Member Reviews
A good read, which kept my attention throughout. I would recommend this as a good holiday reading book. Very enjoyable.
Die alone by Simon Kernick.
Alastair Sheridan has it all. Wealth, good looks, a beautiful wife and children and, in the chaotic world of British politics, a real chance of becoming Prime Minister.But Alastair also has a secret. He's a serial killer with a taste for young women.
A great read with good characters. Had me gripped. 4*.
Fabulous plot which I could not put down. Brilliant characters, and twists and turns. Highly recommend to other fans of this genre!!
Fantastic, action packed and full of tension. I always expect the author's books to be explosive and it doesn't disappoint. Gripping to the end.
Die Alone
By Simon Kernick
4 stars
A gripping tale, full of punch.
Kernick has written an adventure plot full of twists and turns. Action fills the pages in this political murder mystery.
Alastair Sheridan has it all, including the chance of becoming the next British Prime Minister. But has a secret. He’s a serial killer with a taste for young women.
Disgraced detective Ray Mason is on the chase, while being chased himself by the police. As the walls close in on Mason, he has few opportunities to plot his way out and save the day.
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This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review.
#DieAlone #NetGalley
Another absolute belter of a book from Simon Kernick.
Die Alone is the conclusion of the Bone Field trilogy. It begins with Ray Mason in prison for murder. Meanwhile Alistair Sheridan, the serial killer partly responsible for the Bone Field killings is on course to be Prime Minister. When Ray is broken out of prison and offered the chance to kill Sheridan and then ho to a new life he feels he has no choice. But things are not as they seem and soon he is in even hotter water than before. He only has one person he can turn to, Tina Boyd....
Awhile back I picked up twoo books in a holiday park shop. One was a Peter Robinson Banks book the other was Severed by Simon Kernick. The Banks book led me to a love affair with detective stories. But I never fell in love with action thrillers in the same way. Unless they were Kernick novels. I'm not sure what that says about other authors of the same genre but it definitely, for me at least, shows the quality of Kernicks storytelling. I can't think of one of his books that hasn't sucked me in and kept me on edge throughout. I've said this before but the best way to describe his books is cinematic literature. These are begging out to be filmed. Great stuff.
Once again a brilliant fast paced thriller by this author. This author never disappoints. The plot was gripping , intriguing and just downright thrilling.
This is the third in Kernick’s Bone Field trilogy, coming after the titular The Bone Field and its sequel The Hanged Man. While this book could be read on its own, I would highly recommend reading the previous two titles to get the most enjoyment from it.
The series focuses on a group of powerful and corrupt men who have children and adults - mostly vulnerable and easily missed, but not always - kidnapped to order so that they may be tortured and murdered for their sadistic pleasure. The three novels trace the unravelling of this network and the efforts of two disgraced former police officers - Ray Mason and Tina Boyd (Ray is a serving officer in the first novel, and disgraced by the third) - to solve the crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Alastair Sheridan, one of those guilty of the offences is a wealthy city fund manager, and by this novel, he’s entered politics and is on the cusp of becoming Prime Minister. Cem Kalaman, the other remaining conspirator, is the head of a powerful organised crime syndicate. Sheridan, in particular, is determined to stop the investigations into him once and for all, his fellow perpetrators having been killed, the bodies of victims having been discovered, and it all reaches a crescendo in this final instalment.
Simon Kernick is a versatile crime writer and with this series, I feel that he’s moved into quite gothic territory. There’s a real dark feel to these novels and it’s not just the horrendous crimes that the criminals have committed (which are never described in gratuitous detail) but rather the intersection between powerful men and the almost satanic cult that they’re a part of, and the near invulnerability that their wealth and power bring to them. It makes for a gripping trilogy and Die Alone is a suitable finish to it.
Thankyou to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone Century and the author, Simon Kernick, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Die Alone in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
An incredible rollercoaster plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Definitely a book that needs to be read in one sitting.
The premise of the storyline sounded very promising and the author certainly delivers.
Well worth a read.
A good thriller.
Alastair Sheridan has it all. Wealth, good looks, a beautiful wife and children and, in the chaotic world of British politics, a real chance of becoming Prime Minister.But Alastair also has a secret. He’s a serial killer with a taste for young women.Only a handful of people know what kind of monster he is, and disgraced detective Ray Mason is one of them.
The author is master of creating tension and this book kept me awake overnight.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK Cornerstone for giving me an arc.
Once again Simon Kernick does not disappoint.
This is the third book in the series but easily read as a stand-alone.
Short chapters that make the book fast paced and difficult to put down.
Very enjoyable, highly recommended
The third book in the DI Mason (Bone Field) series does not disappoint- a hugely pacy and addictive thriller with a cleverly engaging concept.
I actually didn't find it hard to believe that a man poised to be the next Prime Minister might also be serial killer- I mean just look at the world we are living in currently- when Mason is "extracted" from jail to ensure this doesn't happen, so begins a page turner of a cat and mouse thriller which I devoured in short order.
Simon Kernick' s writing is as ever involving and immersive, one of those books you feel like you barely drew breath during reading- I found it to be highly entertaining with an immediately riveting plot and an excellent conclusion.
Recommended.
Simon Kernick never fails to deliver and although this was in his usual page turner style I was a little disappointed, particularly with the ending, not at all what I was expecting. It wasn't up there with my favourites from this brilliant novelist, partly due to it's short length and lack of depth in places but it was still a good, fast paced read..
