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ClareR (5950 KP) rated Afraid of the Christmas Lights in Books

Dec 1, 2020  
Afraid of the Christmas Lights
Afraid of the Christmas Lights
Val McDermid, Sophie Hannah, T.E. Kinsey, Mark Billingham, Elle Croft, Phoebe Morgan, James Delargy, S.R. Masters, Victoria Selman, Clare Empson, Harriet Tyce, Kate Simants, Heather Critchlow, Adam Southward, N.J. Mackay, Rachael Blok, Dominic Nolan, Jo Furniss, Robert Scragg | 2020 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I don’t like Christmas books. Usually. I like A Christmas Carol, but I tend not to read many modern Christmas books - unless they’re children’s ones at work, or when I used to read them for my own children when they were little. Which is probably why I liked this so much. Usually in anthologies, there will be a few standout stories that make reading the collection as a whole worthwhile, but I’ve really struggled to single out one or two - I enjoyed them all far too much for that.

Most of the stories are set around Christmas with only a couple of exceptions. That didn’t cause me to like them any less though. The real standouts for me (if I absolutely HAVE to choose!) were: Phoebe Morgan’s Unexpected Present - the gift wrapped so nicely in expensive M&S paper being the main protagonists husband; The Switch by James Delargy had a Stephen King vibe to it (and I should add that it wasn’t because of The Green Mile!); Fresh Meat by Elle Croft gives new meaning to a raw meat diet for your cat; and The Vigilante by Clare Empson was a sad story of a Charles Dickens look-a-like who tries to save victims of crime in the dead of night.

If you need an excuse to buy this, then the proceeds go to ESDAS and Rights of Women, both domestic abuse charities.

Many thanks to The PIgeonhole for serialising this book, and to the authors who joined in. As always, it was a great experience!!
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated Nemesis in Books

Jul 8, 2025 (Updated Jul 8, 2025)  
Nemesis
Nemesis
Gregg Hurwitz | 2025 | Thriller
3
3.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Orphan Versus Friend
One of Evan’s few friends is Tommy, who also happens to be his weapons dealer. But after discovering some of Tommy’s weapons on an assassin that Evan was fighting, he is mad at his friend for not following Evan’s strict code. Their initial conversation doesn’t go well, but things get complicated with other assassins and a young man that Tommy is trying to help. Will the two be able to solve their differences? Or will they wind up killing each other?

This series is a definite break from my cozy diet, but one I usually love despite the rather graphic violence we get. In this case, the book has too many flaws. The entire plot could have been resolved with a couple of conversations. There are great stretches in the middle where nothing really happens – we’re just dealing with repetitive scenes that don’t go anywhere. Evan is more evil than usual. I get that it was supposed to lead to some growth, but it didn’t work for me. And the ending? I really felt like it let me down. We get some ripped from the headline politics in this book, but it leads to cliches and doesn’t feel like there is much point to it. I feel like the series is marking time in some ways since the initial arc was resolved, and this is worse than normal. The writing is still wonderful. Lots of others seem to still love it, but this one is best for only the diehard fans.