The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

How do you stop a murder that’s already happened?

At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed--again. She's been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden's only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend--but nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

Deeply atmospheric and ingeniously plotted, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a highly original debut that will appeal to fans of Kate Atkinson and Agatha Christie.

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Quite promising right? That's what I thought when I saw that book on Netgalley and decided to request it. And I was quite happy to find that the promise was kept!

What about that book? Well, for those who love The butterfly effect, you'll be in for a ride! Someone is playing tricks, or god, or really bad jokes to Aiden Bishop. Every day, or more to the point, each time he wakes up, he's in someone else body and has to find a murderer. And if he doesn't succeed, he won't be able to escape the never ending loops of finding the murderer. He has only a few days (and a few hosts) to find the murderer but soon discover it's not his first rodeo. What's the hell happening? And what's the most important? To find a murderer or to stop a murder? And who's that strange guy with a strange mask and stranger way of showing up?

I found it refreshing as story, it's different from the other books, definitely not something you see oftentimes. What's good in that story is to see Aiden's struggle, first to understand his situation, when obviously, it's not his first round. Then to see him trying to do things differently and sometimes failing. Which bring the question: are we doomed to always do the same things, given the same context?

So you'll have different mysteries to solve: who's the murderer, of course, whom can we trust, who behind that cruel masquerade, does one change overtime or is domed from the beginning... So much stuff happening and you'll have all your answer in the end!

In a nutshell, an intriguing, interesting and different story that'll make time fly!

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel. Thanks Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for the book!

The Night Market by Jonathan Moore

That book description had everything to hook me: some kind of strange disease, a FBI secret, a mysterious neighbor... I thought I was in for a great ride!

Well, I didn't go as far as I tough but it was all right nevertheless. The character are well written and likable, the tension was really there and the run to find who's behind everything was great.

Only thing that bore me was that there was maybe too much stuff going around. In the end, the description doesn't give any hint of what is really happening in the book which is more about a big old technological conspiration that about a mysterious disease.

Mia is the key to all the story so the investigation about the dead guy at the beginning and all the stuff with the FBI was not necessary.

Moore mastered the character's hide and seek part with the bad guys and I was really worried about them. His writing is great and does a lot to improve the quality of the book. What misses most maybe for the story is some context that could have help me to understand why Mia is hunted and why people react as they do.

The description 

From an author who consistently gives us “suspense that never stops” (James Patterson), a near-future thriller that makes your most paranoid fantasies seem like child’s play.

It’s late Thursday night, and Inspector Ross Carver is at a crime scene in one of the city’s last luxury homes. The dead man on the floor is covered by an unknown substance that’s eating through his skin. Before Carver can identify it, six FBI agents burst in and remove him from the premises. He’s pushed into a disinfectant trailer, forced to drink a liquid that sends him into seizures, and then is shocked unconscious.

On Sunday he wakes in his bed to find his neighbor, Mia—who he’s barely ever spoken to—reading aloud to him. He can’t remember the crime scene or how he got home; he has no idea two days have passed. Mia says she saw him being carried into their building by plainclothes police officers, who told her he’d been poisoned. Carver doesn’t really know this woman and has no way of disproving her, but his gut says to keep her close.

A mind-bending, masterfully plotted thriller that will captivate fans of Blake Crouch, China Miéville, and Lauren Beukes, The Night Market follows Carver as he works to find out what happened, soon realizing he’s entangled in a web of conspiracy that spans the nation. And that Mia may know a lot more than she lets on.

In a nutshell

A good book that could have been great if the author hadn't put all different kind of theories and conspirations in one story. It's a 3/5 for me. 

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

I like stories that happen on two levels, or rather two periods, especially when the two periods are necessary to one another to better understand the plot or that one can solve the other. That's why I chose this book on NetGalley. 

In this case, from the first pages, I also knew that there would be more to the reading, what with the bit of supernatural and it was not to displease me. So I was thrilled! 

And did I find everything I expected from this book? Yes, in part. The two eras are not necessary to each other, except to give an excuse to Fiona to investigate this famous school for girls with multiple secrets and the two stories could have been written apart. And as for the supernatural side, although it serves to create a particular mood, it's also not useful to the story or the resolution of the two stories. But, aside from this little setback, I enjoyed every page of this book! 

1950, Idlewild Hall is not really the school you want to go to. Families send their daughters there because they are turbulent or because they have experienced trauma they'd rather hide / shut up. The teachers are like kapos and a really dismal atmosphere reigns in the school. A group of four girls, with very different stories, share a room and create a united family... until one of them disappears into general indifference. 

In 2014, Fiona hasn't still recover from the murder of her sister 20 years ago on Idlewild Hall grounds and discovers that the cursed school is to be renovated. She tries to find out why and by whom. Fortunately, between her father, a famous journalist who opens all the doors and her boyfriend, a policeman, she conducts her investigation masterfully. But then Fiona discovers secrets that some people would prefer to stay hidden. 

