Cambridge Black by Alison Bruce
A cold case waits to be solved . . . and a killer waits in the wings.
Amy was seven years old when her father was arrested for murder. His subsequent trial and conviction scarred her childhood and cast a shadow over her life until, twenty-two years later, new evidence suggests he was innocent and Amy sets out to clear his name.
But Amy is not the only person troubled by the past. DC Gary Goodhew is haunted by the day his grandfather was murdered and is still searching for answers, determined to uncover the truth about his grandfather’s death and find his killer.
But, right now, someone is about to die. Someone who has secrets and who once kept quiet but is now living on borrowed time. Someone who will be murdered because disturbing the past has woken a killer.
Another incredible adventure with Gary Goodhew but this time it’s even better – it features his Grandmother Ellie. I’ve been waiting patiently in the wings for Ellie to feature more prominently and I’ve finally been rewarded for my patience!
I’ve had the great pleasure of reading all seven books in the Goodhew series and I have to say that apart from the first couple, this has been my favourite! Alison Bruce writes with a distinct passion and gives a unique voice to Cambridge, allowing the city to come alive with a colourful and intelligent narrative.
Cambridge Black immediately picks up from the previous story where we lost one of my favourite characters, I was devastated! The pace is intense from the outset and doesn’t let up until a thrilling finish.
Characterisation is as on point as ever and Kincaide doesn’t disappoint at all. He never really does. You’ll either love him or hate him – I’ve always disliked him but as a character he definitely adds flavour to the book, he’s the seasoning to a very good recipe. He’s up to his old tricks and then some, always one to try and hurt Goodhew and once again he stops at nothing to try and cause his nemesis problems. Whether he succeeds or not you’ll just have to read the book!
This time around I felt the characters connected on a greater level than previously and the relationships all helped to move the numerous plots and sub plots along at a rapid pace. I can’t quite put my hand on it but it’s possible the cold case played a big part.
As with all her books Cambridge Black works well as a stand alone book but to get the most out of it, reading the back catalogue is a must! You won’t be sorry!
But the last word has to go to Ellie and Gary’s relationship. The book (s) come alive whenever Ellie or Joe (Gary’s Grandfather) are mentioned and I was so thrilled to discover a hidden past this time around. Ellie is a wonderful old bird and I always think she’s the grandmother we all want and need at some point in our lives.
Absolutely superb.
- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Constable (23 Feb. 2017)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1472119630
- ISBN-13: 978-1472119636
Lori Anderson is as tough as they come, managing to keep her career as a fearless Florida bounty hunter separate from her role as single mother to nine-year-old Dakota, who suffers from leukaemia. But when the hospital bills start to rack up, she has no choice but to take her daughter along on a job that will make her a fast buck. And that’s when things start to go wrong. The fugitive she’s assigned to haul back to court is none other than JT, Lori’s former mentor – the man who taught her everything she knows … the man who also knows the secrets of her murky past.
Deep Down Dead – Lori Anderson 1
Not only is JT fighting a child exploitation racket operating out of one of Florida’s biggest theme parks, Winter Wonderland, a place where ‘bad things never happen’, but he’s also mixed up with the powerful Miami Mob. With two fearsome foes on their tails, just three days to get JT back to Florida, and her daughter to protect, Lori has her work cut out for her. When they’re ambushed at a gas station, the stakes go from high to stratospheric, and things become personal.
For most of us, 2017 promises to be another busy year and as such, time is a precious and valuable commodity. Finding time in our busy schedules full of meetings, media projects and time at the gym to pick up a book is becoming rarer than finding a good candidate for the US Presidential Elections, and we all know how that’s recently turned out! I’ll probably be blacklisted from his next press conference for that comment but if it’s good enough for CNN then it’s good enough for me!
So when I had the chance to pick up Deep Down Dead by Steph Broadribb I tentatively opened the book and began reading her debut novel. That’s the thing about debuts, you never know what you’re going to get – a little Forest Gump moment – but I didn’t run, I didn’t eat chocolates, I just read and read! Safe to say I devoured it!
From the very first chapter Lori had me hooked. It’s always good to find a book with a colourful female lead and Lori is certainly that. A single mother, hard as nails and a protagonist that doesn’t like guns but has a penchant for pepper spray and stun guns, her personality drives the book!
