From The Bookshelf – Page 43

Silent Scream – Angela Marsons

When a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the death marks the beginning of a spate of gruesome murders that shock the Black Country.

But as human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. D.I. Kim Stone fast realises she’s on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades.

As the body count rises, Kim needs to stop the murderer before they strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past – before it’s too late?

My thanks to Bookouture for my review copy which I received through Netgalley.

It is easy to see why Silent Scream has received such a positive reaction and commanded so many great review scores, Angela Marsons has delivered a gripping crime thriller and introduces us to a fabulous lead character in DI Kim Stone.

Former employees of a Children’s Home are being murdered. The Home its-self stands on the site of a proposed archaeological dig and when the ground is finally broken the first ‘find’ it yields is the body of a young girl. However, this is not a discovery that provides any historic value as the girl’s body has been in the ground for less than 10 years. Could there be a connection between the young girl’s death and the recent spate of murders? It is up to DI Kim Stone to find out.

Stone provides great entertainment value – she has no social skills, a love of motorbikes and we learn that her personal history overlaps too closely with the Care Home deaths (a factor that is teased out well throughout the book). I felt the author did a great job with Stone’s dialogue as she comes across as focused, determined, impatient and just plain rude yet still is an engaging figure.

I have mentioned in previous reviews that I enjoy when crime novels feature a strong team that support the lead character. We have the makings of such a team here. Stone works closely with DS Bryant and their respective styles compliment each other well with their classic good cop/bad cop attitudes. There are two other team members, Dawson and Wood, who were largely kept in the background through Silent Scream – I expect they will feature more heavily in future outings.

Reading Silent Scream was a treat. Events tick along at a nice fast pace, the small group of suspects (and potential victims) are well defined and there are some clever plot twists that will make you re assess your early guesses at the identity of the killer.

I would have no qualms recommending Silent Scream to anyone that enjoys a good murder mystery and would score it 4/5.

You can follow Angela Marsons on Twitter: @WriteAngie

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February 26

Haterz – James Goss

A blackly comic crime novel about a one-man crusade to rid the internet of haters, flamers, trolls and vaguebookers… even if he has to kill to do it.

Is there someone online who really annoys you? Who is always bragging, posting too many pictures and just doesn’t get jokes? Look at your Twitter feed, don’t you get cross at the endless rage, bigotry and the pleading for celebrity retweets? Meet Dave. He decides that unfollowing someone just isn’t enough. He’s determined to make the internet a nicer place, and he won’t stop at murder in order to achieve it. When he kills his best friend’s girlfriend, he isn’t planning on changing the world. She was just really annoying on Facebook. But soon Dave realises he’s being manipulated. A conspiracy are using him to gain control of something dark forming at the heart of the world wide web…

My thanks to Solaris and Netgalley for my review copy

James Goss is a clever man. He has taken all the annoying things that we see each day on the internet and drawn them together into a single story that is not remotely annoying. How does a collection of irritations not annoy the reader? Mainly by following a likeable lead character who kills the annoying people who abuse Social Media. And (here is the clever bit) he makes it seem like it is a perfectly reasonable course of action to undertake. Genius!

In Haterz we follow Dave. He is in a pub one evening when he gets cornered by Danielle, she is his best friend’s girlfriend. We learn that Dave his not Danielle’s greatest fan and he finds her inane Facebook updates a source of constant irritation. In short, Dave finds Danielle so irritating (both in person and online) that he decides to kill her – and he does. In the very first Chapter!

Reaching home, safe in the knowledge that Danielle’s death will be considered a tragic accident, Dave is horrified to receive an email from an unknown sender which reads: “We know what you’ve done. Killer”.

From this point on Dave is no longer master of his own destiny. He will be contacted by email and made aware of individuals who are exhibiting unacceptable online behaviour. Dave then has to address these problematic individuals and make them change their way – or silence them permanently. How he tackles each of these problems is clever, entertaining (for readers) and should probably leave any friends of James Goss slightly concerned as to how he may perceive their online behaviour.

