Review: Carved In Bone ( Body Farm Book 1) by Jefferson Bass

Review: Carved In Bone ( Body Farm Book 1) by Jefferson Bass

 

Title: Carved In Bone
Author: Jefferson Bass
Series: Body Farm Book 1
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Suspense
Publisher: William Morrow
No. Of. Pages: 352 Pages
Release Date: 24 January 2006
My Review: 5 Stars

 I own a copy of this book. 

SYNOPSIS: 

On the campus of the University of Tennessee lies a patch of ground unlike any in the world. The "Body Farm" is a place where human corpses are left to the elements, and every manner of decay is fully explored -- for the sake of science and the cause of justice. The scientist who created the Body Farm has broken cold cases and revolutionized forensics, and now, in this heart-stopping novel, he spins an astonishing tale inspired by his own experiences.

A woman's corpse lies hidden in a cave in the mountains of East Tennessee. Undiscovered for thirty years, her body has been transformed by the cave's chemistry into a near-perfect mummy -- one that discloses an explosive secret to renowned anthropologist Bill Brockton. Dr. Brockton has spent his career surrounded by death and decay at the Body Farm, but even he is baffled by this case unfolding in a unique environment where nothing is quite what it seems.

The surreal setting is Cooke County, a remote mountain community that's clannish, insular, and distrustful of outsiders. The heartbreaking discovery of the young woman's corpse reopens old wounds and rekindles feuds dating back decades. The county's powerful and uncooperative sheriff and his inept deputy threaten to derail Brockton's investigation altogether. So do Brockton's other nemeses: his lingering guilt over the death of his wife, and the fury of a medical examiner whom Brockton dares to oppose in court.

Carved in Bone is a richly atmospheric, superbly suspenseful, and magnificently rendered trip into the world of forensic science, the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, and the dark passageways of the human psyche. Full of vivid characters and startling twists and turns, this thrilling novel heralds the debut of a major new voice in crime fiction -- and an unforgettable work from the hand of a scientific legend. 

My first Jefferson Bass Book and Read.

It was descriptive and enlightening. It was technical and a welcome Mystery for me. There were multiple plots. It never was boring or too much. Kept me coming back again and again. I do not read a lot of books with a male being the main POV.

I won't say much regarding the what happened in the book. But it was a wonderful mixture of forensic science and suspense mystery as well as crime. Dr. Bill Brockton is a widower and the peek into his life and work was engrossing. Him trying to cope with his wife's death after years was heartbreaking. His passion to find the truth was and is something that kept him getting into some pickle.

I recommend the book only to readers of Mystery who love the technical aspects of books like these since it can or may tend to be too much for some of the readers.

Review: The Evil Inside ( Krewe of Hunters, #4) by Heather Graham

Review: The Evil Inside ( Krewe of Hunters, #4) by Heather Graham

Title: The Evil Inside 

Author: Heather Graham

Series: Krewe of Hunters Book 4

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Mystery, Suspense

Publisher: Mira

No of. Pages: 368 Pages

Release Date: August 30th, 2011

My Review: 3 Stars

SYNOPSIS:

For as long as it has stood overlooking New England s jagged coastline the Lexington House has been a witness to madness and murder But in recent years the inexplicable malice that once tormented so many has lain as silent as its victims Until now Original Some deaths live on forever For as long as it has stood overlooking New England s jagged coastline Lexington House has been the witness to madness and murder But in recent years the inexplicable malice that once tormented so many has lain as silent as its victims Until now A member of the nation s foremost paranormal forensic team Jenna Duffy has made a career out of investigating the inexplicable Yet nothing could prepare her for the string of slayings once again plaguing Lexington House or for the chief suspect a boy barely old enough to drive much less kill With the young man s life on the line Jenna must team up with attorney Samuel Hall to pinpoint who or what is taking the lives of those who get too close to the past But everything they learn brings them closer to the forces of evil stalking this tortured ground 

"Death by olive oil. Like hell-it was murder by olive oil. "

I bought the book from BetterWorldBooks.com. I own a copy of the book. 

This is my first try Into Krewe of Hunters Series. 

One of the first reasons I bought the book is that it was classified as Horror somewhere (not Goodreads!).

