Title: All the Rage

Author: Cara Hunter

Genre: Crime

Publisher: Penguin

Publication date: 19th December 2019

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Summary:

“The first girl came back.The next might not be so lucky.

A teenage girl is found wandering the outskirts of Oxford, dazed and distressed. The story she tells is terrifying. Grabbed off the street, a plastic bag pulled over her face, then driven to an isolated location where she was subjected to what sounds like an assault. Yet she refuses to press charges.

DI Fawley investigates, but there’s little he can do without the girl’s co-operation. Is she hiding something, and if so, what? And why does Fawley keep getting the feeling he’s seen a case like this before?

And then another girl disappears, and Adam no longer has a choice: he has to face up to his past.

Because unless he does, this victim may not be coming back . . .“

My review:

The fourth addition to the DI Adam Fawley series did not disappoint. As with its predecessors, it features a wonderful mix of interesting and multidimensional characters and a crime brimming with secrets, ready to be unearthed. Needless to say, I inhaled All the Rage in only a few sittings.

Cara Hunter has already made a name for herself in the Crime genre and with each addition to the series the detectives, in particular Adam Fawley, become more refined and easier to relate to. More details on Fawley’s past are also revealed in this book and I particularly liked the balance between his backstory and the crime. At no point did it feel like the author was forcing Fawley’s past hardships to gain the reader’s empathy but rather attempt to form a natural connection to this central character without removing focus from the main crime. My personal favourites, Somer and Everett, feature heavily in All the Rage and by the end I had formed an even closer connection with both detectives.

When it comes to storytelling and plot development in a crime novel, Cara Hunter is by far one of the best at gaining momentum and always keeping the reader guessing. The minor characters she introduces in each book always feel central to the plot which makes guessing the suspect much harder. The twists are always unexpected and shocking and there were several times in this book where I almost couldn’t believe some of them and had to read back to check if I understood them correctly. In particular, the ending astounded me and left me with an unpleasant feeling. Unfortunately it felt a little unrealistic and farfetched and I could not imagine similar events unfolding in real life but I appreciate the effort and detail she invested in the story line.

Cara Hunter successfully developed the team of investigators and narrated an increasingly complex crime with ease. I was invested in the plot throughout the entire book and was not able to guess the killer or their motive until the very end. Fans of the DI Adam Fawley series will be pleased with this addition to the series and those who haven’t yet read any of the past books will also find themselves constantly guessing.

Title: The Silent Patient

Author: Alex Michaelides

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Publisher: Orion

Publication date: 7th February 2019

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Summary:

“Only she knows what happened.
Only I can make her speak.

I love him so totally, completely, sometimes it threatens to overwhelm me.
Sometimes I think-
No. I won’t write about that.

ALICIA
Alicia Berenson writes a diary as a release, an outlet – and to prove to her beloved husband that everything is fine. She can’t bear the thought of worrying Gabriel, or causing him pain.

Until, late one evening, Alicia shoots Gabriel five times and then never speaks another word.

THEO
Forensic psychotherapist Theo Faber is convinced he can successfully treat Alicia, where all others have failed. Obsessed with investigating her crime, his discoveries suggest Alicia’s silence goes far deeper than he first thought.

And if she speaks, would he want to hear the truth?“

My review:

“You become increasingly comfortable with madness – and not just the madness of others, but your own. We’re all crazy, I believe, just in different ways.”

I have been waiting for a psychological thriller to blow me away for years. Endings almost never shock me and I can see twists coming from miles away. Throw in a few unlikable characters and a shaky plot and it’s no surprise that my disappointment grows with every psychological thriller I finish. Although there have been a few pleasant surprises over the years, nothing can quite compare to The Silent Patient.

The writing in The Silent Patient is articulate and succinct. The author develops Alicia’s voice, or lack thereof, in a compelling way through the use of her diary, and the jump from the first-person journal narrative leading up to the murder to Theo’s current point of view is incredibly effective. Although Alicia chooses not to speak, she still remains a vocal character through the use of her body language and attitude which I found to be one of the most powerful and impressive aspects in the beginning of the book.

When it comes to characters in psychological thrillers I am always intrigued by mysterious characters who seem to be hiding something and both Theo and Alicia fit perfectly in this category. It was clear from the start that Alicia had been through a traumatic event but it was frustrating that so little information was shared to explain why she refused to speak. This concept puzzled me the entire time and I was both mindful of the possibility that she is the enemy and concerned that she could be a tormented victim not yet ready to speak the truth. Theo was just as complex and the simplicity of his backstory had me question his intentions and interest in Alicia. Ultimately it was the intensity of the interactions between these two characters which impressed me and had me swiftly flipping the pages.

