ARC REVIEW: The Songbird Girls – by Richard Parker

Title: The Songbird Girls
(Detective Tom Fabian #2)
Author: Richard Parker
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: December 19th 2018
Publisher: Bookouture
Finished reading: December 2nd 2018
Pages: 269

“Must be the first time a serial killer has ever tried to empathise with the detective dealing with the crime scenes he’s created.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

!! Happy publication day !!

I always seem to enjoy reading Richard Parker‘s thrillers and his new Detective Tom Fabian series is no exception. After reading the first book, I have been looking forward meeting Tom Fabian again, and it was another interesting journey. The writing style makes it easy to fully emerge yourself in the story, and the case detective Tom Fabian has to investigate this time around is without doubt fascinating. I love myself a good serial killer mystery! And there is definitely something both intriguing and disturbing about the serial killer in The Songbird Girls. I did have my doubts about certain aspects of the credibility of it all and I was surprised to see that this story was rather ‘mild’ compared to his other dark, twisted and nailbiting stand-alones… But it was without doubt an entertaining and still thrilling read. And that ending! I’m definitely impatient to find out what will happen in the next one. Because there is one thing for sure: The Songbird Girls will have some shocking surprises for you in store. Detective  and serial killer thriller fans will definitely appreciate this series.

WARNING: Possible spoilers! Please don’t read this summary if you haven’t read the first book of this series yet. I’ll keep the summary super short but it’s impossible to keep it completely spoiler-free…

A ghost from the past seems to be haunting detective Tom Fabian… It’s been years since the most famous case of his career, where he managed to catch the infamous serial killer Christopher Wisher. But it’s not the last Tom Fabian will see of him, as Wisher summons him to his prison and Tom Fabian realizes his games are far from over… And when a body is found bearing Wisher’s signature, Fabian and his team are desperate to find out who is behind it all.

If you like your detective thriller fast, entertaining and slightly twisted, you should probably meet detective Tom Fabian. The serial killer in The Songbird Girls is without doubt an intriguing and quite disturbing one, and it’s interesting how big of a role he plays even though he is behind bars. There are quite a few surprises waiting for you as well as a healthy dose of action and suspense. I’m not sure everything was completely credible, but I sure had a blast reading this sequel anyway.

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ARC REVIEW: Her Final Confession – by Lisa Regan

Title: Her Final Confession
(Detective Josie Quinn #4)
Author: Lisa Regan
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: November 28th 2018
Publisher: Bookouture
Finished reading: November 11th 2018
Pages: 306

“Sometimes people get it wrong. Even when there is no good reason. Even when it’s the very last thing you’d expect them to do.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

!! Happy publication day !!

I always have a weak spot for a good detective thriller series, and Detective Josie Quinn has quickly grown into one of my favorites. I have been enjoying spending time with his main character in the fictional city of Denton, and book number four is without doubt another great addition to the series. If you like your detective thrillers fast, intense and basically similar to crazy rollercoaster rides, you definitely have to try this series. What a ride! I wasn’t sure what else could be happening after all Denton and its habitants have already gone through, but Lisa Regan has another surprise in store and the plot intensifies. One of the reasons the series works this well is that the main characters are easy to like and connect to. Between this, the writing style and a gripping plot you will definitely want to free some of your time when you start reading Her Final Confession. Did I think some aspects of the plot were a bit too farfetched and not everything was credible? Without doubt. Does this take away from the overall credibility of the story and made me raise my eyebrows at points? Maybe. But the fact is: Her Final Confession is still one heck of an entertaining and intense ride and the story had me at serial killer. (Ok, technically long before that.) It was fascinating to find out more about both Gretchen’s past and learn more about Josie… Even though some plot twists and facts were a bit too convenient and farfetched. This is the only minor flaw of what has been an excellent detective thriller series so far, and I’m already looking forward to the next installment.