Simone St. James immerses us in the atmosphere of those stifling little towns where everyone knows each other, where labels hinder the search of truth and where a former police chief and his good old method can reign supreme. This novel talks about the pain of losing a loved one and the silence that can sometimes govern the lives of those affected, of unspoken ones within a family, within a city and a police force that must find ways to do better. She speaks of courage, to find the truth, to confront ones demons, to survive, and the means that some people take to survive.

What's the story?

The “clever and wonderfully chilling” (Fiona Barton) suspense novel from the award-winning author of The Haunting of Maddy Clare...

Vermont, 1950. There's a place for the girls whom no one wants—the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good. It's called Idlewild Hall. And in the small town where it's located, there are rumors that the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their budding friendship blossoming—until one of them mysteriously disappears...

Vermont, 2014. As much as she's tried, journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister's death. Twenty years ago, her body was found lying in the overgrown fields near the ruins of Idlewild Hall. And though her sister's boyfriend was tried and convicted of murder, Fiona can't shake the suspicion that something was never right about the case.

When Fiona discovers that Idlewild Hall is being restored by an anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about it. But a shocking discovery during the renovations will link the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past—and a voice that won't be silenced...

In a nutshell

A good book with well written and intelligent characters. Three stories that could have been written separately, but that allow the author to address interesting topics. It's a 4/5 for me.

The Thirst by Jo Nesbo

I have not read all of Jo Nesbo's books nor in the right order. So I was a little surprised to learn that Harry Hole had left the police to be a teacher. Nevertheless, you can read books in the order you want, without disturbing the reading or understanding of story. 

In The Thirst, Harry is called, with a lot of pressure, to resume service to track down an individual whose crimes and violence reminds him of his nemesis, the one that has always escaped him. He therefore agrees to return to service, to finish this chapter of his life. 

So we find the Harry we know but in a happier style than usual. Because Harry, for once, believes in the possibility of happiness. He is much more Zen and it changes but feels good. 

About the crimes, as bloodthirsty and vampiric as possible, and the story, always as well put together, they will keep you on the edge of your seat from the beginning to the end. Sure, it's not for the faint hearted what with the bloody details, but it's worth it. And what's more, I really liked being led by the nose by Jo, who, in a very Whodunit style, sows the clues, let us discover some protagonists's thoughts, lends them do some actions that can not be more suspicious, making me believe regularly that I had found the culprit. Ha ah! You wish!

What's the story?

THERE’S A NEW KILLER ON THE STREETS...A woman is found murdered after an internet date. The marks left on her body show the police that they are dealing with a particularly vicious killer.

HE’S IN YOUR HOUSE… HE’S IN YOUR ROOMUnder pressure from the media to find the murderer, the force know there’s only one man for the job. But Harry Hole is reluctant to return to the place that almost took everything from him. Until he starts to suspect a connection between this killing and his one failed case.

HE’S OUT FOR BLOODWhen another victim is found, Harry realises he will need to put everything on the line if he’s to finally catch the one who got away.

In a nutshell

The Thirst... as in the thirst for violence, blood, revenge but also the thirst for tranquility and happiness. This is a good title that Jo Nesbo has found here for a good novel that's very captivating. A book for thirsty... of thrills!

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

I don't really know why but I had some really preconceived ideas about Margaret Atwood. A lot of people describe her as a feminist and I was afraid that her texts would be too much like a feminist statement (yes that old anti-feminist idea of a soured woman who spits her venom)(knowing I'm kinda feminist it's quite stupid I know). So, I was never attracted by her books... till I watched (or in fact binged-watched) the TV show based on the book and I was hooked! Thus, I stop binge-watching before the last episode, went to buy the book and read it before watching the end of the TV show (knowing that the end could be different as there were talks of another season...)

So, as usual, the book and the TV show are not quite the same but I must say that the mood and anxiogenic world are! And the book, THE book!! What a great time I had reading it! The writing is excellent, fluid, pleasant and full of surprises. With just those sentences that punch you, that surprise you and bring something unexpected or on the contrary expected but a lot faster and sharply than you thought. 

Like that: 

Every night when I go to bed I think, In the morning I will wake up in my own house and things will be back the way they were.

It hasn't happened this morning either.

I love the fact that some dialogue are sometimes in Offred's head, mixed with her considerations and thoughts but it's always very clear and coherent. You don't ask yourself "but who is she talking to?" or "is she talking to someone or thinking?" It's really mastered and it gives a different rhythm, a lot more lively that when dialogue and thoughts are separated.   

But watch out, Commander, I tell him in my head. I've got my eye on you. One false move and I'm dead.

Still, it must be hell, to be a man, like that.

It must be just fine.

It must be hell.

It must be very silent.

---- 

I put my mouth to the wooden hole. Moira? I whisper.

Is that you? She says.

Yes, I say. Relief goes through me. 

God, do I need a cigarette, says Moira. 

Me too, I say. 

I feel ridiculously happy. 

And I loved these thoughtful sentences: 

Ignoring isn't the same as ignorance, you have to work at it. 

Night falls. Or has fallen. Why is it that night falls, instead of rising, like the dawn?

In a nutshell, I really like that book, its writing, its characters so well written, its story, dystopian and so realistic at the same time. 

