The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was the first glance we got to see of the cases through Maura Isles’ eyes and man do I love her as a character. S
he’s enjoyable, analytical but seems to have more of a heart than anyone would give her credit for.
It was a heartbreaking novel, and yet warming for Jane. I don’t even know how to explain this book except to say that I devoured it and loved every minute of it.
The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was such a quick read for me, and genuinely, brilliantly written. While not your standard mystery, the gritty details are all laid out before you and I found as a reader I could not help but feel the revulsion, and fear of Rizzoli. I absolutely love this book, even though there were parts that made me cringe, due to my weak stomach and wild imagination.
The return of the Surgeon was absolutely brilliant, where it could have ended up being cheesy. I liked meeting Korsak and Dean was an interesting new development.
A Beginner’s Guide To Acting English by Shappi Khorsandi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is absolutely brilliantly written and I can’t believe it took me so long to get to it.
While I do love Shappi for her comedic side, this book is a touching, wonderful book which made me cry, laugh and smile all throughout.
The honesty with which it is written is refreshing and I couldn’t put it down.
Shappi is one of my favourite comediennes and I never could’ve imagined the life she lived before she came to England and even after.
It was so vivid, and detailed and amusing but there were parts that left me with an inexplicable sadness. Even if you aren’t a Shappi Khorsandi fan read this book, because of its human element.
A Game Of Lies by Rebecca Cantrell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is probably my favourite in the series so far, with more mystery for me than the other two combined and a great deal more drama.
I devoured it completely and loved it. I love the way history is melded with fiction and I drank it down like it was the richest of drinks.
The drama is heart wrenching and the stakes are definitely higher. Hannah is one of my favourite female characters in fiction, because she makes mistakes and is not infallible but she is soon ready to admit it.
A Night Of Long Knives by Rebecca Cantrell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
While I did not enjoy this book as much as the first one it was still very easy to sink into and Hannah is still one of the most formidable female characters I’ve read in a while.
She is strong, and yet at times her vulnerability is what draws me in more than anything else. Her life is one of quickly made decisions and thinking on her feet.
The suspense in this novel is rich, and yet it didn’t capture my attention as much as the first however it remains an interesting piece of historical fiction which had me reaching for more information about the time and finding only that Rebecca Cantrell’s research is immaculate.
A Trace Of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I did not expect to fall into this book at all. The subject matter initially left me feeling very aware of how this could be very poorly done.
Instead I found an enriching read with fully fleshed out characters. Hannah is definitely a female character to be proud of, displaying strength and vulnerability very realistically in situations which seem quite intense and are written in vivid detail.
The beauty in this is the way in which history is fleshed out with characters who feel as real as those who were actually there and using real people to make it all the more interesting.
This is a read for anyone who loves historical fiction.
Except the Dying by Maureen Jennings
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As someone who loves mystery I absolutely loved this novel, but as a Canadian who lives near Toronto I loved it even more. The streets were described as they would have looked instead of how they do and this novel to me was half mystery and half a tribute to the city. It was painstakingly detailed in a breathtaking way and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
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