Long Lankin by Lindsay Barraclough (The Bodley Head-UK 2011/Candlewick) is an excellent first novel initially published in the UK 2011 and marketed as...moreLong Lankin by Lindsay Barraclough (The Bodley Head-UK 2011/Candlewick) is an excellent first novel initially published in the UK 2011 and marketed as a young adult novel. Although two out of the three points of view are children’s this book should have great appeal to readers of any age. In the late 1940s, two young sisters from London are sent to stay with their great aunt in a small isolated village in rural England. Their aunt is a strange one and strict. The house in which they stay is haunted, as are the grounds around it. The two children narrators overhear adult conversations and because it takes them longer to comprehend what’s going on than the reader we fear for them. There’s a curse, a witch, ghosts, a bog that can swallow a body without a trace. The fear creeps up on the reader slowly yet relentlessly but it’s the individual voices of each character that makes this novel of fear and desperation so stand out. The last fifty pages are heart-grabbing.(less)
Creole Belle by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster) is dark, with ghostly undertones, as the author continues to expertly weave the historical and...more Creole Belle by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster) is dark, with ghostly undertones, as the author continues to expertly weave the historical and contemporary attitudes and circumstances of the rich and poor, multi-racial inhabitants of Louisiana and their crimes and vices into his fiction. One late night as Dave Robicheaux lies half asleep in a drug haze of painkillers recovering from severe gunshot wounds in a New Orleans hospital, he’s visited by a young Creole barroom singer who brings him some of her music. Or does she? It turns out Tee Jolie Melton has been missing for several weeks and no one else can hear the music on Dave’s ipod. Upon his recovery Dave’s search for Tee Jolie embroils him in ugly, perverse, and violent conflicts. Burke has another winner in this nineteenth entry in the Dave Robicheaux series.(less)
Available Dark by Elizabeth Hand (Minotaur) is the sequel to Generation Loss, and both are excellent, compulsively readable contemporary dark suspense...moreAvailable Dark by Elizabeth Hand (Minotaur) is the sequel to Generation Loss, and both are excellent, compulsively readable contemporary dark suspense novels about Cassandra Neary, a brilliant photographer who lit up the 70s punk landscape briefly but quickly burned out with liquor and drugs. After escaping home to Manhattan after some real nastiness in Maine (Generation Loss). Neary is offered a great deal of money to fly all expenses paid to Helsinki and authenticate a series of five photographs purportedly taken by a famous photographer. Once there, she becomes embroiled in a Scandinavian death metal cult and sacrificial murder, ending up fighting for her life in economically destroyed Iceland. There are subtle elements of the supernatural threaded throughout this powerful novel.(less)
Devil Said Bang by Richard Kadrey (HarperVoyager) is the fourth novel in the Sandman Slim series about James Stark, a Nephilim (half angel/half human)...moreDevil Said Bang by Richard Kadrey (HarperVoyager) is the fourth novel in the Sandman Slim series about James Stark, a Nephilim (half angel/half human), the only live person ever sent to Hell who then broke out. In Aloha From Hell, Stark found God (literally) and when Lucifer left town was anointed the new Lucifer—which does not make him happy for a number of reasons, including the fact that there seems to be plot to kill him. Meantime, back in L.A. a serial killing ghost is loose and someone else might just be altering reality, such as it is. (less)
The Drowning Girl (A Memoir) by Caítlin R. Kiernan (Roc) is a complex story about ghosts, mermaids, sirens, insanity, cults, truth vs. fact, metamorph...moreThe Drowning Girl (A Memoir) by Caítlin R. Kiernan (Roc) is a complex story about ghosts, mermaids, sirens, insanity, cults, truth vs. fact, metamorphosis, and relationships. India Morgan Phelps (aka Imp) struggles for several years against her own inner demons to work out what really happened the night she stopped her car to pick up a naked woman walking along a deserted road. As Imp writes in her diary, her memories drift back and forth in time, introducing dreamy strands of possibilities. Kiernan expertly drives the narration through structural intricacies with apparent ease. (less)
The White Forest by Adam McOmber (Touchstone) is a powerful gothic novel about Jane Silverlake, a young woman living at the edge of Hampstead Heath in...moreThe White Forest by Adam McOmber (Touchstone) is a powerful gothic novel about Jane Silverlake, a young woman living at the edge of Hampstead Heath in the mid-1800s with her widowed father. She has spent most of her lonely childhood unsuccessfully suppressing an ability to hear the souls of manmade objects. As she reaches maturity, Jane develops a companionable friendship with another young woman and with a young man –and for awhile the threesome are content. But eventually the young man becomes obsessed with Jane and the mystery surrounding her, leading him to join a secret society in London. When he disappears, she knows that she’s going to have to use her previously underutilized abilities to rescue him. (less)
