Book Review: Danse Macabre by Cristelle Comby (Giveaway)

A suspenseful, thrilling mystery awaits you in Danse Macabre, the third Neve and Egan Cases novel by Cristelle Comby.

Private investigators Alexandra Neve and Ashford Egan are hired by a distraught mother to find her missing daughter. The mother is certain her talented ballerina wouldn't simply run away like the police have suggested. Neve and Egan soon find they have a serial killer on their hands during one of the coldest winters in England.

Fascinating, intriguing, and filled with twists and turns, Danse Macabre is a fabulous mystery novel. It kept me guessing, and I wasn't quite sure how things were going to turn out. I certainly wasn't expecting that surprise at the end.

Combe is a masterful storyteller, slowly adding pieces to the puzzle that ultimately creates a page-turning novel. I loved the relationship between Neve and Egan as they battle their own demons while solving the case. And though I wouldn't necessarily say it's something you would pick up for a seasonal read, it is set in the weeks leading up to Christmas and New Year's.

There are some gruesome parts, but this novel is so well done I didn't mind them at all.
Murder mysteries don't get better than this one.

EXCERPT:

‘Stay here,’ I whisper to Egan, before moving back to the train tracks. I take two steps in the darkness to get away from my partner’s hideout, before flicking my torch back on.

The boys’ light is quick to narrow on me. ‘Whozthere?’ one demands.

‘Hi guys,’ I reply, as kindly as I can. I show them my empty hands as I keep walking in their direction. ‘I’m not a cop, don’t worry.’

‘Whatcha doing here?’ baseball cap asks.

I decide to tell them the truth, hoping curiosity will be enough to keep them from running away. ‘I’m a private investigator. I’m looking for a man. We believe he may have used these old tunnels to escape a crime scene.’

‘Really?’ the kid asks again. ‘A PI, like on the telly?’

Not really, no. Sadly, my life is nothing like what Hollywood makes it look like. ‘Yes,’ I lie. ‘Just like in the movies.’

‘Do you have a gun?’ the guy with the metal bar asks.

My eyes narrow on him as I pay good attention to his posture and the way he now holds the bar with both hands. I’m being plain, I know, but I want him to realise his move wasn’t subtle enough for me. ‘Yes, and a taser.’ None of it is true, but I square my shoulders and continue with my bluff. ‘Trust me; you don’t want me to use either on you.’

Both kids look at each other nervously.

‘Don’t worry, boys; I don’t intend to.’ I smile at them again, a wide smile. They’re teenagers, I’m a woman; I don’t need any weapon, after all. ‘I only want to know if you’ve seen anyone weird down here.’

‘B’sides you, ya mean?’ baseball cap asks.

I flash him my most charming smile in reply.

‘No one,’ his friend answers. ‘But we don’t come here very often. Only when our mum’s too busy to take us to Dad’s herself. It’s a shorter walk down here than up there.’

Genre: New Adult, Detective Mystery
Pages: 254
Release: October 2014
Publisher: self-published
ISBN: 9781502723772

I received a free digital copy of this novel from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Website: http://cristelle-comby.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Cristelle

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Cristelle%20Comby&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/CristelleComby

Cristelle Comby will be awarding a autographed copy of the complete 4 book series, to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Russian Dolls by Cristelle Comby (Giveaway)

This is where it all begins for University College London student Alexandra Neve and her blind middle-aged history professor Ashford Egan.

Neve's world falls apart when she learns her best, Irina Anderson, jumps from the university's rooftop. The Metropolitan Police rule her death a suicide, but Neve's convinced Irina would never take her own life.

Egan can see Neve's distracted since her friend's death and is eager to listen to what she has to say. Neve doesn't understand why, but she's appreciative to have someone to bounce her ides off of. As different as day is from night, when they are drawn into violent world of the Russian mafia, learning to work together becomes crucial to their survival.

In 2014, I read the third book in The Neve & Egan Cases, Danse Macabre. At the time, it didn't feel like I missed much starting partway into the series. The book drew me in right away and this crime-fighting duo were characters I enjoyed getting to know.

Having read Russian Dolls, however, definitely made me appreciate the third book more.

This novel is just as much about how Neve and Egan learn to work together as it is about the case they are determined to solve. It cements the personalities played out in future books and creates the villain they are destined to meet again.

Another thing I like about Russian Dolls is that it leaves important parts of Egan's history unknown. While typically loose ends are a no-no for me, here, I feel they are just one component of what will drive this series forward. I'm definitely eager to read Book 2, Ruby Heart, and Book 4, Blind Chess. 

Russian Dolls is the beginning of a superb series that you must check out.

EXCERPT:

Life, death. Two concepts, two words.

You don’t think about them unless you’re forced to. You take the first for granted and try to forget the second.

You get on with your life, worry about meaningless things and you simply stop thinking about death, even though you see it every day on the telly, in the papers you read.

So long as it’s happening to others, you continue to go on with this comforting lie that says it’s never going to happen to you. The Reaper won’t come anywhere near you — until the day he does.

It could be a car crash, it could be a stroke. Or it could be your best friend jumping from the rooftop of the university you both attend. And suddenly you remember that death is very real and there’s no way of knowing who is going to be called next. You’re forced to face the frailty of life and accept your own mortality.

My best friend recently passed away and I almost died twice myself in the past couple of weeks. My name is Alexandra Neve. I’m a student who used to live in a reassuring bubble. It burst, and now I finally see the world for what it truly is.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cristelle-Comby/e/B00EAWEODS/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/CristelleComby

File Size: 1176 KB
Print Length: 302 pages
Publisher: Cristelle Comby; 1 edition (March 8, 2013)
Publication Date: March 8, 2013
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English

Cristelle Comby was born and raised in the French-speaking area of Switzerland, in Greater Geneva, where she still resides.

She attributes to her origins her ever-peaceful nature and her undying love for chocolate. She has a passion for art, which also includes an interest in drawing and acting.

She is the author of the Neve & Egan crime novels series. The four books in the series are Russian Dolls, Ruby Heart, Danse Macabre and Blind Chess.

Links :

Website: http://cristelle-comby.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Cristelle

I received a free digital copy of this book from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Cristelle Comby will be awarding an autographed copy of the complete 4 book series, to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway