Tag Archive | Harper Collins

The Lie Maker by Linwood Barclay

Jun7

Exciting & Compelling

The Lie Maker by Linwood Barclay is a gripping contemporary crime suspense that I became totally engrossed in.

Linwood Barclay knows how to weave an excellent tale. His plotline is complex and well executed. I hung on for dear life as the tale twisted this way and that.

We see that people and life are not always black and white. More often than not, people come in varying shade of grey.

Family is important. Sometimes in order to protect the family, tough choices have to be made. Sacrifices are the order of the day. In contrast, a warped sense of loyalty sees a character determined to get revenge, and will stop at nothing in order to achieve it.

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The Blood Promise by Liz Mistry

May24

Who Can Stop The Killings?

The Blood Promise by Liz Mistry is a marvellous contemporary novel that drew me in from the start. It is the first book in Solanki and McQueen series which promises to be gripping.

Solanki and McQueen are an unlikely pairing – a young police officer with a troubled past, and a more experienced officer whose daughter was murdered. Both their pasts haunt their days but they are determined to bring a killer to justice. Their personalities complement each other as they also build their relationship.

The reader is drawn in from the start as the book opens with a crime scene fifteen years earlier. We skip to present day and another crime scene – could they be linked? As the body count rises, it suddenly becomes personal. Can Solanki and McQueen catch the killer before more murders are committed?

The landscape and weather are dark and brooding, which mirrors the action.

All of the novel is set in villages in Scotland, around the Inverness area. It is a wild and rugged landscape which helps to heighten the tension.

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The Runner by Lloyd Devereux Richards

May23

Twisting, Turning, Engaging

The Runner by Lloyd Devereux Richards is a contemporary suspense thriller that captured my attention from the start.

Lloyd Devereux Richards has created a complex and well executed plotline. The Runner is a thinking mans novel that keeps the reader on their toes throughout.

There are all the elements to make this an exciting tale – heroes and villains, cross country chases, assassins, FBI, innocent victims and much more. The reader buckles up for a roller coaster ride as we cling on, with pulses rising.

We see how upbringings shape the person we become – a character’s father did not believe he would amount to anything. How true was this prophecy? You will have to read the novel in order to find out.

A sister has a bond with her brother, caring enough to make a difficult phone call. Would he do the same?

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The Bird In The Bamboo Cage by Hazel Gaynor

May21

Sunflower Seeds

The Bird In The Bamboo Cage by Hazel Gaynor is an incredibly powerful historical novel that will educate you as you read. It is based on true life events, making the book even more powerful.

Much is known about the war in Europe during World War II but far less is known about the war in the Pacific – this book helps to rectify this.

The story opens in China during 1941 at the Chefoo Missionary School. Many will realise the significance of the year as the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941, making war in the Far East a certainty. As the Japanese walked into China, they occupied the missionary school. The whole school moved twice to different internment camps, each one worse than the last. The Japanese guards were incredibly cruel but there were those who maintained their humanity, showing little pockets of kindness.

The tale is told through two alternating points of view – a teacher and a pupil. Their experiences are similar but different as the teacher tries to cushion her pupils from the horrors. Even within the camps, school learning and routines continued, in order to help maintain some familiarity.

In the filth and the cruelty bonds were formed, linking survivors together forever. If you weren’t there, you could never understand what happened.

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