Lakis Fourouklas's Blog, page 22

Book Review: Atticus Claw Breaks the Law by Jennifer Gray

Atticus Claw Breaks the Law by Jennifer Gray is a middle grade mystery suitable for cat lovers of all ages (available September 6, 2012).

 



When Atticus receives an anonymous message summoning him to a
meeting in a sleepy English coastal town, he packs his bags and sets
off. The world’s greatest cat burglar likes a good mystery and this time
curiosity has got the better of him. The writer of the message, it
turns out, is none other than Jimmy the Magpie, gang leader. He is
mourning the death of his friend Beaky, who has been run over by a
Rolls-Royce. Now he wants Atticus to steal all the jewels in town and
leave the humans baffled. What could be more straightforward? But when
Atticus moves in with Inspector Cheddar and his family, he starts to
wonder if a life of crime is really for him . . .





The first thought that crossed my mind when I saw this book was: this
sounds fun. And it is fun. But, it’s also thought provoking, deeply
human and, unavoidably, feline.





Meet Atticus Grammaticus Cattypuss Claw, a cat unlike any other.
Atticus is a thief and a cosmopolitan, somebody who likes to live as a
prince. At the beginning of the story we find him living the big life in
Monte Carlo, but before that he’d been to Moscow and Milan, Montreal,
Miami, and Madrid.



Continue at Criminal Element

Book Review: Return to Atlantis by Andy McDermott

Return to Atlantis by Andy McDermott is the eighth
thriller in the archeologist Nina Wilde and her husband, ex-SAS
bodyguard Eddie Chase series (available August 28, 2012).

 



Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase have stunned the world with their
discoveries, from the legendary sword Excalibur to the golden city of El
Dorado. Now, by bringing together three ancient statues from three
different continents, Nina is about to tap into a colossal energy
source—one not felt since the days of Atlantis.



But when the statues are stolen and Eddie is falsely accused of
murder, forcing him to go on the run to hunt the man responsible, a
violent struggle erupts among a secret, vastly powerful group that wants
to control Nina and the earth energy. From a glittering, high-tech
skyscraper in Japan to a harrowing chase beneath the Vatican and an
underground military vault in Nevada, Nina and Eddie must piece together
an astounding puzzle. For Nina Wilde is the key to a plot that will
change the world forever. And Eddie is the key to keeping her alive.





This is what I mean when I talk about action: superb storytelling;
breathtaking aerial, mountain, and underwater battles; fabulous
villains; and stubborn as hell heroes. What a mix!



Andy McDermott is a new discovery for me and in my opinion he is (readers’ alert) a new and improved version of Wilbur Smith,
as he manages to include so many action sequences, so many twists and
turns, and so much traveling in just one novel, that his mastery seems
simply unsurpassed.



Continue at Criminal Element

Book Review: Mockingbird by Chuck Wendig

“Power and wisdom are born of trauma.” Mockingbird is the story of a young woman who is gifted, if one could say so, with a weird kind of power, a power that feels to her more of a curse than a blessing.



This is the story of Miriam Black, who’s a psychic. When she touches somebody she can see how and when he or she is going to die. For quite some time now she’s been living in a trailer park with her best friend and occasional lover, one-eyed Louis.



Miriam is a very unhappy woman. She tries hard to adapt in a life that really doesn’t suit her. Being normal is not something she can make happen, not when she can sense things the way she does. “She wants to go home. If only she knew what that really meant.”



Louis is trying to bring some balance in her life, make her realize that if she tries hard enough she can become happy, or at least, kind-of-happy, but she knows all too well that that’s not true and she snaps at him: “You want me to be someone I’m not.”



She’s sick of her everyday life, so she decides to leave and “commit to her lack of commitment.” She’s not afraid of the life on the road, she’s tough, she can handle any situation; she cannot listen to Louis and his down-to-earth logic and get stack in that place anymore.



The road though is long and the first car that stops to pick her up belongs to no one else but Louis himself. They travel together for awhile, they fight, she gets off the car and then they meet again. And it’s exactly then that she’s convinced to follow him to a boarding school to meet a teacher, who feels certain that she’s going to die soon. The woman is willing to pay Miriam just to tell her if she’s right.



However, when she gets there, things start to get really complicated, because she has a very bad feeling about the place. She may be “a poison pill,” as she calls herself, but she doesn’t like to see people die, especially young people. She’s quite certain that there’s at least a murderer loose on the premises and she’s determined to find out who that is and save the victims’ lives.



Of course that will not prove such an easy thing to do. She’ll find obstacles rising in her way time and again, she’ll have to fight her inner demons and the evil of men, and she’ll even have to confront her own past in order to make sense of the things that bother her.



Hers will be a long and dangerous journey, but as she’s, at some point, going to find out she’s not alone in this. The teacher, whose worst fears, or rather hopes she confirmed, will be there to give her a hand and so will be Louis – always her friend, until the very end.



“The only way to divert death is to give it a life,” we read. And Miriam is determined to do just that; to sacrifice the guilty in order to save the innocents. But, will she make it? And if she does, will that help her find some sort of peace within herself?



A great novel that combines the genres of urban fantasy and crime fiction and which gives the reader quite a few thrills with its twists and turns, as well as some rare moments of pure poetry and magic. Highly recommended.

New Bites: The Demon Catchers of Milan by Kat Beyer and Sweat by Mark Gilleo

The following books come out today:



Kat Beyer – The Demon Catchers of Milan



Mia’s ordinary life is disrupted for good in the most horrifying way possible when she is possessed by a hungry and powerful demon—and  saved only by the arrival of relatives from Italy, the country her grandfather fled many decades ago. Now her cousins, the charming and gorgeous Emilio and stern, elderly Giuliano, say the only way to keep Mia safe is for her to come back with them to Milan, to live, to learn Italian, to fall in and out of love, and to master the family trade: fighting all demons with the ancient lore of bell, book, and candle. Milan is not what Mia expected, but it will change her forever.


 

Mark Gilleo – Sweat



When Jake Patrick took a summer internship at his estranged father's corporation, he anticipated some much-needed extra cash and a couple of free meals from his guilty dad. He would never have guessed that he'd find himself in the center of an international scandal involving a U.S. senator, conspiracy, backroom politics, and murder. Or that his own life would hang in the balance. Or that he'd find help - and much more than that - from a collection of memorable characters operating on all sides of the law. Jake's summer has turned into the most eventful one of his life. Now he just needs to survive it.



From the sweatshops of Saipan to the most powerful offices in Washington, SWEAT rockets through a story of crime and consequences with lightning pacing, a twisting plot, an unforgettable cast of characters, and wry humor. It is another nonstop thriller from one of the most exciting new voices in suspense fiction.
 

Book Review: Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen

I’ve really enjoyed Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen for more than one reasons. The plot is great, the characters masterfully drawn, the subject matter difficult and deeply humane, and when it comes to the sort of unusual family of the Rizzolis, absolutely funny.

This is the story of three children who are connected in a unique way: their parents have been killed some time ago, and so did their foster parents recently. This is the story of Claire, a girl of thirteen, who took a bullet in the head and survived, and “did not know where she belonged”; of Teddy, who’s kind of weird, but that’s only because he has Asperger’s syndrome; and of Will, who likes doing nothing more than looking at the night sky and searching to find a new comet, which he’ll name Neil, to honor the memory of his late father.

These three children were hit by tragedy twice and somehow they survived, but as it seems whoever is responsible for the murders will never rest until he kills them too.

So in come Dr. Maura Isles and detective Jane Rizolli of the Boston PD, who are called in on the scene of a crime, in a rich neighborhood of the city. A massacre took place there, during which only a kid survived; one of the three. Rizolli is not running point in this case but detective Darren Crow does, someone whom the former really not likes. He’s too arrogant for her taste, too fast to jump to conclusions and he’s in love with the TV cameras. He seems to be more interested in showing his face to the public than fighting crime.

As Maura is getting ready to depart for the wilderness of Maine where she’s to meet, Julian “Rat” Atkins, a boy with whom she’s been through a lot just a year earlier, Jane is left behind to solve the crime under the supervision of Crowe, who seems to think that he knows who the perp is right from the start.

However, things are not exactly as simple as they seem. The leads could be misleading and it’s obvious that there’s more to the story than a robbery that has gone wrong. Jane has to follow her gut feeling to sort things out, a gut feeling that will make her travel far and away time and again, while she’ll also have to cope with some of the problems created by the return of her father into their lives, take care of her now two year old girl, and help Maura out with some questions that arise concerning the place she’s visiting.

In this story we have a blood-thirsty avenger, secret societies, brilliant kids, tortured psyches, secrets and lies and plenty of action, which keeps the reader’s interest alive from beginning to end, and it’s exactly then that it poses a question that more often than not arises into the readers minds too: Who’s going to protect us from the protectors?

One of the best thrillers of the year.



Reviews of books by the same author:



John Doe

Freaks

The Silent Girl

Book Review: The Offering by Desirée Bombenon

The Offering by Desirée Bombenon is
the story of an unusual couple who, when they are not busy finding
their way around the complicated business world, act as crime fighters
of sorts (available September 25, 2012).

 



It all begins while Amanda and Jake Bannon enjoy some down time at the
beach on New Year’s Eve. They are in Ko Olina, Oahu, Hawaii. Jake goes
over some things on the computer while Amanda enjoys the tranquility of
the place, replaying in her mind’s eye her life story: her youth, her
studies, how she met this man who’s proved to be the special one, how
they married and became rich and powerful, about their kids and their
adventures.





The Bannons are not your everyday couple. Yes, they have lots of money;
no, they don’t need to work anymore; yes, they are blessed in many
ways; but, at the same time they are restless. They always want to move
around, visit different places, meet new people, live exciting
adventures, and they do. Sometimes though—and this is one of those
times—they just need to sit back, relax, and enjoy some moments of peace
and togetherness.



Continue at Criminal Element

Book Review: Low Pressure by Sandra Brown

Low Pressure by Sandra Brown is a stand-alone romantic thriller (available September 18, 2012).

 



Bellamy Lyston was only 12 years old when her older sister Susan was killed on a stormy Memorial Day. Bellamy’s
fear of storms is a legacy of the tornado that destroyed the crime
scene along with her memory of what really happened during the day’s most devastating moments.



Eighteen years later, Bellamy has written a sensational, best-selling novel based on Susan’s murder. When an opportunistic reporter from a tabloid newspaper discovers that the book is based on fact, Bellamy’s identity is exposed along with the family scandal.





A dead sister, a failed marriage, and dreams that never came true;
Bellamy’s life sounds tragic, to say the least. Could things possibly
get any worse? Well, yes, they can. There comes a time when she has to
flee her house in Manhattan and return to her hometown of Austin, Texas,
in order to escape the publicity surrounding the revelation that she’s
the author of the novel—and because of a threat that arrives in a
gift-wrapped package.



Continue at Criminal Element

New Bites: The Double Game by Dan Fesperman

A story about spies and their secrets, fathers and sons, lovers and
fate, duplicity and loyalty, The Double Game ingeniously taps the
espionage classics of the Cold War to build a spellbinding maze of
intrigue. It is Dan Fesperman’s most audacious, suspenseful, and
satisfying novel yet.



A few years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, spook-turned-novelist Edwin Lemaster revealed to up-and-coming journalist Bill Cage that he’d once considered spying for the enemy. For Cage, a Foreign Service brat who grew up in the very cities where Lemaster’s books were set, the news story created a brief but embarrassing sensation and heralded the beginning of the end of his career in journalism.

More than two decades later, Cage, now a lonely, disillusioned PR man, receives an anonymous note hinting that he should have dug deeper into Lemaster’s pronouncement. Spiked with cryptic references to some of Cage’s favorite spy novels, the note is the first of many literary bread crumbs that lead him back to Vienna, Prague, and Budapest, each instruction drawing him closer to the complex truth, each giving rise to more questions: Why is beautiful Litzi Strauss back in his life after thirty years? How much of his father’s job involved the CIA? As the events of Lemaster’s past eerily—and dangerously—begin intersecting with those of Cage’s own, a “long stalemate of secrecy” may finally be coming to an end.