Through the story Dave takes on the likes of Twitter trolls, media columnists, banks and high interest loan companies. He believes his actions are for the greater good and sometimes it is hard to disagree. I doubt that any reader will make it through the book without recognising some form of online interaction that they have previously encountered and found to be highly objectionable or that they have themselves been guilty of (in which case…BE AFRAID).

I cannot give away too many details as to why I enjoyed Haterz so much as this would risk robbing you of the delight of finding the great plot twists for yourself – spoilers and all that. What I can share is that this is a sharply written novel with a clever premise. It captures perfectly the failings of Social Media and pokes fun at the worst offenders. Once I started reading I wanted to keep going – the pacing was perfect, the victims were plentiful and there were laughs to be had along the way.

There are characters in the book which you will mentally picture as real life people – either because you have a Facebook friend that exhibits similar traits to the poor Danielle or because you think that the columnist is basically <REDACTED> under a different name and you want to see if something nasty will happen.

Haterz is one of the rarer gems of crime fiction – a novel that delivers a good ‘murder’ story yet also keeps the humour front and foremost which helped to make it such good fun to read. Consider The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy – a science fiction story but so deeply interlaced with the humour of Douglas Adams that it is frequently considered a comedy book rather than sci-fi. Goss does the same in Haterz: there are some dark and graphic scenes yet the tone is softened with a joke or wry observation and the perception of the whole book changes. Anyone that uses the internet should read this book. If a review score helps you to decide then I hope that 5 out of 5 should be persuasive.

Haterz is published on March 12^th by Solaris Books.

James Goss is on Twitter: @gossjam

I have previously reviewed Doctor Who: The Blood Cell which was also written by James Goss. This book was one of the first published to feature Peter Capaldi’s 12^th Doctor. Search for The Blood Cell at www.grabthisbook.net

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February 26

Doctor Who : The History Collection

EIGHT CLASSIC ADVENTURES.
EIGHT UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS IN TIME.

Being a Doctor Who fan in 2015 is amazing. The show we love is back in a primetime TV slot and the production values are beyond belief for those of us that grew up in the 70’s and 80’s. Also, the actors queuing up to appear alongside the dynamic leading man (all 4 of them since 2005) ensure high quality entertainment is guaranteed.

Beyond the TV show we have a huge range of toys, magazines, exhibitions, concerts and even kids pyjamas (last seen circa the Tom Baker era). But what we have always had are the Doctor Who Books…these are not a new phenomenon – they just required a little determination to track them down!

I am 40 years old. I read my first Doctor Who novel around 33 years ago – sorry I cannot be more exact but I didn’t realise at the time that it would be helpful to have recorded the date. The TV show was in full swing and loads of my pals watched it. I had seen Tom Baker become Peter Davison and I was OK with that (eventually).

I also discovered that my local library stocked a decent collection of Doctor Who stories – all published by Target Books. These novels usually came in at around the 120-150 pages and told the stories that had been broadcast by the BBC. Some of the stories I could remember watching with my parents but others told of a different Doctor – a ‘Dandy’, a ‘clown with a mop of hair’ or a stern, older man. All were captivating…except some of the Hartnell books – they took real dedication.

Target novels kept me reading Doctor Who all through high school. I read the stories over and over again. Then came a slow trickle of VHS video releases of some of the classic Doctor Who stories. Names I had read about suddenly had faces and voices. My books took on a whole new depth – I read my Target books again.

Then in 1989 the show I loved was taken off the air. I waited patiently for its return.

And waited.

I worked Saturdays and school holidays in the largest bookshop in the Scottish Highlands. By virtue of its remote location it was a large and well-stocked shop. One day I noticed a familiar logo on the spine of a book in the Science Fiction section. Doctor Who New Adventures…new stories featuring the Doctor and taking place after the TV show had ended. It was 1991 and this was the start of an amazing publication run of brand new Doctor Who original stories.

The New Adventures run continued until the 1996 TV movie and the debut of Paul McGann. Along the way the monthly new 7^th Doctor stories were joined by a range of Missing Adventures which told of Doctors 1-6. Sadly (for me) these books were sometimes tricky to find in Inverness and I had to resort to mail order – these were very much pre-internet days.

