Section 51 by V. G. Harrison
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Section 51 by V. G. Harrison. Empath Ava Frost is searching for her triplet brother, Ian, who’s disappeared without a trace. When she learns he’s been murdered and his death covered up, she also discovers a terrifying secret that could endanger billions of people across the planet... Skinwalkers, vampires, and werewolves – the entire supernatural world, in fact – are the result of breeding between humans and aliens who crash-landed on earth thousands of years ago. Now, Section 51 is a super top-secret facility dedicated to splicing alien genes with human ones to create an unstoppable army of soldiers. Determined to hunt down her brother’s killer, Ava inadvertently becomes the target of Colonel Briggs, the megalomaniac in charge of Section 51... more»»
Paul Lappen 31st December 2013 [9/10]

Return of the Outlaw by C. M. Curtis
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for Return of the Outlaw by C. M. Curtis, a #1 Bestseller in Westerns. Jeff Havens, a young civil war soldier, returns to his home in the west, expecting to be reunited with Anne, the girl he has loved since childhood. After experiencing the horrors of war he just wants to resume his life as if he had never left. However, they killed his friends, stole his ranch and took from him the woman he loves. They branded him an outlaw, accusing him of the very crimes they committed. But they’re about to learn that taking everything away from him has turned this Civil War veteran into the most dangerous kind of man there is: The kind that has nothing left to lose. Jeff Havens has a fast gun, a long memory, and he’s back... more»»
Molly Martin 31st December 2013 [9/10]

Infected by Scott Sigler
Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Annett Grosser-Rogoff has sent in a review for Infected by Scott Sigler. Across America a mysterious disease is turning ordinary people into raving, paranoid murderers who inflict brutal horrors on strangers, themselves, and even their own families. Working under the government’s shroud of secrecy, CIA operative Dew Phillips criss-crosses the country trying in vain to capture a live victim. With only decomposing corpses for clues, CDC epidemiologist Margaret Montoya races to analyze the science behind this deadly contagion. She discovers that these killers all have one thing in common - they’ve been contaminated by a bioengineered parasite, shaped by a complexity far beyond the limits of known science. Meanwhile Perry Dawsey - a hulking former football star now resigned to life as a cubicle-bound desk jockey - awakens one morning to find several mysterious welts growing on his body. Soon Perry finds himself acting and thinking strangely, hearing voices... he is infected... more»»
Annett Grosser-Rogoff 30th November 2013 [8/10]

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith. When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case. Strike is a war veteran - wounded both physically and psychologically - and his life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger... A gripping, elegant mystery steeped in the atmosphere of London - from the hushed streets of Mayfair to the backstreet pubs of the East End to the bustle of Soho - The Cuckoo’s Calling is a remarkable book. Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith... more»»
Chrissi 31st October 2013 [9/10]

Dust by Hugh Howey
Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed the much-anticipated final instalment of the Wool Trilogy, Dust by Hugh Howey.
In the aftermath of the uprising, the people of Silo 18 are coming to terms with a new order.
Some embrace the change, others fear the unknown; none have control of their fate.
The Silo is still in danger.
There are those set on its destruction.
Jules knows they must be stopped.
The battle has been won.
The war is just beginning... more»»
Nigel 31st October 2013 [8/10]

The Demon Left Behind by Marie Jakober
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for The Demon Left Behind by Marie Jakober. As the global crisis develops in the Twenty-first Century, a group of special 'demon' researchers are sent from a parallel universe to embody themselves as humans and study the situation. However, in the midst of the operation, Wye Wye, the youngest member of their team is lost. As she and her comrades do everything demonly possible to find him, Melusine, the team lead, is forced to do the unthinkable - employ the assistance of a 'visie' (demon slang for human) - freelance journalist Paige Ballantine. The human Paige, however, gives demon Melusine a lot more to consider than just the mystery at hand as she becomes intrigued by the benefits of a 'visie' life. Together the team must race the clock to find and bring back young Wye Wye before he can no longer regenerate... more»»
Paul Lappen 31st October 2013 [9/10]

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Average Rating [7/10] (1 Review)
Annett Grosser-Rogoff has sent in a review for The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I was supposed to be having the time of my life. Esther Greenwood is at college and is fighting two battles, one against her own desire for perfection in all things - grades, boyfriend, looks, career - and the other against remorseless mental illness. When she wins an internship on a New York fashion magazine in 1953, she is elated, believing she will finally realise her dream to become a writer. But in between the cocktail parties and piles of manuscripts, Esther's life begins to slide out of control. She finds herself spiralling into depression and eventually a suicide attempt, as she grapples with difficult relationships and a society which refuses to take women's aspirations seriously... more»»
Annett Grosser-Rogoff 31st October 2013 [7/10]

