Notes of Life

Books reviewed during March 2011…

1st March – Strangers on the 16:02 by Priya Basil
This is a Quick Reads book with around 100 pages, so easily read in one sitting. It’s the story of a train journey which goes horribly wrong.

6th March – The Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett
The first book in Beckett’s David Hunter forensic thriller series and the beginning of my love for Simon Beckett’s books!

12th March – Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler
The first book in Christopher Fowler’s Bryant & May crime thriller series, going back to Bryant & May’s very first case together.

16th March – Written in Bone by Simon Beckett
The second book in Beckett’s David Hunter series, investigating a body that has been totally incinerated apart from the feet and one hand.

19th March – The Ultimate Book of Baby Knits by Debbie Bliss
A bit of a change from novels! Quite possibly the best baby knits book out there!

20th March – Whispers of the Dead by Simon Beckett
The third book in Beckett’s David Hunter series, this time set in Knoxville, Tennessee as Hunter goes to work at the Body Farm.

26th March – The Calling of the Grave by Simon Beckett
The fourth and latest book in Beckett’s David Hunter series, following the old case of an convicted seriel murderer.

29th March – Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan
The first book in what’s looking to be a great paranormal trilogy.

So, as you can tell, it’s very much been a month of Simon Beckett books! I’ve worked my way through his David Hunter series and will now have to wait quite a while for the next one.

I’ve also bought and received some great books this month, some of which are listed above, others I’ve yet to read but I’m looking forward to them.

I’m currently reading The Burning by Jane Casey. It’s a crime thriller about a brutal murderer the media calls The Burning Man. He’s already beaten four young women to death, before setting alight their bodies. Now a fifth victim has been found. I’m enjoying the storyline, but I’m not so sure about the format the book takes. I should have finished it by the weekend, so check back for the review.

That’s all folks!

Author: Cate Tiernan
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 978-1444706994

Nastasya has lived a lifetime, an everlasting lifetime. As an immortal, she’s reinvented herself more times than she can count. After witnessing her friend Innocencio break a man’s back with a spell and then walking away, Nasty takes a look at herself and her friends and she doesn’t like what she sees. In fact, she’s scared, horrified even. Scared enough to run and hide from her friends, from her memories, from her life.

Nasty seeks help from a woman she once met years ago and ends up at River’s Edge. She doesn’t feel like she belongs there, but where she belongs doesn’t exist anymore. She can’t trust the people she thought were friends, is there anyone she can trust? Will River’s Edge save Nastasya or drive her deeper into despair? Will Innocencio come looking for Nasty?

Read the book to find out!

Immortal Beloved is the first book in a new trilogy by Cate Tiernan. It’s different to most paranormal/fantasy books these days, because there’s no vampires, no werewolves, no shape-shifters, nothing like that. This is about being immortal in this world and all that is brought with it, magick is also wound through the story.

The story is told from Nastasya’s point-of-view, so the other characters are all based her perspective. You almost find yourself liking or disliking the characters she does. Despite being several hundred years old, Nasty is quite immature, but when you read how she’s been wasting her life you can see where the immaturity comes from. Her immaturity also gives the character room to grow, to become who she is, not who she pretends to be.

Some might find this story slow, but I’d say to keep with it as it’s an evolving story and there are faster-paced parts to it. We learn more about Nastasya’s life through flashbacks, giving us a more detailed story.

Something I like in a book is humour and there were several instances where I had to laugh while reading Immortal Beloved. Despite what shes been through, Nastasya can be quite funny. Even on the last page the author managed to fit in some humour.

My only real problem with the book was that one of the storylines was left open, almost forgotten about, not in a cliffhanger sort of way. However, I’m guessing that this will be carried on into the second book, so it’s not a big issue.

All in all, I enjoyed reading Immortal Beloved and found it a refreshing change. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I got through it in just a couple of day and I’m already looking forward to reading the second book in the trilogy.

Buy Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan from Amazon UK or the Book Depository.

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Please note: I received this book free through the Amazon Vine program. However, this has in no way influenced my opinion of the book.

… and I’m currently reading Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan. It’s a story of love, friendship, secrets, tragedy and loss… in an immortal and magick kind of way. I’m about two-thirds of the way through and enjoying it so far.

UK Cover	US Cover

Here are the UK and US versions of the cover. What do you think? My copy has the UK cover, of course, and I’d say it’s my favourite out of the two.

