BOOK REVIEW:Mr Mercedes by Stephen King

'Who is going to be the fish in this relationship and who is going to be the fisherman?'
BILL HODGES, retired cop, tormented by 'the Mercedes massacre', a case he never solved.
BRADY HARTSFIELD, perpetrator of that notorious crime, and preparing to kill again.
Now each is closing in on the other in a mega-stakes race against time from world-wide, best selling master of suspense, Stephen King.

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Pages: 405

This is the first Stephen King novel I have read and I loved it! I know that Mr Mercedes is not like his other books; it is more of a thriller than a horror but I thought it was fantastic. I can see why Stephen King is so well respected, reading this was like being given a master-class in story-telling.
Bill Hodges is retired and bored. He is thinking back over old cases he had to leave unsolved; the most important being 'the Mercedes Massacre'. Someone drove a Mercedes into a big group of people in the early hours of the morning. These were desperate people, queuing in the early hours to attend a jobs fair; the driver killed eight and seriously maimed many more. The fact that the killer was simply able to drive off into the fog has frustrated Hodges as he feels he has failed to get justice for the victims.
Brady Hartsfield was the Mercedes Killer; he still can't quite believe that he got away with it. He is ready to kill again and he wants Bill Hodges to know about it. Here begins a game of cat and mouse, will Hodges be able to identify Brady before he strikes again?
Mr Mercedes is beautifully written and expertly plotted. Brady Hartsfield is a vile creation and truly believable, he's terrifying. There is a follow up to this book which I will definitely be reading but it has also made me want to try some of King's horror novels so let me know if you have any favourites or suggestions of what I should begin with?

Book Review: Die Again by Tess Gerritsen

In Boston, Detective Jane Rizzoli and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles are investigating a bizarre murder. A man has been found gutted and hanging in his home. When the remains of another victim are found, it is clear that this murderer has been a work for years, and not just in Boston.
Six years ago, a group of travellers set off on an African safari. None of them are seen again- apart from one woman who stumbled out of the bush weeks later, barely alive. The only woman to have seen the killer's face.
Has the 'safari killer' resurfaced in Boston? Jane is sent to Africa to find the one link between the two cases- the only survivor- and convince her to face death once again...

Publisher: Bantam Press

Pages: 352

This is the 11th book in the Rizzoli and Isles series, it had a slightly different feel to some of the others but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. As with most in this series, some of the action takes place in Boston but a large part of this book took place in
Africa and this was really refreshing.
Jane Rizzoli is called to a murder scene where a hunter and taxidermist has been gutted and left hanging upside down. Maura helps with the investigation and when another body is discovered they soon realise that the victims are linked and that there may be many more. Jane is led to the disappearance of a group of travellers in the African bush more than six years ago. Only one woman survived and now Jane think she may hold the clue to identify the killer.
I felt that Die Again focused much more on Jane than Maura and in this particular book the author was looking at the pressures Rizzoli has out of work. She has a very stressful and demanding job and on top of that she is a wife, mother and daughter, all three positions pulling her in different directions.
I found Tess Gerritsen's writing style as gripping as usual; the plot was fast paced and very clever. I thought I had it all worked out at one point and I loved the plot twists along the way. This series of books never disappoints and I urge you to read this one.

BOOK REVIEW: Mallory's Oracle by Carol O'Connell

Detective Kathy Mallory. New York's darkest.

You only underestimate her once.
The soul of a thief.
When NYPD Sergeant Kathy Mallory was an eleven year old street kid, she got caught stealing. The detective who found her was Louis Markowitz. He should have arrested her. Instead he raised her as his own, in the best tradition of New York's finest.
The mind of a cop.
Now Markowitz is dead, and Mallory, the first officer on the scene. She knows any criminal who could outsmart her father is no ordinary human. This is a ruthless serial killer , a freak from the night-side of the mind.
The courage of a hero with nothing to lose.
And one question troubles her more than any other: why did he go in there alone?

