Killing Kate

Kate and her two friends, May and Gemma, have gone off on a holiday.  It is a special time for Kate because she has just broken up with her long time boyfriend, Phil.  He tracks her down because he is obsessed with her.

When she gets home, she is surprised to discover that her house key is missing.  When she gets to work the following day, she learns that a second murder had occurred in the area.  Both victims were women her age, and who looked like her.

A week after getting home, she is followed by someone as she returns home from work.  Two days later another young woman is killed.  She also looked like Kate.  There is a serial killer on the loose!  This time DI Wynne  gets in contact with Kate.  Wynne tells Kate that the latest victim was her ex’s new girlfriend.

Kate has moved on, having found a nice older man as a boyfriend.  She is shocked when a fourth victim is discovered.  Could the killer be her ex?  Kate then comes to the realisation that the killer isn’t targeting women that look like her.  She is the ultimate target!

The press indicate that the police were investigating the possible connection to a series of killings elsewhere earlier.  Then she sees a photo of a man who could be connected to the other killings.  He could be a double for her current boyfriend!  But he committed suicide, didn’t he?

What happens next, the reader can only guess at.  Author Alex Lake’s thriller is full of tension.  This is a fast paced novel, and an excellent read.  It was hard to put down.

Deadly Deceit

DCI Kate Daniels has been called out to a murder scene.  She has taken along her DS, Hank Gormley, however they run into a roadblock; a multi-vehicle road accident.  When they finally get to the murder scene, they find a badly burned body of a man; his deceased ten-month old  son has already been taken away.  Arson is suspected.

Then Daniels gets a call from the pathologist telling her that one of the motor vehicle victims had been murdered.  A complication arises with the arson case when an elderly gentleman from the area collapses.  His grandson tells Gormley that he had been carrying a thousand pounds at the time, and it was now missing.

A break occurs when Dixon realises that it was a bent cop who had stolen the money.  He reveals that he had stolen the money to impress his girlfriend, and that she was a firefighter.  This leads them to here place and the discovery that she has many aliases.  The murders seem to be linked.  Can they catch the killer soon, and before she kills again?

Author Mari Hannah’s thriller is fast paced and hard to put down.  I thoroughly enjoyed this read and look forward to reading the next one in the series.

A Cold Case

Tom Ingram and Maurice Mundy are retired police officers, who are now with Scotland Yard’s Cold Case Review Team.  They have been given a ten year old case of a murdered 12-year old boy.  They learn that on the same night that the boy had been killed, a prostitute had been killed and dumped nearby.  At the time, and now, the local police see no connection.  Mundy asks to see the file anyway.  The girl’s death was regarded as part of six other murders.

A witness, who had reported a car to the police, when the girl was killed, tells Ingram and Mundy that he has seen the same car on occasion since.

While this investigation is going on, Mundy has a personal investigation that he is inquiring about.  A man has been in jail for 28 years and Mundy is of the opinion that he was wrongly convicted.  He sets about gathering evidence, despite not being allowed to do so.  He is threatened by a DC, who is the son of the arresting officer.

Mundy’s investigations prove to be tough; it isn’t easy finding evidence after such a long time.  Can he glean the necessary information without upsetting the apple cart?

Author Peter Turnbull is a new author to me and his story is very good.  I look forward to reading more of his books.

The Whale Road

Orm Ruriksson has just joined the Oathsworn as much for his own safety as for the opportunities it will offer him.  His first encounter as a Viking fighter comes on the west coast of England where the Oathsworn raid a church for the bones of a saint.  It is here that Orm kills his first man.

One of the things they stole was a book, and Orm is the only one who can read Latin.  The book tells of a treasure, but how to get to it? Treachery would force the Oathsworn to escape with a half-conscious woman who knows about the treasure.  Could they get away fast enough to avoid their new enemies on the whale road?

They learn that the treasure is a sword made from the spear that was thrust into Christ’s side.  Apparently the woman, Hild, knows where it is.  Unfortunately in their quest to get it, they lose their ship.  However, the badly depleted crew manage to steal a much better ship.  Their quest leads them on to Kiev, where they are attacked and Hild is kidnapped.

