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A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 087795741X | TChris | [
1,
1
] | Jim Morgan, the main character in Finding Hoseyn, is a war correspondent. He loves war, loves writing about it. In 1977 he's assigned to cover the Mideast from Tehran. While snooping through stories filed by other reporters on a slow news day, Morgan comes across an account of a man (Shlomo Givon) who was gunned dow... | 4 | Intellectual intrigue in Iran | 1,288,051,200 | 10 26, 2010 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 0880641487 | TChris | [
5,
5
] | The Ergün family is troubled. Vasif Ergün emigrated to Germany from Turkey and worked as a garbage collector before he became involved with some shady characters. After his death, his son-in-law, Ahmed Hamul, followed in Vasif's questionable footsteps. Vasif's wife is the backbone of the family. His son Y... | 4 | The first Kayankaya novel | 1,334,448,000 | 04 15, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 0881847828 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | Although it's been about eight years since he last released a novel, Ian Watson has long been one of the most creative voices in science fiction. The work of a more recent author, the justly celebrated China Miéville, reminds me of Watson's. Both writers stretch the boundaries of the genre; both tend to addres... | 4 | Before China Mieville, there was Ian Watson | 1,319,846,400 | 10 29, 2011 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 0887480187 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | The Magician's Wife was first published in 1965. Taking it on its own terms, without comparison to James M. Cain's classic hard-boiled fiction of the 1930s and 1940s, it is a flawed but entertaining crime story.Clay Lockwood is an executive working for a large meat distributor. He begins an affair with Sally Alexis, wh... | 4 | Flawed but with entertaining moments | 1,359,244,800 | 01 27, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 0899684262 | TChris | [
16,
16
] | According to the publisher, Seconds is a cult classic. I must belong to the wrong cult because I wasn't familiar with it until it appeared in a new edition.Should Wilson leave his life behind? Should he start again? He gets along with his wife but passion, even affection, has long disappeared. He rarely hears from his ... | 4 | A cult classic | 1,358,640,000 | 01 20, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 0985062363 | TChris | [
2,
2
] | Illegal Liaisons is a novel of characters who stand on "the threshold of happiness and scruples, sexual fulfillment and moral trembling." Jonathan (born Januszek) abandoned his plan to live as a citizen of the world when he married Magda (nicknamed Megi), took a job in Poland as a journalist, had children, and wrote so... | 4 | Characters "on the threshhold of happiness and scruples" | 1,379,030,400 | 09 13, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1107622778 | TChris | [
0,
0
] | David J. Eicher is a lifelong fan of comets. His enthusiasm is reflected in the exclamation point in the book's title and in his discussion of the subject matter. Eicher isn't the most scintillating science writer I've encountered -- Comets! is disorganized and too often redundant -- but his prose is reasonably lively ... | 4 | An admiring fan writes about comets | 1,386,115,200 | 12 4, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1250003164 | TChris | [
0,
0
] | Dry British humor enlivens the two stories/novellas in Smut, a book that, despite its promising title, has little to do with smut. Its mildly salacious content is more funny than smutty -- which, I suppose, makes the title amusing in light of the book's content. In any event, the two stories are charming, wise, a lit... | 4 | Voyeurism, narcissism, and dry humor | 1,325,635,200 | 01 4, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1250009626 | TChris | [
17,
17
] | Lucas Cook suspects his wealthy father is having an affair with a young Korean woman named Lori. Lucas' best friend, Juniper Song, agrees to snoop around. She's a long-time Philip Marlowe fan and relishes the chance to play detective. Before long there's a corpse in her trunk and she's receiving death threats. All ... | 4 | Sunnier Marlowe | 1,366,070,400 | 04 16, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1250013216 | TChris | [
4,
4
] | The "evil computers become sentient and try to take over the world" plot has been done so many times that it's difficult to breathe fresh life into it. Day One doesn't even try.The protagonist's name, John Hawke, is the first indicator of Day One's unoriginal nature. Hawke is a hacker turned journalist. In his less dis... | 2 | Time to retire the "evil computer" plot | 1,380,758,400 | 10 3, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1250015316 | TChris | [
10,
12
] | People die in blizzards, usually by crashing their cars, freezing to death, or having heart attacks while shoveling heavy snow. But during the worst blizzard that Coventry, Massachusetts has seen in many years, people die for mysterious reasons, after hearing whispers in the wind and feeling the chill of icy fingers. T... | 4 | Blizzards and chills | 1,390,348,800 | 01 22, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1250021340 | TChris | [
2,
2
] | Extinction reads like a cross betweenThe Six Million Dollar Man, a mediocre spy novel, and a cheesy "computers try to take over the world" science fiction novel. It is a fast-paced, unchallenging time-killer that doesn't stand out from other formula fiction.Jim Pierce builds prosthetic devices. His estranged daughter L... | 3 | Formula fiction | 1,360,713,600 | 02 13, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1250026806 | TChris | [
6,
6
