Liv’s Book Corner

  Synopsis: Sadie loves her daughter and will do anything to keep her safe. She can't tell her why they had to leave home so quickly - or why Robin's father won't be coming with them to London. She can't tell her why she hates being back in her dead mother's house, with its ivy-covered walls and its poisonous memories. And she can't tell her the truth about the school Robin's set to start at - a school that doesn't welcome newcomers. Sadie just wants to get their lives back on track. But even lies with the best intentions can have deadly consequences... Review: This novel was gripping from start to finish, a constant feeling of unease and tension creeping through the superficial, light plot that spans the first half of the book. As all the various threads start to converge, you’re pulled into the chaos that ensues. The whole book is from Sadie’s point of view so you quickly become familiar with her feelings and relationships, especially with her daughter...

  Synopsis: Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals. They are hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality. Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory after her family was murdered by a rival line. For years she's pushed away any thought of revenge against the man—now a god—responsible for their deaths. Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek her out: Castor, a childhood friend Lore believed to be dead, and Athena, one of the last of the original gods, now gravely wounded. The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and a way to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore's decision to rejoin the hunt, binding her fate to Athena's, will come at a deadly cost—and it may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with...

  Synopsis: When Marcie walked down the aisle to marry Jason Maddox, she knew her life would never be the same again. Charming, rich, handsome – Jason can give her everything she’s ever wanted. The uninvited guest...  But then Keisha arrives in town, and Marcie realises her life of luxury could be snatched away. Because Keisha seems to know all of Marcie’s secrets – the shocking, the scandalous, and the downright sinful. The fight for survival...  Marcie refuses to go down without a fight. The only question is – how far will she go to come out on top? My Review: This book had so much potential but, for me, it just never seemed as thrilling as it could have been. Set in the hot South in a neighbourhood where wealth and family name is power, Marcie and Keisha meet and become entangled in a web of lies and deceit surrounding their rich husbands. It took me ages to get through this book because the first two thirds were incredibly dull and the story just didn’t seem to be goi...

  Synopsis: Before Roy's father died in the car crash that also killed Roy's mother, he told his teenaged son that it was his job to protect his little brother, Carl, from the world and from Carl's own impulsive nature. Roy took that job seriously, especially after the two were orphaned. But a small part of him was happy when Carl decided that the tiny town of Os in the mountains of Norway wasn't big enough to hold him and took off to Canada to make his fortune. Which left Roy to pursue the quiet life he loved as a mechanic in the place where they grew up. Then suddenly an older Carl is back, full of big plans to develop a resort hotel on the family land, promising that not only will the brothers strike it rich, but so will the town. With him is his fierce and beautiful wife, Shannon, an architect he met on his travels, a woman who soon breaks down the lonely Roy's walls. And Carl's reappearance sparks something even more dangerous than envy in his brother's...

  Synopsis: My wrath knows no bounds. Your torment knows no end.  An Arizona prison officer climbs his watchtower and opens fire on the inmates and guards below. Federal investigator Marcus Williams needs to know why. What he unearths is that the prison has become the hunting ground of a psychopath known only as 'Judas'. To uncover Judas' identity, Williams must join forces with serial killer Francis Ackerman Jr. While Williams works the case from the outside, Ackerman Jr. goes undercover among the prisoners on the inside. What neither of them know is just how diabolically ambitious Judas' master plan is... My Review:   I enjoyed this book but felt it just wasn’t quite as thrilling as the previous books in the series, most noticeably in the middle of the book where i think the plot lagged a little and I struggled to find the motivation to keep reading. However I really enjoyed certain aspects of this interesting and original plot, especially the diary entries from Judas...

  Synopsis: You don't know the meaning of pain. Let me teach you.  A father returns home to find that his family has been kidnapped. He can get them back – alive – if he agrees to pay the ransom. The price is simple: the life of an innocent. Special Agent Marcus Williams is the only one who can stop the Coercion Killer. But to do so, he must first untangle his family's dark past. A past that ties him to the infamous serial killer Francis Ackerman Jr. Marcus knows that uniting with Francis will be dangerous. But the Coercion Killer has scarred their lives, and is poised to destroy many more. Sometimes stopping the worst of the worst is a job for the best of the bad. My Review: Another great thriller. In this we get to meet the notorious Ackerman Sr and learn more about his character and the Ackerman family. Again I loved Ackerman Jr in this book, always bringing some comedic relief with sarcastic comments but also just being badass and having a bit of a redemption arc. I liked ...

  Synopsis: Francis Ackerman Jr. is one of America's most prolific serial killers. Having kept a low profile for the past year, he is ready to return to work - and he's more brutal, cunning, and dangerous than ever. My Review: A worthy sequel to the gory serial killer thriller series I Am Night, this book further explores what makes someone good or evil and whether a killer is born or made.  This outing involves a Satanic cult and a string of sacrifices, of course Ackerman makes some more charismatic (and sadistic) appearances. We finally learn the connection between Marcus and Ackerman and I can’t wait for this to be further explored in the next book, as well as that cliffhanger at the end! As this book had a bit more length than the previous book, the plot was a bit more developed and had many twists which I really enjoyed, especially the character of Schofield and seeing his motives for the crimes.  A really good book overall and can’t wait to read the next one!  ...