I was talking about the hyper current subject of the book and a friend of mine was saying that it was not that terrible, that we, as women from western countries, can't complain, that we live in a free and modern society, that it couldn't happen to us... But what does that book talk about? About the place of women in a society ruled by men. Then, of course, we don't live in a country where we can't work, nor have a bank account... but do I need to remember that women's freedom to choose their work or to open an account dates back to 1964 in Quebec and 1965 in France? Not even, just look at what's going on in the USA (and even in Quebec and France now) with all those women who say #meetoo and you'll see that for some, the body of a woman is just an object... 

So, I won't start a feminist debate here but I just want to emphasize the importance of book like The Handmaid's Tale to make us think and become aware that all is not won and everything can be lost. 

As for the story in itself, I must say that I was a bit disappointed by the half-hearted end. There's hope but for Offred it's kinda vague. And I do love a frank ending: it ends well or not but it's just for me. If you love or you're ok with vague ending, you'll love that epilogue! 

The Girl From Home by Adam Mitzner

Jonathan Caine, a true self-satisfied rich guy, is forced by some struck of bad luck to come back home and to live with his parents. At home, he meets back with the former prom queen, Jackie, who never laid an eye on him. But now, seing him so successful she accepts to date him and they fall in love. Problem is, Jackie is married and the husband is jealous (and a prick). And then something bad happens and Jonathan and Jackie fight for their freedom and happy end.

What's great in that book is following Jonathan's change from prick to good guy. At the beginning, everything is about what he can spend, what he can have, his career, his luck but then living again at home and with all that's happening he remembers what it's like to be a good guy and begins his journey to being more careful and mindful of people. And that's quite fun to read and witness.

However, even if I liked seing how Cain fight for Jackie, even if the writing was good, the story ok and the book reads quickly, the whole story was not that captivating, mainly because I never really find the characters interesting. The whole story is kind of a cliché with the former prom queen who fell from grace and the former looser who became successful enough to interest her.

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

The Never-Open Desert Diner by James Anderson

The Never-Open Desert Diner is not quite your usual crime fiction book. We follow Ben, a private trucker, who mainly delivers on one route, the 117, which is not your usual road. Almost nobody drives through that road and only the regulars feel like it's safe to take it. Ben knows everybody on that road and we learn to know about the people living near that road along his deliveries. He knows everybody... but one woman. She plays cello, is quite beautiful, free and wild and Ben falls for her. But then strange things happen, new people take the 117 and their intentions are quite unclear.

What's good about that book has a lot to do with the atmosphere, It's strange, quite oppressive, dangerous, captivating and we're never sure what will happen. It reminds me of small town where everybody knows everybody's secrets but nobody talks about them. Except here, secrets a far more explosive! The characters are well done, they're all very different, from the two brothers who live like shut off, Walt the diner's owner or John and his cross. Each of them has a story, a background that we fully know.

So that book is not juste a plot (even if it was good : what will happen with the strange people coming, what do they want?) but a lot of characters, each one intriguing or interesting or sweet or just plainly appalling! And that road! It feels like a character by itself, what with the desert mood it gives.

In a nutshell, not a book for readers who like a solid plot but a captivating book for readers who prefer characters and an atmosphere à la Bagdad Café (or Out of Rosenheim) over action.

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

Darktown by Thomas Mullen

Atria Books

It's a very different story from what I'm used to read. Here, no disillusioned main character who fights his demons to succeed in his investigation but two Afro-American cops who are fighting the system to bring justice. 

The social dimension is really great and interesting and if you liked Dennis Lehanne's "The Given Day", this book is for you! 

You'll follow the political stakes at the dawn of major changes in the country, the injustices of segregation, the various mentalities, between elementary racists and progressives. 

Between Dunlow, the hateful cop, for whom the life of a black man is not a subject, protected by his colleagues, who embodies a "traditional" way of seeing the place of everyone that nobody wants to reconsider and Rakestraw, who realizes the injustices but hesitates to take sides not to be alone in front of his colleagues and also because the system in place is comfortable when the challenge brings a novelty that can be scary. 

Boggs and Smith also have two different ways of approaching their difficulties, one wants to rebel, the other play with the system. Who is right, who is wrong... and can they investigate without Rakestraw's help? How to conduct an investigation without risking their life despite all the injustice and hostility?

In a nutshell

A very good story, a beautiful social Lehanne's style saga and a well-crafted story.

What's the story ?

Responding to orders from on high, the Atlanta Police Department is forced to hire its first black officers, including war veterans Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith. The newly minted policemen are met with deep hostility by their white peers; they aren’t allowed to arrest white suspects, drive squad cars, or set foot in the police headquarters.

When a black woman who was last seen in a car driven by a white man turns up dead, Boggs and Smith suspect white cops are behind it. Their investigation sets them up against a brutal cop, Dunlow, who has long run the neighborhood as his own, and his partner, Rakestraw, a young progressive who may or may not be willing to make allies across color lines. Among shady moonshiners, duplicitous madams, crooked lawmen, and the constant restrictions of Jim Crow, Boggs and Smith will risk their new jobs, and their lives, while navigating a dangerous world—a world on the cusp of great change.

​Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

The Three by Sarah Lotz

I saw this book in all francophone bookstores, describe like an incredible phenomenon... but I had never heard of this book on the English side. So I bought the electronic version in English to see if that book is actually phenomenal.

I liked how Sarah Lotz describes how people would react to such an event. All the ultra religious, the alien people, the conspiracy people and the nut jobs are doing a great job trying to convince people of their truth. 

If a situation such as described in this book really arrived, I do not doubt that we would see that kind of madness (we just have to remember the madness about 2000 and the end of the world...) 

Sarah Lotz creates a very realistic story from this point of view and describes wonderfully the political stakes and wars of power generated by the 4 plane crashes. 

The narrative has a hashed side, because it consists of extracts from newspapers, interviews and reflections one after the other. This forces us to deduce some things, which I appreciated. On the other hand, and I understand that it is hard not to let anything pass, but it lacks some explanations to the story. 

I did not like the end as THE ultimate answer - which is to know what the three are - is, in my opinion, sloppy. After pages to hear the opinions of the different protagonists, one finds oneself with the so-called truth balanced at the last moment, without explanation and this truth seems a little too easy and too deja-vu. 

The characters are well written and I felt close to them, but I did not fully understand the interest of the story of the Ice Princess, who was an interesting character until the end. 

In a nutshell, a novel that reads well with a lot of promising ideas but disappointing at the end.

What's the story ?

Around the world, at almost the same time, four passenger airplanes plummet to the earth. There are no survivors, apart from three children (on three separate planes) and a woman who soon dies but not before leaving a recorded message that warns listeners to “watch the dead people.” The young survivors, soon dubbed The Three by the press, become worldwide sensations, even as some begin to suspect something is not quite right about them. Theories about The Three start to spread: they’re harbingers of doom, says one theory, the embodiments of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; no, says another, they were chosen for survival by our reptilian alien overlords. As it turns out, no one has any real notion of just how important and dangerous these children really are.

No one knows by J.T. Ellison

Hardcover, 368 pages
Published March 22nd 2016 by Gallery Books

First, I'd like to thank Netgalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for the ebook!

The story seemed promising, the character were quite well written, I really felt for Aubrey and though I was in for a ride. 

Well, it was more of a back and forward, what with all the flashbacks! But flasbacks can be good, cause they bring some better understanding of a situation, or a context. So I was happy to read them, as they let me appreciate Aubrey. 

Some stuff seemed quite strange though: the fact that nobody saw Josh at the wedding was a bit of a stretch for me. The wedding was quite far away, they arrived together, people saw her but not him and if he wasn't there, nobody asked her where he was... sure.

And then, just as I was enjoying the story, I felt cheated! I do love a good twist but not easy ones. And some explanation and twists were too much deja-vu for my taste. And the more I read the more I was "gosh, the author didn't use that trick too!" but he did. 

What's the story

In an obsessive mystery as thrilling as The Girl on the Train and The Husband’s Secret, New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison will make you question every twist in her page-turning novel—and wonder which of her vividly drawn characters you should trust.

The day Aubrey Hamilton’s husband is declared dead by the state of Tennessee should bring closure so she can move on with her life. But Aubrey doesn’t want to move on; she wants Josh back. It’s been five years since he disappeared, since their blissfully happy marriage—they were happy, weren’t they?—screeched to a halt and Aubrey became the prime suspect in his disappearance. Five years of emptiness, solitude, loneliness, questions. Why didn’t Josh show up at his friend’s bachelor party? Was he murdered? Did he run away? And now, all this time later, who is the mysterious yet strangely familiar figure suddenly haunting her new life?

In No One Knows, the New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Nicholas Drummond series expertly peels back the layers of a complex woman who is hiding dark secrets beneath her unassuming exterior. This masterful thriller for fans of Gillian Flynn, Liane Moriarty, and Paula Hawkins will pull readers into a you’ll-never-guess merry-go-round of danger and deception. Round and round and round it goes, where it stops…no one knows.

The Sculptress by Minette Walters

Series: Sculptress (Book 1)
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; First Edition edition (October 15, 1994)

Well, I'll admit that the summary and the French title (as I've read this book in French which title is roughly translated : Bloody Kitchen) were so catchy that I wanted to read this book.

Who has never judged a person by one body? And when you have a not so pretty figure, like Olive, it's not easy to attract sympathy. And Olive, although she is scary, she is fine enough to know that she doesn't leave a good impression! 

Is that why she pleaded guilty? Knowing people already judged her. Is that why she doesn't speak? Knowing that this is useless?

In any case, she agrees to speak to Rosalind Leigh who initially is not wanting at all to write about her. But Rosalind, despite her first unfavorable impression, soon began to have doubts about Olive's guilt and decided to conduct her investigation. 

And we discover, in the course of Olive's confidences, a family history of the most nauseous, buried secrets, dirty trick among friends. Olive's life is not all rainbows!

What's the story?

