Blog Tour and Review: Scared to Death by Rachel Amphlett

Hi, guys.

Today is my stop of the blog tour of the fast-paced crime thriller Scared to Death by the amazing author Rachel Amphlett. I hope you'll enjoy my review and this thrilling serial killers' novel. Don't forget to visit all the blog stops and read all the amazing stuff about this book.

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

From the very beginning, the author throws you into a very scary situation. Two people, husband and wife, parents, are in the search of their kidnapped daughter after they paid the ransom. Only to find their daughter's lifeless body. A couple of hours later, while giving the statement in the police station, the father of the kidnapped girl collapses and dies from heart attack. The mother loses her daughter and her husband in a very same day.

Meet the author: living with killers

For five years, crime-thriller author Frank Westworth has been living with killers, the fictional characters who populate his gritty thrillers.

Undercover operatives, hard as nails hitmen, ice cold contract killers, manipulated men and bewildering women: they’ve all been a part of his daily life.

Today, Thursday 12 May, Frank is letting these dangerous people loose – in the nicest possible way – upon the population of Porlock, normally known for its easy access to the rolling hills of Exmoor’s National Park.

Frank will read a short excerpt from one of his books to introduce the audience to his characters and the complex world they inhabit, and then explore the murky depths of thriller writing and criminal minds. Where do these strange people, their snappy dialogue and their dangerous tales come from?

Surely it’s all invented? Maybe it’s not…

Entry to the event is free and refreshments will be provided (donations to the library would be appreciated). Frank will be signing copies of his paperbacks, and all who attend will be entitled to claim one of Frank’s quick thriller ebooks. 

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: 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: 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?