Books - Book Aid
Guardian of the Dawn by Richard Zimler. Literary/Historical fiction 5/10
Books By bookworm on 10/31/2007 11:43 AM
Richard Zimler’s novel Guardian of the Dawn [ISBN 1 84529091 7] is one of those well-researched books that tell you a great deal you didn’t know about a particular time and place in the past whilst depressing you again over the vagaries of human nature. Set in the 16th in Portugese Goa it tells the story of the Catholic Inquisition scything their way through the colony’s Hindus or Jews. However, as well as a heavy plot, the ragbag of characters are uniformly unpleasant and untrustworthy, and the narrative is very slow in many parts
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Bone Mountain by Eliot Pattison. Crime fiction 9/10
Books By bookworm on 10/29/2007 10:11 AM
Eliot Pattison’s crime fiction novel Bone Mountain [ISBN 0 09 942206 9] is unusual and absorbing: set in Tibet and full of Tibetan and Buddhist legends and beliefs it also has an intriguing plot – which continues to mystify and interest the reader throughout the book – the narrative is convoluted and often gripping and the reader becomes involved with the lives of these strange characters – and comes to appreciate the major tragedies of the Tibetan people so much more powerfully than a direct factual account. A terrific ending.
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Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamandia Ngozi Adichie. Literary fiction 6/10
Books By bookworm on 10/24/2007 9:29 AM
Chimamandia Ngozi Adichie’s novel Half of a Yellow Sun [ISBN 978 0 00 720028 3] is set against the Biafran/Nigerian war in the 1960s, and is told through the different viewpoints of three characters. Even though the book is written in novel form (chopped up time lines, switching narratives) I felt it would have been more effective as a straight story (and even as non-fiction) – as is was, the author can abrogate responsibility for what the characters do or say – and fail to give any kind of real analysis for causes or even views or visions for ways forward for Nigeria. I found the story turgid and heavy, and hard to get through the literary devices chopping up the narrative.
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Alice in Jeopardy by Ed Mc Bain. Crime thriller 8/10
Books By bookworm on 10/23/2007 1:46 PM
Not like his precinct stories but his novel Alice in Jeopardy [ISBN 978 1 4072 1698 1] benefits from this veteran author’s skill in plotting and dribbling his narrative to keep you interested. This type of plot (abductions) are not my favourite as the outcomes are so few, but Ed McBain manages to string this out superbly.
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Birdman by Mo Hayder. Gruesome crime fiction 7/10
Books By bookworm on 10/22/2007 9:02 AM
Mo Hayder’s serial-killer novel Birdman [ISBN 0 553 81265 3] is very well plotted – with the narrative intense and quite skilful with drawn-out suspense but, as the jacket blurb quoting Val McDermid says “Not for the faint hearted”. I must admit this book is more gruesome than my eclectic comfort level is set at.
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Winter’s End by John Rickards. Crime fiction 10/10
Books By bookworm on 10/19/2007 8:39 AM
John Rickard’s debut novel Winter’s End [ISBN 0 141 01127 0] is just brilliant. The plot is very clever indeed, and impossible to second guess, it starts with a chilling puzzle and the narrative moves forward sinuously, gripping the reader and drawing you in. It is particularly well written, and the context and background – a small town, Winter’s End, in Maine in winter – is fascinating. The characters peopling this little town add to the fascination, and the denouement is very good indeed, though I did get a whisper of a feeling of what would happen - but not until the author decided to unwrap a few red herrings.
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Carte Blanche by Carlo Lucarelli. Eurocrime-“Italian Noir” 8/10
Books By bookworm on 10/15/2007 9:00 AM
Carte Blanche by Carlo Lucarelli [ISBN 1-93337215-x] is the first of a trilogy, and I’m going to have to track down the other two. I think it was his first novel and, if so, it indicates all the promise he shows later in Almost Blue. Its not so much the plotting that makes this novel, but the fascinating context (Italy, just at the end of WW2) and the characters all somehow fashioned from their wartime experiences and roles. The narrative holds the reader enthralled. It will be interesting to see where the second book of the trilogy leads.
