Tag: blogathon

blog tour, books, reviews

Blogathon: One By One – Chris Carter

ramblingmads

‘I need your help, Detective. Fire or water?’

Detective Robert Hunter of the LAPD’s Homicide Special Section receives an anonymous call asking him to go to a specific web address – a private broadcast. Hunter logs on and a show devised for his eyes only immediately begins. But the caller doesn’t want Detective Hunter to just watch, he wants him to participate, and refusal is simply not an option.

Forced to make a sickening choice, Hunter must sit and watch as an unidentified victim is tortured and murdered live over the Internet. The LAPD, together with the FBI, use everything at their disposal to electronically trace the transmission down, but this killer is no amateur, and he has covered his tracks from start to finish.

And before Hunter and his partner Garcia are even able to get their investigation going, Hunter receives a new phone call. A new website address. A new victim. But this time the killer has upgraded his game into a live murder reality show, where anyone can cast the deciding vote.

My thoughts: Another gripping and stomach churning case for detectives Hunter and Garcia, this time with a killer who is manipulating them with technology. Turning death onto a reality show, where the audience votes on the method of execution.

Of course that audience probably believes they’re watching something staged, not real deaths. But Hunter and Garcia know differently and they are racing to shut this horror show down.

Hunter’s insomnia, always an issue, means he can’t let go of the things he’s seen and now countless others are watching murder happen in front of their eyes, whether they believe it’s real or not. The killer is exploiting new technology and people’s inability to look away.

Bringing in the FBI and their own advanced tech in order to try to track and locate the killer, and the site of his home made nightmare, is deemed necessary, even as it causes resentment. Hunter doesn’t really enjoy collaboration or being told what to do. But even he can see that the LAPD doesn’t have the resources to do this on their own. But it’s still his case, and he will find the killer. 

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Blogathon: The Death Sculptor – Chris Carter

ramblingmads

‘Good job you didn’t turn on the lights . . .’ A student nurse has the shock of her life when she discovers her patient, prosecutor Derek Nicholson, brutally murdered in his bed. The act seems senseless – Nicholson was terminally ill with only weeks to live. But what most shocks Detective Robert Hunter of the Los Angeles Robbery Homicide Division is the calling card the killer left behind.

For Hunter, there is no doubt that the killer is trying to communicate with the police, but the method is unlike anything he’s ever seen before. And what could the hidden message be?

Just as Hunter and his partner Garcia reckon they’ve found a lead, a new body is found – and a new calling card. But with no apparent link between the first and second victims, all the progress they’ve made so far goes out of the window.

Pushed into an uncomfortable alliance with confident investigator Alice Beaumont, Hunter must race to put together the pieces of the puzzle . . . before the Death Sculptor puts the final touches to his masterpiece.

My thoughts: Another creepy and chilling killer for Hunter and Garcia to find, LA seems to attract the worst monsters. This one is turning his victims into strange flesh sculptures. Hunter knows there’s a message here, but he needs to figure out what it is so they can solve the case.

They’re asked to work with DA’s investigator Alice Beaumont on the case, she’s an interesting addition to their partnership and brings a different perspective to the case.

It’s a race against time to figure out what the killer is saying with his disturbing artworks, keeping the reader guessing as to how exactly the detectives are going to solve another case before anyone else gets killed.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Blogathon: The Night Stalker – Chris Carter

ramblingmads

When an unidentified female body is discovered laid out on a slab in an abandoned butcher’s shop, the cause of death is unclear. Her body bears no marks; except for the fact that her lips have been carefully stitched shut.

It is only when the full autopsy gets underway at the Los Angeles County morgue that the pathologist will reveal the true horror of the situation – a discovery so devastating that Detective Robert Hunter of the Los Angeles Homicide Special Section has to be pulled off a different case to take over the investigation

But when his inquiry collides with a missing persons’ case being investigated by the razor-sharp Whitney Meyers, Hunter suspects the killer might be keeping several women hostage. Soon Robert finds himself on the hunt for a murderer with a warped obsession, a stalker for whom love has become hate.

My thoughts: Another chilling and sinister case for Detectives Hunter and Garcia. Women are being abducted and murdered in horrific ways, and it hasn’t hit the police radar until now when a body is found in an empty old butcher’s shop. There is no obvious cause of death and I won’t tell you what the autopsy reveals, but it is shocking. As is what happens next. 

This killer is a monster, and Hunter, the man who can get inside a monster’s mind, is the only one who can catch him. But not before they find more victims.

I was hooked from the beginning. These books are dark and often very shocking but the writing is so good and I can help but root for the detectives to get the killer and save more potential victims from terrible deaths.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Blogathon: Human Remains – Jo Callaghan

ramblingmads

DCS Kat Frank and AIDE Lock are back in a cutting-edge new thriller.

