An Army of Skin made me think of a Criminal Minds or very dark Bones episode, a psychopath plotting revenge, but how many innocents must die before he accomplishes his goal, and, if you look closely at the cover, you will get a glimpse inside the deranged mind of a monster…all the while I had a feeling, but Morgan K Tanner kept that niggle of doubt in my mind alive.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of An Army of Skin by Morgan K Tanner.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
After losing his mother to a brain tumour, Trevor King feels totally alone in the world. Someone needs to pay for her death and Dr Mellick, Trevor’s work colleague and family GP, is the man he holds responsible. Trevor’s yearning for vengeance leads him to concoct a vicious plot to frame the doctor for multiple murders. Trevor skins the corpses, turning them into elaborate art pieces after being inspired by a mysterious textbook. But as the skins of the flayed victims come to life and continue the killings for him, Trevor wonders whether he is in too deep.When Dr Mellick goes missing Trevor becomes convinced the doctor is planning a similar scheme to bring him down. But as Trevor discovers the truth of his mother’s death and his own life, this murderous path becomes more of a calling.
The cover wasn’t the only thing that had me eager to read David Barnett’s My Hungry Friend. The title makes me wonder…Who’s hungry and who will be eaten. LOL
Running the gauntlet of the homeless that are collected on the block, he makes the biggest mistake of his life.
“Everything’s got a price,” she said.
And he was going to pay it!
Is it real, or all in his head?
Will he take anyone down with him?
I wondered.
Spiders…one of the creepiest critters to crawl the face of the earth. Just thinking of, writing about them, makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck and chills run up and down my spine. That is the kind of scary I like. Not Jason coming at me with a chain saw.
The subtle creepiness and anticipation of what is to come gives me plenty of time to watch his world crumble.
The writing is great and the story is haunting.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of My Hungry Friend by Daniel Barnett.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
When Mike Roberts kicks over a homeless woman’s cup of change, she whispers a cryptic warning:
“Mind the cracks . . .”
Now
the Boston he knows and loves is unraveling around him. But his life is
not the only thing at stake. His mother, a once acclaimed writer lost
in the late stages of Alzheimer’s, depends on him to have a home. And
then there’s her caretaker, Cassie, who might want something more from
Mike than the friendship they’ve long shared.
As his city
balances on a razor’s edge, Mike will have to hunt down the daughter of
the woman he wronged and uncover their terrible family secret . . . or
be plunged into a world of crawling horrors and unspeakable hunger.
A world from which no one has ever returned.
ABOUT DANIEL BARNETT
Daniel Barnett lives in Portland, Oregon and is a lover of stories–especially ones where things go bump in the night. His work has appeared in Crowded Magazine, and his short story The Sadie Hawkins placed in the top 6 for the 2015 Aeon Award. When he isn’t writing or reading, he’s discussing fiction with others. Whether they want to or not.
Sir Geoffrey…no conscience, no morals, self preservation, not someone I would want in my circle of friends. But I do love a good bad guy. LOL
Is there an honest person in government? Is there anyone that doesn’t have their own devious agenda, willing to go to any lengths to get what they want? I do love conspiracies, so I was looking forward to diving into this one.
B P Smythe has created some despicable characters, but to counter the bad, we need to have the good. There is tons of action and characters that have their individual stories, and they come together the story becomes clear.
Though it didn’t rate high on my thriller list, The Expired by B P Smythe was an interesting and enjoyable read that fed my conspiracy reading need.
3 Star
GOODREADS BLURB
‘The Expired’ is a
psychological thriller masterpiece showing how vulnerable people can be
brainwashed to become sleepers (Manchurian Candidates) and used by
corrupt politicians to further their own ends. ‘The Expired’ shadows
true accounts of government sleeper programmes set up during the Korean
War and the East West Cold War.
Commander Gregory Potting is a
former head of MI6 Intelligence and the governments most trusted Senior
Adviser for Internal Affairs.
