Review: ‘Body in The Box’, by E.R. Fallon

Published By: Joffe Books

Publication Date: 19th December 2017

I.S.B.N.: 9781912106004

BLURB

The frail body of a young boy is found discarded in an old cardboard box. Even in a hard-edged town used to deadly crimes, this touches a nerve.

BODY IN THE BOX is the first book in the Stygian Town mystery series featuring three very different homicide detectives.

Detectives Dino Copper and Terry Jackson have been partners and friends for years. Now a new detective is drafted in to join them: Rebecca Everhart. They must quickly learn to work together on the biggest case of their careers, the disturbing discovery of the ‘Body in the Box’, as it’s known by the captivated media and the city’s worried citizens.

The case takes the three detectives deep inside the lives of the insular Eastern European immigrant community and the world of unlawful medical practices. The case also evokes an eerie childhood memory of Dino’s, where a boy from his neighborhood vanished and was never seen again.

What appears to be a straightforward, modern-day murder case has more to do with the past than the present, and the detectives come to a genuinely unnerving — and life-threatening — conclusion.

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Book Review: ‘Nowhere To Run’, by Jack Slater

As usual, book received in return for an honest review. I’m going to do something I wouldn’t normally bother with but in this case I think it’s necessary, and add a content warning because of the subject matter.

CW: Child abuse, abduction, paedophilia, murder, suicide

 

Publication Date: 6th January 2017

Published By: HQ Digital

Format: ebook

Price: £1.99

I.S.B.N.: 9780008223588

Blurb

A missing child. A dead body. A killer on the loose.

Returning to Exeter CID after his son’s unsolved disappearance Detective Sergeant Peter Gayle’s first day back was supposed to be gentle. Until a young girl is reported missing and the clock begins to tick.

Rosie Whitlock has been abducted from outside her school that morning. There are no clues, but Peter isn’t letting another child disappear.

When the body of another young victim appears, the hunt escalates. Someone is abducting young girls and now they have a murderer on their hands. Time is running out for Rosie, but when evidence case relating to his own son’s disappearance is discovered the stakes are even higher…

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Review: ‘For the love of Emily’, by Joy Wood

Joy Wood is a local author, a nurse in Grimsby, that I met at a local authors event at Grimsby Central Library in the summer. What with Paris, university and being under the weather, it’s taken me a while to get her book read, but this afternoon I felt the need to read a paper book, so I picked up ‘For the love of Emily’ and got back into it.Continue reading “Review: ‘For the love of Emily’, by Joy Wood”

Review: ‘A Daughter’s Deadly Deception’, by Jeremy Grimaldi

Published by: Dundern

Publication Date: 6th December 2016

I.S.B.N.: 9781459735248

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Review: ‘The Secrets of Gaslight Lane’ by M.R.C. Kasasian

Hello! I hope everyone’s enjoying the summer? I’m back with a book review. I’ve had a dodgy couple of weeks but I’m feeling better, I think. I’m resting mostly and limiting contact with people because of the exhaustion. Last week I had an ‘aural overstimulation’ day, my head felt like it was being invade by every noise no matter how quiet and that my mind was being bombarded (does anyone else get that?). I had to retreat to my room and silence. It happens sometimes and I can get nasty if I don’t have time in silence. Anyway, on with the book review.

http://headofzeus.com/books/secrets-gaslight-lane
http://headofzeus.com/books/secrets-gaslight-lane

The Gower Street Detective, Book 4

Publisher: Head of Zeus
Format: E-Book (also available in Export Trade Paperback, Hardback, Paperback)
Published: 2nd June 2016
ISBN: 9781781859742

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The library has moved

Hi!

My local library has moved in to a new building, the ‘Immingham Hub’. I went for a visit yesterday, because I needed to print off some patterns I’d bought and wanted to make, but also to have a nose round.

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Review: ‘Rebellion’s Message’ by Michael Jecks

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Published by: Severn House

Publication Date: 30th April 2016

ISBN: 9781780290850

R.R.P.: £20.99

Format: Hardback

Received from netgalley.com in return for an honest review (as if my reviews are ever anything but painfully honest?)

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Review: ‘Pride and Regicide’ by Cathy Bryant

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Published by: Crooked Cat Publishing

Publication date: 29th September 2015

ISBN: 9781910510612

Format: ebook

Price: £0.99 (for Amazon.co.uk kindle edition)

Another of my Netgalley.com finds

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Review: ‘Witches Protection Program’ by Michael Phillip Cash

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Chelshire Inc.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Titles                                                                                                                                                                      Published: 14th May 2015                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Paperback                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    ISBN:9781511411349  
Blurb
 Witches Protection Program is filled with adventure & suspense Michael Phillip Cash creates a tongue-in-cheek alternate reality where witches cast spells and wreak havoc in modern day New York City.

Michael Phillip Cash is an award winning and best selling author of horror, paranormal, and science fiction novels. Michael currently resides on Long Island with his wife and children.

My Review

Firstly, the plot; it has a great deal of potential and could be extended from this novella in to a full novel or even a series. I was disappointed with certain aspects – such as the explanation for Bernadette’s great conspiracy, and the reason Wes lost his original position. They just weren’t ambitious enough. If that was all I wouldn’t be too bothered but the insistent and weakly developed romantic plot irritated me.

Secondly the writing: not bad, although tension would drop in all the wrong places.

Characters: All the men are heroes of one sort or another, and all the women are horrible (either physically or psychologically) or weak. Returning to Bernadette, all her actions are predicated on the assumption that the romantic rejection by her sister’s husband would make her hate all men and want to lock them up in internment camps. Or Scarlett, who’s jealousy of Morgan should somehow drive her mad with power lust. It all tickled at something, and then I realised what it was. Straw-feminist arguments advanced by misogynists include ‘feminists hate men’, ‘women hate each other’, and ‘women compete for male attention’; I’m sure the author isn’t a misogynist, but his book read like an MRA fantasy, complete with the handsome white man coming in to save the day and get the, equally white, younger, pretty girl.

I really hope that is the ‘tongue-in-cheek’ aspect of the book.

Overall, I was underwhelmed by this book, although the idea itself has a lot of potential.

2/5

Review: The Retribution by Val McDermid

On Monday I went to the monthly reading group meeting at my local library. The book we were discussing, The Retribution by Val MaDermid was very popular with our small group. I had never read any if her books until yesterday morning.

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