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she_loves_to_read's Reviews (80)
After a freak accident in rural Wyoming leads to the local Sheriff's Dept. to arrest a man for a double homicide, Robert Hunter's life is turned upside down and inside out when further investigations pick up a much more horrifying and dangerous discovery in the form of a serial killer who has been kidnapping, torturing and mutilating victims all over the US for at least 25 yrs. With the suspect refusing to talk to anyone but Hunter, he finds himself on a plane to FBI HQ in Quantico instead of one heading to Hawaii for a long overdue holiday.
Initially thinking, he sits before a friend and innocent man. Robert is soon hit with reality and faces his most personal and high stakes case to date.
An Evil Mind is a break from the norm in this amazing series in that Chris has based a majority of the plot and its characters on facts, cases and people that he met throughout his career as a criminal psychologist and we also find out who the killer is early on. Going on an emotional, gripping, and thought-provoking journey of discovery into the mind of pure evil.
We are also given a deeper insight into Hunter, his past life, what makes him who he is and why. Which really furthers his characters development in the eyes of his readers.
We don't see any familiar faces in this story because it focuses solely on Robert and his past life. But this really doesn't detract from anything at all. In fact, it just adds to his readers' investment in the character and the series as a whole.
It's action-packed, guilty, raw, complex, clever, and suspense filled, with perfect pace, fluidity, and execution. It's also fresh, unique, and one of my favourites so far!
Could this be a turning point and new direction for Robert? Will Garcia return? Who knows! But I'm here for it. Bring on book 7!
Initially thinking, he sits before a friend and innocent man. Robert is soon hit with reality and faces his most personal and high stakes case to date.
An Evil Mind is a break from the norm in this amazing series in that Chris has based a majority of the plot and its characters on facts, cases and people that he met throughout his career as a criminal psychologist and we also find out who the killer is early on. Going on an emotional, gripping, and thought-provoking journey of discovery into the mind of pure evil.
We are also given a deeper insight into Hunter, his past life, what makes him who he is and why. Which really furthers his characters development in the eyes of his readers.
We don't see any familiar faces in this story because it focuses solely on Robert and his past life. But this really doesn't detract from anything at all. In fact, it just adds to his readers' investment in the character and the series as a whole.
It's action-packed, guilty, raw, complex, clever, and suspense filled, with perfect pace, fluidity, and execution. It's also fresh, unique, and one of my favourites so far!
Could this be a turning point and new direction for Robert? Will Garcia return? Who knows! But I'm here for it. Bring on book 7!
One child. Two mothers. Apart that won't let them go.
After suffering an unimaginable loss, Lauren wants a new start. After finding a new life and home in the pretty seaside town of Mantilla de Mar in Spain, she feels as though she can finally put her past behind her. Whilst at the same time, Hope has everything: an interesting career and an attractive husband, dream home, and a beautiful, longed for baby boy called Sam.
After suffering an unimaginable loss, Lauren wants a new start. After finding a new life and home in the pretty seaside town of Mantilla de Mar in Spain, she feels as though she can finally put her past behind her. Whilst at the same time, Hope has everything: an interesting career and an attractive husband, dream home, and a beautiful, longed for baby boy called Sam.
- But when Sam goes missing, with both women's lives being turned upside down when Hope has reason to believe that Sam has been found in Spain and her nightmare might be coming to an end. However, lauren is insisting that Sam is her baby, having both a passport and birth certificate to prove it.
So begins a tumultuous, emotional, heartbreaking, shocking, thought-provoking journey to find out what really happened to Sam and why. Revealing who has secrets to hide, what they are, and how one mistake can snowball into tragedy. Leaving fate to intervene and creating an otherwise unimaginable bond that will tie them together for life.
Ruth has written a fresh, clever, and engaging story that will have you gripped and guessing until it's very last page. Creating a fantastic plot, amazingly realistic and relatable characters, and tidbits of information that are drip fed to her readers. Creating an atmospheric and suspense filled story that will bleed you dry of every emotion you commit to when reading such a heartfelt tale.
I really love the fact that Ruth uses her stories as a criminal defence lawyer as inspiration for her books, and I definitely recommend reading the foreword, which gives you a brilliant insight into how this story was born.
This was my first time outing with Ruth, and I loved every minute. I'll definitely be reading more of her work, and it's an overall 5 stra read for me.
