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Find out moreAll engrossing, pure escapist, nail-biting anxiety, mind bending terror and psychological twists. We’re not sure why it’s so appealing. Good though, isn’t it! You might also like to browse our Crime and Mystery category.
Steadfast, tenacious and fascinating can be used to describe both the book and lead character in ‘Wolves at the Door’. Private Investigator Varg Veum was previously set up and linked to a horrifying case, now the men actually found guilty of the crime are dying one by one, is Varg next on the list? Gunnar Staalesen was in at the beginning of Nordic Noir, he started this series 40 years ago (there is a statue of Varg Veum in Bergen where the series is set) and has been published in 24 countries. This book does specifically link to previously translated novels so if thinking of stepping into the series you might want to start with ‘Where Roses Never Die’, followed by ‘Wolves in the Dark’ as a lead into this particular novel (‘Big Sister’ also sits in there too). Don Bartlett successfully ensured the thought of a translator didn’t enter my head as I was reading, I was sucked straight into the story and stayed there. I particularly enjoyed the slow slog of the investigation, each piece of information entering the fray and increasing the tension until it reached breaking point. With short, smart, darkly punchy chapters ’Wolves at the Door’ is a provocative and gripping read.
An addictive hammer-hard read that just slams with impact, and feels particularly relevant in todays climate. Agent Will Trent and medical examiner Sara Linton have careers where they are expected to run towards danger. However, when they stop to help at a road traffic collision, danger turns towards and overwhelms them. If you haven’t read any of the Will Trent or Grant County Series, not to worry as you can easily step inside and give yourself up to the story. Karin Slaughter’s books though, are so good, you will probably want to hunt down what has come before, so do weigh up whether or not you want to start mid series. The story starts with a blast of action and doesn’t let up. I love the fact that you are expected to keep up. I was immediately hooked, and read the whole book in one fabulous sitting (oh the reading high you get when that happens!). Time repeats itself from different viewpoints which was absolutely fascinating. As I hurtled towards the ending, I had that delicious feeling of not wanting the story to finish, yet being unable to slow down. I just had to know, had to experience, had to feel. ‘The Last Widow’ is fierce, fast, brilliantly compelling storytelling, it’s not only entertaining, it’s also one hell of a provocative read. I just had to choose it to appear as one of our LoveReading star books.
So, so incredibly good, now that I have finished, I actually feel bereft. This book called to me, the cover design is divine, the synopsis gave me chills, and when I started, well, it was a non-stop absolute feast of a read. Tom hadn’t heard of the Whisper Man, he didn’t know about the murder of five young boys. Tom just wanted a new start, but then his son starts to hear whispering at his bedroom window. The prologue sent shivers coursing down my arms, it is followed by short, enthralling chapters that pushed and pulled at my emotions. Chapters change focus with no introduction, however the writing is such that they immediately connected and fell into place. I entered a mind space that made me feel entirely uncomfortable, yet set my thoughts on a different path. This is clever, beautifully compassionate writing by Alex North. While the tension reaches almost unbearable levels, there is a heartfelt balance of empathy and thoughtfulness that packs a huge punch. ‘The Whisper Man’ has left a lingering ache, it is an emotionally beautiful and terrifying read. I’ve chosen it as a LoveReading star read and one of my books of the month. I’m telling everyone I know - this is a must-read!
So, so incredibly good, now that I have finished, I actually feel bereft. This book called to me, the cover design is divine, the synopsis gave me chills, and when I started, well, it was a non-stop absolute feast of a read. Tom hadn’t heard of the Whisper Man, he didn’t know about the murder of five young boys. Tom just wanted a new start, but then his son starts to hear whispering at his bedroom window. The prologue sent shivers coursing down my arms, it is followed by short, enthralling chapters that pushed and pulled at my emotions. Chapters change focus with no introduction, however the writing is such that they immediately connected and fell into place. I entered a mind space that made me feel entirely uncomfortable, yet set my thoughts on a different path. This is clever, beautifully compassionate writing by Alex North. While the tension reaches almost unbearable levels, there is a heartfelt balance of empathy and thoughtfulness that packs a huge punch. ‘The Whisper Man’ has left a lingering ache, it is an emotionally beautiful and terrifying read. I’ve chosen it as a LoveReading star read and one of my books of the month. I’m telling everyone I know - this is a must-read!
