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Dead Simple (Roy Grace book 1)
Dead Simple (Roy Grace book 1)
Peter James | 2006 | Crime
10
8.6 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Can’t put this book down (2 more)
Familiar area
Good series
Gripping
Contains spoilers, click to show
This first book of the Roy grace series is brilliant. I was instantly hooked, I couldn’t put this book down it was so good

What drew me to these books is the location they are set in. Visually the area is so well described which is great for Imagening the area, the people the story...

I needed to know weather Michael would escape! Would Davey finally admit he’s been talking to someone on a walk or talkie.

I love this the story is focused on different point of veiws rather than one person. You get to experience roys life, Michaels life and Daveys life.

Michael the joker his friends decide to play a big prank on his that goes horrible wrong for everyone. They all get into and accident only on friend survived, the only one that knows Micheal location who is due to get married. He doesn’t let the police know of his friendly location who
Is trapped under ground in a coffin.

You get to experience how Micheal feels, what he thinks, desperate for the guy that has the other end of the walkie talkie to save him and find his location before time runs out!

I love that we have a story background of Roy grace, his wife just left one day and he’s never seen or Heard from her since. Is she dead or alive, did she just up and leave with no note. What happened to sandy!? I need to know and this is what gets you hooked. Sandy where are too? What happened ? I hope we find out in one of the books.
  
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Dean (6926 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Life is Strange in Video Games

Aug 25, 2018  
Life is Strange
Life is Strange
2015 | Action/Adventure
Great story (3 more)
Very good voice acting
Cool soundtrack
Unique gameplay
Occasionally being stuck searching for something (0 more)
An amazing immersive game
A little late to the party for this game released early in 2015. I had heard good things and all episodes were available for just a few pounds on Xbox Live gold so I gave it a go.
You will be hooked very early on. It's a unique game unlike anything I've played before. You make decisions as you go which can effect the past, present and future! In terms of story it's like a college drama like mean girls, mixed with something like Chronicle and mostly The Butterfly effect. In regards to gameplay it's similar to something like Shenmue or a detective game. You have to explore, find out clues, details and talk to characters for information.
I found it like playing an interactive film as it has a lot of cinematic moments. It's so gripping you'll likely play each of the 5 episodes in one sitting, around 3 hours each. The story is great with some dramatic moments and voice acting of a high standard, I liked a lot of the pop culture references.
The graphics are good although stylised rather than going for a realistic look. The soundtrack is subtle and very cool as well. It also has the replay value of trying it again making different decisions.
I can't praise it enough. I completed it in just a few days because you can't put it down. Everyone should check it out. It would be great if this got made into a film! The sequel is out soon.
  
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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Killing Eve in TV

Oct 22, 2018 (Updated Oct 22, 2018)  
Killing Eve
Killing Eve
2018 | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Good script (1 more)
Great cast
A Solid Spy Thriller With Laughs
Killing Eve is a BBC series based on the novel, 'Codename: Villianelle.' It stars Sandra Oh as Eve and Jodie Comer as Villianelle. Both are brilliant in their respective roles and are the main players in driving the show forward. They are supported by a very strong supporting cast as well, with everyone selling their character convincingly.

There are a few twists and turns that keep you guessing, but there are also a lot of spy story clichés present in the series. These aren't too offensive though, as I don't think that the show's main focus is to break the mould when it comes to spy thrillers, but instead to take its audience in an exciting espionage story while giving us some laughs along the way.

Speaking of which, the humour in this show doesn't take away from the gripping narrative, but instead adds to the show's charm. I will admit that it took me a while to get fully on-board with the show's off-kilter tone and quirky humour, but thankfully more of it lands than misses.

I am not familiar with the source material, so I am not sure how accurately it has been adapted. I don't even know if the novel contains the same odd tone or humour. It has intrigued me enough to go and read the book though, which is always a good sign.

Overall, this is a fun spy thriller. It is not going to break the rules of the genre, but it will keep you engaged throughout and give you a couple of laughs for good measure.
  
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Lee (2222 KP) Oct 23, 2018

Watched the final episode of this last night and totally agree with everything you've said. However, wasn't impressed with the final 10 seconds or so of that last episode - obviously wanting to make sure that it gets a second season!

The Walking Dead: v. 1: Days Gone Bye
The Walking Dead: v. 1: Days Gone Bye
Tony Moore, Robert Kirkman | 2006 | Fiction & Poetry
8
9.1 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
So I have finally got started on reading these graphic novels. I have been an avid fan of the TV remake and am fully aware that the series and graphic novels do not run exactly scene for scene. Some characters have had longer roles or shorter roles, other characters added or omitted. That is not what I am concerning myself with whilst reading this novel.

What I am concerned with is how the book felt as I read it. I thought the frames were well drawn, if you take the time to look over each picture you really feel the emotions of each of the characters. At no point does it feel lacking from the sole use of greyscale, colour is unnecessary in this story. Considering there is limited writing used, the conversations between characters have been orchestrated to portray all the information and emotions needed.

It always takes me a few pages to get into a graphic novel, the switch to reading pictures and not written descriptions takes some getting used to, but this story is so gripping that it isn’t hard to get lost in it. Nothing is too gruesome or overdone (not that I mind gruesome) but some people may be put off as it is a tale set in a zombie ridden world, but actually this is a story about the effect on the people left standing. How they cope in this new harsh existence, and how they decide to make a new future for themselves. This is a great start to a series and I will be carrying on gladly and with a great deal of enthusiasm.
  
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Luc Horvathova (60 KP) rated Dracula in Books

Oct 22, 2019  
Dracula
Dracula
Bram Stoker, Ang Lee | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.1 (47 Ratings)
Book Rating
Written in form of diaries and letters (0 more)
Gripping, entertaining well written master piece
Contains spoilers, click to show
The book is written in form of letters and diaries. It starts in Dracula's castle in Transylvania as Harker, the estate agent is going through the sale of some properties over in England. His good relationship with count starts to crumble as some weird things start happening and the place he's staying gets really scary. After the transaction is over and Harker is free to go home, he collapses on the way and gets submitted into the hospital. Meanwhile story starts explaining the relationship of his fiancé Mina and her best friend Lucy. Lucy is choosing her future husband while getting really sick for an unknown reason. Her sleep walking and getting pale and lifeless worries Mina. Lucy's future husband seeks help at his friend psychiatrist who calls his old friend Van Helsing. Meanwhile in psychiatric institute one of the patients behaves very strangely, specially at night time. Lucy's condition gets really bad and eventually she dies, breaking everyone's heart. In the same time Mina meets her sick fiance and get married moving into their new home. After Lucy's death she meets Van Helsing And others and together they figure out that count Dracula is behind this all. As much as vampires are scary, the group is determined to kill count under any circumstances. One of the last losses is Mina getting into Dracula's hands and slowly turning into vampire herself. The hunt begins to be very serious and our friends are getting very desperate...how does the story ends, it's up to you to find out by reading this masterpiece.
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Chain in Books

Jun 30, 2019  
The Chain
The Chain
Adrian McKinty | 2019 | Crime, Thriller
7
6.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
The premise to this book is fairly simple but disturbing and frightening and every parents worst nightmare. I am of an age where I remember the chain letters (of the pen and paper variety!) doing the rounds when I was a youngster, I never took any notice and no harm ever came to me (yet!) but "The Chain" is in a different league all together and is not something that can be ignored ... ever!

The Chain is a gripping, psychological thriller that starts with a bang, levels off in the middle and rises again at the end. The characters, although interesting, didn't really ingrain themselves into my psyche for some reason and I struggled to connect with them to the point where I wasn't particularly bothered what happened to them however, I liked the writing style which was easy to read and loved the unique story. There is also the underlying warning regarding social media and the ease at which seemingly innocent information can be collated and used against you and your family - people really need to be taking this more seriously.

I would happily recommend this book as its something different and overall enjoyable despite the middle being a bit "meh" and the characters being a bit flat; it kept me reading to the very end.

This is the first book I have read by this author but it won't be my last so thank you to the publisher, Orion Publishing Group, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review and once again, for introducing me to another new author to look out for.
  
Lost Light (Harry Bosch #9)
Lost Light (Harry Bosch #9)
Michael Connelly | 2003 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry
10
8.8 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
Bosch Shines Light on a Cold Case
It's been several months since Harry Bosch retired from his job as a homicide detective in Los Angeles. He's attempting to adjust to life as a civilian, but he can't resist when another former cop mentions a cold case they'd both worked on. Angella Benton was strangled in the entrance to her apartment building. Just as Bosch was beginning to investigate, the heist of two million dollars from a movie set gave the case a bigger profile, and the robbery homicide division took it over. Four years later, the murder remains unsolved and the money has not been found. But Bosch has barely begun poking into it again before he is warned off. Is someone still interested in this case? Can Bosch solve it without his badge to open doors for him?

I enjoyed seeing Bosch working without his badge, overcoming the added obstacle of not having any official business looking into this case. While he may not be a cop, we still did get cameos by many of the series regulars, and it was great to check in with them. The characters are strong as always, with Bosch leading the pack. I was surprised to find that this book was narrated first person, something I always enjoy. I hadn't run across that in a Harry Bosch book yet. The case itself was gripping with plenty of twists and turns to keep us engaged up until the end. I listened to the audio version narrated by Len Cariou, who does a great job except for one character. Fortunately, that character isn't a major player in the action of the book.
  
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JT (287 KP) rated Ca$h (2010) in Movies

Mar 10, 2020  
Ca$h (2010)
Ca$h (2010)
2010 | Mystery
2
2.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
A contender for one of the worst thrillers ever, this is nothing more than a total disaster. And that is being generous!

Director Stephen Milburn Anderson’s last outing was with Dead Men Can’t Dance back in 1997, and after such a long break you wonder why he stepped back behind the camera. The film’s central plot has been graced in Hollywood one way or another, at least in a different guise.

A bag of money from a robbery falls in the lap of Sam (Chris Hemsworth) and Leslie Phelan (Victoria Profeta) and so beings the moral dilemma. It doesn’t take long for the couple to blow and hide most of the money.

Sean Bean complete with trademark Sheffield accent steps in as Pyke Kubic tasked with recovering the half million dollar loot to split between himself and his brother who is in prison (also played by Bean).

For most you’d expect a game of cat and mouse, gripping edge of seat stuff. Forget that, what you are handed is a rather boring plot of Bean meticulously accounting for all the missing cash and spending time with the couple inside their home as some sort of unwanted house guest.

There is no need for violence here, he’s polite and calm but at the same time attempts to be chilling even insulting the couple for their lack of meat in home cooking. Christ, he even goes out to buy them food for their fridge!

It really is embarrassing to watch and sad, as put in the right hands this could have been a real sleeper hit. Two simple words, “don’t bother”!