Jenna Duffy goes back home when a call comes from her uncle. Malachi, a 17 year old boy is accused of murdering his family when he is found on the road soaked in their family's blood. 

Sam was the one that finds him on the road soaked in blood and ends up defending him. Sam and Jenna's relationship was rocky from the start and it developed there on out, I think I would have liked to have seen more of the development from them being not friends to more than just friends. 

Sam did not really believe in the paranormal and ghosts but when Jenna comes into his life he had to rethink everything. He was at first not at all sure of her abilities, to the point that he was almost rude. But when he saw her work. The doubt starts creeping in. I loved seeing him go from a total skeptic to a full believer. 

The story is set in Salem City and The Witch trials was never far. It was refreshing to read about the Witch trials from the mouth of the characters but became more of a hindrance later on with it being repeated every now and then in the first half of the book. 

The mystery of who killed Malachi's family was unraveled slowly. By the time the climax came I already suspected and I was right. Loved how the mystery came about and how it ended. 

"The Evil Inside" could be read as a standalone if needed, but the book starts out where the 3rd book finished. So, If you want to understand the series a lot better, I would recommend reading from the first book. 

Review: The Daughter by Lucy Dawson

  Review: The Daughter by Lucy Dawson

Title: The Daughter

Author: Lucy Dawson

Series: --

Genre: Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Suspense

Publisher: Bookouture

No. of Pages: 291 Pages

Release Date: January 24th, 2018

My Review: 4 Stars

 

** I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, Thank you very much to Bookouture for the book**

 

Synopsis: 

 

You lost your daughter. You will never forgive yourself. And now someone's determined to make you pay…
Seventeen years ago, something happened to Jess’s daughter Beth. The memory of it still makes her blood run cold. Jess has tried everything to make peace with that day, and the part she played in what happened. It was only a brief moment of desire… but she’ll pay for it with a lifetime of guilt.

To distance herself from the mistakes of the past, Jess has moved away and started over with her family. But when terrifying things begin happening in her new home, seemingly connected to what happened to Beth, Jess knows that her past has finally caught up with her. Somebody feels Jess hasn’t paid enough, and is determined to make her suffer for the secrets she’s kept all these years. 

 Full of suspense. It is an edge of the seat read for me. Jess is a Mother who has lost her daughter to an accident. An accident that will or can open up her past to her present. The book is initially written in two parts; I loved that aspect of it. 

I went into this knowing that there was someone who was harassing Jess years after her daughter's accident and death. And I wanted to know who was doing it and what was the connection to the daughter's death. I got the answer. I am very much so happy. 

The book is very well rounded, though I am not much for drawn out suspense which at times felt like too much for me in this book. That being said the plot as a whole is not a new topic but I was reasonably surprised with the climax and the ending as well as happy. I do think the author tried and succeeded (In my case) to connect and emote the feelings out to me. 

For me the first part gave me the information and the backstory while second part showed me the consequence. 

A psychological thriller that will keep you asking yourself 'Who is doing it?'

Review: Subhuman by Michael McBride (Unit 51 Book 1)

Review: Subhuman by Michael McBride (Unit 51 Book 1)

Title: Subhuman

Author: Michael McBride

Series: Unit 51 Book 1

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Horror

Publisher: Pinnacle Books

No. of Pages: 424 Pages 

Release Date: October 31st, 2017

My Review: 4 Stars

Synopsis: THEY ARE NOT HUMAN.
At a research station in Antarctica, five of the world's top scientists have been brought together to solve one of the greatest mysteries in human history. Their subject, however, is anything but human . . .
THEY ARE NOT NATURAL.
Deep beneath the ice, the submerged ruins of a lost civilization hold the key to the strange mutations that each scientist has encountered across the globe: A misshapen skull in Russia. The grotesque carvings of a lost race in Peru. The mummified remains of a humanoid monstrosity in Egypt . . .
THEY ARE NOT FRIENDLY.
When a series of sound waves trigger the ancient organisms, a new kind of evolution begins. Latching onto a human host--crossbreeding with human DNA--a long-extinct life form is reborn. Its kind has not walked the earth for thousands of years. Its instincts are fiercer, more savage, than any predator alive. And its prey are the scientists who unleashed it, the humans who spawned it, and the tender living flesh on which it feeds . . .