] | The Pink Hotel is narrated by Lily Harris' daughter, whose name is never revealed. Lily's daughter never knew Lily, but she impulsively travels to Venice Beach from London to attend Lily's funeral. She arrives in time for the wake being held at the hotel Lily co-owned. In Lily's room, she watches a fistfight between... | 5 | A woman searches for her mother's identity, and her own | 1,366,761,600 | 04 24, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1250026830 | TChris | [
9,
9
] | Early in his career, when he was still at his best, Tom Clancy wrote carefully researched, credible thrillers. Clancy co-created the Op-Center series but Jeff Rovin wrote the novels that appeared between 1995 and 2005. Although Clancy died in 2013, his name appears in the largest font on the cover of of Out of Ashes, w... | 2 | Boring and half-baked | 1,401,408,000 | 05 30, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1250030730 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | A girl named Rachel is running from six armed men and it is Sam Dryden's bad luck (or maybe it's not) to be walking on the boardwalk near his beach home, in a position to rescue her. Rachel can't remember why she's running, but Martin Gaul -- the kind of omnipotent bad guy often found in Thrillerworld, who can make a p... | 4 | Predictable, fast-moving fun | 1,395,792,000 | 03 26, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 125003227X | TChris | [
1,
1
] | A forensic accountant is an unlikely thriller hero, but Ava Lee is an unlikely forensic accountant. Ava is a Chinese-Canadian who is as adept with martial arts as she is with a calculator. She's more of a debt collector/skip-tracer than she is an accountant. This is, however, a big league version of debt collection.Ava... | 4 | The first Ava Lee novel | 1,399,334,400 | 05 6, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1250034779 | TChris | [
2,
2
] | The Plover is a converted trawler skippered by Declan O'Donnell, who departs from Oregon with ample supplies of rice and limes, spare parts and the speeches of Edmund Burke. "Destination? Unknown. Agenda? Don't sink." Declan wants to pursue an "aimless amble on the glee of the sea" but events keep interfering with his ... | 5 | A playful voyage through the seas of language | 1,401,580,800 | 06 1, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 125004104X | TChris | [
1,
1
] | If you can imagine Sherlock Holmes as a bulky action hero, you might have a picture of Cyrus Barker. Fatal Enquiry takes place in 1886. Barker is a private enquiry agent in London. His younger version of Watson is his assistant, Thomas Llewellyn, who narrates the story. Barker's Moriarty is Sebastian Nightwine, who mad... | 4 | The sixth Barker & Llewellyn novel | 1,399,939,200 | 05 13, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1250042003 | TChris | [
3,
3
] | Stephen Coonts wrote two novels in theSaucerseries, thelast oneabout ten years ago, with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Flying saucers shaped like saucers are found on Earth, weaponized with "anti-matter beams." As everyone knows, the Air Force kept one of the saucers hidden in Area 51. That one was stolen by a French... | 4 | Mindless diversion | 1,396,569,600 | 04 4, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1250043662 | TChris | [
7,
8
] | A letter and a mysterious package arrive for Thomas Smith, an aging, long-married man living in South Africa. The letter forces unwanted memories to surface, memories of Tom's capture and imprisonment, first by Italians and then by Germans, while serving as an intelligence officer in the North Africa Campaign during Wo... | 5 | Defining love | 1,393,372,800 | 02 26, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1400043131 | TChris | [
9,
10
] | All That Is records the chapters of Philip Bowman's life, from his service in the Pacific Fleet during World War II through his eventual employment as a book editor and his troubled marriage to Vivian Amussen, whose father -- a southern gentleman from Virginia -- isn't sure that Bowman has the right breeding to merit h... | 5 | Chapters of a life | 1,364,860,800 | 04 2, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1400067200 | TChris | [
2,
2
] | True Believers purports to be the memoir of Karen Hollander, bestselling author, law school dean, and former candidate for the Supreme Court who, as a child, obsessed about James Bond. Hollander tells us all about the playful spy missions she and her friends undertook while building up to the terrible secret from 1968 ... | 3 | Dull and unbelievable | 1,342,828,800 | 07 21, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1400068193 | TChris | [
29,
29
] | House of the Hunted begins in midstream, as if it were the sequel to a novel that had already set up the plot and established the characters. It is 1919 in Petrograd. As Irina Bibikov is surreptitiously released from prison, Tom Nash, who orchestrated her escape and is the father of her unborn child, flees from Cheka... | 4 | Sophistication and grit | 1,333,411,200 | 04 3, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1400069432 | TChris | [
8,
9
] | Paul Harding displays the power of his prose in the opening pages of Enon, as Charlie Crosby recalls the death of his daughter. The understated, deeply affecting descriptions of grief set the scene for the life that follows. Charlie blames himself for letting his daughter take the bike ride that ended in a collision wi... | 5 | Coping (or not) with grief | 1,383,955,200 | 11 9, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1400069491 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | Midnight in Europe takes place in 1937-38. The clash between right and left is tearing Europe apart, particularly in Spain. Cristián Ferrar, a Barcelona-born lawyer working for an American firm in Paris, is recruited to help the Republicans in Spain acquire arms to use in the war against Franco and the Nationali... | 4 | Subdued intrigue | 1,401,753,600 | 06 3, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1400069777 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | What should you do when you know you're losing? That question is at the heart of A Partial History of Lost Causes. Jennifer duBois's skillful storytelling drew me into two distinct worlds, one occupied by a young woman in Massachusetts who knows her clarity of thought is soon destined to fade, the other by a chess prod... | 4 | Checkmate | 1,332,720,000 | 03 26, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1400069866 | TChris | [
