Once Bitten - not hugely thrilling!

Full moon is when the crazies come out to play, so Jamie Beaverbook knows he's going to be busy. He is a police psychologist employed to assess the sanity of unusual suspects before they are interviewed. When Jamie is asked to consult on a beautiful young looking girl, who was found in an alley crouched over a dead man, with blood smeared on her mouth, he is intrigued. He confirms her sanity, but is perplexed by the evidence surrounding her. There is no such thing as a vampire .... or is there? After her release, Jamie starts to dig into the world of the magnetic Terry Ferriman. Needless to say, he falls for her, and she seems to fall for him. But what will happen when he finds out the truth, and is the world prepared to hear it? Once Bitten is an interesting take on a vampire thriller, with some different interpretations of what a vampire could actually be (no garlic will save you in this version!), which I liked. However, the actual thriller element wasn't all that thrilling, and the romance was a bit too predictable. Stephen Leather is an excellent author, but this particular story didn't grab me in the way that his other work often does. It felt a bit rushed and predictable, and I wasn't excited by, or felt any warmth for any of the characters. It is a quick read and not very taxing, so a good book to read if you are travelling or just want something light to while away a few hours.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 240 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.74.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, ebook.

Dark Fire - murder and mayhem Tudor stylee!

It is the summer of 1540, and London is a hot, sticky and downright dangerous place. Matthew Shardlake is trying his best to keep his legal practice going, now that he is out of favour with his former paymaster, Thomas Cromwell. However, when he becomes involved in defending a young woman accused of murdering her cousin, the king's chief minister offers some help ... in return for a favour of his own. Although unwilling to get embroiled in the political machinations of Henry VIII's court once again, Shardlake is drawn into the search for the secret of Dark Fire ... a legendary substance that can destroy anything in its path. Shardlake is commissioned to investigate the brutal murders of the alchemists who had persuaded Cromwell that they had the formula and could deliver it to him. With their deaths, the formula has gone missing. Time is of the essence, as the king is expecting Cromwell to deliver this weapon to him in just a few days time. Things do not start well, and the body count starts to rise as Shardlake tries to juggle both cases. The pressure is on, for if he fails, many lives are at stake ... including his own. This is the second book in The Shardlake Series, written by C.J. Sansom, and it is an absolutely fantastic sequel. The reader is thrust into the sights and smells of Tudor England at a time when paranoia and betrayal were as common as the plague. Whilst most people wouldn't want to have lived during those times, it is enjoyable to visit them from time to time between the covers of a book. The characters are intriguing and rounded. The dialogue is sharp and often witty. And there are so many red herrings and wrong turns down very dangerous alleys that the reader's interest is maintained right to the end. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed by this book ... except that it comes to an end. But there is light at the end of the tunnel .... with four more books in the series to enjoy.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 581 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.00, borrowed from my husband.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download, audio CD; ebook.