Crime – Jill's Book Blog

Review: The Tenant

Title: The Tenant
Author: Katrine Engberg
Genre: Thriller, Crime
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: January 14, 2020
Rating: ★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

When a young woman is discovered brutally murdered in her own apartment, with an intricate pattern of lines carved into her face, Copenhagen police detectives Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner are assigned to the case. In short order, they establish a link between the victim, Julie Stender, and her landlady, Esther de Laurenti, who’s a bit too fond of drink and the host of raucous dinner parties with her artist friends. Esther also turns out to be a budding novelist—and when Julie turns up as a murder victim in the still-unfinished mystery she’s writing, the link between fiction and real life grows both more urgent and more dangerous.
But Esther’s role in this twisted scenario is not quite as clear as it first seems. Is she the culprit—or just another victim, trapped in a twisted game of vengeance? Anette and Jeppe must dig more deeply into the two women’s pasts to discover the identity of the brutal puppet-master pulling the strings in this electrifying literary thriller.

Review:

This was a fast paced thriller, but it had some loose ends.

Some of the plot lines weren’t completed at the end. I won’t share which ones, but they were just dismissed as not being important to the case once it was solved. I was disappointed because these parts started out as good twists, but they didn’t turn out to mean anything.

There were also unnecessary parallels between characters. I thought it would connect the characters who had been through similar experiences, but it ended up being meaningless. It was confusing, since multiple characters had the same backstory and it didn’t have anything to do with the plot.

The murder mystery was intriguing, but the lack of answers at the end was disappointing.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Stumptown, Vol. 1

Title: Stumptown, Vol. 1
Author: Greg Rucka, Matthew Southworth
Genre: Graphic Novel, Crime
Publisher: Oni Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 24, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Dex is the proprietor of Stumptown Investigations, and a fairly talented P.I. Unfortunately, she’s less adept at throwing dice than solving cases. Her recent streak has left her beyond broke – she’s into the Confederated Tribes of the Wind Coast for 18 large. But maybe Dex’s luck is about to change. Sue-Lynne, head of the Wind Coast’s casino operation, will clear Dex’ debt if she can locate Sue-Lynne’s missing granddaughter. But is this job Dex’s way out of the hole or a shove down one much much deeper?

Review:

This was a great story!

I liked the main character, Dex. She was kind of a mess in her personal life, with racking up debt and being disorganized, but she put her younger brother first. She also worked hard to solve the mystery of where Charlotte had disappeared.

The story moved quickly. It was a detailed plot, with many characters. I didn’t guess what had happened to Charlotte. This was a great crime story.

I really enjoyed this introduction to the series.

Thank you Oni Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour Review: The Development

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Title: The Development
Author: Jackie Kabler
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Accent Press
Source: Neverland Blog Tours
Release Date: May 10, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

After a stressful week, TV reporter Cora Baxter is ready for a quiet weekend. What she isn’t counting on is witnessing the shocking death of a young woman on her way home.

Cora discovers that seventeen-year-old Leanne has been protesting against a new housing development, angering the powerful establishment. Leanne’s death is ruled a suicide but, when puzzling information comes to light, Cora decides to investigate further.

She might not know what an unscrupulous businessman, a suspended police officer and hate-mail sending neighbours have to do with the case – but she does know there is a news story there.

With her eccentric camera crew on hand to help, can Cora work out what happened in the days before Leanne’s death? And was it really suicide after all?

Review:

I enjoyed this mystery!

I felt a personal connection to this story because the main character lives near Gloucestershire, which is home to my university, University of Gloucestershire. I’m currently doing my Master’s remotely, but I will be going to Gloucester to graduate in the fall, so I loved reading about the town!

This story really kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t predict what the clues would reveal. I also liked that Cora worked as a news reporter. She had a perfect position to explore the case, while also being removed from it. She also was able to get permission to work on it for the news, which was a bonus. Most of the time in books when someone who isn’t on the police force wants to investigate something, they get in trouble, but Cora was lucky.

I really enjoyed this crime filled mystery!

About the Author:

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Jackie Kabler is a journalist, TV presenter and author. She spent twenty years as a TV news reporter for GMTV, ITV and BBC news, and now works as a presenter for shopping channel QVC and is author of the Cora Baxter Mysteries, a series of murder mysteries set in a television newsroom. The Development is her third novel. Jackie lives in Gloucestershire with her husband, who is a GP.

Website jackiekabler.com

Twitter @jackiekabler

Facebook www.facebook.com/jackiekablerauthor

Instagram @officialjackiekabler

Thank you Neverland Blog Tours for letting me participate in this blog tour.

Heart of the City

Title: Heart of the City
Author: Robert Rotenberg
Genre: Crime
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: August 1, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Ari Greene was a detective in Toronto until he was charged with murder. When they eventually cleared his name, he went to England and met the daughter he never knew existed. Now he is working at a construction site in Kensington markets. His daughter, Alison, is supposed to be in journalism school, but she dropped out to start the blog, Kensington Confidential. She writes about the controversies in that neighbourhood, including the condos being built by Livingston Fox. When Livingston Fox is murdered, Greene finds his body. Greene goes back to working alongside his former coworker Kennicott so solve this murder.

This story was fast paced and thrilling. I read it in just a couple of hours.

Being from Toronto, I loved all the references to the city. I could picture where everything was happening, including most of the stores that were mentioned. I felt a close connection to this story.

I haven’t read any other books in the series, but it was easy to pick up. Things in their past were explained quickly, so the story could move forward. At the same time, I learned enough about the characters to understand them.

This was a great read, especially for Toronto residents!