3,
3
] | A large man who calls himself Pepper is detained for 72 hours of observation in a psychiatric hospital after a run-in with a trio of cops who are too lazy to arrest him. Drugged into a zombie-like state by psychotropic medications, Pepper is menaced by some sort of creature. Is it real or a construct of his addled br... | 4 | The Devil has a room in Hotel California | 1,345,507,200 | 08 21, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1400106656 | TChris | [
0,
0
] | The White Tiger is funny enough, at times very funny indeed, but isn't as nourishing as I would expect from a Booker winner. Balram Halwai's journey from the Darkness to his life as a successful (albeit corrupt) entrepreneur is filled with pithy observations about the foibles of the rich and poor. Balram purports to ad... | 3 | Better humor than commentary | 1,285,027,200 | 09 21, 2010 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1401937764 | TChris | [
3,
3
] | Having spent his childhood shuttling between Paris and Dharamshala (where he was raised in a monastery by his Tibetan father), Tenzing Norbu has never felt entirely settled. He feels even less settled after being nicked by a bouncing bullet. Ten decides that being an LAPD detective is no longer the path to a satisfying... | 3 | Pop Buddhism mars this detective story | 1,324,252,800 | 12 19, 2011 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1402790589 | TChris | [
2,
2
] | At some point in Billion Dollar Brain, the unnamed British spy from whose perspective the story is told says to an American named Midwinter: "You think the best way to contribute to a dangerous situation is to raise a private army out of your profits on cans of oil and beans, frozen orange juice and advertising, and t... | 4 | A slightly dated spy novel of enduring value | 1,327,190,400 | 01 22, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1402790627 | TChris | [
0,
0
] | The nameless hero of Len Deighton's early novels (known in the movie versions as Harry Palmer, The Ipcress File alludes only to the name Harry) is constantly fretting about his expense account and quarreling over back pay. He's a spy who doesn't appreciate being treated as a civil servant. His irreverent attitude perva... | 4 | Len Deighton's first spy novel | 1,382,832,000 | 10 27, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1408825953 | TChris | [
15,
15
] | Sidney Chambers is an unlikely detective. As the vicar of the Church of St. Andrew and St. Mary in Grantshire, he is more comfortable hearing confessions than seeking them out, but crime seems to have a way of chasing him. The first volume in a projected series of six collectively known as "The Grantchester Mysteries,"... | 3 | A vicar solves mysteries while fretting about his vocation | 1,335,744,000 | 04 30, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1409957268 | TChris | [
0,
0
] | The Hampdenshire Wonder (also known as The Wonder) was originally published in 1911. The story of Victor Stott is said to be one of the first novels about a superman. That is true only in a limited sense. Victor has no unusual physical gifts, no superhuman strength. He is, however, intellectually superior to other hum... | 4 | Fear of the extraordinary | 1,376,092,800 | 08 10, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1416509364 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | Inherit the Stars is the better of the two books published jointly as The Two Moons. A body, apparently human, is found on a cave on the moon. Another body, that of a giant alien, is found in a spaceship buried on Ganymede. Victor Hunt leads the investigation of these two strange discoveries. The plot can be summarized... | 4 | Strong sf mystery followed by a weak sequel | 1,387,670,400 | 12 22, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1416550402 | TChris | [
0,
0
] | There are espionage writers like John Le Carre, Robert Littell, and Len Deighton who craft credible stories about memorable characters. There are espionage writers like Ian Fleming who create a larger-than-life hero whose adventures aren't particularly credible but are nonetheless great fun. And then there's Ted Bell, ... | 2 | Alex Hawke is no James Bond | 1,285,200,000 | 09 23, 2010 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1428512136 | TChris | [
2,
2
] | The cold war warms up in this reasonably entertaining spy novel. Nick Logan is a retired CIA officer, now working as a private security consultant. The story opens with Logan's discharge from an Austrian hospital, having survived an assassination attempt that killed his girlfriend. Logan soon learns that an unknown ... | 4 | A worthy addition to the second-tier espionage shelf | 1,333,843,200 | 04 8, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1439100195 | TChris | [
4,
4
