Tag: Black and White Publishing

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Shores of Death by Peter Ritchie – Blog Tour Review.

 

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About the Book

Unsure of her future in serious crime investigation, Grace Macallan is tasked with taking over an enquiry that will test her to the limit and threatens to run out of control. An undercover officer is missing, and a young woman is washed up barely alive on the Berwickshire coast. Details of an operation trafficking women from Eastern Europe begin to emerge, and as a dangerous career criminal realises his team has been infiltrated, he begins to clean the trail of evidence leading to him… A complex alliance of cold-blooded criminals from Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh begins to unravel, and some of the most ruthless criminals in the North East of England and Central Scotland begin to turn on one another. As Superintendent Macallan races against time, uncovering high-level police corruption along the way, can she take control of the situation before it becomes a test too far?

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. I enjoyed reading Evidence of Death, book two in the Grace Macallan series a few months ago so was looking forward to reading this next book on the series. I do advise that you read these books in order. Some of the storyline and many of the characters do appear in both books. And there are a lot of characters.
The start of the novel is harrowing when the crew of an incoming fishing boat have to change their plans. The rest of the novel deals with the consequences of what happened.
Much of it is gang related and shows who is the most powerful in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle. It’s grim, violent but also has the same type of humour that was evident in the earlier book. The glossary that shows Scottish slang at the beginning of the novel did come in handy for some of this.
Grace is a character I really like. The personal battle she went through when trying to choose between family life in Ireland or her career in Scotland was realistic but she showed that it could be done if both in the relationship was willing. The same could be said for her friend and colleague Jimmy McGovern whose wife also appeared at intervals. It was refreshing to read that marriages could work alongside a career in the police.
With a few threads being resolved in this novel I would be interested in seeing what will happen next. I’m aware that there are at least two more books to come.

Shores of Death BLOG TOUR

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The Manhattan Project by Paul McNeive -Blog Tour Review.

 

The Manhattan Project

About the Book

New York City is under attack. Millions may die. But the enemy’s weapons are invisible, undetectable and creating terror at lightning speed. Now, there’s nothing to stand in their way …

A Hiroshima survivor turned criminal mastermind

Pharma industry fat cats corrupted by big money

A Libyan fast food entrepreneur coerced by threats to his family

A New York cop falling fast for an elusive beauty

Visitors to Tokyo from the desolate villages of southern Afghanistan

One terrible desire connects them all – one man’s burning need to finally avenge those who died at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With a brilliantly audacious and devastating plot to bring America to its knees, can anyone save New York from disaster?

Taut, scintillating and breathtaking in its scope, The Manhattan Project is a must-read for fans of explosive international thrillers.

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.The prologue for this book was one that sent the hairs up on the back of my neck. Powerful, terrifying and a feeling that those who carried out the attack would carry the guilt for the rest of their lives. The events that happened in these few pages was the reasoning behind the revenge attacks many years later.
We all hear how the overuse of antibiotics is a risk on the news, but the events that happen in this book is one I had never considered. That the overuse could be a method of terrorism.
It isn’t a fast paced novel, much of it concerns getting the antibiotic and the later alternative into the system. This is lengthy process and the amount of New Yorkers who are unknowing users is staggering and worryingly believable. Many methods are used, including different types of advertising.
Whilst it is fiction, the overuse of antibiotics isn’t and the author does demonstrate very well the danger that could happen. Hopefully with not the same numbers but it does leave you a little fearful.
There were probably more characters to dislike than like. Revenge, greed and betrayal all leave a sour taste in the mouth.
A very clever book that is close to the author’s heart.

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Nowhere Else But Here by Rachel Cotton – Blog Tour Review.

 

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About the Book

Rose has always played by the rules now it’s time to break them.

Life’s easier when you stay away from other people. Rose Valentine knows that. But some people are impossible to ignore. Take Theo Lockhart. He’s handsome, funny and beyond intriguing. He’s a mystery; one that Rose dreams of solving.

Then one night Theo turns up on Rose’s doorstep, desperate to hide out at her house. He’s keeping secrets, and Rose has a million questions. Not least why did he choose to run to her?

Letting him in is definitely not in the rulebook. But Theo makes Rose long to break the rules.

After a whirlwind week of brat-pack movies, midnight snacks and non-stop chat, where do Rose and Theo go from here?

