Kim Ebner's Blog

My rating: * * *Goodreads DescriptionThere’s no easy way to die…Unknown to DI Luc Callanach and the newly promoted DCI Ava Turner, a serial killer has Edinburgh firmly in his grip. The killer is taking his victims in the coldest, most calculating way possible – engineering slow and painful deaths by poison, with his victims entirely unaware of the drugs flooding their bloodstream until it’s too late.But how do you catch a killer who hides in the shadows? A killer whose pleasure comes from watching pain from afar? Faced with their most difficult case yet, Callanach and Turner soon realise they face a seemingly impossible task…My ReviewWhat I liked* A very different type of serial killer is on the loose - one that gets a kick out of watching the pain and grief of the survivors, of the victim's family and friends. This was quite a unique approach and I enjoyed it. * The plot involved two separate cases and different officers were working on each case. This felt like two stories in one, which I actually liked as there were different stories to hold my interest. * This book raised the interesting topic of nature vs nurture, which is a topic that I've always been interested in, and which often raises its head when we come to assessing serial killers and their evil deeds. Can events in our childhood influence who we become? I don't necessarily think so, but it's always an interesting debate nonetheless.What I didn't like* This is the third book in the series and I've read all of them. I think that I may be getting a little tired of the series as I didn't find this one as gripping or face paced as the first two.* Ava Turner - I really don't think I like her very much. I find her interactions with Luc very strange indeed and she blows hot-and-cold. That is a character trait that I don't like in real life and so it follows that I don't like it in fictional characters. She's not doing much to make me like her.* Considering all the rave reviews this book gets, it may just be me, but I found some of the dialogue to be a little forced and stodgy, especially Ava Turner's dialogue.* Although this book is about a serial killer, it wasn't quite as dark and gruesome as I would have liked. It's a very mild serial killer tale. Final thoughtsIf you enjoyed the first two installments in the series, then I'm sure you'll enjoy this one. The plot was good, and if you've already formed a bond with the characters, then you'll be interested to see how things have progressed. This book definitely isn't as fast paced as the first two, but it's a solid read nevertheless.My Rating: * * * Publication Date: April 2018 (South Africa)Genre: Crime Fiction / Police Procedural Format: Trade PaperbackSource: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, Helen Fields and Jonathan Ball SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

My rating: * * * *Goodreads DescriptionA deliciously disturbing, compulsively readable debut domestic suspense--prepare to meet The Other Woman: there’s nothing she won’t do to keep you away from her son ... Emily thinks Adam’s perfect; the man she thought she’d never meet. But lurking in the shadows is a rival; a woman who shares a deep bond with the man she loves. Emily chose Adam, but she didn’t choose his mother Pammie. There’s nothing a mother wouldn’t do for her son, and now Emily is about to find out just how far Pammie will go to get what she wants: Emily gone forever. The Other Woman is an addictive, fast-paced psychological thriller about the destructive relationship between Emily, her boyfriend Adam, and his manipulative mother Pammie. My ReviewWhat I liked* I was so gripped by this story that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. * This novel got my emotions pumping. I felt so sorry for Emily, I absolutely couldn't stand Pammie and thought she was nothing but a nasty, manipulative witch and I wanted to grab Adam by the shoulders and shake him until his teeth rattled in his skull. I love novels that make me feel so many emotions and so strongly.* Pammie is the mother in law from hell, and so if you think you battle with your mother in law then I suggest you rush out and buy this book because Pammie will make even the most difficult relative look like a saint in comparison. * A quick and easy read that had me diving for the book whenever I had a spare moment.* An unexpected ending with a wonderful twist, meaning that fans of tense, twisty, psychological suspense will love this one.* It was thoroughly entertaining and I absolutely loved it. What I didn't like* There was some pretty over the top and slightly unbelievable behaviour from some of the characters. I would have acted completely differently in many of the situations and so I did find some of the characters actions a little strange. * A few lose ends that weren't dealt with by the end of the novel, and which have left me with some questions that I'd love the answers to.Final thoughts* I truly loved this novel and it's been some time since I've been so completely entertained. This is one that I have no problem recommending to others.My Rating: * * * *Publication Date: July 2018 (South Africa)Genre: Psychological Suspense Format: PaperbackSource: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, Sandie Jones and Pan Macmillan SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

