My Review of "The Last of Us" by Rob Ewing

It was the cover of this book that caught my attention. The silhouettes, children looking outwards as if searching for something and the simple black and white image implied a stark innocence and a sense of desolation. The blurb then sealed it for me. A pandemic has wiped out the entire population on a remote Scottish Island in the Hebrides. Only five six children remain. This is the story of their survival.

"Being an explorer you get skilled at knowing. I know what a cup of tea left for months looks like......" and the difference between how dogs and cats will try to survive until finally the you learn that "dogs are found at doors, cats at windows."

So opens Ewing's bleak story of survival. Rona, the narrator, explains how to "search" the empty homes scattered across the island village, which houses to avoid, which smells to avoid and what is safe to take from cupboards which "jump with mice".

Elizabeth, the leader, is focussed on a routine. Every day they brush their teeth, they turn the radio dial to try and find a signal, they conserve the batteries in their torches and on the DVD player, they have a "shopping list" for when they go "searching". They play at schools and try to keep up with their learning and they have rules. And lists, lots of lists. This is how they survive in their "war against giving in. Against forgetting. For knowing how to survive." This is how they stay hopeful that one day adults will return and save them.

Elizabeth is resourceful, calm, practical and carries the burden of leader well. She insists on making the children remember the world "before".

"Remembering is all we've got. The past is precious. It has to be correct."

But Rona wants to make a "new ending. Where nobody gets sick, the electricity comes back, like it should have done." Rona finds her memories are disappearing or becoming tainted. She is haunted by the past and by her last memories with her mother. She recounts dreams and flashbacks from before the world changed. She talks to her mum, she asks for her help; her thoughts, memories, day dreams all fusing together in a lyrical and poetic narrative. The repetition of remembering and grasping hold of the past is highly effective and emphasises the desolate and hopeless plight of a group of plucky children trying to survive in a desolate wasteland.

As other critics have also commented, it is reminiscent of "Lord of the Flies". When Calum Ian and Duncan decide to challenge Elizabeth's authority in an enviable turn of events, it prompts a dramatic chain of events which will change the course of their lives on the island.

This is not a depressing read. Yes, the landscape is barren and bleak, yes their situation is desperate and their search for rescue is futile. Yes, there is a plentiful description of death, illness and the rotting away of the "old world". Yes, it triggers a fear in all of us about the potentially real risk of devastating viruses. But the innocence of Rona's narrative, the determination and composure of Elizabeth, her nurture for Alex and her need for establishing some rational control through her lists and rules, creates a more haunting and spell binding atmosphere rather than the horror story it could have easily slipped into becoming. Ewing has achieved something more sophisticated, haunting and thoughtful. His use of dream like reflections and memories is absorbing and effectively used to reveal character and events slowly with tenderness and sensitivity. He captures the children's resignation, hollowness and unavailing search for escape and rescue powerfully. The last section of the book where Rona's desolate narrative begins to spiral as she slips in and out of reality, gradually taken over by loneliness and the solitude of the isolated island is gripping and unforgettable. His use of sentence structure and pace equally effective in evoking atmosphere.

This is a great read which will enthral teenagers who like dystopian novels or stories about an adult free world. It will appeal to readers who liked "Lord of the Flies" and is although it is set in a very real world which could indeed be in any of our near futures, it has the appeal, drama and merit of other novels in this genre like "Hunger Games" and "Divergence".

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication in April in return for an honest and fair review.

For more recommendations, reviews and bookish chat, please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or sign up for email notifications of future blog posts.

My Review of "The Good Mother"

As with all good psychological thrillers, this one opens by building intrigue and curiosity from the very first sentence. The girl in the prologue is not given a name, or an age although she is obviously a child, and she is getting into a car with someone she doesn't know very well to meet someone she knows equally little about. She has obviously done this before and while making sure Mummy isn't watching, she shows enough awareness of her actions to wonder whether Mummy would really mind about what she is doing or not. "He" seems to think she would. 

The scene is set. The reader's imagination fired up and working overtime already! Then we are left hanging as chapter one starts with the first person narrative of a new character, Susan. 