God Collar by Marcus Brigstocke
Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Ben Macnair has sent in a review for God Collar by Marcus Brigstocke. 'There's probably no God... but I wish there was. I've got some things I need to ask him.' Based on Marcus Brigstocke's award-winning Edinburgh and West End show, God Collar focuses on the 'God-shaped hole' that opens up in Marcus's life following the death of his best friend. Exploring his own issues surrounding faith - his lack of it, his need for it, some people's waste of it and what good purposes it might serve if he could get hold of it - he rails against the holy trinity of Abrahamic religions (Islam, Christianity and Judaism) while atheists, agnostics and believers of all faiths get it in the neck too. God Collar is a scathing look at modern faith that will leave you laughing out loud and examining your own beliefs in equal measure... more»»
Ben Macnair 31st October 2013 [8/10]

River Rising by T.P. Jones
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for River Rising by T.P. Jones. In the third and final instalment of The Loss of Certainty trilogy, T.P. Jones once again delves into America's heartland to portray the gritty drama of life in the Midwest. Constant rains on top of melting winter snow fuel fear of a record flood in Jackson, Iowa. Construction of the town's dog track on an island in the Mississippi River is jeopardized, threatening Jackson's financial future. Even more ominous, city officials learn that the existing floodwall and levee system might fail to protect the city itself. With little time to lose, the people of Jackson must set aside old grievances and long-held prejudices to work together. Tensions build while they debate whether to add to the system, and as they argue, the river continues to rise... more»»
Molly Martin 31st October 2013 [9/10]

The Savage Altar by Asa Larsson
Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for The Savage Altar by Asa Larsson. A church in the glittering frozen wastes of northern Sweden. Inside, a sacrifice: the body of a man - slashed to pieces, hands severed, eyes gouged out. The victim's sister, Sanna, is first to discover the body and immediately finds herself the police's only suspect. Terrified and confused, she calls on a friend: got-shot city lawyer Rebecka Martinsson. Rebecka hardly wants to return to Kiruna - the small town she fled in disgrace years ago. But Sanna is frightened and she needs a loyal friend to clear her name. Someone not scared to dig deep and find the true killer. Yet Rebecka is not especially welcomed into the closed-lipped community. She might know the town, the people and how suspicious they can be of strangers but she has still to find out how dark the town's secrets have become in her absence... more»»
Jessica 31st October 2013 [8/10]

Xander Caine and the Alien Prophecy by Alexander Scruggs
Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Xander Caine and the Alien Prophecy by Alexander Scruggs. Xander, the only son of world-renowned scientists Inara and Malcolm Caine, has lived a life full of wealth and privilege. And, as one might expect, everything he's ever desired has been handed to him on a silver platter. However, behind closed doors he yearns for something more - a greater purpose to his existence. Little does he know, the life he's come to call normal is about to be turned upside-down. There's something strange going on in Aveh and Xander is determined to find out who's behind it. He soon discovers secrets that forever alter his perception of the world. But, more importantly, he learns that his destiny is far bigger than he ever could've dreamed. Join Xander Caine as he relives the whirlwind adventure that leads to his final mission and the terrible decision that awaits him... more»»
Paul Lappen 31st October 2013 [8/10]

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
Average Rating [6/10] (1 Review)
Annett Grosser-Rogoff has sent in a review for To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. Every summer, the Ramsays visit their summer home on the beautiful Isle of Skye, surrounded by the excitement and chatter of family and friends, mirroring Virginia Woolf’s own joyful holidays of her youth. But as time passes, and in its wake the First World War, the transience of life becomes ever more apparent through the vignette of the thoughts and observations of the novel’s disparate cast. A landmark of high modernism and the most autobiographical of Virginia Woolf’s novels, To the Lighthouse explores themes of loss, class structure and the question of perception, in a hauntingly beautiful memorial to the lost but not forgotten. ... more»»
Annett Grosser-Rogoff 31st October 2013 [6/10]

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon. The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people’s minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing. It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford - a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die... more»»
Chrissi 30th September 2013 [8/10]

The Writer by Emily Sun Li
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for The Writer by Emily Sun Li. What if you could Write things alive? Maybe you would Write yourself millions of dollars, or a pet dragon, or even an entire world. But what happens when the bad guy can too? Pren was supposed to be a perfect world - where grass is blue and skies are purple, where fathers are wood-whittlers and the birds sing Mozart. But if perfection is in the eye of the beholder, then June can point out some major flaws - to her, Pren is just too boring. There, June is considered a freak because she's normal. Normal, that is, until an extraordinary series of events leads her to realize that when she Writes, things come alive. Desperate to escape the normality of Pren, June runs away to the chaotic world that she has Written - called Earth. She ends up in modern-day New York City, a hubbub of lights and the smell of roasted peanuts... more»»
Paul Lappen 30th September 2013 [9/10]