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Mercy by David Lindsey. Crime fiction 9/10
Books By bookworm on 10/12/2007 8:33 AM
David Lindsey’s serial-murder crime fiction novel Mercy [ISBN 0 7515 0239 1] is written by a master-plotter – the plot is so good it leads you convincingly down so many dead-ends that the final denouement gives a surprise ending. This book is a long one, and such books often wilt in patches, but not this one – the narrative remains fresh and adsorbing throughout. The characters are believable and have some depth – and though slightly dysfunctional (which seems to be par for detectives) do act intelligently and purposefully. I dropped it a point in the score because of the gratuitous gruesomness – though this does go with such topics.
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Lost in Transmission by Wil MacCarthy. Sci-fi 6/10
Books By bookworm on 10/8/2007 11:16 AM
Another Science fiction novel in a week is rather more than I’m used to. During my heyday of Sci-fi reading I used to exchange books with a Sci-Fi addict friend who said “I don’t read space” which always amused me because Space is where it started. However, I must be a late developer because I can now say “I don’t really want to read about space again”. Lost in Transmission, by Wil MacCarthy is one of those reasons [ISBN 0 553 58447 2]. The novel starts off OK; the science (always a weakness of modern fantasists) is very good, and the story scenario is reasonably promising – but, then there follows the interminable narrative of the star-ship journey to a new planet and immortal life assured by technology. However, very little dramatic or philosophical mileage is made of any of this, and the characters are thin to the point of disappearance. I’ve forgotten them already.
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Land of the Headless by Adam Roberts. Sci-fi 5/10
Books By bookworm on 10/5/2007 3:14 PM
I think I must be growing out of Science Fiction as the latest reads appear so very hackneyed up to the master writers. Adam Roberts science fiction novel Land of the Headless [ISBN 978 0 575 07588 7] has one very good idea – a future world where certain criminals are punished by the removal of their head, but with the replacement of hearing and sight by inferior prosthetics. So, perhaps a good start, but the story has no edge or bite, and wanders along with little purpose, and the narrative becomes so boring I lost the will to live. There must have been a chance to make something of the strange society through observation or commentary, but instead focuses almost entirely on the difficulties of getting about with no head. Its quite funny if mostly gruesome.
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Hope to Die by Lawrence Block. American Crime fiction 10/10
Books By bookworm on 10/4/2007 8:37 AM
Yet another great read from the master crime fiction writer Lawrence Block and his novel Hope to Die [ISBN 0 75283 839 3] featuring the now ageing now ex-detective Matt Scudder. Vintage stuff this, brilliant plot and a smart paced double narrative and the rounded character of Matt Scudder and the amazing TJ – and written with that nicely observed humour you associate with Lawrence Block. If you’ve not read him rush out and start reading – there’s a lot of catching up to do as he’s been writing a long time.
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Before the Frost by Henning Mankell. Crime fiction 9/10
Books By bookworm on 9/29/2007 11:04 AM
I have actually read Henning Mankell’s Before the Frost [ISBN 1 843 43113 0] some time ago but enjoyed reading it again whilst we wait for his latest and last novel to come out in paper back. This book features Linda Wallender – the daughter of Swedish Inspector Wallender the hard working and stressed policeman of his earlier novels. The plot is nicely set up, with the reader aware, through a double narrative, only slightly more than the Wallenders. The narrative has Mankell’s wonderful bleakness and angst, psychological insights of the most sensitive kind, and a set of characters you can get your teeth into (in a manner of speaking).
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The Savage Garden by Mark Mills. Literary historical/mystery fiction 9/10
Books By bookworm on 9/24/2007 1:04 PM
Mark Mills novel The Savage Garden [ISBN 978 0 00 716193 5] is set in Tuscany in the 1950’s and the context of the Italian summer is atmospheric and satisfying. The plot is a nice puzzle and the characters have a significant depth, and the narrative, though never hurried, carries an increasing and building suspense and menace.
