Chaotic Ninja

See How They Run by Tom Bale   is what happens when regular folks get mixed up with a network of criminals so vicious, they wouldn’t think twice of committing a violent act if it suits their needs (or save their necks). Who would want to be in this kind of predicament? No one! But Harry and Alice French find themselves in such a sticky situation and they take the reader along with them. Just imagine the stress and exhaustion of being thrown into a bloody mess. Oh, by the way, there’s a baby tagging along. Crazy, huh? Though Harry and Alice are characters you’d easily empathise with, it’s the wicked bad guys that shine through. They are all convincingly evil! They are the kind of people you pray you don’t cross paths with in your lifetime. Although this a gripping story with non-stop action (physical and emotional), I feel that the writer held back on the resolution. It went to “safe” territory after treating the reader to one shocking event t...

The Teacher by Katerina Diamond Even before I flipped to the first chapter, I already sensed that the story is going to be very dark, but I wasn’t prepared for how gruesomely dark the story is. At one point, I actually flinched when the author described the last moments of this one poor, poor character. Was it over the top? Perhaps. Did the character deserve it? Perhaps not. But my theory is that the graphic depiction was used to justify whatever was to come (dun-dun-duuun!). This effectively puts the reader in an ethical and moral quandary (that is if you’re like me who gets too involved in stories like this). What’s great is that even DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles are in that same predicament. So yeah, we’re all in the same boat. Although it’s easy to get hooked, there’s a lot of jumping around between story arcs, timelines, and characters. If you have short-term memory, it can be challenging. (Sorry, Dory, this isn’t for you). The next hurdle ...

Time To Die by Caroline Mitchell is a chilling read with an interesting cast of characters whose lives intersect; but not always in the best of situations. I personally like my crime/mystery thriller to be as close to reality as possible. Injecting a paranormal and supernatural twist makes it a little tricky because it could blur the line between what is plausible and what is not. And it’s a question of whether you’re willing to go on board or not. Well, I’m on board and completely gripped! DC Jennifer Knight and a team of specialists with extraordinary skills set out to catch a killer who may or may not have supernatural abilities. Given how elusive he is, he could very well be a mystical creature who commits the most unthinkable crimes. I am impressed at the character dynamics and interaction of the Moonlight Operation squad and fascinated at how they handled the investigation. This is a brilliantly executed crime thriller with a remarkable main character ...

LIKE. SHARE. FOLLOW . . . DIE       How can you resist such a killer tagline? There’s a disturbance in Twitterverse and the person goes by the name @Apollyon. A faceless and seemingly harmless entity has gained notoriety when the “Following” count becomes a tally of victims. The elusive suspect becomes a viral twitter sensation  the police scramble to identify, but fail miserably. Enter Freddie Venton, the spunky but down on her luck wannabe journalist who’s been waiting for the right break to come. The opportunity presents itself when she reconnects (fortuitously) with an old friend Nasreen Cudmore, now a police officer. Using an underhanded tactic, Freddie gets to her first crime scene and becomes involved in it when the police hires her as a consultant because of her social media “expertise”. While this is an entertaining read for its unique plot, it’s hard to ignore how ridiculously inept the police are. And this hurts the story...

To Catch A Rabbit   by Helen Cadbury Sean Denton, a dyslexic Community Support Officer is the unlikely hero of this crawling thriller by author Helen Cadbury. He gets his first “case” involving a young woman found dead on his patch. He’s drawn to the case, but given the “handicap” of not being a proper policeman, he does not get the respect of his colleagues. And just like the victim, whose death is immediately written off as a suicide, Sean’s views on the case are easily dismissed. Tough. But the story does not revolve around just one case. Oh no! It gets complicated when seemingly random events become intricately linked. New characters emerge and personal and professional turmoil ensue. It gets a little muddled when all the other characters compete for the reader’s attention. It momentarily shifts the focus away from Sean just as he’s getting more interesting. Perhaps it’s part of the character progression and just a case of not wanting to give everything...

