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I post book reviews as often as possible but at least once a week every Wednesday! I hope they help you to find some new books that you'll love as much as I did!
 Today is my stop on the Orenda blog tour for Dying to Live! Thank you to Anne for organising the tour and be sure to check out the rest of the stops! The Synopsis The body of a Bushman is discovered near the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, and the death is written off as an accident. But all is not as it seems. An autopsy reveals that although he’s clearly very old, his internal organs are puzzlingly young. What’s more, an old bullet is lodged in one of his muscles … but where is the entry wound? When the body is stolen from the morgue and a local witch doctor is reported missing, Detective ‘Kubu’ Bengu gets involved. As Kubu and his brilliant young colleague, Detective Samantha Khama, follow the twisting trail through a confusion of rhino-horn smugglers, foreign gangsters and drugs manufacturers, the wider and more dangerous the case becomes… A fresh, new slice of ‘Sunshine Noir’, Dying to Live is a classic tale of greed, corruption and ruthless thuggery, set in one of the world’s most beautiful landscapes, and featuring one of crime fiction’s most endearing and humane detectives. About the Author  Michael Stanley is the writing team of Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip. Both were born in South Africa and have worked in academia and business. Their first mystery, A Carrion Death, which introduced Detective ‘Kubu’ Bengu of the Botswana Criminal Investigation Department, was a finalist for five awards, including the CWA Debut Dagger. The series has been critically acclaimed, and their third book, Death of the Mantis, won the Barry Award and was a finalist for an Edgar award. Deadly Harvest was a finalist for an International Thriller Writers’ award, and book 5, A Death in the Family, was an international bestseller. My Review  Dying to Live is Book 6 in the Detective Kubu Series but it works perfectly fine as a standalone novel and I didn’t feel that I had missed out by not reading the other books. (Apart from missing out on a quality read if they’re as good as this one!)
I found the plot to be captivating and particularly unique. The stories surrounding the witch doctors fascinated me and the storyline was extremely twisty, always taking surprising turns. Another thing that played a big part in my enjoyment of the book was the fantastically immersive and vibrant setting. Combined with the vivid descriptions, I felt that I was drawn right into the book and transported. I almost forgot where I really was! I loved the cast of characters section at the beginning with the pronunciation guide. It helped to be able to refer to it when reading to remind myself who a character was and I kept the page bookmarked. I also liked the glossary. I feel that the language added authenticity and the glossary enabled me to check words if necessary without leaving the book and getting distracted. Overall, I’m giving this book 4 out of 5. It was dark but twisty and intriguing and I’ll be going back to read the others in the series. Dying to Live is published by Orenda Books This book was provided for free in exchange for an honest review.
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 In 1991, Maire Anne McCartney is recruited for a one-off IRA mission as a honey trap. She is told there will be no violence. But she has been lied to.
To save herself, eighteen-year-old Maire must flee across the border alone, and start a new life. Years later, human rights lawyer Anne-Marie Gallagher is appointed Minister of State for Security and Immigration. At the same time, the police in Belfast receive an anonymous tip-off. The password is verified from the Troubles and the co-ordinates lead DCI Jon Carne to a field. And a body. The new Minister receives a message and realises that the new life she has crafted is at risk of being uncovered. And when Carne’s investigation brings Anne-Marie to his attention, she must decide where her allegiances lie. I've not really read a political thriller before and while I did enjoy Woman of State overall, I must say that it did take me quite a while to engage with. I can't quite put my finger on why, but it felt a little bit slow moving for me at first. However, once I did start to become more involved in the story, I found that the plot was brilliantly clever and full of secrets and betrayal. The characters were well-developed and most of their dialogue felt realistic. Anne-Marie goes from being a naïve young girl, to an MP who will go to any lengths to keep her secrets hidden. The changes she has gone through are slowly divulged as the book flicks between past and present, revealing details about Anne-Marie and the events that led up to where she is today. Although intrigue was maintained as things were gradually revealed, I did feel like it was dragged out a little bit. The ending was good and I liked that there was still some uncertainty about what Anne-Marie was going to do next and what would become of her and Carne. Overall, I'd give this book 3.5 out of 5. It was a clever political thriller with a good plot and cast of characters. It took me a little longer that I would've liked to get immersed in, but it was still an enjoyable read and I'd definitely consider reading more by Simon Berthon. Woman of State is published by HQ on July 13th This book was provided for free in exchange for an honest review.  If the truth dies... He'll kill her all over again. I was drawn to the book as soon as I read this part of the blurb. The contents definitely lived up to intrigue that was created, The Killing Grounds was action-packed and full of energy and excitement. The book started off well as I found myself absorbed in the opening scene at sea with Cooper, Jackson and Ellie. The descriptions of the heart-pounding scene were vivid and I found myself holding my breath as the events unfolded. The rest of the book was just as exciting, although I felt that some parts didn't need to be as long as they were, however this didn't stop me from wanting to continue reading. I liked the exotic settings of Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo and USA because I felt like they gave the book a uniqueness and an edge. There were lots of characters and although their relationships were complex, the important theme of PTSD was brought up through Cooper. Reading it, I could definitely tell that a lot of research had gone into writing the book which I appreciated. Overall, I'd give this book 4 out of 5 stars. The first book in the Thomas J Cooper series, it was packed full of twists, politics and adventure and I would definitely read the rest of the series. The Killing Grounds is published by HQ  This book was provided for free in exchange for an honest review.
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