"Knife", by Jo Nesbo

Harry Hole book # 12

Hole is a legend in the Oslo police force and is notorious for his heavy drinking and by now his wife Rakel had enough and has kicked out, Harry is on his own.

“Knife”, is another dark twisted mystery by Nesbo. The opening scenes involve an old man at a hunting shop, a gruesome sexual assault and Hole waking up with blood on himself after a drunken night at a bar but even before he sobers up, he is hit by a tornado Rakel has been murdered. His colleagues want him to stay out of the case because they can’t rule him out as her killer. The preliminary evidence points to Svein Finne, a long career rapist and murderer. Staying out of this case is not an option,“ The only thing Harry can do is investigate murders and drink”.....and he will do just that....

This story takes most of 450 pages or so in order to tell us how these moments fit into the puzzle, so be patient it is a long and heavy read.....in the final 100 pages the many disparate threads are so cleverly pulled that it is hard to stop reading. “Knife” is real Nesbo and this story has everything I have come to expect by him: a layered plot, a gritty atmosphere, an immerse pacing, plenty of red herrings and our beloved trouble detective. This has to be Nesbo’s darkest story and the most emotionally affective. It is told with a razor- sharp prose and is populated by fully shaped psychologically believable characters.

Knife is brutal, raw and nerve wrecking.

"Never Fall Again", by Lynn H. Blackburn

Gossamer Falls book #1

A Romance Novel

This story is set in a fictional mountain town in North Carolina where Landry Hutton, a window and single mother to a five year old daughter, Eliza, set roots after moving from Arizona. They live at The Haven, an exclusive resort where Landry creates and set pottery. But what seemed to be a sweet and peaceful place at first glance may not prove to be so.....

Landry wants to give her daughter a safe home to grow up in and hires Callum Shaw to handle the construction. But in Gossamer Falls there is family feud between neighbours that is raging on and her arrival just adds fuel.....

I read a few books by this author and I enjoyed them quite a bit, this latest is a soft mystery that takes it merry time to move along and gives us a quick romance to spice the atmosphere. This town has a deep family history and the backstory alludes to a wide range of troubles between clans. The squabbles of the past are affected the present but eventually things worked out. Landry and Callum although had been hurt by their relationship in the past were attracted to each other and their slow romance was what made this story interesting. Of course the mystery was good to follow: strange and dangerous occurrences, including fire, break-in and kidnapping but who wanted to destroy “The Haven” and Landry’s studio? ...Finding out was a big surprise.... but what happened to the bad guy? No answer there...I didn’t see myself on the edge on my seat biting my nails here but rather keeping my mind from wandering too much. As for the characters I loved their sense of humour.

Although a good story it wasn’t my favourite by this author.

This ARC was provided by Revell via Netgalley

"Don't Ask, Don't Follow", by Mary Keliikoa

This mystery brings us in the world of Beth Ralston, a paralegal in Portland, Oregon; she is one that prefers working rather than partying with office colleagues anytime. But she is forced to assist and after making an appearance Beth returns to her office to find that her boss who had left the party moments before murdered...waiting for the police she noticed her sister Lindsay phone’s was left behind with a text message displayed...Don’t ask. Don’t follow....What was Lindsay, an investigative journalist doing in her boss office. What happened here? Beth is set to find out the answers.

In a few words, my thoughts:

Murder, dark family secrets, and the bond of sisterhood

When it is well done the first person narrative brings you in the characters’ mind and slowly you will be following them through their heartaches and joys. This mystery starts out with a bang but slows down a bit as it went along, although it did not deter me from enjoying the story at its maximum. We have a few twists and turns keep the suspense going and push the drama forward and with its many great layers to follow, it is imperative to stay with it. I particularly loved how Beth retraced Lindsay’s steps into the adoption scheme. Trying to guess the outcome is almost impossible and what a surprise the author spring on us at the end. I made so many hypothesizes of course all of them wrong.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow”, has a unique theme with legal intricacies woven throughout and provides us with an engaging “who-done- it” plot played out by strong characters.

This is a pulse-pounding read I enjoy quite a bit.

My thanks to Netgalley, Edelweiss and Oceanview Publishing for this ARC

"Once Upon a Villa", by Andrew Kaplan

Adventures on the French Riviera

This is a LOL hilariously funny true account written by Andrew Kaplan telling us what it was like when he, his wife and two year-old son decided to leave everything behind and live the fantasy life on the Cote d’Azur. In the French Riviera the Kaplan matched wits with French bureaucrats, searched for the perfect French cuisine, met with con men, eccentric ex-pats, Monaco’s royals, attended Onassis’ parties, made friends with a police chef and had adventures with the rich and famous.....as the story goes....pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy this wise, warm and witty story.

