A brutal murder sees Ray Paterson back on the police force with his irreverent colleague John Clocks. But their superior officers do not trust them. Can they solve the case before any other murders take place and they are arrested?
His Mother’s Bones is the seventh book to feature Paterson and Clocks, and it is the second book that I have read (see link in list at end of post for my review).
Detectives Paterson and Clocks are reunited for another dark case. The murders are very grisly, featuring ancient forms of torture to maximise pain to the victims. It is extremely unpleasant and there are also several violent incidents which are graphically described.
Paterson and Clocks are an unlikely pairing which makes their relationship so much more enjoyable to witness. Paterson bends the rules with an air of wealthy confidence. Clocks breaks the rules and stamps on them! Their banter is superbly enjoyable, the language is almost more swear words than not!
Clocks definitely seems to be stuck in the 1970s with his attitudes to women. Some may find this offensive but I suspended my disbelief that he would have been allowed to get away with this behviour in the modern police force.
The pace is intense as the drama unfolds and this was a gripping read as Paterson and Clocks attempt to foil the avenging killer. The ending is action packed and enthralling with a high level of swearing and violence due to the nature of the scenario.
His Mother’s Bones is a brilliantly written book with wonderful lead characters and I loved it!
HIS MOTHER’S BONES an absolutely gripping killer thriller full of twists
(Detective Ray Paterson Book 7)
By Steve Parker
Discover a crime thriller full of shocking twists by one of the most exciting new authors you’ll read this year.
YOU WON’T WANT TO PUT THIS DOWN, PAGE AFTER PAGE OF ACTION AND CLIFFHANGERS. . .
This could be the case that breaks Paterson and Clocks. The police detectives who NEVER play by the rules.
Christine Lord, a judge, is tethered to a court roof. And sentenced to death. By her son.
Detectives Paterson and Clocks are called to the scene of a murder. A man has been publicly displayed in a local park. His method of death is an ancient ritual known as a ‘Blood Eagle’.
The victim is someone with very close ties to the detectives.
And now another gruesome ritualistic killing . . . who is behind them and why the elaborate murder methods? Time is running out for Paterson and Clocks to stop their ultimate enemy.
A RACE-AGAINST-TIME THRILLER WHICH WILL HAVE YOU TOTALLY ADDICTED.
This is the seventh in a series of action-packed, edge-of-your-seat crime thrillers, with an ending that will have your heart in your mouth.
Perfect for fans of Kimberley Chambers, Damien Boyd, Rachel Abbott, Patricia Gibney or Martina Cole.
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT STEVE PARKER’S BOOKS:
“A must read for all crime thriller fans.” Viv
“A fast-moving action-packed thriller which will keep you enthralled from page one.”
“Another gripping, fast-paced and twisted caper for the most unorthodox police duo in UK fiction.” Donna
“Loved the book, Clocks makes me laugh out loud.” Aileen
THE DETECTIVES
Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is a young and (thanks to family money) wealthy womaniser, separated from his model wife and tipped to be the youngest ever commissioner of police. He knows he’s weak when it comes to practical policing and struggles to find a place among his peers, desperate to be a good policeman and not just a ‘climber’.
Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks is a foul-mouthed, working-class officer. He grew up surrounded by rogues and villains to become a first-class thief taker with the Met police. However, his childish attitude has short-circuited his career and he spends his days antagonising as many people as he can.
STEVE PARKER
Steve Parker was born and raised in south east London. At age twenty-one he joined the Metropolitan Police where he served for twenty years in numerous high profile squads before injury forced him out.
On leaving the police he took up an enforcement job with a local authority until being made redundant. Once the dust had settled, he decided he’d had enough of enforcement work and decided that early retirement looked good.
Thankfully, he was blessed with a complete lack of DIY skills so was legitimately able to get away with swanning around the house doing bugger all, all day long. Finding himself with plenty of spare time and a deep desire to never work for anyone again, he dug out an old screenplay he’d written when he was still a policeman and set himself a challenge to turn it into the book which eventually became his debut novel Their Last Words introducing Detectives Paterson & Clocks.
He currently lives in the windier part of East Sussex with his wife and the laziest Cockapoo you’ve ever seen.
At the moment, there are seven books in the series.
TRIGGER WARNING; this book includes child abduction and murder
A young boy is found dead and displayed in a way that suggests a ritual or Satanic influence. The police call in Dr Harrison Lane to help with their investigation. Another boy is abducted: can Dr Lane’s insights help to find him before another murder ensues…?
Preacher Boy is the first book in a new series. It features Dr Harrison Lane and the police team he works with. There are three characters that stand out for me and we are thoroughly introduced to them in this opening book.
Dr Harrison Lane has a dark past. He is facing his own demons in the form of an upheaval during his childhood, the death of his mother and the flashbacks which haunt him. His background also gives him extra skills and insights which help him advance the investigation.
Police officers Sandra Barker and Jack Salter have contrasting personal lives. Sandra is married to the job, rarely seeing her family due to long hours. Her addiction to chocolate gives her a human balance against the authority figure she presents. Jack has a newborn baby and a wife with postnatal depression. He is struggling to focus on his work due to his fears of what may be happening at home.
The case itself is quite nasty and deeply emotive. There are forensic details that are grisly but these relate to an adult body (thankfully?!) The personal dimension to the main characters counteracts the atrocities they investigate. It also serves to make us care about their wellbeing as the action ramps up towards the end of the book.
Preacher Boy is a fab start to a new series and I look forward to seeing where the author takes the characters in the next book.
Preacher Boy – first in the Dr Harrison Lane series
IT’S TIME FOR A NEW CRIME MYSTERY HERO
Dr Harrison Lane is everything you wouldn’t expect from a man with a psychology doctorate. For victims, he’s everything they need.
They look, but they don’t see…
As Head of the Metropolitan Police’s Ritualistic Behavioural Crimes Unit, Dr Harrison Lane knows his Voodoo from his Aum Shinrikyo and a Satanist from a Shaman.
Harrison had an unusual childhood, raised by a bohemian mother and one of the native American Shadow Wolves – the elite tracking squad that works with US Drug enforcers. After his mother’s murder, he dedicated his life to tracking down those who hide behind spiritualism and religion to do evil.
Following the discovery of a missing boy’s body in what looks like a Satanic killing, Harrison is called in to help detectives. When a second boy is snatched, it becomes a race against time to save him, and sees Harrison come face-to-face with some dark secrets from his own childhood.
Preacher Boy is the first book in a gripping new crime mystery series from Amazon Top 20 bestselling author, Gwyn GB. Perfect for fans of LJ Ross, JD Kirk, J.R. Ellis, J M Dalgliesh, Rachel Abbott, Joy Ellis and David Blake.
Gwyn is an Amazon Top 20 bestselling author. She’s a former UK national TV newscaster and presenter, and journalist for national newspapers and magazines. Gwyn became a journalist and has finally realised her dream of being a full-time fiction author. Born in the UK, Gwyn now lives in the Channel Islands with her family, including a rescue dog and 17-year-old goldfish.
Gwyn launched her debut novel, Islands as Gwyn Garfield-Bennett in 2016, the romantic suspense book rose quickly into the Amazon top 20. Her first crime mystery series, featuring DI Falle, launched with Lonely Hearts in 2017.
Jewish watchmaker Isaac is captured by the Nazis and transported to Dachau. His skills single him out and he is forced to work directly and personally for Becher. He befriends Anna, another Jew in the household who is serving as a maid but lives in fear of drawing attention to herself. Isaac also begins an unlikely friendship with the Bechers’ son Friedrich who is blissfuly ignorant of the Nazi Final Solution…
I read The Watchmaker of Dachau in a state of trepidation and dread. There are some Holocaust atrocities included which will make your stomach churn with revulsion. However, the author shows the insidious fear that shadowed each and every encounter.
Isaac and Anna’s perspective contrasts wonderfully and terribly with Friedrich’s desperately unhappy childhood. They have both known love and a caring family whilst Friedrich has been indoctrinated with Nazi rhetoric but is deeply unhappy with his parents. We see another perspective, again one of love as Isaac discovers beautifully tragic letters hidden in his work shed.
Kindness, love and hope remain constant despite the devastating reality faced by the Dachau inmates. The book felt very unique to have a child’s viewpoint feature heavily and the juxtaposition of Friedrich’s emotional prison was just as real as the tragedy within the camp. The motif of smelling lemons being indicative of death is tragic yet poignant.
