The River Dark by Nicholas Bennett.

This is an odd novel set in the fictional Cotswold town of Measton. It centers on the dark events involving the river that runs through the town. This book is a mystery of the secrets that the river holds and the supernatural events that happen to the locals.

It is easy when I walk my dog along a river bank to day dream about the life, out of sight, that the river holds. This is the mood the reader must take as they plough through this very long novel. There is a lot of darkness in this book as very slowly the mystery begins to unfold. There are lots of characters involved in this story and it is easy to loose track of who is who.

Gradually the plot moves on from what you first thought was a regular crime thriller, through something creepy, then something supernatural to a nightmare of ghoulish proportions. My reading pleasure ranged day by day as I read through this book. At first I thought it was interesting, then a little slow with no progression. Slowly I got drawn into the mystery of the river and what dark secrets lay behind it's history. Then my interest waned somewhat as the story lost it's realism and it became a little bit of nonsense.

Overall this is a good book that captures your imagination as you dream of the possible secret world beyond the river. Rivers can be very creepy with many deaths taking place over the years with the victims taking their secrets to their watery graves. Some victims are never found and the mystery surrounding the river deepens.

Nicholas writes in an easy to understand British way with quite a lot of social commentary thrown in for good measure. The ending was a bit of a let down but the journey through the darkness of life around the river was a good one that I will vote 4 stars.

Atrocity Exhibition by Thohir Wijaya.

Here is a story of an art exhibition that feature scenes of many of the atrocities that took place in the 20th century. The author goes on a great length about how violent images can be sexualised and the effect they have on the public.

This is a very arty book and is full of interpretation, shade and texture. His book has been updated with many annotations that seek to explain the context of the exhibition.

I did not enjoy this book at all. I found it a drag and very, very easy to put down. I continued reading to the very end hoping I would find something good to write about it. But all I found was the most boring book I have ever read in my whole life. He drones on and on in a language I can't relate to. There is no real story to this book, just a rambling review of sexualised images. I took nothing away from this book at all and was glad I downloaded it as a freebie.

Books like this can so easily put off new readers and if all books were like this, I would throw my Kindle into the bin and never read another book in my life. Thankfully there are loads of good books out there that can entertain and inform the reader. Atrocity Exhibition does neither, which is why I am voting it the lowest possible score of 1 star. This is one boring book to AVOID.

Atrocity Exhibition was published in 2013 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.

Pyramids by Kay Barrett.

Welcome to a London of the future and follow Dorothy, 30 years old, as she leaves the security of her parents home. London has changed over the years and a barrier has been erected to protect the Elite people inside. Pyramids is a dystopian thriller with a supernatural twist.

This novel is very good at setting the scene of life in a future Britain. It explores the British obsession with class and judging people by how they dress. It follows on from how our media and politics have changed in the last decade. Dorothy is rather naive but tries to discover her country's history since the Pact and what conspiracies are going on.

Pyramids is quite a slow story to read, with not a lot of action. It is a reflective tale of how a society could become. There are better dystopian thrillers out there and Pyramids is not an entertaining and fun read. All the characters simply muddle along and this is a very easy novel to put down. There is no WOW! factor to this story and you can read it with as much interest as your supermarket check-out receipt. This book is an okay read that simply fills the time, so I will vote it the middle score of 3 stars.

Pyramids is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2013.

On The Wind by Sarah Wilde.

This novella is based on a true story about a 41 year old homeless lesbian who leaves Los Angeles on a road trip. Madison has broken up with her girlfriend, is living in her Honda CRV and is on her way to see her mother in Arkansas. She meets 5 other lesbians in this story which has a happy ending.

This book is ideal light holiday reading although it deals with serious issues like society's intolerance of homosexuality and narcissistic parents. On The Wind is easy reading and is told in a soft, loving style. There is no sex in this story, it is NOT an adult erotic thriller with steamy girl on girl action. Sarah writes with a warmth about finding love, a home and acceptance. She has a lovely clear writing style that simply flows as her story soothes and washes over you.