Things become personal when she’s given the job to collect a fugitive she knows better than most and when they pull up to a gas station in the middle of nowhere things begin to go from bad to worse. It becomes a battle of wits, the temptation to jump in with both feet over caution plays on her mind and Steph plays this part out well.
For me the highlight – or lowlight – of the book comes at the theme park – Winter Wonderland – where we begin to discover the terrible things that Emerson and his cronies have been up to. In parts it’s quite an emotional read and one that certainly raised the blood pressure and anger for this reader. Children are at risk and with the protection the big boss enjoys both in and out of the theme park, it’s almost impossible to bring him to justice. It’s an excellent passage in a book that hardly comes up for air.
There was a moment in the book – towards the end – that I wondered whether it would become clichéd or not but fortunately thanks to good writing and great imagination it didn’t. I can’t and won’t say too much here as it would give the game away but suffice to say the author didn’t fall into the trap that so many do.
With an exciting narrative, a fluid read and colourful characters you’ll like and hate in equal measures, Deep Down Dead is a fantastic book. It will certainly be interesting to see where Lori’s next job takes her.
- Paperback:320 pages
- Publisher:Orenda (5 Jan. 2017)
- Language:English
- ISBN-10:1910633550
- ISBN-13:978-1910633557
Following a brutal attack by her ex-boyfriend, Kate Priddy makes an uncharacteristically bold decision after her cousin, Corbin Dell, suggests a temporary apartment swap – and she moves from London to Boston.
But soon after her arrival Kate makes a shocking discovery: Corbin’s next-door neighbour, a young woman named Audrey Marshall, has been murdered. When the police begin asking questions about Corbin’s relationship with Audrey, and his neighbours come forward with their own suspicions, a shaken Kate has few answers, and many questions of her own.
Jetlagged and emotionally unstable, her imagination playing out her every fear, Kate can barely trust herself. so how can she trust any of the strangers she’s just met?
Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson
Kate Priddy is the type of character that pulls you in completely; you root for her from the very beginning and want her to succeed in whatever she does. Suffering from panic attacks and an anxiety disorder brought about following an attack by her ex-boyfriend, Kate moves to Boston for six months to try and rebuild her life and move forward. I’m sure you can guess but things don’t turn out quite as she expects – do they ever?
Her Every Fear has a distinct Hitchcockian feel to it, a cinematic classic in the making – think 1954’s Rear Window starring James Stewart. The book is uncomfortable in parts especially when we are introduced to the neighbour who is obsessed with Audrey Marshall, Kate’s new neighbour, spending hours upon hours watching her from the comfort of his lounge. The character is all wrong, he’s a creep, has issues and he shouldn’t be likeable but the strange thing is that he is! Oh and to be truthful he probably shouldn’t be involved in any kind of relationship!
Full of suspense, murder and intrigue the book works on multiple levels. You’re kept guessing until the very end with a number of red herrings and double crosses but one thing is for sure, as a reader, you’re never really sure who you can trust. Characterisation is impressive and they all bring something a little different to the table but it’s Kate Priddy that keeps you turning the page, an incredible character. Nicely done Mr Swanson!
- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher:Faber & Faber; Main edition (12 Jan. 2017)
- Language:English
- ISBN-10:0571327109
- ISBN-13:978-0571327102
The Bone Field by Simon Kernick
When the bones of a 21-year old woman who went missing without trace in Thailand in 1990, are discovered in the grounds of an old Catholic school in Buckinghamshire, an enduring mystery takes on a whole new twist. Her boyfriend at the time, and the man who reported her missing, Henry Forbes, now a middle-aged university lecturer, comes forward with his lawyer and tells DI Ray Mason of the Met’s Homicide Command that he knows what happened to Kitty, and who killed her.
So begins a hunt for the truth that will focus on a ruthless crime gang, a rich, dysfunctional family with a terrible past, and a highly ambitious man so cruel and ruthless that he must be brought down at any cost…
Another assured performance from Simon Kernick, the book moves along at a fairly rapid pace with a very strong narrative and an equally gripping storyline. This is the fourth book I’ve read by Simon and it’s one of his best – Siege remains my favourite by far for a pure edge of your seat thriller ride and subtle references to Die Hard – only time will tell if the author will continue to take Ray Mason to places most authors wouldn’t dare! I do hope he will!
