Tag: Thriller

The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver

The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver

Posted on by Jack

I like Jeffery Deaver’s books. I know I have read several and enjoyed them immensely, especially the Lincoln Rhyme novels. So when I saw an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) of The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver on Netgalley, I immediately requested it. I was reading another book at the time which I planned on finishing and had several others in line to be read but this one jumped to the front of the “to be read” line.

The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver is the latest Lincoln Rhyme novel. I had high expectations and this did not disappoint. Continue reading “The Steel Kiss by Jeffery Deaver”

Nine Years Gone by Chris Culver

Nine Years Gone by Chris Culver

Posted on by Jack

I was pleased when I saw a new book by Chris Culver on NetGalley. I had previously reviewed a book of his and liked it very much.

I applied for a review copy on my Kindle and was soon engrossed in Nine Years Gone. I was again impressed by Chris Culver’s skill in pulling me into the story. I was amazed by this ability when I read my first Chris Culver book. This time Continue reading “Nine Years Gone by Chris Culver”

Hangman by Stephan Talty

Hangman by Stephan Talty

Posted on by Jack

Last year I reviewed a first novel by established non-fiction writer Stephan Talty. I liked it very much and thought it was a great introduction to a new series about Detective Absalom Kearney.

The second book in the series came out a few months ago and just read it. I thought Hangman by Stephan Talty was a great followup and if anything I found it even more compelling than the first.

The book starts with what seems a very unlikely escape of a serial murderer known as the Hangman. He had recently terrified the residents of Buffalo, NY with a series of murders of teenage girls (involving hanging). The manhunt begins and soon after the murders and the terror begins again.

Homicide Detective Absalom (Abbie) Kearney, who Continue reading “Hangman by Stephan Talty”

Black Irish by Stephan Talty

Black Irish by Stephan Talty

Posted on by Jack

A first novel by an established non-fiction writer, Black Irish by Stephan Talty is certainly a worthy entry into the crime-novel genre. This book is a first-rate thriller and promises to be a great introduction into a new series about Detective Absalom Kearney


As those who have seen my website know, I have been very interested in Irish genealogy and Irish history for several years. So the placement of this story into an Irish-American community added an extra interest for me.

The book grabs your interest right-off with a gruesome murder. Then you are introduced to Detective Absalom Kearney who is working a missing persons case of a utility worker from “The County” an Irish enclave in Buffalo.

The detective grew-up in the County but still is viewed as an outsider as her County tie is the result of being adopted by a now retired cop from the County. Absalom or Abbie left Buffalo after graduating from Harvard but returned to care for her father.

To make a long story short and grant you the pleasure of being able to read without any spoilers from me, let me just say the Detective Abbie Kearney becomes involved in the investigation of the murder and realizes before anyone else that she has a serial killer to deal with. But there is much too learn about who the killer is and why he is targeting residents of the County

I’ll not say much more (no spoilers, remember). But the clannishness of the Irish enclave and Irish history play large roles. The book is well written and it is a great story with many twists and turns. Just as Abbie has it figured out and it all makes sense, something else happens and you learn that you and she are both wrong. I liked this book very much and give it my highest recommendation.

Apparently other reviewers feel the same way. A few reviews that I’ve found:

Reviews

Ratlines by Stuart Neville

Ratlines by Stuart Neville

Posted on by Jack

Based on a little known and disturbing aspect of Irish history and a mix of real and fictional characters, “Ratlines” by Stuart Neville is an intriguing story.

This is clearly a work of fiction. At the beginning he lays out a few historical events. And then tells you:

The rest is just a story

But what a story.

First, the historical events that inspired this story. As I said some facts are given in the beginning of the book and then in the Acknowledgements at the end, the author list a few sources of the history including a documentary you can find on YouTube

Or if you prefer reading about this
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1538969/Ireland-welcomed-Hitlers-henchmen.html


So with a base of real characters, Neville adds fictional characters and fictional events and weaves a complicated tale of intrigue involving Nazis, the IRA, Irish intelligence, a love story, and much more. What makes it more interesting to Americans is that this story mainly takes place during the preparations for President Kennedy’s visit to Ireland.

