Killers – Grab This Book

Blood Summer – Steven Dunne

Two detectives from opposite sides of the planet join forces to hunt a ruthless killer in the South of France.

Commandant Serge Benoit is haunted by the terror attack in Nice, a crime scene he can see from his seafront apartment. Dispatched to a remote village, an hour’s drive from his home city, Benoit finds two brutally dismembered bodies. Who are the victims? Where did they come from? And who killed them? Benoit’s only clue is a cell phone with a single number in the memory…

Former FBI Agent, Michael Trent, is a wanted man in his homeland. Unable to return to America, he travels the world as an escapologist-for-hire, helping people in trouble to disappear. In Singapore, he is engaged by multi-millionaire Harry Renfrew who needs to relocate after receiving death threats from the Russian mafia.

After hiding Renfrew and his wife in a rustic French village, Trent assumes Renfrew’s identity to lay down a false trail to confound pursuers. After weeks of incident free globetrotting, Trent arrives in Barcelona for the final leg of his journey. But before he can congratulate himself on a job well done, he receives a shattering phone call…

Normally when I post a review I share the blurb then, in this space, I mention I am reviewing as part of a blog tour or I may thank a publisher for proving a review copy. Today I am reviewing Blood Summer, a book from my TBR pile which I had pre-ordered and received on release as I think Steven Dunne is a brilliant author and I absolutely had to read this book as soon as I could. Well done to past-life me, that was a great decicion you made a few weeks ago.

Blood Summer is in the world and if you like a dark, intelligent and pacy crime thriller then this is very much a book you should be reading.

The action takes place in rural France where two bodies have been found in a luxury villa on the edge of a small village near the South coast. Both victims appear to have suffered prior to death and their bodies were dismembered leaving investigators with little to go on. Commandant Benoit and his colleagues will take short term residence in the village while they conduct their investigations but this is not a small town crime.

Before the murders take place and the police become involved, the reader knows the victims. We have read about their flight from the East into Europe, how they travelled using fake passports and we understand why it was essential nobody knew who they were. For the couple we were rooting for and the former FBI Agent (Michael Trent) who had been employed to ensure their safety, this is a double blow for a reader.

Where did everything go wrong for Trent? Well, perhaps the incident which led to his departure from the FBI may have influenced his subsequent career choices but the memories of an operation which went wrong will never leave him. Now a second operational failure hangs over him and he must rely upon the support of the French police if he his to understand what happened. The problem for Trent is that he is very much a Person of Interest to the police and he must convince them of his innocence.

Despite the dark nature of the murders (and some of the other plotlines) there is humour and heart in this book too. Steven Dunne knows how to pack his stories with punch and I enjoyed every aspect of Blood Summer. Highly recommended.

Blood Summer is available in paperback and digital format and can be ordered here:

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October 8

Palm Beach Finland – Antti Toumainen

Sex, lies and ill-fitting swimwear … Sun Protection Factor 100

Jan Nyman, the ace detective of the covert operations unit of the National Central Police, is sent to a sleepy seaside town to investigate a mysterious death. Nyman arrives in the town dominated by a bizarre holiday village – the ‘hottest beach in Finland’. The suspect: Olivia Koski, who has only recently returned to her old hometown. The mission: find out what happened, by any means necessary.

With a nod to Fargo, and dark noir, Palm Beach, Finland is both a page-turning thriller and a black comedy about lust for money, fleeing dreams and people struggling at turning points in their lives – chasing their fantasies regardless of reason.

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

I have made this observation in the past…books set in small towns make for cracking stories. The character interactions which need to take place between a smaller cast in relatively few locations make for slick and engaging narrative.

Antti Tuomainen nails it in Palm Beach Finland. The cycle of characters, all trying to better their position in life, is terrifically presented. Dialogue is sharp and acerbic when it needs to be, dreamy and dozy when the inept enforcers are the focus and frustration is evident when nefarious plans come unstuck.

Loaded with dry humour I can see why the movie Fargo gets a namecheck in so many reviews. The comparison to the Academy Award winning film is apt but Toumainen makes Palm Beach Finland very much his own – it is just tricky finding a way to describe the clever and quirky tone of the story.

The blurb above outlines the story far better than I ever could. I just know that I really enjoyed reading about the characters who crossed paths at Palm Beach Finland.

There are murders, burglaries, arson and drug dealers but I can’t think of another crime novel quite like this one. Great fun!