Young Adam by Alexander Trocchi
Average Rating [7/10] (1 Review)
Ben Macnair has sent in a review for Young Adam by Alexander Trocchi. Set on a canal linking Glasgow and Edinburgh, Young Adam is the masterly literary debut by one of the most important British post-war novelists. Trocchi's narrator is an outsider; a drifter working for the skipper of a barge. Together they discover a young woman's corpse floating in the canal. Tensions increase in cramped confines with the narrator's highly charged seduction of the skipper's wife. Compulsively readable, this is no ordinary thriller. It challenges conventional morality. The certainty of events and their meaning is far from objective... more»»
Ben Macnair 30th September 2013 [7/10]

Kingdom Come: The Mayan Answer by Margaret Evans
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Kingdom Come: The Mayan Answer by Margaret Evans. In this thrilling final chapter to the Maya Earth Trilogy (the first two books being The Sixth World and Trial in Jade: The Mayan Return), the Maya build their new age, but a terrible accident happens and global greed for power in a world of change threatens to tear the throne from the Mayan people. Marxan faces the ultimate sacrifice, and Amy Parrish must solve the riddle in an ancient Mayan text that could save her and all humans on earth. During the final hours of the Mayan calendar, Lord Panhuaja, from the banished tribe, seeks to find... the answer... more»»
Paul Lappen 31st August 2013 [9/10]

Ghost Story by Peter Straub
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Annett Grosser-Rogoff has sent in a review for Ghost Story by Peter Straub, One of the great classics of modern horror! It began shortly after the party at which one of their members, Edward Wanderley, had died - or was killed. The Chowder Society, who for years had met in customary evening dress with the object of telling each other tales of every kind, now found themselves drawn towards the supernatural. It was some sort of solace for Edward's loss. They began to tell ghost stories, extraordinary ghost stories... ghost stories that did not always stop when the teller finished speaking... Then came the dreams, shared simultaneously by the Chowder Society members, forecasting horrors the four ageing men can scarcely bring themselves to discuss. And now they are about to learn what happens to those who believe they can bury the past - and get away with murder... more»»
Annett Grosser-Rogoff 31st August 2013 [9/10]

The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken by Tarquin Hall
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed The Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken by Tarquin Hall. Vish Puri is as fond of butter chicken as the next Punjabi. And when there's plenty on offer at the Delhi Durbar hotel where he's attending an India Premier League cricket match dinner, he's the first to tuck in. Irfan Khan, father of Pakistani star cricketer Kamran Khan, can't resist either. But the creamy dish proves his undoing. After a few mouthfuls, he collapses on the floor, dead. Clearly this isn't a case of Delhi Belly. But who amongst the Bollywood stars, politicians, bureaucrats and industrialists poisoned Khan is a mystery. And with the capital's police chief proving as incompetent as ever, it falls to Most Private Investigators to find out the truth. Puri is soon able to link Khan to a bald bookie called Full Moon and all the clues point to the involvement of a gambling syndicate that controls the illegal billion dollar betting industry... more»»
Chrissi 31st July 2013 [9/10]

Shift by Hugh Howey
Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed Shift by Hugh Howey. The much anticipated prequel to bestseller Wool. In a future less than fifty years away, the world is still as we know it. Time continues to tick by. The truth is that it is ticking away. A powerful few know what lies ahead. They are preparing for it. They are trying to protect us. They are setting us on a path from which we can never return. A path that will lead to destruction; a path that will take us below ground. The history of the silo is about to be written. Our future is about to begin.
What would you do
If you were forced to survive,
when everyone you cared about was dead.
And the only place you could live
was deep below ground,
built for the end of the world.
This is the start of the Silo.
This is the first Shift... more»»
Nigel 31st July 2013 [8/10]

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Annett Grosser-Rogoff has sent in a review for The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973. My murderer was a man from our neighbourhood. My mother liked his border flowers, and my father talked to him once about fertilizer. This is Susie Salmon. Watching from heaven, Susie sees her happy, suburban family devastated by her death, isolated even from one another as they each try to cope with their terrible loss alone. Over the years, her friends and siblings grow up, fall in love, do all the things she never had the chance to do herself. But life is not quite finished with Susie yet. The Lovely Bones is a luminous and astonishing novel about life and death, forgiveness and vengeance, memory and forgetting - but, above all, about finding light in the darkest of places... more»»
Annett Grosser-Rogoff 31st July 2013 [9/10]

Mossad X by Ori Rotem
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Mossad X by Ori Rotem.
"It turns out that different people have different challenges they have to resolve in order to exist. Sometimes the problems are so difficult that they have to involve those around them. They have to invade other people's space, take away their privacy, their health and even their life, so that they themselves can go on living. It's called the fight for survival. It is not pure evil. It is sometimes the only option they have, but when that happens, those 'other people' have to defend themselves."
Rogue forces are at work in one of the most powerful clandestine organizations in the world - the Israeli Mossad. Eli Regev, a complete outsider, finds himself in the impossible position of having to confront the experts and try to beat them at their own game in order to save his family. With the odds stacked heavily against him, can he really come up with a viable plan... more»»
Paul Lappen 31st July 2013 [9/10]