As would be expected in a story involving Nazis, the IRA, and Stuart Neville, there is violence. But as in his previous books (reviewed here: The Ghosts of Belfast and Collusion), the violence seems to fit into the story which is more about right and wrong (often the lesser of two wrongs) and a complex character dealing with inner conflict.

In this book the complex character is Lieutenant Albert Ryan of Irish Intelligence, who left neutral Ireland to fight the Nazis for the British and now is asked by his government to protect Nazi war criminals in Ireland such as Colonel Otto Skorzeny (formerly an SS officer and now a well-connected resident of Ireland.)

I read the galley from netgalley on my Kindle and the book won’t be released until early January, 2013. I guess my only real disappointment is that the book won’t be available this year for gift giving.

Other reviews:

The book is published by Soho Crime. If you like good books, especially with an international flavor, you might want to check out Soho Press.

The Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva

The Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva

Posted on by Jack

For several years now, I have enjoyed Daniel Silva’s series of novels about Gabriel Allon. Gabriel Allon has a remarkable and unusual set of talents. He is a gifted art restorer as well as a professional spy and assassin.

Daniel Silva also has unusual talents. According to Daniel Silva’s page at Amazon, he “has been called his generation’s finest writer of international intrigue and one of the greatest American spy novelists ever.”

I have been enjoying this series since the late 1990’s and look forward to each new novel. Since I have read most, if not all, I can say with a good degree of confidence that Silva provides enough of a background in each novel that I think it is entirely possible to enter the series anywhere (but there is something to be said for beginning at the beginning). This brief background is certainly not so much that it bores the series enthusiast or bogs down the story in any way. Since only 1 or 2 novels come out each year these backgrounds are helpful to review relevant highlights of story that you might have read several years ago.


The Fallen Angel is the latest addition to the series. Gabriel is retired from Israeli intelligence and is progressing nicely with his restoration a Caravaggio masterpiece in the Vatican. But he is asked to look into a possible murder or suicide in St. Peter’s and quickly uncovers a vast conspiracy, and as he progresses finds great threats to Israel and world peace. As a follower of the series I know that he will get involved with his old job, save Israel and the rest of us, and return to his art restoration.

But how the tale is told is the thing that keeps me coming back. Daniel Silva tells the story well. I hope Gabriel’s retirement is interrupted often in the coming years. All of the books in the series have been wonderful.

Sacrilege by S.J. Parris An historical thriller

Sacrilege by S.J. Parris An historical thriller

Posted on by Jack

Escape from the current political mess and ads with a trip to England in the 16th century. Do it inexpensively and enjoyably with Sacrilege (An historical thriller).

Once again S.J. Parris has presented us with a fine mystery featuring Giordano Bruno, a renagade Italian monk who fled to England to avoid the wrath of The Inquisition. Bruno earns his living working for Sir Francis Walsingham, spymaster for Queen Elizabeth.

I had read the first book in this series (Heresy) which introduced me to Bruno. He was a free-thinker and philosopher and the Pope wanted him burned at the stake as a heretic. Much to my surprise I later learned that Giordano Bruno was a real person.

The second (Prophecy) continued this story. Here are my reviews of Heresy and Prophecy
.


In Sacrilege, Bruno is working in London for the French ambassador (and spying for Walsingham of course) when he runs across Sophia Underhill, a young lady that Bruno fell in love with in Heresy. She asks his help in solving the murder of her husband in Canterbury in which she is accused. He talks Walsingham into sending him to Canterbury where he uncovers a plot which threatens Queen Elizabeth’s realm. But Bruno himself is accused of murder. The mystery is complex and has several twists including one that totally surprised me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this series of 3 historical novels/thrillers based on this character. As mentioned at the beginning of the review, the author does a wonderful job of setting the stage and transporting you back to the time period. Although this novel could be read alone, I think it would be best to read the whole series in order.

Other Reviews:

Tabloid City by Pete Hamill, a thriller of New York City

Tabloid City by Pete Hamill, a thriller of New York City

Posted on by Jack

Tabloid City has a double murder, a terrorist, a dying newspaper, financial fraud, New York, the Lipstick building, the Chelsea hotel, and more stuff. Well, it’s a thiller and it’s complicated and Pete Hamill tells the stories well and moves among them with apparent ease and ties them together into a bigger story about New York City. And nobody is better than Pete Hamill in writing about New York.


The stories are told in brief, sometimes very brief, snippets. When he moves on to the next story, I often missed the story he just left as I wanted to know more, but usually that feeling didn’t last more than a few sentences as you were pulled into the next story. I highly recommend this book to the Pete Hamill fan. If you are not a fan but think you might be interested in his writing, this is a great way to start. The book is only 280 pages and it moves quickly so it really doesn’t seem that long. As you move about with several characters you get a lot about the city as it is now but also a flavor of the New York City of a generation or two back. So all you have to lose is spending several hours with a good book. And if you like the New York City history aspect of Hamill’s writing I suggest Forever as your next Pete Hamill book.

I like Pete Hamill’s writing. I usually don’t finish books I don’t like and so I don’t review them. And if you’ve browsed through this blog, you may have noticed several reviews of Pete Hamill’s work. I also like New York and I think the 2 things are related.

In my review I don’t like to tell too much of the story because I think it may diminish the pleasure or reading the book. On the other hand if the reviewer doesn’t say enough you may not be interested and will definitely miss the pleasures of the book. So if you like a longer review, here is a good one by the Women of Mystery. I completely agreed with the review and since they are mystery writers from the New York City area, their opinions about this New York City thriller are well worth reading.

The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly

The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly

Posted on by Jack

The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly may be the best in the Lincoln Lawyer series but I can’t say that. It may be, but I’m not the person to say. I had read the first Lincoln Lawyer book years ago. It was OK but I liked other books much better (including his Harry Bosch series). So I haven’t read them all so can’t really say this is the best. But I can say it is very good.

Also Michael Connelly is a very good story teller. In each of his books that I’ve read to date (and it must be close to 20 books now), he constantly surprises you and keeps your interest piqued. One more chapter leads to the next and it is hard to put down the book and take a break to take care of the other things in life. And many of his books are not short quick reads (this is over 400 pages) so this obsessive period where you get little done besides reading usually last several days for me. I started reading his crime stories which were mostly told from the point of view of the investigating detective. I found it surprising when he introduced the Lincoln Lawyer and demonstrated that he is so good at telling stories both through the eyes of a detective and a defense lawyer.

I skipped the next few in the series. But having seen the recent movie on the Lincoln Lawyer and heard this book was very good, I decided to give this book a try. I was not disappointed.

To very briefly summarize the plot (without giving much away), the bad economy has hurt business for Mickey Haller. There are still plenty of criminals and those accused of crime but fewer can afford to pay a defense lawyer. So Mickey has moved over to the new booming business for lawyers, homeowners who are facing foreclosure. But no sooner does the book start than things become much more interesting. A foreclosure client is accused to killing the banker involved with her loan. Yes, Michael Connelly does make the world of foreclosure interesting. And the murder defense makes things more interesting.

The book is excellent as a legal thriller and is also very relevant to current events. The foreclosure mess is very much in the news these days. I’d highly recommend The Fifth Witness.

I headed over to Amazon to see what everyone thought of the book. I thought the book was very good but wanted to know what others thought. There were over 200 hundred reviews so I just read the first few and they were very positive. Then I looked at the summary and about 25% of reviews gave the highest rating (5 stars) and all the rest were the lowest (1 star). There was nothing in between which seemed very odd. Then I remembered a blog entry that discussed the 1 star protest against high Kindle prices (http://thebookstop.wordpress.com/2010/11/06/thoughts-on-kindle-book-pricing-and-the-one-star-protest/) and I read further and that what was happening. The negative reviewers seemed to agree it was a very good book but gave it a 1 star because the Kindle price was too high (in their opinion of course).

I don’t think a review should be based on the price of a book or whether the reviewer thinks the version they read (or refused to buy) is overpriced. The publisher incurs many of the same costs – editorial, publicity, marketing, etc. So I would not expect the books to be extremely cheap since that would mean ignoring some very real costs. But save the cost of actually printing and shipping the book. Preparing and distributing the Kindle versions would also involve cost but I would think these should be lower than warehousing the printed copy and mailing it to the buyer. (Amazon, correct me if I am wrong here. ) It is generally the case that the Kindle version is a little cheaper but I have also seen cases where the Kindle version is actually a little bit more. This makes no sense to me. But it seems to me that the complaint is to the merchant or maybe the publisher, certainly not the author, and the price of various editions has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the work which is what most of us read reviews for.