And there's no let up with tension and atmosphere here either. Susan's narrative is a frantic succession of short sentences and questions. It is a really exciting way to create a situation as the reader is as confused as Susan and joins her in a desperate attempt to make sense of what is going on. It cunningly conveys Susan's distressed state of mind and bewilderment about where she is and how she got there.

What we do realise is that Susan is being held captive. She has a daughter, Cara, who is also being held prisoner in the same building as Susan can hear her voice through a grate in the wall. But that is all. There are echoes of Donoghue's "Room" except Susan is much more agitated and appears in more immediate danger. She can't sit still. She paces. Stands up. Sits down. "Why am I here?" she repeats again and again. She is concerned only for her daughter and how they can escape. She sends Cara messages assuring her they'll survive this and telling her how much she loves her. Susan is a good mother. Bird's ability to maintain the endless stream of broken thoughts and constant questions is impressive and I don't think I've read a book where this sort of narrative voice is sustained over so many pages. 

We are also introduced to the voice from "The Other Side of the Door." This is the voice of the captor and it is anonymous and suitably mysterious. His sections only create more questions rather than offer any clarity about what's happening. This male voice is obsessed, controlling and clearly has a plan for Susan which is not going to be a good one but at the same time he feels less malevolent and there is a sense of fallibility surrounding him. 

The chapters are equally short and I lost track of the number towards the end as my eyes were too busy racing ahead to the story but it must have ranked up to well over 85. 

I must admit, although I was engaged with the story and forming a relationship and empathy with Susan, by the time I had reached 65% on my kindle I was beginning to wonder where the novel was leading and how much longer I could read the rambling stream of Susan's frenetic thoughts and dialogue. The other sections by the captor and Alice (a friend of Cara's) are also written in a similar style; sometimes I felt a little overwhelmed by the level of confusion and disorder all these voices were producing. It was getting trickier and trickier to untangle what was going on and work out who was a reliable narrator and who was distorting the truth.

Then, everything changed. 

Oh. My. Word. 

The last quarter of the book is an absolute shocker and make me realise that I had completely underestimated Bird's skill. It completely changed my entire view of the book. 

I cannot say anymore at all without spoiling it but I would suggest you get a copy - currently a ridiculous 99p on kindle in the run up to its publication on 4th April. Persist with Susan's story as the pay off is honestly worth well and truly completely worth it. I have heard many critics and reviewers tiring of the phrase "psychological thriller with a twist" as it can spoil the ride for the readers but in this case, it is an exacting description of the novel. This is a one sitting read kind of book. The kind with a twist that will have you gasping out loud. I'm sorry I ever doubted the author's ability to present me with something so thrilling and thought provoking. This book is definitely going to end up on the best sellers list and I can see it being adapted to film successfully too. 

I recommend this book for fans of psychological thrillers and popular crime fiction.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication in return for a fair and honest review. 

For recommendations, reviews and other bookish chat, please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or sign up for email notifications of future posts

My Review of "The Couple Next Door"

I spotted this on NetGalley and as a mother of young children I could not resist requesting it! The premise of this novel is that Anne and Marco Conti are invited for dinner next door; it's been made clear no children are welcome and at the last minute their babysitter has cancelled. Their daughter is barely six months old. She is asleep. She can't get out of her cot. They are only next door. They will check her every half an hour. They will take the baby monitor with them. Marco assures Anne it will be fine. 

When Anne checks her at midnight, baby Cora is fast asleep. She rejoins the party and tries to relax with the rest of the group where everyone, including Anne, have had more than they ought to drink. When they return home at 1am, the front door is open. The cot is empty. 

Lapena throws us straight into the drama of the evening. Her choice of pertinent adjectives, and the internal dialogue of Anne, allow Lapena to skilfully convey character and the set up of a marriage already filled with tension. This is all efficiently established within the very opening paragraphs. We meet an exhausted, over emotional mother whose feelings of inadequacy are dominating her evening with the glamourous, flirtatious Cynthia. The intimidating and unlikeable Cynthia is set on monopolising Anne's drunk husband Marco, who is frustrated by Anne's depressive state of mind. 

