Book review : Shaken Not Stirred By Aaron Cooley

I first heard about Aaron Cooley's shaken not stirred whilst he was being interviewed on the excellent James Bond Radio podcast. Aaron is also kind enough to follow me on twitter and I promised that I would write a review of Shaken Not Stirred as soon as I found some time.

I’ve never been much of a fan of historical fiction but the idea of a fictionalised version of Ian Fleming's WW2 exploits and the story of how that would lead him to create James Bond was an intriguing one.

Before i get into the review properly i should explain that this book took me quite a while to finish, not because it was bad or anything but because I was stressed out with college work and was reading other stuff. I should probably explain that I’m writing this review about a month after I finally finished the book (for the reason I’ve just outlined) which means I’m writing from memory (which is pants) so  some details may have escaped me .

Synopsis: Haven’t you ever wondered what inspired the creation of fiction’s greatest secret agent? Author Aaron Cooley takes the reader on a World War II thrill ride across two continents and six nations in pursuit of the answer to this question. A first-time British spy is on the trail of the Allies’ most important Double Agent, on a mission to determine his loyalty before he can hand over the means of creating history’s most devastating weapon to the Nazis. Before his mission is over, this young Briton will be inspired to create a fictional super-agent who will one day become one of literature’s most famous characters. An engaging, fantastical what-could-have-been, SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED is not to be missed by World War II buffs, literary devotees, and especially, fans of Her Majesty’s most famous spy.

 Shaken, Not Stirred is a fictionalized account of Ian Fleming’s wartime work, but it’s easy to imagine it really happening.

In Shaken, Not Stirred, a young Ioan is working for   Naval Intelligence and he’s sent to the Congo to find and report back to MI6 about   the whereabouts of double agent Dusan Petrović. His inexperience is apparent and he stands out like a sore thumb. While Petrović could have easily looked the other way, he takes Ioan under his wing, nick names him Phlegm and teaches him how to be a spy.

At first Ioan isn’t sure what to make of Petrović (neither was I) Does Petrović have a master plan or does he feel sorry for Ioan? Perhaps this is the nature of a double agent. Together Ioan and Petrović navigate the perils of being agents and Ioan gets a little more than he anticipated. Throughout the novel, we get glimpses of what would eventually inspire Ioan to create James Bond.

Ioan gets a code name and is introduced to gadgets Bond would be happy to use. We’re also introduced to would be Bond Girl, Christine who has a preference for martinis. It’s through Christine, Ioan quickly learns how women play a role in espionage. Petrović tells him,  "If you take one lesson from me, Phlegm, never forget the number one rule of espionage: Women are a business expense. You allow yourself to expect anything more out of them, you lower your defences. To a knife in the back." It’s at this exact moment, a reader can understand Fleming and why women are the “business expense,” in a Bond novel.

I must confess that i don't read much historical fiction (nothing against it , it just isn't my thing) and that I weren't a  mahoosive bond fan i might not have picked this up BUT. I really enjoyed Shaken, Not Stirred. It’s thoroughly researched and well written. It’s a different take on the life of Ian Fleming.

 Cooley  mixes Fiction  with reality and as I've said, he does a superb job with the research. Several events included are based on true events such as the Heisenberg and Dibner rivalry and it goes hand in hand with Hitler’s pursuit of the bomb. Petrović and several other characters bring up the ‘what if’ Hitler gets the bomb, which is a question a lot of people asked themselves at the time. Cooley kept me on the edge of my seat and afterwards all I could think of was, “thank god Hitler didn’t get there first.”  It’s something you’ll be thinking as you read.

Readers will easily recognize aspects of the Bond novels and films. In fact, if you’ve read Casino Royale or seen the film version, the scene where Bond watches Le Chiffre at the card table is familiar in Shaken, Not Stirred. This time it’s with Ioan and Petrović and a set of cards with Skorzeny and a game of Baccarat. Prior to Ioan joining Petrović and Skorzeny, Petrović sends him a suit and Ioan asks why. Petrović says it’s to seduce Christine and here we can see the birth of the immaculate Bond in his tux. It works well enough for Ioan since Christine waits for him in his room and says, ‘Why Ioan. I thought spies were meant to be suave. Debonair.’ Ioan replies ‘I was ill that day at spy school.’ That is a line that wouldn't be out of place in a Bond film.

