Search
Search results
Louise (64 KP) rated Burned and Broken in Books
Jul 2, 2018
I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher, my opinions are honest and my own.
Mark Hardie’s debut novel is set in Essex following our main protagonists DS Frank Pearson, DC Catherine Russell and young girl called Donna. DI Sean Carragher has been found burned to death in his car and Donna’s best friend Alicia was found dead in an underpass. Could these two deaths be connected? That’s the job for Pearson Russell to find out!
Starting off the book was very slow-paced, difficult to follow and the writing was very descriptive…maybe too much. The timeline of the book felt very jumpy and the POV’s would switch without so much as a warning. The first part of the book was setting the scene and some of the characters I felt unnecessary and were there just to fill a few more pages. The second half of the book was a lot better and Hardie get’s in to the flow of things. The ending was ok, but there wasn’t enough suspense in the book. I wasn’t excited to find out ‘whodunnit’.
This isn’t a bad book, especially for a debut but there is a lot of Police/Crime books out on the market and this doesn’t really stand out.
I believe there is going to be more books that continue following Pearson and Russell on more investigations. I might read them to see how Mark Hardie’s writing develops.
If you are a fan of Crime/Mystery novels..still check this out as though it wasn’t for me.. you may love it.
Mark Hardie’s debut novel is set in Essex following our main protagonists DS Frank Pearson, DC Catherine Russell and young girl called Donna. DI Sean Carragher has been found burned to death in his car and Donna’s best friend Alicia was found dead in an underpass. Could these two deaths be connected? That’s the job for Pearson Russell to find out!
Starting off the book was very slow-paced, difficult to follow and the writing was very descriptive…maybe too much. The timeline of the book felt very jumpy and the POV’s would switch without so much as a warning. The first part of the book was setting the scene and some of the characters I felt unnecessary and were there just to fill a few more pages. The second half of the book was a lot better and Hardie get’s in to the flow of things. The ending was ok, but there wasn’t enough suspense in the book. I wasn’t excited to find out ‘whodunnit’.
This isn’t a bad book, especially for a debut but there is a lot of Police/Crime books out on the market and this doesn’t really stand out.
I believe there is going to be more books that continue following Pearson and Russell on more investigations. I might read them to see how Mark Hardie’s writing develops.
If you are a fan of Crime/Mystery novels..still check this out as though it wasn’t for me.. you may love it.
Carma (21 KP) rated One Tough Cowboy (Moving Violations #1) in Books
Jun 17, 2019
Samantha and Hunter knew each back in the day but it has been more than 10 years since theyve seen each other. When she returns home after her aunts mysterious death to do her own investigation she find Hunter is just as yummy now as then. When he warns her off the investigation she finds the order hard to comply with. Being a Detroit cop now to his hometown sheriff she doesnt bend as easily as she may once have. She knows her Aunt is one of a few mysterious deaths that she needs to figure out.
Hunter has a lot of eyes on him so he wants to do everything by the book. He knew Samantha coming home would be a problem for him and his investigation but he didnt think it would be his attraction to her causing the issues. Working together to solve these cases has his imagination on overdrive, but does she feel the same way about him?
This was my first read by these authors and though it read ok it wasnt a grab my attention kind of read. It had good bones, for sure, but wasnt executed well in my opinion. The storyline dragged at times and I found myself skimming pages pretty often. It was erotic with tons of sex and encounters with little to no storyline dictation (not that sex needs that but usually it has a rhyme or reason within the story). A 3 ½ star read for me that I received from Netgalley without expectation for review. Any and all opinions expressed are my own.
Hunter has a lot of eyes on him so he wants to do everything by the book. He knew Samantha coming home would be a problem for him and his investigation but he didnt think it would be his attraction to her causing the issues. Working together to solve these cases has his imagination on overdrive, but does she feel the same way about him?
This was my first read by these authors and though it read ok it wasnt a grab my attention kind of read. It had good bones, for sure, but wasnt executed well in my opinion. The storyline dragged at times and I found myself skimming pages pretty often. It was erotic with tons of sex and encounters with little to no storyline dictation (not that sex needs that but usually it has a rhyme or reason within the story). A 3 ½ star read for me that I received from Netgalley without expectation for review. Any and all opinions expressed are my own.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated The Walking Dead - Season 8 in TV
Dec 23, 2019
Season 8 of The Walking Dead is where the show completely lost me for a good while.