Talking of DI Ray Mason, he’s a colourful character who carries an awful amount of baggage. To say he’s not flavour of the month at the Met’s Homicide Command would be an understatement but our intrepid hero manages to find himself in precarious positions throughout The Bone Field. His decision making is questionable but he’s a character that wears his heart on his sleeve and at the end of the day he just wants to do right by those wronged. He has no interest in conforming to a yes man and I love him for his maverick attitude.
A loyal policeman, he will go that extra mile to make things right – if it’s in his power to do so – even when he knows that his superiors and internal affairs will be baying for blood. You can’t ask more from a character than this! He does have a sensitive side and this does come through occasionally, it’s this mixture and the fine line that he walks on day after day, hour by hour, that helps shape the protagonist carry his shoulders high.
Another hit, The Bone Field is wrapped up quite nicely, everything makes sense, and I’m really hoping that we get to see more of DI Ray Mason. Television series anyone?!
- Hardcover:400 pages
- Publisher:Century (12 Jan. 2017)
- Language:English
- ISBN-10:1780894538
- ISBN-13:978-1780894539
Cross The Line – Alex Cross 24
Alex Cross chases a cold-blooded killer…with a conscience.
Shots ring out in the early morning hours in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. When the smoke clears, a prominent police official lies dead, leaving the city’s police force scrambling for answers.
Under pressure from the mayor, Alex Cross steps into the leadership vacuum to investigate the case. But before Cross can make any headway, a brutal crime wave sweeps across the region. The deadly scenes share only one common thread – the victims are all criminals. And the only thing more dangerous than a murderer without a conscience, is a killer who thinks he has justice on his side.
As Cross pursues an adversary who has appointed himself judge, jury, and executioner, he must take the law back into his own hands before the city he’s sworn to protect descends into utter chaos.
There’s not much I can say about James Patterson’s Alex Cross series that hasn’t been said before, countless times, but one thing I will say about Cross The Line – Patterson’s latest offering (24th in the series) – is that the book is a joy to read, simply a joy.
It’s an effortless read, a book you can pick up and read 50 pages in quick succession and then get on with the rest of your busy day but if you’re lucky enough to have more time on your hands then the book will be over all too soon. My days are incredibly busy these days – like most of us – and finding the time to read isn’t always an option and when a book comes along that’s easy to read, entertaining and thought provoking I jump at the chance.
I’ve been fortunate enough to read a number of James Patterson titles over the years but very few from the Alex Cross stable, no idea why it just hasn’t happened but boy do I want to put that right. Cross is a wonderful character and along with his colourful family there’s a good balance between the troubles and consternations of crime fighting and the daily chores that family life brings. Talking of family, Nana Mama is amazing, who wouldn’t want to have her in their lives? She’s the glue that holds the family together, a person who nurtures the young family, a moral guardian if you will. Don’t get me started on her cooking – a Nana Mama cookbook full of mouth watering recipes! Just has to be written!
The plot is strong and the characters driven. Patterson weaves his magic from beginning to end and there really is no respite in the action and along with an expressive narrative this is a book to be savoured and devoured in a few sittings!
Wonderful.
- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Publisher: Century (3 Nov. 2016)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1780892683
- ISBN-13: 978-1780892689
Night School by Lee Child
In the morning, they gave Reacher a medal. And in the afternoon, they sent him back to school.
It’s just a voice plucked from the air: ‘The American wants a hundred million dollars’.
For what? Who from? It’s 1996, and the Soviets are long gone. But now there’s a new enemy. In an apartment in Hamburg, a group of smartly-dressed young Saudis are planning something big.
Jack Reacher is fresh off a secret mission and a big win. The Army pats him on the back and gives him a medal. And then they send him back to school. It’s a school with only three students: Reacher, an FBI agent, and a CIA analyst. Their assignment? To find that American. And what he’s selling. And to whom. There is serious shit going on, signs of a world gone mad.
Night School takes Reacher back to his army days, but this time he’s not in uniform. With trusted sergeant Frances Neagley at his side, he must carry the fate of the world on his shoulders, in a wired, fiendishly clever new adventure that will make the cold sweat trickle down your spine.