 After I finished reading shaken not stirred I went back to that James Bond Radio podcast and I found out something that astonished me ,  shaken not stirred is Aaron's first novel but it's so well written you'd never guess it .  Shaken, Not Stirred is without a doubt a must read for any James Bond fan.    Cooley has done the near-impossible: crafted a spy thriller that   Ian Fleming himself would have been proud to call his own. It’s one of The best books I've read this year , in fact it’s almost as good as this year’s official Bond book : Trigger Mortis. 

Book Review : Cold Is The Grave By Peter Robinson.

Jack Reacher, November Man, Bond and Bourne are all thriller series I’d thoroughly recommend and after reading Cold Is the Grave by Peter Robinson I would add the Inspector Banks novels to that list. 

Cold Is the Grave is the eleventh outing for Inspector Banks.  

Description from the back cover:

Detective Inspector Banks’s relationship with Chief Constable Riddle has always been strained. So Banks is more than a little surprised when Riddle summons him late one night and begs for his help.

For Riddle, Banks’s new case is terrifyingly close to home. Six months ago his sixteen-year old daughter ran away to London, where she has fallen into a turbulent world of drugs and pornography. With his reputation threatened, Riddle wants Banks to use his unorthodox methods to find her without fuss. But before he knows it, Banks is investigating murder …

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks had never had a good relationship with Chief Constable 'Jimmy' Riddle, so he was more than surprised when the Chief Constable summoned him late one night and begged for his help. Six months previously Riddle's daughter, sixteen year old Emily, ran away to London and became involved with drugs and pornography. Riddle wants Banks to go to London and find his daughter – and try to persuade her to return home. He also wants Banks to go as a private individual rather than as a policeman. Banks agrees to go; he knows how he would have felt if the same thing had happened to his daughter Tracy.

 Emily Riddle, sixteen going on thirty, ran away from home after leaving her parents in disarray. She made demands of them and then when they gave her what she wanted she loathed them all the more for it. Banks finds her living with a thug named Barry Clough, but he has had other names. Clough is a gangster with a rock star image of himself and a penchant for underage girls. After posing as her father Banks extracts the girl, dodges a potentially career ending temptation to sleep with her, and returns the girl to her parents. 

One month later she is found dead in a nightclub toilet , murdered by a mixture of cocaine and strychnine. Banks finds it difficult to stand back and be objective. It becomes personal to him and Detective Superintendent Gristhorpe has to warn Banks,

‘Don’t let anger and a desire for revenge cloud your judgement? Look clearly at the evidence, the facts before you make any moves. Don’t go off half-cocked the way you’ve done in the past’. (page 192)

He and his team, including Detective Sergeant Annie Cabot, are also investigating the death of Charlie Courage, a small-time crook. Their investigations take them from their base in Eastvale, Yorkshire down to London, Stony Stratford, and Leicestershire, with links to crime in Northumbria. At first this seems to be unrelated to Emily’s death but Banks begins to suspect that the two cases may be linked.

More complications follow with blackmail, another death and suicide, but eventually Banks and Annie work their way through the maze of events. Banks, though, has more victims of crime to add to those that bother his sleep with feelings of guilt, thinking that he should have dug deeper, and that he could have prevented the murders. He knew there was ‘something desperately out of kilter with the Riddle family’, and realises that Emily’s death was ‘murder from a distance, perhaps even death by proxy, which made it all the more bloody to solve.’ (page 271)

Weaving together threads of plot from characters pasts, presents and futures, Robinson builds a case that involves more than just one crime and more than just one character. This was a great 'who-dunnit' from beginning to end, with   plot twist’s that always ensure your best guesses will be wrong.

This is the 11th book in the Inspector Banks series and refers back to incidents in previous books. It’s not too difficult to follow if you haven’t read all the others (as I haven’t) but I think it would help and I wish that I had. It’s also a bit too long for my liking .However, this is still a good read and I’ve already moved on to my next Inspector Banks novel ‘A strange Affair’ 

Film Review: The November Man

Playing 007 is both a curse and a blessing because any actor who has played Bond will always be best remembered for that role regardless of whatever other films they make, no matter how good they may be. Take Sean Connery who in my book was the best Bond and has made some bloody brilliant films and is one of my favourite actors. He is a legend, make no mistake, but with the six Bond films he made, he tried his best to shake off the character with other films that were not as successful until probably the late 80's to early 90's which is when I think he made the best of his non Bond films.
George Lazenby hasn't done a great deal acting wise post-Bond but he seems to be happy enough with his one performance as Bond and doesn't mind being associated with it .

