Just got The Affair by Lee Child. It's no 16 of the Jack Reacher series - personally I love them - real easy reading, great character in Reacher (a 6'5" 18 stone ex military cop) who is a drifter with no material things, who kind of wanders through a new town and basically clears it up. Sheriffs, business empires, mercenaries, crime rings - they've all been shut down hard. Real predictable yet comfortingly so.
I loved this book... one of good'uns and I love hearing about his past - as in when he was in the Army.
Great read, good characters, and as always have you guessing till the end. Now the only problem with Child's novels, is that once you've finished it, you have to wait a year for another one
Can't believe Tom Cruise is working on One Shot. Lee Child has said Reacher's size is merely a metaphor for power, and that Cruise will bring much to the role. Sounds like Lee Child has just heard the cash register bell...
Dont get me started..... I'm am really P***ED OFF about this. X-(
Lee Child even insisited that anyone could play Reacher, as long as it "wasn't Tom Cruise".... and look what's happened???? (Rumour has it, Tom heard about this, and promptly bought all the rights to the movie deal)
I'm boycotting all of them. I mean how can midget features even begin to incaptulate a 6'5 Marine....? "A metaphor for his inner strength".... F**K that bollocks....
Honestly - this is the closest thing that I can identify with how people might have felt when Craig was cast as Bond..... we are not all beyond being blinded by our opinions!
She's worth whatever chaos she brings to the table and you know it. ~ Mark Anthony
^
Proof that there's nothing worse than a woman scorned.
I've just finished 'the Modern Toss guide to Work'. I've never laughed so hard at something so simple. Apart from a mirror once, that was fun...
MG
Yes, well.... I'm usually quite open to suggestions... however, this one - well - Nothing will persuade me from my innate loathing for Cruise as Reacher.... )
I loved Modern Toss.... it was quite simply one of the best comedies on TV.
Had no idea that there were books on it... will have to take a peak!
She's worth whatever chaos she brings to the table and you know it. ~ Mark Anthony
I have started W Somerset Maughan's The Painted Veil. Fleming's Quantum of Solace short story seems to owe a lot to it, though it's a novella with each 'chapter' only three pages long. Adultery in the colonies, a cuckholded quiet, nerdy husband, that sort of thing.
EDIT: Okay, read it. Only 200 pages or so, very easy, clean, precise prose. No words in it you have too look up, quite unshowy. Turns out there was a movie of it with Naomi Watts. Anyway, v short chapters but each one consists of an incident or episode, so you don't turn the pages that quick, you digest each event.
Now reading Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast, his posthumously published memoirs about his time as a struggling, impoversihed writer in 1920s Paris. If you enjoyed Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, you probably have read this, as the film is full of injokes and assumed familiarity with the famous literary figures such as Gertrude Stein, Fitzgerald, et al who appear both in the memoirs and in the film.
It's short, only 120 pages as I'm reading the original, not the revised edition which has its critics. Quite evocative, though it does seem like an old man's grouchy attitude pasted onto a young fella's postive outlook.
This is the first Hemingway I've read, muscular, stripped down, clean prose, unfrilly. It's as if Americans think that showy writing might be a bit camp or ostentatious, not necessarily wrong in many cases. I like it, but some odd moments, such as when he describes gays in pejorative terms, like they are dangerous and you had to keep a knife on you when they were around, for a man to defend himself. Skirts around Stein's lesbo tendencies though he does make it obvious.
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,749Chief of Staff
Now reading Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast, his posthumously published memoirs about his time as a struggling, impoversihed writer in 1920s Paris. If you enjoyed Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, you probably have read this, as the film is full of injokes and assumed familiarity with the famous literary figures such as Gertrude Stein, Fitzgerald, et al who appear both in the memoirs and in the film.
It's short, only 120 pages as I'm reading the original, not the revised edition which has its critics. Quite evocative, though it does seem like an old man's grouchy attitude pasted onto a young fella's postive outlook.
