Wendy Cartmell

Author of the Sgt Major Crane crime thrillers

The Woman Next Door Cass Green

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August 18, 2016

Melissa and Hester have lived next door to each other for years. When Melissa’s daughter was younger, Hester was almost like a grandmother to her. But recently they haven’t been so close. Hester has plans to change all that. It’s obvious to her that despite Melissa’s outwardly glamorous and successful life, she needs Hester’s help. But taking help from Hester might not be such a good idea for a woman with as many secrets as Melissa…

This is a dark contemporary psychological thriller, there’s no doubt about that. At times the antics of Heather and Melissa are so outrageous it takes your breath away and at others they make you smile wryly. But no matter how weird the characters are, or the plot becomes, this book works on many levels. Cass Green’s writing is superb, but am I the only one who thinks this book is reminiscent of the monologues in Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads? Or am I showing my age?

Click on the book cover to go to the Amazon.co.uk book page.

The Assistants Camile Perri

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August 18, 2016

Behind every successful man is a busy assistant and Tina’s boss is very successful. But Tina is tired of being overworked and underpaid. She’s bored of her damp flat and her mounting debts. Then a blip in the expenses system sends Tina a cheque.

What happens next is sort of predicable, but it’s what happens after that and after that etc that makes this such a fun read. With lots of humour, twists and turns this is a great easy read novel. Pack it in your beach bag! Darkly humorous.

Click on the cover to go to the Amazon.co.uk book page.

The Stepmother Claire Seeber

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August 18, 2016

Jeanie and Matthew are a happily married couple who both have teenage children from previous relationships. No one said it would be easy to raise a blended family under one roof but Jeanie and Matthew are strong. They will make it work. And whilst Jeanie’s step-daughter Scarlett rejects her, Jeanie will just have to try harder to win her over.

The tension in this book is palpable and it proved to be a great read. I was unsure what to expect after all the hype the publishers created around the book, but Ms Seeber pulled it off with aplomb. Jeanie is portrayed as ordinary really, easily manipulated and someone who likes to think the best of people. But this story shows us how such trust and naivety can go spectacularly wrong and that secrets can eat you from the inside out.

Click on the cover to go to the Amazon.co.uk book page.

The Woman in Cabin 10 Ruth Ware

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August 18, 2016

This was meant to be the perfect trip. The Northern Lights. A luxury press launch on a boutique cruise ship. A chance for travel journalist Lo Blacklock to recover from a traumatic break-in that has left her on the verge of collapse, and to work out what she wants from her relationship. Except things don’t go as planned.

To me this read like a cozy mystery. It wasn’t the blockbuster, page turning thriller it was billed as, but it was a good mystery, likeable and an easy read. Just don’t take the book too seriously and you’ll enjoy it. If you like dark gritty realism then this isn’t the book for you. If you like flawed heroines trying to make the most of a bad job, then grab a copy now.

Click the cover to go to the Amazon.co.uk book page.

The History Major Michael Phillip Cash

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August 18, 2016


After a vicious fight with her boyfriend followed by a night of heavy partying, college freshman Amanda Greene wakes up in her dorm room to find things are not the same as they were yesterday.

And indeed they’re not. Amanda has to learn to face up to her problems and past behaviours, but the clues are subtle and as a result she blunders around until the climax of the story.

Well written and interesting up to a point, but I’m glad it was only a novella. I felt this was the right length. Any longer than that and the narrative would have been teetering on navel gazing.

Click the picture to go to the Amazon.co.uk bookpage.

 

Strictly Between Us Jane Fallon

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July 29, 2016

Tamsin and her best friend Michelle have been inseparable since they were teenagers. Even now they spend all their time together, along with Patrick, Michelle’s handsome husband. So when Tamsin hears a rumour that Patrick is having an affair, she is furious.
I enjoyed this different take on chick-lit and found the story by turns amusing and warming. I loved the conversational style of writing, which was easy and page turning. An interesting plot that keeps you guessing.
I received a copy of this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Click the cover to go to Amazon.co.uk.

 

The Girl in the Ice Robert Brynza

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July 29, 2016

When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation. The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London.
This is a good police procedural with a flawed detective and an interesting premise. It keeps you turning the pages right until the end. Although I have to say it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Angela Marsons’ DI Kim Stone. I received a copy of this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Click the book cover for the Amazon.co.uk book page.

Switcheroo Aaron Elkins

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July 29, 2016

A cold case dating from the 1960s draws forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver to the Channel Islands decades later to shine a light on the mysterious connection between two men who died there on the same night.
I found this a very easy read, more in the style of a cozy mystery than a crime thriller. The characters are likeable and the plot well thought out, but it is all somehow a bit too ‘on the surface’ and the reader doesn’t really get the chance to be gripped by the story. I would also have liked to read more about what happened to the boys during the war and the affect it had on Jersey. This part was skated over and I thought it was central to the story.
I received a copy of this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Click on the cover to go to the Amazon.co.uk book page.

Journey to Death Leigh Russell

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July 27, 2016

Lucy Hall arrives in the Seychelles determined to leave her worries behind. The tropical paradise looks sun-soaked and picture-perfect—but as Lucy soon discovers, appearances can be very deceptive. I found this a very easy read, more in the style of a cozy mystery than a crime thriller. The characters are likeable and the plot well thought out, but it isn’t a gripping serial killer thriller of the kind I normally read. Having said that, it was thoroughly enjoyable.
I received a copy of this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Click on the book cover to go to the Amazon UK book page.

Crooked Heart Lissa Evans

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July 27, 2016

When Noel Bostock – aged ten, no family – is evacuated from London to escape the Blitz, he winds up in St Albans with Vera Sedge – thiry-six, drowning in debts. Always desperate for money, she’s unscrupulous about how she gets it.
I found this book spellbinding and compelling. The characters were very different from each other and all changed in some way or another during the course of the story. The greatest challenges, of course, were on Noel and Vera, who had to compromise, learn to have empathy and to let another person into their lives. A captivating read.
I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Click on the cover to go to the Amazon UK book page.

 

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