Killing for Company

Killing For Company by Brian Masters

Paperback, 368 pages

Published 17th September 2020 by Arrow

(First Published 1985) 

Shelves: arc-or-review, adult-fiction, arc-or-review, books-i-own, contemporary, currently-reading, death, historical, mythology, read-in-2020, realistic-fiction
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

Dennis Nilsen, who died in May 2018, murdered at least 15 people before his arrest in 1983. This groundbreaking criminal study of his killings was written with Nilsen's full cooperation, resulting in a fascinating - and horrifying - portrait of the man who worshipped death.

On February 9th 1983 Dennis Nilsen was arrested at his Muswell Hill home, after human remains had been identified as the cause of blocked drains.

'Are we talking about one body or two,' a detective asked. Nilsen replied 'Fifteen or sixteen, since 1978. I'll tell you everything.'

Within days he had confessed to fifteen gruesome murders over a period of four years. His victims, all young homosexual men, had never been missed. Brian Masters, with Nilsen's full cooperation, has produced a unique study of a murderer's mind, essential reading for true crime aficionados.

After watching ITV's latest hit drama starring David Tennant, Des, I just knew that I had to get my hands on a copy of the book it was based on - Killing for Company. This impressive and important book is a thorough and superbly written case study of the late Dennis Nilsen, one of the most infamous serial killers and necrophiles of the UK. 

When I started reading Killing for Company, it didn't take me long to recognise that I was reading a very important and significant book. This is an evaluation of Nilsen by the author, Masters, a man with no formal experience of psychology but a clear talent for writing and analysis. This is the full story of Nilsen from childhood to conviction, featuring a compilation of thoughts from both Masters and the killer himself. For anyone who is interested in Dennis Nilsen and his history, this is the go-to book and it's understandable why - it feels as though Masters leaves no stone unturned - however disturbing it may be. 

Masters doesn't hold back with any details in this book and so Killing for Company contains several in-depth accounts of murder and necrophilia from Nilsen himself. Whilst being obviously horrific, it's also extremely rare, morbidly intriguing and important to hear from the killer as to what he was thinking and feeling during the most disturbing times of his life. However, the biggest significance of the book was Nilsen's post-murder writings, his inner contemplations which gave a glimpse into his mind and his thoughts. It was not the murders themselves that I found most interesting - it was Nilsen's mind, one which was clearly searching for the answer as to why he did what he chose to do and who he really was. Perhaps most disturbingly, there are clear moments in the book where Nilsen seems like a common man - someone you may know, someone you live beside or work with, he was someone who enjoyed music, someone who had a sense of humour, someone who cared for his pets. The juxtaposition between his repulsive acts and his fragments of 'normality' is effective and jarring. This book shows how loneliness, isolation

I felt that Masters did a sterling job of commenting on Nilsen's actions, never dramatising or glorifying him and trying to really understand his actions and behaviours. Impressively, I think Masters remained fair throughout the whole of the book and whilst he did mention his personal relationship with Nilsen and subtly voice some personal opinions, it always felt that he was looking at the whole situation in an unbiased manner, which I can only give him credit for. Whilst it's always dangerous for someone with no experience of psychiatry to perform psychoanalysis, Masters has truly impressed with his analysis and this has only been reaffirmed with the republishing, support, TV adaptation and the true success of this book - a truly thought provoking read with a heck of a lot to think about. I also found the inclusion of photographs and images, in particular, Nilsen's collection of 'Sad Sketches' to be very interesting and shocking.

When reading True Crime books, it goes unsaid that you're likely not in for an 'easy-read' and you certainly won't find that with this book, however you will more than likely find it to be an unexpected page turner which you will devour. Whilst I did notice some outdated terms, there were few and this book really has stood the test of time, being just as significant now as it was back in the 80's. For anybody who is looking to expand their knowledge about true crime or has even a fleeting interest in psychology, Des or his crimes, this is a must-read. This is certainly the best and most engaging true crime book that I've read so far.