You would think that being the 13th outing for Helen Grace, her stories will have become monotonous and predictable. But having just finished Into the Fire in one day! I can safely say that you would be wrong!
With Helen handing in her warrant card in the previous instalment and heading into self-imposed exile, having outed her bosses and the policing community for what she perceives, quite rightly as their failings in fighting crime and seeking justice for those in need, I wasn't sure what to expect. But Matt smashed it out of the park yet again with an original and fresh storyline, non-stop action, twists you don't see coming, grit, tension, suspense, 3 fantastically written strong female characters, excellent pace, short punchy chapters, constant fluid and building momentum and another excellently executed cliffhanger ending.
Matt always uses some really hard-hitting, compelling, and thought-provoking societal issues for the centre of the story lines. He provokes all ranges of emotions within his readers, and he doesn't hold back with the rawness and reality of the victims that are unfortunate to get in the eye of the storm.
You would also think that there wouldn't really be too much else that Matt could go with regards to the main protagonists of Helen. But again, you would be completely wrong. Because he just brings out new personality traits, thoughts, feelings, hardships, revelations, pivots, relationships, and emotions. The list is endless, and it doesn't end with Helen. All of his character development, whether they be regulars or just fleeting, is progressive and on point.
This story has proved that you can take Helen away from the justice system. But you most definitely can't take the quest for justice out of Helen.
Whether or not she can make peace with the system as it stands with the hope that change should and could happen from within the ranks and not from the sidelines remains to be seen. I, for one, CAN NOT wait to find out!! Matt, can we have the next instalment, please, and soon?!
With Helen handing in her warrant card in the previous instalment and heading into self-imposed exile, having outed her bosses and the policing community for what she perceives, quite rightly as their failings in fighting crime and seeking justice for those in need, I wasn't sure what to expect. But Matt smashed it out of the park yet again with an original and fresh storyline, non-stop action, twists you don't see coming, grit, tension, suspense, 3 fantastically written strong female characters, excellent pace, short punchy chapters, constant fluid and building momentum and another excellently executed cliffhanger ending.
Matt always uses some really hard-hitting, compelling, and thought-provoking societal issues for the centre of the story lines. He provokes all ranges of emotions within his readers, and he doesn't hold back with the rawness and reality of the victims that are unfortunate to get in the eye of the storm.
You would also think that there wouldn't really be too much else that Matt could go with regards to the main protagonists of Helen. But again, you would be completely wrong. Because he just brings out new personality traits, thoughts, feelings, hardships, revelations, pivots, relationships, and emotions. The list is endless, and it doesn't end with Helen. All of his character development, whether they be regulars or just fleeting, is progressive and on point.
This story has proved that you can take Helen away from the justice system. But you most definitely can't take the quest for justice out of Helen.
Whether or not she can make peace with the system as it stands with the hope that change should and could happen from within the ranks and not from the sidelines remains to be seen. I, for one, CAN NOT wait to find out!! Matt, can we have the next instalment, please, and soon?!
'Really? We always have a choice, do we? What about the choices that other people make that end up completely changing your life, not theirs? Where is our choice then?'
This perfectly summarises the message that was weaved within another brilliantly plotted and excellently executed thrilling instalment of the Detective Robert Hunter series. Robert and his LAPD Homicide Special Section are back with another complex case involving a sadistic serial killer who is kidnapping seemingly random people off the streets. Torturing them and then streaming their deaths via social media whilst asking the public to choose how they die. He's clever! Covering his tracks and upping his game with every victim. So Hunter teams up with the FBI cybercrime unit to investigate and solve the puzzle in time before more victims meet their violent end.
I absolutely love Robert, who is strong, intelligent, quick thinking, decisive, dedicated, and has huge compassion for those he serves and those within his personal life, and I really enjoy the drip feeding of his back story within each book. Giving us more insight into how he became who is. I just wish he would give himself some grace and compassion. I also love the partnership between him and Garcia. They really complement each other in their skill sets and the way in which they process each investigation. I really like Michelle, who came with her own story. She brought added depth and dimension, and I hope we see her again.
