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Dead Simple by Peter James – murder/thriller – 7/10 if you’re not squeamish ! |
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By bookworm on
1/31/2006 1:50 PM
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I found this book Dead Simple by Peter James as a major challenge to read past the first chapter or so – not because it was either poorly written or conceived – just the opposite – the initial action was so intense and opened up such horrifying possibilities, I wasn’t sure I would want to go through the pain barrier of the suspense so clearly signalled. I thought it was likely to continue to disturb me rather than be an interesting problem to be solved. It was so well written I found it difficult to detach. Not only does the plot milk the pain of claustrophobia but also the betrayal of friendship and the rising panic of all characters as the novel comes to the end. I did keep reading – Peter James is an excellent crime writer – but though I applaud the realism – I found the topics uncomfortable. Trythis book yourself and see what you think !
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John Lawton – Blackout – crime fiction. 7.5/10 |
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By bookworm on
1/30/2006 8:45 PM
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John Lawton’s Blackout is a well-presented novel : nicely written, good narrative and a convincing (at least I thought so) wartime-London context. The day-to-day life of the time seems to be well portrayed, and the plot utilises a number of wartime themes, and weaves them into a suspenseful story. The characterisations are variable in depth, though convincing of the “types” of the more class-based society of the time. Blackout starts out really well, and sets up the problem of identification of a body that could have been a murder or accidental to a German bomb.
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Gabrielle Lord – Feeding the Demons – busy crime thriller 6.5/10 |
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By bookworm on
1/29/2006 7:30 PM
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Gabrielle Lord – Feeding the Demons is a crime thriller with a number of interwoven plots and sub-plots, it has considerable psychological background and is full of pretty unstable characters who are unpredictable and can come under scrutiny of guilt in the murders at different times. Probably because of this unpredictability, the reader is led to keep reading through the narrative with its quickly escalating thriller action, even though sympathy for the characters does wane after one stupid decision follows another ! But an excellent sustaining of interest right up to the end.
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Dean Koontz – Velocity – speedy, scary, unfathomable – killer ending 10/10 |
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By bookworm on
1/27/2006 3:11 PM
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Dean Koontz – Velocity - this is a read-in-one-go novel says the book blurb – and its right, I had to finish it before I went to bed. The story is just so downright suspenseful and compelling that at each new acceleration of the nightmare it is essential to find out if it IS going to happen. This book has a multi-layered, clever plot, an absolutely outstandingly gripping narrative, a well-drawn central character we come to identify with as he struggles to take control, though the other characters are more background sketches we don’t know whether they will turn out to be innocent or complicit.
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Karin Fossum – He Who Fears the Wolf – well-characterised crime fiction 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
1/26/2006 1:52 PM
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He Who Fears the Wolf by Karin Fossum is a particularly interesting murder mystery. It may be that the rather mournful, clinical, almost detached, matter of fact view of the murder and its possible suspects is related to the third person narrative and that it is translated from the Norwegian. This does mean, however, that the background and context is interesting and authentic and with considerable detail and depth. The psychological expertise and empathy of the narrator for the characters lifts this book from the OK to the worth reading category.
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Henning Mankell – The Fifth Woman – another case for Inspector Wallender |
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By bookworm on
1/24/2006 8:04 PM
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Henning Mankell’s The Fifth Woman is now one of seven Inspector Wallender crime novels excellently translated from the Swedish – his novels give a wonderful sense of background and place, and capturing the space and isolation of rural life whilst at the same time an appreciation of the use of modern crime methods and techniques. The plot of the Fifth Woman is very clever, giving significant clues in every chapter, whilst at the time leaving the reader unsure how to knit them in, until the end. The narrative, therefore, is compelling. At times the descriptions of personality and nature gives a rather mournful impression of the characters – especially Kurt Wallender, though the thin personal life of overworked workaholic police is a constant theme in crime fiction.
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Frank Devlin – Love in all the wrong places – psychological/serial murders 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
1/23/2006 2:46 PM
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Love in all the wrong places by Frank Devlin is reminiscent of the American cop genre (though without the wry humour of, say, Robert B Parker). It has excellent and intriguing plot which in turn mystifies, lulls you into a false feeling of knowing the end, and then has a few sneaky switches at the end. A fast-paced narrative with a good characterisation of the usual squeeze on the strung-out lives of the overworked cops, relentless in their pursuit of their known killer.
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Acqua Alta – Donna Leon’s crime thriller with Commissario Brunetti |
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By bookworm on
1/22/2006 12:11 PM
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Acqua Alta – Donna Leon’s crime thriller is in the middle of a series featuring her kindly, deceptively low-key police detective. This series altogether gives the most delightful descriptive sense of location together with sensitive characterisation and a good plot .
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Straight into Darkness by Faye Kellerman – dark recent/history murder mystery/8/10 |
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By bookworm on
1/20/2006 7:06 PM
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Straight into Darkness - Faye Kellerman has written another “international bestseller” and deserves to be so – it is well researched with an authentic feel to the historical pre-war context. The plot is quite convoluted - murders are set against rapidly moving action within Germany at that time, and the related instability of the police force and incipient violence. The characterisation is good, and the narrative is suspenseful enough to keep the reader guessing. An excellent ending with a surprising final twist. Worth getting for the weekend.
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The Pact by Jodi Picoult – suspenseful and intriguing 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
1/19/2006 11:20 AM
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Jodi Picoult – the author of the Richard and Judy bestseller “My sister’s Keeper” – has written an interesting novel – the Pact – that explores the relationships between parents and children, and within families when faced with a serious trauma. The novel centres on a suicide pact between two young teenage lovers, and explores the myriad of factors involved in the inexorable progress to the death of the young girl, and the trial of the surviving boyfriend. There are compelling views of the families, both between and within them, the legal advisors and the time of incarceration. The ending could be better, I thought.
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