The Angel Creek Girls
(Kay Sharp #3)
by
Fiction – CRIME
Book-Review-Front-Runner
Front Runner
by
Felix/Dick Francis
(Jefferson Hinkley #1)
Front Runner, was my fifth novel bearing the Francis surname and my second featuring Jeff Hinkley who is still a BHA (British Horse Racing Authority) investigator.
A morning phone call from a jockey sees Jeff on a train to meet said jockey in person. The jockey is nowhere to be found and while trying to find him Hinkley finds himself in a life-threatening situation, which, as it turns out, is only the first of several life-threatening situations Hinkley is to experience in Front Runner. Situations that see Hinkley spending a few days in hospital with Henri(ettia) becoming a constant visitor. Henri invites Hinkley to the Cayman Islands for Christmas and New Year. To Hinkley’s surprise transportation to the Caymans is not via a commercial airliner, rather, it is the company private jet of which Henri is a board member.
At his stage, I was beginning to ask myself how the Cayman section had anything to do with British horse racing. However, among all the wealth surrounding his host, Hinkley still managed to find himself in hot water, so to speak.
I thoroughly enjoyed Front Runner and would recommend this book to lovers of the ‘whodunit’ genre.
While Front Runner has its foundation in British Horse Racing, much of the action takes place in the Cayman Islands. There are a few pages at the end to tie up the wholly British storylines at the beginning of the book.
Overall another delightful book albeit, loosely about the British Horse Racing industry.
A solid four-star read from Dick Francis.
***
I rated
Front Runner
as a solid
read.
***
At the time of writing my review
other Goodreads readers had awarded
Front Runner
an average of 3.93 stars
from 2,177 ratings
and 263 reviews.
Front Runner
can be purchased online at
Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon
Book Review-Daylight
Daylight
(Atlee Pine #3)
by
David Baldacci
Daylight, by David Baldacci, is the third of three books, featuring FBI Agent, Atlee Pine. Daylight sees Atlee continuing to search for answers regarding the kidnapping of her twin sister, Mercy, thirty years earlier.
After discovering who kidnapped Mercy, Pine and trusty assistant Carol Blum accidentally bump into John Puller after blowing his arrest during a drug operation.
Working together, Pine and Puller discover a connection between the kidnapper’s family and corrupt politicians.
Among layers of lies and cover-ups, Pine makes some discoveries about her personal quest that shock her to the bone.
Atlee finally discovers the truth about what happened to Mercy. Truths, which shatter Pine’s beliefs about who did what, and what did not happen to her sister Mercy.
As with Long Road to Mercy, A Minute To Midnight and Daylight are all good quick reads/audiobooks. Readers of the Atlee Pine series should commence with book one, Long Road to Mercy, in my opinion.
Baldacci fans will enjoy Daylight.
I rated
Daylight
as a four-star read.
Other Goodreads readers have rated
Daylight
an average of 4.19 stars
from 27,336 ratings
and 1,964 reviews.
*****
Daylight
may be purchased online at
Fishpond, Booktopia and Amazon
Book-Review-The-Evidence
~~~~~~~
The Evidence
by
K. L. Slater
The Evidence is the eighteenth of K. L. Slater’s novels I have read, and reviewed, in the past two years.
After a hit and run accident in which her son was injured on his way home from school, Esme Fox leaves her job and begins building a successful podcast, theoretically to have something to help provide for her son when he is older.
She is current interviewing Simone who has been convicted and sentenced for murdering her husband. This excites Esme simply because it is the first time Simone has spoken about her case let alone requested a particular journalist.
Podcast One is such a success that a television station wants to talk to Esme about a collaborative effort with the rest of Simone’s podcasts. The meeting is a disaster however when Esme’s sister and researcher is a no show. She is discovered several days later in a nearby wood at death’s door.
Meanwhile, Esme continues interviewing Simone who begins to talk about her abusive marriage. It is only then that recently separated Esme takes a cold hard look at her own marriage. Esme realises how much she has been controlled and manipulated by her ex during their marriage.