Angels at the Table

Angels at the Table by Debbie Macomber

Paperback, 288 pages

Published 8 November 2012 by Arrow Books

My shelves: adult-fiction, arc-or-review, better-than-expected, books-i-own, chick-lit, christmas-books, magical-realism, read-in-2012, realistic-fiction, series-or-companions, supernatural, to-read

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

Lucia Farrara and Aren Fairchild meet after bumping into each other - seemingly by accident - in Times Square on New Year's Eve. They immediately hit it off and find they have a lot in common: Lucie is a chef and Aren is a respected food critic. But just as quickly as they're brought together, another twist of fate tears them apart.

It's going to take a miracle to bring these two together again. But everyone knows that Chirstmas is a time for love and miracles...

This is the second Christmas themed book I've read by Debbie Macomber, again featuring the Shirley, Goodness  and Mercy, three Christmas angels who are also prayer ambassadors, aiming to help those on earth who take the moment to make a prayer, or need a miracle. This time, the angels have a young apprentice angel to guide...

Once again, this is a book that is typical of Macomber. It's typical comfort reading material - the type of book that you could snuggle up with and read contentedly all night. It is marketed as a Christmas themed book, but it is more than suitable to read at other times of the year - it doesn't really feel like a seasonal book. The book starts with Gabriel making his first blunder, making two strangers bump into each other on New Year's Eve. The angels watch as things unfold between the two strangers, adding even more trouble into the mix throughout. The angels added some humour and a fun to the book, but I still found the angels to be a bit childish and so a bit of a disappointment to read.

Lucie and Aren are the two people who meet on New Year's Eve and, initially, everything seems great - this chance meeting could be perfect. However, it turns out that Aren is an anonymous food critic and Lucie is a chef at one of the restaurants that he critiques. As their meeting wasn't to God's plan, of course their friendship couldn't run smoothly... thanks to the angels who once again do something mistakenly, things only get worse. We follow both Lucie and Aren through their ups and downs which are very well written. I like how Macomber really tries to get into the mind and emotions of her characters. Both characters are likeable and realistic in their thoughts and feelings. Honestly, the pace of the book was a little too quick for me - some things seemed a little glossed over and I think that the book could have benefited from some more length.

As this book is written by Macomber, it is predictable and you should expect a happy ending for everyone, however that isn't necessarily a bad thing. This is another book from Macomber that won't disappoint her fans. If you're looking for a relaxing, romance book then this would be a good quick read, whether it's Christmas or not! 

The Inn at Rose Harbour

The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber

Paperback, 416 pages

Published 16th August 2012 by Arrow Publishing

My shelves: arc-or-review, books-i-own, chick-lit, death, mum-has, mums-books, read-in-2012, realistic-fiction, series-or-companions

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

The Rose Harbour Inn welcomes you to Cedar Cove…
From the minute she sees the Rose Harbour Inn, Jo Marie Barlow knows that this is the place that will help her find the peace she craves. And if the inn can comfort her, surely it can offer the same refuge to her first two guests.

Joshua Weaver has come home to care for his ailing stepfather. The two have never seen eye to eye, but a long-lost acquaintance proves to him that forgiveness is not out of reach and love can bloom in the unlikeliest places. 

Abby Kinkaid left Cedar Cover twenty years ago after a devastating accident. But as she reconnects with family and old friends, she realizes that she needs to let the past go if she is to embrace her future.

Buy this book:

The Book Depository / Amazon (US/INT) / Amazon UK

My thanks go to Arrow for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Debbie Macomber is a very popular, well known author and she's even one of my mum's favourites. Due to her popularity, I knew that I had to give her writing a go. Upon a little bit of internet searching, I discovered that she was starting off a new series, so I thought that'd be the perfect place for me to start. I picked up The Inn at Rose Harbour and before long, I'd finished it.

From reading only this one book, I can understand why many people enjoy Debbie Macomber's writing. This was a very pleasant, easy to read book. Though the book was effortless to read, there were still a plentitude of characters and some rather serious issues addressed. It is clear that Cedar Cove is a place that is set firmly in the author's mind - it feels very real and as though everyone living there really does have a history. 