Jack Reacher’s back for his 21st adventure, this time he does things a little differently, this time he’s going back to school – Night School, army style!
I’ve always enjoyed reading the Jack Reacher books and I guess I’d class myself as a fan, the Reacher series is a series I can’t wait to read. It’s not only the character that draws you in with this series; it’s the humour, literary subtlety, action and the storytelling. Who needs Bond or Bourne when you have Reacher to fight your corner?!
On the face of it there’s very little to the books. Reacher gets caught up in a situation at the beginning of the book and you know there’s really only one outcome – he has to put things right by the end. Simples. A, B, C. 1, 2, 3.
But here’s the hook, these aren’t simple books. From scene setting, character development, plotting and enough action to satisfy the most critical fan, these are complex stories written in such a way that make them easy to read and follow. You could say they’re infectious! I just adore the way the author adds complications as he goes along, it’s as if – half way through writing – he decides to make it even tougher for Reacher. Let’s face it Reacher has it easy! Just when you think things are reaching an explosive dénouement the author cranks it up and another sub plot is introduced, destined to make Reacher’s life a little more complicated.
There’s more than enough dry humour to satisfy everyone, the passages really made me smile! And of course Reacher has a dalliance or two – he deserves it, after all he is saving the world! Overall the book has a different feel about in from some of his previous books, I can’t put my finger on it but perhaps it’s the fact that Reacher goes back in time to his army days that has something to do with it. One this is certain, this is another great example of action and thriller writing at its best.
Outstanding.
- Hardcover:400 pages
- Publisher:Bantam Press (7 Nov. 2016)
- Language:English
- ISBN-10:0593073908
- ISBN-13:978-0593073902
Magpie Murders
When editor Susan Ryeland is given the tattered manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest novel, she has little idea it will change her life. She’s worked with the revered crime writer for years and his detective, Atticus Pund, is renowned for solving crimes in the sleepy English villages of the 1950s. As Susan knows only too well, vintage crime sells handsomely. It’s just a shame that it means dealing with an author like Alan Conway…
But Conway’s latest tale of murder at Pye Hall is not quite what it seems. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but hidden in the pages of the manuscript there lies another story: a tale written between the very words on the page, telling of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition and murder.
Alan Conway’s Atticus Pund has seen better days, he’s not a well man and in fact has a limited time left on this earth and in Magpie Murders, Conway is determined to give Atticus Pund a final hurrah, a fitting send-off for a character who has given so much to the author.
Magpie Murders is a book that keeps on giving and is in fact two books for the price of one, a story within a story if you like – the first set after the Second World War in a sleepy English village and the second bring us bang up to date in modern times. I remember reading the first part of the book and I’d reached the middle of the book and wondered where Anthony Horowitz was going to take the story. I was initially confused but it soon became apparent as to what had happened!
There are numerous red herrings throughout, sleight of hand springs to mind, Horowitz is a crafty old bugger – in the nicest possible way! He has you leaning one way and then a few chapters down the line you begin questioning your own reasoning. Fascinating stuff!
I was immediately transported to the 1950’s and village life, the good and the bad, and to be honest I felt quite at home there, from squeaky bicycles to former criminals trying to go straight, a busy body and a lord of the manor who wasn’t exactly the most endearing of characters. Close your eyes and the imagination would run riot. Think Agatha Christie and you won’t go far wrong.
There is no Sherlock Holmes this time around although Pund does have his trusty sidekick!
I did find it rather interesting how the feel and pace of the book changed for the second half, set in the present. The narrative has a certain fluidity to it, easier to read and the characters allowed the pace of the book to intensify. Even though the second half felt very different to the first there’s still ample room for the author to throw in the odd curve ball and you end up finishing the book and thinking – why didn’t I see that?!!
Another good read from Anthony Horowitz. A quirky murder mystery that will definitely keep you guessing until the end. After all it’s all rather Elementary!
- Hardcover:464 pages
- Publisher:Orion (6 Oct. 2016)
- Language:English
- ISBN-10:1409158365
- ISBN-13:978-1409158363
Mark Novak’s greatest mystery might just be his own …
Private Investigator Mark Novak’s relentlessness as an investigator has been his professional calling card and curse, but the one case he has couldn’t bring himself to pursue is the one closest to his heart: that of his wife’s death.
