Sarah

True crime is another genre I love to read and it's good to read a memoir from someone who's actually on the front line and in the streets chasing down the people responsible for the myriad of crimes we see in the world.

Cloyd Steiger is a former Homicide Detective who worked in Seattle and this is his story, he tells us about some of the cases he worked on from arriving at the crime scene to the arrest and prosecution of the suspect, it's fascinating to read and gives you a better insight into what their jobs entail and how each case effects them when they're not ‘on the job'.

I would've liked to hear more about him off the job and if/how he managed to keep the job separate from his home life as I think that is an important part of a memoir of this type. I did still enjoy it though, it kept me engaged and interested throughout.

Huge thanks to Cloyd Steiger, BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

Prehistoric creature in a lake killing people and generally being a massive dick about everything? Why yes please!

As you know, if you've been reading my reviews, I absolutely love creature features, massive fish, evil cows, frolicking spiders, all of ‘em. So I'm constantly on the lookout for them, like b-movies they're feel good stories for me, I wrap myself up in a blanket, make myself as comfortable as possible and dive right in. So good.

I loved this book, the drama and quirkyness of the characters, the massive fish being troublesome, the storyline, the escapades and the shenanigans. It was just right for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

As soon as I finished this I picked up Thresher by the same author will be keeping my eye out for Behemoth. I just love these sorts of books.

Huge thanks to Michael Cole, BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

I had to DNF this book, I really didn't like it, couldn't connect to the characters at all and found it dragged, nothing pulled me into the story and gripped me enough to read it
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Huge thanks to Alison Gaylin, Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

New York, New York, USA. (where the book is set, not where I am now unfortunately but I'll be upset about that later).

During construction for the subway of the brand spanking new Z-Train worker Grady McGowan falls to his death in an abyss formed by his drilling (that's his job, he wasn't just on there ‘cause he fancied a try). Three years later we're at the opening of the Z-Train subway, 300 feet below the Hudson River, where we met the Mayor of New York, the President and various other dignitaries and random people as everything is unveiled, lots of oohh-ing and aahh-ing is expected and loud applause.

The much anticipated train pulls into the station but the passengers on board don't get off and we need to find out why, as the doors open we find that all the train cars are empty and drenched in blood, where are all the peoples?? There's screaming and running about as everyone tries to leave and then shit just hits the fan, there's methane leaking in, there's water having a go too and then we find that something that lives below New York has woken up and it is angry as hell and isn't going to take it anymore.

What's going to happen? What's going on? Why is the President a bit of a dick towards the Mayor? Where's my beer? All these and more will be answered when you read the book!! (except the beer one, you'll all be pleased to know that I've found it now)

If there's a sequel to this I will most definitely be picking that bad boy up!

Huge thanks to James S. Murray, Darren Wearmouth, Harper360, Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

This is my sort of book! Action packed, a wolf, blood and gore filled, a wolf, suspicious characters, a wolf, awesome team of badasses, a wolf, a flawed yet redeemable main character and did I mention that there's a WOLF in it? Plus the dubious science, let's never forget the dubious science.

Hunter is an expert tracker, he finds people that other people can't with his excellent tracking skills and his black wolf Ghost, he's roped in to find a beast loose in the Arctic Circle, it's already fucked up some research stations and killed a bunch of elite military guards and is loitering around being a pain in the arse. He agrees and eventually finds out it's human but with gene splicing (dubious science) its been turned into a huge abomination and it's not too happy at all!

There's much action and violence, harsh language and dickishness (I say that's a word!) all over the shop and I thoroughly and highly enjoyed it!

I flew through this, I didn't want to put it down and couldn't sleep until it was done and I knew how it ended. So very good!!!

And if IMDb is right then this is gonna be a movie!! I want it NOW!!

Huge thanks to James Byron Huggins, WildBlue Press and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

This book is 560 pages long, just found that out because my Kindle does not tell me page count just percent (if anyone knows if i can change that could you please let me know?), it did not feel like it was that long as I was reading it, I just flew through it!

