Category Archives: Book Review

March 12, 2015 · 3:15 pm

Book Review: The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown

20150312-150712.jpgI really enjoyed this Robert Langdon thriller from Dan Brown. The mystical/dark arts side of the book harks back to Dennis Wheatley and if that isn’t your genre it’s necessary to suspend dis-belief – but it’s a good book even despite that.

In this latest adventure, Robert Langdon is involved in the world of Free-Masonry. As ever, he’s called on to use his knowledge of the arts and symbology to solve a number of puzzles. In this book, though, I found Langdon a more sympathetic character – half the time, he didn’t have a clue what was going on and this time he was singled out for abuse as much as the other victims.

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February 22, 2015 · 4:30 pm

Book Review: Kill Shot, Vincent Flynn

20150222-162340.jpgThe publisher would like you to believe that this thriller series centred on Mitch Rapp is on a par with Lee Child’s Jack Reacher. I disagree – whilst there’s enough intrigue to keep you reading to the end, it’s not in the same league as a Jack Reacher book.

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February 18, 2015 · 9:01 pm

Book Review: The Burning Wire, Jeffery Deaver

20150218-205354.jpgThis is another of Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme thrillers. It features The Watchmaker, a killer from one of his previous books, who has turned up in Mexico. In fact, Deaver uses this side-plot to introduce his other character Kathryn Dance for some free publicity.

The main plot concerns a series of horrific incidents where the perpetrator connects a device to the main electricity lines to cause devastation. He’s not adverse to more direct action on individuals either – but Lincoln Rhyme is able to track him using uncanny forensics and insight.

I may have missed some of the suspense and intrigue because I hadn’t read the previous Watchmaker book – reading them out of order, I was a little underwhelmed.

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January 11, 2015 · 6:38 pm

Book Review: Personal, Lee Child

20150111-182631.jpgThis is the latest Jack Reacher thriller – I bought it hot off the press in the autumn but kept it until Christmas. This story is for a large part set in London, which unusual for these thrillers. Reacher must engage rival gangs in the East and West End to track down a sniper who wishes revenge on Reacher himself. Reacher has to outwit Little Joey, who dwarfs Reacher (no mean feat, Reacher is 6’6″ and 250lbs, something Hollywood casting directors would do well to remember).

Ultimately this book is more A Wanted Man than Never Go Back, but worth a read nevertheless.

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January 11, 2015 · 6:24 pm

Book Review: Foundation’s Triumph, David Brin

20150111-181854.jpgThis is the third of the second foundation trilogy written by authors Benford, Bear and Brin. It tells the story of Hari Seldon’s ‘Last Hurrah’ as he undertakes a voyage away from Trantor in his old age. I really appreciated how this author brought the many threads of the stories together, including the motivation behind many of R. Daneel Olivaw’s plans. In fact, it’s the first time I’ve fully grasped the inter-robot battles and the reasons why many did not support Olivaw’s Zero’th law revolution.

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December 21, 2014 · 3:46 pm

Book Review: Bravo Two Zero, Andy McNab

20141221-153959.jpgI read this book some time after reading The One that Got Away by Chris Ryan, another story from the Bravo Two Zero mission. That didn’t prepare me for either the foul language in McNab’s book or the horrific treatment he and the other soldiers received after capture by the enemy. The story is gripping and certainly no holds are barred in the telling.

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November 18, 2014 · 9:18 pm

Book Review: Norfolk Mystery (The County Guides), Ian Sansom

20141118-210600.jpgThis is the first book I’ve read by Ian Sansom, and the first in his series of County Guides. The story is set in the 1930s and doesn’t take itself too seriously (unlike Rogue Male, written and set in the 1930s, but a much grimmer tale). Professor Morley recruits a young assistant, Stephen Sefton, to help him tour the counties of England writing a guide to the history of each. Morley is a prodigious writer, publishing a book every 6 weeks at the same time as writing for several papers. Sefton left Cambridge without much of life plan, fought in Spain and found himself penniless back in London – Morley’s job offer coming at just the right time.

The tale is told through the eyes of Sefton and we’re encouraged to admire the knowledge and industry of Professor Morley, whilst privately sniggering like a school boy at his infuriating habits.

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November 18, 2014 · 8:54 pm

Book Review: The Color of Law, Mark Gimenez

20141118-204458.jpgThis is the first novel by Gimenez and starts the story of Scott Fenney, continued in Accused. It’s worth reading them in the correct order, but it was still a great journey even knowing the outcome.

I found the passage where Scott Fenney’s life as a hotshot lawyer is slowly dismantled particularly vivid. The daughter of his client, Pajamae, is refreshing in that she doesn’t wallow in her misfortune, instead bringing her street smarts and common sense to this high-flying Dallas familiy.

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October 25, 2014 · 7:11 pm

Book Review: XO, Jeffery Deaver

20141025-200448.jpgThis is another from Jeffery Deaver’s series of Kathryn Dance thrillers. Known for her advanced interrogation techniques, Dance meets her match in difficult suspect who’s speech patterns and body language lack the usual tells that give her interviews an edge. She has help from the peerless Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs (Deaver’s other principal characters).

The plot concerns Kayleigh Towne, a young country and western singer, who’s band and family come under attack. The plot has so many twists, it’s hard to remember exactly who is accused of what and why at various points.

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October 5, 2014 · 1:26 pm

Book Review: Foundation and Chaos, Greg Bear

20141005-141505.jpgFoundation and Chaos is the second in a trilogy of books written after Isaac Asimov’s death by distinguished Science Fiction writers. The first was Foundation and Fear, which was okay but included lengthy passages concerning Voltaire and Joan of Arc which I didn’t really follow. This book is much better and centres on the growing populations of mentalics, humans with an assortment of mental powers (like persuasion). It also includes Hari Seldon’s trial as a traitor against the Empire (his prediction of the fall of the Empire being seen as treachery). The debate between rival bands of robots (the Giskardians led by R Daneel and the Calvinians), differentiated by their adoption of the zero’th law or otherwise, is fascinating.

Four stars

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