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Thomas Ford is haunted… Okay, not in the literal sense.
Forced off a narrow road into a Scottish Loch, Thomas and his wife had mere moments to escape from their car as it filled with water. What haunts Thomas when he awakes from an almost seven week c...more
Thomas Ford is haunted… Okay, not in the literal sense.
Forced off a narrow road into a Scottish Loch, Thomas and his wife had mere moments to escape from their car as it filled with water. What haunts Thomas when he awakes from an almost seven week coma is he couldn’t get his wife out of the car. That, and the strange, bird-like profile of the other driver.
I found this a compelling read, wanting to know what happened next and reading it almost straight through without stopping. It’s a dark and broody novel, so if you’re looking for unicorns and puppies, I’d look elsewhere. How to pigeonhole it? Well, it’s part mystery, part drama as Thomas feels compelled to find the bird-like driver but doesn’t necessarily have to look that hard; it’s a cautionary ‘be careful what you wish for’ tale, but one with a punch.
John has a superb eye for characterisation, creating believable people with real lives - one of the hardest tricks for a lot of authors and one he manages with ease. Having spent time in Scotland, I can almost recognise some of them. You don’t need to have been there to enjoy this book, though, as I think he’s conveyed the sense of place and time as well as his characters.
I already have said this is probably the best book I’ve read all year and after a few weeks’ reflection, I can’t say that opinion has changed. I admit to liking a lot of Scottish authors, but then I like a lot of French, Spanish, American, English, Japanese [add your favourite here], too, so I don’t think bias has anything to do with it.
If you like your books realistic (well, mostly) and as a window into a world you’ve never seen, this is a great example. I’m off to read it again.(less)
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Largely set in the broads of Norfolk, this sort of coming-of-age tale is centred around Nick, a twelve year old boy sent off to spend the summer holiday with his Dad’s sister Dina. Which would be fine, but he doesn’t remember ever meeting her.
Feeling...more
Largely set in the broads of Norfolk, this sort of coming-of-age tale is centred around Nick, a twelve year old boy sent off to spend the summer holiday with his Dad’s sister Dina. Which would be fine, but he doesn’t remember ever meeting her.
Feeling abandoned by his parents, who are off to Hollywood as part of his Dad’s work, Nick isn’t sure how he’s going to get along with his Aunt. I don’t think I’ll spoil anything by saying he settles in pretty well and soon makes friends his own age, as well.
John has done a great job of scene-setting and the locations are obviously somewhere he’s spent time with his own family, giving a real flavour of the area and the local inhabitants. I have to say the story pulled me along - not that I was reluctant to read it or anything - and I did want to find out what happened to this almost teenage boy in a strange place with even stranger companions.
If you like stories about growing up and the travails of that period, this is likely to tickle your fancy. Or even if you don’t. I think he’s done a great job telling his story and I think his hints at a sequel are tempting.
I couldn’t put it down!(less)
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Wolf Tickets
by
Ray Banks
recommended to Dean Fetzer by:
Blasted Heath Publishing
recommended for:
Lovers of hard-boiled crime fiction
read in March, 2012
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Everything I read by Ray just makes me want to throw my computer out the window and give up writing. Dammit, the man can write! And Wolf Tickets is no different.
I only feel like that for a minute, as Ray’s work inspires me after that moment of doubt....more
Everything I read by Ray just makes me want to throw my computer out the window and give up writing. Dammit, the man can write! And Wolf Tickets is no different.
I only feel like that for a minute, as Ray’s work inspires me after that moment of doubt.
According to Ray, the phrase ‘wolf tickets’ comes from a Tom Waits interview from Playboy in the late 80’s and describes someone who’s bad news. In a sentence it’d be something like “Don’t f**k with me, I’m passing out wolf tickets.” And yes, the two main characters in this book definitely fit the bill.
Set mostly in the Newcastle area, this tale revolves around the viewpoints of Sean Farrell and Jimmy Cobb, mates from their time in the Army, now coasting in the strange after-service life they both inhabit. In Dublin, Sean’s girlfriend Nora has stolen £20,000 from him and done a bunk to her old boyfriend Frank O’Brien in Newcastle. To say this pisses Sean off is an understatement.
So he hops a flight to Newkie and meets up with his old mate Jimmy, acquires a gun and they set off to hunt Nora.
I won’t spoil the story for you, as it’s a right good read. There’s plenty of ups and downs and while they’re violent, foul-mouthed thugs, the pair do somehow engender sympathy. I think Banks’ depictions of Newcastle fit well with my memories, revolving as they do around a lot of pubs, but he manages to capture the flavour of the place along with the characters one finds there.
Okay, enough from me. I’m off to read something else he’s written. Talented sod.
*If you’re offended by bad language or graphic violence, this isn’t one for you. Go read something by that nice Jeffrey Archer.(less)
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Zero Sum, Entire Trilogy Bundle
by
Russell Blake (Goodreads Author)
recommended for:
Thriller fans, legal thriller fans
read in December, 2011
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A timely Wall Street thriller
I ‘met’ Russell via the medium of Twitter and downloaded the first part of the Zero Sum Trilogy for free during one of his promos. I had no idea what I was getting into!
Quick intro: our hero, Dr Stephen Archer, spots stra...more
A timely Wall Street thriller
I ‘met’ Russell via the medium of Twitter and downloaded the first part of the Zero Sum Trilogy for free during one of his promos. I had no idea what I was getting into!
Quick intro: our hero, Dr Stephen Archer, spots strange behaviour around a particular companies stock - sudden announcements, followed by a share price rise and a flood of stock sales. Known as pump and dump’, this practice is supposed to be illegal, but it’s obviously not illegal enough.
