Reviews (5)

A Fish Out Of Water

BEWARE Lynley & Havers fans -they aren't in this book! Don't buy it!
How could Elizabeth George even think of letting her fans down like this? I've never before been moved to write a review but this book is a literary crime that cannot go unpunished!(Wish it had gone unpublished though.) Ever since I read George's first Lynley mystery, I've bought each subsequent new one as it was released. I've never been disappointed - until now. That's not to say I don't have some gripes with George; I do. For one, she's long-winded and seems to get more so with every passing book. Readers don't need a description of every locale on a given London road to believe that the author, self-consciously and insurmountably American, has been there. More irritatingly though, and no doubt stemming from the same self-consciousness, her overuse of Brit vernacular and colloquialisms is forced and rings false compared with true British writers, who have no need to prove where they are from. But to her credit, she has created a cast of winning characters and I tune in every time to see what has happened in Lynley's and Havers' worlds. Especially after the last book shockingly killed off a major character, we deserved to be rewarded for waiting and plunking down our money. I want to know how Lynley is coping with the death of his wife, and what is happening with emotionally-scarred Deborah, who was first on the crime scene? And what about Barbara Havers, the character with whose creation George struck pure gold? Both Havers' professional and private lives are utterly engaging ongoing sagas (when will she get together with that neighbor of hers?) and I feel completely ROBBED not to have received the next installment. Worse yet is the book itself, which I dumped after a tedious first chapter (and after I flipped through the rest of it thinking I could find the parts with Lynley et al. Trust me, they aren't there).George's attempt to write completely outside her milieu and misleadingly foist it on her loyal mystery-reading public strikes me as pretentious and patronizing - towards both the subject and the audience.She is off my "authors to trust for a good read" list. True British mystery lovers, wondering what to read now, might try Kate Atkinson's "Case Histories" and "One Good Turn" for superb writing and storytelling. The latter, her newly published sequel about detective Jackson Brodie, kept me up all night, entertained and awed. If only Ms. George's latest had done the same.

What Came Before He Shot Her
What a let down when I started reading this book, I had been waiting months for the new Elizabeth George novel with Inspector Lynley and all his sidekicks. What do I get? A lesson in class and race and why the disenfranchised have a reason to kill. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Mystery & Detective - General    4. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    5. Mystery fiction    6. Mystery/Suspense    7. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Subjects:  1. Boston    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Massachusetts    6. Mystery & Detective - General    7. Mystery & Detective - Hard-Boiled    8. Mystery/Suspense    9. Parker, Robert B. - Prose & Criticism    10. Private investigators    11. Spenser (Fictitious character)    12. Suspense    13. Fiction / Suspense   

Subjects:  1. American Light Romantic Fiction    2. Dallas, Eve (Fictitious character)    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    5. Missing persons    6. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    7. New York    8. New York (State)    9. Police    10. Romance - Suspense    11. Fiction / Romance / Suspense   

Reviews (25)

4 1/2 Stars
I thought this to be a fascinating and sometime graphic thriller. This is my first experience with Tess Gerritsen and will most likely read more from this author. As mentioned elsewhere, the characters backgrounds were shyed away from, and since I have not read any of her previous novels, I was sometimes a bit stymied. An entertaining read nonetheless.

Another Gem from Tess Gerritsen!
The Mephisto Club is a very fast paced novel, which is my favorite type of story.It brings back the recurrent main characters of Detective Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles.This time Detective Rizzoli and Dr. Isles are dealing with an exceeding violent killer who murders his victims in a ritualistic fashion leaving clues that link him to the occult/supernatural.Is the killer a demon or is he merely a brillian sociopath who taunts his victims and the police alike?That is the question facing Detective Rizzoli and Dr. Isles as they try to track him.
Chilling!
I liked The Mephisto Club best of the books in this fine series.If you've liked any of the earlier books, you should definitely read this one.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    3. Fiction - Psychological Suspense    4. Medical    5. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    6. Mystery/Suspense    7. Psychological    8. Suspense    9. Fiction / Suspense   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Koontz, Dean R. (Dean Ray) - Prose & Criticism    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Mystery/Suspense    6. Psychological    7. Suspense    8. Thrillers    9. Fiction / General   

Reviews (49)

sleepless nights...
In "The Black Book" the reader embarks on a quest on the streets of contemporary Istanbul, together with the main protagonist, Galip.
Turkish Existentialism
Set in the soot covered trash strewn workaday streets of 1980s Istanbul, a man adrift without any depth of his own personality is abandoned by his wife, which rouses him to a realization about himself and a personal search that ends with him adopting someone else's identity.
A Search for Ruya or Turkey?
In Istanbul, the lawyer Galip returns home to find that his wife Ruya has disappeared. So has Ruya's brother, the newspaper columnist Jelal Salik. What can have happened to them and are their absences connected? Galip goes in search of them: during his search he discovers more about Istanbul, about how Jelal's writings were influenced by Turkish and Islamic history and about how those writings affected people.
Read more