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The World According to Bertie Alexander McCall Smith. Light Literary fiction 8/10
Books By bookworm on 9/19/2007 1:18 PM
On the surface Alexander McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland Street Novels, of which this, The World According to Bertie [ISBN 978 1 84697 017 7] is the latest, are lightweight easy reading fiction. Easy and pleasant reading perhaps, but so beautifully observed, so cleverly detailed that the skill of the author is revealed on each page.
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Sleeper by Paul Adam. Murder mystery fiction 10/10
Books By bookworm on 9/16/2007 1:44 PM
Paul Adam’s murder mystery novel Sleeper [ISBN0 7515 3407 2] was such an enjoyable read I just had to give it full marks. The book is cleverly plotted, the narrative moves along quickly without feeling skimped or inconsidered or muddled, and the context – violin making – is just so original and fascinating that it leaves the reader feeling much more knowledgeable and richer for it. It has just a flavour of the grail-search novels (unknown papers revealed etc) but this does not detract from the pleasure of the plot.
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To the Hermitage by Malcolm Bradbury. Literary fiction 5/10
Books By bookworm on 9/15/2007 9:18 AM
Malcolm Bradbury’s To the Hermitage [ISBN 0 330 37663 2] is a book that just reeks with erudition, in fact it oozes it from every pore. The jacket crits are typically OTT –some words are “playful” “tricky”, “an intellectual fireworks display” “a bold technique” and amazingly enough Auberon Waugh says that this is “The funniest book ever written”. I can only think that an evening in his company could hardly be a barrel of laughs if that’s the case.
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Kill the Messenger by Tami Hoag. American Crime thriller 8/10
Books By bookworm on 9/14/2007 2:01 PM
Tami Hoag’s crime fiction novel Kill the Messenger[ISBN 978 1 8456 1464 5] is, in my opinion, one of her best. The LA context gives that edge of threat and interest: the plot is good, suspenseful and quite tight, and the narrative keeps up a fast pace whilst the characters are believable and have the reader rooting for them from the outset.
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The Dark Clue by James Wilson. Recreation of Victorian suspense novel 6/10
Books By bookworm on 9/13/2007 8:19 AM
James Wilson’s novel set in Victorian England The Dark Clue [ISBN 0 571 20276 4] is his first novel and is clever, well researched and well written. However, the story itself, based on what may or may not have been the life of the painter Turner is not particularly gripping. The plot is strung out promising dark and desperate secrets though overall its rather feeble. The narrative is a series of contrived devices – long letters to the wife, memos, diary entries etc. which chop it about. If you are a fan of Victorian novels, this is for you as you’ll appreciate the book’s subtlety and intelligence.
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The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill. Crime thriller 7/10
Books By bookworm on 9/12/2007 8:27 AM
Susan Hill’s thriller The Various Haunts of Men [ISBN 0 099 45209 5] has excellent jacket crits, though I didn’t find the book quite as good as they suggested. The psychopathic serial killer plot is fine, and as for many novels of this kind carried on two narratives – the killer and the searchers – which, as usual, doesn’t really tell you who the killer is until the end. However, I did find the “enigmatic detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler” particularly annoying: enigmatic he may be but detect he didn’t for most of this book.
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Digging to America by Anne Tyler. Literary fiction 8/10
Books By bookworm on 9/11/2007 8:41 AM
Anne Tyler’s literary fiction novel Digging to America [ISBN 975 0 099 49939 8] is a delight and rich with believable stories and anecdotes about cross-cultural adoptions. With a mixture of cultural backgrounds (Jewish and Iranian American and Korean) this book illustrates the mass of contradictions present in the American psyche as well as the shared beliefs in nationhood.
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Angels Flight by Michael Connelly. American Crime fiction 9/10
Books By bookworm on 9/10/2007 8:39 AM
I thought I had read all of Michael Connelly’s books featuring H. Bosch, but Angels Flight [ISBN 978 1 8456 1464 5], originally published in 1999 was new to me – and if you missed it as well, I suggest you read it – its very good. The plot is pretty convoluted but credible, and the characters (being American and therefore always exotically foreign to me) fit in nicely, but it is the accomplished narrative that drops goodies all the way through the book ,keeping the reader interested.
