Book Review: The Devils You Know by Ben Sanders

The Devils You Know

by

Ben Sanders 

 

 

Publisher: Allen & Unwin 

Publication date: 2nd February 2021

Genre: Crime / Mystery

Pages: 328

RRP: $29.99AUD

Format read: Paperback

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

About the book

 

Vincent needs a change. He's spent the last fifteen years in covert operations for the US government, but after a botched and fatal mission, he decides he's done with pulling triggers.

He lucks into a dream job in Santa Barbara as head of security for supermarket mogul Eugene Lamar: nothing more than driving the boss to and from golf, with ample downtime for surfing, or sitting by the pool contemplating life-and how to live it with a zero body count.

There he meets and is intrigued by Lamar's daughter, the journalist Erin Jones, who's on tour in California to promote her book about the benefits of war. Vincent's seen his share of conflict and is sure he can change her mind - and he'd really like to make his case over drinks.

But there's a problem: if Lamar's business is confined to supermarkets, why does he need a panic room full of assault rifles, and a .357 revolver in his car? It doesn't take long for Vincent to find out that Lamar owes a debt to bad people - and that's only the start of it. He's ensnared in a criminal enterprise, which soon brings costs in lives as well as money.

Erin wants answers, and needs Vincent's help to get them. But how much does she already know? Is his growing attraction to her a liability? And can he keep her safe from the brutal killers who are after her father?

It seems that Santa Barbara is a sunny town full of dark talent, and Vincent will have to revert to dark talents of his own if he's going to survive . . .

 

My review

 

The Devils You Know is my first read by best-selling author Ben Sanders and I can easily see why he has such a huge following. He writes with prose that are sharp and biting. His characters are wonderfully drawn with a protagonist that is rugged and heroic combating antagonists that are dark and ruthless. The perfect mix for a compelling crime mystery.

 

Vincent applies for a position as body guard to supermarket mogul Eugene Lamar. He is expecting an easy ride, a bit of a holiday, a ride around the golf course and then some time for a surf. However, he soon learns there is more to Lamar than meets the eye. Lamar owes somebody some big money and they are out to make him pay.

As the stakes rise so does the body count and Vincent teams up with Lamar's daughter, Erin Jones, to find out who is behind the extortion.

 

I really enjoyed the character of Vincent. He was calm and cool, battle scarred but still competitive.  he wouldn't carry a gun but didn't baulk at busting a few noses.

The multiple points of view narration and short chapters kept the story moving along at a steady pace and held my interest throughout. 

 

Sanders shows through Vincent and Erin you can be on opposite side of a political agenda and still have level headed conversations  about it without getting heated and offensive or offended.

 

The subtle romance thread was well executed and the element of mystery had me guessing and second guessing until it came to a well wrapped up and satisfactory conclusion. 

 

4/5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Photo Goodreads

Ben Sanders is the author of American Blood, Marshall's Law, The Stakes, The Fallen, By Any Means and Only the Dead. Sanders' first three novels were written while he was studying a Bachelor of Engineering at university, he graduated in 2012 and now writes full-time. To date Sanders has sold over 30,000 copies of his novels collectively across Australia and New Zealand alone and has been praised by the New York Times, The Sydney Morning Herald and the Toronto Star. His work id published in eight languages, and he lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Sony has optioned the rights to The Devils You Know for a Ray Donovan television series.

 

 

Challenges entered: Cloak and Dagger Challenge

 

 

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Book Review: Misty by Fiona McArthur

Misty

by

Fiona McArthur 

 

Publisher: Self Published

Publication date: 30th November 2020

Series: Lyrebird Lake #2

Genre: Romance

Pages: 208

Format read: eBook

Source: Courtesy of the author

 

About the book

 

Misty saved the life of Dr Ben Moore but that brief wonderful connection was just a memory. Misty the midwife shuts out her daydreams and sets off for a new life in Lyrebird Lake, where she meets the new locum…and looks into Ben’s sea blue eyes!

Ben moved to Lyrebird Lake for a chance to start again. But he wasn’t doing well in the single parent role. Can Misty and Ben find the connection that saved his life once? Is Misty is the perfect person to make Ben’s family complete?

 

My review

 

As much as I loved Montana's story in Lyrebird Lake #1 I found Misty's story even more heart-warming.

