Review: Bitterfrost

Bitterfrost by Bryan Gruley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Release Date: 1st April 2025

Feisty defence attorney Devyn Payne faces off against veteran detective Garth Klimmek as they work to solve a vicious double homicide in their small, icy town of Bitterfrost.

When two out of towners turn up dead after causing a scene in the local bar and the local Zamboni driver Jimmy Baker wakes up with no memory of what happened after he left the bar, he becomes the prime suspect.

This is a fast paced book, that hooked me really quickly into the story and I really enjoyed the characters, I believe this is the first in a series, so I can't wait to read more and see how these characters develop.


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Review: Bitterfrost

Bitterfrost by Bryan Gruley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review to follow

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Review: Whiteout

Whiteout by R.S. Burnett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Release Date: 11th February 2025

What a debut thriller of a book! I was sold from the synopsis. I just didn't want to put this book down.

Rachael is persuaded by her old boss Guy to head back to Antarctica to carry out some vital research, but after months alone, with no human contact, except a radio message that a nuclear war has broken out, Rachael fears the worst for her husband and daughter who she left behind and is battling to survive a harsh winter storm, when things start going from bad to worse.

Is Rachael the only survivor? Will she survive a winter storm in Antarctica? Has she got the resilience and ability to survive?

This is an atmospheric and gritty, page turner. the writing is brilliant and I felt like I was there with Rachael witnessing it all unfold, with clever use of flashbacks to give a fuller picture as to what led Rachael to this point, you can't help but root for her.

There are so many twists and turns, you don't see coming and catch you off guard, but keep you hooked to find out what's going to happen next.

From the premise to the execution this is hands down one of my favourite reads of the year!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers Crooked Lane for this ARC.

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Review: Whiteout

Whiteout by R.S. Burnett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Release Date: 11th February 2025

What a debut thriller of a book! I was sold from the synopsis. I just didn't want to put this book down.

Rachael is persuaded by her old boss Guy to head back to Antarctica to carry out some vital research, but after months alone, with no human contact, except a radio message that a nuclear war has broken out, Rachael fears the worst for her husband and daughter who she left behind and is battling to survive a harsh winter storm, when things start going from bad to worse.

Is Rachael the only survivor? Will she survive a winter storm in Antarctica? Has she got the resilience and ability to survive?

This is an atmospheric and gritty, page turner. the writing is brilliant and I felt like I was there with Rachael witnessing it all unfold, with clever use of flashbacks to give a fuller picture as to what led Rachael to this point, you can't help but root for her.

There are so many twists and turns, you don't see coming and catch you off guard, but keep you hooked to find out what's going to happen next.

From the premise to the execution this is hands down one of my favourite reads of the year!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers Crooked Lane for this ARC.

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Review: Serial Killer Support Group

Serial Killer Support Group by Saratoga Schaefer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Release Date: 18h March 2025

I really loved the concept of this book and the read didn't disappoint, I'm not sure if I was supposed to like the characters, but they were well rounded and human, and had an engaging quality about them, that I was fascinated spending time with them and loved the dynamics of the relationships.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

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Review: Serial Killer Support Group

Serial Killer Support Group by Saratoga Schaefer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Review to Follow

I really loved the concept of this book and the read didn't disappoint, I'm not sure if I was supposed to like the characters, but they were well rounded and human, and had an engaging quality about them, that I was fascinated spending time with them and loved the dynamics of the relationships.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

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Review: The Crash

The Crash by Freida McFadden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On the whole I enjoyed the twists and turns of this book, it had me intrigued and I really enjoyed listening to it. I'm not sure there were many characters I actually liked especially by the end of the book, and he ending let it down a bit for me.

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Review: A Beauty Queen's Guide to Murder and Mayhem

A Beauty Queen's Guide to Murder and Mayhem by Kristen Bird
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars rounded up

Release Date: 28th February 2025

Stable hand Dakota Green would rather compete in the Hunger Games than Aubergine’s annual beauty pageant. But her late mother's last wish is about to see her trading her muck boots for Jimmy Choos – and uncover a decades-old mystery of a missing beauty queen.

This is a wonderfully humorous book, with a lot of heart, as well as a murder mystery.

When Dakota Green enters the local annual beauty pageant that her dying mother had entered her into, she is amazed at what unravels, not only the mystery that unfolds, but her thoughts and perceptions of her competitors.

I really enjoyed this book and was hooked from the first page, the writing style was very down to earth and full of wit, which endeared me to the characters.

I would class this as a cosy mystery, but so wonderfully written with characters who I loved spending time with and hope there are more from them too.

I will definitely be reading more books by Kristen Bird, her writing style is such a good mix of mystery, wit and intrigue with great characters, with depth and heart.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers, Storm Publishing for this ARC.

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Review: We Rip the World Apart

We Rip the World Apart by Charlene Carr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Release Date: 28th January 2025



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Review: The Whisper Man

The Whisper Man by Alex North
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Release Date: 13th June 2019

If you're looking for a wonderfully creepy, mystery, psychological thriller then, look no further.

After Tom's wife dies suddenly, he is the sole carer for their son Jake, which he struggles to deal with, whilst also grieving. Tom decides that they need a fresh start, so they move, unknown to them to a town with a dark past of children disappearing.

This story is told from multiple points of view and weaves the stories wonderfully, building suspense, intrigue and many moments that will creep you out, while at the same time questioning all the characters and being on a rollercoaster of emotions with them. Ultimately I loved the characters, but for some it took a while, but due to great character development they won me over.

This book had me hooked and I struggled to stop listening to it, shouting at Christopher Eccleston as he shared the story. I really enjoyed being part of a buddy read for this too, as it gave me others to share theories with and be creeped out with, which just added to the experience.

In this psychological thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of suspense, as a father and son are caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

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Review: The Book Club

The Book Club by C.J. Cooper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Release Date: 30th May 2019

The book club was her idea, of course. Alice's.
It was her way into our group. A chance to get close.
I knew from the day she arrived that she couldn't be trusted.
And I was right.
Because Alice didn't come to the village for peace and quiet.
She came for revenge.

Lucy moves to Cotswold village to escape her life in the city after her affair ended with her boss, wanting to start again. She starts making friends with her neighbours, enjoying the idyllic peaceful village and her lunches out, until a new neighbour moves in next door to her... Alice.

Alice inserts herself into the group and suggests the idea of a book club, where she uses this to try to unearth the groups secrets.
.
.
.
I struggled with how the characters in the book dealt with situations, maybe they felt isolated, but I did feel that they would discuss and confront each other more, especially if they were friends.

Good concept and story, with some good twists and turns. I got frustrated with Lucy a lot. I think the book would have benefited from shorter chapters in places to build the atmosphere and named chapters so you knew who's point of view it was, as it did get confusing not knowing who's point of view it was straight away. Overall a good read, especially if you like psychological books, with a bit of thriller.

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Review: The Book Club

The Book Club by C.J. Cooper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

RTF
Still mulling it over. Good concept and story, with some good twists and turns. I got frustrated with Lucy a lot. I think the book would have benefited from shorter chapters in places to build the atmosphere and named chapters so you knew who's point of view it was.

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Review: The Whisper Man

The Whisper Man by Alex North
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you're looking for a wonderfully creepy, mystery, psychological thriller then, look no further.

After Tom's wife dies suddenly, he is the sole carer for their son Jake, which he struggles to deal with, whilst also grieving. Tom decides that they need a fresh start, so they move, unknown to them to a town with a dark past of children disappearing.

This story is told from multiple points of view and weaves the stories wonderfully, building suspense, intrigue and many moments that will creep you out, while at the same time questioning all the characters and being on a rollercoaster of emotions with them. Ultimately I loved the characters, but for some it took a while, but due to great character development they won me over.

This book had me hooked and I struggled to stop listening to it, shouting at Christopher Eccleston as he shared the story. I really enjoyed being part of a buddy read for this too, as it gave me others to share theories with and be creeped out with, which just added to the experience.

In this psychological thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of suspense, as a father and son are caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

Reviews also published on:
Instagram || Threads || BSky || Fable || Uncover || Coffee and Kindle Blog || The StoryGraph || Amazon || Bookmarks
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View all my reviews