Maureen's reading blog (started 2007)

[Chrissy]

Sounds like an invite to me Inver!

[Maureen]

, Pity I don't have an extra room!

 

Have since started (half way through) on a book called Bitter Fruit, by Achmat Dangor. I am not sure whether I like this book or not. The character's actions/thoughts are not credible in my opinion. The book is set in South Africa, before and after the apertheid years, and some things I cannot identify with or find difficult to undertand, because I have no knowledge of that life. However there are other issues - relationships, for example, or reactions, which I am finding unbelievable...

[Maureen]

Finished Bitter Fruit, and I still have not made up my mind whether I liked it, or not! I have had a look on the forum, to see what other people think about it, but no one seems to have mentioned this book anywhere. Quite unbelievable, as between all the regular members here only, I would imagine the number of books we have read is enormous!

[Chrissy]

I looked it up Maureen, was it the Achmat Dangor or Brian Keaney 'Bitter Fruit' that you read? Both look pretty good, although very different.

[Maureen]

It was Achmat Dangor's. It was nominated for the Man Booker Prize 2004, so maybe I am the one that is not getting this.......

[Maureen]

Just finished Jeffery Deaver's Mistress of Justice. It is one of his earliest novels (published 1992) and it is (I believe) a stand-alone. It is a clever story, although not as clever as his subsequent novels - probably Deaver was still honing his skills at inserting a clever twist at the end - or perhaps I have now come to know his style so much that I suspected how it would end - although I must admit I was more than half way through

 

The story in short is about a paralegal whose services are enlisted by one of the young brilliant lawyers at Hubbard, White, Willis, the legal firm where they both work, to help him investigate the theft of a promissory note which is crucial to one of his impending trail cases. The story starts with theft, continues with an attempted murder, backstabbing, indecent proposals, blackmail, high class underage call girls and ends with murder.

[Maureen]

The Winner by David Baldacci

ISBN 0446522597, 978-0446522595

The central character is LuAnn Tyler, a twenty year old single mother. Her daughter’s father is a good for nothing waste of space, and they live in a trailer in Georgia. LuAnn knows that her life will end like her mother’s before her – in the same trailer, in poverty. She does not want this to be the life that her daughter grows to, so when a stranger approaches her with a too-good-to-be-true offer – a guarantee that she will win $100 million dollars national lottery, she thinks that this is a one in a million chance she should take.

The book started fantastically, and up to half way through I was enjoying the story. I was rooting for LuAnn, reading as quickly as possible to see where the story would take her. However, about half way through, the book turned into an American- one- guy (gal in this case) against- the- whole- world, Rambo- turned -Lara Croft, exaggeration. It is as if Baldacci lost the plot, after a promising beginning, and returned to the formulaic American Hero stereotype. LuAnn, always beautiful and intelligent, became a courageous, exceptionally strong, emotionally resilient, dignified, Jill-of-all-trades. In ten years, in between fleeing from one country to another, she managed to master a number of languages, graceful social skills, combat skills which would normally be used by Navy Seals, raised her daughter, donated money to every good cause she came across, managed her incredible wealth, and stayed out of public scrutiny. The bad guys in the book were all punished, in one way or another, while the good guys got away with just cuts and bruises. In one particularly nauseating Rambo scene, the bad guy – who was a ruthless killer, with lots of experience, fired electrical darts at Charlie – his onetime henchman, now fulfilling the role of LuAnn’s brother, and the darts managed to embed themselves in his torso in such a way as to enable Charlie to call for help after the killer conveniently went away. Yes. Seriously.

I was disappointed with this book – especially as I really enjoyed the first half. I would not recommend it

[Maureen]

The Bone Garden, by Tess Gerritsen

 

ISBN 978-0-553-81835-2

 

When 38 year old Julia got divorced, she bought an old house with a garden which she needed to renovate. Whilst digging up the garden she found a skeleton buried there. The forensics assured her that the body was very old, a female, and skull fractures suggested foul play. So Julia decided to dig up the past as well, and to try and find out as much as possible about this person.

The book moves from the present day to the past - Boston in the 1830s. I was shocked to read that at that time doctors examined and handed patients without washing their hands between one patient and the next, more often then not being the cause of what was known as childbed sickness - the sudden sickness and death of women who had just given birth.

Norris Marshall, a student at this time, was a suspect in the death of two nurses. He tries to clear his name by tracking down the killer - which he himself saw after he had just killed his victim.

I enjoyed this book - could not put it down in fact. Would recommend it.

　

[Maureen]

Just One Look by Harlan Coben

 

ISBN 978-0-7528-6381-8

 

I think this is my first Harlan Coben, and boy, am I glad I discovered him!

A brakeless thriller which I could not put down, and a mystery which is only unearthed in the very last pages.

Painter Grace Lawson picked up a packet of holiday prints, and with her pictures she discovers what seems to be an old photo of her husband with 4 other people. When she confronts her husband, he drives off somewhere and disappears. Meanwhile a brutal killer is on the lose, motive unknown and a hitman in jail confesses to an old murder - which had been put down as a terrible accident.

People from Grace's past have also appeared again. Everything seems to have some sort of connection, and Grace is struggling to find the link and find her husband.

 

I could not put this book down before I found out who, why, when and where. I had to give up my beauty sleep last night, and drag myself to work, half asleep, this morning!

[Maureen]

The Girl who played with Fire by Stieg Larsson.

 

This is the second book in a Trilogy, but true to form, it's the first one I read It is a fast paced thriller, featuring a 22 yrd old girl (Lisbeth Salander) as the main character. Although she is portrayed as a too-good-to-be-true macho machine, the story was still fun to read, and I could not put the book down. Will definately read the next one!

