YvonneThis week, I am featuring the third book from my ‘First Reads’ shelf at Goodreads and would like to thank both them and publisher HarperCollins respectively, for selecting my name to win this title and for sending to me so promptly, my lovely hardcover edition.
Everything about this one, from the reputation of author Luke Delaney, to the title and cover art of the book and the intriguing and slightly sinister synopsis, is screaming …. “Read Me”
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‘THE TOY TAKER’
Your child has been taken …
Snatched in the dead of night from the safety of the family home. There’s no sign of forced entry, no one heard or saw a thing.
DI Sean Corrigan investigates.
He needs to find four-year-old George Bridgeman before abduction becomes murder. But his ability to see into dark minds, to think like those he hunts, has deserted him – just when he needs it most.
Another child vanishes
What kind of monster is Corrigan hunting? And will he work it out in time to save the children?
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LUKE DELANEY
Luke Delaney joined the Metropolitan Police Service in the late 1980s and his first posting was to an inner city area of South East London notorious for high levels of crime and extreme violence. What would you like readers to take away from the experience of reading your novel?
A realization that there’s nothing fun or entertaining about violent death; and what a tough and undervalued job the police do – not to mention underpaid. The book’s entertainment lies in the story. The deaths are there as a wake-up call and a challenge to people who may have become anaesthetized to reality.
…Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house during the last week. Be warned that Mailbox Monday can lead to envy toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
Mailbox Monday now has a permanent home, where links may be added each week. So why not stop by, leave a link to your own Mailbox Monday post, oh! and don’t forget to leave a comment for our three new joint administrators, after all, we all like to receive them … ‘Mailbox Monday’
Leslie of ‘Under My Apple Tree’
Serena of ‘Savvy Verse & Wit’
Vicki of ‘I’d Rather Be At The Beach’
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
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I am looking forward to sharing some of your great ‘new finds’ this week
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The cover on the Toy Taker is nice and creepy, but I do steer away from kidnapping stories as the thought of that scares me too much. It does sound like a thrilling one, I hope you enjoy it.
As the author says some people have become “anaesthetized to reality”, it’s true. I think some just don’t bother enough to care, or others use it as a coping mechanism.
Happy reading!
Hi Naida,
It wouldn’t do if we all enjoyed the same genres of stories, would it? Although I am pleased that you are in agreement about the creepy, scary cover art!
The fact that there is no sign of an intruder when the child is taken, has me wondering if this is a straightforward case of abduction, or if we are witnessing a story with a slightly more Stephen King or Dean Koontz feel to it?
None of the excellent ratings or reviews really gives too much away, but this is definitely a book I shall be wanting to read very soon.
I think that as a worldwide society, we are all so in touch with the surge of social media platforms and are constantly being drip fed events as they happen by an often over zealous press machine, that yes, I think that we are becoming anaesthatized to the harsh and cruel realities of life, to the extent where we treat even the most heinous crimes and acts of cruelty, with little or no real regard, simply waiting for the next event to overtake the last!
A sad, sad sign of the times!!
On a brighter note, I hope that you have enjoyed your weekend and have managed to find some time for reading.
I look forward to your review Yvonne. You do know I enjoy both King and Koontz, so if this is anything like their work, I will be adding it to my wishlist.
Yes, every time something horrible happens, it’s all over the tv, internet, twitter, facebook, etc…and then it’s onto the next thing soon after.
Enjoy your Sunday and have a good week.
Thanks Naida, you too!
Sunday was a real last blast summer’s day, so we made the most of it and got plenty of coastal walking in.
This week is set to still be very mild, but sunshine is in very short supply, I guess that autumn is on the way!
I’ve discovered my fair share of awesome books through goodreads giveaway wins. I hope this is one where you stumbled onto something you may not have otherwise. Happy reading!
Hi Shoshanah,
I never win anything in competitions as a rule, so to have notched up three wins in as many months is great!
