The Reunion is a well-written tale which pulls the reader into the story and keeps them there. I was intAll my reviews can be found at
The Reunion is a well-written tale which pulls the reader into the story and keeps them there. I was intrigued to find out what had happened to Hannah and I found Jennie to be fascinating lead character. I felt for her on one hand, the more she discovered about her friends and their relationships, the more it became clear that Jennie’s memories weren’t quite as rosy as she had painted them to be. I also couldn’t help but suspect Jennie. Those slightly clouded, fuzzy memories, could there be more to them? I certainly wasn’t ready to believe that Jennie was completely innocent! There are quite a few characters in this book but it was easy to keep tabs on who everyone was and what their relationship/role was. As well as the small friendship group, there is also a team of detectives pulling the clues together. And despite being a standalone, the authors did a great job of giving the more secondary characters a voice and a personality. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed The Reunion. I thought the plot was strong, I thought the cast of characters all played their parts well and I liked how the tension built as I approached the denouement. An interesting lead character who manages to keep her connection to the victim under wraps for a surprising amount of time (and then convincingly persuades her DCI to keep her on the case!) really added to my overall enjoyment of the novel. One for the crime fans, that’s for sure. Add it to your reading list. You won’t regret it. Recommended....more
When a bushfire starts to get out of control in Rislake, a popular Australian tourist destination, DS AlAll my reviews can be found at
When a bushfire starts to get out of control in Rislake, a popular Australian tourist destination, DS Alex Kennard decides to lend a hand evacuating the locals. But it soon becomes clear that someone important is missing � Tracey, the wife of one of the firefighters. Throwing caution to the wind, DS Kennard joins Russell, the anxious husband, and his best mate, fellow firefighter Joel, in the hunt for the missing woman. Only to discover her crumpled, bloodied corpse at the bottom of the stairs. It’s clear to experienced detective Kennard that Tracey has been murdered. But the fire is edging ever closer to the property, promising to destroy the murder scene and any evidence left behind by the killer. It’s a race against time for DS Kennard who feels he has something to prove to both his superiors and to himself. Can he solve the murder before the fire destroys him�?
Into the Flames is a compelling, atmospheric, claustrophobic crime thriller that held my attention from beginning to end. I was drawn into the story by the vivid setting, the ever-present threat of the fire devouring everything in its path, the flawed main character and the high tension stakes. Would Kennard be able to get beyond his own demons and discover what happened to Tracey or would those same demons take hold of this fragile man and destroy him? Leaving the city behind following a hostage situation gone terribly wrong, Alex Kennard and his wife Ann are making a new life for themselves in Katoomba, New South Wales. Having had a rather shaky start in the new town, Kennard knows he needs to work hard to build trust. So when he realises that he’s inadvertently stumbled into a murder scene, Kennard is keen to take control of the situation. Show his superiors and those colleagues who doubt him that he is a good detective. That he is capable of solving a murder and that the past is firmly in the past. But time is running out, along with Kennard’s list of suspects. And still the fire burns, getting closer and closer to the murder scene, ready to destroy everything.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Into the Flames is a gripping, thrilling, tension-laden read perfect for fans of well-written mysteries. I adored the small-town Australian setting. The way the author builds the threat of the fire throughout the book is done very well. The scale and the impact for someone who has never experienced an Australian bushfire first hand was staggering. There was no stopping the devastation and destruction. And on top of the drama and imminent threat posed by the fire, there is an intriguing murder investigation playing out. I quite liked Kennard as a lead character. He’s flawed but that only made him all the more interesting to me. I enjoyed seeing the journey he took, particularly the really quite reckless decisions he made along the way. They certainly added a lot of tension to the narrative. All in all, I very much enjoyed Into the Flames and would happily read more by this author without a moment’s hesitation. A very vivid story and a great murder mystery set against one of the best backdrops I have read in recent years. Unpredictable, claustrophobic and highly compelling. Recommended....more
I thoroughly enjoyed this third instalment of the Henry Kimball/Lily Kintner series. Definitely more LilAll my reviews can be found at
I thoroughly enjoyed this third instalment of the Henry Kimball/Lily Kintner series. Definitely more Lily than Henry this time around but that doesn’t matter one jot. For those not familiar with this series, Henry and Lily first crossed paths in The Kind Worth Killing (2015) which still, to this day, is one of my all-time favourite books. But their story wasn’t done. A second book featuring the characters was published in 2023, that was The Kind Worth Saving and it was the most perfect sequel to the first book. So, I was delighted, nay over the moon to discover that a third book was heading our way. And what an absolute corker of a read it was.