In prison, they call her the Sculptress for the strange figurines she carves-- symbols of the day she hacked her mother and sister to pieces and reassembled them in a blood-drenched jigsaw. Sullen, menacing, grotesquely fat, Olive Martin is burned-out journalist Rosalind Leigh's only hope of getting a new book published.

But as she interviews Olive in her cell, Roz finds flaws in the Sculptress's confession. Is she really guilty as she insists? Drawn into Olive's world of obsessive lies and love, nothing can stop Roz's pursuit of the chilling, convoluted truth. Not the tidy suburbanites who would rather forget the murders, not an attack on her life-- not even the thought of what might happen if the Sculptress went free...

In a nutshell

A novel that reads quickly, a guilty too monstrously ideal, a twisted family history, a real pleasure! It's a 4/5 for me.

The Circle by Bernard Minier

Paperback: 496 pages
Éditeur: Minotaur Books (18 octobre 2016)

What's great when reading a second novel by an author is that you meet back with some characters and you get to know them, they are part of your circle of acquaintances (yes, yes, I made that joke!)

This is the second novel by Bernard Minier I read and I find it even better, though, I must say, I sometimes have a little trouble with the central character, Servaz, as I do not find him very realistic (or, if it is, I never had the opportunity to meet a person who quotes that often Latin or authors, even with my literature teachers!) 

Aside from that, helped by his team (very nice by the way), Servaz returns to the city where he was educated - and where his daughter is studying - for an investigation high in twists and discoveries about his past. One can only hope for a happy ending for Servaz, following the return of his childhood love. You'll come across a circle of student with very darkly dubious intentions and see hovering with a pleasant horror Julian's shade, the great villain from Frozen, Minier's first book. Minier also serves us a scathing critique of the political and academic circles without it turning around (the return of the joke, still not tired of it!). We move from one clue to action without a brake and it never gets boring!

What's the story?

June 2010. In the middle of a World Cup match, Martin Servaz receives a call from a long-lost lover. A few miles away, in the town of Marsac, classics professor Claire Diemar has been brutally murdered.

As if that weren t disturbing enough, Servaz receives a cryptic e-mail indicating that Julian Hirtmann, the most twisted of all serial killers, is back . . . and hitting a little too close to home. With death and chaos surrounding the small university town in southern France, where he was once a student and where his daughter is now enrolled, Servaz must act quickly.

With the help of detectives Ziegler and Esperandieu, Servaz will have to uncover a world of betrayal and depravity to connect the dots between the gruesome murders that keep reopening wounds from his past. Bernard Minier plunges readers once again into a perfectly constructed, dark, and oppressive atmosphere, driven forward by a gripping plot, pushing the limits of the genre."

In a nutshell
A fast reading novel with lots of twists.  A second book even better than the first one. It is a 4/5 for me.

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

Jonatha Strange & Mr Norrel by Susanna Clarke

Mass Market Paperback: 1024 pages
Éditeur: Tor Books; Reprint édition (1 août 2006)


The back cover promised that this book was THE fantasy book to read. A classic. And as the story seemed really cool... I read it.

My first impression was very positive. Clarke has been very successful in creating her universe, her world, her habits, her country and people. You can imagines them, you feel like you know that world, that it's familiar very quickly. 

I liked the notes which told other stories in the story. We learned the legends of this world, their History. This helps to better understand the actions and reactions of the characters and in addition, these stories were often cool. 

Some enthusiastic readers compared Clarke to Dickens and I can see why with some aspects. Her writing has indeed a likeness, it's as delightfully old-fashioned and relations are similarly described. This is what makes the strength of this book. 

Clarke tells well and details are never boring. 

Still, some things are annoying: 

- Strange and Norrell are described as highly intelligent, but at no point do they realize what is happening. They are misled by a fairy, while faires are described as fools... 

- Strange can do things he does not do during the war, we do not know why. Clarke says it's on purpose, OK, but it makes the book a little less credible in my view. 

- The book is very very loooong... There are many descriptions. Sure, it's nice to discover this new world but the atmosphere was there quickly, thanks to Clarke great writing so she did not need to say that much.

- I had to leave the book aside (which I did without pausing) and I had a hard time coming back to it. I was eager to finish and I ignored the latest descriptions because I was too bored. 

- I could not appreciate Norrell. In fact, I did not at all... which is a shame, as it is one of the main characters! And honestly, reading over 1000 pages about a character that you can't stand says a lot about my devotion to like this book! It was not easy and it took Clarke's storytelling talent to get there!

What the story?

At the dawn of the nineteenth century, two very different magicians emerge to change England's history. In the year 1806, with the Napoleonic Wars raging on land and sea, most people believe magic to be long dead in England-until the reclusive Mr Norrell reveals his powers, and becomes a celebrity overnight.

Soon, another practicing magician comes forth: the young, handsome, and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell's student, and they join forces in the war against France. But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic, straining his partnership with Norrell, and putting at risk everything else he holds dear.

In a nutshell

A book that takes you by the hand and walk you in a fantasy world very realistic. A bit too long for my taste and a character as unsympathetic as possible. It is a 3/5 for me.

