The Reviews Area

You can buy any of Angela’s other books here:

Silent Scream (Detective Kim Stone crime thriller series Book 1)

CONFESSIONS REVIEWS ANGELA MARSONS

Evil Games (Detective Kim Stone crime thriller series Book 2)

Lost Girls (Detective Kim Stone crime thriller series Book 3)

Play Dead (Detective Kim Stone crime thriller series Book 4)

Angela Marsons is the author of Amazon #1 Bestseller SILENT SCREAM.

She lives in the Black Country with her partner, their bouncy Labrador and a swearing parrot.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read "Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people's".

After years of writing relationship based stories (My Name Is and The Middle Child) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com in an 8 book deal.

And for more about Angela, visit her site or find her on social media:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page

REVIEW: Duncan Ralston - Every Part of the Animal

Genre: Crime / Thriller

Publisher: Shadow Work Publishing

Publication Date: 6^th June 2016

Pages: 126

REVIEWED BY NEV:

A copy of Every Part of The Animal was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author, Duncan Ralston in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Shadow Work Publishing.

So everyone’s favourite Canadian person has a new book out! This one fell under my radar for some reason. I think it was because it is a crime thriller type story rather than the out and out horror we are used to from Mr Ralston. If you read any of my reviews of Mr Ralston’s previous work (included at the bottom of this review) you will see that in terms of his horror writing, I never fail to be impressed. Diverging into writing crime stories? I’m sure he could cope with the writing side of it. Would it be any good though?

This is what I thought.

Bo Lowery and her son, Caleb live a simple life. This is through circumstance rather than choice. They have a little house with next to no amenities and have to hunt for their food.

After one of these hunts, they come face to face with a celebrity vegan who happens to have a huge personality and an even bigger mouth. She takes offence at Bo hunting to survive and aims to make her life hell for it.

Bo thinks she can deal with this on her own. Little did she realise just how quickly things would spiral out of control.

So in terms of characters in this one we have four main ones. We have Bo. A dedicated mother that would move heaven and earth to protect her son, Caleb. She would use any method at her disposal no matter the outcome. Caleb is a quiet nine-year-old. He is being taught the methods of hunting by his momma and is eager to learn. He is also eager to know where his father is and is very conscious of doing nothing to invoke his momma’s temper.

On the other side of the fence we have Rainey. Spoilt young pop sensation with a very troubled past that no one knows about nor cares about. She has a big mouth and an ego to match and always gets what she wants, with no care as to how it will affect others. Darius is her personal protection agent. A glorified bodyguard that is more like a servant than anything else, he seems to have a good heart due to what he tries to do with Rainey.

In terms of a plot, I can’t really give you much without giving away some of the story which I am not prepared to do. The easy way of putting it is that Rainey and Bo clash and things escalate from there. You just need to follow the escalation by reading the book.

So how does Mr Ralston do in the crime writing stakes? Rather bloody well to be honest. I wasn’t surprised that the writing was good. I was surprised by the level of intensity involved in this story. It is a crime story but to be honest some people would think this is verging on horror because of the palpable fear on every page.

You may not agree with the lifestyle of Bo if your opinions, and beliefs side with the mouthy Rainey, but you will not be able to stop yourself from siding with her in this story. The viciousness of the young pop star gives you no choice but to hate her. She is vile. Bo just tries to do her best for Caleb. But then she takes things a step too far and you think why the hell did you do that! I found myself trying to think of ways she could get out of situations to help her. I know, it’s a story and I can’t change it but the writing in this is so good that and you get so embroiled in the story, you just cannot help but get involved.

Bo isn’t a master criminal. That is very clear and you can see glaring mistakes in what she is doing and you know there is no way she can get away with things but then, has she got away with things in the past? I loved the fact that this was written in such a way that you know you are dealing with an amateur if you like. You don’t have a master criminal at work. You have someone going with the flow and making mistakes and in some ways that makes the story flow much better. It makes it more believable that someone would make the wrong decisions and get themselves deeper and deeper in trouble.

Every single decision that is made in this story affects it in a major way. Nearly every single page has something that makes you want to read on and on to find out what is going to happen next. It’s about one hundred and thirty pages long but feels much longer. I don’t mean that it drags, quite the opposite. I mean that there is so much packed into this story you think you have read a full novel.

If Duncan Ralston decides, rather stupidly, to get out of the horror game, then he has a huge career ahead of him in the crime / thriller genre. He writes both equally well. Again, I’m not surprised that he did this. I am surprised that for someone writing outside their preferred genre, that he has totally nailed it and written something that many crime writers that have stuck at that genre for years, would be very jealous of. Bravo sir.

