Reviews Written By: A3RX54RU8R8OMHprovided by Amazon.com |
 | ||
 | Skin River | |
 | "promising debut." | 2009-10-09 |
| This gritty and earthy slice of "country noir" iss et in small town Wisconsin ,where a serial killler is on the loose .The identity of the killer ,known by the name of "Goatskinner" is not long conceal;ed from the reader ; he is the local taxidermist ,"Angus Bodine " a man whose childhood traumas have resulted in his need to kill .He targets a waitress in a small diner ,a woman named Margot .Margot's boss and owner of the diner is Buddy Bayes and he has a thing for her .He is also on the run from the Chicago mob who have a score to settle with him ,and that is not the least of his worries either as the local law ,the barely competent Police Chief is determined to prove Buddy is the killer.When Goatskinner kidnaps Margot Buddy ,aided by his brother ,needs to rescue her from his clutches ,as well as evading the mob enforcers and proving his innocence
The prose is lean ,sparse and economical and the writer does not stint on the violence .His desriptive writing is superb and evokes the brooding bacwoods landscape and bucolic small town background superbly .The only problenm for me was the frequent use of quite lengthy flashbacks which served to vitiate tension and retard narrative drive . This is promising and a potent slice of Daniel woodrell like "country noir" /A better and stronger grasp on structure would have made it an even better novel but it is still a worthwhile read | ||
 | Sherlock - Case of Evil | |
 | "Misfiring revisionist Holmes adventure" | 2009-10-07 |
| This television movie shows us Holmes as a young man at he start of his career and not yet established in the private detective business.He is arrogant and full of his own cleverness ,self -confident to the point of being unbearable .He is approached by a personable young woman claiming to be a titled lady and also to be being blackmailed .Holmes takes the case ,finds that the culprit is none other than Professor Moriarty ,the Napoleon of Crime, and appears to despatch him in a duel with sword and pistol .Holmes uses a gutter journalist to spread news of his "success" and is soon the toast of London -indeeed he achieves great success with the ladies and for the first time in a "legitimate " Holmes movie is depicted in bed with a woman ,having parlayed his fame into sexual gratification.
Naturally all is not as it seems and following his investigation into the murders of various individuals connected with the burgeoning opium trade Holmes realises he has been duped and that Moriarty is not only still alive but planning to expand his activities and take over the whole drugs trade in London.He sinks into a decline full of recrimination and self doubt until the support of his new friend ,the London pathologist Doctor Watson encourages him to resume his battle with Moriarty .It is a battle that results in tragedy and death ,plus a narrowe escape at the hands of Moriarty who uses him as an unwilling guinea pig for trials on a new and potentially lucrative drug . The acting is a tad on the melodramatic side with all performances being slightly overdone and mannered while the script is weak .I do not mind movies taking a revisionist approach to established literary creations but they need to add something fresh when they do and this is all pretty old hat ans slovenly in its execution .It is not awful just mediocre and will go down as a minor addition to the Holmes canon on movies and TV | ||
 | Quincannon | |
 | "Slick entertainment from the master professional" | 2009-09-05 |
| Quincannon is packaged as a Western ,which given its setting and period, namely Idaho in the 1880's and early 1890's ,is understandable but it also works as a crime novel cum spy story as its hero ,John Quincannon ,is a US secret service agent on an undercover mission .He is a deeply troubled man ,having taken refuge from his guilt at accidently killing a pregnant woman in Virginia City some years previously by means of hitting the bottle big time .He still retains the confidence of his superior in the San Francisco area and is chosen for an assignment in Silver City ,Idaho where a counterfeit currency gang is operating .The sole clue is a note found clutched in the hands of a murdered informer ,saying simply "Whistling Dixon".Dixon is a simple cowjhand who is murdered soon after Quincannon's arrival in Silver City.The unravelling of the mystery is told in a brisk and propulsive prose and involves ,among other things an opium den ,a siege of a deserted mine and an enigmatic female named Sabina .
This is a rattling good read for lovers of the Western and devotees of the crime and spy yarns who are looking for something a bit unusual in terms of time and setting for those genres .Pronzini is a master professional and skilled storytelller and his gifts are well in evidence in this slick and enjoyable tale | ||
 | Unspeakable | |
| "A solid read but short of his best work" | 2008-10-17 |
| Holly Summers,a child welfare worker in Portland,Oregon ,has been deaf since childhood but this has not stopped her holding down a responsible position ,and developing exceptional skills as a lip reader ,skills that have been utilised by the local Police ,for whom she is an accredited lip reader.One day she "overhears" some people planning a murder and she works with the Police to try and thwart the crime .In particular her link is with the forceful Mickey Kavanagh -aka -Mickey Slim-whose admiration for Holly encompasses the personal as well as the professional . The planned crime is not the only thing on her mind however ;there are the usual number of deeply disturbing cases of neglect and abuse ,some of which turn sour for her and her department .There is a child suicide and a child rescued from an exploitative mother is none too grateful.Worst of all however is the curse placed on her by a Native American ,Daniel Joseph,who has severely beaten his 7 year old child claiming he harbours a demonic spirit .On his conviction Joseph calls down Raven ,a Native American evil spirit ,on Holly ,and from there on things begin to go seriously pear shaped in both her personal and professional lives ,building to a violent climax involving kidnapping ,sexual violation and one final shattering twist at the end (which ,personally ,I hated ,but it certainly jolts the reader) The book is a tad too fragmented for my liking with the all too real horrors of child abuse sitting uneasily beside the "fake horor"of the curse story .Masterton has worked for child abuse agencies and edited a charitable anthology called Scare Care ,and he clearly knows that field well .In a shortish book there is a lot going on and the book never really gells ,the writer seemingly unsure of just what kind of book it is.However ,it still remains worth reading with some powerful scenes. Not top drawer Masterton but sub par Masterton is still way better than most genre writers in this field .Okay but not his best | ||
 | Life Support | |
| "Powerful medical thriller" | 2008-09-24 |
