You know that thing I said about not spending any money on books or ebooks? Yeah, well I broke that promise to myself!! Tuesday 2nd July, I was bored, returning a kindle unlimited book and browsing through ebooks on deals…I ended up buying 10 kindle books! (I also got two paperbacks because I realised one of the books on my shelf was actually the third in a series, so I got the first two books as well.)

The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn

Having a tag line of ‘The Top Ten Sunday Times bestselling debut crime thriller everyone is talking about!’ was enough incentive for me to click on the book. Seeing it have 4/5 star reviews from 1,139 people was the second tick on my chart. The cover looked interesting and the blurb sold me on it. It was only 99p on Kindle.

What did she see?

It's been ten months since Anna Fox last left her home. Ten months during which she has haunted the rooms of her old New York house, lost in her memories, too terrified to step outside.

Anna's lifeline to the read world is her window, where she sits, watching her neighbours. When the Russells move in, Anna is instantly drawn to them. A picture-perfect family, they are an echo of the life that was once hers. 

But one evening, a scream rips across her silence, and Anna witnesses something horrifying. Now she must uncover the truth about what really happened. But if she does, will anyone believe her? And can she even trust herself?

Silent Scream (Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series Book 1) by Angela Marsons

Another book with a tag line ‘An edge of your seat serial killer thriller.’ Another ebook where I was influenced by the tag, the blurb and the amount of people reviews (4.5 stars from 4,860 people). This one was £1.99 on Kindle.

Even the darkest secrets can't stay buried forever...

Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood...

Years later, a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country.

But when human remains are discovered at a former children's home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. D.I. Kim Stone fast realises she's on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades. 

As the body count rises, Kim needs to stop the murderer before they strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past before it's too late?

Sleep by C. L. Taylor

I believe I have a C. L. Taylor book on my tbr shelf already but the blurb of this really intrigued me and caused shivers to run down my spine. It doesn’t sound like something I’ve read before and makes me think it’ll be a lingering read. This was 99p on Kindle.

All Anna wants is to be able to sleep. But crushing insomnia, terrifying night terrors and memories of that terrible night are making it impossible. If only she didn't feel so guilty...

To escape her past, Anna takes a job at a hotel on the remote Scottish island of Rum, but when seven guests join her, what started as a retreat from the world turns into a deadly nightmare. 

Each of the guests have a secret, but one of them is lying - about who they are and why they're on the island. There's a murderer staying in the Bay View hotel. And they've set their sights on Anna.

Seven strangers. Seven secrets. One deadly lie. 

Perfect Remains (DI Callanach Thriller) by Helen Fields.

Ok, so, I innocently picked up Perfect Death by Helen Fields at a garden centre because I thought the premise sounded really interesting. I didn’t realise when I bought the book that it was the third book in a series. This is the first book and although I’m sure you could read the third book and understand it, I wanted the benefit of reading the first 2 books in the series.

On a remote Highland mountain, the body of Elaine Buxton is burning. All that will be left to identify the respected lawyer are her teeth and a fragment of clothing.

In the concealed back room of a house in Edinburgh, the real Elaine Buxton screams into the darkness...

Detective Inspector Luc Callanach has barely set foot in his new office when Elaine's missing persons case is escalated to a murder investigation. Having left behind a promising career at Interpol, he's eager to prove himself to his new team. But Edinburgh, he discovers, is a long way from Lyon, and Elaine's killer has covered his tracks with meticulous care.

It's not long before another successful woman is abducted from her doorstep, and Callanach finds himself in a race against the clock. Or so he believes... The real fate of the women will prove more twisted than he could have ever imagined.

Perfect Prey by Helen Fields

This is the second book in the series above and I need to read it before I read book three!!!

Welcome to Edinburgh. Murder capital of Europe.

In the middle of a rock festival, a charity worker is sliced across the stomach. He dies minutes later. In a crowd of thousands, no one saw his attacker. 

The following week, the body of a primary school teacher is found in a dumpster in an Edinburgh alley, strangled with her own woollen scarf.

D.I. Ava Turner and D. I. Luc Callanach have no leads and no motive - until around the city, graffitied on buildings, words appear describing each victim.

It's only when they realise the words are being written before rather than after the murdered, that they understand the killer is announcing his next victim...and the more innocent the better.

The Distant Echo (Detective Karen Pirie, Book 1) by Val McDermid

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time now and whenever I went into a bookstore they wouldn’t have this first installment but only books further along in the series. I couldn’t even seem to find it on Kindle for a while, so when it popped up in my recommendations, I had to buy it. It cost £2.99 on Kindle.

Some things just won't let go.
The past, for instance.
That night in the cemetery.
The girl's body in the snow. 

On a freezing Fife morning four drunken students stumble upon the body of a woman in the snow. Rosie has been raped, stabbed and left for dead in an ancient Pictish cemetery. And the only suspects are the four young men now stained with her blood.

Twenty-five years later the police mount a 'cold case' review of Rosie's unsolved murder and the four are still suspects. But when two of them die in suspicious circumstances, it seems that someone is pursuing their own brand of justice. For the remaining two there is only one way to avoid becoming the next victim - find out who really killed Rosie all those years ago...

Six down, six to go! I’m excited to read all of these. I don’t know what I’m going to start with first!! I’m sure you can see the theme of these books. I’m going through a phase of psychological thrillers, or detective thrillers etc. I like a good book that keeps me guessing, that pushes me into adrenaline and that lingers long after I’ve read it.