The quest does not end there.  Author Robert Low has plenty of action awaiting the reader.  This is a very good read for those who enjoy a hood Norse saga.

Copy Cat

Sarah Havenant has just discovered that someone has created a Facebook account of her, with recent pictures, all of which were captioned very accurately.  Who would do such a thing?  It doesn’t take long for Sarah to realise that she is being watched.  Then the account suddenly disappears.

The next step in the campaign against Sarah were emails to one of her friends from a fake email account.  Sarah is becoming very frightened.  Could this online threat become a real physical threat?  The tormenting gets gradually worse.

Does Sarah have a split personality as her husband suggests?  She is sure that’s not the case.  Sarah has her suspicions as to who is after her, but how to prove it?

Alex Lake’s thriller starts off slowly, but becomes intense and gripping.  I found it hard to put down; a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Murder in all Honour

DS Kathleen Doyle has wheedled permission from her husband, DCI Acton, to work on a case where pregnant women are being killed and their fetus taken.  Is the perpetrator looking for the perfect baby, as the current victim is the fourth in a series.

Hoping to get further information at a nearby clinic, Doyle and Acton come across another murder scene.  The man who opens the door to them immediately makes a run for it when a PC identifies him by a different name than which he had given to Doyle and Acton.

Whilst helping DS Munoz on another case, involving the death of a nun, Doyle discovers a similarity, which might mean that her killer is also killing nuns.

Acton and Doyle are then called out to Surrey to investigate another murder, which has similarities to the previous one.  In the course of her investigation, Doyle comes across information that points to a criminal who has some connection to her husband and an ongoing investigation into corruption amongst senior police.

Author Anne Cleeland has many twists to her plot, that one can only think about Walter Scott’s “Oh what a tangled web we weave... when we first practice to deceive.” when it comes to the character of DCI Acton.  A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Siberian Red

Stalin is sending Pekkala back to Siberia, this time to investigate a murder in his former prison camp, in the disguise of a prisoner. However, Stalin receives a telegram informing him that Pekkala isn’t on the train.  In reality, Pekkala is aboard the train, and is surprised when he discovers Stalin has sent a bodyguard for him amongst the prisoners.

Pekkala needs to earn the trust of the gang, which runs the camp.  If he can do that, he might be able to find the killer.  It just might result in his own death, however.  The camp commandant is confident that the case is closed, but Pekkala isn’t so sure.

An old file back in Moscow, discovered by Pekkala’s assistant, Major Kirov, identities the murder victim as a former agent of the tsar.  Pekkala also realises that he himself had been betrayed by the tsar.  When Pekkala escapes from the prison, Stalin sends Major Kirov in search of him.

Will Kirov manage to get to Siberia and save Pekkala or will Pekkala freeze to death in the depths of frozen Siberia?

Author Sam Eastland’s thriller is a very good read, based on historical facts.  I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Munich

Hugh Legat has been called back to No 10 from his anniversary lunch with his wife.  It appears that Hitler is on the move.  Sudetenland is to be his before the Czech government can hand it over peacefully.  Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain relies on Legat to record his meetings and go over his speeches.

For some reason, Legat receives a letter that outlines Hitler’s invasion plans for Czechoslovakia.  Why would a junior statesman receive something like that?

In Berlin, Paul von Hartmann makes a copy of the letter, which Hitler has written in response to Chamberlain’s speech regarding the impending invasion of Czechoslovakia.  Hartmann is also part of a group planning a coup.

Back in London, Chamberlain sends letters to Hitler and Mussolini stating that he is willing to meet in order to avoid war.  Hitler invites Chamberlain, Mussolini and Daldier, Prime Minister of France to meet with him in Munich.  Secret arrangements are made for both Legat and Hartmann to attend the meeting.  Can they get secret information to Chamberlain before a deal is signed?

Author Robert Harris covers the negotiations that led to the Munich Agreement in this spy thriller.  It is four short days of intense negotiations and back room dealings with lower level ministry men being the main protagonists; fictitious men worked in with real historical figures.  A very good, fast paced read; hard to put down.