Time To Die ~MysteryGuest ~Review~

Ok no more Eeeeks…But I will throw in a Hell Yeah and welcome my Mystery Guest Reviewer to CrimeBookJunkie!  I love the style and humour in this review which is why I was hoping they may agree to make this a more permanent arrangement!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 

Synopsis:

He will predict your life… and your death.

Don’t ever cross his palm with silver.
He will reveal your most shameful secrets.
He will predict your death.
He is hiding a secret.
He is hiding a monster.
And all his predictions come true.

Investigating a series of chilling murders, Detective Jennifer Knight finds herself tracking a mysterious tarot card reader known only as The Raven.

As the death toll rises, Jennifer and her team build a picture of a serial killer on the edge of sanity, driven by dark forces. But these are not random killings. And the method behind the madness could be the most terrifying thing of all …

Especially when it seems the death of one of their own is on the cards

Rating: 5/5

Mystery Guest’s Review:

Sometimes when I’m at work I look across at Caroline sitting at a desk opposite mine and I think, “Just what on earth is going through your mind, lady? How do you come up with this stuff?”

Most police officers spend their time trying to catch criminals, but Caroline spends her time plotting the next murder or grisly demise of some poor character. (And to be honest, I’ve often wondered if I could pull off the perfect crime or murder . . . then I remember that I can’t even eat pancakes without getting syrup all over me). Anyway, to be on the safe side I’ve moved my desk just a little bit further away from Carloline’s and I try to keep her in view at all times. You just never know.

One thing I do know though, is that Caroline enjoys writing her books just as much as people like us enjoy reading them. I think it shows. Jennifer Knight’s return is a very welcome one. In Time To Die we discover a bit more about her as a character and person, and I’m now looking forward to reading her next adventure the way I look forward to our annual visit from Jack Reacher or (when Vince Flynn was still with us) Mitch Rapp.

So just like Caroline’s last book, ‘Time To Die’ is lairy, scary, and just a little bit hairy. As I said when I reviewed ‘Don’t Turn Around,’ this book is a bit different . . . great police procedural with a healthy dose of supernatural. Fortunately there are no pensive, love-struck teenage vampires twinkling in the sunlight here. Caroline gives it to us without holding back – a likeable but flawed main police character with accurate police details (thank you, Caroline, for doing it right and making the main character a DC – why on earth do so many crime writers and script writers make their main character a DI or a DCI? Someone should explain to them the difference in roles). She also gives us nail biting suspense, a measure of exciting action and the oh so welcome gratuitous blood and gore.

So full disclosure here – Caroline and I are friends as well as colleagues. Would I give a pal a bad review if I didn’t like the book? To be honest, no I wouldn’t. I just wouldn’t leave a review at all (and in Caroline’s case I’d probably tease her at work a bit). But Caroline is a very good wordsmith and an entertaining storyteller. She brings fresh ideas to a very different genre. Would I have normally gone for a book about paranormal crime? Probably not, to be honest. But Caroline has made me broaden my horizons – and has made the whole ‘horizon broadening’ thing a surprisingly enjoyable experience. As a reader I’ve always liked to stay with what I know and what I’m comfortable as I know I’ll enjoy it – in this case I really did enjoy Time To Die (almost as much as I enjoyed watching Caroline go through the writing and publishing process), so it gets a genuine and well deserved 5 stars from me. Can’t wait for number 3 in the series.

Loved that review! Ok not as much as I loved Caroline’s book but pretty damn close!  And if that review has convinced you to check out Caroline’s fab book, click the link below!  Thanks Mystery Guest Reviewer….I do hope you will join us on CBJ again …and soon! 

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