Thursday, May 07, 2009
New House!!!!!
It's been a long time coming, but we've finally moved and become established in our new des res in Shotts. Its been a hectic month but we're nearly at a stage that we can be comfortable in the new house and not fall over boxes and each other to get to the remote control! This means that we've finally established a broadband connection (even if we grudgingly went with BT!) and hopefully I'll become a bit more regular with my postings and even a few book reviews or two. We'll see.....
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Tenerife Trip
Not posted for a long time. Main problem is that I can´t access our blog from my work computer and since we don´t have a connection at home, the only way forward is through an internet caff or emailing postings to Jen.
Never mind! Here I am in sunny Tenerife trying to catch some rays and chill out with my mate, Shime. Its nearly the end of our week away and I´m reflecting on what´s been an enjoyable, relaxing, interesting trip to Puerto de la Cruz.
Highlight of the trip for me has to be the time spent around Mount Teide. Teide is the highest point in all Spain at 3720m and is a dormant volcano. Unfortunately, although the climb to the top is straightforward enough, a permit is now required to go above the cable car station near the top. The only place where a permit can be obtained is in a government office in Santa Crux, the island´s capital. Therefore, the combination of trip to Santa Cruz and the cost of the cable car made us decide to walk up the satelite summit, Montana Blanco, which was a pleasant side trip in itself.
Following this we drove down to the west coast to see, Los Gigantes, which at over 2000 feet are some of the highest seacliffs in the world. This was followed by a quick detour to the Masca gorge for some pics and a drive back to our hotel. I hope to be able to put some photos up when I get home.
Otherwise, its been bars, shops, pool sunbathing and reading. Look forward to the wintry
Scottish weather tomorrow!
Never mind! Here I am in sunny Tenerife trying to catch some rays and chill out with my mate, Shime. Its nearly the end of our week away and I´m reflecting on what´s been an enjoyable, relaxing, interesting trip to Puerto de la Cruz.
Highlight of the trip for me has to be the time spent around Mount Teide. Teide is the highest point in all Spain at 3720m and is a dormant volcano. Unfortunately, although the climb to the top is straightforward enough, a permit is now required to go above the cable car station near the top. The only place where a permit can be obtained is in a government office in Santa Crux, the island´s capital. Therefore, the combination of trip to Santa Cruz and the cost of the cable car made us decide to walk up the satelite summit, Montana Blanco, which was a pleasant side trip in itself.
Following this we drove down to the west coast to see, Los Gigantes, which at over 2000 feet are some of the highest seacliffs in the world. This was followed by a quick detour to the Masca gorge for some pics and a drive back to our hotel. I hope to be able to put some photos up when I get home.
Otherwise, its been bars, shops, pool sunbathing and reading. Look forward to the wintry
Scottish weather tomorrow!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Review of Absolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds
Absolution Gap is the third and final book in the sequence started by Revelation Space and almost neatly concludes the story of humankind’s near nemesis thanks to the Inhibitors.
The book is written in two main strands, one set on the planet of Ararat and the other set on the moon, Hela, 50 years in the future where a strange religion exists just to see the short disappearances of the local gas giant that are peculiar to the region.
On Ararat, the refugees of Resurgam destroyed in Redemption Ark, now live together with Scorpio, the pig, and Clavain. Clavain wants nothing more to do with humankind but is persuaded against his better judgment to help deal with a unopened escape capsule that has been picked up in the sea.
On opening, it is found to be Ana Khouri, one of the triumvir from the original book and who is now looking to get her baby, Aura, back. Apparently, Aura is a true space child, and although unborn she has been given implants already and has been helping mankind develop better weapons to fight the Inhibitors. Unfortunately, the conjoiner baddy, ( Can’t remember her name here), has stolen Aura and implanted her in herself.
Anyway, Aura is recovered at some cost and they all have to leave in the Nostalgia for Infinity because the Inhibitors are in the system. Eventually, they decide to journey to Hela via Yellowstone because of messages received. Unfortunately, on arriving at Yellowstone, disaster has struck and the Inhibitors have already wiped it out, so they go on to Hela.
By the time they arrive 50 years has passed and we’ve caught up with that strand of the story.
On Hela, an alien culture called the Scuttlers, was wiped out millennia ago. It is thought that the Inhibitors were to blame. Hela is an ice bound moon where people either dig for artefacts or observe the disappearances of the gas giant. Leading this cult is… who has his eyes perpetually open so that he doesn’t miss a disappearance of the gas giant. On Hela, cathedrals perpetually circle the world so that no disappearance is missed.
When the Nostalgia for Infinity arrives, both these worlds collide and a resolution to the trilogy is arrived at. In some ways, it is fitting for the universe that Reynolds has created but in other ways it is a bit unsatisfying, in that the destruction of the Inhibitors is summarised in a 2 page epilogue which seems to have been thrown in as an add in.
By the way, the Absolution Gap, is a planet circling chasm that goes round Hela and which has as bridge spanning it at one point. This bridge spans the so-called Absolution Gap.
The book is written in two main strands, one set on the planet of Ararat and the other set on the moon, Hela, 50 years in the future where a strange religion exists just to see the short disappearances of the local gas giant that are peculiar to the region.
On Ararat, the refugees of Resurgam destroyed in Redemption Ark, now live together with Scorpio, the pig, and Clavain. Clavain wants nothing more to do with humankind but is persuaded against his better judgment to help deal with a unopened escape capsule that has been picked up in the sea.
On opening, it is found to be Ana Khouri, one of the triumvir from the original book and who is now looking to get her baby, Aura, back. Apparently, Aura is a true space child, and although unborn she has been given implants already and has been helping mankind develop better weapons to fight the Inhibitors. Unfortunately, the conjoiner baddy, ( Can’t remember her name here), has stolen Aura and implanted her in herself.
Anyway, Aura is recovered at some cost and they all have to leave in the Nostalgia for Infinity because the Inhibitors are in the system. Eventually, they decide to journey to Hela via Yellowstone because of messages received. Unfortunately, on arriving at Yellowstone, disaster has struck and the Inhibitors have already wiped it out, so they go on to Hela.
By the time they arrive 50 years has passed and we’ve caught up with that strand of the story.
On Hela, an alien culture called the Scuttlers, was wiped out millennia ago. It is thought that the Inhibitors were to blame. Hela is an ice bound moon where people either dig for artefacts or observe the disappearances of the gas giant. Leading this cult is… who has his eyes perpetually open so that he doesn’t miss a disappearance of the gas giant. On Hela, cathedrals perpetually circle the world so that no disappearance is missed.