My rating: * * *Goodreads DescriptionThey say I'm a murderer. Six years ago, Kate Reynolds was found holding the body of her best friend; covered in blood, and clutching the knife that killed her. I plead guilty. Kate has been in prison ever since, but now her sentence is up. She is being released. But the truth is, I didn't do it. There's only one person who can help: Private Investigator Madison Attalee, the first officer on the scene all those years ago. But there's someone out there who doesn't want Kate digging up the past. Someone who is willing to keep the truth buried at any cost.My ReviewWhat I liked* Multiple narrators. Oh yes, I love books that are written in this style. I've always found myself totally gripped when the story is told by multiple narrators and when the chapters alternate between different characters points of view. This book does that exceptionally well.* Easy read. This is the type of book that just seems to fly by. It's such an easy read, using shortish chapters, lots of dialogue and I found the novel to be a very easy to pick up, anytime, anywhere. It was always easy to get back into the story.* Fast pace. Although the story isn't necessarily filled with tons of action, it does move along at a good pace. I never felt bored. It was a book that made me want to get into bed at night and read.What I didn't like* For some reason I never found myself truly and deeply invested in the characters or the story. It felt a little superficial to me, and I never really found myself "inside" this story.* Far-fetched. Certain elements in this story were too far fetched to be believable. I don't want to mention specifics at this point for fear of giving anything away, but yes, I couldn't get behind all of the things that had transpired by the end.Final thoughtsThis was a good, quick, easy and entertaining read that I liked. It would make a good holiday read when you just want to be able to pick up a book and escape for a while. My Rating: * * *Publication Date: April 2018 (South Africa)Genre: Crime Fiction / Thriller Format: Trade PaperbackSource: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, Niki Mackay and Jonathan Ball SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

My rating: * * * * Goodreads DescriptionHow do you catch a killer who's already dead?' Eighteen months have passed, but the scars the Ragdoll murders left behind remain. DCI Emily Baxter is summoned to a meeting with US Special Agents Elliot Curtis of the FBI and Damien Rouche of the CIA. There, she is presented with photographs of the latest copycat murder: a body contorted into a familiar pose, strung up impossibly on the other side of the world, the word BAIT carved deep into its chest. As the media pressure intensifies, Baxter is ordered to assist with the investigation and attend the scene of another murder to discover the same word scrawled across the victim, carved across the corpse of the killer - PUPPET. As the murders continue to grow in both spectacle and depravity on both sides of the Atlantic, the team helplessly play catch up. Their only hope: to work out who the 'BAIT' is intended for, how the 'PUPPETS' are chosen but, most importantly of all, who is holding the strings.My ReviewSo Bookworms, this review is going to take on a slightly different format to usual. After recently reading an article about blog posts and how many people read them, and what they like and don't like about them, I noticed that the criticisms leveled at blogs and book reviews in general were that some people find review posts long-winded, too detailed, and bordering on boring. It seems that a number of people prefer punchier, short and to the point reviews. This would allow people to get a sense of the book quickly and easily, and would allow them to decide if the book would suit them without necessarily having to read a long review which goes into detail about all aspects of the story. And you know what? I actually tend to agree with this. When I read book reviews, I actually prefer one's that are short, punchy, to the point and give me just enough detail to entice me to read (or in some cases, not to read) the novel.With this in mind, I've decided to try a new style for a while. So here goes, my review of Hangman...What I liked* Although this book is the sequel to the super popular, Ragdoll, this novel can easily be read as a stand alone.* Detective Baxter. This fierce and fiery character brought an edge to the story that I really liked. She's hard, to the point, tough, a loner and someone who tends to see the worst in people. But she's interesting, and the people around her trust her. She's complicated.* Action packed. From the get-go this book has action and it doesn't take long to draw you in.