Daniel Cole – Emma's Biblio Treasures

August is over, and so is the summer. It was not the best summer in terms of weather here in the UK, and a difficult summer on a personal level for me, but it’s been a fantastic summer in terms of reading.

In August I read a total of sixteen books, three of which were audiobooks. Here’s a summary of those books with links to my reviews:

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

I’ve been wanting to read a book by Riley Sager for years. So when I got the blog tour invitation for Home Before Dark I jumped at the chance to take part. Chilling, nerve-shredding and twisty, it did not disappoint.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

Read my review here
Buy the book here*

The Idea of You by Robinne Lee

Sexy and seductive, The Idea of You is a sizzling debut that was perfect for summer. It follows the story of a May/December romance between a suburban mother and the lead singer of her tween daughter’s favourite group. A sharp, sassy and hilarious novel, this was a fun read that I highly recommend.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

Read my review here
Buy the book here*

Patience by Victoria Scott

Normal doesn’t exist. We are all extraordinary.
The above really is the perfect tagline for this remarkable debut. Patience is a thought-provoking look at what life is really like for people with severe disabilities and those who care for them. Patience Willow is a special and memorable character and I loved reading her story. It is one I will remember forever.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

Read my review here
Buy the book here*

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

I listened to this on audiobook and enjoyed revisiting the start of this magical series.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

Buy here*

The Fair Botanists by Sara Sheridan

Sumptuous, sensual and absorbing, this intoxicating blend of skullduggery, friendship, passion and empowerment transports you back to 1820s Edinburgh. The author reimagined real characters from history and brought them to life in this exquisite tale.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

Read my review here
Buy the book here*

Cecily by Annie Garthwaite

Cecily was my 100th book this year. I read it as part of a readalong with The Squadpod and also took part in the blog tour. This atmospheric debut tells the story of the War of the Roses through the eyes of the women who fought from the shadows. Though I found it hard to get into at first, was slowly drawn in, and ultimately enjoyed this fascinating debut.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✫

Read my review
Buy the book here*

Girl, 11 by Amy Suiter Clarke

I’ve found that I particularly enjoy audiobooks that have a podcast element. So when a fellow blogger raved about Girl, 11, I knew it was one I had to download. Compelling, tense and twisty, this was a great listen and one I’d highly recommend.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

Buy the book here*

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

I know it looks like I’m listening to the Harry Potter books out of order, but I actually started listening to them as I’d never finished reading the series and only got to the end of book four. I was near the end of listening to The Half Blood Prince when I paused and switched to The Philosopher’s Stone as I wanted something not quite so dark after the death of my Nan. I then finished book six once I’d finished listening to book one.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

Buy the book here*

I Let Him In by Jill Childs

I Let Him In was an entertaining thriller. Full of mystery and suspense, I enjoyed trying to figure out the twists and turns, the author keeping me on my toes right until the end.
Rating: ✮✮✮.5

Read my review here
Buy the book here

Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann

A steadily paced family saga, Olympus, Texas is a dramatic and emotional novel that follows the Briscoe family. Atmospheric and tense, this debut explores family, flaws and forgiveness in ways that really make you think.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

Read my review here
Buy the book here*

She’s Mine by A.A. Chaudhuri

One of the best thrillers I’ve read this year, She’s Mine is a dark, devious and suspenseful read exploring every mother’s worst nightmare. But there is much more lurking beneath the surface that is slowly reveals. This is just the kind of twisted thriller that I love, keeping me on the edge of my seat from the start. And that ending: Wow! If you are a fan of this genre then this is an absolute must read.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

Read my review here
Buy the book here*

Mimic by Daniel Cole

A gritty and addictive thriller that has your heart racing, Mimic follows a brutal killer who is recreating famous works of art through his victims. It jumped straight into the action and took me on a terrifying rollercoaster ride.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

Read my review here
Buy the book here*

No Honour by Awais Khan

Mesmerising, powerful and heart-rending, I flew through this book in just a few hours. A portrait of lives lived under the constant threat of prejudice, it follows Jamil and his sixteen-year-old daughter Abida. Beautifully written and full of compassion, this is one that will break your heart but also give you hope. An absolute must read.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

Read my review here
Buy the book here

The Wolf Mile (The Pantheon Series 1) by C.F. Barrington

The first in an addictive new series, I loved The Wolf Mile. It is out of my comfort zone so took a while to settle into. But once I did, I couldn’t put it down and I screamed in frustration when it ended. Thankfully it’s not long until book two.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