As always, Chris has brought his immense talent for storytelling into every nook and cranny of this story. The action and intrigue pull you in from the very first sentence. The fluidity and pace of the story are second to none, and his characters, whether they be regulars or newbies. Slot perfectly into the plotline. It's a chunky book, but it definitely doesn't feel like one because you are so gripped by the story and the way it is so excellently and consiely written that you couldn't stop turning the pages if you tried.
How Chris manages to being something really unique to his stories that are so detailed and complex but perfectly wrapped up is a testament to his talent. I can't wait to dive into book 6.
This perfectly summarises the message that was weaved within another brilliantly plotted and excellently executed thrilling instalment of the Detective Robert Hunter series. Robert and his LAPD Homicide Special Section are back with another complex case involving a sadistic serial killer who is kidnapping seemingly random people off the streets. Torturing them and then streaming their deaths via social media whilst asking the public to choose how they die. He's clever! Covering his tracks and upping his game with every victim. So Hunter teams up with the FBI cybercrime unit to investigate and solve the puzzle in time before more victims meet their violent end.
I absolutely love Robert, who is strong, intelligent, quick thinking, decisive, dedicated, and has huge compassion for those he serves and those within his personal life, and I really enjoy the drip feeding of his back story within each book. Giving us more insight into how he became who is. I just wish he would give himself some grace and compassion. I also love the partnership between him and Garcia. They really complement each other in their skill sets and the way in which they process each investigation. I really like Michelle, who came with her own story. She brought added depth and dimension, and I hope we see her again.
As always, Chris has brought his immense talent for storytelling into every nook and cranny of this story. The action and intrigue pull you in from the very first sentence. The fluidity and pace of the story are second to none, and his characters, whether they be regulars or newbies. Slot perfectly into the plotline. It's a chunky book, but it definitely doesn't feel like one because you are so gripped by the story and the way it is so excellently and consiely written that you couldn't stop turning the pages if you tried.
How Chris manages to being something really unique to his stories that are so detailed and complex but perfectly wrapped up is a testament to his talent. I can't wait to dive into book 6.
"I couldn't go back and change my past, so I said sorry to myself and moved on."
That's exactly what Krystal did. Building a stable, loving, and supportive family environment for herself and her 2 young sons. Building a flourishing career in stand-up comedy and becoming an author after deciding to document her rough, chaotic, inconsistent, challenging, remarkable, and often heartbreakingly tragic life.
Littered with poverty, violence, grief, mind games, lies, misuse of drugs, drinking, depression, child neglect, and a severely mentally ill mother who would drag Krystal and her sister, Katie across the US woth no real place to call home and the added complications of being alienated from family and support networks. Something that contributed to the tragic night at the age of 14 when Krystal managed to survive a fire at their house, but tragically lost her 6 yr old sister Katie. But despute this, and with the help of her father, his family, and some of her mothers family battling to stay in her life and Krystal's innate sense of survival, courage, strength and humour. She has survived and turned her life into something that others in her position would not have been able to.
The Hottest Girl At Burn Camp is a beautifully written, compelling, perfectly paced, honest, raw, remarkable, relatable, heartbreaking, heartwarming, thought-provoking, humorous, and wholly inspiring story that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page.
If you choose to read a memoir this year. Let this one be it.
That's exactly what Krystal did. Building a stable, loving, and supportive family environment for herself and her 2 young sons. Building a flourishing career in stand-up comedy and becoming an author after deciding to document her rough, chaotic, inconsistent, challenging, remarkable, and often heartbreakingly tragic life.
Littered with poverty, violence, grief, mind games, lies, misuse of drugs, drinking, depression, child neglect, and a severely mentally ill mother who would drag Krystal and her sister, Katie across the US woth no real place to call home and the added complications of being alienated from family and support networks. Something that contributed to the tragic night at the age of 14 when Krystal managed to survive a fire at their house, but tragically lost her 6 yr old sister Katie. But despute this, and with the help of her father, his family, and some of her mothers family battling to stay in her life and Krystal's innate sense of survival, courage, strength and humour. She has survived and turned her life into something that others in her position would not have been able to.
The Hottest Girl At Burn Camp is a beautifully written, compelling, perfectly paced, honest, raw, remarkable, relatable, heartbreaking, heartwarming, thought-provoking, humorous, and wholly inspiring story that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page.
If you choose to read a memoir this year. Let this one be it.
