Deep Deception by James North

Deep Deception by James North
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Environmental issues are never far from the headlines, with real life stories like the Greenpeace protest in the Russian polar region. James North now brings us an excellent thriller, which has our environment central to the storyline, is combined with corruption, greed and of course Deep Deception. Caroline Dupre's husband, the head of a worldwide organisation he founded, is killed during a climate change protest in Kuala Lumpur. Is it just over zealous police efforts in crowd control or is it something more sinister? This is the start of a challenge for Caroline to find out who and why her husband Francoise was killed. Pulled into a clandestine world surrounding climate change and it supporters and detractors. Can she find out what exactly happened without endangering herself and son Nicolas?

This is a very fast moving entertaining thriller, highlighting some of today's real issues but with some fantasy attached. I would recommend this to anyone who likes thrillers.

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The Candidate: Luxembourg Thriller by Daniel Pembrey

The Candidate: Luxembourg Thriller by Daniel Pembrey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you have a two to three hours spare and want to be entertained forget TV or the movies, read this short thriller. Nick Thornycroft is working in Luxembourg when he suffers an overnight memory loss, unable to discard this as just an over indulgent night we have all suffered from, he starts to follow his journalist instincts and tries to discover what really happened that night. Who is involved, is it linked to his latest assignment and why can't he remember anything at all? This is a great story full of intrigue and unexpected danger.

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Critical Reaction by Todd M Johnson

Critical Reaction by Todd M. Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We all know about the Fukushima disaster following the tsunami and how it clearly shows how dangerous the nuclear industry can be. Now go back a few decades and imagine the mess left by the Cold War and it's race to have weapon superiority. Covington Nuclear is charged with clear up of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in north west of USA, the site of US Defence Department's plutonium production facility. One of the staff on site Kieran Mullaney believes he has been overexposed to radiation and resorts to litigation for the truth. At the last minute he has to find a replacement lawyer and calls on his old college friend Emily Hart to help.

The author has done an excellent job, in explaining nuclear physics part very clearly and in simple terms, allowing you to concentrate on the thrilling story as it unfolds. Emily must try and mend her relationship with her father, if she is to succeed and win the battle against the corporate giant and uncover the truth of Kieran's exposure. As the story is told familiar problems arise in the shape of greed and corruption.

This is Todd Johnson's second novel with the legal profession as his subject matter however, the court room scenes have been minimised but they do add greatly to overall effect of the book. Overall I think this is an excellent thriller. I will be looking out for his first book and adding to my reading list.

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The Troop by Nick Cutter

The Troop by Nick Cutter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Boys generally join the scouts for adventure and gaining experience in survival skills, but here Nick Cutter has conjured up a nightmare of epic proportions for the scout troop led by Tim Riggs. Not only are they propelled into learning survival for themselves but are subjected to horrors developed by a mad scientist nicknamed Mengele 2.

It is very difficult to give a preview without stealing some of the books thunder so I will only say keep an open mind. The source of all this horror is mans' vanity and desire for power through military strength. As the scout troop progress through their visit to Falstaff island you are drip fed information on the background to this horror. Good book which has been likened to Lord of the Flies - nothing like it, the only similarity is the story is about youngsters.


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Montalbano's First Case by Andrea Camilleri

Montalbano's First Case by Andrea Camilleri
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great short novel, very entertaining police detective story. If you seen some of the TV programmes then you will enjoy this even more. The Salvo Montalbano character is cool and totally unphased by the day to day frustration of police work, he is also driven by food and is easily seduced by good food. Based in Sicily the story has some involvement with the families, a girl is found with a gun and leads to the investigation - Montalbano's first case.

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The Trigger by L. J. Sellers

The Trigger by L.J. Sellers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A high rating at 4 stars but worth it. A slick fast paced thriller that keeps you entertained the whole way through. The fact this is short book confirms the fact that author has written story without all the padding you have to endure in some other novels. Jamie Dallas is an undercover FBI agent sent to try and discover the whereabouts of a women abducted from a "Prepper" community, and discovers a lot more than she was expecting. The Clayton brothers are preparing for civilisation's collapse or are they? I will be looking out for more of this authors work, very enjoyable.

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Cartwheel: A Novel by Jennifer DuBois

Cartwheel: A Novel by Jennifer Dubois
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have concluded that my book selection swayed by the PR was totally wrong. This is not the type of novel that I enjoy or even find interesting. Having read other reviews now I would still have made the same mistake. Jennifer DuBois must be very pleased with the feedback from readers but unfortunately I am not one of them. This book mysteriously forced me through to its end, whilst just giving me crumbs of hope that it may just turn the corner, and provide some excitement and entertainment.

Cartwheel was an odd name for this book and until this was explained, you could be forgiven for linking to the speed of an old wooden cart. The writing style may suit a lot of people who scan and don't actually read all the words, as it is crowded with a great excess of text that perhaps adds only a little to characters and atmosphere, but nothing for the overall story - it could have forty percent shorter and would have moved along more quickly.

Other reviewers have suggested Cartwheel is based on, or inspired by the Amanda Knox story, to me that sounds about right, as here we are several years on and we still don't know for sure who killed the victim. The characters painted by the author were all very troubled, in particular Sebastian who was a great irritation whilst reading, his language forcing you to stop and ponder what was actually said. This character could have been easily used to spice up the plot creating some exciting diversions for the reader.

If like me you like a fast paced exciting thriller my recommendation is give this a pass.

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