Hidden by Katy Gardner

A Hide and seek game between a mother and daughter went very wrong when the daughter could not be found.
Poppy, a seven-year old girl had been living with her mother (Mel) since she was born; just the two of them.
When Mel met with her prospective customer whom she was doing her valuation work for his place, it soon turned out that he was also his prospective love of her life.
The whirlwind romance soon became steady and Mel married Simon Stenning and moved in with him; into a warehouse which was under renovation works in Kent.
Mel then gave birth to little Joey; fondly known as Jo and together the family of four was happy.
When Poppy started getting sulky about changing to a new environment and having to make new friends, Mel constantly got cross with her.
Things got worse when Poppy started claiming that she had seen a ghost in the house; across her room, and the ghost is sometimes in the form of a fat shape.
She was terrified and Mel brushed her off as her desperate way of gaining attention.

However, during the period when Poppy went missing, Mel was forced to recall all the incidents which had happened with the comfort of Sandra; an officer who was trying to help her and her best friend, Trish whom she met at the park when she just moved to the new place.

Mel could not help getting suspicious of Simon who was also missing at the same time when Poppy went into hiding and it was his car that she heard at that time, driving away.
When police reports that the car was spotted on the highway with a little girl fitting the description of Poppy's, Mel was forced to face the truth and to recollect all her memories of the sinister past of Simon with his mother whom he never liked/trusted, and his on-off relationship with his ex-girlfriend Rosa Montague who was reported missing, and his one night stand with prostitute Jenning who ended up killed, and of course, her stunned reaction when the cops just appeared at her doorstep yesterday to take a sample of DNA from Simon and to hold him arrested for a murder case.

With all evidence pointing to Simon and the increasing hours of Poppy missing, Mel has to be fast to recall every little detail of her relationship with Simon and to provide the clue to finding Poppy.
It was a race against time; as both Mel and Detective Dave Gosforth hits the trail of the murderer and the consequence of Poppy's disappearance and making sense of it all.

The story started off at a good pace but then lagged in the middle as Mel seemed to be stuck recalling all the details of her life with Simon.
There were too much details and it became draggy and boring as the writer spent a huge amount of words to describe the chronology of the events.
However, the pace picked up again towards the end as the story breathlessly reveals the true identity of the killer, in a most fashionable and surprising manner.

As the tagline on the book says, "The Killer is in the last place that you look"

I shall not reveal the spoiler...but this was well-thought and brilliantly written to take your breath away!

Deadly Lust by McCay and Marie Vernon

Based on a true story of the series of killings by a sex fiend in the states of Florida (St Augustine) and North Carolina where he was finally caught.

The authors have compiled their research and wrote this book based on the recorded details from the PD and also the interviews with the officers who were in charge of the case at that time, and also with the relatives and friends of the murderer and also of the victims.

The murderer himself was actually a normal man; who, however, had a bitter and rather pitiful past of abuse and negligence.
He lost both of his parents in a freak car accident and then was adopted by a couple who was only too glad to take him following their own grief over the loss of their own son.
His foster mother had a strict manner of bringing up the children and often commands control over them. He was rather afraid of her; and had been suppressing himself in fear and frustration over the years.
When he finally met the first woman whom he fell in love with and wanted to marry, he became possessive and turned to abusing her. At the same time, he was involved with another woman whom he met at the bar and this led to the divorce of his first marriage where his first wife was still rather furious with his infidelity.
His second marriage was also not too smooth and there were no accounts as to how violent he was, since his second wife is no longer available to share her opinions.
However, based on the interviews with her relatives and families, they revealed that he was not exactly an angel with his second wife as well.

Having come from such a bitter past, and then he was also found to be diagnosed with cancer, he turned to killing.

Whether it was his past or his way of venting his frustration on those women whom he believed deserve to die for their sins, it was no way to justify his actions and the amount of grief and pain he had inflicted upon the victims and their families.
He targeted mostly women who lived off the streets, had a connection with crack cocaine and using their own mean by prostitution to earn their way to obtaining the crack.

Initially he targeted the white women only; and then he started with the blacks after one who tried to rob him of his money and he killed her.

Although he admitted to seven of the sex slayings, there were suspicions that the number was between 12-20.
It was a rather shocking story revealed and the cruel and heartless way in which he committed the crimes proved that William Lindsey (the crime offender) has no way to justify his own sad background to cause so much harm to the innocent victims and at the same time, the torture that he put their families through who had already suffered to see their lovely daughters' addiction to the hazardous cocaine and selling themselves on the streets.
What could be more horrific than hearing the next news; on their daughters' death and in the most gruesome way anyone can think of; mutilation and sexual abuse prior to their death by murder and then abandoned in a hidden place for weeks before being discovered?

A well-researched book and truly an insightful story on how the man was brought to justice finally.
There are also actual photographs included in the book; of the victims, the murder locations/where the victims are found and also of the PD team who solved the case and brought justice upon the victims' families and the culprit.

I have enjoyed the book and at the same time, I can't say it didn't give me the chills as I read about how these young women lost their lives.
It was definitely insightful and serves as a reminder that nowhere is safe in this world and that extra precaution is no longer a form of paranoia.

