BROKEN by Anna Legat @LegatWriter

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I've read another book by this author, The End of the Road, and loved it, so I wanted to read more.   

In a Nutshell: psychological thriller, murder mystery and ... paranormal

This is the strangest book, but in a really good way!  You know when people write 'kept me guessing until the very end' in reviews?  This one absolutely did - even at past 90% I had no clue how it was likely to pan out, or how the points of view would come together.

There's a serial killer, yes, and we don't know the identity, but this turned out to be almost secondary to the stories of Camilla, a middle-aged, middle class housewife, and Joseph, a motorbike and narrow boat loving priest.  The way their stories mesh together is so clever ... and unexpected.  Everything about this book is unexpected, all the way through.  The paranormal element came as the biggest surprise, though to say any more would be to give spoilers.  It creeps up, gradually; I'm not usually into that genre but this seemed curiously believable.  Suddenly I found I was reading a different book from the one I started.

The line 'the real monsters are disguised as humans' becomes increasingly relevant, as the true psychopath is revealed...

Anna Legat's writing is a treat to read.  Never jarring, intelligent, highly readable, the characters jumping off the page.  Definitely recommend.

SEED by Ania Ahlborn @aniaahlborn #TuesdayBookBlog

 4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: Amazon browse

In a Nutshell: Low key horror, family drama about demonic possession

This is a solid 4* book (I did contemplate an extra half star).  Jack lives with wife Aimee and daughters Abby and Charlie.  At the age of six, Charlie begins to display some worrying traits - Aimee and Abby are disturbed and confused by this, but Jack knows what is going on - he sees himself in his daughter.

As the story develops we see how Jack uncovered the awful truth that he is the victim of demonic possession.  This is nothing like The Exorcist; it's much more subtle.  The plot moves through Charlie's increasingly erratic behaviour, and is interspersed with tales from Jack's childhood; slowly, slowly, the truth about why he left his childhood home and what happened to his parents, is revealed.  The pace of the book seemed a little slow at points during the middle (one big event would have made all the difference), but I didn't get bored with it, at all.  The last chapters are great, and wrap it all up so well; I was glad the author dared to make the ending all it should have been, and not go with a cop-out HEA.

Ms Ahlborn writes in a most engaging fashion, and Charlie is truly terrifying ... in a subtle, low-key way.  It would make a terrific film or limited series.  I'd read another book by her, for sure; I definitely recommend if you like this sort of story.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN by Lionel Shriver

 5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: Watched the film for the first time a few years back.

In a Nutshell: Can a child be born evil?

This film popped into my head recently and I watched it again, then decided, on impulse, to get the book too.  You'll probably have heard about it - it's about Eva, happily married to Franklin, deciding to start a family.  Throughout the pregnancy she's not sure if she's done the right thing, and from the moment Kevin is born she does not bond with him at all.  From when he's a toddler, she begins to believe that he either hates her, or was born evil.  Events pile up, over the years, until just before his sixteenth birthday when he instigates catastrophe.

The book is written in the form of Eva's letters to Franklin, after the life-changing events of April 8th, 1999.  It's hard to say how much I would have understood about what she insinuates had I not seen the film, though some of the outcome is made clear from the beginning.  Some reviews have criticised this, but there is more to find out right at the end, if you haven't seen the film.  The unfolding of the family's life after Kevin's birth, in her letters, is truly shocking.

It's an unusual structure and format, being written partly in the second person, but for me it totally worked, and I was engrossed throughout.  Highly recommended (and in answer to the book club question examples at the end, yes, I think he was born evil and no, I don't think any of it was Eva's fault!). 

SICK by Christa Wojciechowski @ChristaWojo

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.

Genre: Novella, (very) dark psychological drama

This is a short novella that I read in just two hours, and possibly the most peculiar book I've ever read.  John Branch is an impoverished aristocrat who lives in squalor with his wife, a podiatric nurse called Susan; the book is written from Susan's first person point of view.  Throughout their marriage he has suffered one illness after another, and terrible accidents; many of his maladies baffle the doctors.  Suzie lives on frazzled nerves and chocolate bars, but they love each other, and exist in their own little world of their house and his illnesses.  Their relationship is odd in the extreme, with their baby talk, and the way she refers to him, and he acts, as if he is a child.  She is a plain woman who had little in her life before they met; he is everything to her.

At first I wasn't sure if I was going to finish it; I wondered if English was the author's first language as Susan talks about singing John his favourite 'lullaby' when he is ill, and describes him as having 'pretty lips'; there are several other odd word choices, and I couldn't work out if they were part of the peculiarity of the couple, or if they were just ill-chosen.  Also, a hyphen is used instead of an em dash throughout, which is confusing when the hyphen is used for two different purposes in the same sentence.  Thirdly, the book is graphic in its descriptions of blood, puss and worse; I can do gory violence, but not bodily functions/secretions.  But at the same time it's very well-written; it's dark, vivid and horribly depressing.  As it went on, I thought, yes, I do want to read it, but perhaps it'll be one of those '3*, good but not my cup of tea' books.

Then I got to appreciating it more and more, and I understood how clever it is.

