Killing Ways by Alex Barclay
Review by Susan Condon, www.writing.ie Crime Scene reviewer Over the years, I’ve read and enjoyed all of Alex Barclay’s books. Darkhouse, up until now, would have topped my all-time favourite books. As an avid reader, that’s high praise indeed – but that was before I read Killing…
The Lake by Sheena Lambert
Review by the fabulous Margaret Madden BleachHouseLibrary.Blogspot.ie Ireland, 1975. A body has been found at the edge of a lake which covers a forgotten village. Under the calm waters lie ruins and secrets. The corpse has obviously been there for many years, and this makes…
Payback by Kimberley Chambers
By guest reviewer Amy Gaffney: Family – they’re supposed to watch your back, not stab you in it. When your family motto is “What goes around comes around,” it’s hardly surprising that life is full of drama and suspense, as the Butler’s prove. In their…
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Guest review by Kevin Massey The first thing you notice about ‘Gone Girl’ is its structure. It opens with the perspective of Nick, on the day of his fifth wedding anniversary, the day that his wife disappears. The next chapter is from the perspective of…
The Skull and the Nightingale by Michael Irwin
By guest reviewer Kevin Ryan, Crime Scene reviewer for writing.ie The Skull and the Nightingale has all the hallmarks of a gothic horror pastiche on first sight: a stark, black cover with a silhouette of a carriage and horses; within, the endpapers show a map…
Still Missing: Chevy Stevens
‘Compulsive page turner’ is a bit of a cliche but boy, does it apply to Chevy Stevens STILL MISSING. I have to confess that when I first picked up the book, thinking Chevy was a male writer, I didn’t really feel he’d captured the female…
The Chosen: Arlene Hunt
On a hot summer’s day in the sleepy American town of Rockville, Jessie Conway, a teacher at the local high school, notices a car driving slowly around the school grounds. Twenty minutes later Jessie is fighting for her life and Rockville is plunged into living…
The Affair: Lee Child
There are a few masters of the crime thriller, and Lee Child is one of them. The Affair is his 16th novel, and takes us right back to where Reacher began, to six months before his first smash hit novel The Killing Floor which won…
Grid Lock: Sean Black
If you like Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, you’ll love Sean Black’s ex Royal Marine investigator turned personal protection expert Ryan Lock. He has a similar background to Reacher, but unlike Lee Child’s creation, Ryan Lock doesn’t work alone. Lock has a business partner Ty –…
The Silent Girl: Tess Gerritsen
All day I have been watching the girl. What an impressive opening line…the best crime starts with a great hook, and this one drags you straight in by the hair. When a hand is found in a Chinatown alley in downtown Boston, Geritsen’s brilliant detective Jane Rizzoli…
Taken: Niamh O’Connor
I loved Niamh O’Connor’s first novel If I Never See You Again, was left frantically trying to finish it at the heart stopping ending – so I was really looking forward to what happend next to the ballsy DI Jo Birmingham. But I really wasn’t…
Carte Blanche: Jeffery Deaver
What Deaver says: ‘In the world of espionage, giving an agent carte blanche on a mission comes with an enormous amount of trust and constantly tests both personal and professional judgement. Part of the nonstop suspense in the novel is the looming question of what…
Only Time Will Tell: Jeffery Archer
“The Clifton Chronicles” is a multi-generational family saga, from the epic master storyteller. “The Clifton Chronicles” is Jeffrey Archer’s most ambitious work in four decades as an international bestselling author. The epic tale of Harry Clifton’s life begins in 1920, with the chilling words, ‘I…
Plugged: Eoin Colfer
Dan, an Irishman who’s ended up in New Jersey, finds himself embroiled in a world of murder, kidnapping and corrupt cops. Dan works as a bouncer in a seedy club, half in love with hostess Connie. When Connie is murdered on the premises, a vengeful…
Live Wire: Harlen Coben
Over the years, Myron Bolitar has walked a tight rope between sports agent, friend, problem solver and private eye, his big heart quick to defend his clients’ interests so fiercely that he can’t help but jump in to save them, no matter the cost to…
