Difference between revisions of "Newest Thrillers Reviews"
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
[[Category:Thrillers|*]] | [[Category:Thrillers|*]] | ||
[[Category:New Reviews|Thrillers]]__NOTOC__<!-- Remove --> | [[Category:New Reviews|Thrillers]]__NOTOC__<!-- Remove --> | ||
| + | {{newreview | ||
| + | |author=Felix Francis | ||
| + | |title=Front Runner | ||
| + | |rating=4.5 | ||
| + | |genre=Thrillers | ||
| + | |summary=Jeff Hinkley is an undercover investigator for the British Horseracing Authority, so he was in a difficult position when he was approached by his friend Dave Swinton. Dave was champion jockey and he told Hinkley that he'd deliberately lost a race and there was no way that this could be kept as some confidential words between friends. The following day Hinkley returned to Swinton's house to discuss the matter further - and ended up trapped in the blisteringly-hot sauna. He was lucky to escape with his life. Swinton was not so lucky - his charred body was found in his burning car at a deserted beauty spot in Oxfordshire. | ||
| + | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>071817884X</amazonuk> | ||
| + | }} | ||
{{newreview | {{newreview | ||
|author=Yrsa Sigurdardottir and Victoria Cribb (translator) | |author=Yrsa Sigurdardottir and Victoria Cribb (translator) | ||
| Line 229: | Line 237: | ||
|summary=The newspaper reports at the time were unanimous: in September 1991 Ramsey Miller held a party for all his neighbours and then, when it ended, killed his wife Allie and toddler daughter Meg, then ran away, remaining a fugitive from justice. The newspapers were wrong. Meg isn't dead but has been kept hidden by her Uncle Wayne and Aunt Kendra, had her name changed to Melanie and has led a sheltered life. No photos, no internet, no friends after school, no holidays away from home. That's no way to live and now she approaches her 18th birthday, Melanie/Meg wants to end her half-life in order to live fully and yet to do that she must risk any form of life. She must find her father before he finds her. | |summary=The newspaper reports at the time were unanimous: in September 1991 Ramsey Miller held a party for all his neighbours and then, when it ended, killed his wife Allie and toddler daughter Meg, then ran away, remaining a fugitive from justice. The newspapers were wrong. Meg isn't dead but has been kept hidden by her Uncle Wayne and Aunt Kendra, had her name changed to Melanie and has led a sheltered life. No photos, no internet, no friends after school, no holidays away from home. That's no way to live and now she approaches her 18th birthday, Melanie/Meg wants to end her half-life in order to live fully and yet to do that she must risk any form of life. She must find her father before he finds her. | ||
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0802123198</amazonuk> | |amazonuk=<amazonuk>0802123198</amazonuk> | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
}} | }} | ||
Revision as of 07:21, 10 September 2015
Front Runner by Felix Francis
Jeff Hinkley is an undercover investigator for the British Horseracing Authority, so he was in a difficult position when he was approached by his friend Dave Swinton. Dave was champion jockey and he told Hinkley that he'd deliberately lost a race and there was no way that this could be kept as some confidential words between friends. The following day Hinkley returned to Swinton's house to discuss the matter further - and ended up trapped in the blisteringly-hot sauna. He was lucky to escape with his life. Swinton was not so lucky - his charred body was found in his burning car at a deserted beauty spot in Oxfordshire. Full review...
The Undesired by Yrsa Sigurdardottir and Victoria Cribb (translator)
If you're lucky enough to go to Iceland they will tell you, even in this day and age, that the place is heavily populated with trolls. Yrsa Sigurdardottir may or may not agree with that, but she certainly peoples her world with ghosts. Here is Odinn, and to some extent his ghost – certainly there's the ghost of 'what if' around him, and the man he might have been if he hadn't abandoned the young mother of his child. Here is that very wife, who is now dead herself. Here is the spirit of failure as he takes over a job at work from someone else who had a fatal heart attack – that task, to investigate a children's care home in the 1970s to see if anything nefarious went on. And that place certainly should be haunted – already a dead child has been disposed of, and more is to come… Full review...
Hider/Seeker by Tom Claver
Harry Bridger is an ex-policeman who now makes his living helping people disappear. His clients aren't always whiter than white, but when a wealthy woman fleeing domestic violence asks him to help, his chivalrous instincts override the doubts that lurk in the back of his mind. A few things about Angela Linehan don't chime right but she's been vouched for by an old friend and Harry's basic decency won't allow him to leave a woman and her child in danger. And there's another advantage to helping Angela. It brings Harry back into the orbit of his ex-wife Bethany. And Harry would do almost anything to redeem himself in her eyes. Full review...