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Broken Skin by Stuart Macbride. Crime fiction 10/10
Books By bookworm on 8/30/2007 11:45 AM
Stuart Macbride’s police procedural Broken Skin [ISBN978 0 00 719317 2] is his third book and its just as good as the others –if not better. Set as usual in the more salubrious parts of Aberdeen, and featuring the unlucky and overworked Logan, his ferocious girlfriend Jackie, the amazingly awful Detective Inspectors Insch and Steel, and an equally luscious supporting cast of misfits with human failings. Wonderfully and blackly funny
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The Death List by Paul Johnston. Serial killer UK 7/10
Books By bookworm on 8/28/2007 12:52 PM
Paul Johnston’s crime fiction novel The Death List [ISBN 978 0 7783 0159 2] starts off well – the underlying plot is mesmeric – it is just so weird you are curious to know what is happening – but it does get worse. The plot is all over the place –ripe with menace but less convincing at it proceeds. The characters are quite well drawn though our hero is so thick it’s a wonder he lasts until the end
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The Shadow Walker by Michael Walters. Eastern European (?) crime fiction 8/10
Books By bookworm on 8/22/2007 8:47 AM
Michael Walters’ crime/police procedural The Shadow Walker [ISBN-13978 1 84724 080 4] is set in Mongolia, in Ulan Bataar, which gives a very different context than the usual run-of-the mill crime novels. The plot is fine if a bit clunky though people you don’t know about keep appearing which is often a way of cheating the reader, and the narrative does skip about a bit, but the Mongolian policeman is a delight – intelligent, perceptive and intuitive – a regular Poiret.
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My Life as a Fake by Peter Carey. Literary Fiction 4/10
Books By bookworm on 8/21/2007 8:22 AM
Peter Carey’s My life as a Fake [CN 118758] is a book of literary fiction by this two-times winner of the Booker Prize. It is the story of an imagined character that appears in real life, and though the book is full of nicely written and evocative passages the thinness of this basic premise becomes quite tedious as the book proceeds.
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Mistress of Justice by Jeffery Deaver. Courtroom thriller 8/10
Books By bookworm on 8/18/2007 9:37 AM
Jeffery Deaver’s courtroom/psychological thriller Mistress of Justice [ISBN 978 0 340 82090 2] is much better than the title suggests – the plot set around shenanigans at a Wall Street firm of Attorneys- is nicely complex and only a tad contrived, whilst the characters are as wonderfully varied set of suspects you could wish for. The narrative , like Deaver’s other novels, gives the book quality as it weaves clues and none clues in and out with an excellent and satisfying ending.
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The Collected Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker. Literary-fiction & non-fiction collected works 10/10
Books By bookworm on 8/16/2007 3:32 PM
A recent visit to the Edinburgh Fringe and a play featuring the life of Dorothy Parker has led to the purchase of this book – The Collected Dorothy Parker [ISBN 0 14 118258 X] a collection of her short stories, witty poems and one liners and book reviews. Dorothy Parker was so very famous and of her time, and this collection gives glimpses of why that was. She shows acerbic wit, sharp perceptions of people and an underlying sadness. I think my favourite parts are the book reviews
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The Last Testament by Sam Bourne. Grail-search type thriller 8/10
Books By bookworm on 8/15/2007 8:16 AM
Sam Bourne’s novel The Last Testament [ISBN 978 0 00 720333 8] is a grail-search type thriller (though the object of the search is old testament not new). Set mainly in Palestine the book is well-researched and has lots of authentic touches of context and situation, the plot is not particularly complex but it has embroidered into it various red herrings, but it’s the way the narrative is chopped about (like much modern fiction of this type) that (rather artificially) creates the suspense. Sometimes you just wish for a straightforward story, but there you go.
