5 stars out of 5
Four things I gravitate toward when I have a spare 15 or 20 minutes: Playing word puzzles on my smartphone, seeing what my family and friends are up to on Facebook, looking for a snack in the kitchen cupboard and polishing off another chapter or two of whatever book I'm reading. Accordingly, one of the ways I know I'm loving the book I'm reading is when the other three options go by the boards.
That certainly was the case here - so besides being a little hungry, I'm now faced with major catching up to do on my phone and Facebook.
This is the second book featuring South Wales detective partners Alex King and Chloe Lane, and I admit I didn't read the first, The Girls in the Water. No matter; at no time did I notice any "holes" that made me wonder what had gone on before. As this one begins, Chloe is bunking with Alex and contemplating a more permanent hookup with another department detective. Alex's mostly estranged mother has taken a turn for the worse health-wise, and a young woman named Keira North took a fatal fall from an open window during a party. The latter looks like an accident, but to Alex and Chloe, it doesn't pass the smell test.
As they begin to investigate, they quickly learn that four of Keira's housemate friends may not be as innocent as they appear. And then - just when they start to think they're on the right track - another one bites the dust. Yet another cog hits the wheel when a young woman ends up in the hospital following an overdose; that case, too, lands squarely in the laps of Alex and Chloe.
Could it be that someone is trying to wipe out all of Keira's housemates one by one? If so, why - and perhaps more important, who? And while no one thinks the murders and overdose cases are connected, the way things are going, anything is possible. The result is that Alex and Chloe are led in many directions, providing twists, turns and surprises for readers as well.
All in all, this is a very well-written book with interesting characters - and a series I've put on my must-read list going forward. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it.
The First One to Die by Victoria Jenkins (Bookouture, November 2017); 346 pp.
4 stars out of 5
"One say or another I'm gonna find ya
I'm gonna getcha getcha getcha getcha..."
--Blondie (written by Debbie Harry and Nigel Harrison)
The lyrics of that old song ran through my head almost all the way through this book, which, for the record, I enjoyed. Still, now that I've finished, I'm faced with this question: How do I review a book that's exceptionally well written with a plot that's clever, intriguing and compelling but with a lead character who frustrated the heck out of me?
Let me explain. This is a story about the Rebecca, a victim of domestic abuse, both physical and psychological. Really, I "get" the difficulties victims face in escaping from situations like this and their inability to take charge of their own lives for reasons real or imagined. Rebecca, though, took all that to a whole new level - and in the beginning, I sympathized. But once the story started to pick up steam and she rationalized passing up every opportunity to extricate herself, I just couldn't help but say to myself at almost every turn of events, "Woman, what were you thinking?"
For instance, after Rebecca has been pushed beyond the limit of most humans and at one point confronts Solomon, her abuser, she thinks to herself, "I wanted to slap him in the face, to demand he stop this."
Say what? He's committed atrocities against you and darned near everyone you love, and the punishment you think will bring him around is a slap? Gott im Himmel, lady! Nothing short of dismembering his nether-parts and feeding them to pigs would have worked for me - and I don't dare put in print what I'd have done to the rest of him after that!
In the end, though, the review came easily, because I firmly believe reviews should be based on the quality of writing and the complexity, originality and flow of the story - not whether or not characters are "likable" or behave the way I want them to. And on those criteria, the author did a super job. Even when I wanted to shake the stuffing out of Rebecca, I shook my head and kept going - simply because I was totally engrossed and couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. And that, my friends, is the essence of any really good book.
As for the plot (a very clever one, I hasten to add), Rebecca has found a new life in Wales with her veterinarian husband and young daughter about 10 years after that uber-controlling fiance, Solomon, was found guilty - based on her testimony - of murdering one of her male co-workers. Solomon went to jail, but now he's out - and suddenly, Rebecca's life is turned upside down. When she's in her bedroom, she hears a phone ringing and follows the sound to find a phone that she didn't put there. The message is frightening at best: Solomon says he will force her to witness 10 crimes - one for each year he spent in jail - and she must choose the victims. The message announcing the first ends (as do the others) with these words: "You are a Silent Witness. Talk to the police and you die."
Chapters switch from character perspective (Rebecca, Solomon, and entries in Rebecca's secret diary) and time period, building up background and leading to an unexpected, and for the most part, satisfying, ending. Well done, highly recommended, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Witness by Caroline Mitchell (Thomas & Mercer, December 2016); 338 pp.
4 stars out of 5
For openers, there's no question that it's an extremely engaging, well-written book that held my attention throughout. That is, perhaps, except for the first half or so, which dragged on more than I would have liked. There's only so much of the "runaway woman haunted by her past who finds a potential new boyfriend but can't make herself trust him" I can take before saying, a la Shakespeare's Macduff, "hold enough." But then comes the first twist - and it's a biggie I wasn't expecting - and things really start to get interesting and stay that way till the end.
The runaway is Jenna Gray, who is so haunted by her memory of a horrific auto accident that takes the life of 5-year-old Jacob that she sets out for anywhere but where she is - ending up in a dank, run-down cottage on the coast of Wales. There, she begins her new life, finding some success by selling photographs and postcards of her writings in the beach sand. It is there that she meets the potential boyfriend - a local veterinarian - and the "should I or shouldn't I" drama kicks in.
Meanwhile, back in Bristol, police officers including Detective Inspector Ray Stevens and his protege Kate (who, BTW, doesn't get a last name - Evans - until near the halfway point, making me wonder until then if that was some kind of clue), begin to investigate the hit-and-run. Along the way, readers get an in-depth look at the detectives' personal trials and tribulations, all leading up to that first game-changing twist.
From that point on, it's almost impossible to put this book down. There are two more what I'd call major plot twists, although I must say I suspected what both would be ahead of time). There's a third whammy as well - although if I'm honest, I have to say even though it came as a surprise, it's a bit of overkill (so to speak) and a titch too contrived. Overall, though, I absolutely recommend this book, which I expect will be a winner when it's released on May 3, 2016. I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh (Kindle Edition, Berkley, May 2016); 384 pp.
5 stars out of 5
