Book Review: The Darwin Affair, by Tim Mason

Guest review by: Andrea Hodge

Decimus nodded and was carefully lowering the razor-sharp blade into a leather sheath in his trousers pocket when he noticed the young man looking past him. Decimus glanced over his shoulder and saw on the little table near the door a bloodstained hand towel and the ear he'd been working on. 

"Careless of me."

Historical fiction, murder, mystery ... Tim Mason's first adult novel is an entertaining, sometimes gruesome, page-turner.

Official synopsis:

London, June 1860: When an assassination attempt is made on Queen Victoria, and a petty thief is gruesomely murdered moments later—and only a block away—Chief Detective Inspector Charles Field quickly surmises that these crimes are connected to an even more sinister plot. Was Victoria really the assassin’s target? Are those closest to the Crown hiding something? And who is the shadowy figure witnesses describe as having lifeless, coal-black eyes?

Soon, Field’s investigation exposes a shocking conspiracy in which the publication of Charles Darwin’s controversial On the Origin of Species sets off a string of murders, arson, kidnapping, and the pursuit of a madman named the Chorister. As the investigation takes Field from the dangerous alleyways of London to the hallowed halls of Oxford, the list of possible conspirators grows, and the body count escalates. And as he edges closer to the Chorister, he uncovers dark secrets that were meant to remain forever hidden.

This story runs at a pretty quick clip, with lots of action (and the first in the death count) starting immediately. We get thrill and suspense, we get an absolutely insane and terrifying bad guy, and we get a well-researched historical base for it all to come together on. I definitely recommend it, especially if you love historical fiction, murder mysteries, or both.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

{click here to purchase}

Andrea Hodge is thoroughly ecstatic that another holiday season is over. She hopes to read more and eat less in the coming year.

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The Current, by Tim Johnston {ends 11/25}

Guest review by: Andrea Hodge

"How did you do it, Audrey? How did you get out of the water?"

"I don't know," she said. "The car was stuck on the ice and I was stuck on the car. I guess I must have climbed up. I must have gotten the door open far enough to get my arm out and I must've used the door to climb up on top of the car—on top of the underside of the car—and I must've climbed from the car to the ice. But I don't remember that. All I remember is lying on the ice, on my stomach, and looking at the lights through the ice, the headlights, the way they were shining on the underside of the ice just as steady and clear as anything. Like I was underwater looking up at them from below. Like everything was upside down. The sky, the water. Everything."

Audrey Sutter proves to be an excellent heroine in this sleepy small-town thriller. When local law enforcement finds themselves at an impasse, she forges on to solve the case on her own terms.

Official synopsis:

In the dead of winter, outside a small Minnesota town, state troopers pull two young women and their car from the icy Black Root River. One is found downriver, drowned, while the other is found at the scene—half frozen but alive.

What happened was no accident, and news of the crime awakens the community’s memories of another young woman who lost her life in the same river ten years earlier, and whose killer may still live among them.

Determined to find answers, the surviving young woman soon realizes that she’s connected to the earlier unsolved case by more than just a river, and the deeper she plunges into her own investigation, the closer she comes to dangerous truths, and to the violence that simmers just below the surface of her hometown.

Grief, suspicion, the innocent and the guilty—all stir to life in this cold northern town where a young woman can come home, but still not be safe. Brilliantly plotted and unrelentingly propulsive, The Current is a beautifully realized story about the fragility of life, the power of the past, and the need, always, to fight back.

While I liked the plot of this book, I found the writing style very jumpy and confusing. Multiple times, I needed to reread a section to determine which character I was reading about, which period in time it was, or to gain clarity on what had actually just happened in the storyline. The characters are strong, and continue to draw reader interest throughout. Small twists throughout keep you guessing as to "whodunit," and the overall story is thoroughly enjoyable.

I give it 3 stars out of 5.

{click here to purchase}

Andrea Hodge will read anything. When she isn't spending her time reading, she is either baking, fixing herself a cocktail, or entertaining her two daughters with ridiculous songs of her own creation.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a paperback copy of The Current!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Monday, November 25th, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be contacted via email the next day and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Paperback copy of The Current, by Tim Johnston

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Book Review: The Perfect Candidate, by Peter Stone

Guest review by: Andrea Hodge
"Try to have a normal few days. Don't talk about this to anyone in the office," Memo had told me before dropping me off three blocks away from the Rayburn building, the morning we'd talked with BIB's penitent hitman. "I need time to formalize Meteer's statement, and I need you to act like you're continuing to have an amazing summer interning for your congressman. Replace copy machine toner, Give tours. Write form letters. We'll keep an eye on you. You'll be safe."

"A normal few days," he'd said so effortlessly. Normal, even though the man whose name was on the plaque outside the office hired a least one contact killer in his life. Normal, even though I'd spilled a particularly volatile pile of beans to this same man's number two. Normal, even though I was keeping secrets that had gotten others killed.


While the title of this book didn't exactly jump out at me, I was quickly pulled into the fun writing style and dramatic plot. A perfect example of a YA thriller.

Official synopsis:

When recent high school graduate Cameron Carter lands an internship with Congressman Billy Beck in Washington, DC, he thinks it is his ticket out of small town captivity. What he lacks in connections and Beltway polish he makes up in smarts, and he soon finds a friend and mentor in fellow staffer Ariel Lancaster.

That is, until she winds up dead.

As rumors and accusations about her death fly around Capitol Hill, Cameron’s low profile makes him the perfect candidate for an FBI investigation that he wants no part of. Before he knows it—and with his family’s future at stake—he discovers DC’s darkest secrets as he races to expose a deadly conspiracy.

If it doesn’t get him killed first.

I love a good YA novel, and this one did not disappoint. The perfect blend of thriller, drama, and teen angst guarantee a fun read. Cameron Carter provides a likable hero, and the dangerous situations he finds himself in provide a definite page-turner.

The Perfect Candidate is the debut novel of author Peter Stone. His love of thrillers is clear as he does a great job in building momentum and developing for the reader a sense of impending danger. The characters are believable and the plot is easy to connect with. In all, I enjoyed it very much.

3.5 stars out of 5.

{click here to purchase}

*Disclosure: Books I Think You Should Read received a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing. The opinions expressed here, however, are those of the reviewer.

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