* Fairly large body count, lots of blood and a fair amount of violence. But note that I didn't find this book specifically gruesome, there were no scenes that made me feel sick. But it's a crime novel / crime thriller after all and it had the right about of darkness to keep me entertained.What I didn't like* To really enjoy this novel you need to be able to suspend your disbelief. At times this story is somewhat far fetched...but hey, it's a fiction novel after all.* Sometimes a little difficult to read and requires your full attention. I found that this wasn't the easiest of reads, and that doesn't mean that I found it difficult per se, but more that I found that I needed to concentrate when reading this story so that I didn't get lost. Final thoughtsI really loved this novel and would recommend it to fans of the crime thriller genre.My Rating: * * * *Publication Date: April 2018 (South Africa)Genre: Crime Fiction / Thriller Format: Trade PaperbackSource: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, Daniel Cole and Jonathan Ball SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

My rating: * * * * Goodreads DescriptionThe police say it was suicide.Anna says it was murder.They're both wrong.One year ago, Caroline Johnson chose to end her life brutally: a shocking suicide planned to match that of her husband just months before. Their daughter, Anna, has struggled to come to terms with their loss ever since.Now with a young baby of her own, Anna misses her mother more than ever and starts to question her parents’ deaths. But by digging up their past, she’ll put her future in danger. Sometimes it’s safer to let things lie…The stunning, twisty new psychological thriller from number one bestseller Clare Mackintosh, author of I Let You Go and I See You.My ReviewClare Mackintosh is one of those author's whose books I'm always excited to read. Since the runaway success of her debut novel, I Let You Go, she's been an author that I've followed and that I've loved. This book is her third novel and although I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first one, it's still a really great read.Anna is starting over. Within the last year, she's lost both parents to suicide, and within 7 months of each other. Apart from feeling desolate and alone, she's also feeling angry - angry at how they both chose to leave her, at how they both made a conscious decision to end their lives. But Anna is trying to move forward. She has a new boyfriend and a new baby. But suddenly something happens that brings the past back, that makes her question everything. Did her parents really kill themselves, or is something more sinister at play?This book is on the slow side, so be prepared for that. But it makes up for this by being intriguing. I found myself thoroughly invested in the story, I wanted to know what had happened to Anna's parents and how things were going to pan out. I also liked Anna as a character, but the character that grabbed me even more was Murray, the retired detective that Anna approaches for help. He seemed to be such a nerdy character. There was no brash-flash with Murray. But I liked him and his back story. His mentally ill wife, and the difficult life that he led because of it added another dimension to this story. And of course, no Clare Macintosh novel would be complete without the twists and turns that we all know and love. And this book had a few of them. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, the story turned on it's head and as it turns out, I was wrong.This is an entertaining and great read and one that I recommend.My Rating: * * * *Publication Date: April 2018 (South Africa)Genre: Psychological Thriller / Suspense Format: Trade PaperbackSource: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, Clare Mackintosh and Jonathan Ball SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

My rating: * * *Goodreads DescriptionThey were Hollywood's hottest power couple. They had the world at their feet. Now one of them is dead and Hollywood star Robert Solomon is charged with the brutal murder of his beautiful wife. This is the celebrity murder trial of the century and the defence want one man on their team: con artist turned lawyer Eddie Flynn. All the evidence points to Robert's guilt, but as the trial begins a series of sinister incidents in the court room start to raise doubts in Eddie's mind. What if there's more than one actor in the courtroom? What if the killer isn't on trial? What if the killer is on the jury?My ReviewAs I write this review, I find myself pondering how it can be that a book that has been such a massive hit with just about everybody, was only mediocre for me. And I truly have no answer to this other than to say that perhaps the dreaded curse of the "over hyped novel" has struck once again.If you check out the reviews of this title on Goodreads, you'll see 5 star review after 5 star review. People have literally lost their book-reading minds over this title, and quite frankly, I'm not sure why. Yes, Eddie Flynn is a fairly interesting character, and yes, the plot is fairly good, but that's where the compliments end for me. It was fairly good but it wasn't great, and I'm definitely not singing its praises like others are.The thing with this book is that it probably has one of the best tags ever: The serial killer isn't on trial, he's on the