I’ve watched many, liked most of them, Tv adaptations of this author’s work, most notably her Trial and Retribution series but this one, her very last published novel before her death in 2015 was one I hadn’t heard of so I chose it to be the very first Ruth Rendell book that I read.

“Beneath the green meadows of Loughton, Essex, a dark network of tunnels has been dug. A group of children discover them. They play there. It becomes their place. Seventy years on, the world has changed. Developers have altered the rural landscape. Friends from a half remembered world Jane married, died, grown sick, moved or just simply disappeared. Work on a new house called ‘Warlock’ uncovers a long buried grisly secret and a weary detective, more concerned with current crimes, must investigate a historical case of murder”

Yeah. Not Great. It focuses far too much on the characters over the years rather than the crime though it does get solved towards, actually very near the end! Not sure if I’ll bother reading any more of her work though I might consider trying “Dark Corners” which was the last novel she ever wrote. Maybe she ended on a Classic??!!

This is one of my latest cover buys, an author I’ve not heard of before but it sounds awesome.

Because her awesome debut novel “Rattle” ended so openly, reading this sequel so soon after was a no brainer.

After an impulse buy of Lost Souls, which was the second book by this author which I thoroughly enjoyed, picking this one up when I saw it was a complete no brainer!

“Twenty years ago, Claude Gilbert murdered his wife, buried her alive and then killed himself or so everyone believes. But as Claude disappeared without a trace on the night of the murder, the mystery has remained unsolved. Crime beat reporter Jack Garrett is contacted by someone alleging that Gilbert is still alive and he eagerly leaps on the chance to solve the years old enigma. But as Jack sets off on Gilbert’s trail he quickly finds that the truth is stranger than the headlines. Jack and girlfriend PC Laura McGanity quickly realise that they are now pawns in a twisted game and the rules are about to get nasty..!”

I’ve finished it now, only able to post today due to shitty internet/mobile data connections as I did start it a couple days ago and just like Lost Souls this is truly captivating and it’s very surprising that, as far as I know, none of this author’s work has yet been adapted to film.

I’ve been wanting to check out this debut thriller for a while so thought Twas about time….

“He lives an ordinary life – some of the time. He has a past which explains his behaviour – most of the time. He has a hobby too terrible to understand – all of the time. Etta is a detective who suspects him. Erdman and Lilith are parents who fear him. Jakey and Clara have something he craves. The Collector has come to rattle their bones and he won’t stop until he’s caught. In this deadly game only one thing is certain. Finders Keepers Losers Grievers”

This is brilliant. A Superb debut. The only downside is that it’s left very open and the need to read its sequel “The Collector” is pretty fierce!

This looked so good. As a lover of Asylum Horror this seemed to be a must watch for me…

It’s not an uncommon premise “Woman gets placed in a psychiatric hospital, she figures out that it isn’t all it seems to be including the supposed death of her daughter, has friends on the outside assisting her escape, the usual intriguing stuff but… NO, I won’t spoil it, just watch it and decide for yourself.

As a massive fan of the master of horror (that’s Stephen King not Richard Chizmar though I do intend to read some of Chizmar’s work) I’m always up for any book of his. Though the first two books in this series weren’t up to King’s usual standard, Chizmar wrote most/all of the second instalment, they were still very readable so Twas a no brainier getting onto this third and final instalment of Gwendy Peterson.

Well, I wasn’t expecting that! Talk about a trip through the Stephen King multiverse, what a Final Task that was for Gwendy!! We meet up again with the evil of Pennywise, we hear of other visits from those furry humans in yellow coats who this time bribe a Greg Stillson kinda guy named Gareth Winston, a greedy billionaire who’s hungry for more, into stealing the box from Gwendy but only after they murder her husband though we never did find out what he was doing in Derry and we also find out what happened to young Bobby Garfield. Overall it’s an enjoyable end to the Gwendy Peterson sage though is it really the end or is she now busy visiting other worlds than these??!!!

“The steady hiss of the baby monitor was disturbed by a snuffling sound “It’s alright” Christopher whispered “She’s fine” but the snuffling didn’t stop and then there was movement – rustles, creaks, knocks – and then whimpering but soon, during the long, oppressively hot nights, Laura begins to hear something through the crackle of the baby monitor, first a knocking sound, then come the voices… Once you’ve heard them, You’ll never forget them”

This is Very Good. Keeps the reader intrigued throughout wondering what the hell is going on but then, at the very end, just when you’re expecting to get an explanation of the events… You don’t get it?!! Very Frustrating. I hate books that are left open to a reader’s interpretation and can never understand why any author would feel the need to do so. Aside from that, this is well worth reading and I’m still gonna try another of his books but if it’s left the sane…???!!!!

“As the snow falls, the mutilated body of a young woman is discovered on a construction site. With it, goodwill becomes the last thing on Detective Jake Austin’s mind. Then, when the demolition of the old asylum reveals further human remains, it becomes clear that there’s a link between the two deaths and to the asylum’s old warden who disappeared decades earlier. On the hunt for a clever, twisted killer, for Jake Austin and his partner it’s going to be anything but a peaceful Christmas”

SPOILER: If you’ve read The Christmas Killer by Alex Pine you’ll probably be disappointed with the perpetrator in this Christmas Killer though there is an extra twist involving Jake and his mother in this one!

Found this book for 10p in The Works sale, annoyed I didn’t but more tbh! I started this a few days ago reading it alongside Unbury Carol by Josh Malerman (another 10p buy) and it’s really good, so good in fact that I’ll probably finish it before Unbury Carol even though it’s 150 pages longer! Yes I did and it’s Very Good😎👍🏻

“A body on an embankment. A blast at a farmhouse. A burden on Colchester CID” It’s July 1983, Fox Farm, Essex is neither peaceful or picturesque thanks to two corpses….”