Book Review | One Beats The Bush by Riall Nolan - The First in the Max Donovan Adventure Series

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One Beats The Bush is a well-paced action thriller that ticks multiple boxes; page-turning twists, fight scenes, a lot of crime and, more importantly, a main character you cannot help but love. Vietnam veteran Max Donovan is in Bangkok, and very hungover, when his friend “Fat” Freddie Fields is arrested in San Francisco for the murder of an Australian diplomat. He knows his old buddy would never hurt a fly, so he rushes back to the Bay Area to help. Suspecting Freddie is being framed, Donovan tries to rustle up some cash to bail him out, but only succeeds in getting into trouble with the local mob.  He’ll have to solve the case on his own. Unfortunately, the only clue he has suggest the answer lies in the jungle-covered mountains of Papua New Guinea. As he comes face-to-face with smugglers, hostile tribesmen, insurgents, and a web of corruption and deception, can Donovan achieve what is seemingly impossible? Nolan has managed to achieve a page-turning action thriller that doesn’t feel
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Book Review | The Guest House by Robin Morgan-Bentley - 5 Star Thriller

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Watching Stu Cummins Instagram live with Robin was where I first fell in love with The Guest House. And once Robin sent me a surprise copy, I pushed it to the top of my read list and fell even deeper in love. 

The Guest House is a dual narrative, dual timezone story that follows Jamie and Victoria as they take a last minute trip before their baby arrives. After they arrive at the Guest House and meet their hosts, Barry and Fiona, the four have a lovely evening together. Or at least thats what Jamie and Victoria thought until they wake up the next morning. The house is deserted, their hosts aren’t around, all doors and windows are locked and their mobile phones have disappeared. And to make things worse, the baby has decided it wants to arrive. With no way out, what extremes are Jamie and Victoria willing to go to to make it out?

Where do I even begin with this book, there are so many great qualities. For a thriller book there needs to be twists and Robin is not shy to include many. Just when you think you know what is happening you are hit with another surprise, right until the very last page. The final twist is the biggest of all and makes you question everything you thought and rethink the whole book. The book also hits a whole new nerve for a thriller as it plays on one of peoples worst fears when it comes to childbirth. 

The plot is made even better by the characters. Robin does a wonderful job at giving all four characters their own identify. I quickly grew to hate Barry, be annoyed by Fiona and fall in love with Jamie. My favourite character was Jamie, the husband who has cerebral palsy. I think we can all agree there is not enough representation of disabilities within books, and this why the way Robin handles this topic is so fantastic. It’s not thrown in your face and you’re not made to pity them, except the books contains small snippets of how Jamies everyday actions would be different from the able-bodied.

If you’re looking for an unputdownable, gripping and oh-so-twisty thriller I beg you to pick up a copy of The Guest House, you will not regret it. Thank you again to Robin for my copy, it will not be the last of yours I read!

A safe space for me to ramble on about the books I’ve read. Don’t expect high quality, news worthy reviews; I’m just a simple woman who needs somewhere to vent! This blog contains affiliated links.

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