Thursday, September 19, 2013

Bitter Nothings / Vicki Tyley


Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Mystery

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: NO
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

A native of New Zealand, Vicki Tyley currently lives with her husband in rural Australia and is the author of several bestselling mysteries for your Kindle, including Thin Blood, picked by Amazon as a “Customer Favorite” in 2010.

For more, visit Tyley’s website.

Description:

“Half her family have been murdered in their beds. Her father is the prime suspect. And things are about to get a whole lot worse...

Graphic designer Dervla Johns wakes one morning to the news that her father, Warren, is missing and her stepmother and step-siblings were found dead in their beds. While the police hunt for Warren, Dervla searches for answers. Could her father really be a killer? Refusing to be warned off by police threats, or intimidated by the reporter who appears to be following her, she delves into her family's past.

But as she uncovers one shocking secret after another, Dervla's world is rocked further by another murder - and she finds herself desperately trying to untangle a web of illicit love and betrayal. Soon, Dervla must face her greatest fear... or suffer the same deadly fate as her stepmother.”

Appraisal:

I’ve read all of Vicki Tyley’s books and they all have some qualities that keep me coming back starting with well constructed plots with multiple “suspects” to choose from. I’ve yet to figure out whodunit until just before the climax, often getting completely blindsided. (I then think back to the clues and realize they were all there, if I’d only seen them.) The tension tends to be high, like a thriller, with the protagonist often in danger (or at least feeling they are). The protagonist is always someone I like and find myself pulling for them to solve the mystery. The Australian settings and characters add a little spice, setting them apart and giving me a change of pace from the norm.

Bitter Nothings has all of these qualities which leaves me feeling that I don’t have anything new to say (other than “buy this book, you’ll like it”). So, buy this book, you’ll like it.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

FYI:

Although the author is Australian, it appears that she used US spelling conventions in this book.


Rating: ***** Five stars

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Always informative, Al. Thanks.

psst. Vicki has a 99¢ promo on Fatal Liason today, so your readers can afford both :)

BooksAndPals said...

Thanks, Helen. Someone told me this book was 99 cents today (not sure if that is the regular price or not) so both would still be cheap. Definitely a great deal.

Vicki said...

What a wonderful surprise to come home to after a week incommunicado in the woop-woops. Thanks, Al. I'm thrilled that Bitter Nothings lived up to expectation. :)

Vicki said...

Many thanks for the plug, Helen! :D

Partners2crime said...

Congrats to Vicki. I have read all 6 of her books and not guessed the correct perp. yet. I love that her descriptions are short and spot on and she captures my senses of sight, smell, taste, hearing and feeling. as they make me feel like I am a character in the story. Also love that she use's her Australian spellings.
Ms. Tyley is a great talented author and I am waiting for another new book from her which I hope will be soon.
Also thanks' to Big Al for this site :>)