A fitting end to a master novelist's career, Agent displays JlC's ear for dialog, eye for setting and lefty politics (which, contrary to other revieweA fitting end to a master novelist's career, Agent displays JlC's ear for dialog, eye for setting and lefty politics (which, contrary to other reviewers' opinions, do not get in the way of the story as they comprise <1% of the writing). The "nothing happens" plot is familiar to Smiley fans: plenty of paddling just beneath the surface for the reader to interpret. I was pleasantly surprised and put it the upper third of his spy novels....more
All the pieces present for a blockbuster, but assembly was faulty.
Machine Sickness is written with intelligence and imagination. There's a very cleverAll the pieces present for a blockbuster, but assembly was faulty.
Machine Sickness is written with intelligence and imagination. There's a very clever premise behind it all, namely the escape (or perversion) of a microbe that, instead of eating only oil spills, devours all petrochemicals . . . which pretty much destroys modern civilization. There's enough scientific knowledge on display to satisfy the Sci-Fi fans, a strong female lead and an array of bad people, dystopian landscapes and action sequences to provide all the ingredients of a winning combination.
I'm not certain what happened to spoil the mix for me, but the last half of the book really dragged. That's a sure sign that all is not well, as the first half is where the new characters and subplots can slow things down only to have the back end run along at a reckless pace. The good guys end up gathered at a hippie commune and there they stay more or less without any action until almost the very end. Then the heroine is overruled by the hostess who allows the chief bad guy access to the sanctuary and we have the scene set for the final showdown. I found it a tough book to rate.
I was given a free copy by the author via Voracious Readers Only in return for an honest review....more
The Neander Conspiracy shows a lot of promise: solid research, well-written and an intriguing premise. Mr. Baddesta shows considerable promise in his The Neander Conspiracy shows a lot of promise: solid research, well-written and an intriguing premise. Mr. Baddesta shows considerable promise in his first novel. However, the author mixes at least three different objectives, and "audience enjoyment" doesn't rate as highly as it might. The author knows much about paleoanthropology and the ethics of hominid cloning, and also has thoughts about race and social justice. As a result, the story is underdeveloped at the expense of these other (worthwhile) topics.
My perspective going in was that of a reader with a passing familiarity with mankind's origins who was looking for a Sci-Fi adventure with a Neanderthal twist. I was reminded of something Steven S said when asked about Jurassic Park II. He said that he'd received a fan letter from a kid who'd said about the original Jurassic Park, "Can't they get to the island faster?" The Neander Conspiracy never quite gets to the island, leaving the reader with a storyline deficit and a more informed understanding of Neanderthal evolution and an inquiry into the morality of holding cloned members of our genus in captivity. There are also a handful of soapbox moments that I could have done without, political agendas being something that don't mix well with conspiracy novels.
After all that complaining, let me also say that I learned a lot about topics I'm interested in. The story was good enough to pursue to the end (I finish about 1/3 of the books I start these days: the dreck-to-quality ratio is high). Overall, it's worth reading if you are interested in the core subjects. I also plan on picking up the sequel....more
As a conspiracy fiction novelist with an Asia focus, I am on the lookout for inspiration in the form of new authors, new tales and exotic locales. I dAs a conspiracy fiction novelist with an Asia focus, I am on the lookout for inspiration in the form of new authors, new tales and exotic locales. I discard three-quarters of what I try at the 10%-20% mark. This time it was different as I devoured Spy Games by new-to-me Adam Brookes.
Brookes' settings are dead-on based on how he writes about Hong Kong and Chiang Mai/ upcountry Thailand. (I'll take him at his word on Ethiopia as I've not yet visited Addis.) Protagonist journo-spy Philip Mangan could be flesh-and-blood, more prone to shaking with concern than dispatching bad guys with MMA moves. The MI6 ensemble, led by an unlikely Mandarin-fluent female ex-soldier, is better drawn than the stock characters we recognize from prior books. The China-focused plot stretches credulity (I have to be careful as my own books sometimes feature speculative story lines), but you're still left feeling that something like this could have happened/might happen. The pace is brisk and there are multiple intriguing threads running in parallel for a long time, something that few authors dare to do these days as it forces readers to pay attention.
