Ragdoll by Daniel Cole

Jumat, 05 Mei 2017

Trapeze | February 2017 | 384 pgs

Source: Library

Daniel Cole started off his debut thriller with a bang featuring one of the most horrific/gruesome murder crimes I'd read to-date - a body with the dismembered parts of six victims stitched together, thus earning the nickname "Ragdoll" by the media. Assigned to this case are DS William "Wolf" Fawkes and DS Emily Baxter; both of them with the Metropolitan Police with Wolf leading the investigation.

Wolf had a history about abusing a defendant on trial after the sentence. Naguib Khalid, dubbed "The Cremation Killer" had set twenty seven young female prostitutes ablaze after they were heavily sedated in twenty-seven days and though Wolf made his arrest, contradicting surveillance reports and conflicting forensic evidence rendered Khalid a not-guilty sentence which made Wolf lost his cool. Wolf doesn't really care about protocols and as long as he knows he is right about the suspect, he would do anything to bring him down.

Four years later after losing his marriage and that he was vindicated from that infamous trial incident, he's back into his position with a bigger and sensational "Ragdoll" case waiting for him. But this is not all, Wolf's ex-wife, who is a TV journalist, received a list of six names (with Wolf being the last on the list) and the dates which the killer may strike next and this sent the whole media and nation into an uproar. With the clock ticking away and the pressure from all directions, the Metropolitan Police has to race against time with the killer to ensure that no more lives are being lost to the sadistic killer who seems to be a few steps ahead of them.

Ragdoll was a fast-paced thriller filled with intensity and actions with a dose of dark satire. Wolf made an intriguing, flawed character right from the start. His partnering with DS Emily Baxter filled the pages with their love/hate opinions of each other as well as their investigations. They are not romantically linked, yet Wolf's ex-wife assumed they are, which was one reason that shattered their marriage aside from their different life and perspectives. While I enjoyed the developed characters in Wolf and Emily, surprisingly it was Emily's trainee, Edmunds, whom I found the most interesting among all. He is smart and meticulous in his own way, and his devotion to the investigation definitely worth an appreciation from all but I felt his role was a bit underrated.

While this was more of a police procedural and I liked it that readers are offered more than a glimpse of how the media has much influence when controversial matters are concerned, I felt it'd have been better if it includes the killer's perspective and how his mind works. Then again, it may be the author's intention of portraying him as a dire and mysterious figure. Wolf and Emily are set to return in a sequel in 2018 and I've high expectations considering it's clich�d bigger, darker, more shocking but at the same time it's funnier, more poignant and more personal (these are from the author's words.)

� 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

komentar | | Read More...

The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths

Minggu, 23 April 2017

Quercus | February 2017 | 384 pgs

Source: Library

The Chalk Pit is the ninth installment of Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway mystery and though I jumped into this book without any idea of the characterisations or the writing style, I found myself enjoying this book featuring the main protagonist and DCI Harry Nelson working together during their investigations.

When some human bones are found buried beneath the grounds of an old chalk-mining tunnel in Norwich during an excavation for a new development project, Ruth thinks they are probably medieval although she is skeptical about their translucence appearance; a sign that they were boiled soon after death.

On the other end, DCI Nelson and his team are following up on a case of a missing homeless woman named Barbara after a few fellow homeless people reported not seeing her for weeks. There are some rumours about underground societies, ritual activities and even cannibalism but Ruth remains objective. Then two homeless people were found murdered and two more women were reported missing that make Ruth and the police think that there are something more than meet the eye surrounding the underground tunnels and they may have to dig deeper to unravel the mystery.

Despite my limited knowledge of the cast of characters, I found myself absorbed in this book quickly and it didn't take me too much time to get to know more about the characters and I loved it that way considering I was new to this series and on top of it I read it out of order. Ruth and Nelson are two very engaging characters with their past history and their complicated relationship (Nelson has two grown up children with his wife and another younger daughter with Ruth. Nelson stay married to his wife and his relationship with Ruth is considered more like friends. However, something happened along the way which I think might alter these characters' perspective and I'm very curious to see where this would take them in the future books.)

