Tag: mystery

Review: If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

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20810072If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
Genre: Contemporary, mystery
Published by: Indigo
Pages: 314
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

If You Find Me is a heart-breaking, beautiful debut by Emily Murdoch. It follows the story of Carey and her sister, Janessa, when  their father comes to take them away from the woods they’ve called home for the last nine years. The novel is more about Carey’s slow recovery and adjustment to the contemporary society, that she left behind when she ran away from home, than the mystery thriller the blurb makes it out to be. If You Find Me took a lot of turns that I wasn’t expecting, yet Carey’s ‘secret’ wasn’t very hard to guess and was almost predictable if you’ve watched Gone starring Amanda Seyfried. Nonetheless, it was a wonderful read, and definitely worth the hype it has received.

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Review: Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway’s Ghost by Iain Reading

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kitty hawk 2Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway’s Ghost by Iain Reading
Genre: Adventure, Contemporary
Published by: Amazon
Pages: 298
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★.5
Where to Find:  Goodreads | Amazon

Kitty Hawk is fast becoming a prominent character among my bookshelves. In the sequel, Kitty doesn’t fail to impress with another jam-packed adventure.

This time, Kitty is in Key West, Florida, with more focus on her plane as a water vessel than as an air ship. The adventurer-detective discovers a crime. Some people are looting the seas, stealing precious treasure for the sea floor. It’s safe to say Kitty does a lot of swimming! (Isn’t the cover beautiful?)

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Review: All Fall Down by Ally Carter

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embassy rowAll Fall Down by Ally Carter
Genre: Adventure, Mystery
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages: 320
Format: ARC E-book
Rating: ★★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I cannot contain my excitement over this book. Ally Carter is one of my favourite authors, the Gallagher girls is one of my favourite series, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the first book in her new series ‘Embassy Row’, starring Grace, a girl prone to injury and jumping off things from a height.

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Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

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19288043Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary, Romance
Published by: Broadway Books
Pages: 422
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

This book. How can I even explain this book without going into spoiler-y detail? I think it’s one of those reads where you read it and suddenly you’re in the know. You know the secrets that no one else does, so when you see someone reading it in public and they’re not at the bit, you can look at him or her with a smirk and think, “Just you wait, because you have no idea.”

I really enjoyed the writing style, it was so different from anything I’ve read before, not only because it was a roller coaster ride of emotions and a constant question of ‘is this real?’, but because the emotions felt insanely real. Disturbingly real.

I hated the ending. I’ll put that out there, because it was horrible. I suppose the ending is one of the reason’s why this book is talked about so much, because it’s so contraversial.

The characters were toxic and so was this book. It was so well paced with the different time lines and perspectives. It had me second-guessing everything I’d already read, and I was so surprised at the lengths these characters would go to get back at each other. There were slow sections that effortlessly built up to the next big reveal, and that reveal would shock you just as much – if not more- that than the last one.

If you do decided to pick up Gone Girl then don’t read ahead, don’t skip any sections and don’t look for spoilers. Also, don’t think that watching the movie trailer will give anything away, because it won’t. (I tried.) This book is full of suspense and mystery and is really worth the read!

Review: Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender

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Marie AntMASLoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary, Romance
Published By: Scholastic
Pages: 296
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

This was another library book that I picked up without knowing anything about it before. It’s so invigorating to just read something you know nothing of, I don’t know, there’s just more excitement. ‘Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer’ intrigued me because of the string of murders (hence the ‘serial killer’ bit) by a ghost. It all happens in Paris, France on a school trip. Yippee!

I’d say this book was a very quick read. The writing style was simple to understand and the main plot point of the story was explored immediately without any faff. Although the main character annoyed me at times, as all good main characters do, I thought she really evolved through the events of the book. She grew more of a backbone and realised what was more important to her: true friends over popularity.

The romance was sweet, and short, as it would be if the school trip was only for a week. It all just felt very…French. I’ve only been to Paris three times, once in real life, once in ‘Anna and the French Kiss’ and once in ‘You’re the One that I Want’, so I had a pretty good grasp of the setting and the main tourist attractions.