This is the first Hemingway I've read, muscular, stripped down, clean prose, unfrilly. It's as if Americans think that showy writing might be a bit camp or ostentatious, not necessarily wrong in many cases. I like it, but some odd moments, such as when he describes gays in pejorative terms, like they are dangerous and you had to keep a knife on you when they were around, for a man to defend himself. Skirts around Stein's lesbo tendencies though he does make it obvious.
) That has to be the funniest post you've EVER put on AJB, Nap....classic )
Erm, not really Sir Miles, that is what Hemingway writes. Which part is funny? ?:)
Anyway, finished it today. Hem is into score settling with most of the characters, but is rather romantic and wistful and vague about his own shortcomings that are revealed in the final chapter, when he seems to ditch his wife and kid for some other woman, all this is the subject of that current book, The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. The penultimate chapter has Fitzgerald buttonholing Hem about his worries about the size of his penis, so Hem has to reassure him and take him on a tour of male statues in the Louvre (funny enough for you Sir Miles?) which I suppose isn't too far off David Niven's reminiscences about the great writer, who really was a bit of a weedy lush and kind of clingy. Then again, he wrote The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night.
Problem is, you also feel there are others who can badmouth Hem just as much as he does the others, plus if you read some bios of John Lennon you can come away feeling a bit dispirited. Sometimes I guess it's best just to read the work.
Hem's book is as much about writing as anything else, how he gets into the mood and dealing with writer's block.
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,749Chief of Staff
...plus if you read some bios of John Lennon you can come away feeling a bit dispirited.
I know what you mean...I've read several Lennon bios...some really stick the knife in...I guess I just read both the good and the bad about him and reckon the truth to be somewhere in the middle...
I got this out the library on a whim, had seen it reviewed and adds to my French book perusal. The cover is misleading in that it presents a jolly working morning heading out the Metro, whereas the author takes us mainly on the DER, all grim and urine drenched and liable to take you in the wrong direction. It's an easy read 200-page novel, but not a happy read as the main protagonist is subject to subtle psychological bullying by her boss, who she inadvertently put out during a meeting. The book charts the single mother's increasingly sidelined position within the firm, while setting up a parallel story about a disillusioned locum GP who is wondering where his relationship is going.
Double or Die by Charles Higson
Finally surpassed the halfway mark in the Young Bond series. This one took a little effort to get into, although the premise is fun with a focus on cryptography. At first I thought it was bit tedious as Bond and his amigos were being overdramatic about solving a puzzle left by a mentor, but the sense of urgency rang false since they really didn't have any idea that their mentor was in trouble. That, and Higson's attempt to elevate a game of Hearts to that of a Chemin de Fer game in Casino Royale or Moonraker was over the top, to say nothing of a bit confusing. After that, though, the story started to move along really well, and Higson ultimately crafts another worthwhile entry into his series.
An excellent book, I've actually read it many times and some other books by the same author(s).
"I don't know if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or imbeciles who mean it."-Mark Twain
'Just because nobody complains doesn't mean all parachutes are perfect.'- Benny Hill (1924-1992)
Somerset Maugham's The Magician, a spooky tale set in belle epoque Paris, in which a young engaged couple fall foul of an occultist, Oliver Haddo, who is modelled on Alestair Crowley. Crowley was an inspiration for Fleming's Blofeld, as I mention over in the lit forum.
Good stuff, but it gets preposterous towards the end, as Haddo is depicted as so charismatic and powerful nobody could realistically stand a chance against him.
It's Dangerous To Be Right When Your Government Is Wrong by Judge Andrew Napolitano. It was a very interesting book. It discusses the US Constitution and where our "natural rights" come from. I received this book as a gift and was skeptical at first but it turned out to be an interesting read.
"A blunt instrument wielded by a Government department. Hard, ruthless, sardonic, fatalistic. He likes gambling, golf, fast motor cars. All his movements are relaxed and economical". Ian Fleming
I'm reading a bio of Romantic poet Byron, written in the 1930s. From a Bond-centric pov, Byron was in some ways a model for Bond in terms of his looks I understand, thick black wavy hair, moody demeanor, sort of fits into aristocratic circles but not of it, seducer of women, follower of lost causes.
