JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

Cobalt Blue by Matthew Reilly

For 35 years, the United States and Russia each had their own superhero.

Three days ago, America’s hero died.

Today will be bad.

In the face of an overwhelming attack, one young woman – unassuming and anonymous – might be America’s only hope.

Her codename … COBALT BLUE

Matthew Reilly returns with another action-packed thriller in his latest novella, Cobalt Blue. Filled with trademark Matthew Reilly action and conflict, Cobalt Blue is another ‘save the world’ story after America comes under attack following the death of their key superhero.

Rather quickly, we see America and Russia at war with each other. Each of them had their own superhero to defend the country, but when America’s superhero passes way, suddenly there’s nothing stopping Russia from taking advantage of an undefended America.

“Cobalt couldn’t have been more different. For one thing, Dr Chris Cobalt had been 44 at the time of their infection, twenty years older than Furin, and a highly respected astrophysicist. Where the Fury was all strength and rage, Cobalt was thoughtful and reserved.”

Matthew Reilly certainly seems to have a formula he follows, and he brings quite an interesting premise to this new release and positions it firmly within the superhero genre. There are some flashbacks in the story to add depth to some of the characters and provide context to the present-day storyline.

Fast-paced and a compact, easy read at 200 pages, Cobalt Blue will find its audience in Matthew Reilly fans and young, male readers. It’s an accessible read for reluctant readers as well – short chapters and paragraph, with brief, stripped back prose. The pacing accelerates at a quick rate, engaging readers with each passing chapter.

“When he arrived there, he decapitated the Statue of Liberty – flew right through her neck – and impaled her head on top of the One World Trade Center. New Yorkers screamed in terror and fled the streets.”

There is quite a high production value to this one – hardback, jacketed, coloured font. It certainly stands out on a bookshelf, and I like the clean, suave cover.

Admittedly, if you’ve read quite a few Matthew Reilly books in the past, then you’ll find this latest one a bit predictable. He does follow a similar kind of structure with his books, so you’ll know what to expect as you progress through the story. At times a little silly and over-the-top, readers will need to lean into the fun of the story and cast any doubts aside.

“As the superfast rolling fight moved along the length of Fifth Avenue to the airspace in front of the New York Public Library, White even managed to dent the Fury’s facemask and he sprang back in surprise.”

Punchy and pacey, Matthew Reilly’s Cobalt Blue is recommended for thriller and action readers, and fans of Reilly’s previous works. Readership skews male, 15+

Thank you to the publishing company for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cobalt Blue
Matthew Reilly
August 2022
Pan Macmillan Publishers

Truly Darkly Deeply by Victoria Selman

Twelve-year-old Sophie and her mother, Amelia-Rose, move to London from Massachusetts where they meet the charismatic Matty Melgren, who quickly becomes an intrinsic part of their lives. But as the relationship between the two adults fractures, a serial killer begins targeting young women with a striking resemblance to Amelia-Rose.

When Matty is eventually sent down for multiple murder, questions remain as to his guilt — questions which ultimately destroy both women. Nearly twenty years later, Sophie receives a letter from Battlemouth Prison informing her Matty is dying and wants to meet. It looks like Sophie might finally get the answers she craves. But will the truth set her free — or bury her deeper?

Victoria Selman’s Truly Darkly Deeply is a psychological thriller about a man convicted of multiple murders, and how the revelation ripples through his family – even twenty years later, as he reaches out to the family on his death bed.

The book regularly switches perspectives between present-day Sophie and a 12-year-old Sophie who is retelling the story of how Matty entered and then later left their lives. For the most part, she refuses to believe a negative word against Matty – he’s the father she never had. But even a 12-year-old has to acknowledge at some point that something doesn’t quite add up with Matty. He’s mysterious, vacant, and disappears for long stretches of time. He seems to always be available, but at the same time seems to be absent during key moments. Selman navigates Sophie’s naivety and innocence rather well in these flashback scenes.

“I knew all about Diana’s dress. I’d been keeping a wedding scrapbook of magazine cut-outs, every detail about the big day stuck in, from how many bridesmaids the soon-to-be princess was having, to the number of beads on her ivory satin shoes. I don’t remember why Matty didn’t watch the ceremony with us.”