Publisher: Headline

Pages: 272  

I'm always on the look out for a new crime series and I think I may have found it, Mallory's Oracle is the first in the series of Mallory novels by Carol O'Connell.
Kathy Mallory is a New York detective but her talents lie in technology not out on the streets. She was taken in at the age of eleven by NYPD detective Louis Markowitz. Louis and his wife Helen raised Kathy and set her on the straight and narrow but Mallory still harbours some demons and is always prepared to bend the law if she feels it is the right thing to do.
When Louis Markowitz is murdered, Kathy is first on the scene. She has no idea why her father went after a suspect alone and how he was outwitted, he was the smartest man she knew. Mallory is given indefinite leave to get over her father's death but she has no plans to stay at home with her feet up. Instead she embarks on an investigation of her own to catch a ruthless serial killer.
Mallory's oracle was a really good read. Kathy Mallory is a well-crafted character, she is not necessarily likeable but she is damaged enough to be interesting to the reader. I feel like I have only scratched the surface of this character and I think we will find out more and more as the series develops.
This book requires you to pay attention, I felt a little bombarded by characters and suspects at the beginning but once I had a handle on it all I was really interested to find out how it all fitted together.
The New York setting is perfect; it provides a gritty and realistic backdrop to the story. In this book we meet characters from all types of backgrounds and it showed that murder doesn't just affect the down-trodden.
Mallory's Oracle is a great read, I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

Many thanks to Caitlin at Headline for sending me a review copy. 

BOOK REVIEW: Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

It was all just a terrible misunderstanding.
Feelings got hurt.
Then everything just spiralled out of control.
Jane hasn't lived anywhere for longer than six months since her son was born five years ago. She keeps moving in an attempt to escape her past. Now the idyllic coastal town of Pirriwee has pulled her to its shores and Jane feels as if she finally belongs. She finds friends in the feisty Madeline and the incredibly beautiful Celeste, two women with seemingly perfect lives and their own secrets.
But at the start of a new term, an incident involving the children of all three women occurs in the playground, causing a rift between them and other parents. Minor at first, but escalating fast, until whispers and rumours become vicious and spiteful, and truths blur into lies. It was always going to end in tears, but no one thought it would end in murder...

Publisher: Penguin

Pages: 452

Liane Moriarty is fast becoming one of my favourite authors; I have read three of her  books now and I think she is a fantastic storyteller.
Little Lies focuses on three mothers, Celeste, Jane and Madeline. Their young children all attend Pirriwee Public School, they become good friends but all three women have secrets that will have huge consequences for the whole community.
The story was set up so well by Liane Moriarty, we know from the very beginning that someone has been murdered at the school trivia night but we don't know who; who by or why. The book goes back in time to build up the events until, that fateful evening. It's very clever as I felt as though I was on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. I was not disappointed  by the ending of the book; it was not what I was expecting at all. Liane Moriarty likes to shock her readers and she does it so well.
In all three of her books the author has written about small, close-knit communities. It was a fantastic idea to set this book in a school community as so many readers will be able to identify with it. The author shows the competitiveness, superiority, cliquishness and tensions in the playground and that is only the parents, not the children. Celeste, Jane and Madeline have no choice but to enter into this world which brings out the best in some and very worst in others.
I don't want to give anything away  about this fantastic book but the plot is gripping and shocking in places; Little Lies is a well thought out book that you will not be able to put down.

Many thanks to Katie at Penguin for sending me a review copy, Little Lies is out now. 

BOOK REVIEW: Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge

The girl emerged from the woods, barely alive. Her story was beyond belief. But it was true. Every dreadful word of it.
Days later, another desperate escapee is found- and a pattern is emerging. Pairs of victims are being abducted, imprisoned then faced with a terrible choice: kill or be killed.
Would you rather lose your life or lose your mind?
Detective Inspector Helen Grace has faced down her own demons on her rise to the top. As she leads the investigation to hunt down this unseen monster, she learns that it may be the survivors- living calling cards- who hold the key to this case.
And unless she succeeds more innocents will die...

Publisher: Penguin

Pages: 437

I had seen this book pop up on a few people's blogs and TBR piles and I liked the idea of it; in the main I wasn't disappointed. M.J. Arlidge has worked in television for the past 15 years (I read that it was actually the pseudonym of the TV magician Paul Daniels but sadly this is not true!) producing prime time crime serials. Eeny Meeny is his debut novel but his TV experience shines through and there were several points where I could easily imagine the book being adapted for television.
M.J. Arlidge immediately takes you into the action, with the first two victims, Sam and Amy. Would you kill or be killed? That is the question the author repeatedly presents. It is almost a look at human nature and our natural instinct for survival. Helen Grace is the Detective Inspector called in to head up the case, at first she cannot comprehend what has happened to Sam and Amy but when more victims emerge, Helen knows that she has a serial killer on her hands.
As you can imagine there were a lot of twists and turns in this book; my only problem was that I felt it was a little long. There were several large and unexpected events at the end of the book but their impact was lessened for me as I had lost a little bit of interest in the story at that point.
Overall the book has good pace, the chapters are short and snappy but in my opinion there were just too many of them. I thought that the idea behind the book was fantastic and that did keep me reading. I like the character of Helen Walsh and there is plenty of room to develop that so I shall look out for more books by this author in the future.

