Contemporary Reads

Reviews & recommendations of contemporary books.
Literary Fiction, Thrillers, Feel Good Books, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction & more…

21 December 2023 | Thursday · 4:34 PM

Alex Cross Must Die

Title:
Alex Cross Must Die
Series:
Alex Cross
Genre:
Thriller
Publisher:
Penguin
Release Date:
Format:
Kindle
Pages:
389
Source:
BookForums 2024

Plot Summary
A mystery man shoots down American Airlines flight 839 at Reagan Airport. Alex Cross & his associate John Sampson – who are working on another case of Dead Hour Killings – are summoned to investigate the shooting. There are other parallel stories where Cross’s wife Bree is working on the mysterious disappearance of her boss’s friend and business woman Leigh Anne Asher.

Pluses
* Interesting initial premise of a passenger jet being brought down
* Ali. The star of the book! The little detective who actually helps crack the Dead Hour Killings

Minuses
* Too many simultaneous cases (I counted them to be 5) – makes it a hotch-potch book with too many stories stuffed in
* Suspense in all these …

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4 December 2023 | Monday · 5:59 PM

The Secret (Jack Reacher)

The Secret | Jack Reacher Book | Lee Child
Title:
The Secret
Series:
Jack Reacher
Genre:
Thriller; Suspense
Publisher:
Transworld Digital
Release Date:
Format:
Kindle
Pages:
326
Source:
BookForums 2024

Plot Summary
A group of 7 scientists having worked on a secret project in 1969, Mason Chemical in India are getting killed one by one. Behind the killings are 2 sisters Roberta & Veronica Sanson, avenging the false implication & killing of their father who was also working at Mason Chemical. There however is an 8th name that only one person is aware of. And the sisters are desperately seeking that name, as well as setting records straight. A team is set up by secretary of Defense, Charles Stamoran. Jack Reacher amongst 3 others are on this team to stop these killings and identify the killers.

Pluses
* Engulfing plot (despite not being totally original)
* Fast paced & action packed…

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1 December 2023 | Friday · 1:26 PM

The Mystery Guest (Nita Prose) 🥇🔰

Title:
The Mystery Guest
Series:
Molly The Maid
Genre:
Thriller
Publisher:
HarperCollins
Release Date:
Format:
Paper Back
Pages:
336
Source:
Book Forums Book Review Blog 2023

Winner:
Book Of The Year 2023;
Best Character 2023 (Molly Gray);
All Time Best Reads

As the reading year draws to an end, here comes Molly once again, and easily climbs straight up to the best reads of 2023. Nita Prose successfully accomplishes the hardest thing to achieve – following up a runaway hit with an equally enthralling sequel. And not only does this second book maintain the charm & appeal of the first, but it also far outdoes it.

The book begins with an acclaimed mystery author J.D. Grimthorpe dropping dead just ahead of a much-publicized announcement he was due to make in the Regency Grand’s tearoom. And as the book itself keeps reminding you, …

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22 November 2023 | Wednesday · 2:47 PM

The Edge

Title:
The Edge
Series:
Travis Devine
Genre:
Thriller
Publisher:
Macmillan
Release Date:
Format:
Kindle
Pages:
477
Source:
BookForums Book Review Blog 2023

Travis Devine returns for a second run with the much awaited, highly anticipated sequel to The 6:20 Man! The former U.S. Army Ranger Devine is assigned a new case by his mentor Emerson Campbell to investigate the murder of Jenny Silkwell, a case of personal interest to Campbell. As Devine travels to the small town of Putnam in Maine, he uncovers various secrets & the darker side of this small seemingly quaint town.

The Edge is everything you look for in a thriller, more pertinently, a David Baldacci thriller. It is fast paced, gripping and addictive from the word go. The twists, the constant lurking danger, the ruthless brute power displayed by Devine at various instances and the emotional side to …

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10 November 2023 | Friday · 11:49 AM

The Five-Star Weekend

Title:
The Five-Star Weekend
Series:
NA
Genre:
Fiction
Publisher:
Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date:
Format:
Kindle
Pages:
385
Source:
BookForums Book Review Blog 2023

The perfect way to sum up The Five-Star Weekend is a phrase from the book itself – “Your Life Story In Friends”. Hollis Shaw, recently widowed, organizes a Five-Star Weekend inspired by another woman to overcome her grief and mourning. This entails inviting one best friend from each phase of her life at her childhood home in Nantucket. For this weekend, she invites her childhood friend Tatum, best friend from college Dru Ann, Brooke from their children’s growing up years and Gigi a recent online acquaintance from her blog.

As such, this idea felt extremely original and enticing. I loved this concept of a weekend with your best friends over the years. Each of these people have problems of …

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9 October 2023 | Monday · 5:51 PM

Traitors Gate: William Warwick#6

Traitors Gate
Title:
Traitors Gate
Series:
William Warwick
Genre:
Thriller
Publisher:
HarperCollins
Release Date:
Format:
Kindle
Pages:
376
Source:
BookForums Book Review Blog 2023

Come autumn and rises the anticipation for the new Jeffrey Archer release. Such has been the pattern for the past few years that the William Warwick series has become an inseparable part of the season for me! And so, here I was – all set and waiting with my copy of Traitor’s Gate pre booked well in advance.

My first impressions of the book were pretty clear, this 6th book in the Warwick series promised to be the best. To begin with, we have all the regular characters returning back – William, Beth, Miles Faulkner, Booth Watson, Sir Julian Warwick and last but not the least Christina! It is a pleasure to meet these bunch of people yet again for a fun …

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