Black Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin
I knew little about this book before I started it - other than the intriguing title and the scant information that it is a psychological mystery about a girl who survives abduction by a serial killer. For those who, like me, can't resist suspense (and it seems that many people do fall into this category, according to the bestseller lists at least), this is enticement enough. And I was not disappointed: this story offers psychological uncertainty and suspense from start to finish. The narrative alternates between present day and the past, each section lasting just a couple of pages. I found this structure tricky at first, although each chapter does offer a helpful timeline and the chapters are short enough that it's easy to reorient yourself. Once I got used to the choppy style I found that it did work, and it worked really well, reflecting the constant flashbacks and mental turmoil experienced by Tessa, the protagonist. Full review...
Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica
On her morning commute to work, Heidi sees something that shakes her. A young girl, barely older than her own pre-teen daughter, huddling in the rain on the platform, clutching a tiny baby. It's a distressing situation and it stays on her mind for the rest of the day. So much so that when she sees the girl again, she feels obligated to help. Full review...
Dear Daughter by Elizabeth Little
Janie Jenkins is fresh out of prison, released early when an issue with the evidence is brought to life. Evidence concerning the death of her mother. Who she may or may not have killed. Hmmm. Full review...
Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton
Catrin is a mother without children. It’s a horrible situation to be in, and a role that will define her for the rest of her life. A few years ago, her two boys were killed as a result of her best friend’s actions. It was an accident but that doesn’t make it any better. And Catrin can neither forgive nor forget. Full review...
The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton
Matt, a wildlife film maker is reported to have perished in a fierce fire that sweeps through the first nation Alaskan village in which he's working. All that's left of him is his wedding ring. This is a huge shock to his wife Yasmin who has flown to see him with their 10 year old daughter Ruby. Yasmin has come to talk to Matt to see if they still have a relationship worth saving. Some would say that his death is an answer to that question but Yasmin doesn't accept that. She doesn't even accept he's dead and will search the frozen Alaskan wastes to prove it. Full review...
Foretold by Thunder by E M Davey
A university professor is randomly killed by a thunderbolt after posting a package of history texts to journalist Jake Wolsey. Was his death really that random? Jake doesn't have long to ponder that before he's off to Turkey with archaeologist Florence Chung to investigate the ancient religion of the Etruscans. He's not the only one interested; MI6 are tailing him for a reason even the agents concerned don't know. As history starts to reveal its secrets and connects with names centuries after the Etruscans died, Jake and Florence realise this is as much a fight for their lives as it is for knowledge. Full review...
The Melody Lingers on by Mary Higgins Clark
Mary Higgins Clark’s latest thriller, ‘’The Melody Lingers on’’, follows the author’s usual successful formula. The main character, Lane, is a young woman with a prestigious job as the assistant of an exclusive interior designer. She is instantly likeable: thoroughly nice – as underlined several times by other characters - un-snobbish and of course beautiful. We witness her performing small everyday acts of kindness and she is just vulnerable enough to be relatable to, having tragically lost family members. Vulnerable, but not troubled; no reckless drugs, drinking or sleeping around for Mary Higgins Clark heroines. Lane is clean and decent, with a strong moral fibre. Full review...
Washington Stratagem by Adam LeBor
“More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. And that, my friends, is why we have the United Nations.” So said former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. There's little of that brotherly solidarity on show in The Washington Stratagem, a United Nations-set thriller by Adam LeBor. Full review...
The Other Child by Lucy Atkins
Tess is giving up a lot to leave England for Massachusetts but she’s happy to do it too, happy that her son Joe will have new and exciting adventures, happy she will be living with Greg, the father of her unborn child. But pretty soon, unsettling things start happening. The neighbours are behaving strangely. Things in the house are mysteriously getting moved out of place. Nothing is as it seems and her dream is quickly becoming a nightmare. Full review...
Savage Girl by Jean Zimmerman
Bronwyn is a wild and seemingly mute sideshow attraction, known to all as Savage Girl. Apparently raised by wolves, she is swiftly adopted by a wealthy Manhattan couple, and, once cleaned up, introduced to high society. Darkly beautiful, intelligent, and with no end of suitors, Bronwyn seems destined for a good life – until these suitors start turning up dead. Could the Savage Girl be living up to her name? Or is someone else the killer? Full review...