| Life Support see its author in medical thriller mode ,and regular readers will know what this portends -lots of surgical procedures complete with visceral detail ,heroines in peril ,and in this case ,a medical cover-up by powerful and over ambitious Doctors.The heroine is Boston ER doctor ,Toby Harper who is having personal and professional problems .She lives with her mom ,Ellen ,who is ravaged by Alzheimer's and is under pressure at work as the result of having clashed with an egotistical surgeon who wants her dismissed from her post as an act of petty revenge .So ,it is not good news when an elderly ,confused patient ,one Harry Slotkin simply disappears from the ER after being picked up by cops while wandering around Boston naked . He is one of several cases of elderly men ,all residents of an upscale treatment facility named Brant Clinic who have suddenly developed such symptoms -dementia and erratic ,even violent, behaviour.She supects Creutzfeld-Jakobs disease ,and that it is the result of treatments received at the facility under the auspices of the arrogant and financially ambitious Doctor Wallenburg.She joins forces with pathologist Doctor Dvorak and seeks to expose the malpractice .The clinic strikes back using her most vulnerable point -her ailing mother. The sub plot revolving around a teenage hooker,Molly ,aids pathos to the strongly driven and tightly plotted tale . The book is quite gory in parts ,especially the operating theatrs scenes and the tale build to an exciting ,sweaty palmed climax .It is slickly told and exciting ,with characters you can root for but beware-it is quiter bloody at times and should be avoided by those who dislike such things in a novel | ||
 | Life Support | |
| "Powerful medical thriller" | 2008-09-24 |
| Life Support see its author in medical thriller mode ,and regular readers will know what this portends -lots of surgical procedures complete with visceral detail ,heroines in peril ,and in this case ,a medical cover-up by powerful and over ambitious Doctors.The heroine is Boston ER doctor ,Toby Harper who is having personal and professional problems .She lives with her mom ,Ellen ,who is ravaged by Alzheimer's and is under pressure at work as the result of having clashed with an egotistical surgeon who wants her dismissed from her post as an act of petty revenge .So ,it is not good news when an elderly ,confused patient ,one Harry Slotkin simply disappears from the ER after being picked up by cops while wandering around Boston naked . He is one of several cases of elderly men ,all residents of an upscale treatment facility named Brant Clinic who have suddenly developed such symptoms -dementia and erratic ,even violent, behaviour.She supects Creutzfeld-Jakobs disease ,and that it is the result of treatments received at the facility under the auspices of the arrogant and financially ambitious Doctor Wallenburg.She joins forces with pathologist Doctor Dvorak and seeks to expose the malpractice .The clinic strikes back using her most vulnerable point -her ailing mother. The sub plot revolving around a teenage hooker,Molly ,aids pathos to the strongly driven and tightly plotted tale . The book is quite gory in parts ,especially the operating theatrs scenes and the tale build to an exciting ,sweaty palmed climax .It is slickly told and exciting ,with characters you can root for but beware-it is quiter bloody at times and should be avoided by those who dislike such things in a novel | ||
| Seaflower | |
| "Another solid entry in the Kydd series" | 2008-09-19 |
| "Seaflower" comes after "Kydd" ,and "Artemis" in Mr Stockwin's series about Thomas Kydd ,a seaman in the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary Wars of the 1790's .It follows on from the second volume "Artemis " and opens with Kydd and others from that unfortunate vessel waiting to give testimony at a court martial into the loss of the ship.His testimony is damning to the officer responsible but that worthy still has influence ,so Kydd and others from the Artemis are sent on board the "Trojan "to the Caribbean there to wage a campaign to capture French occupied West Indian islands . The first port of call is Guadaloupe ,where the French settlers are largely sympatheic to the British ,being anti Jacaobin .However agents of the revolution successfully stir the slaves to insurrection and "Trojan "is forced to abort its mission and put out to sea where after a fierce strom they eventually dock in the British island of Antigua.Kydd is assigned to supervising local labour in the dockyard repair crew and is taken in by the master carpenter ,the devoutly religious Zachary Caird ,whose puritanism proves a stumbling block for his full acceptance of Kydd . Meanwhile Kydd's friend Renzi has wound up on Jamiaca where his brother is a substantial landowner,and where he is eventually re-united with Kydd and they join up with the cutter Seaflower which,under the inspired captaincy of the redoubtable Farrell .proves itself in battle ,before retuning to Jamaica.The final passage of the book details a long and arduous open boat voyage -vividly described -in which Kydd plays a vital role. Returning characters from earlier novels include Kydd's sister ,who is now the comapanion of a tiled lady in Jamaica . The book moves briskly and the actaion scenes are well described and vivid .This moves the life of Kydd along to its next stage with commendable vigour and only the increasingly tiresome musings of Renzi slow things down . Those who liked theb earlier volumes will like this ,and those unfamiliar with the earlier books are advised to give this a miss until they catch up. | ||
 | Beautiful Thing | |
| "Open hearted and tender coming out movie" | 2008-09-10 |
| This did not get rave reviews on its original cinema release and while it did respectable business on the art house circuit never made a major commercial splash .Yet this warm ,tender and unassuming movie has lasted long in the popular affection .It is competently directed and has the strong cast and solid support actors that have always been a feature of UK cinema.Yet its popularity is not solely down to these factors but rather to its generosity of spirit.It is not profound.It is not sophisticated .It is the cinema as comfort food and its world is the world of everyday struggles and quiet triumphs over adversity.It affirms in a positive way gay white working class identity and uses humour to project its message ,rather than employing a furrowed brow and pounding the "message" over in broad strokesbr /br /It is set in and around a working class housing estate in London and centres around 2 teens-,Jamie (Glen Barry)and Ste (Scott Neal).It establishes in its opening scene,set on the school playing fields, the contrast between the boys.Jamie hates sports and tries to get out of games .He loves old movies (there is a shot of Lucille Ball on his bedside cabinet)and reads celebrity and gossip magazines.He is most assuredly not "one of the lads" and is bullied and labelled as gay.Ste however likes sports and is good at them -when first seen he wears an Arsenal soccer shirt.He fits in and the contrast between the two is reinforced later in a scene where Ste joins in an informal kickabout as Jamie sits