By a mere 2% on my Kindle, the harrowing disappearance of Cora has been discovered. Anne is overwhelmed and her wail "is a horrible keening sound, like an animal in pain." It is such an igneous idea for the start of a thriller - the classic "What if...." question will immediately draw in the reader. And how many readers, like me, will be thinking of times when they may have been sorely tempted to make the same decisions as the Conti's did? Under pressure, under the desperation for a night out, to escape their financial or work worries, or the need not to have the burden of complicated childcare arrangements ruling your social life, people are pushed to make all sorts of decisions. Once Anne realises what has happened, she knows how they will be judged. She knows how "terribly judgemental mothers are....how good it feels to sit in judgement of someone else." There is nothing more emotive, or that stirs up a heated debate with such volcanic speed, than a discussion about parenting! A perfectly sensational opening premise. 

The investigating detective, Rasbach, is experienced, calm, considered, supportive and resolved to finding Cora and her kidnapper. He has seen much over the course of his career and his questions, though apparently routine and straightforward, actually reveal an underlying suspicion and shrewd analysis of what might lie behind this family. He adds valuable insights about how Marco interacts with Anne and his in laws and equally how Anne is treated by her parents. He immediately implies that there is much more going on here than a straightforward opportunist abduction. 

The characters are well crafted. Anne is frail, vulnerable and emotionally irrational. She is suffering from Post Natal Depression and has been sheltered and over protected by her overbearing parents. She is not equipped to cope. This is at times a little frustrating but she has been shaped by her upbringing and then further by a husband who has gone to equal lengths to "protect" her from reality. 

Marco is a man of conflict. He wants to be in control but very quickly, under only the smallest amount of pressure, he begins to unravel. He has spent his life trying to prove his worth, trying to build a business and an income to mean they can be free from Anne's parent's financial handouts. He is insecure and trying to play a game in which he is completely out of depth. 

Cynthia and her husband Graham are deeply unpleasant people. They are selfish, manipulating, uncaring and false. Anne's father is also arrogant, patronising and self important. Suspense and tension is created by the fact that each character wants control of their situations and the people around them. Each are trying to protect someone or something, each is trying to put right the dreadful situation and each thinks they are doing the right thing. Each is competing to be the "alpha controller," the main manipulator. By revealing the character's thoughts Lapena almost makes the reader an accomplice in the crime themselves. We are bombard with a lot of information at certain points of the novel and our omniscient position actually feels rather compromising.

The writing is simple with basic, often very short, sentences arranged in short paragraphs. Information, events, thoughts and dialogue are presented clearly and without any unnecessary imagery or added description. This ensures a fast paced read and alongside the constant switching between the narratives of the different characters, there is a constant desire to read on and on and on. This writing style and structure is completely appropriate for this novel. It emphasises the fact that the story takes place over a very short period of time and shows how quickly things can escalate. It keeps reminding the reader of the sense of urgency in criminal cases like this. This concise and brief  style is particularly effective in the last 10% of the novel where it produces a sense of panic and of events spiralling out of control. It mirrors the strain of the characters as everything begins to break down around them. 

This story is about people under pressure and the lengths people will go to under that pressure. It's about of what people are capable. Everyone is vulnerable  Everyone is susceptible  It's about how well we really know each other. It asks us - what would you do? 

This is Lapena's debut novel. She shows a promising new voice and an eye for a good plot. Nothing is more interesting than ordinary people making ordinary decisions and then seeing what happens next. 

I would recommend this book to anyone seeking a fast, easy read full of twists. It is a very satisfying thriller and does everything a good gripping read should. 

"The Couple Next Door" is published in July 2016.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for a fair and honest review. 

For more recommendations, reviews and bookish chat follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or sign up for email notifications of future posts. 

My Review of "Little Boy Blue" by M J Arlidge

Synopsis:
DI Helen Grace is no stranger to tragedy but when a body is found in a Southampton nightclub, the death cuts too close to the bone. Hiding her personal connection to the victim -and a double life which must remain hidden at all costs - Helen becomes a woman possessed, working her team around the clock to follow every lead........

This is actually the 5th book in the DI Helen Grace series and I'm ashamed to say that I have only actually read the first one "Eeny Meeny" - although this is something I will be rectifying having enjoyed this crime thriller! However, it doesn't matter if this is your first, third or fifth outing with DI Grace -enough background information is conveyed so that the reader has all the information they need in order to fully follow the plot and relate to the main characters.