His position is put to the test in
1973 when a bizarre psychological plot unfolds that is inextricably
linked to a London terrorist attack, a cocaine drug scam, a homosexual
called Francis Hodder who suffers from schizophrenia and changes from
time to time to Roxanne – a transvestite prostitute who robs and murders
his clients.
Francis Hodder is a transsexual who preys on gay men. As a child he is abused by his father who is head of government security. Francis becomes an embarrassment to MI6 because of his gender leaning. He is brainwashed to become a Sleeper assassin triggered by code words to kill personnel who threaten government security. Francis becomes a manipulated pawn, who by mistake during a sexual encounter with a Black September terrorist, uncovers plans for a deadly attack on a densely crowded popular sports event to kill thousands of people to further the cause of EL Fatah and Black September.
ABOUT B P SMYTHE
I studied engineering at Carshalton College and eventually became a member of the Institute of Quality Assurance.
My engineering career took on many roles including toolmaking and being a technical writer for an artificial limb manufacturer. However, I’ve always enjoyed putting pen to paper while raising quality manuals and writing reports. I also write tennis articles for my local county magazine and relax reading crime and horror fiction. This, coupled with my technical writing career, partly influenced my transition into creative writing.
Wanting to expand my writing knowledge, I obtained a Level 3 / NCFE Certificate / PI410 creative writing diploma.
Sow
And You Shall Reap – http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/145677171X is my first
self- published novel. However, I have submitted numerous short stories
for internet competitions including, winning £100 as first prize for my A
Rose Without a Thorn for the www.spinetinglerspublishing online
magazine and winning £50 first prize for my We’ll Meet Again in the
http://dark-places.co.uk online magazine.
Two of my other short
stories, Love Me Do and My Secret Place, have also been published in the
printed Litro Magazine – Issue 140 – ISBN 978-0-9554245-5-7
http://www.litro.co.uk/2015/02/litro-140-diaries/
Near the end of
2015 I fortunately obtained a three book deal contract with Bloodhound
Books www.bloodhoundbooks.com to publish a trilogy of macabre/thriller
collected short stories. My first book titled – ‘From a Poison Pen’ is
the first book of the trilogy and highlights from the stories – What
happens when a member of the Hitler youth ends up in a concentration
camp? How does a beach side cocktail get in the way the way of one
woman’s scheming? What leads a teenage girl to reign down fire and
brimstone? When a doctor buries his mistake, can he get away with it?
This collection of dark, humorous and macabre tales explores the disturbing side of human nature.
When I read The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon, I was fascinated while exploring true accounts of government sleeper programmes set up during the Korean war and the east west cold war. This inspired me to write ‘The Expired’, a psychological thriller showing how prospective candidates can be brainwashed to become sleepers and used by corrupt politicians to further their own ends.
Don’t ya just hate when you read a book by an author you love and don’t
love it? such was the case with Watcher in the Woods by Kelley
Armstrong.
She hadn’t seen her sister, Casey, in three years, but now she needs her help. She had always been subservient, seeking her sister’s approval. She didn’t have boyfriends because she killed her last one. And now…Rockton, here she comes.
Casey lives with Eric Dalton, the Rockton sheriff and is a homicide detective herself. If you have to run for help, this is a good duo to have on your list.
The Yukon is a wilderness and a great place to hide out.
There is something a little bit off about Rockton. I am ambivalent about their voting practices, among other things. The town has a dystopian feel to it, it’s secretiveness and it’s isolation, running on it’s own set of rules.
The characters, good and bad, all have their part to play, showing their reasons for being there. Definitely not the guy/girl next door. Everyone knows everyone so who is that guy, the U S Marshal who thinks he can waltz into town and take one of their residents?
Kelley Armstrong is an author very familiar to me. I see her name, I pick up her book. So simple. I’ve read numerous books by her, but this is the first one I have reviewed. And it’s a hard one.
