The Last Dance by Mark Billingham

 

Two bodies were discovered in adjacent rooms at the Sands Hotel. One of them was Adrian Cutler. He's from a well-established family that links to organised crime. Just on a big case on his first day back after his wife's death, Detective Sergeant Declan Miller who's a bit quirky, unorthodox, brilliant, inattentive, flippant, and sarcastic is a perfect main character who I love. Alexandra was murdered when she was investigating the Cutlers and the other gangland. The investigation was still ongoing. Whoever had been responsible for the killing had not only been careful but 'might' be connected to his wife's murder. 

5 ⭐️. I was so pleased to have read a good premise and great writing from the author. Definitely not the last. What I did not like about this book is I had to wait until next year for the next instalment. Urgh. I hate it. 

Thanks to @definitelybooks #pansing for the review copy. Opinions are my own 💙 

*Available at all major bookstores in Singapore and Malaysia and their online stores

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Wraith by Mark Wheaton

 

Cecily Underwood and her mother never stayed in one place for too long and avoided large crowds since they left France.

After her mother died under tragic circumstances, she

inherited a fortune from her great-grandmother who is dying to see her for the last time. Unfortunately, Marguerite LeClercq had been found dead an apparent suicide.

Though they were long estranged, Cecily believes the wraith has something to do with it. She knew the tragedies that had befallen her family had lived on in the form of a curse and carried it down through the centuries. 

About half the story, I felt a little disoriented, but it fits in Cecily's current state of mind. She hadn't known her family history and the curse capable of making everyone suffer. This is a story of unsettling revenge in a slow-burn horror that sends chills down your spine. I give 4 ⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

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Penance by Eliza Clark

 

A teenager, Joan Wilson was murdered by three girls who set fire to a small beach chalet in 2016. Hours earlier, Joan was struck by them and locked in the chalet. The burns covered 80% of her body and she died after three days of the ordeal. Several years later, a journalist, Alec Z. Carelli wrote a book about emotional insight before the murder. 

This is a work of fiction but based on actual events with some adding for dramatic purposes. It drove my mind. A lot of complicated feelings for such a young girl to carry. The most common problems of teenagers are peer pressure, growing up too fast, and identity crises. Personally, I don't require trigger warnings for myself 😅😅. But please be warned. This book heavily contains bullies, torturers, violence, weak-minded, grief, manipulation, homophobia, suicide, attention-seeker, fandom of true crime, and delusion - to name some of them. 

The story delves into the psychology of the characters and their motivations including the pov of the victim's mother, the perpetrators and their parents, teachers n friends. Eliza Clark does a really good job of depicting the narrative of a twisted yet driven murderer. Unlike many other crimes, a prank gone wrong appear to be senseless, right? Despite the display of a realistic depiction, it's not normal behaviour to kill someone for no reason. I thought the details could be worse irl. 5 ⭐️ 

Thanks to @times.reads and @putrifariza for the review copy. Opinions are my own 💙 

*Available at all major bookstores in Singapore and Malaysia and their online stores

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#donereading #Penance by #elizaclark #igreads #igbooks #emabaca #goodreads #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #bookreview #grantabestyoungnovelist #malaysiamembaca