Black-Eyed Susan's by Julia Heaberlin

Rating: I really liked it

Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 11, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0804177996
ISBN-13: 978-0804177993

Summary
I am the star of screaming headlines and campfire ghost stories. I am one of the four Black-Eyed Susans. The lucky one. As a sixteen-year-old, Tessa Cartwright was found in a Texas field, barely alive amid a scattering of bones, with only fragments of memory as to how she got there. Ever since, the press has pursued her as the lone surviving “Black-Eyed Susan,” the nickname given to the murder victims because of the yellow carpet of wildflowers that flourished above their shared grave. Tessa’s testimony about those tragic hours put a man on death row. Now, almost two decades later, Tessa is an artist and single mother. In the desolate cold of February, she is shocked to discover a freshly planted patch of black-eyed susans—a summertime bloom—just outside her bedroom window. Terrified at the implications—that she sent the wrong man to prison and the real killer remains at large—Tessa turns to the lawyers working to exonerate the man awaiting execution. But the flowers alone are not proof enough, and the forensic investigation of the still-unidentified bones is progressing too slowly. An innocent life hangs in the balance. The legal team appeals to Tessa to undergo hypnosis to retrieve lost memories—and to share the drawings she produced as part of an experimental therapy shortly after her rescue. What they don’t know is that Tessa and the scared, fragile girl she was have built a fortress of secrets. As the clock ticks toward the execution, Tessa fears for her sanity, but even more for the safety of her teenaged daughter. Is a serial killer still roaming free, taunting Tessa with a trail of clues? She has no choice but to confront old ghosts and lingering nightmares to finally discover what really happened that night. Shocking, intense, and utterly original, Black-Eyed Susans is a dazzling psychological thriller, seamlessly weaving past and present in a searing tale of a young woman whose harrowing memories remain in a field of flowers—as a killer makes a chilling return to his garden.

I am not a huge crime genre fan. I tend to find them a bit to gruesome and graphic for my tastes. Recently "The Eclectic Reader" posted her review on "Black-Eyed Susan's" and I admit to feeling intrigued enough to give it a go.

This story is told from the point of view of Tessa, a survivor of a serial killer attack. The point of view swings from adult Tessa's view and 16 year old Tessa's view. I felt the two points of view were written well and merged seamlessly together. It was not distracting at all and worked together to build the mystery. 

The mystery in this book is revealed slowly and carefully with it being quite hard to guess the end result. I certainly didn't guess the big reveal that's for sure. 

There is very little graphic violence in this book. It focuses on the mystery and the story telling. Tessa does describe her moments laying in a ditch while dying but it never gets too graphic.

I enjoyed Tessa as a character. She has moved on with her life and had a daughter. She struggles to allow her daughter freedom and ensure her safety. I like that Tessa, despite obvious anxieties and fears, still managed to get her life together and function normally. But we see her struggle as she pieces together her past and deal with what happened to her, while being a mother.

I really do recommend you read this book  as it is a clever, well written story with good pacing. I was hooked from the start and thoroughly enjoyed the story. If you would like to read another review check out Eclectic Readers review of Black-Eyed Susans, which is what brought this book to my attention in the first place.

The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero

Rating 3.5 out of 5
Publisher: Ebury Digital (August 14, 2014)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0091956463
ISBN-13: 978-0091956462
ASIN: B00JRD3YJA

Summary

 What begins as a clever, gothic ghost story soon evolves into a wickedly twisted treasure hunt in The Supernatural Enhancements, Edgar Cantero's wholly original, modern-day adventure. When twentysomething A., the unexpected European relative of the Wells family, and his companion, Niamh, a mute teenage girl with shockingly dyed hair, inherit the beautiful but eerie estate of Axton House, deep in the woods of Point Bless, Virginia, it comes as a surprise to everyone—including A. himself. After all, he never even knew he had a "second cousin, twice removed" in America, much less that the eccentric gentleman had recently committed suicide by jumping out of the third floor bedroom window—at the same age and in the same way as his father had before him . . . Together, A. and Niamh quickly come to feel as if they have inherited much more than just a rambling home and a cushy lifestyle. Axton House is haunted, they know it, but that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the secrets they slowly but surely uncover. Why all the suicides? What became of the Axton House butler who fled shortly after his master died? What lurks in the garden maze and what does the basement vault keep? And what of the rumors in town about a mysterious gathering at Axton House on the night of the winter solstice? Told vividly through a series of journal entries, scrawled notes, recovered security footage, letters to Aunt Liza, audio recordings, complicated ciphers, and even advertisements, Edgar Cantero has written a dazzling and original supernatural adventure featuring classic horror elements with a Neil Gaiman-ish twist.

