Book Review: Absolute Proof by Peter James

Title: Absolute Proof
Author: Peter James
Publisher: Pan Macmillan 
Publication date: 25th September 2018
RRP: $29.99
Pages: 576
Format Read: Trade Paperback
Source: Courtesy of publisher

Investigative reporter Ross Hunter nearly didn't answer the phone call that would change his life - and possibly the world - for ever.

"I'd just like to assure you I'm not a nutcase, Mr Hunter. My name is Dr Harry F. Cook. I know this is going to sound strange, but I've recently been given absolute proof of God's existence - and I've been advised there is a writer, a respected journalist called Ross Hunter, who could help me to get taken seriously."

What would it take to prove the existence of God? And what would be the consequences?

The false faith of a billionaire evangelist, the life's work of a famous atheist, and the credibility of each of the world's major religions are all under threat. If Ross Hunter can survive long enough to present the evidence...

Out of the blue investigative reporter Ross Hunter gets a phone call from a man claiming he can show him absolute proof that God existed. This man was given Ross’s name as the person to help him find the evidence and broadcast it to the world. Ross thinks the guy is probably some crack-pot but his journalistic instincts override common sense and he agrees to meet the man. Hunter realises this could be the story of a life time, one that could set him up for life.

What follows is a compelling story of murder and mystery told in multiple plot lines running parallel to the main story then diverging with a race against time that ends in multiple deaths.

Born again evangelist Wesley Wenceslas has built a multi-million dollar business around his style of religion, preaching all over the world. Would Hunter’s discoveries ruin his empire and show Wesley as a phoney?

Dr Bloor is experimenting with monkeys and a keyboard. He believes it is only a matter of time before a monkey will type a readable sentence and prove that everything happens by random chance.

Cousins Angus and Pete live in separate monasteries but both live a life of silence, solitude and devotion to The Lord. They need no ‘proof’ to hold onto their faith.

Hunter must first decipher the clues given to him before he can find the ancient relics however there are people willing to kill to get their hands on the items and his every move, every conversation is being monitored. His quest to find absolute proof will take him from England to Egypt then LA and place him, his wife and unborn child in grave danger.

James brings up a lot questions about God’s existence and his motives. If God’s existence was proven would it unite the world or divide it even further? You will not find the answers in this novel only speculation as it is more action/adventure than philosophical.

James doesn’t do a lot of theorising but there is enough, amongst all the action, to make the story interesting and cause the reader stop and think.

“And the irony is that science is asking questions that only religion can answer, but to accept those answers would mean admitting defeat for the scientists.”

Go into this story with an open mind. Some of the plot is convenient, especially the DNA matches. But I’m no DNA expert so maybe it is feasible. I loved the complex plot and the race against the large corporations.

There was no neat wrap up and I was left with a few questions unanswered.

My Rating 4.5/5    🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

courtesy of Pan Macmillan - credit James Clarke

 Peter James is one of the UK's most treasured crime and thriller novelists. His Roy Grace detective novels have sold over one and a half million in the UK alone and five million worldwide in total. The series is now translated into 33 languages. He has developed a close working relationship with the Sussex Police over many years, spending an average of one day a week with them and his writing reveals a unique insight into the reality of modern day police work. He has also carried out extensive research with police in Moscow, Munich, Paris, Melbourne, Sweden, New York and Romania, as well as attending international police conferences to ensure he is at the cutting edge of investigative police work. Peter, an established film producer and script writer, has produced numerous films, including The Merchant Of Venice, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes. A TV adaptation of the Roy Grace series is currently in development, with Peter overseeing all aspects, including the scriptwriting. In 2009 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Brighton in recognition of his services to literature and the community.

Peter is now a member of the Sussex Police Rape Prevention Team and writing and producing a video for them for schools and YouTube that will warn teenage girls of the potential date rape situations they could find themselves in. He did a lot of research with Lifecentre - for further information on Lifecentre visit their website at www.lifecentre.uk.com
Born and brought up in Brighton, Peter divides his time between his homes in Notting Hill, London and on the South Downs near Lewes in Sussex.





 

Book Review: Scrublands (Crime Fiction)

Title: Scrublands
Author: Chris Hammer
Publisher: Allen & Unwin 
Publication date: August 2018
RRP: $32.99
Pages: 496
Format Read: Uncorrected Proof Copy
Source: Courtesy of Publisher

In an isolated country town brought to its knees by endless drought, a charismatic and dedicated young priest calmly opens fire on his congregation, killing five parishioners before being shot dead himself.

A year later, troubled journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend to write a feature on the anniversary of the tragedy. But the stories he hears from the locals about the priest and incidents leading up to the shooting don't fit with the accepted version of events his own newspaper reported in an award-winning investigation. Martin can't ignore his doubts, nor the urgings of some locals to unearth the real reason behind the priest's deadly rampage.