I slowly limped through the first half of it, and had to literally talk myself into watching the next episode.
The main reason for this is just how painfully boring it's all is.
The much anticipated 'All Out War' storyline from the comic series is in full swing, after being set up through season 7, and every episode feels like it's just uninspired gun fight after uninspired gun fight. Any episodes in the past seasons that featured this kind of action felt exciting and tense. It happened rarely so was impactful when they came along.
Here, it just feels a lot like dead weight.
I also felt the writers saw TWD as a much artier project than it actually is at this point - there only so much of main characters staring deeply into the horizon, or at the sun that I care to watch.
Even character deaths feel dragged out and testing and so many
of the gory practical effects have been replaced by sub par CGI now, that it just doesn't even warrant a reaction. It's a sad state of affairs.
It's not all bad, I guess? All of the acting talent are still stellar, they're just not being given much to do. Although the Negan storyline failed to light up the small screen for me, I still enjoy him as a character, and JDM as an actor. There are still some entertaining set pieces strewn throughout, but the overall experience is a shadow of it's former self.
I slowly limped through the first half of it, and had to literally talk myself into watching the next episode.
The main reason for this is just how painfully boring it's all is.
The much anticipated 'All Out War' storyline from the comic series is in full swing, after being set up through season 7, and every episode feels like it's just uninspired gun fight after uninspired gun fight. Any episodes in the past seasons that featured this kind of action felt exciting and tense. It happened rarely so was impactful when they came along.
Here, it just feels a lot like dead weight.
I also felt the writers saw TWD as a much artier project than it actually is at this point - there only so much of main characters staring deeply into the horizon, or at the sun that I care to watch.
Even character deaths feel dragged out and testing and so many
of the gory practical effects have been replaced by sub par CGI now, that it just doesn't even warrant a reaction. It's a sad state of affairs.
It's not all bad, I guess? All of the acting talent are still stellar, they're just not being given much to do. Although the Negan storyline failed to light up the small screen for me, I still enjoy him as a character, and JDM as an actor. There are still some entertaining set pieces strewn throughout, but the overall experience is a shadow of it's former self.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Dark Waters (2019) in Movies
Dec 19, 2019
What Lies Within Inside
How come no one is talking about this, how come no one has seen this movie. People should know about this movie and see it, cause it is powerful, epic, sicken, disturbing, and over a phenomenal movie with a message.
The Plot: A tenacious attorney uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths to one of the world's largest corporations. While trying to expose the truth, he soon finds himself risking his future, his family and his own life.
It is based on the 2016 article "The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare" by Nathaniel Rich, published in The New York Times Magazine.
Parts of the story were also reported by Mariah Blake, whose 2015 article, "Welcome to Beautiful Parkersburg, West Virginia" was a National Magazine Award finalist, and Sharon Lerner, whose series "Bad Chemistry" ran in The Intercept. Robert Bilott, the principal character in the film, also wrote a memoir, Exposure, detailing his 20-year legal battle against DuPon.
Mark Rufflo does a fantastic job in this film and so does Anne Hathaway and Tom Robbins.
Its really sad that not aot of people know about this story, its also sad that no alot people seen this movie, that no one is talking about, cause like I sais before it is disturbing and sicken. Makes you think what else are companies and coperorations are hidden for us.
This movie is my 3rd favorite film that i have seen this year, right behind Endgame and Joker. A must see if you havent seen it or know about it.
The Plot: A tenacious attorney uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths to one of the world's largest corporations. While trying to expose the truth, he soon finds himself risking his future, his family and his own life.
It is based on the 2016 article "The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare" by Nathaniel Rich, published in The New York Times Magazine.
Parts of the story were also reported by Mariah Blake, whose 2015 article, "Welcome to Beautiful Parkersburg, West Virginia" was a National Magazine Award finalist, and Sharon Lerner, whose series "Bad Chemistry" ran in The Intercept. Robert Bilott, the principal character in the film, also wrote a memoir, Exposure, detailing his 20-year legal battle against DuPon.