 

Misty had always had premonitions and it was one of her premonitions that led her to save the life of Ben Moore. There was an instant and unexplainable connection between them but  Misty had no time for romance, she was moving the next day to Lyrebird Lake to work with best friend Montana.

Montana (from book1) is now married to Misty's brother Andy and they have set up the new birthing centre at Lyrebird Lake. 

 

Misty is another wonderful, realistic romance read from Fiona McArthur. The main themes of natural birth, postnatal depression, postnatal  psychosis and related suicide are sensitively explored giving reference to the mental and lasting strain on the attending doctor. 

McArthur explores these themes within a close-knit small-town environment where everyone pitches in and helps out when needed. Minor characters from book 1 also feature in book 2 and we get snippets of information on these characters' lives that I can see making a return in future books.

 

As much as I loved Misty's cautiousness when it came to a new relationship I also loved how Ben never gave up when Misty tried to push him away.

 

Misty is a feel-good romance with the expected happy ending. I'm looking forward to the next book in the Lyrebird Lake Series.

 

5/5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

About the author

 

Credit: Goodreads

Fiona McArthur has worked as a midwife for thirty years. She is the clinical midwifery educator inner rural maternity unit and teaches emergency obstetric strategies while working with midwives and doctors from remote and isolated areas.

Fiona has written more than thirty romances, which have sold over two million copies in twelve languages. She has been a midwifery expert for Mother and Baby magazine and is the author of Aussie Midwives. She has also written the novels Red Sand Sunrise, The Homestead Girls and Heart of the Sky. She lives on a farm in northern New South Wales. 

 

 

Challenges entered: Aussie author challenge #AussieAuthor21

                                 Australian Women Writers Challenge  #AWW2021

 Read my review of Montana:

 

                                       

Book Review: My Best Friend's Murder by Polly Phillips

 My Best Friend's Murder

by

Polly Phillips

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia

Publication date: 6th January 2021 

Genre: Mystery / Thriller

Pages: 355

RRP: $29.99AUD

Format read: paperback

Source: courtesy of the publisher

About the book

Bec and Izzy have been best friends their whole lives. They’ve been through a lot together –  from the death of Bec’s mother, the birth of Izzy’s daughter, they've been side by side for all the highs and lows life has thrown at them.

But there’s a darker side to their friendship, too – and Bec is about to reach breaking point.

Then Izzy is found broken and bloodied at the bottom of the stairs.
It could have been an accident – perhaps she fell – but if the police decide to look for a killer, then Bec is sure to be their prime suspect.

 

My review

 

Bec and Izzy have been friends since high school. They'd always been there for each other. Or had they?

 

Now in their 30's Bec is starting to realise that Izzy hasn't always been supportive of her and often she has been downright manipulative. When they were younger Bec was happy to let Izzy have the limelight. She was the beautiful one, everyone loved Izzy and she chose Bec to be her friend. However now she sees the friendship for what it is, one sided and toxic. But Izzy is her best friend and she can't let go. She needs Izzy's approval for everything.

"I'm like one of those old dogs that pine for the owner that beat them."

My Best Friend's Murder is a captivating story of toxic friendships, narcissism and gaslighting. Izzy is a master manipulator she has Bec second guessing everything she sees and hears. I  think we have all seen, or even been in, a toxic friendship at some time however these usually end with some sort of blow-up during the teen years or early twenties. Bec and Izzy were in their thirties and I was astounded they were still going on with all this game-play. However, I did find it quite entertaining!

The story is narrated in the first person by Bec and as with any first person narration we are only getting one side of the story.

The story starts with the friendship and the back and forward maliciousness with lots of background on both Bec and Izzy and I found this all quite fascinating reading. When Izzy is found near death at the bottom of the stairs the story turns to a mystery. Was she pushed or did she fall? The conclusion to this well-paced mystery took me by surprise.

My Best Friend's Murder is a cleverly-plotted narrative that astutely explores the complexity of toxic friendships, manipulation and revenge.

4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Credit: Polly Phillips

Polly Phillips currently lives in Australia, although she is originally from the UK. My Best Friend’s Murder won the Montegrappa Writing Prize at the Emirates Literature Festival in 2019. Polly has worked as a journalist in Australia, Dubai, Denmark and the UK. This is her debut novel.  

