Vibrant exciting psychological thriller

If you accept the fact that "The girl who came Back" has no real literary content and if you acknowledge that the plot and conclusion is not quite believable and indeed a little bizarre, then you will really enjoy this read! This is the second book I have read by Kerry Wilkinson (the first being Nothing but Trouble, Jessica Daniel 11) and I am beginning to warm to his young, vibrant and exciting style. I do not always read to be educated or to marvel at an authors descriptive prose or deep character analysis, sometimes I read for the shear hell of enjoyment, for the love of the printed word and the way I can be transported to another dimension. If what I have just said makes you the reader think that I am a confused reviewer/blogger then understand this I read indeed I consumed The girl who came Back in one day and was thoroughly entertained.

Some 13 years ago a young Olivia Adams vanished, presumed taken, from her back garden, in the picturesque village of Stoneridge. The trauma of this event was soon followed by the collapse of the marriage of Sarah and Dan, the parents of Olivia. Now all these years later a child, who most people feared was dead, reappears and confronts her mum in the local village cafe. Sarah has a new husband Max, a childhood sweetheart, and upon meeting the newly reinstated Olivia, Max together with his brother Ashley display resentment and hatred towards the young girl. There are questions to be asked and answers  to be sought. Is Olivia Adams the person she purports to be? Why is Max so full of hatred? Where is Olivia's real father? Who is the mysterious Lily and what is her connection to the events as they unfold?

I often wonder how bad reviews affect the mindset of an author. There will always be readers who love and readers who hate a particular writing style. Kerry Wilkinson has voiced his opinion on negative reviews on a well know video sharing site and I found his attitude and acceptance so refreshing and entertaining. He acknowledges everyone has a right to voice an opinion whether that be positive or negative. This young man certainly has a future in writing and I look forward to discovering his back catalogue as well as reading future publications and observe him developing as an author. Many thanks to the good people at netgalley for sending me a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written.

Assured post-apocalyptic debut novel

The authors comments at the end of Defender add some interesting footnotes to what was a very enjoyable post-apocalyptic story. She explains that "bicameral" man is essentially a human who has two chambers. To you and me that simply means an inner voice within your head and in the context of this novel it is this inner voice that has caused the societal disruption by imploring you to kill. Although to add to the intrigue an "inner voice" can also work for the good as Pilgrim aka scout boy, Lacey, and Alex discover as the story progresses. This inner voice is not as strange a concept as might first appear and most of us would surely admit to having conversations with our conscience. (or maybe it's just me going mad!) "The voices are whispers, murmurings, whatever you want to call them. They were inside us. They're what talked so many people into hurting themselves and others."

The best post-apocalyptic  stories (The Road by Cormac McCarthy being a great example) follow certain set patterns. As society has been destroyed then the human race, or what remains, take on the mantle of nomadic travellers and restlessly move from place to place in the hope of finding sustenance and companionship. Within this world devoid of all leadership and direction the evil that man is capable of is soon unveiled...."Fairness and justice had lost their place in the world. If they'd ever had a place in it to begin with."..... Pilgrim has agreed to transport his new companion Lacey to her family home in Vicksburg in search of her niece Addison. They are soon to be joined in their quest by a young lady called Alex. "Defender" is the story of this journey the hardships of the trip and their encounter with Charles Dumont the personification of everything evil. This is a novel that is filled with wonderful colourful characters that come alive under the penmanship of the author GX Todd. The pace is relentless with some excellent descriptive prose.."This time it held no beauty, there was not buttery sun to soften its rough, crumbling edges, no warm, orange brush-strokes to paint it in a kinder light...."He had seen his fair share of half-eaten corpses and was familiar with most of the organs of the human body, in all their states of putridity." A great debut novel and I look forward to reading "Hunted" the second in the series due for release in early 2018.

Superficial gothic ghost story

Dr Janet Palmer has commenced a new career as a psychologist based at HMP Halvergate in the sparsely populated and bleak Norfolk countryside. This is an institution where inmates are incarcerated due to criminal or sexual crimes and it is hoped that their period of internment will allow the authorities, and in particular the staff, time to address, and hopefully in some way cure this deviant behaviour.

Apart from the prison chaplain Steven Finch the staff at Halvergate are not very welcoming towards Dr Palmer and she begins to feels somewhat isolated not helped by the news that her boyfriend Arun is soon to depart on a work placement in America. As the good doctor begins to acquaint herself with the residents she soon shares their concerns of an apparition stalking the walls and corridors; a sinister white presence, a lady with dark eyes. One patient in particular, Michael Donovan,  greatly disturbs Janet, she will soon discover a connection between this evil man and her sister Izzy who died tragically many years ago.......

There is no doubt that using a Gothic institution such as HMP Halvergate adds a sinister tone to the story telling. The reader can certainly sense and feel the great uneasiness that permeates each chapter of this short ghostly tale. However, the telling of the story and the shallow characters involved, from a self centred boyfriend to a confused gay vicar, did little to endear me to the outcome, no matter how shocking the author intended that to be. Many thanks to the publisher Mulholland for a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written.

This story reads like a thriller as it recounts the investigation into and ultimate incarceration of Chris Halliwell, taxi driver from Swindon, who was found responsible for the murder of Sian O'Callaghan and Becky Godden-Edwards. As an employee of Her Majesty's Courts Service I was fascinated to follow the chase to find the killer in the hands of SIO Stephen Fulcher. The narrative and events that occur lead to the prosecution of Fulcher as a senior police officer who in his search for justice disregarded procedures under Pace (Police and Criminal Evidence act) and by not issuing Halliwell with the customary warning (before Halliwell confessed to the murder of Becky) was found to be in neglect of his duties. The story therefore raises and debates some fascinating legal issues and in the final outcome justice is seen to be served but at what price to a dedicated and serving police officer. For anyone interested in crime whether true or fiction this is a work of some brilliance and needs to be read.

Harry Bosch, one great detective series

In the many years that I have been reading crime the two stand out characters are Rebus and his creator Ian Rankin and Harry Bosch written by Los Angeles ex crime reporter Michael Connelly. The Last Coyote is no 4 in the series and to me one of the best, in it Detective Bosch tries to finally solve the case of who murdered his mother Marjorie Lowe. The Last Coyote is a lovely thoughtful title and one that Bosch thinks he has an affinity to. One evening he sees a mangled bedraggled coyote and he uses this imagery in his conversations with his psychiatrist Carmen Hinojos, she adds her timely interpretation...."For what it's worth I think it's clear you identify with the coyote, there are not so many policemen like you left and you feel some threat to your existence or your mission."....

Connelly's portrayal of Bosch as a lonely maverick of a man using his nonconformist methods to fight crime is nothing short of brilliant..."Loneliness had been the trash can fire he huddled around for most of his life."..."It was always in the silences that Bosch felt most comfortable with the women who had moved through his life."....."He felt the numbness of disappointment that comes from broken hopes and wondered if he would ever talk to her again."..  Bosch is able to devote his time to this case as he has been temporarily suspended following an incident with Lieutenant Pounds and the story naturally plays out in a political arena where the perpetrator has been able to stay undetected for many years. The ending when it occurs will surprise you in a beautifully constructed  study of a detective loathed by many, loved by a few, a man not always at peace with himself on an endless search for atonement...."The sex created a world without intrusion. One so vital that it could have lasted an hour or maybe only a few minutes and he wouldn't have known the difference."

This girl can write

If I die before I wake is one of a number of books that I have read which introduces the reader to a condition referred to as permanent vegetative state: Westlake Soul by Rio Youers and Blood Sisters by Jane Corry are both excellent in their interpretation and use of PVS as the basis for a novel. Emily Koch expertly creates a crime thriller around the tragic accident that happens to Alex Jackson one Saturday morning when he falls 20 metres from a cliff face along the Portway in Bristol. This story is all the more remarkable when you realize this is the first published thriller by Miss Koch and if this is an example of her ability then she most certainly has a bright writing future.

What this book has in common with the two novels previously mentioned is that the story unfolds through the mind of the patient. Alex is aware of his surroundings, he can understand and grasp what is being said about him and he can appreciate the interaction between various friends and relatives on a daily basis; in particular his wife Bea, father Graham and sister Phillipa. What emerges is simply no one is sure whether Alex has been hospitalized due to an accident or something more sinister. It is only you the reader who occupies the mind of the patient and when Alex desperately tries to move and communicate you feel that struggle and will him to be successful. The story of was he pushed or did he fall is revealed in a very slow and clever way, the key to the puzzle hidden in Alex's past.

The central dilemma in If I die before I wake is the moral issue of what is an appropriate time to remove life support from a patient when, after various tests, it becomes clear that recovery is impossible. This leads to the assumption that anyone with PVS has no future, you will need to read the novel to find out if this is true all I will reveal is that the closing paragraphs create a magical and appropriate conclusion. Many thanks to the good people of netgalley for a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written.