The Evidence is worth reading just to read the last few chapters. Who did what to whom?
Another brilliant novel from K. L. Slater which I rated as a five-star read.
~~~~
I rated
The Evidence
as a solid
star read.
At the time of writing my review other
Goodreads readers have rated
The Evidence
an average of 4.14 stars
from 1,398 ratings
212 reviews
***
The Evidence
is available online
at
Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon
~~~~~~~
Book Review-A-Minute-to-Midnight
A Minute to Midnight
(Atlee Pine #2)
by
David Baldacci
A Minute To Midnight by David Baldacci is the second of three books, so far, featuring FBI Agent, Atlee Pine. Midnight sees Atlee returning to her hometown to find out what became of her twin sister, Mercy, who was abducted when they were six. The thirty-year-old kidnapping of her sister, Mercy, has been the main force behind Attlee joining the FBI. However, her anger over the unresolved kidnapping nearly has her thrown off the FBI.
Upon arriving in her hometown in Georgia, with her assistant Carol Blum, she soon discovers that no one really knows who owns her family home. She only seems to be in town a short while before being seconded by local police to help track down what proves to be a serial killer.
One body becomes two. Two becomes three. The FBI is called in to officially assist with the investigation. During which Atlee may have been the target of an ambush shooting saved only by the fact that she was driving.
As with Long Road to Mercy, A Minute To Midnight is a good quick read/audiobook. One thing which makes the audiobook stand out is that a male and a female narrator are used which gives more character to each voice.
The ending had me reaching for book 3 of the series, Daylight.
Baldacci fans will love A Minute To Midnight
I have just squeezed A Minute to Midnight into a four-star rating.
I have rated
A Minute to Midnight
as a
four star read.
Other Goodreads readers have rated
A Minute to Midnight
an average of 4.20 stars
from 33,900 ratings
and 2,457 reviews.
***
A Minute to Midnight
may be purchased online at
Fishpond, Booktopia and Amazon
Book-Review-Deadman’s-Track
~~~~~
Deadman’s Track
by
Sarah Barrie
~~~~~
Sarah Barrie’s Deadman’s Track was my second of her books and I thought it better than Devil’s Lair. Again set in and around Hobart (Tasmania) Deadman’s Track and is rightly billed as a romantic thriller and combines a boyfriend who is not all that he claims to be, a pawn shop fence, and several murders.
Tess, a local guide, survives a tragic hiking accident, and is having difficulty getting back on the horse, so to speak. She claims to have felt two hands push her over a cliff. But who would do such a thing? She is almost certain it would not have been her boyfriend.
Not long after the accident Tess breaks up with her boyfriend who demonstrates a side hitherto unseen by Tess. He does not know the meaning of ‘No’.
However, because her ex, who is all but stalking her after they broke up, pulls out of a dangerous winter hike with a group of inexperienced young hikers she reluctantly takes over the job with disastrous results. Tess is unaware of Detective Senior Sergeant Jared Denham’s feelings towards her as he offers his help.
I enjoyed Deadman’s Track partly for the story line and partly for its setting and accordingly,
I rated
Deadman’s Track
as a solid
four star read/audiobook
At the time of writing my review
other Goodreads readers had awarded
Deadman’s Track
an average of 4.06 stars
from 462 ratings
and 81 reviews
Deadman’s Track
can be purchased online at
Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon
Book-Review_I’ll-Find-You
I’ll-Find-You
by
Liz Lawler
I’ll Find You was my second Liz Lawler book and I think it was as nearly as good as Don’t Wake Up.
I’ll Find You begins about a year after Emily’s sister Zoe, who she is trying to find, went missing, when Zoe is in hospital for a minor operation. She wakes during the night to hear hospital staff furiously working on a person in the next bed, however, the next morning she is told that she must have dreamed the whole episode as there was no-one in the other bed.