Kakigori Summer is a character driven story of 3 very different sisters that explores love, loss, sisterhood, the meaning of family, hope, grief, racial identity, nostalgia, motherhood, growth, unbreakable bonds, depression, things left unsaid and the stories we tell ourselves about the past and how they determine our future.
Despite their lives taking very different paths, they've always looked out for each other, and when youngest sister Ai, a Japanese pop idol, becomes embroiled in a scandal, thrusting her into a damaging spotlight. The sisters travel to their childhood home on the coast, reuniting with their sharp, tongued grandmothers, and spend their summer tralking, growing, healing, bonding, and finding their way backed to themselves and each other.
I love stories that explore family relationship dynamics. Especially when they are told in a thought-provoking way and have meaning and purpose. Which Kakigori Summer has in spades. Emily has created a great cast of characters that i think all readers can relate to in some way, and objectively, the plot has substance and potential.
However, i did struggle with the really slow pace and fluidity of the story, which had a knock-on effect of not holding my interest consistently. I just felt a little disconnect that I couldn't quite put my finger on.
But don't let that dwter you from picking it up because, as I mentioned before, it's a meaningful, emotional, and thought-provoking story that does inspire hope and the meaning of the unbreakable bonds of family.
Despite their lives taking very different paths, they've always looked out for each other, and when youngest sister Ai, a Japanese pop idol, becomes embroiled in a scandal, thrusting her into a damaging spotlight. The sisters travel to their childhood home on the coast, reuniting with their sharp, tongued grandmothers, and spend their summer tralking, growing, healing, bonding, and finding their way backed to themselves and each other.
I love stories that explore family relationship dynamics. Especially when they are told in a thought-provoking way and have meaning and purpose. Which Kakigori Summer has in spades. Emily has created a great cast of characters that i think all readers can relate to in some way, and objectively, the plot has substance and potential.
However, i did struggle with the really slow pace and fluidity of the story, which had a knock-on effect of not holding my interest consistently. I just felt a little disconnect that I couldn't quite put my finger on.
But don't let that dwter you from picking it up because, as I mentioned before, it's a meaningful, emotional, and thought-provoking story that does inspire hope and the meaning of the unbreakable bonds of family.
If you're looking for a fun, witty, emotional, educational, empowering, and thought-provoking story with a hint of the supernatural and a whole tonne of inspiration for pride month. Then, Let Them Stare should be at the top of your list. Despite being classed as YA, I think you can get just as much, if not more, out of it as an adult.
The story follows 18 yr old non-binary Sully who has been desperate their whole life to leave small town Pensylvania. When they are offered a fashion internship in NYC, they jump at the chance. But when the internship goes up in smoke, Sully is stuck at home with no job, no car, no money, and no real plan for the future. With emotions, high and comfort needed, Sully decided to go to their personal sanctuary, thrift store, Yesterday's Today. What they didn't expect was a random haul producing a vintage bag that will change their life immeasurably. Giving them renewed purpose and a sense of hope, in the form of ghost, Rufus, a drag performer from the it's with no memory of how he died. Alongside potential love interest Brad, playing chauffeur. Sully delves into the history of the town they hate and want to escape. Only to discover that there's more to Hearts than they ever thought possible.
Blending modern dat LGBTQIA+ issues woth those faced by the community in the 1950s, it highlights the good, bad, and downright ugly experiences that severely affects the lives of those who have thoughts feelings, hopes, dreams and aspirations just like those in the non-queer community.
It's got fun, friendship, love, romance, lies, secrets, growth, humour, found family, community, a t-rex in drag, fashion, heartbreak, healing, and an excellent character and plot development. With an important message that everyone should learn from. LET THEM STARE! It's a story of finding the extra ordinary in perfectly ordinary places and learning how to take up space even in places where you're certain you dont belong. Just brilliant!
The story follows 18 yr old non-binary Sully who has been desperate their whole life to leave small town Pensylvania. When they are offered a fashion internship in NYC, they jump at the chance. But when the internship goes up in smoke, Sully is stuck at home with no job, no car, no money, and no real plan for the future. With emotions, high and comfort needed, Sully decided to go to their personal sanctuary, thrift store, Yesterday's Today. What they didn't expect was a random haul producing a vintage bag that will change their life immeasurably. Giving them renewed purpose and a sense of hope, in the form of ghost, Rufus, a drag performer from the it's with no memory of how he died. Alongside potential love interest Brad, playing chauffeur. Sully delves into the history of the town they hate and want to escape. Only to discover that there's more to Hearts than they ever thought possible.
