Shadows and Lies (Carson Reno Mystery Series Book 16) - Gerald W. Darnell

Synopsis:

All Carson Reno Mystery Series Books are standalone novels. It is not necessary to read them in any particular order.

What happens when a rich client, three beautiful women, a shifty businessman, a gambler and a missing spouse are all suspected of murder? The results are a merry-go-round of shadows and lies in a house of cards with clues almost as old as Carson.

Greed, blackmail, infidelity, murder, serial killers and a twenty year old crime spin a tale that is practically unbelievable – with the truth masked behind a story that nobody wants told.
This old fashion ‘whodunit’ takes Carson Reno and his crew on a complicated adventure, which has too many victims and too many suspects.

Come along and help Carson find the clues and discover the truth as he tries to make sense of all the Shadows and Lies.

Review:

Going into this book I knew great things were going to happen as ive read on Carson Reno Mystery books before and I loved it and this book definitely lived up to the last book of Gerald's book that I read. I love the fact that it is still as fast paced as I remember the series being, as soon as I begun reading I was pulled into the drama and it was great. Some may be concerned that you wont be able to make sense of all that was going on as this book is a part of a series ( Carson Reno Mystery Series) but as Gerald explained this book stands alone and everything ended up being crystal clear easily understandable.

The pictures involved in the pages of the book were really nice and a great change from the usual block of text. I like how not only they split up the text but also helped you imagine the story unfolding in these places because after all each and every one of the photos were of either places or of objects used in the story which helped enhance the overall immersion.

There were many characters within this story, they're easily remembered and I have to admit they are captivating characters, each of them involved within this story are portrayed so well it's hard to not become attached to them. They are all very strong and powerful characters who are all very different from the other. I don't want to name or describe any of them because I feel that doing that with these books takes away some of the magic. Darnell manages to bring each of them to life and makes them truly unforgettable.

The plot was very much a great one, it was a very well thought out and well written. I didn't see any of this plot happening, it was much of a surprise to me as it was the characters. There are so many moments where you have to sit back and try joining the dots, I failed miserably of course so come near the end of the book and I'm on the edge of my seat just begging to know the secrets hidden within the story, when the whole thing is told I sat back in amazement having not seen it coming the conclusion just blew me away, I wish I had managed to join some of the dots if I'm honest. Although to some the plot may seen far fetched or whatever, it's very gripping and brilliantly written. 

I have to give this book a 5/5 I'd feel horrendous and it would feel very wrong for me to mark it anything else. It was truly brilliant and gripping all the way through. There are no negatives from me.

Crimson Lake - Candice Fox

Synopsis:

12.46: Thirteen-year-old Claire Bingley stands alone at a bus stop
12.47: Ted Conkaffey parks his car beside her
12.52: The girl is missing . . .

Six minutes – that’s all it took to ruin Detective Ted Conkaffey’s life. Accused but not convicted of Claire’s abduction, he escapes north, to the steamy, croc-infested wetlands of Crimson Lake.

Amanda Pharrell knows what it’s like to be public enemy number one. Maybe it’s her murderous past that makes her so good as a private investigator, tracking lost souls in the wilderness. Her latest target, missing author Jake Scully, has a life more shrouded in secrets than her own – so she enlists help from the one person in town more hated than she is: Ted.

But the residents of Crimson Lake are watching the pair’s every move. And for Ted, a man already at breaking point, this town is offering no place to hide

Review:

So Ted Conkaffey is accused of abduction and rape of a young girl but isn't convicted due to the lack of evidence. After 8 months behind bars on remand he runs away to Crimson Lake near Cairns to try and rebuild his life from the foundations all the way to the very top. Neither his workmates, who are were fellow detectives on the drug squad in Sydney, nor his wife believe Ted was simply there at the wrong place at the wrong time. So labelled a paedophile he lost his job and access to his baby daughter and now he is living in fear of the case being reopened, he can barely function.

In Cairns he teams up with a private investigator his lawyer pointed him towards, her name is Amanda Pharrell, another damned soul who has served a prison term for murder. Together they combat the task of finding Jake Scully, a missing local author.

