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Antonia Hawkins #2
My Bloody Valentine
From the bestselling author of The Advent Killer
SHE LOVES ME, SHE LOVES ME NOT ...
The second thrilling novel in the DCI Antonia Hawkins series by Alastair Gunn
When the body of a young woman is found brutally slain on Valentine's Day the press reacts with barely disguised glee. For DCI Antonia Hawkins, still recovering from the terrible wounds inflicted by another killer, the pressure of another high profile murder investigation could barely be worse timed.
But, battling her own physical limitations and under pressure from a new member of the team whose ambition to displace her is barely disguised, Hawkins must discover not just who killed the first victim, but why. Or watch helplessly as others die at the hands of a monster whose been labelled the Valentine Killer...
SHE LOVES ME, SHE LOVES ME NOT ...
The second thrilling novel in the DCI Antonia Hawkins series by Alastair Gunn
When the body of a young woman is found brutally slain on Valentine's Day the press reacts with barely disguised glee. For DCI Antonia Hawkins, still recovering from the terrible wounds inflicted by another killer, the pressure of another high profile murder investigation could barely be worse timed.
But, battling her own physical limitations and under pressure from a new member of the team whose ambition to displace her is barely disguised, Hawkins must discover not just who killed the first victim, but why. Or watch helplessly as others die at the hands of a monster whose been labelled the Valentine Killer...
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 15, 2015
23 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
About the author
Alastair Gunn
52 books51 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Alastair Gunn is an experienced magazine journalist. The Advent Killer was his first novel in a series featuring DCI Antonia Hawkins, and My Bloody Valentine was his second bestselling thriller. Alastair's next DCI Antonia Hawkins thriller, The Keeper, will be published in October 2016.
Alastair lives in Hertfordshire with his fiancée, Anna.
Biography taken from author's Penguin profile.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Alastair Gunn is an experienced magazine journalist. The Advent Killer was his first novel in a series featuring DCI Antonia Hawkins, and My Bloody Valentine was his second bestselling thriller. Alastair's next DCI Antonia Hawkins thriller, The Keeper, will be published in October 2016.
Alastair lives in Hertfordshire with his fiancée, Anna.
Biography taken from author's Penguin profile.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
December 23, 2016
I picked up this cheap punt from a charity shop, and subsequently chose it to read a few weeks later because I needed a quick and easy crime read to complete my target of 120 books read in 2016. This met that remit/expectation perfectly adequately. It tells the tale of a female police detective on the return from injury in her pervious case trying to track down a crazed hammer killer of recently released ex-convicts.
Alas though, despite a creative plot at the centre of it, the book didn't really raise itself above others in the genre in any real sense. The writing was good, but nothing special with respect to painting a descriptive picture. The characters were in the main OK, but there were a few too many cardboard cut-outs as supporting agents, and I found aspects of the interpersonal relationships and office politics a bit tedious at times. The pace was a little inconsistent with respect to early parts dragging and taking a while to tie together, and final chapters progressing at a pace and in a manner which would've been easier to follow on screen than on the page.
Essentially there wasn't a huge amount massively wrong with this perfectly enjoyable book, but I just feel I have several better alternatives as far as London-centric crime reads are concerned.
Alas though, despite a creative plot at the centre of it, the book didn't really raise itself above others in the genre in any real sense. The writing was good, but nothing special with respect to painting a descriptive picture. The characters were in the main OK, but there were a few too many cardboard cut-outs as supporting agents, and I found aspects of the interpersonal relationships and office politics a bit tedious at times. The pace was a little inconsistent with respect to early parts dragging and taking a while to tie together, and final chapters progressing at a pace and in a manner which would've been easier to follow on screen than on the page.
Essentially there wasn't a huge amount massively wrong with this perfectly enjoyable book, but I just feel I have several better alternatives as far as London-centric crime reads are concerned.
February 16, 2015
A second outing for DCI Antonia Hawkins, still suffering the after effects of being attacked by a serial killer at Christmas. This time round she's seeking a serial killer who's bashing people's heads in with a hammer whilst trying to stop a usurper in the ranks and navigating her new relationship with Maguire. Gripping crime novel with a nice twist at the end.