Blending modern dat LGBTQIA+ issues woth those faced by the community in the 1950s, it highlights the good, bad, and downright ugly experiences that severely affects the lives of those who have thoughts feelings, hopes, dreams and aspirations just like those in the non-queer community.
It's got fun, friendship, love, romance, lies, secrets, growth, humour, found family, community, a t-rex in drag, fashion, heartbreak, healing, and an excellent character and plot development. With an important message that everyone should learn from. LET THEM STARE! It's a story of finding the extra ordinary in perfectly ordinary places and learning how to take up space even in places where you're certain you dont belong. Just brilliant!
Spanning 100yrs, including two world wars, the sinking of the, multiple generations and countries and told via dual pov and timelines. The Library of Lost Doll Hosues is a brilliantly evocative and inspiring story of unexpected journeys, growth, love, revelations, secrets, lies, strength, underestimation, ambition, forbidden love, friendship, family, courage, bravery, scandal and discovery.
We follow Tildy, Head Curator of the archival Bel Library in San Francisco, who finds herself in the position of trying to save the place she feels most at home in. Needing a miracle to keep the library afloat, Tildy happens to find a secret room with 2 exquisite dollhouse hidden inside. Facing a race against time to try to find out more about the history of the houses and their owners in order to showcase them in an effort to save the Bel. Tildy embarks on an emotional rollercoaster journey of discovery not just professionally and personally as well. Whereby, in a twist of fate, she finds she is more connected than she ever thought possible.
I absolutely loved following both Tilday and Cora's journey and the brilliant and varied people that connections were made with and the resultant discoveries that came to light as we were drawn further into the story. With all of the personalities we meet along the way, being realistic and relatable.
Elise is a natural storyteller, and I absolutely love the message, purpose, and meaning of the story she was trying to tell. Especially with regards to the strong female characters, their struggles and unerestimation they faced, and the way in which they kept their strength and self-respect in the face of sometimes abject adversity.
A beautiful slice of historical fiction that you can get totally lost in and come out the other side feeling much richer and with renewed purpose because of it!
We follow Tildy, Head Curator of the archival Bel Library in San Francisco, who finds herself in the position of trying to save the place she feels most at home in. Needing a miracle to keep the library afloat, Tildy happens to find a secret room with 2 exquisite dollhouse hidden inside. Facing a race against time to try to find out more about the history of the houses and their owners in order to showcase them in an effort to save the Bel. Tildy embarks on an emotional rollercoaster journey of discovery not just professionally and personally as well. Whereby, in a twist of fate, she finds she is more connected than she ever thought possible.
I absolutely loved following both Tilday and Cora's journey and the brilliant and varied people that connections were made with and the resultant discoveries that came to light as we were drawn further into the story. With all of the personalities we meet along the way, being realistic and relatable.
Elise is a natural storyteller, and I absolutely love the message, purpose, and meaning of the story she was trying to tell. Especially with regards to the strong female characters, their struggles and unerestimation they faced, and the way in which they kept their strength and self-respect in the face of sometimes abject adversity.
A beautiful slice of historical fiction that you can get totally lost in and come out the other side feeling much richer and with renewed purpose because of it!
Nat and Pete have been together since their uni days 20yrs ago. In that time, they've built a comfortable life whilst bringing up their daughters. Emily and 8-yr-old Zadie. With life starting to settle, Pete hopes to put his longstanding plans for their future into action. But all of that changes when Nat unexpectedly falls pregnant and is adamant about keeping the baby. But this time round, life is much harder. With Erin being far from an easy baby. Natalie struggling mentally, and Pete finding solace in work. Life begins to spiral out of control.
In an effort to try to bring the family together, Pete suggests hosting an 18th birthday party for Emily. But what should be an exciting celebration, soon turns into a parents worst nightmare when Erin goes missing and once found, ends up in the ICU. With a whole host of suspects in the frame. Each with their own motives to want to cause the family distress. It's left to DI Travis to find the perpetrator. Whose identity, when revealed, sends shockeaves through the community.
