Later by Stephen King

Synopsis : The son of a struggling single mother, Jamie Conklin just wants an ordinary childhood. But Jamie is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability his mom urges him to keep secret, Jamie can see what no one else can see and learn what no one else can learn. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine – as he discovers when an NYPD detective draws him into the pursuit of a killer who has threatened to strike from beyond the grave.

Review : I may have watched plenty of adaptations of Stephen King’s novels on TV or in the cinema, but it never occurred to me to read one of his books. Probably because most of the time, I was quite satisfied with these film adaptations, so I didn’t really feel the need to read them. So it was high time for me to correct this mistake. And as a first read to enter the vast universe of the master of horror, I stumbled upon this relatively short novel, ‘Later’ and I thought it could be a good starting point.

In this book, we follow Jamie Conklin, the young narrator of this story. And as is often the case with Stephen King’s stories, Jamie is not an ordinary child in the sense that he has a rather strange gift : he sees and hears the dead before they disappear.

From the first chapters, Jamie tells us, not without a touch of humor, about his childhood. Thus, the first third of the book reviews his childhood, adolescence, the relationships he has with his mother and Liz (the female cop), as well as his ability to see the dead. The main character of this story being very young, the tone is light and quite enjoyable to read despite the frequent use of strong language. Actually the author takes turns putting himself in the shoes of a little boy who becomes a teenager and then a young adult, all while adopting a first-person writing style in tune with his narrator and his different ages.

This also allows him to approach with a bit more lightness important and quite serious events that occurred in the 2000s, notably the subprime crisis and the Great Recession of 2008.

At first, it was quite interesting and this little boy is funny and very endearing. However, after about a hundred pages, it starts to feel a bit long. It’s dragging. Honestly, not much happens even though this story is supposed to be a horror story (as Jamie himself claims). The novel is less than 350 pages long (French edition), so inevitably, you begin to wonder when you’ll get some action. In the end, things don’t really get serious until Chapter 20.

As for me, the magic didn’t work and I didn’t really get hooked by this book. Perhaps not enough horror for my taste. I expected to read something that would give me a bit of a chill, but that was not the case here. Moreover, I would have liked to know more about the mysterious ‘dead light,’ but the novel does not provide any answers on this matter. On the other hand, I was surprised by the revelation thrown at us at the end of the book concerning the narrator; I admit I didn’t see that coming.

In conclusion, if you want to immerse yourself into Stephen King’s fascinating and anxiety-inducing universe, if you are looking for a good horror story or a thrill ride, then this book is not the best choice. However, it was a fairly entertaining read that helped pass the time.

Mistress by James Patterson

Synopsis: Discover a dangerous world of manipulation, obsession, and murder in James Patterson’s scary, sexy standalone thriller.
Ben isn’t like most people. Unable to control his racing thoughts, he’s a man consumed by his obsessions: movies, motorcycles, presidential trivia-and Diana Hotchkiss, a beautiful woman Ben knows he can never have.
When Diana is found dead outside her apartment, Ben’s infatuation drives him on a hunt to find out what happened to the love of his life. He soon discovers that the woman he pined for was hiding a shocking secret. And now someone is out to stop Ben from uncovering the truth about Diana’s illicit affairs.
In his most heart-pumping thriller yet, James Patterson plunges us into the depths of a mind tortured by paranoia and obsession, on an action-packed chase through a world of danger and deceit.

 

Review: I think it’s the first James Patterson’s novel I’m discovering. After hearing so much about him, I was curious to read one of his stories.

Ben did not think his life would change completely after meeting Diana. No, he did not expect his life to be completely messed up and to be at the center of a conspiracy. When he left home after installing the cameras and microphones she wanted, he did not think to see her crashing from her balcony. Yet, while everyone says it’s a suicide, Ben knows there’s more, it’s a murder and he’s determined to understand what happened. But that’s it, this story is much more than it seems and it catches the attention of people far more dangerous than he thought.

I had a good time with this novel. The author offers a story in a very original way with very short chapters, but also with a very different male character. Ben is a different protagonist, he digresses easily and very often throughout the story, about History, movies, TV shows and it’s true that I found it quite impressive to see all the researches that the author had realized.

The plot was really interesting and I admit that I did not expect some turnarounds situations. It was crooked and finally pretty well found too. I am curious to read more about the author now.

Incontrôlable de James Patterson

Résumé : Le cadavre d’une très belle femme

Ben Casper n’aurait jamais imaginé retrouver le corps de Diana, sa meilleure amie, une agente de la CIA, au pied de son immeuble. Elle se serait jetée par la fenêtre de son appartement. Suicide. Affaire classée.
Retrouvé au bas de son immeuble
Pourtant, Diana, dont Ben était secrètement amoureux, n’avait a priori aucun motif d’en finir avec la vie… Journaliste d’investigation, Ben pressent qu’on a cherché à la faire taire.
Peut-il mettre La maison blanche en danger ?
Bientôt, il va mettre au jour un complot qui pourrait impliquer les plus hautes instances du pouvoir. Mais, à trop approcher la vérité, c’est sa propre vie que Ben met en danger. Certains secrets ne doivent pas être ébruités…

Avis : Je crois que c’est le premier roman de James Patterson que je découvre. Après en avoir tant entendu parler, j’étais curieuse de lire une de ses histoires.

Ben ne pensait pas que sa vie allait changer du tout au tout après avoir rencontré Diana. Non, il ne s’attendait pas à ce que sa vie soit complètement chamboulée et à être au centre d’un complot. Quand il sort de chez elle après avoir installé les caméras et les micros qu’elle désirait, il ne pensait pas la voir s’écraser de son balcon. Pourtant, alors que tout le monde dit que c’est un suicide, Ben sait qu’il y a plus, que c’est un meurtre et il est bien décidé à comprendre ce qu’il s’est passé. Mais voilà, cette histoire le dépasse complètement et attire l’attention de personnes bien plus dangereuses qu’il ne le pensait.

J’ai passé un bon moment avec ce roman. L’auteure propose une histoire de façon très originale avec des chapitres très courts, mais aussi avec un personnage masculin très différent. Ben est un personnage différent, il digresse facilement et très souvent tout au long de l’histoire, sur l’histoire, les films, les séries et c’est vrai que j’ai trouvé ça assez impressionnant de voir toutes les recherches que l’auteur avait réalisées.

L’intrigue était vraiment très intéressante et j’avoue que je ne m’attendais pas à certains retournements de situations. C’était tordu et finalement assez bien trouvé aussi. Je suis curieuse de lire plus de l’auteur à présent.

Close to Home by Cara Hunter

DI Adam Fawley, Book 1

Synopsis: They know who did it. Perhaps not consciously. Perhaps not yet. But they know. 

When eight-year-old Daisy Mason vanishes from her family’s Oxford home during a costume party, Detective Inspector Adam Fawley knows that nine times out of ten, the offender is someone close to home. And Daisy’s family is certainly strange—her mother is obsessed with keeping up appearances, while her father is cold and defensive under questioning. And then there’s Daisy’s little brother, so withdrawn and uncommunicative . . .

DI Fawley works against the clock to find any trace of the little girl, but it’s as if she disappeared into thin air—no one saw anything; no one knows anything. But everyone has an opinion, and everyone, it seems, has a secret to conceal.

Review: This is a new detective novel that I really enjoyed. The topic, which is really relevant, intrigued me a lot and I was curious to discover how the survey was conducted.

A little girl has disappeared at a party. Nobody knows how, by whom or what happened. No, nobody saw a thing. Then a race against the clock begins to try to find the 8 years old girl, but when the characters lie to keep their secrets, everything gets complicated. New elements are added continually and posing great doubts about the course of the events.