To summarise: an enthralling, fast paced crime story showing exactly how far someone is prepared to go if they are pushed into a corner. Perfectly written and put together, I defy anyone to not love this one.

General rating:

★★★★★ brilliant as always.

Crime / Thriller rating:

★★★★★ crackin crime debut.

If you would like to help support Confessions of a Reviewer, then please consider using the links below to buy Every Part of The Animal or any other books from Duncan. This not only supports me but also lets me know how many people actually like to buy books after reading my reviews.

Thanks.

Book Synopsis:

A hunter's world is turned inside out when brash young pop megastar Rainey Layne visits her small Alaskan town threatening Bo's way of life and her fragile ten-year-old son, Caleb. Pushed to the brink, Bo will show Rainey just how far a mother will go to protect her son.

EVERY PART OF THE ANIMAL is the first of several standalone crime novellas exploring the darker side of love, from horror author Duncan Ralston.

CONFESSIONS REVIEWS DUNCAN RALSTON

Gristle and Bone: 7 Tales of Delectable Terror

Salvage

Duncan Ralston was born in Toronto, and spent his teens in a small town. As a "grown-up," Duncan lives with his girlfriend and their dog in Toronto, where he writes about the things that frighten and disturb him. In addition to his twisted short stories found in GRISTLE & BONE, THE ANIMAL, and the charity anthology THE BLACK ROOM MANUSCRIPTS, his debut novel SALVAGE is available now.

"Mr. Ralston writes horror fiction that is unflinching and pulls no punches." - Kit Power.

"Duncan Ralston is writing honest stories about real people, pitched headlong into extraordinary situations. And that is what makes them so horrifying." - Ken Preston, Dirge Magazine

And for more about Duncan, visit his site or find him on social media:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page

REVIEW: Angela Marsons - Play Dead (D.I. Kim Stone #4)

Genre: Crime / Thriller

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 20^th May 2016

Pages: 366

MY REVIEW:

I received an advance copy of Play Dead (D.I. Kim Stone #4) by Angela Marsons from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Bookouture.

Every April, you can be guaranteed that I will down tools and all books I am currently reading and pick up the new John Connolly instalment of Charlie Parker. I never thought a series of books would captivate me enough for that to happen again, but nowadays every time I get the nod that there is a new Angela Marsons book on the go, I just have to get it. Book four in the wonderful Kim Stone series is just out. I downed everything else and went straight for it. I couldn’t wait. This series is just fantastic.

Although it is book four, you can read them all as stand-alone books. Yes, you do get to know some of the characters as the series progresses but they are all individual stories so I urge you to pick them all up. You can read my previous reviews on the blog and links are provided at the bottom for you.

So, book four. Any good?

Kim Stone and her team are in between their many cases. They are sent to a top secret research facility called Westerley. It’s a body farm, using bodies in experiments to help with details on decomposition in varying conditions.

Whilst there, a body turns up that is not one of the customers. Kim and her team just happen to be on scene so there is no time like the present for them to add another to the list.

This case will bring up secrets from the past. Secrets that many people wish to keep to themselves. If they hadn’t, the case may have been a lot easier for Kim Stone.

Without giving anything away about the previous books, our characters have largely remained the same. The leader of the gang is obviously Kim Stone. A young woman totally driven by her dedication to her job and the drive to solve every case that lands on her desk. Still dealing with a troubled past, she seems to be getting better at it but still doesn’t let to many people in. The three remaining members on her team are the same. Her wonderful sidekick, Bryant is a very capable number two. Again dedicated to his job, he possesses a wicked, dry sense of humour and is the only one who can get away with certain things with his boss. Dawson is the young reckless one. He is getting better but still has a way to go. He knows how to rub Kim up the wrong way but also knows how to get round her again. Stacey is the brains of the outfit. She doesn’t get out of the office much but without her computer and research skills, the operations would fall to pieces.

One other character that carries over is Tracy Frost, the mouthy, pushy reporter from the local paper. She still doesn’t see eye to eye with Kim and vice versa. Her part in this story is much bigger than any that have come before.

The plot is what has now become a typical Angela Marsons plot. There isn’t really one. Well there is but you won’t figure it out until very near the end of the book and if you do figure it out early, you are lying. Basically bodies are turning up. Killed in a specific way, Kim and her team need to find out the connections and fit all of the pieces of the puzzles together to make sure another body doesn’t turn up. When it looks like someone they know has gone missing and may possibly be the next victim, everyone steps it up a gear to figure out who the killer is and try and stop them in time.

