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Recent Reviews
Riku Onda
Positive Crime Fiction Lover The translation by Alison Watts effectively conveys this sense of gradual discovery – about the guide, about the siblings’ relationship, about their un-twin-like misinterpretations of the other’s state of mind, about the past and perhaps even about their futures. Onda has a lovely, slow-moving and relatively unadorned style of writing. But beneath the placid surface is a tidal wave of emotion. She minimises physical description in lieu of emotional nuance, resulting in a complex and memorable story.
Elizabeth Kay
Positive Crime Fiction Lover ... immersive ... from page 10 of Seven Lies onwards, you know where this is going, yet author Elizabeth Kay effectively strings you along as the box Jane has constructed for herself becomes smaller and smaller ... The close-in perspective never gets boring, as Jane has the capacity to surprise, to insinuate, and while you may peg her right away as an unreliable narrator, nothing she does seems out of character or discordant with her world view. She sees things through a particular, distorted lens, and, as Jane herself would say, ‘you understand’.
Denise Mina
Positive Crime Fiction Lover ...[a] deftly plotted new crime thriller ... Mina’s prose is full of poetic gems. No wonder she’s won all those prizes! ... Throughout the novel, Mina effectively conveys Anna’s state of mind, and while she doesn’t always make the best decisions, you can believe in her ... You’re in for quite an adventure, at times a deadly one, with this intriguing tale!
Val McDermid
Rave Crime Fiction Lover There’s a reason readers around the world look forward to a new book by the ‘queen of crime’ and Val McDermid’s legions of fans will not be disappointed with this one. This new police procedural is her fifth crime thriller featuring Edinburgh police cold case detective Karen Pirie, who’s not above putting her faith in the value of her work above the priorities of her superiors ... Though Pirie makes some missteps, mostly with respect to her relations with other police officials, and especially with ACC Markie, McDermid never puts a foot wrong. Her prose is so clear and engaging, this is a book that will keep you turning pages. Like Pirie, you will be hungry for just that one more bit of evidence.
Gin Phillips
Rave Crime Fiction Lover At times, the tension is so high, you may need to take a break. The zoo/park setting, in an unnamed American city, is meticulously rendered ... The behaviour and preoccupations of a four-year-old are so accurately rendered, you know this child. You can absolutely believe in every mistimed, too-loud conversation, every desire that needs immediate attention, and every incipient wail ... The child-in-danger motif has been well explored in much recent crime fiction but few set out to immerse themselves in the relationship between mother and child as Phillips has. It’s that relationship that brings the novel its relentless, overwhelming power.