GoodRead - Thorn In My Side

After reading a lot of novels recently, I wanted to do a bit of reading on my Kindle. It's being feeling a bit unloved. So, I decided to put the books that publishers and friends have given me on hold (I WILL GET ROUND TO THEM! I PROMISE!) and attack my Kindle for a few days. The first I read was Thorn In My Side by Karen Slaughter.

This short story tells the story of conjoined twins Kirk and Wayne. One night, Kirk picks up a random girl in a bar, while Wayne has to pretend he's not there. Expect dark deeds happen in the car park that night...

Now, in theory, this should be an interesting story. The idea of what would happen if a brother did a terrible thing while his conjoined twin tried to stop him and whether the law would convict one brother for the sin of another would have made interesting and gripping reading. Instead, out of the 68% that was the story, the second chapter (there was three in total) was the most interesting. It was very much an three act - crime, aftermath, consequence. And for the price of this short story - £1.83 - while Karen's other short story, The Unmarkable Heart was 47p, a tiny part of me thought I kinda got rip-off.

It has faults, but it wasn't awful either. I just feel that, unless you're a true crime or a Karin Slaughter fan, you might want to wait till this becomes free or cheaper than it is now...

(And now for music choices... I read this while I was listening to Kelly Clarkson's new album [which is AMAZING! I need to see her live! Anyone know if she's coming to the UK?] hence my choices! ENJOY!)

GoodRead - Kisscut (Audiobook)

I've known about this book and this author, Karen Slaughter, for quite some time. I was fiirst aware of this book one holiday at Center Parcs and I had nothing to read. I was torn between this and Terry Pratchett's Night Watch. Bought Terry Pratchett - and I never finished the book. But I always wondered if I would like this book...

So, on a random impulse, I bought the audiobook and listen to it while I was at work. Maybe not my busy idea seeing as the story tackles some dark subject matter.

Kisscut starts with a shock. A teenager girl pointing a gun at a young man in a skating rink car park. Detective Jeffrey Tolliver has to shoot her to save his life, but when the events that unfold from this event are more terrifying than what he or Sara Linton (the town's medical examiner and paediatrician) could possible imagine.

And while this is, police officer Lena Adams is still trying to come to terms with the events that happened to her in the previous novel, Blindsighted. But can she?

Now, this is an adult crime novel - and I love reading and listening to crime stories. I wouldn't call it my guilty pleasure, but I do like a good crime story to get my teeth in. And this is very adult, not because of the use of language but because of how dark this story got. What started as a teenager with a girl turns into a dark, twisted story of child abuse and areas where I usually start away from when I choose to read books.

Now, I thought this was a really good crime book. Crime novels need to make me feel uncomfortable and squirm in my chair a little bit and Kisscut did. After finishing the audiobook, I was so freaked out by it, I had to listen to a ton of Florence and the Machine to calm my heart-rate down!

And as for the reader, Patricia Kalember, she caught the story perfectly. She got the accent right and not once did I go "She's bored reading this story". I loved her voice while listening to this story and the fact that she doesn't do any other Karin Slaughter audiobooks make me a bit sad. I can't imagine anyone else reading these stories but her.

So, if you like your crime dark and will make you uncomfortable (this book is NOT for the faint-hearted), this book is you, although with Lena Adams story, you will need to read Blindsighted to know what's going on, but you get the idea pretty quick.

GoodRead - The Unremarkable Heart

Before I go any further, I must state this. This is a very clever marketing ploy. For less than a pound (when I got this, it was 40-odd pence but it was retail priced of 80-odd price), you get a exclusive short story (that only seems available in the UK as a eBook, according to Karin Slaughter's website) and you get a taster of Broken (her new paperback) and Fallen (her new hardback).

So, what is The Unremarkable Heart all about?

June is dying. She has lung cancer and today, she knows that she will die. But instead of resting, she can't help thinking about the past and her mistakes. But there's something bothering her… but if the truth is revealed, doesn't she honestly want to hear it before she leaves this life? Sometimes, secrets shouldn't be taken to the grave…

This story takes about 58% of the download, and it was a nice introduction to Karen Slaughter's writing. It's a standalone so you don't need to read any of her books before. And she's brave enough to write a character that, at first, is cold and completely unlikeable but, as the story goes forward, we slowly being to understand why she is the way she is.

And this story has a huge sense of dread and darkness. We know how this story is going to end (we get that from the first sentence), but it's the journey to get to that point that was interesting. And when the twist is revealed, it is a shock and then … it ends. It just ends. And we all know why…

And now, the teasers (aka the first chapter) for Broken and Fallen. Now, I haven't read any of Karin Slaughter's books (though I've always been interested in Kisscut - which will be my next audiobook, funnily enough), so am saying what got me excited. Broken didn't grab my attention. I'm not sure if it's because it wasn't exciting enough to hold my attention or because I was half-watching Home And Away. Fallen, on the other hand, held my attention. And I could easily read this by the pool on a summer holiday. There has an exciting hook about it which makes this an exciting read.

As a taster to introduces you to Karin Slaughter, this is a good way to get into. It's not outstanding, but I suspect it's the tip of the iceberg.