An evil mind by Chris Carter

Series: A Robert Hunter Thriller
Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books; Reissue edition (September 27, 2016)

Suffice to say that the author has plenty experience in the field of criminal beheviour... to understand that this book (and the series it seems, although I haven't read all the books) has a touch of truth that makes it very realistic!

Carter has written a book that'll grip you and never let you down from the beginning till the end. And I shall add... till the end of each chapter as he instills that kind of mini-cliffanghers that make it so hard to close your book to go to work (cause, of course, you won't close it for something as trivial as sleep!)

I never read anything by Carter, so I didn't know Hunter, his character. But a thing is certain, he can wrote some very interesting and believable characters! I really liked Hunter and I feel like reading his other books to better know him. The FBI team was great too and Folter, the evil minds, is so manipulative and sick, it's a pleasure. 

For the more septic of you, just read the first chapter... you'll see how good Carter is and what kind of read you'll envoy! And for those of you who like shows like Criminal minds ou film like Silence of the Lambs, just go for it! But beware, that book is not for the faint hearted... some description are gruesomes.

What's the story?

A freak accident in rural Wyoming leads the sheriff’s department to arrest a man for a possible double homicide, but further investigations suggest a much more horrifying discovery—a serial killer who has been kidnapping, torturing, and mutilating victims all over the United States for at least twenty-five years.

The suspect claims he is a pawn in a huge labyrinth of lies and deception—but can he be believed?

The case is immediately handed over to the FBI, but this time they’re forced to ask for outside help. Ex-criminal behavior psychologist and lead detective with the Ultra Violent Crime Unit of the LAPD Robert Hunter is asked to run a series of interviews with the apprehended man.

These interviews begin to reveal terrifying secrets that no one could have foreseen, including the real identity of a killer so elusive that no one, not even the FBI, had any idea he existed—until now...

In a nutshell

A great book, a sick criminal, some twists you'll never see. It's a 5/5 for me!

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

After the Crash by Michel Bussi

Hachette Books; 1 edition (January 5, 2016)
384 pages

I have heard repeatedly about Michel Bussi, the author who skyrockets in France, mainly through word of mouth. Michel Bussi is a fairly prolific author who already has his fair share of books.

I chose After the Crash, because the story was quite different from what is usually done: we do not seek the murderer but the identity of a baby! 

The book alternates between different views, different countries, different periods, which can stun a little when it is wrongly done but that's not the case here. Here, it gives more of a sense of urgency to find the answer to the question: but who is this child?

It's a theme that has always intrigued people I think: imagine a child who was raised in the wrong family. Here, one family is rich, but crazy, the other is poor, but loving. How does one know which one is the right one? Credule Grand Duke (just that name made me want to read this book!) a private detective in search of that answer, pays the truth with his life. 

Mark, the brother of the girl and who love that same girl, will do everything to find the identity of the sister he loves as a man. One can only hope for him that she's the child of the other family, the mad-crazy rich family, even if everything points to his own. 

And then the end comes to destroy all the tracks that you thought you had found. The end, as fast and brutal as the death of Credule Grand-Duc at the beginning, will throw you to the ground as fast as an unexpected newspaper article. We feel a certain sense of race against time (even if we only know why that race is so important towards the end) that ended up at a steady pace and a great twist. 

But what's the story? 

On the night of 22 December 1980, a plane crashes on the Franco-Swiss border and is engulfed in flames. 168 out of 169 passengers are killed instantly. The miraculous sole survivor is a three-month-old baby girl. Two families, one rich, the other poor, step forward to claim her, sparking an investigation that will last for almost two decades. Is she Lyse-Rose or Emilie?

Eighteen years later, having failed to discover the truth, private detective Crédule Grand-Duc plans to take his own life, but not before placing an account of his investigation in the girl's hands. But, as he sits at his desk about to pull the trigger, he uncovers a secret that changes everything - then is killed before he can breathe a word of it to anyone . . .

In a nutshell

Am I glad to having discover yet another great French author! After the Crash reads in one enjoying sitting with a sense of urgency about the search of an identity that makes all the difference.

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

The Red Mohawk by Anonymous

Published May 12th 2015 by Black Shadow Press (first published May 8th 2015)



Just for the cover, it's worth buying it! There's some kind of irreverence that led me to believe that the tone of the book was already given.

So what's about that book? Well, it's a blast! It's mind-blowing! No real respite in this novel with hints of 80s, American road trip and a kind of San Antonio ambiance. I confess that I usually find those kind of stories so-so (what with whores, pimps and all that) but the tone, very dark, cynical and funny, the characters and the story managed to make me forget my habitual lack of interest for this kind of story.

In fact, this book gave me the impression of having been written in one go by an author completely stoned or drunk (I can't decide between the two) all the while shouting "Oh, frack, that's good!!!"

This book is so enjoyable, you're not reading it, you're watching a Tarantino, which is quite something! Full of clichés and references, this book will appeal to fans of the 80s, of B-movies and many other things that you will discover by reading it. In my case, I really enjoyed the ride and had quite a good laugh, which is quite nice and changing from the usual crime fiction.