When the Nostalgia for Infinity arrives, both these worlds collide and a resolution to the trilogy is arrived at. In some ways, it is fitting for the universe that Reynolds has created but in other ways it is a bit unsatisfying, in that the destruction of the Inhibitors is summarised in a 2 page epilogue which seems to have been thrown in as an add in.
By the way, the Absolution Gap, is a planet circling chasm that goes round Hela and which has as bridge spanning it at one point. This bridge spans the so-called Absolution Gap.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
Mister Pip was a Booker short listed novel written by antipodean novelist, Jones. We were lucky enough to get it as a book group selection. Fortunately, it’s quite short so I managed to get through it quite quickly.
Its set on the island of Bougainville, located near the Solomons, at the beginning of the 1990s. It tells us about Mathilda, a 15 year old girl who lives with her mother in what seems like an idyllic existence.
Unfortunately, that’s change recently because the Island’s inhabitants have been waging civil war against their rulers over control of the copper mine which provides a source of wealth for the authorities.
While the war isn’t particularly obvious at first its always there in the background and you just know that it will play a big part later on in the story.
As a consequence of the war, the school’s been closed recently. Mathilda is sad at this,,so she is glad when Mr Watts AKA popeye AKA Mister Pip takes it upon himself to reopen the school and make sure the kids gets some form of education even though he isn’t a teacher.
Mathilda’s excited and then bewitched, as Mr Watts begins reading to the class from Great Expectations by Dickens. This becomes very formative for Mathilda who becomes very involved, much to the chagrin of her mother. Unfortunately, her mother doesn’t like Mr Watts, because he is atheistic,
As well as reading the book, Mr Watts invites locals into the classrooms to try and teach the kids about different aspects of their lives.
Its at this point that the book changes tone when the government troops arrive at the village and start asking awkward questions. Unfortunately, when they ask who Mr Pip is, nobody can find the book to show them but they threaten to come back to find out later.
The rebels also make their presence felt but are quite happy to listen to Mr Watts read to them.
I won’t go on and reveal more about the book because the SO is going to read it and I don’t want to spoil it.
I think this is a wonderful book that is amusing and sad in different measures. It’s also quite tragic and makes us think about the injustices of civil war. I urge everyone to read it
Its set on the island of Bougainville, located near the Solomons, at the beginning of the 1990s. It tells us about Mathilda, a 15 year old girl who lives with her mother in what seems like an idyllic existence.
Unfortunately, that’s change recently because the Island’s inhabitants have been waging civil war against their rulers over control of the copper mine which provides a source of wealth for the authorities.
While the war isn’t particularly obvious at first its always there in the background and you just know that it will play a big part later on in the story.
As a consequence of the war, the school’s been closed recently. Mathilda is sad at this,,so she is glad when Mr Watts AKA popeye AKA Mister Pip takes it upon himself to reopen the school and make sure the kids gets some form of education even though he isn’t a teacher.
Mathilda’s excited and then bewitched, as Mr Watts begins reading to the class from Great Expectations by Dickens. This becomes very formative for Mathilda who becomes very involved, much to the chagrin of her mother. Unfortunately, her mother doesn’t like Mr Watts, because he is atheistic,
As well as reading the book, Mr Watts invites locals into the classrooms to try and teach the kids about different aspects of their lives.
Its at this point that the book changes tone when the government troops arrive at the village and start asking awkward questions. Unfortunately, when they ask who Mr Pip is, nobody can find the book to show them but they threaten to come back to find out later.
The rebels also make their presence felt but are quite happy to listen to Mr Watts read to them.
I won’t go on and reveal more about the book because the SO is going to read it and I don’t want to spoil it.
I think this is a wonderful book that is amusing and sad in different measures. It’s also quite tragic and makes us think about the injustices of civil war. I urge everyone to read it
Monday, February 11, 2008
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
This book kinda snuck into my reading list. I was waiting for the SO to finish at the hairdresser’s and I had forgot my current read and couldn’t find my current read on the esteemed shelves of Borders, I picked up this fine book since I had recently seen the film and bought a copy from Waterstone’s at half price.
By the time hairdressing duties had been complete I had got so far into the book, I decided that I would continue after reading about Barney Thomson.
If you’ve seen the film you don’t need to read this review but suffice to say that the book is every bit as good as the Coen brothers’ fine opus.
The book is painted on the canvas of South West Texas near the border with Mexico and tells of mainly three individuals. Llewellyn Moss, a welder, who stumbles upon a big case of money at a drug deal gone wrong when he’s out hunting: Anton Chigurrh, a psychotic hitman who’s been engaged to find the money and Sheriff Ed Tom, the local lawman caught up in the trail of dead bodies while trying to find Moss and help him out.
The book runs very closely with the film and except for a couple of scenes and minor characters plays along on very similar lines. The characterisation of the three main characters is well drawn and brings these men alive. In particular, the character of Chigurrh is chilling. He plays as a man doing a job and if anyone gets in the way they will be quickly despatched without much debate. In addition, the way he deals with his injuries gained when going about his ‘job’ is very clinical and almost professional.
The denouement and ending of the film are very similar to the film and although I know a few people were disappointed with it, downbeat as it is. I think it was the best way for the story to play out.
The whole sorry tale of death and more death gives the background for the Sheriff to decide why his time is up and why he has no stomach for the kind of lifestyle law enforcement has now forced upon him. No wonder! You feel sorry for Moss, who is caught up in the trail of bodies purely by chance and wanting to give him and his wife a better life than the two bit trailer they live in. You just know he will meet his maker. The book tries to say that although his death is as important as any other, its just another corpse in the drug wars that are now rife in SW Texas. What’s more important is in the way that it becomes the final nail in the coffin of Ed Tom’s career, not the way it is visualised in the book or on the big screen. This part of the book is the Sheriff’s tale and no-one else’s.
Cormac McCarthy’s writing is very vivid but sparse and not surprisingly very well received in literary circles. His portrayal of the ‘new’ Wild West is a measure of his own style and character and is very recognisable.
By the time hairdressing duties had been complete I had got so far into the book, I decided that I would continue after reading about Barney Thomson.
If you’ve seen the film you don’t need to read this review but suffice to say that the book is every bit as good as the Coen brothers’ fine opus.
The book is painted on the canvas of South West Texas near the border with Mexico and tells of mainly three individuals. Llewellyn Moss, a welder, who stumbles upon a big case of money at a drug deal gone wrong when he’s out hunting: Anton Chigurrh, a psychotic hitman who’s been engaged to find the money and Sheriff Ed Tom, the local lawman caught up in the trail of dead bodies while trying to find Moss and help him out.
