PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Akihisa Ikeda was born in 1977 in Miyazaki. He debuted as a mangaka with the four-volume magical warrior fantasy series Kiruto in 1999, which was serialized in Monthly SHONEN JUMP. Rosario+Vampire first ran in Monthly SHONEN JUMP, in March 2002. In Japan, Rosario+Vampire is also available as a drama CD. In 2008, the story was made into an anime series.
24 Hours was a breakthrough book for Greg Iles, with its superbly organised thriller narrative and a stringently drawn characters. Initially, Dead Sleep appears to be taking its time establishing its premise, but Iles knows exactly what he's doing, and the pacing of this one proves to be very adroit. Jordan Glass is a much-acclaimed photojournalist. Strolling through a Hong Kong museum, she encounters a portrait that takes her breath away. The subject is that of Jordan's twin sister who disappeared, never to be seen again, from New Orleans over a year ago. As Jordan studies the rest of the exhibition (called 'Sleeping Women'), she feels a chill of apprehension as she realises that all the subjects are women who have disappeared in the same city as her sister over the last couple of years; but no bodies have ever been found. Linking up with forensic psychologist Dr Arthur Lenz and FBI Special Agent John Kaiser, Jordan finds herself on the trail of a vicious serial killer, where her identical appearance to one of the victims makes her a key element in the FBI's serial killer unit. And, of course, it's only matter of time before Jordan herself is the mercy of the monster, but knowing the shape a novel will take doesn't matter when the storytelling is as masterly as it is here. The interplay between the members the unit is sharply done, while Jordan is a solidly drawn heroine, with whom we're happy to be drawn into a dangerous web. (Kirkus UK)
