#FridayReads If You Like #Mystery #Thriller Books You Might Like These…

If You Like #Mystery #Thriller Books then I can recommend these books…

22072877Wildlife photographer Gunnar Wolfe looked like the kind of guy every man wanted to be and every woman just plain wanted, and the St. Johns River of central Florida drew him like a magnet. EcoTour boat owner Maggie Devlin knew all the river’s secrets, including the deadliest ones found in the swamps. But neither Maggie nor Gunn was prepared for the danger that would come after them on two legs.
On a quest to make history photographing the rarest birds of them all, Gunnar hires the fiery, no-nonsense Maggie to canoe him into the most remote wetland areas in the state. He was unprepared for how much he would enjoy both the trips and Maggie’s company. He soon realizes he wants more than she’s prepared to give, but before he can win her over, they make a grisly discovery that changes everything, and turns the quiet little town of Riverbend upside down. A serial killer is on the prowl among them. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

 

22051845New York, present day, alternate reality. Karen Brown, angry and frightened after a kidnap attempt, has a choice – being eliminated by government enforcer Jeffery Renschman or fleeing to mysterious Roma Nova, her dead mother’s homeland in Europe.

Founded sixteen centuries ago by Roman exiles and ruled by women, Roma Nova gives Karen safety, at a price, and a ready-made family. Just as she’s finding her feet, a shocking discovery about her new lover, special forces officer Conrad Tellus, isolates her.

But the enforcer has crossed to Europe to pursue her. Unable to rely on anybody else, she undergoes intensive training, develops fighting skills and becomes an undercover cop. But crazy with bitterness at his past failures, Renschman sets a trap for her, knowing she has no choice but to spring it…Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

28931623For fans of Child 44 and The Lives of Others, this gripping novel pits an unforgettable heroine against an unforgivable past.

Signs of an agonisingly slow death, pools of blood, hands desperately searching for a hold. Judith Kepler has seen it all.

She is a crime scene specialist. She turns crime scenes back into habitable spaces. She is a cleaner.

It is at the home of a woman who has been brutally murdered that she is suddenly confronted with her own past. The murder victim knew Judith’s secret: as a child she was sent to an orphanage under mysterious circumstances – parentage unknown. And the East German secret police were always there, in the background.

When Judith begins to ask questions, she becomes the target of some powerful enemies. And nothing will ever be the same again. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

20739469Soccer mom Yvette Palmer lives an ordinary life in San Antonio, Texas when a box is delivered to her by mistake, and in taking it to its rightful owner—a crotchety neighbor named Mona who shares her back fence—is drawn into a strange and haunting tale.

Mona’s ratty robe, mood swings, and secretive behavior all raise red flags, and Yvette is sure someone else is living there despit Mona’s claim to live alone, but Yvette is unable to break away as she listens to how Mona transformed from a young college woman about to be married to the odd, reclusive, ghost of a woman she is now.

As Yvette listens to her neighbor’s tale, she discovers a shocking connection, but doesn’t know whether Mona’s come to help or to harm her and her family. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

22130087Ekaterina Romanova, the estranged wife of Russia’s wealthiest oligarch Konstantin Gravchenko, asks Scott Mitchell, an idealistic young English human rights lawyer who is being intimidated by the authorities, to find the father she’s never met. She believes he’s been languishing for decades without trial in the Gulag system. Meanwhile, General Pravda of military intelligence, though an advocate of transparency, is determined to protect a covert operation that he’s been running for years. General Pravda hinders Ekaterina and Scott at every turn and lawyer and client are forced to go on the run for a murder they didn’t commit. As they descend into the Hades that is the world of international realpolitik Scott is compelled to reconsider his own values, and Pravda’s life’s work disintegrates, when Scott uncovers a 50 year-old Cold War secret, which both the Russian and US governments are still trying to hide from the public domain. ‘Moscow Bound’ is the first book in The Puppet Meisters trilogy, dealing with state abuse of power. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

27275817Who would believe the words of a bird brain, anyway? When Camille inherits Simon, an African grey parrot from her deceased neighbor, she sees the challenge of owning such a noisy, spoiled pet. But when the music plays, and Simon starts to replay a violent scene in the voice of his former owner, Camille begins to realize that she has inherited more than she bargained for. Could a bird really recall the last moments of his owner’s life? And stranger yet, could he really be repeating a death scene that he witnessed? Camille’s best friend, Leo, has his doubts, and after the disappearance of Camille’s sister, he wonders if her tragic past is coming back to haunt her and she is finally breaking down. But she has no one else to go to, no one besides the questionable other neighbor who might well have been involved with the murder victim. It’s a question of a bird’s word against the truth and a race to find out what it all means.   Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Introducing the most lovable, pratfall-prone female sleuth in recent memory, this first novel in the Garnet Sullivan Live from Florida series will leave the reader in stitches and begging for more. Marlin, Darlin’ debuts the engaging, redoubtable and often annoying (to her colleagues and friends) small town journalist, the foxy Garnet Sullivan. A murky murder during a marlin fishing tournament forms the basis for this sizzling, uproarious mystery set in contemporary, steamy east coast Florida, featuring the unsinkable freelance reporter, snoop and trouble-maker, Garnet Sullivan, and a host of her bizarre, colorful friends.

