RoroblusMumReadsReviews/Rants

5* Opens with a shocking scene, which made for an excellent start. Must be read in series order. There's some shocking violence against women in this tale, and when the perpetrator is revealed, it's an even bigger jaw-drop moment. I. Had. Not. Seen. That. Coming. But, it was believable, and very sad. As were the actions of a person that everyone should've been able to trust. There are some excellent red herrings/ish in this, in shades of grey that made me think. The tale's too close to home for Karen to be investigating, and the people who take over make for good friction. There's believable intrigue and danger, lots of reveals, sadness, but also a new kind of honesty and a feel of wrongs being righted at the end. Can the series continue? Definitely, as each tale is a standalone and the family issue alluded to all along the series is...resolved in this. There's also the intriguing 'relationship' that Karen has with a local heavy, who may also be shades o...

3* Something to pass the time, but it wasn't the promised 'enthralling murder-mystery with a twist', sadly.  This is nicely written and feels and reads like a would-be cosy mystery, minus the civilian sleuths I've come to expect.  The Velma character was possibly the best, followed by the old dear that got offed. The main detective didn't come across as entirely believable - I mean, with the times or not, who needs the term hook-up explained in 2025? I'm not sure he did any work, tbh, leaving it to his team. And buying his wife bright yellow peekaboo undies, when he didn't know her size or tastes, didn't come across as believable. I did, however, like the sound of the stuff cooked up, pun not intended, by his wife Corrie, of Coriander Cuisine.  This definitely wasn't the promised enthralling murder-mystery but it was a readable, if stop-start, book. ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Joffe Books for my reading pleasure. 

4* Good introduction to book 2 in this series,  and I wasn't lost despite not reading book 1.  This police/law procedural set in the UK is satisfying in that a supposedly untouchable diplomat gets her just desserts. I think it resonated with me because of the Harry Dunn/Anne Sacoolas case, where it felt like justice wasn't done.  It was well-written, with a strong female lead; with danger and creepiness that actually felt real; with research that came across as believable and with conclusions that were plausible; with people that deserved what they got, and ultimately the US losing face. Sadly, though, it showcased how people can lie and live with the consequences of their actions, without any moral dilemma.  The reason it's not a 5* read for me is that the Bradley character lacked a touch of believability, and past events should've been put together a bit quicker when a pattern emerged. Surely there's international collaboration between police forces when need aris...

3* An okay read, but book 4 in this series doesn't really give readers much. This feels so disjointed from book 3, that I didn't clock I was reading from a series until I read the name of the cop who'd infiltrated the police for The Kings, and Parole got mentioned. Yes, book 3 had been aiming for the former being outed, and outing himself, but this felt like done, dusted, a million times removed. It honestly felt like a standalone. Even the 2 scenes with Anna and Parole felt contrived. Sadly.  The tale started off with intrigue, continued nicely with the next death but honestly when the baddies got revealed, I found myself shaking my head. Not believable. Nor was the method of communication, especially when only one used a burner. It felt like the tale lacked substance and backbone and grusomeness given one particular reveal.  I didn't like the old guy storyline and reveals. Again, not believable as made out. I'm honestly not sure where the series can go next. ARC c...

3.5* Misleading blurb, brutal scenes that I didn't expect or stomach too well, but a not-bad tale.  I've only read the predecessor to this book, not the first 2 in the series, but wasn't lost in either. This one follows immediately from book 3, with some personal stuff for Malkie  some possible closure, a possible future with someone he loves, and a case that works, though Elizabeth really didn't have a very good head on her shoulders, nor care much about her daughter, it felt. I mean, doing what she did, handing the offending item to her daughter to be seen with it, risking the adverse publicity that would come with her being found out, risking her daughter now being bullied for 2 things instead of 1 - I mean, really, lady?  The brutality in this book was shocking, especially as it's explicit and against females. There really needed to be a warning about it. But, the events leading to the involvement of the bad guys was mostly plausible (other than who employs some...

3* Feels like a cosy mystery without any real sense of danger or urgency.  This is quite decently written but it bigs itself up to something that the writing doesn't deliver, unfortunately. We are told the characters are great at their jobs, but investigations and the initial prison escape plot were quite mundane and there was no feel of danger or urgency. The cops weren't clever - take Andy, for example. He plans to capture the escaped prisoner when he turns up at an agreed place at 1pm, so he and some cops turn up at 12.30pm, not wondering, seemingly, that the guy would've likely been casing the place.  The reveal of the prisoner's fate was believable. The arc that suddenly appeared around 66% of the tale gone was believable, too, but felt like too much too late, and as if the police should've been detecting and investigating more. Had it not been for the female DC who was good at research, they'd have been at it for years, it felt like. The DI with the Mc sur...