The book runs very closely with the film and except for a couple of scenes and minor characters plays along on very similar lines. The characterisation of the three main characters is well drawn and brings these men alive. In particular, the character of Chigurrh is chilling. He plays as a man doing a job and if anyone gets in the way they will be quickly despatched without much debate. In addition, the way he deals with his injuries gained when going about his ‘job’ is very clinical and almost professional.
The denouement and ending of the film are very similar to the film and although I know a few people were disappointed with it, downbeat as it is. I think it was the best way for the story to play out.
The whole sorry tale of death and more death gives the background for the Sheriff to decide why his time is up and why he has no stomach for the kind of lifestyle law enforcement has now forced upon him. No wonder! You feel sorry for Moss, who is caught up in the trail of bodies purely by chance and wanting to give him and his wife a better life than the two bit trailer they live in. You just know he will meet his maker. The book tries to say that although his death is as important as any other, its just another corpse in the drug wars that are now rife in SW Texas. What’s more important is in the way that it becomes the final nail in the coffin of Ed Tom’s career, not the way it is visualised in the book or on the big screen. This part of the book is the Sheriff’s tale and no-one else’s.
Cormac McCarthy’s writing is very vivid but sparse and not surprisingly very well received in literary circles. His portrayal of the ‘new’ Wild West is a measure of his own style and character and is very recognisable.
You Don’t Love Me Yet by Jonathan Lethem
I got this as a Christmas present thanks to its inclusion on my Amazon Wishlist. It was place there on the strength of The Fortress of Solitude, a cracking Lethem novel I read a year or two back.
This book was a very different kettle of fish!
It’s set in LA that city of dreamers, of people who are looking for their break in acting, music, or whatever. It follows the life and loves of Lucinda, a twenty something wannabe who hangs out with her pals, Denise, Bedwin and Matthew who play together in an Art Rock band that are nameless at the start. Lucinda starts the book off trying to dump Matthew, her on-off boyfriend, again and manages to succeed despite a goodbye grope.
She is about to start a new job for art gallery owner/entrepreneur, Falmouth who has designed a new installation called Complaints. He had advertised a telephone number all across LA just calling it Complaints. He has employed Lucinda and others to man the telephone and take anyone’s complaint, although not doing anything about them. Neat idea?
Lucinda gets hung up on one guy who complains all the time and she bends the rules and gets his number, eventually meeting and bedding him. All fine and well.
But then she decides to use some of the one liners and words he uses to form the basis of songs she writes with the band’s songwriter, Bedwin. They end up writing a few numbers which come off really well.
Of course, they then premier the new songs at a party thrown by Falmouth and go down a storm. Its at the party that the Complainer AKA Carlton Vogelsong, hears his words being used and inveigles his way into the band.
The book goes on from there. Its not a very long read but is very entertaining in its own way and manages to say something about LA society (I think). It is very strange sometimes with its subplots. For example, Matthew takes in a maladjusted kangaroo called Shelf from the zoo he works at and looks after at while the zoo deny an animal has gone missing.
Some of the scenes are very handled and put across very vividly eg the party the band play at is quite exciting.
This book does make me want to read more Jonathan Lethem but when that will be I don’t know since my shelves are already bulging with unread boo
This book was a very different kettle of fish!
It’s set in LA that city of dreamers, of people who are looking for their break in acting, music, or whatever. It follows the life and loves of Lucinda, a twenty something wannabe who hangs out with her pals, Denise, Bedwin and Matthew who play together in an Art Rock band that are nameless at the start. Lucinda starts the book off trying to dump Matthew, her on-off boyfriend, again and manages to succeed despite a goodbye grope.
She is about to start a new job for art gallery owner/entrepreneur, Falmouth who has designed a new installation called Complaints. He had advertised a telephone number all across LA just calling it Complaints. He has employed Lucinda and others to man the telephone and take anyone’s complaint, although not doing anything about them. Neat idea?
Lucinda gets hung up on one guy who complains all the time and she bends the rules and gets his number, eventually meeting and bedding him. All fine and well.
But then she decides to use some of the one liners and words he uses to form the basis of songs she writes with the band’s songwriter, Bedwin. They end up writing a few numbers which come off really well.
Of course, they then premier the new songs at a party thrown by Falmouth and go down a storm. Its at the party that the Complainer AKA Carlton Vogelsong, hears his words being used and inveigles his way into the band.
The book goes on from there. Its not a very long read but is very entertaining in its own way and manages to say something about LA society (I think). It is very strange sometimes with its subplots. For example, Matthew takes in a maladjusted kangaroo called Shelf from the zoo he works at and looks after at while the zoo deny an animal has gone missing.
Some of the scenes are very handled and put across very vividly eg the party the band play at is quite exciting.
This book does make me want to read more Jonathan Lethem but when that will be I don’t know since my shelves are already bulging with unread boo
The Unknown Terrorist by Richard Flanagan
The Doll is a pole dancer working in a sleazy strip joint in the Cross area of Sydney.
This isn’t the most interesting pretext to involve a reader in what turns out to be one or the more interesting and unusual thrillers of recent years.
The fact that The Doll or Gina Davies to giver her her real name is a pole dancer gives good reason to think she is a shallow person who uses her body to make a living and in so doing so perpetuates male fantasies.
Fortunately, this book is so much than that. It is more about the modern media establishment and the way that the establishment is dealing ongoing issues involving the ‘terrorist threat’.
Gina has the misfortune to spend a night with Tariq, who becomes a terrorist suspect involved in planting suspect devices in the Olympic stadium. As it happens, he probably isn’t a terrorist and is just a small time drug mule who gets killed for his troubles half way through the book.
Unfortunately, Gina gets caught on CCTV in the company of Tariq and is identified by a TV hack called Richard Cody. This may be his revenge at her treatment of him in the strip club but his TV special is more about resurrecting his career than trying to catch a bona fide terrorist.
Gina leaves it too late to turn herself in and runs around Sydney while her back story is filled in and we learn where she has come from. Slowly, her bolt holes run out and she is left with one option….
The Unknown Terrorist is a chilling, worrying tale about the power of the modern media and the way government is dealing with terrorism issues.
Flanagan has crafted a well written book with a good case of supporting characters who are developed well enough but not so that they detract with the main tale about the Doll.
This isn’t the most interesting pretext to involve a reader in what turns out to be one or the more interesting and unusual thrillers of recent years.
The fact that The Doll or Gina Davies to giver her her real name is a pole dancer gives good reason to think she is a shallow person who uses her body to make a living and in so doing so perpetuates male fantasies.
Fortunately, this book is so much than that. It is more about the modern media establishment and the way that the establishment is dealing ongoing issues involving the ‘terrorist threat’.
