Review: Jail Break

Jail Break by Ross Greenwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second in what I am choosing to call the author's "Prison Series". I don't know if two books (the former being "The Prisoner") can be called a series, nor if there will be a third one, but I do hope that there is.
As with The Prisoner, the characterisation is so well done that you feel that you really know the protagonists. The book uses the device of two parts of the story being told by intermingling chapters from the main character's early and current(ish) - the "current" part of the book is set in 2010 - life. This can, if not handled well, be a bit clunky, but in this author's hands it feels very natural.
Where necessary, the gritty realities of life are described, but they are there for a purpose and are not overdone.
If I have one criticism of books by this author, it is that they are so addictive, one ends up reading them too quickly!

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Review: The Beresford

The Beresford by Will Carver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book by this author that I have read. At first I was a bit confused by the prose style. I soon realised that, like Joyce, he chooses his words very carefully. Not that he doesn't sometimes choose the wrong words, but luckily they don't affect the plot. Whilst the premise of the book is not supposed to be rooted in real life (at least I hope it isn't!), there are some aspects that simply don't ring true even in this alternative reality, particularly around ignoring the odour of things like blood and strong corrosive chemicals. Regardless of this, this is one clever author. The way that the story and the characters unfold is pure genius. The drip feeding of facts and the inspired interspersal of events keeps the reader ticking along nicely. Nice short chapters make it great "before sleep" reading (as long as you don't suffer from nightmares).

This may be the first Will Carver book that I have read, it will not be the last.

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Review: One Last Prayer for the Rays

One Last Prayer for the Rays by Wes Markin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We say hello to DCI Michael Yorke and his team. There are rather a lot of them to get to know, but they've got distinct and believable characters so it doesn't take too long to know what to expect of each of them.

It gets a bit gruesome in parts. The author doesn't hold back in letting you know just how depraved some people can be. There's a sufficient cast such that you are kept guessing for long enough as to who the main protagonist may be. Once you are let into the secret, there's a good bit of jeopardy thrown in to keep you going until you know the outcome.

Enjoyed it so much that I'm straight into the next one.

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Review: The Windsor Knot

The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The magic of this type of novel, is the blending of many real, but obscure, facts with the fictional ones, such that one can't tell where the fiction begins. Of course the danger is that getting a fact wrong can also all too easily break the fantasy. Apart from a silly mistake regarding computer technology, this author has really nailed it. The research into the life of the royals and particularly the Queen herself has clearly been extensive.

I did find that the book tended to drag a bit in the middle, but the denouement was very well woven, with all the pieces coming together in a plausible manner. Elizabeth II, the new Miss Marple? All in all an enjoyable and cosy read.

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Review: Snatch 2&20: A Satirical Romp through the Wall Street and Silicon Valley Swamps

Snatch 2&20: A Satirical Romp through the Wall Street and Silicon Valley Swamps by Luke E. Fellows
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was hovering between awarding 3 or 4 stars for this book. When I looked back, I realised that in the first sitting I'd read nearly half of the book, so I was clearly very engaged. Hence the 4 stars.

Rather like the Roger Crane play "The Last Confession", this book forces one to confront what happens within a well known institution, whilst secretly hoping that it's not as bad as it's being painted, even while suspecting that it really is.

I like the fact that the author doesn't attempt to justify his lifestyle and openly admits his character flaws. None of what goes on is presented in a sensationalist way. The sexual practices (some may say excesses) and (what some may consider dodgy) business practices are simply presented as facts.

The only criticisms I have are that there are many TLAs (Two/Three Letter Acronyms) which it would be nice to have expanded on first use, the heavy use of industry jargon and the occasionally over-long (IMO) descriptions of scenes, the extensive use of Latin (I'm so glad that Google real-time image translate exists) and many obscure words where other more common ones would do. Regarding the last criticism, it rather felt like the author was showing off.

I've just noticed that the criticism paragraph is longer that all the others! Please do not take that the wrong way. I awarded 4 stars because I really did enjoy the book and was sorry when it came to an end.

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Review: The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane

The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane by Jaimie Admans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was totally predictable, but that really didn't matter. I think it's the part of the magic of this type of book that you want to enjoy the story of how the people get to the end that you know is bound to come. I'd possibly have preferred there to be a bit more to be discovered (e.g. as in Veronica Henry's Christmas at the Beach Hut).
I loved the wonderful feeling that one got from the closeness that the two protagonists enjoyed as their relationship grew.
I would say that some of the reactions of the characters were maybe a bit strained.
I'm a sucker for this type of book and overall I really enjoyed it.
If you want to escape for a while in a really feel-good book, pick this one.

