Cherry Mischievous: February 2024

Tuesday 27 February 2024

MURDER IN THE HOLLOWS

Murder In the Hollows by Declan James
Book 1 in the Jake Cashen series
Narrated by Alexander Cendese
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Murder In the Hollows:

One small town’s dark secrets lay hidden in the hollows…

Rumors have swirled around Jake Cashen his whole life. Is he crazy like his father? Is it true they booted him out of the F.B.I. right after he cracked a career-making RICO case? Was he dirty?

Only Jake knows and he’s not telling.

He came back to his tiny hometown at the foot of Ohio’s Blackhand Hills to serve as a deputy sheriff. He hopes to punch a clock and keep his head down until retirement.

It was a solid plan. Until someone put a bullet in the head of a revered county judge.

Jake’s new boss knows Jake has a particular set of skills. The Sheriff pins a detective badge on him whether Jake likes it or not. He could have said no. But as Jake watches the locals nearly bungle the case in the first five minutes, he knows he’s all in.

As Jake digs into the murder, he soon learns Judge Rand had enemies in every corner. And someone hiding in plain sight may be plotting to bring his investigation to a deadly end.

To bring a cold-blooded killer to justice, Jake’s forced to confront every truth he’s tried to escape. Even the ones that could bury him.

Murder in the Hollows is the gripping first book in the Detective Jake Cashen thriller series. A former police detective, author Declan James brings you authentic crime fiction that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Perfect for fans of Connelly, Box, Dugoni and Baldacci.

Source: Info in the "About Murder In the Hollows" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61520880-murder-in-the-hollows on 18/05/2023.

Buy Link(s):

My Thoughts:

Crime fiction is not really my genre. But I sampled the audiobook and I wanted to listen to more. So, kudos to Alexander Cendese for selling this book to me!

For me to like this book given that it is not my kind of read means that the story telling quality must be compelling enough for me to read it. That is not an easy thing to do! But Declan James managed it! So now, of course I gotta go and buy the next book in the series...

The story of this book and that of Message In The Bones is so similar that I sometimes got the story lines of the two books confused... I need to stop reading similar books!

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (7 hrs and 45 mins listening time)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Jake Cashen Series:

Meet The Author

About Declan James:

Before putting pen to paper, Declan James’s career in law enforcement spanned twenty-six years. Declan’s work as a digital forensics detective has earned him the highest honors from the U.S. Secret Service and F.B.I. For the last sixteen years of his career, Declan served on a nationally recognized task force aimed at protecting children from online predators. Prior to that, Declan spent six years undercover working Vice-Narcotics.

An avid outdoorsman and conservationist, Declan enjoys hunting, fishing, grilling, smoking meats, and his quest for the perfect bottle of bourbon. He lives on a lake in Southern Michigan along with his wife and kids.

declanjamesbooks.com | facebook | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Alexander Cendese:

Alexander Cendese is a New York–based actor and narrator. He has performed on Broadway (A View from the Bridge) and in regional theater, and has narrated numerous audiobooks. His television and film credits include the CW's Beauty and the Beast, Best Man in the Dark, and Catskill Park.

goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.

Sunday 11 February 2024

A LITTER OF BONES

A Litter Of Bones by JD Kirk
Book 1 in the DCI Logan Crime Thrillers series
Narrated by Angus King
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About A Litter Of Bones:

A missing child. A tormented detective. A ticking clock.

Ten years ago, DCI Jack Logan stopped the serial child-killer dubbed 'Mister Whisper,' earning himself a commendation, a drinking problem, and a broken marriage in the process.

Now, he spends his days working in Glasgow's Major Investigations Team, and his nights reliving the horrors of what he saw.

And what he did.

When another child disappears a hundred miles north in the Highlands, Jack is sent to lead the investigation and bring the boy home. But as similarities between the two cases grow, could it be that Jack caught the wrong man all those years ago?

And, if so, is the real Mister Whisper about to claim his fourth victim?

Source: Info in the "About A Litter Of Bones" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44678633-a-litter-of-bones on 15/09/2023.

Buy Link(s):

Logan

My Thoughts:

I've read JD Kirk's Robert Hoon Thriller series first before I started reading this book. I understand that this series came first and that Hoon was the off-shoot story. However, I love Hoon so much that I wanted to read more of this author. I just hope that I haven't messed up royally by reading Hoon first before the DCI Logan series.

The main protagonist is DCI Logan and he is supposed to be the expert in the case having collared the original Mister Whisper. If it was Lt. Eve Dallas of the In Death series by JD Robb, then it would only be Dallas and Dallas alone who would know, catch and apprehend the perpetrator. Not the case here.
Logan might be the main protagonist, but catching the perpetrator is a team effort. I love the In Death series! But I like the "team effort" better!

I like the way Angus King pinched his nose to give Jinkies his character.

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = (7 hrs and 31 mins listening time)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The DCI Logan Crime Thrillers Series:

Meet The Author

About JD Kirk:

JD Kirk is the pen name of multi-award-winning author, screenwriter, and writer of comics, Barry Hutchison.

JD Kirk lives in the Highlands of Scotland with his wife, two children, and a number of sturdy umbrellas. Despite writing from a young age, 'A Litter of Bones' is his first novel, and combines his love of the Highlands, crime thrillers, and cats.

The Narrator