Another thing worth mentioning is the insight of the homeless people while reading this book. The author has covered several aspects about their circumstances and experiences which I couldn't help but to feel for them and while some were poor and not highly educated, a few had actually led a normal life until some situations pushed them off the edge.

All in all this was an intriguing read. Most of all, the dynamic between Ruth and Nelson kept me engaged throughout the book. I'll be sure to check out the other books of this series.

� 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

komentar | | Read More...

The Poison Artist by Jonathan Moore

Minggu, 16 April 2017

Houghton Mifflin | January 2016 | 288 pgs

Source: Library

The Poison Artist was an extraordinary mystery I read among many others; one which totally engaged me from the beginning till the end with the writer's prose right up to how this story was skilfully crafted and told.

Dr. Caleb Maddox is a toxicologist and he is also studying the chemical effects of pain. One evening after a fallout with his artist girlfriend, he goes to a bar and encounter a mysterious woman. Bewitched by her quiet and seductive demeanour over a glass of absinthe, he knew he has to find her by every means.

During his search, there were a few missing men who turned up dead and the post-mortems are inconclusive. Henry, who is Caleb's old friend and a medical examiner, has secretly sought Caleb's insight on the chemical evidence left on the victims' bodies. It turned out that one of the victims was at the same bar the night Caleb frequented; the night which he encountered the mysterious woman.

What follows subsequently was a series of searching and finding answers both from Inspector Kennon as well as Caleb. And as the story progresses, Caleb's search for the killer as well as the mysterious woman entwine and the closer he gets to them he finds himself more confused and putting him in an unfavourable position.

The Poison Artist was a lethally gripping thriller which entranced this reader from its first page till the last. The author's writing was precise and well-written; I found the scenes between Caleb and the mysterious woman to be the most engaging and all the time I was both fascinated and wary of her. Caleb, on the other hand, was obsessed by her despite he knew very little of this woman and that too often her appearance in places are deemed to be questionable. Most of all, I liked it that this story threw me off with its surprises, though I think the outcome may not appease to all readers. Still, I would recommend this to readers who love a good mystery. 

� 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

komentar | | Read More...

Drama Review: Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (???????)

I loved this K-drama. With elements such as a power supergirl with a few buttkicking moves, thrown in some complicated love issues and a super evil psychopath and you will have Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. 

I will skip the plot since the above about sums up the overall picture of this fantasy romcom. What this drama captivated me is the fantastical portrayal of Do Bong Soon (starring Park Bo-Young) and her outlook on family, friends and life in general. Generally speaking, she is a simple-minded girl with a big heart and a bigger righteousness mind who would risk dangers to protect anyone who's in need of assistance (be it a simple lift of a heavy bulky item or a life-threatening situation.) 

Her love life, however, is a bit more complicated, though. She has been friends with rookie detective In Gook-du (Starring Ji-Soo) since they were teenagers and she's always carry a torch for him since then but that feelings is always one-sided until later, which I felt was way too late since by then she was attracted by Ahn Min-hyuk (starring Park Hyung-sik), a young CEO of a video gaming company. She and Min-Hyuk has a history way before they knew each other; and I loved to see how their feelings for each other develop from a boss-subordinate relationship to being a more-than-friends relationship. Their sense of togetherness most often brought a smile to my face be they flirting or clashing with each other's ideas. 

Credit Source

Then, there is the case of the psychopath who abducts young women to be his "brides". This thrilling plot captivated the crime thriller reader in me and it was interesting to see how this suspense involved Bong Soon and Min-Hyuk ultimately. That being said, this drama gravitate more towards the romantic aspect and I loved it all the same. And oh, that ending! *grins*

� 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

komentar | | Read More...

City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong

Rabu, 12 April 2017

Sphere | January 2016 | 480 pgs

Source: Purchased

City of the Lost is Kelley Armstrong's first book of her Casey Duncan series and I was excited to read it as it features a tough, flawed female detective and a setting of the isolated Yukon wilderness.

The story opens with an intriguing scene of Casey visiting her new therapist. Twelve years ago, Casey had killed a man. While an incident had left Casey both emotionally and physically scarred, she knew that man didn't deserve death despite what he had done. She then moved on and became a homicide detective and she knew someday the crime she had committed will catch up on her. On the other end, Diana, who is Casey's best friend, faces a problem involving her ex-husband who is stalking and abusing her. Diana knew there is a town where they would be safe; Rockton has only about 200+ population and it is meant for people who want to shed their old lives, just like them. They managed to get into Rockton after going through some procedures.