disconsolately on the sidelines .Yet we are given non verbal clues that the two boys ,while not bosom pals in school ,get on OK .In both the above scenes Ste gives Jamie a look of sympathy ,a "sorry about these wankers" expression on his face.br /For Ste ,home is the problem .He and Jamie are both living in single parent homes but they have wildly contrasting experiences of this .Ste is bullied by his alcoholic father and brutal elder brother ,while Jamie is loved firecely and loyally by his mother Sandra -the excellent Linda Henry.She and Jamie spar verbally but the love and support they give each other is real and unswerving and she is ambitious for a new and better life for them both and wants to run her own pub rather than stay a barmaidbr /What we get in the movie is a classic romantic narrative but one that just happens to involve two boys as they come to realise,not simply that they are gay ,but are drawn to each other.After one beating too many from his father Ste is taken in by Sandra and invited to "top and tail" with Jamie .The scene that follows is among the most tender and affecting in all cinema. I repeat-in all cinema ,not just gay cinema .The scene is not explicit but tender and loving ,fraught with fumbling and hesitancy (just like so many first encounters )and achingly moving.We then see the contrasting impact of the encounter on the two boys -Jamie growing in self confidence and Ste struggling to reconcile his sexuality with his status as "one of the lads" and frightened of his Dad and brother finding out .br /br /The major motif of the movie is "coming out" and visually the movie is suprisingly subtle.Producer Tony Garnett was a major TV producer and there is a slighly TV feel to the visuals especially the shots of the bleak estate but then the scenes will be brightened up by a rainbow and the attempts by residents to brighten up the area with window baskets etc .This is never just a wallow in social realism and the sense of unreality is quite deliberate at times .br /The leading actors are not hunks in the Hollywood sense .They are sweet - cute even- but quite ordinary kids in looks and aspirations ,which makes it an easy movie for gay teens to relate to .Note also the suggestions that Sandra has a gay side -her closest relationship is not with boyfriend Tony but her work partner Louise .She has the reputation as a sexual predator and comes across as quite butch and with a hint of sexual ambiguity.Her defiance of prejudice in the dance that features in the last scene is overt and more than simply a lioness defending her cubs from prejudice .Add a warm feisty performance from Tamara Empson a troubled teen Leah ,whose Mama Cass fixation is the excuse for some glorious soundtrack music.br /br /This is a celebration of coming out .It is open hearted and charming .I have a deep affection for this movie for while not great cinema it is life and love affirming.And that counts for a whole lot in my book .br /br /Seeek it out since it affirms two groups often derided in cinema -gays and blue collar whites .This is a pleasure | ||
 | Blinded (White, Stephen) | |
| "Workmanlike thriller" | 2008-07-01 |
| This is an entry in the long running series revolving around Boulder,Colorado based psychiatrist Alan Gregory .A former patient ,the voluptuous Gibbs Storey re-enters his life with a stunning revelation -she believes her husband ,Sterling ,is a serial killer and names a British cabin crew member Louise as one if his victims.Gregory is hamstrung by laws of client confidentiality but is permitted to share her revelation with both local and California Police officials (that being her state of residence).When Sterling goes missing the leg work involved in tracing him falls on Colorado cop and old friend Sam Purdy,who has recently sustained suffered a heart attack ,and Purdy is assisted by a woman California cop,the hard driven Carmen Reynoso .Their travels take them across America ,mostly to the South Meanwhile Gregory has other issues -his wife's MS is worse and somebody is bugging his practice and leaking client information to the media. The outcome is a pretty predictable and at well nigh 500 paperback pages the book is too long for its own good .however the characterization is sharp and effective ,Sam especially being a warm and welcome presence .His encounters with a Southern pastor and two hospitable elderly sisters portray with warmth and affection the type odf people often eother patronised or marginalised in American fiction Its not bad -just solid and average | ||
 | Blinded | |
| "Workmanlike thriller" | 2008-07-01 |
| This is an entry in the long running series revolving around Boulder,Colorado based psychiatrist Alan Gregory .A former patient ,the voluptuous Gibbs Storey re-enters his life with a stunning revelation -she believes her husband ,Sterling ,is a serial killer and names a British cabin crew member Louise as one if his victims.Gregory is hamstrung by laws of client confidentiality but is permitted to share her revelation with both local and California Police officials (that being her state of residence).When Sterling goes missing the leg work involved in tracing him falls on Colorado cop and old friend Sam Purdy,who has recently sustained suffered a heart attack ,and Purdy is assisted by a woman California cop,the hard driven Carmen Reynoso .Their travels take them across America ,mostly to the South
Meanwhile Gregory has other issues -his wife's MS is worse and somebody is bugging his practice and leaking client information to the media. The outcome is a pretty predictable and at well nigh 500 paperback pages the book is too long for its own good .however the characterization is sharp and effective ,Sam especially being a warm and welcome presence .His encounters with a Southern pastor and two hospitable elderly sisters portray with warmth and affection the type odf people often eother patronised or marginalised in American fiction Its not bad -just solid and average | ||
 | Blinded | |
| "Workmanlike thriller" | 2008-07-01 |
| This is an entry in the long running series revolving around Boulder,Colorado based psychiatrist Alan Gregory .A former patient ,the voluptuous Gibbs Storey re-enters his life with a stunning revelation -she believes her husband ,Sterling ,is a serial killer and names a British cabin crew member Louise as one if his victims.Gregory is hamstrung by laws of client confidentiality but is permitted to share her revelation with both local and California Police officials (that being her state of residence).When Sterling goes missing the leg work involved in tracing him falls on Colorado cop and old friend Sam Purdy,who has recently sustained suffered a heart attack ,and Purdy is assisted by a woman California cop,the hard driven Carmen Reynoso .Their travels take them across America ,mostly to the South
Meanwhile Gregory has other issues -his wife's MS is worse and somebody is bugging his practice and leaking client information to the media. The outcome is a pretty predictable and at well nigh 500 paperback pages the book is too long for its own good .however the characterization is sharp and effective ,Sam especially being a warm and welcome presence .His encounters with a Southern pastor and two hospitable elderly sisters portray with warmth and affection the type odf people often eother patronised or marginalised in American fiction Its not bad -just solid and average | ||