The truth will always come out, but at what cost? 

Fresh from successfully closing their first live case, the Future Policing Unit are called in to investigate when a headless, handless body is found on a Warwickshire farm. But as they work to identify the victim and their killer, the discovery of a second body begins to spark fears that The Aston Strangler is back. And as the stakes rise for the team, so do the tensions brewing within it.

When DCS Kat Frank is accused of putting the wrong man behind bars all those years ago, AIDE Lock – the world’s first AI Detective – pursues the truth about what happened with relentless logic. But Kat is determined to keep the past buried, and when she becomes the target of a shadowy figure looking for revenge, Lock is torn between his evidence-based algorithms and the judgement of his partner, with explosive results.  

When everything hangs in the balance, it will all come down to just how much an AI machine can learn, and what happens when they do . . .

Jo Callaghan works full time as a senior strategist, carrying out research into the future impact of AI and genomics on the workforce. She was a student of the Writers’ Academy Course (Penguin Random House) and was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Writing Competition and Bath Novel Competition. After losing her husband to cancer in 2019 when she was just forty-nine, she started writing In the Blink of an Eye, her debut crime novel, which explores learning to live with loss and what it means to be human. She lives with her two children in the Midlands, where she spends far too much time tweeting as @JoCallaghanKat and is currently working on further novels in the series.

My thoughts: This series just gets better and better with each book, giving both a cracking read and plenty to think about.

Kat’s in the spotlight as an anonymous podcaster is determined to prove the conviction of The Aston Strangler, a man Kat arrested, was wrong and that Kat make mistakes and manipulated evidence.

With the remains of a young woman found on a local farm, and Lock’s involvement in the autopsy being questioned, could Kat lose her job or will her accuser go too far in their desire for the truth?

The title and the plot ask timely questions about the role of AI, Lock cannot understand why humans behave the way they do, there’s often little or no logic to their actions, he doesn’t understand human emotions.

His actions are also being called into question, the fact he can only really follow instructions to their logical conclusion and can’t deviate or use his own intuition leads to devastating consequences for the team, but is it his fault?

Their victim only came to be on the farm in the first place, following clues to try to find out what happened to her grandfather, who was a POW there but never returned home. Actions have consequences, even decades later, which will destroy two families. Lock can’t really understand the whys of this either, he’s a bit like Spock from Star Trek in that sense, none of the things anyone in this does seem logical, because humans aren’t logical. We act on instinct, emotions, our gut, all sorts of things you can’t define to AI. Even the doctor who designed him is starting to question whether she’s right, and she used to be sure she was.

A truly thought provoking, intelligent read that throws up plenty to chew over once it’s finished.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Blogathon: Crucified – Lynda La Plante

ramblingmads

The fifth book in Lynda’s brilliant Detective Jack Warr crime series.

Jack, after taking paternity leave for the birth of his son, is forced to take even more time due to emotional fatigue and depression. Jack’s wife Maggie is more than aware of Jack’s issues, attempting to persuade him to accept private medical help as he has refused any form of counselling given to officers in the Met. Jack is suffering a nightmare consuming rage. After having to deal with the lengthy horrific murder trial detailing the tragic victims of the serial killer Rodney Middleton, he is haunted by the unidentified remains of more of the killers victims.

Jack finds solace in renewing a dangerous relationship with the artist Adam Bolder. They meet in Portobello market, in a shop selling frames. The enigmatic Adam, has taken up working on fake art in an old disused school out building. The fascination of watching Adam work, the brilliance of his artistic work and the obvious criminal activity in producing these paintings enthrals Jack.

Maggie becomes equally interested in the world of fake art. Jack collecting books and watching art programs, his renewed friendship encourages him to return to work. As he settles back into the old regime at the station, a new female DCI is a force to be reckoned with. One weekend visiting Portobella market again, going to purchase some photo frames for pictures of his new son, the street is cordoned off by police crime scene officers. Ambulances and patrol cars blocking all traffic. A body has been found in the framer’s shop. The naked murder victim has had his features destroyed, and horrifically nailed to a giant cross.

The murder is not in Jack’s jurisdiction, so another team have been allocated in to lead the enquiry and attempt to identify the victim. But Jack is too involved to steer clear – is he detective or witness?

My thoughts: Jack is struggling with the aftermath of his last horrific case, even with the killer behind bars, there are still unidentified victims whose families deserve answers.

He’s also struggling with a sleep disorder that makes him cranky when awake and violent when asleep. He’s been signed off work and Maggie is redesigning their house now they have two children, to get more space. Which is driving him crazy. Both of them need to go back to work!