February 9, 2019
I am enjoying this fast moving series but I had the plot worked out quite early into the book it's was just the finer points that needed revealing. Will read the next one.
April 16, 2025
Great wee book, runs along nicely 👌
March 6, 2016
Having read and enjoyed the first novel in the series, The Advent Killer, I was looking forward to reading My Bloody Valentine in which Bull kills ex prisoners by hitting them in the head with a hammer and acting DCI Antonia Hawkins investigates.
I found it a difficult novel to get involved in and it took me days rather than hours to read - I always seemed to have something better to do than puck it up again and this is a shame as it has a very good and original ending. It seems to me that there is too much else going on in the novel that the investigation is lacklustre and almost an afterthought. Firstly, Antonia is recovering from 11 stab wounds but insists on returning to work before she's fit as she hears there is a rival for her acting DCI role and is determined not to lose it. Secondly, she is having relationship issues over her singleminded determination to hold on to her job. Thirdly her rival shows up and acts in an extremely unprofessional and realistic way. The narrative also regularly switches point of view from Antonia's troubles to Bull's thinking and history which I find annoying as it disrupts my reading rhythm.
I was all set to rate this novel at 2 stars because I really struggled to get through it but the ingenuity of the ending redeemed it.
I found it a difficult novel to get involved in and it took me days rather than hours to read - I always seemed to have something better to do than puck it up again and this is a shame as it has a very good and original ending. It seems to me that there is too much else going on in the novel that the investigation is lacklustre and almost an afterthought. Firstly, Antonia is recovering from 11 stab wounds but insists on returning to work before she's fit as she hears there is a rival for her acting DCI role and is determined not to lose it. Secondly, she is having relationship issues over her singleminded determination to hold on to her job. Thirdly her rival shows up and acts in an extremely unprofessional and realistic way. The narrative also regularly switches point of view from Antonia's troubles to Bull's thinking and history which I find annoying as it disrupts my reading rhythm.
I was all set to rate this novel at 2 stars because I really struggled to get through it but the ingenuity of the ending redeemed it.
January 14, 2016
Second time round and a solid winner. Go Antonia and Mike taking on all comers and saving not only the day, her relationship, spoiling the little interloper for her job. Great twists and turns and an unexpected plot ending. Can't wait for the next book........as long as it doesn't have an Easter Bunny killer or a continuation of the 1st Passover. Alistar you've done it again, you will always be on my watch list! Bravo!!!!
September 28, 2016
This book did not really work for me. Hawkins is an interesting character if a little too excitable and the story starts off well with a serial killer and flashbacks to the killer's earlier life. The chase at the end should have been exciting but somehow fell flat and the explanation for how the killer got to know his victims was downright implausible.
April 7, 2016
Not as gripping as the authors first book the advent killer. A bit long and drawn out, found myself skipping paragraphs.
November 20, 2017
Back with Antonia Hawkins for book 2. It seems forever ago since I read book 1 and I purchased this book back in August 2015. Bad me, i'm slowly playing catch up with some of the series of books I've started and not yet finished. This is another of those books that for some reason got lost in the dark and dusty archive shelves of my kindle. It must have really needed me to read it as it somehow just happened to pop up to the top of the page, so it was really telling me to read it.
The good thing now with being slightly behind, I get to read book 3 and 4 as soon as I choose to.
Anyhow, the book. What did I think? Well I actually enjoyed it, I like Antonia, she's gutsy but stupid sometimes, she stubborn and awkward, she's a character i'm enjoying getting to know.
Antonia has received some pretty horrific injuries after being stabbed a number of times, and after weeks in hospital is going mad with boredom. Along with the worry of someone else stepping into her shoes at work, her stubborn streak kicks in, and she manages to force herself back to work. She is certainly not ready to be back and probably shouldn't be starting on a new murder investigation. But Antonia doesn't always seem to do what is right. Antonia decides working while recovering is the best thing for her.
With her new set of wheels, her wheel chair that she is less than happy to be using, she throws herself into work as is soon on the hunt for a killer. A killer who seems to like hitting people over the head with an hammer.
