What she left by TR Richmond

Reviewed by Desere


I have heard so many times of people passing away and then afterwards their family discovering secrets from diaries, notes, letters and other objects, the outcome is sometimes really great for all involved but sometimes the truth is a real shocker that can literally blow the family apart.

In this read Alice Salmon dies, she is gone but not forgotten at all. The after effects of her death is felt on the news , the internet and in the hearts of those that knew her best.

But the one person  who knows her most intimately is not a friend or a family member, he is Dr Jeremy Cook, an academic whose life has become one of piecing anything and everything together , that is everything  that is related to Alice.

For David recreating Alice's life by using her diaries, emails and her voice, becomes an everyday occurrence, and consumes his every waking minute. With every bit of information he finds he has to know more, and he keeps digging, but what will he do when he is shocked to the core by the secret Alice seemed to be hiding ?

This story really hit all the buttons of those " don't this and don't that on this and that" warnings the papers and our parents warn us about. It
was really scary to see how easily David is able to find the information about Alice.

I like to think that I can hide my untold secrets pretty well, and  that what I put out there will pretty much tell you what I like and don't like , and really that is about it. Even my Facebook posts simply just relate to books and more books, so I recon all you will be able to find is that I love reading.

But the author did an off the charts job at showing just how easily the mind can translate absolutely everything we write down, or post or say into anything the reader./ hearer / see-er wants it to. For example I can see the words " I hate CST" but all it means is that I don't like their products , but if some with an overactive imagination reads it and suddenly there is an occurrence of  a bad nature at CST then they will pretty much come up with the conclusion it was me.

So really if anything David's dedication or rather obsession with Alice has certainly taught me a valuable lesson. And I particularly loved Alice being brought to life it was insightful and very entertaining.

Highly recommended read!

5/5 star review
" She leaves, but is she really gone and what has she left behind ? 

Available now at Penguin Random House South Africa 

Hellbounce The Arc Chronicles Part 1 by Matthew W Harrill

Reviewed by Desere

In this read we get to meet prison hospital psychologist Eva Ross, as psychologist she has dealt with more than her fare share of sinners and saints.

Well okay I lie no saints just sinners, but I got your attention didn't I? Now back to Eva, from the corrupt, the insane, the downright nuts you name it the list goes on and on, Eva has had the chance to step into their minds and try to unlock the demons.

Then suddenly those around her become those that she cannot trust and instead they start to exhibit the same characteristics she has seen over and over again. The only way out is for her to turn to a stranger , a man whose name she is incapable of even remembering yet, he is her only sanctuary in the hell her life has become.

I have always been a very big fan of the horror world and all the juicy psychological thrills and spills that goes with it, so much so that everyone who knows me will know I can watch the scariest of movies, get up, switch off all the lights and go get into bed, without once checking the closet or taking a peek under the bed!

Likewise when it comes to reading, I never get the I feel like am being watched feeling to the extent where I truly have to look over my shoulder, nor do I jump out of my chair when the phone so much as beeps with a text message, but with this read all of the above happened more than once!

From the start the read was entertaining as all heck! I was on the edge of my seat from the start go and I did not move from the suspense spot until the very end. This author knows how to get your attention, hold it right through till the end and man oh man does this author have talent with a capital T!

The book was as hot and emotional as it was downright spine chilling. More than once I wanted to stick it in the freezer and pretend the hell was frozen but I was simply incapable of doing so, because as I said this author hooks you and hooks you fast and hard, there is no way you can stop reading once you start.

I highly recommend this read for all fans of reading, and heck if you are not a fan of this genre this is the book that will draw you in and keep you trapped for a long time, and feeling every single moment of fear, uncertainty, anger, rage and suspense.

The book also has a powerful message of no one is ever exactly as they seem and once the true person is revealed all hell will break loose but it comes down the survival of the fittest , just make sure that 's you!

A truly mystery filled, suspense packed, on the edge of your seat, toe curling , blood curling, screaming my head off read, and an absolute masterpiece of a book.  Best of all this is only part one, so there is loads of more kick ass awesomeness to come. All I will say is Matthew Harrill get your ass back to writing as in NOW!

5/5 star review
" Hell on earth doesn't come close to what she's about to go through" 

The Murder Bag by Toni Parsons

Reviewed by Desere

The read tells of seven school friends, just like everyone they bonded with each other because they had no choice due to the school not being your everyday run of the mill school. This school takes "worthless" kids and turns them into men of the going to war, face anything, always be in power kind.

Not necessarily a bad thing but if you know what happens behind the closed doors you will just as I go into a squirming fit, but this is also what sets the scene for the big bang moments in this read.

Fast-forward a couple of years and we have each of of the seven boys now men with wives, businesses and addictions. One my one they start dying, only not the "Oh dear died because of some addiction of tragic natural event", nope these guys have their throats slashed open.

Enter Detective Max Wolfe, determined to always get his man, smart and focused at all times.  Only this is a killer like no other he has ever dealt with before and before long he's as trapped in the nightmare as the men dying, can he catch his man or is that men?

My first Toni Parsons book but so not the last! I was wonderfully lost inside this read I devoured it in twenty four hours!  A brilliantly clever plot that had me guessing only a few things and being totally surprised at the rest.

The mystery in this read was pure brilliance, I guessed the identity of  the killer three times and got it wrong every time, in that alone lies the truth that this is a truly remarkably crafted murder mystery read, I always get it by the second guess!

The characters were extremely well written and so realistic it was as if I could see them playing out their parts right in front of me. The scene descriptions were so well written it felt the fear, the anger and the knife slashing into the victims, truly gripping.

The book contains a fast array of characters but not the to extent as in some reads, where you feel there is just too much going on. Each character is as vital as the other one and they all made this read a roller-coaster ride of mystery, intrigue, a good educational look at weapons, and best of all a finale that will blow you away!

The book reads like a soft floating wind, not once did it feel as if it was dragging to get to a conclusion which I find in most thrillers happens too often.

I highly recommend this read for all fans of thrillers that entertain on every page. I look forward to another read from this author.

5/5 star review
" The bag of murder contains more than just a secret of the past"

** Copy provided by Random House Struik South Africa  in exchange for a honest review