Doug Lewars's Blog, page 13

The God of the Woods

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Normally I reserve the 3 rating for books which I find inordinately bland; however, in this case it was a matter of 5 for plot and 1 for characters. Only the plot kept me reading. Somehow Ms. Moore managed to make every single character in her book - and there were a LOT of them - utterly unpleasant. The only possible exception was Bear, and he was long dead before the story began. There were occasions I was tempted to DNF the thing but curiosity how the plot would resolve itself kept me going. So who would like this book? If you like damaged characters you'll love this thing. If you like a good mystery plot and can overlook unpleasantness in the characters you'll be able to make it to the end although you will probably wince on occasion. If you like mystery but require sympathetic characters forget this one and move on.

The only thing I believe this author and I might agree on is that Thoreau was a pretentious idiot.





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The Usual Santas

The Usual Santas: A Collection of Soho Crime Christmas Capers by Peter Lovesey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

As with any anthology, there are great stories, good stories, mediocre ones, and a few clunkers. In this one the good outweighs the bad. One disappointment was the story by Colin Cotterill. I've read a number of his novels and thought they were great, but his short story was vague and didn't seem to go anywhere. Outside that that one I think this book is worth reading.



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Cat's Cradle

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Supposedly this is humerous; however, humour, it seems, does not always age well. There was a time I would have found this book highly impressive, and although I have no memory of reading it in the past, the one word, 'grandfalloon' struck a chord. It's not a bad book but not one I would recommend. For me it seemed blah.



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Dirty Thirty

Dirty Thirty by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Either you like this series or your don't. For those who like it this is another good addition. Things have changed slightly over the years. Stephanie is still a ditz. If that changes it would be a different series; however, the standard format of having her in real danger only to be rescued by one of the men in her life has been replaced by having her get out of her own messes. In order to make this work, Ms. Evanovich has cut back a little on the competency of her villains but they're still planning murder and Stephanie needs to survive the climactic confrontation. Even part way through the book Lulu managed to get off a shot and wing someone, another first I believe. I didn't really care for the ending. I'm sure Ms.Evanovich thought it would be cute and it was; however, she may have written herself into a bit of a corner. Sure there a plenty of ways of getting out of it but none seem appealing. I guess I'll just have to wait for the next book to see if her solution is creative or cringe.



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Six-and-a-half Deadly Sins

Six and a Half Deadly Sins by Colin Cotterill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Another interesting book by Colin Cotterill. The pacing was good and the villain was particularly villainous. I always enjoy a good villain. If you like this series I think you'll enjoy this book; otherwise you're not likely even considering it. I particularly enjoyed the ending.



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The Woman Who Wouldn't Die

The Woman Who Wouldn't Die by Colin Cotterill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I like how the author has Siri constantly experiencing supernatural phenomena and at the same time provides a natural explanation for everything external which was apparently unexplained and inexplicable. This way we never can be entirely certain whether the good doctor actually does have supernatural abilities or is just a trifle schizophrenic and very lucky.

In general this was another good rip-roaring adventure and thoroughly enjoyable.



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Slash and Burn

Slash and Burn by Colin Cotterill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

As usual this was a great book. If you like the series, you'll enjoy it. Very near the end there's a scene with not too much description but enough to scar a representative from housing, and possibly the reader - if the reader has a good imagination - for life. Enough said.



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Is This Anything

Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

As an author who sometimes writes humour, I read this book hoping that by reading Mr. Seinfeld's works, I'd better understand the craft of standup comedy, and, by extension, how to take ideas from this material and develop them into what might become scenes in a book. It didn't work. I've come to the conclusion much of the humour in standup comedy comes from the delivery. The actual written pieces were fairly mundane. Occasionally I might smile but such occasions were few and far between. The book is well written and if you're reading it for general interest I think you'll enjoy it but as a work of humour it's rather bland.



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Love Songs From a Shallow Grave

Love Songs from a Shallow Grave by Colin Cotterill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

The presentation of this book varies from the earlier ones in the series. We get a first person account by Dr. Siri of his imprisonment and then the book alternates this with an earlier time and a murder mystery. The mystery is not resolved until the end of the book and as the story proceeds we learn more and more of the events leading to our hero's entrapment. It's a fine exciting tale and the reader is left wondering how the author can get anyone out of the mess he's put them in. That alone is enough of a mystery to keep the reader interested.

I find the author's assessment of communism interesting. He clearly sees the negative aspects of the system yet one get the feeling he is fundamentally left leaning in his own politics. In this case he describes the savage butchery of the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia and doesn't pull any punches. Near the end of the book there were a few acts on the part of Sire I found questionable considering his physical well being at the time, but hey, this is a work of fiction so anything can happen and an author's got to do what an author's got to do.

If you like this series so far, i think you'll enjoy this one. The author even has a nice touch when it comes to relationships. If you happen to be an author I really urge you to read it if only for one scene. Siri is walking through the streets of Phnom Penn and describes what he sees. Pay attention to the detail. It absolutely makes the scene and the mechanics of the description are useful to understand for your own writing.



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The Merry Misogynist

The Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

In this book the author does a nice job of developing the plot by having the villain plan out his next crime in the story. Also he supplies us with some backstory as to how he became the villain he is. As is Cotterill's way, we are left with a cliff hanger for some time before we discover what actually happened. The book was highly enjoyable although I found Dr. Siri's ability to use a wrench as he did when he was far from good health a little questionable. However, that's a nit and certainly not totally beyond the pale.

I'm always interested in how the author fully understands the bleakness of communism and still believes in it. It seems he doesn't make the connection between any centralized highly hierarchical system and massive bureaucracy naturally leading to corruption and abuse.

If you like the series, I feel confident you'll enjoy this book although you might need to perform an online search for a couple of things. At least I did.



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