Recently Read #2

This post has the mini-reviews of the second half of the books shown in the image - I posted about the first lot last week!

The Book of You - Claire Kendal

Another usual from me - a thriller.  The plot of the story follows Clarissa as she carries out her jury service at a domestic violence court case.  She begins to see similarities between the case and a person in her life, Rafe.  As the story continues Rafe becomes more creepy, evil and manipulative.

I really liked the plot of this story, but I just wasn't too keen on the book for a number of reasons.  Firstly there was a change from first person to third person throughout the book which had no purpose other than making it difficult to follow.  The story very quickly became predictable and it was easy to see what was coming next.  There was a lot of unnecessary time spent on the court case which actually wasn't particularly closely linked to Clarissa's situation and didn't help the story at all.  Also, there seemed to not be any characters I actually liked and was rooting for.

I did finish the story, and enjoyed the underlying plot, but if you're a thriller fan there are definitely more impressive ones to choose.

No Safe House - Linwood Barclay

I really enjoyed No Time for Goodbye (full review here) and No Time for Goodbye is about the same characters 7 years later.  Last time around it was Cynthia facing her demons but this time her husband and daughter are working with a criminal to keep their family safe from the dangerous situation they've stumbled across.

Just like last time, this book is brilliant.  Even though I have read the previous story, it's not at all required and you'd very easily follow the plot if this was the first Linwood Barclay book you read.  It was fast paced and exciting with a mixture of innocent and lethal characters.  Barclay is the king of twists and turns -if you're looking for a thriller, this is one for you.

Old Gold - Jay Stinger

Eoin Miller, a gypsy detective, finds people for a living. The beginning of the story is fast paced, and before you get to the fifteenth page Eoin has a corpse in his bed.  Alongside looking for a missing boy, he is trying to find out what happened to the dead girl next to him.

My favourite bit of this book is the character development of Eoin.  He's rough and raw and real - lovable.  You stand right beside him throughout the story, and cant help rooting for him to come through.  There are the usual twists and turns to keep you interested and an unexpected ending to finish it off.  I recommend!

Don't Turn Around - Caroline Mitchell

Another crime with a female detective - right up my street.  The story starts with a few suspicious deaths which mirror crimes committed in the past so everyone's first thought is a copycat killer.  As the plot continues it becomes quite clear there is a huge involvement of paranormal activity - that's where the story lost me.  I'm just not a fan of anything paranormal in a thriller, and I instantly disengage.  The book is clearly well-written and judging by the Amazon reviews a lot of people enjoyed it, so if you like a bit of paranormal activity give it a shot but it's just not for me.

The Good Girl - Mary Kubica

This one I did write a few review of which you can read here (hint: LOVED it).


What books have you enjoyed reading lately? I'd love to hear your recommendations!