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Dying Light by Stuart Macbride. Crime fiction 9/10
Books By bookworm on 8/14/2007 2:41 PM
Dying Light the crime fiction novel by Stuart Macbride [ISBN 978 0 00 719316 5] is his second book set in Aberdeen. The jacket blurbs say “gritty” and they’re not joking. The book is a brilliant anarchic police procedural, the plot is complex and full of red herrings, the summer time in Aberdeen does not make his second book any less bleak, and his characters equal Rankin’s (and that’s saying something from a committed Rankin fan).
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Seeking Sanctuary by Frances Fyfield. Thriller/fiction 6/10
Books By bookworm on 8/13/2007 12:33 PM
When I read this I thought it must be an early novel, but Seeking Sanctuary by Frances Fyfield [ISBN 978 0 7515 4009 3] is relatively recent (2003). It is a psychological thriller based in a convent and is well-written though the plot is not brilliant, this is to some extent compensated for by the characterisations, unbalanced and strange (with weird backgrounds) as they are.
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One for the Money by Carol Clewlow. Literary Fiction 8/10
Books By bookworm on 8/12/2007 9:20 AM
A narrative dating from the 1960s, Carol Clewlow’s novel One for the Money [ISBN 0 14 016984 9] creates the early days of drugs and sex and rock and roll. Told in flash back the rags to riches and back again is simple on one level, but has a deeper, darker and sophisticated treatment of the characters unable to cope with the excesses their wealth brings. It appears truthful and authentic and is a very good read.
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The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson. Literary Fiction/ Prize longlister 3/10
Books By bookworm on 8/9/2007 3:50 PM
The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson [ISBN 978 0 141 02335 9] bears some resemblance to the myriads of failed Literary Prize longlisters. It is experimental in form and substance, it is weirdly strange and one or two of the jacket blurbs bear all the coded language of this esoteric genre. Viz : “Fascinating, strange, extraordinary” ….”thought provoking . Demands another read”. The literary crits I feel laud the book in a kind of strange patronising way that values obscurity because this limits readership by the hoi poloi. I read as much as I could and confess this was not all of it.
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. Children’s fiction 8/10
Books By bookworm on 8/5/2007 10:31 AM
J.K Rowling’s final book in the Harry Potter series , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows [ISBN 978 0 7475 9106 1] was obviously a long awaited pleasure for most children who have now become adults with Harry Potter’s books. As for the adults who have followed Harry perhaps we are allowed a couple of minor comments. This book, the last in the series, ties off many secrets and finally releases Harry to live happily every after, though it is a dark book and long winded and attenuated in the middle section it still has Rowling’s magic, though not as much humour as earlier books. I particularly missed the pleasure of the daily life of Hogwarts
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Blood on the Tongue by Stephen Booth. Crime fiction 7/10
Books By bookworm on 8/3/2007 11:04 AM
Stephen Booth’s crime fiction book, Blood on the Tongue [ISBN 978 0 00 779661-6] is a pretty good read, though the complexity of the plot led to all kinds of mechanisms in the narrative to release the information – it’s a long book and the wavering narrative made it hard going at times. Altogether, the context – atmospheric creation of the Derbyshire Peaks in winter – was brilliantly done and makes this novel. The relationships of the main characters – the jacket blurb calls “complex” can be annoying at times and the female police boss particularly irritating (though this depth is good and not really a minus).
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The Nightingale’s Nest by Sarah Harrison Literary Fiction 6/10
Books By bookworm on 8/2/2007 9:10 AM
Sarah Harrisons’ literary fiction novel The Nightingale’s Nest [ISBN 1 84561 462 3] is a low-key and pleasant story set in twenties London with a readable style, with perceptive insights and interesting characters.
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Gone by Jonathan Kellerman. Crime thriller 7/10
Books By bookworm on 8/1/2007 2:56 PM
Jonathan Kellerman’s crime fiction novel Gone [ISBN 978 0 141 02195 9] is a workmanlike kind of book as usual. However, his psychologist hero Alex Delaware becomes very stale and tedious as a character with his life the usual mess and his ability to pick up clues pretty limited, and his gay cop friend Milo Sturgis appears to have become quite slovenly but whether this is because Kellerman is trying to blast the stereotype or whether he thinks being crumpled makes him more interesting (possibly more annoying ?) I can’t work out.
