The Nowhere Man by Greg Hurwitz

He was once called Orphan X. 

As a boy, Evan Smoak was taken from a children's home, raised and trained as part of a secret government initiative buried so deep that virtually no one knows it exists. But he broke with the programme, choosing instead to vanish off grid and use his formidable skill set to help those unable to protect themselves.

One day, though, Evan's luck ran out . . .

Ambushed, drugged, and spirited away, Evan wakes up in a locked room with no idea where he is or who has captured him. As he tries to piece together what's happened, testing his gilded prison and its highly trained guards for weaknesses, he receives a desperate call for help.

With time running out, he will need to out-think, out-manoeuvre, and out-fight an opponent the likes of whom he's never encountered to have any chance of escape. He's got to save himself to protect those whose lives depend on him. Or die trying...

I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Well written with believable characters. LOTS of action and violence but good wins over evil and all is right with the world. Too many flashbacks to his childhood would be my only complaint.

8/10

A Breach of promise by Anne Perry

In a sensational breach of promise suit, two wealthy social climbers are suing on behalf of their beautiful daughter, Zillah. The defendant is Zillah's alleged fiancé, brilliant young architect Killian Melville, who adamantly declares that he will not, cannot, marry her. Utterly baffled by his client's refusal, Melville's counsel, Sir Oliver Rathbone, turns to his old comrades in crime--investigator William Monk and nurse Hester Latterly. But even as they scout London for clues, the case suddenly and tragically ends. An outcome that no one--except a ruthless murderer--could have foreseen.

One of the best Anne Perry mysteries. I had worked out early on what the big secret was, but there was an interesting twist at the end in the secondary story line. The book ended rather abruptly though. Another chapter would have been good. I like things tied up in a nice neat bow.

8/10

Dark Alchemy by Various

Wizards and witches have lived in the human imagination for centuries. From ancient to modern times they have held great power in our literary lives. Here for a brand new audience is a collection of electrifying stories that show us benign and evil, ambivalent and determined characters that will stalk our imaginations and thoughts for some time to come. From the pens of Eoin Colfer, Garth Nix, Neil Gaiman, Jane Yolen and many more spring an incredible array of stories that will thrill readers young and old. This book includes stories by Neil Gaiman, Garth Nix, Mary Rosenblum, Kage Baker, Eoin Colfer, Jane Yolen, Orson Scott Card, Patricia A. McKillip, Elizabeth Hand, Andy Duncan, Peter S. Beagle, Nancy Kress, Tanith Lee, Terry Bisson, Terry Dowling, Gene Wolfe, Tad Williams and Jeffrey Ford.

My favourite was The Witch's Headstone by Neil Gaiman.

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs

Bagged and discarded, the dismembered body of a woman is discovered in the grounds of an abandoned monastery. 

Dr Temperance Brennan, Director of Forensic Anthropology for the province of Quebec, has been researching recent disappearances in the city.

Soon she is convinced that a serial killer is at work. But when no one else seems to care, her anger forces her to take matters into her own hands. Her determined probing has placed those closest to her in mortal danger, however.

A complex mystery, good character development and a satisfying ending. It was a bit dated though. The early 90's don't seem that long ago, but a lot has changed since then both in technology and social attitudes.

8/10

The Twisted Root by Anne Perry

A young groom enlists private investigator William Monk to track down his fiancée, Miriam Gardiner, who disappeared suddenly from a party at a luxurious Bayswater mansion. But Monk soon finds the coach in which Miriam fled and nearby, the murdered body of the coachman. There is no trace of Miriam. Monk and Hester, newly married, chase down the clues as to why Miriam would run away from a marriage that promised so much...

This is another brilliant read from Anne Perry. A very twisty tale that kept me guessing until the end.

9/10

The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell

Every morning Håkan von Enke takes a walk in the forest near his apartment in Stockholm. Then, one day he fails to come home.

Detective Kurt Wallander is not officially involved but Håkan's son is engaged to his daughter Linda. A few months earlier Håkan was eager to talk to Kurt about a controversial incident from his past. Could this be connected to his disappearance?

When Håkan's wife also goes missing, Wallander is determined to uncover the truth but the investigation will force him to look back over his own past, as he comes to the unsettling realisation that even those we love the most can remain strangers to us...

The last Kurt Wallander mystery. A good ending to the series. As has happened with the last couple of Henning Mankell books they have got a bit political. This time about the Swedish defence force. I skimmed those bits.

6/10

See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt

Lizzie Borden took an ax
And gave her mother 40 whacks
When she saw what she had done
She gave her father 41. 

Or did she?

On the morning of August 4, 1892, Lizzie Borden calls out to her maid, "Someone's killed Father." The brutal ax murder of Andrew and Abby Borden in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts, leaves little evidence and many unanswered questions. While neighbors struggle to understand why anyone would want to harm the respected Bordens, those close to the family have a different tale to tell - of a father with an explosive temper, a spiteful stepmother, and two spinster sisters, with a bond even stronger than blood, desperate for their independence. 

What a sinister family with creepy secrets.
Loads of stomach churning happenings and a startling amount of “licking” peculiar things,like blood,hat rims, hands etc.
Never chop the heads off your mentally ill daughter’s pigeons.

7/10