Without a doubt my favourite part of The Silent Patient was the ending. With each chapter I was sure that I was closer to finding out the truth about the murder of Alicia’s husband and a few chapters before the end I was almost certain that I had figured it out. I have never been so stunned by an ending before. I had to read it back several times and still couldn’t believe it. It stayed with me for a long time afterwards and with time I recalled several hints which were revealed but which I didn’t pick up on. The ease with which Alex Michaelides reveals these signs is astonishing and he deserves all the praise for this skill.

The Silent Patient consists of all the necessary ingredients for a gripping psychological thriller: a cast of complex characters, a plot thick with tension and a compelling mystery begging to be solved. It held my attention until the very end and left me with the conclusive feeling that this is one of the best books in its genre. Readers who relish unforeseen twists and unexpected endings will find a lot to love here.

“Perhaps some of us are simply born evil, and despite our best efforts we remain that way.”

Title: The Italian Villa

Author: Daniela Sacerdoti

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication date: 17th February 2019

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Summary:

“Inspired by true events, and for fans of The Beekeeper’s Promise and The Tuscan Child, comes a passionate, heartbreaking and absolutely unputdownable story of two remarkable women, separated by history, finding the courage to look for light in the darkest places.

As she staggers through the woods towards the smoky remains of her village, she sees the wounded, all those familiar faces covered in blood and ashes, and remembers she isn’t just a woman; she is a doctor, and she is needed…

1938 – A young Italian couple cling to each other in the shadow of the Montevino mountains, Mussolini’s call to war ringing in their ears. They vow to stay together, no matter what, and hatch a plan to wed in secret before fleeing to the woods to join the resistance.

Present Day – Callie Di Giacomo, a waitress from Texas, is still reeling from the discovery that she is adopted when she arrives in Montevino in search of answers – the keys to the stunning hillside villa she just inherited clutched tightly in her hand. In her birth mother’s wardrobe grief-stricken Callie finds a diary belonging to a woman named Elisa Stella, one of Italy’s first ever female students of medicine, wrapped in pale blue ribbon.

Page by page, Callie unravels the story of a passionate young doctor who risked everything to marry her sweetheart, who was betrayed by her own people, and forced into hiding as Montevino was invaded. Elisa knew she must survive against all odds to see her loved ones again. But history had other plans…

As the diary ends, a startling revelation about who Elisa was offers a chance for Callie to heal past wounds and spark a new future. But is she brave enough to take it?

This unforgettable story of love, loss and resilience by the author of million-copy Amazon No 1. bestseller, Watch Over Me, is perfect for anyone who loved The Letter, The Tattooist of Auschwitz or The Dressmaker’s Gift.”

My review:

On her twenty-first birthday Callie discovers that she is adopted and has inherited a villa in a remote Italian village from her birth mother. The news both overwhelm and excite her as we soon find out that her adoptive parents died in a tragic accident when she was a child. Inspired by the prospect that she may still have living relations, she embarks on an adventure that will take her to her new home and reveal the family she never knew she had. When she discovers a stack of old handwritten letters from someone called Elisa, she is certain that she is even closer to finding out the truth about her birth parents.

My favourite aspect of this book was most definitely the setting. The gorgeous Montevino is portrayed as a blissful and cozy Italian village with a strong sense of community and a slower pace of life. The author develops this idea beautifully and the eloquent and poetic writing perfectly match the setting. I was also impressed by her ability to explore complex family relationships, in particular when addressing Elisa and her family which mirrors Callie’s in many ways.

There were several minor characters in this book which stood out for different reasons: Flora for her stubbornness and Elisa for her determination. I could not warm to the male characters and found Callie’s love interest uninteresting but I think that this is ultimately a personal feeling as I don’t always appreciate romance enough in Historical Fiction. However, this minor touch wasn’t enough to sway my original feelings of the book.

The Italian Villa is a literary gem which transports the reader on an adventure and interprets hard hitting topics such as loneliness and family relationships with ease. I devoured it in just two sittings and was left with a feeling of warmth and serenity which stayed with me for a long time. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to escape to another place and time and join a charming main character on an exciting adventure.

The Italian Villa is out to buy next Monday!