WARNING: Possible spoilers! Please don’t read this summary if you haven’t read the first three books of this series yet. I’ll keep the summary super short but it’s impossible to keep it completely spoiler-free…

When the body of a young student is found on the driveway of Gretchen Palmer, a valuable member of Detective Josie Quinn’s team, Josie is sure Gretchen is innocent. But with Gretchen missing and no real clue as to what happened, Josie is forced to treat her as a suspect anyway. Even when Gretchen finally shows up and even confesses to the crime, Josie doesn’t believe she has killed the boy. And Josie is determined to find out the identity of the real killer instead. This means digging into Gretchen’s past, something that turns out to be more dangerous than they thought…

I have consistently enjoyed the books of this detective thriller series so far and book number four is no different. Her Final Confession is fast, suspenseful and filled with plot twists and shocking surprises. Intense is an understatement! While not everything about the plot and twists is exactly credible, it’s still quite easy to forget about the credibility and enjoy the ride anyway. The writing style and the characters have a lot to do with this! Entertaining, intense and full of suspense: Her Final Confession is without doubt another excellent addition!

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ARC REVIEW: Hunting Annabelle – by Wendy Heard

Title: Hunting Annabelle
Author: Wendy Heard
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
First published: December 18th 2018
Publisher: MIRA
Finished reading: November 24th 2018 
Pages: 336

“Every day I feel like I’ve lost another grain of myself, like I’m a mist settling over the ground and getting burned off by it.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and MIRA in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

Hunting Annabelle is one of those titles I have been looking forward to for quite some time now. The blurb sounded fantastic, with a mental health angle and a potentially dangerous and unreliable main character. And there is no doubt that Hunter Annabelle isn’t your ordinary thriller read. While I do think the story read more YA than adult despite the twenty-something characters, this doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it any less. And the fact that the story is set in 1986 instead of the present is an interesting touch, because although not as present in the plot as a whole, it does show in the little details (mostly referring to the developments in mental health and police investigation). All in all it definitely wasn’t the story I was expecting, but mostly in a good way. The writing on its own is engaging and the use of the unreliable narrator method well developed. The main character Sean is the perfect unreliable narrator candidate and him being both the good and bad guy at once is refreshing. While I did have some issues with the credibility and some of the plot twists, I do think that overall it was quite an interesting and original read. I wasn’t sure about the final twists and chapters though… It seemed a bit farfetched and too big of change for me. But all in all I can still recommend Hunting Annabelle to any mystery/thriller fan looking for something different and refreshing.

Sean Suh had to spend three years in a psychiatric prison, and now he is released he is determined to never go back. He wants to stay away from temptation, still punishing himself for what happened in the past… But he can’t resist Annabelle, who is both beautiful and the only person who can see past the monster he feels he is. Then Annabelle is kidnapped, something that happened right before Sean’s own eyes. But is he a reliable witness? Why doesn’t anyone seem to believe him? Sean is determined to find Annabelle no matter what it costs…

If you are looking for an interesting thriller read with an original touch, Hunting Annabelle is a good option. Set in 1986, this story doesn’t follow the typical thriller structure and plot and with the help of unreliable narrator Sean you will find yourself spinning in circles while you try to figure out what is happening. The final twists were a bit too farfetched and over the top to be credible for me, but it definitely isn’t something you will see coming… Dark, intriguing, a healthy dose of blood and serial killer and a very interesting mental health angle: Hunting Annabelle has it all.

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ARC REVIEW: Cold Dark Places – by Kylie Brant @amazonpub

Title: Cold Dark Places
(Cady Maddix Mystery #1)
Author: Kylie Brant
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: December 4th 2018
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Finished reading: November 18th 2018
Pages: 350

“People didn’t always act the way they should. Not even grown-ups. Sometimes the people who were supposed to protect you from monsters were monsters themselves.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I admit I was sold as soon as I saw the cover and read the blurb. A stunning cover AND the promise of meeting a new twisted serial killer? Yes please! I have been looking forward to start Cold Dark Places and there is no doubt that the story delivered. This complex, action-packed and heart stoppingly good thriller was everything I hoped for and more… The perfect start of a new series. What I liked is that Cold Dark Places isn’t just another detective thriller and instead treats us to a multiple POV story where we get to follow four different characters including the killer, two different law inforcement angles and a young woman with mental health issues. And that is not all: we also get a dose of flashbacks helping to reveal more about the past. This seems like a lot to stuff into just one thriller, but somehow Kylie Brant makes it work. A lot of this has to do with the excellent writing and a fast pace that will sweep you away until you have somehow reached the final page. The plot development and use of suspense and plot twists is also spot on: being able to create a constant atmosphere of urgency, danger and suspense. There is a lot of action involved as the hunt for the escaped killer is on, but this is not the only angle of the story. It is also about Eryn, her past and her mental issues, and we get indirect hints about Cady’s past as well. It was interesting to see how the different storylines slowly connected, and Cold Dark Places definitely has some shocking surprises in store for you. If you like your thrillers fast, action-packed, disturbing and suspenseful, this new series definitely is for you. Trigger warnings are in place for sexual and child abuse, violence and graphic scenes in general.

