1 to 20 of 68 -
Page:
Review Date: 3/24/2007
Fascinating from the view of the corruption in the Chicago (and New York) local and state governments in the '20s and '30s.
Review Date: 9/10/2010
This is the first Steve Berry book I have read--I liked it and will read more. Its classified as a thriller, and I suppose it is, but it is intelligent and well written. There are multi-level stories, all intertwined, of course. Our action takes place in cities across Europe, the Middle East, and Washington, D.C.
The story line is good, relatively realistic, and involves not only the protagonist, but includes participation by his ex-wife and son in the action, as well as many other parties. What was fun was the treasure hunt following clues across the continents in search of the lost Library of Alexandria. Berry interplays fact with fiction to move the plot along and leaves it to the reader to decide how much we might want to believe. While there is some violence, it is minimized without the usual blow by blow description, which I have come to appreciate, when so many current writers think it necessary to report how much blood has been shed or how many times the hero can be beaten up and still rise phoenix-like to best his enemy. Also rewarding, it was not overridden with foul language or vulgarity (can only think of a couple of instances with mild words and no real obscenities). Perhaps that is my peculiarityusing the language in private but preferring not to have it fill the written page because the writer is not skillful enough to think of better words.
Mr. Berry does add notes at the end discussing the facts and theories on which he based the novel. If you have not read Steve Berry before, you might try this one.
The story line is good, relatively realistic, and involves not only the protagonist, but includes participation by his ex-wife and son in the action, as well as many other parties. What was fun was the treasure hunt following clues across the continents in search of the lost Library of Alexandria. Berry interplays fact with fiction to move the plot along and leaves it to the reader to decide how much we might want to believe. While there is some violence, it is minimized without the usual blow by blow description, which I have come to appreciate, when so many current writers think it necessary to report how much blood has been shed or how many times the hero can be beaten up and still rise phoenix-like to best his enemy. Also rewarding, it was not overridden with foul language or vulgarity (can only think of a couple of instances with mild words and no real obscenities). Perhaps that is my peculiarityusing the language in private but preferring not to have it fill the written page because the writer is not skillful enough to think of better words.
Mr. Berry does add notes at the end discussing the facts and theories on which he based the novel. If you have not read Steve Berry before, you might try this one.
Review Date: 11/6/2007
This is a real thriller, taking place across the US and overseas, though the starting and ending point occur in the labyrinth of Washington D.C. politics and intrigue. Credibility is stretched at times, but the suspense builds continually.
Review Date: 9/20/2019
Raymond Chandler is a legendary writer in the genre of tough, hard drinking, wise-guy detectives. His detective, Philip Marlowe, self describes himself as "I'm a licensed private investigator and have been for quite a while. I'm a lone wolf, unmarried, getting middle-aged, and not rich...I like liquor and women and chess and a few other things..."
This was my first Chandler book, and I picked it up because Chandler is legendary. He began writing in his 40's, a drunk who has a way with words. Most of his books were made into movies.
Marlowe is a cynical tough guy, with an ability at description to cause chuckles. For example, describing a young woman, "She was twenty or so, small and delicately put together, but she look durable."
This is a story of sex, drugs, blackmail and high society as narrated by Marlowe, a cynical tough guy. While it was written and takes place in the 30's, it is alive with dialogue, plot and action. Refreshingly, writers then could bring action to life without constant four-letter words, extreme violence, or graphically descriptive sex scenes. How refreshing that is...actual talent on display versus blatant obscenities spewed out that no longer shock so much as disgust, as the shock value is long gone.
If you have not read Raymond Chandler, as I had not, put it on your bucket list of books to be read.
This was my first Chandler book, and I picked it up because Chandler is legendary. He began writing in his 40's, a drunk who has a way with words. Most of his books were made into movies.
Marlowe is a cynical tough guy, with an ability at description to cause chuckles. For example, describing a young woman, "She was twenty or so, small and delicately put together, but she look durable."
This is a story of sex, drugs, blackmail and high society as narrated by Marlowe, a cynical tough guy. While it was written and takes place in the 30's, it is alive with dialogue, plot and action. Refreshingly, writers then could bring action to life without constant four-letter words, extreme violence, or graphically descriptive sex scenes. How refreshing that is...actual talent on display versus blatant obscenities spewed out that no longer shock so much as disgust, as the shock value is long gone.
If you have not read Raymond Chandler, as I had not, put it on your bucket list of books to be read.
Review Date: 1/26/2009
Helpful Score: 3
Here's a look inside the Witness Protection Program and what happens when those in the program leave it and hide to pursue their own program. Andrew Gross has written several best-sellers with James Patterson, but this is his first solo effort. Some surprise twists are built in as well as a few coincidences that are a tad hard to believe. Over all, though, I found it good entertainment...and I recommende it.
