Book Reviews; A round up of 2015 books well worth a read!

2015 has been a fantastic year for Crime Fiction and as usual there have been far too many really good books for me to get round to reviewing them all.  So, here are a few that slipped through the net during the year but that I've now managed to catch up with.  Enjoy!


Speaking in Bones by Kathy Reichs 

If you like anthropological crime fiction this is one for you.

These are the words on a recording played to anthropologist Tempe Brannon;  “Please don’t kill me.  Please don’t kill me.

  Please.  Kill me.” 
How’s that for a thrilling start to a thrilling book?

As usual Kathy Reichs is up to her usual intriguing standards. When amateur detective and websleuth Hazel  ‘Lucky’ Strike  approaches Tempe with a distressing recording of an anguished girl claiming she’s matched the girl in the  recording to some bones analysed previously by Tempe.  She thinks they belong to missing girl Cora Teague.  The only problem is Teague's family insist she’s alive.

Intrigued Tempe enlists the help of Detective Ramsay and together they approach the fundamental catholic church that Cora’s family attend.  Tempe becomes more convinced that there is something in Lucky’s allegations, when she turns up dead.

As well as fascinating anthropological details Reich provides us with a cast of characters that draw us in and half our attention.  Tempe’s confusion over her feelings for long time beau Ryan reveal her softer side, as does her caring for her elderly eccentric and sometimes downright mischievous bi- polar mother.

The reason I like Reich’s books is that there is always a twist or two along the way and in Speaking In Bones  she surpasses herself.  A great read for fans of Patricia Cornwell or those who like scientific elements to their crime fiction.

Available on Amazon kindle£9.99 or HB £10
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0434021199?keywords=speaking%20in%20bones&qid=1450530370&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Silence the Dead by Jack Fredrickson 

In Silence the dead Fredrickson delivers a tantalising

unsolved murder  spanning thirty years that impacted a small community in Grand Point Illinois.

When Betty Jo Deans and Paulus Pribilski are found murdered the police are inundated by so many clues and leads that they don’t know where to turn.  Jonah Ridl, a traumatised reporter, suspects there is more to Betty Jo’s murder than the police are revealing and when the body count increases he disappears.  Thirty years later Mac Bassett is elected mayor and when a constituent asks him to investigate Betty Jo’s murder the slugs begin to crawl out from under their stones. 

Silence The Dead is about achieving justice, humanity, community and sheer bloody minded doggedness.  It is about the injustice delivered to the people of Pinktown (so named because the people were so poor they got a job lot of cheap pink paint to paint their homes)  by the ‘importants’ who can get away with it because of their privileged position in society.

From an explosive beginning through to its dramatic ending Silence the dead is a fantastic read.  Highly recommended.

Available on Amazon Kindle £5.99 HB £19.99 or PB £12.99
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00P6NG7XK?keywords=silence%20the%20dead%20jack%20fredrickson&qid=1450530857&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

The Ice Twins by S.K.Tremayne
When one of Sarah and Angus Moorcroft's identical twin daughters dies, the grief-stricken family move to Eilean

Torran (Thunder Island) on The Sound of Sleat in the Hebrides.  However, the families underlying secrets, lies and traumatic experiences all combine to make an eerily haunting journey into the mind of the confused surviving twin. An immensely well researched story discussing the psychological link between twins. I initially wondered if the subject matter of this story could be maintained for a full novel, but rest assured Tremayne  drives the story forward at a good pace and introduces more and more elements to capture the tragedy that surrounds the family.  The Ice Twins is atmospheric and tragically compelling.  It is full of twists and clues delivered with a skillful sleight of hand. A definite must read for fans of the psychological thriller. 
Available on Kindle £3.99 or PB £3.85
http://www.amazon.co.uk/S.-K.-Tremayne/e/B00M35OYVQ/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1450530718&sr=1-2-ent

Death Falls by Todd Ritter's 
It's more than forty years since Eric Olmestead's brother Charlie, disappeared near a waterfall in the sleep town Perry hollow near Philadelphia on the eve of the Apollo moon landings in 1969.  Now, begged by his mother on her

deathbed, Eric enlists the help of ex detective Nick Donnelly to investigate his brothers disappearance.  However, when evidence that other boys went missing on dates coinciding with Apollo moon landings Police Chief Kat Campbell, Eric's long ago ex, becomes involved, aware that there was a serial killer on the loose and determined to hold him to justice should he still be alive.  Death Falls, has a wealth of varied and compelling characters and a compelling serial killer hunt with a touch of romance thrown in for good measure.  If you like James Carol or Mason Cross books then this is one for you.
Death Falls  is excellent value for £1.99 on Kindle
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Falls-Todd-Ritter-ebook/dp/B00R0RGSIE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450532803&sr=1-1&keywords=death+falls+todd