The Inn at Rose Harbour is a series set in Macomber's famous Cedar Cove and so it features a lot of characters from her previous Cedar Cove series. I thought that I may have a little problem as I haven't actually read any of her other books, but it wasn't any problem at all. I think that it would have been even better if I had read her other books - I think it'd be great to be able to revisit old, loved characters, but as a new reader of her stories, it was still a nice introduction. I think Macomber had a fantastic idea when she decided to write this new series. I love the idea of a book set in a B&B - it allows so much room for exploration of ideas, for exciting plots and for so many new characters, whilst still having some constants.

The main characters we were introduced to were all very strong and each were interesting in their own way. We were introduced to Jo Marie, the woman who impulsively bought the Inn after her husband died in Afghanistan, Josh Weaver who stays at the Inn whilst he visits his hostile stepfather who is dying and Abby who is still trying to gain forgiveness for the death of her best-friend in a car accident. As you can tell, these are all deep, emotive issues. Though we are following three different stories, it doesn't get confusing at all and all three storylines were well developed. At the start, I felt myself favouring Jo Marie's story but by the end, Josh's story was by far my favourite as I felt it was the most intense, effective part of the book. This is a romance book and the romance was decent, but it wasn't anything that I got excited over. The most interesting romance, for me, seems like it's still to come and will be further explored in the next books as we get to know more about Jo Marie.

I did have a couple of issues with this book and the main one was that it was so predictable. After reading around only 50 pages, it was quite obvious who was going to pair up with who and what was going to happen. There wasn't one point in this book where I was shocked or even slightly surprised. Of course, this isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes knowing where a book is going and waiting for a happy ending is nice. Personally, I prefer some twists and turns but as I've said, this was a lovely, easy read. I will look forward to reading more of Macomber's books in the future.

Fifty Shades Darker (Fifty Shades #2)

Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James

Paperback, 532 pages

Published 26th April 2012 by Arrow 

(First published 5th September 2011)

My shelves: abuse, books-i-own, currently-reading, erotica, read-in-2012, realistic-fiction, series-or-companions, too-much-hype

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house.
But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.
While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.

Buy this book:

The Book Depository / Amazon (US/INT) / Amazon UK

Okay... I wasn't going to read this. After reading the first few chapters of the first book, Fifty Shades of Grey, I told myself that I wouldn't continue the trilogy.  Obviously I lied to myself - I went out and bought the second and third book only days after finishing the first. I'm not sure why, but I can't help but want more - maybe it's because I've never read anything like this before - it is something new.

At the beginning of this book, I was absolutely cringing. Not because of the sex scenes, but because of the writing. Some of the phrases used in this book are seriously cringe-inducing and I found myself grimacing when our main character, Ana, was talking about her 'inner goddess'. However, once I had adjusted to the writing and just concentrated on what was actually going on, I did find myself getting lost in the story again, flicking through pages at top speed. This book certainly had more of a plot than the first one - rather than just sex scene upon sex scene, there was actually an alright story behind it too. We get to learn a lot more about Christian's past in this book which was all quite predictable but still quite interesting. There were certainly more serious issues addressed in this book. There is actually so much packed into this one that it'd be hard to mention everything. I do think that some of the issues/situations should have been explored more as I felt a few felt casually dismissed.

I think that although the relationships and actions of the characters aren't entirely realistic, they are somewhat interesting. Once again, both Ana and Christian had their faults and certainly weren't totally likeable characters. Like many others, I do find Ana to be quite pathetic at points, her actions sometimes childish. To be honest, I can live with her though - she may be a pushover, but I'd imagine that a lot of people in her situation would react the same way. Christian is ...Christian. He's still charming, mysterious, seductive and attractive despite his sometimes scary attitude. He doesn't seem to be as controlled by his 'sadist' feelings, but they are clearly still there. I thought it was good to see him work through his psychological problems - it was nice to actually have more of a focus in this book rather than just all of the sex scenes. Of course there was plenty of steamy sex scenes again and more visits to Christian's playroom.