Book Review: The Unquiet Grave by Steven Dunne

The Cold Case Unit of Derby Constabulary feels like a morgue to DI Damen Brook. But in disgrace and recently back from suspension, his boos thinks it's the safest place for him.
But Brook isn't going down without a fight and when he uncovers a pattern in a series of murders that date back to 1963, he is forced to dig deeper. Howe could a killer stay undetected for so long? Could it be luck or are more sinister forced at work?
Applying his instincts and razor-sharp intelligence, Brook delves deep into the past of both suspects and colleagues, unsure where the hunt will lead him. What he does know for sure is that a significant date is approaching fast and the killer may be about to strike again...

This is the first book I have read by Steven Dunne but I thought it was brilliant. It's the third Damen Brook book but I still enjoyed this one without having read the others.
The Unquiet Grave is set in Derby which made for a refreshing change as I find that most crime novels are set in a large, well-known city. I am from the Midlands myself so it was good to hear familiar names of towns and villages.
DI Damen Brook is an interesting main character, he is obsessed and consumed by his job and he is very aware as to how much his career has impacted on his personal life. I liked the very human aspect of him; he openly discusses the way his job has affected the way he feels towards people and the way in which he views the world.
Brook's work in the Cold Case Unit becomes tangled up in the current investigation of a local teenage boy who is missing. Steven Dunne weaves a highly intricate plot between the past and the present and I was very quickly immersed in the plot and its many characters.
I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the police force. Dunne does not paint a rose-tinted picture. Brook as to fight against the force's hierarchical structure and the derision from lower ranked colleagues. The loyalty between police officers is also explored in great depth. Brook and his close colleagues look out for each other but it becomes clear that there are situations where this goes too far.
The Unquiet Grave is dark and intriguing. DI Damen Brook is a character you will want to invest your emotions and I'm really looking forward to reading more of this interesting and page-turning series.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Pages: 448

Publisher: Headline

Book Review: The Silent Wife by A.S.A Harrison

Todd and Jodie have been together for more than twenty years. They are both aware their world is in  crisis, though neither is willing to admit it.
Todd is living a dual existence, while Jodie is living in denial. But she also likes to settle scores. When it becomes clear their affluent Chicago lifestyle could disintegrate at any moment, Jodie knows everything is at stake. It's only now she will discover how much she's truly capable of...

The Silent Wife is being talked about a lot and after reading it, I can see why.
The beginning feels a little slow but once I had got into the book I could see how clever the beginning was. A.S.A. Harrison paints Todd and Jodie's domestic life in great detail. As we learn of Todd's infidelity you can understand why he has strayed yet also why he doesn't want to lose everything he already has.
Jodie is a fascinating character, she is very cold and calculated and although we learn a lot about her, I can't say that I grew to like her in any way. We learn of Jodie's past through the transcriptions of her therapy sessions. I don't this necessarily explains Jodie's behaviour though. I was left wondering if Jodie really was in control of her actions.
I loved the atmosphere that A.S.A Harrison creates in the book. There is an impending sense that something awful is going to happen, I couldn't stop reading as I needed to know how events would unfold.
The Silent Wife swaps between the perspectives of Jodie and Todd. Todd's narration felt a little more helpless though. His behaviour is inexcusable but as a reader I saw him as being quite vulnerable. He is going about his daily life with no idea as to what Jodie is thinking and working herself up to; you almost want to warn him to watch his back.
The Silent Wife is such an interesting read, I felt that it really explored the nature of relationships; the roles we fulfil and what we are capable of when hurt by those we love. I think that A.S.A Harrison has written a strong, psychological thriller. It's a great legacy but also a great shame that this will be her only book.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 4/5

Pages: 384

Publisher: Headline

Many thanks to the lovely Ben at Headline Review for sending me a copy of this book, The Silent Wife is out now.