The twenty-fifth instalment of the Number One Bestselling DCI Banks series The body of a young local student is found on a lonely country road. Initially the evidence points to suicide, yet she didn't own a car and she didn't even drive. So how did she get there, where did she die and who moved her? Meanwhile, a man in his sixties is found dead in a gully up on the nearby wild moorland. He is carrying no identification. The post-mortem indicates that he died from injuries sustained during the fall, but what was he doing up there? And why are there no signs of a car in the vicinity? As the trail gets colder, Annie's father's new partner, Zelda, alerts Banks and Annie to the return of an old and dangerous enemy in a new guise. This is someone who will stop at nothing, not even murder, to get what he wants.
A tense psychological thriller that keeps you turning the pages. This is the story of a group of friends who, between them, hold the answers to what happened one night when five of them went into a room and only four came out alive. Told in the first person, the narrative is split between the friends, and we are drawn into their dilemmas. All appear to be hiding something. The main character is Lisa Ashton who is suffering from amnesia while recovering from a kidney transplant. After discovering that one of the friends is the donor, she tries to find out what did happen during the gaps in her memory. What are her friends not telling her, and why? I love the structure of this novel as we gradually move through the hours and days following the inciting incident, finding out snippets of information that lead us to conclusions that then challenge the sleuths in each of us. The characters are well-drawn. We empathise with them all, experience their guilt, and their fears. Often, in this well-drawn thriller, we have cause us to doubt what we hear from each of the friends, until we suspect everybody. I would certainly read more from this author. 5 star rating. Lynne Johnson, A LoveReading Ambassador
Putting the thrilling into psychological thriller, this is one compelling and stimulating read. For over twenty years former singer Meredith Vincent has shunned the spotlight. When her past crashes into her present with an unexpected visit, suspicious events start to occur, and later a dead body is found. Meredith may have to revisit the terrifying events she has been desperately trying to forget. The prologue set in 1995 was half a page of intensely chilling writing and ensured I was gripped right from the start through to the riveting end. A number of different time frames, from the eighties through to 2018 allowed me, with each change, to see Meredith with fresh eyes. Louise Voss excels in keeping suspicion moving, it never quite settles, creating a taut atmosphere. Other characters are introduced, adding intrigue, and as baited traps of information are released, layer upon layer of information builds. The Last Stage is a highly entertaining, thoroughly enjoyable and gripping read.
A thoroughly entertaining, evocative, and wonderfully written historical mystery set in 1591. Physician and spy Nicholas Shelby joins forces with tavern keeper Bianca Merton in an investigation that could lead the country into civil war. This is the second in the ‘Jackdaw Mysteries’ series, you could start here, however I really do recommend going back to the beginning with ‘The Angel’s Mark’. S. W. Perry sets fiction intermingling with fact, and it is easy to believe that this could have been real. The writing prods and provokes thoughts and feelings, I could step forward into the sleaze and squalor, hear whispered conversations, feel the fragility of life in those times. Nicholas and Bianca are a fascinating duo, each interesting in their own right, together creating a force to be reckoned with. Vividly dramatic and engrossing, ‘The Serpent’s Mark’ ensures that this is a series that promises much and lives up to expectations, I eagerly await the next.
