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Journalist Joe Donovan's life and marriage began to corrode the day his son went missing in the department store. He's spending his days in a sad puddle of despair and alcohol when his former colleague Maria comes knocking on his door for help finding a missing journalist. Finding the journalist turns out to be the least of their problems.
Martyn Waites first book in the Joe Donovan series is darkly fantastic. He's created a cast of characters that are realistic, gripping and mult-dimensional. His child-prostituting villain is fittingly repulsive, but what is truly fascinating is the mob mentality that Waites also illustrates in this novel.
Joe Donovan is the obvious protagonist, but his young friend Jamal steals the show. Jamal's awkward mix of immaturity and maturity beyond his years, forced on him by his circumstances, create a fascinating specimen in this pint-sized hero. And his wit offers brief points of levity to an otherwise bleak tone.
Along the way, Donovan also befriends a pair of private eyes, Peta and Amar. Through the characters of THE MERCY SEAT, Waites has created a bit of a microcosm: each character distinctly singular with his/her own struggles and misfortunes, experiences and exploits. It is these characters that drive the plot and set the tone of the novel. While that tone is unarguably mournful and drab, the reader can't help but cling to the hope that justice will prevail.
I approach each new Robert Crais book with trepidation. My biggest fear is the book that loses momentum in the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series. THE SENTRY is not that book. The plot is explosive out of the gate; it kept me engaged for the entire 300 pages. Half of me wanted to turn the pages quickly; the plot demanded it of me. And the other half of me wanted to savor each page as Joe Pike's layers continued to be peeled away and his relationship to Elvis Cole took on new depth and meaning.
Raymond Chandler is quoted as saying, "When a book, any sort of book, reaches a certain intensity of artistic performance it becomes literature. That intensity may be a matter of style, situation, character, emotional tone, or idea, or half a dozen other things. It may also be a perfection of control over the movement of a story similar to the control a great pitcher has over the ball.” THE SENTRY is evidence that Crais has surpassed that level of intensity
The plot of THE BODY AND THE BLOOD is probably among Lister's strongest. He doles out clues and the reader will recognize that they are clues but he's equally as generous with his red herrings. And the clues often lead the reader in a direction other than the solution. Reading this book is akin to looking at an Escher piece. It works, but how?
The BODY AND THE BLOOD is another great effort in the John Jordan Mystery series from Micheal Lister. This is a series I look forward to and Lister continues to deliver.
If you can read this book without laughing until your sides hurt, I do believe you were born without a funny bone. Schreck is an absolute genius: he reels the reader in with irresistible humor and endearing characters then slips in a plot comprised of multiple social issues the reader can't help but latch on to. If mixed together incorrectly, this combination has the potential to be a lethal concoction, but Schreck's recipe stirs in just the right amount of each ingredient for a delicious read.
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Atlantic City is a new setting for the Ceepak/Boyle duo. Grabenstein makes use of this new setting working in a number of pop culture references to Monopoly. Combine the references with Danny's sarcasm in the narration, and you have the recipe for Grabenstein's signature humor, which contributes to the inertia that drives these books up, down and around on the thrill rides. I was dizzy from all the spinning and smoke and mirrors and illusions Grabenstein created that challenged my brain in this plot.
The symbiotic relationship between Danny and Ceepak is what makes the series work so well. In every book they have progressively learned from each other, but in none as blatantly and effectively as in Mind Scrambler. It is a genius use of characterization to view Ceepak through Danny’s eyes; Ceepak is, after all, his hero. So when Ceepak stumbles, the effect of seeing that mis-step through Danny makes it exponentially more powerful.
When a crime fiction novel makes me laugh, tugs at my heart strings, moves me to cheer for the hero(s) and challenges me to think, I know I've found a top-notch work of art! Mind Scrambler is all those things and so much more.
