2016 roundup ; physical books

2016 roundup ; physical books

The final part of my 2016 roundup, yes, I’m aware that it’s now April. As with the kindle roundup I won’t list everything I read because we’d be here all day so I’ve just picked a few

The Recruit by Robert Muchamore

 A mate lent me this as well as all the other cherub books. The book follows newly orphaned trouble maker James choke as he goes to spy school and helps stop a terrorist plot.

Verdict: good

Echo Burning by Lee Child

The 5^th Jack Reacher book and for my money it’s the best.

 The book follows Reacher wandering around in a Texas summer hoping to catch a lift when A woman stops, and offers a ride. Carmen Greer is young, rich and beautiful.

But her husband's in jail and When he comes out, he's going to kill her. I think if you’ve read Reacher books before you can see where this one is going….

Verdict: cracker

 Reacher Said Nothing by Andy Martin

A sort of behind the scenes look into how a Jack Reacher book is written. Andy Martin sits behind Lee Child as he writes one of the best Reacher books ever: Make me. It’s an interesting and at times very very funny read this. Andy martin is a natural storyteller and can make anything, even the position of a comma or the length of a sentence interesting.

I also must say a big thank you to Andy for sending me a signed hardback of the book.

Verdict : Good

The killing season by Mason Cross

The first book in the brilliant carter Blake series. I’ve already reviewed this so ill link that in here : http://bookebloke.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/book-review-killing-season-by-mason.html

Verdict : cracker

Night School by Lee Child

The 21^st jack Reacher book takes place in 1996 whilst Reacher is still in the army. Having just received yet another medal Reacher is packed off to a nondescript government building for a “course”. Most of the book is set in Hamburg in Germany and focuses on the origins of the terror threats that are all too familiar today .  I was reading this over the Christmas period when I was working nights at Tesco so unfortunately I didn’t enjoy night school as much as the other Reacher books ,but I’ll put that down to tiredness and stress.   I’ll read it again when I’m on holiday later in the year when hopefully I’m a bit more relaxed. I’ll write a full review when I’ve re read the book.

Verdict : I’m going to hold back on a verdict for now until ive re read the book.

Thunderball by Ian Fleming

Do I really need to go over the plot of thunderball ? we’ve all seen the film. And if you haven’t what the fuck have you been doing for 50 odd years?

 the book is surprisingly close to the movie , the only major difference I can remember is that in the book Felix Lieter has already been munched by a shark. My only criticism of the book is shared with my main criticism of the film; it’s the underwater scenes, they go on forever  and just don’t do it for me I’m afraid. The rest of it however is Bond and Fleming at their best

Verdict: cracker

 The burning room by Michael Connelly

 My first harry Bosch novel, I’m sorry to say it was something of a disappointment. my full review is here: http://bookebloke.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/book-review-burning-room-by-michael.html

When the music’s over by peter Robinson

When the music's over is the 23rd Inspector Banks novel and it deals with a subject so timely and controversial most authors wouldn’t touch it with a barge poll. sexual assault carried out by celebrities. Now this isn’t the best banks novel. That accolade rests with (for me at least) Strange Affair. but this is a good if at times uncomfortable read.

Verdict : Good

Book Review : The Kind Worth Killing By Peter Swanson

 Book Review : The Kind worth Killing by Peter Swanson

I've heard it compared to the likes of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train which always worries me because books that get hyped up that much tend to fall on their faces abit , so it was with a certain amount of disquiet that I ordered The Kind Worth Killing.

 In truth and to start with at least   The Kind worth Killing has relatively little in common with   The Girl on the Train, I think gone girl would probably be the fairest comparison here.

 The Kind worth Killing  starts off with a modern reimagining of  a 50’s classic , Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers On A Train, (it even gets a  small mention )  the main difference being that this starts at the first class lounge at Heathrow.

Ted Severson is an American business man , a .com millionaire who is so rich he really doesn’t need to work anymore , married to the money grabbing but beautiful Miranda . But Ted has his suspicions that Miranda is shagging the man building their new house and fantasises about killing them both.

