On a Quiet Street by J. L. Doucette

5*

What a well written and professionally carved out story.
Switching back and forth between first person Narrative in Dr Pepper Hunts case, to third person point of view with all the other characters, a really original way to write which kept me interested as I’ve not come across it many times before.
Easy to read and tense in places, this novel has a whole array of emotions

Opening on a quiet street in Rock Springs, Wyoming sets the scene for the tragic murder of Stacey Hart, a woman whose family suffer from events of the past and now of the present.
The descriptive way the author brought the various places alive, really brought them out in my imagination and I found the character of Beau Antelope to be smart, mysterious and strong, definitely my favourite and I’d love to find out more about his life.
The chemistry between Dr Pepper Hunt and Antelope was enjoyable too, it offered a bit of light relief from some of the books grittier plot lines involving child abuse and the anguish it can cause, which I have to add were dealt with realistically and sensitively.

The pace of the story was just right, never slow and I was hooked from the beginning. Did the builder do it? Or was it the Husband-to-be?
Dramatic twists and turns interwoven with a solid ‘whodunnit’ plot and interesting characters, made for great reading, the whole atmosphere of this book was fitting and matched the mood perfectly, I will definitely read more from this J. L. Doucette and hopefully other books starring Beau Antelope are to follow as I feel this has the potential for a great series.

Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings

4*

She is the perfect assassin.

A Russian orphan, saved from the death penalty for the brutal revenge she took on her gangster father's killers.  Ruthlessly trained. Given a new life. New names, new faces - whichever fits.

Her paymasters call themselves The Twelve. But she knows nothing of them. Konstantin is the man who saved her and the one she answers to.  She is Villanelle. Without conscience. Without guilt.

Without weakness.  Eve Polastri is the woman who hunts her. MI5, until one error of judgment costs her everything.

Then stopping a ruthless assassin becomes more than her job. It becomes personal.

Having heard of the series but not seen it, I really wanted to read the book first and I’m glad I did. It’s a well written, high octane thriller that has great character descriptions and goes into the background of Villanelle which I found explained to some extent why she was the way she was. Villanelle was definitely the star of the novel. Eve needs a bit more time spent on her as she was a determined character but didn’t stand out quite as much. The setting of the story was always edge of your seat and the twists and turns plenty. I enjoyed it and will read the second book when I can.