Sign up
Search
Advanced search settings

Search only in certain items:

Search results
All (677)
Content
People
Apps
Books
Orbs
Movies
Music
Podcasts
Shows
Tabletop Games
Tech
TV
Video Games
YouTube Channels
Videos
40x40

Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Old Friends and New Enemies (Charlie Cameron #2) in Books

Nov 21, 2019  
Old Friends and New Enemies (Charlie Cameron #2)
Old Friends and New Enemies (Charlie Cameron #2)
Owen Mullen | 2016 | Contemporary, Crime, Fiction & Poetry
9
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Glasgow private detective Charlie Cameron finds himself out of his depth when he finds out that an old friend has been killed. Getting on the wrong side of an organised crime family would be bad enough but just when he needs hits wits about him the personal nature of the case clouds his judgement. And things aren't made easier by a police detective with a grudge who thinks he is guilty.

This is a terrifically gritty crime novel. Glasgow is a good setting for this kind of work and Mullen does a great job of describing the city and the surroundings. Cameron is a very likeable character and seems very believable. The rest of the cast are just as well defined, from Cameron's slightly dodgy friend to the Rafferty family who are nasty but with a solid basis on why they are.

As the plot unfolds the reader knows more than Cameron which makes some of his mis-steps in dealing with the case agonising to read when he puts himself in more danger when he is trying to extricate himself. The ending ties everything up neatly but don't expect a fairy tale ending.

Overall this is a terrific crime novel and if the other Cameron books are anything like this then it will be a series to get hold of.
  
40x40

Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Our Man in Havana: An Introduction by Christopher Hitchens in Books

Sep 8, 2017  
Our Man in Havana: An Introduction by Christopher Hitchens
Our Man in Havana: An Introduction by Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens, Graham Greene | 2001 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A classic noir from Graham Greene but not his best
While I wouldn't say this was the best of Graham Greene, who is renowned for his noir style crime tales, it was an enjoyable read.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this spy novel about a simple vacuum merchant turned spy for the British government in Cuba. His friend, a German doctor is suspected of being more than he is. There are plenty of assassination plots in this novel on top of escaping dangerous situations involving corrupt cops.

My only gripe is the fact how quickly the salesman was able to grasp being a detective without any training, so it seems a little implausible. Fun, but no Brighton Rock.