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At Close Quarters by Gerald Seymour. Adventure/Thriller 9/10
Books By bookworm on 7/31/2007 8:14 AM
Gerald Seymour’s At Close Quarters [ISBN 0 552 15397 4] is as tight and exciting as usual. The plot – this time around Palestinian terrorism – feels authentic and authoritative and is intricate and widely ranging,, and the well-written narrative just zooms along. As well as this his characters are complex and believable and you worry what will happen to them.
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The Inheritance of Loss by Hiran Desai. Man Booker Prize winner 2006. 6/10
Books By bookworm on 7/27/2007 8:16 AM
The Inheritance of Loss by Hiran Desai [978 0 141 02728 9] is typical of the Literary Prize winners of this time – novel set in exotic foreign parts, written in English by a foreign-born writer, highlighting differences, focussing on the psychology of characters and wordy and well written. Hiran Desai’s book is a series of psychologically intense, detailed scenes in and out of time sequence, chipping away at a broad narrative of the lives of her four or five characters, at its best and most alive when set in New York. I found it quite ponderous in places
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Instruments of Darkness by Robert Wilson. African crime fiction 9/10
Books By bookworm on 7/26/2007 12:25 PM
Instruments of Darkness a crime fiction book set in Benin, West Africa [ISBN 1 84561 464 X] is the first novel by Robert Wilson I have read, and excellent it is, too. The African context makes it an unusual and interesting read, but Robert Wilson’s cracking narrative laced with subtle humour brings the whole louche and corrupt world alive. Plot is good enough to be unguessable, and the characters creatures of the context, are well drawn. Classy writing.
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The Cold Moon by Jeffery Deaver. American Crime fiction 8/10
Books By bookworm on 7/25/2007 10:13 AM
Jeffery Deaver’s crime fiction novel The Cold Moon [ISBN 978 0 340 83383 4] is the latest in the Lincoln Rhyme series, and is, as usual, a good read. The plot has so many red herrings and twists and turns that just as soon as you feel that you are getting somewhere you find out you’re not. The split narrative tells the goodies and baddies stories, but, as usual, the baddies story doesn’t reveal very much at all. Its quite an addictive read and nicely put together, though Rhyme is just too clever for his own good – like Sherlock Home with his monographs on cigar ash.
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Ice Station by Matthew Reilly. Boys own adventure story 5/10
Books By bookworm on 7/24/2007 2:11 PM
Though Ice Station by Matthew Reilly [ISBN 978 0 330 45231 1] is pretty crummy, the strangeness of the plot and very weird narrative had a sort of mesmeric effect – and indeed, it keeps the reader guessing as to how all the strange mess is going to be resolved. (One suspects that not many will be alive to cause problems – and there might not be much of Antartica left either). It is quite risible but not bad escapist reading if you are fed up of the heavy stuff.
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Split Second by David Baldacci. American spy/adventure fiction 7/10
Books By bookworm on 7/20/2007 8:40 AM
I had a feeling of déjà vu reading Split Second by David Baldacci [ISBN 978 0 330 45226 7] because I have certainly read it before, though I didn’t remember the ending and its good enough for a second read. The plot is quite dense enough to keep the reader guessing, and the action busy enough – though the characters, like most books of this genre, are not the roundest of people.
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Winter in Madrid by C. J Sansom. Literary fiction 9/10
Books By bookworm on 7/19/2007 8:13 AM
C. J. Sansom’s literary fiction novel Winter in Madrid [ISBN 978 0 350 41198 1] is set in Madrid in 1940. After the Spanish Civil War Madrid is in a poor state, and Franco debates whether to enter the war. It is a very uncertain time, which is well portrayed in this book. The main characters are three men who had been at public school together as children, but are not quite friends. They are in very different roles in Spain and the story winds around the three of them and the politics of the time.