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Review: Demonic Indemnity

Demonic Indemnity by Craig McLay
My rating: 0 of 5 stars



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Review: Wordsmith

Wordsmith by Nick Spalding
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: Duck Duck Gator

Duck Duck Gator by Ken Wheaton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Having read this book one rather got the feeling that the whole of the population of Louisiana is involved in one or other reality TV show. Maybe it is? For quite a lot of the book, the reader alone knows of the murder that has been committed. Personally I was rather surprised that no one had investigated sufficiently to have discovered it earlier. Having waited a long time to have the characters become aware of the murder, the reader is informed relatively early of the identity of the perpetrator. I'm not sure that the perpetrator's motive is every fully explained. Overall I did enjoy it and read it through to the end, but I did find it a bit slow at times.

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Review: Wrong Man Down: A Millie Henshawe Novel

Wrong Man Down: A Millie Henshawe Novel by Jerry Masinton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's been a long time since I've felt the need to carry a book around with me just so I could read it every chance I got. I finished this in two days.
The author really has a talent for characterisation. Within a paragraph of the introduction of a new character I could already picture them in my head.
Rarely seen nowadays, the book was actually written in good English and there were no plot holes. It wasn't until I reached the blurb at the end that I discovered that the author is an emeritus Professor of English, which I guess explains the quality of the writing.
The story twists are reasoned and explained in a depth that wouldn't be out of place in a Reacher novel. The device used t o justify the giving of these explanations is very clever. I' won't reveal it here but suffice to say that doughnuts play an important part.
This book was a departure from my normal fare and as I'm sure you've picked up I really enjoyed it.

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Review: Oddjobs

Oddjobs by Heide Goody
My rating: 0 of 5 stars



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Review: The Introvert

The Introvert by Michael Paul Michaud
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This first book in a series introduces us to a man who clearly has a personality disorder. I'm sure that many people have "inner voices" with which they consider situations. The protagonist in this book however occasionally takes it further and acts on his considerations, with disastrous consequences. One good point in this book is that these internal conversations take place in real time and people with whom he is supposed to be interacting are shown to have noticed that he is "off somewhere else". This adds a good feeling of reality to the story. This book is quite short but it really left me wanting more.

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Review: The Introvert Confounds Innocence

The Introvert Confounds Innocence by Michael Paul Michaud
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Back again with the second instalment looking at the life of a special individual. If you haven't read the first in the series yet, I urge you to do so before diving into this one. You'll get more out of it once you know where he has come from. There are a couple of "gaffs" in this book that really annoyed me, one of which implied a plot point that, since it was clearly a mistake, failed to materialise. Luckily the overall story was interesting enough for me to still enjoy it. Knocked a star off! The protagonist (book two and we still don't know his name, very clever move this), now has a son and is having to contend with lots more human content than he'd prefer (and much more than his victims would like)! There's a danger with books which focus on the behaviour of a single character, that they become a bit repetitive. So far the author has managed to avoid this. Long may it continue.

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Review: The Introvert Bears Filthy Witness

The Introvert Bears Filthy Witness by Michael Paul Michaud
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Part three of the series examining the life of a man with a very literal outlook. If you've not read the previous two books then some of this review may not mean much to you - so off you go to read them! In this book we look closer at how others see him. His "special ways", are interpreted by others as being emotions that are more familiar to them. The way it is written this is perfectly understandable. It would be unbelievable if the police had not started taking a special interest in him, so that's what the writer lets happen. The English detective (introduced in book two) is a bit too much of a caricature, I'm British and so I'm allowed to say this. It's as though the author has a book of all the slang terms that an English person is likely to say and wants to use them all. Eagerly awaiting book four, I wonder what aspect will be explored then.

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Review: Twist

Twist by Mark L. Fowler
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had high hopes for this book. At first the style was very Raymond Chandler, before dropping into the author's own style. This was justified very well and I thought, "this is a clever writer". However, there is far too much philosophy which adds absolutely nothing to the narrative. There are also many plot points that pop up, totally apropos of nothing. This, plus mistakes like there being two days in a row that are both apparently Sunday make the book not too fun to follow. IMHO, the author should spend less time showing how great he is at philosophy and more time making sure that the book hangs together.