The Blurb

The new book from the anonymous author of the international bestselling Bourbon Kid series.

Everything seems peaceful in the small town of B Movie Hell until a mysterious serial killer in a skull mask topped with a red mohawk shows up and starts butchering the locals. Government agents Jack Munson and Milena Fonseca are sent to track down and eliminate the masked psychopath. But as they soon discover, the residents of B Movie Hell don’t want their help. This is a town like no other, and the locals have many dark secrets….

Already a hit in France and Germany with film rights optioned by Tobey Maguire's Material Pictures, The Red Mohawk is a fun, outrageous and bloody thriller full of cinematic references and homages to many cult movies.

In a Nutshell

A book that does not take itself seriously, with a very brisk pace, characters all more cliché than the other, but what a fun book to read! It is a 5/5 for me.

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

June 4th 2013 by Mulholland Books




Second novel I read by that author and I find The Shining Girls better than  Broken Monsters which end was a little disappointing  for me because it was a bit too easy.

Again, I find back with pleasure the writing style of Lauren Beukes, fluid and nervous at the same time.

This time, the author takes us from one year to another, from one character to another, from one victim to another, in a constant coming and going neither obvious nor easy to follow, it's a hurly-burly!

It's a story that asks us to take the time to read it not to lose ourselves in it. It is also a novel in which time, or should I say times, are passing at breakneck speed. No time to be bored or to linger, we are lead by the nose.

Here, a serial killer striking in several decades without aging, because time does not pass for him, he travels in it. Here, a young girl, a survivor of the killer, who seeks to understand why, who try to find her murderer, who seeks the truth but the truth is not easy to accept.

Cleverly written characters, victims who do not just die, you get to know them even slightly. We discover brilliant women, dedicated, full of boldness and courage, whose life is shattered because of these qualities.

An end a little fuzzy, leaving an unfinished feeling. Maybe, ending isn't Lauren Beukes strength? But, over all, a gripping story, thrilling, to which one must cling, certainly, but worth it!

The blurb

In Depression-era Chicago, Harper Curtis finds a key to a house that opens on to other times. But it comes at a cost. He has to kill the shining girls: bright young women, burning with potential. He stalks them through their lives across different eras until, in 1989, one of his victims, Kirby Mazrachi, survives and starts hunting him back. Working with an ex-homicide reporter who is falling for her, Kirby has to unravel an impossible mystery.

In a nutshell

In short, a novel that is best read in one sitting not to lose the thread. A time vortex for a murderer traveler, this is a 4/5 for me.

 

Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton

St. Martin's Press - Minotaur Books
Pub Date May 19, 2015

The first thing that emerges from this book is the atmosphere of a private island, where everyone knows each other, where no one is truly free. This oppressive atmosphere that makes people to always stay within the bounds of what is acceptable in the community, where everyone knows the lives of others, their story, their past, their mistakes...

So naturally when something horrible happens, the community tends first to deny the evidence because otherwise their lives would break into pieces. Then, at some point, it's no longer possible to deny the facts and there, Sharon Bolton reproduced perfectly the suspicion, the looks, the whispers, the gossip that follow the disappearance of children. She writes with love and a lot of insight on these small communities. It's very well done.


The characters are very well written and quickly become members of our own community, we feel included, we know them. The author, in the same way she describes the community is very good to make us feel the emotions of her characters. We understand Catrin's distress and sometimes hatred, Rachel's  guilt, Callum's love. After the disappearance of her children Catrin locked herself in her despair, while her husband, got a new life. And the way those two survived the loss of their children is very realistic, very fair and humane.

As for the story, no complaints. Suspicion falls on different characters, we believe in it every time, reasons abound. The creeping insanity in the population and among the tourists on the island are very realistic (unfortunately I would say). Some scenes reminiscent of those that we have all seen on the news and bring weight to the plot, well played Sharon! The end is really unexpected, I never discovered the identity of the culprit.

The blurb

In such a small community as the Falkland Islands, a missing child is unheard of. In such a dangerous landscape it can only be a terrible tragedy, surely...

When another child goes missing, and then a third, it's no longer possible to believe that their deaths were accidental, and the villagers must admit that there is a murderer among them. Even Catrin Quinn, a damaged woman living a reclusive life after the accidental deaths of her own two sons a few years ago, gets involved in the searches and the speculation.

And suddenly, in this wild and beautiful place that generations have called home, no one feels safe and the hysteria begins to rise.

But three islanders--Catrin, her childhood best friend, Rachel, and her ex-lover Callum--are hiding terrible secrets. And they have two things in common: all three of them are grieving, and none of them trust anyone, not even themselves.

In Little Black Lies, her most shocking and engaging suspense novel to date, Sharon Bolton will keep the reader guessing until the very last page.

In a nutshell

A great novel, as oppressive as small communities, well-written characters, it's a 4/5 for me.

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

Lost Girls by Angela Marsons

Bookouture (Nov. 6 2015)
442 pages

Everything seemed promising, from the story really that intrigued and horrified me, I must said - what would I do in such a situation? - to the cover, worrying at will.

