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To Kill The Truth – Sam Bourne

Someone is trying to destroy the evidence of history’s greatest crimes.

Academics and Holocaust survivors dead in mysterious circumstances. Museums and libraries burning. Digital records and irreplaceable proofs, lost for ever.

Former White House operative Maggie Costello has sworn off politics. But when the Governor of Virginia seeks her help to stop the lethal spiral of killings, she knows that this is bigger than any political game.

As Black Lives Matter protestors clash with slavery deniers, America is on a knife-edge and time is running out. This deadly conspiracy could ignite a new Civil War – but who stands to gain most from the chaos?

Taut, authoritative and explosive, To Kill the Truth takes us to the edge of anarchy, a world without truth in which history will be rewritten by those who live to shape it.

I received a review copy from the publishers through Netgalley

Last year I found myself drawn to a book called To Kill the President. It was my introduction to Maggie Costello – flame haired, American Irish force to be reckoned with. My review of To Kill The President is here and it’s a book I still recommend to fans of political thrillers.

Now Costello returns in To Kill The Truth. It is a story which struck fear into my heart as libraries and books are being destroyed as someone tries to remove historical records, seemingly to allow sufficient doubt over recorded historical events. Could slavery or the holocaust be denied if the historical records were removed and modern voices sought to re-establish “facts” or offer different interpretations on past events?

In a courthouse a case is playing out which has potential to ignite racial tensions across the world – the question at the heart of the trial is “did slavery happen?” With the jury’s decision looming Maggie Costello is trying to establish if there could be any connection with the court case and the destruction of the libraries and museums which house the history of the world.

To Kill The Truth is a fast paced political thriller which and I really enjoyed it. The power players of Washington are trying to pull the strings and control any damage limitation. Journalists are digging for connections, academics are dying and Maggie is caught in the midst of it all. She will become a target for forces unknown – her reputation and her credibility will be stripped from her and she must show resilience to make her voice heard.

Sam Bourne taps into the issues of the day and spins an exciting story which, at times, felt alarmingly uncomfortable to contemplate as just fiction. Well worth seeking this book out – it is currently available in all good bookshops.

To Kill the Truth is published by Quercus and is available in Hardback, Digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kill-Truth-Sam-Bourne/dp/1787474917/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=to+kill+the+truth&qid=1552758453&s=gateway&sr=8-1

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March 15

Last Ones Left Alive – Sarah Davis-Goff

Watch your six. Beware tall buildings. Always have your knives.

Raised by her mother and Maeve on Slanbeg, an island off the west coast of Ireland, Orpen has a childhood of love and stories by the fireside. But the stories grow darker, and the training begins. Ireland has been devoured by a ravening menace known as the skrake, and though Slanbeg is safe for now, the women must always be ready to run, or to fight.

When Maeve is bitten, Orpen is faced with a dilemma: kill Maeve before her transformation is complete, or try to get help. So Orpen sets off, with Maeve in a wheelbarrow and her dog at her side, in the hope of finding other survivors, and a cure. It is a journey that will test Orpen to her limits, on which she will learn who she really is, who she really loves, and how to imagine a future in a world that ended before she was born.

I received a review copy from the publishers and was invited to join the blog tour by Anne Cater at Random Things. My thanks to both.

Last Ones Left Alive opens with Orpen, alone, isolated and vulnerable. She is carefully making her way towards Phoenix City but it is not immediately clear why. Orpen is traveling with her dog (Danger) and in a barrow she is pushing her sister Maeve. If you read the blurb of the book, as above, then you will know that Maeve has been bitten – infected with a disease which will lead to her “turning”. However, when you read the book this is not made clear from the outset and you need to follow Orpen’s journey before you can begin to piece together how she has reached this point.

Orpen is in Ireland. She has grown up on an island off the mainland where she has been sheltered from the events which seem to have changed our world forever. People have died; many have been bitten by the infected denizens and when they get bitten they change into one of the infected too. It is dangerous to be out in the open and Orpen has trained since her 7th birthday to know how to fight and defend herself.

Watch your six. Beware tall buildings. Always have your knives.

