From the start it jumps around. There are multiple characters, different locations and no obvious links. It’s hard to keep track. Maybe it’ll settle dFrom the start it jumps around. There are multiple characters, different locations and no obvious links. It’s hard to keep track. Maybe it’ll settle down… I hope so.
Later. It’s taken me a while to work out who is who and what’s going on. By about a quarter of the way through I’d worked out who was who. It took me a good deal longer to work out what was going on. But hey, this is a ‘spooks’ novel and you’re not supposed to know – are you?
The plot is complex. There’s a huge company shipping cigarettes around the globe, a series of gruesome murders on the English south coast, a terrorist has taken a hundred hostages and they’re already starting to die and a bomb has gone off in Geneva killing a CIA station chief. It’s all linked, somehow.
There were times I felt like giving up – it was hard work remembering all the names and trying to recall what had last happened in each particular thread. But then there’d be an incident or a conversation that seemed to knit events together (well, a little) and I’d press on again. One problem is that all the characters are pretty bland. This tale is all plot and very little time is allocated to fleshing out individual identities. When the American politicians get involved it’s even worse – they’re a homogenous band of power seekers who seem to have no life outside of their next attempt to cajole a fellow politico to back their current play.
It’s an ambitious novel – maybe too ambitious. The convoluted plot was too much for me and I only just hung in there. And in the end it just petered out. Yes, most of the loose ends had been tied off, but just as it looked like it was shaping up for a big climax it felt like the author had had enough himself and consequently closed it all down in quick smart fashion. Strange really.
It’s a book for readers who like the espionage novels written by the likes of John le Carre. A decent effort, but not really my cup of tea.
My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Paris in the mid-sixties. A boy, a student, has just been questioned by police. As he’s released a girl is taken in for questioning. He sits at a caféParis in the mid-sixties. A boy, a student, has just been questioned by police. As he’s released a girl is taken in for questioning. He sits at a café nearby and waits for the girl. Both go back to the boy’s apartment and spend the night in his room. Background information is scant. Conversations give little away.
Reading this short book felt like watching one of the old French films I used to catch late at night on television, the ones with subtitles. Little seems to happen but there was always a feeling of something about to happen, an undercurrent. I constantly felt slightly removed from the narrative, which itself felt just a little ‘off’. I’m not saying I didn’t like it – I did. But it was like eating a meal you can’t quite identify: the flavours were good but the ingredients were hard to pin down.
The story takes place over the course of a few days and the melancholy atmosphere is maintained throughout. The boy lives in constant fear that the girl is going to leave him. His life is already complicated enough (his mother lives in Spain and his father has fled France under dubious circumstances). How will this play out?
As they move around the city, the reader is given a constant commentary on the various streets, buildings and restaurants they pass and visit. This felt a little overdone for me – if I were very familiar with the city it might work better but as a one-time visitor it felt like too much detail was being imparted; it was a bit off-putting. The other slightly strange element was provided by what I thought to be a rather too literal translation from French to English. For the most part this was seamless but on a few occasions the language felt somewhat clunky, with some odd phrases cropping up.
But overall I did enjoy this tale. It had real atmosphere and decent dose of mystery. It’s short enough to enjoy whilst sitting with a coffee and a macaron and it’s the sort of book that will leave you wondering, trying to fill in the gaps and thinking ‘what if’. I’m inclined to seek out more work from this Nobel Prize winning author.
My thanks to Yale University Press and NetGalley for supplying an advance copy of this book....more
I just love character led stories where the reader is introduced to the lead protagonist(s) in a way that’s entertaining, informative and engaging in I just love character led stories where the reader is introduced to the lead protagonist(s) in a way that’s entertaining, informative and engaging in the sense that you become invested in their fate. And I think this is a brilliant example. In the very first scene we meet Peter Ash, a war veteran, who is trying to extract a huge, vicious dog from below a rickety porch whilst at the same time trying to avoid being maimed by or doing damage to the dog. It’s really well done and at the end of it I really had a sense for the man: he’s helpful (it wasn’t his porch or his dog), considerate (he pulled the dog out instead of shooting it), brave and strong (well, you’ll have to read the book to see exactly how he did it).
