Monty's Book Reviews

With 2024 now nearly a week old, I thought I'd compile a list of my top ten books of 2023. Unfortunately I've not been able to whittle it down to just ten so I tried to make it my favourite ten authors. Once again I failed as there are so many great books I didn't want to leave out. Even so I've had to be harsh and leave out many that would've made last years list (what do you mean I didn't publish a list last year? Yeah, I know, I was too busy reading and writing reviews and I completely forgot) My list is composed of 15 authors and contains 42 books from a variety of genres (it could easily have been 60 books from the 400 I read last year (ok, some of those were quite short and I've not got much else to do) Lets get on with it I hear you yell, so without further ado and in no particular order, these were my favourite reads of 2023 Scratch that. I'm going to list them in alphabetical order by author surname so no further favouritism can be gleaned from ...

  Hersassin Dan Abubakar 4 Stars Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Mystery, Thriller Pages: 266 Published: 11 November 2023 Publisher: Independently Published Publisher's Blurb /ha'sasn/ noun : a woman skilled in the fine art of death. Years after defying direct orders and relentlessly pursuing the man responsible for the murder of her partner and his family, Leah Givens is granted a second chance within the ranks of the CIA. Her new assignment: to monitor a university professor in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. What begins as routine surveillance takes a perilous turn as her new partner disappears, her subject meets an untimely demise, and a long-buried assassin from her past resurfaces. Leah finds herself entangled in a high-stakes race against time, where failure could result in a catastrophic event of unimaginable proportions. In "Hersassin," Dan Abubakar expertly weaves together heart-pounding action and relentless suspense in a masterfully crafted thriller that will ca...

  Two for the Money Steve Zettler 5 Stars Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Mystery, Thriller Pages: 310 Published: 17 October 2023 Publisher:  Vine Leaves Press Publisher's Blurb What happens when millions in cold cash evaporates into thin air? And the only people aware of its disappearance are a collection of misfits, bunglers and crooked CIA agents? The one person on earth who knows exactly where that cash is located is a legless, ex-Navy SEAL, confined to a wheelchair. It’s an icy Christmas Day in Philadelphia, City of Brotherly Love. Sam Christie has come to South Philly to visit the grave of a former Secret Service Agent, Pete Macaluso. Drive into town, place some flowers on Pete’s grave, and head home – piece of cake… Not so fast; unbeknownst to Sam, he’s walking straight into a sinister trap; a trap that will take him to the exact spot where the Americas meet, and pit him against ruthless mercenaries, an unrelenting cop, and rogue CIA agents. “It’s Panama, Sam… There ar...

Alice In Condoland Liz Bieler 5 Stars Genre: Humour, Comedy, Mystery Pages: 328 Published: 30 November 2022 Publisher:  3 Swallys Press   Publisher's Blurb Alice Miller is an idealistic young woman who leaves the New York rat race in search of a more passionate and authentic life in South Florida. Her Manhattan salary affords her an ocean-facing condominium and luxury beyond her wildest, Upper West Side dreams.  Those dreams, however, become a nightmare when she discovers corruption everywhere--in the news, at work, and in her new building, where self-dealing managers blatantly misuse her hard-earned cash.  How can she fight back--and win--against pervasive fraud?     Fully appreciative of the often-comical multi-cultural swirl around her, Alice meets a series of characters--the Champion, Sherlock Holmez, Joanna Rivers, and Florence Nightingale--who become her friends.  Working together, they bridge Condoland's English/Spanish divide. Th...

  A Third is Darkness Blackjack Book 3 Murray Bailey 5 Stars Pages: 307 Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Historical Published: 18 October 2023 Publisher:  Three Daggers an imprint of Heritage Books Publisher's Blurb Judge not the man Charles Balcombe cannot control his alter ego. BlackJack is killing for fun and DI Munro knows his partnership with Balcombe can’t continue. While Balcombe seeks help, Munro is asked to work for the Hong Kong governor’s aide-de-camp. He seems to be sidelined as Garrett resumes his hunt for the Squeezed-heart murderer. But people have secrets and the more Munro investigates, the murkier they seem. When people start dying and with Balcombe’s help, Munro tries to get to the bottom of a conspiracy of silence. Will he find the truth? Will Garrett catch his killer? Will Balcombe learn the truth about himself? As the psychoanalyst told him: a third of the mind is darkness. If you dig too deep, be prepared. You won’t like what you find there. Review The u...

An Unwilling Suspect McLaren Mysteries Book 7 Jo A. Hiestand 5 Stars Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Detective Pages: 325 Audio Length: 7 Hours 43 Mins Narrated By: Callum Hale Published: 17 March 2021 Publisher: Jo A. Hiestand Publisher's Blurb McLaren’s fiancée tragically died one month ago. Trying to heal emotionally from her death, McLaren settles into a rented farmhouse in the woods near picturesque Lake Windermere, in Cumbria. But he’s barely had a chance to rest when Helen, the woman in the neighboring cottage, is killed…and is discovered near his front door. Because McLaren had spent much of the previous day with her, and his snowy footprints lead to and from her house, he becomes the prime murder suspect in what the police label a frustrated romantic advance. Motives for Helen’s murder are as chilling as the outdoor temperature. There’s the hands-on garage mechanic who’d like to put his hands all over her, the affluent fishing guide, and Helen’s former boyfriend who wante...