Also, pouty, bisexual, with a club foot. So some differences. The book is sometimes hardgoing, but shorter than Fiona MacCarthy's recent bio. Some good stuff on the time, around 1812, and how London was back then (all fields with cattle past Portland Place).
A very clever premise.... it follows two protagonists, a girl and a boy, from University, and documents their life on one day of the year... St Swithans Day up until they are in their late 30's.
They both make mistakes, from dating to jobs, but finally realise that they have remained friends for a reason.
It doesn't end the way you think it will... and some parts are painfully accute in their feeling.
A great book, and one that I chose for it's cover.... (plus I've noticed it was everywhere...) and I wasn't dissapointed.
She's worth whatever chaos she brings to the table and you know it. ~ Mark Anthony
Will Self hates it... his wife confiscated it off him.
I suppose we should read some William Boyd, right?
Anyway, The Paris Wife by Paula McClain.
This is about the first wife of Ernest Hemingway, who was with him during his breakthrough first novel, The Sun Also Rises. I'd not read any Hemingway until lately, and it was his posthumous, much loved memoirs A Moveable Feast, which is about his time in Paris before he was famous, with his first wife Hadley and their newborn son, in the 1920s, when he met the Fitzgeralds, Elizra Pound, Gertrude Stein and other authors.
It's a good book, draws you in to the relationship and the other woman who arrives and comes between them. But it helps if you know the history a bit, because it fills in a lot of the detail quite convincingly. Hadley is a bit of a Cynthia Lennon type. It may owe something to Simone de Bouvour's The Woman Who Came To Stay, though I have not read that.
Also, I'm not sure everyone signs up to the adulatory view of Hemingway, a new book by John Baxter has him as a braggard and a social climber, while Midnight in Paris, the Woody Allen film, has him down as a macho, pompous drunkard.
Anyway, literary Paris is a new angle for me so I enjoyed all this.
Jo Nesbo! (Although his first book, The Redbreast has reviewers divided... a very hard first half) but the second installment Nemesis is proving to be fantastic. Almost done, and have subsequently ordered the next few books in the series... -{
She's worth whatever chaos she brings to the table and you know it. ~ Mark Anthony
Jo Nesbo! (Although his first book, The Redbreast has reviewers divided... a very hard first half) but the second installment Nemesis is proving to be fantastic. Almost done, and have subsequently ordered the next few books in the series... -{
Good one, Lexi! (Nesbø is of cource Norwegian) His crime thrillers are first class and international best sellers. Do read "Headhunter". Not a part of the Harry Hole-series (The hero's name is pronounced with a sound like the E in "best" at the end, and not like the English word). The movie version of the novel has been very well recieved by British critics (as well as yours truly in the "last film seen .. "-thread.)
"The Snowman" will be filmed by none other than Martin Scorsese.
Jo Nesbo! (Although his first book, The Redbreast has reviewers divided... a very hard first half) but the second installment Nemesis is proving to be fantastic. Almost done, and have subsequently ordered the next few books in the series... -{
Good one, Lexi! (Nesbø is of cource Norwegian) His crime thrillers are first class and international best sellers. Do read "Headhunter". Not a part of the Harry Hole-series (The hero's name is pronounced with a sound like the E in "best" at the end, and not like the English word). The movie version of the novel has been very well recieved by British critics (as well as yours truly in the "last film seen .. "-thread.)
"The Snowman" will be filmed by none other than Martin Scorsese.
Funny you should mention that, as I was on Amazon today ordering my copies of his other books, and I have to say Headhunter has VERY mixed reviews.... I have seen the trailers for it (it's being advertised quite a bit here in the UK) and it's interesting to see it's not a Harry Hole novel.
I have to say I gave up on The Redbreast... however, now that I've heard that the first half IS hard going... (I was just under half way through...) I think I might try it again, as there are quite a few references to previous characters in Nemesis....
Have you read them?
And filming The Snowman....? Any reason why they haven't started at the begining of the series???
