What She Gave Away by Catharine Riggs.

Follow Crystal, a plus size woman, as she takes revenge on Kathi, the skinny wife of a bank’s president. This thriller is set in California and is about not only about Crystal’s revenge but size issues, lifestyle choices, workplace politics, corruption, misuse of power and banking.

I liked how this story is told in alternating chapters, so you get the story from both Crystal’s and Kathi’s sides. The main timeframe is just 2 years but frustratingly Kathi includes backstory from her old notebooks along the way.

I liked how Catharine created her character Crystal to be fat. So many novels dwell on thin women and fail to represent the demographics of contemporary society with its increased levels of obesity. Readers like to relate to the characters and having a fat lead character is a bonus.

The characterization of Crystal and Kathi was good but the timeframe switched about a little too much for my liking. Although Crystal was supposed to be the bad guy, I liked her more than Kathi, probably because of her attitude. For example, in Crystal’s chapter she writes…

He glances at my belly with a question in his eyes. I know what he’s thinking, I carry a lot of weight in my gut. But he’s taken his HR classes. He knows the rules. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen. I do my best to sound earnest.

...Or it could just be me, as I find fat women more fun to be with?

I think this novel should appeal to both genders and I was not put off by it having two female lead characters.

I found the plot average and the pace plodding. By the end of the story, I got to know Crystal and Kathi really well. I liked how the book explored lifestyles and how people relate to one another.

What She Gave Away was an okay read, it was like meeting someone in passing and enjoying the conversation you shared. As a novel it was NOT outstanding but it was pleasant to read. This is Catharine’s debut novel and it shows that she has a talent that should grow. I found this book a WARM read, so it gets 3 stars from me.

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

Truth and Lies (DI Amy Winter #1) by Caroline Mitchell.

Follow DI Amy Winter in this psychological thriller set around London and neighbouring Essex. This novel is a mixture of Police procedures, cold case reviews, the quest for justice, kidnapping, murder, identity and psychopaths ALL within the murky borders of Truth and Lies.

I really enjoyed reading Truth and Lies. It is very different from your usual crime thriller because of it’s very strong psychological aspect. Having said that, it is also very different from most psychological thrillers too. Generally with psychological thrillers, the characters are having their minds disturbed as they try to cope with their situations. In Truth and Lies, the reader is having their mind disturbed as warning flags spring up ALL the time, forcing you to second guess what is going on. Caroline really engages the reader as her plot unfolds. I thought the plot was great and when I got to the end my head was buzzing - but in a good way, as I thought “if only”.

I liked the way Truth and Lies was told, with short chapters and from different points of view. Characterization was spot on with everyone involved. Many issues were explored to make Truth and Lies a FULL story, not just a plot driven thriller. I liked how recovered memories were used and how our brains can distort reality. I liked how the psychopath gave their insight to normalize their behaviour.

What was really OUTSTANDING was the exploration of the concept of Truth and Lies. We now live in a world of fake news and this novel highlights how murky the gap between Truth and Lies can become. People can accept things as fact and the psychological workings of our beliefs are complex.

Truth and Lies was a pleasure to read because of it’s complexity. I really engaged with the story and think it would make an ideal TV drama. Caroline is clearly at the top of her game and I can find nothing wrong with this book. Truth and Lies is yet another 5 star read from Caroline Mitchell.

Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Amazon Publishing UK for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.

Portraits Of The Dead by John Nicholl.

19 year old Emma Jones is reported missing by her mother. Emma is a student at Cardiff University and is living in a shared house nearby. Detective Inspector Gareth Gravel of West Wales Police is on the case to find Emma, in case she is in danger.

Portraits Of The Dead is told from 4 points of view. Detective Inspector Gareth Gravel, Detective Sergeant Rankin, Emma Jones - the victim and the bad guy. I liked how the story was told from multiple points of view.

I thought Portraits Of The Dead got off to a very good and creepy start. The tension was there and I feared that Emma may not get out of this story alive. However, as this story progressed, my enjoyment slowly and steadily dwindled.

Frustrations began to rise as I progressed through this novel. The police find that Emma has left her flash new phone behind in her shared student house. This gives the story a contemporary feel but then the dates are woven into the plot. May 1998 - but why? These modern fancy, flash smartphones were not around in 1998, which is a problem and I think that new books should be set in the current day. Who would want to buy a new book that is set 20 years ago? Okay, making his story 20 years old allows John Nicholl to ignore smartphones and social media but he could so easily have claimed that Emma chose to be off the grid.