I did not know this English author who seems to know a growing success (her books are very popular on GoodReads) and I wasn't against the idea of ​​reading a story with a female cop... written by a woman (yep... the last female characters I've read were written by men!)

So what dit I think of it?


I found that some stuff annoyed me:

- Sometimes I didn't understand what the author meant, either because Kim was telling something that she alone had to understand or that only she and her team had to understand... but not us. I don't know but I got the impression that I was put aside. I read the text several times to try to understand, could not do it, I tried to translate the text... it didn't make sense either... which hinders the flow of reading.

- The somewhat gratuitous violence bothers me. I'm not against it (in books !!) but I don't care for unnecessary violence. In Lost Girls, a man is particularly cruel and one can understand it in a few lines. He is evil incarnate and Marsons was great at making that clear. But it was not enough for Marsons who adds to the cruelty up to include a completely useless and violent scene with a young gay. It's only so-so in my opinion.

- Kim... Yes, I know, it's a shame as she's the main character! But I admit that her rudeness towards others tired me. She obviously has a very heavy past and something horrible happened in her childhood (which may have been explained in the previous two books) but that does not excuse the fact of treating people like shit.

Otherwise the story is good, the plot well done, the outcome well brought. The tension between the families is very realistic, the secrets revealed are very clichés but the reactions to these truths are very well written. Marsons know how to describe the relationships between people and the reactions of people facing various situations.

The author also knows how to play with our nerves and the more we advance in the plot, the more there is concern for the little girls, I feared for their lives and at a time, I wished that Kim and Bryant would accelerate. The end is great, Kim is no superhero but eventually becomes more human.

The blurb

Two girls go missing. Only one will return.

The couple that offers the highest amount will see their daughter again. The losing couple will not. Make no mistake. One child will die.

When nine-year-old best friends Charlie and Amy disappear, two families are plunged into a living nightmare. A text message confirms the unthinkable; that the girls are the victims of a terrifying kidnapping.

And when a second text message pits the two families against each other for the life of their children, the clock starts ticking for D.I. Kim Stone and the squad.

Seemingly outwitted at every turn, as they uncover a trail of bodies, Stone realises that these ruthless killers might be the most deadly she has ever faced. And that their chances of bringing the girls home alive, are getting smaller by the hour…

Untangling a dark web of secrets from the families’ past might hold the key to solving this case. But can Kim stay alive long enough to do so? Or will someone’s child pay the ultimate price?

In a nutshell
The story is good but sometimes too violent, the main character is not always friendly, it's a 3/5 for me.

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.

Written in the Blood by Stephen Lloyd Jones

Mulholland Books (May 26 2015)

488 pages

Just to make a change from all these bloody and violent thrillers... I let myself be tempted by Written in the Blood, a fantasy story in a "vampire", hemoglobin and horror fashion (well, that's a real change !)

Good to know, this book is the sequel of another book - The String Diaries (not read yet). So yes, there are references to what happened before, but the explanations are enough to understand the context and allow us to read the story without feeling too much lost.


So, I'm not used to this kind of story but I found it to be a pleasant reading. The characters are well written, they are very well thought and one takes a liking for Leah who tries to save her world and her mother who's trying to protect her as well. Small note for moms who'll read this book: moms have the spotlight in this novel between Hannah, the mother, who cares for her daughter who takes risks to help her people and mothers who sacrifice themselves for their children.

The world imagined by Stephen Lloyd is very well done and change from usual vampires stories. In fact, there is relatively little interaction with the "human" and Lloyd never mentions a constant need to drink blood to stay alive. We're not talking about immortal beings, since they can die but beings with longevity and exceptional life, not really vampires in the traditional sense. Lloyd created a hierarchy among the "eternal", a past, a "police", the eternal hunter, a disappearance of their kind... One has the impression of being on the other side of the mirror, the side that allows us to understand the way eternals live.

Written in the Blood isn't just a story of a chase but also a story of struggle against the inexorable, struggle for power, love-hate, revenge, consequence of past histories. All that told with some talent. So, admittedly, the terms were not always easy to understand and the fact that I had not read the first book hadn't help neither but if you start this book by seeking something different, you won't be disappointed! Written in the Blood makes Twilight look like a story from the Care Bears world! Here, no schoolgirl love story but a girl who wants to save her clan from extinction, no schoolyard quarrels but politicized groups fighting against each other and mortal enemies.

The blurb

See the girl. Leah Wilde is twenty-four, a runaway on a black motorbike, hunting for answers while changing her identity with each new Central European town.

See the man, having come of age in extraordinary suffering and tragedy in nineteenth-century Budapest; witness to horror, to love, to death, and the wrath of a true monster. Izsák still lives in the present day, impossibly middle-aged. He’s driven not only to hunt this immortal evil but to find his daughter, stolen from an Arctic cabin and grown into the thing Izsák has sworn to kill.

See the monster, a beautiful, seemingly young woman who stalks the American West, seeking the young and the strong to feed upon, desperate to return to Europe where her coven calls.

In a nutshell

A really different vampire novel, a well-conducted plot, it's a 4/5 for me.

Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to me by the publisher. No review was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.