It soon becomes apparent that her and her team are looking for a serial killer. The team need to throw everything they have into this case to get it solved.
Another good solid, interesting read. I have only read the first 2 but I would certainly advise that they are read in order.
The good thing now with being slightly behind, I get to read book 3 and 4 as soon as I choose to.
Anyhow, the book. What did I think? Well I actually enjoyed it, I like Antonia, she's gutsy but stupid sometimes, she stubborn and awkward, she's a character i'm enjoying getting to know.
Antonia has received some pretty horrific injuries after being stabbed a number of times, and after weeks in hospital is going mad with boredom. Along with the worry of someone else stepping into her shoes at work, her stubborn streak kicks in, and she manages to force herself back to work. She is certainly not ready to be back and probably shouldn't be starting on a new murder investigation. But Antonia doesn't always seem to do what is right. Antonia decides working while recovering is the best thing for her.
With her new set of wheels, her wheel chair that she is less than happy to be using, she throws herself into work as is soon on the hunt for a killer. A killer who seems to like hitting people over the head with an hammer.
It soon becomes apparent that her and her team are looking for a serial killer. The team need to throw everything they have into this case to get it solved.
Another good solid, interesting read. I have only read the first 2 but I would certainly advise that they are read in order.
November 18, 2018
The second book in the DCI Antonia Hawkins sees us join Antonia as she’s still recovering from the injuries she received at the end of The Advent Killer. Faced with a brutal murder on Valentine’s Day Antonia must overcome her own issues as she battles to discover the killer before more people die.
I really enjoyed following Antonia’s recovery, and totally identified with the idea of getting back to work early because she was worried someone might take her job from her. The crimes were interesting and I enjoyed the flashback chapters giving a greater look into the history of the killer, and the twist at the end was great!
I really enjoyed following Antonia’s recovery, and totally identified with the idea of getting back to work early because she was worried someone might take her job from her. The crimes were interesting and I enjoyed the flashback chapters giving a greater look into the history of the killer, and the twist at the end was great!
March 5, 2019
A great premise for a plot, really unusual. I hadn't realised this was the second book in a series ( no excuse it did say so) when i bought it a couple of years ago and although the main plot is a stand alone story it would have added to it if I had known exactly what had happened to Antonia and her relationship with Mike.
I was anjoying the characters, the idea for a plot and the rivalry and then it suddenly stopped, hence, the loss of a star. Yes the culprits were found but what happened to Tanner. Maybe we will find out in the next book as l will certainly be reading more of them and i will be reading the first one too!
I was anjoying the characters, the idea for a plot and the rivalry and then it suddenly stopped, hence, the loss of a star. Yes the culprits were found but what happened to Tanner. Maybe we will find out in the next book as l will certainly be reading more of them and i will be reading the first one too!
October 25, 2017
I plodded on the through this book but found it a bit tedious. It seemed that one minute Hawkins was wheelchair bound and the next she’s chasing criminals leaping in and out of cars etc. All very inconsistent. She obviously wasn’t a very good DCI if she was letting Tanner get away with doing his own thing and going off at tangents.
The whole plot to me seemed unfeasible and I was glad to get to the end
The whole plot to me seemed unfeasible and I was glad to get to the end
February 1, 2022
It reads like a newspaper. Characters are nothing but a caricature. You feel nothing when you read these people. one scene holds up out of 500 pages. Every checkbox is ticked for a thriller genre and it fails to meet the expectations.
December 5, 2024
A decidedly different take on prisoners having served their sentence choosing to rehabilitate back into society or for someone to nurture their instability until they feel the need to suffer further for their ‘innocent’ crime.
April 4, 2018
Enjoyed it. A good follow on from the first in the series about Antonia Hawkins. Looking forward to reading the next.
January 6, 2019
👍
👍great read, really enjoyed this book, looking forward to reading the next book in the series . Definitely recommend this book.
👍great read, really enjoyed this book, looking forward to reading the next book in the series . Definitely recommend this book.
