Book Review: Scared to Death by Rachel Amphlett

 

Scared to Death by Rachel Amphlett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Scared to Death is the first book in the Detective Kay Hunter series. The story pulled me in from the very beginning. The suspense is gripping and each scene is vividly described making the events spine-chillingly real.

DS Kay Hunter is dedicated. She doesn’t dwell on the problems in her life and the backstory tells us she has plenty of personal problems she could be dwelling on.
It’s a nice change to have a detective that’s not a divorced alcoholic. The reader is not heaped with Hunter’s personal life. We are just given a few snippets here and there to let you know a bit about her, she was bullied at school, gets annoyed by her mother and sister and has a loving supportive partner. The story focuses mainly on the case at hand.

The pace is fast. The chapters are short and precise which makes this book an easy, quick read but not easy to read as there are quite a few skin crawling adrenaline pumping moments.

The killer has a troubled background but the reader is never urged to feel sorry for him. The victims are kept slightly detached although they are not completely innocent themselves.

If you enjoy adrenaline pumping action and suspense I highly recommend “Scared to Death.”

I was provided with an ERC from the author to read and review.

Book Review: Knife & Fork by Gita V Reddy

 

Knife and Fork by Gita V. Reddy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bholu, an inquisitive monkey, decides to leave the forest to seek adventure in the city. He sees many wondrous things and, after watching a little girl eating in her garden, he learns to eat with a knife and fork. He returns to the forest and brags about what he has seen and his new manners. He is now arrogant and thinks he is superior to the other monkeys. His friends soon tire of his bragging and he finds eating with a knife and fork in the forest very difficult. Bholu is now very lonely, sad and hungry. A wise old monkey tells him it is better to be as a monkey should be. Don’t try to be what you are not, just be yourself.

Reddy’s short simply written chapter books help encourage the transition from beginner readers to more advanced readers. For reluctant readers the length will make it easier for them to finish a book. Younger readers will also be encouraged to read a page or two with the rest read to them.
The full series has books in different genres to give children a wide taste of stories.

The story was fun and the imagery was vivid. The moral of not being arrogant and just being yourself was easy to understand for small children.

Recommended for: 3 years plus – read to me
5 years plus – read alone