Dangerous Designs Review

Author:  Dale Meyer
Pages: 134

Description:  Drawing is her world...but when her new pencil comes alive, it's his world too.
Her...Storey Dalton is seventeen and now boyfriendless after being dumped via Facebook. Drawing is her escape. It’s like as soon as she gets down one image, a dozen more are pressing in on her. Then she realizes her pictures are almost drawing themselves...or is it that her new pencil is alive?
Him...Eric Jordan is a new Ranger and the only son of the Councilman to his world. He’s crossed the veil between dimensions to retrieve a lost stylus. But Storey is already experimenting with her new pencil and what her drawings can do - like open portals.
It ... The stylus is a soul-bound intelligence from Eric’s dimension on Earth and uses Storey’s unsuspecting mind to seek its way home, giving her an unbelievable power. She unwittingly opens a third dimension, one that held a dangerous predatory species banished from Eric’s world centuries ago, releasing these animals into both dimensions.
Them... Once in Eric’s homeland, Storey is blamed for the calamity sentenced to death. When she escapes, Eric is ordered to bring her back or face that same death penalty. With nothing to lose, can they work together across dimensions to save both their worlds?

Review: Dale Meyer has crafted a chilling contemporary thriller that captures the mind. Dangerous Designs is a brilliant addition to the thrilller genre. Meyer's outlandish imagination has resulted in the creation of a fascinating and compelling read that kept me at the very egde of me seat ( and bed, I should say)! A bizarre but nevertheless incredibily fantastic read! 

Tuesday's Child Review

Author: Dale Meyer
Pages: 291

Description: What she doesn’t want...is exactly what he needs.
Shunned and ridiculed all her life for something she can’t control, Samantha Blair hides her psychic abilities and lives on the fringes of society. Against her will, however, she’s tapped into a killer—or rather, his victims. Each woman’s murder, blow-by-blow, ravages her mind until their death releases her back to her body. Sam knows she must go to the authorities, but will the rugged, no-nonsense detective in charge of tracking down the killer believe her?

Detective Brandt Sutherland only trusts hard evidence, yet Sam’s visions offer clues he needs to catch a killer. The more he learns about her incredible abilities, however, the clearer it becomes that Sam’s visions have put her in the killer’s line of fire. Now Brandt must save her from something he cannot see or understand…and risk losing his heart in the process.

As danger and desire collide, passion raises the stakes in a game Sam and Brandt don’t dare lose.

Review: Dale Meyer writes as chillingly good as the likes of Bevery Barton! Tuesday's Child is definitely not for the faint hearted, the vivid descriptions are shocking and terrifying. The love kindling between Blair and Brandt just adds to the ingredients of a brilliant read.  Meyer is a pro at putting red herrings throughout the book, keeping the reader guessing. You think you know who the killer but then your back to sqaure on all over again. An alarmingly gripping and meaty read!!

Gone Review

Title: Gone

Author: Mo Hayder

Publisher: Bantam Press

Pages: 416

Summary: November in the West Country. Evening is closing in as murder detective Jack Caffery arrives to interview the victim of a car-jacking. He’s dealt with routine car-thefts before, but this one is different. This car was taken by force. And on the back seat was a passenger. An eleven-year-old girl. Who is still missing. Before long the jacker starts to communicate with the police: ‘It’s started,' he tells them. 'And it ain’t going to stop just sudden, is it?’ And Caffery knows that he’s going to do it again. Soon the jacker will choose another car with another child on the back seat. Caffery’s a good and instinctive cop; the best in the business, some say. But this time he knows something’s badly wrong. Because the jacker seems to be ahead of the police – every step of the way…

Review: Mo Hayder knows how to pack a stomach-churning punch into a story! This the first book I have read by Mo Hayder, and what a scary sleepless night was I in for! A top notch thriller with fast-paced action. Hayder builds up tension from the very first page, escalating throughout the book until it just explodes. The eccentric plot, vigiliant and circumspect depiction of victims is just genius, putting this book in my Top 5.

