amothersmusings1's reviews
1939 reviews

Kate Mosse returns with “The Ghost Ship” the third novel in the number one Sunday Times bestselling ‘Joubert Family Chronicles’ - a sweeping historical epic about love on the high seas in a time of war. 

 

I must start by saying I haven’t personally read any of the previous books in the series and I never once felt at a disadvantage, this book read like a stand-alone and although reading the previous books would have been pleasurable, there’s no need for story continuity. 

 

I’ve always liked learning about female pirates and recently enjoyed reading a novel about Mary Read and Anne Bonny - real life, high sea pirates of the ‘golden age of piracy’ and although “The Ghost Ship” is set a lot of years earlier, Louise and Gilles did remind me of the fiery real life Mary and Anne with their rumours of a romantic connection. Gilles was a great character and my heart bled for his life and the secret he was destined to keep all his life. 

 

This is quite a lengthy novel and I found the first half a slow burn, getting acquainted with the characters and the era but the second half really sped up with tension and excitement and had me engrossed till the cliff hanging ending, definitely leaving me wanting to read the next one! Being at sea in a merchant ship with the real risk of being attacked by corsairs who raided the coastal towns and villages for the slave trade, was a genuine fear and together with the plight of contagion, mutiny and inclement weather, made the journeys dangerous and life threatening. 

 

The descriptions of France, Amsterdam, Las Palmas and life at sea, were incredibly detailed and set the atmospheric scenes perfectly. I loved this book and I am keen to read the first two books, as well as any future books featuring the ‘Joubert’ family.  Kate Mosse is a terrifically talented author and a pleasure to read and if buccaneering, historical fiction novels with romance and adventure interest you, then you’ll love “The Ghost Ship” too. 

 

#TheGhostShip - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

I went through a multitude of emotions reading this addictive, compelling and entertaining book, from sheer frustration, to anger, disbelief and shock amongst others. 

 

The author has taken a hugely sensitive theme (his acknowledgments at the end of the book show just how close to home it is for him) and turned it into a thriller like no other but still highlighting a loop hole in the law that surely must be addressed soon.  Dementia is an awful illness to suffer from or to watch loved ones as they decline and having personally witnessed myself, a possible injustice to a dementia patient, all my frustrations towards the main storyline was genuinely felt. 

 

You do need to suspend disbelief as the unexpected twists and shock reveals constantly catch you out and although logistically nigh on impossible, it still makes for a fantastic story which I really couldn’t put down.  However, I was literally stunned by some (actually all) of the revelations and just when you think you have a character’s personality penned, the rollercoaster of emotions changes direction again. 

 

Although I do own several of John Marrs’ books, this was the first I’ve actually read and boy, have I been missing out.  If all his novels are anything like this one, I’m going to be old well before my time, with frustration and anxiety over his characters fates, but time will also fly as I’ll be having the time of my life! 

 

#TheStrangerInHerHouse - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

 

Having been given the opportunity to read a teaser sample of Simon Hayes’, “Zero Ri$k” a few months ago and being hooked on the story, I couldn’t wait to read the whole book this week and I can confirm it was as exciting as I anticipated. Apart from the excitement, tension, mystery and a romantic element, this fictional story could scarily come true in this age of technology, with online banking and cyber securities being hacked and leaves you with a deep rooted fear of ‘what if this really happened?’ Makes you truly concerned about how safe your money is in financial institutions and how far could cyber terrorism go? 

 

Set in London during Christmas time, this well thought out and executed global, financial thriller, portrays how our constant dependence on technology in our daily lives, whether it be for social or business is a risk. Using a unique modern premise of the seven deadly sins, this multi layered story is a race against time, before society as we know it disintegrates. 

 

This is a ready made film script in the making and I can already see it being played out on the big screen. There’s so much going on, so many layers of tension and action, keeping you addicted from start to finish. With interesting main protagonists and side characters, all of who have detailed backstories, make this book so readable and considering the size of it, exceedingly good value for money. 

 

For a debut novel, “Zero Ri$k” was pure excellence and it’s obvious the author has used his infinite knowledge of finance to write an intelligent, intriguing sharp edged thriller that immediately plunges into a breathless financial countdown. I reiterate my previous comment about this book being the ‘financial thriller of the year’ and as far as I’m concerned, the best I’ve ever read in this genre! 

 

#ZeroRi$k - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Having been a fan of Mark Pepper’s books now for many years, I was so excited to learn he’d written a new novel - “Bad Actors” and even more excited to learn it was a follow up to ‘Man Down’ and ‘Veteran Avenue’, with a connection to ‘Man on a Murder Cycle’.  All books I adored reading and I’ve spent many a fantastic hour, lost in the exceptionally talented (but very twisted) mind of Mark’s dark imagination. 

