Burnt Tongues - Chuck Palahniuk

I rated this book 8/10
First published in July 2014

Burnt Tongues is a collection of transgressive stories selected by a rigorous nomination and vetting process and hand-selected by Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club, as the best of The Cult workshop, his official fan website.

These stories run the gamut from horrific and fantastic to humorous and touching, but each leaves a lasting impression.

Some may say even a scar.

Quick, sick and addictive tales...

A collection of twisted short stories, collated and edited by Chuck Palahniuk. As expected, anything that Palahniuk puts his name to is going to be dark, disturbing and should be approached with caution!

This book is nowhere near as disgusting as 'Haunted' by the man himself, but the stories all have the ability to make you recoil in horror. At one point (somewhere near the middle) I had to put the book down for a few hours and collect myself (I think it involved a chicken satay stick...). There were one or two more tame additions that allowed time to breathe - and one story near the end I skipped altogether because it just wasn't interesting. The last tale is as good as the first, and will definitely leave a lasting impression!

Chuck Palahniuk's introduction was very interesting, in particular the quote "Young people want mirrors. Older people want art." The more I think about his comments on reading and re-reading, and growing to love the impression of a book that you didn't enjoy when you actually read it; the more I believe his comments to be true.

If you like the bizarre fiction that Palahniuk throws at us, then you're going to like the short works that he's pulled together for us here too.

Available at Waterstones

Stone Rider - David Hofmeyr

I rated this book 7/10
First published in July 2015

Adam Stone wants freedom and peace. He wants a chance to escape Blackwater, the dust-bowl desert town he grew up in. Most of all, he wants the beautiful Sadie Blood. Alongside Sadie and the dangerous outsider Kane, Adam will ride the Blackwater Trail in a brutal race that will test them all, body and soul. Only the strongest will survive.

The prize? A one-way ticket to Sky-Base and unimaginable luxury.

And for a chance at this new life, Adam will risk everything.

Stone Rider is a little like a mix between Death Race, Mad Max and with a dash of Elysium thrown in for good measure. 

It features bikes (though the spelling "bykes" was probably unnecessary) and plenty of bloodshed, and is the kind of YA novel that I wish I had thought up. Right up my street!

Hofmeyr's writing style is simple - the sentences are short and the descriptions are fairly minimal. It took me a little while to get used to this, but eventually the short sentences lend themselves to quick and brutal action scenes that keep the pages turning.

I wasn't keen on Adam as a main protagonist - he is a modest and shy orphan, with exceptional riding skills that don't really come across as well as they probably could in the book. He blacks out whenever there is a hint of danger and avoids violence at all costs. The only female in the book is drawn to him despite him being characterless - I like Sadie though, she's very well represented. Kane has to be my favourite character however, and Hofmeyr has really put some thought and understanding into the background of this strange teenager; given him plenty of grit.

Overall a great read that I would recommend without any reservations. Full of friendship, action and full on racing!

(Thank you to Penguin Random House for the proof copy)

Available at Waterstones

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

I rated this book 9/10...

A murder mystery, family saga, love story, and a tale of financial intrigue wrapped into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel.Harriet Vanger, scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families, disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

I waited so long to read this book and find out what the fuss is about and I was pleasantly surprised. Stieg Larsson has thrown together some fabulous characters at no cost to the winding plot. Let's face it, Salander is one of the most kick-ass female characters you'll find in a crime novel, she even rides a 125 Kawasaki. She refuses to be a victim, even when she is a victim.

I enjoyed the twists, and although it took a while to set the scene and the characters, it was worth sticking with through to the end. There were some very disturbing scenes to get through, so not one for the faint hearted, but they didn't seem to be put in place solely for the shock value. Unfortunately, Larsson didn't completely detach his writing from the popular 'woman as victim' theme - but that was my only gripe.

If you haven't already read this book (and I'm sure you have), it's worth putting on the TBR pile and getting stuck in.

A new book featuring Larsson's characters is due out in August 2015. That Which Does Not Kill has been written by David Lagercrantz as Larsson sadly died of a heart attack in 2004 aged 50.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Richard Flanagan

I rated this book 10/10...

Taking its title from 17th-century haiku poet Basho's travel journal, The Narrow Road To The Deep North is about the impossibility of love. At its heart is one day in a Japanese slave labour camp in August 1943. As the day builds to its horrific climax, Dorrigo Evans battles and fails in his quest to save the lives of his fellow POWs, a man is killed for no reason, and a love story unfolds. 

Richard Flanagan, weaving together the personal and professional life of Australian surgeon Dorrigo Evans, brings us a dark and touching insight into the horrors of the Burma Death Railway.

Written in the style of a war hero reminiscing about his past, Dorrigo finds himself in the midst of the second world war, caught up in a forbidden affair with his uncle’s headstrong wife. He visits her rather than his own fiancee whenever he has leave, and begins to become absorbed in his love for Amy above most other things. The novel takes a dramatic turn when two years later Dorrigo is captured by the Japanese as a Prisoner of War working on the Burma Death Railway. He is expected to lead a large group of fellow prisoners as they work on building the railway to impossible deadlines and in impossible conditions. Dorrigo is forced to get ever more work out of his fellow captives, even as they are dying around him of exhaustion, starvation and cholera; and he finds himself setting up and running a makeshift hospital for the camp alongside his other duties to his men.

Flanagan writes with a beauty that brings the horrors of the POW camp and the characters that suffer there to life. There are many symbolic gestures laced throughout the narrative - handwritten letters, red camellias and pencil sketches that resonate long after the book has finished, and the link to poetry from the start brings endless depth to the prose. The grit and gore of the Prisoner of War camp is followed by severe emptiness as Flanagan explores the emotions of both the prisoners and the Japanese soldiers after the war is over. Here he expertly sets out the contrast between the two lives - when the men begin to realise that nothing they ever experience will be as intense or meaningful again.

Flanagan’s novel becomes all the more poignant when we find out that it was written in tribute to his father, an Australian prisoner of war who survived his experiences on the Burma Death Railway. His father sadly passed away on the day that Flanagan finished writing his book.

'The Narrow Road to the Deep North’ was well deserving of the Man Booker Prize last year and is now out in paperback, although there is something quite pleasing about the hardback edition.

Catholic Guilt - Irvine Welsh

I rated this book 3/10

A short story, and the first one that I finished in audio book format. It's a typically shocking tale from Irvine Welsh, full of bad language and x-rated themes. I think that he build up was pretty good; nothing special, but the ending lacked any real power or twist (which I personally look for in a short story).

If, like me, you're into bizarre books that are very dark and vulgar then go for it, it's not Irvine Welsh's greatest piece, but it might be worth a read. If you're not fond of foul language, graphic sex and gore - then stay away!

The Calling - James Frey

I rated this 4/10

Twelve thousand years ago, they came. They descended from the sky amid smoke and fire, and created humanity and gave us rules to live by. They needed gold and they built our earliest civilizations to mine it for them. When they had what they needed, they left. But before they left, they told us someday they would come back, and when they did, a game would be played. A game that would determine our future.

I wasn't sure about this book. The short sentences and tendency to 'list' ("We came here, we have been here, and we are here now." "But we are not together. We are not friends. We do not call one another, and we do not text one another...") felt quite jarring to me. I also wasn't keen on the use of present tense to tell the tale (personal preference of course, it has the opposite effect of drawing me in and I find it distracting). I also felt that maybe James Frey had written this book solely with the big screen in mind. It reads like a film script, switches back and forth between players with more than a little similarity to Battle Royale and The Hunger Games.

Having said this, I found myself slowly being drawn into the book - more for the characters than the plot. They were good enough, all different in their own right, with Jago standing out the most for me as being well rounded and believable. Chiyoko was fascinating, but why would she clap her hands "yes" and not just nod her head?! Chris and Sarah however, were the usual 'too good to be true' protagonists that I felt were flat and uninteresting.

I wasn't madly taken by Endgame - a lot of incidents felt forced and I couldn't get around the fact that the Endgame was not made public knowledge, causing outright war between nations... I also couldn't get my head around Chiyoko using sex as a weapon (this is YA fiction, we shouldn't be glamorising that), and that An's disability is not portrayed in a good light at all; in fact, quite the opposite.

I read it quickly and it was quite addictive. I can see people who liked The Hunger Games perhaps enjoying this too, but I'm not sure I would be 100% happy recommending this to teenagers.

The Games - Ted Kosmatka

"The boy lay motionless in
the tube as the machine moved
all around him."

Rated 8/10

This stunning first novel from Nebula Award and Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award finalist Ted Kosmatka is a riveting tale of science cut loose from ethics. Set in an amoral future where genetically engineered monstrosities fight each other to the death in an Olympic event, The Games envisions a harrowing world that may arrive sooner than you think.

My Thoughts: The Games was one of the many books that I found difficult to tear away from. I loved the theme of the title; genetic engineering, super computers, vaguely dystopian and very much appealing to the geek in me.

Although Vidonia didn't really appeal to me as a character (she seemed very much the 'token' lady, and her relationship with Silas was forced and unnecessary), most of the others were introduced with skill and I loved the way that Kosmatka gave us their little quirks and charms. Even the very minor characters (such as James Mitchell for example, who appears on just one page) were described without any kind of jarring awkwardness. Fair enough, the characters didn't 'grow' much during the course of events, but they were well rounded enough from the start to be interesting.

The one thing that let this book down was the fact that the first half of the novel was written with such style, suspense and a real building of tension that had me eager to turn pages - and then the last half of the book went obliterating that build-up completely, rip roaring to a speedy (and not entirely tied up) car-crash ending. I wanted more from it; I needed answers. It's as if Kosmatka had a really epic idea in place, but then ran out of space and had to bring it to a speedy close. I loved the scope of the plot that was set out before us, and then was disappointed to see it come to an abrupt ending.

And so, if you're looking for a neatly sculptured novel with developing characters and a steady plot line then you're in the wrong place. The Games is pure entertainment and nothing more.

The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey

There will be no awakening.

Rated 10/10

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

My Thoughts: This book was powerful from the very first sentence. It's a dark and gritty teen read (though it has a maturity in style that adults will enjoy too). Relentless and full of action throughout, I actually couldn't put it down. 

The characters are strong, very strong; and as they are children from the age of 5 upwards, they are battling with self-discovery alongside the inconvenience of a full on alien invasion. But not the cheesy, big-eyed, hairless, green life forms you might see in an old film or tv programme - we're talking something a lot more sinister than that. Something that could really make your skin crawl...

What struck me the hardest about this novel was Yancey's style. It's no holds barred, grown up writing; short, sharp, shocking. 

Packed full of violence, death and the urge for survival; this is a book for those not too faint at heart. If you love grit and grime then this could be for you - might be best not to read in the dark...

Trainspotting - Irvine Welsh

"The sweat wis lashing oafay
Sick Boy; he wis trembling."

Rated 10/10

Irvine Welsh's controversial first novel, set on the heroin-addicted fringe of working-class youth in Edinburgh, is yet another exploration of the dark side of Scottishness. The main character, Mark Renton, is at the center of a clique of nihilistic slacker junkies with no hopes and no possibilities, and only "mind-numbing and spirit-crushing" alternatives in the straight world they despise. This particular slice of humanity has nothing left but the blackest of humor and a sharpness of wit.

My Thoughts:  Trainspotting is essentially a gritty collection of experiences through the eyes of various different people - laced with drugs and booze and sex and the blackest of wit throughout. I found myself alternatively repulsed and smiling right the way through to the last page.

And the characters are just brilliant, I don’t think that my descriptions could do them any kind of justice; they are violent and dirty and obsessive and I found them to be likeable and shocking at once. Each of them struggles with addiction, their own moral conflict and with each other; some manage to clean up and others don’t. I know that other readers felt differently, but they are relatable. I love that each of the characters in this book has a saving grace no matter how brutal they are.

The honesty with which Welsh writes is simply stunning (quite literally: some of it I couldn’t believe he would put on to paper) he’s obviously a talented observationalist with a lot of life experience under his belt and the power to make us stop and think about our own actions and thoughts towards society, class, gender and addiction.

This is a book that can be read on so many levels and has a lot of depth to it. No doubt I could read it again and again and get something completely different from it each time. It is definitely worthy of the endless amount of positive reviews that have been compiled by readers over the years and one to add to the reading list.

When The Eagle Hunts - Simon Scarrow

"The heaving tumult around
the ship was frozen for an instant
by sheet lightning."

Rated 10/10

It is the winter of AD 44 and after a series of bloody battles, Camulodunum (modern day Colchester) has fallen to the invading Roman army...

My Thoughts: Wow! Definitely the best addition to the Macro/Cato series so far.

Throughout these epic novels, Scarrow seamlessly switches from the personal POV of Macro and Cato to the view point of the army as a whole, to the ongoing invasion of Britain, and back again without a glitch. It's very cleverly done and keeps you hanging on to every word. He doesn't bombard the reader with technicality or historical terms that might leave people like myself scratching their heads over it - but he includes enough for the more studied in Roman history to really get their teeth into. I really admire his style for this - it is quite some skill.

As for 'When The Eagle Hunts', it's a fast and furious read with non-stop action and dilemma. Scarrow doesn't really need to set his main protagonists up, however he does describe their roots enough for new readers to be able to enjoy it without going too far and re-explaining everything.

Although Scarrow's plotline hides fresh suspense round every corner, his characters are immense and really enjoyable to follow. New faces Boudica and Prasutagus are very well-rounded and likeable, alongside some of the more familiar comrades (Vespasian for example, with his softer qualities but stern exterior is a particular favourite of mine). Scarrow gives even the most minor of characters a full bodied personality, and it's for this reason that the reader can easily grow attached to the likes of Maxentius and Diomedes despite them only appearing for a handful of pages.

Macro's touch of brutal humour is always welcome to break up the more serious and bloodied battles that are consistently encountered, and the way that the great Prasutagus is revealed as the novel continues only adds to this relief. And Cato - Cato got awesome!!!

It's not often that a series gets even better as it goes along, but Scarrow is a master of his genre and I'm looking forward to The Eagle And The Wolves.

Haunted - Chuck Palahniuk

"This was supposed to be
a writers' retreat, it was
supposed to be safe."

Rated 9/10

Haunted is a novel made up of stories: twenty-three of the most horrifying, hilarious, mind-blowing, stomach-churning tales you'll ever encounter. 

My Thoughts: Wow! I'm fairly insensitive to any kind of blood, guts and bodily fluids, but I still found myself wanting to read this from between my fingers at times...

I asked my fellow bookseller to recommend me something that would make me think "What kind of sick person could think up something like this!?!" (think Halfhead/Stuart MacBride, Genesis/Karin Slaughter, Perfume/Patrick Suskind) - and she told me that this one fitted my brief exactly. She was spot on.

Some of the stories within the book were fantastic and left me wanting more of it - they're stuck in my head now and I can't get them out - some were so bizarre that I couldn't follow them (hence no 10th star). The characters were a mixed bag, mostly disconnected and unrelateable, but I did find myself rooting for one or two of them, which was a little disturbing in itself. I really did like the penultimate tale 'Obsolete' - it was one of the chapters that is now ingrained into my head.

I already read 'Snuff' by Palahnuik a while back, but now I think Choke and Fight Club are going onto my ever expanding Book(et) list.

Halfhead - Stuart B. MacBride

"There's blood everywhere."

Rated 9.2/10 (Awesome!)

There are worse things than the death penalty...

My Thoughts: The first sentence had me hooked and pretty much set the theme up for the whole novel in an instant. A really dark and gritty sci-fi read with plenty of shocking gore and a racing plotline. I couldn't tear my eyes from the pages.

I had the privilege of a quick exchange of Tweets with Mr MacBride as I was reading this on the train to work:



                 Me ‏@Gemininski

Reading Halfhead by @stuartmacbride and wondering why I've never picked this up before. It's ace!

Expand

27 NovStuart MacBride ‏@StuartMacBride

@Gemininski Phew! That was a worry. Some people absolutely loathe it. Glad you're not one of them.

Expand

28 NovMe ‏@Gemininski

@StuartMacBride not at all! Though I do worry in parts that someone is looking over my shoulder at what I'm reading and backing away slowly.

And I did indeed find myself shielding the odd page from commuters who found themselves within reading distance. There are some pretty sickening scenes in there, and one particularly that I had to stop reading for a moment to take a deep breath and continue on. The strong dystopia element satisfied me, and I only wish that the book could have delved a little further into it, and into the whole concept behind the halfhead.

I love to be kept in suspense when reading. I love to be shocked. I love vivid characters that I actually care for and plenty of action... This book covered all bases. I want more!

An epic sci-fi/crime thriller that is something that little bit different. 

Theme: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Style: 4/5

Overall: 9.2/10

Red Dragon - Thomas Harris

Will Graham sat Crawford down
at a picnic table between the
house and the ocean and gave
him a glass of iced tea.

Rated 9.2/10 (brilliant)

A second family has been massacred by the terrifying serial killer the press has christened "The Tooth Fairy". Special Agent Jack Crawford turns to the one man who can help restart a failed investigation: Will Graham. Graham is the greatest profiler the FBI ever had, but the physical and mental scars of capturing Hannibal Lecter have caused Graham to go into early retirement. Now, Graham must turn to Lecter for help.

My Thoughts: I was drawn towards this book and was not disappointed. I liked that Will Graham is a protagonist with a dark side, and I love the character Lecter - the complete definition of intelligence, brilliance and pure, disgusting evil.

This book is twisted. It challenges us to get inside the mind of a vicious psychotic killer, and maybe, just maybe, empathise a little with him. It forces us to see where this evil stems from and to understand why he might feel the urge to do what he does. It's clever and evil and shocking all rolled up into 420 pages of brilliantly written, can't put down, crime horror.  It was just like reading my way through a film (ignoring the fact that films of this have been made as I haven't actually seen them yet). 

The only real hang up that I have was about the ending. It was awkward and didn't quite sit well with the build up of the rest of the book.

Theme: 5/5
Twisted serial killers and a race against time...

Plot: 4/5
One point knocked off for the ending, but the rest made for reading I just could not put down.

Characters: 5/5
Hannibal Lecter is one of the most prominent characters on both the big screen and on paper. With a cast of well-rounded, less than perfect characters, and another psychotic killer on the loose - not much more you can ask for!!!

Setting: 5/5

Style: 4/5
I love Harris' knack for dragging us into the minds of people that do things we would never even dream of!

Overall: 9.2/10

Perfume: Patrick Suskind

"In eighteenth-century France
there lived a man who was one
of the most gifted and abominable
personages in an era that knew
no lack of gifted and abominable
personages."

Rated 8.4/10  (brilliant)

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, the protagonist of Patrick Suskind’s début novel is arguably one of the most extraordinary characters in contemporary fiction. This extraordinariness, which lies in his unprecedented and enviable power of smell, is an evident manifestation of the author’s creative genius and is responsible for the immense readability of this novel. 

My Thoughts: Wow! Well, I'd heard that this was a brilliant read by quite a few people and it sounded gruesome and horrific; something that would interest me, so I picked it up. 

In short, this is one of the strangest books I've ever read.

It's actually written really well, and I love that it kept me hooked right to the end simply because the concept was inspiring - the settings were vivid, and the characters were horrible! I loved that Suskind opens us up to the idea of scent and how important and under-rated it is to us. There wasn't as much action in it as I expected to come across, but it was interesting all the same. It captured settings through scent in a way that I've never found myself thinking about before. 

I love the power that Grenouille possesses and I love the way that Suskind writes him. I sympathised with Grenouille despite everything, and yet I couldn't like him in any way. He's a cold character but we know the reasoning behind it and we accept it. He has no endearing qualities for the reader to grasp, and he has no endearing qualities for other characters to grasp either. Brilliant!

We are also on a journey with a murderer, and there are very few authors that can write successfully on that basis. The fact that it is set in the 1700's is a huge bonus, as I love stepping back in time and surrounding myself with a way of life that differs so much to my own. I felt the urge to visit Baldini's store in particular. 

The ending of this book is completely bizarre and was probably the element that threw me off a little bit, and also the fact that it offered less action than I expected. I wanted this to be full on gore and horror - but it wasn't and it did drag in places. However, it was dark and gritty and beautifully written.

Theme: 5/5
I loved the concept of this novel and the originality of it.

Plot: 3/5
I needed more action and felt that the ending wasn't quite fitting.

Characters: 4/5
The characters were brilliantly written - especially Grenouille.

Setting: 5/5
A perfect setting.

Style: 4/5
I loved Suskind's style.

Overall: 8.4/10

Trafficked - Sophie Hayes

Date Finished: 9th March 2012

When Sophie Hayes met Bledi she knew he'd change her life – but she had no idea how much. At first, it was a typical whirlwind romance. But one day Bledi told her that love always comes at a price ...

My Thoughts: I very rarely pick up a 'Painful Lives' book, but there wasn't much choice in the train station and so I ended up running this one through the self-serve check out before jumping on the train.

I couldn't put it down.

The events that she speaks of are horrific, but Sophie glosses over the really gritty detail and as a result, it's a book that more readers can pick up and learn from. A really addictive read that is easy to blitz your way through. Sophie Hayes' story is a tragic one, but it hammers home an immensely important message, and it's one that we can all learn from.

I RATED IT 6/10

Lion of the Sun - Harry Sidebottom

Date Finished: 3rd March 2012

In Mesopotamia, AD 260, Ballista faces yet another enemy, the man the Syrians call The Lion of the Sun, in this third novel in the 'Warrior of Rome' series. Betrayed by his most trusted adviser, Roman Emperor Valerian has been captured by the Sassanid barbarians. The shame of the vanquished beats down mercilessly like the desert sun as the frail old emperor prostrates himself before Sharpur, king of kings. Ballista looks on helplessly but vows under his breath to avenge those who have brought the empire to the brink of destruction with their treachery.

My Thoughts: This is the third book in the Warrior of Rome series - a set of books that I adore. Ballista and his entourage are fantastic characters and I had very high expectations of this upon finishing the first two reads.

I was a little disappointed that Ballista's entourage don't feature in this as much as the last two. It wasn't quite full of the comradary and warmth that is conjured up through the relationships between Ballista and his bodyguard Maximus, his secretary Demetrius and his minder Calgacus.

On top of this, I found the plot line a lot more difficult to follow. It was more focussed on politics and less on action.

Having said this - the ending of Lion of the Sun is fantastic and well worth the struggle to get to it. I didn't really get pulled into the build up but it really was good. I've had customers pick this book up before the first two and then coming back and asking me for Fire in the East. Those who know a lot about Ancient Rome will absolutely adore it and will probably find that it flows a little more easily for them.

One other point to note is that Ballista's wife Julia is a brilliant character and she really does flourish in Lion of the Sun. She is strong, calm and level headed, and can really hold her own. I would love to read a Kate Quinn-esque novel revolving around Julia and the children. It would be ace.

All in all, a good read, but overshadowed by its predecessors.
I RATED THIS 6/10

Flu - Wayne Simmons

Date Finished: 3rd December 2011

There's a nasty flu going round. An epidemic, they call it. The posters say to cover your mouth when you sneeze, and throw away the tissue.

But such simple measures won't help.

Because when you catch this flu, armed police come and lock you in your house to die alone.

When you catch this flu, it kills you in days.

And two hours after it's killed you, your eyelids snap open again...

My Thoughts: I really did like this. It kept me on edge in the way that a good horror film would, and was well written - enough blood and suspense to keep me happy. The pages turned quickly and I was gutted when I misplaced the book for a few days right in the middle of reading!

The story is less about the flu virus (you don't get to find out any of the scientific details surrounding how it started) and more about survival - which was a major plus for me as I love survival tales.

There seemed to be a few things brushed over, and the odd bit that felt misplaced; but nothing that put me off reading at all.

I did have one major hang up with it. The female characters in this novel seemed so cliche. Neither of them initially knew how to work a gun (on the other hand, every male character instinctfully picks up a weapon and is a brilliant shot). They fall flat (and often fall over at the most inappropriate of times) and rely on the men to look out for them or to teach them how to look out for themselves.

I'm not usually one to go off on a rant about people portraying the stereotypical woman, as normally I wouldn't even notice. But this one had me a bit irritated because it was so blindingly obvious, otherwise it would have definitely been very high on my list of favourite apocalyptic thrillers.

All in all a great read! Just ignore the fact that the ladies are a bit of a nightmare situation.

I RATED IT 6/10

The Visitor - Lee Child

Date Finished: 7th November 2011

It's tough being a high-flying woman in the Army. Very tough. When Sergeant Amy Callan and Lieutenant Caroline Cook are found dead in their own homes—in baths filled with Army-issue camouflage paint, their bodies completely unmarked—Jack Reacher is under suspicion. He knew them both—and he knows that they both left the Army under dubious circumstances, both victims of sexual harassment. A former U.S. military policeman, a loner and a drifter, he matches the psychological profile prepared by the FBI, and is arrested by ambitious Special Agent, Julia Lamarr.

My Thoughts: Jack Reacher is at it again. This time he gets roped in to something pretty huge against his will. The fourth in Reacher's series is just as quick and easy to read as the last three, and again, I found it very tricky to put down.

Having said this, The Visitor didn't quite hit the same mark as the last books for me - this one is more of a "whodunnit" and has less of Reacher muscling his way about banging heads together for results (which is what I love most about his over-the-top mountain of a character). It keeps you guessing right until the very last pages however, and although the conclusion also didn't cut it for me, the suspense was brilliant. A must read for Reacher fans, but perhaps shouldn't be the first choice for those not familiar with the series.

I RATED THIS 8/10

Blindsighted - Karin Slaughter

Date Finished: 18th October 2011

The sleepy town of Heartsdale, Georgia, is jolted into panic when Sara Linton, the town’s pediatrician and coroner, finds Sibyl Adams, a young college professor, dead in the local diner. As well as being viciously raped, Sibyl has been cut: two deep knife wounds form a lethal cross over her stomach. But it’s only once Sara starts to perform the postmortem that the full extent of the killer’s brutality starts to become clear.

My Thoughts: This truly was a brutally addictive read - the story had me hooked. I love the way that Karin Slaughter draws you right in to the lives of her characters and makes you want the best for them. I should never have read Genesis first, there's a MASSIVE spoiler in that one! Read this series from book 1 'Blindsighted'.

Slaughter has quickly become one of my favourite authors and I will be getting book 2 in as soon as I can. Not one for the faint hearted, you need to have a strong stomach for Slaughter - her crimes are absolutely shocking.

I RATED IT 10/10

Genesis - Karin Slaughter

Date Read: September 2011

Karin Slaughter weaves together moving, powerful human stories of characters as real as they are complex and unforgettable. At the same time she has crafted a work of dazzling storytelling and spine-tingling mystery; as three people, with their own wounds and their own secrets, are all that stand between a madman and his next crime...

My Thoughts: It really does make me wonder as to how Karin Slaughter comes up with the shocking and sickening acts of violence that laced her book. It made my skin crawl!

'Genesis' was tightly written, with some well-rounded characters (I loved Will) that are completely human with all of their flaws and qualities. I am a bit of a sucker for character-driven novels and that really helped me to devour the pages on my lunch breaks, often finding myself strolling back to work a little late.

Her horrific descriptions of torture were shocking, but only really used where necessary (she didn't just chuck it all in for the hell of it). It made me cringe - but didn't keep hounding on about it. However, definitely not a read for someone of a nervous disposition.

I honestly couldn't put the book down and I will definitely be reading more from her, probably starting from the very beginning.

I RATED THIS 10/10