5* review: The Obsession by Nora Roberts

Buy here from Amazon.co.uk

Buy here from Amazon.com

Naomi Carson is a survivor. As a child, her family was torn apart by a shocking crime. It could have destroyed her, but Naomi has grown up strong, with a passion for photography that has taken her all around the world.

Now, at last, she has decided to put down roots. The beautiful old house on Point Bluff needs work, but Naomi has new friends in town who are willing to help, including Xander Keaton - gorgeous, infuriating and determined to win her heart.

But as Naomi plans for the future, her past is catching up with her. Someone in town knows her terrifying secret - and won't let her forget it. As her new home is rocked by violence, Naomi must discover her persecutor's identity, before it's too late.

As a fan of Nora Roberts, I hate to say I found her last couple of offerings slightly disappointing, they just seemed slightly 'off brand', however The Obsession sees Roberts back to and beyond her blistering best.

Eleven year old Naomi on the eve of her twelfth birthday follows her daddy on a balmy evening into the woods to see if he's hiding her birthday surprise... she finds something more horrific than she could ever have imagined. Something that will change her life forever..

As Naomi grows older she face things that no child ever should, and is haunted by what she found in the woods that fateful night, she finds it impossible to forge any kind of close friendship other than with her family until she finds a rundown but beautiful coastal bluff house that she decides to try and make her own. Beginning to build friendships, even thinking that she has found somewhere to settle down eventually when the violent and horrific events of her past come back to haunt her once more, taking a fatal turn.

The Obsession is the best of Roberts' novels by far in my opinion and I have been a longstanding fan since The Northern Lights way back when. I certainly was not expecting what Naomi found in the woods and from really early on the book was fast paced and had me gripped.

Watching Naomi and her work crew rebuild the house on the bluff was fascinating and I would love to have seen it for myself! The description of the old furniture that was being renovated had me captured and I could see it clearly with my minds eye. Also the descriptions of her photography sounded stunning and captured the imagination..

I loved watching her beginning to make friends and learning to love once again, and loved the complimenting cast of characters around her.

An excellent book that I will return to time and again.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC in return for an honest review.

5* review - The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza

Available from amazon.co.uk

Her eyes are wide open. Her lips parted as if to speak. Her dead body frozen in the ice…She is not the only one. 

When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation. 

The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London. 

What dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding? 

As Erika inches closer to uncovering the truth, the killer is closing in on Erika. 

The last investigation Erika led went badly wrong… resulting in the death of her husband. With her career hanging by a thread, Erika must now battle her own personal demons as well as a killer more deadly than any she’s faced before. But will she get to him before he strikes again? 

After a gripping prologue the book opens with the discovery of a body in a really gruesome manner (I knew it would be perfect from the start!) The young lad that found it was so shaken and traumatised I did want to check as I got further into the book whether he was actually all right! Please let me know that there was no lasting psychological damage, Mr. Bryndza!

DCI Erika Foster was introduced by her old colleague into Lewisham Row station, it was clear there was a tragic past -  it turned out it was an operation that went horrifically wrong in the worst way. She did not endear herself to all her colleagues, nor the victim's family who thought with the father a Labour peer they should be treated differently. Erika seemed not to fear the upper echelon like some of her superiors and seemed to command a mutual respect from many at the station for this.

Erika was determined that as the deaths mounted up the case would not be swept under the carpet and a young man take the blame for a crime he had not committed - especially when it got personal. 

This was a really exceptional book and definitely deserves all the hype surrounding it (imho unlike The Girl on The Train and Gone Girl) it was thrilling, gripping, gory and I found it seemed true to life - however, if you're a member of the justice system there may be flaws. As with all books it's about entertainment and artistic license, but what I read rang true and not ridiculously far fetched.

I loved the characters, I love any book in which the female characters do not need rescuing by a male as they're too busy applying their make-up to see the shadow of the killer approaching...and this book definitely had some kick-ass women in!

I was not expecting the killer to be who they were which always pleases, and I really enjoyed the epilogue which tied Erika's personal side up nicely. I really can not wait for the next in the DCI Foster series!

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an impartial review - many thanks.

Review: The Girls in the Woods by Helen Phifer

Buy links:

Amazon.co.uk

(previous books in the series available at) 

Amazon.com

Don’t go into the woods. Because you’re in for a big surprise…

In an old album there is a beautiful Victorian photo that captures three young sisters, staring silently at one another. Only the trained eye can see the truth hiding in plain view. One of the sisters is already dead.

Annie Ashworth is currently off duty. With her baby bump growing fast, she is under strict instructions to stay away from police work and look after herself, especially as she has a history of leading danger right to her door. So when her police officer husband, Will, is called to the discovery of a skeleton buried out in the local woods, Annie tries to keep out of the investigation. But as another body is discovered and her own niece suddenly goes missing, staying away just isn’t an option.

As Annie is soon to discover, a picture really does tell a thousand stories. But which one leads to a killer?

I am a huge fan of Phifer's Annie Graham series and eagerly awaited book five. I stormed through it in just a day as it was such an addictive page turner!

Once again, even with the evil Henry Smith dead, Annie finds herself in mortal peril. She shouldn't do as she is currently taking time off from her job in the Lake District's local constabulary as she is heavily pregnant, and detective husband Will doesn't think she could get into any trouble at home...how wrong he is.

Skeletons are found in the woods near to Annie's house which are linked to a cold case of some missing local girls back in the eighties - and it is not long before Annie finds herself embroiled with the killer. Someone with a penchant for photographing dead girls, a 'hobby' he developed after finding an album of 'memento mori' as a child and seeing the macabre fascination. 

Even though this is book five in the Annie Graham series, it would be possible to read as a standalone, but far nicer to know the whole story and read from book one: The Ghost House so the past references will not leave you baffled. 

It is nice to see a return of all the old crew and comforting to know they have Annie's back, despite the danger she seems to put herself, and often them, in!

As much as I have loved Phifer's previous novels this one is definitely my favourite. There are twists and turns in this well formed plot that made me gasp out loud, and I really liked the ending! I do hope to see more from Annie Graham and hope that Phifer hasn't put her to bed just yet...

Find Helen here at:

http://www.helenphifer.co.uk/
Helen Phifer on Amazon.co.uk

https://twitter.com/helenphifer1

Read my interview with Helen Phifer and my 5* review of The Ghost House