I am giving this two and a half stars because that's simply what I feel that it deserves overall. The writing is certainly not great and I'm not a fan of the whiny main character. Despite that, it has still managed to get me hooked. Some people will be charmed by Christian and some will find him simply abusive. Some people will find reading about a BDSM relationship uncomfortable. Like all books, some people will like it and some people just won't. I have mixed feelings yet I still want to read more...

Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades #1)

Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades #1) by E.L. James

Paperback, 514 pages

Published 12th April 2012 by Arrow Books

My shelves: adult-fiction, books-i-own, erotica, imm, not-for-me, read-in-2012, realistic-fiction, series-or-companions

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

When literature student Anastasia Steele interviews successful entrepreneur Christian Grey, she finds him very attractive and deeply intimidating. Convinced that their meeting went badly, she tries to put him out of her mind - until he turns up at the store where she works part-time, and invites her out. Unworldly and innocent, Ana is shocked to find she wants this man. And, when he warns her to keep her distance, it only makes her want him more. But Grey is tormented by inner demons, and consumed by the need to control. As they embark on a passionate love affair, Ana discovers more about her own desires, as well as the dark secrets Grey keeps hidden away from public view...

 Please note that this book is classified as Erotica. If you're under 18, or likely to be offended by sexual themes, it is recommended that you do not read this review.

I probably would have never have picked this book up if it there hadn't been such fuss made over it in the book blogosphere and the news that it was going to be made into a film (What kind of film it will be, I really don't know...). All I knew about it when I picked it up was that it was once fan fiction and had erotic themes. I also knew that there must be something about it that made it so controversial.

I'll admit that I was a bit nervous when I was starting the book. I haven't read erotica before (unless you count that scene in Tipping the Velvet) and whilst I am certainly not a prude, the thought of reading a load of BDSM sex scenes did, for some reason, unnerve me. Thankfully, when I got used to it, it didn't really bother me at all. There are some pretty strong images, a lot (expectedly) involving sexual restraints, sexual torture and the like, so if you're not comfortable with those ideas, you're really not going to be comfortable with the book. There are no holds barred with the descriptions of the sex scenes, apart from when our protagonist, Ana, mentions her 'sex' or 'down there' - for some reason, she can't give it a proper name, which I found strange and a little immature, considering what she was doing. Though I don't have any other experience with erotica to compare it to, it did sound quite amateur because of the writing.

Speaking of Ana, I thought that she was so frustrating and frankly, at times, downright stupid. She couldn't seem to make her mind up about anything at all. I understand that accepting a contract to be a sex slave would be a very big decision, but it wasn't only that that she couldn't agree to or decline. She didn't seem know what she wanted and so a lot of her behaviour made her look really hypocritical. At some moments, she was sure that she didn't want to be dominated, but her actions really didn't reflect that. Her relationship with Christian Grey was just, in general, disturbing. I don't mean that by the fact that they're indulging in BDSM sex, but rather because although they both claim to want to avoid it, they are constantly mentally manipulating each other.

I can understand why people find Christian Grey attractive (and hey, if he's played by Ian Somerhalder in the movie, I probably would too), but I, personally, find his lifestyle to be degrading to his sexual partners and I found him to be disgustingly controlling (not just in his 'Red Room of Pain'). I will admit that I did like his joking in his e-mails and his slight charm, but I can't really excuse his mood swings just because he had a certain cheeky humour. It's certainly up for debate and I am sure that a lot of people will think 'he's messed up, has issues and it's not his fault', but I can't buy in to that - there's still no excuse to act the way that he does with Ana.

So why the two and a half stars? Despite being really quite irritated by the ever mood-changing characters, I still managed to get hooked into the book and found it to be quite addicting, probably because (once I had read a few chapters), I found it easy to read. If you don't look too deeply into it, it's not completely terrible - I think that this is something that you've got to be quite open-minded to read and enjoy. If you push some things aside, it's easy to get engrossed. As a reviewer, I thought that the quality of writing was rather poor and I just didn't like or connect with the characters. I didn't hate this book, though and I certainly don't regret picking this up as I did need to make my own decision about it. Do pick it up to make your own decision, but this book is not for the easily embarrassed or the overly critical.