Review Date: 11/10/2007
Helpful Score: 1
Another in the Nina Reilly series set in Lake Tahoe. I found this interesting because it primarily dealt with a trial, which included excellent details as Reilly prepares for a trial that appears to have insurmountable odds of winning. Toward the end, there is a death that turns out to be a case of murder. That provides an interesting denouement and ending. Worth a good, not too demanding, read.
Review Date: 3/26/2011
Helpful Score: 2
This is one of the most enjoyable books I have read in ages. The Bricklayer is an FBI caper that is plotted carefully and well written. It has no foul language that I can recall, and that is a mark of a good writerone who has the vocabulary to tell a tale without a steady stream of obscenities. Further, the dialogue is clever and reminds of books and movies of the 50s where nuance and suggestion take the place of graphic details of sex. Another real plus, the storyline is excellent, probably because the author is ex-FBI and is thus aware of the inner-workings and the bureaucracy of the agency.
The FBI is, as might be expected, stumbling around an extortion plot in which they are being extorted!! A former agent (now a bricklayer) is called back duty to catch the extortionists. He is a maverick, fired because he did his job rather than follow orders. He is a true anti-hero who excels as a superhero, reading the clues, chasing all the leads, and solving the issues to the pleasure of the Director of the FBI and the consternation to the bureaucrats in between the two. The author was an FBI agent for twenty or more years, now dividing his time between working cold cases and writing. I have already put Boyds next book on my wish list.
The FBI is, as might be expected, stumbling around an extortion plot in which they are being extorted!! A former agent (now a bricklayer) is called back duty to catch the extortionists. He is a maverick, fired because he did his job rather than follow orders. He is a true anti-hero who excels as a superhero, reading the clues, chasing all the leads, and solving the issues to the pleasure of the Director of the FBI and the consternation to the bureaucrats in between the two. The author was an FBI agent for twenty or more years, now dividing his time between working cold cases and writing. I have already put Boyds next book on my wish list.
Review Date: 8/18/2006
Another New York Times best seller by Carol Higgins Clark. A good little suspense story. My wife liked it.
Review Date: 8/12/2007
Helpful Score: 1
A great read. AS usual, Baldacci has a good story line, but in addition to that, it puts in perspective the world situation with terrorists, jihad, and a yearning for peace around the world. On top of all that, the president is kidnapped!
Review Date: 1/24/2011
The Card Turner--a novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker. This book is about a teen-aged lad who is drafted by his blind, rich uncle to accompany him to bridge tournaments to turn the cards for the uncle. In the process, he learns the game and grows up considerably. Aside from the tale about the game of bridge, it is also the tale of a somewhat wacky and slightly dysfunctinal family, so I found laugh out loud situations.
I went looking for this book because of a review I had read praising it. I was very surprised to find it in the young adult section at the store. Don't let that put you off--rather let it increase your enjoyment, thinking that younger readers might actually be enjoying this book as well as we, the more "mature," readers.
If you play bridge, you should enjoy the book. If you don't you have opportunity to learn a bit about this game of skill that stimulates the brain whenever it is played. And if you just enjoy reading about amusing family situations, you should also find it a relaxing and fun read.
I went looking for this book because of a review I had read praising it. I was very surprised to find it in the young adult section at the store. Don't let that put you off--rather let it increase your enjoyment, thinking that younger readers might actually be enjoying this book as well as we, the more "mature," readers.
If you play bridge, you should enjoy the book. If you don't you have opportunity to learn a bit about this game of skill that stimulates the brain whenever it is played. And if you just enjoy reading about amusing family situations, you should also find it a relaxing and fun read.
Review Date: 10/9/2007
Helpful Score: 1
A good story that had me guessing and fooled me at the end. In telling the tale, the authors wrote a great deal about math functions and prime numbers--and it always amazes me that they can research and speak so authoratively about the subject. But the real question is, who done it? And it was not whom you might suspect. Setting is Lake Tahoe mostly, with a quick trip to Germany. This was a good read about a gutsy female attorney who does not give up.
Review Date: 5/13/2016
If you have not yet read anything by Pete Mayle, you need to. Although best known for his book "A Year in Provence," he has also read several pure-fiction little pleasures. My wife and I have devoured all, including the four caper series books and three stand-alones, including "Chasing Cézanne". If you are seeking a well-crafted, easy to read, and entertaining light reading romp, read Peter Mayle. Spoiler alert: Mayle is devoid of obscenities and steamy sex scenes, so if that is what you are seeking, seek elsewhere. For a good plot, intelligent writing, read Mayle. After that paean, "Chasing Cézanne" is a bit more of a thriller than Mayle's other books. A professional photographer passes by a mansion on the Riviera which he has photo'd for a house beautiful magazine and notices a Cézanne being carried out and loaded into a plumber's van. He captures the moment with his camera and sets off to find out why. The result is a bi-continental tale between New York, Paris, and Provence. Midst all the action, the characters take time enjoy sumptuous meals of French cuisine and fine wines. Trust me..you cannot go wrong with Maye.
