Earworm: A Novel about the Music Industry: Sean McManus review

Earworm: A Novel about the Music Industry

By: Sean McManus
Rating: 4 Star

Simon and Fred are working hard to make it big with their band -they just need a way to get recognised by the music industry and make their name known.

However, music buying patterns have changed, and the small record labels have all been bought up by Bigg records. This means that the chances of Simon and Fred 'making it' are getting slimmer all of the time.

Nevernight: Jay Kristoff review

Nevernight

by Jay Kristoff
Rating: 4 Star

Nevernight is set in a world that rarely sees darkness, mainly due to its 3 Suns.

It's a world of political skullduggery (I haven't used that word in ages), assassins, magic, a shadow in the form of a Cat called Mister Kindly, and a young girl called Mia Corvere who is forced to witness her father's execution.

On that day, Mia swore to avenge the 3 people who had plotted against her and her family.

Brood X: Michael Phillip Cash review

Brood X: A Firsthand Account of the Great Cicada Invasion 

by Michael Phillip Cash

Rating: 4 Star

Michael Phillip Cash

Brood X is the 3rd book I have read by Michael Phillip Cash and each one has been remarkably different which I found really refreshing.

Brook X is a horror-genre novel set in the United States which starts in the midst of a deadly Cicada invasion. Billions of the insects have descended on the US and have cut off electric, water supplies, mobile phone service and the entire food supply.

The Ice Twins: S. K. Tremayne

The Ice Twins

by S. K. Tremayne

Rating; 4 Star

One year after the death of one of their twin daughters Lydia, Angus and Sarah Moorcroft decide to move to a remote Scottish island in an attempt to rebuild their shattered lives.

Whilst the family is still struggling to cope with the loss of Lydia and undertaking a huge renovation project on their new home, Lydia's surviving twin sister suddenly claims that she is in fact Lydia, and that it was their other twin daughter Kirstie who died that day.

The Bad Lady: Jon Meany

The Bad Lady

by Jon Meany

Rating: 3 Star

The Bad Lady is a sad and poignant story that focuses on Billy Hall, a young 10 year old boy growing up with his mother Bridgette in Hampton, Ohio.

ON by Jon Puckridge

ON review: Jon Puckridge

Rating: 3 Star

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

On explores a dystopian future where all of humanity is connected via sub dermal implants into the 'One Network' or 'ON'.

The Eye of Shiva review: Alex Lukeman

The Eye of Shiva

by Alex Lukeman

Rating: 4 Star

"The Eye of Shiva" is number 8 of a series of books focusing on a secret US anti-terrorist team called "The Project" by Alex Lukeman.

The story begins with a raid on a terrorist camp in the Philippines where an ancient gold coin is found. From there, the plot rapidly expands before focusing on a plot to start a nuclear war between India and Pakistan.

Hunter: Mercedes Lackey book review

Hunter

by Mercedes Lackey

Rating: 3 Star

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

Wow, the reviews on this book all seem to come down firmly in either the love or hate category. After careful consideration, I'm somewhere in the middle with my 3 star rating.

The Shadow Artist: James Grayson book review

The Shadow Artist 

by James Grayson

Rating: 3.5 Star

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

This novel stars Alex Winter, an experienced CIA operative with an amazing ability to draw photo-realistic pictures from memory.

One day on assignment in London Alex sees the last person on earth she would ever expect. Right there in front of her eyes (just before he jumps into the Thames) is her father who she has believed dead for over 20 years. 

Following on from this revelation Alex finds herself pitched into a complicated international conspiracy against a classic "bond type" villain who is intent on causing havoc in the international currency markets.

"The Shadow Artist" is a fast-moving spy thriller with some well-written characters, dramatic plot turns, and a fast pace. Alex is a great central character, who is well described and has a lot of back story. I look forward to reading more in the series.

Please note: I know that a lot of Spy Thrillers are popular with young adults. This story contained quite a lot of well-written and highly descriptive fight scenes and one particularly tough torture scene. Caution advised before reading from that perspective.

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

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.

Dead Drop: Jesse Miles Review

Dead Drop

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

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Dead Drop is the first novel from Jesse Miles and as is a very fast paced Mystery/Thriller novel. I rated it 4 Stars.

Jack Salvo is a Los-Angeles based private investigator who also teaches part time at a local college as a Professor of Philosophy. This combination gives his character in the novel quite a unique outlook on life and I really liked him as a character. His investigations actually seemed realistic

Shortly into the novel Jack is hired by an Aerospace company to start investigating a case of suspected embezzlement. Jack finds the first culprit very quickly and thinks that the case is all wrapped up before he discovers evidence of a far greater-reaching mystery lurking underneath the surface.

From there on, the plot quickly increases in pace and scope as Jack works through each layer of the case with the assistance of Lilith Lin, a security expert at the Aerospace company. Soon Jack and Lilith find themselves wrapped up in an international conspiracy with their own lives at stake.

Dead Drop was a great fast moving plot with good dialogue and very detailed descriptions of Los Angeles. I look forward to reading more of Jesse Miles' work.

Life or Death: Michael Robotham Review

Life or Death

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

The story starts with a compelling question:

Why would convicted robber (Audie Palmer), suddenly choose to escape prison after 10 years of confinement, one day before he's due to be released?

So begins the exploration of Audie Palmer's background and the history behind the $7 million dollar robbery that sent him to jail and killed 3 others.

As Michael Robotham develops the story via a richly described series of flashbacks told from individual character perspectives we learn that there is much more at stake than the robbery haul. Audie is keeping a promise that he made 10 years ago and now time, and the odds of success, both seem to be against him.

This story flows at a very fast pace and has enough twists to make you want to read further at the end of each chapter. I really liked Audie Palmer's character in this story and the other main protagonists; Sheriff Ryan Valdez, FBI Agent Desiree Furness, and fellow prisoner Moss Webster. 

I have seen several comparisons made to the Shawshank Redemption in other reviews due to the friendship between Audie and Moss in prison and if you liked that or other novels of that genre then I would definitely recommend this.

Life or Death was an excellent read, and it warranted a very rare 5 out of 5 rating from me, I simply couldn't put this novel down and finished it within a few days.

To learn more about Michael Robotham visit his web page here: http://www.michaelrobotham.com/