So Stephen decides to unmask the company and the investment fund behind the artificial share price rises and sets up a whistle-blowing website. Unbeknownst to him, investors in the group include the Mafia, Russians and the CIA. And, while he’s careful, he’s not careful enough and they track him down. This is just the beginning of the story which sees him do his best to drop off the grid and go on a global adventure without getting anyone killed, while doing his best to expose the whole thing.
I found the story very readable - meaning I got sucked in and had to know what happened. It’s a scary look at the people who manipulate the stock market to their own ends and, in light of the financial disaster of the last few years, a bit worrying. The characters were believable (for the most part) and were appealing enough to gain my empathy.
The only annoyance I had was the fact Russell made this a trilogy; it didn’t feel like a trilogy to me, more like a book that had been broken into three parts (and I bought the last two parts). Perhaps that’s why it’s now available as a single Kindle volume.
Still it’s an entertaining read and worth a look, if only to see how market forces can be manipulated to the benefit of a few and the detriment of the rest.(less)
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Southern Gods
by
John Hornor Jacobs
recommended for:
Horror fans
read in March, 2012
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Southern Gothic doesn’t begin to cover it!
I just re-read this fantastic book by John Hornor Jacobs as I never got around to writing this review the first time (extenuating circumstances) and it certainly bears reading again.
Set in the deep south of A...more
Southern Gothic doesn’t begin to cover it!
I just re-read this fantastic book by John Hornor Jacobs as I never got around to writing this review the first time (extenuating circumstances) and it certainly bears reading again.
Set in the deep south of Arkansas in the early 1950s, this is part road movie, part historic plantation and family story with a generous helping of dark forces and blood.
‘Bull’ Ingram, ex-marine, finds people and collects money his employer is owed for a living. That is, until a Memphis DJ hires him to find a mysterious blues musician being played on a pirate radio station over the border in Arkansas, one Ramblin’ John Hastur, who’s music is reputed to have supernatural powers. When he plays a sample of the music hastily recorded off the radio, Bull finds himself building into a killing rage - entirely brought on by the music.
Meanwhile, Sarah Williams and her daughter Franny return to the Reinhart Estate in the town of Gethsemene. Known as ‘The Big House’, the mansion has a bloody history, where Sarah’s grandmother, a cook and an uncle were all killed by her uncle Wilhelm. How he did it, as he was dying of tuberculosis was a mystery, but the heart of his brother was missing, cut from his chest, a sacrifice of blood with significance with gods.
Obviously, Bull’s quest brings him to the Big House, but not as you’d expect and I’d rather leave it there than give away too much of the plot. Let’s just say Hastur’s music has properties that can animate the dead and leave it at that.
I thought the book was a bold, engrossing tale told well from the two viewpoints - to be honest, I didn’t want to stop reading it, either time! John’s descriptions are so vivid there were times I could almost smell the blood.
I have to say I’m looking forward to reading more of his work, based on this fine debut, as I enjoyed this and would heartily recommend it to anyone who likes a scare in the vein of H P Lovecraft, more than a King or Barker style.
Not for the faint hearted, as a warning. If a good horror story isn’t your thing, I’d give this a miss.
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John Hornor Jacobs(less)
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I liked Child of Fire so much so that I almost immediately downloaded the sequel, Game of Cages. Ray’s on his own for this one. Well, almost alone - he’s been sent with a researcher, Catherine, to check out an auction for very wealthy individuals for...more
I liked Child of Fire so much so that I almost immediately downloaded the sequel, Game of Cages. Ray’s on his own for this one. Well, almost alone - he’s been sent with a researcher, Catherine, to check out an auction for very wealthy individuals for what can only be one of those creatures from another world (yes, the ones that like to eat us) and report back. That’s all they’re supposed to do.
Of course, that’s not what happens. With Ray’s usual run of luck, they find themselves trying to track it down in a sleepy town without getting all the locals killed or driven crazy. Or themselves.
Like Child of Fire, it’s got great pace and I quickly wanted to know what happens to these two. The twists are pretty good and the little details are very convincing. I particularly like Ray’s “ghost” knife (wishing I had one!).
By all means go, read some sample chapters and you’ll be hooked, too.(less)
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Dean Fetzer
is now following Harry Connolly's reviews
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Okay, if you don’t like anything fantastical or supernatural, my advice would be to look away now. But you’ll be missing good reads. Your loss.
There’s no vampires, werewolves or angels in these books, although there is quite a lot of magic. I read th...more
Okay, if you don’t like anything fantastical or supernatural, my advice would be to look away now. But you’ll be missing good reads. Your loss.
There’s no vampires, werewolves or angels in these books, although there is quite a lot of magic. I read them right after finishing one of Charles Stross’s Laundry books and it seemed to fit right in. Ray Lilly is a recently released, ex-con with interesting tattoos that protect him from a lot of violent things - and some magic. His boss, Annalise, is part of a consortium doing its level best to project the rest of the world from rampant, uncontrolled magic and Ray is just supposed to be the driver. And, if he steps out of line, she’s going to kill him.
Magic is dangerous and every time they turn around some moron’s found a spell book and is creating more havoc. The numpties are forever summoning strange creatures from neighbouring universes whose sole purpose is to consume the denizens of our planet - it appears we’re quite tasty…
I really enjoyed Child of Fire - it’s a good read for me, as I like fast-paced thrillers a lot and the premise of this one was definitely interesting. It’s got great characters and a spooky town that is like the Stepford Wives multiplied by 100!(less)
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