Beth
This was soo good! I didn't realise until reading it that it's the second in the Jesse Redpath series but I will be going back and reading Canticle Creek immediately! This book felt visceral and alive. Set in the wild forests and ungrowth in Australia, Jesse is assigned to the town of Satellite from her previous role in the territories. She works for the police. When she is assigned to help with flooding and thunder storms causing trees to fall in the area one night, she is unsurprised to hear that someone inside their car has been crushed by a tree. However when she turns up to investigate she doesn't think it's an accident at all! I loved her rough and ready character. She was tough but incredibly loving. I liked the impenetrable character of Nash and the smattering of community around both characters. I will certainly read anymore books produced in this series. The sense of atmosphere and location were sensational. You felt you were there during the rain and the storms and in the cabin with Jesse in the bitter frosty mornings.
Thanks to the Author, the Publisher and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for a e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book was quite slow paced considering the title and premise of this thriller. I think the first 60% could have been condensed as I felt we spent a lot of time with Beth talking to characters and doing the nursery run which was a little dull. Then the last 10% hit the reader with lots of twists but I felt the character of Beth was a little flat so considering we were meant to flip our opinions on her, I didn't feel the shock factor I have in other thrillers. The way the serial killer narrative progressed with Tom wasn't as explored as I would have liked. However it was a fun thriller and I read it super quickly. I am intrigued to carry on with the series and see how another perspective will enhance this story.
This was a really informative look at the ways in which the true crime genre (film, docuseries, books and podcasts) has evolved. This was focused on the context of the American criminal justice system. While the genre started with the vilification of suspects of crime (particularly murder). The literature on wrongful convictions has spread into the mainstream. This has lead to the new true crime wave. The new true crime uses shows/ case studies like Serial and The Staircase, Making a Murderer etc to analyse whether those accused of murder are really guilty or whether they have been falsely convicted.
This book looks at police coercion, forced confessions, dodgy forensics and other reasons for wrongful convictions. It looks at punishment, true crime as entertainment, the legal system and many other aspects. The author also used a mixture of 5/6 most popular docuseries and podcasts around this topic to illustrate her points. This gave me a very deep analytical framework to consider and I found it very useful.
Many thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
After reading the first instalment of the trilogy a few months ago, I was so pleased to get a Netgalley copy of the latest novel. This is another strong additional to the trilogy. This story gives more backstory to the characters of Ciara, Luke (the mundane gardener) and develops the relationship between Holly and Theo which was so sweet. Snow (Helena's daughter) was absent from the novel but it has heavily alluded to her return in the final book for a showdown. The book didn't have any Niamh in it which was disappointing as she was my favourite character so I hope we find a way to bring her back ! And Leonie travelling around was a little boring in parts but otherwise it was as good as the first. I love the world building of the Shadow Cabinet and the mundane government world. The action scenes are done well and the character development is strong. I also love the northern links in the book as I'm a northern lass myself.
Thanks to the author Juno Dawson, Publisher Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really fun read. It would be perfect as a coffee table book or a bedside table book where you could read little sub chapters before bed. The author clearly has a passion for crime fiction and gardening. The author was incredibly well read on the crime fiction genre and provided lots of book references throughout the text (and provided a handy book list at the back). This book looks at the different famous crime writers who used gardening, plants and poison to write great crime fiction such as Agatha Christie, Ruth Ware, Naomi Hirahara, Arthur Conan Doyle and more.
The book looks into topics such as means, motive, settings, clues, gardening detectives and suspects. A really detailed and pleasurable read that was clearly a love letter to the authors life passions.
Thanks to the publisher Timber Press, author Marta McDowell and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review
This latest installment was absolutely brilliant. I have really warmed to the characters of detectives Leo and Ffion. The first book was laying the foundations of the area in Cwn Coed in North Wales and the characters.
While the luxury houses on the lake and the posh people drama and murder plot of the first one was a little slower to get into, this book jumps straight into a juicy plot line.
I loved the big brother/ psychologically warped game show plot line. I loved the introduction of a new sidekick colleague George for Ffion to tackle. I loved the development of the will they/won't they tension between Ffion and Leo. I loved the introduction of the rescue dog Dave into the story and I am beyond excited to continue on with this series and the colourful cast of characters Clare Mackintosh has created.
The basic plot is that there is a new game show hitting UK television screens called Exposure and all contestants are average people including Ceri (the local postie) and it will be filmed in Cwn Coed. But when the twist of the show is revealed. That all contestants are not trying to survive in the wilderness for prize money but are really fighting to stop their secrets being exposed on national television, this leads to one contestant escaping camp and going on the run. Ffion (Welsh representative ) and Leo (English representative ) are called in to help find him as a missing persons case but it might just lead to a murder investigation too....
Thanks to the author Clare Mackintosh, the publisher Sphere and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
4.5. There were a few clunky explanation bits about the world of Hell that I just suspended my disbelief about. That knocks half a star off. But I am happy to overlook that in light of this being a debut. But wow! What a plot. What a well coloured in world. I loved the short chapters. I was engrossed in both the Harrison family story line and the Hell story line. This author will be one to watch for sure!!
3.5. It was a 4 star all the way through until the last chapter that seemed disconnected and disingenuous from the novella as a whole. A quick spooky ghost read that is fun to read in one sitting but the ending between the neighbours and Ginette and Andrew and Detective Ian was just really cheesy and jarring.
This was a really intriguing and informative non fiction case study type of read. While the author was very transparent in the introduction that he identified as a black cisgendered male, he recruited LGBTIA+ black participants who were studying in either black educational institutions or more prominently white educational institutions. Any findings or observations argued by the author were always bolstered by the direct words expressed by the interviewees. The author also explored and acknowledged all the diverse opinions of all the different interviewees on different topics areas. Some of the chapters were diving into issues such as coming out, choosing which university to attend as a black LGBT person, discussing gay black celebrity identity's, Black Lives Matter, institutional racism and homophobia and political and sexual identities of black LGBT individuals while at university. That is just a small selection of the topics discussed. I enjoyed the complexity of interviewee's answers and while this book is not reflective of all black LGBT people, it actually helped highlight the individuality of answers, black LGBT people will give. Racial and sexual identity as well as a political stance and the experience of making friends or being accepted by colleges and administrators at the university are experiences unique to the person. While it is clear that black LGBT people are marginalised and have challenges they are also people who enjoy their studies, their friends and joining organisations. This really addressed the complexity and individuality of the broad topic area. A promising addition to the literature around this topic.
Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.