Gina has the misfortune to spend a night with Tariq, who becomes a terrorist suspect involved in planting suspect devices in the Olympic stadium. As it happens, he probably isn’t a terrorist and is just a small time drug mule who gets killed for his troubles half way through the book.
Unfortunately, Gina gets caught on CCTV in the company of Tariq and is identified by a TV hack called Richard Cody. This may be his revenge at her treatment of him in the strip club but his TV special is more about resurrecting his career than trying to catch a bona fide terrorist.
Gina leaves it too late to turn herself in and runs around Sydney while her back story is filled in and we learn where she has come from. Slowly, her bolt holes run out and she is left with one option….
The Unknown Terrorist is a chilling, worrying tale about the power of the modern media and the way government is dealing with terrorism issues.
Flanagan has crafted a well written book with a good case of supporting characters who are developed well enough but not so that they detract with the main tale about the Doll.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Review of The Cutting Edge of Barney Thomson by Douglas Lindsay
Douglas Lindsay is another Scottish writer supposedly in the same vain as Irvine Welsh or Christopher Brookmyre.
After reading about him on the Internet I put one of the books on my wishlist for Christmas and duly received not the first in the sequence but the second. My fault entirely but at the end of the day this book served as good an introduction as any to Douglas Lindsay.
Barney Lindsay is a barber on the run. According to the tabloid press he is a psycho serial killer who is responsible for about half a dozen killings and just about every bad goal that the Scotland team have lost in the last 30 years! Fortunately, he isn’t really a bad guy and only two deaths were down to him (accidental, of course). The others were down to his crazy mother.
However, Barney is a bit of a feckless idiot who doiesn’t think anyone will believe him, so he goes on the run and ends up in a monastery near Durness in Sutherland. Of course, as soon as he gets there a mad monk goes on a killing spree while trying to revenge his wronged father from 30 years before. The reason for this is fairly silly as we found out at the end of the book. Again, Barney gets blamed and he has to go into hiding.
Meanwhile, DS Mulholland and DC Proudfoot are duly despatched from Strathclyde’s finest to investigate and apprehend the said demon barber. Their pursuit is quite amusing and incompetent and it is actually quite incredible how they accidentally manage to track Barney down. At the same time, they are trapped by the worst snowstorm of the century in the monastery while trying to find Barney.
I could go on. The plot of the book is quite silly and unbelievable at times but its only there to build on the previous book and to contribute to the asinine characterisation of Barney and also to gives us the laughs. The book is very funny in parts and if that wasn’t there I wouldn’t have much to recommend for the discerning crime fan. However, it is and it may make me end up reading more of the Barney Thomson tales. I just hope he starts to glean a wee bit of intelligence on the way!
After reading about him on the Internet I put one of the books on my wishlist for Christmas and duly received not the first in the sequence but the second. My fault entirely but at the end of the day this book served as good an introduction as any to Douglas Lindsay.
Barney Lindsay is a barber on the run. According to the tabloid press he is a psycho serial killer who is responsible for about half a dozen killings and just about every bad goal that the Scotland team have lost in the last 30 years! Fortunately, he isn’t really a bad guy and only two deaths were down to him (accidental, of course). The others were down to his crazy mother.
However, Barney is a bit of a feckless idiot who doiesn’t think anyone will believe him, so he goes on the run and ends up in a monastery near Durness in Sutherland. Of course, as soon as he gets there a mad monk goes on a killing spree while trying to revenge his wronged father from 30 years before. The reason for this is fairly silly as we found out at the end of the book. Again, Barney gets blamed and he has to go into hiding.
Meanwhile, DS Mulholland and DC Proudfoot are duly despatched from Strathclyde’s finest to investigate and apprehend the said demon barber. Their pursuit is quite amusing and incompetent and it is actually quite incredible how they accidentally manage to track Barney down. At the same time, they are trapped by the worst snowstorm of the century in the monastery while trying to find Barney.
I could go on. The plot of the book is quite silly and unbelievable at times but its only there to build on the previous book and to contribute to the asinine characterisation of Barney and also to gives us the laughs. The book is very funny in parts and if that wasn’t there I wouldn’t have much to recommend for the discerning crime fan. However, it is and it may make me end up reading more of the Barney Thomson tales. I just hope he starts to glean a wee bit of intelligence on the way!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Review of We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver
The first thing I have to clear up here is that Lionel Shriver is a woman, not a man as I originally though! Apparently, she picked Lionel as her pen name because she liked it. So there.
Secondly, I finished this before the New Year so my memory is a wee bit hazy of it but all the stronger because it was such a gripping, harrowing read.
It tells the story of Kevin Khatchadourian, a 15-year old teenage who has apparently carried out a Columbine style massacre at his local High School.
The book is written in the first person as a series of letters from Kevin’s mother, Eva to her estranged husband, Franklin. To be honest the story is more about Eva’s relationship with Kevin and her husband rather than the massacre that Kevin uses to make his mark.
Through the story we are told of Eva’s background as a successful manager of a travel guide writer similar to Lonely Planet and her carefree life travelling the world researching new editions. She is happily married to Franklin who is a location scout for adverts.
Their’s is a happy marriage until the thorny subject of children comes up. Franklin is certain he wants a son to mould in his own image, Eva doesn’t want to lose independence and freedom to travel. In the end, they fudge it and Eva gets pregnant and gives birth to Kevin. From the off, Kevin is a very difficult child who goes through many nannies and is very noisy and wilful. He is 6 years old before he stops using nappies. Through all these formative years Eva tries very hard to hide the fact that she feels no connection with her son and thinks that his behaviour is just to spite her for bringing him into the world unloved and unwanted.
As time passes Kevin grows up being more difficult and Eva determines to have another child. This is very much against her husband’s wishes. She gives birth to Celia who seems to be the complete opposite to Kevin and is the apple in Eva’s eyes. Unfortunately, she is very afraid of everyday things like the toilet or small insects and she is also very trusting of the people around her including her older brother, Kevin. This is to be her own downfall later in the book.
Of course, the book is all building up to its expected climax, the shoot-out in the school. This is very well plotted and presented by Eva who has gathered her evidence from several sources including her son who she visits regularly in the detention centre where he passes his sentence until transfer to an adult facility when he hits 18,
In all the book is superbly written and is very moving at times. In particular , the ending is quite harrowing and is somewhat unexpected. Deservedly, it won the Orange Prize a couple of years ago. This is a must read.
Secondly, I finished this before the New Year so my memory is a wee bit hazy of it but all the stronger because it was such a gripping, harrowing read.