She's worth whatever chaos she brings to the table and you know it. ~ Mark Anthony
Jo Nesbo! (Although his first book, The Redbreast has reviewers divided... a very hard first half) but the second installment Nemesis is proving to be fantastic. Almost done, and have subsequently ordered the next few books in the series... -{
Finished this about a week ago, and now on the next one... The Devils Star.
Brilliant writing, and keeps going and going, with twists and turns right up till the end. I do feel, however, like I've missed a big chunk by not finishing the first one - so I might just have to revisit.
But anyone wanting a cracking, fast paced thriller - I highly recommend this series. 5 stars.
She's worth whatever chaos she brings to the table and you know it. ~ Mark Anthony
GLOCK: Tjh Rise of America's Gun by Paul M. Barrett. Excellent book.
"I don't know if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or imbeciles who mean it."-Mark Twain
'Just because nobody complains doesn't mean all parachutes are perfect.'- Benny Hill (1924-1992)
On a bit of a roll with these books... quite excellent. This latest novel sees our Protagonist Harry Hole solve a case, a serial killer who is randomly killing people - whilst leaving a red, star shaped diamond, and a pentagram at each scene. He is still protecting himself from his Nemesis, Tom Waaler, a higher ranking police detective... and we follow the twists and turns that this novel produces, right up until the last page. Nesbo is a genius... his plot twists are superb, and you're never quite sure who has done it... as he always has several very plausible candidates.
If you like Laarson, or Lee Child (secretagent ) then give Nesbo a go. Cracking read!
She's worth whatever chaos she brings to the table and you know it. ~ Mark Anthony
Thanks for the tip Lexi. Not come across his work, so I'll give it a go.
Lee Child's last book The Affair was brilliant. And written as a prequel to everything else. Interesting to have Reacher in a military role and the events leading up to him as the character we know.
Amazon #1 Bestselling Author. If you enjoy crime, espionage, action and fast-moving thrillers follow this link:
Thanks for the tip Lexi. Not come across his work, so I'll give it a go.
Lee Child's last book The Affair was brilliant. And written as a prequel to everything else. Interesting to have Reacher in a military role and the events leading up to him as the character we know.
I loved The Affair - I love hearing of Reacher's past whilst a MP... fills in the missing gaps
As for Nesbo, like I have said before, the first one The Redbreast is hard going... but I suggest you persevere (second half much easier than the second)....as it is then referred to in the next two books, and critically so. However, the second one, Nemesis, I was hooked by the first few pages. I'm now on my fourth, The Redeemer and again, I'm hooked. Brilliant books, and I am confident you will really enjoy them. -{
She's worth whatever chaos she brings to the table and you know it. ~ Mark Anthony
Past, Secretagent....Lee Child's latest, The Wanted Man is available for pre-order on Amazon...(picks up from Worth Dying For) ...just thought you'ld like to know :v
I've just finished reading The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo. Not as good as Nemesis, but still page turning, although there are a few unexplained details...never the less a strong 3.5 stars out of 5.
Now on 'The Snowman' also by Jo Nesbo...and I can tell by the first 20 pages its gonna be a corker -{
She's worth whatever chaos she brings to the table and you know it. ~ Mark Anthony
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,749Chief of Staff
Just read The House Of Silk by Anthony Horowitz....it's a new Sherlock Holmes novel....and I have to say that Mr Horowitz does a superb job of continuing the Holmes literary canon...it may be a tad convoluted, but this IS Sherlock Holmes after all )
The story starts off with a Mr Edmund Carstairs asking Holmes for help...and this leads him to hearing the whispered phrase 'The House Of Silk....Holmes must find out what or whom the House of Silk is....all he knows is that it is very powerful which possibly reaches into the very heart of British politics....
God these books are addictive... I read this one in less than a week.... and as there is only one left I've decided to re-visit the first one (and didn't finish)
The Snowman was brilliant - had me hooked from the 1st page. A serial killer is on the loose... and leaving snowmen to mark his (or her) trail.... finding a link to the victims takes a while...and Harry is still suffering from the recent split with his girlfriend, who had found herself another boyfriend... and prestigious Doctor.