I really had a good time with the story and I was completely carried away by the investigation. The author manages to surprise us continually and I admit that I really had not seen this end coming! There are many reversals of situation and doubt arises on many of the characters.

The novel is divided between present and past narration, allowing us to understand in what context Daisy has disappeared. We discover the family life, not a simple one, with Sharon, Barry and their two children Leo and Daisy.

You can understand that this first novel is a good discovery and the investigation is very interesting. I wonder what the author will propose later.

 

Sous nos yeux de Cara Hunter

Une enquête de Adam Fawley, Tome 1

Résumé : Quelqu’un a enlevé Daisy. Quelqu’un que vous connaissez.

Hier soir, la petite Daisy, âgée 8 ans, a disparu lors d’une fête donnée dans le jardin de ses parents. Mais personne n’a rien vu – du moins, c’est ce que tout le monde prétend.

L’inspecteur principal Adam Fawley sait d’expérience que, neuf fois sur dix, c’est un proche qui a fait le coup. Les Mason savent donc probablement qui a enlevé leur fille. Mais ils réagissent de façon étrange : la mère sauve les apparences, le père est campé sur la défensive et le petit frère ne dit pas un mot. Choc, déni ou faux-semblants ?

Avis : Voilà un nouveau policier que j’ai beaucoup apprécié. Le sujet, d’ailleurs vraiment d’actualité, m’a beaucoup intriguée et j’étais curieuse de découvrir la façon dont l’enquête était menée.

Une petite fille a disparu lors d’une fête. Personne ne sait comment, par qui ou ce qu’il s’est passé. Non, personne n’a rien vu. S’ensuit alors une course contre la montre pour essayer de retrouver la fillette de huit ans, mais quand les personnages mentent pour garder leurs secrets, tout se complique. Des éléments nouveaux se rajoutent ainsi continuellement faisant poser de gros doutes quant au déroulement des événements.

J’ai vraiment passé un bon moment avec l’histoire et j’ai été complètement emportée par l’enquête. L’auteur parvient à nous surprendre continuellement et j’avoue que je n’avais vraiment pas vu venir cette fin ! Il y a de nombreux retournements de situation et le doute se pose sur plusieurs des personnages.

Le roman est divisé entre narration présente et passé, nous permettant de comprendre dans quel contexte Daisy a disparu. On découvre ainsi la vie de famille, pas si simple, de Sharon, Barry et leurs deux enfants Leo et Daisy.

Vous l’aurez compris, ce premier roman est une bonne découverte et l’enquête est très intéressante. Je me demande ce que l’auteure nous proposera par la suite.

Silent Scream by Angela Marsons

D.I. Kim Stone, Book 1

Synopsis: Even the darkest secrets can’t stay buried forever…
Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood …

Years later, a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country.

But when human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. D.I. Kim Stone fast realises she’s on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades.

As the body count rises, Kim needs to stop the murderer before they strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past before it’s too late?

Fans of Rachel Abbott, Val McDermid and Mark Billingham will be gripped by this exceptional new voice in British crime fiction.

Watch out for more from D.I. Kim Stone

A Detective hiding dark secrets, Kim Stone will stop at nothing to protect the innocent. Silent Scream is the first book in the series – watch out for EVIL GAMES coming soon.

Review: I discovered this novel with its French release and the synopsis immediately intrigued me. I also saw some great reviews on goodreads and as I didn’t know about it, I was even more curious. So I was therefore intrigued to discover this first Kim Stone’s investigation and I must say that I am delighted!

Kim is a pretty complex woman and pretty hard to pin down and her new case resonates in her much more than she would have thought. While people linked to a former children’s home fall one by one, Kim will try to figure out what happened 10 years ago in this place before it closed. This young woman with an explosive temperament will do everything to know the truth and she will not hesitate to risk her career and her life for that! This is especially true when she discovers human bones in the old park. What happened ? Why so many horrors? Some tricky questions that we have in mind all along the story.

