Book Review: Old Friends and New Enemies (Charlie Cameron #2) by Owen Mullen

Title: Old Friends and New Enemies
Author: Owen Mullen
Series: Charlie Cameron #2
Publisher: Self Published
Publication Date: 31st January 2016
Pages: 338 
Format Read: EBook
Source: electronic copy courtesy of author 

 The body on the mortuary slab wasn’t who Glasgow PI Charlie Cameron was looking for.
But it wasn’t a stranger.
Suddenly, a routine missing persons investigation becomes a fight for survival. As Charlie is dragged deeper into Glasgow’s underbelly he goes up against notorious gangster Jimmy Rafferty and discovers what fear really is.
Rafferty is so ruthless even his own sons are terrified of him.
Now he wants Charlie to find something. And Jimmy Rafferty always gets what he wants.
There is only one problem... Charlie doesn’t know where it is.

Old Friends and New Enemies is book 2 in the PI Charlie Cameron series.

Charlie has been approached by Cecilia McNeil to track down her husband who has disappeared after the death of their son. When an unidentified body turns up at the morgue he thinks his job is done. However the body is not that of the missing husband but an old friend of Charlie’s, Ian Selkirk. How did Ian end up in the morgue and where is Fiona? Ian and Fiona were inseparable. While Charlie takes finding out what happened to Ian as his own personal case he will put himself in grave danger, be double crossed and reunite with the love of his life.

Mullen has written another gritty, brutal and unforgiving Scottish noir crime thriller. I always enjoy Mullen’s writing style.

Plenty of old friends from book 1, Jackie from the NYB cafe, DC Andrew Geddes and Charlie’s offsider, Pat Logue, make an appearance in this book with a few new enemies, in the cut-throat Rafferty clan, making Charlie’s life hell.

In this book I found Cameron rather self indulgent and lacking motivation. I think I prefer his cases to be a little less personal.

Old Friends and New Enemies has a gritty plot with some unpredictable twists and a good dose of Glaswegian humour. Well worth a read.

*My thanks to the author for my copy to read

Content: descriptive torture scene

                 mild sex scene

                 minimal coarse language

My rating 4/5                     🌟🌟🌟🌟 

photo courtesy of Twitter

Owen Mullen is a McIlvanney Crime Book Of The Year long-listed novelist.
And So It Began earned a coveted Sunday Times Crime Club ⭐Star Pick.

Owen Mullen graduated from Strathclyde University, moved to London and worked as a rock musician, session singer and songwriter, and had a hit record in Japan with a band he refuses to name; Owen still loves to perform on occasion. His great love for travel has taken him on many adventures from the Amazon and Africa to the colourful continent of India and Nepal. A gregarious recluse, he and his wife, Christine, split their time between Glasgow, and their home away from home in the Greek Islands where the Charlie Cameron and Delaney series', and soon to be released psychological thriller were created.

 

Book Review: Wild Fire (Shetland #8) by Ann Cleeves

Title: Wild Fire
Author: Ann Cleeves
Series: Shetland Series #8
Publisher: Pan Macmillan 
Publication date: 31st July  2018
Pages: 416
Format Read: Paperback
Source: courtesy of publisher

 Shetland: Welcoming. Wild. Remote.
Drawn in by the reputation of the islands, an English family move to the area, eager to give their autistic son a better life.
But when a young nanny’s body is found hanging in the barn of their home, rumours of her affair with the husband begin to spread like wild fire.
With suspicion raining down on the family, DI Jimmy Perez is called in to investigate, knowing that it will mean the return to the islands of his on-off lover and boss Willow Reeves, who will run the case.
Perez is facing the most disturbing investigation of his career. Is he ready for what is to come?

This is my first Ann Cleeves novel and I seem to have come in on the tail end as Wild Fire is the eighth and final novel in Cleeves’ Shetland series featuring DI Jimmy Perez.

Wild Fire completes the second of Ann’s Shetland Quartets, The Four Elements following the original Four Seasons Quartet. The spin-off TV crime drama “Shetland” has now been signed up for season 5. To read more on Ann Cleeves books and the Shetland series visit Ann’s website here 

I did wonder if I would find the characters difficult to connect with coming into the story at the end of the series but this book can easily be read as a standalone. There were occasional references of past events however nothing that prevented me from grasping the storyline.

Wild Fire was an enjoyable, easy read featuring a compelling mystery which kept my focus throughout. I found I became swept up in the lives of the people of Deltaness.