When child killer Samuel Aldeen breaks out of a well guarded facility for the criminally insane, it is all hands on deck and everyone is called in to aid during the hunt. The authorities believe he had accomplices both on the inside and out, and it’s a race against the clock to find out their identities. Cady Maddix is one of the persons called in to track all of them down. When an unexpected lead brings her to Eryn Pullman, a young woman recently released from a closeby psychiatric facility, it not only brings back flashbacks of her own past but also more questions about the killer’s true motive behind his escape…

I had a good feeling about Cold Dark Places and it turns out my instincts were right. I do love my detective thrillers, but I also love when a story is able to bring something original to the mix. Being able to get a glimpse inside of the head of both the serial killer Samuel and Eryn as well was simply fascinating. Another bonus was that both other POV characters Cady and Ryder were easy to like… The writing is spot on, the pace is superfast, the plot twists are brutal. Oh yes, this was one hell of a ride and an excellently constructed and complex one at that. I’ll be looking forward to see more of Cady Maddix in the future!

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ARC REVIEW: Last Lullaby – by Carol Wyer

Title: Last Lullaby
(Detective Natalie Ward #2)
Author: Carol Wyer
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: December 7th 2018
Publisher: Bookouture
Finished reading: November 15th 2018
Pages: 361

“I thought she was heartless, but I’d no idea she was prepared to go to such lenghts to destroy other people’s happiness, to wreck my happiness.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I’ve been a fan of Carol Wyer‘s detective thrillers ever since I first read Little Girl Lost, and I’m always looking forward to any new installments. I was excited when I found out we were going to meet a new detective only a couple of months ago, and while I still prefer Detective Robyn Carter as a character, I have been looking forward to meet up with Detective Natalie Ward again. Last Lullaby is without doubt a great sequel and a chance to learn more about Natalie Ward and her team. While I admit I’m still not a fan of her, I liked how her team worked as a whole. The writing is of course as strong as ever and part of the reason her detective thrillers work so well for me. The same goes for the pace, plot and plot twists and the level of suspense. The case they are investigating in Last Lullaby seems to be quite straightforward at first glance, but turns out to have so many layers I would never have guessed. The plot twists are being executed brilliantly and the suspense is spot on, both only adding to the overall reading experience. There are a lot of wrong turns here and I like how we get to have a glimpse inside the head of the killer without the identity being revealed. Definitely a very strong case and a very strong sequel! I will be looking forward to the next book.

When Adam finds the battered body of her wife Charlotte Brannon in their bedroom, detective Natalie Ward and her team are called in to investigate. Not only is her body badly beaten, but the killer has left a message on the wall: the word ‘why?’ written in her blood. As Natalie and her team begin digging into their lives, they discover both have been hiding a lot of secrets… It’s up to them to discover if they are related to the crime, and who is behind the death of the young mother.

There is no doubt that Last Lullaby is a strong sequel and another excellent detective thriller by Carol Wyer. I always enjoy her way of writing; it’s engaging and really makes you fly through the pages. The case in this sequel is another fascinating one, especially since it’s almost like a Russian doll with all those hidden layers slowly being discovered. I love it when a story manages to surprise me and keeps me guessing about the identity of the killer until the final reveal. And even though Natalie Ward still isn’t a favorite of mine, I’m still looking forward seeing more of especially her team as a whole.

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ARC REVIEW: Her Last Move – by John Marrs @johnmarrs1

Title: Her Last Move
Author: John Marrs
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: November 8th 2018
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Finished reading: October 27th 2018
Pages: 352

“That’s how his mind operated – he was all or nothing. When there was a goal to achieve, he could become so ruthlessly single-minded that he wouldn’t allow anything to stand in his way.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

!! Happy Publication Day !!