However, I don’t think you need to have read any of the earlier books to enjoy this latest instalment. I mean, I don’t really know WHY you wouldn’t read them first. They’re superb and give you a better feel for some of the characters. But I do believe you will be fine just cracking on with A Talent for Murder.
Would I recommend this book? Of course I would, it’s a Peter Swanson novel! The twists and turns, as I have come to expect from this author, are sublime. The pacing is masterful, keeping the reader fully immersed in the story and wondering what is going to happen next. The plotting is intricate and takes you in directions you could never predict. There is so much more to this book than is detailed in the synopsis. The blurb contains only a mere fraction of the story! With red herrings galore, fascinating, well-drawn characters and multiple shocks and surprises along the way, this is another outstanding thriller from a true talent. I cannot wait for more from Peter Swanson in the not-too-distant future. Highly recommended....more
Beth knows her terminally ill mother doesn’t have very long left. Laura’s carer has been preparing her fAll my reviews can be found at
Beth knows her terminally ill mother doesn’t have very long left. Laura’s carer has been preparing her for this moment for a number of days now. So when her mother, weak and barely able to speak, beckons her to her side to watch the sunset, Beth doesn’t hesitate. With her last breath Laura shares something unexpected with her eldest child. “Your father. He didn’t disappear. Don’t trust�.� Beth has made it her mission to find her missing father since he left his family seven years ago. Unsure what to make of her mother’s last words, she puts them to the back of her mind. She knows as the eldest sibling it is going to be down to her to make all of the necessary arrangements. She needs to take control of the situation, particularly with her brother’s arrival imminent, quickly followed by a call from the hospital about her sister. With the estranged siblings reunited for the first time in years, they start to reminisce and watch videos shot by their mother of the most mundane family moments. Until the picture on the screen changes to something shocking, something they cannot tear their eyes away from. The body of a young, local girl. Their father, the man they loved and trusted for so long, covered in Emma Harper’s blood. What part did their parents, and in particular, their father, play in Emma’s horrific death? Has Laura taken the biggest secret of all to her grave with her? And how well do we really know those we’re closest to�?
Home Is Where The Bodies Are is a highly emotional, suspense-laden thriller. With themes of grief and family resentment, there aren’t many characters to like in this book but that only adds to their appeal for me. Beth is the eldest of the three siblings. She’s the only one to have returned to her mother’s side when it became clear that Laura was dying. Being the big sister automatically means she’s the bossy one, the one who sorts everything out. But she doesn’t feel she’s made the most of her life. A loveless marriage which inevitably crumbled, having a very distant relationship with her daughter and working the same, meaningless job for years. However, she knows without a shadow of a doubt that she wouldn’t swap her life with Nicole’s, her sister. Nicole is a drug addict who often contacts Beth begging for money, calling her all of the names under the sun and threatening her if she doesn’t deliver. Beth wants to help Nicole but feels Nicole needs to help herself first. Michael is the youngest. A tech entrepreneur who escaped the small-town hell that still ensnares Beth and Nicole. Living it up in California and splashing the cash, Beth can’t help but resent her brother.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. I thoroughly enjoyed Home Is Where the Bodies Are. The siblings� story is a very compelling one and I was intrigued to discover the truth, what really happened that night in June 1999. Told in the voices of Beth, Nicole and Michael, and with flashbacks narrated by their mother, Laura, the reader really gets a feel for these characters. The ending was unexpected and really quite shocking. There were several well-written twists along the way that knocked me for six. Despite frequently trying, I couldn’t guess what direction Rose was going to take the story in! This is the first book I’ve read by this author and on the back of how much I enjoyed HIWTBA, I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by Jeneva Rose in the future. All in all a well-written, engaging psychological suspense thriller with a fascinating, highly compelling, complex family dynamic at its heart. Recommended....more
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