Crime

This is the first book Tess Gerritsen ever wrote about crime, having previously been a romance writer, but this is in no way evident in her writing. The book is well written and the lead character - the strong willed Kat Novak - is the driving force behind the story, with never a dull moment to be found.

The book sets the tone for other novels to come, and hooks readers into becomming long term Gerritsen fans.

I love Mike Carey's writing - with Felix Castor he's created the perfect foil for his craft. Castor is a private eye / exorcist - wonderful! And he's created a world where it is perfectly "normal" for ghosts and werewolves to roam around... Which gives him free reign to indulge in the amazing descriptions and razor sharp dialogue.

This book is certainly different from any other I've read.

Written as a mixture of present day and flashbacks; it tells the story of a missing boy and his mother's quest for answers to the questions surrounding his disappearance 20 years later.

Based in a small village in Sweden, the book also tells the story of the village and how it, and its residents have changed over time.

The authors vivid descriptions keep the reader engaged with the story all the way through, and you can tell that the author is from, and loves, this country.

An interesting book about gang warfare on the streets of LA but written from the perspective of an ex-cop who is desperately trying to find a missing girl. Although the novel is not big on suspense, the characters are believable and the story flows well and has a good, if not expected ending.

A slightly different crime novel, from a woman's perspective - hardcore immigration agent Sonia Knight, a human trafficking victim turned cop determined to bring down the biggest human trafficking gang known to the FBI.

Don't be put off by the tag line "It's where fear lives.."

This is not a horror novel, rather a very good crime thriller and Mark Billingham proves that he is up there with the best crime novelists with "In The Dark". It is a fast paced and incredibly taught read, and Billingham's style is witty and electric. 'In The Dark' shows that he is more than a one trick pony (the pony being his Tom Thorne novels.. but lo! Thorne does make a cameo appearance here). Though not as gritty as his previous novels, this still ranks as a cracking read and well worth looking out for!

Set not too far in Glasgow's distant future, this is a brutal and fascinating look at a novel way of dealing with the more anti-social aspects of the community (removing the lower jaw and lobotomising the criminals... not a bad idea, I must admit...!) and the society that's close to breaking point. A serial killer is on the loose threatening to blow the whole society apart, especially when it turns out that the killer is one of the halfheads!

I loved reading this book - there's something about the character of Philip Marlowe that is so.. endearing. He's a private eye - so is on the lower end of the street, so to speak - but still has morals and scruples and a, slightly skewed, sense of decency. He's also got a great penchant for one lines - as has Chandler, and there are plenty. The plot for Farewell, My Lovely is as labyrinthine as they come - par for course with Chandler as well- but, as usual, it is very tightly plotted - and you forgive it's little idiosyncrasies because of it's charm and coolness.

A taught, fast paced, razor-edged thriller - smart dialogue with believable characters and tightly plotted. As soon as I finished reading this I recommended it to all and sundry and still do. This was the first Coben novel that I read and I made sure that I kept an eye out of any more of his novels - and none of them disappointed. Once you pick this up you won't want to put it down - just don't forget to breathe!

Tess Gerritsen gives a refreshing viewpoint on books revolving around murders and medical examiners in the US.

The book is not focused on the medical examiner and her life like many others, but rather focuses on the different characters in the story and how they take part in the case. The characters are well written and their personalities described in a way that enables you to have a detailed picture of them from the start. The way the story is written keeps you interested all the way through - a definite page turner.