One For Sorrow - Helen Fields

I've read and really enjoyed past books from Helen Fields. I was very eager to read her latest - One For Sorrow. This is the 7th book in the DI Luc Callanach series. (You could absolutely read this as a stand alone, but you'd be depriving yourself of some great books!)

Fields has done a fantastic job of fleshing out her characters from the first book. They have rich personal lives that change and progress in a realistic manner from book to book. Sitting down with the latest feels like catching up with old friends. The reader can't help but be solidly behind them.

Old friends with dangerous jobs that is! Fields is a master of plotting and this latest is downright frightening. DCI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach of the Major Investigation team are at the forefront, chasing a killer. A killer who strikes again and again, always one jump ahead of them. Field's plotting is devious and complex, surprising me with each and every turn. 

An American profiler is brought in to help. Her thoughts, predictions and exploration of profiling is quite fascinating. But will it help the team? 

There are also 'before' chapters that are cut in from the present timeline. They're from a young woman named Quinn. And my skin just crawled when I read her chapters. I wondered how this narrative would tie in to the hunt for the killer. There are some interesting discourses on the state of the 'system' from more than one viewpoint. 

The last few pages blindsided me. No. No. No. I will be watching for the next book - and for what Fields has next in store. 

One For Sorrow has it all, great characters, a masterful plot, lots of tension and action, guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. See for yourself - read an excerpt of One For Sorrow. 

Hairpin Bridge - Taylor Adams

Taylor Adams kept me on the edge of my seat with his previous book, No Exit. And his latest book, Hairpin Bridge? Couldn't put it down! I love twists and turns, but Hairpin Bridge is a corkscrew of a read!

Lena's twin sister Cambry is dead - suicide they say. They? The cop who was the last to see her on the isolated Hairpin Bridge in Montana. But Lena doesn't buy it - there's just too many inconsistencies in Officer Raycevic's report. She asks to meet him on the site of Cambry's death - Hairpin Bridge. And he agrees.... Lena has her own agenda though...

I love books with epistolary elements. In this case its Lena's blog and entries are scattered through the book.

Hairpin Bridge is told from Cambry's point of view, giving the reader an inside look at what really happened to her. Or does it? The POV switches to Lena in real time on the bridge with Officer Raycevic. It starts off cordial enough, but there's an underlying, simmering tension on both sides that quickly comes to a boil. And again, what is the truth? Raycevic also has a few chapters of his own as well - and his are downright scary. 

The twists and turns come hard and fast. What is the truth? Its near impossible to tell and very hard to predict what's coming next. There are most definitely some gruesome parts and creepy conversations - and great gotchas.

Kudos Taylor Adams - you made me squirm! That tension and action never really lets up and it was hard not to flip to the final pages! Over the top in spots? Absolutely - but it made for addictive reading. Hairpin Bridge would also make a great movie. (Gentle readers, this may not be the one for you)