Rise the Dark by Michael Koryta
Returning to the scene of her murder, a country road outside Cassadaga, Florida, he uncovers disturbing leads that show how her murder might be connected to Novak’s own troubled youth in Montana.
The investigation leads him back to the mining towns of Montana which he thought he’d left behind forever. On returning, he discovers there are more than just bad memories to be found when you go digging up the past. Novak faces an adversary more frightening than he’s ever known, and a secret that has wended its way through his entire life: from the caverns beneath Indiana to the abandoned streets of a southern gothic town to the darkest corners of the Northwest. Novak is about to discover that evil and heroism are inextricably and tragically linked.
Another engaging and entertaining read courtesy of Michael Koryta, this time around we follow Mark Novak in Rise the Dark, a continuation of the private investigator series.
There’s an underlying darkness to Rise the Dark, believe it or not, filled with subtle references to the supernatural and a sophistication that helps make the book an uncomfortable read at times. Koryta doesn’t do easy; this complex plot is immaculately delivered and although I didn’t feel as one with the leading character or the storyline this is still a book to be savoured.
This isn’t the first Michael Koryta book I’ve read and it certainly won’t be the last. I always look forward to his next title and from past experiences I prefer the darker, more sinister, more chilling titles. Think So Cold The River, a book that still remains high in my top five books of all time! It’s always going to be difficult for an author to top his own book in my eyes but Koryta is consistently good at delivering high quality products.
One thing I would say about this book is that it is easy to imagine the book as a short television series or film. It has all the hallmarks of a gripping thriller. A private investigator who will rest at nothing to avenge his wife’s murder, a villain who is as evil and psychopathic as they come – he really is a nasty bit of work! – and a reunion with loved ones from his past that have a certain inevitability.
Another top notch performance from Koryta, you’ll find him in the supernatural and chilled isle in most good supermarkets, he is after all a master of both! I look forward to the next title.
- Hardcover:400 pages
- Publisher:Hodder & Stoughton (25 Aug. 2016)
- Language:English
- ISBN-10:1473614570
- ISBN-13:978-1473614574
Bullseye by James Pattereson & Michael Ledwidge
As the most powerful men on earth gather in New York for a meeting of the UN, Detective Michael Bennett receives intelligence warning that there will be an assassination attempt on the US president. Even more shocking, the intelligence suggests that the Russian government could be behind the plot.
Tensions between America and Russia are the highest they’ve been since the Cold War, but this would be an escalation no one could have expected.
The details are shadowy, and Bennett finds false leads and unreliable sources at every turn. But he can’t afford to get this wrong. If the plotters succeed, the shockwaves will be felt across the globe.
A joint collaboration between James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, Bullseye is a quick and effortless read. With a heady pace and storyline that develops quicker than a speeding bullet I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was an entertaining read as I struggled through my long indoor bike rides at the gym. Although I’ve read a few James Patterson books in the past I’ve not read any of the Michael Bennett series so it will be interesting to take a look at the earlier novels and compare old and new.
More often than not, any storyline that involves the White House or a standing United States President always piques my interest and I simply can’t resist, Bullseye is no exception and I for one am glad I gave it a shot – excuse the pun!
Characterisation is interesting. I really enjoyed following Michael Bennett’s progress throughout the book, workload and his family troubles – caused mainly by children – I mean anyone with 10 children are going to have a trying day at the best of times! Mary Catherine’s character sounds too good to be true, a nanny turned partner who takes on so many children? Wonderful – I did want to learn more about her in the novel but unfortunately she isn’t in the storyline a huge amount but what there was of her I enjoyed. Similarly Father Seamus who although in a couple of scenes his humour and personality shone through, I’d definitely like to learn more about him and his relationship with the family as a whole!
The storyline itself was good and you never really knew who would end up paying the ultimate sacrifice at the end and who was involved in the plot to kill the US President but everything is tied up nicely in the end. It did get a little complicated in the beginning with a number of arcs running alongside the main storyline and protagonist, it took me a while to distinguish between the two assassins, but maybe that’s my simplified brain at fault!
Would I read another Michael Bennett book? You bet. Enjoyable, entertaining and a very quick read, you can’t ask for much more than that.