April 14, 2019
Good thriller, easy to read, well written
May 19, 2020
Quite a twist in the plot. I found this book a bit hard to ‘get into’ but after a while the pace picked up. Great detective work by Antonia.
August 6, 2020
Yes, it was a good story and well written but somehow it did not grab my imagination, some books you just cannot put down, and there are others that don’t.
September 16, 2020
First time reading this author and it was very good. The pace, characters and storyline meshed perfectly to create a great read.
January 29, 2021
Knew the mastermind as soon as they were introduced, which was like, page 30 or something. So. Thrillers continue to be really transparent.
July 22, 2022
Intense and full of suspense...I held my breath throughout the while book
February 23, 2017
I did enjoy this book - but for me personally, I was more interested in Antonia’s story, rather than the case at hand of catching our latest killer. It was great to use flashbacks to get into the mind of our killer - but I started to feel like it was taking away from the plot and that some of these flashbacks could have been cut back a little to expand the plot twist further. It felt a little rushed towards the end. Which for me, is no bad thing - I enjoy the occasional reading whiplash!
One aspect I really enjoyed was Antonia’s return to work following her attack over Christmas from the previous serial killer. Antonia’s is quick to catch on that her job is threatened by a newcomer to the team and battle lines are soon drawn - we only get a small taste of this in MY BLOODY VALENTINE, but I hope we get to see more of this in Book Three.
Gunn is a great writer, and that shows throughout his books. I do love me a good police procedural and this ticks that box for me every time! My hope for Antonia going forwards is she continues to get stronger and more determined to seek out and confront some of the bad seeds among her team. Antonia will have her work cut out for her with the new member of her team and I am interested in reading how Gunn tackles this dynamic in the next book.
Once again, Gunn has left the story WIDE OPEN ready for Book Three; THE KEEPER which is due for release in April 2017. I for one am excited to get my hands on this and read what lies ahead for Antonia and her team.
One aspect I really enjoyed was Antonia’s return to work following her attack over Christmas from the previous serial killer. Antonia’s is quick to catch on that her job is threatened by a newcomer to the team and battle lines are soon drawn - we only get a small taste of this in MY BLOODY VALENTINE, but I hope we get to see more of this in Book Three.
Gunn is a great writer, and that shows throughout his books. I do love me a good police procedural and this ticks that box for me every time! My hope for Antonia going forwards is she continues to get stronger and more determined to seek out and confront some of the bad seeds among her team. Antonia will have her work cut out for her with the new member of her team and I am interested in reading how Gunn tackles this dynamic in the next book.
Once again, Gunn has left the story WIDE OPEN ready for Book Three; THE KEEPER which is due for release in April 2017. I for one am excited to get my hands on this and read what lies ahead for Antonia and her team.
March 3, 2017
Not as good as the first!
March 15, 2015
Although a little slow to start, this book quickly develops into a complex lot with two big twists in the end that would have made even Jeffrey Deaver proud.
Alastair Gunn has made a remarkable improvement in just his second novel itself, with much deeper plotting and expert handling of the back and forth dual narrative of the killer and actual on going investigation. Also, capturing the ongoing struggle of the lead in handling her mental and physical trauma quite well.
Alastair Gunn has made a remarkable improvement in just his second novel itself, with much deeper plotting and expert handling of the back and forth dual narrative of the killer and actual on going investigation. Also, capturing the ongoing struggle of the lead in handling her mental and physical trauma quite well.
February 22, 2015
Slow paced plot line, don't know how I managed to get to the end of this. The title bears no resemblance to the content in my view. Disappointed having enjoyed reading the authors first book, 'The Advent Killer'.
April 9, 2015
I could not wait to finish this book - not because it was a page-turner but because I simply wanted it over. It was all over the place and I never got to enjoy it. Apologies to the author - writing is not a simple task.
April 25, 2015
slow, love the character's, but just felt it had been filled out.
May 4, 2015
The start of the book was hard to get into but I liked the plot twist at the end.I won't be reading this writer's books again in future reference. Didn't really enjoy it.
June 9, 2015
Great book, kept you going right to the end, very pleased with the second book and would recommend just as much as the first the advent killer
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews