Reviews
The Murder Complex –
The BOLO Books Review
Dystopian landscapes continue to dominate the young adult thriller genre. With the success of books like The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Testing, it is no surprise that many authors are attempting to tap into that existing audience. The latest to succeed is...
The Fever –
The BOLO Books Review
From The Booking Desk: I am electing to run this review a week earlier than intended in the hopes that it will encourage readers to preorder the novel. Megan Abbott is just one of many authors who are affected by the ongoing dispute between Hachette Publishing and...
The Bones Beneath –
The BOLO Books Review
The Bones Beneath is the twelfth book in Mark Billingham’s Tom Thorne mystery series. As one would expect, the books over the years have documented many changes in Throne, but no where is that more evident than in this novel, where Thorne is forced to contend once...
The Stranger on the Train –
The BOLO Books Review
From the very first page, Abbie Taylor’s debut suspense novel, The Stranger on the Train, will grip readers in its high-octane clutches and won’t let go until the final twist is revealed. But this novel is also an unflinching look at single parenthood and the...
I Am Pilgrim –
The BOLO Books Review
It is simple. If you are a fan of spy novels or political thrillers, you need to read I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. If you are a fan of large books with multiple locations and intertwined character dynamics, you need to read I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. Or if you...
The Telling Error –
The BOLO Books Review
(UK Edition)
Sophie Hannah has consistently been writing some of the most complex and psychologically acute mystery novels out there. The Telling Error, the ninth in her bestselling series, continues this tradition. Reading one of her novels is like looking into the private files...
We Were Liars –
The BOLO Books Review
If you are at all tapped into the Young Adult book blogging scene, you have more than likely already heard that there is a new E. Lockhart book coming out. That book, We Were Liars, has been getting strong buzz around the blogosphere – and rightly so. The book is...
The Day She Died –
The BOLO Books Review
For years now, Catriona McPherson has been making a name for herself with her historical mystery series starring Dandy Gilver. But recently, readers have become even more fortunate as she has taken the time out of her Dandy schedule to also write a few contemporary...
Remember Me Like This –
The BOLO Books Review
The majority of works in the crime fiction genre tend to focus on either the path to a crime or the investigation into that crime, resulting in a solution. However, works like Remember Me Like This by Bret Anthony Johnston demonstrate that there can be compelling...
Unravelling Oliver –
The BOLO Books Review
(UK Edition)
It has been argued that the most important sentence of any novel is the first sentence. No doubt, even those readers who might not completely agree with this qualification can appreciate the power of a well-constructed opening line. A perfect case in point is the...
Dorothy Must Die –
The BOLO Books Review
Turning sweet, innocent Dorothy Gale into a megalomaniacal “mean girl” bitch might seem like a risky proposition for any author (let alone a debut author), but that is exactly what Danielle Paige has done in her first young adult novel, Dorothy Must Die. As the...
No Place Like Oz –
The BOLO Books Review
You would easily be forgiven for thinking that the mythos of Oz had been mined of all potential prequels, sequels or spin-offs. However, along comes Danielle Paige to prove us all wrong. In preparation for the release of Dorothy Must Die, the first in her new...
Dear Killer –
The BOLO Books Review
The teenage years are when the youth of the world typically feel the most invincible. It is during these formative years when teens believe they know more than their elders and that no one should be able to tell them what to do. Thus, it is no surprise that...
The Orphan Choir –
BOLO Books Review
Sophie Hannah recently wrote a novella for horror imprint, Hammer Arrow. That novella, The Orphan Choir, owes much to prior ghost stories like Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw and Susan Hill’s The Women in White; but what makes it really stand out is one other work...
Watching You –
BOLO Books Review
It has become a bit of a cliché to say that a series just keeps getting better with the release of each new book, but in the case of Michael Robotham’s Joseph O’Loughlin mystery series, it also happens to be completely true. Certainly, this has a lot to do with the...
Kilmoon – BOLO Books review
There are certain books in which setting and character share equal billing in terms of importance. Lisa Alber’s debut novel, Kilmoon, is just such a novel. The reader is clued into this right from the book jacket. Kilmoon is given the subtitle of A County Clare...
Keep Your Friends Close –
BOLO Books Review (UK edition)
When Natasha Wainwright’s college friend decides to come over from the United States for a visit, Natasha has no idea her life is about to experience a total upheaval. Eve Dalladay’s trip may have started as an innocent holiday designed to rekindle a past friendship,...
The Accident –
BOLO Books Review
If someone were to tell you that the novel in your hands was about the behind-the-scenes processes involved with the publication of a tell-all memoir, it is unlike that your first thought would be “Oh, then it must be a thriller.” But that is exactly what The...
House of Glass –
BOLO Books Review
Sophie Littlefield’s writing career is one of the most diverse you are likely to find. She has found success and critical acclaim in a number of different genres - mystery (the Stella Hardesty series and the Joe Bashir series), young adult (Hanging By A Thread),...
Conquest – BOLO Books Review
Fans of John Connolly and his phenomenal Charlie Parker mystery series have already followed the author on several career detours: the supernatural short stories (Nocturnes), the comedic metaphysical young adult books (The Gates series) and the riff on classic fairy...