Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough Review

Thank you once again to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone has secrets, Lisa, Marilyn, Ava but who is living the biggest lie of all? I'm not really sure what more I can say... Well as description, there's still the rest of the review to come.
Firstly - Isn't the cover brilliant?! Secondly - Review.

I found this book to switch fluidly between perspectives, going from a 16 year old to a 40 year old fantastically. While I was reading this book not once did I get confused about who's perspective I was reading as each character had their own unique way of communicating with the reader. Ava spoke like a 16 year old of this age may very well do -  using language I'd ever use but that I've heard being used by 16 year olds of 2018. Lisa was paranoid and wary of everything in life and I overall liked her character but there were times when the way Pinborough made her think just annoyed me. I couldn't relate to any of the characters in the book and until Part 2 still couldn't work out if I was actually enjoying it. And as for Marilyn she was a strong character who I loved over all, for me she was a bit slow to like but damn.
I found this book a hard one to stay with during part 1, though in retrospect part 1 was just as important as the rest of the book. I was also surprised very rarely, things happened - accusations were made but nothing surprised me, personally, until Child B (but don't worry I shall say no more about that matter) and from then onward I had a hard time putting the book down.
The "villain" did catch me off guard and I'm glad it did, I also like that although I didn't guess the clues all made sense when it came to the unveiling. It didn't feel rushed or made to just be a quick fix to a very complex story and I enjoyed that.
I found a great line while reading this - I thought it was on p221 on my edition but when I went back to find it I couldn't. And due to it being a PDF my Kobo refuses to search the file properly.
Overall although this was slow to begin it was a well written mystery and I'd recommend it to a friend.
7/10
xo

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown Review

Professor Robert Langdon receives a late-night call while on business in Paris, the curator of the Louvre has been brutally murdered inside the museum. Along side the body are a series of baffling codes and with the help of a French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, Langdon begins to sort through the riddles that lead to the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. The clues suggest the answer to a mystery that stretches deep into the vault of history.

I shall be making this a relatively short review.
Overall this was a fantastic book, I do have a few qualms though believe me they are small. To begin - I found this book to be extremely engaging every chapter ended on a cliff hanger meaning that it was almost impossible to put down, I was actually starting to feel the fatigue of the Langdon and Neveu. I also enjoyed the snippets of internal monologue we got from the different characters throughout, these were written in italics and gave that little bit extra that seemed to make the book that little bit more fascinating. The characters were smart and seemed to have quite a clear head on them.
Due to my previous travels to the Louvre and my general curiosity of Da Vinci's work I have seen the Mona Lisa in person and know quite well the painting of The Last Supper - these both were referenced in the book and because of my previous excursions I could easily picture them in my minds eye.
A 'qualm' (great word) I did have about this was the extent of the references to the church, religion and God. Not that I have anything against ant of these subjects but I am an atheist and know very little about Christianity so a lot of what was referred to did go over my head a bit. But then again the internal monologue and description that Brown included throughout the book was very helpful.
Some enjoyable extracts: (no spoilers I promise)

P 343 - History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books - books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. As Napoleon once said, "What is history, but a fable agreed upon?"

P 440 Teabing's manservant Rémy appeared in the doorway at the top of the stairs. 'I  feel like a hostage working for Sir Leigh, but he assures me I am free to go.'

Although this is the second book in the Robert Langdon series I have been assured that this can be read before the first one Angels and Demons if you are in the situation of having this one but not the first. I felt like I didn't miss anything in terms of previous context. Except for various references to the Vatican (but none of them seemed to be particularly important to the plot of this book).

I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good page-turning crime novel.

8/10

xo

A post shared by El in wonderland (@book.monkey) on Apr 9, 2018 at 9:34am PDT

Book first published 2003

All page number referenced are from my copy - ISBN 9780552149518

Sneaking Out by Chuck Vance Review

Thank you to I am a Reader for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Luke Chase a national hero, and sneaking out to the woods with his best friend to meet the new hot British girl at St Benedict's is not something he would normally do. Little did he know someone would end up dead right next to their rendezvous spot and best friend and roommate Oscar would go down for it. Using his past Luke applies he survival skills to find the real killer before its too late.

