M A ComleyBesprekingen

Watching Over Me (Crime After Crime #1) by M.K. Farrar

Amy has a less than ideal childhood, but she strives to help children being a (Child) psychotherapist. When a very troubled twelve year old boy shows up at her office she does her best to help him. Her concern for this patient leads her down a dangerous path while determined to find the truth.

A fast paced thrilling psychological read. Attention to detail pulled me deep into the story. Some twists, turns and shocking revelations had me on edge. Compelling, intense and suspenseful from the first page until the last.

Overall I found Watching Over Me enjoyable. I highly recommend to those who enjoy psychological thrillers. I look forward to reading more by M.K. Farrar .

(2011)Pretty good introduction to the British D.I. Simpkins who heads a team of homicide detectives that investigates a series of grisly murders by a taxi driver who is exacting revenge on the people in his life who didn't help him when he reported his abuse as a child. Pretty good read although the characters interactions change without any seeming motivation. (Amazon description) The headless body of a wealthy widow is discovereddecomposing in Chelling Forest. Then a second victim is found. DetectiveInspector Lorne Simpkins and her partner, DS Pete Childs are assigned the case.Before they can discover the identity of the killer they must make a connectionbetween the two victims. After a third murder, Lorne receives a grisly surprise. Clearly, a viciousserial killer is on a rampage...and Lorne has become the killer's fixation. Lorne can't allow her failing marriage or her new boss--a man with whom sheshares a sensuous secret--keep her from focusing on her job. She must catch themacabre murderer, or risk becoming the next victim.

The only thing I can say that was slightly off-putting, was that it bordered more on the side of a novella than actual book...177 pages and only 20 short chapters. It did have, in that short space, two gruesome murders...shocking family secrets...and people and things that weren't what they seemed to be. Overall...the author managed to tie everything up without leaving any hanging threads. A good read and totally worth the time.

I’ve been kicking myself for burying this book in my TBR list. As Book Four has just come out, I decided I really ought to try and catch up, as I now have three more waiting for me in the series. I can’t wait to read them; I have become an instant fan of DI Lorne Simpkins.

A book bodes well for me if I’m smitten within the first couple of pages – and this was one of those books. The book starts with a somewhat sadistic scene in a prologue giving you a taste of what DI Simpkins will have to deal with, and this is then contrasted with a domestic scene hinting that her marriage and home life is a tad rocky.

Simpkins and her team have a gruesome serial killer on their hands after four women are found murdered and dismembered. They not only have to find the link between the four and reasons for their demise, but when things get start to get personal between the killer and Simpkins, it becomes even more imperative to find him before he harms not just other women, but friends and family close to Simpkins. Her professional life is somewhat compounded by a change of chief, when he is replaced by someone with whom she had an ‘intimate’ past.

If that wasn’t enough, her determination to get the job done isn’t helped by a husband who is frustrated and a little jealous of her job and achievements when it is he who has to stay at home and be the wife.

This is what I loved about this book. There was a perfect balance between Simpkins’ unpleasant job of finding deranged criminals and her personal life, having to juggle a job (and promotion) she loves and is committed to, and a husband and daughter she loves. There was a credible and natural relationship with her crimestopping team and although she fills you with confidence and know that she will find the murderer, you are kept guessing to a climactic finish. Equally compelling was how things pan out at home.

I thought the closing scenes were well thought out – the loose ends were neatly tied up, with just a little teaser to tempt you on to Book Two. Not that I need much temptation. Mel has an easy-to-read but engaging style and writes a compelling thriller. I’m going to sneak Impeding Justice out of my TBR as soon as I can.

This is the second of the novels featuring DI Lorne Simpkins. Cruel Justice was the excellent start of the series and Impeding Justice is even more thrilling and gripping. I absolutely loved it.

Lorne is still the feisty, stubborn, no-nonsense detective hunting down sadistic killers, still with a rocky marriage (being married to her husband and her job just isn’t easy) and still with a teenager who is being, well, a teenager. To make matters worse, a tragedy hits her close-knit work team and her eight-year-long chase of her nemesis, The Unicorn, steps up a pace. He has started to make it personal—very, very personal.

Mel is an excellent thriller writer. She packs action and tension into a package with strong characters along with heinous villains. Lorne’s domestic life and problems therein remind us that she isn’t superwoman, but a keen and brave working wife and mother, with the police force in her blood, doing her best to make the streets a safer place.

This isn’t a book you can put down easily and Mel manages to leave you emotionally exhausted: appalled by man’s ability to be utterly depraved and violent, touched by the resistance and strength of innocent youth, totally wrung-out by the pain a mother feels for the suffering of her child. Not only that, Mel deftly leaves you hungering for more with an almighty cliffhanger.

