Today you're getting a double whammy- Two reviews in one post. The first and second books in Rob Ashman's very creepy Detective Roz Kray series: Faceless and This Little Piggy
So, I joke you not, these books should come with not one, but three warnings ... a warning not to have anything else planned for the rest of the day. A warning to makes sure you're not home alone when reading them and, perhaps the most important warning of all - a warning to avoid hot drinks at crucial points in the book. Rob Ashman, a bill is in the post for the dry cleaning of my trousers (No - it was only a coffee spill - not the other - although that was a close call) and for the purchase of various scald remedies. After his thrilling and ever so very warped Mechanic series, Ashman has done the impossible and damn well out done himself. the new series is great. read on for my reviews of the first two books. I believe the third will be released later in the year - I for one am waiting with bated breath.
Faceless
As, I quipped on Facebook , this book could equally have been called Sleepless because that's what I
was after reading it. Seriously though, the title is fab and very, very apt - we're talking about a book entitled Faceless and a serial killer - I'll let you join the dots.
Ashman's new character Roz is inspired. Vulnerable yet tough, with a backstory to leave you bawling for hours, Roz Kray is well rounded and believable. You'll love her!
I loved the way Ashman gets right into the killer's mind and juxtaposes that with fantastic insights into Roz and her story. I'm not going to go into the plot too much as I know you'll all rush off to read it anyway, but it is quite unique. Don't think I'll ever look at an Iced Slice in quite the same way again. As well as Rosalind Kray, Ashman has created a cast of subsidiary characters that are believable and very distinct form each other. You have the lazy copper, the cover your back copper, the I don't know what I'm doing but i'm the boss copper and the trusty side kick. Alongside that, Ashman isn't afraid to take us to the brink with his creative choices. There were a few moments when I could cheerfully have throttled him for his decisions, whilst knowing deep down that he, as the author, did the right thing. If you can provoke a visceral reaction in your reader then you're doing a grand job ... and Rob Ashman certainly did a grand job. He's upped his game with Roz Kray and I couldn't wait to read on.

This Little Piggy (released 19th June 2018)
This Little Piggy is a play on the children's nursery rhyme and , of course, this immediately sets your hairs on end. however, Ashman did something very clever in writing the sequel to Faceless. He shifted gears a little. He's extremely good at creating serial killers that make your heart thud and your skin crawl and he still does that. however, this serial killer is a completely different kettle of fish from The mechanic and the Faceless killer. There I was expecting more of the same, and although I got something different , I wasn't disappointed.
In This Little Piggy, Roz is called into a vicious murder where the body is suspended upside down after being tortured and covered in boiling water.b A surprise discovery at the scene, tells Roz that this victim is not the first. In an edge of the seat cat and mouse we see Roz get inside the head of the killer, following her instincts and sticking with them even when her beliefs seem impossible.
Again, the suspense is high, but for me it is Ashman's attention to the detail of his characterisation that raises his writing high ... well that and the twist near the end - truly inspired and despite the amount of literature i consume, i didn't see it coming. you truly are an evil man Rob Ashman! (But in a good way)
So advice to the reader -
1 - Buy Faceless today and read it now!
2/ Then you'll be right on time to download This Little Piggy tomorrow when it's released.

So glad I found this author Rob Ashman from a Facebook page I am in............I requested his 2 latest books to read. WoW......Just finished Faceless what a brilliant read.
DI Rosalind Kray as been through one hell of a journey in her personal life where she is left badly scared and a loss of someone who was very close and dear to her. DI Rosalind Kray isn't a particularly likeable person, who drinks too much and eats crap and puts her self at risk to get results, She is fighting her superiors, but Kray must conquer her own demons, which are tearing her apart.

She returns back to work and she is called out after someone reports a horrible smell coming from a property.
This then turned out to a be a decomposing body covered in flies/insects. She soon discovers that its of a young girl, a vital part of the girl is missing and has been murdered.
But why? Where is the missing part?

A young man was found murdered. Is this related to her other case?

There's a serial killer who is very different. They want to kill their victims, they want to obliterate their very existence. The murders appear random but the killer selects they quarry with meticulous care. They come across ruthless and very skilled in their work.

