#Head of Zeus - Aria & Aries

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

The Teacher by Tim Sullivan

DS Cross #6

Excellent addition to the series ~ Made me thankful I did NOT go to a school with a headmaster like the one in this book!

What I liked:

* DS George Cross: brilliant, diligent, tenacious, has Autism Spectrum Condition, plays the organ, close to his father (Raymond), very literal, doesn’t grasp undercurrents or jokes or sarcasm, intriguing, focused, excellent detective

* DS Josie Ottey: George’s work partner, widow, mother of two teenage daughters, relies on her mother for childcare, deals with mother-daughter tensions across three generations, patient, kind, and a good fit to work with George

* DCI Ben Carson: in charge-supervisory position, more comfortable in the office than working crime scenes, new father, focused on his future, maturing and showing growth as a person in this book

* The police procedural aspects of the story

* The twists and turns and George’s ability to see each clue that proves someone is not the culprit as a positive rather than a negative outcome

* Alice Mackenzie: police staffer, in a relationship with Dr. Michael Swift, strong, resilient, survivor, is assaulted and presses charges against her attacker

* Dr. Michael Swift: bright, professional, thoughtful, rather taken with Alice, gave testimony that saved an innocent man, noticed for his height

* The intricate plot, deliberate pacing, small town setting, and excellent writing

* Seeing how those that are related to and supportive of George are coming along in the series

* The way all of the threads are tied together, the sexual predator and the murderer are caught

* All of it except…

What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to like

* Thinking about the damage done to so many in boarding schools when corporal punishment was the norm

* Having to wait for the next book

Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries-Head of Zeus for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

He's a victim. But is he innocent?

THE BODY In a village in South West England, an elderly man is found dead in his home. The angle of his neck says he fell down the stairs. The stab wound on his body tells a different story.

THE EVIDENCE In the weeks before his murder, Alistair Moreton changed. He usually kept himself to himself, but people swear there was someone in the house when they checked on him, that there was a reason he wouldn’t let them inside.

THE PUNISHMENT Moreton made people’s lives a misery, from his neighbours to his ex-pupils. While DS George Cross’s list of suspects is long, every victim deserves justice.

But in all of Alistair’s years, there was something important he never learned:

If you go through life making enemies, don’t be surprised when they teach you a lesson.

[annarellix]

Zero Kill by M.K. Hill

Meet Elsa Zero: Bad neighbour. Single mother. Ex-deep cover agent. And right now, the most dangerous person on Earth.

When Elsa's dull but dedicated boyfriend proposes in a packed restaurant, she doesn't think her evening can get any worse. But as the clock strikes midnight, her world is turned upside down. Suddenly Elsa is running for her life, trying to keep her children safe, and desperate to discover what the hell is going on. Every intelligence agency in the world wants her dead because she's in possession of a deadly secret – she just has to stay alive long enough to figure out what it is. But this is Elsa Zero we're talking about.

And it's a very bad idea to get on her wrong side.

My Review: Elsa Zero is not your average sporty MILF, she's a kickass heroine you cannot help loving as she alternates serious fighting skill with being a mother and trying to survive. It starts during a date night that turns into a hell date night as I would be happy to discover that the guy who just give a diamond ring is trying to kill me. It's the beginning of a fast paced, twisty and highly entertaining spy thriller that keeps you turning pages as there's not a moment of calm and there's always someone new trying to kill Elsa. She's in possession of a secret but she doesn't know what it is. This is a super fast paced and action packed thriller but also a very entertaining book with moments of pure fun. It caused me sleep deprivation due to fun and cant-stop-reading-syndrome Highly recommended. Many thanks to Aria & Aries for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The author M.K. Hill worked as a journalist and an award-winning music radio producer before becoming a full-time writer. He's written the Sasha Dawson series, Ray Drake series and the highly-acclaimed psychological thriller One Bad Thing. He lives in London.

Buy  link : Amazon: https://geni.us/ZKblogtour

AUTHOR Social Handles Twitter: @markhillwriter Facebook: M.K. Hill Author Website: https://www.mkhill.uk/

Aries/Head of Zeus Social Handles Twitter: @AriesFiction Facebook: Aries Fiction Instagram: @headofzeus TikTok: @headofzeus Website: http://www.headofzeus.com

[ash-and-books]

Rating:  2/5

Book blurb: Rachel Savernake faces her most puzzling murder yet in this glamorous gothic mystery from the winner of the CWA Diamond Dagger.'This is my challenge for you,' the woman in white said. 'I want you to solve my murder.'

London, 1930s: Rachel Savernake has been invited to a private view of an art exhibition at a fashionable gallery. The artist, Damaris Gethin, known as 'the Queen of Surrealism', is debuting a show featuring live models pretending to be waxworks of famous killers. Before her welcoming speech, Damaris asks a haunting favour of the amateur sleuth: she wants Rachel to solve her murder. As Damaris takes to a stage set with a guillotine, the lights go out. There is a cry and the blade falls. Damaris has executed herself.While Rachel questions why Damaris would take her own life – and just what she meant by 'solve my murder' – fellow party guest Jacob Flint is chasing a lead on a glamorous socialite with a sordid background. As their paths merge, this case of false identities, blackmail, and fedora-adorned doppelgängers, will descend upon a grand home on Sepulchre Street, where nothing – and no one – is quite what it seems.

Review:

What happens when someone asks you to solve their murder... right before they are killed? Rachel Saversnake is invited to a private view of an art exhibition at a gallery. The artist Damaris Gethin is known as the Queen of Surrealism and is debuting a show featuring love models pretending to be waxworks of famous serial killers. Right before her welcome speech Damaris asks Rachel to solve her murder... only then to have Damaris get up on a stage with a guillotine and then have the blade fall and execute her. Rachel can’t resist a mystery but it looks like Damaris killed herself... yet the question remains, what if someone else killer her. Now Rachel will have to go through the suspects and discover all the secrets from illicit romances, past dalliances, fedora wearing doppelgangers, and so much more all happening on Sepulchre Street. This was told in a classic cluefinder way with the story hinting at the beginning of who did it and what was to come. This is part of a series but can be read as a standalone. This is a fun read for fans of gothic mysteries. 

*Thanks Netgalley and Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

I AM FEAR by Ethan Cross

The Ackerman Thrillers #2

  Once again, the story begins with Ackerman ready to play a game…a potentially deadly and very painful game. Francis Ackerman is a force to be reckoned with or so Marcus Williams and his team believe so. It seems that Francis is always one step ahead of Marcus, though, and as Marcus has a job to do he cannot focus his entire attention on Francis. No, this time he begins with one case and quickly is sent on to find The Anarchist and what a heinous serial killer The Anarchist is!

  What I liked:

* Francis: I know, I know…how can I like a serial killer, you ask? Well, he has his own code of ethics, doesn’t seem totally unsalvageable and does care about at least one person on the earth. Sure,  he doesn’t mind inflicting pain and death but in this book at least some of the time there seemed to be a purpose for it…well…sort of?

* Marcus: a good man that questions his goodness and wonders if there is a future for him other than the one his path has taken him on so far.

* Maggie: I think she has potential with Marcus…maybe? Time will tell as the series progresses although she seemed a wee bit jealous at times and perhaps not the stability Marcus needs but maybe she will grow on me?  

* That the most heinous killers in the book had some redeemable qualities…sort of? At least I could relate to them and even though I couldn’t really like them I at times felt sorry for them…a bit.

* The pace, writing, intensity and all the rest

* Knowing that there will be another book to look forward to in the future.

  What I didn’t like:

* The way some people are willing to manipulate others. More than one person manipulated, used, abused, tortured and killed in this book.

* Having to wait to find out what happens next.

  Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Was the story dark? Definitely

  Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries/Head of Zeus for the ARC – This is my honest review.

  5 Stars

    BLURB

  They say face your fears. Here I am.

  OLD ENEMIES... Francis Ackerman Jr. is one of America's most prolifific serial killers. Scarred from their past battles, Special Agent Marcus Williams cannot shake Ackerman from his mind. But now Marcus must focus on catching the Anarchist, a new killer who drugs and kidnaps women before burning them alive.

  NEW THREATS... Marcus knows the Anarchist will strike again soon. And Ackerman is still free. But worse than this is a mysterious figure, unknown to the authorities, who controls the actions of the Anarchist and many like him. He is the Prophet – and his plans are more terrible than even his disciples can imagine.

    Praise for Ethan Cross:

  'THE SURPRISES ARE FAST AND FURIOUS AND WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESS TO READ MORE' LISA GARDNER

  'Francis Ackerman [is] a manipulative monster with a corrupt conscience' THE TIMES

  'A fast paced, all too real thriller with a villain right out of James Patterson and Criminal Minds' ANDREW GROSS

  'A great mix of gruesome murders, a psychotic killer, revenge and great writing' CRIMESQUAD