I was gripped from the first chapter and didn't stop until I read the last word. What made me want to read this book were the words ‘booze-cruise', ‘suddenly cut off in the middle of the night' and ‘nowhere to escape'.

Drunk people with nowhere to go, facing god only knows what, blood, gore and violence abound and surrounded by alcohol, you know that's not gonna end well and it doesn't!

We follow a fair few people in this but each have their own distinct voice so there's no confusion as to who's saying what and any of the nonsense you find happening with other books following multiple characters. It takes place all over the ship with plenty of shenanigans going on, there are the people you like and root for as things start getting worse and the ones you hope will die in horrible and gruesome ways, there's twists, shocks and WTF moments but you still continue to read as you NEED to know what's going on. So exciting!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it, I am very much looking forward to reading more by this author especially if they're like this one!

Now I just need to get my hand on a hardback copy of this where it will sit with my Stephen King books until the urge to re-read it overwhelms me!

Happy cruising.

Huge, huge thanks to Mats Strandberg, Quercus Books, Jo Fletcher Books and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

My mum hates rats, when her and my dad first moved in together they came home one day and there was a rat doing it's thing in their kitchen, it was massive apparently. so my dad had to kill it with a kitchen knife, he did it with such force that the vinyl kitchen tile came up when he pulled up the knife, rat still attached, so yeah, she hates rats.

I mention this simply because I read this, thought of her and was telling her about it as I have a sick sense of humour. Cruel I know but also kinda funny as she can laugh about it slightly now.

Anywho, when I saw the title of this I didn't have to read who the author was because I just knew it would be a Hunter Shea story!

Millions and millions of rats, a rodenticide called Degenesis, the Dr responsible for said rodenticide and the crack exterminators, soon to be divorced, Chris and Benita (Benny) Jackson merge together for a rip roaring journey through the sewers and streets of New York each trying to kill the other, with plenty of blood, gore, rat and human based deaths and the humour of Hunter Shea.

It's a good story, well written and just adds to my love of Hunters books. I need them all, I need physical copies on my shelves of every single book so I can loan them out to share the love, all the love and with this one, the ratty love!

Huge thanks to Hunter Shea, Kensington Books, Lyrical Underground and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

To be completely honest I don't know why I read this, there's nothing wrong with it I just realised as I read it that I have no interest in the subject matter.

Was a quick read seeing as though I skim read nearly the entire thing but I know it will interest other readers who like the sort of book the authors are talking about.

Huge thanks to Kate Nagy, Rachel Hyland, Overlord Publishing and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

When Archaeologist and YouTube star Nolan Moore decides to do a new video at the Grand Canyon in search of a cave full of ancient treasures, he and his team are in for much more than they bargained for when they actually find it!

While searching the cave someone triggers a large round stone to cover the only way in or out thus beginning the shenanigans that begin to get weirder and more frightening as they try to find a way out.

The characters are well written, the story has a good flow to it and the descriptions of all the weird happenings are and strange. I was gripped by it and didn't put it down until I finished it as I, like the characters, wanted to know what in the actual fuck was going on! It was a long night of WTF's and ‘Oh I see's'.

Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Huge thanks to Michael Rutger, Bonnier Zaffre and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

This is the first book in the Mail Order Massacres trilogy and it's a great start!

When young lads David and Patrick see an add in a comic book for sea serpents that cost just a $ they quickly decide that they need them right flippin' now so pay their money, get mother to send it off and wait as patiently as 2 young kids can wait for them to arrive.

They're not exactly what the lads expected and after days of watching them decide to empty them into the sewer and, because they're kids, promptly forget all about them and carry on as before.

The sea serpents begin to grow though and when animals start to disappear in the area David and Patrick eventually realise that they know the culprits. Violent, bloody and crazy shenanigans ensue as they try and figure out a way to bring them down.

This is a very quick read as once the action begins you can't put it down, it's Hunter Shea just being his regular weird self and I love him for it.

I'm currently trying to work myself through all his books and each one just pulls me in and keeps its slimy little claws in me until it's all finished. Just love ‘em.

Huge thanks to Hunter Shea, Kensington Books, Lyrical Underground and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

Book 3 in the Mail Order Massacres trilogy and it takes a different direction than what I was expecting!