Subjects:  1. False personation    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Literary    5. Missing persons    6. Mystery & Detective - General    7. Mystery fiction    8. Turkish Novel And Short Story    9. Fiction / Literary   

Reviews (15)

Outstanding paranormal mystery
Harper Connelly and her step brother Tolliver have been invited by Dr. Clyde Nunley to demonstrate her power for his anthropology class.She can find the dead and determine how they died and their names.He has an old graveyard at Bingham College which hasn't been used for 50 years and recently the records of the old church have been found giving the cause of death for those buried there. The records have been sealed so he is sure that like others he has invited for demonstrations he can show that she is a fake or at least not reliable.Good characters, good plot nicely done and some humor as she spooks the class and Dr. Nunley by being right all the time and by finding Tabahia's body double parked in a grave. (She had been hired to try to find her when she disappeared a year ago from her home in Nashville, Bingham is in Memphis.) And more humor when she weirds out the corner. I still like her southern vampire series better but this is very good and a little better than her first book in the series.

Harris never disappoints!
Harris never disappoints and Grave Surprise is no exception. Harris's prose is both quirky and smooth as butter, and these characters really grabbed hold of me. Made me laugh, made me tear up, made me turn the pages faster and faster, and sigh when I reached the last. It's wonderful to read a writer who knows her craft as well as this. I can hardly wait for her next!

Lightening Can Strike Twice
In this, the second in Charlaine Harris' Harper Connelly series, we learn oh so much more about Harper, her paranormal ability to sense the dead and how they passed, Harper's childhood, and most tantalizingly, her relationship with her stepbrother Tolliver. It's an excellent weekend read. Read more

Subjects:  1. Brothers and sisters    2. Children    3. Clairvoyants    4. Crimes against    5. Fantasy - General    6. Fiction    7. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    8. Mystery & Detective - General    9. Mystery And Suspense Fiction    10. Mystery/Suspense    11. Occult    12. Science Fiction And Fantasy    13. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Subjects:  1. Chee, Jim (Fictitious character)    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    4. Hillerman, Tony - Prose & Criticism    5. Indian reservation police    6. Leaphorn, Joe, Lt. (Fictitious character)    7. Mystery & Detective - Police Procedural    8. Mystery/Suspense    9. Suspense    10. Fiction / Suspense   

Reviews (58)

I wish I had written this book...
I'll keep it short: I liked this book. A lot.
Don't read this review.
I probably shouldn't even review this book because, quite frankly, I didn't make it past page 49. The thought of slogging through another 450 pages gave me a headache. The only reason I got it in the first place was because of the title; I took physics in college and I'd never heard of Calamity Physics. I'm still not sure what it is.
Characters are interesting, but pacing is off
It took me some time to get through this book.Like others who reviewed this book, I got most of the way through the book before I decided to actually complete it.I don't want to spoil the beginning of the book (if such a thing is actually possible), but it starts out with a jolt, and you are reading to discover what lead to the jolt.Unfortunately, it takes too long to get to the jolt.
Read more

Subjects:  1. American First Novelists    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    4. Literary    5. Mystery fiction    6. Mystery/Suspense    7. Suspense    8. Young women    9. Fiction / Humorous   

Reviews (196)

*Blood Meridian* for Dummies...

Great Writing; shortchanged plot
I am a Cormac McCarthy fan.I don't care about punctuation or grammar.His writing, as usual is superb.The story draws you in from the first page.I understand the draft he delivered to his editor was 600 pages.We are left with about half.I believe the editor mistakenly left out the last fifty pages and plugged in what should have been chopped.I'm shaking my head for what might have been an awesome novel.

Too artsy for its own good
I thought I was going to get a thriller when I first heard of this.Instead I got a pseudo-sequel to COLD MOUNTAIN set in 1980 Texas, and I have rather low opinions of COLD MOUNTAIN.It was difficult to follow the story due to McCarthy's decision to not only avoid using quotation marks to identify dialogue (a move I've always considered to be a pretentious affectation), but also commas, apostrophes, and proper spelling, such as not capitalizing "English" or using "livingroom" instead of "living room" and "mam" instead of "ma'am."I don't know if this is something McCarthy does in all his books or this was a one-time deal, but it was a major turnoff and made the experience grueling rather than enjoyable.I also didn't see the relevance of the italicized monologues of Sheriff Bell at the beginning of each chapter/section, as he tended to ramble on about life afterWorld War Two and how it wasn't uncommon to see 22-year-olds as ordained ministers or 25-year-olds as sheriffs of counties the size of Delaware.Hopefully its movie adaptation (which I legitimately pity the Coen Brothers for having to wade through) is more accessible. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Drug traffic    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - General    5. General    6. Mccarthy, Cormac - Prose & Criticism    7. Sheriffs    8. Texas    9. Thrillers    10. Treasure-trove    11. Fiction / Literary   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    3. Kidnapping    4. Police    5. Suspense    6. Terrorists    7. Thrillers    8. Fiction / General   