Helena, Daniel and their two children hoping to escape their busy London lives have moved to the quiet town of Deltaness located in the Shetland Islands. Malicious gossip and anonymous notes leave Helena wondering if they will ever be accepted in the community or will forever be the newcomers.  When a young woman is found murdered in a barn on the newcomers’ land Perez’s first impression is this is to do with the family not being accepted but when a born and raised local is found murdered he must rethink his ideas and try to find out how these two people were linked.

In true murder mystery style Cleeves gives out just enough information to have the reader believing anyone could have and had cause to murder the victims.

The characters are well drawn from the newcomers to the island, that feel like they don’t quite fit in, to the bitter gossiper who feels the need to dissect everyone’s actions and spread malicious gossip.

I actually thought I had the murderer pegged until my main suspect turned up as the next victim.

To finish off the series Cleeves gives Perez’s life a major upheaval which has him contemplating where he wants his future to go.

Many readers will be sad to see the end of DI Jimmy Perez and the Shetland series but I am happy to say I still have seven more books in the series to read and I’m eagerly looking forward to them.

If you enjoy old-style murder mysteries this series is for you.

*My thanks to Pan Macmillan for my copy to read.

My rating 5/5                                🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

Photo courtesy of Goodreads

Ann Cleeves is the author of over thirty critically acclaimed novels, and in 2017 was awarded the highest accolade in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger. She is the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez who can now be found on television in ITV’s Vera and BBC One’s Shetland. The TV series and the books they are based on have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide.
Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook, and auxiliary coastguard before she started writing. She is a member of ‘Murder Squad’, working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. Ann is also a passionate champion for libraries and was a National Libraries Day Ambassador in 2016. Ann lives in North Tyneside near where the Vera books are set.

Book Review: The Honourable Thief by Meghan Wilson Anastasios

 

 

Title: The Honourable Thief
Author: Meaghan Wilson Anastasios
Publisher: Pan Macmillan 
Publication Date: 31st July 2018
RRP: $29.99
Pages: 448
Format read: Paperback
Source: courtesy of publisher

'Achilles? Because...?'
'Obsession of mine. Half man, half god - and his own worst enemy.
My kind of man.' He laughed.


Istanbul, Turkey 1955

Benedict Hitchens, once a world-renowned archaeologist, is now a discredited - but still rather charming - shell of his former self.

Once full of optimism and adventure, his determination to prove that Achilles was a real historical figure led him to his greatest love, Karina, on the island of Crete and to his greatest downfall, following the disappearance of an enigmatic stranger, Eris.

He has one last chance to restore his reputation, solve the mystery of Eris and prove his Achilles theory. But it is full of risk, and possibly fatal consequences...

In her breakout novel, Meaghan Wilson Anastasios weaves an action-packed tale of honour, passion, heroes and thieves across an epic backdrop of history.

Move over Indiana Jones.

Dr Benedict Hitchens renowned archaeologist’s life ambition is to find the final resting place of Achilles and prove his theory that Achilles was a real person.

Ben is tall, blond with rakish good looks. Hearts will be broken on his journey.

I dare you not to fall for this broken ant-hero! I know I did.

Wherever Ben goes trouble soon follows and at times even his credibility starts to be questioned leaving his career in tatters. Ben is forever searching for the next big discovery. He makes some bad decisions and runs with his heart rather than his head.

The story moves around from 1955 back to 1938, pre war Greece with the threat of war looming over the quiet Greek island, with flashback of the years between. This style of narration may be off putting to some although as the story progresses the date changes become easier to adapt to.

This moderately paced adventure drama lends itself to both the Historical Fiction genre with the inclusion of the effects of war and the German invasion on the small Greek island, with Ben joining the Resistance Movement, and the tumultuous history between Turkey and Greece and Contemporary Fiction genre as Anastasios describes the people, their way of life and the vivid village street celebrations and feasts. Don’t pass this up just because you don’t read historical fiction.

I would love to see this on the big screen it has all the elements of a Hollywood hit.

The Honourable Thief is an epic adventure of love and loss, greed and cunning, obsession and danger.

The story although fictional was inspired by real events.

An interesting author interview with Meaghan Wilson Anastasios, where she explains the inspiration behind the book, can be found on Theresasmithwrites. Well worth a read!