] | Once the exclusive province of books, the self-help industry has expanded to seminars, coaches, facilitators, and other enterprises (some resembling Ponzi schemes) that are dedicated to charging fees in exchange for telling people how to achieve goals or live better lives. You can even email questions to self-help advi... | 3 | Lacks focus and a defining theme (3.5 stars) | 1,393,113,600 | 02 23, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1439134499 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | Undercurrents is the second novel in the Orphan's Legacy series. The Orphan's Legacy series is set in the same universe as, and is a successor to, Robert Buettner's Jason Wander series.Kit Born, a United States Army colonel assigned to special operations, is violating the Human Union Charter by conducting surveillance ... | 4 | The second Orphan's Legacy novel | 1,309,651,200 | 07 3, 2011 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1439136599 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | A son measures himself against his father, intent on avoiding mistakes that he inevitably repeats. Benjamin Nugent gives that classic theme a postmodern spin in Good Kids, a novel that encourages the reader to guess how far the apple will fall from the parental tree.Good Kids begins in 1994. Josh and Kadijah bond after... | 4 | Drifting through adulthood | 1,359,417,600 | 01 29, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1439140219 | TChris | [
14,
15
] | Some writers of genre fiction transform the genre, taking it to a new level of excellence. Martin Cruz Smith has done that to crime fiction with his Arkady Renko novels.An interpreter is killed after being kidnapped by a thug who has been paid to steal the interpreter's notes of a secret meeting. Unfortunately for the ... | 5 | The eighth Arkady Renko novel (4.5 stars) | 1,384,214,400 | 11 12, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1439149186 | TChris | [
3,
3
] | "The Earth is blue like an orange": the words of a clever poet or of a madman disconnected from reality? J.M.G. Le Clezio explores the legendarily thin line separating the mentally astute from the mentally ill in The Interrogation.Adam Pollo isn't sure whether he has recently been discharged from a mental institution... | 5 | An unusual mind | 1,292,284,800 | 12 14, 2010 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1439156417 | TChris | [
0,
0
] | Set in 1945, Istanbul Passage tells an absorbing story that builds suspense like a Hitchcock movie. The novel rests upon a storyline that was a favorite of Hitchcock's: the (relatively) innocent man caught up in an intrigue he did not anticipate, forced to use his wits to avoid arrest or death. As is often the case in ... | 5 | Absorbing, suspenseful and thought-provoking | 1,339,286,400 | 06 10, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 143915709X | TChris | [
65,
65
] | A detective story narrated by a dog. What could be better? Apart from his impressive understanding of the English language and his ability to narrate books, Chet is very much a dog: loyal, forgetful, easily distracted, always hungry, fascinated by odors and averse to loud noises, often puzzled by humans but usually ... | 4 | The fourth Chet and Bernie mystery | 1,315,267,200 | 09 6, 2011 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1439181829 | TChris | [
12,
14
] | Like James Bond movies, some thrillers ask the reader to accept the unbelievable for the sake of enjoying a fun story. The reader's willingness to suspend disbelief is a function of the payoff -- that is, the more farfetched the plot, the more enjoyable it must be if the author doesn't want to lose the reader entirely... | 4 | The Midas Touch | 1,309,305,600 | 06 29, 2011 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1439187355 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | Driver's Education is a multigenerational story in the sense that the primary characters are a young man, his father, and his (mostly unseen) grandfather. As is common in modern novels, both time and point of view shift frequently.In sections of the novel labeled "What I Remember," Colin McPhee talks about his life. He... | 3 | Reality edited | 1,357,776,000 | 01 10, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1442341955 | TChris | [
9,
11
] | Blood Red Road is a young adult novel and, as an old adult, I'm not part of its target demographic. I thought I might like it anyway; I still enjoy the Heinlein juveniles I was reading as a kid and I'm generally a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction. Blood Red Road is apparently a post-apocalyptic story (we're told that re... | 2 | Predictable | 1,306,627,200 | 05 29, 2011 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1442361476 | TChris | [
25,
28
] | As its opening paragraphs expressly state, Light of the World is an exploration of evil, a familiar theme in James Lee Burke's novels. It is Dave Robicheaux's tale of how "one of the most wicked creatures on earth made his way into" the lives of Robicheaux's family and friends. Initially, the reader wonders whether t... | 5 | The twentieth Dave Robicheaux novel | 1,374,710,400 | 07 25, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1442365528 | TChris | [
6,
7
] | "Two agents, both witting of the other, a single handler, the whole case directed by a mad scientist of a CI chief, two mole hunts -- and the added necessity of having to decide where to eat dinner." That sentence, appearing about three-quarters of the way into Red Sparrow, stands as a quick-and-dirty summary of an abs... | 5 | Everything I want in a spy novel | 1,371,859,200 | 06 22, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1442423889 | TChris | [
3,
3
] | For the sake of a pretty girl, the "vaguely atheist" Phillip Flowers finds himself attending a Wednesday night church youth group. Phillip is a high school kid filled with the usual teen angst. He hates the track team's assistant coach and thinks his two best friends have betrayed him by quitting the team. Rebekah i... | 4 | A coming of age story with a twist | 1,325,548,800 | 01 3, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 144476005X | TChris | [
0,
0
] | To make a political statement about the plight of Ukrainian Jews, four individuals conspire to murder a police officer in Kiev. Moses Albyov, chosen by lot to pull the trigger, botches the killing, leaving the wounded officer alive to describe him. After his arrest, the remaining cell members, David, Isaac, and Rebecca... | 4 | Perspectives on a hijacking | 1,392,681,600 | 02 18, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1449419658 | TChris | [
20,
21