Truly Darkly Deeply presents an interesting perspective, focusing on the family members left behind in the wake of a shocking revelation such as murder. Would you recognise if someone in your family was a serial killer? The premise is quite the hook to bring readers in and it actually reminded me a bit of Dirty John.

The pacing and the tension build are two of the strengths in the novel – Sophie’s present-day visit to see Matty does well to anchor the story, and across the course of the book you find yourself really desperate to get to that moment and find out what Matty has to say.

Additionally, I liked that there are a small number of the characters in the book, keeping the atmosphere quite claustrophobic and contained. It means there’s plenty of time in the book dedicated to understanding the dynamic between Sophie and her mother, and then Sophie and Matty.

“I wasn’t keen on spending any more time with the girl than was strictly necessary, but I’d been taught never to turn down an apology. So I thanked her and accepted her invitation graciously.”

There were a few elements of the novel that I felt could’ve been tightened – it wasn’t always clear when we were in the past or the present, so it would’ve been helpful and would’ve saved a lot of confusion if each chapter perhaps had the year dated underneath it, or even said PAST or PRESENT.

A lot of the novel is tied to this idea that Matty might not have actually been the killer, but it seems pretty clear from the beginning of the novel and so the concept of ‘is he guilty’ doesn’t really hold the value it’s intended to. And finally, Sophie’s character progression hits a bit of a snag for me towards the end. For most of the novel, she is completely against the idea that Matty could be a bad person – she is so happy he’s in her life that it’s understandably clouding her judgement. However, when she does change her mind on this, it’s too quick a decision and the thought process behind it doesn’t seem present. Suddenly, she’s changed her mind and she’s trying to convince her mother he’s a bad guy. It’s rather jarring for the reader.

“By the time we listened to his answerphone message, something in my mother had disappeared too. The despair that had plagued those first weeks of his absence had gradually eased and in its place came a sort of acceptance.”

Despite its flaws, this is a rather gripping novel and I did find myself reading it in two sittings. The premise is intriguing and compelling and regardless of its holes, readers will enjoy the journey. Recommended for readers of psychological thrillers – great for book club reads, as I think the twist at the end of the book would spark much debate. Readership skews 25+

Thank you to the publishing company for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Truly Darkly Deeply
Victoria Selman
July 2022
Hachette Book Publishers

Stone Town by Margaret Hickey

With its gold-rush history long in the past, Stone Town has seen better days. And it’s now in the headlines for all the wrong reasons . . .

When three teenagers stumble upon a body in dense bushland one rainy Friday night, Senior Sergeant Mark Ariti’s hopes for a quiet posting in his old home town are shattered. The victim is Aidan Sleeth, a property developer, whose controversial plan to buy up local land means few are surprised he ended up dead.

However, his gruesome murder is overshadowed by a mystery consuming the entire nation: the disappearance of Detective Sergeant Natalie Whitsed.

Natalie had been investigating the celebrity wife of crime boss Tony ‘The Hook’ Scopelliti when she vanished. What did she uncover? Has it cost her her life? And why are the two Homicide detectives, sent from the city to run the Sleeth case, so obsessed with Natalie’s fate?

Following a late-night call from his former boss, Mark is sure of one thing: he’s now in the middle of a deadly game . . .

Margaret Hickey’s latest rural crime offering Stone Town reintroduces us to Senior Sergeant Mark Ariti, investigating the apparent murder of local property developer Aidan Sleeth in the secluded Stone Town, and the simultaneous kidnapping of Detective Sergeant Natalie Whitsed. It isn’t until Natalie’s car is located near Aidan’s residence that Mark starts to suspect the two crimes may be connected.

Once again, Margaret brings us an intriguing rural crime drama, navigating two crimes simultaneously and with ease. Interspersed throughout the book are italicised chapters written from Natalie’s perspective, designed to make sure that plotline doesn’t get lost amid the search for Aidan’s killer.

“Luke told them the story in a sad drawl: how he’d known Aidan from when he moved to Booralama from Warrnambool in Victoria two years ago. Followed a girl, she broke up with him, went off with some Fitter and Turner from Nhill. He got a job at Aidan’s real estate office in town, started playing footy for the seconds, liked the town, liked the job, liked Aidan well enough. Stayed.”