jury. I mean seriously, if that doesn't get you chomping at the bit to read this highly anticipated legal thriller then nothing will. But, the main problems for me were that there simply wasn't enough courtroom action in this courtroom thriller, and the fact that the serial killer just wasn't believable. I'm a massive fan of courtroom scenes, and I love reading the cleverly phrased legal questions put to the witnesses by the equally clever and suave lawyers, how they trap the ducking-and-diving witnesses and how they tease the truth out of the uncooperative ones. That for me is the highlight of legal thrillers. Now quite frankly, this book just didn't really have much of that. There were a few short courtroom scenes, but they were in the minority, and although I enjoyed them, they were nothing really special. The thing with this book is that I didn't get what I wanted, and what I expected. I expected a book packed with brilliant legal masterminds and clever courtroom scenes, and I didn't really get that.To add insult to injury, I found the serial killer, Joshua Kane, a little bit too exaggerated to be real. Kane, one of the cleverest serial killers of his time, who has managed to evade capture for decades, is then brought down by Flynn in less than a week. Let's add to that the fact that Kane has some sort of physical condition meaning that he doesn't feel pain - well, how convenient. He has inside contacts, he can forge documents, he's a master of disguise, and he's clever enough to have wrangled his way onto the jury in a plethora of cases. All this, but yet Flynn, a lawyer having only seen Kane in court on a handful of occasions, manages to bring him down in no time at all. No, unfortunately that was just all a little too much for me.But let me say this, please do not pass on reading this book because I didn't fall in love with it. You may just find that you seriously disagree with me, and you may just find yourself head over heels in love with Eddie Flynn and this story. So many others have, so in all probability you will too.My Rating: * * *Publication Date: April 2018 (South Africa)Genre: Legal ThrillerFormat: Trade PaperbackSource: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, Steve Cavanagh and Jonathan Ball SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

My rating: * * * * Goodreads DescriptionFive women go on a hike. Only four return. Jane Harper, the New York Times bestselling author of The Dry, asks: How well do you really know the people you work with? When five colleagues are forced to go on a corporate retreat in the wilderness, they reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking down the muddy path. But one of the women doesn’t come out of the woods. And each of her companions tells a slightly different story about what happened. Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing hiker. In an investigation that takes him deep into isolated forest, Falk discovers secrets lurking in the mountains, and a tangled web of personal and professional friendship, suspicion, and betrayal among the hikers. But did that lead to murder?My ReviewLast year I read and loved Jane Harper's The Dry, and it became one of my favourite reads of 2017. I was thus a little nervous about reading Harper's second novel as often a reader can feel let down by subsequent novels when the author sets the bar so high with the first one. But I'm pleased to confirm that this was not the case with this novel. I think that perhaps I was slightly more taken with The Dry, but I thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend Force Of Nature.Within the first few pages, I was once again struck by just how good this author's writing is. She has such a natural, relaxed writing style and for the second time, I was totally in awe of her writing. Her descriptions of the Australian bush are so real, her characters well formed, and what I liked most, the dialogue was spot on. The characters all spoke to each other like real people. Moving on then, let me just say this one thing about this title - thank goodness I've never worked in an office where employees are asked and expected to thrash out into the bush as one big happy family, to carry heavy backpacks, traipse along hardly visible paths for miles every day, and camp under the stars together for a whole weekend. Anyone who vaguely knows me knows one simple fact about me: I do not camp, ever. No thank you very much. The whole thing just sounds like a disaster from start to finish...and as it turns out, I think the characters in this book would agree with me.This is a well thought out story, the characters, especially the five woman lost out in the bush, are well developed and interesting, and the plot as a whole works. The pacing may have been a tad bit slow, but I found The Dry to be the same. The thing is though, I was never bored. In fact, the opposite. I couldn't wait to get to the end of the story to see exactly what had happened to the missing member of the team. Overall this was a great read, and I definitely recommend it for fans of Harper's first book...and even if you haven't read the first book, I think you'll love this one. The two stories are totally independent of each other and they don't follow on from each other, and hence you'll have no problem if you start with this one.I can't wait for the author's next release. Bring it on!My Rating: * * * *Publication Date: March 2018 (South Africa)Genre: Crime FictionFormat: Trade PaperbackSource: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, Jane Harper and Jonathan Ball SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

