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Kelly (279 KP) rated London Falling: The Shadow Police book one in Books
Dec 10, 2018
Compelling characters (1 more)
Good storyline
An urban fantasy that is a page turner
I originally picked this book up through recommendation, and have to confess that I was hooked from start to finish (and throughout the two books that followed in the series).
The main characters, 3 police inspectors, and an intelligence analyst who stubble upon a darker magical side of London lead us through finding out the cause of the death of Rob Toshack, a drug lord who died in police custody. The group set up a team to hunt down the killer, quickly finding that they need to develop a whole new set of skills in order to defeat their opposition.
I am a huge fan of Ben Aaronovitch, and found that Cornell’s style of writing is very similar, with a touch more darkness and cynicism. Cornell’s characters are more serious in their absorption into the magical underground, however there are still moments of lightheartedness. However it is worth noting that the general undertone of the novel is much darker than a lot of other urban fantasy novel, which made the novel more successful for me. Cornell is not afraid to touch on more serious issues in his writing, such as depression and police budget cuts.
I found all of the main characters enjoyable, all seemingly having a turbulent past, which links into the story. Cornell enables us to clearly picture the characters as we are reading and selves into their complex histories. The ‘villain’ in this story is more sinister than I was expecting when I initially started reading, with an interesting twist by connecting the plot line and murderous motive to West Ham football team.
For me this was a page turner, and will certainly be re-read many times. Although I have previously read some urban fantasy novels, it has been Cornell’s series starting with London Falling, which has truest got me hooked.
The main characters, 3 police inspectors, and an intelligence analyst who stubble upon a darker magical side of London lead us through finding out the cause of the death of Rob Toshack, a drug lord who died in police custody. The group set up a team to hunt down the killer, quickly finding that they need to develop a whole new set of skills in order to defeat their opposition.
I am a huge fan of Ben Aaronovitch, and found that Cornell’s style of writing is very similar, with a touch more darkness and cynicism. Cornell’s characters are more serious in their absorption into the magical underground, however there are still moments of lightheartedness. However it is worth noting that the general undertone of the novel is much darker than a lot of other urban fantasy novel, which made the novel more successful for me. Cornell is not afraid to touch on more serious issues in his writing, such as depression and police budget cuts.
I found all of the main characters enjoyable, all seemingly having a turbulent past, which links into the story. Cornell enables us to clearly picture the characters as we are reading and selves into their complex histories. The ‘villain’ in this story is more sinister than I was expecting when I initially started reading, with an interesting twist by connecting the plot line and murderous motive to West Ham football team.
For me this was a page turner, and will certainly be re-read many times. Although I have previously read some urban fantasy novels, it has been Cornell’s series starting with London Falling, which has truest got me hooked.
Smash Cops
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Join over 4 million players worldwide who are raving about the hit game, Smash Cops. With over 30...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Detroit (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2019
“Detroit” tells the story of the Algiers Motel incident that took place during the massive 12th Street Riot in 1967 Detroit, Michigan. Director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal have created a stunning film that will suck the audience into a historical moment of horror.
The film, based on what is known about true events, takes viewers into a world of absolute terror as the streets of Detroit become a warzone filled with racial hatred and violence. After a police raid, looters took to the streets vandalizing and robbing local storefronts.
Rapidly, the police response grew into extreme reactionary violence and fueled the fire of the riot. The national guard is called in and rather than getting the situation under control, the city devolves into what looks like a warzone in a foreign land.
The film has a great build up and the characters are developed quite well by the time the thick of the plot gets started around the Algiers Motel Incident, an event that resulted in the deaths of three black men and the torture of nine other people.
The entire cast is amazing. Heart strings are pulled by the characters portraying Larry Reed (Algee Smith) and Fred (Jacob Latimore), two musicians that are caught in a horrific nightmare simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
John Boyega also delivers a heart wrenching performance as Melvin Dismukes, a black man who tries at great length to stay safe and keep the peace. His character is portrayed as caught in the cross fires of morality and necessity.
Will Poulter plays a real-life villain as blood thirsty and racist police officer, Phillip Krauss. His portrayal of Krauss is terrifying.