On to the next (Final Justice), Cathy, quick as you can…

Strip this of the banal, childish, implausible dialogue, the endless 'sniggering' between police officers, cardboard emotionless characters (most of them sexist misogynists) and you might actually have the bare bones of a plot with legs. But it's a hurried book (along with the hurried, (non-existent) editing, both technical and developmental): too few pages and too few POVs, making it rather one-dimensional.

It's the first of a series featuring DI Sam Cobbs (who doesn't like men very much, despite being married to one) investigating four deaths (five if you include the dog…was that really necessary?) in a rural community. Money is the root of it all, of course.

Alas, unexciting and void of exhilaration or thrills.

Strip this of the banal, childish, implausible dialogue, the endless 'sniggering' between police officers, cardboard emotionless characters (most of them sexist misogynists) and you might actually have the bare bones of a plot with legs. But it's a hurried book (along with the hurried, (non-existent) editing, both technical and developmental): too few pages and too few POVs, making it rather one-dimensional.

It's the first of a series featuring DI Sam Cobbs (who doesn't like men very much despite being married to one) investigating four deaths (five if you include the dog…was that really necessary?) in a rural community. Money is the root of it all, of course.

Alas, unexciting and void of exhilaration or thrills.

D.I. Simpkins and DS Childs are assigned to the case of the headless body, then other bodies turn up. Can they track the killer before it takes more victims.

Alexandra Fox joined the NYPD from England to find the killer of her sister. But she has been given the job of finding 3 kidnapped babies within the next week or look for another job.
I found the story and characters to be okay, but couldn't believe that a person who had lived in the States for a year hadn't picked up any American colloquialisms and that did annoy me.
a NetGalley Book

Scott is visiting pubs in the Norfolk area, looking for his next victim. DI Sally Parker and her team investigate. Parker seems to be lacking in personnel skills, and has certainly not been sensible as far as her private life is concerned.
Not too sure that the motive was all that believable

2 and 1/2

It's just an OK book.
I liked the first part of it. It grabbed my attention and was a very easy read.
Then, the second part happens and it's all rolls down to a "bad place".
My biggest issue with the second part of the story is just how unbelievable it is.

I Know the Truth by MA Comley

Lucy has kept her head down, worked hard, relied on her friend Trish and is out for an evening of fun when she meets the first man in five years that she is attracted to. She wonders if she should take a chance on him or remain solitary. Well, one thing leads to another and the two eventually hit it off only to have strange things begin to happen that really throw Lucy for a loop. Her past might be coming back to haunt her but then again…perhaps something or someone in her present is creating the problems for her and her friends that are so very strange and often scary. As each new tidbit about Lucy’s past is revealed the situation becomes clearer but the losses are also mounting until…well…you really should read this book…it is a humdinger!

What I liked:
* Lucy: strong enough to eventually do what needed to be done, a good friend with a big and loving heart, suffered much
* Trish: I true friend to Lucy, there for her throughout, deserves her own HEA in the future
* Matthew: almost a prince charming but also grounded and there for Lucy
* The way Lucy’s backstory came out throughout the book
* The relationship as it grew between Lucy and Matthew
* The friendship between Trish and Lucy
* The strength of Lucy and Trish

What I did not like:
* The man in Lucy’s past that harmed her so deeply
* Being reminded that truly evil people exist in the world and often get away with…abuse and even murder
* The way Matthew’s brother and mother acted…on more than one occasion
* Wondering what would happen next…for the characters in the story that were part of Lucy’s life and support network

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to BOTBS and the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars½

Criminal Actions by M.A. Comley
Hero Series #5

Deeply disturbing dark and twisted story of an evil couple remorselessly carrying out fiendish deeds on women hired to be the nanny of their young children. What the young women endured was horrific and made for chilling reading.

What I liked:
* DI Hero Nelson – a “normal” man solveing heinous crimes. He was also a wonderful husband, father and team leader at work.
* Hero’s family – also normal and real and great to come home to after a grueling day at work
* Hero’s police team – didn’t see much of them but liked their camaraderie and the way they worked together to solve the case
* The police procedural aspects of the story
* The flow of the book and writing style that was tight and succinct
* That I could relate to the characters

What I did not like:
* What the young women endured while working as nannies
* The criminal couple and their lack of compassion, remorse and humanity and that they got away with what they did for so long
* The helplessness that the women must have felt

Did I enjoy this book? Yes, though enjoy is probably not the best word to use...it was a compelling read
Would I read more by this author? Definitely

Thank you to the author and BOTBS for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

I have enjoyed books by this author before. However I could not get into this one at all. I found the plot to be unbelievable. In fact I didn't even bother to read the last few pages. But that's just me, others may very well love it.

