book

No Mercy by Joanna Schaffhausen – Book Review

by
No Mercy by Joanna Schaffhausen – Book Cover

Ellery Hathaway, a police officer, shot a ruthless criminal under controversial circumstances, which got her put on mandatory leave. Now, the protagonist of No Mercy is being required by her psychiatrist to join a group therapy program designed for victims of violent crimes. Ellery, who survived being abducted by a serial killer in her youth, still can’t seem to escape her past.

But once a cop, always a cop. Group therapy is an ideal place to stumble upon numerous unsolved or puzzling cases. A particularly brutal rapist? Smoldering tensions in an old arson case? Ellery dives into the investigation, sparing no one – least of all herself.

A Distinctive Detective

Joanna Schaffhausen begins No Mercy in a way that’s almost misleading. Recently, there’s been a trend of books featuring slightly sociopathic anti-heroines, who takes down her own family or colleagues in a lighthearted way, or gets mistaken for a dangerous assassin. Well, the opening line of No Mercy seems to channel this same genre.

But it only takes a few pages to realize you’re mistaken. Schaffhausen quickly builds a heavy atmosphere, and before you know it, you’re drawn in by Ellery Hathaway, a character who carries both physical and emotional scars – and your sympathy along with them.

Read more

The Thousand Eyes by A.K. Larkwood – Book Review

by
The Thousand Eyes by A.K. Larkwood – Book Cover

A.K. Larkwood’s The Thousand Eyes has one big flaw: it marks the end of the story. With this second book, Larkwood wraps up the Serpent Gates series. Other authors might fall to their knees, thanking the heavens for such a unique and brilliant concept, stretching the series across at least five books, knowing this could be the magnum opus of their career. After all, who can guarantee they’ll come up with anything even close to this good again?

The Thousand Eyes Hisses Ominously

Orc girls in love, crazed death-worshipping cults, divine incarnations roaming the earth, and countless worlds you can literally sail between through the Serpent Gates. The setup is monumental. But where Larkwood really shines is in her depiction of gods. In The Unspoken Name, her debut novel, she introduced three deities, any one of which would elevate any fantasy novel.

A goddess of serpents, shattered into a thousand pieces scattered throughout the universe; a terrifying dragon, banished to the cold of space, burning with eternal murderous rage; or an all-knowing entity that kurking in the mysterious depths of a mountain, forever hungry for human sacrifice. These gods create a fantastic foundation for Larkwood’s series.

Read more

Wool (Silo #1) by Hugh Howey – Book Review

by
Wool (Silo #1) by Hugh Howey - Book Cover

If you’re the homebody type who likes keeping fit by taking the stairs but isn’t particularly keen on having kids, then the Silo is just the place for you. Everyone else, though? Well, they all got totally screwed! In Hugh Howey’s sci-fi novel Wool, humanity has moved underground. Well, the few remaining souls, anyway. The Silo, drilled 144 floors deep into the earth, is the perfect setting for a claustrophobic sci-fi thriller.

Better Stay Inside the Silo

Human nature is predictable: lock someone up, and they’ll want to get out. At all costs. And as soon as you start reading Hugh Howey’s book Wool, you figure that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Surely, the whole story can’t possibly take place in this confined setting. They’ll find a way out.

But Hugh Howey has other plans. He says, “Yep, it all happens right here!” And you can forget hoping otherwise—Howey slams you right back down into the Silo.

That’s when you realize two things:

  1. There’s a reason this series is called Silo.
  2. Wool makes for a perfect adventure novel.

Read more

You Will Never Be Found by Tove Alsterdal – Book Review

by
You Will Never Be Found by Tove Alsterdal – Book Cover

There are two main types of Scandinavian crime novels. First, there are the ones that try to bring joy to the reader through a protagonist who carries the weight of the world on their shoulders, endlessly depressed (see: Reykjavík Nights). Then, there are those that stand out with some extra twist, like the Harry Hole novels, where the added flavor comes from the brilliance (and alcoholism) of a detective specialized in serial killers (see: Killing Moon). Tove Alsterdal takes a different path. Her book You Will Never Be Found focuses primarily on authenticity.