Lily Kintner is the daughter of a famous British author and as it turns out is alreday a two time murderer. Also booked on the same delayed flight and in the same bar as Ted.

Ted and Lily down a couple of gin martinis. Ted reveals his fantasy about killing Miranda and instead of politely moving away Lily encourages him. By the time they board their flight to the US, they've all but decided that Miranda will be murdered. Little do they know *spoiler* that Miranda and lover man Brad are planning to do murder Ted and run off with his millions.

That’s as much as I can say about the plot without spoiling It too much.  The Kind Worth Killing is hypnotic and so suspenseful you’ll be staying up very late to find out what happens next and if I’d had time I could have finished it in one go.

I’d never heard of Peter Swanson before I read this but now I have I’ll be reading his other stuff when my wallet allows it.

Verdict: Cracker – a modern take on a 50s great , an instant classic.

Book Review : Scared To Death By Rachel Amphlett

Scared To Death is the first of the new Kay Hunter crime thrillers by Rachel Amphlett and for those of you that like a long running series I have good news since there will be at least 4 books, the second of which ,Will To Live comes out in April.

PLOT A serial killer murdering for kicks. A detective seeking revenge.

When the body of a snatched schoolgirl is found in an abandoned biosciences building, the case is first treated as a kidnapping gone wrong.

But Detective Kay Hunter isn’t convinced, especially when a man is found dead with the ransom money still in his possession.

When a second schoolgirl is taken, Kay’s worst fears are realised.

With her career in jeopardy and desperate to conceal a disturbing secret, Kay’s hunt for the killer becomes a race against time before he claims another life.

For the killer, the game has only just begun...

What a fantastic way to be introduced to Rachel Amphlett, scared to death grabs you from the word go and gets straight to the point, which I like , there’s no fucking about here  . It's generously paced and the chapters are reasonably short ,which makes it easy to binge read multiple chapters at a time .I’m pretty certain that if I’d had the time I could have finished it in one go .

Scared To Death is an excellent police procedural, easily as good as the Inspector Banks or Harry Bosch books, in fact I’d go as far as saying Kay Hunter is the female equivalent of those guys.

Eli Matthews the man behind the murder and the kidnapping and attempted murder of two school girls is one seriously fucked up individual and his story is a sad one , you almost end up feeling sorry for him .

I found the main cast of characters to be okay, all the usual suspects of a modern police team are there and I’m sure they will develop more over the coming books.

 I love it when I read a new series and instantly like the main character, It happened with Jack Reacher, DCI Banks,Bosch , Bond , Rebus and I think kay hunter deserves a place on that list.

Verdict : Cracker, a promising start to a potentially great new series.

Q+A Rachel Amphlett

Rachel Amphlett is the autor of the Dan taylor thrilers and also the new Kay Hunter series. I sent these questions over to Rachel yesterday and she was kind enough to answer them . Thanks Rachel.

1.       When did you decide you wanted to write this series?

Early 2016 - the story ideas for the first four books came to me in snippets, and I developed the series from those initial meanderings. It all came together really quickly, so by the time I got back to Australia after a trip to the UK in June last year, I hit the ground running and started writing Scared to Death.

2.       Is Kay based on a real person?

No one single person, but as her character developed I incorporated tics and traits I've observed in people around and about. With regard to her profession as a detective, I have consulted with a number of working and retired police officers to ensure I have as much accuracy in the novels though, without detracting from the pacing.

3.       What can we expect from the next book and the ones beyond that?

Will to Live is the next one, and we've just done the cover reveal for that. It'll be published on 4 April 2017. Here's the blurb:

Reputation is everything

                    

When a packed commuter train runs over a body on a stretch of track known to locals as “Suicide Mile”, it soon transpires that the man was a victim of a calculated murder.

As the investigation evolves and a pattern of murders is uncovered, Detective Sergeant Kay Hunter realises the railway’s recent reputation may be the work of a brutal serial killer.

With a backlog of cold cases to investigate and attempting to uncover who is behind a professional vendetta against her, Kay must keep one step ahead of both the killer and her own adversaries.

