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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Dragon (Dirk Pitt #10) in Books
Nov 12, 2019
At the end of the Second World War, America sends more than two atomic bombs to be dropped on Japan, but the other planes crashed. Fast forward fifty years and against a backdrop of US paranoia about the rise of Japanese industry, it seems that at least one of those missing bombs has been found.
Dirk Pitt must race against the clock to uncover the fate of the weapons and what use they may be put to. And not all of his foes are human.
It has to be said you generally know what you are going to get with a Cussler book and this is exactly what you get. There's a villainous bad guy who wants to destroy America, almost insurmountable odds, incredible chases and ingenious escapes.
The whole is equal to the sum of its parts, so this is a completely standard Pitt adventure novel, but there are many of those parts that aren't quite up to scratch. With the fall of the Soviet Union as the Enemy Nation, Cussler has transferred this status to Japan, but it doesn't really work very well and comes across as more than a little xenophobic. And the threats aren't particularly threatening. By this point the plot twists that made the earlier novels so intriguing are basically absent with very little happening that isn't signposted. So although it's a standard Cussler thriller, it isn't anywhere near being one of the best
Dirk Pitt must race against the clock to uncover the fate of the weapons and what use they may be put to. And not all of his foes are human.
It has to be said you generally know what you are going to get with a Cussler book and this is exactly what you get. There's a villainous bad guy who wants to destroy America, almost insurmountable odds, incredible chases and ingenious escapes.
The whole is equal to the sum of its parts, so this is a completely standard Pitt adventure novel, but there are many of those parts that aren't quite up to scratch. With the fall of the Soviet Union as the Enemy Nation, Cussler has transferred this status to Japan, but it doesn't really work very well and comes across as more than a little xenophobic. And the threats aren't particularly threatening. By this point the plot twists that made the earlier novels so intriguing are basically absent with very little happening that isn't signposted. So although it's a standard Cussler thriller, it isn't anywhere near being one of the best
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Murder House (DCI Matilda Darke #5) in Books
Jan 27, 2020
This is the fifth in this series starring DCI Matilda Darke but only the second I have read having previous been lucky enough to read the first in the series "For Reasons Unknown" which introduced DCI Darke to the world. Having missed the books in-between and although I have likely missed out on a lot of back story, I didn't feel it detracted from my enjoyment of this book and I felt it worked well as a standalone.
This book starts with the gruesome and brutal murder of 3 family members on the night they were celebrating a family wedding. This is a seemingly motiveless crime against a perfect family ... but can there be such a thing? What follows is the complex investigation by DCI Darke and her Homicide and Major Investigation Team.
The characters are interesting, likeable (mostly) and believable and I quickly became invested in them and their lives. The plot is complex with multiple layers and lines of enquiry and with twists and turns and red herrings aplenty; it certainly kept me on my toes from start to finish and didn't disappoint.
The Murder House is a dark, gripping, thrilling and well paced story which I have no hesitation in recommending to lovers of crime novels like myself and thank you to One More Chapter (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
This book starts with the gruesome and brutal murder of 3 family members on the night they were celebrating a family wedding. This is a seemingly motiveless crime against a perfect family ... but can there be such a thing? What follows is the complex investigation by DCI Darke and her Homicide and Major Investigation Team.
The characters are interesting, likeable (mostly) and believable and I quickly became invested in them and their lives. The plot is complex with multiple layers and lines of enquiry and with twists and turns and red herrings aplenty; it certainly kept me on my toes from start to finish and didn't disappoint.
The Murder House is a dark, gripping, thrilling and well paced story which I have no hesitation in recommending to lovers of crime novels like myself and thank you to One More Chapter (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Black House in Books
Jan 4, 2020
Another of King's epic stories
Stephen King is my favourite author, so I'm always going to enjoy his stories although it varies as to how much. I have a particular fondness for his short stories or epic doorstop sized novels, and I'm pleased that Black House falls into the latter.
The Talisman is a great story, and this is a very welcome sequel with Jack now as a rather endearing and heroic adult, scarred by his past. This is a story that starts off as a standard crime story and as it goes on turns into a fantastical horror, filled with King's usual mix of well written secondary characters and a nice amount of gore. What I also loved about this is how it links into other King stories - not just The Talisman, but others that I won't spoil but are very much beloved.
That's not to say this book is perfect. It is VERY long and I feel like there are parts of this that get too rambling and long winded, and there are some parts that could quite easily have been cut out without impacting on the main plot. There are also a few characters in this with odd speech impediments or accents, and trying to read their manner of speech gets very irritating after a while.