I have been very strict with myself about my choices of ‘Enter To Win’ applications, only selecting the ones I know sound interesting, or whose authors have been recemmended to me by fellow bloggers.
Luke Delaney, is a name which has cropped up on more than one ocassion, his previous books in the DI Sean Corrigan series, have been read and recommended by more than one of my circle of blogging friends, and I am almost certain that my Dad has at least one of the earlier stories on his shelves which he also enjoyed.
I am certain that this is going to be a good book for me!
Thanks for taking the time to stop by, I always appreciate your visits.
This one sounds like it might be rather disturbing and it’s definitely got a creepy cover! What intrigues me is that the author is a former policeman, so you know it’s bound to be factual (which makes it potentially more disturbing!).
I just downloaded what I think will be a creepy short story from my Danish blogging buddy: She Never Came Home by Dorte Hummelshøj Jakobsen.
On the other end of the spectrum, I love the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith and just added the latest softcover to my collection: The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon.
Hi Kelly,
They say that an author should ideally write about an area which they know best, or in which they have some expertise and experience, so Luke sounds as though he perfectly placed to make his DI Sean Corrigan series completey authentic.
I too, don’t mind the ‘cosier’ mysteries, when I am in the right mood, although I must admit that I have never read any Alexander McCall Smith books. If you are collecting the softbacks, it sounds as though you are quite a fan, so perhaps I should make the effort to check one out in the not too distant future … Tell me, do they work as stand alone stories, or should I start reading from the beginning of the series?
Talking about creepy doll covers … I checked out Dorte Hummelshøj Jakobsen’s website and ‘She Never Came Home’ has one of those creepy doll covers! We get loads of those collectible porcelain dolls donated into the charity shop and they really freak me out when I am confronted by the real thing! The story sounds good though, I hope you enjoy it.
I do think they’re best read in order, Yvonne. There is development in the relationships between the characters throughout the series. Many find the books “much ado about nothing”, but I find their simplicity delightful.
I was surprised to see two covers in two days with such creepy dolls!
Thanks for that Kelly, I shall be sure to seek out ‘The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency’ first and read them in order.
We actually had two of the horrible standing china dolls, which feature on your friend’s book cover, donated in today. I seem to be seeing them wherever I look, in the last 24 hours!
I can’t read books about child abductions. My kids are still young and it’s a constant worry for me so I stay away from those themes. I read to escape and to learn new things. 🙂
Hi Laura,
Your post against this particular genre of book sounded so heartfelt, that I do hope you haven’t had personal experience of this type of crime …. if so I am so sorry!
I have quite eclectic reading tastes, so whilst I will also read to escape on occasion and I certainly enjoy learning new things from my reading, I have to admit that I have a particular penchant for murder / mysteries and thriller / supense stories.
Also, I suppose that never having had children of my own, I am a little more immune to circumstances which must be every parents worst nightmare, kidnap amongst them.
Thanks especially therefore, for taking the time to comment this week, I really appreciate it.
Sounds like a fabulous book. Creepy cover.
Hope you’ll visit me today at http://www.thebusymomsdaily.com/2014/09/mailbox-monday.html
Hi Cheryl,
You can’t beat a good, suspenseful mystery / thriller, can you?
Thanks for checking out today’s post and have a good week.
The doll on the cover alone scares me 🙂
Hi Jo,
I hate those china dolls more than you could ever guess. The eyes just seem to bore right into my head. I could never have one around the house and try to avoid having to handle them, if they are donated into the charity shop where I volunteer!
It does make for a very spooky and atmospheric cover though, really setting the scene.
Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your comments.
The Toy Taker sounds interesting! I’m looking for some good scary books for October. Here’s My MM.
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for stopping by Fiction Books today. I love ‘meeting’ new people, so your visits will always be welcome and your comments always appreciated.
I haven’t read anything by this author, although my Dad has and has enjoyed the style of writing and storylines. Given the genres of books I know he enjoys the most, I am certain that ‘The Toy Taker’ is going to hold plenty to scare and disturb me.