After the 1996 TV movie the new stories continued, Virgin had lost the licence and BBC Books took up the mantel with fantastic adventures wrapped in amazingly beautiful covers and supported by a high calibre of creative talent (most of whom I now follow on Twitter).

Take a massive jump forward to 2015 and a new generation of Doctor Who fans are enjoying the rich legacy that comes with a show that has over 50 years of back story. TV stations like Gold and The Horror Channel are beaming ‘classic’ episodes into our homes. Netflix have 7 years of ‘New’ Who to enjoy on demand. Yet the much loved books which spanned the long years between 1989 and 2005 have gone from bookshops and are now coveted by collectors.

Fortunately we now have The History Collection. BBC Books have reissued 8 volumes of past doctor adventures to give fans the chance to catch up on some of the stories that they may have missed. Amongst the collection are Paul Cornell’s Human Nature (originally a 7^th Doctor story it became a 10^th Doctor/Martha story featuring The Family of Blood – and some creepy scarecrows). Another popular title was The English Way of Death by Gareth Roberts which has also recently been made into an audio drama featuring Tom Baker.

A very important aside – head to www.Bigfinish.com to discover their amazing range of Doctor Who audio plays. They have produced a staggering collection of dramas which feature the 4th to 8th Doctors; along with all their companions and more than a few of their familiar enemies too.

Back to the books.

If you enjoyed last year’s 12^th Doctor novels from BBC Books then you will be pleased to hear that both James Goss and Justin Richards have titles included in The History Collection.

I remember particularly enjoying The Shadow In The Glass (Richards) which was a 6^th Doctor story. Fans of Sherlock may enjoy The Roundheads (a 2^nd Doctor Story) which was written by the ridiculously talented Mark Gatiss. I would also single out The Witch Hunters by Steve Lyons as a great story, it is set in the village of Salem and features the original TARDIS crew of 1^st Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara.

These books offer readers the chance to join the TARDIS crew on new adventures. They also allow an opportunity for new fans of The Doctor an insight into how the past Doctor’s behaved. If you have never seen the Second Doctor and Jamie in action then you are in for a treat!

The History Collection should be a welcome addition to any Doctor Who fan’s bookshelves. There are some brilliant stories for everyone to enjoy and I hope that BBC Books may consider raiding the archives for future releases. If I am allowed to submit some suggestions I have a shortlist!

The History Collection in Full:

THE WITCH HUNTERS – STEVE LYONS.

An adventure set in the 17th century Salem Witch Trials featuring the First Doctor, played by William Hartnell.

THE ROUNDHEADS – MARK GATISS
The Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, fights to keep history on course in the aftermath of the English Civil War.

AMORALITY TALE – DAVID BISHOP
Jon Pertwee plays the Third Doctor in 1950’s London, joined by his companion Sarah Jane Smith.

THE ENGLISH WAY OF DEATH – GARETH ROBERTS

A sweltering summer in London, Tom Baker features as the Fourth Doctor in this 1930’s adventure.

THE SHADOW IN THE GLASS – STEPHEN COLE AND JUSTIN RICHARDS
Colin Baker plays the Sixth Doctor in an adventure set partly in Second World War.

HUMAN NATURE – PAUL CORNELL
An adventure set in Britain on the eve of the First World War, featuring the Seventh Doctor as played by Sylvester McCoy.

This book was the basis for the Tenth Doctor television story Human Nature / The Family of Blood starring David Tennant.

THE STONE ROSE – JAC RAYNER
Roman adventure with David Tennant, the Tenth Doctor, and his companion Rose Tyler.

DEAD OF WINTER– JAMES GOSS
Matt Smith is the Eleventh Doctor in this 18th century Italian adventure.

(all titles are available in good bookshops and through your online store of choice).

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February 18

Losing It – Helen Lederer

Millie was at one time quite well known for various TV and radio appearances. However, she now has no money, a best friend with a better sex life than her, a daughter in Papua New Guinea and too much weight in places she really doesn’t want it.