Reviews (39)

Classic Forsyth
With The Afghan, Forsyth is back with a political thriller that plays to his strength.Like many of the novels published in the post-9/11 era, Forsyth's story follows an al-Qaeda storyline.Unlike some of the others, Forsyth can at least claim that he had addressed the Middle East terrorist genre well before 9/11 with his very good effort, Fist of God.In The Afghan, he spins a very interesting tale about the efforts of American and British intelligence and governmental organizations to thwart what is believed to be a future attack on the West.
Forsyth's poorest effort.
Frederick Forsyth has been one of my favorite authors and expected this book to be an update to The Fist Of God. I found the plot to be very scattered and that events that took place to be so far out without contributing to the book. Very little of the book centered on who I thought was the central character, but based on the jumping around, there was no real central character. After so many excellent books, one dud can be forgiven.

Stupid book
Plot is entirely built on preposterous coincidences: the lazy way to write a novel.Read "Acts of Faith" by Phil Caputo if you want an intelligent, well researched novel about Arab terrorism. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    3. Forsyth, Frederick - Prose & Criticism    4. Islamic fundamentalism    5. Suspense    6. Terrorism    7. Thrillers    8. Fiction / Thrillers   

Reviews (98)

One of my favorites
"Angels Fall" is one of my all-time favorite books by Nora Roberts. The characters are believable, the plot is full of suspense, and the setting is breathtaking. Once again, Nora Roberts does not disappoint when it comes to describing the lush mountain scenery.
She's the Master
Even though this is the first Nora Roberts' book I've reviewed, I'm a huge fan and have read almost all of her books.The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is because it's not as in depth as her other books - such as Northern Lights - one of my all time favorites.Don't get me wrong, Angels Fall wasn't lacking in any regard. I thoroughly enjoyed the characterization - impeccable as usual - Reece and Brody read like real people. The plot was intriguing and even though I wasn't too surprised when the "bad guy" was revealed, it didn't at all detract from a very enjoyable read.Nora Roberts seems to write effortlessly while sucking you into the story, making you feel as if you're watching it all unravel on the big screen.

Great Read
The book was riveting in such that I couldn't put the book down even while working. The finding out what Reece was hiding and becoming a strong person because she wanted to live her life was excellent.The trust she had for Brody made the romance that was coming so believable.Excellent story. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Romance    3. Mystery/Suspense    4. Romance - Contemporary    5. Romance - Suspense    6. Romantic suspense fiction    7. Suspense    8. Wyoming    9. Fiction / Romance / Suspense   

Reviews (181)

Great book - highly recomended.
This is the first Vince Flynn book staring Mitch Rapp and boy de he start with a boom. This is a great fast paced read that will keep you at the edge of your seat until the very end. You won't be able to put it down. Vince Flynn is definitley the new king of political thrillers. Anyone looking for a new series of books to get addicted to should definitley start the Mitch Rapp series and it will take no effort at all.

Typical characters, fast plot
Flynn offers up a fast-paced, if unbelievable story.Unfortunately, character development is paper thin and clearly portrays Flynn's political preferences.Characters, like Rapp, with a military background are guided by clearly defined ethical principles, have all the answers and are always showing those good-for-nothing politicians how the "real world" works.Meanwhile, Flynn's politicians (the majority of whom are Democrats) seem only concerned with public opinion and the next election.While there are grains of truth in his characters, Flynn consistently goes for the cheap, partisan stereotype.I was looking for a well-developed political/military thriller.I'm still looking.

A great read!
FLYNN's books are a mixture of Tom Clancy and Matthew Reilly.There is political intrigue and interference; plenty of special forces action to whet anyone's appetite; a plot with many twists; and some common-sense problem resolution.The action just keeps going!This is a hard book to put down once started! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Espionage/Intrigue    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    4. Political    5. Thrillers    6. Fiction / Suspense   

Reviews (2)

must have more...
Isabel Dalhousie.Can't get enough of this stuff!
Uh Oh... What is Going On With This One?
If, on the one hand, Mr. Smith is showing us that Isabel, despite thinking all the time (ad nauseam) over every painstaking deatil of what are usually nonessential ideas, has very little REAL sense of morality, then okay, I should really give this one four stars, instead of three, for a clever twist on the part of the author.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Americans    2. Edinburgh    3. English Mystery & Suspense Fiction    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    6. Housekeepers    7. Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths    8. Mystery/Suspense    9. Scotland    10. Women editors    11. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths   

Reviews (152)

Dean Koontz always takes his stories to a new level
I have read Dean Koontz since I was in high school almost 15 years ago and I have to say I haven't been disappointed in his books yet.
another great book
Koontz has delivered another great book.He is a masterful suspense writer and has written another great book.Of course, not everything is truly plausible, but that's not why I read his books.Koontz books are difficult to put down because they are compelling and the reader wants to know what happens next.

