Category: Review Sunday

TITLE: Sherlock Holmes And The Case Of The Undead Client
CHARACTERS: Sherlock Holmes & Dr Watson
AUTHOR: M.J. Downing
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/01/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Sherlock Holmes has only been deceased a month when Dr. John Watson, still grieving, recounts his final case with Holmes. A terrifying mystery, it sends Watson and Holmes into the dark reaches of London’s back alleys – and the human soul.
It begins when Anne Prescott, a lovely Scottish nurse, begs Sherlock Holmes and Watson to help her find her fiancé and her sister, who have gone missing in the teeming streets of London. Immediately, Watson feels an attraction to her that shocks him. Newly married to Mary, and deeply in love with her, he struggles to put Anne out of his mind.
As Watson and Holmes dig into the slums and sewers of London looking for Anne’s fiancé and sister, they uncover a deadly web of bloody murders, horrific medical experiments, and even voodoo ritual that threatens not only London, but the entire British empire, and beyond.
Watson must call on his unique combination of expertise in the medical sciences, as well as his military training to stop this killer before London —and Anne — are lost to the killer’s bloody plan.
But time is short and the mystery ever more complex. How can he manage his feelings for Anne? What about his loyalty to Mary? He can’t have both.

REVIEW:
3.25 Hearts Here is the thing… You have to take your head out of the Conan-Doyle way of Sherlock Holmes was written. As new authors pick up this character we have to learn to enjoy Holmes and Watson in a new way.

This is written as if in Watson’s diary of the events. The storyline is well written and enjoyable. The suspense is typical of a Holmes book.

I look forward to read another one from this author to see how the characters grow under his writing.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

TITLE: Neon Prey
SERIES #: Lucas Davenport #29
CHARACTERS: Lucas Davenport
AUTHOR: John Sandford
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/23/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Lucas Davenport pursues a prolific serial killer who has gone undetected for years in the newest nail-biter by #1 New York Times bestselling author John Sandford.

It was a relatively minor criminal matter, all things considered, but enough that the US Marshals obtained a warrant to enter the home. They didn’t expect to unearth trophies from a score of killings.

Now Davenport is on the trail of a serial murderer, one who was able to operate for years without notice or suspicion. But there’s even more to this killer than meets the eye…

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts This is the 29th… Yes 29th… in the series and while you would think it has gotten old but it really hasn’t.. Mostly.

After 28 other stories some of the personality of Lucas has crossed over a time or two but that being said the story really holds up even after so many stories. The serial killer Lucas is after this time is a cannibal that the FBI has been after for a while.

I have to say the storyline was a bit dark but still an enjoyable read. And even though it is #29 you can read it as a stand alone.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

TITLE: Fear In The Lakes
CHARACTERS: Beth & James
AUTHOR: Graham Smith
PUBLICATION DATE: 07/12/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A case with no leads.
A victim with no enemies.
A killer with no conscience…

When Detective Beth Young is called to investigate a victim with multiple broken bones, nothing prepares her for what she finds. James Sinclair is fighting for his life, and Beth can’t shake the idea that the nature of his injuries suggest someone with a personal grudge against him.

But James’s devastated wife Laura insists that her kind, softly-spoken husband is a man with no enemies. She was the one with the fiery temper, but James was so calm, she’d never once managed to provoke even a cross word from him in their eight year marriage. And he was the same with everyone – she can’t name one person who might want to hurt him.

But she knows virtually no details about her husband’s childhood or his life before he moved to the Lake District as a young man, and Beth feels sure that the key to finding James’s attacker is hidden in the secrets of his past. Who was he really? And what is the significance of the coded messages that Beth finds hidden on his laptop?

Then two more bodies are found in one of the deep, picturesque lakes that the area is so famous for, exhibiting similar injuries to the ones James Sinclair suffered. How are they connected? And how many more people are at risk?

Beth knows she is in a race against time to hunt a vicious killer who is both elusive and incredibly dangerous. A killer who knows what James did in the past. Who likes to be one step ahead. But who – if they realise they’re being hunted – might come for Beth next…

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts This is the third in the series but I have not read the other two but it can be a stand alone with just a bit of feeling like you missed something from the previous books.

I liked Beth and found her to be a strong woman capable of handling herself which I always enjoy.

The middle of the story got a bit slow. I was pushing my way through the middle but I had enjoyed the beginning and I was glad I did since the ending picked up and was enjoyable again.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

TITLE: Blindsided
CHARACTERS: Cadence Lawrence
AUTHOR: Kate Watterson
PUBLICATION DATE: 07/09/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A young woman encounters the killer she accused years earlier—and finds herself drawn back into a vortex of evil she thought she’d left far behind her.

A decade after Cadence Lawrence accused the perpetrator in the brutal murder of her high school friend, she’s finally put the nightmare to rest. But the ghosts of her past won’t rest, and an unexpected encounter with the killer reawakens demons she thought were long dead. Gripped by paranoia, Cadence fears she’s being stalked, and suspects that the murderer has invaded the sanctity of her home. Could her chance encounter have rekindled the savage rage that claimed the life of her friend and now threatens Cadence herself?

Half-crazed with fear, Cadence takes flight, but instead of finding sanctuary, she runs headlong into one of the worst snowstorms to blast northern Wisconsin in years. Stranded, freezing, and alone, Cadence confronts her worst nightmare—until deliverance comes in the form of a stranger who rescues her and offers shelter from the blinding storm. But something is not altogether right with her savior, and Cadence is faced with another impossible dilemma. Should she trust this enigmatic stranger, or once again flee for her life? In the midst of an unrelenting storm, the walls are closing in on Cadence.

REVIEW:
2.75 Hearts This was a difficult story to read. It has a lot of potential but it never really met it. I had a hard time connecting with the characters but especially Cadence. Many times I was reading and thinking “seriously, that wouldn’t/can’t happen that way” and it took me out of the story.

Just not a book I would recommend.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.