I was quite shocked at how quickly I was thrown into the action - I literally did not have time to finish the first sentence before events had started unfurling. And there's no holding back; this is not for the faint hearted! This is a story set in the underground scene of S&M and there is some graphic detail and portrayals within the opening pages and throughout the novel. But what was really captivating was the anonymous voice and their menacing statements: "Would they get it? Would they realise what they were dealing with? Only time would tell." That's some opening!

Helen Grace is an interesting character. She is flawed. She physically pushes herself. She is gutsy, determined and solitary. She has a past. In this book, her personal and professional life become intricately mixed up with each other and the "threat of exposure is as great as the threat of a serial killer." Arlidge has achieved a highly original, convention busting yet very convincing character to whom the reader is drawn and for who they feel empathy and admiration. I was impressed with this. I also found the concept of the detective being as embroiled with the underworld as the perpetrator interesting and a rather different angle than the usual plot lines.

All the characters in this detective fiction novel are flawed, full of hidden pasts and dark secrets. There is quite a large cast of people - police, officials, criminals, victims and suspects - all damaged, all potentially capable of committing a crime. No one is who they say they are. Arlidge ensures that we will be kept guessing right up to the last minute. Although there are many of them, all the characters are well crafted and credible and the dialogue is convincing and authentic. The number of different characters makes the book move along at a good pace and maintains the reader's interest as the view point switches quickly, laying clues, hints, intrigue and suspense in every paragraph. I found it a very quick read and was pulled along by the narrative.

I can't say much else without spoiling it for you but here's a great quote from the book which I think will tempt you!
In the time it takes for the sun to rise and set again, secrets have been revealed, accusations made and a families happiness shattered......

All I will say is that the ending was absolutely thrilling and the best part of the whole novel. I was completely thrown and shocked - I desperately kept trying to turn the page as I could not believe this was how it ended! Now I will have to continue with Book 6! Let's hope it's not too long to wait!

I recommend this book to all fans of crime fiction and lovers of detective fiction. I would also encourage anyone else to try it as to a certain extent, it redefines our expectations of what makes a good detective character.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

For more recommendations, reviews and bookish chat, please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or sign up for email notifications on the right for future posts.

My Review of "Jane Steele" by Lyndsay Faye

"Of all my murders, committed for love or better reasons, the first was the most important..... Autobiographies depend on truth but I have been lying for such a long lonesome time..."

These are the opening lines from the most unnerving, chilling voice of Jane Steele. Having read them, it was impossible to concentrate on anything else and I was immediately captivated by this malevolent narrator who had learnt to "act as a wolf in girl's clothing" and become formed into a "pale, wide eyed creature." The animal imagery immediately alerts the reader to the danger this woman poses to anyone who crosses her path.

It is Victorian England and the young woman, Jane Steele, has been rereading "Jane Eyre" with whom she has much in common. She suffered cruelly at the hands of her aunt and school teacher. Like Eyre, she is called wicked - but in this case, the accusations are true. When Jane sees that her aunt has died and the property of Highgate House is now owned by Mr Thornfield who needs a governess, she decides to apply for the post; convinced that she is the rightful heir to the house. But once there, once she meets Thornfield, everything changes. Can Jane fall in love without having to reveal her murderous past?

Steele's narrative is eloquent and shocking; full of articulate descriptions and honest statements. She knows who she is and what she is. She is not shamed by it. She is intelligent and full of bitter resentment and a sense of injustice. She is a dangerous concoction and she wastes no time letting the reader know that she is a dark soul. Faye has created a sophisticated sociopath who perhaps is more of an "accidental vigilante" (S Rindell) than a completely heartless serial killer yet she both terrifies and intrigues the reader at the same time.

Her voice is enthralling and chilling. "Though I no longer presume to have a conscience, I have never once lacked feelings," Jane explains. When her mother died she felt as if "skilful knives had carved the heart out of me, leaving me empty. I could not claw my way out of the horror of it." And so begins her "morbid hobby" of dwelling on her mother's death and lying comes as "easily as breathing." Jane recounts her childhood, life with her aunt and cousin and her years at the most brutal school with the skill of the most accomplished storyteller. Her past can go some way to explaining her dark, damaged and cold personality but her determination to be evil is unsettling: "I will be another embodied disaster." It's oddly refreshing to read a novel where the protagonist, through which we are seeing the world, is so blunt about her actions and behaviour. But strangely, despite all this, she manages to remain likeable and compelling. Steele regularly speaks directly to us; "Reader, would you prefer me to have felt remorse in the aftermath of my second slaughter?" I found this actually created a touch of (dark) humour and sometimes much needed lightness, as well as cementing a deeper affiliation between the reader and Jane. She is a confident, strong, focussed woman who has overcome some very traumatic events in her life which have shaped her twisted view of the world.

