A tiny spark flickered in her pupils. Her lips moved but no audible words came out. With one finger, she made a slight beckoning motion. Jack bent closer and she breathed woozily into his ear, “Who… am… I?”
After the death of his wife, Jack is starting to get his life back on track. But things are about to get complicated.
A woman lies in a hospital bed, clinging to life after being shot in the head. She claims to remember nothing, not even her own name. Who is she? That is the question Jack must answer. All he has to go on is a mysterious facial tattoo.
Damaged kindred spirits, Jack and the nameless woman quickly form a bond. But he can’t afford to fall for someone who might put his family at risk. People are dying. Their deaths appear to be connected to the woman. What if she isn’t really the victim? What if she’s just as bad as the ‘Unspeakable Monsters’ who put her in hospital?
Ben Cheetham is an award-winning writer and Pushcart Prize nominee. His writing spans the genres, from horror and sci-fi to literary fiction, but he has a passion for dark, gritty crime fiction. His short stories have been published in Swill Magazine, The Fiction Desk, Deadcore (Comet Press), The London Magazine, The Willisden Herald New Short Stories 3, The Grist Anthology of New Writing, Dream Catcher, Staple, Fast Forward: A Collection of Flash Fiction, Voice From The Planet (Harvard Square Editions), The Momaya Annual Review, Transmission, The Chaffey Review, and numerous other magazines.
Ben lives in Sheffield, UK, where - when he's not chasing around after his two-year old son - he spends most of his time locked away in his study racking his brain for the next paragraph, the next sentence, the next word.
Rather disappointing. The romance between Jack & Butterfly lacked any authenticity. Why would a hardened officer fall for such a nonentity? Pity because most of the other character, including the criminals were believable.
I enjoyed this book but I thought there were so many parts that could have been improved on, bulked out, like why did they burn Hawkshead Manor down? What made him do that? Who or what had Tracy been? What was her connection to those brothers? Who was the baby’s father? Maybe these things were down to editing, but still, mire in these areas would have made a good read better.
Good read until the last few chapters. Characters were believable and writing had a good flow. Language a bit much but understandable from the guys. Unfortunately the turnaround of the policeman and his choices plunged the story into " are you kidding me? " land. Story fell apart for me . Disappointing.
Started off marvellously. First chapter addictive. Unfortunately, the rest of the book gradually descended into Mills and Boon. Yuck. If the writer could have continued the momentum of the first chapter it would have been an excellent read.
Fast paced book, loved every page. Slightly unhappy husband as he was pretty much ignored for 2 days. Looking forward to reading what else this great writer has to offer.
Second book in the series. Ben's books are always gripping and exciting. I loved this one and couldn't put it down. These books all promise a great read. the characters are like able and the writing style easy. Excellent!
This is the instalment of the DI Jack Anderson book, and I have to admit that I was hoping that it would be just as good as the first one. If I'm honest, I've enjoyed it even more so. It's fast paced, exciting, thrilling, gripping, enjoyable and cleverly written. Full of suspense! DI Jack Anderson has become one of my favourite detectives and hoping to read many more of his cases. Enjoying reading how his relationships are developing with Naomi, Laura and his work colleagues after such a heart breaking and unimaginable time that he went through when he lost his wife Rebecca. Again praise for the author as it had me gripped throughout. If you love suspense, thrillers and detective work then this is a must-read. Loved it. I would highly recommend and can't wait for the next instalment.
Not my first by Ben. I like his writing style. In this one we have Mark, Steve, Paul (Head Guy) putting the world to rights and taking the bad guys off the street. Great stuff always enjoy your book. Well done📕👍
...with emotions. Another 5-star for the outpouring of love amongst the characters.
When is a crime thriller not a crime thriller? Although there is some sinister crime happening in the story, and the genre is classified as crime thriller, in Ben’s writing, it becomes a sentimental story.
As I’ve reviewed before, and I would like to repeat it here, I’ve not come across a writer who writes about men’s emotions, especially about loss, heartache and love rekindling as poignant as Ben.
