Kindle book review - The face of Fear by R. J. Torbert

Deborah is the daughter of William Lance, a self-made millionaire. Since her mother died when she was thirteen, there have been just the two of them, which has made her father very protective of her. Deborah is now twenty-six and in a relationship with her father's assistant Robert Simpson. William is uneasy because of the big age gap but otherwise is pleased for the couple. One Saturday, Deborah meets William for lunch before he sees her drive onto the Bridgeport Cross Island Ferry. She is due to meet up with her best friend, Patty Saunders, for dinner and a concert. Deborah never arrives!

As the ferry leaves the dock, a stranger punches Deborah in the face and knocks her out. Two men with him help put her in the boot of his car. There are no clues, and nobody sees this happen. Detectives Powers and Johnson have never met Deborah, but she becomes a big part of their lives as they work hard to find her before the kidnapper's deadline. Detective Powers thinks he knows how the kidnapping occurred and enlists friends and colleagues to put his theory to the test. Unfortunately, it all goes horribly wrong! Why has Deborah been kidnapped? Is Robert Simpson hiding a secret? Moreover, who is Ghostface? Read The Face of Fear by R. J. Torbert to find answers to these questions and solve the mystery.

I disliked lots of things about this book. Torbert repeats himself throughout. For example, on page fifteen, Torbert writes that Joey constantly walks around the restaurant keeping an eye on the staff and customers. Two lines further on, he says that Joey was famous for constantly walking around the restaurant, making sure everything was running smoothly. This happens regularly throughout The Face of Fear, and I struggled to finish the book. Because of the repetitions, the story is slow to move on and becomes boring! 

I enjoyed the banter between Powers and Johnson, which added a touch of humor. The concept for this complicated story is excellent but could have been better executed and needs a professional editor and proofreader to knock it into shape. I found mistakes on most pages, sentences that ran on, spelling errors, and the wrong grammar. Torbert changes his mind on details constantly. For example, on page two hundred and seventy-three, Detective Johnson meets a friend's dog for the first time, and while petting her, he sees her dog tag, which reads Minty, and in the same sentence, Torbert writes that the detective says '"Hey, Monty!" There are also huge mistakes in a chapter entitled 'Saturday, June 25th' where everyone refers to the day as Sunday! 

I rate The Face of Fear by R. J. Torbert 1 out of 5. I give it one point because the ending was unexpected, and I was surprised when I discovered who Ghostface was! I have taken four points away due to all the errors I have already mentioned and the fact that many supporting characters are unnecessary. They are very one-dimensional and do not add anything to the story. I also found the main characters very stereotyped and predictable. 

Once all the mistakes have been corrected, The Face of Fear will be an engaging and exciting read. But as it stands, I would not recommend it to anyone; however, if you enjoy thrillers involving crime, murder, and detectives and can ignore the errors, then you would enjoy this book. There are swearing and sexual references, so it would be best suited to adults.

Book Review - The trafficking Murders by Brian O'Hare

Lin Hui is studying at Queen's University but has amassed many expensive items; after a threatening phone call, she packs a bag and walks out of her life. How does a scholarship student from China have so many expensive clothes, shoes, handbags, and pieces of jewelry? 

Alina Balauru is a teenager living in Romania with her parents. Their farm is barren, and they are lucky to get a few vegetables daily from the dry earth. The family lives on cheap bones and makes soup with whatever they can harvest. They are malnourished, but other work is scarce. When a smartly dressed stranger stops his car to ask for directions and suggests he may be able to find Alina work in the UK, the family sees this as their salvation. 

In Ireland, three days later, Detective Chief Inspector Jim Sheehan is called out to a house where the body of a young woman has been found. A syringe is lying near the body. However, it is unclear whether she has overdosed or been murdered. Where do Lin and Alina fit into this scenario? Is the body one of these girls? Is it a suicide or murder? Did Lin or Alina assist in the death? Read The Trafficking Murders by Brian O'Hare to find the answers to these questions.

At the beginning of the book, there is a list of the characters in this story with details of any quirks they might have. There is also a list of acronyms used by the Police in Northern Ireland. I found these lists a convenient reference while reading The Trafficking Murders by Brian O'Hare. I enjoyed this absorbing novel. O'Hare has extensively researched people trafficking in Northern Ireland, evident in The Trafficking Murders O'Hare's fifth book in The Inspector Sheehan Mysteries series. 

Every day, worldwide, girls and young women go missing. Vile, sadistic, and evil people force these girls into prostitution and domestic slavery. O'Hare intertwines his research on trafficking with his unique style of storytelling. I felt a range of emotions but especially anger towards the men who use these women as commodities and deep sadness for the women whose lives are ruined. 

I would recommend The Trafficking Murders by Brian O'Hare to adults who enjoy murder mysteries and crime thrillers. I enjoyed that there are lots of twists and turns which keep you guessing, but by the end of the book, everything has been explained, and there are no loose ends. 

