The Girl In The Moon by Terry Goodkind

Angela Constantine is a girl born broken.

The daughter of a meth addict, Angela is convinced she was born a monster. Haunted by an abusive childhood, she was forced to become a woman far too soon. And in the process, she became more.

Angela Constantine has a secret.

Living in a secluded mountain cabin and juggling several jobs, Angela leads a double life right under everyone's noses. Because her family's bloodline carries the ability to recognize killers, she adopts a solitary existence in service of her own violent mission in life. When she unexpectedly finds herself stalked, Angela is the only one who knows the truth of what they are about to do. She's an unlikely hero. She's also our only hope.

The book starts out slow but after a few chapters I couldn't put it down.
Obviously this is fantasy /crime and so some things are never going to happen. I didn't see where it was going to go, but wow, it was good.

9/10

The End Of The Wasp Season by Denise Mina

When notorious millionaire banker Lars Anderson hangs himself from the old oak tree in front of his Kent mansion his death attracts no sympathy. But the legacy of a lifetime of self-serving is widespread, the carnage most acute amongst those he ought to be protecting: his family. Meanwhile, in a wealthy suburb of Glasgow, a young woman is found savagely murdered in her home. The genteel community is stunned by what appears a vicious, random attack. When DS Alex Morrow is called in to investigate, she soon discovers that behind the murder lurks a tangled web of lies.

We know from the beginning that two boys from a posh private Catholic school killed young Sarah Erroll and that they have made some sort of mistake about her identity. The question is: which of them is most responsible and who were they really after? 

A nasty grizzly murder involving nasty, rich people who think they shouldn't have to have any consequences for their actions and they raise their children the same. 

A well written book. A bit slow moving at times but I enjoyed it. It just didn't call me to keep reading until about half way.

7/10

The Lace Weaver by Lauren Chater

Each lace shawl begins and ends the same way – with a circle. Everything is connected with a thread as fine as gossamer, each life affected by what has come before it and what will come after. 

1941, Estonia. As Stalin’s brutal Red Army crushes everything in its path, Katarina and her family survive only because their precious farm produce is needed to feed the occupying forces.

Fiercely partisan, Katarina battles to protect her grandmother’s precious legacy – the weaving of gossamer lace shawls stitched with intricate patterns that tell the stories passed down through generations.

While Katarina struggles to survive the daily oppression, another young woman is suffocating in her prison of privilege in Moscow. Yearning for freedom and to discover her beloved mother’s Baltic heritage, Lydia escapes to Estonia.

I skimmed a bit when the detail on the oppression of Estonia under Russian control got a bit much...which was a lot of the time.

6/10

The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly

It is a secret the Chinese government has been keeping for forty years. They have proven the existence of dragons--a landmark discovery no one could ever believe is real, and a scientific revelation that will amaze the world. Now the Chinese are ready to unveil their astonishing findings within the greatest zoo ever constructed. 

A small group of VIPs and journalists has been brought to the zoo deep within China to see these fabulous creatures for the first time. Among them is Dr. Cassandra Jane "CJ" Cameron, a writer for National Geographic and an expert on reptiles. The visitors are assured by their Chinese hosts that they will be struck with wonder at these beasts, that the dragons are perfectly safe, and that nothing can go wrong. Of course it can't...

An entertaining fast paced, action packed thriller which would make a wonderful movie. 

7/10

The Lady With The Gun Asks The Questions by Kerry Greenwood

The Honourable Phryne Fisher - she of the Lulu bob, Cupid's bow lips, diamante garters and pearl-handled pistol - is the 1920s' most elegant and irrepressible sleuth.

Miss Phryne Fisher is up to her stunning green eyes in intriguing crime in each of these entertaining, fun and compulsively readable stories. With the ever-loyal Dot, the ingenious Mr Butler and all of Phryne's friends and household, the action is as fast as Phryne's wit and logic.

Some stories I have read before, some new ones, all enjoyable.

9/10

The Toy Makers by Robert Dinsdale

The Emporium sells toys that capture the imagination of children and adults alike- patchwork dogs that seem alive, toy boxes that are bigger on the inside, soldiers that can fight battles of their own. Into this family business comes young Cathy Wray, running away from a shameful past. The Emporium takes her in, makes her one of its own.But Cathy is about to discover that the Emporium has secrets of its own..

The book started out intriguing and interesting but somewhere along the way, it lost me. Overall disappointing. It had such great promise but then sort of dragged on and the ending was rushed and didn't fit.

7/10

Troll Mountain by Matthew Reilly

In a remote valley, a tribe of humans is being killed off by a terrible disease.

There is a rumour that the trolls of Troll Mountain have a cure for the illness: a miraculous elixir.

When Raf's sister gets sick and his tribal leaders refuse to help him, he makes a courageous decision. He sets out on his own for Troll Mountain ... to steal the elixir.

A fantasy journey of a boy who must triumph against ridiculous odds and powerful enemies, it's a quick and entertaining read.

7/10