 

“Bad Actors” is an exceedingly well plotted thriller, with twists and turns that caught me out on a couple of occasions and especially one that had me shocked to the core. Despite it being dark and quite wacky at times, Matt Spiller - taxi driver turned actor, is one remarkable character - not someone you meet everyday (nor even want to) but I liked him and his dry humour.  He’s a quick thinker and problem solver in the unique situations he finds himself in but always manages to evade the tireless detective, who is never far from his heels.  There is a subject theme that was distressing but handled with care, and sadly probably not far from being a realistic issue, in the nefarious side of Hollywood life.  Not a novel you’ll forget and although you don’t ‘need’ to read the previous novels that predate this one, I personally feel it would be beneficial for character development to do so, even if it’s just to get a feel for how Mark Pepper’s eccentric humour and  imagination conveys into readable and addictive writing. Incidentally, the cover for this book is just brilliant and perfect for the theme of this Hollywood thriller. 

 

Actor, intelligence analyst and author, Mark Pepper is a writer that deserves high praise for his incredibly defined, detailed and descriptive thrillers and I do hope he continues to use his talent in writing more books. It would be such a waste not to meet more of Mark’s crazy but likeable characters and read his ingenious plot ideas. 

 

#BadActors - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

“D-Day The Oral History” - and my, what an incredible, fascinating and emotional journal of memories from over six hundred people, recounting the single most important day of World War 2.  Perfectly timed for the eightieth anniversary of the Normandy Landings, any history buff will adore this hefty tome and with Father’s Day approaching, it will make the perfect gift to keep a loved one engrossed in the many pages, for a long, long time. 

Written by a Pulitzer Prize finalist, Garrett M. Graff has left no stone unturned in his quest to publish this holy grail of a history book that quite frankly, astounded me in its intensively researched content. With some brilliant photographs, newspaper articles, relevant information and quotes and retellings from people from dozens of nations, different walks of life and all sides of the conflict, this books reads like a novel it’s been so cleverly crafted and once picked up it’s hard to put it down!

Set in three parts; ‘A World at War’, ‘The Landing’ and ‘The End of D-Day’ this book is a powerful reminder of the 160,000 troops who stormed the Normandy beaches and the near 20,000 allied and axis combatants/civilians who died that day.  It goes without saying this a five star read, it would be impossible to give it less and if the subject appeals to you, I GUARANTEE you won’t be disappointed. 

And that’s a wrap!……the final chapter in the formidable DI Jane Tennison series, a headstrong female police officer who shaped the Met Police for women for generations to come. 

 

Transferred from Bromley on a promotion to DCI, Jane requests a posting to AMIT, one of the toughest units in the Met handling serious major crimes, fully aware it’s a completely male dominated unit. Keen to be attached to such a prestigious team, she knows her work will be cut out at being accepted, though she could never foresee how much blatant misogyny she would encounter. 

 

After being given a dirty office in the direct position over the canteen extractors, she gets off on the wrong foot with the other staff when her complaints cause the canteen to be temporarily shut down.  Allocated a five year old cold case to solve, whilst bigger and more time sensitive investigations continue to come into the AMIT department, Jane throws everything into finding the missing girl and bring the culprits to justice. But yet again, she has the case steamrolled over her when she nears an arrest and other officers take the credit. 

 

Sadly, Jane is still dismissed by male colleagues and worse than discrimination, she is shamelessly disregarded of her ability and achievements as a police detective and everything she has strove to achieve. If I was frustrated for Jane earlier in the series, this book tipped me over the edge! As a DCI, I was astounded at how she was treated by similarly ranked officers. I’m not sure I’d have had the dedication to remain in the job and her experience of life as a female officer ended exactly as it began with misogyny, sexism and a toxic male culture but knowing the job is a whole life sentence, Jane will not allow them to get her down and she continues to fight the deep rooted attitudes towards women. 

 

I have adored this series, seeing Jane develop from a trainee to DCI, I feel like she has become a friend and the sickening experiences she has had to live through to advance her career, makes me proud to be a woman. She is a credit to herself and the female race. 

 

Next up is the ‘Prime Suspect’ series (most recognised for Helen Mirren playing the television version of Jane) and I’m excited for this next chapter in her career! 

 

#WholeLifeSentence - 4.5 stars 

 

This sapphic, fun love story is set in the gorgeous backdrop of an American horse barn business and I learned a lot about the up keep and financial side of looking after horses and making sure a profit can be made. It made sense to sell the farmland with Molly’s growing debt and her hopeful dream of starting her own business venture but when she starts forming a bond with the horses and the staff who have become her friends, it’s no wonder she starts to doubt her decision despite her family and friends back home, insisting it’s a bad idea to stay.  At the same time, Molly has her eyes set on the resident farrier Shani, an attractive but highly emotional cowgirl who is dead against the selling of the land to developers and certainly makes it plain to see that this is her staunch opinion. 