My rating: * * * * Goodreads DescriptionThe second in the terrifying DI Callanach crime series. Fans of M.J. Arlidge will be hooked from the very first page. In the midst of a rock festival, a charity worker is sliced across the stomach. He dies minutes later. In a crowd of thousands, no one saw his attacker. The following week, the body of a primary school teacher is found in a dumpster in an Edinburgh alley, strangled with her own woollen scarf. DI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach have no motive and no leads – until around the city, graffitied on buildings, words appear describing each victim. It’s only when they realise the words are appearing before rather than after the murders, that they understand the killer is announcing his next victim…and the more innocent the better.My ReviewThis book is the second in the D.I Callanach series, but I use the word "series" lightly here as it really isn't necessary to have read the first book. As it turns out, I have in fact read the first book, and although the first book is obviously our first introduction to the characters, I don't think it's imperative to have read the first title to enjoy this one. You could start here and not be in any way prejudiced.This follow up novel is just as good, if not a tiny bit better than the first one. D.I Callanach and his the team are left scratching their heads when a young man attending a rock festival is murdered in the middle of a crowded field. His abdomen is slashed from one side to the other, but yet no one saw a single thing, and the killer casually walks away. The victim appears to have been a stand-out citizen, doing good whenever he could, and thus there didn't appear to be a motive for the killing. Soon another murder follows, this time a primary school teacher. Another person who was well loved, and who didn't seem to have any enemies. So what is the link between the murders? And why are these specific victims chosen?Let me warn you upfront, this book is definitely not for the feint hearted. Some of the murders are really gruesome, and the description of what the killer had done to the victims really turned my stomach. It was clear in a number of instances that the victims had suffered greatly before they died, and I always battle reading things like that. It's clear very early on that D.I Callanach and his team are faced with a brutal, sadistic and evil killer, one that enjoys and takes pride in the kills. This is a book that I loved. If I was in the habit of awarding half stars, this would be getting 4.5 stars from me, but because I don't do that, I always round off downwards. But take it from me, if you love crime thrillers and police procedurals, then you're going to love this one. It really had me gripped, and as I've mentioned above, the killer was so sick and twisted that I couldn't help but be engrossed by him, the story and the book in general. I cannot wait to read book 3!It's a cracker. Go for it.My Rating: * * * *Publication Date: September 2017 (South Africa)Genre: Crime Thriller / Police ProceduralFormat: Trade PaperbackSource: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, Helen Fields and Jonathan Ball SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

My rating: * * * * *Goodreads DescriptionWhen you read this book, you will make many assumptions. You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement. You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves. You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her. You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.Assume nothing.My ReviewYay, yay, Bookworm's...It's time to jump up and down, do cartwheels along the street and high five each other, because this is getting the elusive 5 stars from me!It's been a while now since I've read a genuine psychological suspense novel and, until reading this book, I didn't realise just how much I've missed them. That is due, in part, to the fact that this read was just such a fantastic psychological roller-coaster ride that I found myself slightly bashed about by the end, but with a huge smile on my face.I don't want to say too much, if in fact anything at all, about the plot. This is one of those books that you need to read blind, which may be a tad difficult because of the hype that surrounded its release. As I'm writing this review, I realise that it would be very difficult to write about the plot without giving something away, and I definitely don't want to do that. All I will say is this - the blurb pretty much summarises this book perfectly - Assume nothing.This is a book that is written in 3 parts and there are twists and turns along the way for you to enjoy, and