Nebo manages to have us guessing as he leads us down several wrong turns.. but the conclusion is satisfying - if not traumatic.
Fab read. 4.5 start out of 5 -{
She's worth whatever chaos she brings to the table and you know it. ~ Mark Anthony
Very funny, Bill Bryson-style book in which he writes about various cities and areas in the UK, observations taken from his stand-up tour. It gives a real insight into different aspects of the UK, such as Birmingham, the Orkneys, Surrey, London which is really made up of different villages and not a city like others in the UK (you can't, he says, imagine anyone going 'Come on London!' at a football match or similiar event), Wilmslow in Cheddar and one amazing place, I think it's Portland island south of Weymouth, where local superstition forbids one from saying the word 'rabbit' - they're actually deadly serious about this, and the Curse of the Wear-Rabbit had to be renamed when it was shown in the cinema there.
Steel does try to adopt a sympathetic view, but he's at his best when being scathing or taking the piss.
Only drawback, no map in the book so I had to check out some of these places with an atlas to hand.
Comments
Dont get me started..... I'm am really P***ED OFF about this. X-(
Lee Child even insisited that anyone could play Reacher, as long as it "wasn't Tom Cruise".... and look what's happened???? (Rumour has it, Tom heard about this, and promptly bought all the rights to the movie deal)
I'm boycotting all of them. I mean how can midget features even begin to incaptulate a 6'5 Marine....? "A metaphor for his inner strength".... F**K that bollocks....
Honestly - this is the closest thing that I can identify with how people might have felt when Craig was cast as Bond..... we are not all beyond being blinded by our opinions!
Proof that there's nothing worse than a woman scorned.
I've just finished 'the Modern Toss guide to Work'. I've never laughed so hard at something so simple. Apart from a mirror once, that was fun...
MG
Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
www.cancerresearchuk.org
Yes, well.... I'm usually quite open to suggestions... however, this one - well - Nothing will persuade me from my innate loathing for Cruise as Reacher....
I loved Modern Toss.... it was quite simply one of the best comedies on TV.
Had no idea that there were books on it... will have to take a peak!
Funny, witty, a bit spiritual (?) and a very good use of the English language. I underlined quite a few of the words for later use.
I would recommend it either:
a) before sleep
b) in public transit
c) if you go to Cuba or the Bahamas
EDIT: Okay, read it. Only 200 pages or so, very easy, clean, precise prose. No words in it you have too look up, quite unshowy. Turns out there was a movie of it with Naomi Watts. Anyway, v short chapters but each one consists of an incident or episode, so you don't turn the pages that quick, you digest each event.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
It's short, only 120 pages as I'm reading the original, not the revised edition which has its critics. Quite evocative, though it does seem like an old man's grouchy attitude pasted onto a young fella's postive outlook.
This is the first Hemingway I've read, muscular, stripped down, clean prose, unfrilly. It's as if Americans think that showy writing might be a bit camp or ostentatious, not necessarily wrong in many cases. I like it, but some odd moments, such as when he describes gays in pejorative terms, like they are dangerous and you had to keep a knife on you when they were around, for a man to defend himself. Skirts around Stein's lesbo tendencies though he does make it obvious.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
It was a joke...right ?:)
Anyway, finished it today. Hem is into score settling with most of the characters, but is rather romantic and wistful and vague about his own shortcomings that are revealed in the final chapter, when he seems to ditch his wife and kid for some other woman, all this is the subject of that current book, The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. The penultimate chapter has Fitzgerald buttonholing Hem about his worries about the size of his penis, so Hem has to reassure him and take him on a tour of male statues in the Louvre (funny enough for you Sir Miles?) which I suppose isn't too far off David Niven's reminiscences about the great writer, who really was a bit of a weedy lush and kind of clingy. Then again, he wrote The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night.
Problem is, you also feel there are others who can badmouth Hem just as much as he does the others, plus if you read some bios of John Lennon you can come away feeling a bit dispirited. Sometimes I guess it's best just to read the work.
