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The Blind Man of Seville by Robert Wilson. Literary thriller/ Eurocrime 10/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/21/2008 12:00 PM
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Robert Wilson’s novel The Blind Man of Seville [ISBN 978 0 00 711781 9] is an intelligent, compelling and complex story of families, Spanish history, modern crime and art.The plot is fairly simple, but the rich double narrative (one of them a historical diary illuminating the life of the foreign legion and post-war Tangiers). A satisfying read.
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Turnstone by Graham Hurley. British crime fiction 8/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/19/2008 12:53 PM
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Graham Hurley’s police procedural novel Turnstone [ISBN 978 1 4072 1621 8] features his DI Joe Faraday (the widower with the deaf son) who is as full of angst and complexities as ever – and dogged and individualistic. Hurley has written a very readable novel with a good plot and narrative that moves along nicely without too many snips of change of direction.
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Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein. American crime fiction 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/11/2008 2:05 PM
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Linda Fairstein’s novel Killer Heat [ISBN 978 0 7515 3806 9] is a continuation of her series featuring “Coop” and sidekicks Chapman and Mercer. The plot is her usual skilful and chilling mystery, revealed slowly as they have to wait for several deaths before they get clues as to what might be going on (and then not quickly). The relationship between the three becomes tedious with little development.
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Not in the Flesh by Ruth Rendell. British Crime fiction 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/10/2008 8:59 PM
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Ruth Rendall’s Not in the Flesh [ISBN 978 0 09 951722 1] is such a pleasant surprise to read after a number of reads I can only call gross (just finished Stuart McBride’s Flesh something or other and I wouldn’t even want to write about it). However, Not in the Flesh could be described as tastefully gruesome but the straightforward narrative is a pleasure to read, even though Wexford and his supercilious sidekick Burden can appear less than on the ball.
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The Last Gospel by David Gibbins. Another grail-type search 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/8/2008 1:05 PM
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We are all too familiar with the formulae of these grail-type search novels and The Last Gospel by David Gibbins [ISBN 978 0 7553 4734 6] is no exception. Here are the newly-found artifacts/scraps of stuff hidden in secret places, codes and cryptic clues, dashing about all over the world AND being followed closely by baddies who are trying to stop them. The difference appears to be that Gibbins is an archaeologist and knows his stuff about excavations – though its just as fanciful as if he didn’t know-and folks who know their facts have to just shoehorn it into the text, which can be as artificial as it is tedious in places.
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Cold in the Earth by Aline Templeton. British crime fiction 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/7/2008 11:56 AM
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Set in Galloway, Cold in the Earth by Aline Templeton [ISBN 978 0 340 83855 6] is one of the best Scottish novels I’ve read for some time. Nicely plotted, with well-drawn believable characters, and with a story as revealing of the rural community she pictures for us, as the drip-feed of her plot.
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Black Earth City by Charlotte Hobson. Travel non-fiction 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/6/2008 2:55 PM
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Subtitled “A Year in the heart of Russia”, Black Earth City by Charlotte Hobson [ISBN 1 86207 498 4] is a personal narrative of a student spending a year at an obscure Russian University, and giving a picture of the life in the student hostel and life for the Russians. Written around 10 years later than Thubron’s Among the Russians, this book paints a very similar picture of life in Russia – and also leaves the reader wondering again how the Russian’s bodies can cope with all the vodka.
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On Cape Three Points by Christopher Wakling. British thriller 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/4/2008 10:46 AM
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Christopher Wakling’s thriller On Cape Three Points [ISBN 0 330 49340 X] has one of those relentless plots – you know where one little error at the beginning grows and grows into a major horrendous life and death problem where the main character has to keep running to keep his head above water. As things get more and more bizarre things waver a little – but all in all it’s a gripping read.
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On Cape Three Points by Christopher Wakling. British thriller 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/4/2008 10:46 AM
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Christopher Wakling’s thriller On Cape Three Points [ISBN 0 330 49340 X] has one of those relentless plots – you know where one little error at the beginning grows and grows into a major horrendous life and death problem where the main character has to keep running to keep his head above water. As things get more and more bizarre things waver a little – but all in all it’s a gripping read.
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Galileo’s Daughter by Dava Sobel. Historical non-fiction 9/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/3/2008 9:48 AM
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What an amazing book is Galileo’s Daughter by Dava Sobel [ISBN 1 85702 712 4] – not only is the book an account of the life and times of Galileo, but also gives the context of his work. Best of all it also gives this deep insight into his family life through the letters of his daughter.
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