You Belong to Me Review

Title: You Belong To Me
Author: Karen Rose

Published: 2011

Publisher: Headine
ISBN: 9780755373901
Pages: 480
Summary: When forensic pathologist Lucy Trask stumbles across a mutilated body by the chess tables in her local Baltimore park, its face so badly damaged it is unrecognisable, her sole concern is that it might be her old school teacher Mr Pugh.
When the corpse is identified, Lucy is shocked to discover that the victim is actually another man from her past. Who killed him and why his skin is burnt with the number '1' is unclear but it’s evident that someone is demanding Lucy’s attention.
The discovery of a second branded body raises worrying questions: how many more lives may be at risk before the killer’s final message is revealed? And can Lucy solve the killer’s gruesome puzzle before their thirst for revenge is complete?
Review:
Karen Rose just keeps getting better and better!! The No 1 author for romantic mystery/thrillers. Karen writes about the characters in such that you feel as if you've known them for years. At the same time she continues to let you delve deep into the mind of the killer.
You Belong To Me is the first book that isn't connected to any characters from the previous books, and yet I didn't miss not reading about previous characters and places. Another common Karen Rose trademark missing in this book was the close-knit loving family scene, in fact it was quite the opposite in this book.
Moving on, it took me no time at all to get straight into the story. The pace of is a constant throughout the whole story, in every page of the book shocking and page turning events take place which kept me wanting for more.
From the very first chapter we are thrown into Lucy Trask's world. Lucy, a forensic pathologist makes a grisly discovery of a body, from then on every event in the story links to her. Lucy is shown as a strong and independent woman yet imperfect, with a murky past. It's quite refeshing to be able to read novels with imperfect female lead characters rather than the cliche 'perfect' female.
JD Fitzpartick, the"narcotic " as Lucy likes to think of him, is a detective trying to race against time to find the killer before the  already high body count escalates. His character is very tough and written very cleverly. It is quite obvious that he is Lucy's love interest.
The story contains horrifying and disturbing crimes with a very high body count with a time span of two days, which seeme quite unrealistic for me. Nevertheless this meaty read is exactly what I look for in mystery/thrillers. Another phenomenal book by Karen Rose. I recommend it to everyone!

First Family Review

Title: First Family
Author: David Baldacci
Published: 2009
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN:9780330463560
Pages:659
Summary:Camp David, USA. A birthday party turns into a
nightmare when a child is snatched after the celebrations.
Jane cox, the First Lady, enlists the services of private detectives
Sean King and Michelle Maxwell to find her young niece Willa, and bring her safely home. For she and King share a past....
But Sean and Michelle's investigations run far from smoothly and when their leads are exposed as dead ends and Willa's kidnapper finally makes contact, it becomes apparent that the First Lady has not been entirely honest with the pair...
As drama builds to an explosive crescendo, King and Maxwell find themselves pushed to the limit. With th forces aligned on all sides against them, the boundary between friend and foe becomes impossible to define... or defend.

Review:
First Family is the sequel to David Baldacci's No#1 bestseller, Simple Genius.
So, the First Lady's much-loved niece Willa is kidnapped. Lady Jane Cox asks Sean King, a former Secret Service agent to find and bring her home. Sean along with partner Michelle Maxwell investigate the case with the reluctant help of the FBI (cliché?).

The antagonist, Quarry, in my opinion is more fascinating than the protagonists. Baldacci writes in such a way that you have no option but to feel something for him, whether its hatred or sympathy. The reader is given an insight into the antagonists mind, who deep down is portrayed to have a heart of gold. ( I won't expand on that)

The subplot in the story focuses on Maxwell's return to her childhood home after the unexpected death of her mother. It later turns out that she was murdered. Michelle's father, an ex cop, is the main suspect. Maxwell digs deep into her past and her mothers to unravel this mystery. The subplot however didn't have a link to the main plot. Seemed like I was reading two totally different story lines.

This political thriller starts of very fast paced however halfway through it slows down dramatically and the plot is dragged on so much that I was struggling to finish the book. Many questions were left unanswered at the end and there were some plot holes.

Overall, I was quite disappointed with this book, I expected it to be a sensational book, considering it is written by Baldacci.

Blood Vines Review

Title: Blood Vines
Author: Erica Spindler
Published: 2010
Publisher: Sphere
Pages:512
ISBN: 9780751541281
Summary: Alex Clarkson knows very little about her childhood or who she really is – her only family an absent, emotionally fragile mother. Alex has always felt something was missing and has spent most of her life searching for what that could be. When an infant’s remains are unearthed, Alex realises she has a connection to the case. Suddenly long-lost memories start flooding in, leading her back to a small town in California and to dark and terrifying nightmares that haunt her every waking moment. Greeted with silence and suspicion, Alex is determined to get to the heart of a secret no one wants to see uncovered. As violent deaths and a series of pagan rituals terrify the tightly-knit community, Alex is forced to confront the terrible truth about a single night that changed her family’s lives for ever…
Review:
Spindler has outdone herself once again! Blood Vines is an exhilarating read. The story is set in California’s wine country and Spindler does a great job of bringing the vibrant vineyards to life. There aren’t pages and pages of descriptions of the atmosphere of Sonoma, but there is enough for the me to visualise it and feel like I was actually there.
The mystery itself in Blood Vines was really intoxicating. Spindler places twists and turns in every chapter, which kept me guessing. I couldn’t have predicted what happened. The plot contains a psychological twist and the whole story is webbed with lies, deception, mystery and romance.
Alex Clarkson’s ‘romance’ with Detective Danny Reed is somewhat lacking romance and trust. Sex merely makes it a romantic relationship, however I will have to say the blazing hormones and steaminess add to the story.
Overall in my opinion Blood Vines is a fast paced mystery, a real page turner. Once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down. So much so, that I was sitting in my University lectures reading Blood Vines rather than listening to what was being said. I would recommend everyone to read it. And if you’re a mystery lover, this book is a must!