Jo-Bridge Posted December 12, 2008 Author Share Posted December 12, 2008 FG Cottam- The House of lost Souls The Fischer House was the scene of a vicious crime in the 1920s - a crime which still resonates as the century turns. At its heart was a beautiful, enigmatic woman called Pandora Gibson-Hoare, a photographer of genius whose only legacy is a handful of photographs and the clues to a mystery. Paul Seaton was lured to the house ten years ago and escaped, a damaged man. Now three students will die unless he dares to go back. But this time he has Nick Mason at his side, and maybe Mason's military skills and visceral courage will be enough. This had me gripped and unnerved from the first chapter! I dont think I have ever read a "horror" (except maybe Point Horror as a kid!) but I couldnt put this down. The sense of dread is really effectively built up and the noverl effectively switches from the 30s to the 8os with agood sense of place without going too over board with the "period" detaisl. The characters of Paul, Nick and Pandora were well drawn and sympathetic with the "baddies" very creepy without being so repulsive that you couldnt understand their original appeal to pandora. Two of the characters Aleister Crowley and Dennis Wheatley were real people who dabbled in the black amgic which adds an intersting twist. Unfortunately, the ending was a bit of a let down ( and a wee bit silly)but not enough to spoil my enjjoyment of the rest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted January 4, 2009 Author Share Posted January 4, 2009 Darkly Dreaming Dexter- Jeff Lindsay Meet Dexter Morgan, the chief protagonist of Darkly Dreaming Dexter. He's a highly respected lab technician specialising in blood spatter for the Miami Dade Police Department. He's a handsome, though reluctant, ladies' man. He's polite, says all the right things, and rarely draws attention to himself. He's also a sociopathic serial killer whose "Dark Passenger" drives him to commit the occasional dismemberment. Mind you, Dexter's the good guy in this story. This is a good book- funny and also gripping but its the darkest of dark humour! The problem I had was that I'm a fan of the t.v series and ( a compliment to the series really) the series captures the tone of the novels perfectly and also sticks pretty much to the plot of the novel in its first series. I felt like I knew what was coming throughout Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted January 4, 2009 Author Share Posted January 4, 2009 The Resurectionist- James Bradley This book is set in London, 1826. Leaving behind his father's tragic failures, Gabriel Swift arrives to study with Edwin Poll, the greatest of the city's anatomists. It is his chance to find advancement by making a name for himself. But instead he finds himself drawn to his master's nemesis, Lucan, the most powerful of the city's resurrectionists and ruler of its trade in stolen bodies. Dismissed by Mr Poll, Gabriel descends into the violence and corruption of London's underworld, a place where everything and everyone is for sale, and where - as Gabriel discovers - the taking of a life is easier than it might seem. Another gruesome book! This starts of really well and has a fascinating subject matter but at a mid point loses the plot completely. You dont really understand the reasons for Gabriels behaviour (other than opium- but why does he start taking it in the first place?) or his descent and he seems a bystander although the story is told from his view point. Bradley seems to piling on the violence and debauchery but it doesnt convince. The change in location towards the end of the story also baffled me although again the subject was potentially fascinating. The last few chapters seemed rushed to me- as if Bradley didnt quite know whow he was going to wind the story up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted January 4, 2009 Author Share Posted January 4, 2009 Salem Falls- Jodi Picoult Jack St. Bride was once a beloved teacher and soccer coach at a girls' prep school - until a student's crush sparked a powder keg of accusation and robbed him of his career and reputation. Now, after a devastatingly public ordeal that left him with an eight-month jail sentence and no job, Jack resolves to pick up the pieces of his life. He takes a job washing dishes at Addie Peabody's diner and slowly starts to form a relationship with her in the quiet New England village of Salem Falls. But just when Jack thinks he has outrun his past, a quartet of teenage girls with a secret turn his world upside down once again, triggering a modern-day witch hunt in a town haunted by its own history Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charm Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Darkly Dreaming Dexter- Jeff Lindsay This is a good book- funny and also gripping but its the darkest of dark humour! This was on my wishlist and I got it for Christmas . Looking forward to reading it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted January 11, 2009 Author Share Posted January 11, 2009 Donna Leon- Dressed for Death In the third of a series, Venice police commissario Guido Brunetti is sent to examine a body in Mestre, across the lagoon from Venice proper. The corpse, in a dress and high heels, turns out to be a heavily made-up males. When further investigation reveals the victim to have been a respected executive of the local office of Bank of Verona, not a known transvestite, Brunetti realizes there's something deeper going on. Really enjoyed this book- the actual mystery itself wasn't the best in the series but the lovely descriptions of Venice and everyday venitian life were fab and Brunetti ia such an appealing character. I really enjoy the fact that Brunetti is a happy detective with a good family life- it makes a change from the usual detective in a crime novel! The book made me hungry (Brunetti eats very well and always comes home to a delicious meal and a nice glass of something) and made me want to move to Venice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted January 11, 2009 Author Share Posted January 11, 2009 Ruth Rendell- Blood Lines This is a collection of short stories and was very good- I demolished it in a few hours! Rendell is very gifted in making the most normal of scenes menacing and in "The Strawberry Tree" manages to make a tale of teenage romance in Sunny, unspoilt Mallorca seem menacing from the very first page. There is a theme of miscommunication and misunderstanding running through nearly every story which was also very interesting. The only tale which was average was the opening Wexford tale which seems odd as it is her best known character- maybe Wexford has too happy a home life to fit in with the rest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted January 11, 2009 Author Share Posted January 11, 2009 House at Riverton- Kate Morton Summer 1924: On the eve of a glittering Society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again. Winter 1999: Grace Bradley, 98, one-time housemaid of Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet's suicide. Ghosts awaken and memories, long-consigned to the dark reaches of Grace's mind, begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge; something history has forgotten but Grace never could. Thsi one came highly recommended from quite a few people and I finally got around to reading it and am so happy I did. Just loved it! Gripping from start to finish although maybe the final denoument was a little too neat. I thought the charactersation was very good and the depiction of the changes in society after WW1 are very well done- Its more effective from being seen from Graces perspective as it shows how swift and bewildering it must have seemed. I liked the way that Hannah never actual knows anything about Grace despite their "closeness"- because of the class structure it would never have seemed real for Grace to reveal anything of herself to Hannah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 I heard that a good book Chocolat by Joanne Harris I would be interesting to hear what you think of Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon You read quite a lot of books fast. I have always been a fast reader! Will definately let you know what I think of "Spot of Bother" - Loved "Curious incident..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 Back Spin- Harlan Coben The boy was born and raised on the Main Line. But he vanished on Philadelphia's mean streets - last seen in a down-town cheater's hotel. For sports agent Myron Bolitar, his client, superstar Linda Coldren, comes first, and that means unravelling the mystery of her son's kidnapping. But when Myron goes after the missing boy, he crashes through a crowd of low-lifes, blue bloods and liars on both sides of the social divide. And when family skeletons start coming out of the closet, Myron is about to find out how deadly life can get... As with most of Harlan Cobens books, this was a good read with lots of plot twists! I prefer Cobens stand alone books- Myron is a little bit too smart alicky (if thats a word!) to be too likeable and his quirks (his obsession with Yoo- hoos and his dream about marrying and living in the suburbs) not that fascinating!!! The other minor problem is that because its a series with every bolitar book you read the same sum up about Win being a blooblood but a psycho and Esperanza being a former pro wrestler! Coben doesnt assume you know the characters. That said I read this in a day and a half! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 Rebecca- Daphne Du Maurier The young unnamed heroine tells her story in retrospect. While working as companion to a wealthy American woman, she meets and marries the mature Maxim de Winter. He takes her to live at his ancestral home, Manderley. There, the new Mrs de Winter discovers that Maxim's first wife, Rebecca, drowned in suspicious circumstances. This is one of my favourite novels and I re-read this after a gap of a few years. It is a beautifully written novel and despite knowing the outcome I was drawn into the story snd the enigma of the mysterious Rebecca all over again. Maxim reminded me this time of one of those Harry Enfiield "Women Know your Limits" characters- which amused me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 A Spot of Bother- Mark Haddon George Hall doesn't understand the modern obsession with talking about everything. 