Throwaways: Die Hard for Girls (Book 2) (Die Hard for Girls

Crime Files #2

by Jennifer Lee Thomson

Huddled in a doorway, in a blonde wig and my best Pretty Woman outfit, I'm already soaked to the skin. Any minute now, a car will pull up and the occupant will ask me how much I charge for sex. As downward spirals go, this is bad. But I'm not here because I'm reduced to turning tricks for a living. I'm here to catch a killer... Throwaways - that's the word they're using for the Glasgow sex workers who've gone missing. But two people do care and Nancy Kerr and Tommy McIntyre won't stop until they discover the truth; even if it gets them killed.

139 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2014

About the author

Jennifer Lee Thomson is an award-winning Scottish crime writer who has been scribbling away all her life. She also writes non-fiction as Jennifer Thomson and fiction as Jenny Thomson. She's owned by a giant rescue dog called Harley.

Her latest book is crime thriller Vile City - Volume 1 in her Detective in a Coma series is out now from Diamond Books -
Meet DI Waddell: overworked and now his best pal who's in a coma is talking to him (and only him). Can he find missing Shelley before it's too late?

OTHER BOOKS
How kirsty Gets Her Kicks (Shotgun Honey)
The Nancy Kerr and Tommy McIntyre mysteries-
Hell To Pay (Crime Files Book 1), Throwaways and Don't Come for Me.

Reviews

[Bookangels12 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Throwaways

Author

Jenny Thomson

Review a rather fiesty book where women rule and men run. Dark Firey and bold. If you are into books like this you will like this one alot.

While not my cup of tea. I would still recommend it.

Book angels was provided a copy for review

Date 3/19

Reviewer Xena

[Melyssa Winchester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Throwaways
Author: Jenny Thomson
Series or Standalone: Series (Crime Files Book Two)
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 5 Stars *****

Review:

After being sucked straight into Hell to Pay (Crime Files Book One) and enjoying it as much as I did, it was a no brainer that I was going to grab this one and dive in straightaway. The difference between the first book and this one though, is that what was already a pretty strong foundation, was built on even more in this one and it came out even better than the story that started it all.

Again, as in the first story, we’re following Nancy Kerr, the badass female lead, but this time, she’s not on a path of revenge for those that have wronged her. No this time around she’s teaming up with who I seriously think might be the best freaking boyfriend ever in Tommy and righting the wrongs that the cops seem to have dropped the ball on.

Working girls going missing.

Now what I liked about this is that in writing it she didn’t shy away from stating what a lot of times is what happens to people in this profession. It’s risky, because there’s always the chance it could offend someone, but in a lot of ways absolutely right, depending on where you’re from. Because of their path, what they chose to do in order to make money (for their own personal reasons), they are almost shown as second class citizens a lot of the time and not a lot of effort is placed into finding them. I think the author did a brilliant job bringing that to light, but also showing the world that they aren’t.

Just because they choose to sell their bodies doesn’t make them less and they deserve to be found, brought back to their friends and families as much as anyone else. So leave it to crime fighting vigilantes Tommy and Nancy to set things right (with the police coming in a close second).

While there was a lot more legwork in this story I found, talking to families, investigating, more so than the last one, it didn’t slow down the story at all, in fact for me personally, adding an even bigger air of realism that made me enjoy reading it that much more.

There were also a lot of outstanding questions from the end of the first book answered in this one and after getting them, can I just say that I’m sooooo thankful that it came out the way it did? Despite Nancy being the main star of the show here, I came to adore her sidekick boyfriend just as much and can’t imagine these stories working without him. (They probably would but I’d miss the heck out of him all the same).

Humor was also utilized more in this one than the last, and had my putting the book down multiple times because especially with her and Tommy, they had me in stitches. It was fantastic and helped the story in that when it did get heavy, there was always that out to break up the tension and fear of the moment.

It engaged me right from page one, and what I felt from the first story carried over into this one, in that it almost reads like an episode of your favorite crime show (Think Law and Order with a twist) which for someone who devours those kinds of shows, made it virtually impossible to put down until I got a resolution one way or the other.

Jenny Thomson, you have outdone yourself again and with the way you ended it, I cannot wait to dive in and get the resolution I need in book three. You hit another one out of the park.

