A supernatural mystery with dinosaurs? Yes, please. A thousand times yes!
Plus, I read Dumas’s previous book and was rather impressed. And yet this one was something of a disappointment. Perhaps, because I was so excited going in. perhaps the stakes were set too high. Or perhaps it just isn’t that great of a book. It is good. Yes. But don’t you want more? The plot revolves around a pint-size protagonist named Simon whose entire life has been scarred by the tragic disappearance of his baby sister when he was ten. Now in his early thirties, Simon takes a job at the same museum where the disappearance occurred with eh ideas of poking around. As a child, he was fascinated with dinosaurs. As an adult, he’s … well, professionally fascinated with dinosaurs. And then he starts seeing them skulking around the museum at night. So, if the Night in the Museum was a murder mystery … And it all sounds good and fun, but: A. I didn’t care for Simon. He’s not particularly likeable, weak and whiny and emotionally incontinent, and takes much too long to learn some valuable lessons about workplace diversity, i.e. he’s too quick to hate a woman working herself to the bone (no pun intended) to keep the museum open for crappy pay but easily dismisses his assistant’s vulgar, nasty sexual innuendo jokes in that boys-will-be-boys way. B. The supernatural aspect of the novel was so disappointing. It was almost like the author just couldn’t commit to it one way or another. Is Simon hallucinating, and if so, what explains his injuries? C. The central mystery’s resolution was kind of underwhelming. And Simon seemed surprisingly forgiving of certain perpetrators because why? because they shared a sexuality? seriously? Having that been said, it was still a very entertaining read. The writing is solidly commercial as opposed to literary, but rather effective. And if you’re dinosaurs, it’s really tons of fun. So, something of a mixed bag, but a perfectly decent all-around read. Thanks Netgalley.
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Two years ago, Ellie Black disappeared. Now she’s back, but she isn’t talking, holding her secrets close despite the local detective’s best efforts to find out the truth.
Having overdone it on thrillers, I am now very selective about the genre. What attracted me to this book was King’s ringing endorsement. And sure enough, this was above average. Still way too much of a formula to truly wow, but entertaining and compelling enough to keep the pages turning. I can’t say that I particularly cared about any of the characters (and that just isn’t how you spell the name Chelsea) but the suspense aspect was nicely done and well maintained, as were all the twists and turns toward the end. Like just about every single thriller of this kind out there, the book featured the right i.e. overwhelming amount of estrogen and girl power messaging with just enough token diversity thrown in. Like most YA authors turning to adult fiction, the book featured a lot of teenage and young characters written stronger and more credibly than the adults. If you’re looking for a decent, albeit cliché-heavy thriller, this might do the trick. Thanks Netgalley. Once upon a time, a man named Randall Sullivan went looking for the Devil. His journey took him far and wide, eventually resulting in this book. It also made him a believer in the process.
More or less bookended by real life exorcism accounts with a true crime thread strung out throughout, a chronological theological and philosophical narrative, and a particularly nightmarish travelogue account of Mexico, this book is all over the place in the best possible way. It’s fascinating, obviously well-researched, and, as one might expect, very, very dark. I’ve never read the author before, an obvious oversight, but this was the most auspicious of introductions. Excellent writing that keeps your interest chapter to chapter no matter how bleak, clever observations, vivid descriptions make this book a very good read indeed. Much was learned. If you ever get tired of the sunny side of the street and interested in exploring the darkness, this is a solid choice. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley. My fifth read by Catherine Steadman. The previous four have all been solid four stars, and this one got dangerously close to going all the way, but a few logistical snafus in the end kept it at four.