Mark Rufflo does a fantastic job in this film and so does Anne Hathaway and Tom Robbins.
Its really sad that not aot of people know about this story, its also sad that no alot people seen this movie, that no one is talking about, cause like I sais before it is disturbing and sicken. Makes you think what else are companies and coperorations are hidden for us.
This movie is my 3rd favorite film that i have seen this year, right behind Endgame and Joker. A must see if you havent seen it or know about it.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Body of Ash (Victoria Cage Necromancer #3) in Books
Jan 26, 2020
Fab series
Contains spoilers, click to show
Fire, fire, burning higher, fairy better fight.
Victoria’s a necromancer, fairy, Blood Queen… hot freaking mess. Her identity is so twisted up in supernatural nonsense, that all she wants to do is go back to embalming bodies and coffin brochures. Being in love should make things easier, but when your beau’s a bear and you’ve got a fairy suitor waiting in the wings, romance is just another complication.
While preparing the victims of a tragic fire for their funerals, Victoria discovers that their deaths were not accidents, as the police have ruled. Soon, she’s hot on the trail of a Firestarter who’s been scorching their way through the surrounding counties. It’s about more than murder and flame, though.
Bodies with their hearts missing. A dark coven. And a gate to hell.
It’s not long before Victoria goes from the hunter, to the hunted. But she’ll do whatever it takes to bring the arsonist to justice—even if that means getting a few burns along the way.
I love this series!!
Body of ash we rejoin Tori as she battles to stop killer arsonists and a hellmouth being opened. Tori is struggling to keep out of fey politics as well staying of the radar as a necromancer. Her personal relationships with Kyle and Liam are getting harder to seperate when she relies on Liam and the fey to save Kyle's life. Also things with Terrance the detective becomes a little bit strained when he realises the damage magic has done this time. I almost cried as we watched Tori home and family business burn.
Really good series!
Recommended
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Victoria’s a necromancer, fairy, Blood Queen… hot freaking mess. Her identity is so twisted up in supernatural nonsense, that all she wants to do is go back to embalming bodies and coffin brochures. Being in love should make things easier, but when your beau’s a bear and you’ve got a fairy suitor waiting in the wings, romance is just another complication.
While preparing the victims of a tragic fire for their funerals, Victoria discovers that their deaths were not accidents, as the police have ruled. Soon, she’s hot on the trail of a Firestarter who’s been scorching their way through the surrounding counties. It’s about more than murder and flame, though.
Bodies with their hearts missing. A dark coven. And a gate to hell.
It’s not long before Victoria goes from the hunter, to the hunted. But she’ll do whatever it takes to bring the arsonist to justice—even if that means getting a few burns along the way.
I love this series!!
Body of ash we rejoin Tori as she battles to stop killer arsonists and a hellmouth being opened. Tori is struggling to keep out of fey politics as well staying of the radar as a necromancer. Her personal relationships with Kyle and Liam are getting harder to seperate when she relies on Liam and the fey to save Kyle's life. Also things with Terrance the detective becomes a little bit strained when he realises the damage magic has done this time. I almost cried as we watched Tori home and family business burn.
Really good series!
Recommended
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fergie Rises: How Britain's Greatest Football Manager Was Made at Aberdeen
Book
When Sir Alex Ferguson retired at the end of the 2013 season, he was the most successful football...
JE
Jonathan Edwards and Transatlantic Print Culture
Book
On March 20, 1760, a fire broke out in the Cornhill district of Boston, destroying nearly 350...
Economics of Tobacco Control in China: From Policy Research to Practice
Book
Nearly 370 million people in China smoke; about one-third of all smokers in the world are in China;...
1,342 QI Facts to Leave You Flabbergasted
John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin
Book
The sock-blasting, jaw-dropping, side-swiping phenomenon that is QI serves up a sparkling new...
ED
Eat, Drink, and be Wary: How Unsafe is Our Food?
Book
Food safety has fast become one of the nation's top issues. Three thousand people die each year in...