#BookReview|The Gingerbread Houses|Benedict J Jones

I was approached by Crime Wave Press and asked if i would like to read this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for my copy.

Blurb

SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN…

A dark secret lies at the heart of the British government; a secret so appalling that they will kill to protect it.

Charlie Bars is back in London and has taken on a missing persons case. Easy money –or so he thinks. The man he is looking for is inextricably linked to the evil perpetrated in the Gingerbread Houses and as Charlie’s search progresses, he finds himself drawn into the seedy underbelly of the capital; a world of abuse, exploitation and deviancy that threatens to destroy his soul.

Others are looking for the missing man too and hunter soon becomes hunted as Charlie finds himself the target of an insane torturer haunted by the ghosts of his military past.

As he descends into the darkest depths of human depravity, Charlie desperately tries to stay out of prison, on the right side of his morality and, most importantly, alive as he seeks to uncover the buried secrets of the Gingerbread Houses.

My Review *** 1/2 3 1/2 Stars
Dark,gritty and Disturbing
My first Charlie ‘Bars’ thriller and my first trip in to the depths of the dark side of London was a good one. Having not read the previous books in this series didn’t put me off and i felt like i knew Charlie quite well because his character is so well written, not a bad guy but not primarily a good guy either, a anti-hero you cant help but like. The whole premise of this book is a battle of constant morality and ones own personal blur lines on the side of right and wrong which played out very well. Some great characters and relationship pairings which shine a light on Charlies character hinting at a softer side to an ultimately hardy and resilient persona. A grimy,murky and suspenseful story full of action, secrets and deception. Quick, punchy chapters that leave you wanting more. I Want to read more Charlie Bars thrillers. My only bug bare was the lack of pronouns throughout which i felt stilted the flow of the story at times. On the whole an enjoyable read one i would recommend to anyone who enjoys dark thrillers.

About The Author

Benedict J Jones is a writer from south east London who mainly works in the crime,horror genres. 

His debut novel “Pennies for Charon” featuring three-time loser Charlie “Bars” Constantinou was released in late 2014. This followed up a collection featuring a novella and ten short stories entitled “Skewered; And Other London Cruelties”. These were both released by Crime Wave Press. 

His first story was published in 2008 in ‘One Eye Grey’ since then he has been published in a multitude of genre magazines, websites and in several anthologies. His debut collection of crime fiction is “Skewered and Other London Cruelties” (Crime Wave Press). Crime Wave Press Twitter https://twitter.com/crimewavepress Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CrimeWavePress/ Website http://crimewavepress.com/

Find him on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BenedictJJonesWriter/ Twitter https://twitter.com/benedictjjones Website https://benedictjjones.webs.com/