Cheating at Solitaire: A Gregor Demarkian Novel (Gregor Demarkian Novels)
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
4
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
4
Review Date: 3/18/2011
Cheating at Solitaire.interesting name for a book which has nothing to do with solitaire or card playing at all. Here is a mystery taking place at a fashionable retreat for the wealthy on Cape Cod. In the midst of a horrendous noreaster (snowstorm), a murder takes place.
The mainstay of the town are the wealthy, who summer there, leaving town when winter arrives. Not so this year, however, because a movie is being filmed there, and it is among the film people that the crime occurs. Because high profile celebrities are involved, crime-solver extraordinaire Gregor Demarkian is called in from Philadelphia to figure out who dunnit. Now it does not make a lot of sense as to why someone from Philadelphia is called to Massachusetts to solve a crime, but off he goes.
Demarkian is an ex-FBI agent who now is a consultant of some sort. He is very much an Americanized version of Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple combinedwise, witty, and astute, as well as laid back. What I found very interesting was the ongoing commentary about the vapidity, the vacous, illiterate, non-talented personalities starring in the movie. There is good insight into society today and our insatiable thirst for scraps of information about the stars who are raised to near idol status by the media. Here we see all the weaknesses of these young people, unaccustomed to sudden wealth as well as the sage wisdom of a seasoned and professional actor.
If you want to find out more, you will want to read the book. And if you figure out what the title has to do with the story, please let me know.
The mainstay of the town are the wealthy, who summer there, leaving town when winter arrives. Not so this year, however, because a movie is being filmed there, and it is among the film people that the crime occurs. Because high profile celebrities are involved, crime-solver extraordinaire Gregor Demarkian is called in from Philadelphia to figure out who dunnit. Now it does not make a lot of sense as to why someone from Philadelphia is called to Massachusetts to solve a crime, but off he goes.
Demarkian is an ex-FBI agent who now is a consultant of some sort. He is very much an Americanized version of Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple combinedwise, witty, and astute, as well as laid back. What I found very interesting was the ongoing commentary about the vapidity, the vacous, illiterate, non-talented personalities starring in the movie. There is good insight into society today and our insatiable thirst for scraps of information about the stars who are raised to near idol status by the media. Here we see all the weaknesses of these young people, unaccustomed to sudden wealth as well as the sage wisdom of a seasoned and professional actor.
If you want to find out more, you will want to read the book. And if you figure out what the title has to do with the story, please let me know.
Review Date: 3/18/2011
The Chicago Way is a first novel by Michael Harvey, who is a co-creator of Cold Case Files. Here we have detective Michael Kelly delving into a cold case that uncovers long hidden crimes. Although a rough and tumble warrior, Kelly is also a devotee of classical Greek literaturepretty unusual for a hard-nosed crime fighter. Somehow this all flows smoothly together.
This book was given to me, and for some reason, I put it on the back burner, thinking it would not be all that much fun to read. I was wrong and regret the delay. The story line flows smoothly and the tale intrigues. Those readers who are Chicago natives should recognize various landmarks throughout the book, as Harvey has tried to stay true to the city he obviously adores, but at the same time you should also recognize where/when he diverges from the actual fabric of what makes the city hum.
All in all, I enjoyed the read and will order the two subsequent books Harvey has written since this was published. I recommend it as a nice, relaxing tale. The ending offers surprises that seem plausible and perhaps could be anticipated if you recognize the clues that are dropped along the way.
This book was given to me, and for some reason, I put it on the back burner, thinking it would not be all that much fun to read. I was wrong and regret the delay. The story line flows smoothly and the tale intrigues. Those readers who are Chicago natives should recognize various landmarks throughout the book, as Harvey has tried to stay true to the city he obviously adores, but at the same time you should also recognize where/when he diverges from the actual fabric of what makes the city hum.
All in all, I enjoyed the read and will order the two subsequent books Harvey has written since this was published. I recommend it as a nice, relaxing tale. The ending offers surprises that seem plausible and perhaps could be anticipated if you recognize the clues that are dropped along the way.
Review Date: 3/22/2007
Ken Follett is a master story teller. Good suspense, well told. Also a good look inside NASA as they prepare for a rocket launch.
Review Date: 8/18/2010
This might well be a novel of a decaying old Southern family, except it takes place in
Dublin. Since Ireland is on my bucket list, I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the city, the climate, the upper-class family as well as the lower. Did not find out much about those in the middle. The tale of the decaying family is fast-moving and not so much from an edge-of-your-seat suspense as it is for how the characters emerge and the plot unfolds. We have the typical hard-boiled, hard drinking detective on the surface who, at the same time, shows a somewhat tender side. While murders do take place, it does not contain the vivid (and gross) violent scenes that populate so many books nowadays. Aside from one frequently used four-letter word that I thought only sailors knew, the author otherwise uses a fairly intelligent vocabulary.
