RoroblusMumReadsReviews/Rants

3.5* A decent storyline that thankfully is pretty much trope-free, although you do need to suspend disbelief a bit. This is a cute, romantic and if you can get over the prince-pauper thing - to use this purely as a comparison between the leads' backgrounds and upbringing - the tale works. Adan is sweet and family orientated, and he's got working-class parents who've sacrificed a lot for him. I loved that when he hit the big time, he insisted that they both retire. Nils didn't have a stick up his royal arse, which helped, but that was the bit that required suspension of disbelief, because who in 2026 isn't friends with Google? It didn't seem believable that no one clocked who he was.  The tale was plausible, giving them an organic reason to meet, but that both embraced being bi so easily and quickly felt a bit 'hmm...yeah...' Nils was more believable than Adan, so that's where the tale lost 1* for me. Too much immediate acceptance, not a worry about w...

5* Most probably a guy's book, but who cares when it's this perfectly executed, no pun intended. I'm not sure how many Mason Sharpe books there are, but despite not reading them all, I've never felt lost.  This one doesn't require you to have read any of the previous books. Tbh, I can't remember any, despite getting into this series in late 2024. So, Sharpe's minding his own business but stops for a hitchhiker, who's suddenly giving him vibes that cause his spine to itch. It's not so much the guy's answers but how he holds himself. Then, there's a shootout and a manhunt that takes Sharpe and Shane Hagan on a journey info mafioso NYC and up against cops, the FBI, the bad guys who keep coming, a crooked accountant and his lawyer who has the power to save Shane and his family. Were it not such a serious tale, I could just see Hannibal from The A-Team saying 'I love it when a plan comes together'. This has it all. 2 guys and a gal with ba...

3.5* Suspend disbelief a bit and this isn't too bad a read. Reminiscent of Norman Norman tales. This book jumps a fair bit from the 4th novella in this series. Nolan has been under investigation by 'internal affairs'/UK equivalent, has been cleared but has been demoted as a scapegoat. According to him. And, the female boss, Chalmers, I think, who took over from DCI James, apparently turned into a psychopath, although nothing is given in evidence or remotely touched on. I think the tale takes place some 20 years after the novella ends, and Cormac is on his early 40s.  So the crime/s and baddie/s in this book, especially with the supposed senior UK political connection need to be taken with a pinch of salt. A rather big one. It's happening in rural UK and a police force composed Cormac, his boss DI Carver and DS Aconna/'O'Connor' - whose name is used as a reason for a slightly didactic lesson in diversity and inclusion - are the ones tasked in taking these m...

4*. Decent introduction to this author, though the Clare-Al relationship isn't believable. I'm new to this author, and if the book's one in a series, that wasn't obvious and I wasn't lost.  Clare could've had her cop-other-half's job when Al took a job that'd keep him away from home 4 nights a week. Promotion for them both, but she preferred to keep her hand in, rather than go for management. So, she's overworking, has only their dog Benji for company, and there's not even a text or WhatsApp convo with Al for several chapters, making me wonder if he's dead and she's living in a world of her making. But nope, he's real and when he's home, they don't really have any time together as she's always working or being called out. Even Benji has a surrogate family who're actually his sitters.  The tale itself is decent but the personal relationships are too clunky, too obvious, too 'tries to create intrigue but doesn't ...

3* A better, bit more believable book than the 1st, but goodness, these cops need a course on forensics and not ASS-U-ME'ing.  This book takes place 6 months after the end of book 1 and it's clear that Cormac and Burnham have unfinished business together. This one talks far less about things technical, keeping the book more in line with what 2005 policing would've had in terms of resources. It's satisfying but also not, as the killer wants fame and confesses all too easily once the first found victim comes to light. It feels a little too glib, too short and sweet, if you'll pardon the pun, and the policing is a little suspect - they find decomposed bodies with ID and without DNA testing, and the next thing, they're on their way go inform next of kin. They know a serial killer has been at work, and there's potentially 6 kills but 5 bodies, making the need for DNA testing all the more, but nope, not one cop objects. Could've been a 4* tale had it not been ...

3* If you like Norman Norman from the Slater and Norman series, you'll like this. I've bought and read this short series of 3 books in one go. Book 1 has some red herrings that made me wonder why a DI would act with such prejudice, and why he could get away with being an arse, but hey, it's set in 2005 and the Cormac character is a young DC, still learning the ropes and still a bit in awe of hierarchy.  The storyline is simple, stuff seems easy to debunk although I wonder if 2025 technology hasn't crept into the book a little. I'm pretty sure burner phones weren't as cheap or used as much 20 years ago. Pretty sure cctv wasn't as prevalent 20 years ago, or that the quality was that decent. Pretty sure that a DI bullying his subordinates, especially one who's on the radat of higher-ups wouldn't get away with it. Still, there's some potential to this series, and the DI seems to be less of an arse as the series goes on.