It tells the story of Kevin Khatchadourian, a 15-year old teenage who has apparently carried out a Columbine style massacre at his local High School.
The book is written in the first person as a series of letters from Kevin’s mother, Eva to her estranged husband, Franklin. To be honest the story is more about Eva’s relationship with Kevin and her husband rather than the massacre that Kevin uses to make his mark.
Through the story we are told of Eva’s background as a successful manager of a travel guide writer similar to Lonely Planet and her carefree life travelling the world researching new editions. She is happily married to Franklin who is a location scout for adverts.
Their’s is a happy marriage until the thorny subject of children comes up. Franklin is certain he wants a son to mould in his own image, Eva doesn’t want to lose independence and freedom to travel. In the end, they fudge it and Eva gets pregnant and gives birth to Kevin. From the off, Kevin is a very difficult child who goes through many nannies and is very noisy and wilful. He is 6 years old before he stops using nappies. Through all these formative years Eva tries very hard to hide the fact that she feels no connection with her son and thinks that his behaviour is just to spite her for bringing him into the world unloved and unwanted.
As time passes Kevin grows up being more difficult and Eva determines to have another child. This is very much against her husband’s wishes. She gives birth to Celia who seems to be the complete opposite to Kevin and is the apple in Eva’s eyes. Unfortunately, she is very afraid of everyday things like the toilet or small insects and she is also very trusting of the people around her including her older brother, Kevin. This is to be her own downfall later in the book.
Of course, the book is all building up to its expected climax, the shoot-out in the school. This is very well plotted and presented by Eva who has gathered her evidence from several sources including her son who she visits regularly in the detention centre where he passes his sentence until transfer to an adult facility when he hits 18,
In all the book is superbly written and is very moving at times. In particular , the ending is quite harrowing and is somewhat unexpected. Deservedly, it won the Orange Prize a couple of years ago. This is a must read.
Review of the Treasure of Khan by Clive Cussler
This is the first of my Christmas books and I managed to rush through it between Christmas and New Year despite its 600 plus pages.
I’ve never read Mr Cussler and to be honest he didn’t come across as the writer of quality fiction. His books were the kind you might buy on a whim before you got on a long haul flight to your holiday destination.
Unfortunately, my experience of reading the Treasure of Khan won’t make me rush out to read many more. It come across as a tired, formulaic, predictable kind of yarn which though readable and exciting at times was totally unbelievable in the James Bond kind of way.
The story is set in eastern Asia in Mongolia and Siberia with side trips to Hawaii and the Persian Gulf on the way. It is about a Mongolian warlord’s attempts to corner the world oil market by creating earthquakes and destroying oil pipelines and refineries in the Gulf and China. On the way he finds the tomb of Genghis Khan and sells off all his goodies to makes his fortune. Of course, our heroes Dirk Pitt and Al GIordino become involved in a long and circuitous way and foil his dastardly plot while finding the tomb of Kublia Khan on the way in Hawaii.
By all accounts, this isn’t Cussler’s best work with these two characters so maybe I should go further back in the series to find a better adventure. I don’t know. Anyway, it’ll be a while before I read him.
I’ve never read Mr Cussler and to be honest he didn’t come across as the writer of quality fiction. His books were the kind you might buy on a whim before you got on a long haul flight to your holiday destination.
Unfortunately, my experience of reading the Treasure of Khan won’t make me rush out to read many more. It come across as a tired, formulaic, predictable kind of yarn which though readable and exciting at times was totally unbelievable in the James Bond kind of way.
The story is set in eastern Asia in Mongolia and Siberia with side trips to Hawaii and the Persian Gulf on the way. It is about a Mongolian warlord’s attempts to corner the world oil market by creating earthquakes and destroying oil pipelines and refineries in the Gulf and China. On the way he finds the tomb of Genghis Khan and sells off all his goodies to makes his fortune. Of course, our heroes Dirk Pitt and Al GIordino become involved in a long and circuitous way and foil his dastardly plot while finding the tomb of Kublia Khan on the way in Hawaii.
By all accounts, this isn’t Cussler’s best work with these two characters so maybe I should go further back in the series to find a better adventure. I don’t know. Anyway, it’ll be a while before I read him.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Review of The Dark Room by Minette Walters
Or Minette Walters Number 7 for me. I’m not saying her books are formulaic but they do seem to follow a similar psychological pattern. Having said that they are enjoyable and do keep you working throughout the story to try and nail the real culprit.
This one starts with the main character, Jane Kingsley or Jinx lying in a special clinic with amnesia just having been involved in a car accident when it appears that she tried to kill herself. That’s not all,it would appear she’d tried to gas herself in her garage.
Of course, two bodies are soon found in a ditch in a Hampshire woodland. This is Leo Wallader and Meg Harris both friends of Jinx. Indeed, Leo was her fiancé until recently when he had announaced that He and Meg had got together and were going to get married.
Into this pot you can stir in Jinx’s gangster type father, wastrel brothers, alcoholic stepmother.
You can see that things are set up nicely to find potential killers.
Of course, 10 years before, Jinx’s first husband, was brutally slain in his art gallery by an assailant still not apprehended.
The plot twists and turns and when you think you’ve nailed the potential assailant, you’re persuaded against that solution. In some ways, the guilty party comes out of nowhere in true whodunit style. At the end of the day it is believable but still somewhat contrived.
I will continue reading Minette but do feel that I’ve read her best books now and don’t think they will live up to The Ice House or The Sculptress.
This one starts with the main character, Jane Kingsley or Jinx lying in a special clinic with amnesia just having been involved in a car accident when it appears that she tried to kill herself. That’s not all,it would appear she’d tried to gas herself in her garage.
Of course, two bodies are soon found in a ditch in a Hampshire woodland. This is Leo Wallader and Meg Harris both friends of Jinx. Indeed, Leo was her fiancé until recently when he had announaced that He and Meg had got together and were going to get married.
Into this pot you can stir in Jinx’s gangster type father, wastrel brothers, alcoholic stepmother.
You can see that things are set up nicely to find potential killers.
Of course, 10 years before, Jinx’s first husband, was brutally slain in his art gallery by an assailant still not apprehended.
The plot twists and turns and when you think you’ve nailed the potential assailant, you’re persuaded against that solution. In some ways, the guilty party comes out of nowhere in true whodunit style. At the end of the day it is believable but still somewhat contrived.
I will continue reading Minette but do feel that I’ve read her best books now and don’t think they will live up to The Ice House or The Sculptress.
Review of Digging to America by Anne Tyler
Digging to America is the most recent novel to be published by Anne Tyler and was one of this month’s book group selections. After reading and part enjoying The Amateur Marriage I was looking forward to this book and wasn’t disappointed.