An absolutely fascinating dual-time frame novel focusing on the Italian Resistance in 1944, and what starts as an investigation into a hit and run accident in 1999. Sandro Bellini is just 18 years old when he falls in love with the wife of his commander during the Second World War. Michael Keats is determined to locate the man who had been having an affair with his wife before she was killed in 1999. Set in a valley near Lake Como in Northern Italy, these two time frames weave together to create a truly captivating tale. The first few chapters set my intrigue antenna on full alert. I have an interest in the Second World War, and wondered whether the story from 1944 would push 1999 to one side. Gordon Kerr however, ensures that the two time lines are equally gripping, particularly as events start to embrace. The characters feel entirely believable and their emotions beat and thrum across the page. The pace and tension increased throughout and I found the ending extremely satisfying. ‘The Partisan Heart’ is a well-written, clever tale focussing on intimate feelings during the most stressful of times.
He stole her childhood. She'll take his future What would you do if you accidentally encountered the man who once abused you? And how would you get away with it? Bridget's life is small and safe: she loves her husband and her son, and she works hard to keep her own business afloat. Until one day, her former violin teacher Anthony Carmichael walks into her shop with the teenager he's clearly grooming. Carmichael begins to stalk Bridget, trying to terrify her into silence. But Bridget is older and stronger now and suddenly, she snaps and fights back. Now Bridget must find a way to deal with the aftermath of her actions... The gripping, compelling and timely new thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Loving Husband, The Crooked House and The Day She Disappeared. Perfect for fans of Apple Tree Yard and Lie With Me.
Two people die of rabies, neither of whom appears to have been in contact with an infected animal. This must be murder – but by whom? And what is the motive? The police find a surgeon who has connections with both victims, and are inclined to charge him with the murders, but detective Aisha Sawyer has other suspicions. Meanwhile, Aisha’s husband is offered a chance to return to work in the music industry, a job he loved until his wife’s jealousy made it too difficult to continue. Poor communication between husband and wife and the stresses which it brings to their marriage means that they don’t see there is a connection between her case and his job offer, the connection being the wealthy widow Chosen who has recently bought a hip-hop recording business from the mother of her late fiancé, Trap, one of the murder victims, Chosen having been the beneficiary of a huge life insurance policy taken out on him. I thought the plot and storytelling were excellent, and was intrigued by the fact that the murderer was made obvious to the reader from early on in the book, leaving us free to follow the complexities of the police operation. And I thought the ending was unusual and interesting and was left wondering what will come along in the sequel. However, and it is a big however, I don’t think this book will be a great success here in the UK. American police methods and ethics are very different from the UK (although people who watch a lot of imported crime dramas might be familiar with them, but as far as I’m concerned watching TV wastes valuable reading time!), American hip-hop culture and lifestyle are almost unknown to the average British reader and most of all, the slang and dialect used in many of the conversations left me floundering around without a clue what was going on. I would love to know what happens in the next book in the series – but I’d want a translation of some sections of the book!
We can't choose the strangers we meet. As the guests arrive at beautiful, remote Mitchell's Inn, they're all looking forward to a relaxing weekend deep in the forest, miles from anywhere. They watch their fellow guests with interest, from a polite distance. Usually we can avoid the people who make us nervous, make us afraid. With a violent storm raging, the group finds itself completely cut off from the outside world. Nobody can get in - or out. And then the first body is found . . . and the horrifying truth comes to light. There's a killer among them - and nowhere to run. Until we find ourselves in a situation we can't escape. Trapped.
Picture it. You’re going on holiday. The bags are packed and the family is ready, you’re at the gate, the plane is boarding, you’ve decided to start your brand new, especially purchased thriller right away. Suddenly, you’re immersed into the corridors of intrigue, conspiracy, murder, espionage and you don’t know who to trust. The plane has left without you. So has the family. You haven’t even noticed. At least you have a good book … and the whole house to yourself for a week!
This section is crammed with dangerously compelling adventures that will have your nails bitten and nervous system tested to the full. From Dan Brown, Stieg Larsson and James Patterson to Fred Vargas, Bernard Minier and C.J Sansom, there’s enough here to keep you ‘head-down and out-of-it’ for years. There’s certainly time to read one more before the family gets back from Torremolinos … and that’s where we come in!