A Gordian knot of a plot fairly gallops along from page one to the final page and will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat until the novel’s last words. Saturated with today’s most authentic Florida ambience and whackos, Marlin, Darlin’ is sure to delight the most cerebral mystery buffs as well as fans of romantic comedy–and dog lovers too! The novel is propelled by laugh out loud characters, scenes and situations reminiscent of Carl Hiassen and Dave Barry, but with more lipstick and purses. Fully imagined and drawn from life characters hook the reader from the book’s first sentences and the story seems to vault inevitably from who these characters are–nutty and flamboyantly so, but completely convincing, and whose native habitat could only be Florida. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

 

23396437After being made redundant from a seemingly secure job Jolene Carr takes a two week break in the sun. On the first day she meets Raquel, another hotel guest. Little does she realise how this apparently innocent acquaintance will lead to terrible and lasting consequences. After a frightening incident she hits a conspiracy of silence from the locals and over the rest of the holiday she feels herself slipping into a vortex of fear. Back home, the nightmare continues and she realises that Raquel is stalking her. Her hippie mother and her partner Mark tell her she is imagining it all. All certainties, even about relationships, become fluid and treacherous as her past begins to unravel. If it wasn’t for Rob, her ex-lover who Jolene thinks has his own agenda, she would be left to cope on her own.
How much fear and betrayal can one person take? Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Lori Powers loved being a flight attendant because life at home was a constant nightmare of physical and mental abuse. But her own trauma paled in comparison to her husband’s sexual abuse of their only child. Emily’s suicide note blamed Lori for failing to protect her. Overwhelmed by guilt, Lori sought justice for her Emily. When she heard the voices, she murdered domineering, abusive men whose misfortune brought them across her path.
The murder of Dr. Thaddeus Abrams, the precinct’s psychiatrist brought FBI profiler Mika Scott back to the precinct she began as a homicide detective and also face to face with her past partner and lover Detective Jake Roberts. Together they search for the killer. Michael Gates, Abrams’ lover, wanted to punish Lori. It cost Chief of Detectives Ed Fairchild his life. Airline captain Nick Parker had an insatiable, deviant sexual appetite. Things went desperately wrong when young flight attendant Megan joined him on a layover. Lori was part of the crew. When she met Parker, she heard Emily cry out from the grave. Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Letter Y April A to Z Challenge #AtoZChallenge

Day 25 April A to Z Challenge my theme is characters from books I’ve read plus some audience participation.

Letter Y is for Yvette from The Mystery Box by Eva Pohler.

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I really didn’t know what to expect from this book. It’s a mystery thriller with many different emotions running through it. Yvette and her family live in Texas. They share a fence with a cranky women they’ve nicknamed Cruella she moans when their dog barks and the kids are too noisy. One day a mystery package arrives and Yvette discovers it belongs to Cruella.

Cruella’s real name is Mona and when Yvette deliveries the package she finds a strange lonely woman who has a tale to tell. Mona invites Yvette to her house and begins a spine chilling story. Yvette becomes hooked by the tale and Mona drip feeds her instalments each day. However all Yvette’s instincts are on high alert, something’s not right.

A second story evolves, Yvette’s life is mundane and she’s becoming estranged from her husband. Memories of her childhood and relations with her mother surface as the book continues. Yvette is appalled by Mona’s tale but each day she’s left on a cliff edge and like a drug she wants to hear more. But who is Mona? She tells Yvette about the Taliban spy’s lover and her relationship with Professor Ahmed Jaffar.

Yvette believes Mona may have suffered from the Stockholm syndrome. Feelings of affection of a kid-napping victim for their captor. With the family away camping Mona’s tale comes to a shocking end. One which makes Yvette flee, but running won’t keep Yvette and her family safe.

I was never sure if Mona could be trusted or not, and like Yvette my instincts saw red. This was a very clever tale which turned eerily sinister.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

For my audience participation I’m asking readers to create book titles using the letter Y for the picture below.