Perfect Family by Pam Lewis
Average Rating [7/10] (1 Review)
Ben Macnair has sent in a review for Perfect Family by Pam Lewis. A story of a family secret with deadly consequences. When Pony Carteret is found drowned in the waters of Lake Aral her family is quick to accept a verdict of accidental death, but something doesn't seem to fit: how could Pony, an able and experienced swimmer, die within feet of their exclusive holiday home while her toddler son played on the shore? Pony's death opens a whole Pandora's box of questions: who is her son's father? Who was the man a neighbour saw arguing with her only hours before she died? What had she meant to tell William, her older brother, whom she had summoned to the house that day? William is absolutely shattered by his favourite sister's death, and as he begins to challenge the official version of events he makes a devastating and very personal discovery. And how should he respond to Keith Brink, a stranger who spoke at Pony's funeral, and has now begun to insinuate his way into the life of their vulnerable younger sister, Mira... more»»
Ben Macnair 31st July 2013 [7/10]

A Ghost Town Cowboy Love Affair by Nina Moon
Average Rating [7/10] (1 Review)
Roxann has sent in a review for A Ghost Town Cowboy Love Affair by Nina Moon. Elizabeth is an independent writer who is travelling to the heart of the Wild West desert for the purpose of conducting historical research, as well as some paranormal investigations, in the town of Tombstone, Arizona. Her intentions also include compiling first hand accounts of stories, legends and tales from the local residents of Tombstone, for her upcoming book project. From her very first day in the town often referred to as, 'too tough to die' Elizabeth experiences profound paranormal activity, complete with a ghostly apparition that appears to be following her during her nightly investigations. Almost overwhelmed by all the strange happenings that are occurring all around her, Elizabeth is glad to make the acquaintance of an old cowboy by the name of Boyd Adams, who owns a small saloon in town and whom she quickly befriends... more»»
Roxann 31st July 2013 [7/10]

Quexistence: Time Dreams by Tom Stafford
Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Quexistence: The Quest for the Meaning of Existence: Time Dreams by Tom Stafford. Time Dreams. They are dreams, like any other dream. They are dreams about space and Time. They seem real, but so does life. Dreams are thoughts. You've heard it before, "I think, therefore I am." (Rene' Descartes). But, the fact is - nobody even knows where thoughts come from. Most people believe they have free will. They believe they have a choice. They believe they act of their own volition. But, will is not an action. It is only a thought. You cannot will something to happen. You are only free to choose the thoughts in your head. And, no one knows where they come from. Life is a fantasy. No one knows what Life is or where it came from. No one knows what Time is. No one knows where Man came from or how long he's been on this planet. No one knows if their actions are truly theirs. No one knows where dreams come from. No one knows what reality is. Quexistence: The Quest for the Meaning of Existence: Time Dreams is a philosophical fantasy of dreams, space, time, and love. It is the story of one man's search to find the meaning of his existence... more»»
Paul Lappen 31st July 2013 [8/10]

FAB: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney by Howard Sounes
Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Ben Macnair has sent in a review for FAB: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney by Howard Sounes. The living embodiment of The Beatles and a musical juggernaut without parallel, Paul McCartney is undoubtedly the patriarch of pop. In this authoritative biography, acclaimed author and journalist Howard Sounes creates the most accurate and extensive profile of McCartney ever built, leaving no stone unturned, and no shadow unexplored. He is the torch-bearer of the Beatles - the greatest band in pop - and one of the most closely studied stars in show business. But surprises and secrets still linger in the life of Sir Paul McCartney. In FAB: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney, his full story is told for the first time. Acclaimed author Howard Sounes spent more than two years investigating every aspect of Sir Paul’s life and work, including interviewing over 200 people. The result is the richest and more comprehensive biography of McCartney ever written... more»»
Ben Macnair 31st July 2013 [8/10]

The Kennedy Conspiracy by Michael White
Average Rating [7/10] (1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed The Kennedy Conspiracy by Michael White. When journalist Mark Bretton is asked to write an article on Professor Abigail Marchant, who has been denounced by the American Psychology Association for her belief that rebirth is a genuine phenomenon, he's more than a little sceptical about the assignment. An ambitious journalist, Mark would much rather be writing about current affairs but, once he meets the beautiful Professor and hears her theories, he can't help but be won over. Eventually persuaded to undergo regressive hypnosis himself, Mark is shocked and horrified by what he sees. He is returned to the early '60s when he worked for the Kennedy administration and not only does he learn the truth about the conspiracy that led to JFK's assassination but also his own murder. Struggling to make sense of it all, Mark turns to Abi for help but someone is watching Mark's every move and will stop at nothing to ensure that the truth about JFK's murder never comes to light... more»»
Chrissi 30th June 2013 [7/10]