When a second murder takes place within a week of the first, she realises the killer’s timetable has changed, and she’s running out of time to stop him…

Will to Live is the second book in a new crime thriller series featuring Kay Hunter – a detective with a hidden past and an uncertain future…

The series will continue to be fast-paced in nature, including the rate at which the books come out so readers won't have too long to wait for each instalment.

4.       Are there any particular authors that you look to for inspiration?

My favourites are Lee Child, Peter James, Michael Connelly, Robert Crais and when I decided to write a crime thriller series, I read interviews by all of these and authors such as Val McDermid and Ian Rankin, too - it was like going back to school, and very much a worthwhile exercise. It's hard to pick a favourite author these days because I keep discovering more and more whose writing I admire.

5.       Does kay share any characteristics with any other fictional detectives?

She's unusual in that she doesn't have a difficult personal life, and that was deliberate - I wanted her to be different to a lot of other fictional detectives. I wanted her to be resilient, but have a "safe haven" of sorts because the cases she deals with are so traumatic. There's still tension and drama with regard to her home life, but this is balanced by some of the more humorous things that go on with her other half being a vet.

6.       You also wrote the Dan Taylor books, are any more of those in the pipeline?

Yes, but I need the world to calm down geopolitically first!  There's been so much upheaval in the UK and USA what with Brexit and elections that I need to see how things settle before getting stuck into writing the fifth in the Dan Taylor book. My books are known for their accuracy and closeness to real-time events, so it's important to wait and see. I've got the basics of an outline, but it'll probably be 2018 before I publish another Dan Taylor book.

7.       Do you think that Dan Taylor and kay hunter could end up working together somehow?

I love this question - no-one else has asked me this!  You know what? Never say never. It'd be sod's law if I say "no" here, and then find myself writing something that features both of them somewhere down the track...!

8.       Is there a specific story arc in mind for the kay hunter books or will they all be standalones

They're standalones in the sense that every investigation is different, however there is a sub-plot thread that runs through the books.

9.       How many kay hunter books do you think there will be?

As long as readers keep reading them, I'll keep writing them! I also think there's scope for spin-off books within the Kay Hunter "world", too with some of the other characters - that's certainly what I had in mind when developing the series last year.

Now for the broader questions

Bond or Bourne? Bourne!

E-Book or Physical Book? Preferably physical book, but we're running out of shelf space, so I usually save that for favourite authors whose books I've been reading for years. I love my eReader for discovering new authors and picking up deals - I've got quite eclectic tastes in reading, so eBooks enable me to experiment.

A Book You Want Everyone to read ?

The Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher.

Which up and coming authors should we keep an eye out for?

 I'm really looking forward to Vicky Newham's debut novel which is scheduled for publication in early 2018.

  Weirdest thing you’ve used as a bookmark?

Boarding pass. I love finding those in secondhand books, too - it's like "ooo, where did you go?" :)

Is there a Movie or TV adaptation that you preferred to the book?

Gone Girl - sorry, but I really couldn't get into the book, but I enjoyed the film.

Do you Ever judge a book  by its cover art?
Yes, if it's an author who's unknown to me. Cover first, then blurb, then first few pages are usually the deciding factors for me.

Thanks again for these wonderful questions - I hope I answered them okay!

· Rapid Fire Book Tag

·      Rapid Fire Book Tag

Last year I did the reader confessions tag and because it went down so well I’ve been looking out for another tag to get stuck into. This one was created byGirlReading on YouTube so I’ll link in her video somewhere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-46EzDWdSY&feature=youtu.be

E-Book or Physical Book?

Both. But I have started reading a lot more e-books lately and the physical books have been getting a bit left behind. So I need to try and balance that out a bit.

Paperback Or Hardback?

Purely for convenience reasons it has to be paperbacks but I do buy the odd hardback, usually Jack Reacher books.

Online Or Instore shopping?

Mainly online but I do go to bookshops whenever I can

Trilogies or Series ?

Both

Heroes Or Villains?

Depends on the book but usually heroes, having said that

I’m rereading The A series of unfortunate events books at the minute and I’m finding myself liking Count Olaf over the Orphans

A Book You Want Everyone to read ?

