Marnie Riches

The Girl Who Walked in the Shadows is book 3 in the George McKenzie series and I've been putting off reading it as I wanted to stretch out the series. I thought this was the final instalment but I'm delighted to see that George McKenzie is returning in 2018 in The Girl Who Had No Fear. Thinking this was the end of the series, I thought this was an amazing send-off for this gritty, edgy heroine we have come to know and love.

George returns to join forces with Dutch detective Paul Van den show more Bergen when a killer known as Jack Frost starts targeting people across Europe. With perhaps the BEST murder weapon EVER, Jack Frost's victims appear to be random when in fact they are selected as chillingly as the weapon he uses.

What is so clever about this instalment is the dual storyline: the story of Piet and Gabi Deenan whose two beautiful blonde children disappeared from their own back garden. With Gabi using her PR contacts to keep the case in the front of people's minds, the public turned on the Deenans and then Piet and Gabi turned on each other. The only thing keeping them together is the search for their children and the secrets they now share...

After the events of The Girl Who Broke The Rules, I thought Van den Bergen would have finally accepted his feelings for George. He might have done, had his daughter not announced her pregnancy. Paul is about to become a grandfather and George is his daughter's age so you could feel the age gap rearing its head on every page as if it was a character in the story itself. Age is just a number but Van den Bergen is one stubborn SOB; as stubborn as he is, George is nothing if not persistent.

I felt as if I got to know George's family more in this book and I loved how they all packed up and went with her to Amsterdam. As much as I dislike George's mother, Letitia, I did feel sorry for her at times but she has finally got the attention she craves, just not in the way she wants it.

I really love this series; it's gritty, punchy, daring and fast-paced with a heroine who's tougher than old boots yet as comfortable in her own skin as an old pair of slippers. I think this would make a brilliant TV series as a type of scandi-style police-procedural drama we often see on TV these days. If we can't bring George to the big (or small) screen, you can bring her onto your kindle and relive her jaw-dropping escapades over and over again. These books are going on my must-read-again series list.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. show less

After The Girl Who Wouldn't Die I was eager to read what was next in store for George McKenzie and Paul van den Bergen after the little spark of sexual tension was ignited. Although you could read this as a standalone, I welcomed the characters as I would old friends and feel that it is beneficial for full enjoyment of this book to know the history that was set out so breathtakingly in The Girl Who Wouldn't Die.

Marnie Riches writes with such a skill that grabs you round the neck and draws show more you into the book, although there were moments that were a bit squeamish - I do wish there was an equivalent of hiding round the back of the sofa when reading! I had so many visual scenes in my head as I was reading this, and the Amsterdam setting is so colourful and vibrant that I could almost hear the hoot of the horns and the chatter on the street.

Again, we have another fast paced thriller as George races against time to identify the killer causing havoc, not just in Amsterdam but across the channel. My reading speed increased the further I got through the book until I was left breathless at the end. All that was missing was a massive 'TO BE CONTINUED' and I for one, cannot wait for The Girl Who Walked in the Shadows to complete this outstanding trilogy.

I received this e-book from the publisher, HarperCollins, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

The Cover Up – A Manc Noir Classic

The Cover Up is my introduction to Marnie Riches, and her slant on Manc Noir and I was not disappointed. Marnie from the north of God’s fair City, to me being south of it, has brought to the fore something we Mancs have always known and recognised a strong, unapologetic and sometimes hard woman. Shelia O’Brien is that woman, a woman in 40s that has had to overcome her abusive husband, rivals and GMP. Getting one over GMP being the easier as they show more usually cannot find their backsides with both hands.

Manchester’s underworld is still reeling from the death of Paddy O’Brien and the attack on his business. The only one person who has the balls of steel to step in, is his wife Sheila and she with her business partner Gloria Bell, step up and take charge.

The death of Paddy O’Brien is seen as a reason for other ‘firms’ to move in on his territory and a Brummie crime boss, Nigel Bancroft decides to move on the territory. As a fight for control begins to take place, other forces are also in play that neither had expected.

Sheila not only are her businesses under attack from an outsider, PC Plod in the form of detective constable Ellis James, and the Tax Man keep attacking them too. At times they get a little too close for comfort, and Sheila is sure there is a mole in her organisation, little does she know where the leak is really coming from.

There are some wonderful twists in this cracking thriller, and it is great to see a strong Mancunian woman strutting her stuff. Manchester provides the back drop to what is a fantastic read. I am glad I have found Marnie Riches who is a fantastic author, her characters are strong, and take no rubbish, just like they should be.

The Cover Up is fantastic thriller, that people will love, and now I want to read more of Marnie Riches who is a shining light in Manc Noir and long may that continue. show less

This book is quite obviously marketed to look like the Steig Larsson trilogy. I haven't read those books so can't compare but The Girl Who Wouldn't Die did not quite hit the mark for me. Georgina McKenzie, known as George, is a student at Cambridge University, on placement in Amsterdam. She's only 20 but inexplicably is asked by the local police inspector to assist in an investigation. Somebody is blowing up George's fellow students. Somebody is also watching George.

Could have been a very show more exciting read but with a mix of sometimes slightly stilted dialogue and a somewhat unlikely storyline it just didn't work and I was quite disappointed with it. I'm clearly in the minority, judging by other reviews, so I'm glad others got more out of it. I did like George as a character but again I couldn't quite take her seriously. I also found the story didn't flow too well. Shame. show less