Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay

Jade Rating: 4/5

David Harwood, a local newspaper journalist is ready to spend a pleasant day in the new local amusement park with his son and wife Jan when out of the blue, his wife disappears. Whilst the police investigate the disappearance of Harwood's wife, increasing evidence points towards him being responsible. Determined to uncover the truth, Harwood launches into a personal investigation and unveils some uncomfortable truths that lead him to believe that his wife may not be who he thought she was. A tale of kidnap, intrigue, murder and despair, Barclay maintains the suspense throughout the book and uses his usual formula to maintain audience interest.

Barclay remains one of my favourite authors, but I found myself predicting how the story would be unfolding. Despite this, he still offers cliffhangers and leaves you wanting to keep reading to find out what happens.

Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller

Jade Rating: 4/5.

The plot revolves around a history teacher Barbara Covett's narrative of an illicit affair between her fellow colleague Sheba Hart and her teenage student Stephen Connolly. Despite having a seemingly happy and normal marriage, a good relationship with her children and a good job as a pottery teacher at the local high school, Hart risks it all to have an affair with Connolly despite being fully aware of the inappropriate nature of this relationship. Covett appears to be Hart's only comrade when this scandal becomes public, however things are not what they seem. Despite Hart's affair which goes against every social convention and is an obvious abuse of power, the audience feel empathy for her as Covett 'unintentionally' reveals to us that she is overbearing in their relationship as friends and explores Hart's family problems too.
Heller's narration through the voice of Covett is detailed and extremely believable and I often forgot that her irrational and sometimes outrageous ideas about friendship were fictional outbursts and that I was reading a book! Her overbearing nature and her intimate relationship with Hart makes her 'busybody' narrative exciting and a great joy to read. She also reveals aspects of her lonely spinster existence and social awkwardness which serves to explain her hostile behaviour.
Although the storyline was well structured and narrated, I wanted it to be longer and to explore the unconventional friendship between Hart and Covett. I think another chapter at the end of the book to wrap up the story would have made this a better read.

Halfhead by Stuart B MacBribe

Jade Rating: 3/5.

Set in the 'future' where criminals are labotomised, physically mutilated and made to carry out menial jobs as almost living zombies to provide a constant reminder of why crime doesn't pay, a series of murders brings together the team from 'the Network' as headed by assistant director William Hunter and Detective Sergent Josephine Cameron from the local law enforcers the 'Bluecoats'. From the offset, we descover that the protagonist of the murders is Hunter's arch nemesis Dr Fiona Westfield, a serial killer who was halfheaded after a successful conviction following her crimes, a case lead by Hunter himself.
The main weakness of the plot is that it takes MacBride half the book to set up and explain his fictional futuristic world and I was left confused despite this overindulgence, mainly as a result of the authors overuse of fictional vocabulary for weapons, transport, medical equipment & procedures as well as an arsenal of things he incorporates into the book. I still don't understand why parts of the city were dangerous to venture into to the extent that it was described, and often their equipment was just too much. An example of this is Hunter's use of his Cracker to download information from the hospital files... Now, what is a cracker? Is it the same as a USB flash drive or is it another implant like the virtual reality input port on the back of everybody's head?! I think the plot needed a nerdy character that reminds the reader of the technological inventions in this world... Like a Hermione Granger from Harry Potter who frequently reminds the other characters and the reader why some things are not possible. I just couldn't believe in the world MacBride created in this novel and coupled with the lack of any real character development, it was more or less just a horror-fest.

However, all is not lost with this story. The murder scenes are disturbing but highly original for which credit must be given. Overall, I'm disappointed. This book could have been so much better.

The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer by Philip Carlo

Jade Rating: 2/5.

Although not strictly fiction, this true crime tale follows Richard 'the Ice Man' Kuklinski through his memories and recollections of his life as a professional hitman. Highly descriptive and graphic, leaving the audience baffled by the imaginative ways one can be murdered, with a sound attempt at exploring Kuklinski's emotions and thoughts during the murders described through the book. However, I wasn't excited to read this book at all. Infact, it took me a whole month to finish which is a lifetime at Jade HQ, emphasising just how I wasn't captivated by the plot. There was a lot of repetition throughout the book as Carlo was trying to ensure the audience were aware of the relationship between Kulinkski and his wife, his volatile temper and cool demeanor, mob ties, his relationship with others etc etc. This repetition did ruin an otherwise interesting read. Carlo has the ability to inject lashings of the Ice Man's emotions into the text which humanises him beyond an official document and has an excellent ability to tell a story without bias, despite some of the murders being truly horrific. All I can say is that I'm glad I bought this one in the sales as I would have been annoyed to have paid full price for this read.

