Book-Review-Crisis

 

Crisis

by

Felix Francis

 

Lawyer Harry Foster decided he had had enough of drawing up wills and decided to change his job and now works for a London company dealing in Crisis management.

Harry is despatched to find out how, or why, a sheik’s horse died in a stable blaze.   However, considering Harry has no love for horses and has never been near a race track, he has no desire to investigate this fire although things begin to look brighter after meeting Katie.

As well as several horses a body was also discovered in the ashes.  The body is so badly burned identifying it becomes another problem.  When the body is identified the stable becomes a crime scene.

The investigation becomes bogged down when the family who owns the stable and trains horses are reluctant to divulge family secrets to Harry.

Crisis moves along quite nicely and the narrator does a very good job of providing character voices.

I thoroughly enjoyed Felix Francis’ Crisis.  I have met some readers who are not overly thrilled by another horse novel.  However, I find stories about or surrounding the British Horse Racing industry very enjoyable.

 ***

I rated

Crisis

as a solid

read.

***

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Crisis

an average of 4.07 stars

from 1,9118 ratings

and 234 reviews.

Crisis

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

 

Book Review-Over-My-Dead-Body

Over My Dead Body

(William Warwick #4)

by

Jeffery Archer

*****

While still smarting from Miles Faulkner’s escape and subsequent ‘death’ towards the end of ‘Turn A Blind Eye’, Over My Dead Body, number 4 in the William Warwick Series sees William promoted to the rank of Detective Chief Inspector in charge of Unsolved Murders…cold cases.

Millionaire Miles Faulkner is still playing his old games.  He attended his own funeral, has taken on a new identity and plans to remarry his former wife and all the while being represented, in all things legal and illegal, by Mr Booth Watson

I have read Over My Dead Body and listened to it twice and still find it difficult to write about.   This could be due to the fact that it is number four in a fairly predictably storyline where Choirboy can do no wrong and always gets the bad guy… eventually.

George Blagden’s narration of the audio version of Over My Dead Body was excellent, making both experiences very enjoyable.

Over my Dead Body is definitely another page-turner from the pen of Jeffery Archer, and one which Archer fans will enjoy.

I have rated

Over My Dead Body

as a

four-star read

***

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Over My Dead Body

an average of 4.13 stars

from 7,470 ratings

and 619 reviews.

***

Over My Dead Body

can be purchased online at 

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

Book Review-One-Good-Deed

One Good Deed

(Archer #1)

by

David Baldacci

Upon reading the blurb I was not all that keen on reading One Good Deed, as is set in 1949 before mobile phones, television and the internet were widely used.  One Good Deed, however, is a Baldacci book so I persevered.  And I am so pleased I did as the story moved along briskly, as do all of Baldacci’s books.

The main character, Aloysius Archer, a parolee, after serving his country during World War 2 and time in Carderock Prison had been told to meet his parole officer in Poca City.

During their first meeting Archer’s Parole Officer, who just happens to be an attractive young woman, reinforces the list of dos and don’ts he received upon his release from Carderock.

However, with his immediate past address being a prison, Archer becomes the prime suspect when the first of a series of murders occur.  In league with Detective Shaw, Archer works on solving all the murders which occur in or near Poca City.

One Good Deed is certainly well worth a read for anyone who likes the whodunit genre and I am certain Baldacci fans will enjoy One Good Deed as much as I did.

I rated

One Good Deed

as a five-star read.

***

Other Goodreads readers have rated

One Good Deed

an average of 4.10 stars

from 39,110 ratings

and 3,019 reviews.

***

One Good Deed

may be purchased online at

Fishpond, Booktopia and Amazon

Book Review-Turn-a-Blind-Eye

Turn a Blind Eye

(Warrick-#3)

by

Jeffery Archer

*****

Turn a Blind Eye continues after Hidden in Plain Sight.  William has covertly been promoted to lead a newly formed anti-corruption squad.  However, for all intents and purposes, he is still working on bringing Rashidi to justice.

Miles Faulkner, Khalil Rashidi (a major player in South London drug distribution), Gerry Summers (a suspected bent cop), newly resigned Inspector Lamont (also bent), along with lawyer Booth Watson form the bad guys.

There are two court cases in Turn a Blind Eye in which Sir Julian, his daughter, Grace and her partner, Clare, again join forces to defeat the common enemy.  If I mention the outcomes of these cases I will spoil the story.   However, I will say that the majority of Turn a Blind Eye is set in the courtroom, with Christina and the now resurrected Miles Faulkner playing cameo roles.

