Love You To Death
by Caroline Mitchell
Detective Ruby Preston – Book #1
Published March 2017
Goodreads: See here
Mystery/Crime Procedural/Thriller
Plot at a Glance:
Women in the town of Shoreditch are turning up dead, and they all have one strange thing in common: having gave up a child for adoption many years ago. A knock at their front door begins a nightmare they will never wake up from. Detective Ruby Preston has seen all sorts of things during her time on the force, but this case’s strange connection to her past pushes her to her limits. It’s a race against time to stop the killer before they can strike again, and as secrets unfold Ruby must face the very real possibility that she may be next.
Reviewed:
Those of you who have followed me here, or on my blog for awhile probably notice that I tend to hop around from genre to genre quite a bit. I find that it keeps things fresh, and keeps me from feeling like I’m sliding into a reading slump. I’ve become more and more interested in the suspense/thriller genre, especially over the last few months blogging and when I found out about this series I knew I had to give it a go.
There was a lot to love about this, but the thing I probably enjoyed most were the various characters, each of which were unique and memorable. I’ve spoken before in my reviews that nothing kills a book faster for me than when the characters all speak in the same voice, or feel flat. Have no fear of that here, because Mitchell’s characters are full of personality and life.
Ruby in particular is something special. I enjoyed how layered she was. A lot of books I’ve read have tended to shroud their main characters in protective bubble wrap, to keep them shiny and new, but that wasn’t the case here. Ruby is flawed, and haunted by choices made in her past.
But she’s also strong, smart and driven – and these are all characteristics I can totally get behind in a lead character. That’s not to say that the surrounding characters aren’t great as well though. Many of them have totally unique voices and roles to play in this diabolic game of cat and mouse they find themselves in as they hunt for a killer.
I don’t want to speak too much on the killer themselves, because I don’t want to give anything away. However, I will say that there are a number of sequences told from their perspective too, which added a fun layer of tension to the mix and helped flesh out their reasons for what they do – even if they are totally twisted.
I had a lot of fun reading this. To explain why I’m bringing it down one star without spoiling anything is difficult. I will say that I took slight issue with some of the ways characters came by information. For the most part, this is expertly plotted and really fast-paced. There was one instance in particular though that felt a bit cheap to me, as though there must have been a more subtle way of introducing this crucial bit of information into the story.
Otherwise, this was great fun and I’m sure fans of the crime procedurals and thrillers would enjoy this. I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble Ruby finds herself in for book 2!
🌟🌟🌟🌟✩= 4/5 stars!
Have you read this book, or its sequel? Are there any fiction crime thrillers you loved? Lets chat about it below!
xoxo
Glad to see you enjoyed a different genre. This one sounds good. Have a great evening.
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It is pretty entertaining! The next one in this series sounds even better. I’m going to start it tomorrow. You too James!
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So glad you enjoyed this one! I love Mitchell’s style, the pacing is great I usually end up reading her books in one or two sittings. Book 2 is awesome, great review!
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Thanks Amy! Yeah this book was a really pleasant surprise. I’m starting Book 2 tomorrow and can’t wait! ❤
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Oh yay looking forward to your review! Have you read Angie Marsons series yet?
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I have not, but it’s definitely on my TBR list now!
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Similar style, also so good! I think she just released Book 6? I’m on the blog tour next week. Speaking of tours, I know Bookouture is always looking for US based bloggers who read crime/thrillers etc. if you want me to put you in touch with them please let me know! Bloodhound books as well. Both are U.K. based but have markets in the US and need help with tours and stuf
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I’ve never done a blog tour before, but I’ve wanted to try my hand at it for awhile now. I’d love it if you got me in touch with someone who could let me know what they’d need me to do!
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I’ll DM you on twitter and explain a bit more
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Great review, James! Sounds like one I would enjoy. Added to the neverending TBR. Thanks!
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Leads with many layers to them are the best. Makes stories so much more interesting. Great review!
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Thank you Frank! I totally agree!
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Great review. This sounds really good – adding it to my TBR!
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Thank you! I hope you love it Stephanie! 🙂
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Afternoon! I have nominated you in the Breaking The Rules book tag over at: alwaystrustinbooks.wordpress.com/2017/04/29/breaking-the-rules-book-tag-readeredition/
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Aww, thank you Stuart!!
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