As always Simon Kernick delivers the goods! Been a long time follower of Kernick and read all of his books. This one once again doesn’t disappointment. This trilogy has been fantastic and a gripping read throughout. Sad that this story has finished but a great ending and all wrapped up nicely. Well done! Can’t wait for the next book!
With thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.
The third instalment of The Bone Field trilogy finds Ex DI Ray Mason in prison.
He is broken out after a staged riot and given a proposition. Kill Alistair Sheridan or go back to prison.
The right honourable Alastair Sheridan MP is heavily tipped to be the next Prime Minister. He is wealthy, charismatic and very popular, both in his party and around the country. He also hides quite a big secret, he is a mass murderer who loves nothing better than killing people.
Mason soon twigs to the fact that his offer is not all it seems so he goes on the run.
With the help of his friend and cop, the brilliant Tina Boyd, he is soon of the trail of Sheridan.
As the net tightens around Sheridan, he takes bigger risks that leads to the eventual showdown with Mason.
There is tension, excitement, suspense and an excellent conclusion.
A proper page turner that I rattled through in just a few days.
This is the first of this trilogy that I've read but that in no way spoiled my enjoyment, I read it and really enjoyed it as a standalone.
Recommended.
This is an extremely readable book. The plot and the pace of the story retains interest throughout. Highly recommended.
Fast-paced and full of brutal action. Serial killer and politician Alastair Sheridan is about to be named as the next Prime Minister. Jailed ex-soldier and cop, DI Ray Mason is broken out of prison by armed men claiming to be from MI6. In return they want him to kill Sheridan, now considered a security risk. A gripping and compulsive runaway read full of twists.
EXCERPT: Jane Kelman hadn't always been a killer. Years ago, she'd been a married mother of two who'd never even been in a fight, let alone murdered anyone. But life has a way of changing things, and the truth was, Jane had enjoyed killing the first time she'd done it. The act itself had been exciting. It had given her a sense of power she'd never experienced before and it didn't take her long to understand why serial killers found murder addictive. The victims too had deserved it. One had been the loan shark she'd been forced to sleep with to help pay off her husband's debts, a low level gangster and a slimy piece of dirt called Frank Mellon. Another had been his bodyguard. And the third had been her husband himself, set up to make it look like that he'd killed Mellon and the bodyguard in a fit of jealous rage.
Three dead men in one night.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Alastair Sheridan has it all. Wealth, good looks, a beautiful wife and children and, in the chaotic world of British politics, a real chance of becoming Prime Minister.
But Alastair also has a secret. He’s a serial killer with a taste for young women.
Only a handful of people know what kind of monster he is, and disgraced detective Ray Mason is one of them.
Awaiting trial for murder, Ray is unexpectedly broken free by armed men and given an offer: assassinate Alastair Sheridan and begin a new life abroad with a new identity. The men claim to be from MI6. They say that Sheridan is a threat to national security and needs to be neutralised. Ray knows they are not who they say they are, and that their real motives are far darker.
The only person Ray trusts is ex-cop and former lover Tina Boyd, who’s keen to settle her own scores with Sheridan.
With enemies on every side, only one thing is certain.
No one wants them to get out alive
MY THOUGHTS: This is a thrilling thriller! It is fast paced and full of action from beginning to end. Set in the shady world of politics and the old boy's network, corruption reigns supreme.
There is human trafficking, contract killing, blackmail and every other crime against humanity that you could imagine.
And yet amongst this darkness, there are pinpoints of light and humanity. There are people who are prepared to sacrifice themselves to do the right thing, to fight against those corrupted by their own power.
Ray Mason is one such person. Tina Boyd another.
This is an exciting book, one that I would like to see made into a movie. Although this is the third book in a series, it is easily read as a stand alone. The author provides enough back information in the course of the story to make this possible. I look forward to more to come. And coming from someone who is more of a murder mystery/crime/domestic & family drama reader, this is high praise indeed.
😍😳😯😍
#DieAlone #NetGalley
My favourite quote: ....however dark things became, it was still a beautiful world out there. You just had to make the decision to leave the crap behind.
THE AUTHOR: Simon Kernick (born 1966 in Slough, Berkshire) is a British thriller/crime writer now living in Oxfordshire with his wife and two daughters. He attended Gillotts School, a comprehensive in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Whilst he was a student his jobs included fruitpicker and Christmas-tree uprooter. He graduated from Brighton Polytechnic in 1991 with a degree in humanities. Kernick had a passion for crime fiction writing from a young age and produced many short stories during his time at polytechnic. After graduating Kernick joined MMT Computing in London in early 1992, where a relative was the Chairman and Managing Director. Kernick was a key member of the sales team and was very highly regarded. However, he left the company after 4 years in the hope of trying to secure a publishing deal. Despite interest from a number of publishers Kernick was unable to secure a deal, so he joined the sales force of the specialist IT and Business Consultancy Metaskil plc in Aldermaston, Berkshire in 1998 where he remained until he secured his first book deal (The Business of Dying) in September 2001. His novel Relentless was recommended on Richard & Judy's Summer book club 2007. It was the 8th best-selling paperback, and the best-selling thriller in the UK in the same year
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK Cornerstone via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Die Alone by Simon Kernick for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage
I've been watching out for this title after burning through the earlier two books in the series over a weekend on holiday.
Book three does not disappoint and the action moves at a cracking pace. A suitable frenetic end to this series but hopefully we'll see the main characters again??
A fast paced thriller with lots of dead bodies strewn about. This is the third in a trilogy but reads perfectly well as a stand alone. Well written with a fast moving plot but not for the faint-hearted.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Simon Kernick/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.