Just as Martin believes he is making headway, a shocking new development rocks the town, which becomes the biggest story in Australia. The media descends on Riversend and Martin is now the one in the spotlight. His reasons for investigating the shooting have suddenly become very personal.

Wrestling with his own demons, Martin finds himself risking everything to discover a truth that becomes darker and more complex with every twist. But there are powerful forces determined to stop him, and he has no idea how far they will go to make sure the town's secrets stay buried.

Journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend, a town traumatised by tragedy, to write a piece on how the residents are coping one year on from a mass shooting. However as he talks to more and more locals, the reason for the shooting doesn’t seem to fit the perpetrator. With his journalistic instincts propelling him on, Martin’s focus begins to shift and he becomes further embedded in the lives of the residents. But not everyone is happy about him being there as slowly one by one the town’s secrets are disclosed.

What originally looked like an open and shut case turns into a compelling mystery filled with assumptions and lies.

Hammer throws his readers straight into the height of an Australian summer with his vivid descriptions of the unrelenting heat, the diminishing rural town and the ever present threat of bushfires.

Four different crimes, all taking place in and around the same drought-ravaged town, all separate but all inter-linked, driven by greed and hate, guilt and hope.

Scrublands is a taut thriller with well developed characters and multiple plot lines that will keep you turning the pages.

The mystery had me completely baffled and my head was whirling as each new revelation was revealed. I was totally immersed in the characters and their stories.

A compulsive thriller that will haunt you long after you have turned the final page.

A must read for fans of Jane Harper.

Content: minimal coarse language

                Minimal violence (well it is a crime thriller)

                Road kill (a sad but unavoidable part of rural Australia)

My Rating 5/5     🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

 Chris Hammer was a journalist for more than thirty years, dividing his career between covering Australian federal politics and international affairs. For many years he was a roving foreign correspondent for SBS TV's flagship current affairs program Dateline. He has reported from more than thirty countries on six continents. In Canberra, roles included chief political correspondent for The Bulletin, current affairs correspondent for SBS TV and a senior political journalist for The Age.

His first book, The River, published in 2010 to critical acclaim, was the recipient of the ACT Book of the Year Award and was shortlisted for the Walkley Book Award and the Manning Clark House National Cultural Award.

Chris has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Charles Sturt University and a master's degree in international relations from the Australian National University. He lives in Canberra with his wife, Dr Tomoko Akami. The couple have two children. 

This review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie Author Challenge

Book Review: The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain

Title: The Dream Daughter
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia 
Publication Date: 9th October 2018
RRP: $24.99
Pages:384
Format Read: Trade Paperback
Source: Courtesy of Publisher

When Caroline Sears receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970 and there seems to be little that can be done. But her brother-in-law, a physicist, tells her that perhaps there is. Hunter appeared in their lives just a few years before—and his appearance was as mysterious as his past. With no family, no friends, and a background shrouded in secrets, Hunter embraced the Sears family and never looked back.

Now, Hunter is telling her that something can be done about her baby's heart. Something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Caroline has. Something that will require a kind of strength and courage that Caroline never new existed. Something that will mean a mind-bending leap of faith on Caroline's part.

And all for the love of her unborn child.

It’s 1970 and Caroline (Carly) is 24 weeks pregnant when she has an ultra sound revealing her baby has a heart defect. He husband Joe has been killed in the war in Vietnam and this baby is all that is keeping her from falling apart.

Carly’s brother-in-law Hunter, has a proposition; something that could be her baby’s only chance of survival. Something that is completely alien to everything Carly knows but she will do anything to save their baby. It is all she has left of Joe.

I loved this story. It was tense and heart-rending. I truly couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next, committing one of my own cardinal sins by skipping forward quite a few pages just to have a peek, the suspense, not knowing, was killing me.

I don’t want to give too much away as it’s best to go into this story not knowing too much. You will have to suspend belief to truly get into the story but that’s the idea, to delve into unknown territory and ponder the what ifs in this genre crossing novel.

Chamberlain draws her readers into the 1970’s with the Vietnam War, Beatlemania and the evolving of technologies such as computers and ultra sounds.

There is much comparison between America of the 70’s and the 00’s, showing how much the world changes in a relatively short period of time with new innovations, mobile phones, laptops, internet and advances in medicine.

Chamberlain highlights the attitude toward the Vietnam Vets then and now and shows how the War affected many lives.

I had no idea where Chamberlain was taking this story and each twist took me completely by surprise.

I would highly recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys a story full of hope and dreams and a plot that strays from the norm.

