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The Ivy Chronicles – Karen Quinn. Chick Lit 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
6/30/2006 2:02 PM
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Karen Quinn’s The Ivy Chronicles [ISBN 0 74343 9216 1] is a slickly written, amusing chick lit novel, which seems to be based on the author’s own experiences. It has a pretty straightforward plot – rich indulgent high powered NY couple with two children lose jobs, split up and hit bottom
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Jodi Piccoult – Vanishing Acts - Literary Fiction 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
6/29/2006 2:41 PM
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Vanishing Acts, a novel by the prolific Jodi Piccoult [ISBN 0 340 83549 4] has a overtly simple but also clearly tortuous plot and a gripping and emotionally powerful narrative full of moral dilemmas that draw you in – at least in the first chapters
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Henry Porter’s Empire State. Spy thriller 9/10 |
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By bookworm on
6/28/2006 1:37 PM
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Empire State by Henry Porter [ISBN 0 75285 892 0] is a compulsive read. I’m not a fan of spy stories (or at least I haven’t been in the past) but a friend recommended this, so I found out how very readable it was
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Meg Gardiner – Jericho Point Crime fiction/Thriller 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
6/23/2006 10:26 AM
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Jericho Point, [ISBN 0 340 82935 4] is Meg Gardiner’s third novel featuring Evan Delaney. The plot is not great, though there are quirks written into it that keep you guessing, they are not always effective, but the writing is lively and pacy, and the characterisations are well draw
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Michael Palmer – Natural Causes. Medical Thriller 6/10 |
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By bookworm on
6/20/2006 12:12 PM
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Natural Causes by Michael Palmer [ISBN 0 –09-972711-0] is a medical thriller with a complex and not wholly believable plot where conspiracy figures large. The narrative moves along quite well and suspenseful scenarios are set up again and again.
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Robert Goddard – Sight Unseen. Crime fiction 9/10 |
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By bookworm on
5/30/2006 2:55 PM
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Sight Unseen by Robert Goddard [ISBN 0 552 15210 2] is a immensely satisfying crime fiction novel that shows his usual mastery of plot, of suspense and tension sustaining and of action. The narrative is nice and pacy with good use of flashback (not my favourite literary device) and is full of drama and tragedy that is well captured in the characterisations and descriptions
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The Daydreamer by Ian McEwan. Children’s/adults imaginative fiction 5/10 |
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By bookworm on
5/29/2006 2:11 PM
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Ian McEwan’s The Daydreamer [ISBN 0 009 959061 1] is a strange little book of stories, ostensibly for children, though I do feel that it would be a precocious child who you would read the stories to, and by the time they would read books of this complexity they may feel the content a little patronising
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Trail of the Dead by Jon Evans. Crime chiller 8/10 |
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By bookworm on
5/27/2006 12:57 PM
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Jon Evans crime thriller Trail of the Dead [ISBN 0 340 83145 6] is a first novel – and really very good indeed. The plot is nicely logical but quite twisty, too. The narrative grips from the very beginning – the original premise opened up at the outset drives the need to know exactly what is happening
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Blinded by Stephen White. Psychological thriller 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
5/24/2006 4:59 PM
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Stephen White’s crime fiction novel Blinded [ISBN 0 316 72501 3] has a plot that creaks a little at times with action almost entirely blocked by client confidentiality (which may well be true in real life, but why bore a story with it?) and , though the narrative is quite engaging and sticky –some of the action may seem
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Death in Springtime by Magdalen Nabb. Crime fiction 9/10 |
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By bookworm on
5/23/2006 11:32 AM
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Magdalen Nabb’s book Death in Springtime [ISBN 1 56947 415 X] is an early member of the series of Marshal Guarnaccia crime fiction stories set in Florence. I am afraid that I so enjoy the wonderful writing creating the sights, smells and tastes of Florence that it’s almost as good as a visit (well, perhaps not).
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Frances Fyfield – Looking Down. Crime Fiction 5/10 |
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By bookworm on
5/16/2006 1:16 PM
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Looking Down, this psychological whodunit/crime thriller [ISBN 0 7515 3340 8] by Frances Fyfield, is a twisty and sometimes annoying kind of book. The plot is obfuscated by the dream-like ramblings of one of the main characters
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Denial by Peter James. Psychological thriller 7/10 |
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By bookworm on
5/14/2006 3:18 PM
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Peter James’ book Denial [ISBN 0 75286 223 5] has a fairly straightforward plot – it is pretty clear from the outset what the central psychopath is going to try to do – and this is the type of narrative where the reader knows more
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The Safe House by Nicci French. Psychological thriller 8/10 |
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By bookworm on
5/11/2006 1:52 PM
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Nicci French’s book The Safe House [ISBN 0 14 027036 1] has a very intricate plot – with so many layers the reader is cleverly misled several times – and the narrative very cleverly creates intense suspense with glimpses of the underlying actions of psychopath .....
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Last Rights by Barbara Nadel. Crime thriller 5/10 |
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By bookworm on
5/9/2006 1:49 PM
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Barbara Nadel’s book Last Rights is (disappointingly for me) not part of her Inspector Ikmen series set in turkey, but is set in wartime London during the blitz. Deservedly winner of a CWA Silver Dagger, Nadel is excellent on clever plots,
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Peter Robinson – Playing with Fire. Crime Fiction 9/10 |
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By bookworm on
5/8/2006 1:44 PM
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Playing with Fire by Peter Robinson [ISBN 0 330 44678 9] is a well written, well constructed book, where the narrative clearly, and page by page, gives jigsaw pieces that challenge the reader to assemble – that is, before another more likely piece presents itself.
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The Hundredth Man by Jack Kerley. Serial murder/crime fiction 8/10 |
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By bookworm on
5/7/2006 1:28 PM
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Jack Kerley’s The Hundredth Man {ISBN 0 00 718059 4] is a quite gruesome, scary crime fiction book.. I don’t like gratuitously macabre descriptions but this book is very well put together, and all descriptions and crime details are woven intricately into the plot and only a little cheating.
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Beyond Recall by Robert Goddard. Crime fiction 6/10 |
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By bookworm on
5/5/2006 12:18 PM
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Robert Goddard’s book Beyond Recall {ISBN 0 552 14225 5] has a complicated plot and a narrative-with-flashbacks which is not my favourite novel structure – because the various dribbles of information given in a variety of different contexts take so much remembering if ploughing through the detail gets tedious – which it does sometimes in Beyond Recall
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Henry Porter’s Empire State. Spy thriller 9/10 |
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By bookworm on
4/27/2006 8:50 AM
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Empire State by Henry Porter [ISBN 0 75285 892 0] is a compulsive read. I’m not a fan of spy stories (or at least I haven’t been in the past) but a friend recommended this, so I found out how very readable it was.
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