Challenges entered: Aussie author challenge #AussieAuthor21

                                 Cloak & Dagger challenge 

                                 Australian Women Writers Challenge #AWW2021 

 

 

Book Review: The Spiral by Iain Ryan

The Spiral

by

Iain Ryan 

 

Publisher:  Echo Publishing

Publication date: 2nd February 2021

Genre: Crime / Thriller

Pages: 336

RRP: $29.99AUD

Format read: Paperback 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Beauty & Lace Book Club

 

About the book

 

Erma Bridges' life is far from perfect, but entirely ordinary. So when she is shot twice in a targetted attack by a colleague, her quiet existence is shattered in an instant.

With her would-be murderer dead, no one can give Erma the answers she needs to move on from her trauma. Why her? Why now?

So begins Erma's quest for the truth - and a dangerous, spiralling journey into the heart of darkness.

 

My review

 

The story is set around the University of Queensland, Fortitude Valley and the surrounding area. It opens with Erma called for a disciplinary meeting. A lot of names are thrown around but the reader is left in the dark as to what it is all about. Erma is sure her friend and colleague Jenny is behind the complaint. Out of the blue Jenny shoots Erma and then fatally shoots herself leaving Erma with a massive, why.
Erma’s life then spirals into dark dreams and relentlessly pursuing Jenny’s last movements.

Iain Ryan explores the concept of the choose your own adventure and gameplay novels as Erma is doing research to write a book on the history of these books. I remember my sons reading these although they weren’t quite as complex as the books referred to here. You the reader were in charge of the plot. Your decisions had consequences and you never knew ahead what they might be. Ryan draws parallels between these books and Erma’s life decisions, actions and consequences.

The plot is complex, running multiple plot lines, and like a jigsaw puzzle you have to piece together snippets of information each seemingly inconsequential and unrelated until you put them together and reveal the final picture.
When I started the book I was totally confused and I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy it. Well my fears were soon allayed! The story was tense and gripping and I read the book in one day, on the edge of my seat through the second half as Ryan smashes out the twists one after the other.

In this genre mixing novel a Fantasy thread is introduced with Sero the Barbarian searching to regain his lost memory. This is told through Erma’s nightmares and often linked to Erma’s actual life events and hidden fears.
Erma’s character was hard to connect with. Her penchant for violence brought about by teenage trauma and exacerbated by a case of PSTD seemed more akin to a gangland member than a University supervisor. However, even though she wasn’t totally likeable I still felt I wanted her to come through each situation and hopefully heal herself mentally.

I love noir fiction and I love fantasy so I enjoyed both genres within the book. I think the mixing of genres could have been a risky move but worked well for this reader.

The Spiral will appeal to readers who like dark and gritty Noir Fiction.

 

4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This review was originally on the Beauty and Lace website and you can read it here 

 

About the author

 

Credit: Goodreads

Iain Ryan grew up in the outer suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. He predominantly writes in the hardboiled/noir genre and his work has been previously published by Akashic Books (New York), Crime Factory (Melbourne) and Broken River Books (Portland). His most recent novel 'The Student' is available now via Echo Publishing/Bonnier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Challenges entered: Aussie author challenge #AussieAuthor21

                                 Cloak & Dagger challenge 

 

Mailbox Monday & Life This Week - February 8th

 

 

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Life This Week is a meme created by Denyse Whelan Blogs where bloggers share snaps of what is currently happening in their lives.
Happy Monday!

Since my last Life This Week we have celebrated Australia Day which we usually celebrate with a family picnic but it was far too hot this year so we stayed at home close to the pool.
I have been trying to do the photo a day challenge. I did this waaay back in 2011 and I must have been a lot less busy then, or had a much better memory, because this year I've already missed about a third of the days photos but I will persevere. I will be interested to compare the photos and see how life has changed over the ten years.

I've started another afghan throw. This one is for my Grandson

 

We are still pretty much failing at gardening but we keep trying 😀

 

 

I caught this candid photo of our cat recently. He looks like he is waiting for his dinner.

Books I've received and purchased over the last two weeks

 

 

This book has the most gorgeous cover!

I loved Scrublands when I read it and I was pleased to find Silver, the second book in the series, at my local Op shop.