A book title and cover picture can often make or break a book sale. Is a book cover eye-catching? Does the book title appeal to the reader?

Have fun creating book titles from my own pictures, you might even think about a genre they could fit.

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Leave your answers in the comments below and I’ll choose my favourites.

Randomly selected fellow challenge bloggers for you to visit.

http://thedogladysden.com/

https://shailajav.wordpress.com/

https://blogarhythmblog.wordpress.com/

http://writeonsisters.com/

http://bish-randomthoughts.blogspot.co.uk/

As part of the tour we ask that readers leave comments on blog posts, thank you

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October Editions of Fleet Life and EHD #Bookreviews

I am lucky enough to write a set of book reviews for two local magazines both with on-line versions.

Oct Fleet

This month’s books in Fleet Life can be found at http://www.fleetlife.org.uk click on the on-line directory and turn to page 6 where you’ll fine the following books;

The Shell by Tony Riches

Wild Water by Jan Ruth

The Road To Yesterday by Randy Mixter

Round and Round by Terry Tyler

Beneath The Surface by Mike Martin

Books featured in The Elvetham Heath Directory with it’s online version at http://www.ehd.org.uk , click on the on-line directory and turn to page 6 for;

EHD Oct

The Mystery Box by Eva Pohler

Reckless Recon by Rinelle Grey

My GRL by John Howell

The Scrolls of Scion by TJ Therien

Manic Mondays by Michaela Weaver

The Mystery Box by Eva Pohler

The Mystery BoxThe Mystery Box by Eva Pohler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really didn’t know what to expect from this book. It’s a mystery thriller with many different emotions running through it. Yvette and her family live in Texas. They share a fence with a cranky women they’ve nicknamed Cruella she moans when their dog barks and the kids are too noisy. One day a mystery package arrives and Yvette discovers it belongs to Cruella.

Cruella’s real name is Mona and when Yvette deliveries the package she finds a strange lonely woman who has a tale to tell. Mona invites Yvette to her house and begins a spine chilling story. Yvette becomes hooked by the tale and Mona drip feeds her instalments each day. However all Yvette’s instincts are on high alert, something’s not right.

A second story evolves, Yvette’s life is mundane and she’s becoming estranged from her husband. Memories of her childhood and relations with her mother surface as the book continues. Yvette is appalled by Mona’s tale but each day she’s left on a cliff edge and like a drug she wants to hear more. But who is Mona? She tells Yvette about the Taliban spy’s lover and her relationship with Professor Ahmed Jaffar.

Yvette believes Mona may have suffered from the Stockholm syndrome. Feelings of affection of a kid-napping victim for their captor. With the family away camping Mona’s tale comes to a shocking end. One which makes Yvette flee, but running won’t keep Yvette and her family safe.

I was never sure if Mona could be trusted or not, and like Yvette my instincts saw red. This was a very clever tale which turned eerily sinister.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Good Deeds Year 2, Week 9

Welcome to my second Year of Good Deeds, a challenge I set myself during April 2013. I decided to do at least one Good Deed a day for a whole year.

New Good DeedsDuring my week I’ll also being updating you on My Kindness Challenge which I’m also doing. I read about a new challenge to make the world a better place to live in. “Speak Kind Words, Receive Kind Echoes” see the inspiration on  The Kindness blog . During my learning process I’m donating money to charity for my slip-ups to make me work harder to achieve results. I earn no money from any of my book reviews, so having little to spare should focus my mind.

This week I’ve been doing the following;

June 15th – Met a friend at the shops and asked after her mother who had recently broken her hip. Visited my parents and helped Mum with a little computer question. Discussed with my Dad, how to collect a swarm of bees should I ever find one and he’s not around. (He keeps bees)

June 16th – My morning helping out at school. Then a NEW mad capped idea to run a series on book reviewing ending with a challenge to readers getting them to read and review a book and get it posted here on the blog. Drafted up my review of Dispassionate Lies by Eileen Schuh.

June 17th – Mad blogger syndrome still taking hold as I badger people to help me with the book review series challenge,  giving bloggers and authors a chance to promote themselves.

Made my friend’s day when I saw her new picture on Twitter and sent her a compliment. Thought she looked a “Super hot Mamma”!

June 18th – This spontaneous idea stuff is a bit scary sometimes! I am having so much FUN. Who would have thought that my week would turn out like this? Back story here, when I came home at lunchtime on Monday the day was dreary and I felt low and depressed. Not wanting to feel this way I asked myself how I wanted to feel. I wanted to be happy and bubbly, so I asked what made me happy and bubbly? The answer came; Having fun on my blog and helping people. So I thought, what do I do on my blog? I do book reviews, why? Because I think they’re really important to authors and readers. So I literally started weaving a plan around that one idea, now look at it. I’ve got loads of FREE books from authors, I’ve got friends and fellow bloggers writing articles for me, people are signing up to the review challenge and it’s complete madness and I’m loving every minute of it.

