Tag Archives: mystery

Book Review: The Perfect Hoax (The Reed Files 2) by Susanna Shore

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About the Book:

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The second most important rule of leaving the life of crime: don’t get attached.

Eliot Reed has one plan: he’ll go after Salvatore Bosco, the crime lord who tried to kill him in Monaco. Then he’ll ditch his current identity and disappear. His bags are already packed, and Macao sounds like a good destination. But when he learns that Ada has gone missing, he doesn’t hesitate to change his plans. He needs to find her first.

Ada Reed knows exactly where she is: held captive by her so called late husband she’s tried to find ever since he faked his death. Danny is blackmailing Ada into robbing a bank with him. When Eliot shows up, there’s only one choice for him: becoming a criminal again to get her out of the bad situation.

But it turns out Danny isn’t working for himself. Eliot and Ada find themselves in the middle of a deeply personal mafia feud. One of the players is Salvatore Bosco—and suddenly it’s personal for Eliot too.

From Rome to Venice and Milan, the pair tries to keep one step ahead of very dangerous players. If they want to escape with their lives, they’ll have to deliver the perfect hoax.

My Thoughts:

I read this book without having read the first one, but it was easy to understand and follow. This can be read as a standalone story as well in my opinion. The story follows Eliot and Ada, each in adventures of their own until they end up in the same place with Eliot trying to save Ada.

Each of the characters have secrets that they are hiding and soon these secrets will come out. Once again (as per the blurb and later while reading the book), the characters are forced to steal something to truly save themselves.

I liked the characters of Ada and Eliot though I am not sure that I connected very well with them. At first, the story did not resonate with me and it took me some time to really get into it. Towards the middle, everything started to make sense and it was quite fun to read this story. I like the banter and rapport that Eliot and Ada have and the plans they come up with to save themselves in the end.

This was an enjoyable, one time read and is perfect for fans of mysteries and thrillers!

Book Review – Death in the Offing: An Accidental Psychic Mystery by Alisha K

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About the Book:

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Sitara Singhal has a new dream. When a backfiring spell turns her into an accidental psychic, she realizes that communicating with spirits is her calling. After her last success at solving a murder with the help of a ghostly gang of misfits, she tries to set up a paranormal detective agency, where she solves crimes with the help of the spirit world. The only fly in the ointment is the very bossy DI Richard Collins, who thinks she should stay out of all things murder and mayhem, and stick to making coffee. Will Sitara succeed? To find out, read Death In The Offing, the second book in The Accidental Psychic series.

My Thoughts:

Death in the Offing is the second book in The Accidental Psychic series. I quite enjoyed the first book and thus decided to try out the second.

The book is a quick read, following Sitara and her band of ghostly misfits as they try to help uncover the mystery behind the death of a young teenage girl. Sitara and her friends are also working to set up a paranormal detective agency through which she can try to help ghosts find their truth and find peace. However, it is not as simple as it seems.

This book has the vibes of Meg Cabot’s The Mediator series, and I absolutely loved reading it. The characters are fun and quirky, and of course, we cannot forget Sitara’s equation with DI Richard Collins. Sparks are flying, a killer is on the loose, a teenage ghost is haunting her step-mother and Sitara is just getting started and finding her groove!

Though short, this book was worth the read and I am definitely looking forward to reading about more of Sitara’s adventures as she takes her detective agency forward!

Book Review: A Different Kind of Gone by Catherine Ryan Hyde

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About the Book:

The truth behind a teenage girl’s disappearance becomes something to conceal in a gripping novel about justice, lies, and impossible choices by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.

When nineteen-year-old Jill Moss goes missing near the Utah-Arizona border, everyone has an opinion. Only Norma Gallagher, a search and rescue volunteer, knows the real story.

Norma’s already found Jill, huddled in a cave and terrified that her abusive boyfriend, Jake, will kill her. If he ever sees her again. To protect Jill from a dangerous man, Norma quietly delivers the girl to her grateful parents in California, even though she’s conflicted. Keeping Jill safe and hidden from Jake, the press, and the public will be their secret. But secrets can’t last forever.

Five years later, the disappearance stirs a new media frenzy when Jake is arrested for the murder of Jill Moss—and Norma knows he didn’t kill her. As Jake is about to stand trial, lust for retribution inflames public opinion and Jill’s family refuses to come forward, forcing Norma to make a life-changing decision.

What are the consequences if she stays silent? And what are the risks if she dares to finally tell the truth?

