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darkkserasera's review
5.0
Well-paced and action packed
A thoroughly enjoyable crime thriller with many plot twists in the right places. Well-paced and action packed, the story keeps readers on their toes and turning the pages to the very end.
A thoroughly enjoyable crime thriller with many plot twists in the right places. Well-paced and action packed, the story keeps readers on their toes and turning the pages to the very end.
chazbot72's review
5.0
This book is fantastic! What happens when a cat burglar steals a serial killer's trophy box? Sue Coletta weaves a masterful thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat with every page. Highly recommended!
maeclair's review
5.0
Wings of Mayhem is a read that will keep you glued on the edge of your seat. From page one, straight through to the end, this is a pulse-pounding novel of non-stop suspense. Shawnee Daniels, computer specialist/hacker for the police department by day, moonlights as a cat burglar, stealing from those who have wronged others.
During her most recent heist she inadvertently runs afoul of a serial killer when she steals his trophy box. What follows is a nerve-wracking game of cat and mouse pitting Shawnee against a sadistic executioner. The author does a superb job of layering on the tension, allowing the reader to see into the minds of both Shawnee and the killer. This is the kind of book that sucks you in to the exclusion of all else. I was actually jumpy while reading if someone so much as tried to talk to me! Probably because there are so many twists and turns along the way, many gritty and raw.
Coletta has a strong handle on all of her characters, but I have to give a special nod to Shawnee Daniels, a highly unusual protagonist. I can’t say enough how much I liked her character. Shawnee has flaws, quite a few, but that’s what makes her resonate so strongly with the reader. This is a stand-alone thriller, but if it’s also the first book of a series, I look forward to many more Mayhem adventures!
I received a gifted copy of this book from Crossroad Press in exchanged for an honest review.
During her most recent heist she inadvertently runs afoul of a serial killer when she steals his trophy box. What follows is a nerve-wracking game of cat and mouse pitting Shawnee against a sadistic executioner. The author does a superb job of layering on the tension, allowing the reader to see into the minds of both Shawnee and the killer. This is the kind of book that sucks you in to the exclusion of all else. I was actually jumpy while reading if someone so much as tried to talk to me! Probably because there are so many twists and turns along the way, many gritty and raw.
Coletta has a strong handle on all of her characters, but I have to give a special nod to Shawnee Daniels, a highly unusual protagonist. I can’t say enough how much I liked her character. Shawnee has flaws, quite a few, but that’s what makes her resonate so strongly with the reader. This is a stand-alone thriller, but if it’s also the first book of a series, I look forward to many more Mayhem adventures!
I received a gifted copy of this book from Crossroad Press in exchanged for an honest review.
ddbookreviews's review
5.0
In Wings of Mayhem by Sue Coletta, Shawnee Daniels lost her parents when she was young and spent some time living on the streets where she was taken in and trained to be a cat burglar. She uses her skills to steal from the corrupt who steal from unsuspecting victims. She can find her targets through her work with the police as an IT specialist. She lives with her best friend and her cats. As she searches through her latest mark – Jack Delsin’s home she discovers a secret so horrifying that she flees the home and spends the next few days in fear as she realizes that Jack knows who she is and is now threatening her loved ones. She has to navigate her life making sure that her loved ones are safe while working hard with her Lieutenant to try and apprehend The Creator before he strikes again.
Wings of Mayhem is a suspenseful thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This is not a book that you read to relax. It is filled with action and intrigue, conveying the frightening reality of stumbling across a serial killer who is very intelligent and relentlessly driven by grief and revenge. The themes explored in Sue Coletta’s series starter are interracial relationships, trust and deceit, and loss and how that shapes a person. I liked how Shawnee and Nay are total opposites and how that brings conflict and absolute loyalty to their friendship. What I liked most is that while Shawnee has a swearing vocabulary befitting her character she never once uses the Lord’s name in vain, which in my opinion says a lot about the author’s writing talents.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Wings of Mayhem is a suspenseful thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This is not a book that you read to relax. It is filled with action and intrigue, conveying the frightening reality of stumbling across a serial killer who is very intelligent and relentlessly driven by grief and revenge. The themes explored in Sue Coletta’s series starter are interracial relationships, trust and deceit, and loss and how that shapes a person. I liked how Shawnee and Nay are total opposites and how that brings conflict and absolute loyalty to their friendship. What I liked most is that while Shawnee has a swearing vocabulary befitting her character she never once uses the Lord’s name in vain, which in my opinion says a lot about the author’s writing talents.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
deearr's review
2.0
Due to the wonderful recommendations on the site, I believed I was in for an incredible read. Unfortunately, “Wings of Mayhem” was more of a disappointment. Here’s why, without spoilers:
The main character, Shawnee – police hacker who moonlights as a cat burglar – possesses motivations that don’t always ring true. This causes one to question the entire story, and makes it nearly impossible to identify with the protagonist. The plot revolves around Shawnee discovering the identity of a serial killer during a breaking and entering. Unfortunately, the killer finds out who she is, and the rest of the book deals with his threats to kill her unless she returns his property (one piece in particular). I am good with that, but can’t wrap my head around Shawnee being worried that she might be arrested and prosecuted for her crimes. Her reluctant manner allows the killer to continue murdering additional victims. This is the same woman who believes a hit-and-run driver who killed her parents was not an accident but a planned murder, yet is unable to transfer those feelings of right and wrong to a vicious psychopath.