Orpen’s story is told in two time periods – the present day and her constant plight and then the story flips to her childhood and we see Orpen living with her mother and sister (who in present day is in a barrow being pushed along by Orpen as she resists the “change”). It builds a comprehensive overview of the characters and gives real depth to the situation they find themselves in.

Encounters on her journey will define Orpen’s story and although I found this book to be a slow burn which rewarded readers with a gradual build-up of the overall picture, it is a fascinating read.

Dystopian dramas bring a terrifying landscape to life – Sarah Davis-Goff gives us a tense tale in which survival is everything, self preservation crucial and forming attachments ill-advised.

Last Ones Left Alive is published by Tinder Press and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Ones-Alive-Sarah-Davis-Goff/dp/1472255208/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=last+ones+left+alive&qid=1552598760&s=gateway&sr=8-1

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March 13

The Courier – Kjell Ola Dahl

The international bestselling godfather of Nordic Noir takes on one of the most horrific periods of modern history, in a stunning standalone thriller

In 1942, Jewish courier Ester is betrayed, narrowly avoiding arrest by the Gestapo. In a great haste, she escapes to Sweden, saving herself. Her family in Oslo, however, is deported to Auschwitz. In Stockholm, Ester meets the resistance hero, Gerhard Falkum, who has left his little daughter and fled both the Germans and allegations that he murdered his wife, Åse, who helped Ester get to Sweden. Their burgeoning relationship ends abruptly when Falkum dies in a fire.

And yet, twenty-five years later, Falkum shows up in Oslo. He wants to reconnect with his daughter. But where has he been, and what is the real reason for his return? Ester stumbles across information that forces her to look closely at her past, and to revisit her war-time training to stay alive…

Written with Dahl’s trademark characterization and elegant plotting, The Courier sees the hugely respected godfather of Nordic Noir at his best, as he takes on one of the most horrific periods of modern history, in an exceptional, shocking thriller.

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy and to Anne Cater for the chance to join the blog tour.

I don’t read enough historical fiction – The Courier makes me believe I should be reading a lot more of it! In the past I have found many historical novels too slow and (for me) excessively detailed on the setting – to the detriment of the story. However, if I could guarantee future historical reads were even half as good as The Courier then I would certainly be reading more of them.

A spy thriller and a murder tale which is set partially during World War 2 but also in the 1960’s and in more modern times too. This is a grand tale which tells the story of Ester and Gerhard. Their paths cross in Oslo during the war. Ester is a young Jewish woman hiding from Nazi soldiers and working with the resistance. When the Gestapo get too close she is forced to go into hiding. She stays at the home of Gerhard and his wife but this will not be a long stay and something occurs which will define the path their lives will take (no spoilers).

We catch up with their story in the 1960’s where we find many of the characters in the novel are keeping secrets (perhaps not unexpectedly given events during the war). There is an investigation to be enjoyed and there are slow reveals which keep the reader guessing as to where the story may lead.

While the tale may not be a fast paced espionage thriller it is most certainly a well crafted character drama. Kjell Ola Dahl makes you care about his characters and you want to keep reading The Courier to find what happens to Ester et all.

Orenda Books consistently treat us to terrific, emotive and engaging stories The Courier is another triumph.

The Courier is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Courier-Kjell-Ola-Dahl-ebook/dp/B07KGLHC5X/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=3FCX5SYMRSXXO&keywords=the+courier+kjell&qid=1552412473&s=gateway&sprefix=the+courier+k%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

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March 12

Trap – Lilja Sigurdardóttir

Happily settled in Florida, Sonja believes she’s finally escaped the trap set by unscrupulous drug lords. But when her son Tomas is taken, she’s back to square one … and Iceland.

Her lover, Agla, is awaiting sentencing for financial misconduct after the banking crash, and Sonja refuses to see her. And that’s not all … Agla owes money to some extremely powerful men, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it back.

