Sometimes, you simply cannot resist downloading far too many free books in one sitting – this is something I absolutely cannot do. I found myself downloading thriller after thriller, all of them wonderfully bitesized short stories, thinking 'that'll make a great post! I can do mini reviews for them!'
I downloaded these books on May 4th, 2021. And I am just now getting around to actually reading them and making this post.
Nonetheless, let us begin!
A quick side note! All of these short stories are available to download for free from Amazon!
Susie and her sister have never been close. These days they barely speak. So when Danielle messages her out of the blue and begs to meet, Susie knows something must be wrong.
But what Danielle tells her seems crazy. Her husband, Simon, may be a bully, but surely he wouldn't hurt her?
Then the accident happens. And Susie is forced to rethink everything.
Who is lying?
Who is telling the truth?
And who, really, is the killing type?
My Review!
Suzie and Danielle are not close sisters at all. But when Danielle messages Suzie, asking to meet up and talk, Suzie agrees. Danielle tells her about how she thinks her husband, Simon, is trying to kill her, and Suzie does not believe her at all.
This is a story so short that you never get close to the characters, never truly understand what kind of people they are, and so, you are never entirely sure who to trust. This worked in favour of the story, especially considering the nature of the story, trying to figure out who is telling the truth. There are a few major twists, the kind that make you pause for a moment, stunned at what you just read. It is very difficult to say much about the story without giving away plot details, and I do not want to do that.
This is a very (very) short story. Half of this book is an excerpt from another novel, so the actual story is much shorter than expected. I read the entire thing in less than the time it took dinner to cook. That being said, the shortness of this novel made it perfect to read quickly, as a glimpse into a mystery you know will be solved for you within half an hour. I do wish I could've delved into Suzie's and Danielle's lives for longer, but as it stands, this was a great, and fast, read.
As detective Max Wolfe recovers from the injuries sustained in The Murder Bag, a figure from his past comes back into his life: his childhood sweetheart, now stalked and threatened by her violent ex-partner.
As Max attempts to protect her, he is haunted by a nightmare of his own: the reappearance of the terrorist he killed with his car at the start of The Murder Bag.
Are they visions brought on by the medication Max is taking? Or is he going mad?
Or do some people just have to be killed twice?
My Review!
Detective Max Wolfe may usually deal in homicides, but when an old girlfriend is the person who is asking the police for help, he can’t simply let his colleagues deal with it. Her ex-husband just got out of jail, and she feels threatened, unsafe. Max is still dealing with demons left over from a past case when he takes on Echo’s case as his own, and despite knowing he’s dead he is seeing the terrorist with the red bag everywhere.
This novel is not a short story that cuts corners for the sake of being short. It took me about an hour to read, and I could not have asked for more detail, backstory, or action. This is the sort of book that has you frowning at the pages, trying to figure out what is really going on. And, with Max seeing a dead man, you also start to question what can possibly be real. Max is not a perfect character, he can lose his temper and end up on the wrong side of the interrogation table, but he also does his best to do what he feels is right, and he was a wonderful character to follow in this story. This is the kind of book that draws you into the series, wanting to spend more time with the characters, and to watch that backstory play out in real time. A great crime thriller, especially for when you don’t want to stay up too late reading.
A single text changed her life. Did it end his?
Emily Latimer is furious. Her boss Andrew is being so unreasonable, as always. She fires off a text to her boyfriend, only in her haste she sends it to her whole office group.
In it she says Andrew's being difficult about letting her have time off work. That she is angry. That she hopes he dies. The next day her face burns in the office. No one believes her when she says it was a typo, she meant to say does. She hopes he does.
It's a nightmare. But it gets worse - Andrew doesn't turn up for work. And then the police come knocking. Because Andrew Burton has been murdered . . .
My Review!
Emily has been looking forward to her girls weekend for months, and now her boss, Andrew, is saying he’s not sure she can have the time off. When Emily mistakenly sends a furious message meant for her boyfriend to her office group chat, including a typo leading to the sentence ‘I hope he dies’, she is mortified. But when police show up on her doorstep the following day, saying that Andrew is dead and that they are questioning his colleagues, she is more than just mortified - she is scared.
