Book Review: The Demeter Code by Russell Brooks

CRACK THE CODE AND YOU'LL SAVE LIVES...BUT KNOWING IT EXISTS COULD GET YOU KILLED. When two American embassies in northern Africa are bombed, CIA operatives, Ridley Fox and Nita Parris, are assigned to track down the perpetrators. However, when their top asset is killed in a failed op, the agents suspect that there may be a new threat. Their search for the truth puts them on a collision course with a powerful multinational—which will go to extreme lengths to bury its criminal activities. However, the agents soon learn that someone with a personal vendetta against that company not only knows their secrets but will expose them in a way that could result in the largest single-day attack against America.

Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

It starts with action, it ends with action. The Demeter Code is my first book that comes from this author and I must say, it is a real roller-coaster story. You don't know where it starts, you have no idea where it ends. It is so action-packed story and full of surprises, and the main characters Ridley Fox and Nita Parris can easily make James Bond jealous.

So, what's the catch? The story starts with a-hell-of-a-ride. Nita Parris is in the middle of gun fire trying to save one man who is a target of killers. A guy who sells company secrets has been murdered along with his pregnant lover. Ridley Fox is on his way to infiltrate himself in case chasing the man responsible for the bombing of two American Embassies. A woman is convicted for food poisoning at the military camp in Afganistan. They are all connected, they are all involved.

Book Review: Going Coastal by Jane DiLucchio

A client dying on her massage table is traumatic enough for Kate Matthews, but when the police declare that death a murder, life becomes more painful for her as she is cast as the major suspect. None of this is what Kate expected from her move to the peaceful town of Santa Barbara. After a near-fatal heart attack, an early retirement from her Los Angeles law firm, and a change in careers, Kate envisioned a quiet life with her wife, Alicia, and their grown children. Since the client held a position on the California Coastal Commission, her death becomes a media event. Kate finds herself and her family sucked into the maelstrom. The former lawyer has all she can do to find the truth behind Celia's death without adding her own name to the body count.

Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

After all those serial killer reads (which I absolutely love to read), reading a cozy mystery was like going on a real vacation. Nice, warm, cozy mystery, perfect for chilling on a February rainy day.

When your famous client dies on your massage table, you are in trouble! Celia Tucker, California Coastal Commissioner, is rich and famous and very picky as a client. But Katherine Matthews has nothing against her, she is just a client. When Celia dies during the massage, Katherine is the one who is suspect for a murder. It seems that Celia dies of anaphylactic shock caused by the oil rubbed during the massage. But Katherine knows that it is not possible. She has a specific bottle of oil for each client made by her son, Ben. She cares for her client's needs and possible allergies. So, she starts her own investigation, to clean her own name and save her son.

Book Review: Dead Lucky by Matt Brolly

A fast-paced crime-thriller, full of chilling twists, turns and grisly surprises, Matt Brolly’s Dead Lucky will have you gripped from beginning to end! DCI Michael Lambert is back… When a woman is murdered, the twisted killer forcing her husband to watch her slow and painful death, DCI Michael Lambert knows that his next case might be his toughest yet. And when the second set of killings are discovered, with exactly the same MO, the race is on the find the lethal sociopath before he strikes again. But Lambert never expected to receive an anonymous call from the killer. This time, it’s personal: if Lambert doesn’t find the murderer soon, his own loved ones will be next…

Copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After the phenomenal debut Dead Eyed, another killer read comes from the writing pen of Matt Brolly. This time, we see DCI Michael Lambert facing ever more gripping murders than ever imagined. Whoever has read the first book would know what I am talking about. If you haven't read it, don't worry, Dead Lucky can perfectly stand alone.

At first look, it seems that an ordinary burglary went wrong. The police assume that the wife came home earlier and surprised the burglar. But what is obviously wrong here is that the wife is tied next to her husband and slowly murdered, while he is forced to watch. Too cruel for any living soul. The part that makes the things more complicated is that the husband is a member of the police department. Is it just a robbery that goes wrong or a personal revenge? And who is the real target?

Book Review: The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes-The White Worm by Sam Siciliano

Sherlock Holmes and his cousin, Dr Henry Vernier, travel to Whitby, to investigate a curious case on behalf of a client. He has fallen in love, but a mysterious letter has warned him of the dangers of such a romance. The woman is said to be under a druidic curse, doomed to take the form of a gigantic snake. Locals speak of a green glow in the woods at night and a white apparition amongst the trees. Is there sorcery at work, or is a human hand behind the terrors of Diana’s Grove?

Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I admit, I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes'adventures and was very pleased when I heard that there were some new books including him as a main character. This is my first Sam Siciliano's book, but definitely, won't be the last.

This adventure of his starts with a visit from a client. A young man who is going to be married soon receives a letter as a warning for his future marriage. His fiance is a lovely charming young lady, but there is a curse that runs in her family for many generations. Once upon a time, there was a giant white worm that tormented the people in the area. Until one day one man defeated it, married and had children on that same property. But there was the curse, always something bad happened to the male members of the family. It was the punishment for the man who defeated the worm. The young man loves his bride-to-be but is also scared that something bad would happen to him. So he asks the great detective for help. Sherlock and his cousin Dr Vernier travel to Whitby in a place called Diana's Grove to solve the mystery of the white worm.

Book Review: Her Final Breath by Robert Dugoni

Homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite has returned to the police force after the sensational retrial of her sister’s killer. Still scarred from that ordeal, Tracy is pulled into an investigation that threatens to end her career, if not her life. A serial killer known as the Cowboy is killing young women in cheap motels in North Seattle. Even after a stalker leaves a menacing message for Crosswhite, suggesting the killer or a copycat could be targeting her personally, she is charged with bringing the murderer to justice. With clues scarce and more victims dying, Tracy realizes the key to solving the murders may lie in a decade-old homicide investigation that others, including her captain, Johnny Nolasco, would prefer to keep buried. With the Cowboy on the hunt, can Tracy find the evidence to stop him, or will she become his next victim?

Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tracy Crosswhite is a character that can easily be put on the list of great and strong female detective fictional characters. Still recovering from her sister's death and catching her killer, another hard case is on her desk. This time, women are killed in cheap motel rooms, tied, with no sexual violence. The media gives the killer the name Cowboy. Victims are not raped, just tied and the life is sucked out of them. Some of them are prostitutes and the society isn't paying much attention for them. But Tracy is the one who connects the dots and is in the search for justice for all the victims of the Cowboy, including himself because she sees him as a victim of someone else long time ago. In the very same time, someone is after her. Maybe is the killer himself, maybe it is someone else. But Tracy knows one thing. She has to catch this monster!

Book review: Then You Were Gone by Claire Moss

Is to love someone really to leave them behind? When Simone first met Mack, he was that guy. Too charming for his own good, and way too sure of himself. And yet after those first few moments, she just knew it was going to work between them, and she’d never been happier. But just as they are about to get serious, Mack disappears without a trace. Simone starts to question everything she thought she knew about Mack, but she can’t let him go without a fight. His slightly shady boss Keith must know more than he says, and Jazzy – Mack’s best mate and her oldest friend – is desperate to find him too. But should you go after someone who doesn’t want to be found? And how do you know that you will still want what you find?

Copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story starts with Simone and the love of her life, Mack. She thinks that he is the one, the one and only true love that lasts forever. But one day Mack disappears without a trace. Would a man who truly loves her do that? And suddenly Simone starts to question their relationship. She thinks that he doesn't love her. Why would he hide from her? Her curiosity is bigger that her fear and she starts an investigation. Fulfilled with her doubts, Simone starts to search into the past of the man she loves. But is she ready for the things she might find?

Book Review: The Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza

Her eyes are wide open. Her lips parted as if to speak. Her dead body frozen in the ice…She is not the only one. When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation. The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have a perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in the water around London. What dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding? As Erika inches closer to uncovering the truth, the killer is closing in on Erika.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was familiar with the Robert Bryndza's chick lit books while being a part of This Chick Reads team. When I heard that he wrote a crime book, I assumed it was chick lit cozy mystery story. I never expected The Girl In The Ice! And after finishing the book, all I can say is WOW!

The story starts with the death of a young and very beautiful woman. Her body is found under the ice of the frozen lake in the park, tied, vandalized. The case is not treated like the rest. Andrea is the daughter of very rich and influent businessman. The whole murder case is covered by the press and the phone calls from influential people. Andrea is known as a girl who liked parties and liked to have fun, all the time, like most of the rich girls her age. But what was she doing in that part of the city? Who wanted her dead?