Silent Night by Nell Pattison

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HarperCollins Audio UK in exchange for an honest review.

Had I realised this was a police procedural type book, I probably wouldn't have requested it. Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised by Silent Night. Paige is a deaf interpreter hired by the police to help out when a student and teacher go missing at a school for the deaf. When the teacher is found dead, the hunt for the student intensifies but with both students and staff keeping secrets, this is definitely not a clear cut case.

There was a lot going on in this book in a good way and having the main character being an interpreter did add a nice spin on the usual detective story. I liked the main character on the whole and I thought her past and life added to the plot greatly which isn't always the case with these thrillers. In particular, her relationships with her sister and her ex were some of my favourite parts of the book, and they really drove the emotional core of the story.

I listened to this as an audiobook and I would definitely recommend it this way. The main narrator was great and easy to listen to. There was an additional deaf narrator brought in to narrate some chapters from a student's point of view, something which is fantastic in concept but I feel isn't executed well. Those chapters are simply not very clear and I really struggled to make out what was happening in them. I don't think this is the fault of the narrator but more to do with the way it was recorded/produced as it mostly seems to be a volume issue, at least for me. It's a shame because it really added to the tone of the book and I think it's a fantastic decision representation-wise.

Overall, Silent Night is an engaging police procedural thriller with a unique and interesting setting. There is a lot of meat to the plot but it never feels confusing, and the strong relationship with the characters keeps you invested throughout. I would definitely recommend giving it a try and if you like police procedurals, I'm sure you will love this more than I do.

Overall Rating:

.5

The Promise by Katerina Diamond

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Avon Books UK in exchange for an honest review.

I will start this review by saying I requested this ARC a long time ago before I realised police procedurals weren't really my thing, so take my opinion with a pinch of salt. Having said that, The Promise is a fairly decent addition to the genre which mostly suffers from having quite a lot going on.

The Promise is the story of DS Adrian Miles and his partner Imogen Grey, who get involved in a serial killer case where the murderer is finding women through a dating site to strangle to death. Parallel to this, we are told a story about a teenage boy named Connor who has recently moved to the UK and is being physically abused by his dad. There is also a set of chapters from an unknown female POV of a woman telling the story of how she met her abusive partner.

You might already be able to tell that this is a lot but sadly, it isn't enough to hide the solution of the serial killer mystery. I had it worked out by 50% of the way through and it became very linear from there as I waited for the characters to catch up with me. I am not familiar with this series and so I also found it difficult to work out if Adrian or Imogen was meant to be the protagonist. From the blurb I see it was meant to be both of them, but Imogen felt more like the main character and Adrian's parts felt a bit intrusive as a result. It added even more to a story which already had three POVs.

The strengths of this book were that I felt it handled the police procedural stuff well and I didn't feel as bored as I normally do with the genre. Connor's storyline provided a lot of the heart and depth to the book and, though it was predictable, I still think his sections added a lot and were probably my favourite of the bunch. The characters were solid and well-written throughout, and the detective team had some nice interactions. It was also paced pretty well. It maybe could have been a little shorter but it was clear, easy to follow and the plot kept moving.

Overall, The Promise is a decent example of its genre. It's not the most groundbreaking thriller but Diamond clearly has talent and I had a better time reading this than some procedurals. If you're a fan of the genre, you will almost certainly love this more than I did.

Overall Rating:

This Little Piggy by Rob Ashman

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bloodhound Books in exchange for an honest review.

 I will preface this review by saying gory serial killer books aren't really my thing. I requested this ARC way back when I joined NetGalley and I was excited by the prospect of new thrillers, without really pausing to stop and think if I actually wanted to read those thrillers. Having said that, This Little Piggy really surprised me with how enjoyable it is. This is a very good example of its genre.

As expected, this book has a fair amount of graphic gore and that was a little off putting. However, it also had a brilliant main detective character. It isn't often I find myself actually connecting with the police in police procedurals but Ashman did a great job of creating someone who was capable of driving the book beyond the basic serial killer plotline. The serial killer themselves is similarly well-written, never veering off into the cartoonish or unbelievable. All in all, I was very impressed by the writing.

This is not a thriller for people who enjoy a lot of twists or turns, but if you want a solid police procedural with a suitably gruesome premise, this is the perfect book to pick up.