The winner of a copy of Boot Camp Bride by Lizzie Lamb was delighted to receive her copy of the book today.

Finished reading The Mystery Box by Eva Pohler,

June 19th – Am reading The Agben School by Jo Sparkes, second book in The Legend of the Gamesmen series, which will soon be coming hot off the presses. Adding more books to my book review challenge and drafting up pieces of advice on book reviewing. Discussed with fellow author Stephanie Hurt the possibility of running our very successful Romancing September Tour again this year. Let us know if you’d be interested, last year we did author interviews, book promos and talked about writing romance in 2 locations around the world each day for 30 days. Haven’t discussed if we’ll follow the same format or make a few changes, will keep you all posted.

June 20th – Still busy with the Book review Challenge posts. Walked to the post box at lunchtime and picked up litter on my way home. Here’s a link to one of the posts about the challenge http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-5kG

Left a little comment on a fellow blogger’s site to help cheer her up and I hoped it helped.

June 21st – Tonight we’re off out bearing gifts to help celebrate our friends 25th Wedding Anniversary. Had a great time and donated money to The Children’s Cancer Trust as the bar was free, but asked for donations. Started reading In Praise Of Lilith, Eve And The Serpent In The Garden Of Eden And Other Stories by Susan Scott. Got inspired by the first essay to clean my house as a reflection of cleaning up my life. Such a good book.

Good Deeds Year 2, Week 8

Welcome to my second Year of Good Deeds, a challenge I set myself during April 2013. I decided to do at least one Good Deed a day for a whole year.

New Good DeedsDuring my week I’ll also being updating you on My Kindness Challenge which I’m also doing. I read about a new challenge to make the world a better place to live in. “Speak Kind Words, Receive Kind Echoes” see the inspiration on  The Kindness blog . During my learning process I’m donating money to charity for my slip-ups to make me work harder to achieve results. I earn no money from any of my book reviews, so having little to spare should focus my mind.

This week I’ve been doing the following;

June 8th – Am reading an ARC of Ignoring Gravity by Sandra Danby. Downloaded and promoted The Silence of Juliet Mann by Joanne Phillips a 45 page novelette with all profits going to The British Stammering Association.

June 9th – My morning of volunteering at school ticks of my Good Deed today. My name’s down to provide the  cricket teas this evening too. It tried very hard to rain but the cricket played on, picked up litter and did extra tidying in the clubhouse kitchen while I did the teas.

June 10th – A work morning. Such a lovely sunny day that I spontaneously stopped off on the way home at a countryside site and walked to Odiham castle. It was from here that King John road to Runnymead to sign the famous Magna Carta. Now just a flint ruin it is preserved for those like me who wonder at what it’s seen in the 800 years it’s been standing there. Picked up litter on my walk, I circled round along the Basingstoke canal watching dragonflies dancing round the reeds and crossed the field to the river Whitewater where there is a ford across a small road.

For everyone still at a complete loss as to the rules and language of cricket I’ve found a site and a book written by Mums which explains it all. All about Boys have written a book called “Stumped By Cricket – A mother’s translation” available for Uk and overseas deliveries.

June 11th – Just small good deeds today. Helped out a fellow author with a bit of advice this morning, agreed to read and review another book and of course there was my book review post and all my social media sharing.

June 12th – Today I sponsored some friends who are running a Race for Life in aid of Breast Cancer. My friend survived her own battle with the disease and now runs in aid of others. Finished reading two books today Some People Prefer Hotels, Motorhome Novices Tour Cornwall by Nigel R. Hicks and The Silence of Juliet Mann by Joanne Phillips

Good deeds received; My friend dropped the oldest child home after the college bus broke down in town.

June 13th – A lovely ending to another glorious summer day. The village cricket green is awash with families all enjoying the sun while the lads play cricket. Shared my food and comfy cushion with friends but fell off the kindness wagon, so must donate to my charity pot. Drafted up my book reviews for the August editions of the magazine’s I write for as copy deadlines are near due to the upcoming summer holidays.

June 14th – Finished reading Dispassionate Lies by Eileen Schuh and began reading The Mystery Box by Eva Pohler. My book post today was for a lovely group of ladies who put together over 50 short stories, Flash Fiction and Drabbles, well worth a read, here is the link to “Suppose” http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-5cw