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The Touch of Ghosts by John Rickards. Crime fiction 5/10 |
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By bookworm on
3/31/2006 12:31 PM
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A convoluted, complicated plot, which challenges the reader to think of any motive. Narrative has strung-out action, a plethora of red herrings and thinnish characters. But …is quite compelling overall - I did read through to the end determined to find out how things turned out.
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Conviction by Richard North Pattison – Legal process thriller 6/10 |
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By bookworm on
3/30/2006 10:44 AM
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Richard North Pattison’s legal thriller Conviction, is a well structured story, slow in parts like many legal cases, with a narrative switching from current to past and plot twists and turns. The characterisation is only fair with (for me) too much family history of violence which does get confusing – using the family happenings as padding slows the pace considerably. The story concerns two brothers, Rennell and Payton, who are accused of murdering a nine year old girl.
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Jeffrey Deaver – The 12th Card - Crime/Murder Mystery Fiction 8/10 |
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By bookworm on
3/29/2006 11:31 AM
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Jeffrey Deaver’s The 12th Card [ISBN 0 340 734566] is another one of the Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Sachs crime fiction books. The plot is excellent and the narrative sometimes a little patchy and off-focus, but on the whole builds to good, tense suspense with interesting crime scene biology/chemistry background for the purists. The main characters remain pretty emotionless and do not interfere with the plot ! The ending goes on and on in this one !
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Rough Trade by Dominique Manotti – Excellent Eurocrime novel 9/10 |
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By bookworm on
3/28/2006 9:38 AM
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Rough Trade by Dominique Manotti [ISBN 1-900850-87-7] translated from the French by Margaret Crosland and Elfreda Powell is a complex, expertly drawn, atmospheric novel set in Le Sentier, the rag trade district of Paris where a number of themes - the fight of low paid illegal immigrants to acquire job status, traffic in heroin, the death of a young Thai girl used in a sinister video sex club, the involvement of police – are woven into a exciting plot.
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Linda Grant – When I lived in Modern Times –winner of the Orange Prize for fiction 2000 |
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By bookworm on
3/27/2006 2:53 PM
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This is a lyrical story, with the subject well-handled and an interesting viewpoint. The strong narrative uses a range of literary devices to break the flow – especially strong characterisation and excellent evocative description. The book themes are idealism, cultural belonging, youth and optimism, political naivety and particularly, the importance of identity.
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Ian Rankin – Watchman An early novel: crime/spy fiction 9/10 |
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By bookworm on
3/26/2006 12:34 PM
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Watchman was Ian Rankin’s 2nd novel, now re-released with a new introduction. It is a spy story rather reminiscent of Graham Greene. Miles, the “Watchman” is involved in watching “Latchkey” an IRA cell. The are a number of characters – the Director who is faintly caricatured, a newspaper reporter, the CIA an MP (the usual suspects). The story builds slowly and enigmatically, much happens that is unexplained, but adds to the problems of the main character and the build up of tension. The action moves across to Ireland as the secret service is obviously trying to get rid of Miles by setting him up, as he’s a problem. There is a good double-twist ending and a final denouement at Waverly station, that is quite atmospheric.
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The Wishing Game by Patrick Redmond – Psychological thriller 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
3/25/2006 12:53 PM
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Patrick Redmond’s The Wishing Game [ISBN 0 340 74818 4] is a real chiller – quite powerfully written, and also, even given that the setting may well not suit everyone, compelling readable. The setting is the strange hothouse of a boys public school, superbly contextualised and believable, where the characters of the boys, masters and their wives are exceptionally well drawn and draw the reader in with sympathy as the story unfolds. The story starts with a 40-years-on interview with one of the participant’s in the books drama revealing that there was even more to the awful happenings than was revealed to the press at the time. The narrative goes on then to tease out the story and motives from early, almost insignificant actions. Basically, this is a story about bullying by groups of boys and masters, and the development of a defence to this activity which gets out of hand. The narrative develops an increasingly fast pace, as “accidents” become more serious and people die. The ending is pretty weird a ...
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Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein Bk II– City of Night – Horror/thriller 6/10 |
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By bookworm on
3/24/2006 1:34 PM
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There are several threads in this new story of Frankenstein with a single simple theme of the return of Frankenstein after several centuries. It is quite pacy and very strange in parts – as much science fantasy as horror fiction. Substantially, Deucalion, the original monster, created by Victor Frankenstein (now Victor Helios). This legendary monster has survived the centuries to become a haunted and heroic figure dedicated to battling the truly monstrous evil that has also survived the years: the cruel genius who gave him life now Victor Helios who is still churning out replicant humans and replacing people. Having failed to kill his maker in the past, now scarred and strange, he lives with monks in Tibet until he hears about the new monsters and returns to try to kill him. One storyline follows two cops – Michael and Carson, who are trying to track Victor down whilst another focuses on Victor and his wife Erika (the 6th Erika who keeps needing replacement as she goes wrong and fails to please him) ...
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The 5th Horseman by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro – Crime fiction/murder mystery 6/10 |
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By bookworm on
3/23/2006 3:43 PM
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James Patterson’s The 5th Horseman [ISBN 0 7553 2307 6] is a deceptively fast-paced thriller. The plot is pretty straightforward, with two main, and unconnected throughout, story lines. The book is thinly related to others in the “Women’s murder club” series. The narrative chugs along with continued deaths, whilst most of the time the police have no clue what is happening – so although there is continued action, there is frustration wondering if the plot will ever be resolved. (It is by the last page). It is skilled writing for suspense, though characterisations are pretty superficial, so there is little to engage the reader only the problem-solving.
Set in San Francisco, the action begins with an unexpected death in a hospital, and a staged murder of a young woman found in a car, dressed after death in designer clothes. Resolving the first is the job of Lt Lindsay Boxer – and much much later she begins to look into the first. As many series stories of this ilk the private lives o ...
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The Other Boleyn Girl – by Philippa Gregory – Historical Fiction 8/10 |
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By bookworm on
3/22/2006 11:49 AM
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The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory is extremely well researched and seems authentic to known facts about the life of Mary Boleyn, Anne’s younger sister. This book of historical “faction” puts the focus on the “minor” historical character in the Boleyn family, and the actions of the other Boleyns are seen from her perspective. There do seem to be a number of anachronisms in the phraseology of the letters and some dialogue, though this is a very minor issue.
The story begins with the shy 12 year old who is Katherine of Aragon’s maid who in the hothouse of the court attracts the attention of King Henry. Gregory has Mary positioned by her sister Anne (with her advanced ideas of lovemaking gained at the French court) and her brother George to become Henry’s mistress at 13. Her uncle and father are part of the plot using her to gain power and influence with the King. The narrative then follows the fall of Mary from favour and the rise of Anne – and then the increasing shrewishne ...
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