From this point, the author fleshed out the lead character superbly – the war veteran who suffers from acute claustrophobia, to the point ‘white static’ invades his very being every time he enters a building of any shape or form. To combat this, he sleeps outdoors or in the cab of his renovated truck and avoids the interior of buildings as much as is humanly possible. Thereafter Petrie brings each character we meet to life with the same skill and dexterity. It’s a book that paint pictures of people who feel real, who have a history and who act in a way that just feels right. For a first novel I really think this is a significant achievement.
The story itself is compelling too, with Peter looking to help out a family following the suicide of an ex-colleague and friend. There is a discovery during the dog extraction that feeds the rest of the plot and leads him into contact and possible conflict with an array of potentially lethal characters. But it always is the characters at the forefront, with the narrative trotting along just behind. And that’s the way I like it.
The climax of the book is exciting and I like the way the it constantly switches view so we see events unfolding through the eyes of multiple characters. It adds to the sense of pace and drama. However, if I were to be critical I’d say that this part does feels a bit rushed, with the ending almost coming too early and the tale being wrapped up too quickly.
A great debut, though, from an obviously talented writer. One to watch out for!
Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
No bones about it, JLB is my favourite writer of crime fiction. Correction, he’s my favourite writer – period!
In this latest episode in the saga of thNo bones about it, JLB is my favourite writer of crime fiction. Correction, he’s my favourite writer – period!
In this latest episode in the saga of the Holland family we go back in time to catch up with Hackberry Holland, a Texas Ranger battling with Pancho Villa’s revolutionary force. We switch to the trenches of Marne as Holland’s estranged son, Ishmael, a captain in the United States Army, fights to stay alive as the WWI draws to it’s conclusion. And then back to Texas where Holland is now trying to stitch his life together and to track down Ishmael. There are references to some famous real life outlaws sprinkled throughout the text - John Wesley Hardin, Harry Longabaugh (The Sundance Kid) and his friend, Butch Cassidy – and the not inconsequential matter of a goblet purported to be the Holy Grail itself, which finds itself in Holland’s possession. An arms dealer – the baddest of the bad – is desperate to rid Holland of the ancient artefact. It’s a full-on ride right through to the inevitable, frenzied dénouement.
The characters are expertly drawn by Burke and he paints vivid, cinematic pictures that bring the scenes and the places startlingly to life. Holland himself it a big character (in every sense): he’s well over six and a half feet tall, his attitude is belligerent and aggressive and his actions are violent and unsentimental. Well, this is a JLB novel! Yes, Burke has a very distinct style - I’d wager I’d spot a sentence of his if it were written on a tomato sauce label. His words are often somewhat obscure and his sentiments are often blunt and harsh. Confrontation is a way of life. He’s likely to finish just about any encounter with a statement that feels like a slap in the face.
And whilst we’re on this point there are a number of other givens:
1. The lead character is a tortured soul, trying to control his heavy drinking and prone to the ‘red mist’ descending with resultant bouts of brutality towards his fellow man. 2. The women (three of them in this book) are beautiful and strong and perfectly able to stand toe to toe with the toughest of the men. 3. The baddie is articulate, visually striking and absolutely rotten to the core.
The story is as cohesive as JLB ever makes it. I sometimes feel that reading one of his books is like watching a film through a pane of slightly smokey glass: I think I know what’s going on but I’m not entirely sure. But here we have a tale that demands to be read quickly to gobble up the action but one that deserves to be read slowly to savour the pure class of the prose.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for supplying a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
The concept is intriguing: a man wonders up and randomly asks ‘Did you ever wish you could experience being with God?’, before handing over a small paThe concept is intriguing: a man wonders up and randomly asks ‘Did you ever wish you could experience being with God?’, before handing over a small packet containing a substance (a drug?) like no other. The substance defies science, it constantly changes and can’t be pinned down. The experience is more intense than with any drug anyone has ever taken – it creates more than a hallucinogenic experience; it’s a transportation to a different place and time, inside another person’s mind and skin.