Still impressive. A most impressive solid performance in a genre so overpopulated by trite clichés that I’ve all but given up reading it. I make exceptions for Steadman. Totally worth it. Behind the prismatic cover of this book lies a tale of deceptions centered around an unexpected inheritance and a particularly tricked out basement. It’s impossible to tell how much is too much in discussing the plot here, and so to avoid giving anything away, let’s just say this is a novel of extreme survival and leave it at that. Steadman got a knack for detail which usually hampers (and needlessly bulks up) these sorts of thrillers, but in her work comes across seamlessly and, at times, literary. It is also commendable that she chose to do something different from the usual (missing child - driven mother, spouse with secrets, friends with a decades old secrets reunite, etc.) genre presets. And she gets the suspense just right, keeping you turning pages. It was the ending that left a lot to be desired here. From the neatness of the bow with which it was all tired up to some questionable logistics. Nevertheless, the book is very entertaining and very much worth a read. Please stop now if you haven’t read the novel. I’d like to discuss those logistical snafus without accusations of giving too much away. Okay? Okay, thanks. So, our presumably very intelligent protagonist doesn’t do a lot of work verifying her mysterious inheritance before jutting off to the remote island, does she? But more importantly, her allegedly brilliant and lovely father has no qualms designing a place clearly meant for nefarious purposes. Moreso, he seems more or less okay with it so long as it doesn’t affect his daughter. Moreso, he in fact suspects it may affect his daughter (this is during Lucinda’s visit) but nevertheless does nothing—NOTHING—to warn his daughter about this possibility or prepare her in any way, BUT he does rely on Lucinda’s good graces and kindness enough to ask her to avoid involving his daughter. In other words, he’d rather depend on someone with a proven track of evil deeds than simply warn his beloved only daughter. Interesting. And finally, why would a witness protection program relocate British citizens to the smaller towns, US? Isn’t the entire point of it to make people disappear? How’s putting a foreign national in a staunchly monolingual, socially conservative south of the country generally bewildered by accents going to help them blend in? Anyway, those are just some things that didn’t make much sense. Still a very fun read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley. This is my fifth read by Teddy Wayne. Guess that makes me a proper fan. All of his books have been good, some more than others, The Great Man Theory was my favorite until this one came along, and well … it’s a winner!
Wayne specializes in portraits of men, usually young (though not in TGMT), as they take on the American Dream. But Wayne had never his taken his protagonists quiet as far as he had Conor O’Toole, the twenty-five-year-old tennis coach who comes up from his native Yonkers to spend the summer with the glamorous moneyed population of a seaside community. Conor O’Toole is an all-American sweetheart of a young man, a real bootstrapper, diligent and indefatigable, he pulls and pulls himself up to make something of himself. Learning tennis gave him the opportunity to attend college on a scholarship, propelling him toward his dream of becoming a lawyer. Conor is a principled studious young man, a devoted son, drop-dead gorgeous to boot. Sure, he may not be the most emotionally available of men, but that doesn’t stop women from throwing themselves at him. All Conor wanted out of this summer was to make some money teaching tennis while he studies for the bar. The summer had other plans for him. The more he gets involved with the locals, the more he finds himself entangled in a love triangle so messy, it’s obvious it isn’t going to end nicely. But you may not expect just how “not nicely” it will end. Against the backdrop of simmering privilege and entitlement, Conor O’Toole will unravel in the most spectacular manner. There are some parallels that can be drawn here to Caroline Kepnes’ You (especially the season 4 of the TV adaptation which technically had almost nothing to do with Kepnes’ original vision, diverting wildly and smartly from the dud of the last book), but The Winner is fundamentally very much its own beast. Like some darkly twisted version of Gatsby, it has a classic feel to it. It’s also immensely readable and tough to put down, like snack food with all the quality and nutrition of a proper meal. It’s so well written with such interesting, nuanced characters, and the way Wayne handles the mounting dread and that good ole’ walls-closing-in feeling is a thing of beauty. So yeah, a winner all around. Loved this book. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley. I’m a huge fan of C. J. Tudor. With the notable exception of The Drift, all of her books have been five-star reads for me. And this one followed the trend very nicely.