one that will definitely knock you right off your bicycle. This is also a novel that will keep you engrossed, dying to pick up the book and read whenever you can. That alone deserves 5 stars if you ask me! The plot is great, and also very clever, and there were a number of times throughout the book when I would think to myself just how difficult it must be for the author (in this case, authors) to write such a book without letting something slip at some stage along the way. I'm sure that was no easy feat, and probably took a great amount of editing, so well done to the publishers as well.Anyway, please do yourselves a favour and pick up a copy of this book. If you're a lover of the psychological thriller / suspense genre, then this is one not to be missed. It was clever, crafty, well plotted and planned, with characters that were very real. I loved it, and I hope you do too.My Rating: * * * * *Publication Date: March 2018 (South Africa)Genre: Psychological SuspenseFormat: Trade PaperbackSource: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to authors, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, and Pan Macmillan SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

My rating: * * * Goodreads Description`Thirty-seven years in the force, and if I was allowed to choose just one thing to erase from my mind, what's inside that room would be it.'That's what a LAPD Lieutenant tells Detectives Hunter and Garcia of the Ultra Violent Crimes Unit as they arrive at one of the most shocking crime scenes they have ever attended. In a completely unexpected turn of events, the detectives find themselves joining forces with the FBI to track down a serial killer whose hunting ground sees no borders; a psychopath who loves what he does because to him murder is much more than just killing - it's an art form. Welcome to The Gallery of the Dead.My ReviewThe truth of the matter is that I should have liked this book more than I did - it had a crafty serial killer, no clear suspects, plenty of mystery, bodies that didn't seem to be linked in any way, an unusual signature left by the killer - but there was something about the author's writing style that just didn't work for me.The plot was great, and as I mentioned above, on paper there was lots to like about this novel, but I found the book to be a tad mundane. I've never read a Chris Carter book before and so I was pretty geared up for this one but by the time I finished it, I felt pretty let down by the writing. I couldn't help but feel that the author completely missed the "show and don't tell" aspect of creative writing. There were so many places in this book where the author would tell the reader something, or would tell us what happened, almost lecturing to us in a way, rather than showing us with clever, descriptive writing. When you "show" the reader what is happening, you draw them in to the story, and they feel invested. But because the writing never did this, I never felt any real bond with Hunter, or with any of the other characters for that matter. I also feel that I didn't learn anything about the man behind the name. I never got to know Hunter, to understand him, his background, his thoughts, and why he felt or acted as he did. He seemed sterile to me. There was nothing about him that made me feel attached to him, and as such, I didn't really care one way or the other what happened to him. I didn't like that. It made Hunter bland and uninteresting. He's clearly smart, and he clearly has a knack for detective work, but it ends there. I never got to know the man in any way.Unfortunately, I also found the dialogue to be slightly off. There were a number of occasions where I'd think to myself that the dialogue just seemed staid, like people don't actually speak to each other that way, let alone senior adult detectives. I might also mention that there were serious POV (point of view) issues in this book. Each chapter, rather than being written from a specific character's POV, jumped between different POV's every few lines. This was very noticeable to me, and made for difficult reading, especially in the first half of the book.On the positive side, and my reason for awarding 3 stars when it may seem like I was going to award less, is that I did like the story and the plot. I'm a massive fan of serial killer stories, and this serial killer had me totally stumped. I couldn't work out what he was getting at with his signature, I couldn't understand how he chose his victims, and overall I was intrigued by him. There was also a fairly good twist towards the end of the book which jumped out and knocked me around a bit. For that reason I felt that the book deserved 3 stars. This book has an average rating of 4.47 on Goodreads, which is an impressive number and so it may be that you'll love it. For me though, the writing missed the mark. I don't think I'll be rushing off to read any more by this author.My Rating: * * * Publication Date: March 2018 (South Africa)Genre: Crime Thriller / Police ProceduralFormat: Trade PaperbackSource: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, Chris Carter and Jonathan Ball SA for my review copy.