With her former nemesis, customs officer Bragi, on her side, Sonja puts her own plan into motion, to bring down the drug barons and her scheming ex-husband, and get Tomas back safely. But things aren’t as straightforward as they seem, and Sonja finds herself caught in the centre of a trap that will put all of their lives at risk…

Set in a Reykjavík still covered in the dust of the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption, and with a dark, fast-paced and chilling plot and intriguing characters, Trap is an outstandingly original and sexy Nordic crime thriller, from one of the most exciting new names in crime fiction.

I received a copy of the audiobook from the publisher, Orenda Books, so I could provide a review.

Last week I attended the Orenda Roadshow in Edinburgh and during the course of the evening we were treated to Lilja Sigurdardóttir reading from Trap. She read a passage about a dream her lead character, Sonia, was having and it was beautifully haunting. But Sonia explains it was a potent of troubled times ahead and, unfortunately for Sonia, she was right.

Sonia is a drug smuggler. She had tried to flee her native Iceland with her young son, Tomas, as she hoped to start a new life for herself away from the drugs and her ex-husband (it was her ex that arranged the shipments she had to smuggle).

For Sonia her freedom will be short lived and she finds herself back in Iceland with access to her son being withheld from her. If she wants any time with Tomas then she needs to start bringing drugs back into Iceland.

Sonia’s life is complex and fraught with tension. She crosses paths with some disreputable characters who add a wonderful depth to her trials. Her lover, Agla, is a financial genius who uses her talents to exploit loopholes and deceive the authorities to increase her personal gain. Agla has previously come unstuck and is waiting for sentencing for crimes committed prior to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (an event which caused her good work to come undone).

Agla worked with Sonia’s husband and is more than a little happy to have won Sonia’s affections away from the man who is in part to blame for the predicament she finds herself in. This triangle of strong characters is fascinating as circumstances through the story change their attitude towards each other – the evolving dynamics making for great (and frustrating) interchanges.

The networks of crooks are terrific supporting characters. The drug runners. The suppliers. The financial criminals. Each faction have their pawns who also feed into the story and these pawns all hold some small power over their masters as one wrong word at the wrong time could bring an end to the best laid plans – that could mean prison time for Sonia or Agla. Readers feel the tension which the author builds into the schemes her characters have to develop to achieve their goals.

The events in Trap seem to propel Sonia from one crisis to another. The scenes where she is planning her travels (with cargo) build up to hugely tense set pieces as she risks discovery at customs checks. I felt I was living the fears she was experiencing, so caught up in the story was I!

Narration duties are a vital part of audiobook enjoyment and the pleasing news was that Trap was one of the best Nordic thrillers I have listened to. The story is wonderfully delivered by Suzannah Hampton who was a delight to listen to each day. The original text was translated to English by Quentin Bates and he gives Suzannah Hampton a terrific script to read from.

It should come as no surprise to find that I really enjoyed the time I spent with Trap. While the focus is mainly on the drug smuggling, I work in Financial Services so Agla’s story of financial misdemeanors was particularly enjoyable. More books featuring Sonia and Agla would be most welcome – particularly if they are even half as good as Trap.

Trap is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trap-Reykjavik-Trilogy-Lilja-Sigurdardottir/dp/1912374358/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=GW14M3BASK6M&keywords=trap+lilja+sigurdardottir&qid=1552416298&s=gateway&sprefix=trap+lil%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

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March 1

More Catching Up – Belsham/Arnopp

I recently shared a catch-up post where I covered three books in one go. I was aiming for a more rapid review to let me catch up on sharing my thoughts on some of the great books I have been reading (but my non-blogging commitments prevented me from reviewing them in a more timely manner).

Happy with how that first post was received I am revisiting the rapid review format to do a bit more catching up…

THE TATTOO THIEF

A policeman on his first murder case
A tattoo artist with a deadly secret
And a twisted serial killer sharpening his blades to kill again…

When Brighton tattoo artist Marni Mullins discovers a flayed body, newly-promoted DI Francis Sullivan needs her help. There’s a serial killer at large, slicing tattoos from his victims’ bodies while they’re still alive. Marni knows the tattooing world like the back of her hand, but has her own reasons to distrust the police. So when she identifies the killer’s next target, will she tell Sullivan or go after the Tattoo Thief alone?