The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins by Irvine Welsh
“Numbers are the great American obsession” opines Lucy Brennan, the protagonist of The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins, and in her case at least that’s definitely true. Whether it’s thinking about an argument with her boyfriend Miles (6”1, 210 lbs), noting the the stats of “sneaky, squeaky” fellow personal trainer Mona (5”9, blond, 36-34-36) or noting down how many calories her lunch of steamed broccoli and spinach with a peanut-butter-and-banana protein shake will set her back (460 cal). As a personal trainer obsessed with keeping in shape, Lucy never stops thinking about calories and body crunches. There’s several amusing passages where she rants about the clients she has to deal with, particularly one woman who will obviously never lose any weight and simply wants validation for making the effort to do so in the first place. Having just joined a gym myself, I felt like the perfect person for this novel. Full review...
The Devil's Cocktail by Alexander Wilson
Alexander Wilson, author of the Wallace series, was a writer, spy and secret service officer. Interesting that the biog-writer makes a distincation between the last two of those professions. Be that as it may, Wilson was one of the early writers in the genre that would lead to Bond and Smiley. Whilst perhaps not quite reaching the literary style and fame of those who would follow in his footsteps, he created characters and plots that were very popular at the time, are very much of their time and are now getting a well-deserved re-issue. Full review...
Raging Heat (Castle) (Nikki Heat 6) by Richard Castle
Fans of the television series Castle will come to this book ready-prepared for what’s going on, but for those unaware, in the series there is a character called Richard Castle who is an author. He observes a homicide detective, Kate Beckett, in her work and then writes a novel, Heat Wave, based on her character, changing Kate’s name to Nikki Heat and his own to Jameson Rook. After the book was written (in the television series) it was actually published in real life. Being a fan of Castle I immediately bought it and read it. To be honest, I found that the concept messed with my head too much! I kept thinking about who was who, within the book, translating Nikki’s name to Kate’s, and Rook’s to Castle, and it all became very confusing because even though Kate and Castle are 'real' they are, of course, fictional characters too! I didn’t read any more Nikki Heat books after that first one, until this one. It’s been a little while since I watched the TV series, and somehow coming at it fresh made a big difference and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Full review...
Half the World Away by Cath Staincliffe
Newly graduated Lori Maddox spends the year after University travelling, and visits China – working as a private English tutor. Back in Manchester, her estranged parents follow her adventures on her blog, “Lori in the Orient”. When all communication stops and silence persists, the parents report her missing, and learning that there is little they can do from Manchester, set out to China in order to search for their daughter. Flying to Chengdu, they have no knowledge of the country, customs or language, and are forced to turn detective in order to save their daughter… Full review...
Keep Your Friends Close by Paula Daly
Natty and Sean seem to have a good marriage - to have everything, in fact. They didn't have a particularly propitious start: Natty's pregnancy precipitated the marriage and meant that Sean couldn't do the law degree he'd set his heart on, but they now own an upmarket hotel in the lake district, have a lovely home and drive the sort of cars more commonly associated with premier league footballers. Their daughters are in their teens now and it's when the younger, Felicity, is on a school trip to France that the problems start. Full review...
The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens
Wolf’s mother is dead. His father is inept at best, a dead beat at worst. Wolf’s one joy in life is his best friend, Byrd. The two frequently escape their homes and hike up a nearby mountain, revelling in the freedom and closeness to nature. But Byrd dies, and a year later, on the date of his 18th birthday, Wolf decides to kill himself – heading up to the same mountain where he spent so much time happy. However, Wolf soon meets three women – Bridget, Nola and Vonn. Lost on the mountain, they will spend days fighting to survive and to escape the wilderness. One will not make it down alive. Full review...
Personal by Lee Child
If you've never read a Lee Child novel but have seen the trailers for a film starring Tom Cruise… can I seriously suggest you read at least one of the books before seeing the film. To be fair, I haven't seen the film and Cruise might do a decent job of whatever script they've given him… but Jack Reacher he isn't. Full review...
Mr Mercedes by Stephen King
Bill Hodges is a retired cop, spiralling down into a seemingly inescapable depression. Stuck at home each day watching dreadful American daytime TV, toying with the idea of shooting himself, it is only with the sudden arrival of a letter claiming to be from someone who committed an unsolved multiple murder, one of Hodges’ old cases, that he finds a new interest in staying alive. Is this actually the murderer? Why is he crawling out of the woodwork now? And can Hodges stop him from killing again? Full review...