Rosemary's son really wants the Nuclear Submarine he sees advertised on the back of one of his comic books, it looks amazing, it will fit him AND one of his friends inside it and it only costs $1.99!! She caves and decides to get it for him, it's her son and she loves him.

When it arrives they put it together and he begins his fun filled days playing in his new submarine. One day, however, he and his friend decide to get into it in a swimming pool, both nearly dying in the process as cardboard and water don't mix (don't try it kids!)

Rosemary then complains to the Better Business Bureau about the company after trying to contact the company itself and receiving no reply, said company is not best pleased and things start to get weird, well, weirder than normal resulting in her husband and son going missing.

Cue her survivalist brother, herself and shit loads of weapons on a journey of rescue and that $1.99 back.

Another weird and random story by Hunter Shea and 1 that I really enjoyed even with that ending. I read this, Just Add Water and Jurassic Florida in one night as I needed more of his particular brand of insanity.

Huge thanks to Hunter Shea, Kensington Books, Lyrical Underground and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

When I think of Graham Masterton I think horror, gruesome, violent horror surrounded by a well written book. I'm not saying this isn't well written, it is, it's just different.

It's violent, gory, has a good main cast, it's a quick read and it involves evil clothes. Yes, evil clothes. That's not a spoiler as it's mentioned in the synopsis but you just want to know what the fuck is this guy on to actually write a book with that as a plot point?

It is a fun read for people who want a weird ass horror book and wants to spend a couple of days side-eyeing their clothes hitting them with a stick every time they hear a strange noise. Ah, good times.

The humour gives it some levity in the face of all the violence and I love that, the mixture of both helped me fly through it even though it is a bit silly and that's why it's a 3 from me.

Huge thanks to Graham Masterton, Head of Zeus and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

Welcome to Polo Springs, Florida!!

First thing to say is don't get attached to ANYONE in this story, save yourself the frustration as people get eaten and thrown about willy-nilly at the whim of the massive fuckin' iguanas!

18 year old mayor Anne (yeah, you heard that right!) is preparing herself and the town for Storm Ramona which is about to hit and you'd think that was enough stress and trauma to deal with until said iguanas start their shenanigans, we see the townsfolk battling both the storm and the iguanas in a blood drenched, gore filled riot of insanity!

I expect nothing less from a Hunter Shea story, I love the mentalness of each of his stories and how each one progresses, just when you think you'd read the weirdest part, bang, you get hit by something even bloody weirder, so very good!!

Huge thanks to Hunter Shea, Kensington Books, Lyrical Underground and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

This is set in Cornwall, there's a massive slug thing living in the sea and attacking and killing people, generally just being a nuisance and a huge dick.

There are no breaks between the different people talking or when you are taken to a different location in the town, it breaks the flow of the story as you try to work out who's talking and where we are now.

The descriptions of the town and area are wonderful though and I love the inclusion of the old Cornish language, it brings a charm to the story.

The ending, however, was pretty ‘meh' for me, would've liked more action, suspense and a sense of urgency. That being said, it wasn't the worst ‘creature feature' book I've read but it wasn't the best.

Huge thanks to Peter Tremayne, Endeavour Press, Venture Press and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

Set on Salvation Island, Chris Sigurdsson returns there to investigate the disappearance of writer David Lithgow and find out what has happened to him.

I didn't realise that this was the second in a series until I picked it up and I was worried that I had missed come crucial information from the first. I needn't have worried as you get everything you need to enjoy it for what it is, a bloody good story!!

We have a creepy island, a deserted amusement park, a travelling freak show with a mysterious proprietor and a vicious serial murderer who may or may not be already dead, hmmm.

The story is wonderfully written, the atmosphere created is creepy and believable, it flows well, there's menace and violence twisting through on each page and the characters are well fleshed out and easily distinguishable from each other.

I read this in one sitting as I was so invested in the characters and story and that ending was perfect, it was exactly as it needed to be and I loved it!

Bravo Mr Richter, Bravo.

