Ravenous Reader - Book Reviews: June 2013

June 15, 2013

Son of a Serial Killer

Title: Son of a Serial Killer
Author: Jams N. Roses
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Medium: Kindle

Goodreads Synopsis:
Detective Inspector Summers hates dealing with drug addicts, thieves, violent men and women, rapists, child molesters and murderers. She wants to be a doctor in a surgery, saving the lives of the sick. Instead, she deals with the sick and twisted.Finally, she gets handed the case she wants, the reason she joined the force…
A serial killer, nicknamed ‘The Phantom’ by the media, has been randomly killing for years, never leaving evidence and not close to being caught. Then one day, the frequency of murders in the city takes a turn for the worse.
Her investigations lead Summers closer to Ben Green, a troubled young man losing his mind and hearing voices, and his involvement to the case slowly becomes clear…

I've mentioned in another book review that I have a special place in my reading loves for books about serial killers. This is totally my mother-in-law's fault for getting me hooked on true crime books many years ago. While the subject matter isn't something that I read a lot of, it's a nice change from what I normally delve into.

When I was asked to read and review Son of a Serial Killer I jumped at the chance. The concept and ideas behind the story really appealed to me. I found that while the above synopsis starts out discussing Detective Summers, the main character of the book really is Ben Green. It was his story that was told and the character in the book that I found I cared for the most. I could never figure out how a medical doctor could become a top detective and really wanted more background on Detective Summers.

While I liked Son of a Serial Killer, the lack of editing was distracting and took away from my enjoyment of reading - I know I could have really liked this book. I had to go back several pages a few times to get things straight. It took away from the reading rhythm I had going and for psychological thrillers, pace and rhythm are tantamount.

The book is extremely graphic (duh, it's about serial killers), which for me was not offensive at all, but it takes a lot to make me cringe. For those of you who are not into this kind of thing, it might be a good one to skip. For those of you who don't mind graphic writing, this might be a good little story to check out sometime in the future -- especially with the hopes that the author will do another edit sometime really soon.

James. N Roses

June 9, 2013

Dangerous Ally

Title: Dangerous Ally
Author: Michelle Grey
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Medium: Kindle

Amazon Synopsis:

Lacey Jordan is expecting dinner, and hopefully, an engagement announcement. Not her own, of course. After two serious screw-ups, she’s all but sworn off relationships. When she arrives at her father’s house to celebrate his future happiness though, he’s nowhere to be found. As the hours pass, the worst scenarios Lacey’s mind can conjure send her rushing into action. However, reality proves even more frightening as she discovers that her father’s recent scientific breakthrough is one that people would kill for. To make matters worse, the source of the information is the one person she’d hoped to never see again. Caleb Mansfield, her father’s former protégé and her former lover, needs Lacey’s cooperation, and the very trust he’d stolen years before. But Lacey can’t be certain if Caleb’s working with her or against her. Running out of time, she has nowhere else to turn. As the trail leading to her father narrows, Lacey becomes a target, risking her life to save him. Too late, she understands that with Caleb back in her life, she’s risking her heart as well.

Everyone loves a good mystery now and then. Sprinkle in a hot romance with a gnarly history, and you have the makings of a fast-paced book that will keep you up way past your bedtime because you promise to read just one more chapter, but end up reading 5 more.

I loved the character development. I loved the way the book flowed. I loved how Lacey wanted to go one way, but her heart took her a completely different way. I loved that (again) I was sure I had everything figured out and yet another author sucked me down a zig zag of an Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole, and I made a promise to myself that I won't be so cocky next time (we'll see about that). I loved how Lacey put the love for her father out in front to risk even her own life in order to save him.

Romantic thrillers are always a fun read for me. Dangerous Ally was no exception. Ms. Grey wrote in such a way that it was easy to make an investment in the characters and actually get a pay off. The pay off was good, but you'll have to read it and see for yourself.

Thank you Michelle Grey - I hope that you have something just as exciting on the tip of your pen very soon!