danvalentine

Kane and Abel

Kane and Abel - Jeffrey Archer Great book. I've been told it was Archer's best, so perhaps I won't risk reading anything else of his.

Immortal Remains: The Evidence for Life After Death

Immortal Remains: The Evidence for Life After Death - Stephen E. Braude A quick and easy book to read. I didn't know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised with the story.It is the first of the series I've read, but prior installments aren't required reading as you can pick up the story easily enough. I liked practically everything about this book; the characters, the settings, the villains, the story. I can't really say anything bad about it. If you like a good vampire story with plenty of gore, then you'll enjoy this book. I bought my copy in a cheap book store to discover new authors and I can say that I picked a good one. Thumbs up to Steve Niles and Jeff Mariotte for their work.

Absolution: A Novel of Suspense

Absolution: A Novel of Suspense - Caro Ramsay I got this book at a book sale and wanted to discover more authors. It sounded interesting, but I was a bit disappointed in some ways. The plot seemed okay, but I kept getting lost a little between the characters. I'm a simple minded fellow, so I need things to be easy to follow. It wasn't a page turner for me, particularly the ending seemed to drag on a bit after the main event concluded. Not interested in drawn out endings after the climax thanks. As for the characters themselves, they weren't too bad. Sometimes authors go into a character a bit too much to the point you almost forget the plot, but this wasn't the case here. In fact, maybe the opposite because there were so many characters. I have to say (without spoiling the ending) that I was disappointed with what happened to DCI McAlpine. I'm not sure that I really liked this character at all. He didn't ring true to me. I thought he was the main character, maybe he was, but really he wasn't if that makes any sense at all. Everything seemed to revolve around him in the beginning, but sort of petered out in the end, like a tornado that lost its strength.

The Death Chamber

The Death Chamber - Sarah Rayne After reading Spider Light I found The Death Chamber a little flat, but I still enjoyed it. I liked the way people were connected to each other in various ways. It left you curious as to how it would all pan out. Again Rayne runs her novel with paralleling stories that are connected to one another, which is quite interesting. I enjoyed the historical side more than the contemporary. The characters are quite believable in my opinion, although, the love angle between the main character Georgina and the blind Jude did little for me.

The Book of Lost Things

The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly One of my favorite books in recent times. I loved it. Couldn't stop reading it. I wish it was longer. It was so visual that I could imagine every scene being in a movie, which would be quiet amazing. The story had humor, horror, sadness. I had a feeling that the ending was going to be as it was, but it was still worth reading. My only disappointment was that the last 154 pages weren't part of the actual story, but an "about" of the book itself, which is fine, but as I was reaching the pinnacle of the story, I wondered how those last 154 were going to continue. I was hoping it was going to be more of the story itself because it was so good.

Scarpetta (Kay Scarpetta)

Scarpetta (Kay Scarpetta) - Patricia Cornwell Simple read. Wasn't too bad. I worked out the villain way too earlier. I think Cornwell gets too much praise on the book cover.

The Murder Bird

The Murder Bird - Joanna Hines This was a very enjoyable read. Had me guessing until the end even though I thought I knew the answer. I liked the characters, each with their quirky idiosyncrasies. And the love angle wasn't overdone or soppy. I would definitely read another of her books.

Of Bees and Mist: A Novel

Of Bees and Mist: A Novel - Erick Setiawan Very interesting book. Strange, but you wanted to keep on reading to see what happens. Two families joined by the love of their children become entangled in strange curses that become the grave annoyance to its family members. The book's cover says "A magical story of love and family" which would lead one to believe that it's all lovey-dovey, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Shadow Man

Shadow Man - Cody McFadyen Interesting enough, although I guessed the identity of the unsub very early on. It was too obvious in my opinion. I honestly thought the story was way too far fetched. The typical scenario of an FBI agent being as much of a victim as anyone else, fighting their own demons and becoming the hero in the end. Boring. I hated the unrealistic self-talk of the protagonist and stupid one-liners of her and her colleagues. Has McFadyen actually spent any time at all with law enforcement people? As for the antagonist, I loved the brutality. Not that I'm for criminals, but if you're going to be a murderous serial killer, then you may as well be one as vicious as this one. Until I read the word "cock" in this novel, I wasn't sure of the author's gender (I didn't read the pre-story writing). To be honest, I don't know why a male author wrote the way he did about the protagonist. I could understand a female feminist writing this way to make the hero tough and overcoming all obstacles, but.......

Currently reading

Blood Work (Ome)
Michael Connelly