The Toy Taker sounds like every parent’s worst nightmare! I bet it’s a page turner, though.
Hi Kathy,
As the author spent so much of his time working for the police as a detective, in a not very salubrious area of London, I wonder if he has any first hand experience of a child kidnap case. Any crime concerning children must be one of the most stressful for the police to have to investigate, especially when needing to deal with the family members … Definitely not something I could do!
Thanks for taking the time to stop by, I always value your comments.
Creepy cover. Whilst The Toy Maker sounds like my kind of read I’d have to re-cover the cover in the way we used to cover our school exercise books.
Hi Tracy,
Wallpaper, brown paper, or sticky backed plastic?
Mine was always left over scraps of wallpaper.
Guess you can’t do this with a tablet …. LOL!
I know that I keep harping on about not liking the china doll on the cover of ‘The Toy Taker’, however I wouldn’t cover it up, that would spoil the atmosphere of the read somehow.
Plus, the cover print is slightly raised and it really is a quality finished piece.
Thanks for the visit and I hope that all is well with you.
A parent’s’ worst nightmare.
Not sure I would want to read this even though my son is grown, but I would like to know how someone did this without forced entry.
Thanks for sharing.
ENJOY your reading week.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Mailbox Monday
Hi Elizabeth,
I guess that not having any children has made me a little blase in my eagerness to read this book. I never even thought that so many of you would be put off ‘The Toy Taker’, because it has a theme of child abduction.
I wonder if this is something the author ever considered before putting pen to paper and if it has affected ratings and reviews!
Thanks for taking part in the discussion, I always value a good debate.
I think this is a little too creepy for me! Enjoy!
2 Kids and Tired Books MM
Hi Holly,
It certainly wouldn’t be any fun if we all read and enjoyed the same books all the time. The diversity of book choices is part of what makes blogging such fun, along with the opportunity to meet and talk with so many new friends.
Thanks for taking the time to check out the post and leave a comment, I really appreciate that.
I’ve read a few books about a child being kidnapped, (the last was True Blend by Joanne DeMaio) and they are always a very emotional read for me because the thought is really scary. I hope you enjoy this one!
Hi Vicki,
Although child abduction is always a very scary thought in real life, I can’t say that I get emotional reading a fictional story about such a case … Oops! that makes me sound very hard, doesn’t it … but I’m sure you know what I mean?
Whilst I have come across the name of Joanne DeMaio several times, I have never read any of her books, so I thought that maybe I should put that right, and have added ‘True Blend’ to my ‘Want To Read’ list, especially after reading your excellent review.
Thanks for stopping by and for the recommendation.
I am always up for a good mystery and this one really got my attention. My mom scared me so much about kidnappers as a kid, that I have ended up with a weird fascination about kidnapping stories. I’ll keep my eyes opened for your review!
Hi Kay,
I haven’t so much got a fascination for kidnappping stories, as an addiction to a good ‘gutsy’ mystery / thriller story and this one looks as though it might tick all the boxes!
Back when I was a child, kidnapping was never really mentioned and we kids could go off all day and play, without our parents worrying about where we were, or if anything had happened to us. How times have changed, that our children nowadays need to be within sight and supervised at all times.
Thanks for adding to this week’s discussion, it is always good to get a mix of views about a book or story.
happy reading this week.
You too Serena.
Summer is still hanging in there, although the nights are closing in now, a sure sign that Autumn is just around the corner!
We are experiencing very humid weather here in the Northeast part of Pa., thunderstorms predicted tonight.
A very scary cover,but looks like a good thriller, enjoy!
Hi Mary Ann,
It hasn’t been too humid here as there has been quite a good breeze, however I think that the last gasp of Summer is going to break over the weekend and Autumn looks set to start pushing in.
I do love a good thriller, definitely one to read with the light on, if the cover art is any indication of the intensity of the storyline.
Happy Reading and enjoy the rest of your week.