I was completely carried away by the novel. Kim is a character who seems cold, but who, finally, is very intense. She does not accept the injustice and despite the warnings, she will do everything to solve this investigation. What she discovers is more and more terrible and it saddened me as much as it saddened her. This children’s home conceals many secrets and after having kept them for so many years, they will be revealed little by little. I must say that I was surprised more than once by the reversals of situations that I did not see coming. But I was also very touched by some of the characters like this father and Lucy, his brave daughter. Besides, I was really touched by the end of the story.

It was a terrible story. Yes really. But it was also a very good novel and I can not wait to read more now!

Le Pensionnat des Innocentes d’Angela Marsons

D.I. Kim Stone, Tome 1

Résumé : Grande-Bretagne, de nos jours.
2004. En pleine nuit, cinq individus scellent un pacte au-dessus d’une tombe qu’ils viennent de creuser à tour de rôle.
Dix ans plus tard, Kim Stone, inspectrice au tempérament plus tranchant qu’une lame de rasoir, se voit confier une nouvelle enquête. Teresa Wyatt, directrice d’école, a été retrouvée noyée dans sa baignoire. Peu de temps avant sa mort, elle s’était intéressée à une fouille archéologique prévue autour de Crestwood, un foyer d’accueil pour jeunes filles où elle avait travaillé avant que le lieu ne soit entièrement détruit par un incendie. Bientôt, un autre ex-employé du foyer est retrouvé assassiné. Puis, un autre.
Que s’est-il passé à Crestwood ? Quel lien unit ces crimes ? Kim, qui a connu enfant l’assistance publique, s’implique profondément dans cette enquête. Au mépris des procédures, la jeune femme fait accélérer les fouilles archéologiques dans les jardins de l’ancien pensionnat. Et se retrouve bientôt avec un amas de squelettes ; les restes d’adolescentes oubliées de tous, que l’inspectrice est bien décidée à venger…

Avis : J’ai découvert ce roman avec sa sortie Française chez Belfond et le résumé m’a tout de suite intriguée. J’ai d’ailleurs très vite regardé les avis sur goodreads et quelle surprise de voir les très bonnes notes pour un roman que je ne connaissais pas. J’étais donc vraiment très intriguée de découvrir cette première enquête de Kim Stone et je dois dire que je suis ravie !

Kim une femme assez complexe et assez difficile à cerner et sa nouvelle affaire résonne en elle bien plus qu’elle ne l’aurait pensé. Alors que les gens qui sont liés à un ancien pensionnat de jeunes filles tombent comme des mouches, Kim essaiera de comprendre ce qu’il s’est passé il y a 10 ans dans ce lieu avant qu’il ne ferme. Cette jeune femme au tempérament explosif va tout mettre en œuvre pour connaitre la vérité et elle n’hésitera à risquer sa carrière et sa vie pour cela ! C’est d’autant plus vrai quand elle découvre des os humains dans l’ancien parc. Que s’est-il passé ? Pourquoi tant d’horreurs ? Des questions qui trottent dans la tête pendant une bonne partie de l’histoire.

J’ai été complètement emportée par l’histoire. Kim est un personnage qui se donne des allures très froides, mais qui, finalement, est très intense. Elle n’accepte pas l’injustice et malgré les mises en gardes, elle va se donner toute entière pour résoudre cette enquête. Ce qu’elle découvre est de plus en plus terrible et nous attriste autant que ça l’attriste. Ce pensionnat recèle bien des secrets et après les avoir conservés pendant tant d’années, ils seront révélés petit à petit. Je dois dire que j’ai été surprise plus d’une fois par les retournements de situations que je n’ai pas vu venir. Mais j’ai été aussi très touchée par certains des personnages comme ce père de famille et Lucy, sa fille si courageuse. D’ailleurs, j’ai vraiment été touchée par la fin de l’histoire.

C’était une histoire terrible. Oui, vraiment. Mais c’était aussi un très bon roman et je suis impatiente de lire la suite à présent !