She comes to the conclusion that some of the staff has something to hide. But just what remained elusive? Why did staff deny the presence of another patient in Emily’s room? Why was one of the top surgeons involved?
Emily’s continued efforts to find her sister and the person in the other bed land her in a psychiatric ward for a while until she escapes. After she escapes one of the senior nurses is murdered. Guess who is suspected of committing the crime.
I enjoyed I’ll find you, especially near the end with many unexpected turn of events popping up. Did she ever find her sister? You will have to read the book
I rated
I’ll Find You
as a solid
read.
At the time of writing my review,
Other Goodreads readers have rated
I’ll Find You
an average of 4.01 stars
from 1,976 ratings and 173 reviews
I’ll Find You
can be purchased on-line at
Fishpond, Booktopia, and Amazon
Book Review-The-Girl-They-Took
The-Girl-They-Took
(Tess Winnett #8)
by
Leslie Wolfe
We often send children to school functions thinking they will be safe. That was mother Miriam’s thoughts when she left seven year old daughter Paige, backstage with other children and teachers at the school’s play. Within 45 minutes Paige had been kidnapped and Miriam was left unconscious in a broom cupboard.
The Girl They Took, the eighth in the Tess Winnett series, has Tess specifically requested to solve the kidnapping of the District Attorney’s daughter, Paige.
Two botched ransom drops, organised by a blow-in junkie and the paedophile kidnapper, only serve to exacerbate Mother Miriam’s hysteria. The other kidnapper is against asking for a ransom as he is working for someone who has no ransom agenda and he is doing his best to keep Paige safe and sound. Why?
Meanwhile Father District Attorney appears to show little or no interest in his daughter’s disappearance. He seems to want to carry on as usual. Again…Why? You will have both of these questions answered when you read the book.
The Girl They Took has Winnett at her most subdued with most of her time waiting for ransom calls and trying to subdue distraught mother, however, it did show another side of Tess Winnett.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Girl They Took and recommend it to all Leslie Wolfe/Tess Winnett fans.
I rated
The Girl They Took
as a solid
four star read.
At the time of writing my review other
Goodreads readers have rated
The Girl They Took
an average of 4.45 stars
from 236 ratings
and 26 reviews
The Girl They Took
is available online
at
Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon
Not available Booktopia or Fishpond: July 10, 2021
~~~~~~~
Book-Review-Devil’s-Lair
~~~~~
Devil’s Lair
by
Sarah Barrie
~~~~~
Sarah Barrie’s Devil’s Lair was my first of her books and probably will not be my last.
Even after Callie is acquitted of murdering her husband people still shun her husband’s dream and refuse to come back to their Bed and Breakfast. So Callie decides to move to a cottage near an old mansion in Tasmania where she finds solace in the beauty of the Tasmanian landscape and friendly locals, in particular Connor and his siblings at nearby Calico Lodge.
Unknown to Callie the old mansion has a chequered past associated with witchcraft and murder.
However, it I the nocturnal events in Callie’s cottage which lead Callie to question her reasons for moving to Tasmania and eventually she begins to doubt her own sanity.
I listened to Devil’s Lair as a background novel while working on my computer which is not the best way to read any novel as some important parts of the story may be missed through lack of concentration. However, all the concentrating under the sun would not have prepared me for the twists and turns towards the end. As with most novels set in, or about, Australia I did enjoy Devil’s Lair. Perhaps in book format it may have been four star material however I felt three and a half stars was enough. As Goodreads does not cater for half stars Devil’s Lair can only be rated a solid three star read.
I rated
Devil’s Lair
as a
three star read/audiobook
At the time of writing my review
other Goodreads readers had awarded
Devil’s Lair
an average of 3.81 stars
from 689 ratings
and 132 reviews
Devil’s Lair
can be purchased online at
Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon
Book-Review-Damage
Damage Francis’s
Damage
by
Felix Francis
(Jefferson Hinkley #1)
