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The Collector by Anne Mette Hancock
The Collector is typical of the Nordic noir genre – chilling, intelligent and wholly captivating. Perfect dialogue, haunting imagery, and difficult topics. A mysterious blurb. It ticks all the crime junky boxes. It makes my heartbeat and my nerves jangle. The cover makes me imagine scenes from some of my favourite scandi dramas. All of this combines to make The Collector a must-read for anyone who loves a good mystery. It will keep you guessing until the very end. Plus, the writing is sharp and engaging. One sentence is all it took to fall into the pages of the story. The characters are so down to earth, so relatable, people…
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Daphne by Josh Malerman
Daphne hits you hard and fast right from the beginning. Put on your Nikes and get ready for the most exciting run of your life! The start of the story is a bit slow, and I felt that it was let down slightly by the pace. I had heard so many great things about Malerman’s work and I wanted to give it the best chance. Midway through it really started gaining momentum and I was all in. the seatbelt was engaged, and I braced my hands on the dashboard, expecting to get my head caved in at any moment. Kit Lamb and her friends are having a sleepover, and what’s…
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Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater
Death of a Bookseller is something new. It has a killer premise. The story was impactful with a deep plot that evokes emotion on every page. Slater constantly stokes the flames of mystery. Well, wasn’t this one an anvil to the head? I love a fantastic crime story and Death of a Bookseller didn’t disappoint. The aura of obsession, jealousy and pain are never far from the pages. It’s like a shadow, preparing to swallow you whole, consume you as you consume it. A full circle of darkness. Okay, So Roach (real name Brogan), works in Spines, a bookstore in Walthamstow. The images my mind conjured up is nothing short…
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Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth
Arch-Conspirator was a quick and enjoyable read. Veronica Roth was a new author for me, but I found myself really enjoying her writing style – the storytelling and dialogue felt refreshing and with purpose, not a word was wasted. An Antigone retelling in a sci-fi dystopian world – the pages flew by as I was entranced by the worldbuilding. If you’ve enjoyed the original tale of Antigone, then I think you’re going to enjoy Roth’s reimagining. There’s the same feminist, control and conquer themes but with a sci-fi twist. The character development is well researched and imagined, it was really outstanding considering the low page count. The dystopian world was…
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Bad Mother by Mia Sheridan
Bad Mother is a suspense thriller that reminded me a lot of Karen Rose’s work. I had enjoyed a lot of Mia Sheridan’s romance titles, so I was excited to see what she was capable of in the mystery genre. I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t really care for the romance side of things as I just felt this second chance romance was a little bit implausible. I don’t think I’d hook up with someone that ditched me at the alter but there we go! I didn’t read much about the synopsis before delving in, but the premise of a Bad Mother really intrigued me. This really helped me get…
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The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Fault in our Stars is wrenching as it is lyrical. A perfect story, with a perfect cast. It will draw readers in and shatter their hearts. This was my first read of The Fault in our Stars it didn’t fail to have me in floods of tears. How is it that this book is so utterly perfect? It captivated my heart and soul and I fell endlessly in love with Augustus and Hazel. I failed to read this book until now because I felt that I wasn’t the intended demographic, but I shouldn’t have feared. Grief and pain is a universal emotion and this story brought it all out.…