Last week I read the 4th and latest book in Simon Beckett‘s David Hunter series – The Calling of the Grave (read my review). For fans of crime & forensic thrillers, I really can’t rate this book or series highly enough.

What will I be reading next? I’m not sure, but I’ve certainly not got a shortage of books to read from!

In other news… I’ve just won a copy of Getting Away With It by Julie Cohen over at Dot Scribbles‘ blog! Dot wanted to know what her readers dream flavour of ice-cream would be… I said Malibu & Coke! Dot has currently got another Giveaway going on (for UK readers) for a copy of Rosebush by Michele Jaffe, so why not head on over and enter (the giveaway is open until midnight on 30th March). Good luck!

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Here are the books I received in the past week…

This week I received something very special – A signed ARC of Deceived By The Others by Jess Haines! Deceived by the Others is the 3rd book in the H&W Investigations urban fantasy series. Regular readers will know that I loved the first two books of the series and I’m so grateful to Jess for sending me an advanced copy of Deceived By The Others (it isn’t released until July!). I can’t wait to get stuck into this book, however I won’t post the review until nearer the release date.

If you haven’t read any of the books in the H&W series then check out my reviews for books 1 & 2:

1. Hunted By The Others (Read my review)
2. Taken By The Others (Read my review)

If you’ve already read the first two books in the H&W series, then take a look at Jess’s blog for an exclusive Deceived By The Others teaser!

The second book I received this week is an ARC of Now You See Me by S. J. Bolton from Amazon Vine. I really am on a crime-reading spree this year and I’d heard a lot about this book, so I snapped it up when I saw it listed in my Amazon Vine newsletter this week. The story is about a young detective constable Lacey Flint who has a life-long fascination with Jack the Ripper. However, she’s never worked on a murder case and hasn’t even seen a corpse up close… until now that is. A copycat Ripper is on the loose and he’s fixated with Lacey. Can she outwit him? I’m looking forward to finding out!

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Author: Simon Beckett
Publisher: Transworld Publishers
ISBN: 978-0-593-06346-0

The Calling of the Grave is the 4th and latest book in the Beckett’s David Hunter series. We’re taken back 8 years to when they found the body on the moor. The police were certain it was a teenage victim of psychotic rapist and murderer Jerome Monk and there were two more bodies to find. The moor wasn’t going to give them up easily and the search ended badly. With Monk in prison, Hunter and the rest of the recovery team moved on.

Now, Monk has escaped, but he hasn’t moved on, and the members of the original recovery team could be in danger, including Hunter. After a call for help, Hunter heads back to the moors, but finds the past is far from dead & buried…

Each of the David Hunter books in the series begins with a description of something to do with his work, something to do with the forensic anthropology and the decomposition of a body. I find it quite interesting, though a little disturbing! However, it does suit the nature of the books.

I did find that this book featured less of Hunter’s forensic anthropology work than the previous books in the series. The story is more of a crime thriller than a forensic one, but it’s still a Simon Beckett book through and through.  Once again, this David Hunter book is fast-paced and has plenty of twists & turns. It’s on-the-edge-of-your-seat stuff and doesn’t disappoint!

Like stormy remote Scottish island of Runa in Written in Bone, the backdrop of the damp and foggy moors in The Calling of the Grave is very atmosphere and very much sets the tone. It’s almost as if the reader is there.

Simon Beckett gives depth to his characters and while the taunting murderer isn’t a man I’d ever want to meet, you do get to see a side to a killer that you wouldn’t normally see

While the story doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, it does leave you wondering what Hunter’s next case will be. That’s a good thing in my opinion, because I assume it means there’s going to be another book!

If you’ve read the other books in the series then you’ll definitely enjoy The Calling of the Grave too. Each of the books can be read as a stand-alone book, but I do think they are more enjoyable if you read them as a series. I’ve certainly come to know the character of David Hunter well and look forward to reading what else Simon Beckett has planned for Hunter.

Other books in the David Hunter series:

1. The Chemistry of Death (Read my review)
2. Written in Bone (Read my review)
3. Whispers of the Dead (Read my review)

Simon Beckett is a British author.

This is the 11th book I’ve read for the British Books Challenge 2011.

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Please note: I received this book free from Transworld Publishers. However, this in no way influenced my opinion of the book.