I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

I was at Bloody Scotland in 2016 when I first heard of The Tattoo Thief. Alison Belsham had just won the Pitch Perfect panel and the halls were buzzing with whispers of a story where a killer was stealing tattoos from the body of his victims. It sounded terrific. Two years later I finally read it and it was as dark and twisted as I had hoped.

The murders and the detail of the tattoo depictions were high points in the story. I became completely caught up with the murder scenes and when the investigation began to focus on tattoos I loved the detail and discussions about the art and styles. It was engaging and fascinating and gave a fresh feel to a crime thriller.

The investigating officers were a bit more challenging to like. The lead character, DI Frances Sullivan, has just been promoted and at 29 years of age is running his first murder case. His second in command feels he should have got the job Sullivan holds and there is conflict from the outset. The power struggle detracted from the investigation at times and personal rivalries seemed to get in the way of getting the investigation running correctly. That said, the conflict brought out some strong characters – more memorable as a consequence of their conflict.

Dark murder mysteries are what I enjoy and my time with The Tattoo Thief was time well spent.

The Tattoo Thief is published by Orion and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. Order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0719VZB2Z/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

The Last Days of Jack Sparks – Jason Arnopp

It was no secret that journalist Jack Sparks had been researching the occult for his new book. No stranger to controversy, he’d already triggered a furious Twitter storm by mocking an exorcism he witnessed.

Then there was that video: forty seconds of chilling footage that Jack repeatedly claimed was not of his making, yet was posted from his own YouTube account.

Nobody knew what happened to Jack in the days that followed – until now.

This was a great read. A chilling supernatural thriller which got far darker than I had originally anticipated – and that only increased its standing in my estimation.

Jack Sparks is a writer. He has a chaotic lifestyle, addictions, a “secret” love for his flatmate (which she knows about) and he wants to debunk the supernatural. To achieve this task Jack is going to attend an exorcism to record events and, he believes, highlight the ridiculousness of the event. Things do not go to plan.

Jack comes to the attention of dark forces, forces which are far beyond his understanding and it is not long before Jack’s life starts to come unstuck. People are going to die. Horribly. Jack will be in peril, he will lose everything he holds dear and the manner of his decline will stick with you.

Jason Arnopp will put his cast through the wringer and doesn’t hold back when he shocks and repulses his readers. Many horror tales can be crass or lurid at the expense of good writing, not so here. Arnopp is a great storyteller and he will captivate readers and keep them hooked.

The Last Days of Jack Sparks is published by Orbit and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B010PIFZMO/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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February 28

Blood Orange – Harriet Tyce

Alison has it all. A doting husband, adorable daughter, and a career on the rise – she’s just been given her first murder case to defend. But all is never as it seems…

Just one more night. Then I’ll end it.

Alison drinks too much. She’s neglecting her family. And she’s having an affair with a colleague whose taste for pushing boundaries may be more than she can handle.

I did it. I killed him. I should be locked up.

Alison’s client doesn’t deny that she stabbed her husband – she wants to plead guilty. And yet something about her story is deeply amiss. Saving this woman may be the first step to Alison saving herself.

I’m watching you. I know what you’re doing.

But someone knows Alison’s secrets. Someone who wants to make her pay for what she’s done, and who won’t stop until she’s lost everything….

I received a review copy from the publishers.

Alison is a defence lawyer with a successful career, a loving husband and daughter, a drink problem and she is having an affair. Her life is complicated and to be frank she is not a very likeable character.

Allison’s husband is rapidly reaching the end of his teather with her late nights, drunkeness and a constant unreliability when it comes to caring for their daughter Matilda. Allison’s husband is massively put upon throughout the story but I didn’t warm to him. Matilda was terrific and I felt sorry for her being trapped in a tale with these two parents.

We follow Alison as she is asked to assist in the defence of a woman who has killed her husband. She is assisting a second lawyer who also happens to be the man she is having an affair with. He isn’t a very nice character either.

Blood Orange is a very well written character drama. The players in the story are suitably flawed that their lives became compelling reading. I didn’t like them much but I still wanted to know what was going to happen to them. The payoff at the end when the threads and clues all pulled together was (to me) very unexpected but nastily entertaining.