Palm Beach Finland is published by Orenda Books and is available in digital and paperback format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Palm-Beach-Finland-Antti-Tuomainen-ebook/dp/B07DFQ2DVK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1538939700&sr=1-1&keywords=palm+beach+finland

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August 13

Pieces of Her – Karin Slaughter

You’ve known her your whole life…
Andrea Oliver knows everything about her mother Laura. She knows she’s always lived in the small town of Belle Isle; she knows she’s a pillar of the community; she knows she’s never kept a secret in her life.

but she’s hiding something…
Then one day, a trip to the mall explodes into a shocking act of violence and Andy suddenly sees a completely different side to Laura.

and it could destroy you both…
Hours later, Laura is in hospital, her face splashed over the newspapers. But the danger has only just begun. Now, Andy must go on a desperate race to uncover the secrets of her mother’s past. Unless she can, there may be no future for either of them…

My thanks to Heidi Bland for the chance to join the blog tour, I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

Pieces of Her is a dual timeline thriller. Our focus is mainly on Andy who finds herself thrust into danger when she is caught up in a shooting incident. Andy and Laura, her mother, come face to face with the gunman – they are the last two standing but Laura steps in front of her daughter to confront the shooter.

She tries to persuade him to shoot her in order that Andy may go free. As she speaks to the gunman Laura is also urging Andy to run for freedom. There is a flurry of activity and before Andy can know what is happening the shooter is dead and her mother stands over his body. Self defense she claims yet the incident has been caught on film and any suggestion that Laura may have been a vulnerable victim is gone – it looks like she has used combat skills to eliminate a threat.

This all takes place very early in the story but Andy finds herself querying if she even knows who her mother is. There are clearly secrets which Laura has buried deep and of which Andy has no knowledge. Andy’s story is uncovering the pieces of the puzzle as to who her mother really is.

I mentioned this was a dual timeline story. Alongside Andy’s flight from a crime scene on a quest to understand Laura better there is also a story thread running which introduces new characters – this part of the tale is set in 1986.

Readers will know that the two story threads will eventually intertwine and that there will be some overlap to explain why an industrial accident in the 80’s has an impact on a random shooting in the present day.

While you read it can be perplexing to randomly spring to a different story and you have to trust in the skill of the author to know that everything shall make sense in the end. But when the author is Karin Slaughter you know that the author has all the skills to weave a deft tale which rewards the reader.

Pieces of Her was often surprising and a highly enjoyable reading experience.

Pieces of Her is published by Harper Collins and is available in Hardback, digital and audiobook. You can order your copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pieces-Her-stunning-thriller-bestselling-ebook/dp/B0796VNPPX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534101709&sr=8-1&keywords=pieces+of+her

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March 25

A Glimmer of Hope – Steve McHugh

Layla Cassidy has always wanted a normal life, and the chance to put her father’s brutal legacy behind her. And in her final year of university she’s finally found it. Or so she thinks.

But when Layla accidentally activates an ancient scroll, she is bestowed with an incredible, inhuman power. She plunges into a dangerous new world, full of mythical creatures and menace–all while a group of fanatics will stop at nothing to turn her abilities to their cause.

To protect those she loves most, Layla must take control of her new powers…before they destroy her. All is not yet lost–there is a light shining, but Layla must survive long enough to see it.

My thanks to Anne Cater for the chance to join the blog tour

Time to indulge in a bit of fantasy. Stories where anything goes are a very welcome change from the usual diet of crime and police procedurals I tend to favour. I love the idea that mythical creatures could be real, that they interact with humans or that they hide from them and live in the shadows.

Readers are introduced to Layla Cassidy, she is a kick-ass character who takes no nonsense. An unpleasant scene in the pub with her ex followed by a clash with annoying neighbours shows she is a girl who can hold her own in a scuffle but can also show the self-restraint to know when to walk away from a situation without taking matters too far.

We find out in the fullness of time why Layla wants to show restraint. Her father has a notorious reputation, jailed for horrific crimes which few could ever emulate. Yet a dangerous faction of non-humans want to recruit Layla’s father and they need to know where to find him. Unfortunately for Layla this means they will use her as a pawn intended to hold her captive until Layla will share her father’s location with them. Layla has other ideas and makes attempts to escape from captivity before her captors can try to “influence” her to assist with their plans.

During her attempted escape Layla will accidentally activate an ancient scroll and acquires new powers which make her a formidable opponent and will ope her eyes to a world she had no idea existed. From this point on the action will really hot up and A Glimmer of Hope will twist and enchant.

I really enjoy Steve McHugh’s writing, he builds strong characters that I want to read about. His stories have been well paced (A Glimmer of Hope is no exception) so there is a natural build up into the action and then events keep coming with twists and turns which bring me back for “one more chapter”.

A welcome and refreshing change to my normal reads – bring on the next, I enjoy these.

A Glimmer of Hope is released on 1st April 2018 and can be ordered here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Glimmer-Hope-Avalon-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B01LW3WQ6K/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1522002116&sr=8-1

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May 8

Blackwater – GJ Moffat

Deputy Sheriff Early Simms of the Blackwater County Sheriff’s Department knows about the violence that incubates within the souls of men – and that sometimes it needs a release. As a high school football player he relished inflicting pain, until he made a tackle that left a promising young athlete dead from a broken neck. Early did not play another game and his dreams of leaving the small town that he grew up in never materialised. Instead, he followed his father into the town’s police force.