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Average Rating [9/10] (2 Reviews)
Annett Grosser-Rogoff has sent in a review for The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the ultimate novel for disaffected youth, but it's relevant to all ages. The story is told by Holden Caulfield, a seventeen- year-old dropout who has just been kicked out of his fourth school. Throughout, Holden dissects the 'phony' aspects of society, and the 'phonies' themselves: the headmaster whose affability depends on the wealth of the parents, his roommate who scores with girls using sickly-sweet affection. Lazy in style, full of slang and swear words, it's a novel whose interest and appeal comes from its observations rather than its plot intrigues - in conventional terms, there is hardly any plot at all... more»»
Annett Grosser-Rogoff 30th June 2013 [8/10]

The Abomination by Jonathan Holt
Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed The Abomination by Jonathan Holt.
THE VICTIM: On the steps of Santa Maria della Salute lies the body of a woman, wearing the robes of a Catholic priest. In the eyes of the Church, she is an abomination.
THE INVESTIGATOR: Captain Kat Tapo has matched the victim's tattoo to graffiti in an abandoned asylum. Now she's been ordered to close the case.
THE HACKER: Carnivia.com is a virtual Venice that holds the city's secrets. Only its reclusive creator can help Kat unearth the shocking truth...
THE ABOMINATION has arrived...
more»»
Chrissi 31st May 2013 [8/10]

Inferno by Dan Brown
Average Rating [8/10] (2 Reviews)
Chrissi and Nigel have both reviewed Inferno by Dan Brown. Dan Brown's new novel features renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon and is set in the heart of Europe, where Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centred around one of history's most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces. As Dan Brown comments: "Although I studied Dante's Inferno as a student, it wasn't until recently, while researching in Florence, that I came to appreciate the enduring influence of Dante's work on the modern world. With this new novel, I am excited to take readers on a journey deep into this mysterious realm.a landscape of codes, symbols, and more than a few secret passageways"... more»»
Chrissi 31st May 2013 [8/10]
Nigel 31st May 2013 [8/10]

The Guardian of Genghis Khan's Tomb by Michael B. Hickland
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for The Guardian of Genghis Khan's Tomb by Michael B. Hickland. Since 1227, finding the Tomb of Genghis Khan has been the obsession of tyrants, adventurers and treasure hunters. All have failed to find it. It is a Genghis Khan fact that, looking at a map today, he had conquered a geographic area which would include 30 countries and 3+ billion people. The legend says that, in order to keep his tomb's location secret, Genghis Khan slaughtered hundreds if not thousands of his captives after they had been forced to dig his burial site. He had amassed untold wealth with enormous quantities of jewels, gold and silver from his conquests that are believed to be buried with him. So why hasn't his crypt been found in almost eight hundred years... more»»
Paul Lappen 31st May 2013 [9/10]

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult
Average Rating [10/10] (1 Review)
Annett Grosser-Rogoff has sent in a review for Second Glance by Jodi Picoult. When a plot of land is being developed in Vermont against the will of a local Native American tribe, strange things begin to happen - and Ross Wakeman, a paranormal investigator, is asked to get involved. He's a desperate drifter who's taken up ghost hunting in an effort to cross paths again with his fiancée, who died in a car crash eight years ago, but he has yet to experience anything even remotely paranormal. Then Ross meets Lia... As a seventy-year-old murder case is reopened, a shocking secret about a crime of passion long past is revealed... more»»
Annett Grosser-Rogoff 31st May 2013 [10/10]

The Recruit by Robert Muchamore
Average Rating [9/10] (3 Reviews)
Kitt has kindly sent in a review for The Recruit by Robert Muchamore. A terrorist doesn’t let strangers in her flat because they might be undercover police or intelligence agents, but her children bring their mates home and they run all over the place. The terrorist doesn’t know that a kid has bugged every room in her house, cloned the hard drive on her PC, and copied all the numbers in her phone book. The kid works for CHERUB. They slip under adult radar and get information that sends criminals and terrorists to jail. For official purposes, these children do not exist... more»»
Kitt Camans 31st May 2013 [9/10]

Sagitarius: the Fall of the Centaur by Philip Vago
Average Rating [/10] (1 Review)
Jacob has sent in a review for Sagitarius: the Fall of the Centaur by Philip Vago. The Centaur after allowing Mankind to immigrate into their homeland are suddenly thrust into a Civil War with them. Latenia, a neighbouring country, has more sinister designs than helping their brothers eradicate the Centaur once and for all. Their country is lead by Nagstad, a King bent on accumulating power no matter the cost. His ruthless assistant Cable is bent on weeding out every single Centaur in Ulusia. Sagitarius leads a ragtag team of "fugitives" (in their home land) through Ulusia with the goal to survive the genocide that is taking place. ... more»»
Jacob Akaron 31st May 2013 [/10]

