Book Reviews: Today you're getting a double whammy- Two reviews in one post. The first and second books in Rob Ashman's very creepy Detective Roz Kray series: Faceless and This Little Piggy

So, I joke you not, these books should come with  not one, but three warnings ... a warning not to have anything else planned for the rest of the day.  A warning to makes sure you're not home alone when reading them and, perhaps the most important warning of all -  a warning to avoid hot drinks at crucial points in the book.  Rob Ashman, a bill is in the post for the dry cleaning of my trousers (No - it was only a coffee spill - not the other - although that was a close call) and for the purchase of various scald remedies.  After his thrilling and ever so very warped Mechanic series, Ashman has done the impossible and damn well out done himself.  the new series is great.  Read on for my reviews of the first two books.  I believe the third Suspended Retribution will be released later in the year - I, for one, am waiting with bated breath.



Faceless

Available here

As, I quipped on Facebook , this book could equally have been called Sleepless because that's what I
was after reading it. Seriously though, the title is fab and very, very apt - we're talking about a book entitled Faceless and a serial killer - I'll let you join the dots.

Ashman's new character Roz is inspired.  Vulnerable yet tough, with a backstory to leave you bawling for hours, Roz Kray is well rounded and believable.  You'll love her!
I loved the way Ashman gets right into the killer's mind and juxtaposes that with fantastic insights into Roz and her story.  I'm not going to go into the plot too much as I know you'll all rush off to read it anyway, but it is quite unique.  Don't think I'll ever look at an Iced Slice in quite the same way again.  As well as Rosalind Kray, Ashman has created a cast of subsidiary characters that are believable and very distinct form each other.  You have the lazy copper, the cover your back copper, the I don't know what I'm doing but I'm the boss copper and the trusty side kick.  Alongside that, Ashman isn't afraid to take us to the brink with his creative choices.  There were a few moments when I could cheerfully have throttled him for his decisions, whilst knowing, deep down, that he, as the author, did the right thing.  If you can provoke a visceral reaction in your reader then you're doing a grand job ... and Rob Ashman certainly did a grand job.  He's upped his game with Roz Kray and I couldn't wait to read on.

This Little Piggy (released 19th june 2018) 

Available here

This Little Piggy is a play on the children's nursery rhyme and, of course, this immediately sets your hairs on end.  However, Ashman did something very clever in writing the sequel to Faceless.  He shifted gears a little.  He's extremely good at creating serial killers that make your heart thud and your skin crawl and he still does that.  However, this serial killer is a completely different kettle of fish from The Mechanic and the Faceless killer.  There I was expecting more of the same, and although I got something different, I wasn't disappointed.
In This Little Piggy, Roz is called into a vicious murder where the body is suspended upside down after being tortured and covered in boiling water.  A surprise discovery at the scene, tells Roz that this victim is not the first.  In an edge of the seat cat and mouse chase we see Roz get inside the head of the killer, following her instincts and sticking with them even when her beliefs seem impossible.
Again, the suspense is high, but for me it is Ashman's attention to the detail of his characterisation that raises his writing high ... well that and the twist near the end - truly inspired and despite the amount of literature I consume, I didn't see it coming.  You truly are an evil man Rob Ashman! (But in a good way)

So advice to the reader -
1 - Buy Faceless today and read it now!
2/ Then you'll be right on time to download This Little Piggy tomorrow when it's released.
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