Now older, Early is outwardly content with the life he has made for himself in Blackwater. But that life is about to be turned upside down. Kate Foley, his high school girlfriend, arrives in town on the run from an abusive husband and it stirs feelings that Early thought he had forgotten.

Jimmy and Marshall Cain are brothers – men with the capacity for the kind of violence that Early Simms knows all too well. A botched home invasion by the brothers goes horribly wrong, leaving a man and woman dead and their teenage daughter kidnapped.
Events spiral further out of control, with the brothers embarking on a killing spree that leads them to a confrontation with Early Simms and an FBI task force. At the same time, Kate Foley’s husband is armed and on the hunt for his wife.

Early is about to find himself in a fight not just for the life he has known, but for the future he has glimpsed in stolen moments with Kate. And to defeat the maelstrom hurtling towards him, he must once again confront the violence in his own soul.

My thanks to Chris at Fahrenheit Press for letting me have a very early chance to read Blackwater

If a story is going to grip me then one of the best ways to do it is to have a lead character that I want to read about. Blackwater has Early Simms – he is a Deputy in the Blackwater Sheriff’s Department and he is exactly the kind of character that I want to read about. Early can outsmart the bad guys, take down the brawlers and he is comfortable and respected in his hometown of Blackwater. He is the character you hope will appear in many more books.

As I got to read Blackwater very early I didn’t know what to expect before I started reading. I had reached the half way point (and just come up for air for the first time) when I noticed GJ Moffat had tweeted a response to a blogger question “What is the book about?” His reply: A good man. Some very bad men. A love story. A crime story. Basically, it rocks.

He nailed it. Especially “it rocks”.

The good man is Early. A tragic incident which occurred while he was at school changed his life forever and he now seems to be trying to ensure that the overwhelming perception that others will have of him is that he is a good man.

The “very bad men” are truly bad people. Two brothers will lose control of a situation that will spiral into a manhunt which draws in the police and FBI. They are without compassion and their crimes were shocking (but they made for compelling reading). It should be noted that the brothers may not be the only bad men. If there *were* to be others then I couldn’t possibly discuss them in a review as that would be creeping into SPOILERS territory. I don’t do that. But I would suggest that reading Blackwater would let you find out for yourself about the other bad people that I cannot discuss!

Next up “the love story”. Yes indeed and here is where I can laud the author for brilliant characters and great story pacing. This is an action packed thriller but GJ Moffat still manages to give his cast a proper backstory and lets them develop and grow while the action is unfolding around them.

The “crime story”…well I refer to the brothers again and also to those unmentionable spoilers. There is a lot going on in Blackwater but the different story threads are woven together will real skill by the author. I read with increasing anticipation as events started to build towards their climax and I was wholly unprepared for the unexpected twists.

Blackwater is a book which will suck you in and is a richly rewarding read. I absolutely loved it and has left me with that dreaded book hangover feeling…where you know the next book you pick up will not be as good as the one you have just finished. Highly, highly recommended – Mr Moffat can tell a great story. 5 stars all the way.

Blackwater is published by Fahrenheit Press and is due to release week commencing 8th May.

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June 4

Harvest Festival – Karl Drinkwater

First the birds went quiet. Then the evening sky filled with strange clouds that trapped the heat below. Now Callum wakes, dripping in sweat. Something has come to his isolated Welsh farm. If he’s going to keep his family alive during this single night when all hell breaks loose, he’ll have to think fast. And when he sees what he’s facing, he suspects even that may not be enough.

One of my own purchases this one but special shout-out ‘thanks’ to Sarah Hardy from By The Letter Book Reviews who wrote the review that made me buy Harvest Festival.

A shorter review as this is a novella and I don’t want to spoil too much of Harvest Festival as the fun is in the unknown in this one.

On a remote Welsh farm a family awake to find intruders on their property. Callum leaves the safety of the home to investigate who is snooping around his farmyard – what he finds is both shocking and terrifying and now Callum has made himself and his family into targets.

What begins as a picture of a typical family scene soon flips into a terrifying fight for survival. I enjoyed how the author took time to ensure we cared about Callum and his family before the peril kicks in. Once the danger had arrived the pace picked up and remained relentless.

Harvest Festival was a straight through, single sitting read. I really enjoyed where the author took the story and the finale left me hoping Callum’s family would come through unscathed – sadly I cannot tell you if they did…no spoilers!

Harvest Festival is published by Organic Apocalypse and can be ordered here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Harvest-Festival-Karl-Drinkwater/dp/1911278088/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1464993546&sr=8-7&keywords=harvest+festival

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