Reviews

Lindsey Davis - See Delphi and Die

“This latest Falco story certainly does not disappoint!”

Synopsis:
Marcus Didius Falco is, once again, off on his travels. This time he is accompanied by his wife Helena and a selected group of companions. They visit Greece to investigate the mysterious deaths of two young women. Both of these young women were travelling with a dubious travel company called Seven Sights Travel, which specialises in providing escorted tours for those wealthy travellers who can afford to pay. In the course of the investigation Falco visits Olympia, Corinth, Delphi and Athens. He encounters resistance from the authorities, who do not appear particularly interested in investigating the cause of these deaths. Inevitably Falco steps in and, with the help of Helena, finally solves the crimes with a particularly nasty twist to the finish.

Review:
With the Falco series you can always be assured of interest on three fronts. First, there is the quest to solve the crime and find out the who, why and how of the crime. Second, there is the historical information presented with a contemporary slant. And finally, there is the interest and familiarity of Falco and his family, all of whom develop a little bit more in each new story.

All of these brilliant strands are present in this latest novel. The solving of the crimes is cleverly presented. I love the historical details presented as Falco’s comments. The interplay of the family characters, particularly the laconic comments from Falco, are constantly entertaining.

This latest Falco story certainly does not disappoint!

Reviewed by: S.D.

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P J Tracy – Dead Run

“The main characters are becoming more formed with each book, and Tracy has quickly been added to my list of favourite authors.”

Synopsis:
Grace MacBride, Annie Belinsky, and Deputy Sharon Mueller are driving from Minneapolis to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where Sharon believes a new serial killer is just warming up. They beiieve he is about to terrorise the city if Grace's software can't identify him soon. A couple of detours later and the women find themselves deep in woodland where, to Annie's horror, the car breaks down.
They eventually stumble across Four Corners, a crossroads town where they hoped to find a phone line and a mechanic. What they find instead is a ghost town where everything appears normal apart from the complete absence of life and severed phone lines in every building. When the three become witness to a horrifying double murder committed by soldiers who have closed the town to the outside world for reasons the women can't begin to imagine, they find themselves running for their lives ...

Review:
As usual from Tracy, this is another gripping thriller that you will be unable to put down. The only element that let this book down for me was the slightly unbelievable storyline, but because the book is written so well, its easy to suspend disbelief. The main characters are becoming more formed with each book, and Tracy has quickly been added to my list of favourite authors.

Reviewed by H.A.

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Barbara Nadel - Last Rights

“The characters she introduces are all completely fascinating.’”

Synopsis:
This novel introduces a new detective to the crime scene. Francis Hancock is an unlikely sleuth who lives with the nightmare memories of his time as a soldier in World War 1 and these sometimes impinge on the reality of his life as an undertaker in the London of the blitz in 1940. He is confronted by a man struggling through the London night, screaming and claiming to be stabbed but with no visible wound. Francis assumes this is a figment of his overwrought imagination. However Francis meets this man again when he turns up as a corpse at his business premises. The subsequent twists and turns of the plot as Francis tries to prove that this is indeed murder and then to track down the perpetrator prove fascinating. Francis becomes involved with violent thugs and families, all wanting to keep the truth hidden, before coming up with the final solution.

Review:
This is a change of direction for Barbara Nadel as she turns her attention to the London of the 1940s. I was intrigued from the first page as I tried to work out who the narrator was. We are given clues, but it is not until Chapter Two that the details are revealed. From then on Francis Hancock develops into a very sympathetic character. He lives and works in an area of London which has seen many waves of immigrants. The inter-mingling of those groups adds to the interest of the story and I really felt that Barbara Nadel was giving us details of genuine incidents. The characters she introduces are all completely fascinating. I hope there will be more of Francis Hancock.

Reviewed by S.D.

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C.J.Sansom - Dark Fire

“This is a substantial and impressive novel and I would thoroughly recommend it.”

Synopsis:
This is the second book with Matthew Shardlake as investigator. He is a lawyer working in the London of Henry VIII, when power is shifting back and forth between the reformers and the proponents of the old religion. The dissolution of the monasteries and the consequent release of wealth and land, together with the presence of former monks and nuns in civilian life is the backdrop for this latest assignment for Matthew Shardlake.

There are two concurrent story lines: the need to prove the innocence of a young girl accused of brutal murder when she is unwilling to speak of what has happened and the search for Greek Fire, a legendary substance, the discovery of which would help to save Thomas Cromwell from losing the power which he holds as Chief Minister fro Henry VIII.

