Monthly Archives: January 2012

Good to be back

Posted on January 29, 2012
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I have to admit, it’s great to be back in the world of make believe, fiction, crime, history, intrigue and of course twitter following a two week break and self-imposed exile! I’ve missed the camaraderie the book world and twitter affords and I have most definitely come to the conclusion that my daily life would be the poorer without the connection, there’s only so much training six days a week after work you can take without any mental stimulation and friendly banter.

Over the last 16 months I have loved every minute of reading, reviewing and getting to know authors, publicists and reviewers alike but I knew towards the end of last year there was no way I could continue to read and review on the scale I had been. I decided, before burn out occurred and I began to detest picking up a book, the best course of action would be to take a break. This is after all a hobby for me and something I try to fit in with my training and daily work life. Training and fitness is possibly the most important thing in my life right now, those who know me well will know what a struggle the last few years have been – that I will not give up!

Before I began reading in earnest towards the end of 2010 I can’t remember the last time I’d picked up a book to read. I knew nothing of the crime genre, in fact I knew very little about fiction full stop and was totally unprepared for what was about to hit me. 16 months later I’m still learning and discovering new authors every day, whether established veterans or relative newcomers, most are new to me and it will take years before my knowledge is half …

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Tideline by Penny Hancock – Book Review

Posted on January 10, 2012
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One winter’s afternoon, voice coach Sonia opens the door of her beautiful riverside home to fifteen-year-old Jez, the nephew of a family friend. He’s come to borrow some music. Sonia invites him in and soon decides that she isn’t going to let him leave. As Sonia’s desire to keep Jez hidden and protected from the outside world becomes all the more overpowering, she is haunted by memories of an intense teenage relationship, which gradually reveal a terrifying truth. The River House, Sonia’s home since childhood, holds secrets within its walls. And outside, on the shores of the Thames, new ones are coming in on the tide…

I came across Tideline by Penny Hancock completely by accident, in all honesty I hadn’t planned to read it, and had it not been for twitter I wouldn’t have. I remember I was in the middle of reading Finders Keepers [Review] by Belinda Bauer when I noticed @keithbwalters and @alice_murphy from Simon & Schuster raving about the book. I wasn’t on the lookout for another January title – I have more than enough – but when Alice and Dawn offered me the chance to read it I simply couldn’t refuse!

Tideline is a dark and enveloping psychological thriller that will hook you from the very first page and keep you captive until the final early morning tide of an old and well-documented river is but a distant memory. I don’t think I can remember reading a book where the main protagonist had such an effect on me literally moments after beginning a book. I distinctly remember having to put the book down after ten pages to take stock of who Sonia was, this really is powerful stuff. Sonia frightened me, psychologically. It was clearly evident this was a woman who had seen better days …

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Death and the Olive Grove by Marco Vichi – Book Review

Posted on January 7, 2012
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April 1964, but spring hasn’t quite sprung. The bad weather seems suited to nothing but bad news. And bad news is coming to the police station.

First, Bordelli’s friend Casimiro, who insists he’s discovered the body of a man in a field above Fiesole. Bordelli races to the scene, but doesn’t find any sign of a corpse.

Only a couple of days later, a little girl is found at Villa Ventaglio. She has been strangled, and there is a horrible bite mark on her belly. Then another little girl is found murdered, with the same macabre signature.

And meanwhile Casimiro has disappeared without a trace.

The investigation marks the start of one of the darkest periods of Bordelli’s life: a nightmare without end, as black as the sky above Florence.

It’s great to be back in Florence, even if it is only for a short while. When I first reviewed Death in August by Marco Vichi back in June 2011 I knew before I’d finished reading the book that Hodder had a hit on their hands. The publishers, securing the rights for the first four books in the Inspector Bordelli series, have once again delivered an outstanding package combining an envious narrative, a colourful and multi-faceted detective and a cornucopia of Italian food to die for. Seriously, the food on offer in this book is enough to tempt anyone off a diet!

