The Eye by Bill Pronzini & John Lutz

The Eye: A Novel of Suspense by Bill Pronzini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very good detective suspense novel situated in New York. Unlike other novels we know the identity of the killer from the start, and the suspense is created by the chase to find him before the body count gets to high. The killer Lewis Collier is obviously a crazy who believes he is acting out Gods justice and cannot be caught. He spys on his victims from the other side of the Hudson River using his telescope "the eye of God". The authors flip from one character to another as they build the story, but cleverly tell you each time they change character so it is easy to keep track. E.L. Oxman is the main detective assigned to solve the case. Can he find the killer before he himself is in danger?

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The Last Chameleon by James North

The Last Chameleon by James North
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As the second novel in the Vanguard series my expectations were high, unfortunately James North has missed a great opportunity to deliver a worthy follow on story. The storyline is an excellent idea but the book has not quite delivered the exciting thriller to the standard of Deep Deception. Vanguard a secret organisation formed after the ending of the Cold War, is tracking down illegal nuclear supplies to Iran and North Korea and deploys Caroline Dupre on her first important mission. I think this is where it goes wrong, the lead character does very little for the mission until late in the day, with all the detective work and heroics being completed by others in the organisation - the lead character needs to do this. It is still a good book with the author getting hold of current issues, highlighting the problems in the world today driven by power and greed.

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The Remaining by D. J. Molles

The Remaining by D.J. Molles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lee Harden a Captain in the US Army has an unusual job, he waits in isolation for something to happen. Part of the Hometown project Lee must stay in his protected bunker when catastrophe threatens the US. A plague ravages across America and Lee along with Tango his dog is living underground for thirty days before he can emerge to carry out his mission. The plague is turning the population into zombie like creatures intent on killing any normal humans they spot. As Lee finds out fulfilling his mission criteria is not going to be easy.

The Remaining is the first part of a series by DJ Molles and if the subsequent books are as scary, thrilling and compelling to read he has a winner. The author's description of the events is very believable and therefore scary. As a fan of The Walking Dead TV show I can draw some similarities but thats all it is, the storyline is clear it is all about survival in a new world and trying to establish a new society. I look forward to reading the follow on books in the series and recommend it to any The Walking Dead fans. 

You can view my blogs on The Walking Dead just follow the links

The Walking Dead - Season 4
The Walking Dead - Mid Season Break

The Walking Dead - Season 4 Finale

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The Killing Season by Mason Cross

The Killing Season by Mason Cross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Chicago sniper one of the most notorious of serial killers, has just escaped from custody on the way to his execution. The hunt for this vicious killer is on and the FBI call in Carter Blake for help. This start had all the hallmarks of an exciting fast paced thriller, I was not disappointed. Set only over a few days the action is very intense but compulsive reading. It is what it seems, a manhunt, but it has more making it even more thrilling. Carter Blake is not the only hero in the story, he is teamed with special agent Elaine Banner of the FBI. Together they track the killer Caleb Wardell to try and capture him before the body count increases.

Mason Cross has written an excellent first novel, I have no hesitation in recommending it, and look forward to the next Carter Blake story.

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The Accident by Chris Pavone

The Accident by Chris Pavone
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This story started well enough setting out a decent plot however, that is where the the disappointment and frustration set in. I have not read a book like this for a long time, abruptly flitting about from character to character and present to past. This for me was very disjointed and did not make for an enjoyable read. It is also very disheartening as the storyline is actually very good with some good twists, but the entertainment is destroyed by the writing style.

Isabel Reed is a literary agent presented with a manuscript from an anonymous author. The author has written a revealing account of the life of a media mogul who appears to have friends who will go to extremes to prevent the publication of the book. Who will win the day and what is the truth is such hard work to find out it does not get my recommendation.

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The Double Silence by Mari Jungstedt

The Double Silence by Mari Jungstedt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It is a shame that some things just don't live up to the billing. This is the case here! the author makes you wait for a third of the book before anything actually happens to let it make the thriller/mystery category. You might also think that during that time you would get some information that you could use later on in the book, but no it is just useless padding. That aside the remaining two thirds of the book are okay, and a reasonable crime thriller is told. Three murders take place during the holiday of a tight group of friends on the island of Faro in Sweden. A festival celebrating the film director Ingmar Bergman is attended by the holidaymakers when the killing starts. Anders Knutas is the local police detective who along with his colleague have to unravel the mystery of who done it.

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Lethal Metal by Harry Ledowsky

Lethal Metal by Harry Ledowsky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set in the northern Russian port of Murmansk in 2000, this is a story of the after effects of the decline of the Soviet navy. Murmansk is now home to the Northern fleet of the Russian navy, and has become a dumping ground of Soviet naval hardware no longer in use, including the radioactive waste products from all the ship reactors from the Cold War days. Some young children playing in the woods are contaminated and are seriously ill. What follows is the investigation by a local hospital doctor and friends to find and clear the waste responsible, unaware they are dragging themselves deeper and deeper into the world of illegal arms dealers, terrorists and local mafia. The author Harry Ledowsky cleverly builds up the tension page by page revealing clever twists and turns of this very good thriller. He also uses this story line to graphically describe the outfall from the breakup of the Soviet Union, highlighting how the military hardware and even the waste is up for sale to highest bidder fuelling betrayal and corruption.

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