It becomes clear that all is not what it seems in the dingy servants' house where they live, on the estate that once belonged to John's family, but Suzie is too tired, undernourished and concerned for John to investigate the irregularities.  When the truth about John's illnesses comes out, the whole story is turned on its head.  

So I ended up giving it 4* because I liked it ~ I would recommend it to anyone who is not squeamish and likes something a bit out of the ordinary.  And I think I might pick up the sequel at some point, too; I am most intrigued to see what happens next!

THE INTRUDER by P S Hogan

5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I read Rosie Amber's review of it on her blog.  Bought it straight away, and it was only 99p. 😀

Genre: slowly unfolding psychological drama, mild thriller.

William Heming is an estate agent with copies of the keys of every house his company has ever sold, so he may snoop into the owners' lives when they are out.  Sometimes, he uses this opportunity to right perceived wrongs; there's an excellent (and very funny) section about the vengeance he wreaks on one careless motorist, but it is when his ire is piqued by dismissive dog walker Douglas Sharp that his life becomes more complicated.

Heming is proud of the pleasant, unremarkable, amiable front he shows to the world; as we delve deeper into his life we discover how sociopathic he truly is, but much of that pleasant amiability comes out in his narration, making him oddly likable.  The novel is beautifully written; at times the prose is almost poetic, more like that of literary fiction than one normally finds in a popular thriller.  

I thought it was clever of P S Hogan to make Heming physically attractive, rather than the down-at-heel stereotype of your average Peeping Tom.  He has relationships with the opposite sex, but they remain physical, only; as we see later, once true intimacy enters into the game, he is repelled. 

Looking at the Amazon page again, I wonder if the publisher has done the author a slight disservice by marketing this book like a 'grip lit' thriller, with its dark cover and tag line 'the creepiest, most sinister thriller you’ll read this year'; this could explain the bad reviews, that appear to have been written by readers expecting something more sensational, with edge-of-your-seat twists and shocks.  Yes, there is murder and more, but The Intruder isn't that sort of book.  The plot is well-paced, intricately worked, entertaining and with unexpected developments, but it's more a psychological unfolding, as the disturbing behaviour of Heming's past and the reasons for his obsession with the lives of strangers are revealed.  It's definitely one of those 'I'll just read one more chapter' books; I read the second half in one afternoon.

The word 'creepy' is used in many of the reviews (maybe as an echo of the tagline), though I didn't find it particularly so, maybe because the characterisation and many of Heming's own observations are so 'spot-on' and amusing; it's just really, really good.  Highly recommended.

IREX by Carl Rackman @CarlRackman

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

How I discovered this book: I got talking to the author on Twitter, took a look to see what sort of stuff he wrote, decided it looked up my street.  Downloaded via Kindle Unlimited.

This is a debut novel, and a fine achievement it is.  Set in the late 19th Century, it centres around the maiden voyage of tall ship Irex, and good Christian captain Will Hutton.  Although a cargo vessel, the Irex has also taken on a few passengers: the mysterious aristocrat Edward Clarence, and Salavation Army missionaries George and Elizabeth Barstow.

Irex's voyage is ill-fated from the beginning, with a false start, and terrible storms.  Fascinated by his passengers, Hutton begins to become enamoured of Mrs Barstow, and suspicious of Clarence.

The novel alternates between the voyage, and the unravelling of the tragedy of the Irex, in the Isle of Wight, some weeks later.  The book is extremely well-written; Mr Rackman has a fine talent for atmosphere and characterisation, with the plot unfolding slowly ~ until I got to about 34%, when the truth about Clarence was revealed.  This was one of those mouth dropping open moments, and everything suddenly became a lot more interesting.  The plot is unusual, though I don't want to give any of it away because I'd spoil the surprise!  When Hutton looks for support amongst his men he finds himself cast as the villain, and county coroner Blake comes up against the highest authorities in the land.

The pace of the story ebbed and flowed; some parts, like Clarence and Elizabeth's revelations and the descriptions of life on board in a storm to end all storms, were stunningly good.

**Please note: since I wrote this, the author has re-published the book, cutting it by 15k words**
I did think that the book was a bit long-winded; I thought that the alternate investigative chapters could have been shorter and with less detail.  I found myself hurrying through them because I wanted to get back to the Irex.  I think I'd have preferred it if they'd been every third chapter, perhaps; it was a shame to keep being pulled away from the main story.  The quality of writing never faltered, but on occasion I felt that less would have been more, throughout.  That this is a spectacularly good first novel, there is no doubt, but I think Mr Rackman might do well to find an editor to do his writing justice.

It's the story of good versus evil, faith and delusion, as well as being a grand, seafaring adventure and thrilling murder mystery, and I give it a definite thumbs up.

 

THE BLUE RIDGE PROJECT by Neil Rochford

4 out of 5 stars

Thriller

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

Reviewed by me as a member of Rosie Amber's Review Team

 

This is a complicated and cleverly thought out thriller with three main strands that come together smoothly; it's a jolly good plot, original and unusual.  Murders, evil politicians, psychosis, mind control, dark secrets from the past—it's got the lot.  I wasn't quite sure at first, it just seemed like another forgettable crime suspense thriller type book, fairly readable but not that memorable, but then at about 25% it suddenly got more interesting, and I started to get seriously into it about half way through.  There's a well placed 'before' section that explains how all the situations you read about first have come about; the planning gets a tick from me.

