The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh

The Last Party is a story like those two for one specials you get in your local supermarket...

...it is not only a very addictive police investigation into a murder, it also digs deep into the complex elements of fame, family and relationships.

It's also great to finally have a new detective series whose main character is as flawed as the rest of us!

Thank you Ms Mackintosh for offering your readers a twisty crime thriller, I for one will be looking forward to see what you throw at DC Morgan next...

The Library Enthusiast on Best Books Ever...

The Island by Adrian McKinty

We are told this is a psychological thriller, set on a remote Australian island just off the Mornington Peninsula...

Long story short, an American family become trapped on the island after a hit and run incident in which they kill a local woman, so the somewhat bat shit crazy family that reside on the island decide to get their revenge.

Whilst I wanted to like some elements of this book, I did consider the dialogue to be very cliche, and not always believable or realistic. 

The main characters are very one dimensional and I am disappointed to say that McKinty gave us very stereotypical Australians...shame on you Adrian.

The Library Enthusiast & Bad Books...

No Hard Feelings by Genevieve Novak

 I really enjoyed No hard Feelings, I know when I really enjoy a book...I read it within days if not hours!

I liked Penny, I may no longer be in my twenties, but I could relate to all the emotions she was experiencing. This is a story about self-belief, self care and acceptance of who we are...warts and all.

Novak writes with wit and and the humour is genuine and it gives you all the 'feels'...it is a realistic look at life and I am so looking forward to reading more from Novak.

The Library Enthusiast and Book Love...

The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly

 

Connelly has chosen to set this instalment of Ballard and Bosch amidst the backdrop of Covid, where it appears there is a lack of community confidence in the police and its funding cuts. 

It seems the morale in the police force is at an all time low, and many appear to be just going through the motions.

This time there are two crimes for our dynamic duo to solve, a NYE shooting and  serial rapists...

....Connelly once again manages to give us an enjoyable book with two seperate mysteries for us to sink our teeth into!

The Library Enthusiast on Hoarding...

The Toymaker by Liam Pieper

The Toymaker is a complex story that moves between the Second World War and the current day...

...it's a story of a family's survival, revealing layer upon layer of secrets and lies.

An intriguing and uncomfortable read with a surprising twist at the end.

The Library Enthusiast on Book Hangovers...

The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish

 This is my first Louise Candlish book and I wasn't disappointed...

...it's very much a slow paced tale which quietly reels you in, and does its best to keep you guessing with some of the less obvious plot twists.

It's main characters aren't particularly likeable, but apparently this is what Candlish delivers so well...stories about horrible people!

In a nutshell this is a tale of infidelity and its unexpected consequences...

I'll definitely be checking out more of her books.

The Library Enthusiast & the Mind...

The Cove by Alice Clark-Platts

 Perhaps the moral of this particular tale is quite simple...

think twice before you agree to go on holiday with people you actually don't know that well...

It isn't an intense whodunnit in the true 'stuck in a locked room with people you vaguely know' style, it is rather an attempt at providing a murder mystery set in the ideal escape destination.

I wasn't blown away by the characters, the plot or sub plot and that lack of connection is why I've only given this ....

The Library Enthusiast on when the Character you dislike most...