Thriller

Greg Iles – The Bone Tree (Penn Cage #5)

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Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

THE DARKEST TRUTHS WILL COME TO LIGHT
Former prosecutor Penn Cage faces the crisis of a lifetime. His family has been torn apart and his father made a fugitive after being accused of murdering an African-American nurse.

Now, Penn has unwittingly started a war with the Double Eagles, a violent faction of the KKK who know more about Dr. Tom Cage than Penn ever did.

Tracking his father through Natchez and beyond, Penn is targeted by criminals and corrupt police whose power reaches the top levels of state government – people who will stop at nothing to prevent the truth from coming out.

To clear Tom’s name, Penn must either make a deal with the devil or destroy him. But there are others pursuing a different mission – one which will lead them to the ‘Bone Tree’, a legendary killing site that conceals far more than the remains of the dead

Izdevniecība/Publisher: HarperCollins

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no www.

Vērtējums/Rating: 4.5/5

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Kathy Reichs – Monday Mourning (Temperance Brennan #7) (Audio book)

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Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

The secrets of the dead are in her hands. 

The bones of three young women are unearthed in the basement of a Montreal pizza parlor, and forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan has unsolved murder on her mind as she examines the shallowly buried remains. Coming up against a homicide cop who is convinced the dead have been entombed on the site for centuries, Tempe perseveres, even with her own relationship with Detective Andrew Ryan at a delicate turning point. In the lab, the clean, well-perserved bones offer few clues. But when Carbon 14 confirms her hunch that these were recent deaths despite the antique buttons found near the bodies, Tempe’s probing must produce answers quickly to stop a killer whose grisly handiwork has seen the light of day.

Izdevniecība/Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no www.

Vērtējums/Rating: 3.5/5

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Kathy Reichs – Grave Secrets (Temperance Brennan #5) (Audio book)

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Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

“Fans of TV’s CSI: Crime Scene Investigation should be in heaven” (People) stepping into the world of forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan, star of Kathy Reichs’ electrifyingly authentic bestsellers.

A harrowing excavation unearths a chilling tragedy never laid to rest.

They are “the disappeared,” twenty-three massacre victims buried in a well in the Guatemalan village of Chupan Ya two decades ago. Leading a team of experts on a meticulous, heartbreaking dig, Tempe Brennan pieces together the violence of the past. But a fresh wave of terror begins when the horrific sounds of a fatal attack on two colleagues come in on a blood-chilling satellite call. Teaming up with Special Crimes Investigator Bartolomé Galiano and Montreal detective Andrew Ryan, Tempe quickly becomes enmeshed in the cases of four privileged young women who have vanished from Guatemala City — and finds herself caught in deadly territory where power, money, greed, and science converge.

Izdevniecība/Publisher: BBC Audiobook America

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no www.

Vērtējums/Rating: 3.25/5

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Tess Gerritsen – Last to Die (Rizzoli & Isles #10)

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Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

For the second time in his short life, Teddy Clock has survived a massacre. Two years ago, he barely escaped when his entire family was slaughtered. Now, at fourteen, in a hideous echo of the past, Teddy is the lone survivor of his foster family’s mass murder. Orphaned once more, the traumatized teenager has nowhere to turn—until the Boston PD puts detective Jane Rizzoli on the case. Determined to protect this young man, Jane discovers that what seemed like a coincidence is instead just one horrifying part of a relentless killer’s merciless mission.

Jane spirits Teddy to the exclusive Evensong boarding school, a sanctuary where young victims of violent crime learn the secrets and skills of survival in a dangerous world. But even behind locked gates, and surrounded by acres of sheltering Maine wilderness, Jane fears that Evensong’s mysterious benefactors aren’t the only ones watching. When strange blood-splattered dolls are found dangling from a tree, Jane knows that her instincts are dead on. And when she meets Will Yablonski and Claire Ward, students whose tragic pasts bear a shocking resemblance to Teddy’s, it becomes chillingly clear that a circling predator has more than one victim in mind.

Joining forces with her trusted partner, medical examiner Maura Isles, Jane is determined to keep these orphans safe from harm. But an unspeakable secret dooms the children’s fate—unless Jane and Maura can finally put an end to an obsessed killer’s twisted quest.

Izdevniecība/Publisher: Ballantine Books

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no www.

Vērtējums/Rating: 3.5/5

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Tess Gerritsen – John Doe (Rizzoli & Isles #9.5)

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Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

It should have been a night to remember, but Maura Isles can’t recall a thing.

Maura is at a party. A handsome man approaches. He’s charming and sophisticated. She flirts and drinks champagne. And then nothing. Total blackness. Nothing, that is, apart from these two facts: a man is dead and her address is found in his pocket . . .

Izdevniecība/Publisher: Ballantine Books

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no www.

Vērtējums/Rating: 4.25/5

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Tess Gerritsen – The Surgeon (Rizzoli & Isles, #1)

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Grāmatas apraksts no Goodreads/Synopsis from Goodreads:

In Boston, there’s a killer on the loose. A killer who targets lone women, who breaks into their apartments and performs terrifying ritualistic acts of torture on them before finishing them off. His surgical skills lead police to suspect he is a physician – a physician who, instead of saving lives, takes them.

But as homicide detective Thomas Moore and his partner Jane Rizzoli begin their investigation, they make a startling discovery. Closely linked to these killings is Catherine Cordell, a beautiful medic with a mysterious past. Two years ago she was subjected to a horrifying rape and attempted murder but she shot her attacker dead. Now she is being targeted by the new killer who seems to know all about her past, her work, and where she lives.

The man she believes she killed seems to be stalking her once again, and this time he knows exactly where to find her…

                                                                                                                                                

Ir karsta, sutīga vasaras diena. Slepkavību izmeklēšanas detektīvs Tomass Mors tiek atsaukts no atvaļinājuma – pilsētā uzradies sērijveida slepkava. Tas ir kā plēsīgs zvērs, kas uzbrūk vientuļām sievietēm, naktī ielaužas viņu dzīvokļos un pirms upuru nogalināšanas veic dīvainus rituālus. Slepkavas ķirurga prasmes mudina domāt, ka viņš ir mediķis.
Jau pašā izmeklēšanas sākumā Mors un viņa partnere Ridzoli piedzīvo pārsteidzošu atklājumu: Katrīna Kordela, skaista ķirurģe ar noslēpumainu pagātni, ir cieši saistīta ar notikušajām slepkavībām. Pirms diviem gadiem viņa citā pilsētā bija kļuvusi par šausminošas izvarošanas un slepkavības mēģinājuma upuri. Un nu Kerolai uzglūn jaunais slepkava…

Aizslēdziet visas durvis, atvienojiet telefonu un aizvelciet aizkarus…

Izdevniecība/Publisher: Ballantine Books

Kā tiku pie šīs grāmatas?/How I got this book?

Lejuplādēju no torenta

Vērtējums/Rating: 3.25/5

Mana recenzija/My review

Tomass Mors un Ridzoli ir neparasts izmeklētāju pāris, kas spiests darboties kopā. Bostonas pilsētā atrasta nežēlīgi nogalināta sieviete, bet pats trakākais, ka viņai izņemta dzemde, visticamāk kā trofeja.

Tomass tiek piesaistīts izmeklēšanai, jo pirms gada viņš vadīja līdzīgu izmeklēšanu, diemžēl bez panākumiem. Tikmēr Ridzoli kā vienīgā sieviete izmeklētāja savā iecirknī katru dienu saskaras ar nievājošu attieksmi un izmisīgi vēlas pierādīt savas spējas starp vīriešu kolēģiem.

Lai gan noziegumi, ļaundaris un kriminālais kopumā nav slikts, kaut kas tomēr pietrūka; nebija tā sajuta, kas mudinātu pēc iespējas ātrāk izlasīt lapaspusi. Nevajadzīga šķita arī romantiskā līnija, kur vīrietis atkal izjūt vajadzību mierināt un būt atbalsts, un ne starp Tomasu un Ridzoli. Varbūt pie vainas, ka vēl labā atmiņā ir detektīves Vorenas sērija. Interesanti, ka notikumu reģions ir Bostona un tās apkārtne, laikam gan Vorenai, gan Bobijam citas darīšanas bijušas. : )

Tomass saviem kolēģiem no malas šķiet misters pareizais, tāds, kas nekad nepārkāptu noteikumus un vienmēr seko katram burtam. Tomēr patiesībā viņš joprojām katru dienu mēģina tikt galā ar sievas nāvi un pretrunīgajām jaunajām jūtām.

Pāris interesantu epizožu no ķirurģes Katrīnas Kordelas ikdienas slimnīcā. Viņas saistība ar jaunajiem upuriem ir fakts, ka pirms diviem gadiem izdzīvoja līdzīgu uzbrukumu. Tas viss uzplēš kaut cik sadziedētas psiholoģiskās rētas. Gan viņa, un īpaši Tomass un Ridzoli prāto, kā gan šis slepkava zina sīkas detaļas no tām lietām, un, kāpēc viņš tā ieciklējies uz Kordelu. Tomēr skaidrs ir viens, tas nevar būt tas pats.

Patika aspekts par ļaundara upuru izvēles taktiku, lai gan drusku nožēlojami, ka izvēlas tādu, kas jau piedzīvojusi ļoti traumatisku un šausminošu notikumu; šajā ziņā nozīmīga ir viņa darbavietai. Kas nu viņam ļauj vieglāk tikt galā ar iecerēto upuri.