Mind you, I don’t even like vampire fiction. Actually, that alone probably speaks volumes to how good this book is—someone who doesn’t care for vampires loved it. Of course, Tudor does something new and exciting with vampires, setting aside the cobwebbed clichés, and making it all very … real. Wherein vampire fiction always relies on overdone gaudy excess and shabby chic glamour, the vampyrs of Tudor’s imagination are second class citizens, barely surviving on government allotted reservations. You can draw your own sociopolitical parallels there. Tudor might be British, but she’s got America’s number down. Needless to say, in this reality, vampyrs and people do not get along. There are … situations. Occasionally, those escalate into something a lot more severe. But to call a cull on the entire colony requires a proper investigation. And the man protagonist if the novel does just that when she is requested on the case in the tiny remote Alaskan town. With the assistance of the long-retired-but-dusted-off-and-out-into-action local sheriff, she will navigate the mounting agitation between the two sides of the conflict, trying desperately to avoid the bloodshed. That’s the basic story, and Tudor did everything right with it. She brought both her characters and her setting to life vividly. The suspense was taut throughout. The murder mystery woven into the plot was clever and threw in some last-minute plot surprises. Barbara, the lead, was compelling and engaging. Ditto for the side characters. This was a book I didn’t want to put down. Be sure to visit the perfectly named Deadhart, Alaska. Great read, oodles of fun. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley. I might have overlooked this random book on the day it was a freebie if not for an auspicious blurb from Michael Marshall Smith, an author I like very much. Sure enough, I ended up downloading it and—surprise, surprise—rather enjoying it.
Why surprise? Because I’m skeptical of unheard authors, indie and self-published, alike. The free-for-all market has given rise to a lot of crap floating around. This one, however, was well worth a read. On the surface, you get a professional look and edit. On the inside, you get twelve wildly imaginative and profoundly disturbing dark tales. I very much enjoyed the conceptual originality of these stories. My favorite was Children of the Ink, second favorite was the last story. Overall, definitely a solid collection of nightmares and an interesting new (to me) author to have found. Recommended for genre fans. This was good. Very good. In fact, there’s a very good chance this book is brilliant. It’s certainly one of the best I’ve read in some time. One of those books that awes you as a reader and humbles you as a writer.
Everything about it, from the cleverly constructed many-worlds narrative to the language itself is a thing of singular beauty. Quantum physics and personal connections are the two constant and equally unfathomable factors that the protagonist of this novel wrestles with, from page to page, from world to world. And it is a journey well worth taking. Emotionally evocative, gut-wrenchingly real, wildly imaginative, vividly rendered, terribly romantic even … in what universe would you not want to read it? Well done, Emet North! Recommended. Thanks Netgalley. This is the sort of book that just can’t lose in today’s market. A mostly young, tragically hip (literally), almost all-minority cast with gender politics heavily threaded through. The only thing its missing is a heavy queer angle on top of it.
So, yeah, how much social commentary do you like in your genre fiction? If your answer is “oodles”, you’ve picked the right book. Though to be fair, Tiny Threads does a very credible job of passing for a scary story for a significant portion of its page count. Anyway, in the The Devil Wears Antonio Mora aka Tiny Threads, a young woman makes the trek all the way from Jersey to sunny Cali to work for a famous designer. It is supposed to be her dream job, her dream life, etc…until it all turns into a nightmare. The question is this, is she hallucinating terrors because of all the drinking she’s doing because of work stress or is she in real danger? Read and find out. It’s a quick and entertaining read, compelling enough even if you don’t particularly care for the characters. The real star of the show here is, of course, that gorgeous cover, but the fun itself is fun enough. Thanks Netgalley. It's every so slightly confusing to have an author write two books in vaguely the same vein with "devil" in the title. I've read the second one first, after making sure they were not connected. Rest assured, the two books are indeed standalones, at least as of now. Both are very good and well worth checking out, though this one paled a bit in comparison with Russel's superior other devil of a book.
Still, this was a terrific read about an ambitious psychologist determined to prove that behind all of men's evil there is a eponymous devil's aspect, particularly impressive for the way for its setting/settings: pre-WWII Czech insane asylum. Very moody, very atmospheric, the dangers of the inmates juxtaposed to the dangers of the war to come. Very well done. The novel itself read long. It's a long novel, but it actually read long. Enjoyable but long. Okay, that's enough about its length. There's also the fact that the entire plot hinges on a very old and tired trick. But hey, it works, and it's good, so what more can you ask for? Recommended both the book and the author. Enjoy! |
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