Review:
Tudor London is brought vividly to life by the immediacy of the descriptions and the intimate familiarity with the social conditions of the time. The food, the clothing, the everyday language come across as authentic and based on detailed background knowledge. I found the details fascinating. For example, I noted the colliers from “ the wild northern counties” and the social implications of the dissolution of the monasteries, with former nuns working as seamstresses or in “ the stews”.

Matthew Shardlake is a sympathetic character, troubled by the violence and self-seeking of many around him, who uses his intelligence and knowledge to pick out the truth from the fast moving events around him. This is a substantial and impressive novel and I would thoroughly recommend it.

Reviewed by S.D.

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Michael Connolly – The Closers

“Followers of Bosch will no doubt enjoy this latest instalment. Definitely a winner!”

Synopsis:
After 3 years of retirement Detective Harry Bosch is once again on active duty with the LAPD. This time assigned to the newly formed Open-Unsolved Unit. Along with his former partner, Kizman Rider, he is charged with using new technologies to find the answers to previously unsolved murder cases. A DNA hit has found a link between a weapon used to kill a beautiful mixed-race teenage girl seventeen years earlier and a man with white supremacy ties. Although there were too few clues to solve the murder when it occurred, Bosch and Rider, using modern police resources, now uncover evidence that leads them to suspect and pursue several potential murderers before they arrive at the truth.

Review:
Harry Bosch is out of retirement and working on an unsolved murder. Initial investigations suggest not only police incompetence, but also a cover up. Something that Bosch is unwilling to let lie. Bosch is a slightly maverick cop, who believes that all his actions are a means to an end. An attitude not followed by all his superiors in the police force. Superiors that are just waiting for Bosch to fail.

Whilst I thought this book was easy to read, it did not have the pace to make it a real page turner. Followers of Bosch will no doubt enjoy this latest instalment. Although this is a continuance in the Harry Bosch novels, Connolly’s writing ensures that it is possible to read the books in any order, without missing any relevant information. Definitely a winner!

Reviewed by: H.A.

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Ann Granger - Mixing with Murder

“The pace is swift and moves the reader along, eagerly waiting for the next happening”

Synopsis:
Young, single and “resting” actor, Fran Varady, becomes involved in some amateur detection when nightclub boss Mickey Allerton wishes to catch up with a former employee. With the threat of losing her dog hanging over her, Fran reluctantly agrees to help Mickey trace Lisa and persuade her to contact him. This involves a trip to Oxford and the discovery of a floating corpse. Things become more complicated and Lisa soon finds herself in real danger. Her friend Ganesh, although not actively involved, is concerned for her safety and provides some security to return to supports her. A satisfactory explanation of all problems is finally achieved.

Review:
I enjoyed this book, particularly the unusual and well contrived plot which managed several unexpected twists and turns. Fran Varady is a lively and sympathetic heroine, although I did find myself wondering why most of the people she met always seemed to think the worst of her immediately.

The pace is swift and moves the reader along, eagerly waiting for the next happening, the characters are interesting and the ending ties up the loose ends in a not entirely predictable way.

Reviewed by S.D.

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Gene Kerrigan - Little Criminals

“Certainly a small Irish masterpiece to hunt down and devour!”

Synopsis:
Frankie Crowe is a small time criminal who, after a botched hold-up in a pub, decides that it is time to make the big time. He gets together some of his shady colleagues and plans to kidnap Justin Kennedy, a banker he has found in the top 100 richest people in Ireland. When they have kidnapped him they will ask for a £2 million pound ransom for his safe return. The plan is put in place but when the group raid the house one night, things go rapidly wrong.

The owner of the house is not the man they thought he was. Things change rapidly and they are forced to alter their plans. The events from that point can only go one way…

Review:
This book is a little gem of a thriller. This isn’t a crime novel, but rather a novel with a crime element. It shows in quite graphic detail the tenuous relationship between hostage and captor. It portrays very well the desperation of the hostage takers and their willingness to do anything to get the money it takes to realise their dreams of luxury.

Gene Kerrigan also shows how the group, which is so tight at first, starts to crumble, as suspicion and self preservation start to kick in. Especially when they realise that the game is up and the law is not far behind them. Kerrigan gives us a rich cast of characters and makes them believable. They are not simply one-dimensional figures acting out a plot. The novel starts and finishes with Stephen Beckett, but he doesn’t appear in the middle of the novel. The reason for this is explained near the end of the book and brings the whole sequence of events full circle. To this reader it was a very appropriate and justified ending. Although I felt it could have been edited somewhat, I really enjoyed this book. Certainly a small Irish masterpiece to hunt down and devour!