The end was tidied up a little too swiftly and too neatly, which dipped the rating from 5-stars to 4 1/2. However, as soon as I finished Spy Games, I downloaded Night Heron, something I don't do often: Brookes is one of the best authors in this space I've read in many moons....more
An old friend in London recommended Mick Herron's books for a mix of realism, humor and story telling. I read a few reviews online that said Slow HorsAn old friend in London recommended Mick Herron's books for a mix of realism, humor and story telling. I read a few reviews online that said Slow Horses gets off to a slow start and ends with page-turning tension and action. They were correct on both counts, and had the majority of readers (and my friend: WOM is still the best recommendation of all) not said to hang on, I might have quit. That would have been a mistake as Herron's story reads as an exaggerated version of "not only could this have happened, it probably did/will happen."
In this era of free books, 99 cent books and twenty-new-books-a-month released by authors-you-follow, the highest praise isn't just the 5-stars, it's the $10 I just laid down to buy the follow-up Dead Lions: I wanted to know more about obnoxious, capable and lethal Jackson Lamb and his band of misfits....more
This was my first (and, I suspect, last) encounter with Brad Taylor and super warrior Pike Logan. I thought the book would be better as it’s the gatewThis was my first (and, I suspect, last) encounter with Brad Taylor and super warrior Pike Logan. I thought the book would be better as it’s the gateway into the highly successful thriller series, plus Taylor is a former lieutenant colonel in Delta Force, so he knows his craft. The problem isn’t in the military minutiae, it’s in the plot and the characters.
One Rough Man starts out the tired trope of tension-at-home/one-last-mission-before-the-new-leaf. It goes badly wrong and Pike Logan is a shell of his old self. Arab terrorists in Central America, a Scarface-like drug trafficker, a nutty archeologist and his young, innocent niece . . . and an unqualified former boss in the capital all add up to a grand case of “We’ve seen this all before—just not crushed together in one lump of a book.” ...more
Barry Eisler write’s exceptionally well, and his John Rain books justifiably elevate him to the top rank of current thriller authors. The Killer ColleBarry Eisler write’s exceptionally well, and his John Rain books justifiably elevate him to the top rank of current thriller authors. The Killer Collective departs from the loner, quiet assassin in a just cause John Rain novels and instead ropes in former co-stars (many of them inimical to one another in prior stories), plus new series heroine Livia Lone. Unlike the Marvel Comics movies, the book bogs down in sharing back stories (justifying to the hard core Eisler fans how Mr. X could now be teamed up with adversary Mr. Y), giving each of the stars a turn in the spotlight, and, oh yeah, track down the bad guy. I tried hard, but just couldn’t get to the finish line....more
I read Spy Story after An Expensive Place to Die and much prefer this labyrinthine intrigue with a typical jaded Harry Palmer proving he's smarter thaI read Spy Story after An Expensive Place to Die and much prefer this labyrinthine intrigue with a typical jaded Harry Palmer proving he's smarter than the average retired intel officer . . . until he's unretired and needs to display some martial prowess, his wargaming expertise, his trans-Atlantic diplomatic skills and figure out what in the hell is going on in this le Carré-like thriller. I thought I had it all worked out until the last pages. It's such a good story, I suspect there's a kernel or two of truth to it....more
I bought A Legacy of Spies when it came out, but like an old girlfriend's phone number I was reluctant to re-engage for fear of disappointment. The miI bought A Legacy of Spies when it came out, but like an old girlfriend's phone number I was reluctant to re-engage for fear of disappointment. The mixed online reviews reinforced my unease, but a dearth of decent espionage novels on the Kindle led me to press the download button. Fans of the Karla trilogy and precursors rejoice: Le Carré retains his touch. True, there's not nearly enough Smiley in the flesh. But after Alec Guinness and the 1970s thrillers, the myth supersedes anything new an author could write. (Thought problem: what would you write if give an assignment to feature George Smiley in a short story, much less a novel?) It was a clever approach to use another's voice to tell tales of Smiley, Control, Guillam . . . and Alec Lemas and many others. The old master hasn't lost his touch for plot, either.
