thriller Archives - The Quick and the Read

Book Review: ‘The Haven’ by Fiona Neill

I’ll admit the blurb pulled me into this one – a sixteen year-old girl waking up in the forest with no memory of what happened. She has a head injury and there doesn’t seem to be anyone around…except a police team who visit occasionally and seem terrible at solving things! What happened?!

Blog Tour: ‘The Ideal Couple’ by Anna Willett

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘The Ideal Couple’, a lively Australian crime novel and the fourth in the series to feature Detective Veronika Pope.

Thanks to The Book Folks for inviting me onto the tour and for allowing me access to the book for review purposes. As always, opinions are entirely my own.

This book was published on 2nd October, 2023.

From the Publisher:

When detectives try to close a missing persons case, a small town’s twisted secrets begin to unravel…

A couple disappear in a region of the outback known for its gold mining. Some three years on, there is still no trace of them.

Detective Veronika Pope is handed the cold case. It’s cold only in name. When she turns up to the godforsaken town where the couple were last seen, the heat is sweltering; suspicion simmering.

The detectives stay in the same seedy hotel as the couple did. The townsfolk aren’t
welcoming. Nobody wants the cops probing into their affairs.

From what Pope can gather, the missing duo were the perfect couple. Loving. Happy
together. The picture of marital bliss.

Assuming a murder but missing a motive, the detectives do make progress. They might even find the bodies, as the trail is hot. Almost too hot to touch.

Pope is in serious danger of getting burned…

Book Review: ‘Jackdaw’ by Daniel Cole

Having read ‘Ragdoll’, I thought I knew what to expect of Daniel Cole’s books – and I went into this anticipating something twisty, gruesome and fast-paced. I wasn’t disappointed!

In this book, Detective Scarlett Delaney is on the trail of the killer they call ‘The Jackdaw’ – a murderer who seems to commit impossible crimes and then disappear with a sparkly memento. Delaney is a maverick and finds herself in a tricky situation with the charming Harry Devlin, a deadly criminal himself. The pair join forces to track down the Jackdaw, but it’s a dangerous and volatile pairing that puts them in danger. Can Scarlett really trust her attractive partner or is she unwittingly exposing herself to his lethal underworld bosses?

Book Review: ‘The Island’ by Catherine Cooper

Happy publication day to ‘The Island’ by Catherine Cooper. Thanks to NetGalley for my opportunity to read this book ahead of publication – opinions are entirely my own.

I’ve loved Catherine Cooper’s previous novels – tight and twisty psychological thrillers set in such great locations as a French chateau, a fancy ski resort or on board a luxury cruise ship. With that in mind, I was very keen to visit (from my armchair, obviously!) the latest high-end setting, a sumptuous and exclusive Maldives resort in ‘The Island’.

Book Review: ‘The Safe House’ by Cameron Ward

Happy publication day to ‘The Safe House’ – 14th September, 2023.

I enjoyed Cameron Ward’s first book, ‘A Stranger on Board’ so was delighted to receive an early copy of ‘The Safe House’ for review. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy – opinions are, as always, entirely my own.

This book follows Jess, a Metropolitan Police employee who – for her own reasons – wants to get away. The ideal solution presents itself (*alarm bells*) when Jess’ friend discovers a remote luxury house in the Australian Outback is in need of a house-sitter. It seems to offer the peace and respite that Jess needs – but she hasn’t considered the wild fires ravaging the local area or the mysterious visitors that appear. As the fire gets closer, Jess finds herself in danger – but is the real peril inside or outside the house?

Book Review: ‘Tennison’ by Lynda La Plante

I was absolutely delighted to be asked to join #TeamTennison and read the whole series featuring Jane Tennison from the start! Thanks to Compulsive Readers for my spot on the team and for my copies of the books.

This review is for ‘Tennison’, the first in the series – most people will be familiar with DCI Jane Tennison from the ‘Prime Suspect’ series featuring Dame Helen Mirren, but this series takes us back to 1973 and the very start of Tennison’s career.

Book Review: ‘I Did It For You’ by Amy Engel

Happy publication day (3rd August) to ‘I Did It For You’ by Amy Engel!

Having enjoyed ‘The Roanoke Girls’, I was pleased to be granted an early copy of ‘I Did It For You’ for review. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, HQ Stories – as always, opinions are my own.

This story follows a young woman, Greer Dunning, who returns to her small home town in Kansas. She has been away for over a decade, having left after the murder of her sister, Eliza, for which crime a man was executed. Greer finds her home unchanged in many ways – her family and close friends are there, the town’s rhythms are the same – but a new murder has shaken the inhabitants. The slaughter of a young couple in the same place as Eliza’s murder 14 years previously has raised the prospect of a copycat killer – and Greer finds herself wondering whether justice was truly done for her sister’s death.

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