Tag: 4 Stars Page 84 of 88

It’s really hard to say something about a Jack Reacher book–in a very real sense, if you’ve read one, you’ve read ’em all (maybe this changes after book 7, but I doubt it). But dang it all if you don’t come back for more and more and more — like Pringles, or Fritos, etc. Great action; totally outlandish, but (in the moment definitely) believable plot; lots of testosterone-y fun.

Two things I’d like to mention about this book.

First, there’s this fad in TV lately where you watch a scene or two at the top of the show, and then the chyron flashes “X days earlier” and you get to see how events led up to this, and even get a better picture of what happened. It’s a tired and overused gimmick. But in ’03 when this was published, it wasn’t. And even if it was tired then, Child does it right, and I would’ve been totally on board with it then. Great hook to begin the book. Really great.

Secondly, I couldn’t help but be impressed with the way that Child laid out Reacher’s motivation to hunt down this particular criminal in bits and pieces, scattered throughout the present day action. Sure, it was predictable after a certain point, but it was skillfully done. Giving Reacher the proper motivation each time to go after the baddie has to be a struggle, especially since it has to be sufficient motivation to get him to perform superhuman tasks. This was one of Child’s best efforts in that regard.

One more thing that I just thought of–since Parker’s God Save the Child and The Judas Goat I’ve been a sucker for a fight between big, tough hero and impossibly huge, strong, psychotic villain, and the one here delivers the goods in spades. Loved it.

Dusted Off: Without Fail by Lee Child

By HCNewton

On July 31, 2013

In C-E, Fiction, Jack Reacher, Lee Child, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Without Fail by Lee Child
Series: Jack Reacher, #6

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Taught thriller, starts off strong and snowballs into an adrenaline-filled blast. Pure popcorn fun.

After taking a book off from it, Child develops Reacher’s character a bit by bringing him into contact with people who knew his brother before he killed. Which is nice and commendable, but it’s not his strong suit.

Most of the time, he does what he does best: he puts a target in front of Reacher, gives Reacher juuuuust enough info to keep stumbling from one clue to the next, getting closer and closer to his prey. And when he tracks his prey down things really start going Reacher’s way.

Dusted Off: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson

By HCNewton

On July 29, 2013

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Blast it all, Larsson made me eat my words — many of them, anyway — about his ability to write a decent thriller with his third Millennium book. If anyone else had written this, I’d probably have given it 2.5-3 stars, but in comparison to his first two books, this one looks sooo much better.

A lot of the weaknesses of the first two books are still present–the persistent eye for irrelevant, and momentum slowing detail; an overabundance of characters; plotlines that do little-to-nothing to serve the main plotlines; stock characters abound; etc., etc.

But we see some real growth in Lisbeth, some potential growth in Blomquist, and a courtroom scene at the end that makes one wonder if there’s another female character that’s supposed to be the real hero of this set. In my book, that scene covers a multitude of crimes against fiction that Larsson committed.

Am I glad I slogged through the series? Not really. But having made it through the first book, and suffered through the second, I really enjoyed this one.

But man, am I so glad there’s not a #4

Dusted Off: How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely

By HCNewton

On July 22, 2013

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

As I dust this one off, I can’t help but be disappointed in how brief this review was. It’s been too many years so I can’t augment this review much, but I remember laughing a lot and scribbling down quotations like crazy (don’t ask me where they are now, tho’).

—–

How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

hilarious, over the top (yet probably really tamer than reality) satire about the publishing industry and the selling/making of books. Not literature, but the stuff that people read (or at least by). Best satire I’ve read in a long while

The Last Word by Lisa Lutz

By HCNewton

On July 16, 2013

In Authors, Fiction, K-O, Lisa Lutz, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

The Last Word by Lisa Lutz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One of the constant battles in The Spellman Files has been Izzy’s struggle with maturity and responsibility — there are people who just don’t grow up, who are locked into an eternal childhood. And then there are people like Izzy who have waged war on their impending adulthood. Her struggles are at times as trying to the reader as they are for those closest to her — friends/family/boyfriends — but primarily they amuse us (this is due to the skill of the Lutz more than Izzy’s inherent charm). Trail of the Spellmans ended with Izzy taking some determined steps towards maturity, however reluctantly, and The Last Word starts off showing how poorly that’s going.

Oddly enough, given her determined adolescence, I’ve always liked Izzy most when she’s interacting with the elderly (other than her grandmother — but I don’t know who could be likable while dealing with her). Early on, it was Mort Schilling — who I’ve missed, and now we get Edward Slayter and Charlie. While they serve similar roles in the narratives (a mature advisory/near-parental voice that Izzy sort-of listens to), Mr. Slayter and Charlie aren’t anywhere as amusing as Mort was.

These are ostensibly mystery novels, and there are a handful this time ’round. More than one of which focuses on Mr. Slayter (keeping this vague for spoiler reasons), so we see Izzy at her strongest. There’s some mysterious antics involving Rae, of course — and I’ve found these stories to be harder to enjoy lately, even more than Izzy’s Pernella Pan syndrome. And the requisite mystery about what Albert and Olivia are up to — once this moves beyond them repaying Izzy for being such a lousy and defiant employee/daughter for yeas, this becomes the emotional core of the book and is probably the best use of these characters in the series. The other cases are entertaining enough, and definitely provide a good balance to the more emotionally charged and serious plot lines.