I bet everyone will say this but it has to be Harry Potter

An Underrated Book?

This may come as a surprise but I’m going to say The Jack Reacher books .Purely because they get written off as “Beach Reads “ or Guilty pleasures by literary snobs . I hate that.

Last book you finished?

As I was saying by Jeremy Clarkson, for the third time. What can I say?  His books are just so easy to read and make great last minute presents .

Last book you bought?

Standing In Another Man’s grave by Ian Rankin.

Weirdest thing you’ve used as a bookmark?

Pokémon cards

Used books. Yes or No?

Absolutely yes

Top 3 genre’s?

Crime, comedy, Autobiography

Borrow or buy?

Buy. That way I don’t have to worry about giving them back

Characters or plot?

both

Long or short books?

Depends on the mood but I try and choose books that fall between the two , so 450- 500 pages or so is enough for me .

Long or short chapters?

Preferably short .

Books that make you laugh or cry?

Laugh.   only one book has ever made me cry.

Our world or fictional worlds?

Hello! Have you seen what’s going on in the world at the moment? Definitely fictional worlds

Audiobooks. yes or no ?

Yes. Audiobooks are the dog’s bollocks. (For those of you who aren’t from Britain that means awesome)

Ever judge a book  by its cover?

Ooh yes. And I buy books because of the cover as well

Movie or TV adaptations?

Either, as long as its bears some resemblance to the  book that’s being adapted

Movie that you preferred to the book

Casino Royale

Series or Standalone's?

Series. I like to feel as if I’m getting to know a character over multiple books.

I tag

Everyone who’s reading this.

2016 roundup: kindle

Time for the Kindle part of my 2016 roundup

I won't list absolutely everything i read on kindle in 2016 as we'd be here all bloody day so I’ve picked a few.

1: Strip Jack by Ian Rankin

The fourth book in the Rebus series and my first, I’ve already reviewed it so I won't go into any detail about the plot. Rebus turns 30 this year so congratulations to Ian for that.

 http://bookebloke.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/book-review-strip-jack-by-ian-rankin.html

Verdict : Good

2: The Defence By Steve Cavanagh

Thriller that follows burnt out lawyer and ex con man Eddie Flynn as he tries to save his daughter form crazed kidnappers.

http://bookebloke.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/book-review-defence-by-steve-cavanagh.html

 Verdict; Good

The Killing Season by Mason Cross

The first in the Carter Blake series by Mason Cross features Blake and FBI agent Elaine Banner on a cross country man hunt to find a deranged serial killer .

You can find my review of the book here http://bookebloke.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/book-review-killing-season-by-mason.html

Verdict: Cracker

3. Small Wars by Lee Child

A   Jack Reacher short story about a young lieutenant colonel shot in cold blood in the woods in Georgia. Small wars takes place back when Reacher was still in the army and features old favourites like Frances Neagley and Reacher's brother Joe .Who *spoiler alert* is the one who shot the young woman in the woods (she was selling secrets) . It's decent enough as a short story, it would have been too much of a stretch to turn this into a full length novel, even for a genius like Lee Child. But it's wrapped up nice and neatly and doesn’t leave anything overhanging.

Verdict: Good

4. Clarkson's Troubles: From Biplane to Spaceship

By Martin T Hart

Some of you may know that I'm a Clarkson defender and i know that he's not everyone's cup of tea. This is a very interesting chronological account of the ups and downs of Clarkson’s career. Well researched and very funny – and it’s filled with stuff I didn’t already know about him. It also includes the stunts he actually got away with - but probably shouldn’t and also the truth about his mood before punch-gate , which when you read about it , it makes the whole thing more understandable.

 Verdict : good

5. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

This one might be controversial but I absolutely HATED this. I have never enjoyed Shakespeare but I must admit that I enjoyed reading the whole thing slightly more than just extracts and I think it helped me understand the story a bit more. So basically I’ve gone from loathing Billy Bard to just hating him. Well, it's a start.