There are only a few people who saw the message Emily sent, only a select group who know about her typo, and the implications it holds when Andrew is found dead. A list of suspects, tied up in a neat bow, and you’re not sure who to trust and who not to. There were a good few twists in this story, ones that make you have to restart your brain from the beginning as it tries to solve the murder. Some things are thrown off course, and nothing seems to come to a conclusion until the author wanted it to, keeping me firmly engrossed in the story as I tried to get ahead, and failed. The characters felt incredibly real, especially with how they were affected by Andrew’s death. It chilled them, that someone they knew had been murdered. This story did not take me very long to read at all, maybe about half an hour, so it is the perfect quick mystery to guess about as you read it.
A thrilling, rollercoaster ride of a short story, from #1 ebook bestseller Paul Finch.
Plus, get an exclusive first look at the opening chapters of Paul’s new book, ‘The Killing Club’
The darkest things happen at night…
What happens when you witness a horrific crime? Do you stay and help? Or do you flee? And what do you do when the perpetrator sets their sights on you…?
My Review!
Alex was on her way home when she found herself lost down winding roads in an attempt to get around the traffic of the motorway, with a sat-nav that was broken, even more so since she threw it aside in frustration. After an altercation with a traffic cop, she drives away, but returns, knowing he will know exactly where she is and how to get to where she needs to be. But she arrives to see the cop murdered, and as she drives past, the killer turns on her, the only witness.
Alex finds herself running for her life, trying to hide, get away, or simply just survive. This is an action packed adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat, as you are not sure when Alex is safe – at times she appears to have finally lost her chaser, and they will reappear from nowhere, trying to gun her down. There is not a moment of respite, a minute when you think she will be fine, because it is as soon as Alex lets her guard down that she finds herself running once again. If you want to inject a little suspense into your day, this book is one you should read. It is not too long, perfect for an hour break. You could not possibly read this in sections, for if you were to put this book down, you would be reaching for it again within a few minutes. The tension will keep you reading, if not concern for Alex’s wellbeing or curiosity over how the story will play out.
Jake Tanner is caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
When a routine bank visit goes horribly wrong, Jake and his girlfriend, Elizabeth, are caught in the midst of an armed robbery.
The criminals? They call themselves The Crimsons. One of the most notorious groups of armed robbers in the country, whose reputation precedes them.
And now they've just chosen their next victim.
Alone and afraid, Jake must protect himself at all costs, while saving others in this fight or flight situation.
Will Jake succeed, or will The Crimsons fire their first-ever shot in this survival race against time?
The Red Viper is the exciting introduction into the Jake Tanner universe.
Meet Jake today before everyone else does.
My Review!
Jake is in a rush to be in and out the bank – there is a car for sale that he is desperate to have, but the seller will only do cash, and is only available for a short window of time. But, Jake’s plans come crashing down when a group of masked criminals burst into the bank, and order everyone to get down on the ground. In an attempt to delay the ringleader long enough for the approaching sirens to arrive, Jake tries to take the leader, Freddy, on, but he just confirms his place as Freddy’s main hostage.
Stuck with Freddy, Jake’s first thought is survival, but he has to build some kind of trust with Freddy. As he tries to talk to the leader of the criminal gang, he starts to think like a police officer might, planning his moves and words carefully. Jake’s thought process isn’t entirely calm, he spends the entire time panicking, and I had the same concern over Jake’s life as he did. Freddy didn’t seem about to shoot him, but he had a gun in his hands, and he was completely cornered for the first time in his criminal career. His actions are completely unpredictable, and I read it feverishly, desperate to know what was going to happen, and what the outcome was going to be. This was a fantastic introduction to the characters, and certainly makes you want to read more about Jake and the situations he might end up in. If you’re after a quick and suspenseful read, definitely read this one!
And done!
One post, five reviews. So organised! So efficient! Who am I?!
Once again, all five books are short stories, and they are all free on Amazon.
That's all for now...
Bye!
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