 I have been trying to finalise this review for awhile and I still don't know what to write. I did enjoy the story and was fascinated by it, but at the same time it irked me. I don't like horror so the only reason I picked this book up is because a few book blogger friends highly recommended it. But the fact that I don't even like the genre yet kept reading and ultimately enjoyed the book should be an indicator of how interesting this book is.

The different points of view really bugged me. This however was slightly different as it is told from various "sources" diary extracts, official records, transcripts of videos and quotes from books. I admit to skimming through the text book quotes. They bored me and I didn't see the point (fickle I know). Sometimes the jumps didn't make sense either. It did frustrate me a little especially at the start. It does all tie together eventually but the sudden change of view/genre just made it hard for me to really get into the flow.

It was also a slow read. Plodding and scattered. The momentum built up towards the end but it is in no way shape or form  an action adventure type book. It also isn't a horror book like you would imagine. It is a lot more complicated then that. I won't say more in case it ruins the story.

Yet despite the annoyances, as I reached the end of the book I was hooked. I didn't even guess the mystery but I did guess the reveal at the very end (but only a page or two before it was revealed). I liked that the story wasn't predictable and was a unique take on the supernatural/ghostie genre. The story was interesting and once I got over my irritation of the different points of view and the pacing I did enjoy it.

I enjoyed reading from A (his name is never fully revealed) and Nimhs points of view which is probably why I disliked it when the view changed. I wanted to read more of their point of view. The setting was mid 90's so I enjoyed the pop culture references through out the book.

Ultimately it was a fascinating story and it kept the reader guessing. It wasn't predictable at all (well for me anyway) and was an interesting way to present a suspenseful horror mystery type book. I gave this book a 3.5 because I didn't love it but would recommend to others to read. I would even read a sequel if there was one.

Recommended for people who like clever quirky mysteries (with a touch of horror).

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley

Rating: 5 out of 5
Title: The Shadowy Horses
Author: Susanna Kearsley
Series: No
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (October 2, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402258704
ISBN-13: 978-1402258701
ASIN: B006WB7P4K

Synopsis
Archaeologist Verity Grey has been drawn to the dark legends of the Scottish Borderlands in search of the truth buried in a rocky field by the sea. Her eccentric boss has spent his whole life searching for the resting place of the lost Ninth Roman Legion and is convinced he's finally found it—not because of any scientific evidence, but because a local boy has "seen" a Roman soldier walking in the fields, a ghostly sentinel who guards the bodies of his long-dead comrades. Here on the windswept shores, Verity may find the answer to one of the great unsolved mysteries of our time. Or she may uncover secrets someone buried for a reason 

Sheree from The Eclectic Reader recently reviewed this book and I was intrigued. I followed her link to Susanna Kearsley's web page and read an excerpt of the first chapter and I was hooked. I immediately jumped on kindle and downloaded my copy ready for my holidays.

What did I liked
The writing was just enchanting. The author manages to write in a whimsical almost magical way. It is easy to imagine yourself walking beside the characters across the Scottish country side. Seriously the writer does such a good job you really feel like you are standing right next to them watching everything happen.

I did do a google search while reading this book for some images of Eyemouth Scotland. This helped set the scene better in my mind. I was not surprised when I found that the image I had in my head was very similar to reality. Look at these images aren't they gorgeous? wouldn't you want to be there?

