Review - Darkness First by James Hayman

Darkness First: A McCabe and Savage Thriller by James Hayman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

ebook, 306 pages

Published October 1st 2013 by Witness Impulse 

Source: Publisher for review

 

Synopsis:

'The mutilated body of a young woman. The town doctor lying comatose in the road. A hundred and fifty tablets of Canadian OxyContin. This is the havoc that a merciless killer has wreaked on a sleepy Maine seaport.

As detectives Maggie Savage and Michael McCabe investigate, they realize the man they are after does not exist. Nobody knows his real name. Nobody has seen his face. But everybody fears his blade.

The only one who may know the murderer’s true identity is an eleven-year-old girl—who has vanished into thin air.

Taut, twisting, and starring two unforgettable heroes, Darkness First will thrill fans of John Sandford and C. J. Box.' 

My Thoughts:
This is the first book I have read by author James Hayman and it totally hooked me from the start.
I loved how much of a page turner this story was and I found myself really liking the main character, Maggie Savage, as she is a very strong and down to earth woman who also has some faults but she manages to overcome them and just get on with things.

I really enjoyed how this book constanly kept me thinking as to who the real bad guy was. Maggie is a very likeable and thorough detective who doesn't make you sigh out loud by having every lead or development in her investigation just fall at her feet. This is a big pet peeve of mine when reading these types of novels and I didn't feel it once during this one.

Hayman has a great writing style that really draws you in and makes you keep wanting to read more and more. There are so many twists and turns contained in this story as well as quite a lot of characters to keep track of but I never once found it confusing or tedious to read.

As I said, this is my first ever book by this author and apparently it is the third in the McCabe and Savage series, but I didn't feel like I was lacking in any details from not having read the first two. It is definitely a great stand alone story that holds its own and an excellent thriller/suspense novel for lovers of this genre.

 

Review - Vampires Don't Sparkle! by Michael West

Vampires Don't Sparkle! by Michael West
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Paperback, 233 pages

Published March 15th 2013 by Seventh Star Press 

Source: Publisher for review

Synopsis:

'What would you do if you had unlimited power and eternal life?

Would you…go back to high school? Attend the same classes year after year, going through the pomp and circumstance of one graduation after another, until you found the perfect date to take to prom? Would you…spend your days moping and brooding, finding your only joy in a game of baseball on a stormy day? Or would you…do something else?

The authors of this collection have a few ideas; some fanciful, some humorous, and some as dark as an endless night. Join us, and discover what it truly means to be “vampyre.”'

My Thoughts:
I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because it took me back to the roots of where vampire stories started. Back to where vampires are creatures that have no soul and are meant to be feared rather than befriended or fallen in love with.

None of these stories have vampires that mourn their old existence or crave the company of humans to try and remember what life used to be like. Every creature in this book is evil and heartless and meant to be feared, just the way vampires should be.

All of the stories in this collection are short, sweet and to the point. If you are like me and miss the old fashioned vampire stories before these creatures were glorified and turned into mushy human wannabes, you'll enjoy reading this collection as much as I did.

Important Links:
Amazon: Vampires Don't Sparkle!