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Review: Prisoner

Prisoner by Ross Greenwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a very well written book. It is based on first hand experience and as with other good books of this type, one is left wondering which parts are real and thus where the fiction actually begins. One thing that I found particularly enjoyable is that the chapters don't end in typical cliff-hangers. Instead one is invested in the lives of all the individual characters. It is a fascinating insight into a world that most of us (thankfully) seldom have to think about. Based on this one, I have just borrowed more books by this author. Highly recommended.

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Review: The Assistant

The Assistant by Kjell Ola Dahl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a very good translation, in that there are (English) colloquialisms that are almost certainly not in the original text, that are used to give excellent context to the piece.

The story follows 5-6 key characters in parallel stories (in alternate chapters) based in the mid 1920s and 1938. I sometimes found it hard to remember where I had left the characters in one of the decades, but that is more my fault than the fault of the book.

The 1938 part of the story looks at how the Nazis were already planning what was to happen the following year and this added an extra element of intrigue.

The style is very "punchy", in that that a lot of the prose feels like a series of statements. This isn't a criticism, since I think it really suited the subject matter.

It's the first book that I have read by this author but I don't think it'll be the last.

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Review: Girls Who Lie

Girls Who Lie by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of those books whose ending is not how you would want it to be. I have no qualms in telling you this, because you really won't know exactly what I'm talking about until you get to the end. So you've got to read it now!

There are so may good things to say about this book. The "views" of Iceland (visiting there is now on my Bucket List), the fact that you get to really know the characters (well most of them - intriguing huh!), the "thoughts" chapters (but whose thoughts are they?), all make for a read that'll keep your interest and keep you trying to work things out. Never a dull moment.

If you hadn't worked it out, I really enjoyed this book. It turns out to be the second in a series, but is perfectly good as a stand-alone read.

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Review: Take Me Now

Take Me Now by Nancy Jardine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An interesting combination of whodunnit and romance. However I had problems with the characters, particularly the female lead. She seems a really strong and accomplished person, but her dialogue just didn't seem to fit. The whodunnit part was not (IMHO) played out to the full. Not much of a denouement. A personal bugbear of mine is where vehicle (car) sabotage and breakdowns are not fully researched to make them believable, not just here but in plays too. I'm all set to suspend belief for a romance novel (I love Jaimie Admans novels), but I really just couldn't get into the characters here.

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Review: The Favour Bank: Detectives Fuller & Harte

The Favour Bank: Detectives Fuller & Harte by B. A Morton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It is far easier to read a well written book than the other sort. This has been the easiest read I have had for a while. It's exceptionally well written. That isn't to imply that there are no mistakes in it, but the (very) few that there are are in the category of "mildly annoying" rather than "plot hole". The characters come to life from the very beginning and you soon feel that you know precisely how they speak and what they look like. It's not as heavily police procedural as a Peter James, nor as gritty (or violent) as a Martina Cole, but lies somewhere in the middle. If you're a fan of Peter James, then this is an author for you.

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Review: Fire in Bone: A Jake Pettman Thriller

Fire in Bone: A Jake Pettman Thriller by Wes Markin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So here we are back with part two of the series starring the man who isn't quite Jack Reacher. That's not a bad thing (not quite being Jack Reacher that is), since the Reacher books are into as much of a formula as the Spenser books were. 

This series is quite fresh. It also doesn't pull any punches as far as depicting the things that can happen when things get nasty. So not a book for the squeamish.

I'd suggest reading the first in the series (The Killing Pit) before reading this one, since you really want to have all the context within which this is set.

You'll want to know what happens in the next instalment, as the seeds have been firmly planted in this one. 

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Review: The Killing Pit

The Killing Pit by Wes Markin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very tall guy who doesn't like driving, arrives at an American town where bad things are going on. He helps to solve it while people try to kill him. Oh and he's an ex cop. Sound familiar? I bet you think you know exactly who I'm talking about. But that is where the similarities to the infamous man without a middle name end.

When I started the book I immediately thought that it was going to be another of the Jack Reacher formula knock offs. I was wrong. The protagonist has a far gentler character and is not at all so calculating. If he gets into a fight, he's more likely to get hurt than to hurt others.

Be prepared for a lot of gruesome stuff to go on. It contains life at its most unpleasant, but I guess these things do happen, so they're better in the book than not.

I understand that there is back story in a previous series (The DCI Michael Yorke series), so I may well go back and have a read of those. This book stands well enough on its own, although I'm sure you'll want to know what happens in the next instalment.

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