I was screaming at the book "Why! Come on Kray get a grip!!! especially the last few chapters!"

I liked this book and will read more from Rob Ashman..........So looking forward more from DI Rosalind Kray............

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bloodhound Books for an advance copy of Faceless, Great read. Thank you x

I had Faceless by Rob Ashman recommended to me by a friend. It’s the first on a series of books featuring DI Rosalind Kray. She’s a ballsy detective with plenty of her own demons to conquer as well as hunting for a serial killer on the streets of a north west seaside town.

This book is well written with short, punchy chapters. The plot line progresses well and gathers pace all the while. I was gripped from chapter 1 and found this book hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloodhound Books and the author for the chance to review.

This is the first on a new series from Rob about DI Roz Kray. She has just returned to work after horrific attack that left her physically and mentally scarred and her husband dead, so she is desperate to prove that she is ready to get stuck back in. The first case she is called to is at a flat where other residents have complained of a smell. What she finds is the decomposed body of a young woman who has been killed in a horrific way that leaves them all confused and starts the ball rolling on an investigation that will challenge Roz more than she could have imagined.

Elsewhere the killer is plotting their next move and we are given an insight into their twisted thoughts and the meticulous planning behind the killings. They are not random and the killer has a very clear and well rehersed system which Roz and her team are going to have to work to try and figure out.

The switching narratives between Kray and the killer is done very well and keeps the story moving along at a lightning fast speed.

I loved the setting in Blackpool, a place not far from me, but was surprised to find part of it set in the Trafford Centre, which is literally up the road from me! Always seems to make stories feel more 'real' to me if I know thame setting well!

This was my first book by Rob and it won't be my last. I loved the writing, how the story was paced and am looking forward to hearing more from Roz very soon!

This book was great, just the right amount of gore and mystery to keep you going. it has a chris carter feel to it, which i really enjoyed. I liked the story going between the killer and the police, was a great book and i cant wait to read the next one.

Not what I was expecting! Once I started it was fast paced with lots of gruesome details about the crimes committed. The main character was easy to connect with - flawed, troubled, determined. If you are looking for a good, gritty British crime book, this is one to check out.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I will definitely be looking at some his others.

Thank you #NetGalley and #bloodhoundbooks for the copy to read and review.

What a fantastic start to a brand new series, a sick and twisted serial killer, graphic descriptions that keep you firmly on the edge of your seat.
The main character is DI Roz Kray, a woman who suffered a personal tragedy and has just returned to work.
Gradually as the book progresses we learn her personal story and find why she reacts as she does during the investigation into the discovery of a womans badly
decomposing body, a woman who has had the flesh literally pealed away from her face.
We learn from the killer his reasoning behind the crimes he commits and as Roz and her team try to follow the few leads they have the bodies start to pile up.
The story is full of gruesome detail, plenty of twists and leaves you hoping to hear more from DI Roz Kray and her team.
I read this book in a day it is gripping!
Thanks to Netgalley and Bloodhound books for the chance to read this as an ARC.

Rob ashman is establishing himself as a premier crime writer who isn’t afraid to delve into very dark places.

This first in the series introduces us to Rosalind kray, a somewhat maverick policewoman who gets caught up in a serial killers web. The story moves at pace and gives us both perspectives, from the police and the killer, which really fleshes out the dialogue.

I am delighted to recommend this book and also very happy to see a sequel.

Having read Those That Remain, I was really looking forward to this book. Whilst I liked the plot I didn’t enjoy this one as much.
I’m finding that crime/thriller books that feature female leads end up being very similar. There’s the DI who has brilliant intuition, bosses who are always incompetent and the inexplicable urge to try to handle things on their own thus putting themselves and sometimes everyone around them in danger.
The female DI has always gone through some life changing tragedy which usually means they are on their own and struggling to deal with it. Add to this the inevitable alcohol abuse and the credibility takes a dive for me. In this case I couldn’t understand how DI Kray could possibly function with the amount of alcohol she had swilling around in her. I realise that the police in general do have problems with alcoholism and this may reflect real life but it just proved to be a bit too much for me.
I also found the liberal use of the f word a bit too much, but again this may be how the police speak to each other. I’m not in a position to judge.
I gave Those That Remain five stars and I intend reading the two sequels but I’m afraid this one wasn’t for me.
My thanks to Netgalley for this copy.