Gideon’s Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Gideon Crew series)

Gideon’s Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Gideon Crew series)

Posted on by Jack

Thanks to netgalley I read an advanced reader’s copy (ARC) of Gideon’s Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The book won’t be released until February 22, 2011 but is available for pre-order though Amazon as either a physical book or a Kindle edition. The novel is planned to be the first installment in a new series featuring Gideon Crew. Gideon Crew is a fascinating character: an accomplished art thief, a Los Alamos physicist, an outdoorsman, an actor, a jazz fan, and more.

In the opening chapter a boy’s father is killed in front of him as a traitor to the United States government. Years later, Gideon who is now a young man learns his father was murdered as a scapegoat for an intelligence failure.

He plots his revenge and in carrying it out shows skills which bring him the attention of a private company which seems to be a government contractor for secret projects. Needless to say, Gideon agrees to a specific project and that does not go as planned and a thrilling sequence of events follows.

The authors do a wonderful job in telling his story. It was a real page-turner and I read the whole book (300+ pages) in less than 24 hours. The characters were interesting and the plot moved quickly. I had high expectations having previously read several books in the Agent Pendergast series by the authors.

I almost completely enjoyed this book. The ending seems to only partially resolve Gideon assignment. In many ways it felt like watching a TV show and getting very interested and wondering how they are going to wind up the story in a few minutes and then being left hanging when they say “Continued next week” but worse because you know it will be much more than a week. Although I found this ending disappointing, it does pique your interest for future installments of this planned series.

So this is sort of a mixed review. I enjoyed the book until the chapter which disappointed me greatly.

Gabriel Cohen: “The Graving Dock” and “Neptune Avenue”

Gabriel Cohen: “The Graving Dock” and “Neptune Avenue”

Posted on by Jack

Recently I’ve been reading some non-fiction and really enjoyed those books but large non-fiction books can be a bit slow and since I liked the crime fiction by Gabriel Cohen, I thought I would give myself a treat with a couple of his books that were on my “to read” list. These would be “The Graving Dock” and “Neptune Avenue”. And as expected, both were much faster and enjoyable in a different way.

In the past few months, I reviewed 2 books by Gabriel Cohen: “The Ninth Step” and “Red Hook”. I really liked both, the first and fourth in a series about Detective Jack Leightner. “The Graving Dock” and “Neptune Avenue” are and second and third.

Gabriel Cohen’s books are crime novels, they are so much more. Jack grew up near the docks in Red Hook, Brooklyn and is haunted by his childhood (his relationship with his father and the death of his brother mostly) and his failures as an adult (especially a failed marriage, an uneasy relationship with his son, and difficulties in relationships). All in this series have been excellent reads and now that I’ve read all 4 in the series to date, I guess I’ll just have to wait for the next.

Since the sense of place is so important in Gabriel Cohen’s novels, these books are wonderful for those who either know Brooklyn or want to know more about Brooklyn. By the way, a graving dock is a dry dock and is used to repair ships below the water line. And Neptune Avenue is in Brooklyn, the Coney Island, Brighton Beach area.

So I’ll finish up with a few links you might find useful or interesting:

Amazon’s Gabriel Cohen Page

Gabriel Cohen’s website

saveindustrialbrooklyn.org

Red Hook by Gabriel Cohen

Red Hook by Gabriel Cohen

Posted on by Jack

Last month, I reviewed “The Ninth Step” by Gabriel Cohen..

I really liked that book but it is the 4th in a series about Detective Jack Leightner. At the time I mentioned that I planned to look for the earlier books in this series. As it turned out I found the first of the series in our county library and enjoyed that as much as the other. Here is my review of the first in the series, “Red Hook” .

Although Gabriel Cohen’s books (or at least the two that I’ve read) are crime novels, they are so much more. “Red Hook” begins with a young Dominican man who is found murdered near the Gowanus Canal. The questions are who and why and there is no obvious answers. Sure the book is a crime mystery and in it Jack investigates a this crime and risks his career doing what he thinks is right (and his superiors disagree) but it is more importantly a story of an imperfect man dealing with his past and working toward a better future.
Continue reading “Red Hook by Gabriel Cohen”

Collusion by Stuart Neville

Collusion by Stuart Neville

Posted on by Jack

The second book from Stuart Neville Collusion continues the story of the violence in North Ireland during the “peace”. It is a bit different from the first (Ghosts of Belfast my review:

http://www.jackreidy.com/blog/2010/10/29/the-ghosts-of-belfast-by-stuart-neville/).

I liked both books. And although both were very violent, the violence hit me differently. I’m not sure why. I think it was because much of Ghosts was about a killer and the violence seems to fit naturally. But Collusion was perhaps less violent overall (I didn’t count the torture and death scenes) and more of a exploration of inner conflicts, right and wrong, and justice.

Much of this is done through the character of Jack Lennon. He was briefly mentioned in Ghosts (perhaps not by name) but here he is the center of attention. An Irish Catholic, he joined the Northern Irish Police because he thought it was the right thing to do and 15 years later is still struggling with the consequences of that decision (and with his Protestant superiors). The internal conflicts in Jack Lennon character are interesting and this book does an excellent job of presenting them. I hope to see him more in future books.

Other than one critical showdown near the end which I thought was overdone, it was a very good read. But the overdone business is just my taste. Another reviewer has a different take on this, see:
http://fionnchu.blogspot.com/2010/10/stuart-nevilles-collusion-book-review.html

If you have a kindle, you may want to consider the option of getting both books in kindle format.

The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville

The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville

Posted on by Jack

“Maybe if he had one more drink they’d leave him alone.” So says the man in the bar with his 12 ghostly companions. Well, you learn that on the first page and are immediately pulled into “The Ghosts of Belfast” by Stuart Neville.

Now that Northern Ireland is at peace, it would seem there is less material around for a thriller. And you’d think that an ex-hit man would not be a good main character. But this book proves those ideas wrong. Certainly the peace is there but there is a bit of tension still in the air, mostly behind the scenes. And then there is a certain aftermath. Gerry Fegan had gained a certain status in his Belfast as a killer for the IRA but is now hounded by his past. It is hard to imagine feeling sympathy for a professional killer but somehow Neville manages manages that neat trick.

The peace is fragile. I don’t want to say too much about it as the presentation here is both wonderful and depressing and I certainly don’t want to try to summarize or say so much than it ruins some of your pleasure in reading about it here. Both sides (the IRA and Unionists) have their politicians and violent sides and there is a tension within and between. The book is does have a good bit of violence so if that sort of thing bothers you, this may not be a good choice for you. But if you enjoy a good story, try it now. The link below is for the paperback but it is easy enough to move around and get the hardback or the Kindle edition if you’d rather have one of those.

The book is published by Soho Crime. If you like good books, especially with an international flavor, you might want to check out Soho Press.

The Ninth Step by Gabriel Cohen

The Ninth Step by Gabriel Cohen

Posted on by Jack

Last month I was at the Brooklyn Book Festival and I attended a panel discussion there featuring crime writers. I am a fan of Michael Connolly and he was on the panel so I thought it might be interesting. Also on the panel was Gabriel Cohen. I never had read anything by him but had read that he wrote about a detective in Brooklyn and I thought since I was in Brooklyn, it might be interesting to hear him. He read from the first chapter of his new book. It was just a few pages but I immediately knew that I wanted to read that book.

In his new book, “The Ninth Step” the action starts with the detective at home eating his breakfast. Not very exciting, right ? Then the doorbell rings and the person at the door starts telling a story with much vagueness. Then comes the hook: the man at the door killed the brother of the detective years ago.

If that is not enough to make you want to read this, let me add a few bits. The detective wants to find something that will help solve the cold case of his brother’s murder for which he feels partly at fault. Then the cold case of his brother’s murder moves from an apparently random robbery into the Mafia, longshoremen, and a little known World War 2 event. The detective also is involved with solving what seems to be a rather routine but odd murder which gets involved in a possible terrorist plot, massive injustice, Homeland Security, and more. Part of fun and value of this book is the way the author handles these events (and often surprised me in the process) so I really don’t want to say too much here in case you decide to try this book.

“The Ninth Step” stands on its own as a great read but it is the 4th in a series about Detective Jack Leightner. I completely enjoyed it and plan to look for the earlier books in this series.