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tapestry100 (306 KP) rated Angel Catbird, Volume 1 in Books
Aug 2, 2017
This is an unfortunate disappointment for me. I haven't read much of Atwood, but I'm familiar with her and her significance as an author so I was more than intrigued by the idea of a graphic novel written by her. Well, imagine my disappointment in what she gave us: from her rather self-serving foreword, where in the first paragraph she reminds us that she is “an award-winning nice literary old lady” and then goes on to great lengths about her lifelong interest in comics, to the flat story that is nothing but one overused superhero trope and bad pun after another, to the lackluster art (sorry, but Johnnie Christmas' art just didn't save this enough for me), to the interjected facts about the number of cat and bird deaths in Canada, the US, and the UK that occur each year, I was shocked that this got published. I would assume that had anyone other that Margaret Atwood presented this project, it would have been shot down. This is nothing to me but a vanity project and one that I just can't see myself continuing. The only reason I can't give it 1 star is because it is Margaret Atwood, after all, and it seems sacrilegious to do so.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated The Secretary in Books
Mar 15, 2019
Day after day, year after year, Christine has been there, invisiblewatching, listening, absorbing all the secrets floating around her. Keeping them safe.
Christine is trusted. But those years of loyalty and discretion come with a high price. And eventually Christina will pay.
Yet, it would be a mistake to underestimate such a steadfast woman. Because as everyone is about to discover, theres a dangerous line between obedience and obsession...
"The Secretary" is Renee Knight's second novel. This story has an explosive plot and a very surprising twist at the end.
This story revolves and explores the relationship between the employer and the employee. The author has done a fabulous job of exploring the loyalty of an employee to her employer. The story is completely gripping and I was glued to it.
The characters are completely and utterly convincing and I developed a love/hate relationship with them.
The underlying tension is apparent from the start and it just adds to the suspense going forward.
Some may call this a slow burn but I felt the pace of the story is just perfect. This is an intelligent, twisted, psychological thriller.
Very believable characters and brilliant plot! Perfect story in my opinion.
Highly Recommend!
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.
Christine is trusted. But those years of loyalty and discretion come with a high price. And eventually Christina will pay.
Yet, it would be a mistake to underestimate such a steadfast woman. Because as everyone is about to discover, theres a dangerous line between obedience and obsession...
"The Secretary" is Renee Knight's second novel. This story has an explosive plot and a very surprising twist at the end.
This story revolves and explores the relationship between the employer and the employee. The author has done a fabulous job of exploring the loyalty of an employee to her employer. The story is completely gripping and I was glued to it.
The characters are completely and utterly convincing and I developed a love/hate relationship with them.
The underlying tension is apparent from the start and it just adds to the suspense going forward.
Some may call this a slow burn but I felt the pace of the story is just perfect. This is an intelligent, twisted, psychological thriller.
Very believable characters and brilliant plot! Perfect story in my opinion.
Highly Recommend!
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.
Midge (525 KP) rated The Perfect Betrayal in Books
Mar 16, 2019
A Perfect Thriller!
This book has all of the qualities of the perfect psychological thriller. Deftly layered with emotion and suspense it starts off fairly slowly but the tension builds into a dramatic sequence of events.
The story is told predominantly from the point of view of the main character, Tess, along with snippets from her grief counsellor and brother-in-law. Tess’ conversations that she had with her late husband were heart-breaking. It was an incredibly emotionally charged book, well written and beautifully plotted and so cleverly constructed to help conceal major reveals in the natural progression of the story.
“The Perfect Betrayal” is my favourite type of psychological thriller - where the voices and thoughts of the characters and the reader’s own imagination complement the story. From the beginning, it is an absorbing and riveting novel as well as being massively addictive. The main protagonist, Tess, did not know who to trust and nor did I.
Highly recommended, this is a sad and harrowing story of grief, love and loss, with a fulfilling but shocking finish. Lauren North’s writing is just exquisite and I will be looking out for her next offering.
[Thank you to #NetGalley, Random House UK/ Transworld Publishers, and Lauren North for my free ARC of #ThePerfectBetrayal in exchange for an honest review.]