Hem's book is as much about writing as anything else, how he gets into the mood and dealing with writer's block.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
What's funny ? The fact that you read a book instead of just colouring them in as normal
I know what you mean...I've read several Lennon bios...some really stick the knife in...I guess I just read both the good and the bad about him and reckon the truth to be somewhere in the middle...
I got this out the library on a whim, had seen it reviewed and adds to my French book perusal. The cover is misleading in that it presents a jolly working morning heading out the Metro, whereas the author takes us mainly on the DER, all grim and urine drenched and liable to take you in the wrong direction. It's an easy read 200-page novel, but not a happy read as the main protagonist is subject to subtle psychological bullying by her boss, who she inadvertently put out during a meeting. The book charts the single mother's increasingly sidelined position within the firm, while setting up a parallel story about a disillusioned locum GP who is wondering where his relationship is going.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Finally surpassed the halfway mark in the Young Bond series. This one took a little effort to get into, although the premise is fun with a focus on cryptography. At first I thought it was bit tedious as Bond and his amigos were being overdramatic about solving a puzzle left by a mentor, but the sense of urgency rang false since they really didn't have any idea that their mentor was in trouble. That, and Higson's attempt to elevate a game of Hearts to that of a Chemin de Fer game in Casino Royale or Moonraker was over the top, to say nothing of a bit confusing. After that, though, the story started to move along really well, and Higson ultimately crafts another worthwhile entry into his series.
An excellent book, I've actually read it many times and some other books by the same author(s).
'Just because nobody complains doesn't mean all parachutes are perfect.'- Benny Hill (1924-1992)
Good stuff, but it gets preposterous towards the end, as Haddo is depicted as so charismatic and powerful nobody could realistically stand a chance against him.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Also, pouty, bisexual, with a club foot. So some differences. The book is sometimes hardgoing, but shorter than Fiona MacCarthy's recent bio. Some good stuff on the time, around 1812, and how London was back then (all fields with cattle past Portland Place).
Roger Moore 1927-2017
A very clever premise.... it follows two protagonists, a girl and a boy, from University, and documents their life on one day of the year... St Swithans Day up until they are in their late 30's.
They both make mistakes, from dating to jobs, but finally realise that they have remained friends for a reason.
It doesn't end the way you think it will... and some parts are painfully accute in their feeling.
A great book, and one that I chose for it's cover.... (plus I've noticed it was everywhere...) and I wasn't dissapointed.
I suppose we should read some William Boyd, right?
Anyway, The Paris Wife by Paula McClain.
This is about the first wife of Ernest Hemingway, who was with him during his breakthrough first novel, The Sun Also Rises. I'd not read any Hemingway until lately, and it was his posthumous, much loved memoirs A Moveable Feast, which is about his time in Paris before he was famous, with his first wife Hadley and their newborn son, in the 1920s, when he met the Fitzgeralds, Elizra Pound, Gertrude Stein and other authors.
It's a good book, draws you in to the relationship and the other woman who arrives and comes between them. But it helps if you know the history a bit, because it fills in a lot of the detail quite convincingly. Hadley is a bit of a Cynthia Lennon type. It may owe something to Simone de Bouvour's The Woman Who Came To Stay, though I have not read that.
Also, I'm not sure everyone signs up to the adulatory view of Hemingway, a new book by John Baxter has him as a braggard and a social climber, while Midnight in Paris, the Woody Allen film, has him down as a macho, pompous drunkard.
Anyway, literary Paris is a new angle for me so I enjoyed all this.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Jo Nesbo! (Although his first book, The Redbreast has reviewers divided... a very hard first half) but the second installment Nemesis is proving to be fantastic. Almost done, and have subsequently ordered the next few books in the series... -{
Good one, Lexi! (Nesbø is of cource Norwegian) His crime thrillers are first class and international best sellers. Do read "Headhunter". Not a part of the Harry Hole-series (The hero's name is pronounced with a sound like the E in "best" at the end, and not like the English word). The movie version of the novel has been very well recieved by British critics (as well as yours truly in the "last film seen .. "-thread.)
"The Snowman" will be filmed by none other than Martin Scorsese.
