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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated The 20th Victim in Books
Jun 17, 2020
Rehearsal for Assassination?
Getting fast food turns out to be fatal for one man who is taken out by a sniper as he is leaving the drive through on morning. His wife in the seat next to him is left physically unharmed. It’s a perfect sniper shot. While Lindsay gets the case as part of her job as a San Francisco homicide detective, reporter Cindy gets a key clue. Someone wrote “Rehearsal” in the dust of the car’s back window. The question is, rehearsal for what? Meanwhile, Claire has some scary news of her own to deal with, and Yuki has to prosecute the case of a teenage getaway driver who won’t flip on the real criminals. Even Lindsay’s husband, Joe, has a case of his own when his college roommate thinks his father was murdered.
The book has one plot too many (and a repetitive one at that), and it would have been better served to eliminate that plot since the climax was rushed on all the stories but especially the main one. Still, the multiple stories kept thing moving as always, and I had a hard time putting the book down when I sat down to read. The characters are just developed enough for us to care, but could use more depth. This is a common issue with the series, and those who have kept up with the books know the characters well enough to care for them. In other words, this is a typical James Patterson thriller. If you are a fan, you’ll enjoy this one, too.
The book has one plot too many (and a repetitive one at that), and it would have been better served to eliminate that plot since the climax was rushed on all the stories but especially the main one. Still, the multiple stories kept thing moving as always, and I had a hard time putting the book down when I sat down to read. The characters are just developed enough for us to care, but could use more depth. This is a common issue with the series, and those who have kept up with the books know the characters well enough to care for them. In other words, this is a typical James Patterson thriller. If you are a fan, you’ll enjoy this one, too.
David McK (3372 KP) rated Extraction (2020) in Movies
Jul 25, 2020
Brutal and bloody Netflix actioner starring a post-Avengers Chris Hemsworth, that harkens back to the heyday of just these type of 80's action man movies i.e. little in the way of plot, relying instead on the charisma of its leading man, and on the action scenes.
And that's a good thing (sometimes you just want junk food, or the cinematic equivalent thereof).
In this, Hemsworth plays a black marker mercenary named Tyler Rake (and with a name like that, you *know* there's going to be at least one scene where he uses said implement to dispose of some goons), who is hired to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned Bangladeshian international crime lord, with said son held in a city run by a rival of that crime lord.
He easily rescues the son, but then things take a turn for the complicated when they are betrayed, and he must escort that kid out of the city whilst being hunted by both those who wish to recapture Ovi (the teenage kid), and by those who don't want to pay him for the rescue ...
As I said earlier, little in the way of plot - a straight 'get the package from point A to point B - but that is made up for in some stunning (and bruising) action scenes: in particular, the one seemingly-long-take as Tyler and Ovi are hunted through an apartment bloke, across the rooftops, and out on the streets.
Ambiguous ending also leaves it open for a sequel!
And that's a good thing (sometimes you just want junk food, or the cinematic equivalent thereof).
In this, Hemsworth plays a black marker mercenary named Tyler Rake (and with a name like that, you *know* there's going to be at least one scene where he uses said implement to dispose of some goons), who is hired to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned Bangladeshian international crime lord, with said son held in a city run by a rival of that crime lord.
He easily rescues the son, but then things take a turn for the complicated when they are betrayed, and he must escort that kid out of the city whilst being hunted by both those who wish to recapture Ovi (the teenage kid), and by those who don't want to pay him for the rescue ...
As I said earlier, little in the way of plot - a straight 'get the package from point A to point B - but that is made up for in some stunning (and bruising) action scenes: in particular, the one seemingly-long-take as Tyler and Ovi are hunted through an apartment bloke, across the rooftops, and out on the streets.
Ambiguous ending also leaves it open for a sequel!
The Geeky Chef Strikes Back!: Even More Unofficial Recipes from Game of Thrones, Twin Peaks, the Legend of Zelda, Firefly, and More!
Book
Comic-lover, avid gamer, and sci-fi and fantasy fanatic, Cassandra Reeder, author of The Geeky Chef...
Raising Boys: Why Boys are Different and How to Help Them Become Happy and Well-Balanced Men
5.0
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A word of mouth bestseller which has become one of the best loved and most successful books in the...
Alice (117 KP) rated Making Friends with Alice Dyson in Books
Mar 3, 2021
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read and review this book!
I adored this book! When I saw the title and read the description I was immediately drawn to it: first, my name is Alice and the protagonist's name is Alice (probably a selfish reason but hey), I also saw so much of myself in this character even from reading the description that I knew that we would click because I was also kind of a nerd and an outcast at school. It's also Australian so that meant that I got to pull out my best Australian accent while reading it (I'll leave it up to you to decide if that's a good or bad thing). I related quite strongly to a lot of Alice's high school experiences and I loved how she was able to gain confidence and grow throughout the story. I think my enjoyment at the start was maybe hampered by me trying to read too many books at once because I ended up just sitting down and inhaling the rest of it in one sitting. I also LOVE Teddy Taualai but that goes without saying (I love almost all sweet but angsty teenage boy characters, they are the way to my heart)! I also love that it tackled first love, first friendships and just general high school drama. This book wasn't perfect but I related so strongly to it that I have to show it all the love!
I adored this book! When I saw the title and read the description I was immediately drawn to it: first, my name is Alice and the protagonist's name is Alice (probably a selfish reason but hey), I also saw so much of myself in this character even from reading the description that I knew that we would click because I was also kind of a nerd and an outcast at school. It's also Australian so that meant that I got to pull out my best Australian accent while reading it (I'll leave it up to you to decide if that's a good or bad thing). I related quite strongly to a lot of Alice's high school experiences and I loved how she was able to gain confidence and grow throughout the story. I think my enjoyment at the start was maybe hampered by me trying to read too many books at once because I ended up just sitting down and inhaling the rest of it in one sitting. I also LOVE Teddy Taualai but that goes without saying (I love almost all sweet but angsty teenage boy characters, they are the way to my heart)! I also love that it tackled first love, first friendships and just general high school drama. This book wasn't perfect but I related so strongly to it that I have to show it all the love!
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated Justice League International, Vol. 4 in Books
Nov 30, 2020
The 80s. I know, right? What the heck happened??! When did things get so confusing and angstastically heavy?! I mean, beside the frelled up election result for 2016??
Thankfully, despite all of that, there are many good outlets to remind us how to have fun and to also remind us that WE actually used to be FUN! Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis truly know how to have fun times with the likes of Batman, Blue Beetle, and Martian Manhunter, just to name a few of the characters within.
The art, from artists Mike McKone, Ty Templeton, and Kevin Maguire was equally enjoyable, further enhancing the suing fun times. The only art I wasn't wowed by was Bill Willingham's. Not that it was bad or anything of the sort, I just thought it wasn't one of his stronger contributions. But, yeah, the other guys were all aces!
The only reason it didn't warrant Five Stars, or even Four for that matter, was the last issue in the TPB: "Teenage Biker Mega-Death!" (Vol. 1, Issue #30). The story itself was a weaker offering from Giffen and DeMatteis, only made weaker by the art from Willingham. The "big bad" of the story was neither <i>big</i> nor really very <i>bad</i>! Again, not the worst, but not the best.
Overall, though, this is yet another great example of how to make comics fun and enjoyable! If only they had gone this route for 2017's JUSTICE LEAGUE film!
Thankfully, despite all of that, there are many good outlets to remind us how to have fun and to also remind us that WE actually used to be FUN! Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis truly know how to have fun times with the likes of Batman, Blue Beetle, and Martian Manhunter, just to name a few of the characters within.
The art, from artists Mike McKone, Ty Templeton, and Kevin Maguire was equally enjoyable, further enhancing the suing fun times. The only art I wasn't wowed by was Bill Willingham's. Not that it was bad or anything of the sort, I just thought it wasn't one of his stronger contributions. But, yeah, the other guys were all aces!
The only reason it didn't warrant Five Stars, or even Four for that matter, was the last issue in the TPB: "Teenage Biker Mega-Death!" (Vol. 1, Issue #30). The story itself was a weaker offering from Giffen and DeMatteis, only made weaker by the art from Willingham. The "big bad" of the story was neither <i>big</i> nor really very <i>bad</i>! Again, not the worst, but not the best.
Overall, though, this is yet another great example of how to make comics fun and enjoyable! If only they had gone this route for 2017's JUSTICE LEAGUE film!
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Terminal (Virals 5) in Books
Jun 24, 2019
Terminal is the fifth book in the Virals series by Kathy Reichs. I know I've reviewed a ton of books in this series now, so I'll try to keep this one relatively short!
The Virals gang are always getting into trouble. But this time, they have multiple severe problems to worry about: a rival pack and, worse, some mysterious black-suited men asking questions about them. Which was worse? Losing against the Trinity, or becoming a bunch of lab rats for some secret government agency?