This is the second novel by this author, who is a published playwright and experienced theater person. Hopefuly we will see more.
Dublin. Since Ireland is on my bucket list, I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the city, the climate, the upper-class family as well as the lower. Did not find out much about those in the middle. The tale of the decaying family is fast-moving and not so much from an edge-of-your-seat suspense as it is for how the characters emerge and the plot unfolds. We have the typical hard-boiled, hard drinking detective on the surface who, at the same time, shows a somewhat tender side. While murders do take place, it does not contain the vivid (and gross) violent scenes that populate so many books nowadays. Aside from one frequently used four-letter word that I thought only sailors knew, the author otherwise uses a fairly intelligent vocabulary.
This is the second novel by this author, who is a published playwright and experienced theater person. Hopefuly we will see more.
Review Date: 10/2/2010
This is a psychological thriller, and a curious one at that, but I recommend it. A young cop is the hero, the mover, the enforcer. Yet she is cold, unemotional, ruthless at times, and always in control. While she is not an anti-heroine, nei-ther is she particularly sympathetic because she is never in peril.
By contrast, there are two victims (not in the fatal sense) who are warm, living humans with faults, whom you root for. The first is another cop who was traumatized after being shot four times prior to the start of this book. The en-tire plot focuses on our cop heroine strategizing to shock him into recovering his former sense of self while identifying a serial killer. The second victim is a psychiatrist who seems capable of always saying the right words, taking the correct actions, to move the story line along. Both of these two are the ones you want to see win.
While it becomes fairly obvious who the perpetrator is well before the book ends, the suspense arises from how the tale plays out and how it will end. And there is the surprise, bittersweet, you will discover should you decide to read.
What I found especially intriguing is that the author was able to portray all the mind games that the layman usually associates with psychiatry and its practi-tioners. If her portrayal is accurate, she has done an excellent job.
This is the sixth or seventh in the series involving this cop, but the first I have read. I suspect some of the cast of characters repeat in the other books. I in-tend to read more of this author.
By contrast, there are two victims (not in the fatal sense) who are warm, living humans with faults, whom you root for. The first is another cop who was traumatized after being shot four times prior to the start of this book. The en-tire plot focuses on our cop heroine strategizing to shock him into recovering his former sense of self while identifying a serial killer. The second victim is a psychiatrist who seems capable of always saying the right words, taking the correct actions, to move the story line along. Both of these two are the ones you want to see win.
While it becomes fairly obvious who the perpetrator is well before the book ends, the suspense arises from how the tale plays out and how it will end. And there is the surprise, bittersweet, you will discover should you decide to read.
What I found especially intriguing is that the author was able to portray all the mind games that the layman usually associates with psychiatry and its practi-tioners. If her portrayal is accurate, she has done an excellent job.
This is the sixth or seventh in the series involving this cop, but the first I have read. I suspect some of the cast of characters repeat in the other books. I in-tend to read more of this author.
Review Date: 12/11/2020
I have not contributed many reviews, but I write this to warn readers away from this one. There are times when I do not finish a book, usually because I just did not get into the plot or storyline. This book, however, I quit because it is so poorly written. The author has no style, no color, just a breathless young woman rushing around with an "oh dear me" persona. It is the only book I have ever rated one star.
I originally read about 37 pages and put it aside. Today, I took it with me to read as I waited for auto repair. I got all the way to page 76 and put it aside to sit and ruminate.
I am never quite sure why any writer chooses to write from the eyes of the opposite sex, though some do it well. (e.g. Baldacci as Atlee Pine). In this book, I just cannot imagine any supposedly mature young woman in late 20s would be so unaccomplished. James Dean writes as Miranda James, but his protagonist is a man. So go figure. I would relish reading a different viewpoint from mine.
I originally read about 37 pages and put it aside. Today, I took it with me to read as I waited for auto repair. I got all the way to page 76 and put it aside to sit and ruminate.
I am never quite sure why any writer chooses to write from the eyes of the opposite sex, though some do it well. (e.g. Baldacci as Atlee Pine). In this book, I just cannot imagine any supposedly mature young woman in late 20s would be so unaccomplished. James Dean writes as Miranda James, but his protagonist is a man. So go figure. I would relish reading a different viewpoint from mine.
Review Date: 4/14/2008
First time to read this author. Part of a Bonnie Indermill series. Fun read, nothing heavy. Was fairly to see where the author was going in solving the death of the difficult woman, but not what the outcome (who dunnit) would be.
Review Date: 8/11/2006
My wife liked this one.
1 to 20 of 68 -
Page:
