The Defenseless by Carolyn Arnold

The Defenseless by Carolyn Arnold
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

FBI Agent Brandon Fisher and the team travelers to Colorado to stop a serial killer that targets men who were charged with animal abuse twenty years ago, but manage to go free.

This is the third book in the Brandon Fisher FBI series and the first I read. It was easy to get into the story and to get to know the FBI agents even though this was the third book, sure there is history that I only get a glimpse of, but that only makes me want to read the previous three books even more.

The case was an interesting one; this is the first serial killer book I read that the killer is after men who have abused animals. This is probably the first time I have in any way sympathized with a serial killer (well to be honest more the cause than the person I question). The sympathy for the killer is also shown in the book. Not many feel that sorry about the men that got killed, not even their significant others. Even the agents felt that this is a case that is tougher because the killer is standing up for those who have no voice.

The ending was a bit weak, it seems that the FBI and the police instead of trying to get it right the first time, tried to arrest every damn suspect, realize that the person was not the one and go after the next one. I mean of course they are bound to find out the right killer in the end if they do so, but how about sitting down, go through the evidence a bit more, cover every corner and not bounce and accuse every suspect. Now I just read, and thought; "no, that's too easy next one."

Other than that, the book was really great! Liked the characters, I liked the forbidden romance between Brandon and Paige and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

The World According to Clarkson by Jeremy Clarkson

The World According to Clarkson by Jeremy Clarkson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first audiobook I have listen to in forever because I'm just not an audiobook person. But I wanted something to listen to at work when I got bored with listening to music, and what to listen to at Volvo? Of course The World According to Clarkson. This has taken me a while to listen to, probably a couple of months since I listen to the audiobook sporadically.

The great thing is that every chapter in this book is around 6-7 minutes long and since it's a collection of Jeremy's Sunday Times columns is every chapter about a different subject so it wasn't a story I was following so it was no problem listen to some chapters now and then. I liked the narrator's voice, but I wished it has been Jeremy Clarkson himself that had been the narrator. That would have been more fun to listen to!

Catching Lightning by Katie Stephens

Catching Lightning by Katie Stephens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mel travelers back to Africa, to bury her parents that have died in a car crash. She carries a lot of anger towards her parents whom she felt abandoned her to a boarding school when she was young to traveler back to Kenya to run an orphanage and a school. Mel was born in Kenya, but she and her parents left when she was little and she has never been back since then, both because of her anger towards her parents and because of is afraid to fly.

I was expecting a romance book when I started to read this one, and yes there is romance in this book, but it is also so much more, it's about finding yourself. Mel has to make peace with the past and by reading her mother's diary and scrapbook she comes to better grip with her past and why her parents returned to Kenya. She has always felt that her parents loved Kenya more than her, but through the reading of the books, meeting the people that worked with her parents and the children there do she realize that that she didn't know the whole truth. And, then there is Sam, the gorgeous guy that worked with her parents and shows her Africa.

This was a lovely book to read. One thing I really enjoyed was that the book took placed in Africa. All the Out of Africa references was also great, I love that movie. I think this is perfect for anyone that wants to read a romance book, but also want to read about forgiveness and friendship. Btw, I love the cover, the mix of colors.

I was provided a free copy of this book through the Catching Lightning Blog Tour and this is my honest review! Originally posted at It's a Mad Mad World!

Born to Drum by Tony Barrell

Born to Drum: The Truth about the World's Greatest Drummers--From John Bonham and Keith Moon to Sheila E. and Dave Grohl by Tony Barrell
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

To have a great band you need a great drummer. For the first time, Tony Barrell shines a long-overdue spotlight on these musicians, offering an exciting look into their world, their art, and their personalities. In Born to Drum, he interviews some of the most famous, revered, and influential drummers of our time—including Chad Smith, Ginger Baker, Clem Burke, Sheila E., Phil Collins, Nick Mason, Patty Schemel, Butch Vig, and Omar Hakim—who share astonishing truths about their work and lives. He investigates the stories of late, great drummers such as Keith Moon and John Bonham, analyzes many of the greatest drum tracks ever recorded, and introduces us to the world’s fastest and loudest drummers, as well as the first musician to pilot a “flying drum kit” onstage.

Filled with fascinating insights into the trade and little-known details about the greats, Born to Drum elevates drummers and their achievements to their rightful place in music lore and pop culture.

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This book was deeply fascinating to read even though I didn't recognize many names in this book. That is one thing I found quite peculiar that I knew of many bands and never knew the drummer's name. I started reading this book thinking that hopefully I would about Phil Collins and Roger Taylor (of Queen, not Duran Duran) and I got what I wished for and so much more. There was so much information here, anecdotes, interesting theories (no not all the drummers are batshit crazy like Keith Moon lol) and I learned a lot. It was interesting to read about women who drums, a subject I knew very, very little about and as I'm a bit morbid did I like reading about drummers that died or almost died because of drugs and alcohol. Don't take drugs and drive if you are a drummer btw!