When she’s asked to be the front woman for a new diet pill, she naively believes that all her troubles will be solved. She will have money, the weight will be gone, and maybe she’ll get more sex.

If only life was really that easy. It doesn’t take her long to realize it’s going to take more than a diet pill to solve her never-ending woes . . .

Thanks to Emma at Busy Bee for my review copy

Losing it is a big departure from my normal type of read, however, I am happy to jump to a new genre if there is a compelling reason. In this case the chance to read a novel by Helen Lederer (of whom I have been a fan since the Naked Video days) is more than enough reason for me to risk a book that will not have a murder or two (probably).

Fortunately the quirky humour I was expecting to find is there in abundance and I enjoyed the change of pace that this book presented – a story with fun at heart. Losing It was an engaging read and the awkward/hapless heroine, Millie, is a likeable character to follow.

When I was half way through Losing It I read an interview with the author in which she described her novel as ‘mid-lit’ – loved that phrase! Millie is not the ditzy thirty-something I had initially expected but a more mature 50 something with a grown-up daughter and a best friend with an overactive sezual appetite – or so the more prudent Millie believes. One of the high points of the book was Millie’s ‘tricky’ relationship with her daughter, exacerbated by the fact her daughter is in Papau New Guinea and many of their conversations need to be conducted via Skype.

Some of Millie’s conversations with her daughter (and in particular around the research that her daughter is conducting in Papau New Guinea) are screamingly cringe worthy. I really felt that Helen Lederer nailed a cross-generation dialogue where Millie is really not comfortable with the more open (and modern) outlook her daughter has.

Millie is deeply in debt and struggling to make ends meet, yet she is offered a chance at a lucrative payday when she is asked to front a campaign for a new diet pill. All she has to do to receive a handsome payout is stick to a diet, achieve a target weight and she will receive the money she needs to clear off her loans. What could be simpler?

I suspect that many of us can sympathise with the problems that are faced when weight loss is required. Indeed, as a Scottish bloke in his middling years I generally refer to my own physique as ‘sturdy.’ I share her weight-loss pain and laugh along with her ability to rationalise chocolate consumption.

Millie’s battle to shift the pounds and resist the Toblerone is full of frequent pitfalls and Helen Lederer delivers laughs a-plenty as we follow Millie from throws of despair to her weight loss highs. Millie’s support network of friends and family are a joy to read about too. Often brutally honest in their observations they can be seen dragging Millie to feng shui guru’s, colonic irrigation clinics and support meetings: each of which they genuinely believe will be of some assistance.

As I have previously mentioned, Losing It is not my normal bookish escape. However, I enjoyed the change of pace that it offered, it made me laugh aloud on several occasions and I have had 4 or 5 work colleagues ask to borrow my copy when I am done as they really like the sound of it too! All positives – this is definitely a book worthy of your attention.

Losing It is published by Pan and is available now in Paperback and online in digital format.

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February 18

Winter Siege – Ariana Franklin

It’s 1141 and freezing cold.

Gwil, a battle-hardened mercenary, is horrified to stumble across a little girl close to death. She has been attacked, just one more victim in a winter of atrocities. Clutching a sliver of parchment, she is terrified – but Gwil knows what he must do. He will bring her back to life. He will train her to fight. And together, they will hunt down the man who did this to her.

But danger looms wherever they turn. As castle after castle falls victim to siege, the icy Fens ring with rumours of a madman, of murder – and of a small piece of parchment with a terrible secret to tell, the cost of which none of them could have imagined…

I tend not to read too many historical novels, however, if they were all as good as Winter Siege then it could easily become my favourite genre. I loved this book and became totally caught up within the story as I was transported back to the 12^th Century and the days of knights and castles.

We follow the story of Gwil, a mercenary who is an accomplished archer. He has been abandoned by his paymasters but he was already wearying of their company as their actions had not been in line with Gwil’s own moral code.