Roger Moore, another legend and national treasure, seems more relaxed about the whole Bond thing and still enjoys being associated with the character.  
Timothy Dalton has done some great films post Bond (Hot Fuzz , Toy Story 3) and he too seems to enjoy being remembered for being Bond.

Daniel Craig seems to be doing very well with making a clear line in the sand when it comes to his more serious Bond and making other films like the very enjoyable Cowboys And Aliens, Defiance,The Golden Compass ,Flashbacks Of a Fool and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo , aswell as the forthcoming NASCAR movie Logan Lucky and TV series Purity.

Now, we have Pierce Brosnan who was also brilliant as 007 but he has stated in recent interviews that he wanted to play Bond more realistically and he was not 100% happy with his efforts. He shouldn't be so hard on himself because there was nothing wrong with his Bond movies ( apart from Die Another Day). Granted, he didn't have the best scripts to work with but you can't really blame him for that .

 However, I do admire his honesty  and the fact he remains  humble about having had one of the best jobs in the world.

This brings me onto The November Man which is a real jewel of an espionage action thriller. Brosnan plays a retired CIA agent Peter Devereaux (code name The November Man) who is lured out of retirement for that "one last job". The job: to protect a witness targeted for assassination who is played by ex Bond girl Olga Kurylenko. Then we have an ex student agent of Devereaux who has a personal score to settle after being dropped from the CIA training program by Deveraux.

There are lots of clever twists and turns in the film so I won't go and give it all away but rest assured you will love this film if you are into fast paced no nonsense action. Brosnan plays his role very well indeed, showing us how he wanted to play Bond in the first place and then some ,one scene where Deveraux puts a knife to a girls throat and then severs an artery is something you wouldn't see even in a Timothy Dalton Bond film.
Deveraux is angry and brutal throughout and Brosnan clearly enjoyed being able to do something different .

Sadly The November Man got a shockingly bad  release in Britain but it is on Netflix ,Itunes and Amazon Video . But if you want it on DVD or Blu Ray you'll have to import it,  the one i bought came from Poland.

 Lets hope that for the sequel Brosnan's production company chooses a better distributor.
I Have to say though that i thoroughly enjoyed The November Man and if you want a taste of what Brosnan's 5th Bond film could have been like it's worth a look.

Book Review - Lee Child : Personal

BOOK REVIEW: LEE CHILD - PERSONAL

I know that some fans think the Reacher books have gone off the boil of late with 2012’s A Wanted Man being a low point and I admit that one was a bit subpar but a bad Reacher book can still be a good read (and I didn’t think AWM was that bad anyway). Happily however it seems that lee child’s   mojo has been slowly returning and I’m happy to report that in the 19^th book personal it’s almost back.

I won't summarise the plot because other reviewers elsewhere have done that and it's been sometime since i've read it so i can't remember.
What I will say is that if you like Reacher to be involved in fist fights, gun fights, and outwitting people with that oh-so-logical mind of his, then look no further.

I liked the location being moved (briefly to Paris, and then to London/Essex). I think the last time Reacher was in the UK was for The Hard Way, but that was a rural set-up, and it was good to see him in London (with some amusing, tongue-in-cheek observations about British peculiarities along the way). I know that the Reacher we know and love is the one doing his Littlest Hobo routine, moving from one US state to another, and those stories are still my favourites, but I don't think a change does any harm once in a while.

Living oop North, I don't know how realistic the Romford Boys are but really, does it matter? They made for a satisfying gang of baddies, especially 'Little' Joey who, at 6'11", is Reacher's largest adversary since (I think) the huge guy in Persuader. As someone who's never had any training in unarmed combat, nor often finds myself in situations I need to fight my way out of (thankfully), I always find the fight scenes fascinating. Lee Child is the only author I know of who goes into such lengthy descriptions of a fight which only lasts for a couple of minutes maximum.

As regards the character of Casey Nice, I liked her. She was well thought-out and intriguing. She demonstrated that even CIA agents are human. Lee Child did a good job of keeping their relationship purely platonic/professional (the bit where Reacher has a right old perv at her arse notwithstanding). Nice is in her twenties, Reacher is in his mid/late forties so a sexual relationship between them would have been gratuitous and inappropriate.

The reveal at the ending was a good'un - I didn't see it coming - and things were tied up nicely. All in all, a really satisfactory read. If you've not read a Reacher book before, you won't be disappointed. If you're a Reacher fan who feels he's gone off the boil of late, then take heart from him being back.

Overall Personal is a nice change of scenery and a worthy addition to the series. In fact it feels like a bit like James Bond novel (an observation Lee Child himself has made ), I get the impression that Personal is what a Lee Child Bond novel might have been like.

But For those of you who want Reacher to be on foot, righting wrongs in some dusty, sparsely-populated US state, smashing faces with his elbows ,drinking gallons of coffee and getting involved in massive bar fights then I have good news the 20^th Reacher book ‘Make Me’ is exactly that and there will be a review of that once I’ve finished it.

Book Review:Trigger Mortis By Anthony Horowitz

Book Review: Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz

You know how everyone went bonkers over Go Set a Watchman a few months back? Well the book I’m about to review is my equivalent of that.

I should probably point out that whilst I watch at least one bond film a week I don’t read the books as often purely because there’s much more time involved and I have loads of other stuff to read .

Before I get into the review of Trigger Mortis let’s take a moment to go over the previous James Bond books because as I’ve said in a previous blog about Trigger Mortis (http://bookebloke.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/trigger-mortis.html) the Bond books and yes , I'm including Fleming in this are a bit of a mixed bag.

Fleming – So far I’ve Read Casino Royale, DR.NO (audiobook), Goldfinger (audiobook), Octopussy And The Living Daylights (audiobook) and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service ( my favourite book of all time)  , I need to revisit them at some stage and read the rest of them whilst I’m at it.

Colonel sun- never read it

John Gardner – read a few of them but not all of them. The ones I have read were reasonably good albeit not particularly memorable. (Goldeneye, Win Lose or Die and Icebreaker)

Raymond Benson – only read one and that was a novelisation of the world is not enough , also dipping in and out of The Facts Of Death.

Sebastian Faulks – I don’t know about anyone else but I get the impression he read the Fleming books, nicked some ideas and put them in a book. Some good moments but I don’t think I’ll ever read that one again. I also thought Faulks "writing as Ian Fleming " was nothing more than marketing bullshit. Not exactly the best way to mark Fleming's 100th birthday.

Young bond – Started reading them this year and I’m loving them. Charlie Higson should be writing the adult Bond novels.

Jeffery Deaver –  A lot of people hated Carte Blanche and I’ll admit that has put me off somewhat , I might give it a chance one day but I’m not rushing.

 William Boyd – A good effort and arguably the best of the recent bond books, but like devil may care I can’t see myself reading it again any time soon ,it’s not that solo is a bad book but it’s no Any Human Heart.

Because of the mediocrity of the last few continuation novels I went into Trigger Mortis with low expectations, just to be on the safe side.

Trigger mortis takes place 2 weeks after Goldfinger (luckily references to that novel are explained) and it’s unique because for the first time ever in a continuation novel trigger mortis uses previously unseen material written by Ian Fleming.  The material in question is a treatment for an episode of a never made James bond TV show. The episode is called “murder on wheels “and is also a chapter title in the book.  

The race sequence is fantastically written, a surprise when you learn that Horowitz knew virtually nothing about 50’s motor racing when he started to write the book.

 Of course it wouldn’t be a bond novel without an absolute bastard of a villain, he is named Jai Seung Sin. Sin is aligned with SMERSH(precursor to SPECTRE).

 The evil scheme this time round is outer space and the space race not to mention sin’s plan to wipe out half of New York (for fun) Like all bond villains sin is comically sadistic, and who lets his adversaries and henchmen play an ancient Korean card game that will force them to choose their own manner of death.

Bond is also forced to play this game (after a lengthy explanation of sin’s backstory) and is quite literally buried alive and you really do find yourself thinking ‘is Bond going to get out of this?’ it probably won’t surprise you to learn that he does. But not without a few tense moments.

The novel flows brilliantly, especially events at the Nürburgring and Sin’s various buildings and the climax which sees bond hanging off the side of a train whilst trying to defuse a bomb. The manner in which sin dies is particularly gruesome.

Apart from a couple of niggles, which are so small I won't even bother mentioning them Trigger Mortis is a triumph. 

Horowitz has perfectly imitated Fleming’s exquisite eye for detail in all manner of things from food and wine, to cars, weaponry and Space Age technology. Action sequences in the novel exude the perfect balance of tension and excitement which make the novel such a thrilling and compelling read, but he also intersperses it with changes of scenery which provides some relief but also makes the reader hungry for whatever is next.

 I hope that the Fleming estate sign him up for at least one more.

Oh, and thanks to riot communications, Anthony Horowitz and event magazine for the signed copy. 

