The Immortal City by Amy Kuivalainen

In the heart of Venice, a woman is sacrificed to a forgotten god, sparking a mystery lost for thousands of years.

Dr. Penelope Bryne is ridiculed by the academic community for her quest to find the remnants of Atlantis, but when an ancient and mysterious script is found at a murder site, she flies to Venice determined to help the police before the killer strikes again.

Penelope has spent her entire life trying to ignore the unexplainable and magical history of Atlantis, but when she meets the enigmatic Alexis Donato, everything she believes will be challenged. Little does she know, Alexis has spent the last three years doing his best to sabotage Penelope’s career so doesn’t learn the truth—Atlantis had seven magicians who survived, and who he has a duty to protect.

As Alexis draws her into the darkly, seductive world of magic and history, Penelope will have to use her heart as well as her head if she is to find the answers she seeks. 

With the new MOSE system due to come online, and Carnivale exploding around them, Penelope and Alexis will have to work together to stop the killer and prevent dark magic from pulling Venice into the sea. 

This book is definitely a piece of escapism and made a welcome change to the books I generally read.

It has its dark and grisly moments but also a sprinkling of romance with very interesting magicians.

The historical aspect is fascinating and very thorough and rich in detail.

The plot is fast and well developed, I was gripped from start to finish.

The characters are generally well developed, the romance between the hero and heroine perhaps a bit cliched but still a lot of fun.

A lot of work has obviously gone into this book and it brought back wonderful memories of Venice which is such a magical city it is the perfect setting for this book.

I would recommend as a book to get lost in, and aren't they the best?

My review of Pieces Of Her by Karin Slaughter


I'm a big fan this author's work, especially the Will Trent series, so I knew this would be good.
The story starts with a bang with chaos and conflict and continues pretty much like that right to the end. I had to keep reading to find out just what was the truth and what would happen next.
The plot and the writing are very clever, complex and full of murder, manipulation, and suspense.
The characters are well developed and three dimensional, the manipulative Nick particularly so.
I didn't take to Jane or her daughter Andy. Too much crying and Andy finding nothing to say and I could just never forgive Jane for letting someone do something so horrific to her and yet stay with that person. But not liking every character is part of the experience, I still loved the book.
It does switch back and forth between two different times and points of view, but the switch is clearly made and easy to follow.
A great read, very exciting page turner.

My review of The Fifth To Die by J.D. Barker

Exceptional storyline and writing. Read the 4MK first otherwise, you will miss out on a real treat of a series that is compelling, exciting and unputdownable. This book, like the first, is fast-paced and so tense my toes curled. It has multiple storylines, but you won't get lost or confused because J.D brings all the threads together - eventually. It has multiple POV's but again you won't get confused because each character is unique with their own distinct voice. You will enter a world full of believable personalities and this book is rich with excellent dialogue. I loved Sam Porter even more in this book, but now we have some unanswered questions and I can't wait to find out what's going on. But I will have to wait because this is, of course, not the end. And then there is Anson Bishop, the sociopath that Porter is obsessed with finding. He has such a brilliant, twisted mind that I'm left admiring him! and that's bad right? Because he's a serial killer, but he draws you into his sick games where you keep trying to guess his next move and never get it right. He's scary, thrilling and I'm left enthralled by him. He's a man with, 'a steady tick of a clock somewhere in a little nook of my subconscious, a clock more accurate than any hanging on a wall.' And his 'anger can be held in check, bottled and stored and opened when it is most needed.' He makes me shiver with delight. This is a dark, gritty, compelling read where the tensions build from the start and don't end. I can't wait for the next installment. Thank you J.D Barker for another masterpiece.

My review of Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh




When I saw this hook I just had to read this book.
THE SERIAL KILLER ISN'T ON TRIAL.
HE'S ON THE JURY...
It didn't disappoint. Eddie Flynn is such a great character, a conman turned lawyer who still retains the cons skills and uses them to defend his case. Joshua Kane, the evil serial killer, was also brilliant. Cold, intelligent and manipulative. This is exciting and thrilling right to the very end. A great read. and another author I will be following.

My review of The Lion Tamer Who Lost by Louise Beech




Louise Beech is one hell of a writer. This is a story about Ben and Andrew. Andrew made a wish that he wrote down and kept in a silver box ... Ben lost his mum to cancer and has a difficult relationship with his father, Andrew never knew his father. Many coincidences bring them together resulting in a moving, tragic yet also uplifting book.
The author transports you to the heat and smells of Africa with such attention to detail that you really believe you are there, and then she takes you back to damp Britain. And the characters are so real that you can't help but love them and care deeply about the choices they make and how life treats them.
Her writing is exquisite, how anyone can convey such emotion with words is amazing, I'm blown away by it. For example, 'the words knotted Ben's stomach, like ribbons just too tight around a gift.'
Louise Beech is now one of my favourite authors ever.
You have to read her books. HAVE TO!

My review of Red Snow by Will Dean




Two bodies, two coins, two weeks and so the story unfolds. I loved Dark Pines and couldn't wait to read this one and follow Tuva Moodyson's journey. Tuva is now preparing to leave Garvrik, which I for one, am sorry about. I love shivering when I read about this cold, isolated place where when you open a window, 'freezing air pours in like seawater' and where 'everything’s white. It looks like God poured a bottle of correction fluid over the whole town, and who the hell could blame him.' The author's descriptive writing is so good you are transported to Garvrik and chilled to the bone as you read.
Before Tuva leaves she has one last job to do, research on the liquorice factory and the secretive family who live there.
The author's last book left me with strange images of trolls and this book has left me with images of snow skulls! Very creepy and I loved the information about liquorice.
Tuva is a great character, very well drawn, very real and I hope she continues to feature in future books. I so wanted her to find love, especially when we find out what's going on in Tuva's head, for example. 'When she stands in front of me my head turns into a soft clump of overcooked pasta' or 'we're slowly tangling together like climbing roses.'
The writing throughout this book is beautiful, descriptive, excellent and this, together with the fantastic array of characters, makes this an outstanding book.

My review of Good Samaritans by Will Carver.

I so loved this book and once started I could not put it down. The characters are very well done, there are 5 main ones, Maeve, Seth, Hadley, Ant, and Dect. Sgt. Pace who's lives become interwoven in a very twisted and shocking way. I really can't say more without giving the plot away.
The points of view change from first person to third person with the occasional author interjection. The author breaks the rules here and it works, it works very well.
The writing style is original, like the plot with short, sharp sentences and paragraphs, for example,
I wait. Breath held. Looking over the girl.
I wait.
Then I scream.
This just adds to the pace and the tension and keeps the story moving breathlessly along.Every so often, the author breaks up the stark writing with a lovely gem, like this one;
'her jeans held on to the skin of her legs for dear life.'
A very dark and intense book that thoroughly enjoyed. My first from Will Carver but not my last.