Another problem I had was the use of the fictitious town of Caerystwyth where the police station is that DI Gareth Gravel worked from. The rest of the book included the real locations of Cardiff and real places in Carmarthenshire like Ferryside, Llanelli and Llansteffan. However, Caerystwyth Wood, Trinity Fields, Jobe’s Well Road and Castle Lane, Llansteffan are all fictitious and do not exist. This was very frustrating for me as I have lived in Cardiff since 1991 and for our holidays we rent a Sea View Chalet at the Carmarthen Bay Holiday Resort, near Kidwelly. I love walking my dog along the Gwendraeth and pottering all around Carmarthenshire. I could imagine the scene of Caerystwyth Wood actually taking place at Penybedd Wood, which is a lovely short stroll for Charlie the Pug. Why of why did John Nicholl not use real locations to add value to his novel? It is so blindingly obvious that Caerystwyth should be Carmarthen. It is as obvious as reading Heddlu and straightaway knowing the Welsh organisation involved - and I was born in England.

I thought the characterisation within Portraits Of The Dead was fair. I thought the plot was okay. I did like the explanation of the bad guy’s motives from his point of view. However, I feel this novel does drag on a little and there is nothing special about it.

At the end I felt a little cheated, crime thrillers are generally solved by the police but not this one. The ending did make me smile though!

I thought Portraits Of The Dead was an okay, 3 star read. It passes the time but I could not recommend it to anyone. This is the first of a proposed series but I shall not be bothering if John Nicholl writes another book.

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

Toxic by Jacqui Rose.

And welcome to Essex, all human life is here. In Toxic we have a range of characters who are NOT the most law abiding in the county. We have a gypsy lifestyle with their mobile home site, some criminals involved in drugs and theft, plus an ex-prostitute and ex-wifes thrown into the mix. What we have is one violent but very exciting thriller about people who live on the wrong side of the law.

I found Toxic to be a refreshing change from your average British crime thriller. In Toxic you only read about the bad guys. There are no good guys in this story AND the police do not get involved as these people look after their own.

Toxic is a violent novel and Jacqui has chosen her title well. She sets the scene straight off and the torture will make your eyes water. There is no please or thank you in these conversations, they are vulgar as the characters believe actions are stronger than words.

The dialogue used in Toxic is local which adds to it’s realism. How Jacqui managed to write paragraph after paragraph of conversation between characters with the same poor grammar, is a wonder. Each character says “me” instead of “my” when they speak! I also loved the Cockney slang sprinkled throughout this novel, my favourite being…

“Ten per cent is just a sniff of a cockerel’s arse.”

...I also loved the attitude of this book, my favourite comment from one of the characters was…

He didn’t impress anyone. Women wanted real men. Flash cars and a bit of bling not a gutless muppet and a pub lunch with a ten-year-old Ford Focus parked outside.

...Although Toxic is written by a woman, Jacqui tells a great misogynistic tale from a man’s point of view. Henpecked husbands are going to love Toxic, where the male characters are strong and put their women firmly in their place. I liked the humour of the man’s world and could engage with the resentment many of the men felt towards women.

Toxic was a refreshing and thrilling read. There were many shocks as the nitty gritty of gypsy life was revealed. Toxic created a big impression with me as the characters lived a life far away from the mainstream. Toxic was violent but in your own private pleasure, simply a joy to read. I thought this book was a great escape into another world and it gets the top score of 5 stars from me. I have NOT read a Jacqui Rose novel before but after reading Toxic, count me in!

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

The Tattoo Thief by Alison Belsham.

Buzz!!! Buzz!!! and the tattoo machine inks another person having given their consent to the tattooist to make their mark. However, there is a thief about who steals tattoos off people, leaving them for dead.

This crime thriller is set around Brighton and in her debut novel, Alison Belsham gives the case to newly promoted DI Francis Sullivan. What is nice about this police procedural, is that there are separate chapters from the point of view of the 4 main characters. DI Francis Sullivan and DS Rory Mackay give their view as the case progresses plus you also get chapters from tattooist Marni Mullins and the bad guy who is stealing the tattoos from the victims.