Book Review: Naomi's Room by Jonathan Aycliffe

Charles and Laura are a young, happily married couple inhabiting the privileged world of Cambridge academia. Brimming with excitement, Charles sets off with his daughter Naomi on a Christmas Eve shopping trip in London. But, by the end of the day, all Charles and his wife have left are cups of tea and police sympathy. For Naomi, their beautiful, angelic only child, has disappeared. Days later her murdered body is discovered.
But is she dead?
In a howling, bumping story of past and present day hell, Jonathan Aycliffe's haunting psychological masterpiece is guaranteed to make you sink to untold depths of teeth-shaking terror.

This book is absolutely terrifying! It caught my eye on Amazon as there were several references to M.R. James who I am a big fan of.  I decided to give it a go, it is only 158 pages long and I would say that I had finished it in about three and a half hours. The story was one of the most chilling that I have ever read but I just couldn't put it down.
Naomi's Room did remind me of M.R. James's ghost stories. You can imagine the narrator retelling the story round a roaring fire in a desolated house somewhere.
The story is told by Charles, he took his young daughter Naomi shopping on Christmas Eve, he loses her when he turns his back and then her body is discovered on Christmas Day. But if she is dead then how can Charles and his wife see her in their house? How is she appearing in photographs taken after her death and who are the other people standing with her?
Naomi's Room makes for uncomfortable reading in many parts. I read a few reviews which said that they felt that the gruesome details were unnecessary . I've not made my mind up about it but I do think that the book would lose a lot of it's shock appeal if those details were missing. I didn't feel that the author only used shock tactics though. Jonathan Aycliffe creates a sincerely sinister atmosphere from the very beginning. I felt aware that awful events were going to take place but I still wasn't prepared for the final few chapters.
If you like a good ghost story then I highly recommend Naomi's Room.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Book Review: Evil Water by Inger Wolf

Two women disappear without a trace, and the same autumn a farmer on the outskirts of Arhus finds them murdered in suitcases under a heap of stones.
The skin of one woman is filled with the letter 'Y' and the other has a rare flower in her hair. Inspector Daniel Trokic is leading the case which goes in several different directions: to a tribal population in Africa, religious insanity and a horrifying meeting with leeches. When a third woman disappears, Trokic is under pressure to find out what the killer wants to say with his macabre scenery and rituals. 

I really didn't know what to expect when I was sent this book to review. However, I was pleasantly surprised as this story completely gripped me.
Evil Water is set in Sweden; two bodies turn up in suitcases, they are the bodies of two women who have been missing for some time. Inspector Daniel Trokic is called in to investigate, all he knows is that these women suffered a terrible ordeal; they were bled to death in a bath full of leeches.
The search for the killer intensifies when another woman goes missing, Daniel knows he only has limited time to save another innocent woman's life.
Inger Wolf creates a terrifying atmosphere. The deaths of the women are described in detail, you get a real sense of their desperation to escape. The leeches were a particularly sinister element of the book; they literally suck the life out of their victim. The victim is aware of what is happening but they quickly become powerless to stop it.
As Daniel leads the team, many different avenues are explored. They have to get into the mind of the killer, they need to understand why the leeches are used; why women with a particular hair colour and what would make him stop?
It was very interesting to see how Daniel's team worked, they don't have much to go on so every possible lead has to be explored.
I had a couple of problems with Evil Water, I didn't feel as though I got to know Daniel Trokic very well which is a shame as I think he has the potential to be a very interesting character. My only other issue is that Inger Wolf makes several references to what song is playing in the background and who is singing it. I know it sounds petty but I found it a little annoying and I felt that it had no relevance.
Criticisms aside, I would very much recommend this book. Inger Wolf has written a gripping thriller, the plot has just the right pace and I would definitely read more by this author.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 4/5

Many thanks to Melanie from Black Cat for sending me a copy of the book to review, Evil Water is out now.

Book Review: Never Tell by Alafair Burke

When high school student Julia Whitmire is found dead in the bathtub of her family's Greenwich Village townhouse, her left wrist slashed  and a suicide note resting on her bed, Ellie Hatcher and her partner J.J. Rogan, initially write the case off as a suicide. Julia's parents insist that their daughter would never take her own life, but Ellie knows all too well that family members can be the last to accept the truth.
But when Julia's mother appeals to her with the evidence- including the hand-written suicide note she believes her daughter would never have composed- Ellie is confronted with the possibility of a troubled young girl's murder. 