Huge thanks to Jon Richter, Bloodhound Book and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

This is a heartbreaking story, I wanted to take her out of this situation, give her a big hug and tell her that this is not how it's supposed to be, no-one should ever have to go through what she went through and it will get better but my words would probably have no comfort and wouldn't be able to take any of her pain away.

Physically, mentally and sexually abused for her whole life by her parents, her brother, people she called friends, people who should've been protecting her and the men she was made to ‘see', no-one helped her, not Social Services, not the staff in the residential unit where she was placed, no-one.

She was instead left to fend for herself and try to get out of each situation on her own, dealing with the multiple rapes by drinking and taking drugs to numb the pain and degradation, trying so desperately to leave but having nowhere to go.

She fought long and hard to get where she is today, to build herself up, to get the justice she deserved for all the horror and abuse she went through, to show she survived, she hadn't lost her fight or her spirit, she hadn't lost her ability to love.

She is a strong, capable, independent woman. She is a warrior.

Huge thanks to Zoe Patterson, Jane Smith, HarperCollins UK, Nonfiction, HarperElement and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

I love this book!

Disused mine, kids being kids go over to have a sneaky look, one gets horribly murdered but by what? We don't know!!

Cue lying, treachery, shock, horror, surprise and more! The characters are fun and we hate who we're supposed to and for damn good reason, we root for the heroes and we hang around to find out just what is in the mine, why the hell it's in there and who knows about it.

Loved the ending, the backstory of the mine and how it all came together. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Huge thanks to Thomas Malafarina, Sunbury Press, INC and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

This is book 1 in the DI Adam Fawley series and is, therefore, the first book I've read in this series.

Daisy Mason is an 8-year-old girl who goes missing from a party at her house, the parents are frantic as they search for her and, obviously, phone the police. Enter DI Fawley who immediately has his suspicions about what's happened and the reactions and demeanor of the parents and older brother.

Woven into the story are tweets from the local newspaper plus news articles and reports which show both support for the family and anger and hatred towards them as more comes to light surrounding the disappearance.

There's a lot going on in this story, red herrings, secrets and lies from most people involved, things ramp up as we continue and we see their lives begin to fall apart.

It shows how, I want to say, ‘invested' people are by the story in hoping they find Daisy alive and well and that there will be a happy ending, but shows more how the trolls come out, how rumours are spread and taken as gospel by people who don't know what's really going on in the family and the destructive and vicious comments people seem to put for their own amusement.

I enjoyed the book as it flowed well throughout, I liked the inclusion of the social media aspect and thought Fawley was a likeable character. Good inclusion into the genre.

Huge thanks to Cara Hunter, Penguin Books (UK) and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

I loved B.A. Paris' first book Behind Closed Doors, it really kept me gripped until the very end and made me feel actual feelings! This one though sigh didn't reach those dizzying heights.

Finn McQuaids' girlfriend Layla goes missing one night while they're in rural France, one minute she's there, the next, she's gone, vanished into thin air, he can't explain it to the police, can't explain it to her sister and doesn't want to explain it to himself. He goes back home to England and continues his life as normally as he can do.

Cut to 12 years later and he's now married to her sister Ellen (!?!?!) (I know right!) they have a dog called Peggy and live in a cottage in a small town. One day Finn finds a tiny Russian nesting doll and immediately thinks of Layla, soon more of the tiny dolls are found by both him and Ellen, they don't tell each other about them (well why would they? them being completely loved up and married and everything) and the secrets and lies continue throughout the book.

It's told in 2 time frames which it does easily and well but I didn't like the characters, the story didn't seem believable to me at all and seemed quite far-fetched. I also read the alternative ending and that wasn't very believable either.

So I'm sorry to say that this wasn't the amazing book I was expecting it to be. It doesn't mean I won't be picking up her other books in the future it just means that I won't be picking this one up ever again.

Huge thanks to B.A. Paris, HQ and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

Sabrina Limon said of her husband Robert that ‘He would rather be dead than get a divorce.'