So what makes this series any different to any other crime series you may have read in this past ten years? To be honest I don’t know. Well I do but it seems too simple an answer. Well it is a simple answer and I know it to be true. Angela Marsons is quite possibly the greatest writer of British gritty crime thrillers that I have ever read. A bold statement I hear you say. I know it is, and I stand by every word of it, and I also make predictions that in the next few years’ people will be watching this lady on the teevee, being interviewed about her latest new series starting soon and people will sit back and go, ahhhhhh that’s that girl Nev Murray was talking about all those years ago.

Her writing is sublime. It’s clever. It’s devious. It’s fast paced. It’s emotional. It’s scary in some ways. It’s heart wrenching. It’s tense. It’s uplifting. It’s gripping. Most of all, it’s entertaining. I could make this review into a three-thousand-word essay by getting my thesaurus out and just listing every single superlative I can find to tell you just how wonderful this lady’s writing is but there is really only one way to see for yourself. Go buy it. Go buy them all. If you do and you don’t enjoy them, I will eat a hat of your choice. Hell, I’ll eat my own liver. I am that confident that if you are a lover of crime books that you will not be able to resist these ones.

For once in a review, at this point I am stumped. I really don’t know what else to say to convince you to go out and buy these books.

I was asked a while back that if I was going to a deserted island and could one series of books with me, which would it be. I said then the Charlie Parker books by John Connolly. I still stand by that but I would bloody well sneak these little babies along with me as well!

To summarise: don’t be stupid – just buy it.

Highest possible recommendation.

General rating:

★★★★★ perfect.

Thriller rating:

★★★★★ perfect.

If you would like to help support Confessions of a Reviewer, then please consider using the links below to buy Play Dead or any other books from Angela. This not only supports me but also lets me know how many people actually like to buy books after reading my reviews.

Thanks.

You can read my review of Silent Scream (D.I. Kim Stone #1) here.

You can read my review of Evil Games (D.I. Kim Stone #2) here.

You can read my review of Lost Girls (D.I. Kim Stone #3) here.

Book Synopsis:

The dead don’t tell secrets… unless you listen.

The girl’s smashed-in face stared unseeing up to the blue sky, soil spilling out of her mouth. A hundred flies hovered above the bloodied mess.

Westerley research facility is not for the faint-hearted. A ‘body farm’ investigating human decomposition, its inhabitants are corpses in various states of decay. But when Detective Kim Stone and her team discover the fresh body of a young woman, it seems a killer has discovered the perfect cover to bury their crime.

Then a second girl is attacked and left for dead, her body drugged and mouth filled with soil. It’s clear to Stone and the team that a serial killer is at work – but just how many bodies will they uncover? And who is next?

As local reporter, Tracy Frost, disappears, the stakes are raised. The past seems to hold the key to the killer’s secrets – but can Kim uncover the truth before a twisted, damaged mind claims another victim …?

The latest utterly addictive thriller from the No.1 bestseller Angela Marsons.

Angela Marsons is the author of Amazon #1 Bestseller SILENT SCREAM.

She lives in the Black Country with her partner, their bouncy Labrador and a swearing parrot.

After years of writing relationship based stories (My Name Is and The Middle Child) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com in an 8 book deal.

And for more about Angela, visit her site or find her on social media:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page

REVIEW: Caroline Mitchell - The Silent Twin (Detective Jennifer Knight #3)

Genre: Thriller / Crime / Paranormal

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 14^th April 2016

Pages: 322

MY REVIEW:

I received an advance copy of The Silent Twin by Caroline Mitchell from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is said review. This book is published by Bookouture.

This is the third book I have read by Caroline Mitchell. They have all been in the same series. A trilogy of books about Detective Jennifer Knight. A cop with a giftthat many other cops don’t have. Don’t Turn Around was the first instalment and you can read my review of it here.

The second in the series was Time To Die and again, you can read the review here. I have loved the series so far. A crime novel with a paranormal twist brings it closer to the horror books that I love so much. A bit disappointed that this one is the last in the trilogy but as eager as ever to get reading it due to the wonderful stuff that came before.

This is what I thought.

Jennifer Knight is taking on quite possibly the toughest case she is ever likely to have. Abigail and Olivia are twins. Abigail has gone missing. It’s every parent’s nightmare. Their parents are no exception. Except they are. Their father, Nick, is a Police Sergeant and their mother, Joanna, is an eccentric entrepreneur. Is this a kidnapping?