I’ve been meaning to try one of his thrillers for some time now, so when I saw Her Last Move I grabbed my chance. I had high hopes for this newest thriller, both because of the fascinating blurb and the fact that fellow bloggers seemed to have enjoyed it. There is no doubt that those expectations were met. Her Last Move has a well crafted, complex and interesting plot, where we follow three different POVs that each has its own subplot apart from the main investigation. This isn’t just another detective thriller, as we get a look inside a serial killer with a very twisted sense of justice as well as a new investigation angle with facial recognition expert Joe Russell. Both DS Becca Vincent and Joe have complicated backgrounds that might be considered cliche (the whole damaged detective angle). But while those backgrounds didn’t add anything sustantial to the plot and might distract from the main story at times, it did help making it easier to relate to them. The suspense and amount of information available about the ongoing investigation are well distributed, giving you just enough to try and guess what is happening without revealing its secrets. There are a few twists that will no doubt surprise you! The character development is excellent and it was fascinating to learn more not only about the how, but also about the why behind it all. If you are looking for a well constructed, elaborate and intriguing detective thriller with an original twist, Her Last Move is a great choice.

DS Becca Vincent is determined to be involved in the new murder investigation, especially since she finds out it is connected to a scene she witnessed herself. Despite the fact that it might be difficult to balance her personal life as a single mom, she knows this case will determine her career…Together with facial recognition expert Joe Russell and a growing team, it is their task to stop the killer before he strikes again. But he seems to be one step ahead of them every time, and  it is a race against the clock to stop him before the body count rises even further.

I really like how Her Last Move isn’t just another detective thriller, and adds its original twist to it. The plot itself is quite complicated with three different POVs to consider as well as various background stories. But it all just worked for me, and both the suspense and plot twists are well handled. The story also has a few surprises in store, and the character development is very well done. Plus, getting to look inside the head of another twisted serial killer is always a bonus, right? Fans of the genre will enjoy this one.

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ARC REVIEW: Before She Falls – by Dylan Young @bookouture

Title: Before She Falls
(Detective Anna Gwynne #3)
Author: Dylan Young
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: November 1st 2018
Publisher: Bookouture
Finished reading: October 21st 2018
Pages: 338

“And there it was. The big, lumbering elephant that stomped into the room whenever Rainsford mentioned Whitmarsh prison. Hector Shaw.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

Before She Falls is already the third book in a detective series that has quickly become one of my favorites. I have been looking forward to meeting detective Anna Gwynne again, and once again it has been one hell of a ride. This series so far has been a perfect mix of an interesting cold case angle and a disturbing serial killer thriller. Before She Falls doesn’t disappoint and brings us more of this mix, more of the serial killer we’ve been following since book one and a new case that will manage to give you goosebumps. The writing is razorsharp, engaging and will make you fly through the pages as you try to figure out what is going on… And we will see a whole lot more of Hector Shaw as well. Because of the importance of this character in relation to the rest of the plot (and because the previous books are excellent in the first place), it is a MUST to read the books of this series in order. They are well worth your time! It has been interesting to see the main characters evolve over time and I really like Anna Gwynne as a character. The plot in Before She Falls is once again fascinating, disturbing and will definitely make you think about just how far the reach of the internet really is. The way everything connected was very cleverly executed! And there is no doubt the ending will leave you wanting for the next book. If you are looking for a well written, thrilling and dark detective series with an original twist, you should definitely go meet detective Anna Gwynne.

WARNING: Possible spoilers! Please don’t read this summary if you haven’t read the first two books yet. I’ll keep the summary short but it’s almost impossible to keep it completely spoiler-free…

Kimberley Williams decided to take her own life and jump off Southdown Cliff, leaving everyone close to her shocked. They can’t understand why she would end her life like that, and the investigation brings something very disturbing to light. Detective Anna Gwynne and her team are called in after it is discovered that Kimberley has been receiving messages that eventually made her do what she did. And it turns out she wasn’t the only one… And serial killer Hector Shaw has a personal interest in this case as well. Will Anna Gwynne be able to get to the bottom of this?

The Detective Anna Gwynne series just keeps delivering and Before She Falls is another excellent edition. This story has everything I could want of a thriller: a creepy serial killer, a clever plot, suspense, plot twists, interesting characters, an original touch… All blended together into a perfect detective thriller smoothie. Before She Falls is creepy, dark and disturbing with a lightning fast pace and a few heartstopping moments; any fan of the genre will be in for a treat with this series is general.

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