Although there were a few moments when I found myself laughing out aloud – much to my embarrassment when I realised co-workers were watching me – Death and the Olive Grove (Inspector Bordelli 2) is a much darker novel than I had anticipated and has a very different feel to Death in August. It would be fair to say Bordelli drives much of this dark atmospheric tension …

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Total Immunity by Robert Ward – Book Review

Posted on January 5, 2012
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Smart, tough Los Angeles FBI agents Jack Harper and Oscar Hidalgo breathe sighs of relief after violent diamond smuggler Karl Steinbach is finally arrested in a complex sting. Vowing vengeance on the agents who brought him down, Steinbach is imprisoned – only to be offered a release with total immunity in a dodgy deal with Homeland Security. As Jack and Oscar’s team of agents start to die, it becomes clear that Steinbach’s is no idle threat. But when the pair investigate their slain comrade’s lives, they discover that what looked like retribution is actually tied to a web of deceit that stretches to the highest echelons of the FBI.

Navigating car chases, shootouts, and even venomous reptiles, Jack and Oscar furiously pursue clues scattered throughout the underbelly of Los Angeles, in a desperate attempt to find the killer – before he finds them. With a storyline crackling with action, a dazzling cast of thugs, traitors, killers and creeps, and a cinematic portrait of a seamy Los Angeles clogged with corruption and greed, Robert Ward’s turbulent new thriller is clever, contemporary and cool as ice.

I’ve always enjoyed FBI, Homeland Security, based thrillers and although they don’t turn up as often as I would like – the last one being Cold Vengeance by Preston & Child in September – I was rather excited to start Total Immunity by Robert Ward. Ward, perhaps best known for his work as a producer and writer for Hill Street Blues and Miami Vice, has written a number of books but Total Immunity marks the first in a series concentrating on main protagonists Agents Jack Harper and Oscar Hidalgo.

A fast paced narrative I found Total Immunity a very quick and entertaining read, nothing too taxing and not overly complex, the storyline is well delivered and …

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Finders Keepers by Belinda Bauer – Book Review

Posted on January 3, 2012
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The eight-year-old boy had vanished from the car and – as if by slick, sick magic – had been replaced by a note on the steering wheel . . . ‘You don’t love him’…

At the height of summer a dark shadow falls across Exmoor. Children are being stolen from cars. Each disappearance is marked only by a terse note – a brutal accusation. There are no explanations, no ransom demands… and no hope.

Policeman Jonas Holly faces a precarious journey into the warped mind of the kidnapper if he’s to stand any chance of catching him. But – still reeling from a personal tragedy – is Jonas really up to the task?

Because there’s at least one person on Exmoor who thinks that, when it comes to being the first line of defence, Jonas Holly may be the last man to trust…

There’s nothing like starting a New Year with a positive outlook on life but I thought I’d begin with a warning – If you’re ever offered a job or holiday let in Shipcott my advice would be not to take it! Although it may sound like an idyllic location in Exmoor I’m positive Miss Marple would have her work cut out for her, Poirot too, in fact she’d probably have to call in reinforcements to make sense of the kidnappings and murders found in abundance in the small village. No one is safe, believe you me!

Finders Keepers represents the third title from Belinda Bauer and although a standalone title – as they all are – you’ll certainly take a lot more from the book if you read them in order, I’m glad I did. Blacklands – the first in the Shipcott series – introduces us to the moor, the Lamb family, and of course the gruesome …

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Sherlock Holmes – A Scandal in Belgravia

Posted on January 1, 2012
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Sherlock Holmes – A Scandal in Belgravia (Series 2, Episode 1 of 3)

So let me get this straight – oh where are my manners, happy new year everyone – according to Dr Watson, yes he of Sherlock Holmes fame (BBC One HD) all one has to do is begin a blog, write about crime, speckled blondes and such like, offer my services as a private detective and the hits will come? Simples! So here I am then, I’m now standing back as I watch a wave of adoring fans enter the blog, virtually of course – as I don my deerstalker hat for anonymity! Welcome one and all, you can of course contact me in the usual ways or if you prefer a one on one – I do charge of course – then I can be found along with my non deerstalking companion – Dr Watson – at 221B Baker Street. Series 2 is now available to pre order.

Sherlock Holmes starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman has once again returned to our screens in the UK, once again showing what the BBC does best – drama. Following the plaudits from series one it was always going to be hard following up such a successful debut but Paul McGuigan (Director) and his team have triumphed, makes no bones about it this is a classy performance.

A case of blackmail threatens to topple the monarchy itself, but soon Sherlock and John discover there is even more to it than that. They find themselves battling international terrorism, rogue CIA agents, and a secret conspiracy involving the British government.

But this case will cast a longer shadow on their lives than they could ever imagine, as the great detective begins a long duel of wits with an antagonist as cold …

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