Another brilliantly gripping and compelling domestic thriller from Matt and his co-writer Lisa. Whose writing is so seamless, you dont know who has written what. The prologue sets the scene and tone of the story perfectly, accompanied by a fluid pace that ebbs and flows with the intensity of the plot. Each character has their own back story and personality that mirrors people you could be living next door to. Some you love and some you love to hate. Whilst doing a really good job of setting up the suspect list, never quite pointing the finger directly at anyone. Whilst leaving enough crumbs to raise doubt in their readers' minds just when they think they've solved the case. With secrets, lies, adultery, kidnapping, mental illness, betrayal, shock, awe, love, family, friendship, suspense, hopes, dreams, forgiveness, new beginnings and a message that reminds you that things can change in an instant and not to take life for granted. The Mistake is a worthy contender for your tbr.
In an effort to try to bring the family together, Pete suggests hosting an 18th birthday party for Emily. But what should be an exciting celebration, soon turns into a parents worst nightmare when Erin goes missing and once found, ends up in the ICU. With a whole host of suspects in the frame. Each with their own motives to want to cause the family distress. It's left to DI Travis to find the perpetrator. Whose identity, when revealed, sends shockeaves through the community.
Another brilliantly gripping and compelling domestic thriller from Matt and his co-writer Lisa. Whose writing is so seamless, you dont know who has written what. The prologue sets the scene and tone of the story perfectly, accompanied by a fluid pace that ebbs and flows with the intensity of the plot. Each character has their own back story and personality that mirrors people you could be living next door to. Some you love and some you love to hate. Whilst doing a really good job of setting up the suspect list, never quite pointing the finger directly at anyone. Whilst leaving enough crumbs to raise doubt in their readers' minds just when they think they've solved the case. With secrets, lies, adultery, kidnapping, mental illness, betrayal, shock, awe, love, family, friendship, suspense, hopes, dreams, forgiveness, new beginnings and a message that reminds you that things can change in an instant and not to take life for granted. The Mistake is a worthy contender for your tbr.
Robert Hunter is back and jumping straight into the action in the 4th instalment of the series with one of his most gruesome and challenging cases to date in the form of the Death Sculptor. Who is brutally murdering and dismembering their victims. Chllingly using their body parts to create seemingly meaningless calling cards in the form of sculptures. But Hunter is in no doubt that the killer is trying to communicate with him and embarks on a dangerous and time sensitive journey to decipher the message before too many bodies start piling up. But with no apparent link between the victims resulting in stunted progress. Robert is reluctantly pushed into an alliance with an investigator from the DA'S office. Who proves to be a brilliant addition to the team, helping Rovert to fill in the missing pieces and put a stop to the killers rampage.
Chris is a master at what he does. His stories are well constructed and excellently executed with unique and enthralling plots every time. The pace and fluidity of the narrative is perfect. With short, gripping chapters that leave you holding your breath and no choice but to keep turning the pages.
I love the character development with the series as we get to know a little bit more about the main characters and what makes them them. Despite the subject matter running through the plot, Chris still manages to keep the characters realistic and relatable. Giving his readers a really authentic experience.
Chris is a natural storyteller with vivid and atmospheric details and descriptions, creating a raw, complex, tense, chilling, emotional, and addictive reading experience that you just can't get enough of.
Why this series hasn't been picked up by mainstream tv yet still baffles me because there isn't a series out there like it!
I can safely say that Chris is my favourite thriller author of all time, and if you haven't discovered him yet, you absolutely need to!!
Chris is a master at what he does. His stories are well constructed and excellently executed with unique and enthralling plots every time. The pace and fluidity of the narrative is perfect. With short, gripping chapters that leave you holding your breath and no choice but to keep turning the pages.
I love the character development with the series as we get to know a little bit more about the main characters and what makes them them. Despite the subject matter running through the plot, Chris still manages to keep the characters realistic and relatable. Giving his readers a really authentic experience.
Chris is a natural storyteller with vivid and atmospheric details and descriptions, creating a raw, complex, tense, chilling, emotional, and addictive reading experience that you just can't get enough of.
Why this series hasn't been picked up by mainstream tv yet still baffles me because there isn't a series out there like it!
I can safely say that Chris is my favourite thriller author of all time, and if you haven't discovered him yet, you absolutely need to!!