Gerry Summers, William’s bent ‘friend’ nearly got away with his crimes, his downfall was generosity.

Turn a Blind Eye which moves along at a good pace, as usual, however, it is not until the end that the police come to the conclusion that they may have been deceived, which sets up Over My Dead Body (Warwick #4) nicely.

****

I rated

Turn a Blind Eye

as a

Four Star audiobook/read.

****

At the time of completing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Turn a Blind Eye

an average of 4.16 stars

from 10,575 ratings

and 628 reviews.

****

Turn a Blind Eye

can be purchased online at

Amazon‎, Booktopia, and Fishpond

Book Review-Things-We-Do-In-The-Dark

~~~~~

Things We Do In The Dark

by

Jennifer Hillier

While a good read, sadly, Things We Do In The Dark does not live up to The Butcher also by Jennifer Hillier.

Paris Peralta has been arrested and is headed for jail after the murder of her celebrity husband.  As bad as going to jail appears, it is not what worries Paris the most.  Her main concern is the unwanted publicity which will undoubtedly dredge up her past that she has worked so long and hard to hide. 

Twenty-five years earlier her mother Ruby was convicted of murder.  Ruby is not a nice person.  She knows Paris’ real identity and has threatened to reveal all if Paris does not supply Ruby with money.

As I said at the top, Things We Do In The Dark is a good read.   However, it seemed rather slow and took a while to link both storylines together.

As previously mentioned the first  Jennifer Hillier book I read was The Butcher, which lived up to its thriller description which, in my opinion, Things We Do In The Dark does not.

If I could rate Things We Do In The Dark as a three-and-a-half star read, I would.

However, as that is not possible,

I have decided to rate it as a

four-star read.

***

At the time of completing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Things We Do In The Dark

an average of 4.07 stars

from 16,447 ratings

and 2,935 reviews.

***

Things We Do In The Dark

can be purchased on-line at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon‎.

 

Book Review-Stories-Untold

Untold Stories

by

Leslie Wolfe

Leslie Wolfe’s Stories Untold, was overlooked by me for several months because, my interpretation of the title said it was a book of short stories of which this reader is not all that fond.  Upon closer inspection I noted that it was not sort stories, and have, therefore, just finished reading Untold Stories.

I a nut shell, Untold Stories is about a war veteran (DJ) and his plot to commit suicide, so bad is his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  He settles on a time of death then enlists Doctor Angela Blackwell to be his witness to his state of mind over a six month period.  After meeting DJ Angela decides to save him.    The question is, does DJ want to be saved? Is there anything in his life that is worth living for?

I enjoyed Stories Untold, perhaps because I was in my teens during the sixties when National Service (in Vietnam) was mandatory for healthy twenty year olds.   Although I was called up my health precluded me from going into the armed forces let alone to Vietnam.

Stories Untold is again something different to Wolfe’s usual homicide fare however, I feel sure that Leslie Wolfe fans will find Stories Untold enjoyable.

I rated

Untold Stories

 as a four-star read.

At the time of writing my review other

Goodreads readers have rated

Untold Stories

an average of 4.30 stars

from 998 ratings

and 92 reviews

***

Untold Stories

is available online

at

  Fishpond and Amazon

Unavailable:       Booktopia

~~~~~~~

Book Review-Hidden-In-Plain-Sight

Hidden In Plain Sight

by

Jeffery Archer

*****

Hidden In Plain Sight follows on after Nothing Ventured with William continuing his good work in the police force.  Hidden In Plain Sight opens at the same cracking pace that Nothing Ventured attained and that which is expected from a Jeffery Archer novel.

William is progressing through the ranks and finds himself with a Drug Squad that is trying to catch to of the major drug importers in London.  One of the targets is Miles Faulkner who has a 4 year suspended sentence hanging over his head courtesy of the judiciary system in Nothing Ventured.  The other villain in Hidden in Plain Sight is Khalil Rashidi.  Rashidi is a drug dealer, of note, operating out of South London.

Faulkner and Rashidi meet and bond in Pentonville Prison where they bot being held pending their respective trials.  All the while Christina, Faulkner’s, soon to be, ex-wife is angling to have Faulkner’s 73 paintings, which for his entire art collection held locally, included in her divorce settlement.