The Croning by Laird Barron (Night Shade Books) is the author’s first full length novel (a novel of about 43,000 words was published in 2011) and the...moreThe Croning by Laird Barron (Night Shade Books) is the author’s first full length novel (a novel of about 43,000 words was published in 2011) and the result has been worth the wait. Barron puts his poor innocent schmo of a protagonist through torturous paces in a smashing, horrific retelling of Rumpelstilkin. The author is an expert at depicting Lovecraftian cosmic horror, and this book—with its echoes of places and characters from his short stories and novellas -- is for every reader who has been devouring those works. One doesn’t need to have read Barron’s short fiction to enjoy The Croning.(less)
The Whisperer by Donato Carrisi and translated by Shaun Whiteside (Mulholland Books) is an impressive first novel by an Italian television writer, abo...moreThe Whisperer by Donato Carrisi and translated by Shaun Whiteside (Mulholland Books) is an impressive first novel by an Italian television writer, about a person able to persuade ordinary people to kill, serially or not.(less)
The Rook by Daniel O’Malley (Little, Brown) is a marvelous first novel that is dark and violent yet laced with humor. It opens with one of the most en...moreThe Rook by Daniel O’Malley (Little, Brown) is a marvelous first novel that is dark and violent yet laced with humor. It opens with one of the most engaging first lines I’ve read: “Dear You, The body you are wearing used to be mine.” And so, a young woman comes to consciousness with two black eyes, dead people lying on the ground around her, and no memory of who she is or why she is in the situation in she finds herself. The rest of the novel doesn’t disappoint, with a secret agency protecting Great Britain from supernatural forces, conspiracies, and plenty of mayhem to keep the reader entertained throughout. (less)
The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett (Orbit) begins in 1919 as a trolley car filled with eleven factory workers dead inside of it, rolls into a s...moreThe Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett (Orbit) begins in 1919 as a trolley car filled with eleven factory workers dead inside of it, rolls into a station. All were alive when they entered the trolley and all were union workers. The eponymous investigator works for the McNaughton Corporation, the powerful and mysterious entity running the United States from the capitol city of Evesden, located in a Pacific Northwest very different from the one we know. An engaging, noirish mystery, the book deservedly won the mystery and suspense field’s Edgar Award in the original paperback category. (less)
Loved this book. Just when I thought no one could do anything I would possibly want to read about zombies, Colson Whitehead, author of the brilliant n...moreLoved this book. Just when I thought no one could do anything I would possibly want to read about zombies, Colson Whitehead, author of the brilliant novel The Intuitionist, created a well-written, engaging story about a "clean up" crew in lower Manhattan. There shouldn't be much to do for the protagonist and his crew. The marines has already used the big guns to wipe out the zombie hordes. But Mark Spitz (as he's known) and his fellows find themselves a bit more vulnerable than they thought.(less)
The third novel by Bennett, this one's his best yet. Enjoyable coming of age story that's suspenseful, imaginative, and heartbreaking. A teen runs awa...moreThe third novel by Bennett, this one's his best yet. Enjoyable coming of age story that's suspenseful, imaginative, and heartbreaking. A teen runs away from home to search for the father that deserted him before he was born and is swept up into a troupe of vaudevillians who roam the countryside on their own secret mission. (less)
The German by Lee Thomas (Lethe) is a chilling, well-told novel about a mysterious German ex-soldier living in a small U.S. town during the height of...moreThe German by Lee Thomas (Lethe) is a chilling, well-told novel about a mysterious German ex-soldier living in a small U.S. town during the height of World War II, when tensions and suspicions are at a peak against German refugees, and even citizens of German ancestry. Who better to scapegoat for the brutal murder of a young man than a foreigner, who is also considered a sexual deviant?(less)
Enjoyable novel about a world much like ours but in which some people, aka numerates, can manipulate numbers to their advantage. One such numerate Dom...moreEnjoyable novel about a world much like ours but in which some people, aka numerates, can manipulate numbers to their advantage. One such numerate Dom, is searching for a mathematical treasure in the desert when he's attacked.