But apart from this, this is a hugely enjoyable King epic novel. Although only one to read if you've read The Talisman - this is not a standalone sequel.
The Talisman is a great story, and this is a very welcome sequel with Jack now as a rather endearing and heroic adult, scarred by his past. This is a story that starts off as a standard crime story and as it goes on turns into a fantastical horror, filled with King's usual mix of well written secondary characters and a nice amount of gore. What I also loved about this is how it links into other King stories - not just The Talisman, but others that I won't spoil but are very much beloved.
That's not to say this book is perfect. It is VERY long and I feel like there are parts of this that get too rambling and long winded, and there are some parts that could quite easily have been cut out without impacting on the main plot. There are also a few characters in this with odd speech impediments or accents, and trying to read their manner of speech gets very irritating after a while.
But apart from this, this is a hugely enjoyable King epic novel. Although only one to read if you've read The Talisman - this is not a standalone sequel.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated The Rabbit Hunter (Joona Linna #6) in Books
Mar 26, 2020 (Updated Mar 26, 2020)
6th book in the series. Can stand-alone but read the earlier ones first.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
The Rabbit Hunter is the 6th novel in the Joona Linna series written by Lars Kepler. Kepler is the pseudonym of husband and wife team Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril.
While it is the 6th in the series, it can stand alone. However, you should read the earlier novels to really understand the characters.
Kepler's books are detailed and gritty. They are not set nor originally published in the US. Be warned! There is gore. That being said, the books I have read in the series are captivating. This one, not so much. I do recommend reading it but it was missing something. I am not sure if the cause was the translation or the original text.
Joona was not as strong of a presence as in prior books. He is released from jail just to help solve the case of the rabbit hunter. Instead of focusing on the case, he plans for life after prison and without working as a police officer. It is in his blood. It is who he is.
I will read book 7 and hope it was only this book or its translation I found lacking. I thoroughly enjoyed the others in the series.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 3/25/20.
The Rabbit Hunter is the 6th novel in the Joona Linna series written by Lars Kepler. Kepler is the pseudonym of husband and wife team Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril.
While it is the 6th in the series, it can stand alone. However, you should read the earlier novels to really understand the characters.
Kepler's books are detailed and gritty. They are not set nor originally published in the US. Be warned! There is gore. That being said, the books I have read in the series are captivating. This one, not so much. I do recommend reading it but it was missing something. I am not sure if the cause was the translation or the original text.
Joona was not as strong of a presence as in prior books. He is released from jail just to help solve the case of the rabbit hunter. Instead of focusing on the case, he plans for life after prison and without working as a police officer. It is in his blood. It is who he is.
I will read book 7 and hope it was only this book or its translation I found lacking. I thoroughly enjoyed the others in the series.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 3/25/20.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Night Shift in Books
Feb 23, 2020
King at his best
This is one of the first Stephen King books I remember reading, probably when I was far too young at around the age of 10/11, if not earlier. I loved it then, I loved it the handful of times I've picked it up over the past 2 decades and having decided to read it again this week, I still love it.
King is my favourite author, and it's books like this that really highlight why. I've never before known an author who can bring such detail and intrigue into 20 different short stories, even those stories that are only a few pages long. He's a master storyteller and this book is a great example. Every single story is engaging and filled with horror, telling you just enough to leave you satisfied and not feeling like you're missing out and with a well developed plot and characters.
Out of these 20 short stories, I'd only highlight one of these that is maybe weaker than the rest: 'The Woman in the Room' and this isn't bad, just more that it's lacking in the horror that the rest of the stories have and it's a shame because this is the final story. But aside from this every single story is a brilliant read and if you ever want to find a place to start reading Stephen King, without tackling his major epic novels, there's no finer place to start than this.
King is my favourite author, and it's books like this that really highlight why. I've never before known an author who can bring such detail and intrigue into 20 different short stories, even those stories that are only a few pages long. He's a master storyteller and this book is a great example. Every single story is engaging and filled with horror, telling you just enough to leave you satisfied and not feeling like you're missing out and with a well developed plot and characters.
Out of these 20 short stories, I'd only highlight one of these that is maybe weaker than the rest: 'The Woman in the Room' and this isn't bad, just more that it's lacking in the horror that the rest of the stories have and it's a shame because this is the final story. But aside from this every single story is a brilliant read and if you ever want to find a place to start reading Stephen King, without tackling his major epic novels, there's no finer place to start than this.
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