Vairākus gadus pirms bloga ēras bijus lasījis Rizzoli & Isles sērijas otro grāmatu, kas beidzot pamudināja uzsākt lasīt arī pārējo sēriju.

                                                                                                                                                

Thomas Moore and Rizzoli is unusual duo and couldn’t be much different that is forced to work together. In Boston there’s found a brutally murdered woman but the craziest is that the womb is missing and probably taken as a trophy.

Because detective Thomas Moore a year ago worked with a similar case (unfortunately unsolved) he is involved to investigate this one. Meanwhile Rizzoli desperately wants to prove that she can be as good as any male cop as she is the only one in her unit.

Although crimes, the culprit and everything together wasn’t bad something overall was missing. Plus an unnecessary romance where the male once again feels a need to help a damsel in distress; and it’s not Thomas and Rizzoli. Maybe that Detective D.D. Warren is still in a good memory is to be blamed. Interesting that the setting is in Boston and its area. I guess both Warren and Bobby had other thing to do and solve. : )

Anyway, from aside Thomas seems to be almost a saint, someone who strictly follows rules. But that is just a mask as inwardly he still tries get over a grief of wife’s death and the new contradictory feelings.

There were few interesting moments in surgeon’s Catherine Cordell daily routine at hospital. Her connection with the new victims is that two years ago she survived a similar attack. These new events bring back painful memories. Not only she but Thomas and Rizzoli (especially) wants to understand how this guy knows the details and why he is obsessed with Cordell. One thing is clear, this can’t be the same guy.

I liked how the culprit chose his victims but it’s a bit pitiful as he chooses already physically and mentally traumatized women; in this case his job and workplace really helps. That allows him to feel more powerful over his victim and helps to overpower them more easily.

Many years before my blog I read the second book of Rizzoli & Isles series what motivated me to finally read other books of this series.

Locket Full of Secrets (Blog Tour) + Giveaway

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Title: Locket Full of Secrets

Author: Dana Burkey

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense

Publication Date: July 4th 2015
Add it to Goodreads / But it on Amazon

Synopsis: After over 4 years, Olena comes rocketing back into Claire’s life, changing everything for the worse. Picking up the shattered pieces, Claire is not sure who to believe. Is Olena who she says she is, or is she a killer to stay away from? Leaning on her new boyfriend Steven for support, Claire is faced with the choice on who to trust: a friend she barley knows, or a history lesson she barely remembers. Together, the three will begin a journey that will take Claire from the safety of her home to the last place she thought she would ever be: The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. With the wreckage of rector four looming behind her, Claire will have to see Olena’s plan through until the end if she wants any chance of making it out alive.

Guest post:

I Might Be Crazy….

I might be crazy, but a few years ago I decided I wanted to get more in shape. Okay, that is not the part that makes me crazy. The crazy part will come in a minute, I assure you. Well, at first I started to just work out, eat right, and generally stay active. It was working well for a little while, so I signed up to do a local fun run. It was two miles, and lead to me trying out two 5ks in the next few months. After that second 5k (3.2 miles for those of you who need to google it like I did back then), I somehow decided I was going to go for a bigger race. But why skip to a 10k, or simply try to better my time on a 5k? No, instead of those logical next steps, I went and registered for my first half marathon.

That’s right, I decided that I could go from wogging (walking/jogging) 3.2 miles to suddenly completing 13.1 miles all at once. This is the crazy part, in case you were not sure! And it was crazy! It was crazy for me to think that I could just do this. Especially since training turned out to be really boring! I have never liked the idea of running in my neighborhood, and since I did not have a car at the time to drive to a local running trail, I bought a treadmill and trained at home in my basement. So, each night I would start going and just stare at the wall. It was super boring, and I would always stop after about 3 miles. The one time I actually pushed myself to go farther, I only made it to a whopping 5 miles!

Well, race day arrived, and it was time for me to see what I could do. The race was on September 25th 2011, and happened to also be my 26th birthday! My dad was in town from Ohio to visit me in Washington State, so he took me to the race and was going to be there to cheer me on when I finished. Or rather, if I finished. I had a few friends taking part in the race that day as well, so I hung out with them at the start and listened to them chat about how fast they were going to go, or how their latest training run went. Did you catch that? Their “training runs.” As in they did more than just walk 5 miles on a treadmill in their basement! I knew I was in trouble by the time the starting gun went off.

I think it was around mile 3 when I started to feel great about my life choice. The sun was shining and I got some water and things were going great. I was passing people, I didn’t have to stop and use the porta potties that were sitting in the sun all day, and my body was not really in any pain. In fact, I was feeling so good I even started to jog a bit in celebration at how great I was doing! And, when I passed mile 5, the farthest I had ever gone in training, I was excited for the unknown world ahead of me. I knew there was something called “hammer gel” at mile 6, and then I could start counting down the miles I had left.

Hammer gel turned out to be about the consistency of glue, and tasted like glue with a little bit of a Kool aide powder mixed in for fun. It was pretty terrible, but it was almost like food, so I loved it! I ate it super-fast and kept going, feeling pretty good. But then, my body started to realize what was going on. My body suddenly realized that I was not going to be stopping in a few minutes, but rather had half of a race to go! That was when my knees, hips, ankles, and shins started to hurt. It was like my whole lower half was trying to fall off of my body so they could quit before I made them do anything else crazy like run or even walk.

Sadly, I could not just quit or take off my legs and phone in the rest of the race, so I kept on going. I put one foot in front of the other and before I knew it, I heard a sound I loved. People cheering! I was near the finish line! I walked up this hill that was in front of me, and there was a crowd of people cheering! But my heart fell. They were not cheering for me. They were cheering for the people who were finishing, people that were 4 miles ahead of me! I wanted to cry in that moment, but instead just kept going while people literally walked past me on the other side of a rope. They were finishing, and I was still heading out farther and farther from the finish. And, to make matters worse, the wind was picking up. Every step felt like three, the wind pushing on me every second of the way.

One thing that I didn’t do as part of my “training”, if you can even call it that, was look at the course map. If I had, I would have known that the last few miles would take me out to Boulevard Park and back. But, I did not know this until there it was in front of me. It happened to be one of my favorite parks in town, and to this day is my favorite place in the world to watch the sunset. The problem is that one element of the park is a long boardwalk that extends over the ocean from the land above. That land truly is above, making it a massive uphill climb. I have since walked up the hill a few times, and even when it is at the start of a walk it feels like a million mile trek to get to the top!

As I started up the hill, noticing that mile 11 was located about half way up. It was hard, but I felt like I could do it. I put one foot in front of the other and forced myself to keep going. At the top of the hill I was so happy I wanted to cry! I had done it! I was up this massive hill, and I was getting close to the finish for real this time. But, as if to stop my celebration in its tracks, my stomach began to growl. I was hungry, and my body really wanted to let me know about it. Not only was I hungry, however, I was hungry and still would be burning quite a few calories while continuing on to the end of the race. Oh, and in case things were not looking bad enough, the next mile was a stead uphill that was slight enough to make you feel like you could do it, but at the same time steep enough for your body to always be working double time just to keep moving.

It was at this point in the race, with less than 2 miles to go, that I remembered something. I had a burrito in the fridge at home! It was my leftovers from dinner the night before, but was enough food to fill my empty stomach for sure. So, each step I took suddenly was not about the finish line, but about my burrito! I said the word in my head with each step, and imagined how great everything would feel once I could eat the whole thing while sitting down! Thankfully, the idea of this amazing food that was still to come kept me going when I wanted to quit so bad!

With the idea of Mexican food in my mind, and my legs still trying to quit on me, I continued to walk and jog my way to the finish. My dad stood cheering me on as I crossed the finish line and received my race medal. I had to fight back tears of both joy and pride in that moment, happy I finished what I set out to do, and also happy that it was all over! And it was over indeed! I limped to the car with my dad, my legs now wanting to stop working all together, then headed home for lots of food, a shower, and rest! It was, up until that point, the hardest thing I have ever done.

In the hours that followed the race I thought about what I had done over and over again. I thought about how insane the 13.1 miles had been, but also how I made it through it all. All of a sudden, the idea of doing it again was sounding like a great idea! Every time I looked at my beautiful race medal, I got the feeling I could do it a second time. So, it in the years that have followed I have done 9 more half marathons, countless 5ks and 10ks, and even a triathlon this past summer! The memory of crossing the finishing line and feeling accomplished keeps me going for each new race I set out to run.

The other thing that has come from me doing that first race, and even some of the ones since that day, is that I know I can do more than I think I can sometimes. When I face difficult things in my personal life or in my work life I remember how much I worked hard and pushed through in that race on my birthday. I think about how easy it is to quit, but how rewarding it is to keep going! Now, I get to apply that to my writing. I get to go one step closer to the finish line as I write words, edit paragraphs, and create characters. Self-publishing really is like a half-marathon, so much work put in to each page. But, in the end, seeing readers enjoy my work and reading reviews posted online feels the exact same way as that medal around my neck! I know it will not always be easy, and often feel like an uphill climb, but the accomplishment and feeling of pride I get for really pushing myself makes all of it worth it!

 

About the author:

I graduated college from Youngstown State University in 2009 with a degree in theater and a minor in creative writing. I am currently living in Washington State in a little cabin in the woods with my cat Cato. I work full time at a kids camp, and spend my free time doing community theater and adventuring in nature! I am an avid geocacher, and love watching reality TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance, Project Runway, and Big Brother! I am currently working on my next project that includes a few YA romances and a YA dystopian series!

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