Tuesday 30 June 2015

Starfire by Paul Preuss

StarfireStarfire by Paul Preuss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you are a fan of Sci-Fi you will like it, if not you will still like it. This is actually an older novel written in 1988, however it is not dated. Difficult to imagine but when this was written you did not have mobile phones, Ipads, Kindles or laptop computers. So the author has shown great skill in detailing this solar adventure in a believable way. The main character is a veteran astronaut using his fame and buliding his reputation as the premier person with knowledge of asteroids. Appearance of a freak asteroid gives him the opportunity for a last trip into space. It is an excellent book but I have withheld my fifth star because he used flashbacks and bios to give the background on the other characters. This disrupts the flow of the book and if detail was deemed essential then it could have handled better, but who am I ? do I write thrilling Sci-Fi novels?

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The Teller by Jonathan Stone

The TellerThe Teller by Jonathan Stone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was a little nervous when I selected this book, as a teller in a bank is hardly the most popular subject for a crime thriller, but looking for something different I struck oil. Elaine Kelly does not have much luck, a dead end job, no boyfriend and a sick mother to look after. How could it get any worse? Well it does when a regular depositor who always uses Elaine is run down by a truck and killed outside in front of the bank. In that moment Elaine makes the decision that would change her life forever. I don't want to spoil but suffice it to say she will experience a full life in a very short space of time. Jonathan Stone has written an excellent crime thriller with an unusual and interesting starting point and even more unusual ending.

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Tuesday 16 June 2015

Evil Games by Angela Marsons

Evil Games (D.I. Kim Stone #2)Evil Games by Angela Marsons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Solving crime often involves understanding a deranged or damaged mind. Here the DI has to live with her own damaged mind as well as solve crime. Kim Stone had a very destructive childhood, and the author uses this fact to build a very interesting character, who has a mutually respectful relationship with her sidekick Bryant. The tension is immediate with a child abuse case to investigate, but this builds even further with the suspicion of Doctor Thorne a psychiatrist resident at a local care home. Unfortunately the suspicion is only Kim's and she has to dig deeper if she is to get any real evidence, exposing her own fragile state to the doctor. Angela Marsons has written a gripping thriller with a frighteningly real to life storyline. She weaves the investigation details with Kim Stone's own story very skilfully to ensure you are always anticipating the next page.

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Monday 15 June 2015

Cold Fire by Dustin Stevens

Cold FireCold Fire by Dustin Stevens
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Working as a tour guide in the Montana wilderness Jeremiah Tate, known as Hawk, Is abruptly dragged back to his past as a DEA agent. Hired to track down a missing brother hiking the wilderness, the client attacks the brother. Narrowly escaping with his life Hawk starts to work with his old colleagues to find the killers and uncovers information on the death of his family. Dustin Stevens does little to disguise what happens next, and is fairly predictable detracting from the enjoyment of what is a fairly good book. I personally struggled to complete this read as it did not capture my attention fully early on. It would have been much better if I had read it on holiday with less distractions.

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Sunday 14 June 2015

Trident Code by Thomas Waite

Trident Code (Lana Elkins, #2)Trident Code by Thomas Waite
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What is the worst thing that can happen? Ask Lana Elkins it all happens to her, first time out the U.S. Held to ransom by disrupting the national power grid, this time it is even worse. Cyber hackers penetrate a U.S. nuclear submarine intending to melt the ice caps, for who and for what. The author, Thomas Waite has the knack of describing catastrophe that to you and I is unimaginable, it is as good as going to the movies to see a disaster film. We follow Lana as she works with a mysterious hacker to try and stop the madmen destroying the world by flooding it. If this is not enough her daughter is again, unwittingly drawn into danger putting even more pressure on Lana to get a quick result. This is another great book from Thomas Waite entertaining and thrilling from start to finish.

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