Last Request by Liz Mistry

Oct13

Gripping

Last Request by Liz Mistry is a gripping contemporary murder suspense that I just could not put down. I read with heart racing as I sped towards the conclusion.

A serial killer is on the loose in Bradford. The reader ‘hears’ the killer’s voice from the murky depths. I was clueless to guess who it was.

The literary device of pathetic fallacy is employed as the weather becomes as murky as the action.

Cold case files mingle with present day crimes as the police battle to solve them and the clock ticks down.

The lines between the criminals and the cops blur as characters put themselves on line for their families.

As the criminals wander the streets of Bradford, the reader is surprised by the depths to which some will stoop.

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The Red Journal by Deb Elkink

Oct12

Where Is Home?

The Red Journal by Deb Elkink is a powerful epic tale of families, roots and belonging. It is part of The Mosaic Collection.

The book follows three women who are all searching for the truth. A young woman is searching for historical facts for her thesis. The other two are searching for family and fulfilment.

Family is important. We all want to be loved and to belong. Sometimes our earthly mothers let us down. We feel abandoned. Others may step in to take their place. There is a beautiful grandmother-granddaughter relationship. A grandmother’s love is unconditional. “Gram loved Libby when there was nothing in it for her.” This reminds the reader that God’s love for us is unconditional. He loves and delights in us because it is His nature to do so.

Death leaves a chasm in lives. The reader witnesses the granddaughter trying to cope by resurrecting her memories. Memories are powerful things. They can unlock a past we did not even realise we had hidden.

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The Family by Louise Jensen

Oct8

Wow, Just Wow!

The Family by Louise Jensen is a gripping, compulsive and absolutely brilliant psychological thriller. It had me consumed and questioning from the start.

The beginning of the book is from the end of the story. It drew me in as I wanted to know what had led up to this point.

The novel is told from alternating points of view. The reader becomes intimately acquainted with the characters – or so I thought – my line of reasoning proved to be incorrect!

Everyone has secrets, secrets that they want or need to protect. Sooner or later secrets will come out, some with disastrous consequences.

We all want to belong. We may feel isolated. “In a world where everyone was thinner, happier and more popular than I was.” We want a family who will love and care for us. Just how far would you go to protect your family?

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