[lopeanha]

Just One Look by Harlan Coben

 

I've read this one last month or so and I thought it was quite good. But not as good as my favourite of his books: The Woods I read this one in one day, just couldn't put it down.

[Maureen]

The Girl who kicked the Hornet's nest, by Stieg Larsson

 

The last book in the Trilogy, it continues where the previous one leaves off. I think this will be liked better by people who have read no2, because of the background information. I enjoyed it, and feel quite sad that there will not be any more Lisbeth Salander stories. One of the things I enjoyed about these books is because they are set in Sweden, and almost all of the books I have read have been set in UK or (mostly) in USA.

[Maureen]

Harvest, by Tess Gerritsen

 

Another enjoyable book from Ms Gerritsen. Abby diMatteo, a resident in a hospital in Boston found out that there was some foul play involved in the allocation of donor organs. She embarks on an investigation, which costs her dearly, when she uncovers secrets that she never imagined in her wildest dreams.

[joe]

I also felt sad when i finished the books as I knew there would be no more. It was also refreshing to have books set in Sweden, I even went out and got hold of a copy of Lonely Planet's Sweden

[Maureen]

Isn't it strange how it intrigues you? Yesterday I was intrigued by comments in the reading circle, about the current reading cirle book - which I think I have to read as it is based in Finland!

[joe]

Ooooh you have me interested now, will take a look, thanks

[Maureen]

The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho

 

This is about a young shepherd, and his quest to fulfill his destiny. His journey was difficult but he learnt a lot about himself and his abilities, and also about other people. He learnt to accept and reply to the omens he saw along the way, and this helped him along the journey.

Nice book - different genre.

[Maureen]

A Long Way Down - by Nick Hornby

 

A story about four very different individuals, all coming from very different lives, of different ages, who meet on the top of Topper's House, a famous suicide spot in London, with the intention of jumping down. The book examines there lives, past and present, and their future, if any.

I found this book to be quite boring, frankly. I kept reading it, hoping I would like it better, but it didn't happen.

[Maureen]

Scarpetta, by Patricia Cornwell.

 

Kay Scarpetta goes to New York, when Wesley asks her to examine his patient in a psychiatric ward. This patient, who appears to be injured, seems to know Scarpetta personally, and has been specifically requesting she looks at his injuries. When he talks to her, he tell her that he is being followed and spied on, possibly by his girlfriend's killer.

 

I think Cornwell got a lot of grief on the way she messed up Marino's character in previous books as in this one she tries to make him 'a good guy' again, or at least a better one. I liked it better then the previous The book of the Dead, but still not as good as the older novels.

[catwoman]

I have loads of Cornwell books on my TBR pile and I read the first one and was not that impressed to be honest. I will read them but they keep getting lower down my TBR pile.

[Ooshie]

I think Cornwell got a lot of grief on the way she messed up Marino's character in previous books as in this one she tries to make him 'a good guy' again, or at least a better one. I liked it better then the previous The book of the Dead, but still not as good as the older novels.

 

I thought the same, Maureen, still not back to her early form but I was very glad she seemed to be returning Marino to his previous character.

[Maureen]

Filth by Irvine Welsh

 

I started this, but could not read past the first few chapters.

[Maureen]

The Butcher's Theatre, by Jonathan Kellerman.

 

I'm sure I read this before - ages ago, but had forgotten the story details although the general plot was familiar.

 

The book is set in Jerusalem. Chief Inspector Daniel Sharavi is a Yeminite Yew, married to an American, and they have three children. His team come from different ethnic origins - a Jew, a Chinese Muslim, an Arab, even an African American. Kellerman's descriptions of the characters, their different religion, looks, customs and beliefs are awesome. It is as enthralling as the drama going on in the book - which starts off with an ex-Dachau guard discovering the mutilated body of a young Arab girl near the city hospital, which is run by U.N. employees. The body had been drained and washed so that all forensic evidence was gone. After the second such body was found, Sharavi knew he had a serial killer on his hands - the first such case for Jerusalem.

 

Enjoyable - Recommended

[Maureen]

Jericho Point by Meg Gardiner

 

Blurb on the back:

When a young woman tumbles dead onto the beach, the police identify the body. It's Evan Delaney. Except that Evan is very much alive. It's her identity that has been stolen. And the thief has compromised more than just Evan's bank account. She has been scamming money from rich Hollywood wannabes - including a vicious drug boss. He wants his money back. From Evan. Soon she finds herself harassed by drug runners and suspected of murder. She must save herself - but to do that must escape a web of deceit that threatens to destroy not just her, but her boyfriend Jesse.

 

I did not enjoy this book - the story is far fetched, and I felt I knew little about the character's background, which was however referred to frequently and an important aspect of the story. Perhaps if I had read the previous books I would have liked the characters more.....but then again the story is not one I was impressed with.

 

 

[Maureen]

I have discovered Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus. Just read The Falls, Resurrection Man, Let it Bleed and Black and Blue in quick succession. John Rebus is a colourful character, seemingly larger than life, and for all his faults and quirks, it is not that difficult to grow to like this character. The stories are based mainly around Edinburgh, although in 'Black and Blue' (the best of the 4 I read IMO) he ventures further north to Glasgow and Aberdeen.

There are 20 novels in all - and I think reading them in sequence would be better for the background stories - the relationships, histories etc, although as usual I have manged to pick four in the middle of the list.

 

I would definately recommend these books to Crime Lovers.