Funny you should mention that, as I was on Amazon today ordering my copies of his other books, and I have to say Headhunter has VERY mixed reviews.... I have seen the trailers for it (it's being advertised quite a bit here in the UK) and it's interesting to see it's not a Harry Hole novel.
I have to say I gave up on The Redbreast... however, now that I've heard that the first half IS hard going... (I was just under half way through...) I think I might try it again, as there are quite a few references to previous characters in Nemesis....
Have you read them?
And filming The Snowman....? Any reason why they haven't started at the begining of the series???
Finished this about a week ago, and now on the next one... The Devils Star.
Brilliant writing, and keeps going and going, with twists and turns right up till the end. I do feel, however, like I've missed a big chunk by not finishing the first one - so I might just have to revisit.
But anyone wanting a cracking, fast paced thriller - I highly recommend this series. 5 stars.
'Just because nobody complains doesn't mean all parachutes are perfect.'- Benny Hill (1924-1992)
On a bit of a roll with these books... quite excellent. This latest novel sees our Protagonist Harry Hole solve a case, a serial killer who is randomly killing people - whilst leaving a red, star shaped diamond, and a pentagram at each scene. He is still protecting himself from his Nemesis, Tom Waaler, a higher ranking police detective... and we follow the twists and turns that this novel produces, right up until the last page. Nesbo is a genius... his plot twists are superb, and you're never quite sure who has done it... as he always has several very plausible candidates.
If you like Laarson, or Lee Child (secretagent
Lee Child's last book The Affair was brilliant. And written as a prequel to everything else. Interesting to have Reacher in a military role and the events leading up to him as the character we know.
http://apbateman.com
I loved The Affair - I love hearing of Reacher's past whilst a MP... fills in the missing gaps
As for Nesbo, like I have said before, the first one The Redbreast is hard going... but I suggest you persevere (second half much easier than the second)....as it is then referred to in the next two books, and critically so. However, the second one, Nemesis, I was hooked by the first few pages. I'm now on my fourth, The Redeemer and again, I'm hooked. Brilliant books, and I am confident you will really enjoy them. -{
I've just finished reading The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo. Not as good as Nemesis, but still page turning, although there are a few unexplained details...never the less a strong 3.5 stars out of 5.
Now on 'The Snowman' also by Jo Nesbo...and I can tell by the first 20 pages its gonna be a corker -{
The story starts off with a Mr Edmund Carstairs asking Holmes for help...and this leads him to hearing the whispered phrase 'The House Of Silk....Holmes must find out what or whom the House of Silk is....all he knows is that it is very powerful which possibly reaches into the very heart of British politics....
A cracking read...I hope he writes more...
God these books are addictive... I read this one in less than a week.... and as there is only one left I've decided to re-visit the first one (and didn't finish)
The Snowman was brilliant - had me hooked from the 1st page. A serial killer is on the loose... and leaving snowmen to mark his (or her) trail.... finding a link to the victims takes a while...and Harry is still suffering from the recent split with his girlfriend, who had found herself another boyfriend... and prestigious Doctor.
Nebo manages to have us guessing as he leads us down several wrong turns.. but the conclusion is satisfying - if not traumatic.
Fab read. 4.5 start out of 5 -{
Very funny, Bill Bryson-style book in which he writes about various cities and areas in the UK, observations taken from his stand-up tour. It gives a real insight into different aspects of the UK, such as Birmingham, the Orkneys, Surrey, London which is really made up of different villages and not a city like others in the UK (you can't, he says, imagine anyone going 'Come on London!' at a football match or similiar event), Wilmslow in Cheddar and one amazing place, I think it's Portland island south of Weymouth, where local superstition forbids one from saying the word 'rabbit' - they're actually deadly serious about this, and the Curse of the Wear-Rabbit had to be renamed when it was shown in the cinema there.
Steel does try to adopt a sympathetic view, but he's at his best when being scathing or taking the piss.
Only drawback, no map in the book so I had to check out some of these places with an atlas to hand.
Roger Moore 1927-2017