THE BETRAYAL by Linda Tweedie The Coyles and The McClellands – two feuding families intoxicated by power and fueled by revenge. The hatred for each other have sparked bloody encounters that leave a trail of dead bodies, injured relatives, missing family members, and an incarcerated scion. Though the Coyles appear to have a united front, the dysfunctional family dynamics tell otherwise. It’s reminiscent of The Sopranos and The Corleones , but a little less charming and more muscle and grit. The McClellands, on the other hand, may appear to be the weaker of the two, but they are much more cunning and devious, setting the wheels of revenge in motion like clockwork. The Betrayal is a compelling read, especially if you’re into crime family saga where characters have combustible personalities. The overlapping story arcs make for a fascinating read. There’s always the thrill of not knowing full well where the story is heading, then everything ties up nicely (and co...

Been playing catch up with reading and reviewing. I’m 33 books behind schedule. Goodreads said so.  Why should I care about what Goodreads say? You see, I joined the 2015 Reading Challenge and pledged to read 80 books, which translates to 6.66 books per month (I’m glad I’m not superstitious).   Easy peasy, right?  No.  It’s September and I’m still struggling to get halfway through the challenge. I’m still convinced I could do it, but I’m going to need a strategy of some sort.   I realised that I could probably pull this one off by reading all the short stories and novellas on my TBR list. It’s not cheating. Just slightly devious planning. The Memory Man by Helen Smith Two women, memory loss, a dead man, and a psychic. Everything else are fragments. This is a bizarre story that I quite frankly did not get the first time I read it. So I had to read it again. I like to believe I got it the second time around. Or probably not. It’s like the movie...

From the moment the first chapter of “ Names of the Dead ” ended, I knew Connor Montrose was going to be one hell of a character. Defiant, head-strong, and driven by vengeance. He’s an exceptionally written character with the swagger of a CIA operative and the fighting chops of a killing machine. From there, it’s hard to tell if he’s the good guy. The narrative style is frantic and restless, but never confusing. This is magnified by the reader’s access to Montrose’s state of mind. The inner dialogues not only make us privy to Montrose’s innermost thoughts, they also make us feel that we’re part of this intricate web of lies and deceit. It’s as immersive as playing a first person shooter – pumping bullets, maiming enemies, and leaving a trail of dead bodies as location shifts from Rome to Zurich to Paris to Tehran. Add the involvement of abbreviated agencies in double cross and conspiracies, then you have a sensational international thriller in your hand. Author Mark Le...

Reviewing The Girl Who Broke The Rules  by Marnie Riches   is hard. Let me explain. All the elements I love in a crime thriller are masterfully depicted against the backdrop of the seedy underbelly of Amsterdam. The suspense is relentless; the characters unyielding. Shifting timelines and switching points of view offer reprieve from the most gruesome depiction of madness and perversion. The feverish storytelling never lets up and the palpable sense of danger and menace lingers like a shadow with a scythe. Then there’s Georgina McKenzie. George. The feisty and sometimes irreverent heroine who brings emotional turmoil to an already besieged Chief Inspector Paul van den Bergen, who’s at his breaking point. For a heroine, she’s not all that likeable. Therein lies the rub. It’s difficult to reconcile the fact that I love this sequel so much, but have a hard time “liking” George.  But liking a main character is never a rule to enjoying a twist...

No Snobby Reader was hurt in this conversation. SNOBBY READER: What are you smiling about? KINDLE NINJA: Just finished my list of top 10 books for the year. SNOBBY READER: Let me guess, 9 of 10 are crime and mystery books by Koontz, Patterson, Lehane, and Brown, and one token outlier, possibly a memoir. KINDLE NINJA: Hah! Not even close. These are mostly indie books. Here, have a look - from #10 to #1.   SNOBBY READER: Ah, obscure titles, from unknown authors. KINDLE NINJA: Is that disdain I detect? SNOBBY READER: You know how I feel about crappy books. KINDLE NINJA: There will always be crappy books, indie or not. SNOBBY READER: I read books that challenge the mind. KINDLE NINJA: Calculus books do that, but they’re no fun. You should try to read books outside of your preferred genre. Meet obscure authors. Mingle with the commoners, your Highness. SNOBBY READER: They don’t measure up to the Classics or the Nobel winners. I take plea...