I'd Rather We Got Casinos by Larry Wilmore
Average Rating [5/10] (1 Review)
Annett Grosser-Rogoff has sent in a review for I'd Rather We Got Casinos by Larry Wilmore. Within these pages are the musings, the revelations, the ruminations, and the reflections of the incomparable Larry Wilmore. Here, collected for the first time, all in one place, are his Black Thoughts. From why black weathermen make him feel happy (or sad) and why brothas don't see UFOs to his search for Black Jesus or his quest to replace "African-American" with "chocolate," Wilmore has finally relented, agreeing to share his unique (black) perspective. Soon, you too will have the ability to find racism in everything. Bring back the Shetland Negro and do away with Black History Month! After all, can twenty-eight days of trivia really make up for centuries of oppression? In Wilmore's own words, "I'd rather we got casinos!"... more»»
Annett Grosser-Rogoff 31st May 2013 [5/10]

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Average Rating [9/10] (2 Reviews)
Chrissi and Nigel have both reviewed Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone - and serendipity, coupled with sheer curiosity, has landed him a new job working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead they simply borrow impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he's embarked on a complex analysis of the customers' behaviour and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what's going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore... more»»
Chrissi 30th April 2013 [8/10]
Nigel 30th April 2013 [9/10]

Madam President by Jerry Beller
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Madam President by Jerry Beller.The story follows President Kalinda Resbo, the first female and black president, as she runs for re-election while fulfilling the many duties that come with the most difficult job in the world. With the election as a backdrop, madam weaves through an Iranian Crisis, an investigation into moles and corruption in the FBI, Congress and corporate America. Beller addresses many real events and people who are part of current events for the USA during 2012, while also creating many interesting fictional characters. President Resbo’s runs for re-election as an independent, running against congress and the two party system, advocating a different approach to politics, solutions that go outside those the democrats and republicans squabble over... more»»
Paul Lappen 30th April 2013 [9/10]

The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
Average Rating [7/10] (1 Review)
Annett Grosser-Rogoff has sent in a review for The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester. In the year 2301, guns are only museum pieces and benign telepaths sweep the minds of the populace to detect crimes before they happen. In 2301 murder is virtually impossible, but one man is about to change that... Ben Reich, a psychopathic business magnate, has devised the ultimate scheme to eliminate the competition and destroy the order of his society. In a world policed by telepaths, Ben Reich plans to commit a crime that hasn't been heard of in 70 years: murder. That's the only option left for Reich, whose company is losing a 10-year death struggle with rival D'Courtney Enterprises. Terrorized in his dreams by The Man With No Face and driven to the edge after D'Courtney refuses a merger offer, Reich murders his rival and bribes a high-ranking telepath to help him cover his tracks. But while police prefect Lincoln Powell knows Reich is guilty, his telepath's knowledge is a far cry from admissible evidence... more»»
Annett Grosser-Rogoff 30th April 2013 [7/10]

The Prophet by Ethan Cross
Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed The Prophet by Ethan Cross. Francis Ackerman Jr. is one of America's most prolific serial killers. Having kept a low profile for the past year, he is ready to return to work - and he's more brutal, cunning, and dangerous than ever. Scarred from their past battles, Special Agent Marcus Williams cannot shake Ackerman from his mind. But now Marcus must focus on catching the Anarchist, a new killer who drugs and kidnaps women before burning them alive. Marcus knows the Anarchist will strike again soon. And Ackerman is still free. But worse than this is a mysterious figure, unknown to the authorities, who controls the actions of the Anarchist and many like him. He is the Prophet - and his plans are more terrible than even his own disciples can imagine. With attacks coming from every side, Marcus faces a race against time to save the lives of a group of innocent people chosen as sacrifices in the Prophet's final dark ritual... more»»
Chrissi 31st March 2013 [8/10]

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Annett Grosser-Rogoff has sent in a review for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson, the best chronicle of drug-soaked, addle-brained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page. It is also the tale of a long weekend road trip that has gone down in the annals of American pop culture as one of the strangest journeys ever undertaken. Hunter S. Thompson is roaring down the desert highway to Las Vegas with his attorney, the Samoan, to find the dark side of the American Dream. Armed with a drug arsenal of stupendous proportions, the duo engage in a surreal succession of chemically enhanced confrontations with casino operators, police officers and assorted Middle Americans... more»»
Annett Grosser-Rogoff 31st March 2013 [9/10]

Disillusioned by William Manchee
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for Disillusioned: Stan Turner Book 9 by William Manchee. After being discharged from the United States Marine Corps, Stan ends up in Dallas where he intends to finish law school. In the spring of 1976, while attending SMU, he is recruited into the Republican Party, elected county chairman, and finds himself helping President Gerald Ford in his campaign against Jimmy Carter. The campaign is marred, however, by an untimely FBI investigation into the financial dealings of a major party contributor, Brad Thornton. The investigation unleashes an avalanche of misfortune beginning with the alleged murder-suicide of Stan’s friend, Rob Shepard, his wife Cindy and their three children and culminating in the resignation of two Republican candidates for the 67th District's state representative seat... more»»
Molly Martin 31st March 2013 [9/10]