Told through the eyes of an ever growing cast, the narration passes from person to person, back and forth. As the tale progresses and the number of active players increases it became, for me, a challenge to recall who was who (I resorted to writing down brief descriptions). But the structure actually worked really well, creating a feeling of something strange happening just as, well… something strange is happening. The whole thing was a mix of a urban science fiction tale, played out on the streets of New York, with a touch of Breaking Bad thrown into the mix.
It all rocked along at pace and for there quarters of the book I had no real idea where I was being led. In the final section it all came together in a way that was unexpected and reasonably satisfying. Though I understand this is set to be the first in a series of books, so the ending left plenty of room for expansion of the tale.
I enjoyed the unusual way the story was told and the the descriptions of life in NYC certainly brought the city to life for me. Added to this there’s now a nucleus of characters I’d be happy to catch up with again. I’d be inclined to make a date with book two, if and when it surfaces.
Thank you to Smoke and Shadow Books and NetGalley for providing an early version of this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more
I really enjoyed Coleman’s nine books featuring ex-cop Moe Prager. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it’s been one of my favourite crime fiction seriesI really enjoyed Coleman’s nine books featuring ex-cop Moe Prager. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it’s been one of my favourite crime fiction series. Prager was a haunted soul whose career as a cop was ended by a freak accident when she slipped on an errant piece of carbon paper. Thereafter, as he worked as a PI and sometimes as a wine seller, he sought but never really seemed to find true happiness. But the search was a good one, and he had some brilliant adventures and met some memorable characters along the way. Like all fans of the series, I was gutted when the series came to an end, but it was the right thing to do. Moe had been all used up in every sense, but it was still hard to take.
This is the first book Coleman’s new series, featuring retired Suffolk County cop Gus Murphy. Gus is down on his luck: his son died tragically a couple of years ago, his marriage broke up under the strain of the aftermath, and his daughter has now started getting into trouble. His current residence is a room at a down-at-heel hotel and drives a courtesy route to and from the railway station for customers to make ends meet. Then, one day, he gets a visit from a criminal he’s apprehended in the past asking for some help. His son has been brutally murdered and the local police don’t seem interested in tracking down the killer.
What follows is a convoluted tale of lies, dark doings, and tough guys that’s typical of the hardboiled genre. It rattles along at pace, and there’s plenty of action. The route to the tale’s conclusion was oblique enough to keep me guessing and the final denouement as satisfyingly and dramatic as I’ve come to expect from this author.
That might be enough for a stand-alone book, but to keep me interested in a series, I need more. I want a multi-layered lead character whom I’m willing to invest in. I want to care what becomes of him (or her), and I also need the author to dangle sufficient threads that I want to pull at. So, does Coleman achieve this here? Well, the answer is yes… I think so. By the end of the book I was becoming a little tired of Murphy’s moaning about his lot but I think the few seeds of hope sprinkled in the last few pages make me optimistic that he might raise a smile or two in the second book (here’s hoping anyway). And I did warm to his cynical but pragmatic view of the world. The fringe characters, too, are sufficiently developed here to hint that they might have interesting pasts to explore along the way.
Overall, I’d say that RFC has laid the foundations for a decent follow-up series to Moe. Whether his followers will take Murphy to their hearts in the same way remains to be seen – time will tell.
My thanks to Penguin Group (Putnam) and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review....more
I was aware of Mary Louise Parker, as an actress. I knew she’d appeared on television and in films, though I can’t say I’ve ever knowingly seen seen aI was aware of Mary Louise Parker, as an actress. I knew she’d appeared on television and in films, though I can’t say I’ve ever knowingly seen seen anything she’s appeared in. I didn’t know she’d also wrote and in fact had been published in various magazines. So I approached this, her first book, with an open mind, egged on by a couple of strong recommendations from Goodreads friends.
And what a delight it’s been to work my way through this powerful, funny, shocking and tear inducing memoir. It takes the form of imagined letters to men (well, that’s applied fairly loosely in at least one case) who have impacted her life in some way. Some have inspired her, a few have pissed her off and others have influenced her and helped make her who she is. There’s all of life here: religion, love, sex, birth and death. The letters vary in style, tone and length. One is a short, sad reflections on a man she met and quickly lost and another (one of my favourites) is long, ranting, angry denunciation of partner she’s left behind.