Again the book is set in suburban, everyman Baltimore with ordinary people as the players.
The book starts at the local airport when two families wait to meet the Korean infants that they have arranged to adopt. One family, Brad and Bitsy are in every way your typical American family. Loud, opinionated and wanting to get their whole family along to the ‘Arrival’ of their new child, Jin-Ho. The other family are a second generation Iranian couple who are quietly waiting their child, Susan, on their own.
The book continues by interweaving the families and their politics as the two respective babies grow up. BItsy decides that the two families should celebrate the arrival of both children on an annual basis. So the book is episodic. This doesn’t detract from the story though.
It becomes an interesting commentary on immigrant assimilation in modern America. Sami and Zuba are a very pleasant couple who are keen to fit into American society and seem to embrace Bitsy and her artificial celebrations. On the other side Bitsy seems to want to cling to some cultural identity which America seems to lack, whether it is Iranian, Korean or whatever.
One of the more interesting characters, Maryam, the mother of Sami is atypical of the other immigrants. She is a widow who has lived in America for 40 years but still seems to cling to a lot Iranian culture and lives a very simple life on her own. One of the narrative threads through the middle of the book is her relationship with Bitsy’s father, Jim, who is widowed soon after the start of the book. They seem to fall in love and enjoy each other’s company but when Maryam realises what she might be losing she backs right off.
The book ends on a positive note when Bitsy and Brad decide to drag Maryam out to the Arrival party thinking that she feels awkward about meeting Jim. All that has happened is that she’s slept in though and eventually she realises that these people are her friends and want her company for who she is and not because they’re trying to get her to marry Jim.
The book is quite amusing at times, particularly when Bitsy has a party to celebrate her second adopted childed, Xiu Mei, giving up her pacifier or binky. She decides to tie each one (over forty of them) to helium filled ballons and then release them to the sky. Of course, they all end up littering her neighbours’ gardens!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book which I probably wouldn’t have looked at twice if I wasn’t involved in the book group. In many ways it was an interesting read but at no time was it challenging and difficult. Not so sure about my next book group read, Disobedience…..
Again the book is set in suburban, everyman Baltimore with ordinary people as the players.
The book starts at the local airport when two families wait to meet the Korean infants that they have arranged to adopt. One family, Brad and Bitsy are in every way your typical American family. Loud, opinionated and wanting to get their whole family along to the ‘Arrival’ of their new child, Jin-Ho. The other family are a second generation Iranian couple who are quietly waiting their child, Susan, on their own.
The book continues by interweaving the families and their politics as the two respective babies grow up. BItsy decides that the two families should celebrate the arrival of both children on an annual basis. So the book is episodic. This doesn’t detract from the story though.
It becomes an interesting commentary on immigrant assimilation in modern America. Sami and Zuba are a very pleasant couple who are keen to fit into American society and seem to embrace Bitsy and her artificial celebrations. On the other side Bitsy seems to want to cling to some cultural identity which America seems to lack, whether it is Iranian, Korean or whatever.
One of the more interesting characters, Maryam, the mother of Sami is atypical of the other immigrants. She is a widow who has lived in America for 40 years but still seems to cling to a lot Iranian culture and lives a very simple life on her own. One of the narrative threads through the middle of the book is her relationship with Bitsy’s father, Jim, who is widowed soon after the start of the book. They seem to fall in love and enjoy each other’s company but when Maryam realises what she might be losing she backs right off.
The book ends on a positive note when Bitsy and Brad decide to drag Maryam out to the Arrival party thinking that she feels awkward about meeting Jim. All that has happened is that she’s slept in though and eventually she realises that these people are her friends and want her company for who she is and not because they’re trying to get her to marry Jim.
The book is quite amusing at times, particularly when Bitsy has a party to celebrate her second adopted childed, Xiu Mei, giving up her pacifier or binky. She decides to tie each one (over forty of them) to helium filled ballons and then release them to the sky. Of course, they all end up littering her neighbours’ gardens!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book which I probably wouldn’t have looked at twice if I wasn’t involved in the book group. In many ways it was an interesting read but at no time was it challenging and difficult. Not so sure about my next book group read, Disobedience…..
Review of Seventy Seven Clocks by Christopher Fowler
Seventy Seven Clocks is the third to feature his irascible duo, Bryan and May. This time they are on the trail of a gang of Indian thugs who are murdering their way through a thoroughly unpleasant English upper class family. The job falls to the Peculiar Crimes Unit to try and stop the killing spree and find out the reason for the Whitstable family being targeted.
This time the book is set in the winter of 1973 the era of the 3 day week and power cuts when Ted Heath’s government couldn’t cut the mustard any more. In fact, the themes of darkness and light form the core of the story. At the core is an amoral cabal formed by the James Whitstable in 1882 to protect his business interests in England and around the world.
Can’t go into too much detail without giving away the plot though. Suffice to say that Bryant and May haven’t change their ways or methods of detection. At the outset they are separately investigating the vandalism of a Pre-Raphaelite painting in a special exhibition at the National Gallery and the mysterious death of a lawyer at the Savoy Hotel. Soon after a link to the two events is established and the story takes off from there.
Each of the deaths is carried out in a mysterious, arcane manner. For examples, the lawyer dies as a results of venom from a Cottonmouth snake, William Whitstable blows up in a tube train, a tiger is released in one family’s house etc. In fact, I’m surprised that there are any members of the Whitstable clan left by the end of the book.
This series seems to get better and better as it goes on and I’ve certainly noticed that my reading pace has picked up from one book to the next. Luckily, I’ve been lent the next one to read when I want. Unfortunately, I think that is the last for the time being :-(
Review of Disobedience by Naomi Alderman
I wasn’t sure about this one when I found that it was the Book Group’s second selection for the month ( the first being Digging to America by Anne Tyler). The subject matter here was the Orthodox Jewish community in Hendon in North London and one particular family there. Don’t know much about Judaism and I can’t say that I’m driven to study the Torah. Fortunately, it was quite short and after starting it I did manage to get into it and found it quite interesting and informative.
Ronit is a bad girl! She is a lapsed Orthodox Jew living in New York, working as a financial analyst and having an affair with a married man. She does nothing to observe the niceties of her religious and ethnic persuasion. This is despite her father being a rabbi and Rav back home in Hendon.
The book starts off with the Rav dying and the whole community going into mourning for the statutory one week to one month period. Ronit is forced to return home and pay her respects.