The film as a film, is gripping, an amazing cinematic feat. But, the story is painful to watch. Scarier than any horror film, “Detroit” brings to light one of the darkest sides of the human species and a bloody stain on American history.
The film, based on what is known about true events, takes viewers into a world of absolute terror as the streets of Detroit become a warzone filled with racial hatred and violence. After a police raid, looters took to the streets vandalizing and robbing local storefronts.
Rapidly, the police response grew into extreme reactionary violence and fueled the fire of the riot. The national guard is called in and rather than getting the situation under control, the city devolves into what looks like a warzone in a foreign land.
The film has a great build up and the characters are developed quite well by the time the thick of the plot gets started around the Algiers Motel Incident, an event that resulted in the deaths of three black men and the torture of nine other people.
The entire cast is amazing. Heart strings are pulled by the characters portraying Larry Reed (Algee Smith) and Fred (Jacob Latimore), two musicians that are caught in a horrific nightmare simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
John Boyega also delivers a heart wrenching performance as Melvin Dismukes, a black man who tries at great length to stay safe and keep the peace. His character is portrayed as caught in the cross fires of morality and necessity.
Will Poulter plays a real-life villain as blood thirsty and racist police officer, Phillip Krauss. His portrayal of Krauss is terrifying.
The film as a film, is gripping, an amazing cinematic feat. But, the story is painful to watch. Scarier than any horror film, “Detroit” brings to light one of the darkest sides of the human species and a bloody stain on American history.
Top Speed: Drag & Fast Racing - Need For Real Race
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BECOME A STREET RACING LEGEND Dominate your criminally insane rivals in extreme head-to-head drag...
Sin City (2005)
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Trivisa (2016)
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In early 1997, mobsters Kwai Ching-hung, Yip Kwok-foon and Cheuk Tze-keung, whom have never met one...
Debbiereadsbook (1437 KP) rated The Lies We Tell in Books
Jul 11, 2023
dark and deadly but oh so good!
Independent reviewer for BookSirens, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Nate is a police detective tasked with taking down the local gang leader. Ollie witnesses a murder by said gang leader and Nate is tasked to keep him safe. Even if it costs him his own life.
This is a decidedly darker book by Adams, and I loved it!
Nate is a jaded police detective, facing the end of his marriage. He is a grumpy git, with good reason. Meeting Ollie gives him a teeny tiny light to hang on to. Ollie, in turn, comes to rely on Nate to keep him safe. I loved that neither saw the other coming. I mean, Nate thought he was straight, and here is is, drooling over a PICTURE of a possible lead on the gang leader he wants to take down.
I loved that it all crept up on them, Nate and Ollie both. And I loved the way Nate's soon-to-be-ex wife dealt with everything. She could have been a nasty b8tch but I'm glad she wasn't.
Although the blurb says spice and steam, I didn't think it overly explicit, indeed it's quite some time before Nate and Ollie get physical. It's more about the powerful emotions they evoke in each other than the smex.
It is, as I said, on the darker side. Some on page torture of a police officer is described, and on page kidnapping. (Did not see that one coming, I tell ya!) There is Ollie's abuse at the hands of the gang leader (some off and some on page) Gang activities are talked about too. Be midnful of these, if you have triggers.
Pushing my personal boundaries in the best way, an excellent read. I am loving watching Ms Adams grow and develop her skill. It's been a crazy ride so far, but I do not wanna get off!
5 full but dark stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Nate is a police detective tasked with taking down the local gang leader. Ollie witnesses a murder by said gang leader and Nate is tasked to keep him safe. Even if it costs him his own life.
This is a decidedly darker book by Adams, and I loved it!
Nate is a jaded police detective, facing the end of his marriage. He is a grumpy git, with good reason. Meeting Ollie gives him a teeny tiny light to hang on to. Ollie, in turn, comes to rely on Nate to keep him safe. I loved that neither saw the other coming. I mean, Nate thought he was straight, and here is is, drooling over a PICTURE of a possible lead on the gang leader he wants to take down.
I loved that it all crept up on them, Nate and Ollie both. And I loved the way Nate's soon-to-be-ex wife dealt with everything. She could have been a nasty b8tch but I'm glad she wasn't.
