I was sent an advanced copy of Where the Dead Fall by M J Lee. With thanks to Author M J Lee and publishers Canelo . This is book 2 in the detective Ridpath series, but it did not matter at all that I had not read book 1. Crime thrillers are my thing, so I was looking forward to getting stuck in to this book.
Description:
One chance encounter, one street side murder, will change everything… The extraordinary new Ridpath crime thriller
Manchester has been at peace for twenty years. Not any more.
DI Ridpath is in the process of getting his life back together when everything goes wrong.
Driving to meet his daughter, he his caught in a horrific motorway accident, in which a near-naked man is rundown by a lorry, while fleeing from a lone gunman. As Ridpath closes Manchester’s road network in search of the assailant, one question remains: why did nobody else see him?
Ridpath’s investigations, which at first seem to follow protocol, soon unearth a number of inconsistencies, which pulls the police force itself into question, and hint at something sinister to come…
For Manchester is on the brink of a fresh surge of violence unlike anything it has seen in decades. As Ridpath battles this unprecedented conflict, he must battle his own demons. One thing is for sure. There will be blood on the streets…
The nail-biting sequel to Where the Truth Lies, M J Lee’s Where the Dead Fall is an absolute must read, perfect for fans of Mark Billingham, Faith Martin and Peter James
My Thoughts:
This is the second book in the DI Ridpath series. I haven’t read the first one and it didn’t matter. In this book, Ridpath is recovering after cancer treatment and so is on lighter duties and has been asked to work at the coroners office instead, much to his dismay. However, the determined detective that he is, can’t stay away from the Major Incident Team. Plus when he is the only witness to see a man with a gun, he is involved automatically.
This book is current and I love that it was based in Manchester and talked about daily conversational things, like the football league talk and Theresa May. Although I enjoy the murders, detective work and the twists and guessing work of thriller novels. In order to bring a book to life, in my opinion the characters need to seem real, and for me that includes life talk, like who will win the football game that the two detectives support. Of course, this also brings major hassles to DI Ridpath, as his decisions involve holding up a traffic jam for 3 hours prior to a major football match! This is also the time when he sees what no one else sees, and brings him slap bang into the middle of a murder….. the problem is, he is the only one that thinks its murder!
DI Ridpath is likeable and a very good detective, but also so infuriating to, as he puts his work before everything which includes his family and his own health. Of course that makes him a great detective but also one full of personal problems.
As the book is based in Manchester, it talks a lot about the gang wars that occured there in the past. The police are majorly concerned that these murders are going to re start what was dubbed as ‘Gunchester’. The detectives talk about finding out the Who, Where and Why of the murders in order to solve the case. I liked that we were totally involved in the way the police worked and attempted to solve and bring to justice the criminals. However what was interesting in the book was the politics and sometimes division between the different branches and levels of police. I think the Author M J Lee has done real and thorough research in order to make this book as realistic but obviously fictional as possible. A talented, clever and imaginative Author. I recommend Where the Dead Fall to all fans of crime thrillers, and especially those who prefer British crime books.
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Tags: amanda chocolatepages, book lover, book post, book review, book review by chocolatepages, bookblogger, canelo, canelo publishers, chocolate_pages, di ridpath, gunchester, manchester crime book, Where The Dead Fall by M J Lee
Thank you to NetGalley, GalleryBooks and Author Amy E Reichert for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I want to start this review by sharing with you my thoughts on this amazing cover, as many of you know, I love foodie books. Just by looking at this cover, not even reading the description, I knew I wanted to read this. Then I read the description and was ready to dive head first into this.
Description:
YOU’VE GOT MAIL meets HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE in this delightful novel about a talented chef and the food critic who brings down her restaurant—whose chance meeting turns into a delectable romance of mistaken identities.
In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lou works tirelessly to build her beloved yet struggling French restaurant, Luella’s, into a success. She cheerfully balances her demanding business and even more demanding fiancé…until the morning she discovers him in the buff—with an intern.
Witty yet gruff British transplant Al is keeping himself employed and entertained by writing scathing reviews of local restaurants in the Milwaukee newspaper under a pseudonym. When an anonymous tip sends him to Luella’s, little does he know he’s arrived on the worst day of the chef’s life. The review practically writes itself: underdone fish, scorched sauce, distracted service—he unleashes his worst.
The day that Al’s mean-spirited review of Luella’s runs, the two cross paths in a pub: Lou drowning her sorrows, and Al celebrating his latest publication. As they chat, Al playfully challenges Lou to show him the best of Milwaukee and she’s game—but only if they never discuss work, which Al readily agrees to. As they explore the city’s local delicacies and their mutual attraction, Lou’s restaurant faces closure, while Al’s column gains popularity. It’s only a matter of time before the two fall in love…but when the truth comes out, can Lou overlook the past to chase her future?
Set in the lovely, quirky heart of Wisconsin, THE COINCIDENCE OF COCONUT CAKE is a charming love story of misunderstandings, mistaken identity, and the power of food to bring two people together.
My Thoughts:
This book begins with a quote by Julia Child, so if I didn’t already think I would love it, I did after that.
The book then introduces us to the main character Lou and her Fiance Devlin. I took an instant liking to Lou, as she spoke about new recipes inspired by how she feels in her clothes. Lou is a true foodie at heart. I also took an instant dislike to Devlin, Devlin calls Lou ‘Elizabeth’, as that is what he prefers! I like an Author who can give you feelings towards the characters in the first chapter.
Next we meet Al, who dubbs Lou as Miss Coconut Cake, as she is carrying the most delicious looking cake when they first meet. As Al and Lou’s relationship continues, we get to know a bit more about each of them. Al is British and is visiting and working in Wisconsin. Lou shows Al her city and as Al gets shown the city, we as the readers do too. Lou is a great tour person and shows us lots of foodie places, I am assuming these places are all real and now I really want to visit. The Wisconsin State Fair has:
Apple Cider Donuts,
Honey Filed Sticks,
Cranberry Scones and
Root Beer Flavoured Milk!
This book made me want to eat out in restaurants all the way through, with the delicious descriptions and scrumptious ideas that Lou comes up with.
“….duck fat roasted new potatoes with ……cherry sage cream sauce. For desert, a chocolate souffle with coconut crisps”.
The supporting characters Otto and Gertrude are almost like adoptive parents to Lou, they are so likeable and such an adorable couple.
I borrowed this Gertrude quote from Amy’s Twitter page @aereichert, its very cute isn’t it.
The book has much more to it than just food though, I loved the characters, the descriptions the storyline and how I could just sail through the book imagining each chapter in my head and really feeling Lou’s emotions, her ups and downs and her hunger.
I thought it was a nice touch to the character that Al was British, so to read how the Author describes the differences between the American ways and the British ways was amusing.
“We do eat turkey in England, just with slightly different trimmings”
There are so many reasons to love this book. I definitely will give it 5 stars and look forward to hearing lots more from this Author.
Links:
GOODREADS
AmyEReichert.com
TWITTER
FACEBOOK
I just found out that Amy has another book due out in summer 2016 called ‘Luck, Love and Lemon Pie’. So looking forward to that one!
Have you read this book? Have you made the delicious coconut cake? Do you love foodie books like me and if so recommend me some more?
Tags: amanda cp, amy e reichert, book lover, book review, bookbloggers, books and cake, chocolatepages, foodie book, lou and al, luck love and lemon cake, THE COINCIDENCE OF COCONUT CAKE
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