Loved it!

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

***3.5 stars***

Thank you to the author for the review copy.

Huddled in a doorway, in a blonde wig and my best Pretty Woman outfit, I’m already soaked to the skin. Any minute now, a car will pull up and the occupant will ask me how much I charge for sex. As downward spirals go, this is bad. But I’m not here because I’m reduced to turning tricks for a living. I’m here to catch a killer… Throwaways – that’s the word they’re using for the Glasgow sex workers who’ve gone missing. But two people do care and Nancy Kerr and Tommy McIntyre won’t stop until they discover the truth; even if it gets them killed.

So the second “Die Hard for Girls” novella and whilst I enjoyed the first one it was quite frenetic in its action which meant that the characters were perhaps not fleshed out enough. This one however was more considered, gave the characters a chance to come into their own and was paced pretty perfectly between action and emotion.

The first “chapter” was very much a book about vengeance – this one is very much about justice. Previously Nancy wanted to hurt those that had hurt her, now she and Tommy want to look out for others – those who perhaps will not find help elsewhere. When sex workers in Glasgow go missing not much is done, they are the “throwaways” the ones that don’t matter, but they matter to Nancy.

The graphic nature of the violence seen in “Hell to Pay” was often difficult to read – in this instalment, whilst it is still very dark, it is much more studied and relevant throughout, adding to the disturbing nature of the events going on and keeping the reader right in the story. The flow is great and I read this in one sitting, completely immersed for the entire time.

Overall then, very enjoyable (still not for the faint hearted) with a strong female lead, much more character driven, which for me is always key. I’ve a feeling these are going to get better and better and I look forward very much to seeing what happens next.

Happy Reading Folks!

[ReadAlongWithSue ★⋆. ࿐࿔catching up · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book 2 in the Die Hard for Girls series. Its not a long read and can be read in one sitting.

The third book will be much longer [Jenny tells me]

This starts where the last book finished.

We see a hardened determined young female that is out for revenge.

I wondered why Jenny Thomson had named it Throwaways, I now have discovered that this is the name that Glasgow give to prostitutes/sex workers who have gone missing. I didn't know that before!

Although I enjoyed this book, it was much slower in pace than book one.

I thought she was out for revenge for herself, but, she out for justice and revenge for ALL women. So it reads a bit like a crusade in some way.

I like how this author has based it around a strong female lead. Although she could have become a victim [which she was] she could have just laid down and taken it, instead she stood up and fought. RIGHTS FOR WOMEN kept playing in my mind on this one.

The thought of her dressing up as a prostitute brought questions to my mind, my first obvious one was, what about when a car pulls up! But the author had already anticipated this and I got my reply quite quickly.

My personal rating for this one is 3.5 simply because it all came together too fast, things were solved too soon. And that I didn't feel that 'pumping' in myself as I was reading like book 1.

I still want to read book 3 though as I feel I have a LOT more to find out.

Thank you to the author for my copy

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted on:> http://lauraslittlebookblog.blogspot....

Throwaways is the second in the Die Hard for Girls series and after the first book Hell To Pay, I was interested to see where it would take Nancy and Tom.

This was a little slower paced than Hell to Pay, but it felt like the plot was able to unfold more. And when I say slower paced, it was still a lot faster than other books I've read and it meant that it was a quick read.

I liked how there was more mystery to Throwaways than Hell to Pay. In Throwaways, Nancy isn't looking for revenge for herself but to get justice for other women, so they don't have as much of a lead. I was quite pleased as well in this one that it wasn't quite so graphic. A lot of the scenes in Hell to Pay were hard to read. However Throwaways is still a dark read.

I thought perhaps that some of the conclusions the book came to happened a bit too quickly, I think maybe they should have been drawn out more to make it a little bit more real. But at the same time it was nice to get to the point quickly and get the book moving.

The reason this book has a unique appeal is that it has a very strong female protagonist and the idea of getting justice for women, particularly in light of what has been in the news lately should draw in readers.

[Angelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story picks up where the last one ends. I would highly recommend reading them in order.
Nancy and Tommy are on another vigilante quest, this time instead of revenge, Nancy is determined to get justice for the Throwaways of Glasgow.
I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an exciting read!