Verdict : Average

 6. Dance with the Enemy by Rob Sinclair

The first in the Carl Logan series (bonus points for the choice of first name).  Dance with the Enemy follows Logan as he goes on the hunt for one of the world's most wanted terrorists Youssef Selim the man that kidnapped, tortured and left him for dead.

Verdict: Cracker

7.

My Interesting Emails to People

By Daniel Drummond Harvey

Yep. Someone managed to get their email inbox published as a book. I've seen it all now. To be fair though some of these emails are quite interesting and funny, the one he sent to President Flatulence is particularly worth reading. He didn’t get a reply though.

8.

Strange Affair by Peter Robinson

   The 15th novel in the rather addictive DCI Banks series, I've already reviewed it so I’ll stick a link in below. The TV adaptation is also worth watching.

http://bookebloke.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/book-review-strange-affair-by-peter.html

Book Review : The Recruit by Robert Muchamore

Just before christmas a mate lent me the entire series of cherub books , they're the same sort of thing as the Young Bond and  Alex Rider books but that's no bad thing because those series are both brilliant.

Plot :
A terrorist doesn't let strangers in her flat because they might be undercover police or intelligence agents, but her children bring their mates home and they run all over the place. The terrorist doesn't know that one of these kids has bugged every room in her house, made copies of all her computer files and stolen her address book. The kid works for CHERUB.
CHERUB agents are aged between ten and seventeen. They live in the real world, slipping under adult radar and getting information that sends criminals and terrorists to jail.
For official purposes, these children do not exist.


The recruit starts with James Choke , who following beating up a girl in his class and being thrown out of school also ahs to cope with the death of his mother . He ends up in a sort of care home where he is befreinded by Kyle who unkown to James is working as a sort of talent scout for CHERUB - an organisation that hires and trains young kids to act as spies and gather information in places where adult agents would stick out like Jack Reacher in a room full of midgets .

We follow James through basic training at chereb as well as a trip to Malaysia and then it's on to the first mission where James paired up with older agent Amy must pretend to be traveller kids in order to stop a chemical attack on an oil industry conference .

Will they manage it ? Well you'll have to read the book to find out .

The Recruit is a bit slow to start with but then that does give you time to get to know James and the other characters  before turning up the wick on the action before the end . 

Verdict : Good.

2016 Roundup : Audiobooks

First of all : Happy New Year .

I promised a round up of what i read in 2016, starting with Audiobooks.
I'm not doing this in any  particular order and i'll split the books into four catagouries: Poor,Average,Good , Cracker .

First up:

A Necessary End by Peter Robinson 

The third DCI Banks novel and I honestly think it's my least favourite , the storyline itself was okay but I felt it was slightly let down by average narration.

Verdict : Average . 

As You Do By Richard Hammond 

Richard Hammond narrates the second part of his autobiography As You Do , the sequel to the brilliant On The Edge , which remains the best autobiography i've ever read . This one isn't quite as good but it's still a good listen ,with wry, honest , interesting and sometimes VERY funny stories about his life and what goes on behind the scenes on Top Gear . 

Verdict: Good

The Man In The White Suit by Ben Collins

Yep. The Stig wrote a book. But Stiggy is only a small part of Ben's story and the book details his career from karting all the way to the 24 hour Le mans race via Top Gear and training for the SAS. Like Hammond's book it's honest , interesting and extremely funny .

Verdict : Good

In A Dry Season By Peter Robinson 

The book that Peter Robinson regards as his best work and i'm inclined to agree , the plot , the writing the narration are all just about perfect. 

Verdict: Cracker.

Goldfinger By Ian Fleming
If you don't know the plot of Goldfinger either the book or the movie (they're remarkably close) then where the bloody hell have you been?

Confession time: I've never read Goldfinger, i've seen the movie christ knows how many times but the book had eluded me , so when the audiobook came up on audible I decided to give it a whirl . It's narrated by Hugh Bonneville who does a brilliant job of bringiing all the characters to life and it made gym sessions much less tedious.

Verdict : Cracker


The House Of Silk By Anthony Horrowitz

My first Sherlock Holmes novel , narrated by the brilliant Sir Derek Jackobi  , like Hugh Bonneville with goldfinger he really brought the charcters and the storyline to life.

