Mystery

Review: Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

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Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

Title: Career of Evil (A Cormoran Strike Novel, 3)
Author: Robert Galbraith
Genre: Crime, Detective Story, Mystery
Publisher: Sphere (20th October 2015)
Blurb:

When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman’s severed leg.

Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people in his past who he thinks could be responsible – and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality.

With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them . . .

A fiendishly clever mystery with unexpected twists around every corner, Career of Evil is also a gripping story of a man and a woman at crossroads in their personal and professional lives. You will not be able to put this book down.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

CAREER OF EVIL in the third book in the Cormoran Strike series written by J. K. Rowling under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith. Strike investigates when a package delivered to Robin Ellacott, his secretary-cum-partner, contains a severed leg. He is certain that the crime is somehow linked to his past, and there are four people he thinks could be responsible.

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Review: Dark Debt by Chloe Neill

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Dark Debt by Chloe Neill

Title: Dark Debt (Chicagoland Vampires, 11)
Author: Chloe Neill
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz Fiction (5th March 2015)
Blurb:

A vampire never gets old. But neither do his enemies. When a figure from Ethan’s dark past makes a splashy debut in Chicago, Merit and her Master don’t know whether he’s friend or foe. But they’ll have to figure it out soon, because there is trouble brewing in the Windy City.

At an exclusive society soiree attended by the upper echelons of the human and supernatural worlds, Merit and Ethan barely stop the assassination of a guest. When the target turns out to be a shady businessman with a criminal edge, Merity suspects a human vendetta. But the assassins have fangs.

The connections to Chicago’s Houses go deeper than Merit knows, and even one wrong move could be her last . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

DARK DEBT is the eleventh book in Chloe Neill’s fantastic Chicagoland Vampires series. This book continues Merit’s story, as she and her Master, Ethan, get drawn into some more trouble. A figure from Ethan’s past makes a dramatic reappearance, and there is trouble brewing in Chicago that could mean problems for all the Houses.

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Review: Blood Games by Chloe Neill

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Blood Games by Chloe Neill (UK edition)

Title: Blood Games (A Chicagoland Vampires Novel, 10)
Author: Chloe Neill
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz Fiction (7th August 2014)
Blurb:

While Merit didn’t choose to become a vampire or Sentinel of Cadogan House, she vowed to fight for her House and its Master, and she’s managed to forge strong alliances with powerful supernaturals across Chicago. But even though Merit has had wild adventures, this may be her deadliest yet . . .

A killer is stalking Chicago, preying on humans and leaving his victims with magical souvenirs. The CPD hadn’t been able to track the assailant, and as the body count rises, the city is running out of options. Vampires and humans aren’t on great terms, but murder makes for strange bedfellows. Can Merit find the killer before she becomes a target?

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

BLOOD GAMES is the tenth book in Chloe Neill’s Chicagoland Vampires series. Things have settled down a bit after the events of WILD THINGS (review), and vampires are once again seen as something cool by some humans. Someone is murdering people in a way that suggests there is a supernatural connection, and Merit finds herself investigating. Meanwhile, things are afoot in the vampire world.

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Review: Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line

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The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

Title: Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
Authors: Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham
Genre: Contemporary, Crime, Mystery, Young Adult
Publisher: Vintage Books (25th March 2014)
Blurb:

From Rob Thomas, the creator of the groundbreaking television series and movie Veronica Mars, comes the first book in a thrilling new mystery series.

Ten years after graduating from high school in Neptune, California, Veronica Mars is back in the land of sun, sand, crime, and corruption. She’s traded in her law degree for her old private investigating license, struggling to keep Mars Investigations afloat on the scant cash earned by catching cheating spouses until she can score her first big case.