Be aware that I am the one using the term “psychopath.” It is not used in the book, and the eventually revealed reasons for his killing spree are difficult to believe. Threatening Skype messages to Shawnee only go so far to heighten tension, and eventually the fear seeps away. Other characters are not much more than mere sketches, although Shawnee’s roommate Nay (who ranges from sweet to airhead) seems to be the type of person who Shawnee would normally not associate with. In fact, Shawnee complains about her in almost every encounter, and while these scenes reveal Nay’s character, the interplay becomes annoying after a while.
There are numerous instances where the author walks a thin line or steps over it in the area of police procedures. One example: A woman who is an acquaintance of the lead detective is attacked and left for dead. Shawnee knows the killer (known as The Creator) did this. She asks her boyfriend-detective if he thinks The Creator was responsible, giving the reason that because he is the lead detective on the case, The Creator chose to target the victim. The detective considers this, and later orders police protection for the victim while she is in the hospital because she may be able to identify The Creator. The detective disregards the known facts, such as where The Creator usually attacks/kidnaps victims, what he does to them, and so on. In other words, this attack is nothing like The Creator’s “work,” yet the detective proceeds as if it is and directs not one, but two officers to be outside the victim’s hospital room.
Ms. Coletta’s writing shows promise but can interrupt the reader’s flow when her chosen verbs, adjectives and adverbs are used in place of more appropriate words or terms. A few instances: “The last couple of days didn’t exactly glean me extra sleep” or “On my way toward the side door a loud crash crippled my stride.” While a reader can understand sentences like these, the use of “glean” and “crippled” in these examples are not grammatically correct. Even though there are many more examples like these in the book, the author does provide some descriptive passages from time to time: “One might think I was leading her to the execution chamber by the way her sandals gripped the floor.” It is too bad that more descriptions like this one are not included in the book.
Overall, Ms. Coletta demonstrates that she does have talent. There is no doubt that this book is chockful of action, and runs at a fast pace. Many of her conversations are very realistic, and her plot moves along in a logical fashion. While I am not a fan of writers who move from first to third person, the author pulls it off in this story. On the other hand, much of that logic and the story is built around Shawnee’s thinking, which ranges from jarring to totally unbelievable. I did slog through all the way to the last page, hoping it might get better, but the climax and big reveal at the end only felt contrived and unreal. Two-and-a-half stars.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary electronic copy of this book.
The main character, Shawnee – police hacker who moonlights as a cat burglar – possesses motivations that don’t always ring true. This causes one to question the entire story, and makes it nearly impossible to identify with the protagonist. The plot revolves around Shawnee discovering the identity of a serial killer during a breaking and entering. Unfortunately, the killer finds out who she is, and the rest of the book deals with his threats to kill her unless she returns his property (one piece in particular). I am good with that, but can’t wrap my head around Shawnee being worried that she might be arrested and prosecuted for her crimes. Her reluctant manner allows the killer to continue murdering additional victims. This is the same woman who believes a hit-and-run driver who killed her parents was not an accident but a planned murder, yet is unable to transfer those feelings of right and wrong to a vicious psychopath.
Be aware that I am the one using the term “psychopath.” It is not used in the book, and the eventually revealed reasons for his killing spree are difficult to believe. Threatening Skype messages to Shawnee only go so far to heighten tension, and eventually the fear seeps away. Other characters are not much more than mere sketches, although Shawnee’s roommate Nay (who ranges from sweet to airhead) seems to be the type of person who Shawnee would normally not associate with. In fact, Shawnee complains about her in almost every encounter, and while these scenes reveal Nay’s character, the interplay becomes annoying after a while.
There are numerous instances where the author walks a thin line or steps over it in the area of police procedures. One example: A woman who is an acquaintance of the lead detective is attacked and left for dead. Shawnee knows the killer (known as The Creator) did this. She asks her boyfriend-detective if he thinks The Creator was responsible, giving the reason that because he is the lead detective on the case, The Creator chose to target the victim. The detective considers this, and later orders police protection for the victim while she is in the hospital because she may be able to identify The Creator. The detective disregards the known facts, such as where The Creator usually attacks/kidnaps victims, what he does to them, and so on. In other words, this attack is nothing like The Creator’s “work,” yet the detective proceeds as if it is and directs not one, but two officers to be outside the victim’s hospital room.
Ms. Coletta’s writing shows promise but can interrupt the reader’s flow when her chosen verbs, adjectives and adverbs are used in place of more appropriate words or terms. A few instances: “The last couple of days didn’t exactly glean me extra sleep” or “On my way toward the side door a loud crash crippled my stride.” While a reader can understand sentences like these, the use of “glean” and “crippled” in these examples are not grammatically correct. Even though there are many more examples like these in the book, the author does provide some descriptive passages from time to time: “One might think I was leading her to the execution chamber by the way her sandals gripped the floor.” It is too bad that more descriptions like this one are not included in the book.
Overall, Ms. Coletta demonstrates that she does have talent. There is no doubt that this book is chockful of action, and runs at a fast pace. Many of her conversations are very realistic, and her plot moves along in a logical fashion. While I am not a fan of writers who move from first to third person, the author pulls it off in this story. On the other hand, much of that logic and the story is built around Shawnee’s thinking, which ranges from jarring to totally unbelievable. I did slog through all the way to the last page, hoping it might get better, but the climax and big reveal at the end only felt contrived and unreal. Two-and-a-half stars.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary electronic copy of this book.
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