Doug Lewars's Blog, page 16

Murder of the Bride

Murder of the Bride by Faith Martin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was a perfectly good detective story although not special. There was lots of action, an interesting police investigation, and the perpetrator turned out to be someone unexpected, at least unexpected by me. For those who like complex character development you won't find a great deal here, a bit maybe but not much.

There was one minor point which caught my attention. A reference is made to living in the 21st century so the time period must be after 2000. However, the detective observes someone opening a door and placing empty milk bottles on the step. I thought milk deliver had long since been discontinued everywhere but maybe not. I know here it ended in the mid to last 1950s. I found it interesting.



View all my reviews

Hunger

Hunger: Library Edition by Stefán Máni

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This is an audio translation of a book published in Iceland. I rated it 4 because mine is currently the only rating and I want to give anyone seeing this an indication of what I believe is close to the rating it would receive if a large sample of individuals rated it. I think it would fall between 3.6 and 3.8. I looked up the untranslated reference and it was 3.72 so I believe my assessment is correct.

My personal rating is a 1 and very close to a DNF. I was at the 75% mark when I considered stopping it but having gone that far decided to press on to the end.

I almost didn't start on this one. From the cover you can tell it's yet another vampire book. Fortunately the villains name wasn't Edmund nor where there any swooning teenage girls. In this case the 'vampire' is a mentally ill individual whose delusions convinces him he needs to drink blood. He uses a cup, not fangs.

I suspect 60% of readers will absolutely love this and 40% hate it. For me it seems very contrived, as if the author stepped out of a university creative writing course with a checklist of things to include in a novel and checked them off one by one: strong character arc, check, emotional turmoil, check, conflict at work, check, work-related conflict with wife, check, psychological distress, check, physical deterioration, check, obligatory sex scene, double check ... you get the idea.

The plot exists but is pretty thin. A warped killer is on the loose mutilating his victims. The police form a team and work to track him or her down. Much of the plot reads like a police training manual - ask for help from the public, follow fruitless leads, conduct door-to-door interview, follow up with suspicions. go down a number of rabbit holes. Fair enough but rather tedious.

There is a hint of the occult insofar as the protagonist has prophetic dreams, symbolic of course, but foreshadowing the various murders. I'm not sure why the author included them as they contributed nothing to the overall story, merely provided an excuse for describing gory horror. There was nothing wrong with the macabre. The dreams merely seemed inconsistent with the rational police investigation being conducted.

I think it's a bad sign when one finds oneself more sympathetic to the deranged villain than to the emotionally charged hero. At one stage one of the team tells the protagonist to 'get it together' and I could only agree.

I think many readers would sympathize with the protagonist's struggle, emotional anguish, feelings of guilt, and based on the dreams, his tenuous grasp on reality. If you like those sorts of things you'll love this book. On the other hand, if you like a strong plot with plenty of twists, move on. You won't get it here.



View all my reviews

Three Fires

Three Fires by Denise Mina

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible spoilers ***

This book is very short, more novella than novel. It takes place in the Middle Ages and frankly there isn't much to it. The writing is satisfactory and the plot, what there is of it, is pretty straight forward. It criticizes corruption in the Roman Catholic church prior to the reformation, religious fanaticism, and church politics. It was okay but if you like character development you won't find it here and even the plot is pretty bland. Frankly I'm not sure why the author bothered to write it unless he wanted to dramatize trends in society leading to the development of Protestantism.



View all my reviews

The Guardians

The Guardians by John Grisham

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I quite enjoyed this book but I don't think it's for everyone. The author is dramatizing an issue with the criminal justice system so he doesn't spend much time of character development. In addition, the plot moves slowly. Although I found it fascination, some might not enjoy the amount of information dumped on the reader. On thing I found fascinating was even when considerable evidence exists exonerating a convicted criminal, he or she may not be released. It appears proof of innocence is not enough. For me this was quite an eye-opener. I liked this book but those looking for high drama or strong character arcs may want to take a pass.



View all my reviews

The Guardians

The Guardians by John Grisham

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I quite enjoyed this book but I don't think it's for everyone. The author is dramatizing an issue with the criminal justice system so he doesn't spend much time of character development. In addition, the plot moves slowly. Although I found it fascination, some might not enjoy the amount of information dumped on the reader. On thing I found fascinating was even when considerable evidence exists exonerating a convicted criminal, he or she may not be released. It appears proof of innocence is not enough. For me this was quite an eye-opener. I liked this book but those looking for high drama or strong character arcs may want to take a pass.



View all my reviews

Gentlemen of the Road

Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This is a fine swashbuckling novel, short, lots of action, no underlying deep psychological exploration and precious little character development. Our heroes move quickly from one peril to the next, possibly pausing to feed and water their horses in between. it's a light read and short, ideal for kicking back and relaxing. If you like adventure stories with plenty of action I think you'll like this one.



View all my reviews

Our Man in Havana

Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

In addition to being a spy novel and thriller, there are some comedic elements to this book I quite enjoyed. The author has quite a bit of fun with the stuffed shirts who comprise the upper level of the civil service. Our protagonist, a vacuum cleaner salesman, is recruited to be a secret agent, and being short of money at the time, accepts. The reports he files, however, are bogus, nothing more than creative fiction designed to foster the illusion he's doing something useful. Not being very good at the spy business, his reports are intercepted, decoded so BOTH sides know what he's sending and BOTH believe it. The book is fast paced, amusing, and kept me interested from cover to cover. If you're looking for a spy novel with a twist, I highly recommend it.



View all my reviews

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

DNF at 53%.

The story begins with the protagonist worked in a drugstore for a summer job. He's got this job because his uncle owns a drugstore chain and he's being groomed for a place in the corporate structure once he becomes a little older. We get the feeling, even if he doesn't become CEO, he's destined for senior executive ranks. However, being young, cool, rebellious, and fundamentally dumb, he's doing his best to get fired so he can ... and here we have no idea what he wants ... rise to the heights of being a welfare bum presumably.

This is the character with which we are presented. Evidently this author is strong on character arcs because he's set the bar really, really low so, presumably, our protagonist can mature and develop into ... something.

I'm not certain how I managed to wade through 53% of this book but I've got a sneaking suspicion how it will play out. His new magical friends will face some sort of dreadful peril. Our hero will rise above himself, find some inner resources, go on to combat the peril and save his friends. Quite possibly he will find it necessary to return to the real world and leave behind the girl he has come to love just as his grandfather did so many years before. I may be wrong, of course, but if I'm even close to how things play out I've saved myself 47% of teenage angst.

This book is YA so it may be popular among young people. I think, for those under the age of twenty, it might be worth giving it a try. Likewise, for those who like strong character arcs (and I'm assuming one develops in the second half of the book) I think it is worth reading, but if you prefer a good solid adventure story you might as well move on to something else because this one reminded me to some extent of a travelogue.



View all my reviews

The Tiger in the Well

The Tiger in the Well by Philip Pullman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was a terrific book, fast paced and exciting. Every time Sally turned around it seemed she was facing a new problem. If there's one thing Philip Pullman does and does well, it's create villains. Often they lurk in the background, intent on any number of schemes some of which affect the protagonist. In this case the attack on Sally had been in preparation for years. And when the trap is sprung, she has no way out. I listened to the audio version of this and the reader was brilliant. I highly recommend it.

The only thing I didn't care for was the title. Unfortunately every time my eyes fell upon it I immediately thought of 'The Farmer in the Dell' and was left with an almost chronic ear-worm which passed only when I completed the novel.



View all my reviews

The Shadow in the North

The Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

The premise for this book is a little shaky but the important thing is it keeps moving and there's plenty of excitement. The thing I particularly enjoy about Philip Pullman's work, is his ability to create any number of threats acting behind the scenes. Sure, there's one major villain but there are plenty of others either working for him directly or for one of his employees. Likewise, he spends quite a bit of time and verbiage on his villains' plots. There are a times I find the behind-the-scenes activity quite a bit more interesting than what Sally is doing. I recommend this book and I particularly recommend the audio version. The reader is first rate.



View all my reviews