JANE IN ST PETE by Cynthia Harrison @CynthiaHarriso1

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member. 

In A Nutshell: Light mystery set in Florida

Art lecturer Jane Chasen is recently widowed and moves from Detroit to live within a community in Florida.  Shortly after her arrival, she admires a neighbour's unusual art installation - but then a murder takes place.  Detective Jesse Singer wants her help when dissecting the art angle of the case, and together with friend Kim and neighbour George, Jane sets out to help solve the mystery.  Also involved is FBI agent Barb, who has a special relationship with George.

It's clear from the book that Ms Harrison is familiar with this part of Florida, and she makes it sound idyllic.  There is quite a lot of most interesting detail about Jane's loveless marriage to the late Stan, and I couldn't help feeling glad for her that she was able to start this new chapter in her life, despite the difficulties with her daughter, who accuses her of being glad her father is dead.  Jane is fifty-five; I very much liked the way in which she is not written as an 'older woman', but simply how your average fifty-five year old is, these days - still wearing cool clothes, being up for adventure and new experiences, and a new love relationship.  She could have been any age from thirty to sixty-five-ish.

The novel is nicely written, perfectly presented, and a cosy 'easy read'; the sort of story to be relax with after a long, busy day.  Good for women who want to read about older female main characters - and I must just drop this quote in, that I really liked:

'Jane felt bad for George. Young people didn't get it.  Love wasn't fate or soul mates, it was just hormones that evaporated with time.'

KILLING INSTINCT by Darcia Helle

4.5 out of 5 stars

Underworld crime thriller

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
 

I bought this novel because I read a description of it in one of those lists of '50 indie books worth reading', and I'm glad I spotted it! Great story, about an organisation set up to satisfy the requirements of all manner of sickos (torture, rape, etc), and an excellent explanation of how the 'dark net' works, too - the underground internet. The book is extremely well put together, with no superfluous detail, no wandering from the plot. Darcia Helle has done something clever - she has written likeable hitmen. I loved Sean, who has that Jack Bauer thing going on.

The other thing that impressed me about this is that it's a pretty grisly novel written by a woman, and it's not girly at all. The women are the sort of women I want to read about. The guys are alpha males. This is actually the third in the Michael Sykora series, which I didn't realise until I was a little of the way in, but it's very neatly executed so it reads perfectly well as a stand alone. One of the elements that makes it so very readable is that the dialogue is terrific - always appropriate, realistic, sharp and sometimes amusing. I'll definitely be reading more of these books (starting with No Justice, which I believe is the first), and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a good murder thriller and isn't too squeamish!

ELI'S COMING by Darcia Helle reviewed HERE