 | Blinded | |
| "Workmanlike thriller" | 2008-07-01 |
| This is an entry in the long running series revolving around Boulder,Colorado based psychiatrist Alan Gregory .A former patient ,the voluptuous Gibbs Storey re-enters his life with a stunning revelation -she believes her husband ,Sterling ,is a serial killer and names a British cabin crew member Louise as one if his victims.Gregory is hamstrung by laws of client confidentiality but is permitted to share her revelation with both local and California Police officials (that being her state of residence).When Sterling goes missing the leg work involved in tracing him falls on Colorado cop and old friend Sam Purdy,who has recently sustained suffered a heart attack ,and Purdy is assisted by a woman California cop,the hard driven Carmen Reynoso .Their travels take them across America ,mostly to the South
Meanwhile Gregory has other issues -his wife's MS is worse and somebody is bugging his practice and leaking client information to the media. The outcome is a pretty predictable and at well nigh 500 paperback pages the book is too long for its own good .however the characterization is sharp and effective ,Sam especially being a warm and welcome presence .His encounters with a Southern pastor and two hospitable elderly sisters portray with warmth and affection the type odf people often eother patronised or marginalised in American fiction Its not bad -just solid and average | ||
 | Blinded | |
| "Workmanlike thriller" | 2008-07-01 |
| This is an entry in the long running series revolving around Boulder,Colorado based psychiatrist Alan Gregory .A former patient ,the voluptuous Gibbs Storey re-enters his life with a stunning revelation -she believes her husband ,Sterling ,is a serial killer and names a British cabin crew member Louise as one if his victims.Gregory is hamstrung by laws of client confidentiality but is permitted to share her revelation with both local and California Police officials (that being her state of residence).When Sterling goes missing the leg work involved in tracing him falls on Colorado cop and old friend Sam Purdy,who has recently sustained suffered a heart attack ,and Purdy is assisted by a woman California cop,the hard driven Carmen Reynoso .Their travels take them across America ,mostly to the South
Meanwhile Gregory has other issues -his wife's MS is worse and somebody is bugging his practice and leaking client information to the media. The outcome is a pretty predictable and at well nigh 500 paperback pages the book is too long for its own good .however the characterization is sharp and effective ,Sam especially being a warm and welcome presence .His encounters with a Southern pastor and two hospitable elderly sisters portray with warmth and affection the type odf people often eother patronised or marginalised in American fiction Its not bad -just solid and average | ||
 | The Last Juror | |
| "Warm novel of the changing times" | 2008-06-16 |
| The title may suggest a legal thriller but The Last Juror ,while it does revolve around a murder-rape trial and its aftermath is not a bbok that fits snugly into this category.The trial is that of Danny Padgett,a member of a notorious criminal family in Ford County ,Mississipi who kills a young mother while here two young children watch .The case is pretty cut and dried but the family is not above witness intimidation and bribery .Padgett is convicted however but escapes the death penalty ,vowing that if released he will exact revenge on the jury.Nine years later he is free and jury members begin to die . The tale is narrated by the local newspaper owner ,a callow young northener named Willie Traynor who grows to love the community and to observe how it changes over the years -the book opening in the 1970's .The special focus is on his friendshsip with the remarkable black woman ,Callie Ruffin all of whose sons are PHD's and who becomes a surrogate mother to Willie ,sharing insights and philosophies over gargantuan home cooked meals at her home . We trace the evolution of the community through changes both national and local -the integration of the school system and jury system (Callie is a juror at the trial),Vietnam and its impact locally ,the growth of corporate strip mall America and the demise of local ,family owned businessses.It is a warm but not sentimental book and while the court room scenes are handled with genuine drama and insight it is in the picture of a changing ,conservative rural community that the book has its greatest interest It may not appeal to those who like the legal thriller side of Grisham but it is a compelling rural odyssey that manages to be warm ,nostalgic and curiously tough minded all at the same time A slice of Americana that Garrison Keiller fans should like too | ||
 | The Last Juror | |
| "Warm novel of the changing times" | 2008-06-16 |
| The title may suggest a legal thriller but The Last Juror ,while it does revolve around a murder-rape trial and its aftermath is not a bbok that fits snugly into this category.The trial is that of Danny Padgett,a member of a notorious criminal family in Ford County ,Mississipi who kills a young mother while here two young children watch .The case is pretty cut and dried but the family is not above witness intimidation and bribery .Padgett is convicted however but escapes the death penalty ,vowing that if released he will exact revenge on the jury.Nine years later he is free and jury members begin to die . The tale is narrated by the local newspaper owner ,a callow young northener named Willie Traynor who grows to love the community and to observe how it changes over the years -the book opening in the 1970's .The special focus is on his friendshsip with the remarkable black woman ,Callie Ruffin all of whose sons are PHD's and who becomes a surrogate mother to Willie ,sharing insights and philosophies over gargantuan home cooked meals at her home . We trace the evolution of the community through changes both national and local -the integration of the school system and jury system (Callie is a juror at the trial),Vietnam and its impact locally ,the growth of corporate strip mall America and the demise of local ,family owned businessses.It is a warm but not sentimental book and while the court room scenes are handled with genuine drama and insight it is in the picture of a changing ,conservative rural community that the book has its greatest interest It may not appeal to those who like the legal thriller side of Grisham but it is a compelling rural odyssey that manages to be warm ,nostalgic and curiously tough minded all at the same time A slice of Americana that Garrison Keiller fans should like too | ||
 | The Last Juror | |
| "Warm novel of the changing times" | 2008-06-16 |