Gwil finds the shattered body of a young girl, she has been savagely attacked and left for dead yet her will to survive drags her back to life. With no memory of her attack nor of her life before the incident she travels with Gwil as he avows to himself (and his God) that he will avenge her attack.

At heart Winter Siege is a story of the friendship between Gwil and Penda (Gwil renames her after her attack). Yet the story plays against the backdrop of King Stephen’s attempts to repel his cousin (the Empress Matilda) as she tries to wrest control of the English Throne from him.

The siege in the title takes place at Kenniford Castle in Oxfordshire. The castle is a strategic stronghold and the home of Maud who, when we first meet her, is being married against her will to a prominent knight. This rushed and unwelcome marriage is to secure a political alliance that will protect both her and Kenniford from King Stephen and show allegiance to Matilda.

As the events in Winter Siege unfold we find Gwil and Penda arrive at Kenniford and the stories of our key players become entwined. This is very much a tale of people, friendships, politics and war. Ariana Franklin tells the story with an easy readable style. The characters are jumping from the page as they are expertly realised and it is impossible not to get caught up in Gwil’s quest to avenge Penda’s attack.

I tend to avoid historical novels as they become too caught up in the politics or the period at the cost of keeping the story flowing. Winter Siege stuck the perfect balance between background and story. There are not too many earls, dukes, knights and knaves that could confuse a casual reader – just a focus on telling a tale which will entertain and enjoy.

Fans of historical drama are in for a treat, fans of a good story this is for you too. Review score of 4/5 from a genre I tend not to read should reflect how much I enjoyed this story – I actually wish the book had been longer but all good things must end.

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February 13

Follow The Leader – Mel Sherratt

A man’s body is found on a canal towpath. In his pocket, a magnetic letter in the shape of an E.

Days later, a second victim is found, this time with the letter V tucked into her clothing.

As the body count rises, the eerie, childlike clues point to a pattern that sends DS Allie Shenton and her colleagues into full alert.

The race is on. Allie and the team must work quickly to determine where the killer will strike next. The rules are simple but deadly—to catch the killer, they must follow the leader.

From the acclaimed author of Taunting the Dead comes a flesh-creeping tale of a child’s game with a terrifying, grown-up twist. This is the second book in the DS Allie Shenton series but can be enjoyed as a stand-alone story.

My review copy was provided through Netgalley.

When I lurk around Twitter I look to see what other book bloggers are reading. Every now and then you find that one book will dominate the chat or one author will grab the spotlight. However, over a period of several months I noticed that Mel Sherratt’s name cropped up frequently and always positively. A little more investigation revealed that the bloggers I engage with most frequently have been reading and enjoying the Allie Shenton books – it was time for me to catch up.

Having been let down by the ‘buzz’ surrounding one or two high profile novels in 2014 I was delighted to find that Follow The Leader fully justified the positivity from the blogging community – I was hooked by a brilliant story.

As the intro explains, this is the second book in the DS Shenton series. Obviously, I have not read the first book and I generally try to avoid jumping into a series when I know there are earlier volumes to read. I was pleased to find that there were no continuity problems which could have impaired my enjoyment of Follow The Leader – everything I needed to know was deftly dropped into the plot without the feeling I was reading the “recap chapter.”

Follow The Leader was a great read – Shenton is a likeable central character, seemingly fighting a losing battle to maintain a work/life balance. She finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation where it appears that a killer that is specifically targeting former pupils of her old high school. It is clear to Shenton and the investigating team that the murders are linked as the killer is leaving a magnetic plastic letter at the scene of each crime.

What I particularly liked about Follow The Leader (as I also noted when I recently reviewed Karen Long’s The Vault) was that the reader gets to see who the murderer is quite early in the story. This means that we can keep tabs on the investigation while also having the benefit of discovering who the next victim will be – usually before they become a victim! I refer to this as the Columbo effect (my reading preferences clearly shaped by Peter Falk).

