Rachel Amphlett | The book review café

Well I for one will be glad to see the back of 2016, for many reasons this hasn’t been the best year I’ve ever had. I’m going to embrace 2017 though and make it my year to take on new challenges.

Now I’m not one for New Years resolutions I always fail at the first hurdle (usually the 2nd of January 😂), but I am hoping to do a couple of things regarding my reading and my blog

Read some books from my TBR pile, which I’m desperate to get through
cut down on blog tours, as there’s too much pressure to read a book in a limited time
Only request one book at a time on NetGalley (this ones going to be hard)
if I’m not enjoying a book, I DON’T have to finish it, after all there are far too many amazing books out there to waste time on a duff one!
learn to say “no” it’s ok NOT to agree to read and review every book that comes my way (my new mantra😂)
Read more books by authors that are new to me, I’ve already got a couple lined up…..so watch this space!

Although I haven’t compiled a list of my top reads, here are just some of the books I really enjoyed this year and would highly recommend.

My top five most read posts

You can read the reviews here……

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2016/02/11/author-interview-behind-closed-doors-by-b-a-paris/

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2016/02/08/behind-closed-doors-by-b-a-paris/

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2016/01/26/tainted-love-by-kimberley-chambers/

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2016/02/26/between-you-and-me-by-lisa-hall/

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2016/06/10/the-sister-by-louise-jenson/

My First read of 2017

My first read of 2017 is Snatched From Home by Graham Smith, this is a book that has been sat on my TBR pile for a while, it’s also by an author I haven’t read yet which means I’ve already started on my goals for 2017

Books I’ve read to watch out for in 2017

As the end of the year approaches I would like to say a huge thank you to each and everyone of you who follows my blog and wish you all a fabulous New Year and hope all your dreams come true.

Lorraine x x x

Book description

Meet Kay Hunter – a detective with a hidden past and an uncertain future…

A serial killer murdering for kicks.

A detective seeking revenge.

When the body of a snatched schoolgirl is found in an abandoned biosciences building, the case is first treated as a kidnapping gone wrong.

But Detective Kay Hunter isn’t convinced, especially when a man is found dead with the ransom money still in his possession.

When a second schoolgirl is taken, Kay’s worst fears are realised.

With her career in jeopardy and desperate to conceal a disturbing secret, Kay’s hunt for the killer becomes a race against time before he claims another life.

For the killer, the game has only just begun…

Oh my god I absolutely loved Scared To Death from the first chapter I just knew it was going to be a crime thriller I would devour in a couple of sittings, and I was right. Scared To Death by Rachel Amphlett is the first book in a new series featuring Detective Kay Hunter, and the authors started the series with an humongous bang. A young girl is kidnapped and held hostage, but things take a sinister and deadly turn when the young girl is found dead, this is followed shortly by the disappearance of a second girl, throw in a man found dead with the ransom money still in his possession and you know you are in for a hell of a twisted read. Detective Kay Hunter soon finds herself embroiled in the most shocking and disturbing case of her career. The author has written a thriller that will certainly grab the reader from the first page, I certainly found it to be is a fast read due to the writing style and format.

Detective Kay Hunter was an intriguing character she is complex, feisty but she also has a vulnerable side involving her past. The author very cleverly only lets you glimpse snippets about past events in Kay’s life but I’m sure as the series progresses more about her past will be revealed, I find I’m more interested in a protagonist when everything about there character isn’t revealed all in one fell swoop, it gives me time to use my very limited imagination to guess more about the character. As for the serial killer hell they are one very twisted and calculating individual, but again the author has created a character who is complex and very well depicted.

This is one of those books where the pace is relentless and as the investigation reaches a dramatic conclusion it made for a very tense fuelled read. There are plenty of surprises packed into this crime thriller some of which I guessed, others I really didn’t see coming which for me heightens my enjoyment of a book. Scared To Death is an Intense and thrilling read, I always find there are certain elements that can make or break a book for me personally the novel has to have a well devised plot, complex characters and relentless in pace and I’m thrilled to report this novel includes these all important elements..

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️out of 5

Paperback: 378 pages

Publisher: Saxon Publishing (6 Dec. 2016)

Amazon UK 🇬🇧 Amazon US 🇺🇸

Rachel Amphlett is the bestselling author of the Dan Taylor espionage novels and the new Detective Kay Hunter series, as well as a number of standalone crime thrillers.

Originally from the UK and currently based in Brisbane, Australia, Rachel is a member of International Thriller Writers and the Crime Writers Association, with the Italian foreign rights for her debut novel, White Gold, being sold to Fanucci Editore’s TIMECrime imprint in 2014.

An advocate for knowledge within the publishing industry, Rachel is always happy to share her experiences to a wider audience through her blogging and speaking engagements.