The only reason she goes, so she tells herself, is to retrieve a pair of silver candlesticks she remembers from childhood
She stays with her cousin, Dovid, also a rabbi and his wife, Esti. Apparently, she had an unresolved adolescent, lesbian affair with Esti while she was at school. At the start Esti is very quiet and evidently still has strong feelings for Ronit. Fortunately, her husband, Dovid, is aware of her lesbian tendencies and is tolerant of them.
The book takes you through the Jewish ritual of Shabat and a Hesped which are central to their lives and mourning. The characters are very well drawn and although in many ways the culture is alien to me, it is brought alive by the writing. At the start of every chapter there are small sections of parables or lessons from the bible which could rankle but don’t and lead in nicely to the chapter.
One quirk or pretension depending on how you look at it is the difference in font used when the story is seen through the eyes of Ronit or the eyes of Esit. Obviously, this is designed to contrast the difference in observance of the religious customs by these two very different ladies. Towards the end they become somewhat blurred.
In the end, I would give the book 6 or 7 out of ten. Not a bad choice.
Review of One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
One Good Turn is the follow up to Kate’s darkly amusing whodunit, Case Histories.
It features her laconic, world weary now ex-private eye, Jackson Brodie.
At the outset, we learn that Jackson is now living in comfort in the Pyrenees thanks to being left a load of loot by an old lady in Oxford. He is mostly happily involved with Julia who we also met in the last book. They are in Edinburgh where Jackson has agreed to finance a play that Julia’s company are putting on at the Festival Fringe.
The whole book seems to hinge on a road rage incident which features at the start of the story in which everyone in the book that matters is involved or is a witness. The story stems from here and follows four main strands.
The first strand is that of Martin, who is a writer of emasculated crime fiction a la Biggles style and seems to be making a success of it but hates it to bits. Throughout the book he seems to falling to pieces before our very eyes but at the end delivers the coup de grace which gives him eternal redemption.
The second strand is that of Grace Hatter, who is married to an unscrupulous builder who spends the whole book in intensive care while his wife muses on her life with him. This strand becomes boring very quickly but is important for reasons which I can’t divulge here. She feels too sorry for herself by far but is doing her best to spirit her dodgy husband’s money away.
The third strand features Louise, a police DS and single mother who struggles to make sense of the crimes in the story while worrying about her 14 year old son and aging moggy, Jellybean.
The fourth and most important strand features our erstwhile, reluctant hero, Jackson. He becomes involved in something he’s not sure about but because he’s bored out of his mind being a tourist in Edinburgh he decides to become a PI again and give an (illegal) helping hand to the police.
Throw in a dodge agency which hires out cleaners and call girls and a foul mouthed comic who thankfully gets killed very quickly and you have a very entertaining and interesting crime novel which keeps on trying to escape its milieu.
Very good stuff. Are there any more on the way, Kate?
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Review of The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld
Despite the fact that this is a Richard and Judy recommended read, it is a very well written whodunit in the best tradition with a bit of psychoanalysis thrown in for good measure.
The story is set in 1909 in a fast developing New York City where a sexually motivated killing occurs in a new, luxurious apartment building. Soon after a similar attack occurs on a young debutante but does not lead to her death.
Initially, the main investigator into the attacks is the city coroner, Hugel and the police detective, Littlemore. They try and investigate the murder in the midst of police corruption which is rife in the NYPD. Hugel is certain the killer is George Banwell, a very wealthy New York businessman who is currently engage in constructing the Manhattan Bridge. Littlemore thinks so initially but turns away from this solution. In fact, at the start he is portrayed as clueless but through the story develops into a very fine, incorruptible detective.
What raises this book above the average though is the introduction of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung into the mix. At the beginning of the book they are arriving in New York to carry out a series of lectures at an upstate university. Their sponsor and host is Statham Younger a young, American psychoanalyst who idolizes Freud. They become involved in the search for this sex attacker and try and analyse his motives and reasons for the attacks.
Carl Jung comes across in a very strange way but this isn’t surprising because soon after this time he splits from Freud and ploughs his own psychoanalytical furrow.
Although the story is a fiction it is base on a visit by Freud and Jung to New York in 1909. Other elements of the story are also historically accurate.
It is impossible to say too much more about the story without giving too much away except to say that the novel is very well written and enjoyable. It manages to convey a very authentic picture of early 20th Century Manhattan.
A small gripe from me would be that it has been done in a similar style before by Caleb Carr in his book The Alienist which is set in the same period and also used a psychologist to help find the murderer. Having said that this book is very different in its plot and how that works out.
The story is set in 1909 in a fast developing New York City where a sexually motivated killing occurs in a new, luxurious apartment building. Soon after a similar attack occurs on a young debutante but does not lead to her death.
Initially, the main investigator into the attacks is the city coroner, Hugel and the police detective, Littlemore. They try and investigate the murder in the midst of police corruption which is rife in the NYPD. Hugel is certain the killer is George Banwell, a very wealthy New York businessman who is currently engage in constructing the Manhattan Bridge. Littlemore thinks so initially but turns away from this solution. In fact, at the start he is portrayed as clueless but through the story develops into a very fine, incorruptible detective.
What raises this book above the average though is the introduction of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung into the mix. At the beginning of the book they are arriving in New York to carry out a series of lectures at an upstate university. Their sponsor and host is Statham Younger a young, American psychoanalyst who idolizes Freud. They become involved in the search for this sex attacker and try and analyse his motives and reasons for the attacks.
Carl Jung comes across in a very strange way but this isn’t surprising because soon after this time he splits from Freud and ploughs his own psychoanalytical furrow.
Although the story is a fiction it is base on a visit by Freud and Jung to New York in 1909. Other elements of the story are also historically accurate.
It is impossible to say too much more about the story without giving too much away except to say that the novel is very well written and enjoyable. It manages to convey a very authentic picture of early 20th Century Manhattan.
A small gripe from me would be that it has been done in a similar style before by Caleb Carr in his book The Alienist which is set in the same period and also used a psychologist to help find the murderer. Having said that this book is very different in its plot and how that works out.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Review of Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks by Christopher Brookmyre
Another excellent book to add to the Brookmyre canon! It sat on the shelf for a while but the wait was worth it.
The books starts off on a disappointing note when it is revealed that Brookmyre’s cynical, journalist character, Jack Parlabane, is narrating the tale from the after life due to his recent demise. This is sad, but I suppose all writers have to move on sometimes. But all is not what it seems, don’t read on if you want the plot of the book spoiled.
The major subject of this book is that or spiritualism or woo as everyone seems to call it. Although it is a fiction it very clearly expresses the author’s own coruscating views towards the whole business of psychics.