| The title may suggest a legal thriller but The Last Juror ,while it does revolve around a murder-rape trial and its aftermath is not a bbok that fits snugly into this category.The trial is that of Danny Padgett,a member of a notorious criminal family in Ford County ,Mississipi who kills a young mother while here two young children watch .The case is pretty cut and dried but the family is not above witness intimidation and bribery .Padgett is convicted however but escapes the death penalty ,vowing that if released he will exact revenge on the jury.Nine years later he is free and jury members begin to die . The tale is narrated by the local newspaper owner ,a callow young northener named Willie Traynor who grows to love the community and to observe how it changes over the years -the book opening in the 1970's .The special focus is on his friendshsip with the remarkable black woman ,Callie Ruffin all of whose sons are PHD's and who becomes a surrogate mother to Willie ,sharing insights and philosophies over gargantuan home cooked meals at her home . We trace the evolution of the community through changes both national and local -the integration of the school system and jury system (Callie is a juror at the trial),Vietnam and its impact locally ,the growth of corporate strip mall America and the demise of local ,family owned businessses.It is a warm but not sentimental book and while the court room scenes are handled with genuine drama and insight it is in the picture of a changing ,conservative rural community that the book has its greatest interest It may not appeal to those who like the legal thriller side of Grisham but it is a compelling rural odyssey that manages to be warm ,nostalgic and curiously tough minded all at the same time A slice of Americana that Garrison Keiller fans should like too | ||
 | The Last Juror | |
| "Warm novel of the changing times" | 2008-06-16 |
| The title may suggest a legal thriller but The Last Juror ,while it does revolve around a murder-rape trial and its aftermath is not a bbok that fits snugly into this category.The trial is that of Danny Padgett,a member of a notorious criminal family in Ford County ,Mississipi who kills a young mother while here two young children watch .The case is pretty cut and dried but the family is not above witness intimidation and bribery .Padgett is convicted however but escapes the death penalty ,vowing that if released he will exact revenge on the jury.Nine years later he is free and jury members begin to die . The tale is narrated by the local newspaper owner ,a callow young northener named Willie Traynor who grows to love the community and to observe how it changes over the years -the book opening in the 1970's .The special focus is on his friendshsip with the remarkable black woman ,Callie Ruffin all of whose sons are PHD's and who becomes a surrogate mother to Willie ,sharing insights and philosophies over gargantuan home cooked meals at her home . We trace the evolution of the community through changes both national and local -the integration of the school system and jury system (Callie is a juror at the trial),Vietnam and its impact locally ,the growth of corporate strip mall America and the demise of local ,family owned businessses.It is a warm but not sentimental book and while the court room scenes are handled with genuine drama and insight it is in the picture of a changing ,conservative rural community that the book has its greatest interest It may not appeal to those who like the legal thriller side of Grisham but it is a compelling rural odyssey that manages to be warm ,nostalgic and curiously tough minded all at the same time A slice of Americana that Garrison Keiller fans should like too | ||
 | The Last Juror (Grisham, John (Large Print)) | |
| "Warm novel of the changing times" | 2008-06-16 |
| The title may suggest a legal thriller but The Last Juror ,while it does revolve around a murder-rape trial and its aftermath is not a bbok that fits snugly into this category.The trial is that of Danny Padgett,a member of a notorious criminal family in Ford County ,Mississipi who kills a young mother while here two young children watch .The case is pretty cut and dried but the family is not above witness intimidation and bribery .Padgett is convicted however but escapes the death penalty ,vowing that if released he will exact revenge on the jury.Nine years later he is free and jury members begin to die . The tale is narrated by the local newspaper owner ,a callow young northener named Willie Traynor who grows to love the community and to observe how it changes over the years -the book opening in the 1970's .The special focus is on his friendshsip with the remarkable black woman ,Callie Ruffin all of whose sons are PHD's and who becomes a surrogate mother to Willie ,sharing insights and philosophies over gargantuan home cooked meals at her home . We trace the evolution of the community through changes both national and local -the integration of the school system and jury system (Callie is a juror at the trial),Vietnam and its impact locally ,the growth of corporate strip mall America and the demise of local ,family owned businessses.It is a warm but not sentimental book and while the court room scenes are handled with genuine drama and insight it is in the picture of a changing ,conservative rural community that the book has its greatest interest It may not appeal to those who like the legal thriller side of Grisham but it is a compelling rural odyssey that manages to be warm ,nostalgic and curiously tough minded all at the same time A slice of Americana that Garrison Keiller fans should like too | ||
 | The Last Juror | |
| "Warm novel of the changing times" | 2008-06-16 |
| The title may suggest a legal thriller but The Last Juror ,while it does revolve around a murder-rape trial and its aftermath is not a bbok that fits snugly into this category.The trial is that of Danny Padgett,a member of a notorious criminal family in Ford County ,Mississipi who kills a young mother while here two young children watch .The case is pretty cut and dried but the family is not above witness intimidation and bribery .Padgett is convicted however but escapes the death penalty ,vowing that if released he will exact revenge on the jury.Nine years later he is free and jury members begin to die . The tale is narrated by the local newspaper owner ,a callow young northener named Willie Traynor who grows to love the community and to observe how it changes over the years -the book opening in the 1970's .The special focus is on his friendshsip with the remarkable black woman ,Callie Ruffin all of whose sons are PHD's and who becomes a surrogate mother to Willie ,sharing insights and philosophies over gargantuan home cooked meals at her home . We trace the evolution of the community through changes both national and local -the integration of the school system and jury system (Callie is a juror at the trial),Vietnam and its impact locally ,the growth of corporate strip mall America and the demise of local ,family owned businessses.It is a warm but not sentimental book and while the court room scenes are handled with genuine drama and insight it is in the picture of a changing ,conservative rural community that the book has its greatest interest It may not appeal to those who like the legal thriller side of Grisham but it is a compelling rural odyssey that manages to be warm ,nostalgic and curiously tough minded all at the same time A slice of Americana that Garrison Keiller fans should like too | ||