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An Intense Thriller with a mystery dating back thousands of years. 

Five of the world's top scientists are brought together for reveal the mystery of the bones with the misshapen and deformed skulls found all over.

The mystery of the deformed skulls was caught my eye from the start and what put me through until the end. And it was very much satisfying in a way. Definitely worth reading if you are into Indiana Jones/Monsters/Aliens, blood and gore and death. 

The book is Sci-Fi/Thriller turned horror. The first half of the book, In my opinion, is more thriller while the second half was more horror. It was a good balance of the Horror and Sci-Fi for me. 

Though the Science-Fiction was difficult to understand, I understood the gist of it which propelled me to move forward. Even with the big Science explanations that went over my head, the horror for me more than made up for everything. 

Subhuman has a multi-pov that I usually try to avoid. In this case, The beginning of the book became confusing at first however, Mr. McBride did a wonderful representation of all of the characters as later on it became a lot more easier to read for me. 

I glided through the rest of the book. 

Since this is a series, it very much looks like it needs to be read in order from the start. Which can be great thing if you are not just looking for a One Stop Horror. The series for me is something to keep in my lists of Horror novel series to track and read.

 

Review: The Doll House By Phoebe Morgan

Review: The Doll House By Phoebe Morgan

Title: The Doll House
Author: Phoebe Morgan

Series: ---------
Genre: Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Suspense.
Publisher: HQ Digital
No. of Pages: 355 Pages
My Review: 4 Stars



My Review: 

Received through Netgalley,  Thank you so much to the Publishers for the read.

The first thing I got to mention is; this is Pheobe Morgan's Debut Novel. And I loved it. That is saying something considering that I am not a Suspense fan.

Pheobe is a great writer, I tell you this because I went through all of the same emotions that Corrine and Ashley did. The dread of something is wrong gripped from the get go and never let me go until the end. 

The reason I say that this is a Suspense is that bits and pieces of the past was gradually revealed. The answers of questions like Who was doing it was answered. At the same time more questions came out like...Why do it? or even What is the end result that they want. Do the people who are doing it is doing it to just make the family suffer or is there a more sinister plot that was not revealed. 

The Doll House has Multiple POV's. With the story starting with one of the POV's past. And slowly bringing it all together. It was a bit of disorienting reading so many Point of Views but the with the climax, came the understanding of why it was needed. 

I loved the Cover, absolutely Loved it! It is eye catching. Made me read the blurb and eventually the whole book. 

The climax was Intense, very much so. But the ending felt like a bit of a cliff hanger to me. Made me ask myself If there would be series of this Novel? 

The Doll House is a Psychological Thriller that will grip with it's talons until the very end.

Review: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Laura Miller

Review: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Laura Miller (Introduction)

Title: The Haunting of Hill House
Author: Shirley Jackson, Laura Miller (Introduction)
Genre: Horror, Classic, Mystery
No Of Pages: 182 Pages
Publisher: Penguin Classics

My Review: 4 Stars

Review:

The Haunting of Hill House was something I found out about while I was going through a couple of classics. Our School Library was small, we did not have a lot of books. Now after reading this I know that a lot of these young kids are missing a lot of good books since they are not available here or some of us have not heard of those books.

Let's set that aside for now.

When I started reading it, I was skeptic.I have read a lot of gory and hide under the bed sheet kind of horror novels, so I was not sure exactly what this would give me.

The beginning was a buildup and a suspense. But the book also gave a lot about the character. Including Eleanor and Theodora. Then there is Lucas. Dr. Montague and his wife. His wife. Halfway through the book I met his wife. And that was when I realized how good Shirley Jackson was in writing. The characters for me came alive. I started to doubt Eleanor. I started to think that she was actually doing some of these incidents. And Mrs. Montague. She gave me whole range of emotions. Like happy in a way that she was thinking about the dead. But annoying. So..soooo Annoying! I got to say it has been some time since I was actually this much annoyed at a character.

All in All, A great read for teens or anyone who wants to venture into the Horror realm.