I enjoyed reading On The Wind and found it bright, intelligent and refreshing. You do not need to be a Lesbian or a Woman to enjoy this story. It is all about being human and wanting to have a home, be loved and being a worthy part of society. Sarah is an author to watch and I enjoyed her book so much that I will vote it 4 stars.

On The Wind is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2014.

The Nothing by Kenneth Horowitz.

America is plunged into chaos when suddenly all wireless connections are broken. All mobile phones, radio, television and wi-fi internet connections are down. America has to adapt to The Nothing.

This book raises the issues of how life has changed as we become more addicted to our mobile devices. People spend so much of their time playing with mobile phones and tablets. Rather than spending time together, brief soundbites are shared on Facebook and Twitter.

How will America cope and will a hero step forward to restore wireless connections? This is the problem with this book. Kenneth's characterizations are very good and the reader spends a lot of time with the background of each character. But then the chapter you are reading finishes and another character is richly introduced. The story moves on in such a way that you think those characters will never be heard of again, yet nobody comes foward to restore wireless connections. The lack of focus within the storyline makes this novel a frustrating read. Once you think a character is finished, up they pop again but you are still no further forward.

Clearly this book has not been proof-read and the numerous typos are very irritating. So the story continues and I got the impression that Kenneth had lots of ideas, almost in the form of short stories, that he tries to weave into a full length novel. But the links between each character and the plot are minor. The Nothing is an okay read but there are plenty of better dystopian thrillers out there. Therefore I can only vote this book 3 stars as it passes the time but is low on entertainment and reader enjoyment. The final ending did make me laugh though!

The Nothing is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2013.

MOBIUS (crime thriller books) by Ann Abrams.

Katherine and Nick go to special parties where anything can happen. Special rules apply and it is a mystery as to who is involved and how extreme the parties become. MOBIUS is a strange novel set in Britain and has an odd mix of characters. There is quite a lot of sex involved, with plenty of BDSM. When things started to go wrong, I thought this novel would follow the lines of a regular crime thriller but I was wrong.

MOBIUS is all about sexuality and society. It explores how people fit in and what drives them sexually, how public opinion is formed and special interest groups work. Fans of Dan Brown should enjoy MOBIUS as there is mystery involving pseudo-religion, rituals, secret societies and symbols. This is an enjoyable novel that you can escape into and at the end you come back into reality as Katherine uses her Oyster card and travels onboard a Transport for London bus. Only you are left thinking, "I wonder if these underground rituals do take place under my nose as London goes about it's daily business".

Ann has written a good novel with plenty of detail to make it real. It is an intellectual read with plenty of depth. This story is about a lot more than a kiss and a cuddle. The plot did not develop in the way I expected but it was a pleasure to read. MOBIUS is a good read if you are looking for escapism and I will vote it 4 stars.

MOBIUS is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2012.

Leisa's Journey by Rose Mary Perino.

This very short story is about Leisa, a 13 year old girl whose parents have the odd row at home. Rose Mary Perino is a new author trying to become a writer and is using this brief story to showcase her talent.

Novels are all about taking the reader on a journey away from their armchair. To make this journey a pleasant and enjoyable read, the author MUST be a good storyteller and have a GREAT plot woven within the text. Sadly, Leisa's Journey reads like an incident report where the child is petitioning for the divorce of her parents. This story is not told in a gripping manner and I did not develop an empathy for Leisa. The plot is shallow and the ending is not special. There are no highlights in this script which reads like a report of a football match.

I think that Leisa's Journey is a POOR read and I will be voting it just 2 stars. Rose has had a go at writing a short story but I can see NO SPECIAL talent in her script. It is often said that there is always a book in everyone but I suggest that Rose does not give up her day job.

Leisa's Journey is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2013.