 

Book Review: Gone to the Woods by Gary Paulsen

Gone to the Woods

by

Gary Paulsen

 

A TRUE STORY OF GROWING UP IN THE WILD

 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan  

Imprint: Macmillan Children's Books 

Publication date: 12th January 2021

Genre: Children's / Teenage / Memoir

Pages: 224

RRP: $16.99AUD

Format read: Paperback

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

About the book

 

From the author of the bestselling Hatchet comes a true story of high-stakes wilderness survival!

At the age of five Gary Paulsen escaped from a shocking Chicago upbringing to a North Woods homestead, finding a powerful respect for nature that would stay with him throughout his life. At the age of thirteen a librarian handed him his first book, and there he found a lasting love of reading. As a teenager he desperately enlisted in the Army, and there amazingly discovered his true calling as a storyteller.

A moving and enthralling story of grit and growing up, Gone to the Woods is perfect for newcomers to the voice and lifelong fans alike, from the acclaimed author at his rawest and realest.

 

My review

 

I'm finding it hard to know where to start with this story. My son, when young, was a huge Hatchet fan. He read the book over and over and talked of it often. This is how I came to know the name Gary Paulsen, so when I heard he had written a memoir of his childhood I jumped at the chance to read it.

Gary Paulsen writes with stark reality, there is no softening around the edges. He writes about life exactly as he lived it and some scenes are quite gruesome. The story contains vivid descriptions of a train load of injured soldiers and also a frenzied shark attack on the passengers of a plane crash. What I found most distressing is that these are actual real events witnessed by Paulsen as a young child.

The story is narrated in third person with Paulsen referring to himself as 'the boy', so it reads more like a fiction novel than the usual memoir with first person narration.

Paulsen takes moments from his life and weaves a story around that event introducing history and education into the narrative.

The boy, at age 5, after living a life of neglect with his mother, is sent to live with his aunt and uncle on a farm. Here he learns to work hard and to live off the land but mostly he learnt how it felt to  belong. Every sight, sound and smell the boy experiences comes alive on the page. These few years are what set him up to survive life when he was taken back by his mother. What followed  was years of neglect, poverty, bullying and hunger.

The story isn't all bleak as Paulsen interjects humour into even the bleakest events.

 

When he discovers the library and the librarian who gently encourages him to read more and more books that broaden his mind a whole new world of hope is opened up to him.

 

Paulsen's writing starts out soft and gentle when he is a young child naive and fragile, as his life moves on you can feel the writing is more jaded, edgy. Then as a teen, 16 - 17, the writing is angry, disillusioned. I find this type of character change through words and sentence structure unique and engaging.

 

Gone to the Woods is a harrowing and moving true life story of resilience, perseverance and the healing power of books. Narrated with warmth and humour it is touching and informative.

This book is being marketed as middle grade but I would recommend 12+ as there are some quite horrifying and descriptive scenes of war and a shark attack.

5/5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Credit: Pan Macmillan

Gary Paulsen has received great acclaim and many awards for his novels written for young people. HATCHET, and its sequel, THE RETURN, are among his best-known works. He has sailed the Pacific and competed in the gruelling 1,049 mile Iditarod dog-sled race across Alaska. He lives with his family in New Mexico, USA.

 

 

 

 

 

Challenge entered: Non Fiction Readers Challenge 

#2021ReadNonFic

 

 

Spotlight and Giveaway: The Schoolboy Sherlock Holmes (Books 1-5 Boxed Set) by Cenarth Fox

The Schoolboy Sherlock Holmes Box Set

by

Cenarth Fox 

 

 

The Schoolboy Sherlock Holmes is a 5 book series staring Nicholas Twit aimed at middle-grade readers aged 8 - 12.

 

About the books

 

Book1: The Cat Burglar / Fifi and the Angels

In Book 1 Young Nick uses the detection methods of Sherlock Holmes to expose a scam and catch a very clever cat burglar. Later in Book 1 the young sleuths solve mysteries with a little help from a friendly policewoman, Detective Sergeant Les Trade. A simple observation turns into a tale involving illegal immigrants, blackmail and lazy dog-owners. But who will be the boss detective? And is Doctor Watson smarter than Sherlock Holmes?  

