All posts filed under: Book Reviews

Book Review: The Dark Lake

Published by Alexandra

DETAILS Title: THE DARK LAKE Author: Sarah Bailey Publisher: Grand Central Publishing ISBN: 9781538759929 Genre: Mystery | Suspense BACK COVER BLURB The lead homicide investigator in a rural town, Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is deeply unnerved when a high school classmate is found strangled, her body floating in a lake. And not just any classmate, but Rosalind Ryan, whose beauty and inscrutability exerted a magnetic pull on Smithson High School, first during Rosalind’s student years and then again when she returned to teach drama. As much as Rosalind’s life was a mystery to Gemma when they were students together, her death presents even more of a puzzle. What made Rosalind quit her teaching job in Sydney and return to her hometown? Why did she live in a small, run-down apartment when her father was one of the town’s richest men? And despite her many admirers, did anyone in the town truly know her? Rosalind’s enigmas frustrate and obsess Gemma, who has her own dangerous secrets—an affair with her colleague and past tragedies that may not …

Book Review: The Liar

Published by Alexandra

DETAILS Title: THE LIAR [Eddie Flynn #3] Author: Steve Cavanagh Publisher: Orion Books ISBN: 9781409152392 Genre: Courtroom Drama | Crime Fiction BACK COVER BLURB WHO IS DEADLIER … Leonard Howell’s worst nightmare has come true: his daughter Caroline has been kidnapped. Not content with relying on the cops, Howell calls the only man he trusts to get her back. … THE MAN WHO KNOWS THE TRUTH … Eddie Flynn knows what it’s like to lose a daughter and vows to bring Caroline home safe. Once a con artist, now a hotshot criminal attorney, Flynn is no stranger to the shady New York underworld. … OR THE ONE WHO BELIEVES A LIE? However, as he steps back into his old life, Flynn realizes that the rules of game have changed – and that he is being played. But who is pulling the strings? And is anyone in this twisted case telling the truth…? WHAT I THOUGHT The one thing you can be certain of when reading a Steve Cavanagh, Eddie Flynn novel, is great plotting. Always …

Book Review: The Phantom Tree

Published by Alexandra

DETAILS Title: THE PHANTOM TREE Author: Nicola Cornick Publisher: Graydon House ISBN: 9781525805998 Genre: Historical | Time Travel BACK COVER BLURB “My name is Mary Seymour and I am the daughter of one queen and the niece of another.” Browsing antiques shops in Wiltshire, Alison Bannister stumbles across a delicate old portrait—supposedly of Anne Boleyn. Except Alison knows better…The woman is Mary Seymour, the daughter of Katherine Parr who was taken to Wolf Hall in 1557 as an unwanted orphan and presumed dead after going missing as a child. The painting is more than just a beautiful object from Alison’s past—it holds the key to her future, unlocking the mystery surrounding Mary’s disappearance, and the enigma of Alison’s son. But Alison’s quest soon takes a dark and foreboding turn, as a meeting place called the Phantom Tree harbours secrets in its shadows… WHAT I THOUGHT THE PHANTOM TREE by Nicola Cornick has a little of everything in it, but far from being an utter mess, it all kind of works—sorta. It helps if you’re already …