Map of the Dead by Murray Bailey.

Follow Alex MacLure as he unfolds the mystery surrounding his friend's death and legends entombed in Egypt.

I found Map of the Dead to be a regular secret code mystery with the usual conspiracies, lies and speculation thrown in. The plot was average with no real surprises. There was the usual mix of bad and good guys with the standard question of who can you trust. There was nothing in this story that made it stand out from others in this genre.

I did enjoy how the author threaded mathematics into the story. I thought those parts were very interesting. I was impressed by the research about Egypt and it's history of language, records and hidden data. But the religious mumbo jumbo simply left me cold. I thought the inclusion of a discovered story dating from 1,300 BCE a tiresome bore.

Map of the Dead filled the time but did not excite me. It was an okay, 3 star read with only 1 joke within the pages.

Map of the Dead was written in 2016 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.

Deserve to Die by Miranda Rijks.

Tamara is a young woman who knows what she wants. Stacey has a lovely marriage to Dom and they adore their children Arthur and Ivy. Tamara would very much like a life like Stacey's and if her plans work out, she can have the life of her dreams.

Deserve to Die gets off to a very dramatic start and I was gripped. It is creepy but realistic. Then in the next chapter the point of view changes from Tamara to Stacey. Deserve to Die is a psychological thriller with the stress put on both the characters and the reader. The tension starts from the first chapter all the way to the end.

Character development is wonderful, it just builds and builds. Tamara and Stacey are so different. Tamara is youthful, sexy, sharp and dynamic, with shed loads of attitude. Stacey is a yummy mummy running a messy, untidy home. I loved all the bitchy remarks Tamara made about Stacey, they made me chuckle because they were so catty. There is something so funny when women have a go at each other.

I thought Deserve to Die has a good pace and a great plot. I was impressed by the quality of writing and amazed by the extensive vocabulary used. Every chapter I had to call up an obscure word to check it's definition. I do not feel this was the author showing off, I believe she simply has the linguistic skills to finely describe what is going on.

I loved the format of Deserve to Die with alternating chapters from Tamara and Stacey. It also has a linear time line which pleased me big time as one of my pet hates is novels that jump backwards and forwards in time.

Okay Tamara is a nasty woman but she makes for a thrilling read. You do not have to like her but she is not some boring bimbo into beauty and cupcakes.

I really enjoyed reading Deserve to Die and found it an engaging story. I loved the tension and the way the story was told. I think Deserve to Die is an OUTSTANDING read which gets the top score of 5 stars from me.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher Inkubator Books for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.

The Ransom by Nancy Boyarsky.

Nicole Graves continues in her job as a Private Investigator, this time she is asked to look into the identity of a kidnapping victim. This 4th story in the Nicole Graves series can be read as a standalone.

I thought The Ransom got off to a very good start. Nancy set the scene in Los Angeles very well indeed. NIcole was asked to look into the identity of the third kidnapping victim in the city. Maybe there were serial kidnappers on the loose, or maybe the victims were connected. There were plenty of what-if’s thrown at the reader and I was looking forward to Nicole solving the mystery.

However, The Ransom differs from the previous Nicole Graves novels which were solely about Nicole and told purely from her point of view. This time Nicole’s sister Stephanie is dragged into the story. Now you get two points of view, the main focus being Nicole but a substantial although secondary focus on Stephanie. There are many times within the story when the reader knows more about what is going on than Nicole, because they have read Stephanie’s parts. I found this two person tale very frustrating.

The plot within this story was quite simple and nowhere near as involved or intricate as in the three earlier novels. There was no WOW! Factor in The Ransom. After a very good start this book then plodded along and became a regular search and find. The story then became rather predictable with nothing out of the ordinary. In the earlier novels we had lots of content and feeling about the life of Nicole in and out of work. The character development and living the life of Nicole was drastically reduced in The Ransom, the story being more about the searches Nicole ran than the heroine we previously enjoyed. There was a hint at romance this time but it was just a hint and was not developed.

Another frustration was when Nicole got closer to the kidnappers. The police told her about the risks involved and to stay away. What does the silly cow do? Yes, she grabs her handbag and storms off in search of the kidnappers and their victims. I lost my empathy for Nicole then.

I did like the localisation that Nancy put into her story. Not only does she use Los Angeles as a back-drop to her story but she uses American words and expressions that give British readers a lot to think about. This mix of local culture was a joy to read.

I found The Ransom to be an Okay 3 star read. I did not enjoy it anyway as much as her earlier novels which I thought had far, far better plots and a much stronger personality from Nicole.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and INscribe Digital/Light Messages Publishing for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.

The Cornish Cream Tea Bus by Cressida McLaughlin.

Charlie Quilter is left in her uncle Hal’s will a 1964 AEC Routemaster, ex-London Transport double decker bus. Follow Charlie, a baker, as she transforms Gertie into a mobile cafe and sightseeing tour bus.

Having driven buses and coaches since 1981, I loved how Cressida puts across to the reader the passion that vintage buses and coaches can give. There is a little something that vintage buses and coaches have that modern vehicles lack. Cressida taps into the character of this Routemaster very well indeed and with her words you get the feel of this bus. I was really impressed that Cressida could put across the bus parts of this book so well. It was lovely for me to finish my rest break reading The Cornish Cream Tea Bus and then reflect upon the book as I drove along the motorway behind the wheel of my modern Euro 6 - Volvo B11R. Cressida had done her research well as Charlie had both her PCV licence and a valid Driver CPC Qualification Card. I will ignore the absence of an Operator’s Licence etc and all the legal requirements as this does not affect the story.

The Cornish Cream Tea Bus has a large list of lively characters who all have their part to play. The whole book is told from Charlie’s point of view and I had empathy for her from the moment she pressed the button to start the AEC AV590 9.6 litre engine. Character development was good and there was romance in this story too! The romance developed at a steady pace and it was uncertain which way Charlie’s heart would lead. This is light reading and is suitable for all age groups as there is no gritty sex within the pages, just the odd gentle kiss on the mouth. All the cream was on the scones! 

This whole story is very British and is told in a cosy, warm, whimsical way, very similar to the popular television series Doc Martin, also set in Cornwall. Tourism and village life are lovingly depicted giving this book a great holiday feel. I really engaged with this book and had the “we’re all in this together” feel. Making me feel more at home, not just the bus and the scones, was Marmite - a pet Yorkiepoo. Charlie’s dog was a crossbreed Yorkshire Terrier/Poodle and as dogs are integral to many people’s lives, it is lovely when they are included within a story.

I enjoyed reading The Cornish Cream Tea Bus and thought it was a GOOD 4 star read. It was a light and fluffy, very comfortable read with a happy ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher HarperCollins UK for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.