Touching Evil by Kay Hooper

No. of pages: 358
Rating: 10/10
Series: Evil Trilogy (Book 1)
Special Crimes Unit (Book 4)

Synopsis: Sometimes evil lingers so close, you can feel it....

Seattle police sketch artist Maggie Barnes has an extraordinary gift. She listens as traumatized crime victims describe their ordeals — and then uses those horrifying recollections to draw dead-on sketches of the assailants. Some cops think Maggie is telepathic, that she can actually enter the victims’ minds. Only Maggie knows the truth behind her rare talent ... and she isn’t telling. But her secret may be exposed when a madman seizes Seattle in his terrifying grip. He abducts women and blinds them, leaving them barely alive. The police have one hope: the lone victim who might recover her sight. But they don’t know that Maggie has her own dark connection to the monster — an eerie link that may stretch back to a string of unsolved murders. To stop the escalating terror, Maggie will have to push her abilities to the breaking point — even if it means confronting a predator whose powers seem to have no bounds....

Review: This is a really great thriller book, I've read it several times now and enjoy it every time. Maggie is a police sketch artist with a special talent, and when women start being viciously attacked, raped and blinded, she feels it's her duty to stop the evil that's doing it...even if she has to sacrifice herself. The characters are very well written, and you really feel like you get to know them and their motivations for doing what they do throughout the book.

The story kicks off right from the very first page, and keeps going every step of the way throughout. The attacks are pretty violent, and Kay manages to write them very well. I also really enjoyed the paranormal aspect, and thought it fit in well with the story. Although part of a trilogy within a series, each book can be read independently as it's the paranormal unit that connects the books rather than the same characters everytime. Kay Hooper writes her books in sets of 3 within the general series of the Special Crime Unit books and the titles are connected in each trilogy. The Evil trilogy is the only set of books I've read, but I'm hoping to get the Shadow trilogy which is the first 3 books of the Special Crime Unit series. I would definitely recommend these to anyone who likes a fast paced thriller with a paranormal twist throughout.

Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens

No. of pages: 280
Rating: 9/10
Series: Heavenly (Book 1)

Synopsis: I met someone who changed everything. Matthias. My autistic sister's guardian angel. Honest. Inspiring. Funny. Hot. And immortal. That was the problem. What could I do? I did what any other girl would do - I fell in love with him. Zoe's sister darts in front of cars. Her brother's a pothead. Her parents are so overwhelmed; they don't see Zoe lost in her broken life. Zoe escapes the only way she knows how: partying. Matthias, a guardian sent from Heaven, watches over Zoe's autistic sister. After Zoe is convinced he's legit, angel and lost girl come together in a love that changes destiny. But Heaven on Earth can't last forever.

Review: This is the first book I've ever read by Jennifer Laurens and I was blown away by how great it was. The story is mainly about Zoe, she's fed up with her troubled life since her autistic sister Abria was born, and has turned to drink and partying to escape from it all. Then a handsome guy starts popping up around Abria anytime she's in trouble, and Zoe comes to realise she's seeing an angel. She slowly starts falling in love with him, and he with her, but how can they be together when he's an angel, and she's mortal?

I have to admit, this story gripped me from the first page and I couldn't put it down until I was finished with it. The story was realistic, and evolved really well, drawing me in and making me feel for the characters. I enjoyed reading the romance evolving, as well as Zoe growing up and becoming a woman. I'll be honest, I don't believe in heaven or God, so I was a little apprehensive about that aspect of the story, but it was beautifully written and enjoyable to read. I'd really recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA books, you won't regret it, and I can't wait for the follow up book!

The Birthing House by Christopher Ransom

No. of pages: 407
Rating: 1/10

Synopsis: When Conrad Harrison impulse-buys a big old house in Wisconsin, his wife Jo doesn't share his enthusiasm, reluctant at the idea of leaving their LA life - so Conrad is left to set up their new home as she ties up loose ends at work. But Conrad's new purchase is not all that it seems. Soon Conrad is hearing the ghostly wailing of a baby in the night, seeing blood on the floor and being haunted by a woman who looks exactly like Jo. With his wife away, Conrad becomes obsessed by the pregnant girl next door, Nadia, who claims to be a victim of the evil in the house. The crying leads him to a bricked-up body, and the mystery of the Birthing House unravels, pulling in Jo, Nadia and leading Conrad to a nightmarish conclusion...

Review: This is quite simply the worst book I've read in a long time and I would advise people to not waste their money on it! The first third of the book is filled with pointless and quite cringeworthy sex scenes, and a lot of unnecessary swearing. After that it starts to tell the story, which whilst a good premise, just wasn't written well at all and it still had the random sex scenes scattered in. I didn't connect to any of the characters and feel like they changed so dramatically from scene to scene it was not realistic in the slightest. My biggest dislike was the way some of the characters talked, substituting 'dare' for 'there' as the only accented word in a sentence, it was just poor writing in my view. The ending was terrible too, so all I can recommend is to avoid this book at all costs!

Dead Run by Erica Spindler

No. of pages: 466
Rating: 9/10

Synopsis: "I'm in trouble, Liz. I've uncovered something . . . They're watching . . . "

That panicked message on her answering machine is the last time Liz Ames hears from her sister Rachel, pastor of Paradise Christian Church in Key West, Florida. Compelled to uncover the truth about her sister's disappearance, she heads to Key West. Within hours of her arrival a successful banker jumps to his death. Then a teenage girl whom Rachel was counseling is found brutally murdered. The ritualistic style of the killing is hauntingly similar to that used by the notorious "New Testament" serial killer -- now on death row. Could the teen's murder be related to Rachel's disappearance? Is a copycat killer at work? And why do the police refuse to help? For answers, Liz turns to Rick Wells, a former Miami cop who worked the fringes of the "New Testament" investigation. Together they peel away layers of deception to reveal a terrifying adversary -- and the unspeakable evil at the heart of this island paradise.

Review: Erica Spindler really knows how to write mystery thrillers, and she's well known for the twists she throws into her books. Dead Run is no different, the ending is sure to catch you off guard, and I have to admit, I didn't have a clue the murderer was who it was. The story begins with Liz's sister Rachel, a pastor in Key West, going missing. With the police claiming that she must have just got up and left, Liz heads to Key West to try and find out what happened to Rachel. When people suddenly start dying violently, Liz is positive it must be connected to her sister's disappearance, but with the police brushing her off as a crazy woman, she decides to find out for herself what's happening on the Island with a little help from Rick Wells, a local bar owner who used to be a cop. What they stumble into is a deadly satanic game, and when Liz starts getting death threats, she realises how serious it is.

The story was gripping and was full of action right from the first page. She writes fantastically, the story flows so well and is very easy to lose yourself in. The only reason I gave it a 4.5/5 is because I've read other books by Erica and know them to be even better than this one. I would definitely recommend this to Thriller fans, and would also recommend See Jane Die and Copycat, my two favourite books by this author.

Never Say Die by Tess Gerritsen

No. of pages: 277
Rating: 8/10

Synopsis: Twenty years after her father's plane crashed in the jungles of Southeast Asia, Willy Jane Maitland was finally tracking his last moves. She recognised the dangers, but her search for the truth about that fateful flight was the only thing that mattered. Closing in on the events of that night, Willy realises that she is investigating secrets that people would kill to protect. And without knowing who to trust, the truth can be far from clear cut...

Review: Before Tess made it big writing her popular Rizzoli/Isles series, she wrote romantic thrillers, and Never Say Die is one of them. It was originally published in 1992 and has been re-released in light of her new found fame. While not as good as her current books, you can definitely recognise her writing, and it's still a good story.

Willy Maitland is searching for her father who died when his plane went down during the war 20 years previously, but when people start dropping dead, she realises there's something that is trying to be covered up. Woven through this is Willy's relationship with Guy Barnard, who insists on helping her, but Willy suspects his motives. Some of the plot is fairly predictable, especially the romance aspect, but the thriller side keeps it moving along nicely and the ending is good. I would say I prefer her newer books which don't have the big romance aspects that the older ones do, but it was still really enjoyable to read, and I'll probably keep picking up her old ones.

Cut by Cathy Glass

No. of pages: 310
Rating: 9/10

Synopsis: Desperate to start a family, Cathy and her husband John volunteer as foster parents, and so begins their relationship with Dawn, a shy and polite thirteen-year-old whom Cathy treats as a daughter. When Cathy discovers she is pregnant with a baby of her own, their lives seems to be complete, but it soon becomes obvious that Dawn is going to be much harder to help than they had first imagined. Cathy awakes in the middle of the night to find Dawn standing over her baby's cot, and a nightmare begins. When Cathy asks Dawn about the scars covering her arms, Dawn insists there is nothing to tell. Cathy slowly discovers the terrible childhood Dawn has had, rejected by her parents, left to fend for herself, then subjected to violent treatment by her relatives. But Cathy soon realizes that Dawn's worst enemy is herself.

Review: This is Cathy's third book, but it's set before the other two, back when they first started fostering whilst trying to start a family of their own. Dawn was their second foster child, and she really opened their eyes to how some children have suffered, and the kind of trouble they get in to trying to relieve what they feel about themselves. I read this in one sitting because the writing style is just so easy and flows through so well, you almost don't realise so much time has passed because you get so engrossed in the book. The story is very sad and you feel for Dawn, but you can't help but admire Cathy and her husband John, because they went through a lot of worry and stress when caring for Dawn, but never gave up on her because they wanted her to be happy. Yet another well written book by Cathy Glass, and I will definitely continue to buy her future releases.