Book Review: Silent Scream by Angela Marsons

Even the darkest secrets can't stay buried forever. Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult-sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken  but the pact had been made.  Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood... Years later a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shook the Black Country. But when human remains are discovered at a former children's home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. D.I. Kim Stone fast realises she's on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades. As the body count rises, Kim needs to stop the murderer before they can strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past before it's too late?

Publisher: Bookouture

This book was a fantastic read and a complete breath of fresh air. I may be biased as I am a very proud Brummie but it was so refreshing to read a crime book that wasn't set in London or Manchester!
Angela Marsons doesn't hold back, she takes you straight into the thick of it, five people standing round a shallow grave. These pe
ople thought that their secrets were buried but a spate of murders linking staff at a children's care home mean that people are going to start asking questions.
D.I. Kim Stone is called to the first murder which leads her to the care home connection and the remains of a child buried in the grounds. I really liked this character, I felt that she was very believable and even though she had a very hard shell, she does care deeply about her job and getting justice for those who can't get it for themselves.
This case particularly resonates with Kim as she is a product of the care system. Throughout the book we learn more about her past and her story is heartbreaking.
Silent Scream hits the ground running and has a relentless pace. There are more murders and more secrets revealed. Then ending completely threw me and I loved that it was so unexpected.
Anglea Marsons is writing more D.I. Kim Stone books which I am chuffed about as she is an excellent creation. This book has been sitting at the top of the Amazon chart for a while and it is clear to see why,

Many thanks to Bookouture for allowing me to review this book via netgalley.

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.

Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell

Faceless Killers is the first book in the Inspector Wallander series by Henning Mankell. It is like no other crime novel that I have read. It is set in Sweden and this is integral to the book; Mankell is describing the deterioration of the Swedish culture throughout his story. Wallander is shocked at the violent murders that have taken place; in many other crime novels these would have seemed expected and run-of-the-mill almost.

Wallander as a character is a brilliant creation. In many ways he is the stereo-typical overweight, divorced police inspector. However, he is much more complex than that; you feel that his career has taken over his life yet he is still struggling to decide what life is all about and what he wants out of it. You get a real sense that he is not a detective that merely wants a result; he wants to try and understand why these brutal crimes are committed.

I will definitely read the other books in the series, Mankell really draws you in but the book is so much more than a mere page-turner.