When he does it’s to a new boss and new cases, firstly a domestic that his new DI is a bit too invested in. But a chance encounter with a suspect from an old case, has Jack headed down a rabbit hole into the world of art forgery and the millions made each year by a network of sellers, dealers and those linking them to clients.

Getting involved in a brutal murder in a frame shop in Portobello Road draws unwanted attention to Jack, and has higher ups suspicious of him and his behaviour, especially at an art gallery. He’s now on their radar. Can he toe the line and do his job?

I really felt for Maggie, Jack pushes her patience to the limit, he’s combative and secretive, when she tries to get him to open up, he pulls away. She just wants him to be well and happy, to spend time with his family and stop keeping so many secrets.

This is probably the book that explores Jack’s family and his past the most, in that he starts remembering before he was adopted a little, and being at home he’s spending time with his children and with Maggie and Penny. It’s also where he makes a decision about his career that will change everything.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Blogathon: The Executioner – Chris Carter

ramblingmads

Inside a Los Angeles church, on the altar steps, lies the blood-soaked body of a priest. Later, the forensic team discover that, on the victim’s chest, the figure 3 has been scrawled in blood.

At first, Detective Robert Hunter believes that this is a ritualistic killing. But as more bodies surface, he is forced to reassess. All the victims died in the way they feared the most. Their worst nightmares have literally come true. But how could the killer have known? And what links these apparently random victims?

Hunter finds himself on the trail of an elusive and sadistic killer, someone who apparently has the power to read his victims’ minds. Someone who can sense what scares his victims the most. Someone who will stop at nothing to achieve his twisted aim.

My thoughts: It’s another twisted case for detectives Hunter and Garcia, starting with a dead priest in a church, his head replaced with that of a dog. The killings are nasty and replete with meaning known only to the killer, but Hunter must get inside this murderer’s head to understand the motivation and stop him before more people are killed.

Each victim is made to confront their deepest, darkest fears as they die, and the deaths are gruesome and sadistic. Whoever the killer is, he knows a lot about his victims. The duo dig into the lives of the deceased to hunt for their killer, a warped and cruel mind.

Another chilling case for Hunter and Garcia, utilising Hunter’s remarkable ability to think like a killer and Garcia’s straight down the line policing. They balance each other well, Garcia providing a grounding presence as Hunter turns inwards and mentally becomes the monster they seek.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Blogathon: Pure Evil – Lynda La Plante

ramblingmads

It was supposed to be a simple case: a young man arrested for armed assault.

But it was just the beginning.

As Rodney Middleton awaits trial, Detective Jack Warr is warned by his mentor DCI Ridley that they have only scratched the surface of the man’s crimes.

Then DCI Ridley is suddenly removed from his post. No one is to contact him – and no one will say why.

As Warr digs into Middleton’s past, Ridley calls pleading for help, now accused of a murder he insists he didn’t commit.

To catch a monster and exonerate his friend, Warr must weed out the lies. But what awaits Warr if he uncovers the truth?

My thoughts: This is definitely the darkest and most shocking book in the series so far, the case takes Jack into the nasty recesses of a terrifying sociopath and deals with human trafficking, kidnap, murder and psychological control.

Jack’s boss DCI Ridley is also in trouble too and needs Jack’s help to clear his name.

Dealing with both cases and needing to be very secretive about Ridley’s leaves Jack feeling pulled in different directions and he isn’t seeing the issues in his own home as his mother seems to be struggling.

Another brilliant, knotty, intelligent read from the queen of crime, this had me hooked from page one and as Jack does his best to solve the mysteries surrounding Rodney Middleton and his peculiar girlfriend, as well as help Ridley, he puts his job at risk and a strain in his marriage, leaving Maggie handling their personal lives as well as working long hours in the hospital.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Blogathon: The Crucifix Killer – Chris Carter

ramblingmads

THE FIRST CHILLING NOVEL IN THE ACCLAIMED ROBERT HUNTER SERIES

When the body of a young woman is discovered in a derelict cottage in Los Angeles, Robert Hunter is thrown into a nightmare case. The victim suffered a terrible death, and on the nape of her neck has been carved a strange double-cross: the signature of a psychopath known as the Crucifix Killer.

But that’s impossible. Because two years ago, the Crucifix Killer was caught and executed. Could this therefore be a copycat killer? Or could the unthinkable be true? Is the real killer still out there, ready to embark once again on a vicious and violent killing spree, selecting his victims seemingly at random, taunting Robert Hunter with his inability to catch him?

Hunter and his rookie partner, Garcia, need to solve this case and fast.