My Thoughts:

It has been a while since I read a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde. I have been a fan of her books for a long time and was interested by the premise of this book. A Different Kind of Gone is a welcome change to the author usual style of writing. The story follows Norma and Jill, women of different ages with different perspectives who form a strong bond due to unexpected circumstances.

Norma helps Jill escape and disappear from her abusive boyfriend. No-one knows that she is still alive except her parents. Five years later, events bring them back together with decisions to be taken. In this book, we see Norma grappling with her conscience, what is right and her need to help. There are many shades to her character and as her story is revealed through the book, it becomes easier to understand her. Despite her specific morals, she decides to deviate from the usual and help Jill out.

On the other hand, Jill is young and determined, initially a victim who slowly starts to realize that her situation is not okay and she has the power to change it. She can either speak up or move away and make a new life for herself. Having tried both, she finally chooses the latter and though this seems like running, it shows strength of character.

As always, Catherine Ryan Hyde’s books are interspersed with messages and learnings, told in a way that the reader doesn’t even feel like they are being preached to. The beauty of the story lies in the plot and the characters who drive it. I absolutely loved reading this book which focuses on the women in the story, the abuse they face and how they deal with it, coming out stronger for it and with bonds that last a lifetime.

Though the book is a little slow at the start, it moves to a steadier pace towards the middle and end. This book is worth reading, just like all the other books by the author, and I truly enjoyed it.

Book Review: Murder in Manhattan (Lady Eleanor Swift #14) by Verity Bright

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About the Book:

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Glitzy parties, sightseeing at the Statue of Liberty and strolls through Central Park with Gladstone the bulldog… Lady Eleanor Swift is loving her first trip to the city that never sleeps, until she witnesses a murder!

After crossing from England on the SS Celestiana, Lady Eleanor Swift sets up her home-away-from-home in a lavish apartment in New York City. She is soon the toast of the town, with no high-class soirée complete without her presence. Of course, she drags her butler Clifford and Gladstone the bulldog along to every party too.

But when she witnesses the charming doorman of her building, Marty, knocked down and killed in a hit-and-run, she finds fashionable society suddenly closes rank. The only local detective interested in helping her find the culprit is street-smart beat cop, Officer Balowski.

Resolved to get justice for Marty and his family, Eleanor searches Marty’s tiny apartment and is shocked to find five rolls of banknotes tucked under the floorboards. Money talks, but Marty was struggling to make ends meet, so where did the cash come from?

The next day, wealthy entrepreneur and flashy philanderer Ogden P. Dellaney – a man Marty used to work for – is found dead downtown, miles away from his swanky Upper East Side mansion. Eleanor and Balowski are sure the deaths are connected, but not even Dellaney’s wife is willing to answer their questions.

Then Eleanor is served with an eviction notice and Balowski is fired from the NYPD. It becomes clear that something is rotten in the Big Apple and Eleanor is determined to get to the core of the mystery before the murderer strikes again…

My Thoughts:

This is Book 14 in the Lady Eleanor Swift series and I absolutely loved it. I have been a fan of this series and the characters, very much invested in Eleanor and her adventures. Though I haven’t read all the books and sometimes not in the right order, I enjoyed the ones that I read.

This book was a pleasant surprise and felt different than the others, perhaps due to the setting. In this story, we follow Eleanor on a trip to New York City as she navigates the glitz and glamour of the city. What follows of course is a murder and thus she is embroiled in another investigation, in a city where she isn’t as welcome as she thought she was.

Though the storyline continues from the previous and brings to us a lot of our beloved characters, this book feels different. The style of writing and the development of the plot is a little different from the rest and this is what set it apart for me. Though a little slow on the uptake, the author dove right into the plot, taking the reader along on a wonderful investigative adventure.

I truly enjoyed this book and cannot imagine missing out on further of Lady Swift’s adventures! I look forward to reading the next books.

Book Review: A Midflight Vampire’s Tale by Linda Ling

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About the Book:

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“And so at last, you reveal what it is you want from me. My story. The answer is no.”
“I’ve saved your life twice by now. You owe me, and you can’t run from me here.”

There are some things you can’t escape.

In a first-class aircraft cabin, on a red-eye flight from Singapore to Europe, sit two extraordinary passengers. They’re on the run. And they’re both vampires.