Mark’s past definitely had more real estate in Cutters End, but there isn’t as much of a need for his backstory in this one. With one murder victim and one missing police officer, there is enough material to fill the chapters and keep the reader turning the pages.

Stone Town manages the delicate balance between prose and dialogue – the dialogue is realistic, believable and authentic, and the prose quite descriptive and generous, particularly during chapter openings.

Themes explored in the book include family, community and service. There is quite clever foreshadowing in the opening couple of chapters, and the suspect pool is large enough to keep the reader guessing – I certainly didn’t correctly guess Aidan’s murderer.

“He didn’t run on Sundays. That was the weekly treat he granted himself, but still, he wished he could sleep in a little longer. The day would be stormy. Already, he could see the dark clouds gathering across the grey sky, wind whipping the tops of the gums in his yard. More rain was predicted. Flood warnings in place.”

This is another novel from Hickey with a strong small-town noir setting – Stone Town used to be an old gold mining town, which plays a role in the disappearance of Natalie Whitsed. Hickey writes setting with ease, capturing the vast, open landscape and that helpless feeling that a missing person could stay lost forever.

My only small gripe with the book was that some of the dialogue towards the end of the book – in the scenes where Mark confronted the perpetrator – felt a little caricature and over-the-top. Straight out of a movie scene and so on the page it didn’t quite feel natural.

“In the background, Mark could see that John had risen from his weed killing and was poking at something in the corner of the garden bed with his shoe. A tiny round thing was squirming in the dirt.”

Taut, gritty and pacey, Margaret Hickey’s Stone Town is recommended for readers of crime, mystery and thriller. Like most of the titles in this genre, you don’t need to read previous stories with this detective just to understand the present one. Readership skews 30+

Thank you to the publishing company for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Stone Town
Margaret Hickey
July 2022
Penguin Random House Publishers

Lying Beside You by Michael Robotham

Twenty years ago, Cyrus Haven’s family was murdered. Only he and his brother survived. Cyrus because he hid. Elias because he was the killer.

Now Elias is being released from a secure psychiatric hospital and Cyrus, a forensic psychologist, must decide if he can forgive the man who destroyed his childhood.

As he prepares for the homecoming, Cyrus is called to a crime scene in Nottingham. A man is dead and his daughter, Maya, is missing. Then a second woman is abducted . . . The only witness is Evie Cormac, a troubled teenager with an incredible gift: she can tell when you are lying.

Both missing women have dark secrets that Cyrus must unravel to find them – and he and Evie know better than anybody how the past can come back to haunt you . . .

The next psychological thriller from Michael Robotham, Lying Beside You centres around two missing woman, an attack on a third woman years earlier, and the secret that binds all three victims together.

Regular readers of Michael Robotham will recognise forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven from two of his earlier works – in this latest iteration, Cyrus’ brother is being released from psychiatric hospital and the troubled young adult living with him is the only witness to the abduction of a drunk woman outside of a bar. Over the course of the novel, the case of two missing women will intersect with a seemingly ‘solved’ crime from years earlier.

“I hate arguing with Cyrus. I hate that he’s older than me and that he thinks he knows everything. I hate how he picks me up on my grammar and my vocabulary, like when I say literally when I mean figuratively (whatever the fuck that means). I hate how he laughs at me, but not in a cruel way.”

Whilst this is the third appearance of Cyrus Haven, readers need not have read the first two books to follow this plot. Written in first person and moving between Cyrus and Evie’s perspectives, Robotham’s writing is stripped and almost methodical – no unnecessary prose or dialogue, only containing the elements needed to keep the reader turning the page.

Lying Beside You explores the complex relationship between Cyrus and his brother Elias – Cyrus’ line of work means that he is able to separate Elias from what he did all those years earlier, but that doesn’t mean he can necessarily forgive him, or feel uneasy leaving him alone.

Crime and thriller readers will be pleased with this offering – the pacing quickens, there are multiple mysteries to maintain a reader’s attention, and Robotham weaves them together seamlessly with an explosive conclusion.

“As I walk to my car in the hospital parking area, the air seems saturated with oxygen, making the colours brighter and my senses sharper. I lean back in the driver’s seat of my Fiat and feel my heart beating in my chest. Elias is being allowed out on day release. He expects to come home. The next step will be overnight stays.”

