Review ~ Killer Scents - Adelle Laudan

Ebook received from the author in exchange for an honest review

ASIN: B009KEXF2C

Pages: 166


Description

Becca and Randy are Harley riding detectives who join forces to find the ruthless killer the press have dubbed The Florist. What does the flower he places in his victim's hands have to do with the sick, twisted way he ends their lives? Will they track him down before he strikes again, or will a turn of events find one of them at the mercy of a demented killer?

My Opinion

This was a fast paced and gripping book that had me both turning pages at a rapid speed and also wanting to put it down at points, especially with the way it started. The start split my opinion but I think the book won me over by the half way point and by the end I was glad I stuck with it and didn't let it put me off.

Normally I hate things like what was described in the first few pages (the way the serial killer murders his victims). I had to skim read it as I'm pretty squeamish for things like that and I really thought I was going to have to give up on the book if it continued. Thankfully though the POV switched to following the detectives with the odd part written from the killer in occasionally so I was able to enjoy the book. The parts where the killer was speaking affected me weirdly, it was twisted and insane and everything was screaming at me to skip it but it in a way the description keeps you transfixed in a perverse way as you don't want to stop reading.

Murder mysteries aren't something I read usually as most of the ones I have read in the past are predictable. Killer Scents was however not. The author concealed the identity of the killer and his motives well as she unraveled the mystery slowly which was great. This may have been down to the lack of background involved in the story so the reader has nothing to guess as we have no information to assume who the killer is though. Personally I would have liked a bit more background, especially on Randy and Becca as it would have helped me connect with the characters more and would have added length to the book as it was a pretty short read.

I liked Becca's strong character and how she could handle herself. She was a great protagonist. As well as this the subtle romance that develops throughout was a nice change from the darker and more twisted side of the book. It added a bit of light and happiness.

The one thing that did annoy me slightly was that throughout the book the font kept changing from bold to normal and I couldn't seem to find a pattern as to why it was happening. I don't know if it was deliberate or a formatting issue but it put emphasis on random sections and was slightly distracting as it kept switching. The other this was the font size did change when journal entries were written and again this caused the same problems. I would have preferred they stayed the same size and were put in italics.

Overall Killer Scents was a dark and twisted murder mystery that was weirdly interesting. It keeps you hooked with its fast pace and unpredictable plot. If you like crime, mystery or books with murder check this out.

Rating 3.5

                                           

Devil's Bargain (Red Letter Days #1) - Rachel Caine

Description
Jazz Callender is an ex-cop struggling to prove her partner's innocence after he is sent to prison for murder, and she's willing to take whatever help comes along ... but she's about to make a bargain with the devil. Approached by a mysterious, attractive stranger with a check and a business offer, she finds herself plunged deep into a world where nothing is as it seems - not James Borden, Attorney At Law, who fascinates her even as she doubts his honesty; not Lucia Garza, her beautiful, brilliant new partner with hidden depths and secrets; not The Cross Society, who seems to be able to know more about the cases she's being sent to investigate than Jazz does herself. With each new revelation, Jazz and Lucia uncover a world of psychic predictions and unseen forces, and find themselves playing not just for keeps, but for souls. With lives at stake, Jazz finds that every choice she makes is dangerous ... even the one to fall in love.

My Opinion

I received the sequel Devil's Dues via Netgalley earlier this month so I purchased this after finding out it was the first in the series. 

This book was an interesting read. Detective novels aren't usually my thing but this had a paranormal aspect that gave it an interesting twist. To begin with the book was slightly confusing but this kept me hooked as I wanted to find out what was happening and who was behind everything. I really liked the action in this book, the fights, stake outs and general P.I work were described well and made the book an exciting read. As well as this I love Jazz, she had a hard, cold nature but also showed a vulnerable side. She knew how to handle herself and was a great, strong female lead.

The relationships and characters were developed well and became increasingly more obvious as the book went on. Although I wouldn't class the book as a romance as this was more of an undercurrent it added a extra layer to the book that made it harder to put down.

Overall this was an interesting read that became clearer as I read on. It's full of action and great female leads and would strongly recommend reading it to anyone who loves paranormal/mystery/detectives/female leads in a novel.