Carnal Acts by Sam Alexander.

"Sam Alexander is a pseudonym for an acclaimed British crime writer. His identity will be unveiled if and when the time is right ..."

When I found out this book was written by a pseudonym it captured my interest straight away, I love a good mystery.  Whilst I love reading crime books I am by no means an expert on them, so despite reading it, I still have no idea who 'really' wrote Carnal Acts.

This is a brilliant work of crime fiction which opens with a mystery that keeps running throughout the book and isn't revealed until the very end - it kept me guessing the whole way through.

The main detective in the book, Joni, is such an unusual character, so strong and determined to break the case, but could be seen to use a little bit too much force sometimes to find her answers.  Her mother is a zany character who seemed to me to be a white witch - always at one with nature and cooking up some very strange home brews.  I really liked the other main detective, Heck, who despite being old in service with illness holding him back, had enough fire in his belly to tackle some of the most dangerous criminals.

There were many strands to the crimes being committed, with lots of offenders encompassing many different groups.  I had to concentrate in places to keep up with the action as the book is so fast paced that the crimes and their investigation race by; but this just made it a thoroughly interesting read.

All in all I found it a gripping story, it felt a little bit more quirky than some other crime novels - it had something sassy about it that made it stand out from the crowd.  And if you think you know who Sam Alexander is then please let me know!!

The back page blurb:
A stunning crime fiction novel featuring a pair of detectives in the northern English borderlands. DI Joni Pax, a London homicide detective wounded in a disastrous raid, has been transferred to the newly formed Police Force of North East England. Her boss, DCI Hector Heck Rutherford, is recently back at work after cancer treatment. Between them they are responsible for major crime in rural Northumberland and County Durham. Joni, the daughter of a black American and a white hippy, is a loner struggling to regain her self confidence. Heck is happily married, but his illness has left him fearful. Based in Corham, a town with Roman, medieval and industrial heritage, Paz and Rutherford investigate a murder at a brothel run by the Albanian mafia. In a series of breathtaking plot twists, the author demonstrates the corruption that underpins the beautiful northern English countryside as well as hinting at a mysterious world beyond the horizon. Carnal Acts explores abuse of many kinds sexual, psychological, economic taking the police procedural to places it has never been before.

Title: Carnal Acts
Author: Sam Alexander
Buy Carnal Acts Here
#WhoIsSamAlexander?

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson.

This book is quite different from the two before it.  It's heavily based on preparation for the criminal trial of Salander, who rather than running around like the action heroine we know her as, does little more than sit in a hospital bed, cell or courtroom chair.  However, she's still busy hacking computers like normal and the other characters provide plenty of action amongst themselves.  There are stalkers, murderers plus plenty of surveillance to fuel the conspiracy theories discussed in the book, so it's full of action and intrigue.

Like all the other books I have to criticise the sheer number of characters, between all the regulars, criminals and police I always find myself getting a little bit confused who is who.  But apart from that it was an enjoyable read.
All our favourite characters return as well as new doctors and police officers and Milton Security staff.  

There are plenty of tense moments throughout the story and mysteries that keep you reading until the end.

In some ways this was my favourite of the three, because we see a different side of Salander.  If you feel it's a bit long, do keep reading until the trial and the cross examination of the psychiatrist... it's very satisfying seeing all the preparation finally pay off!

The back page blurb:
Salander is plotting her revenge - against the man who tried to kill her, and against the government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life. But it is not going to be a straightforward campaign. After taking a bullet to the head, Salander is under close supervision in Intensive Care, and is set to face trial for three murders and one attempted murder on her eventual release. With the help of journalist Mikael Blomkvist and his researchers at Millennium magazine, Salander must not only prove her innocence, but identify and denounce the corrupt politicians that have allowed the vulnerable to become victims of abuse and violence. Once a victim herself, Salander is now ready to fight back.

Title: The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest
Author: Stieg Larsson
The Millennium Trilogy #3

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes.

I fell in love with the cover of this book and couldn't wait to start reading it, despite it not being my usual type of book.

I don't normally read books that centre around time-travel as I often get confused by it, and this book was no different.  I found it hard to keep up with all the characters and the fact that each chapter was based in a different time period.  I was constantly flicking back to the previous chapter to check what year it had been then.

I liked the crime-based part of the story and found it interesting how all the victims were linked together.  I've read a lot of crime books and am used to reading quite graphic descriptions of crime, but the description of the attack on Kirby really affected me to the point of making my cry.
I really liked the character Kirby, and her fellow reporter Dan.  She was very strong and I loved the way he pulled through for her at the end of the book.

I found myself disappointed by the end of the book, I would have liked to know what happened to the main characters after events came to a conclusion.  I would also like to have known how the police responded to events.

I really liked the photos taken during the author's research at the end of the book, it was interesting to see places as she would have done whilst creating the story. And when I saw the photo of her 'murder wall' I realised it wasn't surprising that the plot sometimes confused me.

The back page blurb:

“It’s not my fault. It’s yours. You shouldn’t shine. You shouldn’t make me do this.”

Chicago 1931. Harper Curtis, a violent drifter, stumbles on a house with a secret as shocking as his own twisted nature – it opens onto other times. He uses it to stalk his carefully chosen 'shining girls' through the decades – and cut the spark out of them.

He’s the perfect killer. Unstoppable. Untraceable. He thinks…

Chicago, 1992. They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Tell that to Kirby Mazrachi, whose life was shattered after a brutal attempt to murder her. Still struggling to find her attacker, her only ally is Dan, an ex-homicide reporter who covered her case and now might be falling in love with her.

As Kirby investigates, she finds the other girls – the ones who didn’t make it. The evidence is … impossible. But for a girl who should be dead, impossible doesn’t mean it didn’t happen…

Title: The Shining Girls
Author: Lauren Beukes

The One You Love by Paul Pilkington.

As a fan of chick-lit I was only really drawn to this book because it was the number one free book in Kindle (shallow I know) but despite this I really enjoyed it.

The book is a thriller and is packaged full of suspense and intrigue.  The author constantly leaves little snippets of information hanging in the air which you are unable to piece together.  As you read you find yourself unable to figure out all the little bits of information and your idea of 'who did it' constantly changes.  And thankfully when you do get to the end of the book it's not disappointing to find out the truth which I sometimes find with these kinds of books.

I was a little worried by the fact that the same characters in this book go on to feature in another crime thriller - how unlucky can one set of friends be!

Get it while it's still free on Kindle - it's well worth it.

Title: The One You Love
Author: Paul Pilkington