Read my review here
Buy the book here*

Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah

Wow. Just, wow. Once again Kia Abdullah has crafted an additive, edge-of-your-seat thriller that leaves you breathless. My review will be posted later this week as part of the blog tour.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

Buy the book here*

The Last Library by Freya Sampson

The Last Library is a wonderful debut that feels like a warm hug for book lovers. It follows Librarian June and the patrons of Chalcot Library as they battle to keep their beloved library open. My review will be posted on publication day this Thursday.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

Buy the book here*

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For a lot of this month it was hard to pick a favourite, with a couple of the month’s early reads vying for the position. Then I read No Honour, and it seemed I had a clear book of the month. Enter Next of Kin to show me I was wrong. The third book from Kia Abdullah stands out even amongst the other fantastic five star rated reads this month. Her books just get better and better.

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What did you read this month? Did we read any of the same books? Let me know in the comments.

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Thanks for reading this month’s wrap up. See you next month Emma xxx

Published: August 19th, 2021
Publisher: Trapeze
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Audio

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this addictive and macabre thriller. Thank you to Orion for the invitation to take part and the gifted finished copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

1989
DS Benjamin Chambers and DC Adam Winter are on the trail of a twisted serial killer with a passion for recreating the world’s greatest works of art through the bodies of his victims. But after Chambers almost loses his life, the case goes cold – their killer lying dormant, his collection unfinished.

1996
Jordan Marshall has excelled within the Metropolitan Police Service, fuelled by a loss that defined her teenage years. Obsessed, she manages to obtain new evidence, convincing both Chambers and Winter to revisit the case. However, their resurrected investigation brings about a fresh reign of terror, the team treading a fine line between police officers and vigilantes in their pursuit of a monster far more dangerous and intelligent than any of them had anticipated…

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MY REVIEW:

A brutal killer is recreating famous works of art through his victims. But when one of the officers chasing him almost becomes one of his grim statues, the killer stops and the trail goes cold. Seven years later, a trainee officer is determined to find the killer and get justice for someone she loved. But in doing so, she brings the killer out of hiding. Enlisting the help of the officers who originally investigated the case, can they catch him before he completes his macabre collection?

When a book starts with an eerie, sinister prologue titled ‘The Day Death Came Visiting’, you know you’re onto a winner. Jumping straight into the action, this book takes you on a terrifying rollercoaster ride: where you’re holding on for dear life, yet loving every minute.

Mixing murder, art and mythology, the author has crafted something unique: a brutal yet elegant thriller that is completely addictive. This is a killer who has a reason behind everything. And it is only once we get deeper inside his psyche and learn his reasons, that we truly understand this killer. There is a sickening beauty to his statues, and as a reader I appreciated the depth of research that was done and the inclusion of drawings of the statues he was recreating as I’d never seen them for myself. He is a truly terrifying creation. Evil and disturbed, yet also strikingly human. And it is that realism that makes this story resonate so deeply with me. That chilled me to my core.

The officers hunting the killer were great characters that I liked, found easy to root for and had a great dynamic, their differences working for them rather than against them. I also enjoyed that the story was set in 1989 and 1996. It was like going back to my youth as I read about them scrambling to find a phone box and being unable to contact people when they weren’t home. It definitely made finding a killer and communicating while on a case more difficult, but I liked the extra tension, and humour, that it brought to the story.

This was my first foray into Daniel Cole’s books, though I’ve obviously read the rave reviews for his Ragdoll series, and I am an instant fan. The writing is sharp, tense, chilling and full of black humour. I was hooked! Reading in breathless anticipation and unable to turn the pages fast enough as they hunted the killer.

Intelligent, gritty, and addictive, this thriller will have your heart racing. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a walk on the dark side…

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Cole is the Sunday Times bestselling author of the Ragdoll trilogy, which has now been published in over thirty countries. A TV adaption is currently in the works and his fourth novel is due to be published late-summer 2021. He has worked as a paramedic, an animal protection officer, and with the beach lifeguards, but for the past five years has been describing himself on paperwork as a ‘full-time writer’.
He lives on the south coast of England and divides his time between the beach and the forest.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones*| Amazon| Google Books| Apple Books | Kobo
*These are affiliate links

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Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the tour.

Thanks for reading Bibliophiles😊 Emma xxx