Volume Two moves to 1851 and 25 year old Jane arrives at Highgate House to work as governess to the 9 year old ward of Mr Thornfield. Jane's first question about him is "I wonder if I were to kill this very intriguing man how difficult he would make the task?" Her meeting with him on the path in the woods when she is thrown from her horse is a brilliant reimagining of the exact scene from the original "Jane Eyre" and her detailed observations about Mr Thornfield make him easy to visualise. As they begin to get to know each other, although she tries to deny it, Jane is falling in love with her master. And here begins her biggest dilemma yet. Falling in love with him would mean confessing the truth about herself and she can't bear "that he should only ally himself with evil unawares." I loved this clever inversion. In the original novel by Bronte, it is Jane who is unaware of the evil at Thornfield Hall; it is Rochester who tricks her. I liked the idea that in this story the power is with the female character.

Faye adds further mysticism and suspense to her retelling of Bronte's story by incorporating a more exotic aspect. Thornfield's cast of servants are Sikh and there are references and tales about a more "foreign land" making the residents and secrets of the house more intriguing and tantalising. Highgate House also has a cellar from which Jane is banned from visiting. Clearly this is not going to stop her, particularly as she is aware of midnight wanderings and strange noises emitting from below.

I'm not saying anymore. I don't want to spoil the rest of the plot and it's ingenious twists and revelations.

This is a truly gripping and riveting novel. It is not a sequel to "Jane Eyre", it is not a reimagining. It is something completely different. Faye has taken the most unsettling, sinister aspects of Bronte's story and then with the classic features of the gothic horror genre has produced something unique and original. There is also a dose of satirical humour and more ironic tone in some of Steele's observations and remarks. Her skill at creating such an enigmatic, intriguing and captivating character is impressive and shows her to be a very talented writer. Steele's voice reminded me of John Fowles' "Collector" and the recent "You" by Caroline Kepnes; although both there murderous voices belong to male protagonists and perhaps this is what makes Faye's book stand out a little more as it is more challenging about convention and expectation.

Faye has clearly researched the era in depth as her attention to detail and language roots you very firmly in Victorian period and the novel feels very authentic and realistic. The characters are all convincing. The locations easy to visualise. Faye's depiction of Steele's time in London echoes the work of Dickens - the name "Grizzlehurst" and his "Daily Report of Mayhem and Mischief" could have come straight out of one of his novels! The book has a touch of a Wilkie Collins feel about it too with its well constructed plot and delivery of revelations. This book could have tricked me into thinking that it had been written by a Victorian author.

Faye uses an extract from Bronte's book at the beginning of each chapter and these are particularly effective in heightening tension and exaggerating atmosphere. The quotes parallel the tale of Jane Steele and draw attention to the darker aspects of "Jane Eyre". However, it is in no way necessary to have read "Jane Eyre" or even be that familiar with it as this novel works equally successfully as a complete stand alone book.

I would highly recommend this book. For me, it was a perfect read. A great plot with unexpected twists and turns, highly original writing in the style of a classic novel with a hugely refreshing, beguiling and chilling protagonist.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for free in return for an honest and fair review.

For more recommendations, reviews and bookish chat follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or sign up for email notifications of new posts on the right hand side. a

Sneak Preview of "Poppy's Place" for Children aged 8+

I won a free copy of a sneak preview (the first two chapters) of this book from the publisher Stripes at Little Tiger Press.

Synopsis:
All Isla has ever wanted is a cat. She loves everything about them but especially that "it was impossible to be sad with a cat around." Isla has a notebook with a list of nine reasons why they should get a cat - but her mum won't even listen to number one! Her mum works at the vets and is constantly "going on about how grown-ups didn't like to bring their work home with them. Isla couldn't understand this at all. If Mum worked in a pizza restaurant, Isla was sure that she wouldn't have a problem bringing her work home with her then." So until she can convince her mum, she decides that she will spend the summer holidays hanging around at the vets and make do with looking after the animals there. 