Parker is, I believe, ruthlessly honest in her self portrayal here. She is, at times, self critical and apologetic. We see her growing up, developing and making misjudgements. We are invited to spectate during key moments in her life: sometimes we see her explode with reckless joy and abandon and other times we witness her meltdown. There is no barrier, no filter to hide or disguise the good the bad and the ugly in her life.
A few of the letters didn’t do it for me, I just didn’t pick up where they were coming from and they didn’t elicit an emotion in me. But by the far the majority I found hugely impactful. There are two letters to and about her dad: one early on where she tells him how much she misses him and one at the end when she addresses a nameless man who picked oysters for a meal her father had requested. They are both heartbreakingly sad but so beautifully written. Then there’s Dear Cerberus, which she addressed to a former partner she describes as having had three heads, like the monstrous multi-headed dog from Greek mythology – so clever and so damming! And the letter to the man who will love her daughter is just so funny and spot on. I could go on but best you just buy the book and read ‘em for yourself. There are too many gems here to do justice to.
The finest accolade I can give the author is that her words stirred my own thoughts; they made me think about things I hadn’t thought about before. The feelings her words created are not all comfortable but they are in my head now and I’m glad they are. I’ll work through them and they will help me address and maybe resolve things that have been long buried. Powerful stuff.
Thank you so much to Esil and Elyse for prompting me to seek out this book and to Scribner Publishing and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review....more
What a variety of paths there are for a fourteen-year-old girl who is working her way toward adulthood. Is it a matter of luck, which one she takes? DWhat a variety of paths there are for a fourteen-year-old girl who is working her way toward adulthood. Is it a matter of luck, which one she takes? Does fate play its part, is it preordained? Or is it pure luck – good or bad – which one is chosen?
Evie Boyd is house sitting for a friend and looking back on her early teenage years. She first spots the girls in a California park, in the summer of ’69, and is drawn to one girl in particular. There is something about her that holds her transfixed. It takes a while but in time she meets up with the girl, Suzanne, and desperate to impress her she pretends to shoplift some toilet paper (she actually buys it). It seems that where Suzanne lives they are short on money and supplies. It’s not clear to Evie what this community represents but she starts to get drawn into the world of Suzanne and her informal family.
The leader of the group is a failed musician called Russell Hadrick. They live on a run down farm, where small children run around barely attended and everyone shares everything. Clothes are threadbare and there isn’t a lot of food - and what there is is barely edible. But Evie is drawn to freedom of it all; most of all she’s just desperate to be close to Suzanne. And as the summer passes Evie pretty much moves in to join this commune. She learns that the freedom she was attracted to extends to sex too. Russell (as creepy a dude as I’ve come across) is quick to show her how things work.
We learn very early on that there is a violent end to Evie’s time with the group and the narrative nudges us ever closer to the full account of the cataclysmic event. In truth, I’m not sure that this structural choice was a success: the fact that so much is disclosed in the early stages of the book served to remove much of the natural tension from the tale. In fact, by the time I got to the event itself there was little left to tell. Another element that made it less engaging than it might have been was the fact that there is relatively little dialogue here. For the most part the reader is treated to a first person commentary on events with a detailed scrutiny of even the smallest details of life in the commune. In addition, some of the observations seemed to me to be incongruous in the mind of a naïve fourteen-year-old girl. And finally, I’m not sure I bought the fact that Evie could hide the fact that she’d moved in with this group for the summer by turning up at home every now and again with the excuse she was basing herself at a friend’s house. Really?
This tale is loosely based on the murders carried out by members of Charles Manson’s group. The language sometimes draws vivid pictures and the atmosphere created and characterisations drawn do seem to effectively bring alive the place and time (well, to my eyes at least). At times I was drawn deeply into the story but then I’d lose patience with a long rambling section that seemed to lead nowhere. It’s a real mixed bag. I think there is some writing talent here – Emma Cline is only in her mid-twenties, I believe – and I’d expect better to come, in time. Certainly an author to watch out for.
My thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for supplying an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Loading...