You do become fully immersed in the book,  with all of the vivid detail all the way from Amanda's colourful tattoos and outfits all the way down to the banks of crocodile infested waters. As the couple dive into Jakes background, his relationships and his fans, they both become interested in finding out more about the 'other' cases which neither wants to talk about. As a reader you too want to know all of the details but with the characters real not letting anything slip that adds to your knowledge so far, you really are just craving for one of them to just open up.

The case itself which they are working on is very interesting I have to admit, this author has seemingly gotten up and walked out of the house and left in one of the cars and vanished, there is no sign of him what so ever until a crocodile close by reveals a clue, but is everything really as simple and clean cut as it seems? Its full of twists and turns you don't really see coming and the conclusion really blew me away and I think part of me is still digesting it. It was just so good watching it unravel and the pieces falling into their places.

Candice had built up 2 great characters here, Ted the tough cop who's life has been turned upside down and has to deal with the local cops picking on him at every chance they get. Amanda is mysterious, unbalanced and fragile at times but she is also fearless and tough as old boots. I fell in love with both characters, they are very much portrayed in a way for you to do that but I feel like even if they weren't written for you to do that, I would anyway because they're both struggling in their own ways and I just feel connected to that part. They are both very similar in ways they don't see but its glorious to watch them develop over the span of the book.

I would 100% want to see more adventures with these pair to see how their relationship blossoms because I really felt like they were a great match of character because after what is really a short time they went from not really wanting to be around each other and hating the quirks of the other, to not really minding being in each others company and even picking up some of the quirk they once disliked.

I'd love to pick up more of Candice' work because this book just simply blew me away so I bet the other pieces of work would too. It's an easy 5/5 from me and I hope anyone who like a thriller/crime will give this book a shot.

Ravens Peak (World On Fire Series #1) - Lincoln Cole

Synopsis:

A quiet little mountain town is hiding a big problem. When the townsfolk of Raven's Peak start acting crazy, Abigail Dressler is called upon to discover the root of the evil affecting people. She uncovers a demonic threat unlike any she's ever faced and finds herself in a fight just to stay alive.

Abigail rescues Haatim Arison from a terrifying fate and discovers that he has a family legacy in the supernatural that he knows nothing about. Now she's forced to protect him, which is easy, but also to trust him if she wants to save the townsfolk of Raven's Peak. Trust, however, is something hard to have for someone who grew up living on the knife's edge of danger.

Can they discover the cause of the town's insanity and put a stop to it before it is too late?

Review:

Lincoln had contacted me early June asking if id like to read Ravens Peak and give an honest review, I said yes of course and added it to my list to be read but I eventually got around to it.

It all begins with reverend Arthur who within seconds had me asking all sorts of questions about his character. I loved that about Arthur, he was a mystery. He receives a visitor named Freida who rings familiar to him and upon meeting with her not only does Arthurs story begin but so does the journey.
It turns out Arthur is a demon hunter and he wants revenge for the death of Abigail, someone he thought of as his daughter. However, he soon learns that Abigail isn't dead but possessed and in the act of saving her ( after an epic scene that Supernatural would be proud of), Arthur is banished to Hell.

Five months later we see the world through Abigail's eyes, and she works for a secret organisation called the Council. In a series of events that end up with Abigail gaining a sidekick called Haatim, they travel across America trying to get to Ravens Peak which has 2 versions. One is an old town within the forest that now acts as a camping ground whilst the second is a modern version.
All Abigail wants to do now is save Arthur, but at first glance it seems like more trouble than its worth.

The action is really great throughout this book and especially the parts based within Ravens Peak, I loved both of the characters and really started to feel emotionally attached to them. I loved how the characters changed from what hey were at the beginning, Haatim begins as an inexperienced and fragile youth to them becoming confident and better equipped to deal with what is going on around him. Abigail begun being independent and slightly stubborn but by the end barriers have been broken down which makes her more loveable.

 Lincoln wastes no words in his writing, every sentence is added because it is needed to progress the story. I was fully immersed throughout and cannot fault Lincoln's writing at any point, I loved the fact there was unexpected twists in the plot and action packed scenes that moved along quickly so the story could progress further.

Has to be a 5/5 for this book and I really can not wait to see what happens next in the World On Fire Series.