For most parts I loved this account. It is written to bring us into his world and makes us feel we are sharing a meal, playing at the casino, partying with the rich and famous along with him. Also interesting is the journey getting to the Riviera and the struggles to find housing and trying to fit in. The Kaplan did well and even managed to rent Roman Polanski’s estate. Of course being in France it is inevitable the French language is spoken and Mr. Kaplan makes great use of his knowledge and seasoned his thoughts throughout with words and long sentences. If you know some French, you will feel right at home.

It is evident that rubbing shoulders with the upper class Mr. Kaplan is well-off and is used to the finer things. But ¾ into, I lost interest in the excessive partying, drinking, eating, and the name dropping of designer clothes and of famous people.....enough was enough. Mr Kaplan is clever, along the way why not promote his other books and he did so with finesse simply slide this in during a conversation....Ok...I am interested.

The author touches panoply of subject that happened during his stay that brought back events that happened a long time ago: ex. the Challenger disaster and Chernobyl and the bombing of Libya. He expresses mostly the widespread sympathy from people around him.

It is a good book although the beginning was by far much more captivating then the last ¼.

This ARC was provided by The Book Whisperer via Netgalley for my thoughts.

"Watching the Dark", by Peter Robinson

Inspector Banks #20

I dung out an old book hiding deep into my library “Watching the Dark” was first published in 2012, it was far time to give it a go. This book is my introduction to this author and now I know why people say he is a grandmaster of mystery fiction. Everything is smoothly said and the story immediately pulls you in. This installment was an excellent place to begin.

It kicks off with the murder of a policeman DI Bill Quinn convalescing at a treatment center and found dead on the grounds, pierced through the heart with an arrow. Bank is brought in to investigate and soon discovers compromising photos of Quinn with an underage woman....Working the case not only with his partner DI Annie Chabot but also imposed to him is the enigmatic Joanna Passero from the Professional Standards...her presence is anything but welcome....One search brings another and DI Bank ends up in Estonia to unravel not only this mystery but also one that crossed his path decade ago and has haunted him ever since.

I zipped through this story in no time; it is very active and moves along without needless violence and meaningless sex scenes. The mystery develops bit by bit and teases us along while offering several clichés of people in high places. Well a bit of humour well placed is refreshing. The author has written a very believable scenario of human trafficking and immigrant slave labour into an intriguing police procedural and has set his drama both in the UK and in Estonia. As a Canadian some expressions was a challenge at first but I overcame this and soon was immersed into this excellent story and enjoyed every moment.

In brief: An excellent story, great characterization and well described settings.

"Chained Guilt", by Terry Keys

Hidden Guilt book #1

This is the kind of page-turner thriller I love to pass my time with. It pulls you in from the start and never let’s go. Some even say this story is in the tradition of James Patterson., it may be so but Mr. Keys has his own style and as a first time reader of his, I definitely could say he has penned a very captivating story peppered with twists and turns and provided us with suspense galore to satisfy the most committed thrill seekers. What a drama he gave us. The characters are realistic and well- developed. The prose makes everything flow smoothly and in a logical manner.

There is nothing complicated in what is said, so I let myself be transported into the world of Detective David Porter as he come to face the harsh reality that a loved one is missing. As a Detective is primary task is chasing a cunning serial killer who brutally murders every child he could get his hands on. So his skills are put to test in this fast-paced cat and mouse game. But the killer was an expert....

I love this story but leaving us hanging at the end so we buy the sequel is something that annoys me to no end....

"Embers in the London Sky", by Sarah Sundin

If you want a WW11 historical fictions with mystery, lots of suspense and a little bit of romance you will enjoy this one.

Germany and London in 1940

As Germany invades the Netherlands Aleida Martens escapes to London to wait out the occupation. In the confusion she has been separated from her three year old son, Theo, who was born with a congenial limb defect. In London Aleida finds a job at the ministry of health which brings her in contact with Hugh Collingwood, a BBC correspondent. Hugh is determined to tell the human stories of the Blitz and the heartbreaking search for the missing Theo. Thus a romance starts.....

With the war raging in the background, this story tells more about the life of two individuals trying to do their best under the harsh circumstances. Aleida does all that she can to locate her son. She knows he has been taken to London but where and how to find him takes most of this story. Her struggles and her disappointments are heartbreaking, very poignant. Crossing path with Hugh was what she needed. As a correspondent he had contacts and wanted to help and be with her. But he had his own story to say and does it with interest. With time they came closer even fell in love. The plot doesn’t leave us without having some of the characters murdered and looking for the killer also took a good part of this captivating story, the tension left me on the qui vive till everything wrapped up. The story is very well-said and well-done.

Thank you Revell and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and enjoy this book.