Overall Rating:

.5

The Stranger's Wife by Anna-Lou Weatherley

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bookouture in exchange for an honest review.

This book really did not gel with me. I did finish it but it was a definite slog and I skim-read about 40% of it. There was just nothing in the plot which I found particularly gripping and, while the characters were alright, I wasn't invested enough to make up for the lack of good story. The two female characters described in the blurb don't meet until about 60% of the way through the book and once they do, things become very pedestrian. I also feel the plot they hatched made no sense? I could see no advantage to what they did. So disappointing!

Overall Rating:

Midwinter Mysteries by Assorted Authors

I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Sapere Books in exchange for an honest review.

I really really love the idea behind this anthology. As far as I can tell, the publishing house behind this book has gotten a bunch of mystery/crime authors to write some short stories showcasing their characters in order to promote the series they write. This is a very cool idea and I think it's a great way to potentially find a new series you might really enjoy. Sadly most of these stories ended up not being for me.

I would say loosely that almost all of these are either a) police procedurals, b) historical mysteries or a c) a combination of both. With the exception of the very first story, I probably enjoyed the historical ones slightly more since I tend to lean towards historical crime fiction (unlike thrillers where I like modern day). My main problem with these is they were all incredibly short. This made it very difficult to get into the stories and also to get a taste of what the authors' true styles were. It felt like a story was just getting going and then it would end abruptly, sometimes without a sense that there had been an actual mystery involved.

Perhaps because of these stories using pre-established characters, there was also a lack of introduction of most of the cast and/or plot elements surrounding the stories themselves. This didn't help with getting into the stories either (again, the first story actually did introduce people fairly well and was one of my favourites for this reason).

Overall, this is a decent but all too brief collection of stories. They all fall a little short in various ways but the anthology was still moderately enjoyable and I do really like the idea behind it. I just wish everything was a little bit longer.

Overall Rating:

.5

Little Girls Sleeping by Jennifer Chase

I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Bookouture in exchange for an honest review.

I am not usually the biggest fan of police procedurals but I couldn't help but be intrigued by one with a premise as creepy as this. Our protagonist Katie Scott has just returned from serving in the army when she stumbles into a missing-girls case in her home town. Someone has been putting the girls into glass coffins and preserving their bodies for years. With the help of her support dog Cisco, Katie is determined to find out who is responsible.

Straight off the bat, I really liked Katie. There is occasionally the odd clumsy line which is designed to hype her up as a character which was somewhat annoying, but overall she was a brilliant protagonist. The other characters are sadly a lot more basic and there are very clear standard roles here. You have the persistent newcomer in Katie herself, you have the derisive detective who hates her inexplicably, you have the hesitant partner who learns to have her back...there's not really anything new here. Having said that, these features are common of most police procedurals so that's not necessarily a negative.

The plot itself was very well-paced and I felt like the book was just the right length. There was no padding or pointless story threads and this created a very tight narrative which kept you reading through it quickly. The solution to the whole plot was satisfying and didn't have the usual problem of it just being some random, fairly obscure character. Perhaps some readers will find it a bit basic but it was done well so it didn't bother me in the slightest.

Overall, I think people who love police procedurals will probably enjoy this a lot more than I did. This is a strong example of the genre with a likeable detective and a decent hook. I would definitely consider reading more in the series, especially if a more complex plot was incorporated.

Overall Rating:

.5

The Secret Child by Caroline Mitchell

I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Amazon Publishing UK in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited when I saw this book was coming out. I read the first book in this series, Truth and Lies, only a few months ago and I found it to be a really enjoyable thriller. I am pleased to say that the sequel continues this trend.

My main concern upon finishing the first one was that I wasn't sure where the story could go. The main plot of Truth and Lies is that a detective discovers her birth mother is a serial killer and she must work with her secretly to uncover the locations of victims' bodies to give their families closure. This plot actually follows neatly on from this and the crime that must be solved involves a secret facility that experimented on children. One of these children supposedly died in a fire years ago but now someone claiming to be him is kidnapping children in the modern day and forcing their parents to play a deadly game to ensure their child's safe return. This plot wasn't quite as compelling to me as the first one but it did neatly incorporate the themes of children being lied to about their past and it offered some nice character moments for Amy, our main protagonist.