Follow The Leader keeps a good pace throughout and there were plenty of action points and surprises that kept me reading well into the wee small hours. There is a clear sign of an ongoing story which began in book 1 (Taunting The Dead), flows through Follow and looks likely to spin on into book 3. A nice way to ensure I will definitely return to see how Allie Shenton copes with what seems to be coming her way.

In short: great fun, well written and held my attention throughout with the added bonus of a cliffhanger that will make me a guaranteed reader of the next book. Everything I want from my crime thrillers so a review score of five out of five seems to be in order. Highly recommended.

You can follow Mel Sherratt on Twitter @writermels Follow The Leader and Taunting The Dead are available now…go get them!

One last update – just before I posted my review of Follow The Leader I discovered that the next Allie Shenton book, Only The Brave, is due for release on 26^th May. Already excited for that!

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February 12

The Raven’s Head – Karen Maitland

Vincent is an apprentice librarian who stumbles upon a secret powerful enough to destroy his master. With the foolish arrogance of youth, he attempts blackmail but the attempt fails and Vincent finds himself on the run and in possession of an intricately carved silver raven’s head.

Any attempt to sell the head fails … until Vincent tries to palm it off on the intimidating Lord Sylvain – unbeknown to Vincent, a powerful Alchemist with an all-consuming quest. Once more Vincent’s life is in danger because Sylvain and his neighbours, the menacing White Canons, consider him a predestined sacrifice in their shocking experiment.

Thanks to Headline for my Netgalley review copy

The Raven’s Head started out with real promise. I loved reading about Vincent, the apprentice Librarian, who suffered the wrath of an irritable master day upon day. Vincent lived in a small book book-filled world and the times he got to venture further into his master’s kingdom, in and around the castle and grounds were great fun to read. Vincent had an outsider’s view of his community and Karen Maitland used this remoteness to expertly set up our view of the world.

The story does not just focus on Vincent though and we are soon introduced to Gisa, a young girl who works under her uncle as an apothecary. Gisa is more adept at her craft than she lets on to her uncle and is rapidly absorbing the skills of trade. This skill is noticed by the fearsome Alchemist, Lord Sylvian, who requests Gisa’s presence at his home to assist with some very specific tasks he has to undertake.

Finally we meet the sinister White Canons, a religious group who are mentoring young boys to follow the path of God’s wisdom. The boys live to a strict religious regime and learn their bible by rote and fear. A greater terror, however, is the possibility of a calling to assist with strange night-time ‘experiments’ run by senior members of the White Canons from which some boys do not return.

As you may expect from tale which concentrates on three different storylines, there comes a point when the plots start to converge. The deeper into the story that we progress the greater the influence of ‘magic’ or ‘mysticism’ on the plot. The eventual reveal of Sylvian’s master plan was unexpected and horrifying – great build up from Karen Maitland with a satisfying delivery that is sure to captivate readers.

From a personal perspective, however, I think I ruined The Raven’s Head for myself. Halfway through the book I lost a little focus, the White Canon’s were not holding my attention and Vincent was annoying me. I put the book to the side and did not return to it for a couple of weeks. Although I was able to pick up the story without problem (and I loved the build-up and delivery of the finale) I just felt that my enjoyment suffered during that two week reading break.

I do still believe that this is a good story and I have picked up a second Karen Maitland book since finishing The Raven’s Head as I like her writing. I just don’t think The Raven’s Head arrived at the right time for me – stick with it and you will get a story that is well worth reading.

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February 8

The Invisible Library – Genevieve Cogman

Irene must be at the top of her game or she’ll be off the case – permanently…

Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she’s posted to an alternative London. Their mission – to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it’s already been stolen. London’s underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.

Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested – the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene’s new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own.

Soon, she’s up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option – the nature of reality itself is at stake.

Thanks to Tor books for my Netgalley copy for review.

I don’t know if Genevieve Cogman has plans to revisit The Invisible Library but I hope that she does! I loved the mysterious world that she has given us a glance into, a Library which spans space and dimensions and can open into any world to allow Librarians to collect rare and powerful books.