Cheng’s origins reach back to ancient China, while Henry is a vampire who can thrive in the day. For all intents and purposes, they are enemies.
Despite the chasm that separates them, they share a tragic connection rooted in the past, a connection which resulted in her becoming his people’s most dreaded adversary.
A chain of events has thrown them together and in return for saving her life, Henry wants her story.

What did Cheng do to make his people hate her so much?
How far will she go to redeem herself?
How many people will she entangle in the process?
And who is hunting them both?

The is the tale of her origins, told in midflight, vampire to vampire.

My Thoughts:

I came across the author’s eARC reading campaign on Instagram and was instantly drawn to the book by the premise. I quite enjoy reading about the supernatural and this book teased at something different in the genre. Vampire’s sharing their story during a flight! I was intrigued to say the least and joined the team to read and review this book!

I am grateful to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book blew me away from the start. The narrative is smooth and flows so well that the reader doesn’t pause even when it shifts from person to person, past and present but almost always told in first person. This is a story of origins, friends and enemies, love and honor among other things. Though slow to start, the story picks up pace towards the middle and gets more and more interesting as it unfolds with layers of Chinese history interspersed with the narrative.

There are multiple plot lines in this story and the author weaves them together seamlessly, without giving away anything very easily. It is a slow burn novel that takes time to unravel, drawing the reader in and ensuring that the attention of the reader is on the characters at all times. I was wholly invested in Cheng and curious to know her story. This is also a book that deals with a identity crisis, addressing the questions of ‘Who am I?’; ‘Who do I want to be?’ Cheng goes through so much in her life with friends, love, and makes a whole lot of enemies up until a point where when she does good, it is not always seen in the same light.

Henry was an interesting character to pit against Cheng, striking wits right from the very beginning. His angle and interest were not always clear but as the story progresses, it is easy to see how important he is to this entire story. This story is told as a conversation between Cheng and Henry in the present with narrations of the past from Cheng’s point of view. There are some 3rd person POVs (very limited) to add some more perspective to the story telling.

I truly fell in love with each of the characters as well as their journeys. If this is how the origins are presented, I am truly looking forward to reading more about the characters and the events that unfold.

Book Review: Death on the Doorstep by Alisha K

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About the Book:

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When a bewitching spell goes wrong…

Almost thirty, almost divorced, and about to sell her last pair of Jimmy Choos to make rent, Sitara Singhal thinks she has hit rock bottom. And then she finds out her mother is coming to visit her in London. Which would have been lovely, except that her overbearing mother doesn’t know she’s getting divorced and Sitara would like to keep it that way until she’s ready to tell her.

When her estranged husband, Blake, refuses to pretend they are still married, Sitara’s best friend convinces her to cast a spell on him. But, can someone who doesn’t believe in mumbo jumbo perform actual magic with a spell found in a spell book of questionable origin? As it turns out, she can. With disastrous results!

When the spell backfires and accidentally turns her psychic, Sitara sees her first ghost, and it is the last person she’d ever want to see – Blake’s awful girlfriend, Shazia, who has just been killed. To make things worse, Sitara is the prime suspect in the murder.

Now, she’s stuck with a vindictive ghost, a grieving ex, and the very bossy DI Richard Collins who is investigating the murder. Can Sitara find the real killer and prove her innocence?

To find out, read Death on the Doorstep , the first book in The Accidental Psychic series.
It is a funny, paranormal cozy mystery set in London.

My Thoughts:

Death on the Doorstep is a hilarious and quick read! Sitara accidentally finds out that she can see and talk to ghosts and this turns her world upside down. She is dealing with a divorce that she has hid from her parents for the moment and she doesn’t get along with her soon to be ex-husband’s girlfriend (it goes both ways with these two women!). So when Blake’s girlfriend, Shazia, is found dead and Sitara is the main suspect, she has to work with Shazia to uncover the truth.

The best part of this story are the other 3 ghostly characters who Sitara meets. They are amazing and fun, making her journey of learning to be a psychic enjoyable in my opinion. I love her camaraderie with them and with her best friend Winnie. The entire story is fast-paced with a focus is on solving the murder and proving that Sitara is innocent. However, the author brings in smaller sequences that set the tone for upcoming books. The back-story is set and the characters are introduced. It is so easy to fall in love with them.

This book reminded me of reading Meg Cabot’s paranormal series as well as books like Lockwood and Co. by Jonathan Stroud. There is friendship, budding romance, paranormal elements and enough light-heartedness to keep the readers hooked! I am definitely looking forwards to reading more about Sitara and her ghostly friends’ adventures!

Book Review: I Remember Now by Robert W Kirby

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Book Blurb:

I Remember Now Book Cover

Melinda never really knew her husband. Until he died.

When Melinda’s husband, Gabriel, is murdered while walking their dog in some local fields, her world is smashed to pieces.

Melinda, who was also attacked and knocked out during the terrifying ordeal, tries to get her life back on track, but the grief is overwhelming.

Then, months after the incident, she has an intense flashback. The killer said something to Gabriel in the moments before stabbing him, something that seems to indicate they knew each other.

Now convinced Gabriel was targeted on purpose, Melinda becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about her husband’s death. But her daughters are concerned she’s becoming delusional and she’s seeing conspiracies where there are none.

As she digs deeper into his past, Melinda begins to realise that Gabriel had secrets, that despite all their years together, she may never have really known him.

What she doesn’t realise is that she is inching towards the biggest secret of all, a secret that people have killed for – and died for. Can Melinda uncover it before she becomes its next tragic victim?

I Remember Now – the gripping psychological thriller perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst, Kiersten Modglin

Author Bio:

Robert W Kirby Author Photo

Robert was born in 1979 and lives in Kent with his wife, children, and bonkers dalmatian, Dexter.

He ran a private investigation agency for over fifteen years, dealing in cases that involved breach of contract claims, commercial debt recovery, and process serving. Robert’s agency also specialised in people tracing; so much of his work revolved around tracking down debtors, dealing in adoption matters, and locating missing persons. At times, he worked on some pretty bizarre cases and dealt with plenty of interesting and sometimes colourful individuals.

Since 2014, Robert has worked self-employed in the pet care industry, and is a keen trail runner, mountain biker and kayaker. Robert has a huge passion for screenwriting for many years and started writing novels during the first lockdown.

Robert’s Links:

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Robertkirbybooks
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/robertkirby.books/
Website : https://www.robertkirbybooks.com

Book Links:
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200043474-i-remember-now
Buy Links – https://mybook.to/iremembernow-zbt

I Remember Now Tour Poster

My Thoughts:

It’s my stop on the Book Tour organized by Zooloo’s Book Tour for I Remember Now by Robert W Kirby. Read on to know what I thought of the book!

I Remember Now is a psychological thriller with a twist that most won’t see coming. The story follows Melinda as she tries to uncover the truth behind her husband’s sudden death. She is pretty sure that he was murdered and through the course of her sleuthing, she uncovers deeply hidden secrets that force her to take a step back and think about the person she thought she knew and with whom she built a whole life.

The initial chapters felt a little disconnected and it was not easy for me to connect with Melinda or her daughters. However, on reading further, more of the story is revealed and through flashbacks which were handled quite well, the story starts to get better. The story all seemed to come together very quickly and easily in the end, but the twists and turns were unexpected and this kept the element of surprise real.

I felt that most of the characters were just shown at a surface level and many of their connections with one another were not explored deeply. This would have added a lot more intrigue to the plot. The relationship that Melinda shares with her two daughters was interesting and well portrayed. Overall, this is a good read and is interesting enough towards the second half to keep the reader guessing until the end.

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Book Review: By Hook Or By Crook by Abhishek Sinha

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About the Book:

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A missing cop.

An abducted journalist.

A city plagued with crime and corruption.

Shahid becomes embroiled in a web of suspicion and intrigue in his quest to find his journalist brother. As he navigates the complex maze of lies and betrayal to clear his name, the shocking revelations put every known fact into suspicion. With Shahid engaging in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the hidden forces, the lines between good and evil start to blur.

Is Shahid really as innocent as he seems?

Who can you trust in a world where everyone has something to hide?

Prepare to be captivated by this thrilling crime story of “By Hook Or By Crook” that will keep you guessing until the very end.

My Thoughts:

By Hook Or By Crook is author Abhishek Sinha’s debut novel and is an interesting crime thriller. The story revolves around Shahid, the main protagonist, as he tries to find his brother. Shahid’s brother is a journalist and has been missing. While the police do not immediately agree to look for him, it soon becomes clear that an on-going police investigation is linked intricately to Shahid’s brother’s disappearance. And thus begins a race against time to uncover the truth.

We are introduced to various characters who help to drive the plot along. However, I felt that some of the main characters were lacking in depth and a little more back story could have been provided. It is not as easy to connect with the characters in the story.

