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A Passion for Killing by Barbara Nadel. Turkish crime fiction 9/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/25/2007 2:14 PM
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Barbara Nadel is one of my favourite authors – she may not be the best crime writer, but the atmosphere of her stories set in Turkey featuring Inspector Ikmen are brilliant, and this one, A Passion for Killing [ISBN 978 0 7553 2134 6] is her latest and is no exception. The plot is nicely convoluted and the context (around specialist Turkish carpets) quite fascinating. What makes it as usual is the humanity and intelligence of the central character, the chain-smoking family centred Ikmen, and his side kick Suleyman now with his estranged marriage repaired.
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Dark House by Theresa Monsour. American Crime fiction 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/22/2007 9:12 AM
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Theresa Monsour’s crime thriller Dark House [ISBN 0 7515 3821 3] is a well-written story, with an above-average plot. The split narrative moves the story along along well, though the characters are clunky and not always believable. What made the book for me was the atmospheric background of Minnesota in winter, with a world shut down with cold and the limits this puts on people’s lives. The author ekes out the suspense and though the ending is not unexpected, the reader has to work for it.
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The Darkness Inside by John Rickards. American Crime fiction 8/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/19/2007 6:39 PM
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John Rickard’s crime fiction novel, The Darkness Inside [ISBN 978 0 141 01116 4] is a pretty good read overall. The plot is refreshingly original, with a number of surprising twists and turns, especially the ending whilst the narrative is straightforward and brisk Only the characters are a little lacklustre – I know authors can’t make their detectives too bright or they would find stuff out too soon, but sometimes you can get annoyed at the slow way their thinking works !
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Tai Pan by James Clavell. Historical world fiction 6/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/17/2007 9:40 AM
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I’ve scored Tai Pan, this historical fiction-based-on-historical-fact-ish novel by James Clavell as a 6 only because of its residual interest in an area of history (the formation of Hong Kong) I knew little about. However, it would have been more productive to read a non-fiction history, I feel. The book is a very dense narrative peopled with two dimensional characters who are either pretty bad or insipidly good. And it is very long and can become very tedious if one tries to finish it quickly. If you have a boring weekend ahead, it may be worth your while.
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A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Literary World fiction 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/14/2007 1:18 PM
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Khaled Hosseini, author of the wonderful but (I found) depressing novel The Kite Runner, has written a second book with a background of Afganistan under the Taliban, A Thousand Splendid Suns [ISBN 978 0 7475 8297 7]. Not quite as wrenching a tale as The Kite Runner, but this book is still very negative about Afganistan under the Taliban, though the story line is much more positive. The narrative is quite enthralling and the reader easily becomes engaged in the (sad) lives of the characters. It is, however, a story primarily about love and friendship between women, and therefore has many enlightening aspects
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Sovereign by C J Sansom. Historical crime fiction 10/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/12/2007 9:25 AM
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C J Samsom’s Historical crime fiction book Sovereign [ISBN 978 0 330 43608 3] is the very best book of its type I have read. Set, like Philippa Gregory’s books, in the time of the Tudors, but this book surpasses Gregory in every way. Set at the time of Henry VIII’s major progress to York with Catherine Howard this book paints the story of life at the time, the problems of long journeys, and, indeed conveys the huge logistical issues of a progress with the court and an army to feed and house along the way. This was a delightful and engaging backdrop. However, the plot – taken in accurate historical context- is fascinating and believable, and the narrative – through the first person account of a lawyer, the hunchback Shardlake, reveals a side of history we rarely think about. The narrative is compelling, subtle and convincing, and the story grips from the first page to the last. I shall be tracking down his other books after this.
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The Sacred Cut by David Hewson. Crime fiction 10/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/11/2007 10:30 AM
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David Hewson’s crime fiction novel the Sacred Cut [ISBN 0 330 49367 1] is just so good that (unusually for me) I read it over a period of days rather than glopping it down all at once, because the atmospheric narrative just begs to be savoured. As his other novels featuring Nic Costa and his cronies, it is set in Italy, this one in Rome, and, unusually, during an unusual winter snow – this together gives the atmosphere a rather surreal feel – entering the Pantheon at night during a snow storm conjures up a powerful multi-sensory image – the Pantheon is cold enough at any time with its curious hole in the dome. The plot is tortuous and clever, and the characters (apart from the Americans who seem to be cast as weirdos) encouraging the reader’s empathy. Good ending, excellent suspense.
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Exit Music by Ian Rankin. Edinburgh Noir crime fiction 10/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/9/2007 9:29 AM
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Nobody quite gets the feel of Edinburgh like Ian Rankin AND brilliant story lines and characters, though in Exit Music [ISBN 978 0 7528 6860 8] Rankin has brought Rebus up to his retirement – though he hasn’t killed him off he has left a door open for a resurrection. The plot is, as usual, so well thought out, and the narrative bites into you – and nobody builds a character like Rankin does. Rebus is always edgy, never boring, and strangely attractive (though my image of him has been squashed by the two actors playing him in the TV series, he is so much better than portrayed isn’t he ?)
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Mission Canyon by Meg Gardiner. American Crime fiction 8/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/8/2007 3:07 PM
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Mission Canyon by Meg Gardiner [ISBN 978 0 340 82252 4] is the best American Crime fiction novel I’ve read for some time. One of the series featuring Evan Delaney, this book has a tight plot with a twist of an ending, with a really racy, well written fast-moving narrative that keeps the reader focused and interested. The two main male characters are the least attractive part of the novel, though, indeed they fit into their parts OK – but they appear to be rather feeble and whingy and out of control at the wrong times. But that’s just my opinion !
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The Virgin’s Lover by Phillipa Gregory. Historical fiction 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
11/7/2007 4:36 PM
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I have liked Phillipa Gregory’s series of books on the Tudors (search this blog), but the stories are becoming a little thinner. The Virgin’s Lover by Phillipa Gregory [CN 132067] tells the story of Elizabeth 1st and her relationship with Robert Dudley, and though she has given a slight twist to the story in parts, the story is well known and really tells little new. Except, for me her depiction of Robert Dudley as aggressive and unpleasant is not how I take his character – and I did take the time to read again a couple of history books just to check – so the book obviously engaged my attention.
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