Among the Ruins by James Magnus (Corsa Moran #2)

Synopsis:

Global warming has reshaped Britain, with most of the larger cities drowned in a catastrophic flood. In the remaining ruins, survivors must adjust to a harsh new society where freedom has become a luxury few can afford, rights are an indulgence, and the State sees all.

When a body is discovered at an abandoned transit camp, Detective Corsa Moran is troubled by two key questions. Why can the victim not be identified when everyone in the post-flood surveillance society is registered and recorded? And why does such a well-dressed body bear the scars of a poor and violent past?

In the face of official indifference and hostility, Corsa pursues the killer even as she faces deepening crises in her personal life. The trail leads her through the homes of those without status to the door of a powerful and dangerous enemy.

Corsa knows that she is uncovering the truth of something much deeper than a brutal murder. She knows that to continue the investigation could end her career, and put her life in danger.

But she does not know how to stop.

The Corsa Moran series is set in a ruined Britain where people scrape out a living and society is only just holding together. It is Corsa's story, seen entirely from her perspective creating a vivid picture of life in an all-too-plausible future.

Review:

Second book in the series and Senior Detective Corsa Moran is finding herself in the hot seat again. Finding a body of a young man in an empty immigration building sets of a series of event that change the way Corsa looks upon the new world system.

From knife fighters to underhand child adoptions, Corsa faces it all, but this time she seems to have a little team, willing to help and be ready for anything.

I love Corsa Moran as a character. She is rude, ruthless and always on the side of what is right and she is not afraid to step on toes to get to the truth even when it means losing something she treasures. And whilst reporters dig into her personal life and put the man she loves in danger, she faces an enemy much bigger than she ever expected – she just has to work out how to take them down.

I enjoyed this second book even more than the first as it delved deeper into the schematics of the new world, created after the floods. It’s a fascinating read with flashes of future that is no so unbelievable as we might like to think!

Thank you to TBConFB and the author for access to this book.

Rating: 5/5

Available to order from:

AmazonUK

AmazonUS

After the Flood by James Magnus (Corsa Moran #1)

Synopsis:

It happened. Global warming, the melting ice caps the rising sea levels that swallowed up most of the big cities, it all happened. The world reached a 'tipping point' and the waters rose and rose till the flood barriers failed and the sea took it all. Now the trick is to keep going, just to keep going in a world that is on the edge of falling apart.

In Britain, people fled to the high ground. New cities and towns were thrown up by the Mass Migration schemes. Now regimented lines of concrete tower blocks, the Stacks, march along the re-shaped coastline occupied by the fortunate. Those less fortunate, those who lost everything, their identity, their money and their homes, they must live on the fringes, in sprawling shanty towns of 'illegals' where life is hard and often short.

The State is everywhere, surveillance a way of life, rights and freedoms a luxury washed away by the rising water. Now it is just a continual struggle to survive - after the flood. For those who break the rules there is quick justice by Tribunal, if they live, there are Treatment Centres which 're-educate' bad citizens, and labour camps for the rest.

Life is grim, but things keep getting worse. Violence is normal, everyone is suspect, and 'being a good citizen' seems to be more difficult every day. Someone has to police this mess, someone has to try to keep the lid on, and Senior Detective Corsa Moran is on the front line. But Corsa wants to do more than just crowd control, she wants to investigate crimes and bring criminals to justice, she wants to make a difference, improve things, she wants to bring some hope.

Attitudes like that attract attention and can get a person, and those close to her, into trouble. Then Corsa's own family is targeted and no-one seems to want to uncover what really happened and what is really going on. Everyone seems to want her to shut up, they want her to accept the 'official version' of events, but she is not convinced and she can't let it go, that isn't possible, not for Corsa Moran.

If she is going to get to the truth, she is going to have to fight her colleagues, Military Intelligence and even the government. But Corsa can't stop, no matter what the price might be to her, and to those around her, she only knows one way to go, and that road is leading her into deep waters.

Review:

First book in a new series and first book I have read by this author. This is a provoking, dystopian novel that seem all too familiar with regards to the environmental issues already facing our planet and global warming that has been changing our lives for years. This book seems to come as a warning.

Corsa Moran is an admirable woman, a Senior Detective, in a society where woman’s place seems to be back at home, having children and cooking healthy meals. The society is driven by fear, greed for power and Military Intelligence who seem to overall all. Once they have you, you might never resurface.

But Corsa isn’t admired. Her own family shuns her, her mother always picking fights and her own colleagues do not hide their dislike for her. And then the bombings start and Corsa losing everything. She can only rely on her on instincts and they lead her straight into some dangerous waters.

I love Corsa – she is like a female version of Eddie Collins (look up Andrew Barrett’s books). She is raw, rude and ruthless in her pursuit of the truth even if it means she puts her own life in danger.

Thank you to TBConFB and the author for access to this book.

Rating: 4/5

Available to pro-order from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

The Pain of Strangers by Andrew Barrett (CSI Eddie Collins #1)

Synopsis:

When damaged people reach positions of power, there is no hope for the innocent.

In 1987, Norton Bailey became known as the Madman of Mabgate. A damaged person in a position of power, he built a machine to take care of his problems and used money as bait.

CSI Eddie Collins is feeling alone and adrift. Even work is unreliable and tense, and brings conflict with bad people. One damaged person in particular seeks to choose how Eddie, and the victims he tries to protect, will die.

Is there still no hope for the innocent?

Forensic evidence has always lit up the way, but now the light shines dimly. It’s just bright enough to illuminate the fight of Eddie’s life. 

Review:

Eddie Collins is my most memorable character from books I have read in the last five years. Whenever I read a crime book I can’t help myself and compare the detectives/CSIs to Eddie and Eddie always trumps them all. Not just for his expertise and clear talent for forensic work but for his character. He is the grumpiest, most difficult man to work and most likely live with, but he is also the most real person I have ever come across in fiction books.

Of course this is all down to Andrew Barrett having such a long experience working in the Police force and his professional expertise that feeds his books, but clearly Andrew is also a very talented author that just keeps on giving.

With this new first book is Eddie Collins series, we go back to the start, where Eddie still has a wife, daughter and a dog, at least for a little while. Eddie gets tangled in a mess of domestic burglaries, murders and an old man with a secret much bigger and more dangerous than anything Eddie has ever come across. And when it all comes to light, Eddie is fighting for his life and lives of others. And this is on top of all the trouble from his personal life.

Andrew’s books never disappoint. They are fast, full of interesting details not just from forensics, but other policing fields and above all they are full of exceptional characters that make the books flow with ease. This is a hold your breath till the last page sort of book!

Thank you to TBConFB and the author for access to this book.

Rating: 5/5

Available to pro-order from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US