- Hardcover:368 pages
- Publisher:Century (28 July 2016)
- Language:English
- ISBN-10:1780892721
- ISBN-13:978-1780892726
Elizabeth Black is a hero. She is a cop who single-handedly rescued a young girl from a locked cellar and shot two brutal kidnappers dead. But she’s also a cop with a history, a woman with a secret. And she’s not the only one.
Redemption Road by John Hart
Adrian Wall is finally free after thirteen years of torture and abuse. In the very first room he walks into, a boy with a gun is waiting to avenge the death of his mother. But that is the least of Adrian’s problems.
He was safer in prison.
And deep in the forest, on the altar of an abandoned church, a body cools in pale linen. It is not the first to be found.
This is a town on the brink. This is Redemption Road.
Redemption rɪˈdɛm(p)ʃ(ə)n/ – the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.
Everyone needs a little redemption at one point in their lives, fortunately for us John Hart is at hand with his latest novel Redemption Road, a story about one woman’s struggle to come to terms with her torment, her past and her strained relationship with her father. A woman struggling to conquer her demons, the book charts her fight to come through her trials and tribulations and seize her life back.
I remember reading Iron House five years ago, a book I remember fondly to this day, I remember being mesmerised by John Hart’s storytelling and magnificent characterisation. There are few books that have that lasting effect on you but as an author John Hart is right up there with the best of them.
Redemption Road is well paced and incredibly brutal; in fact the book is rather unforgiving. I briefly mentioned characterisation above and this book is no exception. Elizabeth Black is damaged and her past slowly catches up with her as the greater story unfolds. An interesting character, Elizabeth is a protagonist that will divide opinion. Some will love her, some will hate her, for me she had a wonderful balance of right and wrong, good and evil. It’s all about survival and protecting those she holds dear. With a colourful history that has helped shape her become the cop she is today, Lizzie will stop at nothing to find the truth.
Along with a host of interesting characters, Crybaby Jones was possibly my favourite character of the book. An ageing lawyer who hasn’t left the sanctuary of his big house for a decade or more, he as a character, had so much to offer the book. Even though Jones wasn’t in the book as often as the main protagonists he left his mark with emotion and passion. For me, whenever he was involved in the storyline the book was the stronger for his appearance, he certainly left his mark with me.
The story moves along at a fairly rapid pace, there’s so much to take in and the pace slows every once in a while due to the complexity of the storyline but the pace takes nothing away from a magnificent book. Reading the first chapter I knew I was hooked, a book that causes your heart to miss a beat, not once but twice in the first chapter, you know you are with some certainty on to a winner.
Another breath-taking story from a master storyteller, Redemption Road is one not to be missed.
- Hardcover: 432 pages
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (5 May 2016)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1848541813
- ISBN-13: 978-1848541818
The Beauty of the End
Top 6 Psychological Thrillers
I hadn’t realised until I put this list together that the authors are all women! There are some brilliant books out there at the moment – fiction, yes, but be warned – the twisted, dysfunctional relationships portrayed are not far removed from real life. That, perhaps, is part of their appeal… It’s something these and many other women write about so well
- Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
Surprising, damaged characters, clever plot, twists I didn’t see coming.
- I Let You Go – Claire Mackintosh
I loved everything about this book – the believable characters, the emotional pull, a brilliantly twisty plot and phenomenal ending. Oh, and it’s brilliantly written too.
- The Book of You – Claire Kendal
A compelling read – so creepy and disturbing so that you have to keep reading until you know how it ends…
- Afterwards – Rosamund Lupton
I have read this so many times. The writing is beautiful, lyrical even. The story is moving, the emotions so real. It’s about ordinary people – and a terrible crime.
- Kind of Cruel – Sophie Hannah
This was the first book of Sophie’s books I read. I remember devouring it – I just had to find out what had happened.
- Killing Me Softly – Nicci French
Another page turner… Gripping and disturbing.
Credit: The Beauty of The End by Debbie Howells is published by Pan on 14th July.
NYPD Red 4
In a city where crime never sleeps, NYPD Red is the elite task force called in when a case involves the rich, famous and connected. Detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald are the best of the best – brilliant and tireless investigators who will stop at nothing to catch a criminal, even if it means antagonising the same powerful people they’re supposed to be helping.