Eira Sjödin Returns to Investigate

Alsterdal’s series debut, We Know You Remember, won the prestigious Glass Key Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel. So, it’s no surprise that the Swedish author’s protagonist, patrol officer Eira Sjödin, is once again given the chance to prove her skills with a new case.

What starts off as the disappearance of an unemployed actor soon reveals itself to be much more serious. Eira, who has been involved in the investigation from the very start, gets the opportunity to participate in the homicide investigation as well.

Read more

The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith – Book Review

by
The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith - Book Cover

Joanne K. Rowling, writing under the pen name Robert Galbraith for the Cormoran Strike novels, has recently found herself in the spotlight over several hot-button issues. She’s no stranger to the internet’s relentless storm of public backlash, so it’s not entirely surprising that the fifth installment, The Ink Black Heart, dives into this territory. Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott find themselves investigating an online harassment case that soon takes a deadly turn, immersing them in the darkest corners of the internet.

Incidentally, Rowling may have also set her sights on breaking the Guinness World Record for the thickest crime novel of all time…

The Ink Black Heart Makes Its Way to Netflix

The title, The Ink Black Heart, seems fitting for an exceptionally twisted villain. But instead, it refers to a surreal, bizarre, yet somehow endearing animated series that quickly achieves cult status. One of its creators, Edie Ledwell, becomes the target of an internet troll. But Anomie, as it turns out, is no ordinary troll; they’re the creator of an online game based on a character from this cult YouTube series, and a master manipulator with a massive fanbase. Strike and Robin are certainly in for a challenging case…

Read more

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie – Book Review

by
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie – Book Cover

The last time I read an Agatha Christie book was around 35-40 years ago. I’d worked my way through most of her collection, thanks to my Aunt Maggie, who spent decades amassing mystery novels, so naturally, the works of the Queen of Crime were included. Then, suddenly, I had enough. I got tired of the Belgian with the big mustache, just as I did with the nosy Mrs. Marple. But a book review blog offers a good opportunity to give this classic British author another chance. And, of course, it’s wise to start with one of her most famous works. Like Murder on the Orient Express.

The Mystery of the Sealed Express Train

The Orient Express, spanning the width of continental Europe from Istanbul to Paris, seems like the perfect setting for a murder. You board, do what you must— preferably at night, when everyone’s peacefully snoozing in their sleeping compartments – then get off at the next stop and sayonara, leaving the rest to those left on the train.

Of course, accidents can always happen. Like a snowstorm that leaves you stuck on the train in the middle of nowhere in Yugoslavia. And then, even worse, the famous Belgian private detective, Hercule Poirot, is also on board and is immediately asked to investigate. But let’s be real, even if they hadn’t asked, I’d bet my rusty pocketknife he’d look into it anyway.

Read more

Warleggan (Poldark #4) by Winston Graham – Book Review

by
Warleggan (Poldark #4) by Winston Graham - Book Cover

If you think Cornwall was one of the UK’s most vibrant, culturally advanced, and innovative regions at the end of the 18th century, well, you’re wrong. Very wrong. It took exceptional courage for an author to set his epic family saga in this era. Winston Graham had that courage. And persistence. Warleggan is now the fourth part of the Poldark family saga.

Back to the Copper Mines

What can one do in Cornwall at the end of the 18th century? Besides fishing and smuggling, of course. Well, mining. The area is full of copper. The fact that copper prices have been in the gutter for about a decade doesn’t seem to bother anyone.

It’s almost comical, this stubbornness that defies all logic, with which Poldark teeters on the edge of bankruptcy and collapse, only to be granted yet another short-lived reprieve thanks to unexpected twists, allowing him to keep struggling against fate.

But there’s no need to worry. You know full well that he only needs to hold out a little longer, and once war breaks out between England and revolutionary France, prosperity will return.

And the Poldarks will become filthy rich.

Read more

The Collector by John Fowles – Book Review

by
The Collector by John Fowles – Book Cover

Frederick Clegg, a butterfly collector and an even grayer-than-gray low-level office clerk, admires Miranda, a lively, aspiring art student, from afar. (Actually, more like he’s just stalking her.) He has no chance with her. In fact, he has no chance with anyone. He’s weird, unfit for life, humorless, and lacks any imagination. However, when he suddenly comes into a large sum of money thanks to a lottery win, brand-new opportunities open up for him. The collector decides to add Miranda to his collection.

Time Has Flown By for The Collector

This is actually the first thing you notice. John Fowles’ novel was first published in 1963. It’s hard to say whether the author himself was stuck in the past or if it’s just his utterly characterless protagonist that creates this slightly unsettling feeling. Either way, it’s not immediately obvious that the story takes place at a time when the Beat era and the sexual revolution were in full swing.

In The Collector, these cultural shifts are only faintly present. Clegg narrates the capture of his new acquisition and his activities with her with an odd, emotionless detachment. It’s as though the butterfly collector, this man without qualities, is somehow stuck outside of time, or at least has remained firmly anchored in the past. Everything about him feels like it belongs to decades earlier.

The early 1960s was a time when class distinctions were largely dissolving in the West. The constant emphasis on the class differences between Miranda, an upper-middle-class girl, and her lower-class, socially aspiring captor doesn’t do much to help the novel’s reception decades later… And Fowles’ characters listen to Bach and Mozart instead of The Beatles…

No Sex, Please, We’re British

Read more

Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Daniel Silva – Book Review

by
Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Daniel Silva – Book Cover

Gabriel Allon, the legendary Israeli master spy, has finally retired. About time! Honestly, he should have done it at least four books ago. After all, a Mossad director in his seventies, still running field operations, was getting a bit ridiculous. Well, maybe more than a bit. So, what’s ex-assassin Grandpa up to now in the latest installment, Portrait of an Unknown Woman? Well, pretty much the same stuff he always did…

Portrait of an Unknown Woman: A Clever Forgery

Julian Isherwood, the absent-minded art dealer, has a knack for getting into trouble. And this time is no different. And honestly, in his shoes, who else would you call when things go sideways, especially when one of your best pals is the former head of Mossad?

A newly discovered painting called Portrait of an Unknown Woman has surfaced in the art world, supposedly bearing the mark of Van Dyck. Along with the skillful hand of a forger. Behind the forger looms a whole network flooding the market with countless fake works of art. Exposing these forgers? That sounds like the perfect job for a retired super-spy…

Portrait of an Unknown Woman: A Clever Crime Novel

Read more

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir – Book Review

by
Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir – Book Cover

Tamsyn Muir has taken a step forward from her debut Gideon the Ninth, which was extremely promising but quickly descended into childishness. Its sequel, Harrow the Ninth, managed to shed some of its growing pains but in return became utterly incomprehensible. With Nona the Ninth, the Australian author continues her utterly unique sci-fi fantasy series that propels necromancy into space. But it feels like a few things in this part aren’t COMPLETELY clear either. For example:

Who, where, and what?

Oh, and why?

Let’s start with the easiest question: “Where?”

Both of the first two parts were set in pretty confined locations. Even though Tamsyn Muir’s universe opens up wide, the author—who exclusively moves necromancers, otherworldly monsters, and skeletons around—shoved them all into one single place. Nona the Ninth finally steps out into the world of humans.

This fixes one of the biggest shortcomings of the first two parts. Sure, it’s fine that the omnipotent emperor of the universe rules everything through necromancy, but wouldn’t it be even more interesting to know how that affects ordinary people? Spoiler: Not well, by the way. Not well at all.

And the answer to “Where?” is: in the city of Who-The-Heck-Knows on the planet God-Knows-Where. Or somewhere like that.

Read more