Another thing I found very interesting besides everything I learned in this book is how I listen to music while and after I read the book, suddenly I'm listening to drums in a whole new way. I have always liked drums, but now old songs feel like new songs when I listen to the drums...

I recommend this book to all music nerds out there!
Thank you Edelweiss for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

The Strings of Murder by Oscar de Muriel

The Strings of Murder by Oscar de Muriel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Disgraced inspector Ian Frey is sent to Edinburgh to investigate the brutal death of a violinist. The violinist was killed in a locked room and there is no way out or in and the walls are covered in magic symbols.

I wish more books were like this; fast-paced, interesting and with short chapters. With short chapters I'm like "OK, just one more chapter"...and 1-2 hours later 1/3 of the book is done. Anyway, the mystery in this book was interesting and I like that the main characters Ian Frey and Adolpho "Nine Nails" McGrey can't stop insulting each other from the moment they met. Dislike at the first sight, I love it. (I prefer it to love at first sight lol). Yes, there were moments in the book when I got it before the main characters, but I just credit that to how brilliant I am to figure out things instead of how simple the solution is. Hehe

This was a good book and I hope more will come, but from the ending of this book it sure looks that way! Yay

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

Cursed by Fire by Jacquelyn Frank

Cursed by Fire by Jacquelyn Frank
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I should probably have given up the book the moment I realized that the story wasn't working for me. But as this is a book I have received home I just kept going. There are probably people out there who will love this book, but I just couldn't enjoy it. The beginning was OK, but then the story just turned to a lust parade with the two main character lusting after each other like to dogs. In the end, I just wanted them to have sex so that this prolonged lusting after each other would stop.

I freely admit that I skimmed the book at the end to finally finish it so that I could read something more suiting to me.

Thank you Piatkus for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

Cognac Conspiracies by Jean-Pierre Alaux

Cognac Conspiracies by Jean-Pierre Alaux
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Cognac Conspiracies is the fifth book in the Winemaker Detective Mysteries series and the first one I have read in the series. But I had no problem getting into the story, there aren't many characters to keep track on and the main characters Benjamin Cooker and Virgile made an interesting duo. But I most say that I preferred Virgile as a character rather than Benjamin. At least in this book. Since this is the first book I have read about them perhaps my view will change when I read the others. But one of the reasons to why I liked Virgile was that not only does women fancy Virgile, but in this book he had some problem with a man desiring him. But that is perhaps something he is used to, I don't know. But that was quite fun reading. Trying to work with women and men undressing one with their eyes was tough for poor Virgile.

But, I wish I had to get to know the characters a little more than I did in this book. A little more background. That's the drawback to reading a book in the middle of a series. On the plus side, I now have a couple of books to read.

Now about the story. It wasn't really a surprise that something was fishy about the drowning, this is a crime novel after all. Also, This isn't a thick book, so there wasn't really much time for red herrings or many suspects and that was too bad because that meant that there wasn't really a big surprise when everything was revealed at the end of the book. I wished there would have been more twists to the story because I liked the writing style and the main characters in the book.

In the end, will I say that I liked the book. It was a nice cozy mystery book and I would very much read more in the series. Especially the previous books. But I have to deduct a half star because the lack of a more surprising ending.

Thank you Le French Book and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

Dead Time by Tony Parsons

Dead Time by Tony Parsons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An exclusive short story featuring DC Max Wolfe from Tony Parsons, the Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author of The Murder Bag.

One am, Boxing Day. Snow falls, the city sleeps.

Not DC Max Wolfe. He is looking out of his loft apartment at the deserted streets below.

A van has just drawn up. Two men get out. Dressed in black and wearing ski-masks, they are dragging something.

It’s a man. Half-naked. Half-dead. But still alive.

Not for much longer.

Soon Max Wolfe is hunting a gang of killers who decapitate their victims

And this time it’s personal...

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I have Tony Parsons book The Murder Bag (The first Max Wolfe book) on my iPad that I'm going to read soon. But I thought I would start with this short novella first and it was actually a very good way of getting to know Max Wolfe and his young daughter Scout. Reading short novellas as an intro for book series can be a very good idea, well as long as you can get into the story easily.

I enjoyed this short novella very much, the story was interesting and I really liked Max Wolfe and Scout. I'm looking forward to reading The Murder Bag as soon as I have time for it.

I received this copy from the publisher through NetGalley return for an honest review!