Books read and reviewed in May 2024

The end of May came up so fast in the end, I almost missed writing this post. After a few months reading chick lit and romance, I’m now back onto crime and thrillers, and I’ve got a few pages of collections on my Kindle to get through. I don’t feel I spent as much time reading either, although I’ve still read quite a few books.

• Books read in May – 12
• Books read to date in 2024 – 69

Here’s a selection of the books read in May and short summary of thoughts on them. You can find my Goodreads profile here.

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The Housewarming by SE Lines

It took me a while to get into this. It felt like a book that was just skimming the surface, a short story, so it just whizzed by even though it was a book of a standard length of this genre. Because of that I felt like I didn’t really keep track that well of the goings on and had to go back and reread a couple of times.

It could be triggering so if you’ve young children it is a worst nightmare.

Not the best of SE Lynes books I’ve read by a long way.

The Midnight Lock by Jeffrey Deaver

Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are brought in to investigate a mystery intruder who can beat any lock, but who’s not yet committed any other crimes but is terrorising the women’s homes he enters. But then he becomes a murderer and the chase is on, while Rhyme is then caught up in political police protocols and gets ordered off the case.

Will his team manage to continue getting his input, and will they get to the Locksmith before he commits more murders?

Like all Jeffrey Deaver books, it’s classic Rhyme with intricate forensics, psychological challenges and motives, all under pressure from the police powers that be. Another classic Rhyme book in the series

Win by Harlan Coben

I usually really like Harlan Coben books. But I can’t say I’m a big fan of Win the character who enjoys being violent and hurting people in his vigilante ways. It felt a bit self indulgent, and he’s not an empathetic character.

The plot itself is intricately woven, all tied up with Win’s family. But you want the good to win out and ultimately that doesn’t really happen.

I’m not sure whether I can get over Win’s character. I may have to read another book with him in just to check, otherwise I’ll be avoiding these and sticking with more pleasant characters.

The Sentinel by Lee Child

As usual roaming Jack Reacher gets caught up trying to solve a crime after walking into an attempted kidnapping of a former local council IT guy Rusty. He ends up trying to keep him safe while working out what he has that Russians want, and how to fix the issues.

With undercover cops, corruption, ransomware, hacking, and various other concerns, Reacher is at his best. Who can he trust and will he manage to keep Rusty safe while he tries to locate the answers to what they’re all looking for.

Another great Lee Child book, this one written with his brother Andrew.

The Body Reader by Anne Frasier

Detective Jude Fontaine was kept captured for over 3 years before she managed to escape, finding her life had moved on without her. And she’d become a different person. How would she fit into life with a new detective partner, searching for answers to homicides of young girls, and those who’d disappeared. And why does she still hate her father so much.

Jude’s challenged by her partner, her superiors, family and her own mental wellbeing as she tries to claw back and prove her sanity while solving the crimes she’s so involved with.

A harrowing book, especially if you’re a young female. But definitely worth a read. It kept me hooked from start to finish and I’ll be looking out for more in the series.

The Night Thief by Joy Ellis

At first I felt this book was slow to get going. If you’re used to faster paced US crime books, you’ll find this much British police procedural book set in the Fens a much more relaxed pace. It’s not just about the crime, but also about the team working to solve it, their personal relationships and background troubles, as several are returning back into the team.

It’s old school not flashy policing, a quirky story, and plenty of murders with twists and turns.

I enjoyed the book and the characters, it reminded me of the British detective shows of older years rather than the flashy fast solving of crimes you see nowadays. I didn’t find it an issue coming into this series at no. 8, but it seems like I’ve got a lot of catching back up to do to read the others in the series.

Before I say I do by Vicki Bradley

A complex interwoven story of Julia whose investment banker fiance goes missing the day before their wedding. What’s happened, what’s his bestman hiding, what did he get caught up in, and why has someone from Julia’s hidden past turned up.

Disgraced DC Loxton is trying to make things right as she and new partner Kowalski look for the answers, finding other dead people turning up while fighting against police politics, oneupmanship and leaks to the media.

The story is told from Loxton and Julia’s points of view, as well as flashbacks of Julia’s former life.

While there’s a lot going on, it’s easy to follow, and a fast read. I liked Loxton, trying to make her voice heard fairly, in a male dominated world. I did guess who was to blame although not the reason, but it’s a decent read.

I buy most of my books for my Kindle*.

What have you been reading this month?