I’m definitely channelling Belle as I look at all my Kindle books!!

The Girl in the Ice (Detective Erika Foster Book 1) by Robert Bryndza

I mean, the cover of this just sold it to me. Tagged as a ‘gripping serial killer thriller’, if the cover hadn’t tempted me then the blurb sure would have!!

Her eyes are wide open. Her lips parted as if to speak. Her dead body frozen in the ice...She is not the only one.

When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London part, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation.

The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appeared to have the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London. 

What dark secrets is the girl in the ice hiding?

As Erika inches closer to uncovering the truth, the killer is closing in on Erika. 

The last investigation Erika led went badly wrong...resulting in the death of her husband. With her career hanging by a thread, Erika must now battle her own personal demons as well as a killer more deadly than any she's faced before. But will she get to him before he strikes again?

The Vanishing Girls (Detective Josie Quinn Book 1) by Lisa Regan

So, I clicked on this primarily because of the cover. I know its not particularly special or creative but you could say this book sang out to me. After reading the blurb I knew I just HAD to read it!

When Isabella Coleman, a blonde, beautiful girl goes missing, everyone from the small town of Denton joins the search. They can find no trace of the town's darling, but Detective Josie Quinn finds another girl they didn't even know was missing.

Mute and unresponsive, it's clear this mysterious girl has been damaged beyond repair. All Josie can get from her is the name of a third girl and a flash of a neon tongue piercing that matches Isabella's. 

The race is on to find Isabella alive, and Josie fears they may be other girls in terrible danger. When the trail leads her to a cold case labelled a hoax by authorities, Josie begins to wonder is there anyone left she can trust?

Someone in this close-knit town is committing unspeakable crimes. Can Josie catch the killer before another victim loses their life?

The Doctor by Lisa Stone

Originally I was going to add this to my ‘buy later’ list but at 99p I decided to just go ahead and get it. The tag for this was ‘a gripping crime thriller from the international bestseller’. If you’re a fan of thrillers, maybe you can see why I couldn’t stop myself from buying it!

How much do you know about the couple next door?

When Emily and Ben move in next door to Dr Burman and his wife Anita, they are keen to get to know their new neighbours. Outgoing and sociable, Emily tries to befriend the doctor's wife, but Anita is strangely subdued, barely leaving the house, and terrified of answering the phone.

When Emily goes missing a few weeks later, Ben is plunged into a panic. His wife has left him a note, but can she really have abandoned him for another man? Or has Emily's curiosity about the couple next door led her straight into danger?

Her Closest Friend by Clare Boyd

I was drawn to this because I’ve just finished ‘Closer Than You Think’ by Karen Rose and thought this might be similar in genre and theme. The blurb excited me and wet my appetite and now I can’t wait to read it. This was 99p on Kindle.

Pop music blares from the radio. She sings drunkenly from the backseat. The thrash of windscreen wipers against the driving rain. The screech of tyres. A thud.

Naomi and I are best friends.
School runs, dog walks, a shoulder to cry on over a glass of wine, we're inseparable.
But now my husband has walked out, I need her more than ever.
I know she will help me pick up the pieces.
Because she knows about the lie I told to protect her.
She knows how much I've sacrificed for this friendship.
And she's never let anyone hurt me.
Would she?

The Black Echo (Harry Bosch Book 1) by Michael Connelly

Goodreads recommended me a ton of books based off my interest in Lee Child’s work – I have ‘The Killing Floor’ on my shelf but haven’t read it yet – and out of all the series recommended, this was the one I felt I could get on with. It was 99p on Kindle.

LAPD detective Harry Bosch is a loner and a nighthawk. One Sunday he gets a call-out on his pager. A body has been found in a drainage tunnel off Mullholland Drive, Hollywood. At first sight, it looks like a routine drugs overdose case, but the one new puncture wound amid the scars of old tracks leaves Bosch unconvinced.

To make matters worse, Harry Bosch recognises the victim. Billy Meadows was a fellow 'tunnel rat' in Vietnam, running against the VC and the fear that they all used to call the Black Echo. Bosch believes he let down Billy Meadows once before, so now he is determined to bring the killer to justice. 

The Bone Collector (Lincoln Rhyme Book 1) by Jeffery Deaver

I thought the cover for this was pretty and eerie at the same time. ‘The Bone Killer’ sounded like an intriguing title and the blurb, well, it sold me on it! This one was £2.99 on Kindle.

Their first case, their worst killer...

New York City has been thrown into chaos by the assaults of the Bone Collector, a serial kidnapper and killer who gives the police a chance to save his victims from death by leaving obscure clues. Baffled, the cops turn to the one man with a chance of solving them - Lincoln Rhyme.

Left paralysed by a debilitating accident, ex NYPD cop Rhyme has to dig deep into the only world he has left - his astonishing mind - to have any hope of solving the case. With the help of a young police officer, Amelia Sachs, he starts to close in on the killer. But as he edges close to the truth, the Bone Collector is closing in on Lincoln Rhyme himself.

I was supposed to not be buying more books, Kindle or paperback and failing that I was only supposed to buy books that weren’t in a series. 2 out of 12 of these books are not in a series, so it seems that I have failed on both accounts. I don’t know why I keep lying to myself by saying ‘I’m on a book ban’ when I so clearly cannot stick to one.

It is I suppose, the life of a book addict. There are, I know, worse things to be addicted too.

Wish me luck! I’m going to need it!!