So taking great care to avoid spoilers…Blood Orange is a domestic thriller and a legal drama. Against all the turmoil in Alison’s life she balances the home life challenges and gets on with the day job. It takes a strain on her and the vices and excesses will show through the cracks. Harriet Tyce does a great job keeping her characters on the right side of sanity. Until even she cannot stop them tipping over…

Powerful storytelling and worthy of the praise being sung by authors and reviewers.

Blood Orange is published by Wildfire and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Orange-Harriet-Tyce/dp/1472252756/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1551311728&sr=8-1

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February 26

The Playing Card Killer – Russell James

Brian Sheridan may be losing his mind.

Asleep, he’s plagued by dreams of murder, women strangled with a red velvet rope then left with a playing card tucked in the corpse. While awake, he’s hallucinating that he’s being stalked by a man painted like a skeleton. It’s getting hard to know what’s real. He hopes all this is driven by his cold turkey withdrawal from a lifetime of anti-anxiety medications.

But when one of his nightmare’s victims shows up on the news, dead, Brian fears he himself may be the unwitting killer…

I received a copy from the publishers so I could join the blog tour and provide a review. My thanks to Anne at Random Things tours for the opportunity to participate.

My previous experience of Flame Tree Press books have been of horror tales and ghost stories. The Playing Card Killer is a crime thriller, an engaging murder mystery story.

The principle protagonist is Brian Sheridan. He is going to experience some unpleasant and vivid dreams which will determine how events in The Playing Card Killer will play out. Unfortunately Brian does not know this so when we meet him at the start of the novel he is making the important (if misguided) decision to stop taking his medication. Brian’s girlfriend Daniela has made it clear to him that if he doesn’t take his meds then she will not stick around – but Brian knows best and wants the fog removed from his brain so he can think for himself. Yup all the warning signs are there and it is not too long before Brian’s decision comes back to haunt him.

Remember those dreams I mentioned? Brian is having very real dreams about murders. He hopes they are dreams. He is sure they are dreams. But how can he know so much about these deaths and visualise them so clearly when they are occurring in places he has never been yet can describe perfectly? When one of the deaths from Brian’s dream becomes a real news story Brian begins to question his sanity even further – could he be killing strangers in his sleep?

Russell James sets up the reader nicely for this solid detective thriller. Once it is clear there are real-life murders to be investigated the cops enter the tale. A great “good cop/bad cop” combo entertained me here. The two are not partnered, the good cop is exactly that – a determined and focused detective in pursuit of the truth (and a killer). The bad cop is a schmuck. He takes the easy route, steals credit for other people’s work and we know not to like him. The dynamic and the squad-room competitiveness added a nice layer of detail to the story.

To share too much more detail about Brian’s problems would be to share too many spoilers. So that isn’t going to happen. What I can share is that The Playing Card Killer was a fun read which I enjoyed over a couple of days. Russell James has a nice writing style which kept the pace of the story nipping along without any dips or excessive padding. Keep the story going and you will keep me happy while I read – job done!

The real test of a good story is to ask myself if I would pass the book to friends for them to enjoy…in this case I certainly would. And I know they would enjoy it.

The Playing Card Killer is published by Flame Tree Press and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Playing-Killer-Fiction-Without-Frontiers-ebook/dp/B07L9JWH94/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1551128200&sr=8-1&keywords=the+playing+card+killer

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February 21

The Haunting of Henderson Close – Catherine Cavendish

Ghosts have always walked there. Now they’re not alone.

In the depths of Edinburgh, an evil presence is released.

Hannah and her colleagues are tour guides who lead their visitors along the spooky, derelict Henderson Close, thrilling them with tales of spectres and murder. For Hannah it is her dream job, but not for long. Who is the mysterious figure that disappears around a corner? What is happening in the old print shop? And who is the little girl with no face?

The legends of Henderson Close are becoming all too real. The Auld De’il is out – and even the spirits are afraid.

I received a copy of this book from the publishers to provide a review as part of the blog tour.

I find it surprising that there are not more horror stories set in Edinburgh’s Old Town. If you have ever have the opportunity to visit the narrow streets of the Scottish capital then you will know how atmospheric it can feel. The city has its fair share of ghost stories and there are plenty of ghost tours and accompanied ghost walks to entertain residents and visitors alike.

That is what makes The Haunting of Henderson Close so appealing – the key characters in the story (well in the modern day part of the tale) are staff at a ghost walk. Clad in period costume and taking the role of real characters who lived in their corner of the Old Town, Hannah and her colleagues tell eerie stories of days gone by. They give tourists a look into the past and explain what life was like in olden days when the streets were slums and disease was rife.

Hannah is the lead character in The Haunting of Henderson Close. She is just starting in her new role as cast member on the tours. As she finds her feet and learns the background to the people and the houses she needs to discuss we get glimpses of strange figures in places they should not be. Cold gusts of wind on a still day and the sensation of being watched.

The author does a fabulous job of capturing the sense of location, the narrow streets, dark corners all make the chilling encounters seem so vivid. As we get drawn into the story the peril to Hannah and her colleagues increases. Soon the visions and visitations will escalate, danger becomes more imminent and Hannah even finds herself experiencing a flashback? (maybe) to decades previously when the streets buzz with the poorest wretches of Edinburgh’s past.

To build on the experiences Hannah is encountering we are also taken back in time to meet people who lived in the streets of the Old Town. Some of those we meet are not destined to end their lives peacefully and we begin to question if their spirits are those that Hannah is encountering in modern day.

The time hops in the story become more significant as we get drawn into events (no spoilers as to why) but it was a nice shift in the narrative which I felt worked well and made me keen to keep reading.

If supernatural chills are what you seek then The Haunting of Henderson Close is highly recommended.

The Haunting of Henderson Close is published by Flame Tree Press and is available in digital, paperback and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Haunting-Henderson-Fiction-Without-Frontiers-ebook/dp/B07L9L8P9Z/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550695144&sr=8-1&keywords=catherine+cavendish

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February 19

All The Little Lies – Chris Curran

After a lifetime of secrets how far would you go for the truth?

An unputdownable new psychological thriller, full of twists you won’t see coming, from Chris Curran.

Your whole life has been a lie…

One email is all it takes to turn Eve’s world upside down. It contains a picture of her true birth mother, Stella, and proves that Eve’s entire life with her adoptive parents has been a lie.

Now she must unravel the mystery of Stella’s dark past. But what Eve finds will force her to take enormous risks, which put her – and her new-born baby – in immediate danger…

I purchased this book with the intention of providing a review.

Eve is an expectant mum-to-be when a friend emails her an article about a young artist who created a brief stir in the art-world several years ago. The artist in question was on the cusp of greatness when she met a tragic end and died under mysterious circumstances.

Eve had never heard of the artist but when she looked at the photograph which accompanied the article there could be no doubt that this was Eve’s mother. She immediately wants answers – why did her adoptive parents not tell her about her real mother? What happened that her mother died so young? Why are the circumstances of her death considered to be mysterious?

This is a terrific family drama story from Chris Curran. Working with a small cast of characters we follow Eve as she starts trying to find out what happened to her birth mother – a stranger to Eve but surprisingly well known to her foster parents.

As you may expect there are consequences to raking up long forgotten stories and the more that Eve discovers the more she realises that her family have kept secrets from her. But additional dangers lurk…

Eve’s mother, Stella, died under mysterious circumstances and the reader gets to spend time with Stella seeing how the last days and weeks of her life played out. Will someone who knew Stella now look to prevent Eve from digging into the circumstances surrounding Stella’s death? It is a very real possibility and Eve and her family are in more danger than they may realise.

I do enjoy domestic dramas when they are as well told as All The Little Lies. You know everyone is keeping secrets, you know some are deliberately telling lies. Can you work out where the truth is to be found? I’d strongly urge you to read All The Little Lies to find out!

All The Little Lies is published by Killer Reads and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Little-Lies-unputdownable-psychological-ebook/dp/B07K23KH3S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550530059&sr=8-1&keywords=all+the+little+lies

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February 18

Batman: The Court of Owls – Greg Cox

An original novel pitting Batman against the Court of Owls, a secret society of wealthy families that’s controlled Gotham for centuries using murder and money.