While Diana has a valid reason of escaping from her ex-husband, Casey gained her entrance into Rockton as the new detective in town. Sheriff Eric Dalton is wary of Casey as a newbie but Rockton needs her expertise considering they have their very first murder case. Rockton may deem as a sanctuary for those who want to escape their old life, but are all the residents they claimed as who they are? Or was the horrific murder done by the hostiles; those who lost something when they left Rockton had began to lose their humanity and revert to something animalistic?

City of the Lost is a great first book of a new series with an interesting cast of characters and the atmospheric Rockton made this book stand out from the rest. The plot and the suspense captivated me, but it was the characters who held my interest throughout the story. Casey Duncan is a woman who has a flawed past and one who doesn't shy away from the imperfections in life or in people. Her willingness to get involved with an ex-con who had come clean in the initial stage of the story tells a lot about her personality and her way of viewing things in general, never mind if they have a future or not. Her interactions with Sheriff Eric Dalton came off as a slow start and with doubts so it was interesting to see their attitudes towards each other changed as the story progresses. All in all this was an intriguing story and I look forward to reading her next installment, A Darkness Absolute.

� 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

komentar | | Read More...

Drama Review: Defendant (???)

Selasa, 21 Maret 2017

Defendant (aka Innocent Defendant) is one of the most exciting dramas I have watched to-date this year (most probably will go onto my favourite list in 2017). Defendant will appeal to fans who like crime/legal thrillers, actions and even melodrama and after watching many dramas with a romance genre in it, I was eager for a change and I was so glad Defendant came up timely. 

The plot basically centers around prosecutor Park Jung Woo (starring Ji Sung) and his plans to escape from prison before he is sentenced to death for a crime of murdering his wife. However, Jung Woo suffered a temporary amnesia and has no idea what happened to that fateful night his wife was murdered and why he was the murderer. While many evidence points to him as the perpetrator, Jung Woo is sure he is being falsely accused because his last memory tells him otherwise. How he ended up in jail he absolutely has no idea. Adamant to find out the truth and to regain his memory, he began to plan his moves and has suffered numerous punishments and sacrifices before he could attain his goal of escaping. But his biggest challenge is to regain his innocence and finds the real perpetrator before he gets to him first. 

As this drama aired only two episodes per week, you can imagine how antsy I was to have to wait for a new week every time the last episode of the week ended. It was that good and I haven't had this kind of anticipation since Descendants of the Sun (totally a different genre, but you get the idea.) What I liked about this drama is aside from the actions and thrills, there was also emphasis on morality and empathy (even the comradeship between Jung Woo and his cellmates are heartwarming. And, no stereotyping. You would be surprised by the baddies here.) Ji Sung's acting was as stellar as his previous work and I always look forward to his new project. The plot and the characterisations are well crafted and every time a new situation (twist) happens, it gave me the thrills and I would anticipate what Jung Woo would do. This was a great thriller with a great cast. Highly recommended!  

� 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

komentar | | Read More...

The Singer's Gun by Emily St. John Mandel

Selasa, 31 Mei 2016

ISBN-13: 9781447280057
Publisher: Picador
Publication Date: March 2015
Format: Paperback, 304 pgs
Source: Purchased

Emily St. John Mandel. Once again I found myself captivated and entranced by her writing and her intriguing story. I enjoyed Last Night in Montreal and I knew I wanted to read another book of hers so here it is. 

How to even begin describing it? This book has so many issues - deceits, morality and even life. At one point it read like a crime fiction but it was too subtle for that. I finally decided it was a literary fiction with thriller as a sideline and it was a great one for that. 

The story begins with Alexandra Broden, who's with the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, in search of a man named Anton Waker. She believes he is involved in an illegal transaction which had led a girl dead. When she contacted his parents they didn't know anything about their son's whereabouts. 