My thoughts: This first book in the Detective Hunter series doesn’t start off softly, the murders Hunter and Garcia investigate are brutal, the violence is nasty and the descriptions not for the faint hearted. Even Garcia gets sick at the sight of their first victim.

Hunter doesn’t believe this could be The Crucifix Killer, he helped put that person away, but certain clues, things never released to the public, suggest otherwise.

So now Hunter must revisit his old files and with Garcia as a new pair of eyes, start searching for a killer he thought he’d never have to deal with again.

Gripping and expertly written, this will haunt you a bit and make you look forward to the next one, or at least it did for me. I’ve been reading crime fiction for a very long time (starting with Agatha Christie at about 10 years old) and it’s not often that I get completely hooked in like this. But this series, buckle in. It’s shocking, thrilling and takes you into the darkest parts of some pretty terrible people.

Hunter is a genius, a paper he wrote is taught at Quantico (FBI school) and he’s the go to detective for these horrific sorts of cases, assisted by Garcia, who is slightly in awe of his partner and represents a more normal, average cop, married to his sweetheart, Anna, and he reacts like most of us probably would to the crime scenes they visit. As the series and their relationship continues, this duo really grow on you, trust me.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Blogathon: Leave No Trace – Jo Callaghan

ramblingmads

One detective driven by instinct, the other by logic.
It will take both to find a killer who knows the true meaning of fear . . .

When the body of a man is found crucified at the top of Mount Judd, DCS Kat Frank and AIDE Lock – the world’s first AI detective – are thrust into the spotlight with their first live case.

But when they discover another man dead – also crucified – it appears that the killer is only just getting started. When the Future Policing Unit issues an extraordinary warning to local men to avoid drinking in pubs, being out alone late at night and going home with strangers, they face a hostile media frenzy. Whilst they desperately search for connections between the victims, time is running out for them to join the dots and prevent another death. 

And if Kat and Lock know anything, it’s that killers rarely stop – until they are made to.

My thoughts: Another absolutely brilliant case for Kat, Lock and the team. Now more established after the successful conclusion of their last big case, and their unit is able to command more resources supposedly, but it still comes down to the key group of Kat, Lock, the professor and Kat’s two detectives, Debbie and Hassan.

The team are searching for a killer who’s leaving men in open, but remote spaces, crucified. They’re sending a message, but to who?

It’s the first live case the team has been given, and the press are very intrigued, cue an awkward press conference. One reporter in particular seems to be ahead of the team, knowing facts about the case almost too quickly.

Lock is definitely developing a personality, even using sarcasm and humour, so the learning part of his programming is working, but curiously he seems to be wrestling with something.

Kat is also learning, learning how to be alone, now that her son Cam is at uni. She keeps buying food no one eats, and is struggling with the empty house and the quiet.

But the case gives her something to focus on for now, as the body count increases. And her new friendship with the pathologist, means she has at least one person to talk to apart from Lock.

It’s winter, and the killer is utilising the cold to help them finish off their victims, as snow sets in and one of the team falls into the killer’s clutches, can the others save them before they too succumb?

More gripping, clever and deeply interesting stuff. Lock grapples with the concept of humanity, the team are locked in a desperate race against time, the ideas that this series has, the thoughts I keep having while reading it, so, so good. Hooked.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Blogathon: Vanished – Lynda La Plante

ramblingmads

When an eccentric widow claims she is being stalked by her former lodger, Detective Jack Warr is the only person who believes her wild claims.

Days later, she is found brutally murdered in her home.

When the investigation uncovers an international drugs operation on the widow’s property, the case grows even more complex. And as the hunt for the widow’s lodger hits dead end after dead end, it seems that the prime suspect has vanished without a trace.

To find answers, Jack must decide how far is he willing to go – and what he is willing to risk – in his search for justice. Because if he crosses the line of the law, one wrong move could cost him everything . . .

My thoughts: Book three and a rather peculiar case for Jack and his team. Avril is a pain in the neck for her local police station, and now she’s claiming her former lodger is stalking her, breaking into her house, stealing odds and ends. Jack gets asked to speak to her and see if he can’t make some sense out of all her strange stories.

Then she’s murdered, and now it’s much more serious. Especially when they discover a greenhouse full of weed and a secret basement pill plant. Who was Avril really and was this her lodger’s business?

Taking in organised crime, the drug squad, forcing Jack to once again work with other teams, as he hunts down the lodger and unravels Avril’s life in the search for her killer. This is another brilliant, clever, compelling case with the truly interesting detective.

His moral compass is wobbling, will he cross the line and conceal things from his colleagues, giving into the criminal biological father he never knew but feels lurks inside him, or stay true to who his adoptive parents raised him to be? A father himself now, he has to wrestle with his conscience and do what is legally right or what he feels is morally so? 

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.