There is a mystery…yes. It’s obvious there will be more books. Did I miss something by reading out of order? The story does seem to be complete. All that being said, Watcher in the Woods fell a little flat for me.
I love Kelly Armstrong’s writing and I did enjoy reading Watcher in the Woods, so I will definitely grab her next book.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Watcher in the Woods by Kelley Armstrong.
3 Star
GOODREADS BLURB
In #1 New York Times
bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s latest thriller, the town of
Rockton–and her fans–are in for another hair-raising adventure.
The
secret town of Rockton has seen some rocky times lately; understandable
considering its mix of criminals and victims fleeing society for refuge
within its Yukon borders. Casey Duncan, the town’s only detective on a
police force of three, has already faced murder, arson and falling in
love in less than the year that she’s lived there. Yet even she didn’t
think it would be possible for an outsider to find and cause trouble in
the town she’s come to call home.
When a US Marshal shows up in town demanding the release of one of the residents, Casey and her boyfriend, Sheriff Dalton, are skeptical. And yet only hours later, the marshal is shot dead and the only visible suspects are the townspeople and her estranged sister, in town for just the weekend. It’s up to Casey to figure out who murdered the marshal, and why they would kill to keep him quiet.
ABOUT KELLEY ARMSTRONG
Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her
earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers’ dismay. Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
Traitorous Toys by Mildred Abbott is another fun filled story in her Cozy Corgi Mystery series. I am working my way through it and having a great time hanging out with Winnifred and Watson.
Woo Hoo…Back with Winnifred and Watson for another mystery in Estes Park.
It’s Christmas and amongst the festivities we have a murder.
Watson…the only thing he likes as much or better than treats is Fred. Something about a dog in the story always tugs at my heartstrings.
Winnifred opening the Cozy Corgi book store is a fun element to the story. Adds a little something extra for me.
Uh Oh, Winnifred can’t even go Christmas shopping without finding a dead body and Officer Green is not exactly on her side.
I am so glad we are adding Katie to the ‘family.’
The quirky characters and humorous dialogue keep me reading this fun series. I would recommend this series if you are looking for some light easy murder mystery reading. And…if you are craving a snack, we have a recipe for Gingerbread to tickle your pallet.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Traitorous Toys by Mildred Abbott.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
It’s Christmas in Estes Park, Colorado: cozy fires, twinkling lights, soft snowfall, and… murder.
The winter holidays in charming Estes Park lulls Winifred Page and her corgi, Watson, into thoughts of spiced chai and gingerbread as they settle into their new home. Fred’s dream bookshop is becoming a reality, and with Christmas only days away, her only concerns are spending time with family, enforcing Watson’s diet, and finding the perfect gifts.
The toy store beckons Fred and her friend Katie, who dash in out of the cold, during a shopping spree to discover handmade toys, cuddly stuffed animals… and a dying man on the floor.
When Katie’s desperate attempts to save the man ends in her being taken in for his murder, Fred once again dons her detective hat. She puts aside her Christmas list and—with Watson sniffing around—begins a list of suspects. But as quickly as clues point to one person, new discoveries shift the spotlight to another. With Katie’s freedom in the balance, Fred has little time to think about gifts or to enjoy the holiday lights and music. A killer is on the loose, one who became violent in a picture-perfect Christmas toy shop, and Fred and Watson can’t begin to predict what might happen next…
ABOUT MILDRED ABBOTT
Reading the Cozy Corgi series is pretty much all you need to know about Mildred. In real life, she’s obsessed with everything she writes about: Corgis, Books, Cozy Mountain Towns, and Baked Goods. She’s not obsessed with murder, however. At least not at her own hands (nor paid for… no contract killing here). But since childhood, starting with Nancy Drew, trying to figure out who-dun-it has played a formative role in her personality. Having Fred and Watson stroll into her mind was a touch of kismet.