3.5

Book source ~ NetGalley

A British copper comes to America and joins the NYPD with the help of a fairy godfather, I mean, Chief of Police. She’s been there a year and the Commander can’t stand her. He keeps giving her shitty partners in the hopes she’ll quit or blow her top and he can fire her. When three babies are kidnapped, he suspends her and then tells her if she can find the babies before anyone else she can get her Detective promotion. So, she’s off and running with few resources and fewer friends.

Ok, so I can believe the harassment that Alex faces in the department. It’s not easy for a woman to be a police officer. On top of that, she’s from another country where things are done differently so she has to learn new rules/laws. And on top of THAT, she has the backing of the Chief. But, a lot of this story is just too sloppy and over the top for me to suspend belief. In addition, she calls her landlord Nobby, from the Harry Potter books. Uh, there was no Nobby that I’m aware of, so unless this error was fixed in later editions, it grates on my nerves. The villains are so stupid and careless they aren’t even worthy of being called villains. Finally, there’s this serial killer who is fixated on Alex. He’s the reason she moved to America to begin with, but he seems totally lame. There’s a great story in here and, at times, it’s pretty good, but I just can’t get lost in it. Too much pulls me right out of the world.

Fun and quick read. Good short story for the holiday season. Not the usual feel good Christmas story. I’ve read others by this author and enjoyed them all.

this was a really good e-read for me I kept wondering what would happen..lorne is a workaholic that is trying to catch a serial killer and save her marriage..she puts her job before her family and it begins to cause a lot of problem mentally and emotionally also...I really recommend this book////

This is the prequel to a series I was thinking of starting so thought I’d grab it to bring me up to speed. I’m so glad I did but probably not for the reason you think.

I am clearly in the minority according to the ratings but if you require even a shred of believability in your police procedurals, walk away.
This is a shortie that introduces DS Alex Fox. She’s part of a team hunting for a psychopathic killer who has horribly mutilated & murdered 10 women. The investigation has stalled when the news comes in another woman has been snatched…..Alex’s sister.

So I’m thinking this should be right up my alley. Um….no. I’ll list a few reasons below that may be dangerously close to spoiler territory so just a heads up.

First, the dialogue. It’s stiff & came across as written by non-Brits trying to fit in what they considered to be British vernacular. There’s a lot of “tut tut”, stiff upper lip stuff. When Alex learns of her sister’s abduction she threatens to track the killer down (uh….thought you are already on that) and “no one is going to effing stop me”. That’s not me cleaning up her potty mouth….that’s an actual quote. This despite the frequent use of “fuck” throughout the story.
Her colleague Bob stops just short of offering to make her tea but does repeatedly admonish her to “stay positive” because “negativity isn’t going to solve this case”. If Bob were my colleague, he’d be sporting a shiner.

With the many errors in police procedure, it’s no mystery why this guy is still on the loose. Only after Alex’s sister is snatched do they look at where the 10 victims were abducted from, where they were dumped & notice a pattern. I’m sorry…what? This is explained by a character saying “it’s an area we we haven’t really covered”. By the way, most of the women are spouses of cops. I’m thinking the rest of the force would be suitably motivated to have noticed this little nugget of info after finding TEN BODIES. And after stumbling across the latest crime scene, the first thing Alex does is completely contaminate it.

Then you have the bog standard DI who is arrogant, misogynist & perpetually dyspeptic because there are living, breathing women on his team. His dialogue is so OTT that it’s funny although I don’t think that’s what the authors were shooting for.

So yes, I’m grateful I picked this up. If I’d had to read a full length book, I might have become effing violent.

This was a quick little novella, easily read in under a couple hours, yet packed with a lot of thrills. It was so much fun to read a throwback to the early days of Lorne. It almost seems like another lifetime ago for her, but she's always had the spunk I love so much. I'm amazed how Comley just slips back into the catchy dialogue that Lorne and Pete have always had and it's as smooth as ever in this book. I absolutely devoured this book but was sad to see it come to an end. I'll just have to wait for the next in the series.

Comley is amazing. Time after time she comes up with original plots that keep me reading and from doing what I really should be doing. I should know by now that when I get one of her books, I need to hole up in my bedroom with the door shut and turn off the rest of my world until I’m on the final page. Nothing better interrupt my Justice book time! Calculated Justice is just as enthralling as the others, but I thought this one was extra fun. Not a lot of messy murder in this one but some nasty kidnappers, taking family members of rich executives and asking for millions for their safe return. Lorne and Katy would be on their tails, but the kidnappers seem to know Lorne well enough to tie her up on a scavenger hunt all over London. Not only is the kidnapper running her ragged, he’s keeping her so busy she can’t help her team figure out where the hostages are.

