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Book Review: Snap

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  I read the first chapter of Snap by Belinda Bauer a year or so ago while I was preparing it for the library where I work, unfortunately I didn’t have the time then to read it, so I placed it out for circulation. However, that first chapter kept coming back to me, I had to find out what happened next. I finally borrowed it for myself so I could satisfy my curiosity. Snap begins when the car that 11-year-old Jack is travelling in breaks down, in the car with him is his pregnant mother and his two younger sisters. The story is set back in the mid-90s, so cellular phones are not so commonplace and needing to get assistance for the car, Jack’s mother decides to walk to the nearest emergency phone by herself, leaving Jack in charge of his sisters. This decision leads to a life-changing moment for Jack and his family and drives the rest of the plot forward. The story alternates between several different points-of-view, namely that of Jack, another pregnant woman called Catherine, and the po
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Book Review: The Paris Apartment

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  This is the third (and at the moment) last Lucy Foley book that I have read. The plot and story of The Paris Apartment are a break from the last two books The Guest List and The Hunting Party. Jess has arrived in Paris, eager to start a new life, and her brother Ben has offered to let her stay with him until she gets her feet under her. Except, he’s not home when she arrives and seems to have vanished into thin air despite leaving her a voicemail only a few hours earlier. The other residents of the apartment building are both hostile and mysterious, either they refuse to talk to her about Ben or seem to act clueless about their knowledge of him. Like Foley’s other novels, this story jumps through different points of view, each hinting to the mystery of what has happened to Ben. I found the story drawing me in as they mystery thickened. I enjoyed this book much more than the other two that I have ready by Lucy Foley. The characters seemed more real to me, and the twists and tu
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Book Review: The Hunting Party

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  This is the second Lucy Foley book that I have read. To be honest, The Hunting Party is the same plot of The Guest List but with a different story. This time it is a remote resort in the Scottish Highlands, cut off from outside assistance thanks to a convenient snowstorm, and there’s a dead body… A group of friends have gotten together for New Years as a tradition stemming back from their days at university. They are now in their 30s and beginning to realise that they don’t have much in common with each other anymore other than their past friendship. This doesn’t stop some of them from trying to create a jovial New Year’s party (and then getting upset because not everyone is having as much fun as they ought to be gosh darn it!) Much like The Guest List the plot is non-linear, it jumps between the staff of the resort in the present day as they find the body, and then cuts back to the friend’s different points of view in the days leading up to New Years. Again, I did not like
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Book Review: The Guest List

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  The first of three Lucy Foley books that I read in a row, and the first of her novels for me. A luxury wedding is set on a remote Irish island, a dead body is found during the celebration, and a storm has cut off access to the mainland. The Guest List by Lucy Foley hooks you in with the blurb before you start reading.   The story is non-linear and cuts between different characters in the days leading up to the wedding, and then to the present during the wedding reception where they are trying to find out what is going on regarding a body, in alternating chapters. To be honest, I almost stopped reading during the first chapter as it didn’t look like a story I would normally enjoy reading, but I decided to carry on to see how the rest of the story went. (The fact that I needed to read a thriller novel for work also might have had something to do with me pushing on). The twist at the end for me was more of who the killer was, than who the actual victim was. The character was th
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Book Review: Look to the Lady

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  Look to the Lady by Margery Allingham is part of the Albert Campion series. Originally published in the early 1930s, it follows Campion as he attempts to thwart the theft of a chalice, a valuable family heirloom of the Gyrth family. He is aided in this attempt by his manservant Lugg, Val Gyrth and his sister Penny, and the Gyrth’s new neighbour Beth. There are several other supporting characters throughout the novel as well. To be honest, the story was a bit slow for me. I felt that it dragged a bit in places. Others might enjoy the slow burn of the pace though. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy mystery novels. This is a review of a library book that I borrowed. 
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Book Review: Sing Down the Stars

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  Sing Down the Stars by Nerine Dorman is a wonderful novel. The more I read, the harder I found to put it down. Nuri is a runner, working for a gang boss. One night after an eventful crime, she leaves to gather her thoughts not knowing that her life is about to be changed forever. Called by a mysterious song, Nuri soon finds herself a candidate to become the Avatar of a being that can traverse space. However, becoming the Avatar is a lot more difficult than just answering the psychic call. The story follows Nuri as she navigates her new life preparing in the hope to be chosen, dealing with other candidates who also wish to become the Avatar, and avoiding the machinations of others who do not want to see a low born have the possibility to become the Avatar The pace is strong and there is almost always something happening plot wise, not leaving any dull spots. The characters have their own opinions and are not cut and paste of one another. I absolutely fell in love with a side cha
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Book Review: The Bones Beneath

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  T he Bones Beneath  is the 12th Tom Thorne novel by Mark Billingham and deals with a criminal first seen in the second novel; Scaredy Cat . As it is a series, The Bones Beneath  follows on from The Dying Hours  almost directly, so you do feel the need to read the previous novels in order to understand past events. It is a minor detail though and doesn’t detract from the main plot line. In this novel, Thorne is coerced into taking a murderer (Stuart Nicklin) he had arrested a few years back during the events of Scaredy Cat , to locate a body of another previously unknown about victim. Stuart Nicklin shows no remorse over his actions and enjoys tormenting others especially Thorne who he sees as his ideal rival. Thorne wishes to get the job over as soon as possible, so that he can return Nicklin to the prison cell he belongs. There is also a side plot happening in-between with unknown characters, who are revealed at the end. The plot is set in Wales, and mainly on an isolated island tha
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