Eyemouth Scotland Coastline

Eyemouth Scotland Harbour

This is a wonderful blend of mystery, historical fiction, romance, archeology, and a little paranormal. Not one factor over powers the other. All the elements come together and merge into a well paced story. The romance aspect is very G rated, it is a small aspect too but not the whole story and I think the most racey it gets was a kiss - on the lips!

Normally I don't like ghostie stories and avoid reading them (or watching movies). But this was not scary and wont leave you scared to turn off the light. In fact I rather liked the ghost in this story. He was comforting in a way. But the ghost element did give the book a haunting (har har yes pun was intended) feeling.

The other human, or still living, characters were just as interesting. Peter as the older professor who is eccentric but lovely. David the love interest is tall, dark, handsome, mysterious, and speaks with a Scottish accent. Fabia the vain and manipulative grand daughter of Peter. There is also Verity's spoiled ex and the house keeper (whose son is the ghost whisperer). All thrown in into the one place and it makes for some interesting dialogue and interactions. There are many more characters all who all add to the story. I did like David's mum she was a hoot.

The Scottish language was a little difficult to read at first but for me it was not a big deal.  I felt the author dealt with the language barrier well, by having the outsider character checking the meaning of words in a scots dictionary she had been given. It didn't feel forced or a contrived way to get around the language barrier but a realistic way to address the language barrier. I am glad the author wrote the Scottish characters speaking mostly in their language (or a mix of theirs and English), otherwise the novel would have felt weird being set in Scotland and not a single person from there not speaking in their language.

I wish I could pin point exactly what I loved about this book, the closest I can get is it just resonated with me. Was it the easy flow of the writing? the topic of archaeology? or a roman legion? the scots language (and yes apparently it is scots not Scottish in this part of the world)? even maybe the supernatural aspect? I have no idea. Everything just jelled and I couldn't put this book down.

All in all this was just an enjoyable book to read that totally transported me to another place. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this sort of story.

This was my first Susanna Kearsley book and it wont be my last.

Extras
If you would like to know more about Susanna Kearsley and read an excerpt of her book please visit her website.

I also put some images from Eyemouth Scotland and some of the buildings mentioned on my Pinterest board Images Relating to Fiction Books. Hope you enjoy them.

Susanna wrote an interesting guest post for the blog Passages to the Past where she talks about her research process for this book.

Wicked Business (Lizzy and Diesel Book 2) by Janet Evanovich

Rating 3 out of 5
Title: Wicked Business
Author: Janet Evanovich
Series: Lizzy and Diesel Book 2
File Size: 961 KB
Print Length: 321 pages
Publisher: Review (June 19, 2012)
Sold by: Hachette Book Group
Language: English
ASIN: B0082CXE7O
ISBN: B0061C1N5W  

Synopsis
Lizzy Tucker's once normal life as a pastry chef in Salem, Massachusetts, turns upside down as she battles both sinister forces and an inconvenient attraction to her unnaturally talented but off-limits partner, Diesel. When Harvard University English professor and dyed-in-the wool romantic Gilbert Reedy is mysteriously murdered and thrown off his fourth-floor balcony, Lizzy and Diesel take up his twenty-year quest for the Luxuria Stone, an ancient relic believed by some to be infused with the power of lust. Following clues contained in a cryptic nineteenth-century book of sonnets, Lizzy and Diesel tear through Boston catacombs, government buildings, and multimillion-dollar residences. On their way they'll leave behind a trail of robbed graves, public disturbances, and general mayhem.Diesel's black sheep cousin, Gerwulf Grimoire, also wants the Stone. His motives are far from pure, and what he plans on doing with the treasure, no one knows . . . but Lizzy Tucker fears she's in his crosshairs. Never far and always watching, Grimoire has a growing, vested interest in the cupcake-baker-turned-finder-of-lost-things. As does another dangerous and dark opponent in the hunt--a devotee of lawlessness and chaos, known only as Anarchy. Treasures will be sought, and the power of lust will be unmistakable as Lizzy and Diesel attempt to stay ahead of Anarchy, Grimoire, and his medieval minion, Hatchet, in this ancient game of twisted riddles and high-stakes hide-and-seek.