 | Artemis | |
| "Another solid but unspectavular novel in the naval series" | 2008-06-02 |
| Artemis is the second book in the ongoing saga of the late eighteenth century Royal Navy and revolves around the former Guilford wig maker Thomas Kydd ,a man who after being forcibly pressed into the service demonstates an affinity for and love of service on the sea.It begins exactly where the opening book ,Kydd,ends and the book is not really recommended to those unfamiliar with the earlier novel as they will be playing literary "catch up " with the main characters . Artemis is a man of war ,a frigate commanded by the austere and brave Captain Powlett .It soons becomes a patriotic symbol for Britain when the vessel engages and defeats the French ship Citoyenne in a bruising and bloody battle .Kydd and his shipmates become national heroes and are feted in Portsmouth on their return to Britain ,Kydd even getting to meet King George .Things then take a turn for the worse when Kydd is forced to return home the take charge of the ailing family business with the increassing infirmity of his father.Rescue is at hand however and he soon resumes service onboard Artemis .The ship travels to China ,India , Macao and the Phillipines before being commandered on Admiralty orders by a group of scientists for the pupose of making valuable scientific observations .This stage of their troubles brings a long sojourn on a remote South Sea island and assault from local cannibals before the last stage of the voyage, a passage around Cape Horn and a fever epidemic on board Outlined as above this may sound like an action packed novel but truth to tell it does have long passages where not a lot happens .Kydd and his friend Renzi both engage in amorous dalliance with the fair sex and much of the novel is land based .True -there is a lively sea fight ,an cannibal attack and a vivid description of rounding the Horn which are all vividly described but to much talk slows things down a tad .Renzi is getting to be an irritating figure by now -verbose ,naive and idealistic he is more often tiresome than sympathetic The open ending sets things up for the sequel and it just about encourages the reader to persevere but the series so far is not in the top bracket of such books -namely the O' Brien and Kent sequences featuring respectively Maturin and Bolitho.Good second string material but not top of the range ,what it needs is a bit more action and a bit less talk | ||
 | Artemis: A Novel | |
| "Another solid but unspectavular novel in the naval series" | 2008-06-02 |
| Artemis is the second book in the ongoing saga of the late eighteenth century Royal Navy and revolves around the former Guilford wig maker Thomas Kydd ,a man who after being forcibly pressed into the service demonstates an affinity for and love of service on the sea.It begins exactly where the opening book ,Kydd,ends and the book is not really recommended to those unfamiliar with the earlier novel as they will be playing literary "catch up " with the main characters . Artemis is a man of war ,a frigate commanded by the austere and brave Captain Powlett .It soons becomes a patriotic symbol for Britain when the vessel engages and defeats the French ship Citoyenne in a bruising and bloody battle .Kydd and his shipmates become national heroes and are feted in Portsmouth on their return to Britain ,Kydd even getting to meet King George .Things then take a turn for the worse when Kydd is forced to return home the take charge of the ailing family business with the increassing infirmity of his father.Rescue is at hand however and he soon resumes service onboard Artemis .The ship travels to China ,India , Macao and the Phillipines before being commandered on Admiralty orders by a group of scientists for the pupose of making valuable scientific observations .This stage of their troubles brings a long sojourn on a remote South Sea island and assault from local cannibals before the last stage of the voyage, a passage around Cape Horn and a fever epidemic on board Outlined as above this may sound like an action packed novel but truth to tell it does have long passages where not a lot happens .Kydd and his friend Renzi both engage in amorous dalliance with the fair sex and much of the novel is land based .True -there is a lively sea fight ,an cannibal attack and a vivid description of rounding the Horn which are all vividly described but to much talk slows things down a tad .Renzi is getting to be an irritating figure by now -verbose ,naive and idealistic he is more often tiresome than sympathetic The open ending sets things up for the sequel and it just about encourages the reader to persevere but the series so far is not in the top bracket of such books -namely the O' Brien and Kent sequences featuring respectively Maturin and Bolitho.Good second string material but not top of the range ,what it needs is a bit more action and a bit less talk | ||
 | The Guards : A Novel | |
| "Dark and brooding Irish crime novel" | 2008-05-30 |
| This is the first novel in the Jack Taylor series and is a most auspicious start.Taylor lives and works in Galway ,Irish Republic and was formerly a member of the Irish police ,the Garda Siochana .He was not a model employee and that is putting it mildly.A frequent subject of the force disciplinary procedure,an alcoholic and more than a tad Bolshie Taylor was eventually fired for punching an Irish Cabainet Minister caught speeding and then getting a little bit lippy when confronted by the law.Taylor is now-when the book opens-to all intents and purposes a Private Eye ,although since the Irish Republic does not recognise the profession he describes himself as a "finder" .He establishes a minor reputation and earns enough to get by and spens his time imbibing in the city's many hostelries . He is engaged by Ann Henderson ,an attractive widow ,whose recently deceased daughter Sarah has killed herself.Ann wishes to know why ,and what lies behind the death.The case turns out to be linked to a prominent local businessman ,Planter,who is a golfing buddy and crony of the local head man of the Garda ,Superintendant Clancy a former colleague of Taylor on the force .When Taylor perisists in his investigation he is beaten up by off duty Garda for his troubles .He uncovers evidence of corruption within the Garda and is aided in his fight to get at the truth by the psychotic ex military man Sutton ,a man whose taste for violence is more a little excessive . The mystery of Sarah's death and its unravelling is only the surface part of this very dark and brooding book .It is equally ,if not more so ,about Taylor's own spiritual and physical odysssey as he battles the demons of his childhood and seeks to rid himself of the burden of his drinking .It is tale of the londg dark night of the soul ,a journey to the other side of the night .Tayalor is death obsessed and haunted ,reading voraciously on the subject and also has taste for noir movies and American noir crime fiction .