Anton Waker, on the other end, is trying to salvage his marriage and his consulting job. His company has a new big water project coming up and for security measures they have a security check on the staff involved and Anton found himself in exile thereafter. No one in the company wished to explain to him why he is moved to the mezzanine level with no one to work with or work for and on top of it, his secretary Elena is missing and his fianc�e seems to have pre-wedding jitters for she has cancelled their wedding twice. 

Moving on to Elena, it seems she is leading a double life. On surface she is struggling with her working life and her relationship with her boyfriend has become lukewarm but these are mundane as compared to what Alex Broden has wanted her to do - to gather as much information of her ex-boss, Anton, so that once there is enough evidence to prosecute him she would be a free woman, given her circumstances. 

The Singer's Gun is a brilliant story that has many layers and most of all, it offers readers some food for thought such as loyalty and betrayal, and what one would do to sacrifice for love. While this story has a great plot I wanted to mention it was also quite a character-driven story. Anton and Elena seemed to have different goals but on a personal level they are quite similar in a sense that they both wanted nothing but simplicity and normalcy for their life. But of course life often surprises us and this is where the story took a twisty turn and evoked that melancholy, bittersweet feelings which had me thinking of the story all over again. 

komentar | | Read More...

Redemption Road by John Hart

Minggu, 22 Mei 2016

ISBN-13: 9781848541825
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton 
Publication Date: May 2016
Format: Trade Paperback, 432 pgs
Source: Purchased

Where shall I begin? There are so many issues and events happening here that they made my head spin (in a good way). John Hart is an excellent writer and an excellent storyteller as well. The plot, the characterisation as well as the suspense are stunning and though this is a thriller, it is much more than the conventional whodunit or any of those unreliable characters who mess with our minds. No, this book isn't that but simply a great suspense story but oh, how it had captured my attention right from the beginning till the end! 

To begin with, Elizabeth Black has been with the police force for thirteen years and she's seen through many horrible crimes and dead people. She couldn't forget the case whereby she single-handedly rescued a girl from a locked cellar and shot her two kidnappers dead. She is labelled as a hero but the state cops think otherwise. They feel eighteen shots is unjustifiable even for criminals. But there are also people who thinks Elizabeth is a heroine for the act she has committed in order to save the girl. As for Elizabeth, this case haunted and emotionally affected her. 

However, this story tells more than the abduction case. Adrian Wall, an ex-cop whom Elizabeth has admired since young was put behind bars for a murder crime. He is finally free after thirteen years of torture and abuse in prison; Elizabeth believes he is wrongly convicted but evidence said otherwise. Gideon Strange, a fourteen-year-old boy is waiting for a chance to avenge the death of his mother and Adrian is the person he is waiting for. And somewhere deep in the forest, a body is found on the altar of an abandoned church. The method of murder matches Adrian's thirteen years ago. 

Redemption Road is one of the best thrillers I have read thus far this year. This novel is brimming with tension and suspense; and it evoked so much emotions in me. It is a dark story; filled with horrible deeds and more horrible people but there is also a bright side to it as well that made my heart ached with the love and compassion some characters did for their loved ones. Yes, this is a book about righteousness, justice and redemption but it is also a book about love and faith. I wished I could say more about this book yet I know any more I said would be a spoiler. This is a story filled with twists and turns and is a must-read for all crime thriller fans. 

komentar | | Read More...

Lost Girls by Angela Marsons

Kamis, 28 April 2016

ISBN-13: 9781910751411
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: November 2015
Format: Paperback, 440 pgs
Source: Library

This is the third instalment of Angela Marsons' DI Kim Stone series and although I have yet to read the first two books I'm glad this could be read as a standalone.

The story begins with DI Kim Stone being assigned to be in-charge of an abduction case whereby two nine-year-old girls are kidnapped. Truth be told, it is one of the girl's mother who'd requested for Kim to lead the investigation since they are friends going way back to their foster care days but had lost touch as they each go through separate ways. As much as their friendship is estranged, Karen trusts her friend's capability and competence and she knows Kim would do a good job despite everything. 