Jennifer is tasked to be their Family Liaison Officer and with an abundance of puzzling clues and puzzling people, she has her hands full in trying to find Abigail and also keep the family peace.

When Jennifer talks to Abigail through her sister Olivia, she thinks she is still alive, but neither know where she is being kept. Someone close isn’t telling the truth and knows more than they are saying.

Characters wise in this one, we have a mixture of lovable ones and hateable ones. In terms of the police in this one, Jennifer is mostly on her own. She is, as ever, fastidious and dedicated to her role and wants nothing more than a quick resolution to the job. The girl’s father, Nick, is a mess. A police sergeant on the other side of the fence this time and struggling with everything. Their mother, Joanna, is also a mess. She just seems to be totally nuts, driven to madness by a past that is horrific. Olivia is the sister left behind. She hasn’t spoken since Abigail went missing. Some think it is shock. Some think it is fear.

There are a host of other people playing much smaller parts in the story. They all fit in extremely well, as they always do in a Caroline Mitchell book.

The plot? It’s horrific and harrowing. Let’s face it people, unfortunately we are no stranger to this sort of scenario these days. It seems to happen more and more often and it is the sort of story that we all dread hearing on the news, when a child goes missing. A lot of books feature this sort of scenario. Some of them take it to the extreme. Some of them just go for the sensationalist story, to over exaggerate things and make it as brutal as possible.

Not Caroline Mitchell. She has written this story in such a way that, it certainly highlights the dangers children face these days. She has also concentrated on the story from the point of view of the parents, showing what each one has to go through, together and alone. She has also shown in a perfect way what it must be like for the police officer handling the case. It is just as scary and in some ways even more so for them. They are the person that is being relied upon to fix things. If they do, they win. If they don’t, they fail. Not a nice position to be in.

One thing that you will notice due to the fact that it keeps jumping up and punching you in the face, is the fact that you will not have a clue who done it! This is one of the best novels I have read in years for totally confusing you as to who you think the villain is. You will change your mind multiple times. You will curse Ms Mitchell multiple times. You will swear multiple times.

When you hit ninety percent of the book you will sit back with a smug smile on your face because you will have solved it during the epic run to the end. When you hit ninety-three percent you will think how could I have been so stupid, and will solve it once again. At ninety-six percent you will call Ms Mitchell a name (sorry Caroline, I didn’t mean it, you just annoyed me for the fifteenth time) when she twists the entire story on its head again and takes you in a direction you would never have seen coming. If you claim that you did, you are a big fat liar liar pants on fire!

Negative? To me it wasn’t the best of the three books. That’s it. That’s all the negative I got. I am sorry to see this character being put on the shelf so to speak and I truly hope she comes back off it again.

On the flip side of that, I cannot wait to see what Caroline Mitchell produces for us next. One thing is certain, I will be picking it up. This lady can write bloody good stuff!

To summarise: book number three in a trilogy featuring a fantastic detective with a difference. Gritty, harrowing crime that will keep you with your nose thoroughly stuck in your reading weapon of choice until you are done.

General rating:

★★★★★ can't give anything less.

Crime / thriller rating:

★★★★★ and again.

If you would like to help support Confessions of a Reviewer, then please consider using the links below to buy The Silent Twin or any other books from Caroline. This not only supports me but also lets me know how many people actually like to buy books after reading my reviews.

Thanks.

Book Synopsis:

I’m alone in the dark, please can you find me …

Nine-year-old twins Abigail and Olivia vow never to be parted. But when Abigail goes missing from Blackwater Farm, DC Jennifer Knight must find her before it’s too late.

Twin sister Olivia has been mute since Abigail’s disappearance. But when she whispers in Jennifer’s ear, Jennifer realises it is Abigail’s voice pleading to be found.

A damp and decaying house set in acres of desolate scrubland, the farm is a place of secrets, old and new – and Jennifer must unravel them all in order to find the lost girl. But could Olivia’s bond with her twin hold the key to finding Abigail? And can Jennifer break through her silence in time to save her sister’s life?

A darkly gripping, page-turning thriller that will enthral fans of Rachel Abbott, Alex Marwood’s The Wicked Girls and Mark Edwards.

Originally from Ireland, Caroline lives with her husband, four children and two dogs in a pretty village on the coast of Essex. Five years ago Caroline and her family encountered real life paranormal activity in their home. Paranormal Intruder is her best-selling true story.

