CONFESSIONS OF A REVIEWER TOP FIVE 2015: THE THRILLERS!

Welcome back to the Confessions of a Reviewer’s top five lists!

Tonight we have the top five Thrillers! My definition of a thriller for this list is a novel written by a single author that would obviously not fall under a category like horror or romance. Some books that I would class as a thriller will have other elements in the story, such as crime, mystery or even the paranormal. To me thriller covers a very large range of writing as you will see in my list.

This list is made up of books I have read this year so the books may not necessarily have been published this year.

I have judged these books purely on the basis of how much they entertained me individually. The books will be listed first, with links to reviews and links you can use to buy them. At the bottom of the page you will find all the info you need on the individual authors.

So let’s get to it and don’t forget to buy buy buy!

SHOW-OFF AND TELL #17 - Shannon Kirk - Method 15/33

#17 In the Show-Off And Tell comes from a lady some of you may not be familiar with, Shannon Kirk. It’s her debut novel Method 15/33.

This is without doubt one of the greatest thrillers I have read in years. It is a fresh approach to the plot subject of kidnapping, seeing things from the point of view of the victim and believe me, the kidnappers are the ones who need to be scared in this one!

I gushed and gushed about this one when I reviewed it and to me, it is the perfect example of how perusing through the many publishers on NetGalley can be to your benefit. Every now and again you come across one you would never have seen otherwise and just occasionally, you will pick up an absolute gem like this one.

REVIEW: Shannon Kirk - Method 15/33

Closing off the Shannon Kirk interview weekend, this is my review of her debut novel, Method 15/33. This is out tomorrow guys. I urge you in the strongest possible way not to let this one go by without grabbing yourself a copy. It is simply superb!

I would just like to thank Shannon for taking the time to take part in this and answer my questions. I know it has been a very busy time for her and answering interview questions while on vacation shows real dedication. Please don't forget to  look for the "Buy here" buttons further down the page.

I hope you have enjoyed this weekends feature and will, of course, come back for more from Confessions of a Reviewer.

Thanks.

Genre: Mystery / Thriller

Publisher: Oceanview Publishing

Publication Date: 5^th May 2015

Pages: 258

MY REVIEW:

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is published by Oceanview Publishing.

Ok it’s two for the price of one review day.

Review 1:

Just buy this (when it comes out tomorrow). No questions. No hesitations. You will thank me for it later.

Review 2:

Dorothy M. Salucci has been kidnapped. She is sixteen and heavily pregnant. She won’t prove to be the normal hostage victim. She won’t lie down begging for release.

She will be very calm and calculating in planning her escape and ultimate revenge on her kidnappers. FBI agent Roger Lui and his partner “Lola” have been given the case. It won’t be easy but with some luck on their side they just might make progress. They had best be quick because it’s not clear who will die first. Dorothy or the kidnappers.

INTERVIEW: SHANNON KIRK:AUTHOR OF METHOD 15/33: PART 2

Continuing on from where we left off last night, this is Part 2 of my interview with author of Method 15/33, Shannon Kirk.

In this part, Shannon continues to talk about her debut novel which is released this week. She will also be telling us about some of her influences, her hopes and dreams and also confronting The Ten Confessions.

Grab yourself another cold one, get some chocolate, most of all…..enjoy.

COAF - This is your debut novel. Can you possibly describe how you are feeling right now on the verge of publication?

SK - It’s a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s incredibly exciting, but at the same time nauseating. Getting the book published was obviously a huge hurdle, but nowadays, the author must also be working the business side a great deal. Self-promoting, promoting, promoting, promoting, and I’ve never had to do that before, so this is a great challenge for me. The very public nature of reviews, I had not prepared myself for how daunting that whole process is and how getting rejections from agents and publishers before may have been painful, but nowhere near the agony of reader rejection.

But you fall, you get up, you learn where to focus your attention and your energy or you get snagged down in the negative side, which is far smaller than the positive side.