In one of the cages at the vets is a cat. A clever, sweet, silky soft cat. With no owner and no home...... Isla needs to find a good reason- no the best ever reason- to convince her mum to let them keep it.....

When Gran comes to stay with them she takes Isla back to visit the cat and sees how fond they are of each other. Mum is coerced into agreeing to let the cat come back with them as a "temporary" measure (we've all heard that before and know only too well where it leads.....!!) Isla names the cat Poppy.

And then she comes up with the most perfect idea which will allow her to keep the cat. She will open a cat cafe! 

Both myself and my daughter, who is 7, enjoyed reading 40 page extract (full book is 192 pages) from the opening of the novel. Isla is an engaging, bright child and her lists are entertaining and fun. The plot moves along quickly with lots of dialogue and extracts from Isla's notebook to break up the text. The interaction with her siblings is realistic and humorous and it was a very tempting sneak preview which had us both keen to read more.

There are some lovely illustrations to go alongside the writing. There is just enough of them to make the book visually appealing and ensure the full pages of text are not intimidating for less confident readers but not too many to make it seem too young or babyish. The illustrations are stylish, contemporary and original without being cartoony or "disney-like". The illustrator, Lucy Truman, is influenced by all things vintage and this is reflected in their attraction.

Poppy's Place is going to be a whole series of adventures based around Isla's cat cafe ("cat cafe or catastrophe?!") which will be ideal for reluctant readers and enthusiastic readers alike. The first book comes out on March 10th and the next instalment will be out in July. It will be a perfect read for any Holly Webb fans (of which my daughter must be number one!). I think these will be a lovely set of stories about nimals and friendship with a very likeable main character. They will suit girls between the ages of 8-11 years.

This is Katrina Charman's first novel - if you don't count her epilogue to "Matilda" which she wrote when she was 11! She was winner of "Undiscovered Voices" in 2014 and I think her writing shows an assured understanding of her target audience and a confident, easy style that will capture her readers' attention and interest. The concept of a cat cafe sounds like a great conceit and full of huge potential.

Keep your eyes peeled for its publication on 10th March at £5.99 and follow #poppysplace on Twitter for more information, news and cat-tastic fun!

For more recommendations, reviews and bookish chat follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or sign up for email notifications on the right hand side for future posts.

My Review of "Stasi Child" by David Young

It's East Berlin 1975 and Karin Muller is called to investigate a teenage girl's body at the foot of the wall. When she arrives at the crime scene she is startled to find the Ministry for State Security (Stasi) there rather than the Border Police. This girl was trying to escape over the wall. But, strangely, from the West into the East.

Muller is tasked to uncover the identity of the girl but only as part of a Missing Persons investigation, not as the murder which has obviously taken place. The Stasi discourage her questions and it soon becomes clear there is a deeper more sinister crime taking place behind the scenes, of which Muller is not to seek knowledge. Her colleague Tilsner wants them taken off the case, understanding the complications of working "alongside" the Stasi and how it will limit and compromise their investigation but Muller is principled, of a curious mind and proud to be the only female head of a Murder Squad in the whole country. She continues to investigate the crime despite the dangerous path it will set her on.

Young wastes no time grabbing the reader and pulling them quickly into the complications of a dark, foreboding crime scene. The book opens with Muller waking with a hangover and a creeping realisation that she has spent the night away from her husband Gottfried and with her colleague Tilsner instead. Tilsner is insolent and disrespectful; Muller full of remorse and reprisal. The detailed description of her headaches, Tilsner's apartment and their actions is so grim and distasteful it fills the reader with a sense of foreboding tension from the outset. Having fought so hard to survive in a man's world and gain the impressive position as Head of Murder Squad, Muller is anxious that she could  not have "people calling her a whore". Already the sense that Muller has a fight ahead of her is implied. The already dark and aggressive atmosphere only becomes more sinister and grim with their visit to the cemetery where the body of a murdered girl has been discovered. Young writes of "ever darkening clouds in the sky" and alongside the strained relationship between the colleagues, the unpleasant dialogue and behaviour of Tilsney towards Muller and the fierce, unapproachable, threatening and secretive nature of the Stasi, the stage is set for a thriller of the most bleak and riveting kind.