Although the blurb says spice and steam, I didn't think it overly explicit, indeed it's quite some time before Nate and Ollie get physical. It's more about the powerful emotions they evoke in each other than the smex.
It is, as I said, on the darker side. Some on page torture of a police officer is described, and on page kidnapping. (Did not see that one coming, I tell ya!) There is Ollie's abuse at the hands of the gang leader (some off and some on page) Gang activities are talked about too. Be midnful of these, if you have triggers.
Pushing my personal boundaries in the best way, an excellent read. I am loving watching Ms Adams grow and develop her skill. It's been a crazy ride so far, but I do not wanna get off!
5 full but dark stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Ross (3284 KP) rated Evil Genius in TV
Jun 4, 2018
For fans of Making a Murderer
This 4-part series tells the story of the "pizza bomber", where a pizza delivery man walked into a bank with a bomb around his neck, walks off with a small amount of money, is cornered by police and eventually the bomb goes off, killing him.
This is told in great depth during the first episode, showing that "the victim" (?) appears to have been on a scavenger hunt that ended badly for him. The rest of the series then explores the people that the police and FBI linked to the crime and the evidence stacking up in the 10year case.
The series is as gripping as Making a Murderer, with as many oddball characters and unusual actions and events combining to form a very hard to solve case.
I quickly became angry that the authorities were more concerned with solving the bank robbery aspect than the murder, thereby assuming that what seemed to be a simple, mild-mannered man was involved in the crime.
A number of avenues and leads are introduced along the way (not to the same extent as Making a Murderer) and not all of these are closed off, leading to something of an anti-climax.
This is told in great depth during the first episode, showing that "the victim" (?) appears to have been on a scavenger hunt that ended badly for him. The rest of the series then explores the people that the police and FBI linked to the crime and the evidence stacking up in the 10year case.
The series is as gripping as Making a Murderer, with as many oddball characters and unusual actions and events combining to form a very hard to solve case.
I quickly became angry that the authorities were more concerned with solving the bank robbery aspect than the murder, thereby assuming that what seemed to be a simple, mild-mannered man was involved in the crime.
A number of avenues and leads are introduced along the way (not to the same extent as Making a Murderer) and not all of these are closed off, leading to something of an anti-climax.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Behind Every Lie in Books
Feb 28, 2020
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
After reading Christina McDonald's The Night Olivia Fell, I was eager to read her latest, Behind Every Lie.
Behind Every Lie has an interesting premise - how can you prove you did not do something if you cannot remember it. Eva Hansen wakes up in a hospital after being struck by lightning. She discovers her mother was murdered and Eva was found just down the street from the murder. She cannot remember what happened but the police doubt her and her convenient memory loss. What follows is a two continent race to solve the mystery before the police arrest her. Did Eva kill her mother? If not, who did?
Both of Christina McDonald's books grabbed me right at the beginning and kept me there throughout the whole story. I was worried because I rarely believe a book is 5 stars. It has to blow me away. I gave The Night Olivia Fell 5 stars. I was hoping Christina McDonald was not a "one and done" author. Behind Every Lie proves she is not. While I did not give Behind Every Lie 5 stars, it did earn a well-deserved 4 and ensured Christina McDonald is an author I will continue to read.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 2/27/20.
After reading Christina McDonald's The Night Olivia Fell, I was eager to read her latest, Behind Every Lie.
Behind Every Lie has an interesting premise - how can you prove you did not do something if you cannot remember it. Eva Hansen wakes up in a hospital after being struck by lightning. She discovers her mother was murdered and Eva was found just down the street from the murder. She cannot remember what happened but the police doubt her and her convenient memory loss. What follows is a two continent race to solve the mystery before the police arrest her. Did Eva kill her mother? If not, who did?
Both of Christina McDonald's books grabbed me right at the beginning and kept me there throughout the whole story. I was worried because I rarely believe a book is 5 stars. It has to blow me away. I gave The Night Olivia Fell 5 stars. I was hoping Christina McDonald was not a "one and done" author. Behind Every Lie proves she is not. While I did not give Behind Every Lie 5 stars, it did earn a well-deserved 4 and ensured Christina McDonald is an author I will continue to read.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 2/27/20.