Staff Review: Take Your Breath Away

Title/Author: Take Your Breath Away - Linwood Barclay

Genre(s): Mystery, Crime Fiction, Psychological Thrillers

Andrew Mason went through the unthinkable: His wife Brie disappeared, and everyone assumed he’d gotten away with her murder. Now, six years after his world fell apart, Andrew is finally in a position where he’s moving on with his life, until a woman with a striking resemblance to Brie shows up at his door, demanding to know what happened to her house, Andrew if forced to question: Is his wife alive, and if so, where’s she been??

Linwood Barclay is as close to a sure thing in crime fiction as anything you’ve read. No B.S., nothing fancy, just airtight plotting, surprisingly nuanced characters, and lots of moves. A great ‘dram and a hammock’ book!

Reviewed by: David

Staff Review: Every Man Dies Alone

Title/Author: Every Man Dies Alone - Hans Fallada

Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Thrillers, World War II

Set in 1930s Nazi Berlin, this novel is based on a true story. From the psychological perspective of the characters, readers can also understand the mental turmoil that the author himself was going through during that period. It's a masterpiece about humanity, romance and politics at the same time. It touches the reader's heart when we read about Otto's rebellion.

Reviewed by: Ingrid

Staff Review: Razorblade Tears

Title/Author: Razorblade Tears - S.A. Cosby

Genre(s): Mystery, Detective Stories, African American Fiction

Full to the brim with rage, bloody revenge, and grief, Cosby's writing also bursts with humor and redemption. A Black father and a white father begin a desperate search for the murderer of their gay sons. Their sons fell in love, married, and started a family before being mysteriously murdered. Both fathers are plagued by their pasts and go through difficult transformations of character as they confront the harsh reality of the pain they caused their sons by not fully accepting them. An insightful exploration of racism, homophobia and parenting. Its a mystery crime thriller at its core with plenty of violence and fast paced action, as Cosby fuels every shocking twist and turn with visceral character development and emotional depth.

Reviewed by: Rosemary

Staff Review: Everything Turns Away

Title/Author: Everything Turns Away - Michelle Berry

Genre(s): Literary Fiction, Thrillers, Domestic Stories

Wow! Everything Turns Away is a  thrill, full of mess and disquiet, a quick little read that will stay in my head for a long time. Fully human, complex and faltering characters, this one is a snack  best savored. Shades of A.M Homes or Lydia Millett, but Michelle Berry has put  together a great tune of her own here. One of my favourites of the year.

Reviewed by: David

Staff Review: Gun Machine

Title/Author: Gun Machine - Warren Ellis

Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller, Police Procedural

Following a shootout in an old tenement building, an NYPD detective discovers a seemingly abandoned apartment filled with guns of all sorts, arranged to look like the cogs of a machine. When each gun is traced back to previously unsolved homicides, the detective realizes this is a much bigger case than he ever could have imagined, and the hunt for a mysterious killer is on. This book reads with the flow of the best of crime fiction, with enough twists for a rollercoaster. Do yourself a favour and give it a go!

Reviewed by: Alex