My thoughts
Janes Evanovich writes screw ball comedies very well. She has made her career out on them. But this felt like a Stephanie Plumb novel, with a the setting, and names changed with a dash of magic to make it "different". It wasn't different, it wasn't new. In fact I felt if you swapped the names with the main characters from the Stephanie Plumb series then I could be reading a Plumb book.


This book is light and quick to read.  There are no surprises and everything is familiar (if you have previously read the Plumb Series). Best of all you don't have to think when reading this.

I did much prefer book one Wicked Appetite (click on the link to see my review) to this book, and while I will read book three something had better change or I might just forget this series (which should be roughly seven books long due to there being seven stones).


But I did still enjoy this book, as I said Evanovich does this type of thing well. I did snort and giggle here and there but admittedly those scenes included the monkey, a character named and an old guy who could bend spoons with his mind.

Would I recommend it?
Only if you had read Wicked Appetite and a Janet Evanovich fan.

Hell's Fury by P.D Martin

Rating: 4 out of 5
File Size: 608 KB
Print Length: 256 pages
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B0083UX3B2 (ebook only)

Hell's Fury is the first book in the newest series released by P.D Martin. It is about Ally Logan (an alias that she is referred to as through most of the book) who is a CIA agent abandoned by her Government to an Afghanistan prison. She is rescued by a mysterious organisation who offers her a new life, a new identity and a new job. Her new job? to assassinate targets given to her by the mysterious Committee.

I have really loved reading P.D Martin's Sophie Anderson series so was keen to read this one when I learned of it. One thing I have liked previously about P.D Martins writing is how she can write strong, down to earth female lead characters who are most importantly believable.

Ally Logan (aka Jane Calloway, Ms Paige, or RB as we have yet to learn for certain her real name other then it begins with R) is a really well rounded character, and by well rounded I mean she is messed up enough due to her experiences to make her believable. Her back ground is that she was a CIA field agent who worked under cover and had been imprisoned in Afghanistan enduring weeks of torture. So if she didn't have issues I would not have bought into her character, but thankfully (from a readers perspective) she did. Her character really struggled with so many emotions, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Plus on top of that was rediscovering who she was and where her moral compass pointed.

The struggle Ally has internally makes her ideal to present the really tough and meaty issues that the author Martin raises in this book. Issues such as vigilantism, assassination, people trafficking, drug abuse, prostitution, exploitation of minors, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, morality, corruption and more. There is no sugar coating the issues raised and certainly no answers given and this is reflected through the main character as she struggles to reconcile what she could do, would do, wouldn't do, her past life and her current life.

But having said all that this book does not get bogged down in detail, idealism/morality, or leaves the reader feeling lectured. It is a fast, action packed read, that is hard to put down. The characters are well written and the story is complex with out being information heavy. If you like spy, thriller type stories this should hit all the right buttons for you.

I look eagerly towards the next book in the series.

Extras
If you would like to read an excerpt here is chapter one of Hell's Fury at Smashwords.com.

Dixie Divas by Virginia Brown

Rating 2 out of 5
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 483 KB
Print Length: 316 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0982175655
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books (December 31, 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B004HO5M44

"You found my philandering ex-husband?" Bitty asked. "Where? Mexico? Paris? In Tupelo with a cocktail waitress?" "In your closet," I answered. "Dead." 

Break out the hoop skirts and the zinfandel. The Divas are on the case. Wine. Chocolate. Transvestite strippers. Just another good-time get-together for the Dixie Divas of historic Holly Springs, Mississippi, where moonlight and magnolias mingle with delicious small town scandal. But Eureka "Trinket" Truevine, the newest Diva, gets more than she bargained for when she finds her best Diva girlfriend Bitty Hollandale's ex-husband in Bitty's hall closet. He's dead. Very dead. Now Trinket and the Divas have to help Bitty finger the murderer and clear her name.

Sounds good right? It certainly got my attention and I thought this could be fun. However I really struggled with this book. As you know I don't really like giving bad reviews, so I decided to use the good old lol cats style of reviewing to help make it easier.