When a glitzy movie premiere is the scene of a shocking murder and high-stakes robbery, NYPD Red gets the call. In a hunt that takes Zach and Kylie from celebrity penthouses to the depths of Manhattan’s criminal underworld, they have to find the cold-blooded killer – before he strikes again.
My first foray into the NYPD Red series, NYPD Red 4 is an incredibly fluid and entertaining read. From the very first page until the very last there’s no pause in the action. The pages flow effortlessly from one to another, the narrative easy on the eye and the various sub plots all adding to a terrific experience.
Of all the books I’ve read this year I’d have to say that this has been the easiest to read by far and one that was incredibly hard to put down. Even the lure of a warm bed late at night couldn’t tear me away from the book.
With rain lashing down outside, the book was the perfect companion. Characterisation was perfect and the main protagonists worked well together but it was the narrative that won the day for me. I can’t do it justice in these few paragraphs but when a book works it works. James Patterson and Marshall Karp have the makings of a wonderful partnership, they’ve combined for the entire series, a series I hope they continue. Although I haven’t had the chance to read the first three in the series I felt right at home with NYPD Red 4 but I’ll definitely seek out the other three if the standard is half as good as this book!
The main story – Elena Travers’s murder – is quickly usurped with multiple thefts of expensive hospital equipment from hospitals in the district and the Mayor has called in team Red to investigate. Detectives Zach and and Kylie have their work cut out for them but it’s not the only thing the pair have to deal with in this book. Both are enjoying trouble on the home front and it appears to be an almost impossible task of juggling the home life with an ever increasing work schedule, it all adds to the unique flavour of NYPD Red.
So there we have it, without going into too much detail NYPD Red 4 is a wonderful and effortless read. A great book for a summer vacation or one to wile away the hours if the weather just happens to be rather inclement outside, either way you can’t go wrong.
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Arrow (19 May 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0099594447
ISBN-13: 978-0099594444
Blake and Avery and how their relationship has developed through two books.
I first had the idea for Jeremiah Blake, my inquiry agent (the prototype of the modern private eye) about 14 years ago. I was in the midst of a huge non-fiction tome about World War One, and writing a detective novel with a made-up plot seemed unbelievably alluring. I knew exactly where I wanted to put him: in London in the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign, when the chaotic, morally easy-going Georgian era gave way to the more uptight, energetic Victorian one, and when London became the biggest and most cosmopolitan city in the world.
The Printer’s Coffin by MJ Carter
I knew from the start that my protagonist would be working class, self-educated, and clever, too clever not to see through the injustices and prejudices of his period, yet forced to kowtow to his social superiors in order to make a living.
It was a good nine years until I actually got round to writing my first mystery, The Strangler Vine. By then I’d decided that I wanted to write about the Thugs —the gangs of murderous bandits who haunted the roads of India in the 1820s and 30s, befriending, then strangling, unwary travelers. So the book had to be set in India which I reckoned was a good place for a sort of origins story. At the frontiers of the British Empire people from unconventional and modest backgrounds often found opportunity and reinvented themselves. I decided that Blake (he now had a name) had come from a lowlife criminal background and had been transported to India when very young by the East India Company. There he had been spotted by the Company’s intelligence department and trained up to be a spy.
Then I realised that not knowing anything about India might be a bit of a problem. I couldn’t be an omniscient narrator because I would never know enough. I couldn’t write from Blake’s perspective because I felt he needed to be mysterious and inscrutable. I couldn’t use an Indian character because again they’d know more than I ever could. I needed someone to tell the story who was new to India and a bit clueless: my ignorance could be his ignorance. Problem solved.
That was how Blake’s sidekick William Avery came about. He was a young provincial gentleman-turned-soldier, naïve, conventional and full of the prejudices of his class, but with a hidden, less straightforward side: a secret passion for books, an instinct for taking care of others, an eye for a telling detail.
The strange thing was that Avery’s voice, which started out as a response to a structural need, came to me at once: he seemed easy to write, maybe because he was so fallible and reminded me a bit of me. Blake came slower. Taciturn, cool, revealing very little about himself, but with a big hinterland that could only emerge slowly, I found it much harder to get him right.