I want to give The Trafficking Murders 5 out of 5 stars. There are some grammatical errors, but they did not spoil my enjoyment. I disliked nothing about this book; I immersed myself in Brian O'Hare's exceptional edge-of-the-seat crime thriller. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

I want to thank Brian O'Hare for a copy of The Trafficking Murders in exchange for my honest and impartial review. You can see more of my reviews here http://onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tara-d-morgan.html

Book Review - The Daughter In Law by Nina Manning

 

The Daughter In Law is a psychological thriller and the debut novel by Nina Manning. The story begins with Annie, who has not had the best deal in life. Her husband walked out on her when she was heavily pregnant, leaving Annie to be a single mother to her only child, Ben. Annie does not want to live in the house she and her husband bought. She moves into an isolated seaside cottage she inherited from her drunken father. Annie does not want to share her child with anyone and thinks this is the perfect place to bring Ben up. She loves their life together and enjoys keeping him close to her.

Ben and Daisy have had a quiet wedding ceremony after a whirlwind affair and finding out that Daisy is pregnant. Ben and Daisy are entirely in love. Ben has moved into the flat, which Daisy shares with her best friend Eve. They all get on well and are enjoying life. When Ben takes his wife to meet her mother-in-law, Annie struggles to understand why he needs anyone else. Daisy does not get a warm welcome from her mother-in-law. Annie is distraught that the couple has married in secret. Wouldn't any parent be?

When the flat Daisy and Ben share erupts in a gas explosion killing Eve, with nowhere else to go, they move in with Annie. However, the house is no longer warm and cosy Annie believes she recognises Daisy's face from somewhere. Searching the internet for information, she finds what she needs and prints it out to show Ben. Ben confronts Daisy and wants to know the truth about her. What is Daisy hiding? Will Daisy be safe? Are Annie's motives more sinister than trying to look out for her son?

Annie and Daisy tell their stories in alternate chapters in the first person, bringing a personal perspective to the plot. Their thoughts draw us into their confused minds abyss with equally complicated narratives. And then there is Grace, who shares her own remarkable story. Who is she? Furthermore, where does she fit in?

With each chapter, the story unfolds, delivering new shocking revelations that make 'The Daughter In Law' by Nina Manning a compelling and intriguing read you will not want to put down. The characters are complex, emotionally damaged, but entirely believable. It is easy to empathise with Daisy in her predicament from which she cannot escape. She is grieving, and she is missing her husband. Additionally, her hormones are playing havoc with her emotions, making her easy prey for the mother-in-law from hell. This is a fast-moving roller coaster of a thriller that keeps you turning the pages until the end and leaves you wanting more!

I want to give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Nina Manning excels in this genre and is an author to watch out for. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next. I highly recommend this to adults who enjoy page-turning, twisted psychological thrillers.

Book Review - Predator/Nomad by Daniel Micko

Predator / Nomad by Daniel Micko revolves around two main characters; Princess Saleh, the twin sister of Prince Faruq, and a geneticist Dr. Jordan Roberts. The book starts with the inauguration ceremony for the Emir Prince Faruq bint Bandar al Saudi, who has now become the city's newly elected governor. At the reception, Dr. Roberts converses with someone she believes to be the Prince's bodyguard. Later that evening, she discovers that the bodyguard is Princess Saleh, the Prince's twin sister. Saleh and Jordan instantly feel a connection and begin a relationship. 

With Saleh's help, Dr. Roberts, a geneticist, attends a meeting with Prince Faruq, and she explains her new project involving genetic splicing, cell regeneration, and organ 3D printing. Dr. Roberts hopes to get funding for her new project and convinces the Prince to sponsor her research. In return, she promises to cure his subjects of all the diseases they are suffering from. Princess Saleh becomes suspicious when she discovers that one of Dr. Roberts's investors is a known terrorist. She contacts Interpol to try and find out who else is backing the Dr.'s work; when Princess Saleh discovers that Dr. Roberts is cloning people in a secret and highly guarded camp in the mountains in Afghanistan, she finds out that this is just the beginning!

I like Micko's excellent plot involving human cloning. He has done a great job of mixing the genres of science fiction and thriller, and I liked reading this book. I also enjoyed the subplots woven into the story. For example, Prince Faruq is a notorious playboy, but he needs to find a wife of which his family and country will approve, and when Princess Saleh is not spying on Dr. Roberts, she is trying to make her brother toe the line.

However, there are spelling and grammar mistakes. I was particularly aghast that the title on the title page was misspelled! It is a great shame that the editing and proofreading have let Predator/Nomad by Daniel Micko down so badly! I also did not like the overuse of the word 'giggle,' which is used forty-four times in the book; I feel there are other words that could have been used. I did not particularly appreciate how Dr. Roberts and Princess Saleh had a sexual relationship so quickly; it felt like the author needed to somehow put a lesbian angle in. However, once it happened, that relationship was almost forgotten. It felt to me as if Micko might as well not have bothered with the relationship, as this added very little to the story. I also felt some conversations were unnecessarily wordy and detracted from the story.

I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. Predator/Nomad has an exciting storyline, but it is badly let down by the editing, and the misspelling of the title is unforgivable! Also it is not a book I would choose to read again.

