BLOG TOUR & REVIEW: A Deadly Gameby Joanne Griffiths @Tazer129 @Bloodhoundbook
Happy to be the blog tour stop for A Deadly Game by Joanne Griffiths - scroll down below for a synopsis, author info, my review and other date so you can follow along! Happy reading!
Book Description:
Kate Palmer, an undergraduate student, discovers that she is pregnant and makes the decision to drop out of university. However, on the evening before she returns home, her body is discovered in Aston park. She is the first victim of several murders that will rock the city of Birmingham.
Detective Sergeant James "Jim" Wardell, who has his own issues to contend with, is given the case.
When Eddie Carter, a popular talk show host on Birmingham's Radio Station, is contacted by someone claiming to be the killer, it is the start of a cat and mouse game between a deranged killer and the police.
After a second body is discovered the pressure mounts on the police to capture the man responsible.
Who is killing these women and why?
Can Jim capture the twisted killer before more innocent women are murdered?
My Review:
A debut novel, this book touches both in the realm of psychological and domestic thriller area. A serial killer is terrorizing young, petite, blonde women in the town of Aston. Known as the Aston Strangler, he becomes decisively more and more hostile as the killings go on - trying to find that thrill again. Taunting the police with letters while becoming increasingly frustrated as they continue to interview the wrong suspects, we see him grow more and more unable to control his anger. He takes out most of his frustration on his wife - his roller coaster of behavior confusing her more and more each day.
A solid debut. The author shows the typical pattern of a serial killer. The abrasiveness, increase in psychotic behavior while holding an every day, social job and the more chances they'll take to gain the power and control that the need now demands after each killing. The main stay, outside of these killings, is the relationship between the killer and his wife. He emotionally and physically abuses her and yet she tries to make this marriage work - not only for herself and her diminishing self esteem, but for their young daughter. Joanne does a fantastic job making the reader frustrated with the entire situation. Just leave him already! But, as with all relationships, easier said than done.
What I found most intriguing was the author's way of bringing in the victims. Providing the reader with a small background of each and every victim, we get to be involved in their lives - something not many writers do. I am the type of reader who needs more answers. I would've liked to have seen more fleshing out of the main characters - give me more background on the detective on the case... give me more on the killer and his wife so I know WHY she stays and how he became the deranged person that he is.
Fans of a lighter thriller without the twist and gut punches, will be fan of the easy read.
Author Bio:
I was hooked on crime fiction after reading an Agatha Christie novel when I was a teenager. I loved the way the story unfolded, trying to work out the plot before the reveal.
Since reading that first book, my dream of becoming a writer would often take centre stage over the years and I would spend some time working on my manuscript before the idea was shelved again.
Time was often a factor. As a single parent with two young children, I returned to studying, completing a BSc (Hons) with the Open University. After graduating, I worked with SEN children who were at risk of exclusion from main stream school due to behavioural problems. I then spent several years with children outside of the school system, which kept me busy.
Following a serious health issue in 2014 though, I began to focus on what I still wanted to achieve and the desire to become a writer featured highly again. Dusting off my manuscript, I finally finished A Deadly Game and I am currently working on my second novel.
If I'm not writing, I enjoy reading and always have a book on the go. I also enjoy watching many of the police / detective / thriller series on television, still trying to work out the plot before the story's conclusion.
Links:
Twitter: @Tazer129
https://www.facebook.com/
No comments
Leave a Comment