A Few Words For The Dead by Guy Adams
Warning: spoilers for both The Clown Service and The Rain-Soaked Bride so best read them first. Remember the near-demonic Fratfield? Well, the honeymooning Toby and Tamara find themselves – and Fratfield – in the South American jungle. However, things aren’t running smoothly. Not only does Fratfield still control the forces of nature, now he has some help. Meanwhile back home a hit man prepares to continue his profession. The target? August Shining, Toby's boss, friend and wanted as an interview subject by MI6, should he live that long. Full review...
Thieves Fall Out by Gore Vidal
If you look at history it is very easy to think that human nature never changes and that we are forever cursed to live through the same mistakes. Unstable regions remain unstable; atrocities are still being carried out. 1950s Egypt was as tricky a place to live as the modern equivalent is; a sense of revolution in the air. However, rest assured that in Gore Vidal’s ‘lost’ pulp novel you will be reading more about gun fights and scantily clad women, than politics. Full review...
You Belong To Me by Samantha Hayes
Isabel is a Brit abroad who is running away from something, or someone. There are a lot of these about, in my experience, but few who have such an intriguing, and worrying, history. She left the UK to escape a controlling ex but now has to return suddenly, for family reasons, even though she swore she would never go home again. Full review...
Acts of the Assassins by Richard Beard
The rebellious cult leader is executed so that's that. Then someone steals the body. The police appoint Cassius Gallio to investigate but it all goes terribly wrong. He not only fails to find the body, the police informant from the initial conviction is killed in a way that mimics suicide. Gallio's career and life both stall until the case is secretly re-opened and he's deemed the man for the investigation as he's already comparatively invisible. It seems straightforward in that Gallio must uncover the truth but the people he needs to speak to are being culled one by one by the most innovative and bloodthirsty means. Full review...
Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. Nicole, known as Nick, and younger sister Dara, have their lives and relationship torn apart by a serious car accident. Once extremely close, Nick and Dara now barely speak to each other, both sisters weighed down by feelings of guilt. Full review...
The Khazar Codex by Graham Fulbright
It's a brutal introduction to the story as a man is killed in the way that they did it in those days: two trees were pulled to the ground and the man lashed between them and then the trees were released. But that's only the background to the story which is set in the here and now and most of it is in The Kemble, a rather rundown theatre, which is presenting a revival of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia. On the opening night there's apparently a fire, but whilst most of the hostages are shepherded out of the theatre a group of seven members of the audience, two cast members and the prime minister's son, Nigel Hastings, are taken hostage. The 'terrorists' (for what else can you call people who take others hostage?) represent New METRO, a group of activists who are campaigning for disused underground stations to be converted for use by the homeless. Full review...
After The Crash by Michel Bussi
It’s December 1980, almost Christmas time. But, for many families this won’t be a special festive time. A plane, carrying 169 passengers en route from Istanbul to Paris crashes in the mountains during a terrible storm. There’s no hope of survivors and yet, miraculously, there is one passenger who lives. A 3 month old baby girl is found close by the wreckage, apparently unharmed. Her parents have perished in the crash but she is a miracle, a ray of hope for her family… whoever they may be. For there were 2 young babies on board the flight, and although a mother would surely know her own child, it’s harder when it’s grandparents who need to identify and lay claim to a child they have never met before. Both families believe the little one is theirs and in the days before DNA testing and when it’s harder to access medical records across borders, it’s left to a judge to decide who should raise her, the wealthy and powerful de Carvilles or the less fortunate but loving Vitrals. In each case, the baby will have a young sibling with whom to grow up, but will she ever feel like she truly belongs? Full review...
Before He Finds Her by Michael Kardos
The newspaper reports at the time were unanimous: in September 1991 Ramsey Miller held a party for all his neighbours and then, when it ended, killed his wife Allie and toddler daughter Meg, then ran away, remaining a fugitive from justice. The newspapers were wrong. Meg isn't dead but has been kept hidden by her Uncle Wayne and Aunt Kendra, had her name changed to Melanie and has led a sheltered life. No photos, no internet, no friends after school, no holidays away from home. That's no way to live and now she approaches her 18th birthday, Melanie/Meg wants to end her half-life in order to live fully and yet to do that she must risk any form of life. She must find her father before he finds her. Full review...