The story is told predominantly from the point of view of the main character, Tess, along with snippets from her grief counsellor and brother-in-law. Tess’ conversations that she had with her late husband were heart-breaking. It was an incredibly emotionally charged book, well written and beautifully plotted and so cleverly constructed to help conceal major reveals in the natural progression of the story.
“The Perfect Betrayal” is my favourite type of psychological thriller - where the voices and thoughts of the characters and the reader’s own imagination complement the story. From the beginning, it is an absorbing and riveting novel as well as being massively addictive. The main protagonist, Tess, did not know who to trust and nor did I.
Highly recommended, this is a sad and harrowing story of grief, love and loss, with a fulfilling but shocking finish. Lauren North’s writing is just exquisite and I will be looking out for her next offering.
[Thank you to #NetGalley, Random House UK/ Transworld Publishers, and Lauren North for my free ARC of #ThePerfectBetrayal in exchange for an honest review.]
Page-turning brilliance!
Once again, Tony Parsons delivers a treat of a read that starts off as it means to go on ... page-turning brilliance!
I can't speak too highly enough of the characterisation of the various protagonists within the pages of this book, and the previous ones, they are superb and the author has an innate ability to create characters that you want to either meet in real life or avoid like the plague .. this book has both in abundance.
The story is excellent with side-stories holding your interest in between the "policey" bits however, I have to admit that there were times when it veered off reality a little too much and I certainly can't see serving Police Officers getting away with what Max and some of his colleagues do ... well, I hope not anyway! but it is a work of fiction so I can cope with a little bit of OTT now and again.
This is the 6th in the series and although you could read this as a stand-alone, I would highly recommend you don't as you will be missing the delights the other books behold in between their pages (or finger-swipes).
My thanks go to the publisher, Random House UK Cornerstone, and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
I can't speak too highly enough of the characterisation of the various protagonists within the pages of this book, and the previous ones, they are superb and the author has an innate ability to create characters that you want to either meet in real life or avoid like the plague .. this book has both in abundance.
The story is excellent with side-stories holding your interest in between the "policey" bits however, I have to admit that there were times when it veered off reality a little too much and I certainly can't see serving Police Officers getting away with what Max and some of his colleagues do ... well, I hope not anyway! but it is a work of fiction so I can cope with a little bit of OTT now and again.
This is the 6th in the series and although you could read this as a stand-alone, I would highly recommend you don't as you will be missing the delights the other books behold in between their pages (or finger-swipes).
My thanks go to the publisher, Random House UK Cornerstone, and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Line of Duty - Season 3 in TV
May 12, 2019
Another excellent series
I’m starting to feel like a broken record reviewing Line of Duty, but it really is a highly entertaining and gripping show, and is showing now signs of slowing down.
Without going into spoiler territory, this series (despite not being the last) very much wraps up a number of outstanding storylines carried over from the first to series and it does so in a very satisfying way. A lot of shows would be willing to drag these out but not Line of Duty. Instead they’ve brought all of these storylines to a head in a thrilling and action packed manner. I won’t lie, the storyline was maybe a bit predictable in parts as we as the viewers always know more than the characters themselves, but this didn’t really matter that much as it was just good to enjoy the ride. I do like how the plot also tied into relevant historic cases that are current in the UK at the moment, made it a lot more realistic! My only criticism really is that Daniel May was brilliant, but perhaps a little underused but then when you see how the story pans out, it’s understandable. There are a lot of nasty and unlikeable characters in this, and it’s nice to see them get their comeuppance.
Without going into spoiler territory, this series (despite not being the last) very much wraps up a number of outstanding storylines carried over from the first to series and it does so in a very satisfying way. A lot of shows would be willing to drag these out but not Line of Duty. Instead they’ve brought all of these storylines to a head in a thrilling and action packed manner. I won’t lie, the storyline was maybe a bit predictable in parts as we as the viewers always know more than the characters themselves, but this didn’t really matter that much as it was just good to enjoy the ride. I do like how the plot also tied into relevant historic cases that are current in the UK at the moment, made it a lot more realistic! My only criticism really is that Daniel May was brilliant, but perhaps a little underused but then when you see how the story pans out, it’s understandable. There are a lot of nasty and unlikeable characters in this, and it’s nice to see them get their comeuppance.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Need to Know in Books
May 22, 2019
A CIA analyst specializing in tracking down Russian sleeper agents in the US stumbles upon a file with photos of some of these. One of them turns out to be her husband. When she confronts him with the question 'how long have you been spying for Russia?' instead of denying it, he immediately replies, '22 years.'