Act Normal by William Manchee
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for Act Normal: Stan Turner Book 8 by William Manchee. In this 8th episode of the series Dallas attorney Stan Turner struggles to keep his practice going in the wake of the tragic loss of his son and his rapidly disintegrating marriage. Stan, who has been recruited by the CIA for its ultra top secret Tarizon Repopulation project, gets his first assignment to defend a woman accused of murdering her children and alien husband. The alien husband, however, is not from Mexico but Tarizon, a planet in another solar system. Stan must not only prove his client innocent but also make sure nobody finds out that the government is allowing aliens to live and propagate on Earth. While Stan is busy with his CIA project, Paula is asked to defend the accused in the arson-murder of a prominent scientist and his family... more»»
Molly Martin 31st March 2013 [9/10]

Deadly Distractions by William Manchee
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for Deadly Distractions: Stan Turner Book 5 by William Manchee. After two tough years practicing law, Stan and his family take a well deserved vacation to Colorado. Unfortunately the vacation is cut short when a client is found standing over the body of a dead IRS agent. It appears to be an open and shut case since Dusty Thomas has had a long feud with the dead agent Bobby Tuttle, and more than enough motive to kill him, yet he claims to be innocent. Stan's new partner Paula Waters convinces Stan to finish his vacation promising to handle Dusty Thomas' arraignment and get an investigation underway. While Stan is away, she makes good on her promise and even manages to arrange financing for Dusty's defence. But Stan is mortified when he reads in the Colorado papers that a radical paramilitary group, the Citizens Defence Alliance or CDA, is doing the funding... more»»
Molly Martin 31st March 2013 [9/10]

Wool by Hugh Howey
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed Wool by Hugh Howey. In a ruined and hostile landscape, in a future few have been unlucky enough to survive, a community exists in a giant underground silo. Inside, men and women live an enclosed life full of rules and regulations, of secrets and lies. To live, you must follow the rules. But some don't. These are the dangerous ones; these are the people who dare to hope and dream, and who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple and deadly. They are allowed outside. Jules is one of these people. She may well be the last. An epic story of survival at all odds and one of the most anticipated books of the year... more»»
Nigel 9th March 2013 [9/10]

State of Mind by Sven Michael Davison
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for State of Mind by Sven Michael Davison. In the not-too-distant future, freedom is just a word that you willingly trade for a dozen donuts, based on the dubious promise that you can eat what you want and never gain weight. You can also take drugs with no ill effects or call a friend while surfing the web without a phone or computer. All this and more will be yours following the simple installation of a P-Chip in your brain. After botching the arrest of the governor’s son in Los Angeles, Commander Jake Travissi is banned from law enforcement. The workaholic homicide cop spirals into depression...until he is given a rare second chance. The price? Volunteer for chip implantation and join Homeland Security’s experimental Enhanced Unit. The grisly assassination of a prominent Nobel Laureate brings the newly formed Unit on the scene to investigate. But as the body count rises, Jake begins to realize that his actions, and even his thoughts, are not his own... more»»
Paul Lappen 28th February 2013 [9/10]

Care and Feeding of Sprites by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for The Spiderwick Chronicles: Care and Feeding of Sprites by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black. When Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You was published, it revealed an unbelievable assortment of faeries, each one more exquisite than the next. Now, in this beautiful companion, readers are offered a detailed in-sight to one particularly prominent and intriguing species of faeries, the Sprites. Because of their easy nature, more and more Sprites have become part of the common household ~ often to the surprise of the people who live there ~ and many have been taken in as pets by those who have developed 'the Sight' to see them. Offering guidelines to keeping Sprites healthy and happy by learning how to identify them, feed them, dress them, and house them, this unique book shows these colourful faeries in their full glory... more»»
Molly Martin 28th February 2013 [8/10]

Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon. What to do if Matthew, your secret lover of the past four years, finally decides to leave his wife Sophie and their two daughters and move into your flat, just when you're thinking that you might not want him anymore... PLAN A: Stop shaving your armpits. And your bikini line. Tell him you have a moustache that you wax every six weeks. Stop having sex with him. Pick holes in the way he dresses. Don't brush your teeth. Or your hair. Or pluck out the stray hag-whisker that grows out of your chin. Buy incontinence pads and leave them lying around. PLAN B: Accidentally on purpose bump into his wife Sophie. Give yourself a fake name and identity. Befriend Sophie. Actually begin to really like Sophie. Snog Matthew's son (who's the same age as you by the way. You're not a paedophile). Buy a cat and give it a fake name and identity. Befriend Matthew's children. Unsuccessfully. Watch your whole plan go absolutely horribly wrong... more»»
Jessica 28th February 2013 [9/10]