  Synopsis: The night is dark. My soul is darker.  Marcus Williams and Francis Ackerman Jr. are both killers. But while Williams is tortured by the deaths he has caused, Ackerman takes pleasure in his murders. Williams is a former New York City homicide detective.  Ackerman is a serial killer.  And both men are about to become unwilling pawns in a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of US government. They will be plunged deep into a hellish underworld of murderers and killers. They will find that there is more that connects them than divides them... and that their lives depend on it. My Review: Loved this book, the first in the Ackerman thriller series. I Am The Night is a serial killer thriller that explores the relationship between good and evil and what makes a true villain or hero, with some gory murders and fun moments along the way. There were many twists and turns throughout the book but the final plot twist was excellent as it pulled together many c...

  Synopsis: When a lobster fisherman discovers a dead body in Scotland’s Firth of Forth, DCI Karen Pirie is called into investigate. She quickly discovers that the case will require untangling a complicated web—involving a long-ago disappearance, art forgery, and secret identities—that seems to surround a painter who can mimic anyone from Holbein to Hockney. Meanwhile, a traffic accident leads to the discovery of a skeleton in a suburban garage. Karen has a full plate, and it only gets more stressful as the man responsible for the death of the love of her life is scheduled for release from prison, reopening old wounds just as she was getting back on her feet. My Review: Really good thriller set in various areas of the UK and Ireland. I have read McDermid’s books before and she is great at giving just the right amount of detail and creating tension throughout the story.  I did enjoy the secondary storyline of the skeleton in the van but it was abandoned a little towards The end...

  Synopsis: Beautiful, fortune-telling Solitaire is the prisoner (and tool) of Mr. Big-master of fear, artist in crime, and Voodoo Baron of Death. James Bond has no time for superstition-he knows that Big is also a top Smersh operative and a real threat. More than that, after tracking him through the jazz joints of Harlem to the Everglades and on to the Caribbean, 007 has realized that Mr. Big is one of the most dangerous men that he has ever faced. And no one, not even the enigmatic Solitaire, can be sure how their battle of wills is going to end ... My Review: Some parts of this book were really good and some parts were…not. I really enjoyed the whole pirate treasure plot and especially the action scenes involving sharks, barracuda and all manner of dangerous fish. The backdrop of beautiful Jamaica in the second half of the book with the lush forests and wild coral reefs was really cool. However I didn’t really like the racist undertones of the book and the way that the black cha...

  Synopsis: Moonraker, Britain's new ICBM-based national defense system, is ready for testing, but something's not quite right. At M's request, Bond begins his investigation with Sir Hugo Drax, the leading card shark at M's club, who is also the head of the Moonraker project. But once Bond delves deeper into the goings-on at the Moonraker base, he discovers that both the project and its leader are something other than they appear to be. My Review: A good spy thriller, but definitely not the best Bond book I’ve read. Moonraker got quite boring in the middle when nothing much was happening and I felt like I was just dragging myself through it to get to the exciting part. However I did really like Drax as a villain and his backstory and I enjoyed Gala and Bond’s relationship. I think the story itself could have been made a little shorter and that would have helped with pacing issues My Rating: 7/10

  Synopsis: In the novel that introduced James Bond to the world, Ian Fleming's agent 007 is dispatched to a French casino in Royale-les-Eaux. His mission? Bankrupt a ruthless Russian agent who's been on a bad luck streak at the baccarat table. One of SMERSH's most deadly operatives, the man known only as "Le Chiffre," has been a prime target of the British Secret Service for years. If Bond can wipe out his bankroll, Le Chiffre will likely be "retired" by his paymasters in Moscow. But what if the cards won't cooperate? After a brutal night at the gaming tables, Bond soon finds himself dodging would-be assassins, fighting off brutal torturers, and going all-in to save the life of his beautiful female counterpart, Vesper Lynd. Taut, tense, and effortlessly stylish, Ian Fleming's inaugural James Bond adventure has all the hallmarks that made the series a touchstone for a generation of readers. My Review: A classic page turner that introduces the mos...

  Synopsis : Sometimes Marisa gets the fanciful notion that Kate has visited the house before. She makes herself at home without any self-consciousness. She puts her toothbrush right there in the master bathroom, on the shelf next to theirs.  In Jake, Marisa has found everything she’s ever wanted. Then their new lodger Kate arrives. Something about Kate isn’t right. Is it the way she looks at Marisa’s boyfriend? Sits too close on the sofa? Constantly asks about the baby they are trying for? Or is it all just in Marisa’s head? After all, that’s what her Jake keeps telling her. And she trusts him – doesn’t she? But Marisa knows something is wrong. That the woman sleeping in their house will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Marisa just doesn’t know why. How far will she go to find the answer – and how much is she willing to lose? My review: This book was good, but unfortunately didn’t quite live up to my expectations I felt that the first half and the second half of the boo...

  Synopsis: You can't see them. But they can see you.  This forest isn't charted on any map. Every car breaks down at its treeline. Mina's is no different. Left stranded, she is forced into the dark woodland only to find a woman shouting, urging Mina to run to a concrete bunker. As the door slams behind her, the building is besieged by screams. Mina finds herself in a room with a wall of glass, and an electric light that activates at nightfall, when the Watchers come above ground. These creatures emerge to observe their captive humans and terrible things happen to anyone who doesn't reach the bunker in time. Afraid and trapped among strangers, Mina is desperate for answers. Who are the Watchers and why are these creatures keeping them imprisoned, keen to watch their every move? My Review: A brilliant debut novel with an eerie, dark atmosphere, filled with tension and a twisty story.  I loved how the story focused on only a handful of characters which meant that each one...

  Synopsis: Across the country, dozens of teenage girls have vanished. Authorities are convinced they're runaways with just the bad luck of the draw to connect them. It's the job of criminal profilers Dr. Tony Hill and Carol Jordan to look for a pattern. They've spent years exploring the psyches of madmen. But sane men kill, too. And when they hide in plain sight, they can be difficult to find... My review: A good crime novel that had some great twists and characters, especially Jacko Vance, a true psychopath. I really enjoyed the insight into Jacko’s life and point of view as his mind is so sick and twisted, I found it very interesting to see what motivated him. I thought most the characters, including Vance, were very well written as complex individuals However, I did think this book was a little too long and was a little boring especially in the middle, I also think that the arson storyline wasn’t needed and didn’t make a difference to the book. Another thing I’d say is ...

  Synopsis: You wake on a beautiful, remote island. Sparkling blue seas, golden sunsets, barely a footprint in the sand. Yet this is no ordinary escape. Next to the wreck of a plane, a stranger paces. Another sharpens a knife, scoring a list of the dead onto a palm tree. Others watch from the shadows of a campfire – all with untold stories, and closely-guarded secrets... This is no ordinary holiday.   This is no ordinary island.   This is no ordinary beach read. My Review: The Castaways is split into two narratives, two sisters, one in the present day and another in the past, separated by a devastating plane crash. I had high hopes for this book as the premise was so exciting, and while it was a good read, it ultimately failed to live up to my expectations. The first 100 pages or so of the book are very exciting, as are the last 150 ish pages. However, the middle section for me was just a bit drawn out and dull, like it was only there to fill space. The last section of th...

  Synopsis: Owen Pick’s life is falling apart. In his thirties, a virgin, and living in his aunt’s spare bedroom, he has just been suspended from his job as a geography teacher after accusations of sexual misconduct, which he strongly denies. Searching for professional advice online, he is inadvertently sucked into the dark world of incel—involuntary celibate—forums, where he meets the charismatic, mysterious, and sinister Bryn. Across the street from Owen lives the Fours family, headed by mom Cate, a physiotherapist, and dad Roan, a child psychologist. But the Fours family have a bad feeling about their neighbor Owen. He’s a bit creepy and their teenaged daughter swears he followed her home from the train station one night. Meanwhile, young Saffyre Maddox spent three years as a patient of Roan Fours. Feeling abandoned when their therapy ends, she searches for other ways to maintain her connection with him, following him in the shadows and learning more than she wanted to know abou...

  Synopsis: The remote Antarctic island of South Georgia is about to send off its last boat of the summer – which signifies safety to resident glaciologist Felicity Lloyd.   Felicity lives in fear – fear that her ex-husband Freddie will find her, even out here. She took a job on this isolated island to hide from him, but now that he's out of prison, having served a term for murder, she knows he won’t give up until he finds her.   But a doctor delving into the background of Felicity and Freddie's relationship, back in Cambridge, learns that Felicity has been on the edge for a long time. Heading to South Georgia himself to try and get to her first is the only way he can think of to help her. My Review: A good thriller with some great twists that I didn’t seen coming, and others that were blindingly obvious, set in the isolated polar island of South Georgia, as well as the picturesque city of Cambridge I enjoyed how the plot was separated into 4 parts, the first in present d...

  Synopsis: For fans of Karen McManus' One of Us is Lying and films like I Know What You Did Last Summer, comes a gripping thriller about murder, mystery, and deception. Blackmail lures Ava to the abandoned amusement park on Portgrave Pier. She is one of ten teenagers, all with secrets they intend to protect whatever the cost. When fog and magic swallow the pier, the group find themselves cut off from the real world. As the teenagers turn on each other, Ava will have to face up to the secret that brought her to the pier and decide how far she's willing to go to survive. The teenagers have only their secrets to protect and each other to betray. Review: A fast paced, twisty thriller that had me hooked, so much so that I devoured it in one day when I should be revising for my A Levels. I was expecting a murder mystery sort of book but the supernatural elements of this novel were something that I actually enjoyed, because the author managed to pull them off very well. The setting o...