I loved the slightly historical element of the book, telling the reader about Marie Antoinette and her life, and death as it goes. I didn’t know much about the French revolution, so it was nice to get those snippets of context. I think this also aided my enjoyment of the book, since it had a ‘Ruby Red’ feel to it. Just keep in mind there’s a ‘historical note’ at the back, saying that the characters are obviously fictional, all but Marie herself.

The murders were written tastefully, with very little or no graphic detail. All very PG. I loved the suspense that they built and the sense of dread I had towards the main character, Colette’s safety.

I didn’t so much like Colette’s ‘friends’, both of whom were vapid and conceited. I much preferred Audrey and Brynn, and in the end, so did Colette.

Overall, I’d give this book 2.5 stars. Despite enjoying it as a whole, the beginning of the book was slow and the fact I didn’t like some of the main characters detracted from my enjoyment. I thought the mystery of the killings was too easily solved and resolved, though I did like the Lara Croft-esque bit towards the end. I’d recommend this to anyone interested in a short and fun read, who isn’t too interested in lots of plot depth. Generally, a good library find!

Review: Kitty Hawk and the Tragedy of the R.M.S Titanic by Iain Reading

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Kitty Hawk andKitty Hawk the Tragedy of the R.M.S Titanic by Iain Reading
Genre: Adventure, Mystery
Published by: Amazon
Pages: 320
Format: E-Book
Rating: ★★★★
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Ever since I watched the 2007 Emma Roberts movie ‘Nancy Drew’ last month, I’ve been desperate to read a detective story. Kitty Hawk definitely fit the bill! I loved the idea that Kitty was a girl flying solo around the world, an Amelia Earhart heroine. It was all so original and well thought out – I couldn’t believe how it all came together.

I have to admit that when I read this book, the suspense of the mystery was just added to by having my Kindle read the story aloud. It was great to get to listen to the adventure as well as read it.

So, the story starts off with Kitty endorsing free sushi in a sumo-wrestler’s costume, and if that doesn’t completely drawn you in I don’t know what does! She is approached by a cute guy, Andrew, that acts as her love interest, to solve a mystery, as she’s built up quite a reputation for herself. (This is the fourth book in the series and I did not read books one, two, or three. However, this did not hinder my enjoyment of the novel at all, or ruin the plots of the previous books!) The mystery is all to do with the honour of a family, who’s reputation as been sullied because of the events of the Titanic disaster.

If there was one bad thing about this book, it was that it took a while for the minor characters to explain different parts of the backstory to Kitty. I’d say at least 25% of the total book is spent learning about different key events. (If ever I have to write an essay on The Titanic, Egyptian Hieroglyphs or Jack the Ripper, this book had it covered.) This did inhibit the flow of the novel, causing me to be able to split it into multiple sections instead of a continuous storyline. On the other hand, I loved the change of locations between London and Dublin.

My favourite scene was probably the jet-ski chase, which made the front cover of the novel. It was fast paced and full of tension, although the action was sparse because I think this book was more about thinking than doing. I didn’t really understand how old Kitty Hawk was meant to be throughout this series, as Andrew is described as a man, yet he becomes her sort-of-boyfriend. I’m guessing she’s about eighteen, because she can jet around the world by herself with no-one questioning her ID. When reading this book, I kept thinking of the Professor Layton games, because pictures, maps and diagrams are given in this book so the reader can try and puzzle out the mystery as Kitty does. That’s an aspect that really sets this book apart from the rest, along with the research material that is found at the back of the book which explains the inspiration for the events that transpire in the book and real Google searches!

Overall, I’d give Kitty Hawk four stars, because I did enjoy it immensely, however, the pacing was slow in many places which led me to put the book down and put off picking it back up again. I’d recommend this book to anyone that loves Nancy Drew, but wishes Nancy was targeted at a young adult audience!