My rating  5/5        🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Diane Chamberlain is the USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling author of 24 novels published in more than twenty languages. Some of her most popular books include Necessary Lies, The Silent Sister, The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes, and The Keeper of the Light Trilogy. Diane likes to write complex stories about relationships between men and women, parents and children, brothers and sisters, and friends. Although the thematic focus of her books often revolves around family, love, compassion and forgiveness, her stories usually feature a combination of drama, mystery, secrets and intrigue. Diane's background in psychology has given her a keen interest in understanding the way people tick, as well as the background necessary to create her realistic characters.

Diane was born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey and spent her summers at the Jersey Shore. She also lived for many years in San Diego and northern Virginia before making North Carolina her home.

Diane received her bachelor's and master's degrees in clinical social work from San Diego State University. Prior to her writing career, Diane worked in hospitals in San Diego and Washington, D.C. before opening a private psychotherapy practice in Alexandria Virginia specializing in adolescents. All the while Diane was writing on the side. Her first book, Private Relations, was published in 1989 and it earned the RITA award for Best Single Title Contemporary Novel. 

What's arrived in The Burgeoning Bookshelf's Mailbox in October

Books that have arrived in my mailbox during October and what I'm excited about reading next

 

Back cover blurb
 

9 authors
9 stories
to make you laugh your head off 4EVER
A runaway pram ➕ an artsy alien ➕ a cereal monster ➕ a word-stealing curse ➕ one dancing dad ➕ three feral fairies ➕ an evil genius ➕ a hairy birthday ➕ a super-duper pig ＝ one hilarious book.



 .

 Back cover blurb

Louis David Adler was born on the 8th of September 1978 to Peggy and Irving Alder of Casablanca, Maine.

Louise Dawn Adler was born on the 8th of September 1978 to Peggy and Irving Adler of Casablanca, Maine.

In their moment of birth Louis and Louise are the same person in two different lives. they are separated only by the gender announced by the doctor, and a final 'e' 
If you could look at one life in two different ways, what would you see? 

 Back cover blurb


As the year 1349 approaches, the Black Death continues its devastating course across England. In Dorseteshire, the quarantined people of Develish question whether they are the only survivors.

Guided by their beloved young mistress, Lady Anne, they wait, knowing that when their dwindling stores are finally gone they will have no choice but to leave. But where will they find safety in the desolate wasteland outside?

When lady Anne and Thaddeus Thurkell conceive an audacious plan to secure her people's independence, neither foresees the life-threatening struggles over power, money and religion that follows.....

 Back cover blurb

It is thirty years since FBI Agent Atlee Pine's twin sister, Mercy, was taken from the room they shared as young children.
Notorious serial killer Daniel James Tor was caught and convicted of other murders, and, while there's no proof, Atlee believes he knows what happened to Mercy. Tor still resides in a high-security prison in Colorado.

Assigned to the remote wilds of the western United States, Atlee has never stopped the search for her sister, and, wracked with survivor's guilt, she has spent her life hunting down those who hurt others. She will always ask herself. 'Why her, and not me?'

Now, Atlee is called in to investigate a case in the Grand Canyon when a mule is found dead with strange  carvings on its body, and its rider missing. She knows about killers and perhaps understands them better than any profiler in the FBI, but it soon becomes clear that she will need to put her skills to the ultimate test in this investigation.
It seems that Atlee will now have to confront a new monster. And face the one of her nightmares.

Back cover blurb

December 2018, and free-spirited Influencers Bo Loxley and her partner Zac are living a life of wanderlust, travelling the globe and sharing their adventures with their millions of fans. Booked to spend Christmas in the Norwegian fjords, they set up home in a remote farm owned by enigmatic mountain guide Anders and his fierce grandmother Signy. Surrounded by snowy peaks and frozen falls, everything should be perfect. But the camera can lie and with every new post, the ‘perfect’ life Zac and Bo are portraying is diverging from the truth. Something Bo can’t explain is wrong at the very heart of their lives and Anders is the only person who’ll listen.
June 1936, and fourteen-year old Signy is sent with her sister and village friends to the summer pastures to work as milkmaids, protecting the herd that will sustain the farm through the long, winter months. But miles from home and away from the safety of their families, threat begins to lurk in friendly faces . . .
The mountains keep secrets - Signy knows this better than anyone - and as Bo’s life begins to spiral she is forced, like the old woman before her, to question who is friend and who is foe.

Back cover blurb

Journalist Matthew cave is sent out to the edge of an ice sheet to write about the discovery of a mummified Viking corpse. But the next day the mummy has disappeared, and the body of the policeman who was keeping watch is found naked and flayed at the discovery site.