After regaining consciousness he discovers another being inside him and the story turns into a road trip with Dom, his "passenger," and a young woman traveling across Canada to prevent a very powerful, very nasty numerate from dominating the world. (less)
is an excellent slow boil of a novel about Cassandra Brooks, a struggling single mother who is a diviner by trade, hired to dowse for water in an upst...moreis an excellent slow boil of a novel about Cassandra Brooks, a struggling single mother who is a diviner by trade, hired to dowse for water in an upstate New York. While dousing for a developer in a forest, she has a vision of a girl hanging from a tree, but when she reports it to the sheriff, the girl has vanished. Morrow captures Cassandra’s voice brilliantly and builds up a lovely little frisson as secrets unfold.(less)
I recently finished Michelle Paver's suspenseful ghost story about a 1937 British arctic scientific expedition to Gruhuken, an isolated bay in Norway....moreI recently finished Michelle Paver's suspenseful ghost story about a 1937 British arctic scientific expedition to Gruhuken, an isolated bay in Norway. There is some talk that Gruhuken might be haunted. The story is told mostly in the form of a diary written by Jack Miller, a 28 year old desperate to get away from London where he feels he's a failure.
Reminiscent of Dan Simmons' brilliant epic novel The Terror in its depiction of the cold and bleakness of the Arctic winter. Dark Matter is a much smaller, intimate story, told in one voice, and is more about loneliness. But the increasing claustrophobia and sense of entrapment and the haunting itself is just as effective in its own way.
I read the British edition, which was published October 2010-I've no idea when a US edition will be out. (less)
I wanted to love this book and as I started reading it I did. How fascinating to read about a young woman learning about life as a Mortuary technician...moreI wanted to love this book and as I started reading it I did. How fascinating to read about a young woman learning about life as a Mortuary technician.
However, what with her pretty dull social life --going to the bar, dinner with family, hanging out with her boyfriend and dogs (probably the publisher said--you've got to put some more stuff in here and not just talk about all your experiences with the dead!) I started skimming to get back to her job. The nitty gritty of autopsies, prepping bodies for the postmortem and looking for forensic evidence of non-natural causes of death were terrific. Her descriptions of people she didn't like were offensive (I sure hope she wasn't using real names) and her voice began to grate.
In addition, the book -originally published in the UK, needed an editor. Not a copy editor but an editor to cut repetition, cut unnecessary phrases and tighten the whole thing up. With some better writing I could see the book as a long article in The New Yorker. But there's not enough meat for a book. (less)
Good hard boiled mystery set in London about former cop turned private eye whose a mess since his wife was murdered and his daughter subsequently went...moreGood hard boiled mystery set in London about former cop turned private eye whose a mess since his wife was murdered and his daughter subsequently went missing. Hired by a mysterious woman to find his brother, the detective discovers that he himself is in danger and that events in his past are catching up with him. Absorbing, grisly, and a very good read.(less)
A marvelous hard-edged, sometimes bloody, modern western about a widowed drug smuggler forced to abandon his young daughter when he’s tripped up by so...moreA marvelous hard-edged, sometimes bloody, modern western about a widowed drug smuggler forced to abandon his young daughter when he’s tripped up by something really bad that he’s pressured into carrying across the Mexican-US border. Dodd Raine’s voice and plight engaged this reader totally. How can you not pick up a novel in which the legendary chupacabra is crucial to the plot? Highly recommended(less)
So Cold the Riveris an absorbing modern gothic about Eric Shaw, a failed movie-maker who gets a second chance when he’s hired by Alyssa Bradford to ma...moreSo Cold the Riveris an absorbing modern gothic about Eric Shaw, a failed movie-maker who gets a second chance when he’s hired by Alyssa Bradford to make a documentary about her husband’s father. Journeying to the Indiana spa town of West Baden Springs, Shaw is caught up in a clash of past and present as a result of the strange visions imparted to him by the mineral waters running beneath the town. (less)
