This was not your typical memoir . . . it's about Nick Flynn, it's about his father, it's about families abandoned and dreams unfulfilled, it's about ...moreThis was not your typical memoir . . . it's about Nick Flynn, it's about his father, it's about families abandoned and dreams unfulfilled, it's about writing and not writing, it's about whether we become our parents, it's about addiction, it's about guilt, it's about the homeless, it's about those who help the homeless, it's about hope and the absence of hope. Parts of it were beautiful and other parts were harsh. I finished it feeling jagged and unresolved and wondering how the hell they made a movie out of it.(less)
One of the things I really enjoy about Denise Mina's novels is they feel incredibly real. The mystery is not really the point; it's the complex web o...moreOne of the things I really enjoy about Denise Mina's novels is they feel incredibly real. The mystery is not really the point; it's the complex web of relationships surrounding the plot that make this story interesting. I did come late to the party. According to Goodreads, this is the 3rd novel featuring Paddy Meehan and I'm curious about what elements of her backstory the earlier two books explore. In this installment, Paddy gets the news that an old friend and journalist, Terry, has been murdered. Though they both had been young journalists together, Paddy had stayed behind in Scotland while Terry went off to exotic and dangerous locales to do his reporting. Though Terry had recently returned to Glasgow, their relationship was strained and Paddy had hardly seen him until she got the news. Paddy is both shocked by his death and even more surprised to find out that Terry left her everything in his will. However, the police seem strangely uninterested in solving the murder and Paddy feels compelled by guilt and fondness to investigate. As is usually the case, this decision brings a world of hurt down on her and the ones she loves. This is not a traditional thriller, all flashy plot, but instead a complex narrative of family, compromises, and what a parent will do to protect a child.(less)
In many ways, this series (for me) fills the gap left behind by Harlen Coben's move toward stand alones and away from his regular outings with Myron ...moreIn many ways, this series (for me) fills the gap left behind by Harlen Coben's move toward stand alones and away from his regular outings with Myron Bolitar. Though there is very little in common between Smokey Barrett, an FBI agent who heads an elite unit devoted to tracking down serial killers, and Myron, sports agent and reluctant detective, the two series have a similar feel--a strong first person narrative voice, an interesting cast of secondary characters, and a world this is both brutal and tragic but also somehow "neater" than real life (I can't think of a better word than that). There's even a female equivalent to Coben's character of Win--Smokey and her team are helped by Kirby, a sociopathic former contract killer, who happens to look and sound like a chirpy California "stereotype."
This latest installment involves a killer who seems attracted to revealing the worst secrets kept by his female victims and is pursuing a religious motive in doing so. Smokey and her team frantically work to find out how this killer knows these secrets and where he will strike next. It's a solid page-turner with some philosophical musings about the secrets we all keep and the damage they do. (less)
I didn't think it was possible for this Nordic noir series to get darker but Harry Hole's latest case is even more violent and disturbing than previou...moreI didn't think it was possible for this Nordic noir series to get darker but Harry Hole's latest case is even more violent and disturbing than previous outings (and that's saying a lot). Two women are murdered with a particularly gruesome torture device (one that will give me nightmares for awhile) and it isn't until a third woman, a more public figure, is murdered in a slightly more conventional way that the police discover a possible link between them. Of course, before Harry takes the case, he must be dragged back from Hong Kong where he is using a developing opium addiction to keep from drinking and is accumulating some substantial debt with the local mafia. Once back in Oslo, he finds himself in the middle of a power struggle between the city police force and Kripos (kind of like the FBI) and butting heads with an officer who has powerful ambitions. Just to make things even more complicated, Harry's father is in the hospital dying of cancer and has weeks to live. Yeah, it's a typical light-hearted romp through Norway by Nesbo.
Seriously, I'm impressed with how Nesbo makes all these things sharp yet readable and how Harry becomes more and more "real" in my mind with each book. This is story with twists and turns and then more twists and turns and it's not for the faint-hearted. Also, I realize that some of the repeated elements could be easily parodied (much as Stieg Larsen's books can). However, for those in the mood, it's good stuff.
Two thoughts linger as I finished the book. I still want to know what happened in Australia (in a book that hasn't been translated into English) and I now wonder what would happen if in some alternate book universe, Harry Hole and Lisbeth Salandar crossed paths.(less)
Meh. I have to say that this was one of the more annoying vampire premises I've come across. Not only are the young "blue bloods" of New Y...moreMeh. I have to say that this was one of the more annoying vampire premises I've come across. Not only are the young "blue bloods" of New York Society beautiful, wealthy, and clothed in lots of expensive designer duds but they happen to be a secret vampire society as well. De La Cruz does her best to create a complex mythology (the blood line is immortal and is reborn generation after generation and the mystery of Roanoke has something to do with the events in happening in modern time) but any interest I had in following the "plot" was destroyed by the constant name dropping of clothing, clubs, and other crap and by the rather wooden writing. (less)
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