Books - Book Aid

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Bookaid.org.uk is a blog reviewing books I'm reading day by day. Written by me, an ecelectic but easily bored readaholic, it covers a wide range of fiction from literary stuff through crime fiction and science fiction and even some non-fiction such as biography and travel.

The book reviews are non-commercial and express the perhaps idiosyncratic opinions of the blogger. I encourage freedom of speech,discussion and debate though I would ask for consideration when posting comments.

Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs. American crime fiction 8/10
Like Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs is a forensic anthropologist and so is her heroine, Temperance Brennan, but her books, and this one – Bones to Ashes- [ISBN 978 0 09 949236 8] particularly is much better than Cornwell of late. The science is excellent (sometimes rather laboured and over-detailed as if she MUST show her knowledge) and the plot good, but a little contrived in parts, though the narrative moves along OK.

Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs. American crime fiction 8/10
Like Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs is a forensic anthropologist and so is her heroine, Temperance Brennan, but her books, and this one – Bones to Ashes- [ISBN 978 0 09 949236 8] particularly is much better than Cornwell of late. The science is excellent (sometimes rather laboured and over-detailed as if she MUST show her knowledge) and the plot good, but a little contrived in parts, though the narrative moves along OK.

End Games by Michael Dibdin. Crime fiction 10/10
End Games was Michael Dibdin’s last novel [ISBN 978 0 571 23617 6] and its one of his very best. Featuring Aurelio Zen, in Calabria, and giving a wonderfully clear and rich picture of Italian life from his perspective. As his final case, it’s a winner for plot, amusing ironic narrative and all-round ambiance.

Bad Blood by Linda Fairstein. American crime fiction 8/10
Linda Fairstein’s crime fiction novel Bad Blood [ISBN 978 0 7515 3807 6] is a fast-paced interesting read – not only is there a mystery that takes some unravelling – but you may well find out things about the bowels of New York you never thought about. The plot and ending are pretty good and the narrative moves along well. The main character and her two sidekicks do get rather anal and exclusive book by book.

Harbor by Lorraine Adams. American thriller 8/10
This book , Harbor by Lorraine Adams won the LA Times book award and you can see why [ISBN 1 84527 034 0] – its seriously deep and brilliantly written – and a powerful and sensitive social commentary on immigrant communities in the USA. It also looks into the nature of terrorism and motivation – it is fast paced and empathic – hard stuff to do.

Nemesis by Bill Napier. Sci Fi thriller 6/10
The science (or specifically Astronomy) in Bill Napier’s novels is convincing and authentic because he is, in fact, an astronomer, but the science is perhaps the best part of his novel Nemesis [ISBN 0 7472 5993 3]. The plot has several double blinds, which is quite clever, but doesn’t convince as much as it should. The narrative is exciting and quite pacy, though the characterisations and dialogue I found not particularly lively, though scientists could well be as lacklustre as this and talk all the time in mathematical speak. They could well do that.

The Intruders by Michael Marshall. American thriller 8/10
Michael Marshall wrote the very creepy The Straw Men and its sequels and this book, The Intruders [ISBN 978 0 00 720997 2] has a very similar feel. Its brilliantly put together, unguessable plot, tight quickly-moving narrative that keeps you on the end of the seat, and a scary mystery at the heart which makes this not a first choice for bedtime reading for the nervous.

Counter Parts by Gonzalo Lire. American thriller 9/10
I hadn’t heard of this author before but Counter Parts by Gonzalo Lire [ISBN 0 575 60241 4] is a very good read indeed. A plot heavy with strange goings-on in the CIA and paid assassins is put together with maximum tension and features some interesting multi-dimensional characters (how many all-too human gun-toting nuns have you read about recently ?)

The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Gloomy American Literary fiction 5/10.
Cormac McCarthy’s novel The road [ISBN 978 0 307 38789 9] is a post-Apolcalypse story well conceived, imaginative and well written – but it is relentlessly downbeat and quite repetitive in tone and overall I found it a deeply depressing view of human nature.

Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron. Travel non-fiction 10/10
Colin Thubron’s book Shadow of the Silk Road [ISBN 978 0 099 43722 2] is an account of his journey following the major towns and cities of the old silk route across Asia. It is most beautifully written – his prose is a joy to read, and it is a fascinating and humorous reflection of the different ways the people he meets think about the world.
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