 

This was such a entertaining read, despite the love/hate relationship between Molly and Shani. The way they were thrown together in an emotional and slightly bewildering way explains how they get off on the wrong foot with each other. I do have to admit that the ‘will they or won’t they’ feeling was frustrating and had me nearly shouting at the book, telling them to get their act together 🤣 but it was all part of the relationship growing between the two women and the denouement is worth waiting for. 

 

Shani’s brother, added some appealing rodeo action and with all of the characters endearing and memorable, “The Ride of her Life” was certainly a rollercoaster ride of a story and I can happily recommend it. 

 

#TheRideOfHerLife - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

 

A word of bookish advice - if you’re going to read a Maureen Myant novel, please allow yourself enough time, you really won’t be able to put it down as I’ve found out yet again, with this her third book in the ‘Glasgow Southside Crime’ series, “The Shame”. 

 

It’s too easy to say a story is intriguing but never was it more appropriate for this book, as the author literally keeps the reader in the dark on a secret until the final few pages. A secret I never guessed but one that leaves you with a moral dilemma to ponder on, whether it was right or wrong. I liked Edith Drummond, my heart bled for her, and the love and protection she showed for her primary school class was adorable. Olivia the head teacher was a menace and I enjoyed how Edith responded to her catty comments. 

 

When historic remains are found during excavation work on a house extension, DI Alex Scrimgeour assigns DS Mark Nicholson to track down the previous owners. However, once he starts digging into the past, a shameful story emerges and as his enquiries takes him to Edinburgh to interview Edith, he’s convinced she knows more than she admits. 

 

Although part of a series, this book can easily be read as a standalone, though as always, for character development the series is best read in order. Mark is still torn between two women and having bitten off more than he can chew, is struggling to keep either his wife or ex mistress happy, while he lives temporarily with Alex in his flat. Between Alex and his reunited daughter and Mark and his parenting woes, this forms an interesting side story to the investigation. 

 

I really enjoyed this gripping book, once again I was addicted to an absorbing and unique story. I felt a true affection for Edith and her past and with police detectives who I feel I now know personally, this produced a first class Scottish crime novel that was without doubt, a five star read for me. 

 

#TheShame - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

“The Theatre of Glass and Shadows” is set in an alternative post war London and is a quirky, contemporary historical fantasy novel, written by Anne Corlett, author of ‘The Space Between the Stars’ which is about a plague ravished universe. 

 

The minute Juliet set foot in the ‘Theatre District’ I felt like I physically did too. For some reason I endeared to the place instantly, not sure whether it was the magic realism of the environment or the sinister feeling of mystery and suspense of the unknown. The author has a terrific imagination and at times, I felt I was either in a ‘Harry Potter’, ‘Charles Dickens’ or ‘Alice in Wonderland’ world. The district itself was built from ‘hopes and dreams, wishes and beliefs of everyone who ever walked through the gates and held the memory of everyone who performed there’. This in itself was an ingenious story but it also included the death of numerous young girls over the years and with a police investigation on the outside of the district but hampered by upper echelon restrictions, the reader was also privy to a crime element. 

 

The book is based on the real life atmospheric and innovative art of ‘immersive theatre’. This is where the audience participates and interacts in hugely detailed environments, together with free roaming rooms following the actors or discovering the action for themselves. This encourages the integral part of the performance ensuring the maximum enjoyment of this unusual, theatre experience.  As well as all members of audience being disguised with a theatrical mask, this adds to the mystery of the performance and similarly to the ‘followers’ in the story, the actors aren’t aware of who is actually watching the show. 

 

With a tense and fast paced denouement, this book was a very enjoyable read and if you’re open to a story set just that somewhere different and with wonderful and diverse characters, then “The Theatre of Glass and Mirrors” is for you. 

 

“Her Charming Man” by Rachel Sargeant is the second book in ‘The Gloucestershire crime series’ and since I enjoyed the first; “Her Charming Friend”, I knew this book would be just as entertaining, for which I wasn’t disappointed. 

 

DI Steph Lewis is a likeable and hardworking police officer and I really sympathised with her nigh on permanent migraine headaches. I was hoping to see a diagnosis in this book for her but understood her reluctance to pursue a brain scan.  I do feel there is a lot more to come regarding this storyline, which I hope sees some relief for Steph.  Her working relationship with the young DC Harriet Harris was intriguing and gave Steph a hard time with regards to her management skills towards the young woman, however the banter between all the department was good to read and the conversations with the forensics guy was at times quite funny. 

 

I was totally caught off guard with the conclusion, it wasn’t something I’d considered and a very clever move by the author, drawing the reader into the story and then dropping a bombshell of a denouement. 

 

Although the second in the series, this can easily be enjoyed as a stand-alone, the author has included what is needed to know from the first book, especially regarding the father of Steph’s son Jake and I have high hopes again for book three. A great British police procedural, perfect for dedicated crime fiction fans and I’d happily recommend this series and the author. 

 

#HerCharmingMan - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️