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. I was amazed when I read that the author of this debut novel is only seventeen years old. On the strength of it she will have a great future.
It is a tale of teenage love. Not only between boyfriend and girlfriend but also between siblings and best friends.
The teenagers in the novel have a more privileged life than most in some respects. These are teenagers who can afford cars and champagne dinners. But their private lives are not as glamorous. When one lives in fear and one who goes about her life mostly unnoticed by her parents and secondary to work it tells you that something is not quite right.
It is a light and slightly fluffy read that is probably more convincing than some I have read recently in the same genre because the author is the same age as her characters. The matters that could cause concern have no great detail and most of the story is about love, loyalty and understanding and the romantic side of me loved it.
Rachel Cotton is an author who I will look forward to reading again.

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Black Water by Cormac O’Keeffe – Blog Tour Review.

 

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About the Book

I killed the boy . . .
Jig loves football and his dog, hates school, misses his dead granda and knows to lie low when his ma’s blitzed on the vodka.

He’s just an ordinary boy on the brutal streets alongside Dublin’s Grand Canal. Streets that are ruled by Ghost and his crew. And now Ghost inked, vicious, unprincipled has a job for Jig.

A job that no one can afford to go wrong not the gangs, the police, the locals, and least of all not Jig.

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.Slightly different to the type of fiction I usually read, Black Water is a convincing novel about gangland crime in Dublin. There is no doubt, the subject matter is a grim one. Gang hierarchy from the leader right down to the newest recruits, the children who are being recruited for their cause. The child in question in this book is Jig.
Jig is a ten-year old footballer who should be dreaming of playing for an English team, encouraged by Shay his football coach. Instead he is thrilled and excited to be recognised by Ghost, an important member of the gang. His older brother Maggot is already a member and is out of control. His family doesn’t care, the only one who can try to get him away from gang culture is Shay.
But Shay is not as he appears, he has a secret and is desperate to be away from the Grand Canal streets. I was completely wrong in my thoughts about what his secret was, it was much more complex than I thought.
A police officer, Tara Crowe, is determined not to back down in the fight against the gang, especially when the battle becomes more personal. I found her brave, loyal and a little naive but she was determined to get a positive result.
I found this novel fascinating, but at times difficult to read. The characterisation was among the best that I have read. There were many I wouldn’t like to know, especially Maggot and Jig’s Ma. A lot of it is grim, but in a believable way. Parts of it I had to skim over, parts I read in fear of what could happen. Fortunately not all of it did. But the grimness has some relief from some of the one-liners and the description of some minor characters everyday antics.
Black Water is a novel that opened my eyes and broke my heart.

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Evidence of Death by Peter Ritchie – Blog Tour Review.

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About the Book

Scarred by the Troubles in Belfast, Billy Nelson returns to his loyalist roots following his discharge from army service. But Belfast and the people he knew have changed, and after his gang are responsible for a series of violent attacks on innocent victims, he is forced out of the city and moves in on the drugs business in Edinburgh.Taking on the family who have been the main players in the city for years, a battle for control amongst the criminal underworld of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast ensues, and the balance of power is upset…Grace Macallan, recently promoted to Superintendent in the Specialist Crime and Counter Terrorism Directorate, has her hands full as a series of incidents leaves a trail of victims. As the old demons of the Troubles come back to haunt her again, can Grace keep the streets of Scotland safe, as well as balancing the conflicting interests of the police in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Security Services, who all have an interest in Nelson and his paramilitary contacts in Belfast…

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.
I hadn’t read the first book in the series but could follow this easily enough, there are no spoilers despite a few characters reappearing and it could easily be read as a standalone novel.
When Billy is forced to leave Belfast to set up in Edinburgh he takes along some equally violent and unbalanced friends. But they are not all as loyal and respectful towards him as he expects them to be. As you can work out from the synopsis the crimes committed are drug and gang related. There are drug dealers, drug users, plenty of murders, corrupt police officers and there is some brilliant Irish and Scottish humour. There is something about this type of humour in novels that delivers a low punch that has you gasping and then laughing with delight.
It has multiple threads, there is a lot more happening than I initially thought. At times I was back tracking, thinking that I had missed something, but I hadn’t. I was just cleverly played.
I hope that this will develop into a long running series, I know there is at least three books. It was refreshing, slightly intimidating and worryingly believable.

You can purchase the book here

Evidence of Death BLOG TOUR copy