Now it’s spring break, and college students descend on Neptune, transforming the beaches and boardwalks into a frenzied, week-long rave. When a girl disappears from a party, Veronica is called in to investigate. But this is no simple missing person’s case. The house the girl vanished from belongs to a man with serious criminal ties, and soon Veronica is plunged into a dangerous underworld of drugs and organized crime. And when a major break in the investigation has a shocking connection to Veronica’s past, the case hits closer to home than she ever imagined.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

THE THOUSAND DOLLAR TAN LINE is the first in a new book based series, which ties into Rob Thomas’s groundbreaking TV series and film about a wily female PI called Veronica Mars. The book starts after the end of both the TV series and the film. Things aren’t easy for Veronica, and she needs a big job which just happens to fall into her lap. Spring breakers have descended on Neptune, and a girl has gone missing.

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Review: Wild Justice by Kelley Armstrong

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Wild Justice by Kelley Armstrong (UK edition)

Title: Wild Justice (A Nadia Stafford Thriller, 3)
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Publisher:Sphere (26th November 2013)
Blurb:

Wild Justice: the dramatic finale to the Nadia Stafford trilogy

Ex-cop Nadia Stafford has a dark secret. After taking the law into her own hands she was kicked off the force . . . and entered the shadowy world of guns for hire. She has her own strict code – works only for one crime family, only kills the really bad guys. But when a hit goes tragically wrong, Nadia is devastated. Is is time to leave the business for good?

Before she has time to decide, Nadia discovers that her own life is under threat. And worse – that terrifying events from her past may have triggered the attacks. With the help of Jack, her enigmatic mentor, Nadia is forced upon a dark path – towards the truth and towards her final destiny.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

WILD JUSTICE brings to a conclusion Kelley Armstrong’s brilliant Nadia Stafford trilogy. When a hit goes tragically wrong, Nadia is left adrift and unsure of her future. Wanting to help her, Jack presents her with a case that might very well provide Nadia with the closure she is looking for…

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Review: Wild Things by Chloe Neill

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Book Cover of Wild Things

Wild Things by Chloe Neill

Title: Wild Things (Chicagoland Vampires, 9)
Author: Chloe Neill
Genre: Mystery, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz Fiction (20th February 2014)
Blurb:

Since Merit was turned into a vampire, and became the protector of Chicago’s Cadogan House, it’s been a wild ride. She and Master Vampire Ethan Sullivan have helped make Cadogan’s vampires the strongest in North America, and forged ties with paranormal folk of all breeds and creeds.

But now these alliances are about to be tested. A strange and twisted magic has ripped through the North American Central Pack, and Merit’s closest friends are caught in the crosshairs. But who – or what – could possibly be powerful enough to out-magic a shifter?

Merit is about to go toe to toe, and cold steel to cold heart, to find out.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

WILD THINGS is the ninth addition to Chloe Neill’s brilliant Chicagoland Vampires series. Merit’s story continues with the mayor of Chicago looking for someone to blame for Chicago’s recent paranormal activity, and Ethan Sullivan makes a good target. Merit and Ethan retreat only to find another enemy waiting for them.

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Review: Die Again by Tess Gerritsen

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Die Again by Tess Gerritsen (UK edition)

Title: Die Again (Rizzoli & Isles 11)
Author: Tess Gerritsen
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Transworld Books (1st January 2015)
Source: Kate from Transworld/ NetGalley
Blurb:

‘With DIE AGAIN Tess Gerritsen proves that she is still at the top of her game. I love this fantastically gripping story and can’t wait for more’ KARIN SLAUGHTER

THE VICTIMS
In Boston, Detective Jane Rizzoli and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles are investigating a bizarre murder. A man has been found gutted and hanging in his home. When the remains of another victim are found, it is clear that this murderer has been at work for years, and not just in Boston.

THE KILLER
Six years ago, a group of travellers set off on an African safari. None of them are seen again – apart from one woman who stumbled out of the bush weeks later, barely alive. The only woman to have seen the killer’s face.