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Home Run by Gerald Seymour. Adventure/Spy 8/10
Books By bookworm on 7/18/2007 8:09 AM
Gerald Seymour’s spy thriller Home Run [ISBN 0 552 15395 8] is an action-packed adventure story, which amazingly almost avoids the naiveté of most boys own adventure stories and has a reasonable plot and a fast paced narrative – its a good story even though the characters are a little thinly drawn, but even so they manage to be quite rounded – the goodies are not all good and the baddies have good points – and one or two the reader has a problem of deciding which they are at all.
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Cold Granite by Stuart Macbride. Crime fiction 10/10
Books By bookworm on 7/17/2007 8:52 AM
I would compare Stuart Macbride’s crime fiction novel Cold Granite [ISBN 978 0 00 719314 1] to Ian Rankin, but that would be a major disservice to Macbride. As a first novel it is brilliant, set in Aberdeen and so very atmospheric, though no one is going to go there in winter after reading this book. Wonderfully crafted characters–the content is gruesome but the dialogue funny and revealing, the plot is clever and sneaky, and the narrative tight and addictive and the characters. Prepare to want to read it at one session.
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A Faint Cold Fear by Karin Slaughter. American crime fiction 9/10
Books By bookworm on 7/12/2007 8:09 AM
Karin Slaughter’s crime fiction novel A Faint Cold Fear [ISBN 0 09 944532 8] is so very well written that my quibbles about modern American crime fiction (hackneyed serial murder plots, over-gruesome details, unpleasant inept psychologically-flawed lead characters) are suspended even though the criticisms do apply – funny how really good writing grips and compels the reader in spite of unsettling content. The plot is complex but very well conceived, the narrative reveals clues and interest as it bowls along, and the characters
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The Missing by Chris Mooney. American Crime fiction 7/10
Books By bookworm on 7/11/2007 8:07 AM
Chris Mooney’s Crime fiction novel The Missing [ISBN 978 0 141 03085 2] reads like a formulaic crime fiction best seller – intricate plot, swiftly moving narrative and a CSI technician heroine with an iffy past. However, the plot is so convoluted I often lost it; the swiftly moving narrative reveals very little until the end and the heroine is one of those new breed that misses more than she spots – and she is so mixed up in the plot it is annoying not to know what she knows from the past. Come back Agatha Christie all is forgiven.
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The Watchman by Chris Ryan. Adventure fiction 9/10
Books By bookworm on 7/10/2007 3:36 PM
I have become a recent convert to Chris Ryan, and you know what they say about the zeal of a convert ! Chris Ryans book The Watchman [0 09 191105 2] is in my most unfavourite genres – the boy’s own adventure story (though perhaps just for grown up boys) but he really knows how to write a thriller to keep you on edge and reading.
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The Last Empress by Anchee Min. Historical fiction based on historical fact 8/10
Books By bookworm on 7/9/2007 8:54 AM
Anchee Min’s literary/historical fiction book The Last Empress[ISBN 978 0 7475 7850 5] is a sequel to her bestselling Empress Orchid, and takes us into the world of late 19th and early 20th century China and explains so much about why the country eventually became communist after so many centuries of stifling rigid control by rulers who lived in extreme pomp and luxury and who became increasingly cut off from the real world, and lived in a maelstrom of political intrigue and infighting.
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The Death of Dalziel by Reginald Hill. Crime fiction 10/10
Books By bookworm on 7/6/2007 8:46 AM
Reginald Hill’s latest in the Dalziel and Pascoe series, The Death of Dalziel [ISBN 978 0 00 719484 1] is the best book I’ve read for some time. I’ve not always liked the Dalziel and Pascoe books and the TV series seems to bear little resemblance in action and chronology to the books anyway, but this one is a brilliant read. I even read it all the way through without skipping a passage or two. The plot is well thought out, topical but with a different kind of slant, and the narrative with three different stories keep the reader interested all the way through
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