] | I came late to Randall's popular YouTube video -- The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger -- but I got a kick out of it when I finally saw it, as did, it seems, millions of other people. In Honey Badger Don't Care, Randall uses the same flippant tone to introduce the reader to the honey badger and nine other (allegedly nastya... | 4 | Nasty, disgusting (and sometimes cuddly) critters | 1,327,363,200 | 01 24, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451606427 | TChris | [
7,
7
] | Part One of Ghost on Black Mountain combines a ghost story with that of an abused woman who must decide whether and how to confront her abuser. The tale is told in the first person by Nellie Clay. Nellie's mother warns her not to marry Hobbs Pritchard, but Nellie is seventeen, innocent, and certain she will lose her ch... | 4 | An unconventional ghost story | 1,315,872,000 | 09 13, 2011 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 145161036X | TChris | [
234,
265
] | God No! is, I think, about the possibility of being a good person without believing in a supreme being. When Penn Jillette stays on point, he uses humor effectively to make meaningful arguments. When he rambles and digresses -- which he does frequently -- he dilutes that message. In the introduction, Penn tells the ... | 4 | A moderately amusing ramble | 1,313,366,400 | 08 15, 2011 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451614225 | TChris | [
3,
3
] | In a strange way, Bed asks whether love is a force of salvation or destruction. It may just be a question of perspective.At the novel's center is the massive Malcolm, "the fattest man in the world." He doesn't -- he can't -- get out of bed; he and the bed have conjoined. After spending twenty years in bed, Mal has beco... | 4 | Is love a force of salvation or destruction? | 1,312,156,800 | 08 1, 2011 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451624409 | TChris | [
2,
2
] | After a seven-year-old girl's parents were murdered during the 1964 Simba rebellion against the government of the Congo, CIA Agent Ray Sloan plucked her from the orange tree in which she was hiding and kept her sheltered until the rebellion was quashed. Sloan gave her the name Angela (for reasons that are explained ab... | 4 | Angela's deception | 1,311,724,800 | 07 27, 2011 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451634803 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | Anne Holt creates an ominous atmosphere in Death of the Demon ... or maybe the Scandinavian setting is enough to do that. Title notwithstanding, Death of the Demon is a fairly traditional murder mystery, not a tale of the supernatural, although several characters are possessed by demons of their own design.Twelve-year-... | 4 | The third Hanne Wilhelmsen novel (4.5 stars) | 1,371,686,400 | 06 20, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451639341 | TChris | [
19,
23
] | Mars, Inc. is a book about an aging man written by an aging man. It has the feel of 1950s science fiction. Sometimes that's a good thing. I like the "sense of wonder" that pervades a lot of 1950s sf and Bova captures a little of that here. But in style and content, Mars, Inc. seems like a novel written by a science fic... | 3 | Stuck in the past (3.5 stars) | 1,386,201,600 | 12 5, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451657706 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | The banyan tree in the courtyard represented a place of safety in war-torn Cambodia for seven-year-old Raami and the royal family to which she belongs -- at least it did until the Khmer Rouge chased the family members from their home. The Khmer Rouge soldiers are in the vanguard of a "revolution" that, in the mid-1970s... | 5 | An emotionally intense story of courage and sacrifice | 1,344,297,600 | 08 7, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451661649 | TChris | [
2,
2
] | I'm not usually a fan of novels that feature witches and mermaids -- they just aren't my thing -- but I picked up Advent because it purported to have literary merit. The plot creatively joins two legendary figures -- the prophetess Cassandra of Greek mythology and the 16th century Faust -- and brings them both into the... | 3 | Unmoved | 1,341,446,400 | 07 5, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451665164 | TChris | [
17,
17
] | If you're looking for a light, amusing detective story, it's hard to beat Chester Quinn's novels about the two partners in the Little Detective Agency: Bernie Little and his loyal dog Chet. Even when the plot is weak, Chet is always good for a laugh. Fortunately for fans of the series, this is one of Quinn's better ... | 4 | The fifth Chet and Bernie Mystery | 1,347,321,600 | 09 11, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451665792 | TChris | [
4,
4
] | A.D. Scott tells a good story in North Sea Requiem. It is, unfortunately, a 200 page story that takes more than 300 pages to tell. The strong characters, rich atmosphere, and pleasant prose kept me reading but the dragging pace keeps me from giving the novel a strong recommendation.Nurse Urquhart, the wife of the shint... | 4 | Strong characters and rich atmosphere save a slow-moving novel | 1,380,844,800 | 10 4, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451667116 | TChris | [
6,
6
] | I'm a sucker for books that make me laugh out loud and then leave me sighing with appreciation for their subtle and touching moments. I am definitely not a sucker for love stories, but every now and then I'm totally entranced by one that is honest and original. I'm also a sucker for books that make me feel something I ... | 5 | The power of calcio | 1,391,731,200 | 02 7, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451667264 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | Is Tomomi Ishikawa dead? Is she the angel of death? In a suicide letter she left at Ben Constable's apartment, Tomomi (a/k/a Butterfly) claims she has already died. The letter leads Ben to Tomomi's laptop, which contains another letter that leads him on a search for yet another letter. As Tomomi intended, the letters t... | 4 | Homage to a curious friendship | 1,370,649,600 | 06 8, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451677812 | TChris | [
2,
2
] | The Killing Hour takes place in Christchurch, New Zealand. An author's note tells us that the novel was originally written as a horror story. It didn't sell and, to make it marketable, Paul Cleave rewrote it as a crime novel. The Killing Hour retains the creepy feel of a horror story, which is good and bad. Good becaus... | 4 | A horror novel transformed into a crime novel | 1,366,675,200 | 04 23, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451684754 | TChris | [
39,
40
] | When twenty writers each contribute a chapter to a novel, the result can be fun or a disaster. Inherit the Dead is a little of both. Seeing how each writer adds his or her spin and comparing different writing styles is an enjoyable way to read a novel. Serial novels are more entertaining when each writer adds plot twi... | 3 | A charity case (3.5 stars) | 1,381,190,400 | 10 8, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451693419 | TChris | [
0,
0
] | Fever reads like a well-written biography. In fact, had Fever been written as nonfiction rather than a novel, I would be more enthusiastic about it. Despite her fluid prose and her ability to create atmospheric scenes, Mary Beth Keane's attempt to dramatize the life of Typhoid Mary falls flat. Perhaps that's because th... | 4 | More biography than novel | 1,363,132,800 | 03 13, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451697414 | TChris | [
0,
0
] | Does the world really need another novel about demons and the Vatican? I'm not a big fan of books in which Satan is a character. I am, however, a fan of Andrew Pyper. I lovedThe Wildfire Season, a thriller with sharply drawn characters that has nothing to do with the supernatural. Based on my admiration of that boo... | 5 | Demons done right | 1,362,441,600 | 03 5, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1451699115 | TChris | [
5,
5
] | From the first sentence ("God's tears were brown."), the prose in Red Now and Laters screams for attention. Sometimes the screams hurt the reader's ears but it is always lively and much of it is innovative. The novel opens in 1977 as a flood in the Houston neighborhood of South Park forces John Boudreaux Jr. ("John Fre... | 4 | Superstition, religion, fate, and the hope that tomorrow will be kinder | 1,394,668,800 | 03 13, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1452652252 | TChris | [
7,
8
] | The Psychopath Test is fundamentally about the mental health community's obsession with labeling people -- an obsession that feeds into the nation's intolerance of nonconformity. Although The Psychopath Test is a very funny book, it touches on serious issues, including the increasingly common misdiagnosis of childhood... | 4 | A powerful and intoxicating weapon | 1,306,022,400 | 05 22, 2011 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1452877505 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | In the Blood is a science fiction crime story. Desperate humans fleeing political turmoil on the planet Samos settled on the planet Procrustes. They had little choice: their ship had nearly exhausted its supplies and needed repairs they could not make. In the early years, an apparent plague claimed the lives of man... | 4 | A science fiction crime story | 1,309,305,600 | 06 29, 2011 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1453224653 | TChris | [
0,
0
] | Nine Blaine McCracken novels were published between 1986 and 1998. I haven't read any of them, but I gather that McCracken was once a CIA operative who, at some point, turned freelance. In the tenth book, Pandora's Temple, McCracken is pushing sixty and hasn't worked in a couple of years, but quickly proves he is still... | 4 | The tenth Blaine McCracken novel | 1,353,888,000 | 11 26, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1453236724 | TChris | [
5,
5
] | For reasons having to do with the faster rotation of the planet's core than its surface, the Earth will soon experience an apocalyptic event leading to "an interruption of civilization" -- or so predicts Henry Peel, a ultra-wealthy, reclusive genius who rarely errs in matters of science. His solution -- his plan for t... | 4 | Better as a political thriller than as science fiction | 1,325,376,000 | 01 1, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1453260978 | TChris | [
4,
4
] | Disappeared takes place in Northern Ireland in the aftermath of the Troubles. For all the political intrigue that gives the novel its foundation, Disappeared focuses on a handful of characters engaged in a quest for the truth. On a slightly larger scale, it is the story of citizens in a divided country striving to reco... | 4 | The Troubles continue | 1,343,088,000 | 07 24, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1453260994 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | Fires of London follows a classic thriller formula: a falsely accused man must avoid the police long enough to prove his own innocence. In addition to its plot, Fires of London shares other attributes of memorable thrillers: strong writing, solid characters, and a swift pace. Yet in its protagonist and milieu, Fire... | 4 | An artist living on the edge | 1,346,716,800 | 09 4, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 145327099X | TChris | [
0,
0
] | I'm not sure what Under the Eye of God is meant to be. Is it a thriller that doesn't thrill? A political satire that isn't funny? A melodrama that lacks emotion? The novel attempts to be many things and doesn't succeed at any of them. The meandering story is eventful, but it is ultimately a tale full of sound and fury,... | 2 | Mayor with Glock becomes VP with Glock | 1,351,728,000 | 11 1, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1453271090 | TChris | [