The Whisperers by John Connolly is the Irish author’s ninth novel featuring former policeman Charlie Parker, a man both haunted and driven by the murd...moreThe Whisperers by John Connolly is the Irish author’s ninth novel featuring former policeman Charlie Parker, a man both haunted and driven by the murders of his wife and child. This novel begins in war torn Iraq, where a team of American soldiers return home with a plan initially intended to aid their wounded brethren. Unfortunately, they’ve also brought back a supernatural relic that proves to be their undoing, as one by one they succumb to its violent suggestions. In addition, the seductive “Pandora’s box” attracts all sorts of unsavory attention, including from someone linked to Parker’s past.(less)
The Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke ) is, as are all the Dave Robichaux novels, concerned with corruption, the arrogance of the remains of the aristo...moreThe Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke ) is, as are all the Dave Robichaux novels, concerned with corruption, the arrogance of the remains of the aristocracy of Louisiana, and evil. I always enjoy this series –Burke has created a wonderful set of characters. This time around his daughter is under threat as she becomes involved with an older man who has some very bad influences hanging around with him.(less)
Kraken: An Anatomy by China Miéville (Ballantine Books) is charming, funny, disgusting, inventive, and just plain entertaining. A young man working in...moreKraken: An Anatomy by China Miéville (Ballantine Books) is charming, funny, disgusting, inventive, and just plain entertaining. A young man working in the British Museum becomes enmeshed in a cult that worships a giant squid and someone’s plan to end the world in a final conflagration. London, even the world is threatened and London is a living, breathing city with every part of it from the sea to its masonry part of the final battle. A few too many characters and extrusions off the main plot, but still satisfying. (less)
Horns by Joe Hill (William Morrow) is the author’s masterful second novel in which a young man awakens after a drunken night with horns growing out of...moreHorns by Joe Hill (William Morrow) is the author’s masterful second novel in which a young man awakens after a drunken night with horns growing out of his forehead. From there the book moves back and forth between Ig’s perfect life of privilege and happiness, to the murder that ruins his life, and back into his present as he tries to find out why he’s developed a strange power of persuasion and can see the deepest desires of those around him. There’s a sense of wonder, humor, and horror that runs throughout this fine novel.(less)
Kill the Dead by Richard Kadrey (Eos) is the excellent sequel to his Sandman Slim, about the continuing adventures of James Stark (aka Sandman Slim),...moreKill the Dead by Richard Kadrey (Eos) is the excellent sequel to his Sandman Slim, about the continuing adventures of James Stark (aka Sandman Slim), a former denizen of Hell who is hired as Lucifer’s bodyguard while the Prince of Darkness is in Hollywood overseeing a movie of his life. I’ve heard some call it “pulp” but it’s way too well-written to describe it that way. It’s fun, bloody, and fast moving. A great read.(less)
I thought this a very satisfying ending to the series. Just saw the movie over the weekend and thought it was a good adaptation. I highly recommend th...moreI thought this a very satisfying ending to the series. Just saw the movie over the weekend and thought it was a good adaptation. I highly recommend the trilogy. (less)
Just finished this second volume of Larsson's Millennium trilogy and enjoyed it even more than the first. It's got a better translation and the comple...moreJust finished this second volume of Larsson's Millennium trilogy and enjoyed it even more than the first. It's got a better translation and the complexity of the plot is engrossing. On to the next.(less)
I really enjoyed this quite a bit (finally had to finish it NOW although I usually carry books around town while busing and using the subway). I found...moreI really enjoyed this quite a bit (finally had to finish it NOW although I usually carry books around town while busing and using the subway). I found that the movie stayed very close to the book--although there are a few things different (much more about the relationship between Mikael and his publisher Erika Berger) the things left out hurt the movie not at all.
The translation is occasionally guilty of some amazing clunkers but on the whole doesn't mar the reading experience.(less)
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