1001 Book Review: London Fields by Martin Amis
Murder mystery where the victim manipulates the murderer…
Jan 13
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Jan 6
Dec 31
You Were Gone by Tim Weaver
You Were Gone by Tim Weaver
Published in: 2018
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★]
This ARC was provided by Penguin UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis from Goodreads: Three days after Christmas, a woman walks into a police station. She has no phone and no ID, just a piece of paper with the name of investigator David Raker on it. She tells officers that Raker is her husband.
SHE SAYS SHE’S MY WIFE.
When he turns up at the station, Raker is stunned. The woman looks exactly like his wife. She knows all about their marriage, their history, even private conversations the two of them had. There’s just one problem: Raker’s wife has been dead for eight years.
MY WIFE DIED . . . DIDN’T SHE?
The woman tells the police that Raker had a breakdown. A respected doctor backs up her account. Items are missing that prove Raker’s side of the story – and, worst of all, he soon becomes the prime suspect in a disappearance.
SHE’S EITHER A LIAR – OR I AM.
Could Raker have imagined their whole marriage? Is he delusional? Is this really the woman he loved and grieved for? Hunted by the police, Raker will have to find out the truth before it costs him everything – his memories, his sanity, his life . . .
Book Worm’s Thoughts: When I requested this ARC I didn’t actually realise it was book 9 in an ongoing series I am normally completely anal and will only read a series in order however as I was already behind with my reviews I decided to take the plunge…
Personally I don’t feel that I missed out on anything major not having read the other books in the series, in fact in some ways it added to the suspense and the book can definitely be read as a stand alone. I think it was easier for me to question Raker’s state of mind having only read this book than it would have been if I already had a reader’s relationship with him.
As this is a thriller there is not much you can write in a review without giving away spoilers so here are my very basic thoughts – I really enjoyed the first half of the book, I loved the fact that the unreliable narrator was a man and that even he wasn’t sure if he was reliable or not, I also liked the fact that the police officer who deals with Raker is an intelligent woman who is prepared to cross certain lines to solve the case. When it comes to the second half and the resolution of the mystery I felt that things were way too unbelievable, there is a massive conspiracy and events for this book actually have their roots in the past I get that really this is the only way events could have played out but I just couldn’t suspend disbelief enough to just go with it.
Overall this was a fast paced read that did keep me guessing even if I ended up rolling my eyes a lot in the second half.
Who would like this? I would say anyone who has already read the rest of the series and anyone who likes Jonathan Kellerman thrillers as this has the same kind of feel to it. If you don’t mind your thrillers being on the wrong side of credulity this could also suit you.
We want to hear from you! Have you read this book? What did you think?
Dec 28
Read Around the World 2019 Destinations
The wait is over I can now reveal the destinations we will be visiting in 2019…
Dec 27
Dec 22
Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
Sorry for the delay in updating the blog but life kinda got in the way. I do intend to do better now…
Non 1001 Book Review: Dark Pines by Will Dean
Dark Pines by Will Dean
Published in: 2018
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★★★]
This ARC was provided by One World Publications (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis from Goodreads: An isolated Swedish town. A deaf reporter terrified of nature. A dense spruce forest overdue for harvest. A pair of eyeless hunters found murdered in the woods.
It’s week one of the Swedish elk hunt and the sound of gunfire is everywhere. When Tuva Moodyson investigates the story that could make her career she stumbles on a web of secrets that knit Gavrik town together. Are the latest murders connected to the Medusa killings twenty years ago? Is someone following her? Why take the eyes? Tuva must face her demons and venture deep into the woods to stop the killer and write the story. And then get the hell out of Gavrik.
BookWorm’s Thoughts: This is a fantastic first book in what I hope proves to be a long and fantastic series, book 2 is due to be published next year and I am super excited about this.
I would class this as a murder mystery story as opposed to a chiller/thriller and trust me that is no bad thing, however due to the nature of the story there is not much you can say in a review without giving away spoilers so you are just going to have to bear with me while I gush over all the things I loved about this book.
The first thing I love is Tuva Moodyson. Tuva is a young bisexual deaf woman working as a reporter, she has left the bright lights of London to return to Sweden to be close to her dying mother. Tuva is scared of nature but is facing her fears, she is at home with her deafness while also accepting that it sets her apart from other people, she is a single woman doing what she wants to do, she is a reporter who is actually interested in the truth and the people behind the headlines in short Tuva rocks. I love the way Tuva’s deafness is very much a part of her story from her vibrating pillow alarm clock (genius) to the way she must always be prepared for the battery running out in her hearing aid.
The second thing I love is the villagers. Each villager is distinct and unusual in their own way, ok most of them are eccentric and perhaps other readers might find this stretches credulity but me, I loved them.
Utgard forest. The forest is very much a character in this book not just a setting. It provides the murder scenes, it provides uncertainty and fear, it also provides nature in the form of mice, elks, mosquitos and ticks.
Please indulge me while I share this beautiful description on how wool makes Tuva feel:
“I reach back awkwardly and pull the red yarn out of my backpack. It feels like Mum before Dad died; like Mum before she gave up all her hobbies; her bridge and knitting and backing and birdwatching; before she quit her job as an optician, before she gave up on life, before she gave up on me. The soft wool, springy in my fingers, feels like the good years before everything changed. It feels safe.”
Who would enjoy this: Well you may guess from my review that I think everyone should read this but if I have to get specific I would say this is a book for those who like slower paced murder mysteries where character study is a big part of the story and where there is not too much blood and gore involved.
We want to hear from you! Have you read this book? What did you think?
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