This is the second book that I have read by Alafair Burke and it was just as good as the first. I particularly like how she presents you with the crime scene and the bare facts only; it feels like you almost go along collecting the clues with the detectives.

It appears that Julia Whitmire has slit her wrists in the bath, Detective Ellie Hatcher and her partner Rogan see it as a clear-cut suicide but Julia's mother is adamant that her daughter would not have taken her own life and would never have written the suicide note left behind.

The Whitmires have a lot of money and this means power, Ellie and Rogan have to investigate even though it goes against their instincts. They begin to discover that Julia may not have been as sweet and innocent as her parents believed but does this mean that she was murdered?

Alafair Burke writes with quite a fast pace and you are given a lot of information to take in and analyse. If you can keep up with it then it does add to the reading experience. You are only given a little bit of time to think about something before Burke is hitting you with something else. 

Never Tell is a good, solid thriller. I really enjoyed how the author set the story up, she has you intrigued from the very beginning to end and I look forward to reading more from Alafair Burke in the future.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 4/5

Many thanks to Avon for sending me a copy of the book, Never Tell is out now.

Book Review: The Fall by Claire McGowan

What would you do if the man you love was accused of murder?
Bad things never happen to Charlotte. She's living the life she's always wanted and about to marry wealthy banker, Dan. But Dan's hiding a secret, and after he's arrested for the viscous killing of a nightclub owner, Charlotte's future is shattered.
Then she opens her door to Keisha,  an angry and frustrated stranger with a story to tell. But what Keisha knows threatens everyone she loves and puts her own life in danger.
DC Matthew Hegarty is finding it difficult to ignore his growing doubts as well as the beautiful and vulnerable Charlotte. Can he really risk it all for what's right?
Three stories. One truth. They all need to brace themselves for the fall.

I'm just beginning to get into crime books and The Fall by Claire McGowan is a great example of the genre. The book isn't overly long at 374 pages but I really took my time reading it as I enjoyed McGowan's story so much. Claire McGowan's writing style is extremely absorbing and vivid, it felt as though I was watching a gritty drama each time I picked the book up.
Charlotte is the central character, it is her fiance who is accused of murder and she is is the one left picking up the pieces. She is almost broken from the very beginning; over night she loses everything she has ever valued or known. However, as the book progresses, Charlotte has to find the strength in order to sort everything out. Nobody seems to want to fight for anything, including her fiance, so she quickly comes to the realisation that she is on her own.
Keisha, in many ways is the complete opposite to Charlotte; streetwise, uneducated and poor but the murder unexpectedly brings these two women together. I thought it was really interesting that both women are in the position they are because of the men they are with yet both know that only they can sort out the consequences.
The Fall is a dark and powerful book. Claire McGowan is not afraid to show the gritty and uncomfortable side of crime and the knock-on effects it has on peoples lives. It can take a long time to achieve something in life but it takes no time at all to fall to rock bottom.
This is Claire McGowan's debut book but I think she has a real talent an she will be an author to look out for in the future.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Many thanks to Headline for sending me a copy of the book to review, The Fall is out now.

Book Review: Bereft by Chris Womersley

Australia, 1919. Quinn Walker returns from The Great War to the New South Wales town of Flint: the birthplace he fled ten years earlier when he was accused  of a heinous act.
Aware of the townsmen's vow to hang him, Quinn takes to the surrounding hills. Here, deciding upon his plan of action, and questioning just what he has returned for, he meets Sadie Fox.
This mysterious girl seems to know and share his darkest fear. And, as their bond greatens, Quinn learns what he must do to lay the ghosts of his past, and Sadie's present to rest.