The Strangler Vine by MJ Carter
I’d planned to kill Avery off at the end of The Strangler Vine, but as I wrote the book, I realized that I’d written a real, awkward and—I thought—touching relationship that I wanted to develop. I liked the notion of the older working-class man leading the younger posher subordinate—a relationship unusual and not altogether approved of in Victorian England. At the start Avery feels utterly humiliated by Blake and hates him. But gradually he begins reluctantly to admire him and ends by feeling intense loyalty to him. Blake, meanwhile, has convinced himself he needs no one, especially not a silly, innocent young officer. But his long suppressed humanity is brought out by Avery, whom he comes to recognize maybe ignorant and innocent but is utterly honest and loyal.
In the second book, The Printer’s Coffin, the two meet in London after three years apart. Avery still nurses a powerful admiration for and loyalty to Blake. I think he regards him as the older brother/father mentor he never had, though he disagrees with many of Blake’s views. He hopes they will pick up where they left off, but both have changed. Blake is cool and difficult, and even angrier and at odds with Victorian society. He is determined to keep the world at bay. Avery meanwhile has been traumatized by his experiences in the Afghan war, and his marriage has not been a success. Ironically, it seems to me, each one needs the other more than ever.
Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
The rich are different. But fate is blind.
Down-on-his-luck artist Scott Burroughs would usually take the ferry back to New York from Martha’s Vineyard, but he is unexpectedly offered a spare seat on the Bateman family’s private jet. Then just minutes after take-off, the plane crashes into the ocean and of the eight passengers and three crew, only Scott and the Batemans’ small son, JJ, are left alive.
The extraordinary nature of their survival, combined with the fact that David Bateman was CEO of a populist TV news channel, means that Scott will not be returning to anonymity. Along with the orphaned boy, he is engulfed by a maelstrom of speculation, which soon overtakes the official investigation into the tragedy.
Who else was on the plane? Was there a bomb, a missile? Who is Scott Burroughs?
As the chapters drive towards their heart-stopping conclusion, weaving with ever-increasing suspense between the shocking aftermath of the crash and the intimate backstory of each of the passengers and crew members, Noah Hawley creates a searching, thrilling novel of love, fame, wealth, art, entertainment and power.
When a book sets out its stall before the turning of a page, your expectations are high, and in this case fully justified. A plane has crashed minutes after taking off at Martha’s Vineyard with only two survivors, but that’s the only thing we know before we begin reading. What follows is a masterclass in plot weaving, tension building and a narrative that begs you to read until you drop. Before the Fall is arguably one of the best books of 2016 and we’re only half way through the year.
Slowly but surely we are introduced to the passengers on the plane, each one given the opportunity to tell their own story in their own unique voice. We discover why they are on the small plane and their connections to each other, what makes them tick and the skeletons they carry.
As you’d expect the main protagonist is Scott Burroughs a failed artist and a recovering alcoholic but the great thing is that he is so damned likeable! We discover what sent his life spiralling out of control and what it took for him to attempt to rebuild his life but you are left with no doubt at all, Scott Burroughs isn’t there quite yet. He’s damaged but it’s this fallibility, his weaknesses that make him so endearing, you want him to succeed at all costs. When you have a vested interest in a character like Scott then the author has clearly done what he set out to do, engage with the reader.
The other voices are introduced one by one and with each new addition we get to know a little more about what went on in those 16 minutes. The pacing is on point and incredibly well paced, I loved this approach. Along with the protagonist and passengers are investigating officers and journalists and it was one of these journalists that almost got the better of me! A close friend of David Bateman the news anchor is determined to attack Scott Burroughs in any way possible. A shock jockey he uncovers secrets and blends the truth with a rather sizable portion of fiction, make believe, and the viewer’s love it! Noah Hawley has created a character that you’ll find it rather easy to despise and that remained for the entire book. Job done!
Can’t fault this book, absolutely loved it, my only wish was that it didn’t end so suddenly, I wanted to keep reading and find out what happens in the future – you can’t have everything! A terrific read, superb plotting and a tension filled narrative, Before the Fall is a must read for 2016. Highly recommended.
- Hardcover:400 pages
- Publisher:Hodder & Stoughton (9 Jun. 2016)
- Language:English
- ISBN-10:1444779753
- ISBN-13:978-1444779752
