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13 October 2018

Read in August 2018

Oh wow, I am so behind with my book roundup posts. Safe to say my body has been against me recently. I have, however, managed to get a fair bit of reading done. The downside to that is I have more reviews to write. So here is what I read in August which seems a lifetime ago.

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The Chosen Ones by Howard Linskey

Eva wakes up in a large box with no way out and no idea how she got there. Eva isn’t the first women to disappear and Detective Ian Bradshaw is put on the case with no leads and no manpower. He joins forces with two freelance journalists, Tom & Helen, to try and get some answers and find Eva before it’s too late. When a body is found everyone hopes they will finally catch a lead but they just end up with more questions.

This is the 4th book in the series and also the first book I have read by Howard Linskey. It works well as a stand-alone and I didn’t find I was missing out on anything. I will probably pick up the others at some point though as I did enjoy Howard's writing.

The chosen ones is told by several POVs which worked well. It flowed well and was easy to keep straight and the short chapters kept me hooked. I really loved the main characters and how they all interacted. Towards the end I did guess the twist and who the “bad guy” was but it didn’t ruin it and kinda added to the tension of whether they would work it out in time. The ending was dramatic which I always love.


Truth and Lies by Caroline Mitchell

Truth & Lies was my introduction to Caroline Mitchell and it is safe to say I will definitely be reading more of her work as soon as possible.

D I Amy Winters hopes to follow in the steps of her highly respected police officer father. Unfortunately, her world is turned upside down when she finds out that the Grimes, notorious serial killer duo, are her biological parents. Her "mother" is willing to reveal the location of 3 victims if she plays along with her games. Whilst Amy comes to term with this and tries to work the case without anyone finding out her secret there is also another case of a missing girl to solve before it’s too late.

We get to discover parts of Amy’s past as an when she remembers them. It’s honestly chilling to witness how evil Lillian is whilst coming across as your average middle-aged woman and manipulating everyone around her.

I loved Amy’s character and it was nice to witness a strong female character who was also allowed to be vulnerable. It was also interesting to see how Amy matched up to Lillian's manipulations. I also really liked Paddy and getting an insight into his life which I think Caroline handled very well. The ending was definitely not expected and it made me a tad emotional.

Truth & Lies is a fast-paced thriller with a few unexpected twists which I could not put down. I can’t wait for the next book in the series to be out to see what happens next.

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter

Two girls are forced into the woods at gunpoint. One runs for her life. One is left behind

28 years ago Charlotte and Samantha's lives are torn apart by a horrendous attack on their family. They suffer the loss of their mother and huge trauma. 28 years later they both struggle with the scars, physical and emotional. Being around each other is tough as it just serves to remind them of that day so they push each other away.

Charlotte is plunged into a living nightmare when violence strikes her hometown once again. It brings back memories she’d rather forget. The truth about that day 28 years ago threatens to surface but is Charlotte strong enough to face it.

I adore Karin Slaughter. She is one of my all-time favourite authors. The Sara Linton/Grant County series was probably the series that got me hooked on crime novels. I am absolutely loving her stand-alone books at the moment though. Pretty Girls was an incredible read and The Good Daughter did not disappoint. I cannot wait to get my hands on Pieces of Her.

The opening chapter of this book packs Karin's usual punch. It pulls you in and makes it impossible to put down. I felt so many emotions and it absolutely broke my heart. I was not prepared for the tears. So glad I wasn’t reading in public. I also cried in the middle and at the end. I am not normally this emotional but it really tugs at the heartstrings.

I struggled with Sams character to start with but as I read on I definitely warmed to her. To be honest I actually ended up loving all of the main characters. The Good Daughter switches between the past and present so we gradually find out more about what happened on that horrendous day and why the girls are the way they are. The present-day then focuses on the family's relationship as well as the aftermath of the crime that Charlotte witnessed. I was also definitely not expecting a major twist. Definitely added to the drama.

Just a side note that there are some graphic scenes as well as rape so if that is a trigger for you I would probably skip this one.

Beth...x

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