Book Review: Caravan of Thieves by David Rich

Caravan of Thieves by David Rich is an action-packed but humorous debut thriller (available August 30, 2012).

 



Rollie Waters has no intention of paying for the sins of his father
Dan. Rollie is going to make others pay, and he is going to use the
tricks and tactics his charming, enigmatic con artist father taught
him—and a few he dreams up along the way—to make it all happen. Dan
taught Rollie how to stay two steps ahead of trouble and how to offer
cheap gifts with one hand while stealing the family silver with the
other. But, unlike Dan, Rollie is not a criminal.





After he’s yanked out of his latest assignment and tossed in the
brig, he’s only partly surprised when the officials in charge mention
that U.S. government money—a lot of money—has gone missing, and they
think Rollie’s father took it. The only way to find Dan is to trace the
frail tendrils of truth scattered among Rollie’s childhood memories. To
do that, he’ll have to go deep into the undercover identity of a
lifetime: his own.



The relationship between the gifted prince of thieves, Dan, and his
equally gifted but honest son, Rollie, is at the epicenter of this
well-written novel. Rollie has a love-hate relationship with his father.
He loves Dan for some of the things he taught him and for some of the
scarce but magical moments they spent together; he hates Dan for who he
is: a thief unlike any other, someone who could sell you a house twice
and make you thank him for it both times.



Continue at Criminal Element

Book Review: Stranger in the Room by Amanda Kyle Williams

I have first met the heroine of Stranger in the Room, PI Keye Street, in the author’s previous novel The Stranger You Seek (review here) and I really liked her.

Keye is not your usual kind of detective. She’s an ex-alcoholic, still struggling with her addiction, who used to work for the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI, and has degrees both in criminology and psychology; she’s tough; and she’s street smart, stubborn and absolutely funny.

And, finally, she believes what she wants to believe, until she’s proven wrong. Alas, in one of the cases that she’s called to investigate in this novel, she’s bound to be proven dead wrong, but perhaps that’s only because it has to do with family.

It all begins when her cousin Miki calls and asks for her help. She thinks that she’s been stalked. She can hear strange noises in and around her house, more often than not she can feel someone watching her, and just the other night she saw a man in her home.

Well, Keye, doesn’t take Miki, who’s a famous photographer, seriously at first, but when the body of a dead old man is found hanging in her house, she has no choice but to admit that she was wrong. But is that the work of a stalker, or of just some sick bastard?

That’s the big question, but as she’s struggling to make ends meet, she can’t spare the time to give it too much thought. For starters she has to visit a mountain community where strange things seem to happen when it comes to the local funeral home and crematory, and she also has to find a “runner”, someone who jumped bail.

While all these things happen, no one would dare say that her boyfriend’s life is less complicated. Aaron Rauser, who’s a homicide detective, has a few open cases on his desk, and as if these are not enough, now he’s also called to investigate the death of the man found in Miki’s home, as well as the murder of a young athlete, a thirteen year old kid.

Given the above, one would expect that their relationship would be complicated, but it’s nothing but. They respect each other’s work and space, and they appreciate each other’s intellect and capabilities. Keye would feel lost without Rauser, not only because, “He thinks I’m gorgeous, so I’m okay with his blurred vision”, but also because she knows that he’ll always be there for her.

Well, as the action starts gathering pace and corpses accumulate, the two of them will have to work together to solve at least the current cases, while at the same time they’ll have to get ready to spend some quality time with Keye’s somewhat unconventional parents and take care of Miki, as well as Neil – her once time employee and soon to be partner, who’s been unlucky enough to get in the way of a bullet.

The plot is great and so is the story, but what I mostly enjoyed in this book are the characters, even when they appear for brief cameo’s, like that old nosy and openly racist lady, Mary Kate Stargell; like Keye and her amazing sense of humor; like Neil, who’s almost always high; like Miki, who’s seen so much death and turned that death into art; and like Rauser, that quiet force of a man who more often than not sets the rules, but never seems to try too hard to impose them.

The crimes may serve as the vehicles, but it’s the passengers that make this book a hell of a ride.


The book comes out August 21, 2012.