I loved this so much I actually read it all in one sitting. Ok, I did use the bathroom lol. Someone is out there killing women and dressing up just like them and killing men. But who is it? I love serial killer books. And I loved the twist in the end. Definitely 4 Stars. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me review this book. #Faceless #NetGalley

Faceless follows DI Rosalind Kray's return to work after surviving a knife attack that left her scarred from head to toe and her husband dead. Her return starts off with a bang when a routine check turns up a gruesome crime scene that leaves investigators puzzled. Time lines don't fit, the dead shouldn't turn back up on camera at a bar either, right?
I absolutely hated the superiors that Kray works with. Jackson has absolutely no backbone and assigns the case to DI Brownlow who can't manage the case at all and sets the investigators back immensely. The investigators make much more progress when Kray takes over and I have to admire her instinct as an investigator. Unfortunately for her, again the superiors don't seem to feel the same.
I really enjoyed this book and the twists and turns the investigation took. It says this is book one and I will be on the lookout for this to be a series.

‘Faceless’ by Rob Ashman published by Bloodhound Books and out now

Hey, I haven’t read any of Rob Ashman’s previous books but fellow readers have and this book was recommended ( thanks Audrey Gibson )
I guess to give you an idea of the book I will say...Hannibal Lector ( but even nastier!) venomous snakes,depravity and a cast of very colourful characters.....that give you an idea!?
The book is based around Roz, a D.I. who enjoys a good drink and doesn’t enjoy food and who is recovering from a terrible knife attack on her and her husband.......she survived......her first case back is a ‘routine’murder of a woman....but routine it Isent as the dead woman is then seen on CCTV and she murders a man......more grisly murders happen in this fashion until Roz is eventually targeted but we don’t know why, until the end.........
Foe me the last couple of pages had 2 endings, that you could take as to which way you wanted it to end, I maybe wrong on that but I choose the one I wanted!!!!! ( let me know what you think on that when you have read the book!!)
All this is based around Roz’s grief, PTSD and anger, it makes for fireworks and Roz certainly explodes, regularly......I liked her and her very unconventional police character and the way she doesn’t conform
An enticing REAL drama, there are many fiction books on serial killers at the mo and to stand out you have to be different, and this book certainly is
10/10 5 stars

I will start my review with my initial thoughts before I started this book and they were quite simply that the author would struggle to top his Mechanic Trilogy which I absolutely LOVED...

Well now I have read this one, I am thrilled to be able to say that he has only blooming gone and done it - this book was BRILLIANT!!

I loved the story, the characters were brilliant and the pace was superb, I was hooked straight away and completely addicted to the whole thing and I read it in a few hours the evening it landed on my Kindle. Everything to do with this book worked for me, the blurb drew me in and the cover is spot on. One of my highlights so far of 2018!

Five stars from me, would have been six if Amazon and Goodreads went up that high!! very, very highly recommended!! (Can you tell I enjoyed it?!)

DI Roz Kray has recently returned to work after an attack which left her a widow with terrible scarring. Her superior officers would like to ease her gently back into work but her first call out is to a murder. This sets the scene for the entire book as the plot interchanges between the killer and the police.

If you like your thrillers dark, gory and deeply disturbing then this is a book for you.

Highly recommend!

Rob Ashman has got a pretty dark and twisted mind and if you have read his Mechanic series you will know exactly what I mean. With Faceless he continues in this vein and right from the start there is no shortage of jaw dropping and WTF moments! It definitely has the #KillerHook alert! The prologue captured me immediately, it drew me right in leaving me in no doubt that I wanted to know more, I had to know more!

We are introduced to the killer pretty quickly and follow their macabre journey with a sense of revulsion and terror. The narrative is powerful and provides great insight into their behaviour. I am writing this review biting my tongue as there is so much I want to say but I want you to get the same twisted pleasure as I did from reading this book! Watching this killer unravel is disturbing, let me warn you right now, Rob Ashman is never going to be a "cosy crime" kinda guy! Thank goodness!