One plus was the book was short. Thank goodness. Otherwise I would have given up. I nearly did, I seriously considered putting it down just-after-the-next-page. Why did I still persist? I have no idea. I gave this book so much leeway when normally wouldn't. The second half of the book was better, and I think that is why I stayed (in the end, well I tell myself that) but seriously it took half of the book for me to even get into it. I skipped most of the first half, and skimmed a big chunk of the bits I didn't skip.

I didn't get the characters. The ladies were supposed to be in the fifties but honestly I thought they were written to be in their eighties. Now I have knowledge of the "South" of America and how ladies were raised in the 1950's, but I know plenty of fifty year olds and they act nothing like these ladies. To be honest it irked me....a lot.

The only characters I liked were Bitty and Trinket's parents.  The main character Trinket bored me, and I didn't care what happened to her really. I would have preferred the book have been told from Bitty's point of view, as she was hilarious (and I don't think it was just because Trinket was so boring that anyone would look freaking awesome).

So this review is short and sweet. I just couldn't get into it or really enjoy it. However it has gotten plenty of good reviews elsewhere so maybe it was just me.

On a weird side note while searching for lol cat pictures to put in this post, my google image searches were turning up the most bizarre things. The kind of things eyes (innocent or otherwise) should not be seeing. Google must have been on the good stuff when I was doing my searches that's all I can say.

Freaks (Rizzoli and Isles Short Story) by Tess Gerritsen

Rating 4 out of 5 
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 148 KB
Publisher: Transworld Digital (August 31, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B005JXBJFI

I am a big fan of the show Rizzoli & Isles and didn't even know it was based on a book series till a friend of mine kindly pointed out. Ever since I have been curious to read the books. I am not a fan of these more hard boiled crimes books even though I like the shows (I love the Show Bones but do not like the book series it is based on), weird I know. So when I saw this book being offered for free on Kindle I jumped at the chance. In my mind a short story set with all the characters was the perfect place to get a feel for Gerritsen's writing and her characters.

In this book Rizzoli and Isles are called to the scene of an emancipated murdered 17 year old girl in a church. The case takes a supernatural turn when her friend and now suspect Lucas informs Rizzoli that they were both vampires. Now another life is being threatened and Rizzoli is in a race to solve the case and save a life. Is Kimberly Rayner really vampire? did Lucas really kill her? how does Kimberly's angry father tie into her life?

As I said previously this is my first Rizzoli and Isles book. I am not sure about the tone of the other books but this one was pretty light and not serious at all. It had a great mix of action, humour, and crime drama. All the characters were similar to the tv series so they felt comfortable even though this was the first time I was reading about them.The supernatural twist made the story very interesting.

This was a great short read and a wonderful introduction to the world of Rizzoli and Isles. I will definitely be starting this series and seeing if the proper books are as enjoyable as the short story.

Note
As at the date of publishing this post Amazon still had this ebook listed as being free.

Clarity by Kim Harrington

Rating 4 out of 5
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 239 KB
Print Length: 256 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0545230500
Publisher: Point; 1 edition (March 1, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B004P5NVIO

Hi guys, for this review I am going to try a letter style review again. I hope you enjoy it!

Dear Irishyz

You are lucky I know how much you did try to book bully me into getting this book, otherwise you would be in BIG trouble. I can not believe I waited so long to read this book! I was setting it aside as a holiday read. But I wanted a bit of a change from the last few books I have read, (you know I get the jitters if I don’t get a good dose of paranormal stories) so thought I would give it a go. I blitzed this book in 24 hours, which I have not done since March when I was stuck on a plane for 5 hours.

I liked the basics of the story which focuses around Clarity (Clare) Fern who is Psychic. As you know she lives in a small American town with her mother and brother who also have gifts. I liked that her whole family had abilities, but different forms; her mother is a telepath and her brother is a medium. After a tourist is murdered Clare is brought in by the Mayor to help the new police detective solve the mystery. As the death toll rises, the pressure is on for Clare to solve the crime, and prove her brothers innocence. Phew did I miss something? I think that sums up the plot which while simple was still engaging.