Maybe it’s just me, but I sound negative about this book so far. And I don’t mean to! As always, it’s a pleasure to spend time with these characters and in this world. Izzy’s TV taste remains impeccable. And Lutz’s breezy style can carry even the most problematic characters and stories in a way that seems effortless (and is undoubtedly very difficult to do successfully). The character development here is a natural — and needed — progression from Trail, even if it means this isn’t the laughter-filled read the first few were. I wasn’t entirely thrilled with where this book left the family and business, but I understand (and would defend) the choices Lutz made — and I’m sure in a few weeks, I’ll only look back on this novel positively. But right now, my reaction to the last couple of chapters are coloring my mood.

Still, highly recommended — throughout the reading of this, I had fantasies of taking a few days off work to do nothing but re-read this series back-to-back, and that still sounds like a great way to spend some downtime.

Dusted Off: Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz, David Hayward

By HCNewton

On July 15, 2013

In Authors, Fiction, K-O, Lisa Lutz, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a hook, what a killer (no pun intended) concept–an established mystery writer sends off a chapter of a new novel to an ex-boyfriend, asking him to collaborate with her on the novel. She’ll take the odd-numbered chapters, him the even. Interspersed in these chapters are emails sent back and forth, along with other comments they make on the other’s work, as the two stumble through the writing process.

And while that’s amusing enough, the actual novel ends up being a pretty good read. In a small California town, a pot-growing brother and sister team find a headless body in their backyard. They try (a couple of times) to dispose of the body so they can continue their growing without police interference, and then take it upon themselves to solve this murder (and the others that follow). A very unlikely crime stopping pair, to be sure.

The novel is filled with quirky characters, twists and turns that no one (even 50% of the authors) can see coming. Far more than just a catchy hook–Heads You Lose is an entertaining crime novel that’ll leave you wanting more.

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

By HCNewton

On July 12, 2013

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was the fifth Hemingway novel I’ve read this year, and by far the most ambitious in length, scope, topic, and style. This classic follows Robert Jordan, American Spanish professor turned Republican Demolition officer in the Spanish Civil War as he leads a small guerrilla band to destroy a bridge that will play an important tactical role in an upcoming battle (as will its destruction). This classic has been analyzed, reviewed and studied far more intensely and deeply than I do around here, so I’ll stick to some general impressions/observations.

First, this took me a long time to read — sure, it’s chock-full of Hemingway’s deceptively simple prose, but something about this one took forever to slog through. I’m not sure why — and what it says about the quality of the book — but this took 4-5 days longer than I thought it should to read.
Hemingway didn’t pull any punches at all with foreshadowing, pretty much every plot point is predicted within the first 50 pages or so. And then you’re hit over the head with them for the rest of the book.
Even though this is a third person narrative, it felt far more personal and intimate than his previous novels — even those that were told in first person.
The part of the book where Pilar describes how she, Pablo and others took over their hometown from the Fascists? Horrific, totally believable and it’ll stick with me far longer than any of the shenanigans regarding the bridge will.
Oh, hey, finally know where the silly phrase, “the earth moved” (and the interrogative form) comes from. Speaking of that, is it just me, or does it take people longer to fall in love in a Nora Ephron script than in a Hemingway novel? Sure, whatever, it’s war . . . things are more intense, things happen faster, yada, yada yada. Not buying it. Forever and ever, amen love should take more time than it does to brew a cup of coffee.

Dusted Off: Play Dead by David Rosenfelt

By HCNewton

On July 2, 2013

In Andy Carpenter, Authors, David Rosenfelt, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, P-U

Play Dead by David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter, #6

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In any PI/Legal/etc. mystery novel, there’s always the question of whether or not you like the client. Sure, you’re always rooting for the hero, that’s why you picked up the book. But the client’s frequently a question. Not so in this case–Rosenfelt goes right for the heart straightaway, having Andy defend a Golden Retriever from a certain death. How can you not fall in love with that client? The dog then leads Andy to help out his owner–wrongly convicted of murder. You’re all-in, no two ways about it.

Like most Andy Carpenter books, I spent about 1/3 (or more) of it, wondering why Andy wasn’t looking into a couple of the most obvious lines of investigation. But, oh well, even when he’s being frustratingly dense, it’s nothing but fun spending time in his world.

Solid mystery, some good tense scenes, and plenty of laughs. Great read.

Hexed by Kevin Hearne

By HCNewton

On July 1, 2013

In Dogs, Fiction, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne

Hexed by Kevin Hearne
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles, #2

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While dealing with the fallout from Hounded, Atticus finds himself in even more trouble–this time there’s a very nasty coven that wants to come in and take over the Tempe area–and their first step will be eliminating all other magic practitioners.

So our hero has to suck up his prejudice against witches and team up with the very same group that threatened him last time out to defend the home turf and maybe even clean up some long unfinished business.

The whole cast of characters from the first book are back for more–plus a couple of new faces. Fast, fun, and full of excitement, The Iron Druid Chronicles delivers again.

Hounded by Kevin Hearne

By HCNewton

On July 1, 2013

In Dogs, Fiction, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne

Hounded by Kevin Hearne
Series: The Iron Druid Chronicles, #1

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took no time at all for this book to grab me, and another 15 pages for me to fall in love with this. Right off the bat we get a solid action sequence, get the basics of our hero’s magic system, and meet a goddess. Not a bad start–it helps a lot that Atticus’ personality and charm comes through right away and draws you in.

Then we get a talking dog. Technically a dog (Oberon the Irish Wolfhound) that can communicate telepathically with Atticus, but why get picky? Oberon’s snarky, smart and pop culturally savvy–he runs a close second behind Harry Dresden’s Mouse for coolest pooch in Urban Fantasy. I’d be willing to read a book that’s nothing but Atticus and Oberon hanging out.

Throw in a helpful werewolf pack, a friendly vampire, a troublesome local coven, and a fight with an ancient Celtic deity and you get yourself a dynamic intro to what seems to be one of the best Urban Fantasy series around.