Books read in August 2019

It’s been a while, and my life has been kind of hectic these past few months - which is why I’ve not really been reading - but now that things are finally starting to settle down, I’ve found myself picking up a few books again these past few weeks or so.
First up, and book 16 of the year, is One Kick by Chelsea Cain.
Cain is best known for her series of novels featuring Archie Sheridan and Gretchen Lowell, so this is a bit of a departure for her, but I have to confess, without a doubt, that this is probably her best book to date. 
Kick Lannigan is an abuse survivor who has tried, and to a large extent failed, to put her past behind her. When two children are abducted in and around the Portland area, Kick finds herself approached by a mysterious man, calling himself Bishop, who wants her to use her particular set of skills and experience to good use finding them. 
But the closer she delves into the case, the more she once again finds herself drawn back into her own terrifying past.
This is a very, very good book, but be prepared - may contain a few triggers for anyone who has suffered abuse in the past. The character of Kick is brilliantly imagined which makes this, at times, a very traumatic and emotional read as well as being a taut and very clever thriller but as I said at the beginning of this review, is probably the best thing Cain has ever written.
What a shame then, that Cain seems to have largely foregone her novel writing career recently in favour of writing comic books.
One Kick comes highly recommended and really is a cracking read that I rate very highly for fans of her work.
10/10

Next up, and number 17 on my list for this year, is A book of bones by John Connolly. As regular readers of this Blog will know, I am normally a big fan of his Charlie Parker series, but this one unfortunately left me feeling a bit cold. 

A body is discovered on the moors of a NorthEast England, supposedly offered up as some sort of sacrifice to an ancient god, but it is not the first...nor is it to be the last. Still smarting from his last encounter with them, Parker attempts to hunt down Quale and Mors, but in doing so, his search takes him first to Amsterdam and then to London, England as they, in turn, search for the last few missing pages of The Atlas - the book that may well just allow them to finally awaken the ancient god they follow from his eternal slumber.

And only Parker stands in their way...

This book was okay, but suffered from being overly long with just s few too many characters for my liking. Indeed, Parker almost feels like a bit character in his own novel at times, and although I enjoyed this, it definitely wasn’t on par with previous books in this series.

4/5 stars only, I’m afraid.