THE SURVIVOR
Has the ‘safari killer’ resurfaced in Boston? Jane is sent to Africa to find the one link between the two cases – the only survivor – and convince her to face death once again…

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Review:

DIE AGAIN is the eleventh book in Tess Gerritsen’s brilliant RIZZOLI & ISLES series. It is also the first book in the series that I have read, although I have watched most of the TV series. DIE AGAIN follows Boston Detective Jane Rizzoli and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles as they investigates a bizarre murder that seems to cross not only states, but countries as well.

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Review: Visions by Kelley Armstrong

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Visions by Kelley Armstrong (UK edition cover)

Title: Visions (A Cainsville Novel, 2)
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Sphere (14th August 2014)
Blurb:

A GIRL WITH A SECRET

Olivia Jones is smart, capable, loyal . . . and she’s the daughter of convicted serial killers. She’s also hiding a strange secret. She can read omens – subtle signs that warn her of trouble ahead. And if the omens are right, Olivia’s in mortal danger.

A TOWN WITH A PAST

Taking refuge in the old, secluded town of Cainsville, Olivia is busy investigating her parents’ shocking case. But when the body of a missing girl is dumped in her car, she is forced to change tack. The trouble is, there’s only one man who can help her – Gabriel Walsh, the self-serving, morally ambiguous lawyer who has betrayed her trust one too many times.

A KILLER WITHOUT MERCY

Gabriel and Olivia are convinced that someone in Cainsville is responsible for the murder. But secrets have a habit of staying buried in this small, eerily friendly town. And digging too deep has very dark consequences . . .

A twisting and atmospheric thriller, Visions is a fast-paced, gothic tale laced with passion, mystery and murder.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

VISIONS is the second book in Kelley Armstrong’s new adult series CAINSVILLE. VISIONS continues the story of Olivia Jones, who we first meet in OMENS (review), as she struggles to come to terms with the events and revelations of the previous novel. The story begins just weeks after the events of OMENS, and someone is not content to let things lie.

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Review: The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

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The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (UK edition cover)

Title: The Silkworm (A Cormoran Strike Novel, 2)
Author: Robert Galbraith
Genre: Crime, Detective Story, Mystery
Publisher: Sphere (19th June 2014)
Blurb:

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, she just thinks he has gone off by himself for a few days – as he has done before – and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine’s disappearance than his wife realises. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel is published it will ruin lives – so there are a lot of people who might want to silence him.

And when Quine is found brutally murdered in bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before . . .

A compulsively readable crime novel with twists at every turn, The Silkworm is the second in the highly acclaimed series featuring Cormoran Strike and his determined young assistant Robin Ellacott.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

THE SILKWORM is the second book in Robert Galbraith’s CORMORAN STRIKE series, Life has returned somewhat to normal after the events of the first book in the series THE CUCKOO’S CALLING (review), and Strike is busying himself with cases of suspected cheating when Leonora Quine, the wife of author Owen Quine, steps into his office and asks Strike to locate her husband for her. THE SILKWORM tells the story of Strike’s search for Quine, and then the hunt for Quine’s killer when the author is found murdered in peculiar circumstances.

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Review: The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

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The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

Title: The Cuckoo’s Calling (Cormoran Strike #1)
Author: Robert Galbraith
Genre: Crime, Mystery
Publisher: Sphere (18th April 2013)
Blurb:

When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case.

Cormoran Strike is a war veteran – wounded both physically and psychologically – and his life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model’s complex world, the darker things get and the closer he gets to a terrible danger . . .

A gripping, elegent mystery steeped in the atmosphere of London – from the hushed streets of Mayfair to the backstreet pubs of the East End to the bustle of Soho – The Cuckoo’s Calling is a remarkable book. Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J. K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

THE CUCKOO’S CALLING introduces us to Cormoran Strike, a private investigator who is experiencing some bad luck, until the brother of Lula Landry arrives at his office and asks Strike to investigate her death, which he believes to have been murder.

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