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Mary (13 KP) rated The Den (2014) in Movies

Jul 28, 2018 (Updated Jul 29, 2018)  
The Den (2014)
The Den (2014)
2014 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
7
7.2 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I enjoyed the perspective of seeing the person through the webcam when the hacker was present. It made it obvious what was occurring and added an interesting effect to the movie. (0 more)
The only issue I found with this movie was that there was no definitive climax. There was a whole lot of rising action, however it was difficult to acknowledge a singular climax as many different issues were presented all at once. (0 more)
Contains spoilers, click to show
I was very taken by the trailer of the movie "The Den" because I viewed it as an actual fear that many people have in today's society. I was able to find the movie on Netflix and it was pretty enjoyable. The storyline progressed at a decent rate and, all in all, was very interesting. I would not consider it a horror film, it was more of a thriller in my opinion. There is a bit of gore, but it isn't bad for the category it falls into. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who scares easily or is paranoid of being watched through the webcams of electronic devices.


The addition of the dark web Red Room at the very end of the movie was very suprising. However, I found it to be a great addition to the storyline as it was a link to what the hackers were doing with their victims.
  
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Traitor (John Shakespeare, #4)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I think this is now the fourth title in Clements' series featuring John Shakespeare, (fictional) brother to the more well known playwright; I'm pretty sure I read the first book in the series, but although I think I quite enjoyed it at the time, I can't remember a thing about the plot. I suspect it will be something the same with this; it wasn't a bad read, but not sure how long the story will stay with me.

There are a number of similar style books in a similar period around at the moment, and they do all seem to have similar styles of cover! I admit that I prefer the Shardlake books (CJ Sansom) as they are a bit more thought and a bit less action, but that's all down to personal taste. This is more of a thriller than a detective story and as for the Traitor of the title - well, any number of people in the book commit acts of treachery, so I can't say I'm 100% convinced who exactly it is supposed to refer to!

I have to say that the character of Ivory was unconvincing; after nearly getting himself killed right at the the beginning of the book, he goes on to do more stupid things which show a distinct lack of self-preservation if nothing else! Entertaining, but not great.
  
Someone Like Me
Someone Like Me
M.R. Carey | 2018 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
8
6.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
See all of my reviews at philomathinphila.com.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

M.R. Carey is known for writing "The Girl with all the Gifts" among many others. His latest, "Someone Like Me" has been shelved on Goodreads as fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller, and mystery. "Someone Like Me" is hard to categorize but easy to get sucked into. It is a long book with 500 pages so, if you have plans, make sure to set a timer. It was easy to keep reading without a break. I do not want to give too much away. It's a family drama about Liz, her children, her abuse ex-husband, and her neighbors but it is also much more. If M.R. Carey had left out the rest concerning Fran and Liz's alter-ego, the story would be a well written story about a single mom trying to raise two kids. It is the rest that makes the story extremely interesting. I have always been fascinated with Psychology, thrillers, and fantasy. Mix the three together, add some good writing, and an interesting story and I'm hooked. Carey's writing is descriptive but he does not overdo it.

If you like a book that opens with action and requires you to figure what is going on then this is for you.
  
Charlie's Angels (2019)
Charlie's Angels (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Attempt to make the notably leer-tastic exploitation TV show into a piece of weaponised feminism ends up understandably conflicted, but it has bigger problems to worry about. Somebody wants to steal a maguffin with evil potential, Angels want to stop him, much whizzing about in Germany, Istanbul, and so forth.

Elizabeth Banks puts together a generic sub-Mission Impossible action thriller reasonably well, but when the gunfire and revving engines dies away you are just left with the sound of comic banter failing to spark and the occasional unsubtle you-go-girl message. The plot feels very familiar, and the rest doesn't do enough to cover up for this. Mixed work from the cast: Banks herself is working hard, Kristen Stewart proves she genuinely does have star quality, Naomi Scott can probably look forward to a healthy career playing the kooky best friend, and while Ella Balinska can deliver neither a joke nor a line of exposition to save her life, she is about nine feet tall which helps with the fight choreography. Patrick Stewart turns up and twinkles a lot; one presumes CGI has been used to erase the dollar signs in his eyes. Admittedly, I am probably not the target audience for this movie, but even so: too often this feels leaden when it should be light, and treacly when it should froth.
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated One Eye Open in Books

Jul 12, 2020  
One Eye Open
One Eye Open
Paul Finch | 2020 | Crime, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have made it no secret that I am a fan of Paul Finch ... how could you not be with characters from his previous books like DS Mark "Heck" Heckenburg and PC Lucy Clayborn? Well here we have another memorable character ... DS Lynda Hagan.

This is a stand-alone book which follows the investigation into a seemingly straight forward car crash involving an ex-Formula 1 driver (Wade) and his wife Harriet (Harri) but it is anything but and we are soon taken on a non-stop ride full of action, suspense and intrigue involving gangs, grasses/snitches and one relentless and determined copper.

Told from Lynda's perspective in the present and Wade's timeline from the weeks leading up to the crash, with a great plot and a break-neck pace with twists and breath-holding moments, this is a great crime thriller. I wonder if there are going to more books featuring DS Hagan, I would quite like to get to know her a bit more because I think we only scratched the surface in this and I think there is more to her than meets the eye! If so, I will be the first in the queue.

Thank you to Orion Publishing Group via NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
  
Private Berlin (Private #5)
Private Berlin (Private #5)
9
9.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
121 of 200
Book
Private Berlin ( Private book 5)
By James Patterson

Private, the world's most respected investigation firm, has branches around the world, each staffed with the smartest, fastest, and most advanced agents, who have cutting-edge forensic tools that not even the most powerful governments possess.

At Private Berlin, agent Chris Schneider has disappeared. Chris had taken a secretive personal leave and hadn't spoken to anyone from the office in days. The Private team retraces his footsteps to the cases he was investigating before his disappearance: a billionaire suspected of cheating on his wife, a world-famous soccer player accused of throwing games, and the owner of a seedy nightclub. They were the last people to see Chris--and they're all suspects. And someone is lying.

The Private team is led to an abandoned Nazi slaughterhouse where all hope vanishes. As Private digs further into Chris's past, a terrifying history is revealed, and they begin to suspect that someone very dangerous and very depraved is responsible for Chris's disappearance. And he's not finished in Berlin. PRIVATE BERLIN has more twists, action, and deception than any other James Patterson thriller ever.


This was my favourite in this series so far! I loved it so much suspense and guessing I really enjoy catching up with Jack too! Highly recommend this series.