Clare is a wonderful character. I instantly took to her as she is likable with a wicked sense of humour. She has snappy retorts, is quick thinking and intelligent. She is not perfect, and not “mature beyond her years”. Plus the girl likes pizza, and orders pancakes for lunch! She is a girl after my own heart. The supporting characters were all enjoyable as well, especially Clare’s family who I just wanted to adopt.

The love triangle with Clare, Justin and Gabriel felt believable and not to "teen agsty". I will be interested to see how Clare’s relationship with each guy develops over future books. Clare could easily be with either of them. Which team am I? Team Justin or Team Gabriel? As yet, I cant call which team I am on but so far I like Justin (despite his boo boo which lead to his ex status, which I personally think was a frame up!) however to be honest, I preferred Nate to Justin and Gabriel!

I really enjoyed the mystery side of it, as it was well written. It felt more like cosy style but as I like that style of writing I am not fussed. Clare, Justin and Gabriel never magically knew more then they could realistically find out, and there were limited to what her gift could show her. I guess the only quibble would be that in the real world I doubt the police would hire a 16 year old psychic, I’m sure there would be all sorts of problems with that ethically, legally and stuff BUT that would have made the story incredibly boring really, and to be honest I didn’t care enough to get upset about. I can normally guess pretty early on who the murderer is but this time I couldn’t make my mind up. The murderer was a surprise and the author, Harrington, did a good job of throwing the reader of the scent.

I really, really liked this book and I am so glad you talked me into buying it. I can not wait till the next book in the series comes out. This looks like a really promising series that is fun and light, and well written. Thanks again for letting me know about this book, I will definitely be spreading the word, and letting others know about it.

Cheers
Caspette

PS How was the Doctor Who finale?

Dog On It: A Chet & Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn

Rating 4 out of 5

Opening sentence: "I could smell him - or rather the booze on his breath - before he even opened the door, but my sense of smell is pretty good, probably better than yours."

Dog on it is a delightful and humourous animal detective story. This is the story of Chet the mix breed mutt whose human is Bernie the down and out PI. In their first adventure, Chet and Bernie are hired to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl.

The story is revealed from the point of view of Chet. Anything that happened to Chet the reader knew about it for instance if Chet fell asleep, you don’t get to know what is happening, if Chet finds a particularly tasty looking chip under a piece of furniture the reader gets to know about the chip. While this may seem a random way of telling the story it works well and the author did a great job of not losing the reader. The gaps are filled in from Bernie who like most pet owners talks freely with his canine buddy about what is going on.

There is great humour in this book. I definitely had some “laugh out loud and dislodge the sleeping cat from tummy” moments (would that be LOLDSCFT?). I’m convinced that Chet has Labrador or some sort of scent dog in him as he acted exactly like every Labrador or Beagle I’ve ever known.

" 'Let’s begin by asking one simple question. Of everyone we’ve met on this whole case, from the moment Cynthia Chambliss came driving up the street, who’s the least trust worthy?'

Hey Anylizing turned out to be a snap. The answer to the least trustworthy question was obviously Cap’n Crunch; one glimpse of his tiny wicked little eyes and you knew that.”

Needles to say I loved Chet he was a great character and extremely dog like. He was random and funny; his dog perspective absolutely hilarious at times. Bernie was a fun character if a little sad. His horrible wife has left him taking their child and nearly every penny Bernie owns. He isn’t very good finances wise and has a big soft heart. Not all bad things but not great for running a business.

The best part is that Chet does not seem to have supernatural abilities, human intelligence, or a weird psychic connection with his owner who can understand dog bark. He is no Lassi or Benji. Chet is a dog, and acts like a dog. He doesn’t always understand what his owner is saying and likewise Bernie does not understand always when Chet tries to tell him something. I liked this as it is a fresh way of telling the animal PI story.

This is a delightful light read that will easily win you over. If you like cozies, PI detective stories and animal detective stories you will probably like this.

Extra Stuff
If you would like to read an extract Ullen & Unwin have a copy here.
Chet also has his own blog you can find here.

Other Reviews
Kittling Books
Not Enough Books
Books and Musings from Downunder

Body Count (Sophie Anderson Book 1) by PD Martin

Rating 4 out of 5 stars

“Body Count provides an insight into the life of a unique FBI profiler, Sophie Anderson. When a girl is found brutally murdered in DC, Australian FBI profiler Sophie Anderson suspects that the killing spree has just begun. With her fellow agents she delves into the mind of the killer, trying to predict his next move. When another victim turns up, Sophie knows that she’s ‘seen’ the girl before, raped and murdered – in her dreams. Struggling to separate fact from fiction, reality from nightmare, Sophie becomes more and more ensnared in the killer’s mind as the body count rises. Then the murders become personal and Sophie is caught up in a cat-and-mouse game that may cost her the man she loves – and her life”.

I found this to be a really interesting book. The only real thing I could fault it on was that I was stupid enough to read this during the work week when I had to put it down to go to work/sleep. Body Count is an easy fast paced read that was exciting and engaging. If you like your crime/mystery with lots of blood and gore or things going bang every five seconds this is not for you. While there are enough dollops of each this book is more about profiling the killers and investigation.

The psychic angle was interesting as Sophie was not yet comfortable in her skin as a psychic which most psychic Detectives are. The images for her are terrifying and hard to deal with. She is also learning how to control her ability but with little success. I like this element to the book. Another thing I really enjoyed was that I didn’t guess the killer at all!

I have seen criticism elsewhere that this was “to Australian”. I have to say I didn’t really notice any particular Australian sayings or words other then what would be in character. But perhaps as I am Australian I wouldn’t notice, it all seemed perfectly fine to me.

This is the first of what I believe are three books with a fourth on its way. I have the second book in my TBR pile which will skip to the top once i have finished my Library books pile which is slowly diminishing (then there are the TBRs that will be read first before the second book). So many books so little time.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5

"Summer. To Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, the world consists of one accounting sheet - Lost on the left, Found on the right - and the two never seem to balance. His days are full of people clamouring for answers and explanations. A jealous husband suspects his wife. Two spinster sisters make a shocking find. A solicitor investigates an old murder. A nurse has lost her niece; a widow, her cats. Jackson has never felt at home in Cambridge, and has a failed marriage to prove it. He is forty-five but feels much, much older. He is at that dangerous age when men suddenly notice that they're going to die eventually, inevitably, and there isn't a damn thing they can do about it. Surrounded by death, intrigue and misfortune, his own life is brought sharply into focus."

I really was not very taken with this book. The only reason I continued to read it was I had been told it gets better half way through, and to be fair it did get more tolerable towards the end.

Firstly I did not like the style that it was written in. Kate Atkinson seemed to want to use the biggest words available which is fine every now and then but not in nearly every paragraph in the first chapter. Also the language was old fashioned as well, which at first I though was maybe in keeping with the setting of the first chapter but I later realised this was how Kate Atkinson wrote (though it did loosen up towards the end) I almost put the book straight down after the first chapter.

I couldn't really like any of the characters except for Jackson and he was not in it as much as the blurb would imply. The only other interesting characters were barely in the book much to my disappointment. To be honest I disliked most of the main characters except perhaps Theo who was just a sad soul. Julia and Amelia only became interesting towards the end of the book.

The story jumped around a lot and was told from many different points of view which grew annoying especially when I did not see the relevance (or care perhaps?). In some cases the same story was told from two different points of view which did not offer anything new or insightful. There was a lot of unnecessary story thread woven in. Well for me they were unnecessary, I just did not see the relevance to the story being told. I found myself skipping quite a few paragraphs and not missing much.

I mostly kept reading to find out what the answers to the cases were, and I must confess to actually being surprised by the turn one of the cases took. Perhaps I am being harsh as I had just read the excellent Time Travelers Wife, but this book really failed to grab me at all. If it wasn't for the more interesting last chapters and the twist I probably would have scored this lower.