I enjoyed reading The Tattoo Thief and liked all the bits that Marni told the reader about her job as a tattooist. Most crime thrillers dwell on the job of the police officers and it was very nice to have detail about a very different day job. This gave The Tattoo Thief added value. Characterization of Francis, Rory and Marni was good and I liked the chemistry that built between the 3 of them.

I thought the plot of The Tattoo Thief was okay but found the ending with all it’s racing action disappointing. Getting the location of where the bad guy may be living, chasing there page after page followed by more charging around was rather tiresome and lacked a WOW! factor compared to finding the first victim in the beginning. The final chase for the bad guy did not grab me at all, although the thought of Marni naked did brighten my mood.

I liked The Tattoo Thief and thought the beginning, the structure and the character development and chemistry to be good. For a debut novel Alison Belsham has done very well and I think her book is a GOOD read that gets 4 stars from me.

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

Black Canyon by Jeremy Bates.

Brian is 11 years old and goes camping with his parents to visit the Black Canyon within the Gunnison National Park in Colorado. This novella tells the story of how Brian got along on this lovely trip with his mam and dad.

I really enjoyed reading the Black Canyon, which is odd because it is narrated in the first person by Brian who is only 11 years old. But this novella is told in a very adult fashion. Jeremy Bates is rather clever because he starts his novella from the viewpoint of Brian looking back on his family camping trip in Colorado. This allows Jeremy the scope to write Brian’s story in a very adult way, using the understanding of our world and an extensive vocabulary that an 11 year old would not be able to deliver. Nice one Jeremy, which means we can get a child’s story without it being childish, sugary sweet or Disney-like.

There is some lovely subtle humour in this novella, for example…

My mom kept calling one of the women she worked with a skank. I wondered if maybe she meant “skunk.” Sometimes when she was drinking she didn’t always pronounce her words correctly.

… So we have a nice camping trip with mam and dad. What could go wrong? Slowly doubts are thrown into the story and you begin to wonder how 11 year old Brian is enjoying his trip with mam and dad. Then little doubts develop about Brian’s personality and his relationships with people around him. I loved how Jeremy weaved these little doubts into the story which made me suspect what may happen. I thought it was great how Brian explained in his own words just why things had worked out the way they had.

I am NOT a fan of novellas as I prefer a BIG read that can last me for days on end. That way I really get into a story, live the book and type up a review during my weekly rest period. However, the Black Canyon is an EXCEPTION. I thought this novella was BRILLIANT and the plot was very well thought out indeed. I loved this book and it was simply a joy to read. Well done Jeremy, you have written a wonderful novella with no boring bits or padding out of the tale. I think the length of this story is spot on and what is nice is that the location, although real, is not the key, it is the event of a family camping trip. Although the Black Canyon is a SHORT read, it certainly packs a punch and I can find nothing wrong with it, so it gets the top score of 5 stars from me.

The Catacombs (World’s Scariest Places #2) by Jeremy Bates

The Catacombs are a network of tunnels beneath Paris which are said to extend more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) and reach depths of 30 meters (100), too deep for phone coverage. Follow 4 characters who go on an underground adventure to explore hidden treasures etc in this hidden world beneath the streets of Paris.

I thought this thriller from Jeremy Bates was okay. The structure of this novel is similar to his previous book, the Suicide Forest and offers the same huge vocabulary that helps make this story such an adult read. Jeremy manages to capture the atmosphere of the catacombs very well indeed when he writes…

I tried to imagine what it would be like to walk alone in utter blackness, with only your hand on the wall to guide you, your mouth dry from dehydration, your throat and lungs burning from the rank air and the countless hours of screaming for help, your feet weeping with blisters, your legs jellied with exhaustion, nothing around you but tunnels and more tunnels, ad infinitum.

Yes, it is clearly very scary being lost in complete darkness within 300 km of tunnels below Paris knowing that nobody can hear you scream. I felt Jeremy explained these fears very well indeed as our 4 characters tried to exit the nightmare they had become trapped within.

The plot of The Catacombs was okay and was a regular urban legend of a hidden community. The main problem I had with The Catacombs was that I read it straight after Suicide Forest. I thought that Suicide Forest was a GOOD 4 star read and in comparison The Catacombs was simply not as good. For me The Catacombs was an okay 3 stars read because it lacked the wonder threaded within the script of the Suicide Forest.