Luke and Oscar are best friends who couldn't be less alike, Luke being an average student in grades but never once breaking the rules while Oscar is one strike of expulsion. I find a dynamic like this with in friends to be rather common, as they say opposites attract.This I found to be quite relatable making this a good start to this book. Pippa moved from England to the US and has a cool girl persona that sent a wide range of mixed signals to Luke, I found Pippa's situation of moving away from everything you love to start again to be very relatable as well although I didn't move for the same reasons she did, so there being a second fairly relatable theme in this book.  The characters were all very realistic with a wide variety of people that you would except to find in a private school in North America.
The storyline - fantastic, I loved how Vance was able to get Luke to use his history in order to try and save his best friend. Although there wasn't much character development within Luke's character, there was development within the mystery itself, which in my opinion is what counts in a YA mystery novel. Luke used his history to follow the clues he discovered well, but kept underestimating himself. I understand the need to underestimate yourself believing that what ever has happened is just luck because if you didn't maybe you'd have to admit something about yourself. Mr Tadeckis saw that in Luke and although crazy, was definitely my favourite character. (But I think I relate well to crazy, but don't let me go too much into it.)
One issue I did have with this book is that since the teachers are such as big part of this book (being set in a school and all) they need to be slightly more distinguishable, I often got mixed up when Luke was talking to different teachers and I would have to stop and wrack my brain to remember why Luke went to that specific teacher and talked about those specific things. However, this may have simply been how I personally read the book.
Overall the mystery developed well and I am very excited for whenever the next book my be written.
8.5/10
xo

Book Published 6th March 2018

The Case of the Caretaker's Cat by Erle Stanley Gardner Review

As ever Gardner's writing is brilliant.

In his will, Peter Laxter guaranteed his faithful caretaker a job and a place to live for life. But Laxter's grandson Sam says the deal doesn't include the caretaker's cat. When Perry Mason takes the case, he finds there's much more at stake than an old man's cat -- a million dollars to be exact. And as he investigates, he finds a web of greed and treachery among the heirs. But which one actually pulled off the almost perfect crime?

Perry Mason, criminal lawyer or seems to work as a detective an awful lot of the time.

Della Street, the attractive (well she is in my head) secretary to Perry Mason.

Unlike some of the books I've previously read by Gardner (no where near the majority) there seemed to be a lot more law as opposed to detective work, including one point where Mason referenced one of his law book (Chapter 13). That was one of the reasons I really enjoyed this book, seeing the law side of a crime instead of just the chase is really interesting for me. Other reasons being the story line, the conclusion and the fact Perry Mason is in this book.

I enjoyed that the whole story line developed from a Caretaker's Cat in such a dramatic and yet catchy way. And although it definitely didn't feel like something that could happen in real life (as in the development from something so small, to something so major), there was a well developed line of reasoning throughout making it intriguing and keeping a certain amount of realism.

I mean isn't that why we read fiction.

And like other Gardner books the conclusion was genius and went completely over my head. I really enjoy reading books that I can't work out the ending, just as much as I like the ones that make perfect sense. I think I enjoy being outsmarted for some odd reason. 

I really liked the development of Mason and Street's relationship, which again I can't describe too much due to spoilers but I squealed... Della is completely loyal to Perry and I really love that she seems to have complete trust in Mason as he often puts her in situations that could get her arrested it. And in this book that was done, but Gardner added a quality to Della that I haven't seen in previous Perry Mason books and that was her own knowledge of law that she learnt just working with Perry (or so that is implied). I enjoyed that, as it gave her empowerment that isn't often seen in women of books written in the 1930's. 

I have no complaints about this book except for the slight confusion I got just before the trial, however it was all explained in Perry's magical way at the end of the book so I can't complain. 

Would highly recommend 9/10

And FYI you don't have to have read any other book in the series to understand what happens.

xo

A post shared by |wonderland| (@book.monkey) on Dec 16, 2017 at 6:09am PST

Book first published 1935 

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson Review

Well I must admit that was the perfect ending to a beautifully suspenseful book.

On a night flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the stunning and mysterious Lily Kintner. Sharing one too many martinis, the strangers begin to play a game of truth, revealing very intimate details about themselves. Ted talks about his marriage that’s going stale and his wife, Miranda, who he’s sure is cheating on him. Ted and his wife were a mismatch from the start—he the rich businessman, she the artistic free spirit—a contrast that once inflamed their passion, but has now become a cliché.

But their game turns a little darker when Ted jokes that he could kill Miranda for what she’s done. Lily, without missing a beat, says calmly, “I’d like to help.” After all, some people are the kind worth killing, like a lying, stinking, cheating spouse. . . .