Category Five Twister!
"The Husband" shocked me with a twist that had greater torque than any I've read recently.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Psychological Suspense    3. Kidnapping    4. Koontz, Dean R. (Dean Ray) - Prose & Criticism    5. Mystery/Suspense    6. Psychological    7. Suspense    8. Wives    9. Fiction / General   

Reviews (24)

Good But Slow
The first book by Sandra Brown that I read was Chill Factor and really enjoyed it. Ricochet was a good book, but slow in the middle. I will definitely read more of her books.

Excellent story!
This is definitely one of her better romantic suspense stories.She's definitely back to the Mirror Image type romantic suspense. This definitely had more romance than Chill Factor.I thought the romance between Elise and Duncan was passionate and really heartfelt. I truly believed they loved each other.
poor character development has me ricocheting between reading Sandra's next book or not
I have read all Sandra Brown's suspense/romance novels so I feel justified in saying that although Ricochet was a better read than White Hot or Chill Factor, I was again bothered by the poor character development. Duncan was a fairly well developed character--DeeDee somewhat better, but not much for any other players. The concept of ricocheting between the lies and deceit carried out by Elise, an unreliable character, is too much to ask of the reader.I am personally insulted that I was cheated out of the inner workings of Elise's mind, thoughts, and force fed her version of everything. The concept in writing is, "show don't tell." None of that here!
Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. General    4. Mystery & Detective - General    5. Mystery fiction    6. Mystery/Suspense    7. Fiction / General   

Reviews (180)

Political Scandal
When reading this book, you need to throw reality out the door to some extent, but it is still a highly entertaining read.Three high ranking politicians are assassinated for various reasons, and congressman Michael O'Rourke finds himself in the middle of the mess.It all goes back to an operation that was blown years back thanks to a politician who couldn't keep his mouth shut.
A real thriller
My first Vince Flynn... and I wasted no time following it up by reading his "Memorial Day" and "Transfer of Power."I like his style.He maintains momentum.Yes, he's not the most eloquent writer, but that's not the focus of his work.I believe he's more concerned with plot movement, and I find his books simply fun.He keeps everything clipping right along.Are all the plot twists plausible?Who would ever know, except CIA, FBI and Secret Service insiders -- and I certainly am not one.I suspect that not all the events are plausible -- particularly the scene toward the end of "Term Limits" wherein the former Navy SEAL fellow commits murder right under their noses.But it's still a fun, page-turnin' read.

Handbook for change
If there were ever a work of fiction that deserved to be used as a handbook for political change, this is it.Vince Flynn has devised an emminently doable scenario for overthrowing the current occupation force in Washington and returning this country to its roots without all-out war.This book should be in the training portfolio of every Special Forces candidate. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Espionage/Intrigue    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    4. Political    5. Thrillers    6. Adventure / thriller    7. Fiction / General   

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective    3. Florida    4. Manic-depressive illness    5. Mystery & Detective - General    6. Mystery/Suspense    7. Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge (Fla.)    8. Fiction / Mystery & Detective / General   

Editorial Review

In 1993, Scott Smith wowed readers with Read more

Reviews (451)

I could not sleep for a week after reading this book!
I don't understand all the bad reviews of "The Ruins?"It kept me turning pages all night.Sure the subject matter is dark and it does not have the pat happy ending, but hey! guess what it is a horror story!As some have mentioned, I was hoping for a story that involved Mysteries at a Mayan Ruin site, but thats not what this story is about.If your are looking for a thriller/mystery wrapped in the mystery of the ancient ruin sites I agree with the reviewer who recommended "Tourist in the Yucatan." cool thriller!

predictable and gross
I forced myself to read the entire gross mess in the hope there would be something worth while in there. Save yourself the trouble unles you enjoy slasher movies and that ilk.

Great for the beach or lunch time reading
This is the perfect book to take to work and read either on break or at lunch. The plot is very straight forward and its a very easy read. There is hardly any background on the villian which would have been nice. I am still wondering about the first tunnel sighted when they go down the shaft. The ending was quite good. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Horror Fiction    2. Cancâun (Mexico)    3. Fiction    4. Fiction - Psychological Suspense    5. Horror    6. Horror - General    7. Mayas    8. Suspense    9. Suspense fiction    10. Thrillers    11. Fiction / Horror