Apocalipstick by Sue Margolis

This is an extremely fast-paced, wittingly funny and enjoyable book.
The story is about Rebecca Fine; a young and unnoticed beauty columnist for the Daily Vanguard fashion and beauty magazine.
She secretly yearns to be a investigative reporter and finally had her chance when an ex-employee of Mer de Revres (a famous cosmetic producer), Wendy sought her help to expose a secret ingredient in their latest product in the market; a pot of antiwrinkle cream which may pose a threat to the health of the women out there.

Initially skeptical, Rebecca soon saw this as an opportunity when she is again and again disappointed in her sort-of boyfriend Max Stoddart whom she accused him of two-timing her with another gorgeous reporter, Lorna Findlay.
Rebecca soon found herself flying to Paris with her soon-to-be stepmother; who ironically was her high-school classmate who bullied her during those days.
Since her father had taken so long to find the one he loved since her mother's death, she left it at that and unregrettably after she spent time with Bernadette; nicknamed Lipstick.

Their mission to uncover the biggest scandal in the beauty world turned out to involve also political struggle and Rebecca soon finds herself trying desperately to talk to the Prime Minister of England; Tony Blair to warn him of these potential threats which could cause war between England and Nigeria.

I will not spoil the rest of the story for others but suffice to say, it was hilarious as you read the crazy thoughts and antics of Rebecca as she struggles to gain position in the magazine, and trying to prove her capability; then accepting her father's will to marry a girl her age (her classmate even who was not even her best friend in high school), her crazy best friend who had problems with her own husband's sexual incompetence, her on-and-off struggle in a relationship with a suave and handsome Max, and at the same time stay SANE.

I liked the story and of course, the cover of the book which is so PINK!

Definitely recommended chic book; to read and to laugh and cry with the girls!

Simple-O-Logy by Mark Joyner

This is an interesting book; it's not motivational type; rather I found it thought-provoking and something that gets the mind reeling!
The title is definitely trying to tell you something already; that everything is simple; which is quite true. More often than not, we always find ourselves thinking of a complicated and Einstein's way of solving a problem or even fundamentally, looking at a particular situation.

I enjoyed the illustrated examples through the comic strips and each chapter's not too long for you to get bored.


It's not a thick book; and I enjoyed the different perspectives conveyed by the author; it is an intelligent read, I must say!
At the end of it all, all the simple steps to having it, is summarized in all the short sentences in order.
Funny how they still navigate my mind through the chapters when it is all summed up in short, precise sentences which is the whole idea of the book =)

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult writes in a captivating manner; that's all I can say about Plain Truth.

The story of the known Amish Community in the state of Pennslyvania, United States of America, it follows the lifetsyle and strict religious beliefs practised by this enclosed community lining the outskirts of the country.
The peaceful community lives in a world of their own and make rare contacts with the outside world; unbothered by the news and happenings in the world, until one day, a newborn baby boy was found dead in the barn of an Amish family and this hailed all the outsiders including the cops and the lawyers to the closed community.

The evidence led to a shocking discovery that an unmarried 18-year old Amish girl, Katie Fisher may be the mother of the baby boy and also, the murderer of her own son.
Despite the protests of the community and the denial of the suspect herself, the law enforcers had to step in to bring justice to life.

The story then leads to the appearance of Ellie Hathaway; a lawyer who appears to have her own personal and work issues, who is brought into defending Katie against the conviction.
Thinking that it was just the same as all her other cases, Ellie suddenly finds herself being thrown into the Amish community herself as part of the deal to keep Katie in her custody during the trial.

It was rather annoying when Katie kept denying that she had given birth despite all the evidence and even medical reports that her health condition and the bleeding points to her being a recent mother.
Ellie started off annoyed with Katie's constant denial but the longer time she spends with Katie, she found herself more drawn towards her.
She discovered more and more information about Katie which continues to point towards the strong motive Katie has to kill her own baby.
During the process, Ellie has to struggle with her own past and her own relationship issues and trying her best not to be influenced by the emotional tag she has with Katie.

It was a good pace, and the way the story is unraveled is really great.
I found myself hooked onto the story, and understanding (losing that annoyance) with Katie Fisher.

Touching and definitely a recommended read.
Teaches a few things about life's lessons and it's all about perspectives!


This must be one of the best books I've ever read!

The Daughters of Cain by Colin Dexter

A New Inspector Morse novel; which I found very disappointing.
I was looking forward for a twist in a crime story; suspense, excitement, mystery and all that we can look for in a detective novel and this was nothing that could even get me there.

The writer writes in a rather monotonous way and I find the depiction of Inspector Morse who is ironically supposed to be the protagonist in the story, really ridiculous.
There is an air of confusion and somehow this Inspector Morse did not earn the respect and admiration of readers but rather just left me wondering, how absurd can a detective get?
The dialogues are uninteresting and uninspiring and not a book that will keep the pages turning.
The plot itself is simple and not much twists of agony to depict an intelligent crime in the making. The motives and even the way the murder was committed was just plain and it didn't take much of a guess.

If you want a good mystery/crime/detective novel, I definitely do not recommend this book.

I don't usually not recommend any book; since I just love reading. But this was not my cup of tea, definitely