68,
70
] | The intersection of wine and literature is a fine place to rest. The Winemaker will appeal to those who like a good story and to those who appreciate a good glass of wine. Those who love both wine and literature might place The Winemaker on their annual list of favorite reads. It will certainly be on mine.After four... | 5 | The intersection of wine and literature | 1,339,113,600 | 06 8, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1453296204 | TChris | [
2,
2
] | They Don't Dance Much was first published in 1940, a time when noir was flourishing and when (unlike most modern thrillers) stories were believable. Writers mined the drama of daily existence and filled their novels with flawed, downtrodden characters rather than superheroic studs.Jackson McDonald owes back taxes on a ... | 5 | Bleak but brutally honest | 1,373,414,400 | 07 10, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1455124168 | TChris | [
140,
153
] | The first third of The Art of Hearing Heartbeats is enthralling. The remainder of the novel is problematic; it sustained my interest but not my enthusiasm.After telling her that he was leaving for an appointment in Boston, Julia Win's father boarded a flight to Thailand and disappeared. The Times described him as "an... | 4 | Love and balance | 1,327,968,000 | 01 31, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1455503053 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | Nine years after the Detonations, Pressia (who has a doll's head where her hand should be) is about to turn sixteen and is worried that she'll be picked up by the revolutionary group OSR and turned into a killer ... or perhaps a target. Her story initially alternates with that of Partridge, a boy who, though fortunate... | 4 | Purely entertaining | 1,328,918,400 | 02 11, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1455519170 | TChris | [
2,
2
] | Rob Zombie recorded a song called "The Lords of Salem" in 2006. His movie of the same name is scheduled for release in April 2013. This book is a novelization of the movie, which I haven't seen. Is it a great novel? No, but I wasn't expecting much, and I was pleased that the novel exceeded my limited expectations. The ... | 4 | Entertaining, but not a great horror story | 1,364,083,200 | 03 24, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1455527203 | TChris | [
114,
124
] | This is a review of the entire novel, not of the free four chapter preview.The identical twin crime novel has been done so often it's become a cliché, but Scott Turow knows that. Just when I thought I had it figured out and was disappointed that the story followed an obvious path, the plot twisted. Then it twist... | 4 | A review of the entire novel | 1,381,795,200 | 10 15, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1455528439 | TChris | [
6,
6
] | As the result of events in the first two Sam Capra novels, former CIA agent and current bar owner Capra is running errands of a questionable nature for a woman named Mila on behalf of the Round Table. His new assignment is to identify the person who poisoned Round Table member Dalton Monroe. Before he can make any pr... | 4 | The third Sam Capra novel | 1,374,451,200 | 07 22, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1461076382 | TChris | [
3,
3
] | Inspired by Hemingway, The Old Man and the Wasteland is, according to Nick Cole's introduction, an illustration of the lesson taught byThe Old Man and the Sea: you can lose, but only if you give up will you be defeated. The Old Man and the Wasteland is short enough to qualify as a novella, and the revised edition rev... | 5 | A modern classic | 1,359,849,600 | 02 3, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 146420005X | null | [
2,
2
] | The first Red River Mystery,The Rock Hole, is a novel I strongly recommend to thriller fans. In addition to its spectacularly creepy villain and almost unendurable suspense, the novel introduces richly textured, immensely likable characters. While it is mildly disappointing but not surprising that the second Red River ... | 4 | The second Red River Mystery | 1,341,100,800 | 07 1, 2012 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1464201463 | TChris | [
6,
7
] | Cody Parker is driving through one of the few snowstorms he's seen in his life when a shotgun blast, combined with an icy road, sends him skidding over a cliff. The shooting and the crash are bad enough, but when Cody is about to be eaten by a pack of wild dogs, he knows he's having a bad day. Cantankerous Constable ... | 4 | The third Red River mystery | 1,372,723,200 | 07 2, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1468306812 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | Stuart Kaminsky's death in 2009 brought an end to the career of a prolific and talented crime writer. His novels about Porfiry Rostnikov might be his finest work. Known to his colleagues as "the Washtub" because of his stature, Rostinikov is a pragmatic, persistent, apolitical cop whose bum leg does little to hamper hi... | 4 | The Washtub goes to Siberia | 1,372,291,200 | 06 27, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1476703221 | TChris | [
0,
0
] | Chet continues his literal-minded (and dog-minded) commentary on life in The Sound and the Furry. Chet doesn’t like thunderstorms but he loves to ride in boats. He can’t understand why birds are so unfriendly. He doesn’t recommend grubs, edible though they are, but a roast beef sandwich is a tasty me... | 4 | The sixth Chet and Bernie novel | 1,383,350,400 | 11 2, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1476709092 | TChris | [
2,
2
] | Children of the Jacaranda Tree spotlights characters who endure serious hardships in Iran as the direct or indirect victims of political oppression. The novel begins in 1983 with Azar, who is being transported from a prison in Tehran to a hospital where, with little assistance, she gives birth to Neda. The weeks that... | 3 | Compelling subject not matched by compelling storytelling | 1,375,920,000 | 08 8, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1476709157 | TChris | [
