The Girls on Chalk Hill (Detective Lexi Bennett Book 1)

by Alison Belsham

Pub Date: 26 Jun 2023

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 1 May 2023

My Recommendation

 

Detective Lexi Bennett is out for a run before starting her new post back in the UK, after being at Quantico for 4 years.  She stumbles across 2 teenagers, dead, with their throats slit.  When identified, the 2 girls are actually triplets and the third girls is still missing.  Lexi is taken aback, as she too is a triplet, and 17 years ago she and her sisters were taken, and sadly one sister never escaped.  With this raw memory, Lexi is determined to find the missing triplet and catch the killer, who has to be the same person that attacked her all those years ago.
An exciting start, to what I hope is a new series.  Lexi is a great character, her background resonates in the strong persona she portrays now.  Lots of detail and thought has gone into developing a tough but likeable character.  A very enjoyable and gripping read. Can’t wait to read more Lexi Bennett stories.

 

The Only One Left

by Riley Sager

Pub Date: 4 Jul 2023

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 30 Apr 2023

My Recommendation

 

‘Leonora Hope, hung her sister with a rope’.  Everyone knows the childhood rhyme about the tragic events of one evening in 1929 where Leonora slayed her entire family, but no evidence to convict her.  Now 50 years on Kit, a caregiver, who just back from job suspension can’t afford to turn down the appointment to care for Leonora, now paralysed and bed bound after polio and a series of strokes.  Kit and Leonora form an unlikely bond and Kit encourages Leonora to use the typewriter with her one hand she has control of, and Leonora starts to tell the story of what happened that dreadful night.  There is more to this family than meets the eye.  
This book will leave you thinking about the characters long after you finish reading.  Layer upon layer of twists and unexpected turns, another epic read from Riley Sager, a true gothic thriller,  I completely devoured this book, needing to know what happened next and the truth about what really happened at Hope Ends.

 

The Good Patient

by Alex Stone

Pub Date: 22 Mar 2023

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 30 Apr 2023

My Recommendation

 

Lauren wakes up in hospital after a jet ski accident, she is soon questioned by the police to the whereabouts of her boyfriend, Josh, Lauren doesn’t understand as she was alone on the jet ski. It seems Josh is now missing and everyone is looking at Lauren for answers.  Dr Menon asked if she finally did it?  The storyline flips back 6 months, where it seems Lauren is prone to ‘accidents’ that lad to medical attention, Josh is not the charmer and loved up boyfriend he portrays.  Josh was Lauren’s saviour after a very unconventional childhood and a mother with munchausen by proxy.  Dr Menon befriends Lauren and work to find out where Josh really is and what happened that morning.  
An interesting psychological thriller, with a few predictable moments but plenty of twists too.  Switching from past and present timelines, some areas had lots of detail, some seemed a bit rushed.  Overall, a good read.

 

The Hotel

by Louise Mumford

Pub Date: 22 Jun 2023

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 30 Apr 2023

My Recommendation

 

Ten years ago, teenagers Bex, Richard, Leo and Oscar decide to explore and film a trip to the long abandoned Ravencliffe Hotel on the Welsh rocky costal edge.  Unexplained events lead to only three of them surviving that night and the footage taken that night has become cult viewing and there is a huge Ravencliffe following.  Ten years on, now recluse Bex is coerced into a reunion back at Ravencliffe with the ulterior motive of finding out what really happened to Leo that night.  Strange and deadly events take place, it seems the hotel wants revenge.
The Blairwitch meets The Shining influenced storyline is very compelling, and the eerie background to the hotels origin helps build up suspense and intrigue in a very clever plot.  Plenty of tension and twists, an enjoyable read and well recommended.

 

Deadly Fate (Detective Kim Stone Book 18)

by Angela Marsons

Pub Date: 25 May 2023

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 30 Apr 2023

My Recommendation

 

DI Kim Stone and the team are back investigating the brutal death of psychic, Sandra Deakins.  The trail leads them to a priest with old fashioned values on the world and the lives of a yoga group who were the last to see Sandra in a professional capacity.  All have hidden stories behind what the original reveal to Stone.  Stacey, meanwhile gets the attention of a stalker and Penn is trying to identify a homeless person without a name.
Another power punch of a story.  Stone and her team are so well defined and developed, they gel and support each other through thick and thin.  You won’t be disappointed with the latest instalment which is rather pacy.  The dry humour of Stone and also pathologist, Keats helps them through such dark scenes

 

The Fall

by Louise Jensen

Pub Date: 27 Apr 2023

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 28 Apr 2023

My Recommendation

 

Kate has a surprise 40th party thrown by her family and she feels on top of the world.  The next day, her world topples down when her 15 year old daughter, Caily falls off a bridge and badly injured and unconscious in hospital.  The police are investigating the accident and turns out not all family members were where they said they were.  Is a family member responsible to hurting Caily?  Does someone not want for her to wake up and say say is the culprit is?
This book is full or twists and surprises and cleverly written to keep you engrossed.  You will want to reading after every chapter.  Just when you think you know who the bad guy is, you are left gasping at the next revelation.

 

Down in the Woods

by James Bowring

Pub Date: 28 Mar 2023

Review by

Emily B, Reviewer

Last updated on 28 Apr 2023

My Recommendation

 

When a body is found in the woods, Inspector Dick Beauregard discovers she has just checked out of ex-detective, Clive Walshinghams hotel.  When a second body is discovered, a link is made that both victims were parents of 5 girls that disappeared 10 years ago.  Clive is brought back into active service, aided by his wife Claire, to investigate the parents of the missing girls and who is behind their deaths. 
A new author to me and hopefully the start of a new series.  The plot was well thought out and all the loose ends were cleverly tied up.  An enjoyable read and thought the characters of Clive and Claire have a lot of potential.