Dexter is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay

Jade Rating: 5/5.

So which is better? The TV series or the books? I think each has its own merits and some relationships are more fitting on TV; others in the book. For example, I prefer Cody and Astor's mentality in the book as it is interesting to see Dexter's intrigue into their morbid inclinations and ultimately how he nurtures them. This book brings back Dexter's brother Brian Moser and you spend most of the book completely absorbed in his plan and why his sudden reappearance in Dexter's life. The intrigue and suspense is maintained throughout the book surrounding this intense relationship, and you really feel for Dexter as he appears to be struggling to maintain the illusion of normality with everyone trying to get a piece of him. You feel his stress and fear as Lindsay creates a wonderfully tense atmosphere throughout the book. The description of cannibalism is graphic and conjures scenes in your imagination that you will explore greedily.
Brilliant read and Lindsay is a fantastic author who sets the scene nicely and makes it a pleasurable read.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Jade Rating: 5/5.

A beautiful and unique plot that encapsulates romance and fantasy that is unique and explored a fantasy world, where the setting is described so well that the reader is completely absorbed by this fictional world. I became empathetic with the characters and was hungry to know more about them with every turn of the page.
As the book was so unique, I would highly recommend it to anyone, and with the beautiful and descriptive storyline, you will remember this book for years to come.

The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Jade Rating: 4/5.

It is a classic read, with plenty of intrigue, suspense and each story is charming and original. Brilliant for reading before bed as each short story has character and the tried and tested formula works in these tales. Definitely would read the stories again.

The Short Second Life of Bree Turner by Stephenie Meyer.

Jade Rating: 2/5.

Cut to the chase... if you like the Twilight saga you will like this book. It was an interesting read, although due to its length it would be unfair to rate it any higher.
It gives an interesting perspective of the 'normal' vampire existence beyond the Cullen family and probably represents the group dynamics of most teenage social groups... i.e. follow the leader. I enjoyed reading this book, but I don't think I will be picking it up again for a re-read.

No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay.

Jade Rating: 4/5.

This book was amazing! I could not put it down and read it in record time. The suspense is maintained throughout the book, and the plot unfolds in a clever way that leaves you in awe of Barclay. I have and will continue to highly recommend this book, although I have to warn you to only do so if you have time to finish it! My only complaint is the ending. Everything seems to come together too quickly at the end and a few more chapters to wrap things up with greater clarity would have made this a 5/5 read. I would not want to spoil the book for you, but I have re-read this book many times now and still thoroughly enjoy it again and again.

London Bridges by James Patterson

Jade Rating: 3/5.

Not short on action, the plot is revealed in a series of short chapters that more often than not, end in cliff hangers egging the reader to continue reading. Overall, a solid plot which maintained my interest throughout the whole read. A classic formula is used to set up the story, keep readers interested and the story ties up neatly at the end with no aspect of the plot remaining unexplained. So, why only 3/5? Well, because although I was thoroughly entertained and the book was a pleasurable read, I didn't get the warm feeling inside that I do when I read a book that I would recommend to anyone in need of a new book to read. I'm glad I read the book, but I probably would not re-read it again anytime soon either. I would definitely recommend this book to those who love the Dan Brown books as well as the Alex Cross series.

Dying Light by Stuart Macbride.

Jade Rating: 4/5.

A solid read and a real page turner. MacBride's humour keeps the book flowing and will make you laugh out loud in many places. The plot is interesting and the author pays attention to detail, knitting the story together neatly as you proceed though the book. You really feel like you know the characters, and the story approaches the dark subject matters of underage prostitution, drug use, murder and the criminal underworld with good taste. Not a chapter in the book which leaves you bored and not wanting to read on. I would have liked the relationship between DS McRae and DI Steel to have been wrapped up a little better at the end as so much of the plot revolves around it, I think I personally needed more closure towards the end. Still, a highly recommended read.