(The references to authors and their works makes this book a useful primer for people looking for writers in that genre ,new and more classical ).Taylor cannot sustain either love or sobriety for long and this makes him a tragic and bruised hero of the "down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean" variety ,He frequently haunts cemeteries ,and bars hanging out with the street people and winos who rather like Taylor himself must fight every day for what they have in the way of both dignity and money . The book does not romanticise alcoholism and sees it for what it is -a disease and an illness that means booze ultimately ends up costing more than money as it devours his relationships with ann and the young English singer Catherine Bellingham . Galway itself is a key figure in the drama -its quays,and back alleys and pubs .Most of all its characters -aplace where tramps can quote and write poetry and barbers converse about Joy Division .(Jack himself likes traditional country music -STOUT FELLOW!) While not a comfortable read this is a taut and edgy book that lovers of the noirish type of crime writing will devour ,while cosy crime lovers are advised to give it a miss as they will not be happy with its profanity and violence | ||
 | London Bridges | |
| "Global terror and the FBI" | 2008-05-30 |
| It looks as if the scope of Patterson's Alex Cross books widened considerably when the protagonist made the switch from the Washington PD to the FBI .Cross is now no longer dealing with the national and local psycho but is a player on the global scale .Here the villains are returnees from previous novels -the Wolf (The Big Bad Wolf )and Geoffrey Shafer ,aka the Weasel (Pop Goes the Weasel).Shafer is definitely the junior partner in the alliance however and the overarching intelligence behind the terror plot to destroy London ,Tel Aviv ,Paris and New York is that of the former KCB and Red Mafia man The Wolf .The Wolf wants an enormous sum of money and the release of political prisoners are else -kapow! The action moves between the major cities involved and the action comes thick and fast .There are false leads galore and lots of chases and shootings to keep action fans briskly turning the pages .It is never remotely plausible but most readers will willingly suspend disbelief as the thrill of the chase makes for an engrossing read. This is a good thrilller and will be enjoyed by devotees of the genre | ||
 | London Bridges (Alex Cross Novel) | |
| "Global terror and the FBI" | 2008-05-30 |
| It looks as if the scope of Patterson's Alex Cross books widened considerably when the protagonist made the switch from the Washington PD to the FBI .Cross is now no longer dealing with the national and local psycho but is a player on the global scale .Here the villains are returnees from previous novels -the Wolf (The Big Bad Wolf )and Geoffrey Shafer ,aka the Weasel (Pop Goes the Weasel).Shafer is definitely the junior partner in the alliance however and the overarching intelligence behind the terror plot to destroy London ,Tel Aviv ,Paris and New York is that of the former KCB and Red Mafia man The Wolf .The Wolf wants an enormous sum of money and the release of political prisoners are else -kapow! The action moves between the major cities involved and the action comes thick and fast .There are false leads galore and lots of chases and shootings to keep action fans briskly turning the pages .It is never remotely plausible but most readers will willingly suspend disbelief as the thrill of the chase makes for an engrossing read. This is a good thrilller and will be enjoyed by devotees of the genre | ||
 | London Bridges | |
| "Global terror and the FBI" | 2008-05-30 |
| It looks as if the scope of Patterson's Alex Cross books widened considerably when the protagonist made the switch from the Washington PD to the FBI .Cross is now no longer dealing with the national and local psycho but is a player on the global scale .Here the villains are returnees from previous novels -the Wolf (The Big Bad Wolf )and Geoffrey Shafer ,aka the Weasel (Pop Goes the Weasel).Shafer is definitely the junior partner in the alliance however and the overarching intelligence behind the terror plot to destroy London ,Tel Aviv ,Paris and New York is that of the former KCB and Red Mafia man The Wolf .The Wolf wants an enormous sum of money and the release of political prisoners are else -kapow! The action moves between the major cities involved and the action comes thick and fast .There are false leads galore and lots of chases and shootings to keep action fans briskly turning the pages .It is never remotely plausible but most readers will willingly suspend disbelief as the thrill of the chase makes for an engrossing read. This is a good thrilller and will be enjoyed by devotees of the genre | ||
 | The Big Bad Wolf | |
| "Fast paced and frenetic but short of his best" | 2008-05-30 |
| The Wolf is ex KGB ,now Red Mafia,and a person with fingers in many criminous pies .His exact identity is unknown to the FBI and other security forces but his tentacles reach everywhere and he is a dangerous man to know One of his nefarious activities is kidnapping to order -if you have the means to pay the Wolf and his team will kidnap your target of choice .The object for the purchasers is sexual gratification and there are no ransom demands to give the authorities a lead or a way in to the case . Regular series hero Alex Cross is involved with the case despite technically still being in training with the FBI after his switch from the Washington PD ,and a subsidiary theme of the book is his conflict with the Bureau menttality and bureaucracy.He also has peronal issues to deal with -the failing health of his grandmother and a custody battle for his youngest child ,as former lover Christina re-enters his life . The book has the usual Patterson trademarks -a twisty ,incident full plot told in short snappy chapters and a monosyllabic prose.It is unlikely readers will be bored with the book as so much is going on but it has a starngely undercooked feel and lacks a sense of closure with the open ending setting things up for a sequel .This duly materialised as London Bridges and the book here being reviewed may best be enjoyed by seeing it as part 1 in a two part novel Fun but not the great man at the peak of his powers by any means | ||
 | The Big Bad Wolf (Alex Cross Novels) | |
| "Fast paced and frenetic but short of his best" | 2008-05-30 |