Verdict :Cracker

Octopussy And The Living Daylights And Other Stories by Ian Fleming

Tom Hiddleston and Lucy Fleming narrate this collection of Fleming's short stories . The stories themselves i would rate as good but the narration by Hiddleston and Fleming is second to none .

Verdict : Cracker

What I've been up to lately

Some of you may have been wondering why I've been a bit quiet on here and on Twitter lately.  Well , I've been working nights in a supermarket doing replenishment (Tesco speak for shelf stacking) After that it's straight to the gym  (where I'm writing this) and then  home to sleep.
So I haven't found a great deal of time to read or do much of anything apart from sleep  I did manage to finish a Young Bond book though  (spoiler it was bloody good) and I'm halfway through the new Reacher book, also very good. Reviews of those in the new year. As well as a roundup of what I've read in 2016 , which will be split into three parts Kindle,audio and good old physical books.

So if you were wondering where I've been you know now, I finish work on Friday so I'll have some time to read and live my life again . I promise I'll be more active after Christmas and in the new year.

Book Review : The Black Echo By Michael Connelly

The Black Echo is the first in Michael Connelly's Harry bosch series. Its also the second one I've read after the mild disappointment that was The Burning Room. But as I said when I reviewed that book , one disappointment is not enough to put me off an author or a series altogether. So i bought a few more Bosch novels and picked The Black Echo out of the pile at random.

PLOT (  Copied and pasted form Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49343.The_Black_Echo) 

For LAPD homicide cop Harry Bosch -- hero, maverick, nighthawk -- the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal.

The dead man, Billy Meadows, was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who fought side by side with him in a nightmare underground war that brought them to the depths of hell. Now, Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam. From a dangerous maze of blind alleys to a daring criminal heist beneath the city to the tortuous link that must be uncovered, his survival instincts will once again be tested to their limit.

Joining with an enigmatic and seductive female FBI agent, pitted against enemies inside his own department, Bosch must make the agonizing choice between justice and vengeance, as he tracks down a killer whose true face will shock him. 

Now I'm going to be honest here. I enjoyed the black echo very much , more so than the burning room . It's an enjoyable police procedural with plenty of tension and a great twist . You can think of Bosch as an American equivalent of Peter Robinson's DCI Alan Banks (crossover anyone?)

The Good bits: 

1: Harry Bosch 

2.Detailed and knowledgeable descriptions of the Vietnam war and the "Tunnel Rats" , neither of which i knew much about.

3. A  complicated if slighlty unbelievable crime 

4. Getting to read about technology that would now be considered hilariously outdated

5.The scene where Bosch handcuffs two fellow cops to a tree

6. Bosch knew the Murder victim Billy Meadows and immediatley felt a sense of duty to find his killer (or killers)

The not so good bits :

1. The book seemed about 50 pages longer than it needed to be

2. some bits seem a bit oudated , mind you i guess that's part of reading old books 

Verdict : 

I enjoyed the Black Echo Very much and would definatley recommend it .

Book Review : Strip Jack By Ian Rankin

Strip Jack is the fourth book in the John Rebus series by Ian Rankin . It's also my first Rebus novel but i have more on the kindle as i succumed to "99p syndrome" and bought about 6 in one go.

Gregor Jack is an Member of the Scottish parliment and unusually for a politician he's well liked by his constituents, even Rebus likes him.  so when he's caught with his trousers down in a raid on a brothel it's a bit of a shock to say the least and then his wife goes missing ..... I think you can see where  this is going.

Obviously  I won't spoil the rest of the book for you as it's my number 1 rule to not give out spoilers if i can help it .  What i will say though  is that Strip Jack is a very enjoyable novel it's quite dark in places but there's also alot of very funny one liners  and if you're thinking of trying Rebus then this is as good a place as any to start.

I like Rebus as a character and will definatley be checking out his other adventures and maybe the TV series aswell , even though i'm told it was really bad.

To be honest i've been wanting to check out Ian Rankin's work for some time but i've been busy, now i'm kicking myself a bit for not doing it sooner.