Faulkner is soon in a courtroom again where again Booth Watson is his adversary

Although Sir Julian does not think of women being good enough to be a QC he does appoint Grace as his junior, where she earns some respect from her father.

I rated

Hidden In Plain Sight

as a

Four Star read.

***

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Hidden In Plain Sight

an average of 3.98 stars

from 9,853 ratings

and 793 reviews.

***

Hidden In Plain Sight

can be purchased online at 

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

Book Review-Three-Woman-Disappear

Three Woman Disappear

by

James Patterson

*****

 

Many years ago I was a James Paterson fan; however it is only about one in seven books that rate a four star rating during the past 5 years.  Three Women Disappear is no exception.

An accountant (Anthony) with connections to organised crime is stabbed in his own kitchen.  Three women (his wife, Anna; his maid, Serena; and his personal chef, Sarah) were in the house at the time and all three fled the scene as all three had a motive for wanting him dead.

Sara is married to Sean, the homicide detective investigating the murder.  Sean is a bad husband and a good cop.

I will concede that I listened to Three Woman Disappear while working on my computer…the same as I do with many of my books.  However, I still couldn’t follow the storyline and cannot tell you whether the story was about all three women travelling together, or whether it was each individuals’ story.

By comparison, Come and Get Us, a bonus story included with the Three Women Disappear recording, was far easier to listen to and follow.

I have rated

Three Woman Disappear 

as a

audiobook/read.

***

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Three Woman Disappear

an average of 3.62 stars

from 6,009 ratings

and 434 reviews.

***

Three Woman Disappear

can be purchased online at 

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

Book-Review-The-Mistake

~~~~~~~

The Mistake

by

K. L. Slater

L. Slater’s, The Mistake, is a story of an impressionable teenage girl, Rose.  She was impressed by a 25-year-old (Gareth) who manipulated every single thought she ever had to his advantage.

Gareth does not like Rose having any friends or relatives; especially eight-year-old Billy, Rose’s brother.  Sometime thereafter Billy goes missing and his body is found not far from where he was last seen and it is Gareth who is charged and convicted.

Sixteen years later with Gareth still in jail for Billy’s murder and still proclaiming his innocence, Rose is still blaming herself for Billy’s death.  

Then she discovers evidence that her next-door neighbour may know something about Billy’s disappearance.  But does he?  And is Gareth really innocent of Billy’s murder?  The lead investigating officer at the time says he was not and is not one hundred percent certain that Gareth is the killer.

The Mistake was my eighth K. L. Slater read and is only the second of her works I have rated as a Three Star read.  Even though I did not pick the ending, it is definitely not on my favourites list.

I rated

The Mistake

as a

Three Star Read.

***

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

The Mistake

an average of 3.91 stars,

from 9,289 ratings

and 702 reviews

***

The Mistake

is available online

at

Booktopia,  Fishpond and Amazon

~~~~~~~

 

 

Book Review-Nothing-Ventured

Nothing Ventured

by

Jeffery Archer

*****

It has been a few years since I last read a Jeffery Archer novel so it was with a bit of trepidation that I commenced Nothing Ventured.  I felt that I was labouring through the prologue and first chapter or so.  But I soldiered on, soon after realising that I was again reading a Jeffery Archer novel.

Nothing Ventured is the first of the William Warwick series.  Not a detective story, but the story of the making of a detective, according to the blurb.  Since he was eight years old, William Warwick had always wanted to be a detective much to his father’s disappointment.  Sir Julian had always expected that William would always join the family law firm.

After graduating with a Degree in Arts, William joins the police force and hits the beat with his first mentor, Constable Fred Yates.   William eventually has the opportunity to join Scotland Yard where he ends up in the Arts and Antiquities Squad.

His first case investigation is the seven-year-old theft of a priceless Rembrandt which was stolen from its home in the Fitzmolean Museum.

Beth Rainsford, a research assistant at the gallery, becomes the love of William’s life; however, Beth has some secrets of her own.

Towards the end of the book, there are two court cases in which William and Beth have an interest and is enjoyable to read.

After a shaky beginning, Nothing Ventured soon became a book of Archer quality.

I have rated

Nothing Ventured

as a

read.

***

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Nothing Ventured

an average of 3.91 stars

from 29,665 ratings

and 1,758 reviews.

***

Nothing Ventured

can be purchased online at 

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon