Daisy in Chains by Sharon Bolton

Publication: September 20, 2016

Publisher: Minotaur Books
Source: Bought/Own

He’s a serial killer. A murderer of young women, all killed in brutal attacks. But despite Hamish Wolfe’s conviction, he’s always stuck to his story—he’s innocent and he’s been wrongly imprisoned. And now he wants someone to investigate and, more importantly, to write his story. Maggie Rose is a notorious defense attorney and writer whose specialty is getting convictions overturned. At first, Maggie is reluctant to even acknowledge Hamish’s requests to meet, ignoring his letters. But this is a very charismatic and persuasive man, good-looking and intelligent. Eventually even she can’t resist his lure…

Hamish Wolfe has been sitting in jail, waiting for the right moment to make his move. He knows there is only one person that can save him. And that person is Maggie Rose. Maggie is very good at her job. She has been able to get convictions overturned no matter if the person was guilty or innocent. Which is why Hamish wants Maggie in his corner. This story is not black and white though. And it soon becomes apparent that both of these characters have something to hide.

I really enjoy Sharon Bolton’s writing. She has a way of creating interesting and complex characters and inserting them into equally interesting and complex stories. I liked how  newspaper articles and case information was interspersed throughout the story. And the POV switched between Maggie and Hamish and even the Detective on a few occasions. I’ve always said it and I will say it again...I love a good suspense/mystery. Daisy in Chains is a great suspenseful tale. It kept me guessing, every step of the way. I was surprised by the twist towards the end. I definitely did not see everything coming. And days after I finished reading the book, I was still thinking about it.  So far, this author has not disappointed me with any of her books that I have read. I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next.

RATING: 5  out of 5

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A Dark and Twisted Tide (Lacey Flint #4) by Sharon Bolton

Publication: June 3, 2014

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Source:  Publisher

Young policewoman Lacey Flint knows that the Thames is a dangerous place – after all, she lives on it and works on it – but she’s always been lucky. Until one day, when she finds a body floating in the water. Who was this woman and why was she wrapped so carefully in white burial cloths before being hidden in the fast-flowing depths? DCI Dana Tulloch hates to admit it, but she’s fond of the mysterious Lacey. Even if she keeps on interfering in her investigations, and is meddling with the latest floater case. But now she's got to break some terrible news to her - news that could destroy Lacey's fragile state of mind. And Lacey will need to keep her wits about her because there's a killer that's lurking around her boat, leaving her gifts she'd rather not receive . . .

When I open a Sharon Bolton book, I know that there are at least two things I can expect. 1. Great character development. 2. Several twists and turns that will have me second guessing everything.

And that was exactly what I got. There is nothing like a good murder/suspense story. A Dark and Twisted Tide was a fun one to get into. After reading the previous book Lost, I was curious to discover what was going to happen next with Lacey.

Even though she now works with the Marine Policing Unit, she doesn’t know how to stay out of trouble. Then again, she wouldn’t be the Lacey I have come to know and love if she did. Of course it isn’t long before Lacey is right in the thick of a murder investigation involving women being murdered and thrown into the Thames.

Though I wasn’t terribly surprised to find out that she lives on a houseboat, I was little disappointed that Mark doesn’t have a larger presence in this story, but there were several characters to keep track of that it didn’t bother me too much.

Sharon Bolton always manages to write a novel that keeps my interest and makes me want to keep reading to find out what is going to happen next. And it didn’t take me long to get pulled into this story. The ending however didn’t really surprise me. I had guessed it a little earlier.  But I did enjoy the book. It has possible human trafficking, murder, and a creepy stalker in the water. This may sound like a weird combination, but the author brings all these things together really well in away that only she can. I will definitely pick up her next book in an instant.

RATING: 4 out of 5.

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Lost (Lacey Flint #3) by Sharon Bolton

Publication: June 4, 2013

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Like everyone reading the newspapers these days, 10-year-old Barney Roberts knows the killer will strike again soon. The victim will be another boy, just like him. The body will be drained of blood, and left somewhere on a Thames beach. There will be no clues for London detectives Dana Tulloch and Mark Joesbury to find. There will be no warning about who will be next. There will be no real reason for Barney’s friend and neighbor, Lacey Flint, on leave from her job as a London police detective, to become involved…and no chance that she can stay away. With the clock ticking, the violence escalating, and young lives at stake, Lacey and Barney both know they can’t afford a single wrong step if they hope to make it through alive. S.J. Bolton, an award-winning author of five novels, delivers her most compelling novel to date, in which a fragile police detective and a courageous, lonely eleven-year-old boy must work together to unmask a killer. Lost provides all of the pulse-pounding suspense, beautifully drawn characters, and intricate plotting thriller fans could hope for—and more. Please note, this title is published in the UK as Like This For Ever.

Lacey has had a tough go of things over the last few months. She is still traumatized by what happened when she was in Cambridge. Regardless of what occurred, she doesn’t want to talk about it. Not even to a physiatrist that she is forced to see if she wants to keep her job. Lacey spends a lot of her time attempting to keep busy by biking, walking, using a punching bag, but it isn’t always enough to keep her inner demons at bay.

She befriends a little boy named Barney, who lives with his father next door to her.  Barney notices things that other people normally may not. He is a very observant and smart boy with some OCD tendencies. After five boys go missing in London and turn up dead, Barney and his group of friends begin to follow the case very closely. But Barney seems to be fixated more than most about the case.   

Even though Lacey isn’t a part of this investigation, before she can even realize it, she is drawn into the events that begin to unfold.

I’ve liked Sharon Bolton’s writing ever since I read Now You See Me, the first book in the Lacey Flint Series. Out of all three books, I think I prefer this one over the second book, but the first book is my favorite.

The writer does a really nice job of weaving together a story that had me engrossed from the beginning. I started suspecting one person, then second-guessing a couple more people…and yet I didn’t see the ending coming. She threw enough suspicion and twists into the story that I never could piece together who the killer was until the end.  

If crime thrillers or police procedurals stories are up your alley, than I would definitely recommend this book/series.

RATING: 4½ out of 5.

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Dead Scared (Lacey Flint #2) by S.J. Bolton

Synopsis:

When a rash of suicides tears through Cambridge University, DI Mark Joesbury recruits DC Lacey Flint to go undercover as a student to investigate. Although each student’s death appears to be a suicide, the psychological histories, social networks, and online activities of the students involved share remarkable similarities, and the London police are not convinced that the victims acted alone. They believe that someone might be preying on lonely and insecure students and either encouraging them to take their own lives or actually luring them to their deaths. As long as Lacey can play the role of a vulnerable young woman, she may be able to stop these deaths, but is it just a role for her? With her fragile past, is she drawing out the killers, or is she herself being drawn into a deadly game where she’s a perfect victim?

Dark and compelling, S. J. Bolton’s latest thriller—a follow-up to the acclaimed Now You See Me—is another work of brilliant psychological suspense that plumbs the most sinister depths.

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Pretty much right after I finished Now You See Me, I bought Dead Scared and quickly began reading…

Not long after the whole ripper business, Mark Joesbury requests Lucy Flint’s assistance looking into some strange goings-on at Cambridge University. Students, mainly women have been committing suicide in abnormal ways and Lucy is sent there to pose as a student. It is not long before she is targeted and yet again her life and others are put in danger. Lucy just may have gotten more than she bargained for.

Dead Scared is the second book in the Lacy Flint novels. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I did her previous book, Now You See Me. This one was a little more predictable than her first story, but there was still a good element of surprise in the story. I was not too keen on the ending of the book…it fell flat…for me at least. It was fine, but I was hoping for an ending with a bit more bite to it I guess. Other than that the plot was entertaining and worthwhile.

S.J. Bolton has a way of writing that catches the readers’ attention and gets the mind/imagination working. I love when a writer is able to do that. That is what makes reading fun to me. 

Her latest novel Lost is set to release on June 04, 2013.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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