The narrative then switches to 1974 and a Jugenwerkhof - a Youth Reformatory School. Here Young evokes the cruel brutality of the children's routine and daily life. There is no hiding from the relentless barrage of violence and abuse in this novel. It is graphic at times but simultaneously compelling, enthralling and engrossing. I had read almost a third of the book without even noticing and found it hard to break away from.

The mystery continues to unfold at a rapid pace. Why are the Stasi so keen to hide the truth? Who has gone to so much trouble to "stage" the murder and interfere with the evidence? Who is this girl and why is it so difficult to identify her?

The fascinating thing about this criminal investigation is how the lines of enquiry are controlled by the Stasi. Muller is frequently prevented from fully accessing information and she is repeatedly warned not to challenge the official version of the girl's death: "You have exceeded the terms of your inquiry" and Muller will be arrested if "you don't comply." She "shivers from the implied threats (from the Stasi) as much as the cold." But she remains prepared to "search every corner of the Republic to find the identity of the girl" and I loved the added suspense that this angle brought to the novel. The pressure and heightened hostility about not being able to fully investigate a crime and the anxiety of repercussions if you do, really enhance the gritty atmosphere of this engaging, page turning read.

Muller's husband Gottfried then becomes a more central character. Fundamentally Karin conforms to the communist regime although her compassion and principled nature will begin to challenge this and adds a further complexity to her character. But Gottfried is already under suspicion from the authorities - this is a risk to Karin in her position, mixed up with the further issue that the couple are unhappy and unkind to each other. The dramatic events which surround Gottfried are so well captured that at times it is impossible to tear your eyes away from the pages even though the brutality, violence and torture are quite harrowing. I loved the way the prose became more bleak and was reduced to its most basic form in order to accentuate the harshness of the Stasi. "Night time: light on light off on off on off" and "Another night. Another day. Another night.....this hellish place." Young's historical detail is so vivid and well researched that the atmosphere, characters and situations are authentic and believable. His knowledge of the procedures in a Stasi prison is impressive and ensure that every aspect of this novel is convincing and credible. The reader is completely immersed in 1975 East Germany.

Alongside all this, the story of Irma and her attempts to escape from the Jugendwerkhof continue. Also the narrative of nightmares.

The three story lines weave themselves together as the plot thickens and charges towards a brilliant ending. It is a very gripping read.

The most impressive thing about this novel is Young's ability to transport the reader back in time to a regime of repression, oppression, fear, mistrust and accusation. It's such an interesting era in which to set a crime as it is the perfect backdrop for stories of corruption and intimidation. Young's thorough research and attention to historical detail does not overburden or detract from the plot in any way - it actually enhances it. There is no need to have any prior knowledge or familiarity with the historical and social context, it's an accessible and fast paced read. It is a claustrophobic read; the setting and the characters are so vividly depicted that the atmosphere of paranoia oozes from every page. It really is a well observed and exciting crime novel that reads with such fluidity and expertise it's was a surprise to find out this was Young's debut novel. I was convinced it must have been part of an established series but now of course am in the fortunate position of being able to look forward to many more episodes in the Karin Muller series!

With the current rise in "Nordic Noir" fiction and Television series and the equally engrossing and powerful programme "Deutschland 83", this book is a timely release and will appeal to all fans of this genre. For lovers of crime and detective fiction it will undoubtedly deliver you a 5 star read. Muller is a strong female character and I hope to follow her career in the Murder Squad for many more years!

Currently this book is available on Kindle for £1.79 - this is ridiculously cheap and I urge you to download it! Amazon reviews have rated it 4.5/5 and on Goodreads it has an equally impressive 4/5 star rating. The book sits in the WHSmith top 20 and also in its "Hottest Books of the Week" section. So don't just take my word for it - grab yourself a copy and go back to an all too frighteningly recent period in European History for an "edge of your seat", "breathtaking" ride from which Young refuses to let you leave until you have turned the very last page!

For more recommendations, reviews and bookish chat please follow me on Twitter @katherinesunde3 (bibliomaniacUK) or sign up for email notifications for future posts.