Blue Friday by Mike French
Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed Blue Friday by Mike French. In the Britain of 2034 overtime for married couples is banned, there is enforced viewing of family television (much of it repeats of old shows from the sixties and seventies), monitored family meal-times and a coming of age where twenty-five year-olds are automatically assigned a spouse by the state computer if they have failed to marry. Only the Overtime Underground network resists. Dystopian science fiction, Blue Friday tells of a future where many live in fear of the Family Protection Agency, a special police division enforcing the strict legislation that has been introduced to protect the family unit. Combining dark humour with a vision of the future that is almost an inverse of the classic dystopian nightmare of 1984, the latest novel from Mike French follows in the tradition of great Speculative Fiction satirists such as Jonathan Swift... more»»
Chrissi 31st January 2013 [8/10]

Camera 4 by Martyn Ellington
Average Rating [7/10] (1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed Camera 4 by Martyn Ellington. Many believe that a werewolf becomes such a beast by the full moon and takes human form again once the night has ended. But the oldest legends tell us that once you turn you are always the beast that lies within the darkest reassesses of your soul, for after it is let free it can never be controlled again. For a film crew investigating one such legend this night will provide them with the proof they didn't expect and a fight for their survival they didn't want and may not win. There is a beast in all of us. Can yours be controlled... more»»
Nigel 31st January 2013 [7/10]

The Boy Who Played With Dark Matter by Holy Ghost Writer
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for The Boy Who Played With Dark Matter by Holy Ghost Writer. Zeddy, a 6 year old boy in the year 2099, finds himself setting out on an incredible adventure following the mysterious disappearance of his father. Zeddy discovers that there is more to the world than meets the eye and things in the universe that he never imagined. As the journey begins, Zeddy encounters sorcerers, strange creatures from another world, and a professor who may just hold the answers to the location of Zeddy's father. Unfortunately in 2099, the world is a much different place than now. An International Government rules the planet and attempts to thwart the search for Zeddy's father. Will Zeddy's adventure continue or will his father be lost forever... more»»
Paul Lappen 31st January 2013 [9/10]

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
Average Rating [10/10] (2 Reviews)
Amber has sent in a review for Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin. In this delightful novel death is a beginning, a new start. Liz is killed in a hit-and-run accident and her 'life' takes a very unexpected turn. At nearly sixteen she knows she will never get married, never have children, and perhaps never fall in love. But in 'Elsewhere' all things carry on almost as they did on earth except that the inhabitants get younger, dogs and humans can communicate (at last), new relationships are formed and old ones, sadly interupted on earth, are renewed. Full of the most ingenious detail and woven around the most touching and charming relationships this is a novel of hope, of redemption and (literally) of re-birth. It is a novel that tells of sadness with heart-breaking honesty and of love and happiness with uplifting brilliance... more»»
Amber 31st January 2013 [10/10]

The Killing of Hamlet by Ann Morven
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Cathy Macleod has sent in a review for The Killing of Hamlet by Ann Morven. Visiting folksinger Sheil B. Wright, hired to sing old ballads, witnesses a real murder on stage during the premiere of a newly discovered Shakespeare play. The English village audience, however, see Sheil as the killer. To clear her name, she must challenge the hi-tech evidence of the British Police. She is a dunce at deduction but well versed in human folly and traumas of the heart. The assassin strikes again while experts squabble over authenticity of the Shakespeare manuscript. Sheil discovers the 400-year-old Shakespeare link to the modern murders, and this makes her the killer’s next target... more»»
Cathy Macleod 31st January 2013 [9/10]

Trial in Jade: The Mayan Return by Margaret Evans
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Paul has reviewed for Trial in Jade: The Mayan Return by Margaret Evans. Pieces of jade kept finding Amy Parrish. In the mail. Passed by strangers. Rare, polished jade from Guatemala that were left in secret but intended to unlock one. The California archaeologist soon discovered that together they were the key to deciding which of two competing Mayan bloodlines would lead the way into the coming Sixth World. That Amy's worldwide trips to prepare the world for the new age were tarnished by an ancient manuscript that portended the ugly battle between Umoxtl and Xarantu. Follow Parrish as she struggles to decipher the manuscript's secrets and piece together bits of jade in a race against time before the trial begins. The young heir to the new kingdom is kidnapped, and a culminating battle inspired by the evil Xibalbans from the Mayan creation story tips the world onto the brink of darkness and chaos... more»»
Paul Lappen 31st January 2013 [9/10]

The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling
Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling. When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils... Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations? A big novel about a small town, The Casual Vacancy is J K Rowling's first novel for adults. It is the work of a storyteller like no other... more»»
Nigel 19th January 2013 [9/10]