Of a book that consists of murders left, right and center this still had a constant air of suspense of mystery. Ted is a character that seemed to be slightly dull for the most part until he was with Lily where talking to her made him seem more alive and I am one who looks at the world thinking we all just continue with our lives just coping and moving on. I think Ted is a slight representation of that fact of the world, then something perfect comes along that can solve all lives problems and you grasp on for dear life. Meanwhile Lily is smart, beautiful and unattached to the world making her what I think to be the makings of some kind of sociopath, one who has a weak consciousness but can still have feelings of morality and guilt and this is one of the reasons I love her character (I have a certain love for the study of behaviour). Absolutely beautifully written.

The book is split into 3 parts and changes point of view for each chapter meaning you learnt what each character knew and thought. I loved the way the story went up and down in how it was written with twists then a settled feeling with too many pages left (I wonder if you understand that feeling). There was never much to guess about but somehow Swanson could keep the suspenseful feeling throughout. My favourite parts by far were the chapters written from Lily's point of view (again my love love for abnormal behaviour has sparked that), they were smart and brilliantly executed. I especially loved that they started Lily's POV when she was a child and going through her youth to get her where she was. I enjoyed knowing that history yet still meeting her at the beginning of the story.

There were some chapters, particularly Miranda's that I found to be quite dull, but I remembered how good The Girl with the Clock for a Heart was, and stuck with it. I must say if you feel it to lag, just know it gets amazing so do stick with it.

But it's story was overall very good, and I couldn't put it down apart from when I was working. I will be handing this over to my mother and recommended it to anyone who will listen.

My rating: 8.5/10
xo

A post shared by |wonderland| (@book.monkey) on Dec 11, 2017 at 12:10pm PST

Book Published 2015

Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin Review

The amount of times I've been told by my mother to read these books is really quite unbelievable. But of course she was right, this was pretty amazing.

Detective John Rebus: His city is being terrorized by a baffling series of murders...and he's tied to a maniac by an invisible knot of blood. Once John Rebus served in Britain's elite SAS. Now he's an Edinburgh cop who hides from his memories, misses promotions and ignores a series of crank letters. But as the ghoulish killings mount and the tabloid headlines scream, Rebus cannot stop the feverish shrieks from within his own mind. Because he isn't just one cop trying to catch a killer, he's the man who's got all the pieces to the puzzle... 

Based in Edinburgh I found that I could visualize a great detail a lot of the scenes mentioned throughout the book including The Meadows and the ever busy Princes Street. 

The majority of the book was not about the crime but about the characters and who they were, particularly about Rebus's character development. Being an ex-army man I have heard of many who find it hard to adjust into normal life after leaving for what ever reason and Rankin managed to capture that very well. Rankin has a way of making his characters feel very real, however this is done in a very different way to Christie's methods as I mentioned in my previous post. Unlike Christie, Rankin's characters have a sense of pain and realism that can't be presented in Christie's "Cozy Mysteries", you feel their pain and fear, their confusion and delight at every point in the book. Whether it be Rebus's resentment of Rhona or his love for Samantha you can feel it and it feels raw. Although every moment was vital to the story their really wasn't too much about the actual crimes committed, just paragraphs and mentions and yet the murders I believe have an impact on the reader, maybe because in the midst of all the character development throughout the book, there is death and lose and that can be a shock to the system.

The clues presented by the killer were smart, as well as mind boggling. Although I must admit I did guess who did it before Gill or Micky or even Rebus knew however it was thrilling to see them get to it and pursue the killer. 

My favourite part of this book would have to be Part 4 - The Cross, chapter 22. 

Side Note: I enjoyed the book being split up into 5 separate parts, each with a theme in itself. The understanding of the characters, the development of the crime, more clues, the last piece the suddenly makes everything fit together and the PURSUIT.

Back to my favourite part, this gave the characters as much a the reader a much deeper understanding of the reasons for the crimes being committed, as well as showing us a side of Rebus that we hadn't previously seen. Altogether this was a very impactful chapter and although it certainly didn't bring me to tears it was heart wrenching in a very emotional way. 

For the first 100 pages I could not put this book down, and only did when I felt my eyes drooping (I had started to read it quite late.)

I was recommended this by someone and will recommend it to anyone who will listen.

9/10 xo

Book First Published 1987