I don't believe she gave him those options before both her and her lover Jonathan Hearn conspired to murder him. I'm sure, given the choice, that he would have said ‘you know what crazy lady? I'd rather be alive and get custody of my kids than leave them in your mental clutches' or something along those lines.

And another thing, she didn't want to get a divorce because it's a sin in Gods eyes, yet she was perfectly fine with all the other shit she did, cause we all know it doesn't say, anywhere in the bible, anything about murdering people, it's not like it was written anywhere in stone or anything but I could be wrong.

Anywho I enjoyed this as it's true crime and I hadn't actually heard of this story before so it drew me in quite quickly and I read it over 2 days, trying to retain as much information as I possibly could.

I'm now on the hunt for all the other books by Michael Fleeman as I think he writes very well.

Huge thanks to Michael Fleeman, WildBlue Press and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

This true crime book is about Anthony Allen Shore who murdered young girls in Texas.

We read about his childhood and his family life and the investigation by the police to find out who murdered these girls.

It's not pleasant in parts but you expect that as it's explaining the crime and where the bodies were found etc.

I thought it was a compelling and well written account and will gladly read more by this author.

Huge thanks to Corey Mitchell, Kensington Books and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

When this starts you think it's all about the interwebs and technology and maybe involving the silk road but then it starts getting weird and supernaturally evil as they both combine and everything goes to hell.

It's a well written and gory action packed slap of a story with some awesome characters and as you get more and more into the story it makes you think about how much time we spend online and how attached we are to our phones and then other shit kicks off in the story and you think ‘that'll never happen!' but then another part of your brain goes ‘yeah but what if it does?' and then you can't sleep.

One more thing before I wrap this up and that is that you have to love a book where not only does a character saying ‘Happy accidents' remind you of the great Bob Ross but ‘Space dad' is used to describe God.

That is all.

Huge thanks to Benjamin Percy, Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

Don't really remember much of this as I read it last year and it was at a time where I was toying with the idea of not writing notes when reading, as you can probably tell, that was a mistake.

What I do remember though is that it was a quick and fun cozy read, the characters are well written with humour and it's setting is lovely.

I'm looking forward to reading more from this series to see the ongoing development of the relationship between Irene and her mum Adelle.

Huge thanks to Paula Paul, Random House Publishing Group - Alibi, and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own

Paris, France, underneath the cobbled streets, cafes and boutiques there are The Catacombs, the resting place of 6 million dead, winding through miles and miles of tunnels, here Catophiles wander and explore, trying to find new rooms and tunnels to add to their maps. But something else lurks down there and it's willing to kill to keep it's secrets.

Four Catophiles are on a mission, trying to find a missing woman who was filming herself as she walked around, she dropped it and began screaming as she ran away, they want to find her and ask her what she saw.

All is going well considering they're having to squeeze through tiny holes to get where they need to be and they do encounter a few nutters but that's par for the course I expect. Then shit gets weird and violent and then horiffic.

I'm not going to say anymore because I don't want to spoil it, you should go into this not knowing too much and then have the opportunity to say ‘what exactly is this horsefuckery!?' without my telling you about it and then you can decide whether to carry on reading it or not.

We're in Japan at Aokigahara Forest, it's not far from Mount Fuji, and is known as Suicide Forest, where many a Japanese person has gone to take their own life, it's a creepy place knowing the history yet it's one of those sacred places where you go and mourn the death that's happened there and leave knowing you want to continue to live and change what you can to be happier.

Now I read this at the very back end of last year, so not too long ago, 29th december to be precise, and I was expecting supernatural shenanigans to kick off right from the start, it didn't, I kept waiting, still didn't happen, lots of deaths happened but nothing supernatural and then it started reminding me of something else I'd read before and it's driving me mad trying to work it out!

It may be The Ritual by Adam Nevill but that had actual supernatural shenanigans in it and something with hooves (I'm pretty sure he's obsessed with hooves!).

Anywho, just when you think you're gonna get all spooky supernatural it gets weird, shit goes down and you don't know what the fuck is going on and then there's blood and gore and folks killing stuff.

I enjoyed it, quite violent and bloody but I like that sort of stuff I just wish it was more spooky that's all.