Admittedly, it did feel like there were two separate elements to this plot that didn’t necessarily gel with each other – the central mystery surrounding the two women, and the release of Cyrus’ brother.

The latter storyline felt a bit underdeveloped and quite lost within the overarching story. Elias is on the periphery of the story, not making enough of an impact to give the reader a lasting impression. I kept waiting for something to happen, but nothing in the plot really eventuated and so I’m wondering if this is merely setting something in motion for the next book that features Cyrus Haven?

“Half an hour later, I hear the door open and keys hitting the side table. Boots are kicked off. Mail is checked. An envelope is torn open. Cyrus appears in the kitchen. He looks at the bench, which is covered in flour, caster sugar and cocoa powder.”

Pacey, engaging and original, Lying Beside You is recommended for readers of crime, thriller and mystery. A great present for Father’s Day, readership skews 25+

Thank you to the publishing company for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lying Beside You
Michael Robotham
July 2022
Hachette Book Publishers Australia

Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

It’s every parent’s nightmare. Your happy, funny, innocent son commits a terrible crime: murdering a complete stranger.

You don’t know who. You don’t know why. You only know your teenage boy is in custody and his future lost.

That night you fall asleep in despair. Until you wake . . .
. . . and it is yesterday.

Every morning you wake up a day earlier, another day before the murder. Another chance to stop it.

Somewhere in the past lie the answers, and you don’t have a choice but to find them . . .

A highly original psychological thriller, Gillian McAllister’s Wrong Place, Wrong Time starts with a murder and travels back in time to illustrate the circumstances that led to the violent death.

Up late one night, Jen witnesses her 18-year-old son Todd stab a man to death out the front of their home. There is no doubt that her son committed the crime, but there’s no indication that he feels remorse for the murder. And the victim? He seems to be a stranger to Jen and the family. So why did her son kill him?

When she wakes up the next day and discovers she’s now 24 hours in the past, it kickstarts a journey back through time to discover what led her son to kill a complete stranger, and hopefully, it might lead Jen to understand how the death can be prevented.

“Jen stands there, staring at it, at this betrayal in her hand. She hadn’t thought what she would do if she found something. She never thought she would. She holds the long, sinister black handle. The panic begins again, a tide of anxiety that goes out to sea but always, always returns.”

Written in third person and intricately plotted, Wrong Place, Wrong Time is an incredibly clever feat, and I genuinely think this is one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time. The premise feels original and unique, and I felt fully invested in the storyline. As Jen travels further into the past and events start to get quite complex, I still found it easy to keep track of characters, sequences, events and timelines. This shows how much meticulous planning has gone into this book.

Books that experiment with time travel can be hit-and-miss but readers will love this one. At its core, this is a story about a mother who will do anything to help her son and keep him out of harm. As soon as she starts travelling back in time, she infiltrates his world and comes to learn the people he surrounds himself with are not as authentic and trustworthy as they may initially seem.

“He folds his arms, his wedding ring catching the sunlight. He is looking closely at her, his eyes scanning her face. She is suddenly self-conscious under his gaze, as though he is about to uncover something awful, something deadly.”

Whilst we follow Jen for most of the novel, there are some chapters from the perspective of a young police officer. For a time I was wondering why his story was relevant to the overarching plot, but when the twist hits it really sideswipes you as the reader — what a fantastic plot device!

The only element of the book that I couldn’t quite love is the reasonings behind why Todd committed the murder in the first chapter. Even after we learn about the past, there does seem to be a slight disconnect between what Todd knew and why he felt the need to murder someone – did he try anything else before resorting to murder? It did feel a little extreme…

“She does nothing, so he brushes past, leaving her there, alone, in the mist, wondering what’s happening. Whether the future has continued on without her. If there’s another Jen somewhere. Asleep, or too shocked to function? In the world where Todd is probably currently remanded, arrested, charged, convicted. Alone.”

Fast-paced, high-stakes, and highly engrossing, Gillian McAllister’s Wrong Place, Wrong Time is recommended for readers of crime, thriller and mystery. Readership skews 25+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Gillian McAllister
June 2022
Penguin Random House Book Publishers