My rating 4.5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟☆

 

Content: occasional coarse language

                 minimal sex scenes

                 allusion to paedophilia

                 minimal violence

 Meaghan Wilson Anastasios spent her formative years in Melbourne before travelling and working as an archaeologist in the Mediterranean and Middle East. She holds a PhD in art history and cultural economics, has been a lecturer at the University of Melbourne and was a fine art auctioneer. Meaghan now uses her expertise to write and research for film and TV. She lives in inner-city Melbourne with her husband and their two children. The Water Diviner was her first novel, which she co-wrote with her husband Andrew. The Honourable Thief is her first solo novel. 

 

Storybook Corner Book Review: Sea Life - Alphaprints (Children's Picture Book)

I'm very happy to post my first review with my mini reviewers Dot & Jay.
They loved listening to the books and telling me what they thought of them. 

Title: Sea Life - Alphaprints
Author: Roger Priddy
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Publication date: 31st July 2018
Pages: 20
RRP: $9.99
Format Read: Board book
Source: courtesy of the publisher 

 
Alphaprints goes under the ocean to meet 20 fabulous seas creatures, from the tiny seahorse to the big, blue whale. This casebound board book has a creature on each page, with a light-hearted rhyming couplet that tells you something about each character. Each fingerprint is embossed, making this book both a visual and tactile experience that babies and toddlers will want to repeat.

 


Alphaprint board books are made with durable heavy grade board with a high gloss finish. The book features a vast array of sea creatures amusingly formed with fingerprints and household items. The shark has leaves for fins, the hammerhead literally has a hammer for a head, the crab has pegs for claws, all cleverly photographed to look real and intriguing, thus drawing the child in for a closer look at each picture.

The pictures are bright and feature a tactile element in the raised fingerprint.

Dot enjoyed this book and its catchy rhymes which have a good cadence making the words flow off the tongue. She liked searching the photos for the everyday items that made up the creatures. The dolphin is made from a banana.

When asked what her favourite picture was she reeled off about ten names so let’s just suffice to say she liked them all.

For her, the most exciting part was this can be used as a craft book and below is the craft we made from the book. She has already picked out the jellyfish and octopus to try next.

                                               

  Jay liked the tactile feel of the pages and how easy it is for him to turn the board pages. The bright and simple photos keep his attention long enough for me to read the rhymes before he turns to the next one.

My favourite thing about the book is the high gloss pages make it easy to wipe clean from sticky hands and baby dribble. Also the paper used is from sustainable forests.

*I received a review copy from the publisher.

Our rating 5/5           📘📘📘📘📘

As both Dot and Jay loved the Sea Life book I purchased Alphaprints First Words.

With unique Alphaprints artwork and over 30 words to learn, this is a fun first book to encourage and improve speaking skills.

Again the photos are simple and brightly coloured to attract a baby or toddler’s attention.

Priddy once again uses the art of fingerprints with added everyday items to photograph unique pictures of animals, toys and food.

The tactile feel to the pages gives an added dimension to the pictures. The book is divided into groups with each spread showing a different group of items, pets, in the park, things that go, on the farm etc. Each item is clearly labelled underneath with five items per two page spread.

This book is to encourage and improve speaking skills however can be extended for older children by asking and discussing what else could go in each group displayed. Dot enjoyed this game which involved thinking and categorising.

Once again Jay loved the tactile feel of the pages and the bright pictures and was happy to point to the pictures I named. We will continue to work on his vocalising skills.

 

Our rating 5/5             📘📘📘📘📘 

 Roger Priddy left school at 16 with just one qualification—in art. He went to Berkshire College of Art and Design and trained as an illustrator. His first job in children’s books was working with the publisher Peter Usborne, at Usborne Publishing, and then he worked with Peter Kindersley at Dorling Kindersley, where he spent 16 years. Priddy became Creative Director of DK’s Children’s Division and was Managing Director of the children’s mass market publisher Funfax when it was acquired by DK.

In 2000, he created Priddy Books with John Sargent at St Martin’s Press to create innovative and imaginative titles for children, from first books for babies through early reference titles for older children. Since then, over 30 million copies of Roger's 200 plus books have sold worldwide, with five of his books—My Big Animal, My Big Truck, Happy Baby Words, Happy Baby Colors and Puppy and Friends—each selling over one million copies. He is also the author of Big Board First 100 Words; Big Board Books Colors, ABC, Numbers, and Bright Baby Noisy Monsters. His creativity has been recognized with numerous industry awards. Priddy lives in London with his wife Zena and their four children.