Two things made this book not work as well as it might have done, for me.  One was the characterisation, or lack of it.  Most of the characters remained one dimensional, their dialogue mostly used as a vehicle for the plot, and with little insight into their heads.  The exception to this is main character Robert, who I could 'see' a bit more than the others (and psycho Lyons was good, too), but female cop Andrea was a man in all but name (why is it than women writers can usually write men better than male writers can write women?).  Because there were so many characters and they didn't walk out of the page and into my imagination, I sometimes got confused with who each one was.  Even when the plot is the star of the show, if you don't connect with the characters you don't care what happens to them.  I'd also be tempted to trim the cast list down.

My other minor complaint is that I thought the book could do with final proofread, and another edit.  Example: 'She pushed open a door to reveal a spacious lounge.  There were two comfortable-looking brown-leather chairs across from each other with a small, round, wooden table held up by a wooden sphere, instead of legs, that had been carved and polished with great care, and a round, flat piece of wood for the table top.' 

This would have been much more succinctly written as 'In the spacious lounge stood two comfortable looking brown leather chairs separated by a small, immaculately carved and polished, wooden table.'  You don't need to know that the doctor pushed open the door before she and Andrea walked into the room (let it be presumed), and maybe we don't need to know about the plinth, either.  This one just jumped out at me but there were a few similar.  I only put this in detail because at the end of the book the author has expressed the desire for feedback via reviews.

Having said all this, I would still recommend The Blue Ridge Project, and the author has a good handle on suspense; it kept me interested and I wasn't tempted to abandon or skip read.  I gather this is Rochford's first novel; I am sure he will iron out his debut novelist dodgy bits, as most do.

Id by P. Craig

3.5 out of 5 stars

Psychological thriller

On Amazon UK HERE

This is a good idea, and an unusual structure that I have read before and liked (and, indeed, have written myself). It's an ingenious psychological study of a killer, with the story unravelling backwards; you can actually read it the other way round!   The book is only just novel length, being 51K words long (under 50K is a novella).

Id is very well written and I kept reading even when it dragged slightly, because I needed to see what happened. I was impressed by the use of language and the insight into the subject; the beginning really gripped me. For me, it was a bit long on description of inner turmoil and short on actual events, though this is only a personal preference; this guy can certainly write. A bit more variation would have made it a real winner, I think, and much more commercial, though you can only write the book you want to write, of course!  I'd still recommend it for those who like this genre. Yes, it's gory in places, but the blurb clearly warns of this - if you're put off by gore (I'm not), then perhaps it's not for you.  I only say this because one review complained about it - duh!!!

THE LIE OF YOU by Jane Lythell

2 out of 5 stars

Psychological thriller 

Audio Book

On Amazon UK HERE

 

I listened to the audio book of this.  I was looking forward to it - what a disappointment.

You know, sometimes I wonder why I, as a self-published writer, take so much trouble over the feasibility of my plots, the motivations of my characters.  In best selling (and, I imagine, traditionally published) The Lie of You, London architectural magazine editor Kathy - ie, an intelligent, professional, educated and presumably switched on sort of woman - gets pregnant by and marries Finnish architect Markus, despite the fact that he refuses to provide any details about his life before they met, and I'm talking absolutely zero; he might as well have just appeared one day from the ether, and none of his family or friends came to the wedding.  Kathy has no friends, family or even sympathetic colleagues who encourage her to perhaps give this a bit of consideration; aside from their work, the couple lives in unexplained isolation.

I mean, seriously?

The whole plot hinges on characters keeping secrets about themselves and no-one else thinking this is a bit weird and bothering to investigate.  Had the author's editor said to her, "sorry, luv, this isn't feasible", as indeed he/she should have done, Ms Lythell would have had to re-write the whole novel.  Kathy mentions that Markus is a man of mystery, and gets ratty if she asks him anything about himself, as if it is a cause of minor irritation only.  Like, just one of his quirks, right?  But wouldn't she have at least looked him up on Google just to make sure he wasn't a serial killer?  She is irritatingly eager, wholesome, lacking in confidence and desperately, schoolgirlishly cheerful, to the extent that one wonders why the sexy Markus hasn't serial killed her after a month in her company, anyway.  I would have done.  That might have just been the narrator, though.

I won't even get started on Heja, the Finnish ice queen colleague who stalks Kathy.  Wonder what her connection is with the mysterious and also Finnish Markus, eh?  I'll give you a clue - the tag line on the cover gives it away.  

 

I listened to this for a few hours whilst doing domestic chores and some bits of it seemed fairly good at first, but I became so annoyed by it I didn't care how it ended.  The dialogue was pretty weak, too.  

3/4 stars for the Heja narrator, 2 stars for Kathy, who sounded more like a 1950s hockey teacher.