Caroline's new novel, Don't Turn Around has recently been published by Bookouture in a three book deal as part of her DC Jennifer Knight series. These edge of your seat crime thrillers are infused by Caroline's experience in both the police and the paranormal. To find out more please subscribe at www.caroline-writes.com.

And for more about Caroline, visit her site or find her on social media:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Amazon Page

REVIEW: J. Scaddon - Harry Lane is Innocent

Genre: Crime / Thriller

Publisher: Self Published

Publication Date: 10^th Sept 2015

Pages: 95

MY REVIEW:

A copy of Harry Lane is Innocent was sent to Confessions of a Reviewer by the author J Scaddon in exchange for an honest review. This is said review.

Anyone who visits the blog regularly will know I love to discover new authors. Jamie Scaddon is name I am sure many of you will not be familiar with. I certainly wasn’t when he sent me an email to see if I would like to review this one. It is certainly not my normal first pick for a book but something drew me to it. I liked the sound of it and decided to give it a go. It took me a while to get to it. I wish it hadn’t.

Harry Lane is twenty-three years old although he has the mind of a six-year-old. He is a gentle giant that is always out to please people, no matter who they are.

His dad has asked him to run an errand for him one dark night. In 1940’s London this involves a long walk. Harry decides to cut through a park. He likes to watch the wildlife in it.

He stumbles across an altercation between a drunk man and a young lady. She has been stabbed and Harry tries to help. She unfortunately dies and Harry has been accused of her murder.

This starts the process of questioning and a trial. For Harry it is daunting and confusing as his mind doesn’t understand what is happening. For his family, it looks like the end for Harry.

OK. This is a short one. Comes in at about one hundred pages. Set yourself a few hours to the side with nothing on for the rest of the day because you will not want to put this one down.

Our characters in this one are few and far between. It really just centres on Harry. Like I said earlier, he is in his twenties but has the mental age of a young child. He is timid, meek, caring, loving. All the things you would expect a child to be. Because of his illness he doesn’t understand things very well so when he is plunged into this new world he has no clue what is going on.

The plot is simple. Harry is innocent. You know from the very beginning he is innocent. He is going to be hanged for the crime he did not commit. No one seems to care other than a young barrister who must battle against the odds to try and keep him alive.

This scenario has been done before. You will probably see it most Sunday nights on various channels all over your television. So why should you read this one? Simple answer? The way this story is written will make you want to forget about everything else you need to do for the day and just sit. Sit and read.

I think I am right in saying this is a first novella for Mr Scaddon. If not the first, then certainly one of the first. In places it shows. Sometimes it could be a little more polished. The sentences could be a little more refined. The use of language could be a little more imaginative.

You know what though? I don’t care!

At the same time as the little negatives, the way it is written and the little bits that are missing make the story. It is almost like this is writing at its barest minimum. It’s completely stripped down to give you a basic story told in the simplest of ways that is so very very effective. You cannot help but feel for Harry and his family. You cannot help but feel total anger and disgust at the authorities for their blatant disregard for following through on things that could change the situation drastically. Emotion is a huge driver in this story and it flows off every page in such a way that you will get angry reading this story.

There are scenes which follow the executioners. They describe in detail what they do, the routines they follow and the procedures they must go through to make sure the hanging goes smoothly. Now I am no history buff and know very little about this process. I don’t know how much research Mr Scaddon has done on this part of the book to make it authentic. You know what though? I don’t care again. Reading these scenes, you will be covered in goose bumps. You will be reading with such fear and emotion and pain flowing through your veins it will leave you breathless at the end. These were truly harrowing. Again, cut down, basic writing that is so effective it is mind blowing.

Can you tell I liked this book? I know what people are like. They stick with authors they know and can trust to deliver them a fantastic story. Most people are scared to try out a little known author like this. I URGE you to give this story a chance. Yes, it is not the most polished of books you will ever read. Yes, it’s not a big blockbuster. Yes, it is filled with emotion and tension and has a nerve wrecking finale that will have you having to remind yourself to breath. It is that good.

To summarise: Harry Lane is accused of a crime he did not commit. He is going to hang for it. Someone needs to prove he is innocent.

To summarise further: Honestly? Just buy it. Show a new author with a unique, cut down writing style that we have faith in them!

General rating:

★★★★★ not perfect in some ways but still full marks.

Crime / Thriller rating:

★★★★★ brilliant story.

If you would like to help support Confessions of a Reviewer, then please consider using the links below to buy Harry Lane is Innocent or any other books from Jamie. This not only supports me but also lets me know how many people actually like to buy books after reading my reviews.

Thanks.