Reviewed by: C.S.

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James Patterson - 4th of July

“The ending is a big surprise… or is it? You may think you know who did it, but not why.”

Synopsis:
Lindsay Boxer is out one night with her two friends when her partner, Jacobi, calls her to say they have a lead on a murder case that they have been investigating. This particular case has resonances with an old case that Lindsay was looking into ten years previously. Back then the killer was never found. Is she on the trail of an old adversary? Will she finally be able to avenge the dead teenager she found in a soiled room with the words: NOBODY CARES ANYMORE on the wall? New murders have been happening with this same slogan on the walls. Soon Lindsay and Jacobi are chasing a car, which has been seen recently in the vicinity. In no time at all they have their perpetrators. But something is about to go catastrophically wrong!

Review:
James Patterson, this time teamed up with Maxine Paetro, brings us a satisfying murder mystery. Once again the Women’s Murder Club have an outing. However, this time Lindsay is the main character in the novel and the other two characters are not greatly involved with the actual cases.

James Patterson’s books are not really read for their climactic solutions, but they do still have a rollercoaster quality about them. This is no exception. The ending is a big surprise… or is it? You may think you know who did it, but not why. Like all Patterson books, this is definitely one to read. Highly entertaining and easily consumed!

Reviewed by C.S.

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Martyn Waites - The White Room

“… this book is very realistic. Gritty, dark and ultimately worth reading.”

Synopsis:
Newcastle 1946: A young Jack Smeaton returns from his nightmarish encounters in WWII. It is an experience that has literally turned his hair white. He seems to get a lot of sly, embarrassed looks from his neighbours who find him slightly strange. The nightmares he experiences do nothing to help him get used to a normal day to day life. Then Jack is invited to a local Labour party meeting. It is at this meeting that his life changes for the better.

At the same time, Monica Blacklock is turning tricks for her father and any other punters he can find who will enjoy his six-year-old daughter for money. This is the life Monica leads until some years later, she encounters Brian Mooney who she believes will whisk her away from this nightmare, to start a new, fresh life. How wrong can she be?

Review:
This book takes us through four decades, from June 1946 to June 1972. It traces the lives of different individuals and how they are all caught in the web of one man. Brian Mooney, after carving up a rival, disappears, only to reappear back on the scene after ten years living under the pseudonym of Ben Marshall. From the moment of his arrival, he decides to take his revenge on the people he feels owe him. As soon as these plans are put forward people start to crumble and fall.

It is fascinating that the lives of certain individuals are caught up in this web through no fault of their own. We are also given revealing insights into Monica and her lack of maternal instincts towards her daughter. The book also shows in great, and sometimes disturbing, detail how an abused child can soon become the abuser.

This is a very dark novel indeed. There really is not much light relief within its pages. I found it somewhat annoying that some characters seem to drop in and out of the story for apparently no reason. I would have been keen to know more about the psychopath, Johnny Bell, and how he arrived at where he was in life. Aside from that small quibble, this book is very realistic. Gritty, dark and ultimately worth reading.

Reviewed by C.S.

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Lawrence Block - All the Flowers are Dying

“ …though the case he is currently working on is somewhat mundane, it is inter-woven well with the more impelling thread of an unstoppable serial killer…”

Synopsis:
Matt Scudder, former policeman and reformed alcoholic, returns in his latest investigation. Jaded with life as a private investigator, he decides it is time to retire and spend more time at home with his wife, Elaine. Before doing this he agrees to one last, simple case. He simply has to confirm the identity of his client’s boyfriend.

Whilst working on this case, his wife’s best friend is murdered, possibly by her ‘secret’ lover. The only evidence found at the scene is the letter opener that killed Monica. It transpires that Elaine sold this letter opener to the killer.

After being convinced that the killer is after Elaine, Matt soon realises that he is not entirely correct. The killer is also after him, and he is keen to wreak his revenge on Scudder and anything he holds dear.

Review:
Whilst I found it took a little perseverance to get into this book initially, the effort was ultimately worthwhile.

Matt Scudder is an ex-policeman now working as a private investigator and, though the case he is currently working on is somewhat mundane, it is inter-woven well with the more impelling thread of an unstoppable serial killer who seems to have his sights set on Matt and his family. This book was certainly readable and entertaining and I would definitely take the opportunity to read other books by this author.

Reviewed by: H.A.

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