This book makes you question how far you would go to protect your husband, your children and your life?
Even if you don’t typically enjoy spy or political thrillers, this is a fantastic read! It's hard for me to know what to say as I don't want to give anything away about the plot. Best way to describe is get in and buckle up for the thrill ride as more and more layers are peeled back and discovered.
We have here a strong female CIA Agent and a host of other well developed characters that add to the well developed boiling pot that is the plot.
Loads of twists and turns throughout. It kept me on my toes and on the edge of my seat. I literally found myself shouting at my kindle at times!!
Highly recommend reading this.
* Thank you to Random House UK for my 'wish for it copy' for which I have given an honest review in exchange*
This book makes you question how far you would go to protect your husband, your children and your life?
Even if you don’t typically enjoy spy or political thrillers, this is a fantastic read! It's hard for me to know what to say as I don't want to give anything away about the plot. Best way to describe is get in and buckle up for the thrill ride as more and more layers are peeled back and discovered.
We have here a strong female CIA Agent and a host of other well developed characters that add to the well developed boiling pot that is the plot.
Loads of twists and turns throughout. It kept me on my toes and on the edge of my seat. I literally found myself shouting at my kindle at times!!
Highly recommend reading this.
* Thank you to Random House UK for my 'wish for it copy' for which I have given an honest review in exchange*
ClareR (5874 KP) rated The Queen Of Bloody Everything in Books
Sep 9, 2018
A challenging mother/ daughter relationship.
This starts in 1976 and really captures the feelings and experiences of someone growing up through the 1970s and 1980s in the UK. There are so many familiar cultural references: from Margaret Thatcher to Mivvi ice lollies.
I listened to this through Audible, and I think the narrator was exactly the right choice. Dido, the main character, starts off as a six year old in 1976. We follow her through a difficult childhood with her single, bohemian, hard and fast living mother, Edie, in a very conservative small town. There are times where I wondered who the adult actually was. There is no doubt that Dido loves her mother no matter how difficult she is, but it's also evident that she is largely responsible for the direction that Dido's life takes. Dido is mainly cared for by the Trevelyans, who she meets on the day she and her mother move in to the house left to Edie in her aunts will. Mrs Trevelyan is clearly disapproving of Edie (as are a lot of people in their small town). Dido attempts to become part of the Trevelyan family, and she does succeed in time.
I loved all of these characters and the way their lives played out, and I think the use of the first person narrative was really effective. A really lovely book.
I listened to this through Audible, and I think the narrator was exactly the right choice. Dido, the main character, starts off as a six year old in 1976. We follow her through a difficult childhood with her single, bohemian, hard and fast living mother, Edie, in a very conservative small town. There are times where I wondered who the adult actually was. There is no doubt that Dido loves her mother no matter how difficult she is, but it's also evident that she is largely responsible for the direction that Dido's life takes. Dido is mainly cared for by the Trevelyans, who she meets on the day she and her mother move in to the house left to Edie in her aunts will. Mrs Trevelyan is clearly disapproving of Edie (as are a lot of people in their small town). Dido attempts to become part of the Trevelyan family, and she does succeed in time.
I loved all of these characters and the way their lives played out, and I think the use of the first person narrative was really effective. A really lovely book.
Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated A Party with Socialists in It: A History of the Labour Left in Books
Sep 11, 2018
Great and detailed history of the Labour Party and its origins (1 more)
Helps identify trends and patterns to the Labour Party Culture
The History, and Lessons of the Labour Party
After reading 'The Candidate', my lovely girlfriend got me this as a follow-up to allow me to learn more about the history of the left in the UK from the start of the 20th Century.
This book is very much a left-wing view of Labour's history, and does a good job of describing the main flag bearers and saboteurs of the worker focused socialist movements.
It helps trace the current Labour makeup back through the ages, via Benn, Bevan etc and gives a very good account of the many internal battles and compromises that took place through the 20th Century as the various power plays and world events echo Game Of Thrones at times.