This story reads like a police procedural to some extent and shows the reader that the author has done his due diligence to get the details right. It was interesting to read the inner workings of the police force and how they go forward with their investigation. On the other hand, Shahid is an interesting character who is extremely resourceful while at the same time giving life to the words that a person will do anything for family. This does justice to the title of the book where our main character is willing to go to any lengths and do anything to find out the truth.

On the whole, I enjoyed reading this book mainly for the way the plot plays out and for some of the unexpected twists and turns. The author delivers an ending that is quite unexpected but which definitely makes reading this book worthwhile.

Book Review: Covert in Cairo by Kelly Oliver

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About the Book:

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Cairo. December 1917.

Following a tip-off from notorious spy Fredrick Fredricks, Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane of British Intelligence find themselves in the hustle and bustle of Egypt. But ancient mummies aren’t the only bodies buried in the tombs of Cairo.

When a young French archeologist is found dead in a tomb in the desert with his head bashed in, and an undercover British agent goes missing, the threat moves closer to home.

As they dig deeper, soon Fiona and Kitty uncover a treasure trove of suspects, including competing excavators, jealous husbands, secret lovers, and belligerent spies! Fiona wonders if the notorious Fredrick Fredricks could be behind the murders? Or is the plot even more sinister?

One thing is clear – If Fiona and Kitty can’t catch the killer, they might end up sharing a sarcophagus with Nefertiti.

With humor as dry as the Arabian desert, and pacing as fast as a spitting camel, Fiona and Kitty are back in another sparkling adventure, this time in WW1 Egypt.

My Thoughts:

I quite enjoy cozy mysteries and ones with strong female protagonists are interesting to read! Covert in Cairo has it all. Set during World War I in Egypt, the author gives us a glimpse into the excavations of the time, some famous archeologists as well as Egypt in the time of the war.

Though I haven’t read any of Fiona’s previous adventures, I really enjoyed this one as she and Kitty embark on a new mystery while trying to uncover a murderer as well as save the world. Another aspect which kept me interested was the character of Fredrick Fredricks. I could not quite figure him out and it was fun to read about him, painted as a villain. The question of is he good or is he bad kept arising and solving that particular conundrum was intriguing.

The story was a little slow in some places and I guess this was deliberate on the side of the author. Overall though I quite enjoyed how the author carried the story forward and introduced us to some very fascinating characters. This was a good read and I am sure that fans of mysteries and historical fiction would enjoy the book.

Book Review: Cold Blooded Love by Girish Dutt Shukla

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Book Blurb:

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Having separated from her husband Om, Ziva keeps can there be a happy forever family? Her new neighbours—Ovya and Aadit—appear to be a perfect couple, and they make her reminisce the good times she spent with her once loving husband.

Soon, however, Ziva discovers that everything is not so rosy with the couple. As Ovya starts sharing her views about Aadit, the myth of perfection begins to crumble. One night, Ziva hears a penetrating scream and then Ovya goes missing.

Caught in the middle of a family scandal, Ziva finds herself in a fix as she struggles with a simple question. Should she pursue her heart, or give up on her dreams and finally accept that family bliss is perhaps a misnomer?

My Thoughts:

Cold Blooded Love is a psychological thriller unlike any other that I have read in this genre. The story will grip readers from the moment they start reading it and keep them guessing until the very end.

This story follows Ziva as she moves to a new city and tries to start over after having separated from her husband. Throughout the story, we follow her present day to day activities, her interactions and experience her emotions. In parallel, we get glimpses of her past and her relationship with her ex-husband, her best friend and the life she left behind. When someone from her past enters her present, her life changes, for better or worse, dear reader, you need to read and find out!

I enjoyed reading about Ziva. She is a complex character and a very intriguing one with so many many shades to her. At every moment when you think you have her figured out, she proves you wrong! Ovya is lively and a wonderful contrast to Ziva thus making their friendship seem inevitable. When Ovya goes missing, the connection that binds Ziva and Ovya’s husband as they search for her is the single thread that holds this plot together before it slowly starts to unravel. This story is really mind bending and quite unexpected with twists that you do not see coming.

The author’s style of writing is unique and though it took me a little time to catch on, I quite enjoyed the back and forth in the timeline as we see the present merge with the past. We also see how decisions of the past or past actions affect the present and could impact the future. This is indeed a well thought out, brilliantly written psychological thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed and strongly recommend to all readers, especially fans of this genre!