Cold Christmas: Alastair Gunn review

Cold Christmas (Antonia Hawkins #4) 

By: Alastair Gunn
Rating: 3 Star

DCI Antonia Hawkins is investigating a series of murders where there is no sign of any external trauma on the bodies. On top of that, things are not going well in her relationship with fellow officer DI Mike Maguire.

How is the murderer killing their victims and what connects the victims?

One of Us is Lying: Karen M McManus review

One of Us is Lying

By: Karen M McManus
Rating: 4 Star

An unusual whodunnit set amongst a high school setting, One of Us is Lying focuses on the unexpected death of a student in detention, and the investigation to find out who killed him.

The Phoenix Project: D.M. Cain review

The Phoenix Project

By: D.M. Cain

Rating: 4 Star

The Phoenix Project is set in a future where the government has come up with an innovative solution to keep prison populations down. 

A new type of prison is currently on trial in Salverford where prisoners fight to the death, on television, as public entertainment.

Written in Bones: James Oswald review

Written in Bones

By: James Oswald
Rating: 3 Star

Written in Bones opens dramatically with the gruesome murder of Bill Chalmers, an ex-policeman turned drug kingpin who is found dead high up in a tree in the Meadows, Edinburgh.

Detective Inspector McLean is called in to investigate the murder and the more immediate question of how the body ended up being dropped from the sky.

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.

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/