The Watchmaker of Dachau is difficult to read at times due to its powerful topic but overall it is an uplifting book and a privilege to read. The plot weaves together beautifully and I loved how the epilogue brought the strands of the story together.
The Watchmaker of Dachau book description:
An unforgettable novel of human kindness, inspired by an incredible true story.
Snow falls and a woman prepares for a funeral she has long expected, yet hoped would never come. As she pats her hair and straightens her skirt, she tells herself this isn’t the first time she’s lost someone. Lifting a delicate, battered wristwatch from a little box on her dresser, she presses it to her cheek. Suddenly, she’s lost in memory…
January 1945, Dachau, Germany. As the train rattles through the bright, snowy Bavarian countryside, the still beauty outside the window hides the terrible scenes inside the train, where men and women are packed together, cold and terrified. Jewish watchmaker Isaac Schüller can’t understand how he came to be here, and is certain he won’t be leaving alive.
When the prisoners arrive at Dachau concentration camp, Isaac is unexpectedly pulled from the crowd and installed in the nearby household of Senior Officer Becher and his young, pretty, spoiled wife. With his talent for watchmaking, Isaac can be of use to Becher, but he knows his life is only worth something here as long as Becher needs his skills.
Anna Reznick waits table and washes linens for the Bechers, who dine and socialise and carry on as if they don’t constantly have death all around them. When she meets Isaac she knows she’s found a true friend, and maybe more. But Dachau is a dangerous place where you can never take love for granted, and when Isaac discovers a heartbreaking secret hidden in the depths of Becher’s workshop, it will put Anna and Issac in terrible danger…
A gorgeously emotional and tear-jerking read set during World War Two. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, We Were the Lucky Ones and The Alice Network.
Author Bio:
Carly Schabowski worked as a journalist in both North Cyprus and Australia before returning to Oxford, where she studied for an MA and then a PhD in creative writing at Oxford Brookes University. Carly now teaches at Oxford Brookes University as an associate lecturer in Creative Writing for first and second-year English literature students.
Marco Venetti is a priest with a past. One of passion and peril. Now he is settled into his church life until one day his former love Elena arrives to give confession. Her family are being held hostage and she wants absolution for the crimes that will result from her efforts to free them. Marco jumps into action to save Elena and becomes embroiled in a conspiracy to counter a plot to murder the pope.
It has been a while since I’ve read an action thriller and I really enjoyed it! The mission makes completely compelling reading and the tension built over the course of the book.
Marco’s spirituality and the realism of his human nature were explored convincingly. I also loved the words of wisdom from the pope in relation to the battle against terrorism and the state of the world today. Marco feels torn between his faith and his feelings. He is a really likeable character who does what is right but not always easy, and appreciates the nuances of his actions. His awareness of the consequences for himself and the world make his decision making processes interesting.
The European settings were enjoyable and the lack of a British or American lead made this book feel quite unique. The inclusion of a black pope and the Nigerian Boko Haram added another dimension to the book which felt inspired and original. The ethical and moral dynamic resonates through the events of the book. Religion and politics are inextricably connected and explored in a sensitive way.
The Vatican Conspiracy was a tense and interesting thriller. There is plenty of scope for future books and I look forward to reading more from Peter Vogenkamp soon…
“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned…” Marco Venetti has heard the words thousands of times before. But this is a cry for help, not absolution—and soon Marco finds himself racing against time to foil a conspiracy aimed at the heart of the Vatican…
It is an ordinary day in Marco Venetti’s quiet coastal parish—but the woman who’s come to confess is not ordinary. Marco has always been drawn to beautiful Elena, and she brings news that will shatter his peace.
Elena’s sister and daughter have been kidnapped, to force her to bring a gang of ruthless men into the country—if she doesn’t, her family will be brutally killed. But if she obeys, many more innocents will die… In her desperation she turns to Marco, knowing his time in the military has given him the skills she needs. Determined to protect her, Marco draws on the violent past he has tried to forget.
A terrifying battle on a rocky island offshore leaves no survivors. But after the last man is dead, Marco finds a note on one of the men’s bodies, a map that reveals their ultimate goal: a deadly terrorist attack on the Vatican City itself.
Marco and Elena find themselves racing to reach the Vatican City, and stop the deadly threat against the pope. But Marco quickly realises that his mission isn’t over. Accompanied by a CIA assassin, Marco must prevent a deadly weapon falling into the wrong hands or see a truly apocalyptic outcome. Once more he must confront his own darker nature, and decide whether a man of God can justify going to war…
For fans of Joel C. Rosenberg, Tom Clancy and Steven Konkoly, The Vatican Conspiracy is a non-stop explosive thriller of betrayal, revenge and world-shaking conspiracy.
Author Bio:
Peter Hogenkamp was born in upstate New York and attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. (Go Crusaders!) He graduated in 1986 and was exiled to Europe for three years by his premedical adviser, for which he will be grateful the rest of his days. Spending the next three years – supposedly – teaching chemistry and algebra in Salzburg, Austria, he traveled extensively, drank a lot of beer and made many a lifelong friend. In his travels, he found dozens of great places for scenes in a thriller: castles perched on cliffs; monasteries tucked away in alpine valleys; villages built above rocky coastlines; cities soaked in history. When he isn’t writing or hiking with his strong-willed Cairn Terrier, Hermione, Peter practices medicine with his lovely wife, Lisa (who does most of the heavy lifting), hosts Your Health Matters, which airs on cable television, streams on YouTube and sounds off on podcast, and tends to the needs of his four children.
TRIGGER WARNING: Flowers for the Dead contains sexual and emotional abuse
Adam doesn’t look for victims, he looks for women to love him. When this fails to happen in the flesh, he kills them so that their souls become part of him. Laura is the next woman he falls in love with, but she has no idea as she struggles to deal with her own grief. Her vulnerability makes her the perfect date…
It is so tricky to sum up my feelings about this book. I really enjoyed reading Flowers for the Dead but it was so awful in places. Throughout the whole book we are shown the dreadful life experiences of Adam who becomes a serial killer due to the sexual and emotional abuse he suffers at the hands of his mother. This is seriously uncomfortable to read and immediately got me sympathetic to the killer.
Meanwhile you have the plot line of Laura who is recovering from the car crash that killed her entire family, again a tug at the heart strings. Then you have the background of the police officer Mike who is also bereaved. The emotional pull and the likeability of the characters, especially the killer, makes the readers’ reactions to the events of the book more complex.
The plot of Flowers for the Dead is all about life moving forward on the part of all three main strand characters. Part of me wanted Adam to be caught and helped to recover from his terrible past but I think the actual ending was fitting if somewhat predictable.
Flowers for the Dead is a very intense psychological thriller, disturbing but utterly engaging.
He sees her. The one. The sunglasses don’t fool anyone, she is clearly upset, her nose and lips swollen from crying. They are two lost souls and he knows his love can help her. After all, she is not the first girl he has followed home…
Adam is the perfect boyfriend. He pays attention, he buys flowers. He knows everything about Laura and looks after her every need. He cooks, he cleans – he even does the dishes without being asked.
But Laura has never met Adam. Still grieving after a devastating car crash that killed her family, she’s forgetful and struggling to pull her life together. She’d be horrified to know the depth of this unsettling fantasy in which she is the star. But there’s no denying the chill she feels every time she finds another elaborate bouquet on her doorstep, or wakes in the night sensing she is not alone.
Adam has been watching her every move, and now it’s time to act. Except, there’s one little detail he’s missed: Laura has been watching him too.
After everything she’s been through, Laura’s ready to fight back and stop being the victim in her own life story. But in Adam’s world, there are no happy endings…
An unputdownable thriller guaranteed to have you sleeping with the light on and questioning everything you think you know about serial-killer thrillers! Perfect for fans of You by Caroline Kepnes, My Lovely Wife by Samantha Dowling and The One by John Marrs.
Author Bio:
Barbara is the Amazon and USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers INVISIBLE, FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD, THE DARKEST LIES, and HER LAST SECRET.
More importantly, she loves cakes, wildlife photography and, last but definitely not least, her two dogs, Scamp and Buddy (who force her to throw tennis balls for them for hours).
Having spent over twenty years as a national newspaper and magazine journalist, Barbara has interviewed the real victims of crime – and also those who have carried those crimes out. She is fascinated by creating realistic, complex characters, and taking them apart before the readers’ eyes in order to discover just how much it takes to push a person over a line.
When not writing feverishly, she is often found hiding behind a camera, taking wildlife photographs.