For generations, an apocryphal cabal has controlled Gotham from the shadows, wielding fear and violence through its undead assassins, the Talons. THE COURT OF OWLS.

Dating back centuries, its leaders are men and women of wealth and influence who meet in secrecy, hiding their identities behind stark white masks. Employing science and alchemy, they sought to kill Bruce Wayne who, as Batman, dealt them their greatest defeats. Even then they faded back into the darkness, and he could not eliminate them entirely.

Now, Gotham City is plagued with a series of brutal murders in which mutilated bodies are burned almost beyond recognition. Batman and his allies—including Nightwing and Batgirl—quickly realize that the Talons have returned, yet the reason for the killings remains tauntingly unknown.

As the heroes seek answers, their path stretches back more than a century. Should the Owls obtain what they seek, it could grant them power that no one could counter. With each moment that passes, more victims appear.

Batman must stop the Talons before they kill again.

I received a review copy from Titan Books

Batman is 80 and he is going from strength to strength. The Dark Knight is an iconic character who has made the successful leap from the pages of comic books into film, television and is recognised around the world.

One potential drawback for new readers is how can they find an entire Batman adventure to enjoy when they don’t know which comics to read. There are several individual Batman comics released each month and a full story can unfold over a six or seven month period. It can be a bit off-putting.

The good news is that Titan Books are releasing a number of Batman titles as novels. Iconic stories adapted as an original novel by some of the best writers in the genre. To illustrate my point I give you Greg Cox (author of The Court of Owls), he has written original stories featuring Buffy, Star Trek, Xena, Alias, CSI and many more. I was enjoying this author’s work long before my blogging days began.

So I turn to The Court of Owls. I was aware of the “Owls” characters being added to the Gotham City legend but have not (yet) read any of the comics where they feature. They are a shadowy operation with a long reach. For generations The Owls have lurked behind the scenes manipulating and influencing events in Gotham. Recently they emerged from hiding in a bid to take down Batman – his quest to “save” Gotham was interfering with their plans.

The Owls have a number of highly trained killers at their disposal – they are the Talons. Batman and Nightwing will go toe-to-toe with these killers as both the good guys and their foes try to track down a missing student. Her investigations into the history of Gotham has led the Owls to believe she may hold vital information which solve a mystery which has perplexed the Owls for decades.

I have reviews coming shortly for other titles in the Batman novelization series but I can honestly say that The Court of Owls was my favourite in the collection to date. Greg Cox does a fantastic job bringing the characters to life and as the story spans two time periods – modern day Gotham and events from around the time of World War 1 – he also gives each period a distinctive feel too.

Batman is racing against the Owls to trace the missing student and it makes for a cracking thriller which zips along at a fast pace. The Caped Crusader has history with the Owls and they are looking to exploit their knowledge of his weaknesses to gain an edge. Their ruthless Talons will provide stiff competition and there are some exciting set piece showdowns where the two sides face off against each other.

While I appreciate comic book stories are not to everyone’s liking I really did enjoy the novelisation of a Batman story. The Court of Owls brilliantly paced, the story had me gripped and I had a genuine sense of regret when the story ended. But that’s the best thing about being a fan of comic book heroes – they keep giving more. Batman has 80 years of stories to discover and enjoy. The Court of Owls is just one place where a new reader can jump in or a returning reader can experience a great adventure in a new format.

The Court of Owls is published by Titan Books and is available in Hardback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785658166?aaxitk=-Bm5EKx9p4rOxIfJvGb8tQ&pd_rd_i=1785658166&pf_rd_p=0e11f8c9-98e1-4a93-bd5e-367420b613ee&hsa_cr_id=8002699930802&sb-ci-n=productDescription&sb-ci-v=DC%20Comics%20novels%20-%20Batman%3A%20The%20Court%20of%20Owls%3AAn%20Original%20Prose%20Novel%20by%20Greg%20Cox

Category: 5* Reviews, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off