I wasn't too sure about this book when it arrived but I'm extremely glad that I read it. It's part crime, part literary fiction and Chris Womersley's writing is brilliant.
Quinn Walker returns to the small town of Flint haunted by his experiences of The Great War. He fled the town 10 years ago when he was found cradling the body of his beloved sister Sarah who had been raped and murdered. Quinn knows that if anyone recognises his face then they will waste no time in hanging him but he knows that he must return. Whilst hiding above the village, he meets Sadie Fox, she is a curious girl; her parents are both dead but she is sure that her brother will return from the war to claim her. A bond between the two is quickly formed, especially when they are being hunted by the same person. They need each other in order to confront their pasts so that they have any chance of a future.
Quinn Walker is a particularly interesting character. I just wanted him to find some kind of peace; it seems as though he is continually haunted by his dead sister and his time in the war. Sadie is equally as interesting, she has a magical quality about her. There are several instances in the book where you are left to wonder whether she is real or not.
The pace of this book is good overall but I think I gave this book 4/5 due to a few parts feeling a little slow. Bereft is an excellent read though and I shall look out for Chris Womersley's other books.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Many thanks to Quercus for sending me a copy of the book to review, Bereft is out now!

Book Review: Ghost Flower by Michele Jaffe

Eve Brightman is tough. In and out of foster homes from a young age, she knows how to survive on next to nothing. When a glamorous pair of siblings approach her with a mysterious proposal involving a lot of money, she is torn. Her instinct warns her off- but then her boss tries to assault her and she loses her job. Suddenly $100,000 cash, even for a shady deal shrouded in secrecy, seems like a pretty appealing option.

Eve bears a startling resemblance to siblings Bain and Bridgette's cousin Aurora, who disappeared three years before. Now, with Aurora set to inherit a fortune on her eighteenth birthday, the pair want to get their hands on the money without having to wait the usual four years before a missing person is declared dead. And so begins a Pygmallion-style grooming process, where tough street urchin Eve is forced to learn which fork to use when, and to acquire an in-depth knowledge of the illustrious Silverton dynasty's entire family tree and history.

Once she has been introduced and accepted back into the family, the real test starts. When will she slip up? What are the twins really up to and why does she feel as though there is something she isn't being told? And what is the terrifying whispering that happens outside her room late at night?

I read Michele Jaffe's last book Rosebush and really enjoyed it so I was very excited to read her latest book, Ghost Flower.
Eve Brightman is desperate and can't say no when Bain and Bridgette off her $100,000 to impersonate their cousin who disappeared on the night that her best friend Elizabeth was found dead. The twins have it all planned out so Eve thinks that nothing can go wrong but she really has no idea what she is getting herself into. Eve looks exactly like Aurora and the Silverton family accept her return but Eve is soon in much deeper than she expected to be. Everyone seems to have their own secrets about Aurora and nobody will reveal what really happened on the night of her disappearance. Aurora and Elizabeth apparently left a party together so how did one girl end up dead and the other missing?
Eve is totally freaked out when she hears strange whisperings outside of her bedroom door at night and receives phone calls from Elizabeth; how can she be contacting her when she is dead and what is she trying to warn her about?
Michele Jaffe has written another superb mystery. I was completely drawn into the story and we see everything through Eve's eyes so we experience the twists and turns as she does. Jaffe creates suspense from the very beginning, will Eve get caught out, why is everyone hiding something, who killed Elizabeth and what will their reaction be to Aurora's return?
I highly recommend Michele Jaffe's books, just be prepared that you won't be able to put them down.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Many thanks to Atom for sending me a copy of this book to review, Ghost Flower is out now.

Book Review: Vanish by Tess Gerritsen

The beautiful woman appears to be  just another corpse in the morgue. But when Dr Maura Isles looks down at the body, she gets the fright of her life. The corpse opens it's eyes. Now very much alive, the woman is rushed to hospital, where she murders a security guars and seizes hostages, one of whom is the heavily pregnant detective, Jane Rizzoli. But who is this woman and what does she want? Only Jane can solve the mystery- if she survives the night.

Another absolute cracker from Tess Gerritsen! Honestly, this author just gets better with each book in my humble opinion. I read Vanish in just over a day and a half and I just couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next.
I felt with this book, more than Gerritsen's others that you really got to know the victims, there are a lot of flashbacks and the story being told from the victim's perspective, I think this added another layer and made for a more interesting read.
Obviously Jane Rizzoli and Dr Isles feature heavily. Jane is actually in labour when she is taken hostage and Dr Isles is left feeling completely useless in helping her friend.
What follows is a seriously gripping plot, rape, blackmail, corrupt government officials and murder. I think that Vanish may be my favourite of the series so far, this book should come with a warning though, once you start it , you won't want to do anything else until you have reached the last page.

Dot Scribbles Rating 5/5