get on her wrong side.
Bursting with tension, twists and humour, this is a brilliantly unique action-thriller, perfect for fans of Killing Eve, Lee Child and shows like Hunted.
An old-school reporter discovers that the search for the truth is still full of surprises in a twisty short thriller from bestselling master of suspense Jeffery Deaver.
After a long run as a respected journalist, Edward “Fitz” Fitzhugh is on his way out when he stumbles across the story of a lifetime. The Gravedigger is a serial kidnapper who taunts the police with riddles. The other puzzle is his motive, which Fitz is determined to piece together. When an eyewitness to the latest abduction leads Fitz closer to the facts, he realizes that the last great story of his career is not at all what it appears to be.
Jeffery Deaver’s Buried is part of Hush, a collection of six stories, ranging from political mysteries to psychological thrillers, in which deception can be a matter of life and death. Each piece can be read or listened to in one truly chilling sitting.
Women are going missing
Something deadly lurks in the forest around Cinderfield. Locals put the unusually high number of disappearances down to transients or runaways; some even blame the Cinderman, a figure of local legend rumoured to haunt the woods looking for unsuspecting victims.
Vanishing without a trace
Forensic specialist Laughton Rees doesn’t believe in monsters. Already investigating the area’s history of missing women, news of the latest ‘runaway’ Maddie Friar brings her to Cinderfield to find out the truth.
No one’s talking
But, from the gruff leader of an off-grid commune to the mysterious Earl who presides over the crumbling abbey in the heart of the forest, everyone in Cinderfield has something to hide
But what lies in the shadows?
As Laughton searches for answers, with the help of DCI Tannahil Khan back in London, someone is watching – cataloguing her every move, prepared to do anything to keep their dark secrets from coming to light.
Fear The Silence by Robert Bryndza
‘Do you believe Will took his own life?’
The question echoed off the white tiles in the hospital’s cold, cavernous morgue, and I studied my husband in peaceful repose. I leaned down and put my forehead against his. Silent tears ran down my cheeks. They felt hot, and he felt so cold. It was five days since his death, and my grief felt heavy, like a vast, dark mass pushing down on me.
When Maggie’s husband, Will, is shot dead in their London home, she thinks he is the victim of a burglary until the police tell her the shocking news that Will was the one who pulled the trigger.
Maggie is consumed with grief and questions. Will wasn’t suicidal. He had so much to live for.
After the funeral, Maggie travels to their holiday home on a small Croatian island to escape London. She finds a disturbing letter written by Will, containing clues to a dark secret.
As Maggie puts the pieces together, she discovers Will’s death is connected to someone from his past… Someone who will go to extreme lengths to keep Maggie silent.
Three can keep a secret… If two of them are dead.
The international multi-million bestselling author of The Girl in the Ice is back with his first stand-alone thriller, a heart-racing, hold-your-breath read that will keep you hooked until the very last page.
You’re impressed. I can tell. I will ‘fess up. I started reading Fearless last weekend so only had half a book to read and Buried is a novella/short story, but still. What a week. Everything just fell into place.
Good busy week on the blog too. Recap Below:
#Review – Strange Sally Diamond – Liz Nugent
#Review – The Fall – Gilly Macmillan
#Review – The Clockwork Girl – Anna Mazzola
#Review – The End of the Game – Holly Watt
#Review – The Dying Day – Vaseem Khan
#Review – The Doctor – Annie Payne
A really full week of reviews ahead, with just the one blog tour this time though. Deadly Fate by Angela Marsons is out on 25th May and I’m delighted to be helping kick off the tour.
And that is my lot. It is still Sunday as I am writing this so going to make the most of the lovely weather with a walk around Ironbridge. May or may not partake of coffee and ice cream while I’m there. (No – the diet is not going well …)
Have a lovely bookish week all.
Jen x
Jen Med's Book Reviews 