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a free advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

Title: The Stranger Diaries

Author: Elly Griffiths

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Publisher: Quercus

Publication date: 1st November 2018

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Summary:

“Clare Cassidy is no stranger to murder. As a literature teacher specialising in the Gothic writer RM Holland, she teaches a short course on it every year. Then Clare’s life and work collide tragically when one of her colleagues is found dead, a line from an RM Holland story by her body. The investigating police detective is convinced the writer’s works somehow hold the key to the case.

Not knowing who to trust, and afraid that the killer is someone she knows, Clare confides her darkest suspicions and fears about the case to her journal. Then one day she notices some other writing in the diary. Writing that isn’t hers… “

My review:

A modern thriller with a gothic feel, The Stranger Diaries boasts a unique blend of antique tales and modern day family life. Its main character, Clare Cassidy, bridges this gap well as she is both portrayed as a normal mother and a teacher passionate about fascinating old tales, particularly those of RM Holland who has a close connection to the school she teaches at.

I truly enjoyed the gothic elements and reminders as they set a different tone to the story line. When one of Clare’s colleagues and closest friend is killed, the note found by her body is a line from RM Holland’s novel and from here on, all confrontations and events that follow are closely linked to RM Holland. These connections become even more eerie as Clare discovers that the suspect may be closer to home than she originally thought.

Unfortunately I could not warm to any of the characters and this ultimately left me feeling disinterested in their fate. When Clare suspects that her family may be in danger it didn’t encourage me to read on as by that point I was already feeling frustrated with some of the poor decisions she had taken and the lack of action to keep her family safe. She did not seem like a trustworthy narrator and I was questioning her decision making skills several times throughout the book. Her daughter, Georgie, also appeared unreliable and indifferent to the situation in her school which seemed odd.

An aspect which worked well but ultimately irritated me was the setting. Almost the entire book is set at the school Clare works at and Georgie attends, which is understandable as it was also the school connected to RM Holland. However, it almost seemed like there was not enough substance to transport these characters elsewhere therefore confining them to the same location which ultimately narrowed the possible murderers to very few. The school setting worked well with the gothic theme and there were many parts which left me astonished however I would have liked to see these characters in other settings too.

The Stranger Diaries is a well written thriller with many literary elements that lovers of gothic novels will admire. The supernatural elements are delivered in just the right doses without appearing too overwhelming. Unfortunately I couldn’t connect with the characters and was not taken aback by the ending either which leaves this thriller as solid however perhaps not a memorable one which I will recall months from now.

Title: The Lion Tamer Who Lost

Author: Louise Beech

Genre: Fiction/Romance

Publisher: Orenda Books

Publication date: 15th July 2018

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Summary:

“Be careful what you wish for…
Long ago, Andrew made a childhood wish, and kept it in a silver box. When it finally comes true, he wishes he hadn’t…

Long ago, Ben made a promise and he had a dream: to travel to Africa to volunteer at a lion reserve. When he finally makes it, it isn’t for the reasons he imagined…

Ben and Andrew keep meeting in unexpected places, and the intense relationship that develops seems to be guided by fate. Or is it? What if the very thing that draws them together is tainted by past secrets that threaten everything?

A dark, consuming drama that shifts from Zimbabwe to England, and then back into the past, The Lion Tamer Who Lost is also a devastatingly beautiful love story, with a tragic heart…“

My review:

Some books leave their mark for such a long time that I keep coming back even though months go by. I read this book in November but I have only just now been able to gather my thoughts and write this review.

The story begins as Ben is starting a new project as a lion tamer in Zimbabwe. He is young, nervous, yet hungry for life and adventure. His relationship with his father is strained and he has left a complicated relationship with Andrew back home. Several chapters later we learn who Andrew is and how he and Ben met, how their friendship developed into something more and how a set of unexpected circumstances led them to grow apart to such an extent that Ben decided on a fresh start abroad in an exciting environment. The story so far focuses more on Ben’s time at the lion resort and this part of the book was so interesting and eye opening. It was clear that the author had done a lot of research into the topic yet she presented her findings in a tender and beautiful manner with just enough technical details. I had no idea about the difficulties lion tamers faced and was left with my heart in my mouth at some of the tense moments.

The second part of the book focuses more on Ben and Andrew’s relationship prior to his trip as well as after his return. This part of the story line was emotionally draining and heartbreaking. I had to leave and return to the book several times as at times it felt too much. As with previous books, Louise Beech tells their story beautifully with a lot of emotion and care. However, I couldn’t get past the sequence of events which followed Ben’s return from Zimbabwe and Andrew’s fate. It almost felt like their story was destined to be over before it had even started and I would have preferred to see them make amends earlier rather than the devastating turn of events which followed.