Matthew soon realises that the body is connected to a series of unsolved murders from the 1970s. As he delves deeper into his investigation, he finds shocking connections to the present. When he meets Tupaarnaq, a young Greenlandic woman, he knows there is no way back - but nothing has prepared him for what he will discover.

Back cover blurb

In the great city of Catifornia, the Meofia are by far the most feared of all the felines. At home, their baby sister Kat is enslaved under lock and key. Done with the constant abuse, she escapes, embarking on a perilous journey far beyond the land of cats.

Lost at sea, Kat is captured by a ruthless gang of notorious pirate dogs and forced to the depths of the ocean in search of treasure; where she discovers an ancient city, lost in time.

Here, Kat comes to terms with who she truly is – gaining the courage to fight for her life and freedom, to fulfil an ancient prophecy that she inevitably finds herself entwined with

Back cover blurb

At the end of a long, dark night detectives Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch cross paths for the first time.

Detective Renee Ballard works the graveyard shift and returns to Hollywood Station in the early hours to find a stranger rifling through old files.

The intruder is none other than retired legendary LAPD detective Harry Bosch, hunting for leads in an unsolved case that has got under his skin.

Ballard escorts him out but -- curious to know what he was searching for -- soon becomes obsessed by the murder of Daisy Clayton. Was she the first victim of a serial killer who still stalks the streets?

For Bosch, the case is more than personal: it may be all he has left.

But in a city where crime never sleeps, even detectives have a dark side…

 Back cover blurb

The remote Matsu diamond mine in the Kimberley is the perfect place for engineer Dru Porter to hide. The vast and rugged landscape helps her feel invisible. And safe. Surely the terror she left behind in Dubai will never find her here?

Security specialist Connor Kirk knows from experience that beautiful women are capable of treachery. When he arrives at Matsu to investigate a diamond theft, he immediately suspects the reclusive but obviously capable Dru Porter. He knows she's hiding something.

As Connor's investigation deepens and Dru's past catches up with her, their instant, mutual dislike threatens to blind them to the true danger lurking in the mine, one which could leave them both at the mercy of the desert...  

Back cover blurb 

 A wondrous and beautiful A-to-Z guessing game from the bestselling author of Room on the Broom

From ant to butterfly to caterpillar . . . to zebra and then back again, Animalphabet is an entertaining puzzle as well as a gorgeous alphabet book to treasure.

Who can slither better than a rabbit? A snake! Who can growl better than a snake? A tiger! There are clever hints and peekaboo holes within the artwork that will amaze and delight young children as they learn to use the alphabet. This is a preschool must-have.

What's arrived in my inbox during October

  Back cover blurb

An American research ship disappears in the Arctic's Chukchi Sea only to reappear a few days later. When a special U.S. Coast Guard unit boards the vessel, they find it deserted, its power grid wrecked, two bombs waiting to explode, and an even darker secret hidden below her decks.

A few miles across the international maritime boundary, a massive Russian oil platform harbors its own secret. Below the behemoth lies a mysterious energy source so powerful it threatens to topple the balance of world power in favor of Moscow.

The Russians will to kill to protect it. The Americans will kill to stop its recovery.

Back cover blurb

Journalist Charlotte Ashe unmasks the big lies. But uncovering this lie could endanger the one person she’s trying to save…

Charlotte is determined to expose Tyrone Garner—a former football star turned property developer and everyone’s darling. Everyone is wrong. But to prove he’s a fraud, she needs help.

Tired of her quiet life, Allie is thrilled to engage in a bit of espionage for her best friend Charlotte. Allie’s great with secrets. She’s guarded her own well.
Then the nightmare begins.

And the cracks start to show…

Allie vanishes.

Charlotte is desperate for clues. Is Allie alive or dead? What had she discovered that put her in danger? And how will Charlotte cope with her guilt? The more Charlotte learns about Allie’s secrets, the more she wonders how well she knew her best friend. And then she uncovers a lie so big she questions everything she believes…about Garner, Allie and herself.

Best friends share all their secrets… don’t they?

What am I really looking forward to reading? This is going to be a hard pick as I am keeping myself down to three 'I can't wait to get my hands on it' books. 

Kat: The legend of Gnawbonia - This book looks amazing! It is a beautiful hard cover picture book come graphic novel. I'm excited to read this and I think it would make a perfect Christmas gift.


 Louis & Louise - the premise of this novel fascinates me. telling the story of someones life if they were born female and again if they were born male. It's set in 1978 so I am presuming it's main focus is gender inequality but I don't want to jump ahead of myself so I will just wait and find out.


Polar Melt - I just know this is going to be a fabulous read. I have read Martin Roy Hill's books before and I was excited when he asked me to review his latest book. His stories are always full of action and suspense.


Anything here that takes your fancy? I'd love to know what is on your must-read list for November.