7,
8
] | Anthony Ricci, NYPD police sergeant and part-time hit man, enters a witness protection program to avoid swimming with the fishes. Now known as Tony Solaia, he finds himself swimming with Dismas Hardy in the chilly waters of San Francisco's bay. Soon after that, Hardy is representing Solaia, now working as a bartender, ... | 4 | The fourteenth Dismas Hardy novel | 1,367,884,800 | 05 7, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1476710244 | TChris | [
10,
11
] | Most of the scenes in King of Cuba alternate between Havana and Miami, between the homes of two old men, Fidel Castro and Goyo Herrera. For reasons both personal and political, the eighty-six-year-old Herrera loathes Castro. Herrera's daughter Alina claims he is staying alive only so he can celebrate Castro's death. He... | 5 | Two men "besotted with the past" | 1,369,180,800 | 05 22, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 147671262X | TChris | [
10,
11
] | The Scent of Pine offers the reader a slice from a woman's life. Lena (an academic who teaches at a community college) might be too dreary for some readers, but the novel offers a valuable glance at her (dreary) life. Fortunately, the novel is brief and the dreariness is partially offset by Lena's lively stories about ... | 4 | Reinterpreting the stories of life | 1,389,139,200 | 01 8, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1476712883 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | The concept of using a game to manipulate human behavior isn't new, but Game creates a more carefully-conceived purpose for the game than is common in thrillers that make use of that theme. Mix that with another well-used theme (global conspiracy) and you have a novel that entertains if you're prepared to abandon all r... | 4 | The first novel of the Game trilogy | 1,388,793,600 | 01 4, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1476712913 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | After the excitement ofGame, HP is restless. He has money and nothing but leisure time, but he begins the second novel in hiding, certain that the people who control the Game are after him. When he finds himself suspected of murder in a rather inhospitable country, the reader wonders whether this is part of the Vast Gl... | 4 | Second novel of the Game trilogy | 1,390,521,600 | 01 24, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1476712948 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | "We create our own realities," Tage tells Rebecca, "small spheres where we imagine we control what happens." Living inside a bubble has been an ongoing theme of the Game trilogy. The final novel makes the point explicitly: "In actual fact the feeling of control is just an illusion, and those spheres are nothing more t... | 4 | The third novel of the Game trilogy | 1,391,558,400 | 02 5, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1476712972 | TChris | [
0,
0
] | Angel's Gate lampoons Hollywood and parodies crime fiction. If you're looking for a serious thriller, look elsewhere. Angel's Gate is more comedy than thriller. It isn't what you'd call deep literature, but it's funny and fast moving and written with an insightful eye for human foibles.Any good Hollywood story has its ... | 4 | Light, smart, funny | 1,361,836,800 | 02 26, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1476714819 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | In 1954, at the age of 25, Yohan leaves a prison camp in a UN truck and boards a Japanese cargo ship crewed by South Koreans. Captured by Americans after he was buried in snow during a bombing, Yohan is the only prisoner who declines repatriation to North Korea. Instead, he accepts an offer to apprentice for Kiyoshi,... | 5 | Fine prose and honest emotion | 1,380,153,600 | 09 26, 2013 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1476717710 | TChris | [
3,
3
] | This is thesecondtapeworm novel I've read in the last few months. As trends go, I doubt that tapeworms are likely to replace zombies, but they are sufficiently creepy and disgusting to lend themselves to thriller/horror novels. The Troop gives the tapeworm theme an interesting spin. The story involves a bunch of boys s... | 4 | Lord of the Tapeworms (4.5 stars) | 1,393,286,400 | 02 25, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1476725179 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | What We've Lost Is Nothing is marketed as a suspense novel. Since the story fails to generate suspense, if I were evaluating it as a suspense novel, I would call it a failure. But marketing aside, What We've Lost Is Nothing tells a good story that features interesting and (for the most part) credible characters, and it... | 4 | Exploring the perceived conflict between diversity and security | 1,397,260,800 | 04 12, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1476725888 | TChris | [
1,
1
] | Like Christopher Reich's recently releasedThe Prince of Risk, The Ascendant starts as a financial thriller that involves a secretive decision by the Chinese to sell U.S. Treasury bonds. It even features a woman named Alex, as does Reich's novel. In most other respects, the novels follow very different paths. Both are f... | 5 | A different kind of financial thriller | 1,389,830,400 | 01 16, 2014 |
A1DLVUJFANNU1Q | 1476734615 | TChris | [
7,
7
] | The Daughters of Mars tells the story of two sisters who bond over the trauma of war, sisters who must practice "being full at ease with each other." At the same time, the novel recounts each sister's journey of self-discovery. On a larger scale, it tells of the strength of women in a world made hostile by men.As the... | 5 | Sisters bond over war and loss | 1,377,129,600 | 08 22, 2013 |
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