Anyone who has ever coveted a book will instantly connect with the concept of The Library. If you could step through a door to get an ARC of the first Harry Potter book, or visit Shakespeare and have your copy of Taming of the Shrew signed how could you resist?

Genevieve Cogman introduces Irene, an operative for the Library who is tasked with recovering specific titles from various dimensions and realities for the higher powers within the Library. Irene is resourceful, feisty and thoroughly delightful to accompany on an adventure. We first meet her at the conclusion of a mission and we get a glimpse of her skills and abilities as she escapes capture when her attempts to retrieve a rare volume do not go as smoothly as planned.

At the conclusion of her mission Irene returns to the Library and we first get a taste of this mysterious world. All too soon, however, a new mission is set and Irene travels to a version of London which is quite unlike our own world. Cogman does a fabulous job of merging the reality as we know it yet blending in Faery magic, vampires and Werewolves and also sets a new political power making the dynamics of the city we know so well appear in a very unnatural context.

Adding to the fun of the story is Irene’s partnership with her mysterious trainee, Kai. We have a nemesis for Irene too in the form of rival operative Brandamant – the scenes where they meet were high points in the story for me and the ‘catty’ tension was splendidly scripted. In addition to the personal nemesis was enemy of the Library: Alberich. His presence in the world Irene is operating is an unwelcome shock and adds a new element of danger. Alberich’s name is infamous within the Library and there is even doubt he actually exists – such is the extent of his nefarious reputation.

This is a fantastic fantasy story, and offers so much potential for further expansion. More books would be very welcome and (as I noted previously) I sincerely hope that Genevieve Cogman is going to revisit this world.

So in brief – great fun, humorous, frequently unexpected and leaves me wanting more. Definitely one for the lover of fantasy novels but a very strong 4/5 from this reviewer.

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February 6

The Vault – Karen Long

VAULT: A large room or chamber used for storage of valuables, especially an underground one…

In the unrelenting heat of the Toronto summer, a fire at a land-fill site uncovers the remains of a local prostitute. But the post-mortem reveals disturbing details –the body has been preserved and is not who or what it seems.

DI Eleanor Raven is back on duty six months after barely surviving being kidnapped and tortured by a depraved serial killer. Work is her sanctuary but she’s carrying deep scars – mental as well as physical. Where do you go when the place you feel safest is also the place where you are most at risk?
As Eleanor battles her own demons, it looks as though a killer in the city is making a gruesome human collection. And Eleanor’s fight to save the last victim of the Collector becomes a battle to save herself.

My thanks to Karen and @crimebookclub for my review copy

If you seek out crime novels which are described as ‘dark and disturbing’ then you are in for a treat with Karen Long’s The Vault. Even for a seasoned crime reader, such as myself, there are some decidedly uncomfortable elements to this story which make it stand out as a memorable read.

The Vault features a second outing for DI Eleanor Raven following her debut in Long’s previous novel The Safe Word. Raven is returning to work after a prolonged leave of absence – she had been recuperating from an horrific attack (as depicted in The Safe Word). Her return to duties are seemingly arriving earlier than she may be ready for and there are signs that Raven is not yet fit to resume her role.

Having not read The Safe Word before starting The Vault I wondered if I may have missed key plot points which may explain Raven’s ‘awkward’ return to duties, however, everything I needed to know was addressed in full so I did not feel disadvantaged by skipping book 1. Karen Long does a great job of teasing out the underlying issues surrounding Raven’s fragile state and we are left in no doubt that Eleanor Raven is a wonderfully complex character.

The Vault opens in the less than glamorous setting of a Toronto landfill site. A fire has ravaged an area of the city dump and firefighters uncover skeletal human remains, however, the remains they found are positioned in a very unnatural pose and there can be no question that this is the body of someone who dead before the fire started. Raven is called to the scene to investigate.

Soon we are crossing paths with prostitutes, undertakers, morticians and an extremely disturbed killer that Raven dubs the Collector. The driving motivation behind the Collector is….not nice (and redacted due to spoilers). However, what I very much enjoyed was that the story follows the Collector as well as the investigating team. As a reader we get to see both sides of the story and get an insight into how the criminal conducts himself when he is trying to get on with everyday life and, more alarmingly, how he may identify a potential victim.