Faceless is fast paced, it's twisted and it packs one hell of a punch into every page! Dysfunctional families and consequences all wrapped up into a blood-red bow for you to untie! Each chapter ends with that hook that pulls you in for "just one more chapter" which means you might as well discount the rest of the day once you pick it up because you are not going to be able to put it down!

Roz Kray is one of those Detectives that just get under your skin, her inner turmoil combined with a "two-fingers" to the world approach might seem to be the archetypal detective but there is something quite different about Roz, there is a real depth to her despair and a real unquantifiable approach to her policing, I engaged with her immediately especially when she was at loggerheads with her superiors! Roz was a compelling character to read; we know there is a history and a tension exists between her and her bosses and right away I was intrigued, what had happened to her? Why is she self-neglecting? I was behind her from the beginning, I didn’t know her whole story but I had her back. Watching her engage and disengage with the team and other key characters throughout the novel makes for fascinating reading! As the book progresses we get to find out more about the woman behind the Detective.

Faceless ticked all my boxes, there was enough complexity to keep my brain ticking but not too much that it lost me. This is a fantastic read for fans of the serial killer genre, it has a well thought out plot, twists that would make a corkscrew look straight and characters that claw their way right under your skin! If Carlsberg done serial killers...then they would be hooking up with Rob Ashman for tips!

Bloody hell ..(sorry) what a read. This book plunges you straight into the action and does not let up. You hurtle along at 100 mph and there is no pausing for breath. The story centres around D I Roz Kray (who is absolutely top class ) and her hunt for a serial killer … who is one sick freak by the way. There is enough gruesomeness, tension and humour to keep everyone happy. This is the first book that I have read by Rob but it will certainly not be my last. Cant wait for the next in the series. If I could give this more than 5 stars I would. Fantastic.

I have not read this author before. But I hope this is the start of a series.! A serial killer is operating who steals the face of the victim. This is a chilling scenario which gets creepier as the characters develop. The main police officer is returning to work after a death, but even that is effectively woven into this spellbinding book. I devoured this book in a day. I then went and bought his other books. Highly recommended!!!

WOW! I previously loved Rob’s last series of books so this was a must read for me with high expectations. I was not disappointed! Rob has done it again… Blown me away. Outstanding. Brilliant.

Faceless is a dark, fast paced, disturbing, edge of your seat thriller. It will have you hooked from the first page. You will not be able to put it down! Parts actually had my stomach clenching and turning parts were that dark and twisted! I must also mention I loved DI Rosalind Kray’s character.

Faceless is one of those books that makes you go… AHHH THAT’S WHY IT’S CALLED THAT! A brilliant start to a brand new upcoming series that is bound to blow us all away! I cannot wait to see what lies ahead for this series. A well deserved five stars, highly recommend to you all… BUT! Don’t read it alone, at night, in the dark. Not for the faint hearted!

This book was an absolute pleasure to read and review. The story is dark and gruesome, featuring a wonderfully merciless killer with an agenda that makes perfect sense to him but takes our detective heroine a little longer to figure out. Some chapters are related by the killer himself, giving the reader a good insight into his motives and twisted world. The characters are well described and the reader comes to know them pretty quickly. I hope there is more to come from this author featuring DI Kray as it would be a shame to say goodbye to her. I was gripped from start to finish - it's one book you really can't put down till the very end!

One chapter, it's all you need, trust me.....

I say that because even before the end of the first chapter I knew I was going to love Faceless. DI Rosalind Kray is just the kind of female protagonist I love.  A feisty, no nonsense, straight talker she is everything that compels you to keep on reading, not only to discover the messes she'll get herself into, but to revel in the way she gets out of them too.

Told in alternating narratives between Kray and the killer, it's a read that will keep you guessing from page to page, it will at times have you horrified, the killer is more depraved than any I have read for some time.

All this said you will still be unable to put the book down.  I sat and read it in one sitting  and recommend you find yourself a comfy corner and huddle yourself up with all things cosy so you can enjoy.  Don't do a LifeOfCri.me and sit in the dark, during torrential rain and a thunderstorm.....