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forbyone has commented on (8) products.
forbyone, February 9, 2011
Journalist Joe Donovan's life and marriage began to corrode the day his son went missing in the department store. He's spending his days in a sad puddle of despair and alcohol when his former colleague Maria comes knocking on his door for help finding a missing journalist. Finding the journalist turns out to be the least of their problems.Martyn Waites first book in the Joe Donovan series is darkly fantastic. He's created a cast of characters that are realistic, gripping and mult-dimensional. His child-prostituting villain is fittingly repulsive, but what is truly fascinating is the mob mentality that Waites also illustrates in this novel.
Joe Donovan is the obvious protagonist, but his young friend Jamal steals the show. Jamal's awkward mix of immaturity and maturity beyond his years, forced on him by his circumstances, create a fascinating specimen in this pint-sized hero. And his wit offers brief points of levity to an otherwise bleak tone.
Along the way, Donovan also befriends a pair of private eyes, Peta and Amar. Through the characters of THE MERCY SEAT, Waites has created a bit of a microcosm: each character distinctly singular with his/her own struggles and misfortunes, experiences and exploits. It is these characters that drive the plot and set the tone of the novel. While that tone is unarguably mournful and drab, the reader can't help but cling to the hope that justice will prevail.
The Sentry (Joe Pike Novels) by Robert Crais
forbyone, November 27, 2010
I approach each new Robert Crais book with trepidation. My biggest fear is the book that loses momentum in the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series. THE SENTRY is not that book. The plot is explosive out of the gate; it kept me engaged for the entire 300 pages. Half of me wanted to turn the pages quickly; the plot demanded it of me. And the other half of me wanted to savor each page as Joe Pike's layers continued to be peeled away and his relationship to Elvis Cole took on new depth and meaning.Raymond Chandler is quoted as saying, "When a book, any sort of book, reaches a certain intensity of artistic performance it becomes literature. That intensity may be a matter of style, situation, character, emotional tone, or idea, or half a dozen other things. It may also be a perfection of control over the movement of a story similar to the control a great pitcher has over the ball.” THE SENTRY is evidence that Crais has surpassed that level of intensity
The Body and the Blood (John Jordan Mystery) by Michael Lister
forbyone, September 28, 2010
The plot of THE BODY AND THE BLOOD is probably among Lister's strongest. He doles out clues and the reader will recognize that they are clues but he's equally as generous with his red herrings. And the clues often lead the reader in a direction other than the solution. Reading this book is akin to looking at an Escher piece. It works, but how?The BODY AND THE BLOOD is another great effort in the John Jordan Mystery series from Micheal Lister. This is a series I look forward to and Lister continues to deliver.
Out Cold (Duffy Dombrowski Mysteries) by Tom Schreck
forbyone, October 26, 2009
If you can read this book without laughing until your sides hurt, I do believe you were born without a funny bone. Schreck is an absolute genius: he reels the reader in with irresistible humor and endearing characters then slips in a plot comprised of multiple social issues the reader can't help but latch on to. If mixed together incorrectly, this combination has the potential to be a lethal concoction, but Schreck's recipe stirs in just the right amount of each ingredient for a delicious read.(0 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
Mind Scrambler: A John Ceepak Mystery by Chris Grabenstein
forbyone, June 26, 2009
Atlantic City is a new setting for the Ceepak/Boyle duo. Grabenstein makes use of this new setting working in a number of pop culture references to Monopoly. Combine the references with Danny's sarcasm in the narration, and you have the recipe for Grabenstein's signature humor, which contributes to the inertia that drives these books up, down and around on the thrill rides. I was dizzy from all the spinning and smoke and mirrors and illusions Grabenstein created that challenged my brain in this plot.The symbiotic relationship between Danny and Ceepak is what makes the series work so well. In every book they have progressively learned from each other, but in none as blatantly and effectively as in Mind Scrambler. It is a genius use of characterization to view Ceepak through Danny’s eyes; Ceepak is, after all, his hero. So when Ceepak stumbles, the effect of seeing that mis-step through Danny makes it exponentially more powerful.
When a crime fiction novel makes me laugh, tugs at my heart strings, moves me to cheer for the hero(s) and challenges me to think, I know I've found a top-notch work of art! Mind Scrambler is all those things and so much more.
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
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