Some of the topics in this book are very scientific and weighty, but Micko has written them in simple language, which makes the story easy to understand. There is no need for the reader to have a scientific background. The book contains swearing, so I recommend it to older teenagers and adults who enjoy the genres of crime, thrillers, science fiction, and anything with a science-related plot.

 

 Thank you to Daniel Micko for a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.

Book Review - Blanket Immunity by Adam Van Susteren

 

 

Blanket Immunity by Adam Van Susteren begins by introducing us to Joanna 'Jo' Channing, who, after several years as a Deputy District Attorney, has run for Judge with financial help from her parents. When she is not appointed, she quits her job and sets up on her own as a Criminal Defense Lawyer. Today is her first day, and she wonders how to attract clients when there is a knock on her office door, and Brad Gecina becomes her first client. Brad, a policeman, has been suspended because a woman claims he stalked and raped her. When Jo looks into all the evidence, it seems that the rape victim is lying. Brad pushes for blanket immunity, which will protect him from future prosecution for crimes related to his testimony. When Jo achieves this by pulling strings, she thinks that is the end of the case.

Jo gains her second client when she visits Tai Nguyen for a lawyer friend. Tai is a small-time drug dealer arrested for possession with intent to distribute. Tai needs Jo's help to pass a message to Marcos Omar; he is worried that he will be killed if Omar does not get the message. When Jo gets in touch with Omar, he becomes Jo's third client. Along the way, Jo meets Dzuy Gong, a character who seems too good to be true. Within minutes of the meeting, Dzuy has offered to go with Jo to a family dinner to diffuse the tension between Jo and her younger sister Jami. Dzuy is pulled into a desperate situation with Jo, Omar, and Brad. Someone has been lying! Who? How far will Jo go to make amends?

Van Susteren's characters in Blanket Immunity are so well described that you can picture them while reading the book. I enjoyed how Van Susteren showed so many sides to the characters. Jo is a strong, independent woman but shows her soft side when interacting with her family and Dzuy. I loved how Jo struggles between helping her cash-strapped parents out, e.g., on page twenty-three, "She dreamed about helping her parents and paying off her campaign debt." and keeping her professional and moral integrity even when offered more money than she can imagine. I enjoyed how the characters jelled with one another, and their interactions felt right. I felt throughout Blanket Immunity that Adam Van Susteren had either been in the law profession at one time or had thoroughly researched the subject. It could have been a very heavy-going book, but the author writes in such a way that I felt the subject was well explained without any unnecessary detail.

I was not impressed when I came to page one hundred and seventeen, which had a whole conversation in Spanish, I had no idea what the conversation was about, and this spoilt the flow of the story. I also found many grammar errors, e.g., on page one hundred and twenty-one, "Aaron starting writing on his pad." I did not feel that this was professionally proofread or edited.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I have taken one star off for the grammatical errors and the Spanish conversation, which I felt was unnecessary to the story as it was neither translated nor explained. Hence, it meant nothing to the reader. I was disappointed I had to reduce a star as this book is fast-paced and enjoyable. It is a book you can lose yourself in, an actual page-turner!

I would recommend Blanket Immunity to anyone who enjoys a gripping legal thriller with several stories running alongside one another. I would only recommend this to an adult audience as it has rape, murder, and drug-taking scenes.

Thank you to Adam Van Susteren for a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.

Audible original Novella review - Kill Your Brother by Jack Heath - Narrated by Hannah Monson

 

Kill Your Brother by Jack Heath is an Audible Novella set in Australia. It is a tense and compelling story with a damaged young woman at its heart. Elise is a disgraced elite athlete – the backstory to the cause of her disgrace is gradually revealed through the novella. She is searching for her older brother Callum who seemingly has disappeared. Demonstrating considerable strength and resourcefulness, Elise soon realizes that more choices are available to her than the two she has been presented with. As in all good psychological thrillers, the story unfolds with sufficient twists and turns to ensure the reader is kept enthralled to the last page.

Readers of the crime genre do not always look for depth in character development. Their requirements are more for a fast-paced plot-driven story with twists, turns, and perhaps some clarity at its conclusion as to who did what. There are, of course, some crime writers whose characters are fully-fledged and who inhabit their stories with depth and breadth of personality. This novella is essentially plot-driven. Its characters are drawn only to the extent that serves the plot. Elise's parents – for example – are lightly sketched out. Just enough to tell the listener how inadequate they were in their responses to the issues confronting Elise and Callum as children and teenagers.

Callum's personality features strongly throughout the novella, even when he is not physically present. His whereabouts and the reasons behind his disappearance drive the narrative. The third protagonist Stephanie, however, is the one who is the puppet master. Through the story's exposition, the reader slowly learns what led to her actions, even if there may be some difficulty in accepting them.

Telling the backstories of Elise, Callum, and Stephanie while at the same time ensuring that the momentum of the present time narrative is maintained is no mean feat. But it is one that the author manages exceptionally well. The tension increases as the novella moves closer to its conclusion. Kill Your Brother is a well-crafted psychological thriller that will satisfy the listener. 

 

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it to an adult audience who enjoy psychological crime thrillers.