The incredibly positive side and the side I’m trying hard to focus on is this wash of amazement and happiness I get knowing that I opened myself up to this adventure and because of that, my world is blossoming and unfolding. For example, I’ve met you, Nev. Granted, through the interwebs. But your reaction to Method 15/33 is a constant source of joy, lifts me up through this process, and makes it all worth it.  Another example is a lady who called me the other day. Her sister had been kidnapped (and is fine now), but she made herself read my book (not the kidnapped, the sister). Anyway, this woman made me cry because she said that not only was the book inspirational to her, because the main character is so strong, but also that she now wants to start reading again; before reading Method 15/33, she explained, she had not read in many years. Imagine how that made me feel? My heart felt like a hot loaf of bread in my chest and my face grew flush and then water came to my eyes.

Can’t beat that feeling.

INTERVIEW: SHANNON KIRK:AUTHOR OF METHOD 15/33: PART 1

You may not have heard of Shannon Kirk. I certainly hadn't before picking up a copy of her new book Method 15/33 from NetGalley a few months ago. I love discovering "new" authors. Well, new to me anyway. I was especially glad to have discovered this lady after I had finished reading the book.

It is a psychological thriller of the very best kind. I have reviewed the book and I will be posting that as well on Monday night but in the meantime, sit back and enjoy this interview with Shannon.

It is quite a long, in-depth interview so I have split it over two nights. Part 2 will come tomorrow night. The book itself is officially launched on 5th May. In the interview, Shannon tells us about her life growing up all over America. She also talks about writing, both her own and the writing that has influenced her over the years. She will also, of course, take on The Ten Confessions.

As is always the case with my interviews, go grab yourself a nice cold one, get some nibbles and most of all........enjoy!

COAF - So tell everyone a bit about yourself in general?

SK - I used to describe myself as a six-foot supermodel with superpowers, but now I lie and tell people I am what they see: a short brunette with vague, sometimes functional, mom powers. I keep the lights on by working as a lawyer.

I have two serious addictions that I do not try to curb: coffee and buying books. My husband is a medical physicist paddle-boarder, my son a basketball-loving eleven year old. We have two cats, Stewie Poe and Marvin Marquez, named after my writing influences. My son claims Marvin’s real name is Marvin Gardens, after the Monopoly property. We quarrel about this. When not working or writing or taking my son to basketball, I try to create seaglass sculptures. (Pictures below)

Random things about me: I wish I had gone to NYU film school, but I don’t know a damn thing about making films. I love to travel to new places. I can’t sing. I like only milk chocolate, white and dark can _ _ _ _ off. I’m anti-raisins. Why would you put raisins in anything? My ultimate dream day would be this: Get up, drink gigantic, perfectly-calibrated coffee on Italian coast in a villa perched over the sea. Write all morning to the sound of waves and Ray LaMontagne songs. Late lunch of Chianti, cheese, fried Zucchini flowers, and bread with my husband and son. Read out on the villa’s porch. Get ready for La Boheme, being performed at La Scala in Milan, by putting on a blood-red Valentino gown. Drive up to Milan in a black on black on black, assassin-style Audi.

ANNOUNCEMENT: INTERVIEW WITH SHANNON KIRK AND REVIEW OF METHOD 15/33

Shannon Kirk? Nope me neither. That’s probably because this lady is just on the verge of publishing her first novel Method 15/33. It’s a thriller and trust me, it’s one you do not want to miss.

I was lucky enough to get an advance reader copy through NetGalley. I am so so glad I did.

I was also lucky enough to get an interview with the lady herself in the run up to publication next week.

The interview will be published in two parts starting on Saturday 2^nd May, continuing on 3^rd May and my review on 4^th May.

Shannon was very gracious in giving an in depth interview answering questions on her life in general, her life as a lawyer and her life as a writer. Shannon will also take on “The Ten Confessions”. It is extremely interesting and inspiring interview so please come along and meet the woman behind the story. I have a feeling this will be the first of very many interviews about this book. I think it is going to be huge!

Nev.