I found this book fun because all our Justice friends were in on the action in some way or form. Even Pete got in a bit on it, in his own special way. I’ll take a little Pete any way I can. It’s truly a huge team/family effort to help Lorne and save the hostages in one crazy, busy, brain-teaser and mind blowing adventure in book number 12 of the Justice series. Comley never stops coming up with the great stuff.

In Dubious Justice, Lorne again is after some crazy killers. Starting with an electrician, tradesmen are being murdered and someone is trying to make it look like they are suicides instead. While Katy is out for a family emergency, Lorne is acting DI and teamed up with DCI Sean Roberts, her former partner. They seem to be at a loss. The case has stalled and every lead they’ve followed has dried up. Sean’s a bit rusty but luckily for him, Lorne is as sharp as ever and it doesn’t take long for her to home in on a tiny clue to lead them where they need to go. And where they end up in this case is unbelievable, an ending that is shocking and heartbreaking.

I keep saying it, but I always mean it; this new book may be my favorite of the Justice books. Comley keeps topping herself with every book in the series. In particular to this book, I was thrilled with the partnering of Sean and Lorne. The back and forth, playful banter reminded me a bit of her and Pete. The emotional edge that the author weaves into the storyline- it’s getting to be part of her signature writing style. Where she comes up with these original plot lines I have no idea. But I’m just happy she does and I’ll keep reading every little thing she puts out. I think I’ll sneak one more star in and give this one 6, okay?

Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins is called out to a body found in Chelling Forest. Somewhat decayed, and with missing parts, identification is not immediately possible. The procedures and detective work undertaken to identify the body, and find the killer, is fascinating. Why would anyone want the victim dead? What are the links between this and subsequent murders?

Lorne and Tom's marriage is under stress. After Lorne's latest promotion, Tom gave up work to look after their daughter Charlie, and now he is frustrated by Lorne's long working hours, and impatient to get his life back.

Lots of interesting twists and turns - a good read

I’ve read all the other books in this series and Rough Justice is one is one of my favorites. Thank goodness Comley keeps releasing books in this series as fast as she does. That keeps my craving for her Justice books under (reasonable) control.

As always, the book starts off with a crime- this time a young woman goes missing on her way to a friend’s home after being attacked in her apartment. The Met has investigated, but unfortunately, the investigators did not put much effort into finding the victim and the case has gone cold. Six months later the girl’s family still has no answers, but lucky for them the case has landed on Lorne and Katy’s desks and they are set on finding out how the woman and her car could vanish and not be heard from or seen again. Solving this case is not going to be easy, but the detectives have a special helper- Carol and her psychic abilities.

As with all of Comley’s books, there is the personal storyline going on in the background too. Lorne’s husband has opened up a PI business and has his first case, and Lorne’s daughter, Charlie, is running the dog shelter and holding down the fort at home while the rest of the family is out solving crimes.

I love the interaction between Lorne and Katy and their coworkers, the excitement of the story as it builds and I get to follow along and try to solve the mystery before the author reveals all. This book includes Carol, the psychic, and also has a lot of paranormal going on in the plot, which is a lot of fun. I realize some don’t like that, so if you don’t, this is your warning that it is part of this book. If you’re a thriller/mystery fan, you will love this book. Just a great overall book.

A very simple and simplistic story and a very fast read. I'd have given it just 3 stars but added a half because of its readability. Enjoyed the characters except I think carol, who appears late in the book, a little implausible - you'll get it.

A very fast, unchallenging, and easy read.½

I've read almost everything this author has written and was excited to hear a brand new series was coming out. Being a huge fan of Lorne from Comley's Justice series, I wasn't sure how this new Miranda Carr character would compare, or if she would be too similar to Lorne. I shouldn't have worried though, because Miranda is now a new favorite for me! She is spunky, smart, and so much fun! Miranda's crew is just as fun and they all mesh well. Miranda and her partner, D.S. Johnny Tomlin, play off each other well and the dialogue flows easily between them. Miranda and her boss Caroline (and good friend) also have a wonderful rapport with each other, and the two of them in Portugal had me giggling as I read my afternoon away.

In this debut book of the Carr series, a famous cosmetic executive is murdered and her body missing, making this a tough case for Miranda and her crew. And while all this is going on, Miranda has a wedding to plan too. There is a lot going on in this book, and you might think you have it all figured out, but there is a huge shocker coming at the end that will leave you shaking your head. Comley is definitely an amazing writer.

If you like Comley's other series, you need to start on this one too. And if you haven't had the opportunity to read any of Comley's books before, this is a great one to start with. Filled with mystery, thrills, some laughs and even some supernatural thrown in for a little twist, this is a book that will have you reading far into the night until the very last page. Pick it up and enjoy!