| The Wolf is ex KGB ,now Red Mafia,and a person with fingers in many criminous pies .His exact identity is unknown to the FBI and other security forces but his tentacles reach everywhere and he is a dangerous man to know One of his nefarious activities is kidnapping to order -if you have the means to pay the Wolf and his team will kidnap your target of choice .The object for the purchasers is sexual gratification and there are no ransom demands to give the authorities a lead or a way in to the case . Regular series hero Alex Cross is involved with the case despite technically still being in training with the FBI after his switch from the Washington PD ,and a subsidiary theme of the book is his conflict with the Bureau menttality and bureaucracy.He also has peronal issues to deal with -the failing health of his grandmother and a custody battle for his youngest child ,as former lover Christina re-enters his life . The book has the usual Patterson trademarks -a twisty ,incident full plot told in short snappy chapters and a monosyllabic prose.It is unlikely readers will be bored with the book as so much is going on but it has a starngely undercooked feel and lacks a sense of closure with the open ending setting things up for a sequel .This duly materialised as London Bridges and the book here being reviewed may best be enjoyed by seeing it as part 1 in a two part novel Fun but not the great man at the peak of his powers by any means | ||
 | Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson, ISBN 1586215795 | |
| "Fast paced and frenetic but short of his best" | 2008-05-30 |
| The Wolf is ex KGB ,now Red Mafia,and a person with fingers in many criminous pies .His exact identity is unknown to the FBI and other security forces but his tentacles reach everywhere and he is a dangerous man to know One of his nefarious activities is kidnapping to order -if you have the means to pay the Wolf and his team will kidnap your target of choice .The object for the purchasers is sexual gratification and there are no ransom demands to give the authorities a lead or a way in to the case . Regular series hero Alex Cross is involved with the case despite technically still being in training with the FBI after his switch from the Washington PD ,and a subsidiary theme of the book is his conflict with the Bureau menttality and bureaucracy.He also has peronal issues to deal with -the failing health of his grandmother and a custody battle for his youngest child ,as former lover Christina re-enters his life . The book has the usual Patterson trademarks -a twisty ,incident full plot told in short snappy chapters and a monosyllabic prose.It is unlikely readers will be bored with the book as so much is going on but it has a starngely undercooked feel and lacks a sense of closure with the open ending setting things up for a sequel .This duly materialised as London Bridges and the book here being reviewed may best be enjoyed by seeing it as part 1 in a two part novel Fun but not the great man at the peak of his powers by any means | ||
 | Kydd : A Naval Adventure | |
| "Solid but not spectacular start to new naval history series" | 2008-05-29 |
| Kydd is unusual among British naval history series in telling the tale from the vantage point ,not of an officer ,but a lowly seaman .Thomas Kydd is in fact a pressed man .Originally a wig maker in the prosperous Surrey town of Guildford ,he is taken by a press gang and compelled to serve in a ship of the line ,the Royal William .The year is 1792 and Britain is at war with Revolutionary France .Prime Minister Pitt the Younger is reluctant to initiate any action but is under increasing pressure to set naval action in train .While the fleet has a sufficiency of ships ,men are in short supply -hence the press gangs . The vessel is set to patrolling the French coast .The work is physically arduous ,conditions Spartan but Kydd finds himself increasingly drawn to the life of the seaman and finds a mentor in the kindly and experienced Bowyer who teaches him the skills required on board a ship.He is also befriended by the enigmatic Nicholas Renzi ,a man of learning who is exculpating the sins of his landed family but voluntary exile at sea . The first part of the book looks in some detail at shipboard life .Without ever quite going into the immensely precise detail of say Patrick O'Briens Jack Aubrey books these pages do convey a real feel for what life must have been like on board a ship in that era .The book is almost at the 200 page mark before we any contact with the enemy is made and then ,ironically in a naval series ,it is a land skirmish as the navy is deployed to assist the Army is supporting a Loyalist uprising in France ,an event which turns into a fiasco. during the course of the book Kydd loses friends ,is unjustly flogged and even deserts briefly before a fianl twist sets up a sequel ,Artemis . The book is well enough done to sustain interest and keep one looking out for the second book in the sequence but it is not without flaws ,mostly those of pacing with an overly leisurely first half trying the patience a tad .The battles are well done and the writing clear and polished ,although the technical jargon is a tad opaque at times . Lovers of the naval action genre and miltary yarns in general will find much to enjoy but its not quite top drawer ,at least at this stage in the series | ||
 | Kydd: A Naval Adventure | |
| "Solid but not spectacular start to new naval history series" | 2008-05-29 |
| Kydd is unusual among British naval history series in telling the tale from the vantage point ,not of an officer ,but a lowly seaman .Thomas Kydd is in fact a pressed man .Originally a wig maker in the prosperous Surrey town of Guildford ,he is taken by a press gang and compelled to serve in a ship of the line ,the Royal William .The year is 1792 and Britain is at war with Revolutionary France .Prime Minister Pitt the Younger is reluctant to initiate any action but is under increasing pressure to set naval action in train .While the fleet has a sufficiency of ships ,men are in short supply -hence the press gangs . The vessel is set to patrolling the French coast .The work is physically arduous ,conditions Spartan but Kydd finds himself increasingly drawn to the life of the seaman and finds a mentor in the kindly and experienced Bowyer who teaches him the skills required on board a ship.He is also befriended by the enigmatic Nicholas Renzi ,a man of learning who is exculpating the sins of his landed family but voluntary exile at sea . The first part of the book looks in some detail at shipboard life .Without ever quite going into the immensely precise detail of say Patrick O'Briens Jack Aubrey books these pages do convey a real feel for what life must have been like on board a ship in that era .The book is almost at the 200 page mark before we any contact with the enemy is made and then ,ironically in a naval series ,it is a land skirmish as the navy is deployed to assist the Army is supporting a Loyalist uprising in France ,an event which turns into a fiasco. during the course of the book Kydd loses friends ,is unjustly flogged and even deserts briefly before a fianl twist sets up a sequel ,Artemis . The book is well enough done to sustain interest and keep one looking out for the second book in the sequence but it is not without flaws ,mostly those of pacing with an overly leisurely first half trying the patience a tad .The battles are well done and the writing clear and polished ,although the technical jargon is a tad opaque at times . Lovers of the naval action genre and miltary yarns in general will find much to enjoy but its not quite top drawer ,at least at this stage in the series | ||
| © 2009 GoSale.com (S1) |