'The secret of contentment, George felt, lay in ignoring many things completely.' Some things in life, however, cannot be ignored. At fifty-seven, George is settling down to a comfortable retirement, building a shed in his garden, reading historical novels, listening to a bit of light jazz. Then Katie, his tempestuous daughter, announces that she is getting remarried, to Ray. Her family is not pleased - as her brother Jamie observes, Ray has 'strangler's hands'. Katie can't decide if she loves Ray, or loves the wonderful way he has with her son Jacob, and her mother Jean is a bit put out by all the planning and arguing the wedding has occasioned, which get in the way of her quite fulfilling late-life affair with one of her husband's former colleagues. And the tidy and pleasant life Jamie has created crumbles when he fails to invite his lover, Tony, to the dreaded nuptials. Unnoticed in the uproar, George discovers a sinister lesion on his hip, and quietly begins to lose his mind. The way these damaged people fall apart - and come together - as a family is the true subject of Mark Haddon's disturbing yet very funny portrait of a dignified man trying to go insane politely. This is not as initially likeable as his famous first novel "The Curious Incident of th dog in the night time". At first the characters seem pretty unlikeable but you grow to know and like them (a bit in some cases). You can relate in some way to aspects of each of the characters- everyone has days where they are a bit irrational and bad tempered or a bit of a hypochondriac! Not a lot really happens in thsi books so it might not to be everyones taste but this is a sweet, funny book about ordinary people and I really enjoyed it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 Havent read these all in a day by the way.....Just updating my list! Homicide: A year on the killing Streets- David Simon The scene is Baltimore. Twice every three days another citizen is shot, stabbed, or bludgeoned to death. At the centre of this hurricane of crime is the city's homicide unit, a small brotherhood of men confronted by the darkest of American visions. David Simon was the first reporter ever to gain unlimited access to a homicide unit, and his remarkable book is both a compelling account of casework and an investigation into our culture of violence. The narrative follows Donald Worden, a veteran investigator nearing the end of his career; Harry Edgerton, an iconoclastic black detective in a mostly white unit; and Tom Pellegrini, an earnest rookie who takes on the year's most difficult case, the brutal rape and murder of an eleven-year-old girl. I cannot overstate how much I enjoyed this book- I hauled it to work to read on my breaks (even though its massive) because I was gripped so much by it! The events detailed are gripping- the events are as page turning as any fictional thriller- but the humanity of his portrayls of the detectives and the excellent writing also had me gripped. Fans of The Wire and Homicide: Life In The Street will realise how much the events in this book inspired those series. I was impressed that Simon never makes himself a charcter- he is writing about the detectives and their lives and although he was present throughout the events described he reports he realises that it wasnt about him. He shows these detectives "warts and all" and you respect them (probably just as Simon did) all the more for that! I still cant belive the access he was given though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 A Spot of Bother- Mark Haddon I have this somewhere but couldn't get in it the first time I tried... Might pick it up again since you say it's worth it. Will see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Am I the only person who found A Spot of Bother more depressing than funny? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 No, I found it quite depressing as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted March 28, 2009 Author Share Posted March 28, 2009 Havent updated in a while! These arent all from this week! Family History- Dani Shapiro "Rachel Jensen seems to have it all: a husband she adores, challenging work in art restoration, a beloved teenage daughter, and a new baby on the way. But when Rachel's delivery of her infant son turns dangerous and frightening, requiring an emergency caesarean, her daughter, Kate, rushes out of the hospital alone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted March 28, 2009 Author Share Posted March 28, 2009 The Pure land- Alan Spence The year is 1858. Thomas Glover is a gutsy eighteen-year-old who grasps the chance of escape to foreign lands and takes a posting as a trader in Japan. Within ten years he amasses a great fortune, learns the ways of the samurai, and, on the other side of the law, brings about the overthrow of the Shogun. Yet beneath Glover's astonishing success lies a man cut to the heart. His love affair with a courtesan - a woman who, unknown to him, would bear him the son for which he had always longed - would form a tragedy so dramatic as to be immortalised in the stories behind Madame Butterfly and Miss Saigon. This was an enjoyable book- the depiction of the move of westerners into a Japan in the 19th century that was very hostile to them (with good reason?) was very interesting and there are some tense and exciting scenes particularly when Thomas encounters Samurai. Thoma Glover is also a very appealing character (although flawed)- an actual historical figure (although how closely the Thomas in the book resembles the real man I'm unsure!) his move from small scottish village to an important figure in japan is well drawn. However, this is definately a view of japan from a European view point- you never inhabit or understand the Japanese characters or understand their culture or the behaviour. The female characters also seem thinly drawn and passive- although this doesnt seem to be the authors intention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted March 28, 2009 Author Share Posted March 28, 2009 Martin Cruz Smith- Rose For Jonathon Blair, a mining engineer and explorer, the color and rigors of the Dark Continent are far more suitable than the foggy drizzle of his home in Wigan, Lancashire. When he returns from Africa's Gold Coast in 1872, he finds England utterly depressing and turns to drink to ease his melancholy. His patron, a Bishop and mine owner, agrees to send him back if he can clear up the mysterious disappearance of a local curate engaged to marry his daughter. As he sleuths around the cultured homes of Wigan, through ill-cobbled alleys and into the depths of the mines, he meets the alluring Rose Molyneaux. Used to relying on himself, Blair finds that Rose's instincts provide more answers than he could have hoped for. Martin Cruz smith is one of my favourite authors so I was sure I'd love this and I was right! The depiction of the hellish world of the mines is well done and fascinatingly well detailed- the author shows you the mines as a seperate underground world. He also captures the lancashire speech well. The victorian middle class snobbery and hypocrisy is well captured- even from those who mean well. The depiction of pit girls (who worked on the surface sorting coal) and the cusrious mix of fear, disgust and lust they seemed to inspire in victorians was also very interesting and made we want to know more. My only reservations were the ending which was too OTT and and I feel he overdoes the depiction of the work of the pit girls as liberating-they were freeer than other women in their dress and behaviour and it certainly better than being a maid at the mercy of her employer or working in a mill but this was an awful, awful job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted March 28, 2009 Author Share Posted March 28, 2009 Playing For Pizza- John Grisham Rick Dockery was the third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In the deciding game at the climax of the season, to the surprise and dismay of virtually everyone, Rick actually got into the game. With a 17-point lead and just minutes to go, Rick provided what was arguably the worst single performance in the history of the NFL. Overnight, he became a national laughing stock and, of course, was immediately dropped by the Browns and shunned by all other teams. But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, finds a team that needs him. Against enormous odds, Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great says Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethany725 Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 The esiest of easy reads but was actually a sweet, funny and enjoyable story- and I liked all the talk of Italian food. There was also more fun to be had with the unintentionally funny (I assume) sections where chaarcters explain to each other what a trattoria is, that bars serve coffee , that parmigiano is parmesan.... come on John we can figure it out! Haha.. I read this towards the end of last year and also liked the dumbed-down and unnecessary explanations for "Parma ham," "parmigiano," and all the wine explanations.. He must think we're all idiots. I remember thinking "Wow.. you must have an INFINITELY stronger grasp of the legal world than the Italian world.." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted April 4, 2009 Author Share Posted April 4, 2009 The Other Boleyn Girl- Phillipa Gregory The Other Boleyn Girl features the Boleyn-Howard family in a way that has never been used before. Based on the life of Mary Boleyn, Gregory has portrayed a time in the English Kingdom of great need and depression seeing through the divorce of one of the most significant royal weddings in English history (that of King Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon) as well as the great need of a male heir from the King. Mary, the narrator of the story depicts a time of great hardship in the Boleyn-Howard family driven by the "bastardly" considered ambitions of Anne Boleyn as well as her Father and Uncle. I read the sequel to this novel The Boleyn Inheritance a while ago and then finally got around to reading this. It was interesting to finally read the first account after reading Jane Boleyns (George the Boleyn brothers wife) self serving account It is a really interesting and absorbing read. I think what struck me most about the book is that the three Boleyn children are actually almost children when they begin to be used as pawns in their families ambitions and they do seem to be like selfish children through out constantly using others and playing games... although never really for their own ends as they are always taught to put their family and its ambitions first. Annes downfall comes as a consequence of her trying to play the game to achieve her own goals...the most striking parts in the novel to me were her exhaustion as she tirelessly fights to keep Henrys attention and interest. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic-even the heroine Mary can be ruthless and unkind on and betrays the mistress shre loves but thsi is a world where one doesneed to be ruthless to survive. Anne though is a monster in this book! You find it hard even to understand why her siblings love her so much. I think Gregory failed to capture what must have been appealing about her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted April 4, 2009 Author Share Posted April 4, 2009 James Grippando- Beyond Suspicion When Jack Swytech's former girlfriend asks him to defend her in a case brought by investors who advance payment on insurance policies when their beneficiaries have been diagnosed with a terminal condition, it looks like an easy win; Jessie Merrill wasn't dying after all, but since Viatical Settlements accepted her doctor's somewhat equivocal diagnosis, they don't stand a chance of getting their money back. Still celebrating his victory, Jack learns that Jessie has lied to him; like the shady, possibly Mob-connected company that advanced Jessie the money, he's been scammed. Then Jessie is murdered in a bizarre scenario that not only sets Jack up as the prime suspect but also threatens his marriage to the woman who is still traumatized by a vicious attack perpetrated by another of his erstwhile clients. Enlisting the aid of his best friend, an ex-con who will do anything to protect the man who saved him from death row, Jack attempts to clear his name by finding the real murderer, who turns out to have a secret worth killing for. A good, page turning thriller- very enjoyable but not as good as the premise suggested it could have been. I think the problem is that for a lawyer the charcater does some silly things and the ending is a step too far. Good...but not great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted April 4, 2009 Author Share Posted April 4, 2009 Kate Atkinson- One Good turn It is summer, it is the Edinburgh Festival. People queuing for a lunchtime show witness a road-rage incident Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted April 16, 2009 Author Share Posted April 16, 2009 The Murder Farm- Anna Maria Schenkel "TAKE A LONELY FARM, isolated in an underpopulated countryside, the neighbours few and far between. And then suddenly, brutally, eliminate all its inhabitants: father, mother, daughter, grandchildren and maid. An unexplained, inexplicable savage act of murder. This remarkable, sparse, chilling novella by the first-time German author Andrea Maria Schenkel takes an incident, reported to be true, and examines it forensically. Not, as so many modern so-called detective stories do, by scientifically investigating the minutiae of the physical evidence, but as a journalist might, talking to the witnesses." This is a WONDERFUL book- I read this is one setting (it is a small book though!). Chilling, sparse and beautifully, poetically written, the full horror of both the murders and other less obvious horrors are gradually revealed to the reader through documentary style short testimonys of friends and neighbours of the victims . Some longer than others, some of the stories are heart-breaking such as that of the maid and the best friend of the young murdered girl and others shockig in the casual cruelty or carelessness of the everyday. The story takes place in Germany in the early 1950's and there is a sense throughout of secrecy and of the unspoken and of turning a blind eye. The ending is a real shocker, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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