First, Tory and her friends need to find out the identities of their opponents. While the first two seem to be somewhat easy to find, the third member of the Trinity - the mystery girl - brings quite a shock to every member of the Viral pack.
As usual, the Reichs' bring tons of action, problem-solving and surprises in this Virals sequel. Nothing is certain: who are the Trinity? Who are these mystery detectives? Will this be their last adventure?
I said I'd keep this short, so I'll try to wrap this up now. I love this series. I've been looking forward to this book for ages, and I definitely was not disappointed. As well as the two main problems the pack is facing, Tory has another issue; multiple boys are after her, and she doesn't know who she wants. I love how this book has teenage humour to it, a little bit of romance - the perfect amount, in my opinion - and tons of unexpected plot twists. 4 stars for Terminal!
The Virals gang are always getting into trouble. But this time, they have multiple severe problems to worry about: a rival pack and, worse, some mysterious black-suited men asking questions about them. Which was worse? Losing against the Trinity, or becoming a bunch of lab rats for some secret government agency?
First, Tory and her friends need to find out the identities of their opponents. While the first two seem to be somewhat easy to find, the third member of the Trinity - the mystery girl - brings quite a shock to every member of the Viral pack.
As usual, the Reichs' bring tons of action, problem-solving and surprises in this Virals sequel. Nothing is certain: who are the Trinity? Who are these mystery detectives? Will this be their last adventure?
I said I'd keep this short, so I'll try to wrap this up now. I love this series. I've been looking forward to this book for ages, and I definitely was not disappointed. As well as the two main problems the pack is facing, Tory has another issue; multiple boys are after her, and she doesn't know who she wants. I love how this book has teenage humour to it, a little bit of romance - the perfect amount, in my opinion - and tons of unexpected plot twists. 4 stars for Terminal!
Gareth von Kallenbach (977 KP) rated Split (2016) in Movies
Jul 12, 2019
M. Night Shyamalan once again has audiences very excited for absolutely no reason. The trailer portrays an interesting psychological thriller of a man (James McAvoy) subjected to many different forms of consciousness, as the plot tells he is one of the first to openly portray over twenty different personalities.
He even takes on different physical characteristics down to a metabolic level as he switches from persona to persona. This combined with the character of a doctor (Betty Buckley) who is thrilled to perhaps have discovered the missing link to understanding the unused portion of the human mind, sounds like it makes for a great sci-fi thriller.
Unfortunately rather quickly the plot devolves after the disturbed man’s abduction of three teenage girls turns over the top hokey and stereotypical. Nothing can be said that will make up for the impending disappointment of viewers as yet again Mr. Shyamalan has an idea that sounds quite intriguing, yet falls completely flat and leaves viewers feeling as if they are the brunt of the joke.
As the psychotic killer develops into a character audiences could really be scared of, a turn for the worst happens when he is transformed by his own mind into an animal. Reaching beyond anything physically possible in a much staged way, he becomes a superhuman creature who rampages until he is caught.
Even with skilled acting at his disposal Shyamalan has managed to make another very poor quality film. At each step of the way, the suspense almost grabs you but is completely predictable. It’s too bad but this one earns
He even takes on different physical characteristics down to a metabolic level as he switches from persona to persona. This combined with the character of a doctor (Betty Buckley) who is thrilled to perhaps have discovered the missing link to understanding the unused portion of the human mind, sounds like it makes for a great sci-fi thriller.
Unfortunately rather quickly the plot devolves after the disturbed man’s abduction of three teenage girls turns over the top hokey and stereotypical. Nothing can be said that will make up for the impending disappointment of viewers as yet again Mr. Shyamalan has an idea that sounds quite intriguing, yet falls completely flat and leaves viewers feeling as if they are the brunt of the joke.
As the psychotic killer develops into a character audiences could really be scared of, a turn for the worst happens when he is transformed by his own mind into an animal. Reaching beyond anything physically possible in a much staged way, he becomes a superhuman creature who rampages until he is caught.
Even with skilled acting at his disposal Shyamalan has managed to make another very poor quality film. At each step of the way, the suspense almost grabs you but is completely predictable. It’s too bad but this one earns
Somebody’s Daughter (Detective Natalie Ward #7) by Carol Wyer
7.0
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Book
One by one the girls disappeared… When the frail body of a teenage girl is discovered strangled...
Mystery Police Procedural Book series Crime Drama