I am sure that The Vault will be one that sticks with me for some time. The crimes are morbidly memorable, the central character is damaged and has a dangerous penchant for deviant sexual encounters and I found the book kept me hooked – which is all I want from my crime novels.

My benchmark for shocking crime has always been the works of Michael Slade. Slade has described many nasty and unpleasant deaths yet within his stories the murders are usually sudden and shocking. Karen Long may just have laid down a new standard: a whole novel that made me uncomfortable as I read. (By odd coincidence both Michael Slade and Karen long base their stories in Canada – I may revise my list of potential holiday destinations).

I found The Vault compelling reading. The central characters are well defined and (as I discovered in my Q&A with the author) they will return and be developed further. I liked that Long will take characters and concepts into unfamiliar places picking up on areas which may be considered taboo for some.

Although I missed Eleanor Raven’s debut in The Safe Word I will be rectifying this oversight in the very near future. I want to read more from this author and, specifically, I want to read another Eleanor Raven book. The Vault was sufficiently entertaining, memorable and creepy that I have to award it a review score of 5/5 – I didn’t want it to end.

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January 24

Snowblind – Christopher Golden

Twelve years ago the small town of Coventry, Massachusetts was in the grasp of a particularly brutal winter. And then came the Great Storm.

It hit hard. Not everyone saw the spring. Today the families, friends and lovers of the victims are still haunted by the ghosts of those they lost so suddenly. If only they could see them one more time, hold them close, tell them they love them.

It was the deadliest winter in living memory.

Until now.

When a new storm strikes, it doesn’t just bring snow and ice, it brings the people of Coventry exactly what they’ve been wishing for. And the realisation their nightmare is only beginning.

Thanks to Headline for my review copy

A long time ago I had a prolonged spell of reading nothing but horror stories. Over time I read fewer and fewer until I recently realised that in the last 12 months I had only read one ‘Ghost’ story (a novella) and the total disaster which was James Herbert’s Ash. This was simply not good enough! You cannot beat a good scary story and with Snowblind promising grief, loss and a nightmare to come it was time to return to a genre I love.

Sometimes a book is enhanced by where or when you read it. I confess that Snowblind was in my TBR pile for a couple of months…it arrived during a balmy autumn and rose to the top of the pile in the cold of January. As a direct result I got to read Snowblind while the snow fell over Scotland and the wind howled over the hills – perfect conditions to enjoy a story where the weather plays such an integral part to the story.

Christopher Golden does a great job of creating an atmospheric winter storm. The residents of Coventry, Massachusetts are no strangers to harsh winters but as Snowblind opens we find that the weather is the least of their problems. Coming out of the storm we are given glimpses of icy figures who are attacking some of the vulnerable Coventry residents. By the time the storm settles there have been accidents, deaths and families are left to rebuild their shattered lives.

I particularly enjoyed how the author managed to introduce several family units in the early stages of the book, each would suffer in some way during the storm. Great writing from Christopher Golden as he establishes and assembles his cast yet still keeps the tension levels running high while the storm settles in. After the storm: the players are in place and the fallout commences.

As the story progresses we jump forward over 10 years, life in Coventry has moved on yet the locals still clearly recall the horror of the big storm which devastated their town. Winter has taken hold and another large storm has been forecast, yet before it arrives there are some unusual changes happening to some of the Coventry residents – all is not as it seems.

As always I am skirting around the edge of the story and trying to avoid revealing too much. I can confirm that Snowblind was brilliantly atmospheric – a very real feeling of being trapped deep in the winter snow came through while I read. The creatures in the snow did seem particularly evil and were used sparingly which helped to maintain their mysterious nature. Nice mix of characters meant that you were rooting for some to escape the peril yet were not too upset when the town’s more nasty elements met their comeuppance.

In short – a good supernatural thriller, perfect reading for a cold winter night. I would score it 3/5 and would gladly read more of Christopher Golden’s work.

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