The book is basically the tale of how an American psychic, Gabriel Lafayetter and his learned friend ‘Easy’ Mather set themselves up with a chair of spiritual learning at ‘Kelvin’ University to fleece rich businessman, Bryan Lemuel. Jack Parlabane becomes involved as the cynical journalist overseeing some tesing of Mr Lafayette which is being carried out to confirm his ‘psychic’ powers. As well as this he is unbelievably, rector of the same institution!
The story is told in turn by three of the main characters of the story. First, of course, there is Jack with his usual wit and aplomb. Then we have another journalist, Jillian Noble, who manages to get herself conned by Lafayette and Mather into believing and writing and selling a whole book about an experience she has with them. Thirdly, you have geeky student, Michael Loftus, who for various reasons, thinks his place in the world is to try and debunk spiritualists like Lafayette.
The book takes a while to get going but unlike one or two of his recent efforts, it is not weighed down by a lot of verbose prose making the tale unnecessarily longer. In fact, this one is a reasonable 351 pages. It is certainly more enjoyable than a Tale etched in… and poses some interesting questions about the place of psychics in our society and how seriously we should take them. I think we know what side of the fence Mr Brookmyre stands on!
The books starts off on a disappointing note when it is revealed that Brookmyre’s cynical, journalist character, Jack Parlabane, is narrating the tale from the after life due to his recent demise. This is sad, but I suppose all writers have to move on sometimes. But all is not what it seems, don’t read on if you want the plot of the book spoiled.
The major subject of this book is that or spiritualism or woo as everyone seems to call it. Although it is a fiction it very clearly expresses the author’s own coruscating views towards the whole business of psychics.
The book is basically the tale of how an American psychic, Gabriel Lafayetter and his learned friend ‘Easy’ Mather set themselves up with a chair of spiritual learning at ‘Kelvin’ University to fleece rich businessman, Bryan Lemuel. Jack Parlabane becomes involved as the cynical journalist overseeing some tesing of Mr Lafayette which is being carried out to confirm his ‘psychic’ powers. As well as this he is unbelievably, rector of the same institution!
The story is told in turn by three of the main characters of the story. First, of course, there is Jack with his usual wit and aplomb. Then we have another journalist, Jillian Noble, who manages to get herself conned by Lafayette and Mather into believing and writing and selling a whole book about an experience she has with them. Thirdly, you have geeky student, Michael Loftus, who for various reasons, thinks his place in the world is to try and debunk spiritualists like Lafayette.
The book takes a while to get going but unlike one or two of his recent efforts, it is not weighed down by a lot of verbose prose making the tale unnecessarily longer. In fact, this one is a reasonable 351 pages. It is certainly more enjoyable than a Tale etched in… and poses some interesting questions about the place of psychics in our society and how seriously we should take them. I think we know what side of the fence Mr Brookmyre stands on!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Review of The Last Breath by Denise Mina
The Last Breath is the third book in the sequence by Denise Mina featuring the wannabe journalist from Rutherglen, Paddy Meehan.
The new book moves action on 10 years from the end of The Dead Hour. Paddy is now a salaried journalist with her own column in The Daily News. Of course, she has the accoutrements that go with it, a nice Volvo, a flat in Kelvinbridge and the respect of her peers.
Of course, with getting older, baggage gets heavier. In particular, she now has a 6 year old kid called Pete by ex-partner and comedian George Burn. As well as Pete she has an unfulfilled relationship with her flatmate, Dub Mackenzie who shares a flat but not a bed with her. In the background, you’ve got her mother Tricia and her sister, Mary Ann who is a num.
The book starts off with the death of Terry Paterson, a journalist and ex-boyfriend of Paddy’s. Unsusually, it is Paddy who has to identify the body because Terry’s parents are both dead from long ago. The rumours are that the IRA were involved although this is strongly denies by them and even the police are happy to concede that it wasn’t a killing linked to the Troubles.
Paddy’s not so sure and starts to look into it and when a photographer, Kevin Hatcher, a colleague of Terry’s dies in strange circumstances things start to get hairy for her.
Paddy finds an IRA connection in the shape of a boss, Martin McBree, from the province who seems to be getting protection from the Secret Services in some kind of deal. This man seems to have appeared in one of Kevin’s photos. When portfolios and other of Kevin’s stuff goes missing later, its clear that this holds the key.
Again this book is very easy to read and moves along at a fair lick. In this story, Paddy is a more mature, better developed character who has more concerns about her since her father has now died.
An interesting sub-plot here is the return of Calum Ogilvy who was one of the child killers who Paddy helped find in the previous book. Here he is released from prison and Paddy is asked to help her ex-boyfriend, Sean Ogilvy, out in picking him up from prison. He comes across quite clearly as a damaged person but Paddy bonds with him in an unexpected way and if there are more books in this series he’ll probably feature in some way. Again, Denise Mina, has shown us why she is the Queen of Scottish Crime!
The new book moves action on 10 years from the end of The Dead Hour. Paddy is now a salaried journalist with her own column in The Daily News. Of course, she has the accoutrements that go with it, a nice Volvo, a flat in Kelvinbridge and the respect of her peers.
Of course, with getting older, baggage gets heavier. In particular, she now has a 6 year old kid called Pete by ex-partner and comedian George Burn. As well as Pete she has an unfulfilled relationship with her flatmate, Dub Mackenzie who shares a flat but not a bed with her. In the background, you’ve got her mother Tricia and her sister, Mary Ann who is a num.
The book starts off with the death of Terry Paterson, a journalist and ex-boyfriend of Paddy’s. Unsusually, it is Paddy who has to identify the body because Terry’s parents are both dead from long ago. The rumours are that the IRA were involved although this is strongly denies by them and even the police are happy to concede that it wasn’t a killing linked to the Troubles.
Paddy’s not so sure and starts to look into it and when a photographer, Kevin Hatcher, a colleague of Terry’s dies in strange circumstances things start to get hairy for her.
Paddy finds an IRA connection in the shape of a boss, Martin McBree, from the province who seems to be getting protection from the Secret Services in some kind of deal. This man seems to have appeared in one of Kevin’s photos. When portfolios and other of Kevin’s stuff goes missing later, its clear that this holds the key.
Again this book is very easy to read and moves along at a fair lick. In this story, Paddy is a more mature, better developed character who has more concerns about her since her father has now died.
An interesting sub-plot here is the return of Calum Ogilvy who was one of the child killers who Paddy helped find in the previous book. Here he is released from prison and Paddy is asked to help her ex-boyfriend, Sean Ogilvy, out in picking him up from prison. He comes across quite clearly as a damaged person but Paddy bonds with him in an unexpected way and if there are more books in this series he’ll probably feature in some way. Again, Denise Mina, has shown us why she is the Queen of Scottish Crime!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