The writing in this continues to be of top quality. It was engaging and well-paced, although the plot was a lot more linear than the first book. While the first one had various intriguing subplots going on, this lacks pretty much any. That's not really a huge negative quality, it was just something missing that I had really enjoyed. There is sort of a subplot involving Amy's reporter ex-boyfriend but it's largely downplayed. Her serial killer mother is clearly going to play a large part in the next book but her presence in this one was a little intrusive and mostly seemed to serve to make sure we didn't forget who she was.

Overall, this is still a really enjoyable police procedural series and I am definitely excited for the next ones to come out. I appreciate police procedurals with consistent themes and interesting characters which this provides in spades. The crime of this could have been stronger but it was a great thriller on the whole.

Overall Rating:

.5

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and publisher Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review.

Ooh. Normally I am not a fan of thrillers where you don't know whether something mystical is happening or not. However, with Little Darlings it really works. This is the story of new mum Lauren who, after giving birth to twins, starts to really struggle with motherhood and finds changeling stories filling her mind. Her husband Paul is not as helpful as she'd hoped he would be and it culminates in Lauren being convinced her babies have been swapped with fairy alternatives. To get them back though, she must make a dark decision...

This is a fairly straightforward story for a thriller but honestly that is one of the book's greatest strengths. The whole time you are guessing whether there is a mundane explanation for Lauren's beliefs or whether perhaps something magical has occurred. The book never loses focus of this key element and as a result, it is a tightly-wound and atmospheric read. You're kept at a slight distance from most of the characters but again, it really works. Can you trust Lauren's perception as our narrator? Is her husband just selfish or is he up to something more sinister? The detective character adds a much-needed outsider viewpoint and her thoughts mirror that of the reader's. It all adds up to a great reading experience and Golding clearly has writing talent.

I will not give anything away about how the story ends or whether the book crosses into full-fledged fantasy or not, but rest assured that the ending is both satisfying and excellently built to. This is a fantastic debut novel from Golding and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for her future work. If you enjoy thrillers that slowly suck you into their world and deal with some harsh aspects of reality at the same time, I highly recommend checking this out.

Overall Rating:

Truth and Lies by Caroline Mitchell

I received an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and Amazon Publishing UK in exchange for an honest review.

It has been a while since I've read a police procedural thriller as engaging as this. It isn't uncommon for them to have the basic plotline of 'serial killer takes a special interest in the main detective character and plays games with them' but this is the first one I've heard of that has the added layer of the main character being related to the serial killer. I was uncertain how well this would work in execution but I am pleased to say that it did not disappoint. Truth and Lies not only delivers on its premise, it is a fantastically written and engaging thriller on the whole.

Truth and Lies is about our main character, Amy Winter, who receives a letter from an infamous female serial killer confessing that she is Amy's real mother. Once more, the serial killer is willing to reveal the locations of her last three victims if Amy plays along with her requests. What follows is a tense cat-and-mouse game where Amy is trying to keep their connection secret from her coworkers whilst also wrestling with the serial killer's demands. The stakes get raised when a young girl is kidnapped in the present day and Amy is uncertain whether it is connected to her birth mother or not.

As a main character, Amy was immensely likable and very understandable in her actions and motives. There are plenty of side characters in this and they were all well-developed and interesting to read about. Ultimately this is what drives the story, along with the trail-of-breadcrumbs reveal of what happened in Amy's past and what the serial killer is demanding in the present. The pacing is pretty much spot on, although I wasn't as invested in the modern-day kidnapping story as perhaps I should have been. The ending as well is satisfactory but not really more than that. This didn't bother me as there was plenty of other things to be invested in and I wasn't really reading for a shock ending, but I can see some people potentially being unsatisfied by the resolution of part of the plot.

Overall, Truth and Lies is an excellent example of the police procedural thriller genre done right. The writing is very skilled and there is plenty of meat in the plot to keep you interested in what's going on. I'm intrigued to see if another thriller with the same detective character could be as engaging without the 'related to a serial killer' aspect (assuming this isn't involved in the plot of a sequel) but I would definitely be interested in checking out more from the author and she has managed to capture my interest in a thriller genre that is not my favourite.

Overall Rating: