Book Bingo 2019

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Book Bingo – Written by An Author I have Never Read – The Silent Patient: Alex Michaelides

The Silent Patient

The Silent Patient

Alex Michaelides

Hachette Australia

Orion

ISBN: 9781409181620

 

Description:

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

 

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

 

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him….

 

My View:

 

“Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive, and will come forth later, in uglier ways. Sigmund Freud”

― Alex Michaelides, The Silent Patient

 

This is an exceptional debut.

Alex Michaelides “ studied English literature at Cambridge University and got his  MA in screenwriting at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. He wrote the film The Devil You Know (2013) starring Rosamund Pike and co-wrote The Con is On (2018), starring Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Parker Posey and Sofia Vergara. THE SILENT PATIENT is his first novel.” https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17621440.Alex_Michaelides

 

Alex Michaelides writes a terrific psychological thriller that plays like a film in your head; visual, compelling, surprising. A narrative told in two voices – that of Alicia – whose thoughts and actions are explored via her diary (and art), before and after committing the crime that has her incarcerated in a secure unit, and the voice of her therapist.

 

I love the trope of the unreliable narrator – and in this book we are privileged to experience two such narrators! What a powerful tool this is in the hands of such a skilled story teller. And there is a magnificent twist that I didn’t see coming.

 

A great read.

 

 

 

 

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Book Bingo- Themes of Justice- The Rip – Mark Brandi

The Rip

The Rip

Mark Brandi

Hachette Australia

ISBN: 9780733641121

RRP $29.99

 

Description:

‘It’s funny how quick it happens and without you really noticing. Anton said once that it’s like walking out into the sea, and you think everything’s fine and the water’s warm, but when you turn back you’re suddenly miles from shore. I’ve never been much of a swimmer, but I get what he means. Like, being caught in a current or something. A rip.’

 

A young woman, living on the street has to keep her wits about her. Or her friends. But when the drugs kick in that can be hard.

 

Anton has been looking out for her. She was safe with him. But then Steve came along.

 

He had something over Anton. Must have. But he had a flat they could crash in. And gear in his pocket. And she can’t stop thinking about it. A good hit makes everything all right.

 

But the flat smells weird.

There’s a lock on Steve’s bedroom door.

And the guy is intense.

 

The problem is, sometimes you just don’t know you are in too deep, until you are drowning.

 

 

My View:

Mark Brandi has a special talent, a super power, he is able to insert poignant, authentic characters into his narratives that tell urban, contemporary stories that have great social impact.  Subtle yet powerful, what an amazing voice he and his characters have.

 

Bravo! Encore!

 

What’s next Mark? I can’t wait to find out.

 

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Book Bingo – Book Set In An Exotic Location: Gone By Midnight – Candice Fox

Gone by Midnight

Gone by Midnight

Crimson Lake #3

Candice Fox

Penguin Books

Bantam Australia

ISBN: 9780143789154

Description:

Ex-cop Ted Conkaffey is slowing rebuilding his life in Crimson Lake, and getting to know his three-year-old daughter, Lillian. But when he and his PI partner Amanda take on the case of a boy who seems to have literally disappeared into thin air, his job once again threatens everything . . .

 

Crimson Lake is where bad people come to disappear – and where eight-year-old boys vanish into thin air . . .

 

On the fifth floor of the White Caps Hotel, four young friends are left alone while their parents dine downstairs. But when Sara Farrow checks on the children at midnight, her son is missing. The boys swear they stayed in their room, and CCTV confirms Richie has not left the building. Despite a thorough search, no trace of the child is found.

 

Distrustful of the police, Sara turns to Crimson Lake’s unlikeliest private investigators: disgraced cop Ted Conkaffey and convicted killer Amanda Pharrell. This case just the sort of twisted puzzle that gets Amanda’s blood pumping.

 

For Ted, the case couldn’t have come at a worse time. Two years ago a false accusation robbed him of his career, his reputation and most importantly his family. But now Lillian, the daughter he barely knows, is coming to stay in his ramshackle cottage by the lake.

 

Ted must dredge up the area’s worst characters to find a missing boy. And the kind of danger he uncovers could well put his own child in deadly peril . . .

 

 

My View:

An outstanding work of crime fiction/mystery!

 

This is an excellent read, this series just gets better and better. I think this has to be my favourite Candice Fox read thus far. Candice has provided the reader with exciting plot lines, some great empathetic characters, wonderful eerie settings (crocodiles and swamps are a spine chilling combination), some great twists and turns and a conclusion that is spiked with hope.

 

I love this series! More please.

 

 

 

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Book Bingo: Written By An Australian Woman – Painting in the Shadows – Katherine Kovacic

Painting in the Shadows

Painting the Shadows

Katherine Kovacic

Echo Publishing

ISBN: 9781760685775

 

Description:

Deadly paintings, mysterious colours and hidden works…

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Art dealer Alex Clayton and conservator John Porter are thrilled to be previewing the Melbourne International Museum of Art’s (MIMA) newest exhibition, until they witness a museum worker collapse and badly damage a reportedly cursed painting.

 

Belief in the curse is strengthened when MIMA’s senior conservator Meredith Buchanan dies less than twenty-four hours later while repairing the work. But Alex and John are convinced there is a decidedly human element at work in the museum.

 

The evidence sets them on the trail of a mysterious painting that could hold a key to Meredith’s death, and the stakes are raised higher when Alex is offered her dream job at MIMA. Damaging the museum’s reputation will jeopardise her professional future.

 

The friends soon realise they are facing an adversary far more ruthless than they had anticipated, and there is much more at risk than Alex’s career.

 

 

My View:

Painting The Shadows in a book that provides the reader with an interesting glimpse into the world of art, galleries and art conservation. This view is fascinating and even prompted me to do some internet research on some of the artists that are mentioned in the narrative.

 

This is book 2 in the Alex Clayton Art Mystery series and for me this had quite a different emphasis than the first book (drama, mystery); this read provided more character development and backstories interwoven into a cozy type mystery. A perfect read for the plane or train.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Review: Hunter – Timothy Blake #2 – Jack Heath

Hunter

Hunter

Timothy Blake #2

Jack Heath

Allen & Unwin Australia

ISBN: 9781760527082

 

Description:

Timothy Blake, ex-consultant for the FBI, now works in body-disposal for a local crime lord. One night he stumbles across a body he wasn’t supposed to find and is forced to hide it. When the FBI calls Blake in to investigate a missing university professor, Blake recognises him as the dead man in his freezer.

 

Then another man goes missing. And another.

 

There’s a serial killer in Houston, Texas, and Blake is running out of time to solve the case. His investigation takes him to a sex doll factory, a sprawling landfill in Louisiana and a secret cabin in the woods.

 

As they hunt the killer together, FBI agent Reese Thistle starts to warm to Blake – but she also gets closer and closer to discovering his terrible secret.

 

Can Blake uncover the killer, without being exposed himself?

 

A confounding, intriguing and wildly suspenseful thriller from the bestselling and acclaimed author of Hangman.

 

 

My View:

Book 2 in the Timothy Blake series is much more palatable J 

 

This narrative showcases the author’s ability to engage and entertain with witty dark humour, mysteries that intrigue, with the anti hero  now showing signs of empathy and thoughtfulness…and love… with occasional break outs of gruesome gore.

 

I like how Jack Heath has turned the whole woman rescued by prince charming thing on its head.  Reese Thistle is the emotional rescuer here.  Reese Thistle is the smart, proactive, impulsive and fast acting hero in this piece.

 

I think Heath’s feminist side is exposed in this episode and I like it. Gangsters can be women, women can be cruel, capable of abhorrent dead’s but also ultimately, resourceful, determining their own destiny (no matter how warped that may or may not be eg Hope, Sindy).  There was only disappointment for me in this aspect of the narrative (no spoilers) was a character who is the victim of abuse who conspiratorially defends the abuser, this, however, is not so much a fault of the writer it is more a reflection of a behaviour often encountered in this type of abusive situation.

 

Looking forward to book 3 in the series.

 

 

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Welcome Jack Heath to My Blog

Listen as this exciting new talent in crime fiction/thriller writing introduces his Timothy Blake series.

“Jack Heath lives in Canberra and is the bestselling author of more than 25 acclaimed fiction titles for middle-grade and YA readers. His books include the real-time series 300, 400 and 500 Minutes of Danger, the choose-your-own-ending Countdown to Danger books (Scholastic), a collaboration with international illusionist Cosentino, and YA novels such as The Fail Safe and The Cut Out, a multi-award-nominated espionage thriller. His books have sold more than 200,000 copies worldwide and been translated into several languages. First published as a teenager, in the course of his research Jack has trained with firearms, performed street magic, visited morgues and prisons, travelled through eleven countries and read only books by women for a year. jackheath.com.au ”  https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/fiction/crime-mystery/Hunter-Jack-Heath-9781760527082

 

PS -Thanks Jack for appearing on my blog. I cant wait to start reading the book – your enthusiasm is infectious. And on a different note-  love the art work in the background.

 

PPS:

follow @jackheathwriter on social media

free ebook at jackheath.com.au

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Book Bingo -Book 1 – Dark Sacred Place – Michael Connelly

Book Bingo is a reading challenge run in collaboration with Mrs B’s Book Reviewsand The Book Muse   and Theresa Smith Writes Every second Saturday, book bingo participants reveal which bingo category they have read to and what book they chose. You can join in by heading over to the book club where members are regularly posting their books and thoughts for discussion.

I am a little behind in my reviewing- and so will be trying to catch up in the next week or so. I have read the books I just need to find time to write and post the reviews.

 

My first square – CRIME – my favorite genre.

 

dark sacred night

Dark Sacred Night

A Ballard and Bosch Thriller

Michael Connelly

Allen & Unwin Australia

ISBN: 9781760528553

 

Description:

At the end of a long, dark night detectives Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch cross paths for the first time.

 

Detective Renee Ballard works the graveyard shift and returns to Hollywood Station in the early hours to find a stranger rifling through old files.

 

The intruder is none other than retired legendary LAPD detective Harry Bosch, hunting for leads in an unsolved case that has got under his skin.

 

Ballard escorts him out but — curious to know what he was searching for — soon becomes obsessed by the murder of Daisy Clayton. Was she the first victim of a serial killer who still stalks the streets?

 

For Bosch, the case is more than personal: it may be all he has left.

 

But in a city where crime never sleeps, even detectives have a dark side…

 

 

My View:

I am a big fan of Michael Connelly and this new book did not disappoint. The combination of characters – Bosch from the original series   teed up with new character, Renee Ballard, brings perspectives new and old, insight and experience, risk taking and daring in an exciting, dramatic dark narrative.

 

I am really looking forward to the next time these two characters work a case together.