Posted in Reading, Reviews

Blurb is the word – The Bone Field – Simon Kernick

“If you go down to The Bone Field today, you’re in for a big surprise…”
“If you go down to The Bone Field today, you really should close your eyes”

A NEW TWIST TO A DECADES OLD MYSTERY

1990
A young woman goes missing while backpacking in Thailand.

She is never seen again.

2016
Her bones are discovered 6000 miles away in an English field and, within hours, the boyfriend who reported her disappearance all those years ago is dead.

So begins a hunt to solve her murder that will take DI Ray Mason and PI Tina Boyd into a dark and terrifying world of corruption and deadly secrets, where murder is commonplace, and nothing and nobody is safe…

 

Grab yourself a stiff drink, settle yourself down, and prepare for a dark and twisty read that is one hell of a journey….

Posted in Blogging

I’m sensing a bit of a theme here…

Let’s see, one I’m currently listening to, one I’m currently reading, and the third recently catapulted itself to the top of the TBR pile.

I’m guessing there’s a bit of a theme to my reading of late 🙂

*sings*

 

 

 

“Them bones, them bones, them dry bones, them bones, them bones, them dry bones, them bones, them bones, them dry bones, now…”

 

Posted in Blogging, Festivals

Mixing It Up with Bonnier Zaffre

Those fabulous people at Bonnier Zaffre books had a bit of a doo at Harrogate festival this year, to which the lovely Katherine Armstrong invited me along. Once I found the not so secret, ‘Secret Garden’ (there was a big sign pointing to it) These were just a few the lovely people I managed to mix with and snap. There were plenty more there, and a fab couple of hours were passed by.

 

Ooh Look Fizz! (I may have had a tad too much)

David Mark, Katherine Armstrong and LifeOfCri.me’s Kirstie Long

Sarah Hilary looking relaxed 🙂

Susi Holliday

Laura Wilson

Daniel Pembrey and Anya Lipska

As always, ‘Pretty in Purple’, Leigh Russell

The ever lovely Barry Forshaw

Martyn Waites and Alex Marwood showing the differing approaches to unexpected photos. 😉

Martin Edwards, charming as always

The fantastic Laura Lippman.

One of my favourite people in the world.  Zoe Sharp is a great author, and also an amazing cook!

It wouldn’t be Harrogate without Mark Billingham

It isn’t a proper party until you’ve got the dazzling duo, Kevin Wignall (above) and Simon Kernick (below)

Posted in Reading, Reviews

The Final Minute – Simon Kernick

image‘It’s night, and I’m in a strange house.

The lights are on and I’m standing outside a half-open door.

Feeling a terrible sense of forboding, I walk slowly inside.

And then I see her.

A woman lying sprawled across a huge double bed.

She’s dead. There’s blood everywhere.

And the most terrifying thing of all is that I think her killer might be me …’

A traumatic car-crash. A man with no memory, haunted by nightmares.

When the past comes calling in the most terrifying way imaginable, Matt Barron is forced to turn to the one person who can help.

Ex Met cop, turned private detective, Tina Boyd.

Soon they are both on the run .….

Master of the race against time thriller, Kernick will have you racing against time to reach the end of The Final Minute. 

Once again he has delivered a thrilling read, one that despite featuring several recurring characters, can be easily read on its own by anyone who is new to his fiction, and is satisfying for his legions of loyal fans who will be eagerly downloading the kindle version, or snapping up bargain publication day copies when it is published today.

The Final Minute will get its claws into you from the very beginning as you try, along with Matt Barron, to uncover his lost memories, and discover just who is out to get him and why.  He’s also so well written that you will alternatively love and hate him, because fundamentally he’s really not a nice guy, but you can’t help feeling for his situation, no matter how he ended up where he is.

It’s packed with action that never feels like it’s been put there for the sake of it, it all feels natural and genuine, and ensures there are none of those annoying ‘flukey getaways’ to spoil your enjoyment.  With twists and turns a plenty to keep you on your toes as you search for clues to who is behind the plot, The Final Minute is another sure-fire winner.

Posted in Blogging

A Book A Day, Sunday Wrap Up #4

T is For

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Trouble In Mind by Jeffery Deaver.  When it comes to short stories, Deaver is the master of the evil twist.  Trouble In Mind  is his latest collection with the promise of more collections on the way in the none to distant future.

U is For

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Ultimatum by Simon Kernick.  If you want a guaranteed one sitting, race against time thriller you can’t go wrong with anything from Kernick, and whilst there are serial characters involved, the majority of books can be enjoyed as standalone novels.

V is For

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Vendetta by Dreda Say Mitchell.  Released on November 6th 2014, Vendetta sees a new direction for this award winning author.  Watch out for LifeOfCri.me’s participation in next months Vendetta blog tour.

W is For

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Watch Me by James Carol After recently finishing the first Jefferson Winter novel Broken Dolls, I can’t wait to get stuck into Watch Me.  It’s also one of the books shortlisted for the Specsavers Crime Thriller Book Club Award 2014.

X is For

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XO by Jeffery Deaver (bet you didn’t think I’d find an X did you?)  The second Deaver of the week, XO is the third novel featuring Kathryn Dance as a lead following her introduction as a character in Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme series, and it’s her best singular outing yet.

Y is For

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You By Caroline Kepnes. A chilling account of unrelenting passion, and a perversely romantic thriller that’s more dangerously clever than any you’ve read before.

Z is For

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Zoo by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge.  What A-Z of books wouldn’t be complete without a Patterson.  As for me, I’m known for not being a fan of his production line style publishing, but I can’t deny that his books are addictive reads.  That said, he needs to keep up that rate as my record for sitting and reading one of his books from beginning to end is 2hrs 27 minutes…..

Posted in Blogging, Reading

A quick triple whammy…

Love fast paced thrillers? Fancy a quick read to keep you going while you make the agonising decision of what to read next from your TBR pile? Or simply love the work of Simon Kernick and have read his entire back catalogue? Then this is for you.

Initially released one at a time over three weeks, these great little bundles of action are available now, priced 49p each.

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Dead Man’s Gift Part 1: Yesterday

MP Tim Horton arrives home to find his seven year old son has been abducted by a ruthless gang of kidnappers. All they have left behind is the brutally murdered body of the Horton’s nanny.

The gang’s demands are simple: Tim must sacrifice his own life in order to save his son’s.

It’s the ultimate dead man’s gift .

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Dead Man’s Gift Part 2: Last Night

MP Tim Horton is waiting to hear from his son’s kidnappers. Knowing he’s being watched, and too scared to go to the police, he contacts the only man who may be able to help him, his brother-in-law: an ex-soldier called Scope who has a reputation for sorting things out and getting things done .

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Dead Man’s Gift Part 3: Today

Ex-soldier Scope has less than 12 hours to find his kidnapped nephew and he’s only got one lead to go on.

The clock’s ticking and, as Scope gets to work, he soon discovers he’s up against a vicious and dangerous criminal network, and he’s going to need all his determination and ingenuity just to stay alive .

 

This is a cracking little set of novellas for all thriller lovers, is perfect for those who don’t have as much time to read as they would like, and is a small price to pay for some excellent writing.

I recommend you go pick up your set now.