This novel is no exception, interwoven with some detective work, but so much care has been injected into every chapter to return the matters of the heart. We follow Jack, the detective, through the love he expressed to his daughter, then to his helpful sister and the work he does. And there is an unexpected blossom of love in between.
The descriptions of many scenes are exceptionally visual. Read this: “The sea chewing up the rocks hundreds of feet below”. Can you see the cliff?
I can’t get enough of it, so I chewed each word, so afraid I’ll miss another burst of emotion. So good.
I must admit the instant romance in the book left me rolling my eyes but this story carried me all the way through it. I've never heard of this author before but I will be looking out for more of his books. The twists, the characters, the blood and gore were all very entertaining.
If you like crime thrillers then I would recommend this one, but check out the first book. I didn't realise this was the second book of a series and wish I had read them in order but I'm sure that won't stop me enjoying the rest of the books.
Second book from the series is situated some time after the first one. Jake managed to overcome his alcohol problems and is now living with his daughter Naomi when unknown woman is shot into her head, and she loses all her memory. This starts a new journey for Jake, which leads to complicated investigation with lot of surprised on the way.
I think I enjoyed this book slightly more than the first one, at least the first half, I am not so sure about the finish line. Mainly because I am not so sure how realistic it really is. Overall, I enjoyed the story and I am trying the third book.
I'm starting to love Jack Anderson and have thoroughly enjoyed both books BUT I did feel the budding romance between Jack and Butterfly was a little difficult to believe. Sorry, Ben, but it just didn't ring true somehow. Like another review, the backstory of Butterfly could have been explained in a lot more depth. However, I am really looking forward to Jack Anderson #3 . . . . . but I hope the editing is better in that one.
I loved this book. Who is she is a great suspense book that you cannot put down. Right from the beginning I was hooked, reading between my patients & every chance I could get - straight thru to the end!!! The writing was refreshing - Ben Cheetham is my new favorite!! Just downloaded anther one - I'll be anti social again !!
A gritty thriller which keeps you guessing till the end
Jack, a battle weary detective gets more than he bargains for, when he picks up a new case of a woman, whose been left for dead, her baby snatched from her womb. It's fast paced, with twists and turns leaving you guessing until the end.
Absolutely riveting! Grabs you from the first page and takes you on a thrill ride!
Wow this book kept me reading into the wee hours! Couldn't put it down! Great well written characters,wild plot with twists and turns galore. And it has a great unexpected happy ending. Highly recommend this book
I received this book through another authors promotion in exchange for an honest review. I've read a few books by Ben Cheetham, he never fails to impress me with his stories. Crisp, great characters, intriguing, it is so vivid you feel a part of the story. Yes, this story grabs you, immerses you into the book. High recommendations!
I loved the first book in this series, and was eager to read this one. It started well, but then Jack seemed to get a bit weak, not the same presence as the previous book. It was all in all an enjoyable story, and it is likely that i will read the next instalment of Jack, but I think I'll read something else of Ben's first.
Brilliantly written and had me totally captivated . Didn't want to stop reading as I felt myself getting pulled into the drama and wanting to find out what happened next. Well done ben cheetham another masterpiece
Not sure I liked the ending. A fast paced book but had an ending that was pretty lame. I liked all the characters except Butterfly. I couldn’t take her and jacks relationship seriously for some reason. Overall Ben Cheetham is a great author.
I enjoyed listening to this book. It caught me right away. I liked the characters and the plot. Only one problem for me....the use of so much profanity. Especially the F word. This was my first read. I plan to read a lot more. Thanks Belinda Young from Mississippi
I have just worked my way through all of Ben Cheethams books and they were all great. Real page turners that I couldn’t put down. Can’t wait for more books from this author.
As always this author writes with the ability to weave a believable , fabulous and tense story! And, yet again, I lost sleep because I could not put it down
I'm his 2nd Jack Anderson book, the author continues Jack's story with ease, twisting turns and surprising endings. Now I have to read the 3rd book to find a resolve to an open ended case. It's a very enjoyable edge-of-your-seat novel.
Good, got into the book very quickly, gripping but half way through I thought it had lost track because the book started to not make sense in what was happening. Would still give the author another chance with a different book