Passenger 19: Ward Larsen book review

Passenger 19

by Ward Larsen

Rating: 4 Star

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

NTSB investigator and former pilot Jammer Davis is faced with the toughest assignment of his life when he is asked to investigate the disappearance of a passenger airliner over dense jungle in Colombia which was also carrying his daughter.

We follow widower Davis through the plot at breakneck speed as he rushes to Colombia to find his daughter and solve the mystery behind the crash.

If you liked the Taken movies you'll certainly enjoy this action-packed thriller. Jammer is a determined character who will stop at nothing to find his daughter.

He pushes and shoves his way through anything or anyone slowing down his search, and despite some of the scenes pushing my willing suspension of disbelief a little bit, it was a great read that I zoomed through really quickly.

A trained aircraft investigator himself, Larsen adds a lot of detail about the air crash investigation into this novel and also describes the jungle areas of Colombia in a lot of detail. This novel might also appeal to anyone who likes Tom Clancy's style novel of fact & fiction combined within a story.

Authors website: Ward Larsen

Witches Protection Program: Michael Phillip Cash review

Witches Protection Program

by Michael Phillip Cash

Rating: 3 Star

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wes Rockville is a cop working for the NYPD who is unexpectedly transferred to a 232 year old division that no-one has heard of.

This division of the NYPD is the Witches Protection Program, tasked with protecting the good witches or 'Davina' of the world from the evil witches or 'Willa'.

Unbeknownst to the people of New York, this department keeps the good witches form the bad, and also protects the people from New York from their evil plots.

Shortly after transferring into the department, Wes along with Alastaire Verne begins an investigation into a Willa plot that threatens the whole world and has Bernadette Pendragon as the central villain of the plot. During this investigation Wes meets Morgan, a good witch and niece to Bernadette Pendragon, and with her help races against time to stop her evil Aunt Bernadette.

This was a well-written and fast-paced novel. Michael Phillip Cash has excellently blended modern elements (characters using Uber to get around the city) with the mystical (broomsticks, potions, and magic mirrors) in present day New York. 

The Girl on the Train: Paula Hawkins Review

The Girl on the Train

by Paula Hawkins

Rating: 3 Star

Rachel, like thousands of other commuters squeezes into a train each day on its way into London. Just like everyone else, Rachel uses the time to think about the other people around her and the lives she is watching out of the window as the train passes by.

Rachel regularly pays particular attention to one couple who she imagines are leading the "perfect life". After many observations, Rachel has even named them Jesse and Jason. When Rachel learns that the woman she calls Jesse has unexplicably disappeared, she feels compelled to get involved and we follow her on the investigation into this unknown couple's life.

This was an interesting book for me to read because each character is quite negative in nature and that almost led me to stop reading it completely. The main protaganist is a depressed alcoholic, the "perfect couple" turn out to have several deep-seated issues, and even Rachel's supposed friends will have you gripping the book tightly wishing you could give them a piece of your mind.

The story moves very slowly to start, building up a sense of anticipation, but once the investigation into Jesse (real name Megan) begins in earnest it becomes a real page turning thriller.

I am glad that I persisted with this book though, because by the end of the novel I had completely changed my planned rating for it.

I realised that the strong reactions I was having to the characters must mean that a) they were believable and b) that I was engaged into the writer's world.

An engrossing thriller and an acute observation of some very messed up lives.