 

 

 

Book 2: The Garden Gnome Mystery / The Goldfields Ghost Adventure

Nick’s new partner is Felicity Heywood-Jones who is 13. So there are two detectives—Holmes and Watson. But will they co-operate? And is Watson smarter than Holmes? In Book 2 Nicholas investigates a mystery about garden gnomes. It reminds him of a famous mystery solved by Sherlock Holmes. Felicity meets a girl who works from home and is being ripped off by a cruel person. Can Felicity help the girl and expose a nasty businessman? Strangely Nick’s gnomes and Felicity’s rip-off are linked. But how? Then Nicholas goes for a weekend trip to the country where he meets a ghost and an escaped convict. It all happens in an old gold-mining town

 

Book 3: The Mystery of the Awful Painting / The Mystery of the Terrible Twins / The Ned Kelly Adventure

Nick investigates a strange case and notices something unusual in the house next door. A man is stealing garbage. Nick follows and gets kidnapped twice! Felicity has to work at a creepy old house and accidentally pushes one of the owners off an upstairs balcony. More trouble. But things get really explosive when Nick tackles a mystery starring Ned Kelly. He was a famous outlaw and getting caught in the crossfire means Nick is seriously in danger. There's a map of where all the mysteries are located, word puzzles, Twit-Speak words including the fabulous sotov and edhen, a mini mystery and tips on how can write your own mysteries.

 

Book 4: The Clayton's Murder / The MCG Bomb Mystery / The Stinging Mystery of Jeremiah's Ghost

In this book, Felicity has some serious personal problems. Her father's girlfriend is missing presumed dead and Flick's dad is in the frame. Can Felicity help her father? And in the meantime Nick gets a really silly case of stolen roses. Ah but it involves two ladies of the theatre and boy can they act. One of the women has some rotten food and cobwebs on her dining-room table as she's mad about Charles Dickens-or is she just mad? But things hit overdrive when Nick 'n Flick get involved with a would-be terrorist at a major sporting event. Nick discovers schizophrenia and learns heaps. But suddenly it looks to be all over for the Schoolboy Sherlock Holmes. He gets tricked into saying he saw a ghost when it was a set-up, a sting to catch him out. How can the boy detective survive?

 

Book 5: Mr Hawthorn's Hedge / The Tallest Women in the World / The Bee & Bee Cottage / Cranley Glasspot's Newspaper

When we first meet them in this book, Nick and the others are facing a possible disaster. Nick has been tricked. A sneaky journalist has set up a trap and Nick has walked right into it. Nick is about to be exposed as a sham. How can he survive? And Felicity is investigating some strange sights and sounds happening at midnight behind a nearby hedge. Then for something special, we take a step back in time to Victorian England with a story featuring the real Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. It's the adventure of The Tallest Woman in the World. And finally there are two mysteries with one each for Nicholas and Felicity.

 

About the Author     

 

Cenarth Fox has written plays and musicals, novels and non-fiction books. 

As a long-time fan of Sherlock Holmes, Fox has written three stage shows and a novel about the famous detective and given over 200 performances of his one-man show, G’day Sherlock.

The five books for young readers make up the rest of his Sherlockian canon. 

His other novels include an 8 book crime series The Detective Joanna Best Mysteries and a series about a young English actress during WW2.

Fox has turned his plays about the Brontes, Agatha Christie and Shakespeare into novels and his play about Dickens is now a film. 

 

His books are at www.cenfoxbooks.com and his stage shows at www.foxplays.com 

 

The inspiration behind the Nicholas Twit series.

Having written so much about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his most famous creation, writing crime fiction for children seemed the next step. Nicholas Twit (aged 10) is the schoolboy Sherlock Holmes and has turned his bedroom of today into the sitting-room of Mr Holmes in London in 1890. The mysteries he tackles with Dr Watson (Felicity aged 14) – Nick ‘n Flick - use the methods the great detective used. The printed books are in a glossy magazine format copying The Strand Magazine which published 59 of the 60 Conan Doyle tales. They are a great way to introduce young readers to mystery fiction.

 

 

Giveaway:

 

Cenarth Fox has generously offered 2 x hardcopy box sets to Australian addresses.

 

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED AND THE WINNERS WERE LIZ D & HEATHER