Its also an important indicator of where power has corrupted idealogues of the past, and how it is often the working people that are the ones that pay the price for hubris (I am looking at you Kinnock!).
One for politico's only, not a casual read, but if you have an interest, do please check it out, there is a lot here to gain!
This book is very much a left-wing view of Labour's history, and does a good job of describing the main flag bearers and saboteurs of the worker focused socialist movements.
It helps trace the current Labour makeup back through the ages, via Benn, Bevan etc and gives a very good account of the many internal battles and compromises that took place through the 20th Century as the various power plays and world events echo Game Of Thrones at times.
Its also an important indicator of where power has corrupted idealogues of the past, and how it is often the working people that are the ones that pay the price for hubris (I am looking at you Kinnock!).
One for politico's only, not a casual read, but if you have an interest, do please check it out, there is a lot here to gain!
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Cold Granite (Logan McRae #1) in Books
Dec 5, 2019
Well, what can I say? What a book this is ... there aren't enough superlatives to say how much I enjoyed it ... just brilliant and a must-read for any fans of crime novels. This is the first in the Logan McRae series but I have read subsequent stories before this one and can confirm that it made no difference to my enjoyment of this book.
Now, I must warn you that this book deals with the disturbing and upsetting subject of child murders with the additional sub-plot of the murder of a gangster and there are graphic descriptions of the crime scenes so if you are of a nervous disposition or easily offended, I would probably steer clear of this particular one.
The characters are strong, well developed, interesting and believable with authentic dialogue throughout and despite the dark subject matter, there are many moments of humour which made me chuckle on several occasions which helped to lighten things a little. The setting of Aberdeen in the winter is perfect and creates further atmosphere. The pace is non-stop with twists, turns and red-herrings throughout which certainly kept me on my toes and guessing until near the end.
Don't let this series pass you by ... highly recommended.
I have to thank HarperCollins UK via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
Now, I must warn you that this book deals with the disturbing and upsetting subject of child murders with the additional sub-plot of the murder of a gangster and there are graphic descriptions of the crime scenes so if you are of a nervous disposition or easily offended, I would probably steer clear of this particular one.
The characters are strong, well developed, interesting and believable with authentic dialogue throughout and despite the dark subject matter, there are many moments of humour which made me chuckle on several occasions which helped to lighten things a little. The setting of Aberdeen in the winter is perfect and creates further atmosphere. The pace is non-stop with twists, turns and red-herrings throughout which certainly kept me on my toes and guessing until near the end.
Don't let this series pass you by ... highly recommended.
I have to thank HarperCollins UK via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
Doesn't tax the brain too much
This book is a pretty successful debut and follows the struggles for both Allison, who miraculously survived a plane crash, and her mum Maggie, who, along with everyone else, thinks she didn't. Told from both the perspectives of Allison and Maggie, covering the past and the present, the story is not only of survival but one of the sometimes difficult relationship between a mother and her daughter.
Written at good pace, I raced through this book helped by short chapters. I admit it wasn't the most unpredictable of endings however, the drip-drip of suspense and gradual revealing of secrets makes this a compelling read.
The two main characters of Allison and Maggie are very well developed with Maggie being a particular favourite of mine. The story captures both of their strengths and weaknesses extremely well together with their determination and resilience.
There are a few flaws with the plot that have been mentioned in other reviews but although these were a little annoying, they didn't detract too much from my overall enjoyment of this book.
Overall, I would recommend this to people who enjoy an easy and quick mystery that doesn't tax the brain too much.
Thank you to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
Written at good pace, I raced through this book helped by short chapters. I admit it wasn't the most unpredictable of endings however, the drip-drip of suspense and gradual revealing of secrets makes this a compelling read.
The two main characters of Allison and Maggie are very well developed with Maggie being a particular favourite of mine. The story captures both of their strengths and weaknesses extremely well together with their determination and resilience.
There are a few flaws with the plot that have been mentioned in other reviews but although these were a little annoying, they didn't detract too much from my overall enjoyment of this book.
Overall, I would recommend this to people who enjoy an easy and quick mystery that doesn't tax the brain too much.
Thank you to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.