Elizabeth, the other lost girl's mother, is friends with Karen and since their girls are close with each other and that both families are financially loaded, they become easy target for the kidnappers. However, this is an abduction unlike the others. Though the kidnappers still demand for a ransom, they've raised the stake by playing an auction game and which family pay the most will get to have their daughter back; the family who didn't succeed will lose their daughter. It is a sick abduction case and Kim knew their games very well because they'd lost a girl through the same tactic a year ago. Like Charlie and Amy in present day, Emily and Suzie were both kidnapped but only Emily returned. No one knew why Emily was released and Suzie's mother always think that she'd failed because she didn't raise enough money. Suzie's body is never found. 

Not wanting history to repeat itself, Kim treats the current case with extra caution; first the media blackout and that no extended families or friends to know about anything. Still, it is all a challenge as Kim often finds herself crossing paths with a nosy reporter who is believed to have indirectly caused a teenager's death due to her inappropriate article. Kim despises her for releasing the information of the teenager's condition while his gang leader wants him dead for leaving the gang. Tracy Foster claims she is innocent and that the timeline didn't match with her article when it was released so Kim has this task to look into as well. 

I've to say Lost Girls is an intense, well-crafted crime thriller and unlike other abduction stories I've read in the past (the abduction part really got to me and my heart really went out to both sets of the parents.) Kim is an unforgettable character, in terms of her personality and her work ethic. She is one tough detective but she also shows readers her softer side when the girls are concerned. All the characters are superbly portrayed; each showing their strength as well as their flawed side. Even our heroine, Kim, has her dark past and I'm very curious to learn more about her and to find out how she's become what she is today. 

Aside from the plot, this story also tells us the side of parental love, about gang culture and finally, what drives a person to extreme pressure and insanity under certain circumstances. There's definitely a few things to ponder about in this story but what really stands out is the parental love and the courageous acts of the girl(s) during dangerous situations. 

komentar | | Read More...

A Dark and Twisted Tide by Sharon Bolton

Kamis, 17 September 2015

ISBN-13: 9780593069189
Publisher: Bantam Press 
Publication Date: May 2014
Format: Hardcover, 444 pgs
Source: Purchased

This is the 4th book of the Lacey Flint's series. In this installment, Lacey quit the force from a detective to join the marine police unit. Aside to recover from the trauma the previous cases had led her, she feels she wants a safer, quieter life too - to allow her to think things and her relationship with DI Mark Joesbury, who has gone missing in action for an undercover assignment. 

But of course, life has its own way of turning things and before Lacey could find any peace living alone on her boathouse, she found a dead body floating on River Thames near her home; her body wrapped in burial cloths. Needless to say, this discovery shook Lacey to the core, especially knowing that the corpse was deliberately left for her to find after further investigation. As much as she didn't want to return to her profession she knew she couldn't (and shouldn't) let this case goes unresolved and let the woman died without giving her a justice. However, there are loads of questions surrounding the investigations; as no one knows why the corpse was wrapped in that way and further searches have shown it has got nothing to do with religions or honour killings. 

And as if the case isn't complicated enough, there are speculations about Mark Josebury's involvement in a cop shooting incident and whether if he's gone over the dark side after his most recent undercover assignment. After all, there's a very fine line between the good and the bad and some coppers could be bent given some circumstances and the law and rules they've known so well. Lacey, on the other hand, knew there must be some explanations behind and she intends to find that out, too. That said, like Lacey, I still believe in Mark; and I know whatever he has done or need to be done it's always for good reasons. 

As the story slowly unfolds, we will soon learn more about people-smuggling, as well as people-trafficking are some of the issues the world is still facing today and why they could be so hard to wipe off completely, especially if they are immigrants who are trying so very hard to escape from the hardships they are suffering and would pay any price to make their escape possible. And of course behind these sad situations there are some twisted people who'd do anything for whatever reasons they believe in. 

A Dark and Twisted Tide is not something I'd expected from a conventional thriller, but the intensity and suspense are all there. There are also some dark elements thrown in in a sense that makes you wonder about the assignments the undercover officials have to go through and to what extent they've to do to make their aliases believable. And lastly, not to mention the immigrants victims who are murdered not knowing the real reasons why they are lured and then disposed of cruelly. It was a compelling read, but there's also sadness behind the intensity. And after reading this installment I found myself liking and respecting Lacey and DI Dana Tulloch more than ever. 

komentar | | Read More...