If you know me at all, you’ll know that I have to read book series in order, just like I have to watch TV series in order.
You’ll understand how I felt then when I tell you that after reading Every Pretty Thing and going to Goodreads to update my list, I saw that somehow I’d read book 7 of the series instead of book 6.

I really have no idea how it happened; I always check Goodreads when I’m reading a series to make sure I get them in the right order.

Every Pretty Thing

Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

She came to find her friend.
Instead she found a killer.

Serial killer expert Darby McCormick gets a call from FBI Agent Jackson Cooper, who has been contacted by a woman who’s been in hiding for twenty years.

She was one of the only survivors of a murderer who has been carving a dark path across America for decades. Cooper believes he may have tracked this psychopath to the wilds of Montana.

Now, he needs Darby’s help to bring him in. But when she arrives Cooper has vanished without a trace.

Something is very wrong – and as the trail goes cold, Darby is all alone in a strange town, stalked by an unseen predator who wants to add another victim to his collection…

My Thoughts

I was very glad to be back with Darby and Coop and I felt Darby’s pain when Coop went missing. There’s a twist near the end that I totally didn’t see coming, but it had me on the edge of my seat. I was really worried about Darby, but I knew she was going to be alright because there was another book, or so I thought!

This is one of my favourite books from the series and I hope Chris Mooney writes another book about Darby.

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This is the first book in the Maeve Kerrigan series by Jane Casey. There are 8 books in the series as well as some short stories.

The Burning By Jane Casey

Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

A determined young police constable goes it alone against an enigmatic killer and her bosses in a series debut for fans of Sophie Hannah and Tana French

The Burning Man. It’s the name the media has given a brutal murderer who has beaten four young women to death before setting their bodies ablaze in secluded areas of London’s parks. And now there’s a fifth.

Maeve Kerrigan is an ambitious detective constable, keen to make her mark on the murder task force. Her male colleagues believe Maeve’s empathy makes her weak, but the more she learns about the latest victim, Rebecca Haworth, from her grieving friends and family, the more determined Maeve becomes to bring her murderer to justice. But how do you catch a killer no one has seen when so much of the evidence has gone up in smoke?

My Thoughts

This book seemed to drag for me. It took me longer than a week to read and I started to get a little annoyed with it.
I thought I was going to be reading about the hunt for The Burning Man, but he wasn’t the focus of the story.

I don’t want to say too much in case I spoil it for someone, but the ending left me feeling a little flat. One part at the end even had me wondering who the characters were that I was reading about; it turned out they were from the very start of the story and I’d totally forgotten about them.

I did, however, like Maeve and I’m going to try the next book in the series to see if I want to carry on with the rest.

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I always enjoy Cecelia Ahern books and Thanks For The Memories was no different.

Thanks For The Memories

Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

How is it possible to know someone you’ve never met?

Joyce Conway remembers things she shouldn’t. She knows about tiny cobbled streets in Paris, which she has never visited. And every night she dreams about an unknown little girl with blonde hair.

Justin Hitchcock is divorced, lonely and restless. He arrives in Dublin to give a lecture on art and is persuaded to donate blood. It’s the first thing to come straight from his heart in a long time.

When Joyce leaves hospital after a terrible accident, with her life and her marriage in pieces, she moves back with her elderly father. All the while, a strong sense of deja vu is overwhelming her and she can’t figure out why..

My Thoughts

I laughed out loud at some of this book which doesn’t usually happen Cecelia Ahern books. Joyce and her dad have a lovely relationship; I think her dad was actually my favourite character.

It brought out a range of emotions, there’s some sadness, some romance, some humour and something magical that can’t be explained. It’s this that I love the most in Cecelia Ahern’s books.

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Fear the Dark is the 5th novel in the Darby McCormick series by Chris Mooney. You can find links below, to all my reviews for the previous books.

Fear The Dark

Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

Fear grips a town in Colorado as a murderer targets entire families in their own homes. As police and the FBI struggle to contain the situation, they bring in forensic investigator and serial killer expert Darby McCormick.

What she finds is a brutal and elusive predator who stays one step ahead of their investigation.

As Darby navigates the blood-ties and broken promises that divide the locals, she knows that all the while the killer is watching, waiting and circling his next target: her.

She must not only meet evil—and somehow survive—but also be prepared to face this small town’s dark heart …

My Thoughts

I was really pleased to be back with Darby and Coop. It’s been a while since I read the previous book, but it felt like I’d never been away.
I don’t know what it is about Darby, I just really like her. When she punched the awful sheriff I wanted to shout out, yes, go on, Darby!!!

I’ve got 2 more books in the series to read and I’m going to see if Chris Mooney has written any other books so I can add them to my TBR list.

Books 1 – 4 links below:

1 – The Missing
2 – The Secret Friend
3 – The Dead Room
4 – The Soul Collectors

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I’ve been a Stephen King fan since my teens, but I’ve not read many of his books in recent years. I enjoyed The Outsider and I’ve got a couple more on my TBR list for this year which I’m looking forward to reading.

The Outsider

Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

When an eleven-year-old boy is found murdered in a town park, reliable eyewitnesses undeniably point to the town’s popular Little League coach, Terry Maitland, as the culprit. DNA evidence and fingerprints confirm the crime was committed by this well-loved family man.

Horrified by the brutal killing, Detective Ralph Anderson, whose own son was once coached by Maitland, orders the suspect to be arrested in a public spectacle. But Maitland has an alibi. And further research confirms he was indeed out of town that day.

As Anderson and the District Attorney trace the clues, the investigation expands from Ohio to Texas. And as horrifying answers begin to emerge, so King’s propulsive story of almost unbearable suspense kicks into high gear.

Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy but there is one rock-hard fact, as unassailable as gravity: a man cannot be in two places at the same time. Can he?

My Thoughts

This was quite a long book and I did think it might have been one of SK’s book that was too wordy. Thankfully, it wasn’t and I really enjoyed it.
I think I enjoyed it more once the character, Holly, from the Mr Mercedes trilogy arrived. I’ve only read the first in the series and I totally forgot about it until Holly came along and reminded me.
I’m now itching to read the other 2!

Back to The Outsider, it kept me wanting to pick up the book because I just had to know how the evidence at the crime scene could be so concrete yet Terry’s alibi was also solid.
As usual for SK, there’s an element of the supernatural and as usual, for me, this is what I enjoyed the most!

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After reading the second book in the Lewis trilogy, The Lewis Man, I can definitely say I’m a Peter May fan. I saw loads of his books at the charity shop the other day, but I resisted the temptation to buy any because my ‘To Be Read’ pile is already too long!

The Lewis Man

Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

A body is recovered from a peat bog on the Isle of Lewis. The male Caucasian corpse is initially believed by its finders to be over 2000 years old, until they spot the Elvis tattoo on his right arm.

The body, it transpires, is not evidence of an ancient ritual killing, but of a murder committed during the latter half of the 20th century.

My Thoughts

As with The Blackhouse, the story is set in the past and the present day. I had a bit of trouble getting into The Blackhouse because of this, but with this second book, I was expecting and really enjoyed it.
Fin is no longer a detective in this second book, having given up his job in Edinburgh and moved back to the Isle of Lewis.

This time we’re back in Marsaili’s father’s past and it turns out, he’s not the man she always thought he was. He’s now suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia which sees him remembering his past very clearly, but getting very confused and upset in the present.

A body of a young lad is found perfectly preserved in a peat bog and DNA testing reveals he’s related to Marsaili’s father, Tormod Macdonald.
Fin starts his own investigation in order to help Marsaili and starts to uncover deep family secrets.

I’m looking forward to reading the third book of the trilogy, but I’m waiting a few weeks again before I do.

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I love Harlan Coben books. I read loads of them last year and enjoyed watching the series, Safe, on Netflix last year. I’ve just found out that No Second Chance has also been made into a Netflix series and I’ll be adding it to my list 🙂

No Second Chance

Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

When the first bullet hit my chest, I thought of my daughter…

Shot twice by an unseen assailant, Dr. Marc Seidman lies in a hospital bed. His wife has been killed. His six-month-old daughter has vanished. But just when his world seems forever shattered, the ransom note arrives: We are watching. If you contact the authorities, you will never see your daughter again. There will be no second chance. With no one to trust, and mired in a deepening quicksand of deception and deadly secrets, Marc clings to one unwavering vow: bring home his daughter, at any cost.

My Thoughts

Harlan Coben remains one of my favourite authors and I really enjoyed No Second Chance.
I spent a lovely, relaxed Saturday afternoon reading the majority of this book because it was hard to put down; I just had to know what happened to baby Tara!

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I’ve been looking forward to reading The Trap since I came across it in the charity shop. I looked it up on Goodreads and saw that it’s not very highly rated, but I decided not to read any of the reviews as I wanted to make my own mind up.

The Trap

Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

In this twisted debut thriller, a reclusive author sets the perfect trap for her sister’s murderer–but is he really the killer?

For 11 years, the bestselling author Linda Conrads has mystified fans by never setting foot outside her home.

Haunted by the unsolved murder of her younger sister–who she discovered in a pool of blood–and the face of the man she saw fleeing the scene, Linda’s hermit existence helps her cope with debilitating anxiety.

But the sanctity of her oasis is shattered when she sees her sister’s murderer on television. Hobbled by years of isolation, Linda resolves to use the plot of her next novel to lay an irresistible trap for the man.

As the plan is set in motion and the past comes rushing back, Linda’s memories–and her very sanity–are called into question. Is this man a heartless killer or merely a helpless victim?

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed The Trap. It kept me reading because I just had to know if Linda was right about Lenzen or whether all the years she’s spent as a recluse since her sister’s murder had messed with her mind.
I liked the way the chapters alternated between the book Linda had written about the murder and back to Linda in the present day.

If I see more books by Melanie Raabe I’ll be buying them 🙂

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I received this Peter May trilogy for Christmas from the children. The Blackhouse is the first book in the series and I’ve decided not to read them one after the other. I’ve learnt my lesson from last year when I read a series of Harlen Coben books and ended up having to take a break in the middle. I started to lose the enjoyment because I think I overloaded my brain, reading about the same characters for weeks!

The Blackhouse

Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

A brutal killing takes place on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland: a land of harsh beauty and inhabitants of deep-rooted faith.

A MURDER
Detective Inspector Fin Macleod is sent from Edinburgh to investigate. For Lewis-born Macleod, the case represents a journey both home and into his past.

A SECRET
Something lurks within the close-knit island community. Something sinister.

A TRAP
As Fin investigates, old skeletons begin to surface, and soon he, the hunter, becomes the hunted.

My Thoughts

It took me a really long time to get into this book. It wasn’t what I was expecting, which was a regular murder investigation.
Instead of just reading about the investigation and how the detective, Fin McLeod catches the killer, we are learning everything about the detective, from his childhood to present day.

At the start of the book, I kept wondering why I needed to know all this about Fin, and it was the reason I was struggling to connect with the story.
I’m not sure what changed, but just before halfway through I started to want to know more about Fin and all the people he grew up with.

I didn’t see the ending coming at all and now I can’t wait to read the next book so I can get back to the island and read more about Fin!

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