Fortunately there are also moments of happiness as Ben’s relationship with his father develops in unexpected ways after he comes back. We learn more about his father’s prejudice, which is a sensitive topic handled extremely well by the author. The minor characters were also wonderfully woven into these last few chapters and a few extracts from Andrew’s book at the end don’t fail to move the reader in inexplicable ways and were a beautiful finish to a brilliant book.

With its superb storytelling and fantastic set of characters, The Lion who Lost is a gem not to be missed. Fans of Louise Beech will enjoy the unique traits present in her books and those who have not yet read her writing must do so in order to not miss out on the beauty in this book.

 

Title: Law and Addiction

Author: Mike Papantonio

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: Waterside Productions

Publication date: 7th May 2019

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Summary:

“One week before his law school graduation, Jake Rutledge is shattered. His fraternal twin, Blake, has died of a drug overdose. When Jake returns to his hometown of Oakley, West Virginia, he discovers that his brother was not the only person hooked on opioid painkillers. The entire region has been ravaged by an epidemic insidiously planned and carried out by one of America’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies.

Still wet behind the ears, Jake is determined to seek justice for all the victims of Big Pharma’s greed. He soon learns that the drug companies’ tentacles reach far and deep. His only hope is to get Nicholas “Deke” Deketomis to help. A partner at one of the country’s most powerful law firms, Deke’s “as tough as a two-dollar steak” and well-known for his winning tactics against corporate wrongdoers. With just enough persistence, Jake coaxes Deke to see Oakley’s devastation firsthand. Overwhelmed, Deke agrees to join forces with Jake.

And that’s when the real heat begins. Death threats, bribes, unlawful property seizure schemes – all are connected to the massive distribution of both legal and illegal drugs. Everyone is impacted, from the highest levels of corporate America to corrupt local officials to their lackeys and hapless victims. The complexity of the schemes is overwhelming.

Working tirelessly, the lawyers begin to uncover the truth. Along the way, Jake falls in love with Anna Fowler, a former homecoming queen who has succumbed to the power of opioids. With his support, she weans herself off the drugs. Hope begins to bloom — when suddenly, Jake disappears. As Deke undertakes a desperate search to find him, questions swirl. Has Jake abandoned Anna and his crusade? Can the case against the evildoers move forward without him? Will Oakley and its residents survive? Law and Addiction is real-life drama at its finest — a book that clears away the darkness page by page, spotlighting a profound truth about our society through expert storytelling. “

My review:

Law and Addiction is a stellar thriller which successfully manages to shed light on a central topic affecting thousands in USA while also introducing a set of interesting and unique characters. Jake Rutledge, recently graduated from law school, is devastated to find out that his twin brother died of a drug overdose and that many others in his hometown are suffering just as badly. He decides to take measures and enlists the help of one of the most successful partners in another law firm, Nicholas Deketomis, in order to unearth the unjust horrors surrounding the opioid crisis and big pharma industry.

I must admit that I did not know just how serious the opioid epidemic in USA was. A quick Google search while I was still in the first few chapters of the book made me realise how dangerous yet unaddressed it was which made me even more eager to read on to understand the topic further. The main character, Jake, is bold and assertive and I was pleasantly surprised at his willingness to expose big pharma’s scheme. His personal experience also meant that this was clearly a topic close to home as he greatly missed his brother which evidently encouraged him to succeed even more despite the many setbacks.

The writing is articulate and succinct and it became clear to me from a very early point that the author has a lot of experience in the legal industry. The prose was clear and easy to follow however I found the speech too wordy and stilted. At times, particularly in the courtroom, it almost felt like I was reading a movie script. This did not hinder the quality of the writing although it was enough to discontinue the flow.

One of my favourite aspects in the book, apart from the tough yet well researched subject matter, was the change in pace. I usually enjoy fast-paced thrillers with lots of action however I particularly enjoyed the slower parts in the book and the contrast with the fast-paced ending. The final chapters were intense and full of energy as the courtroom action drew to a close. A close and personal encounter with a powerful group meant that Jake ultimately understood the effects of opioids firsthand and this personal touch, although unfortunate and distressing, allowed for an even more compassionate approach.

Mike Papantonio has paved the way for success with Law and Addiction as well as emphasising the importance of tackling the opioid crisis with force through an exciting and action-filled thriller. I encourage those with little knowledge on the subject to read the book, as well as lovers of courtroom drama and legal procedurals.

Many thanks to Michelle at FSB Associates for providing an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Law and Addiction is out to buy now!