On literary merit, A Legacy of Spies warrants perhaps a 4.5-star rating with slight marks lost for laborious exposition, a mixture of Guillam's internal musings, historical documents nd snippets of current actions and dialogue. But when it's all said and done, who today writes in le Carré's league? Quite right....more
This was the first Konrath book I've read and I was impressed. Whiskey Sour is an almost blemish free commercial thriller: a sympathetic female protagThis was the first Konrath book I've read and I was impressed. Whiskey Sour is an almost blemish free commercial thriller: a sympathetic female protagonist, well-defined and someone women readers can readily identify with, a diabolical serial killer who turns his attentions the police detective on his trail, and a brisk pace, modest length and satisfying end. These books are harder to write than they are to read. A tip of the cap to Mr. Konrath....more
I’ve yet to read a bad Harry Bosch police procedural and Two Kinds of Truth is better than the high standard already in place. Connelly’s research of I’ve yet to read a bad Harry Bosch police procedural and Two Kinds of Truth is better than the high standard already in place. Connelly’s research of the pill mill industry comes through in his depiction of everything from dishonest doctors writing massive numbers of prescriptions for oxy or similar while homeless addicts are herded like sheep from quack pharmacy to pharmacy, turning their pills over at the end of the day in return for a couple to keep their buzzes going. The second plot thread is more conventional, that being an attempt by someone to frame Bosch for evidence tampering and perjury. Not only is his reputation at stake, but also a loss on this case could lead to the unjustified release of the many felons justifiably imprisoned on the basis of Bosch’s testimony. Combine these stories and throw in a loving father-loving daughter thread and you have another best seller. ...more
In 2005 when Winslow published The Power of the Dog, he unwittingly inspired a new industry in television (Narcos Mexico), journalism (Sean Penn’s infIn 2005 when Winslow published The Power of the Dog, he unwittingly inspired a new industry in television (Narcos Mexico), journalism (Sean Penn’s infamous El Chapo escapade for Rolling Stone) and movies (Sicario I, II). The DEA’s Art Keller is a composite character whose illegal wiretap leads to the kidnapping, torture and death of his junior colleague (a fictitious version of Kiki Camerena) in 1985’s Guadalajara. More generally, the book traces the rise of the Sinaloa Cartel over thirty years, and the unsavory roles played by Mexico’s and the United States’ governments. The Power of the Dog runs six-hundred-pages and is jammed full of interesting characters and plotlines that will lead the curious to research the real-life analogs. ...more
Ward Larsen’s hard man Jammer Davis is a former Air Force pilot who is now a civilian air crash investigator. When the plane carrying his only child, Ward Larsen’s hard man Jammer Davis is a former Air Force pilot who is now a civilian air crash investigator. When the plane carrying his only child, a college-aged daughter, disappears in Colombia, Jammer is on the case. Passenger 19 stretches my definition of “real-life thriller” as Jammer’s more of mythic character than an ordinary person thrust into extraordinary circumstances. I did, however, appreciate the author’s characters and setting, and the action sequences aren’t too over-the-top. More of a beach read . . . or one for the plane....more
Squall starts out at a breathless pace, with dialog driving the action and colorful characters painted with same words Elmore Leonard fans know and loSquall starts out at a breathless pace, with dialog driving the action and colorful characters painted with same words Elmore Leonard fans know and love. The middle of the book sees the action level off and then build to a crescendo over the last pages with the hero's wife going into labor. The Arch Villain faces a choice: help deliver the baby of someone he's going to kill, or watch mother and newborn perish during childbirth?
This was my first exposure to Mr. Costello's writing, and I've already picked up two more of his novels....more