Edit : Since this review was written The Fleming Estate has announced that Horrowitz has signed up to write a second Bond novel ,which will once again use unseen Fleming material and will be published in 2018.

Book Review – Target by Simon Kernick

Book Review – Target by Simon Kernick

 Who would have thought a few drinks with your best friend's ex could lead to such devastating consequences?

  When wannabe writer Rob Fallon bumps into his best mates ex, Jenny Brakspear on a night out in London he has no idea what he’s getting himself into, after a few drinks they end up back at jenny’s flat, with rob feeling guilty before anything has even happened.

Whilst Rob is in the bathroom two assailants kidnap Jenny .Unable to stay hidden rob makes a run for it, narrowly avoiding being killed… for now. Rob optimistically hopes the police can help.

 Tina Boyd is the on duty officer who listens to Fallon’s story and takes it upon herself to investigate. There is only one problem though –there isn’t one piece of evidence. When Boyd and fallon return to jenny’s apartment they discover that the doorman hasn’t seen anything and that Jenny’s flat is spotless even Rob’s jacket is gone. To put the final nail in the coffin it turns out that there is no CCTV footage of Fallon and Brakspear or the kidnappers entering the building.  Despite every instinct telling her that Fallon is a delusional piss head Boyd can’t help but feel that something isn’t right.

Her boss believes that there is nothing to investigate so Boyd turns to an ex colleague and peruses the case on her own and calls in Rob Fallon to help her out, soon enough both of them are fighting for their lives – Rob has witnessed a friend being killed right in front of him as a warning to let things lie and Tina has been kidnapped.

Eventually Mike bolt Tina’s  colleague takes the investigation and discovers the real reason for Jenny’s kidnapping – a planned terrorist attack involving mustard gas, imported into Britain by Jenny’s father , who runs a small time gas company. At this point the book turns into a cross between a Bond movie and an episode of 24.

From this point the book absolutely flies and it becomes clear that jenny’s kidnapping is only a small part of the plot. IRA members, Underworld criminals, Company director’s and city boys all seem to be connected to the plot, but how?

Will everyone survive? Or will thousands of innocents face death by mustard gas?

  In short this book was fucking awesome and I’d recommend it to anyone, thriller fans or not.

Final thoughts in bullet point form

·         Tina Boyd is the female equivalent of Jack Bauer

·         Keeley Hawes would make a good Tina Boyd.

·         I’m seriously tempted to read the book again. Immediately

·         Although seriously tense the second half of the book has some genuinely funny moments.

·         The second half of The book is like a cross between a Bond movie and an episode of 24.

Book review :Persuader - Lee Child

Book review : Persuader By Lee Child.

Like a lot of people I stumbled across the Jack Reacher books by accident whilst browsing the book section in ASDA, the first one I bought was A Wanted Man, which I read on holiday  and I’ve been hooked ever since , reading one Reacher book every month or so  for two years.

 But the plus side to coming late to a series   is all the books were available to read one after another, which over the course of two years I have, in fact I only have one left (the enemy) which I’m saving for my holiday.

 

Persuader, is a powerful thriller, the 7th book in the series. After the surprise opening, Jack finds himself on a mission. His task is to go undercover in the castle like home of drug baron, Zachary Beck. 
To establish the whereabouts of a DEA agent  who was placed there but was found out and hasn’t been seen or heard since.

But it is not just the mission which is motivating Jack. It is almost as if a ghost from the past has reached out to him, with his one brief glimpse, of a man in Boston - Francis Xavier Quinn. 
A man whom Jack had been certain he had killed ten years ago. The events of this initial and extraordinary confrontation create a strong counter plot. Adding yet another layer of tension, intrigue and suspense enhancing the twists and turns, of an already pulsating main story line.

Throughout the novel, the characters remain clearly defined. The lingering romance ensuing between Jack, and DEA Agent, Susan Duffy, and his ongoing concern for her throughout the story, gives us yet another insight into the gritty, tough character of Jack. 
Creating another interesting layer of perception, which in no way interferes with the strength of the action. Lee snaps off his words like pistol shots, and Persuader takes off running, the pace holding right to the final nail biting pages. Edge of the seat, hold your breath suspense, combined with a confrontation with a killer, who is in every way as formidable as an enraged elephant, leads to the thrill laden climax and it is one that demands to be read in one sitting. 
With Persuader, there is no other way.

Devotees of Jack Reacher know what to expect: improbable victory against overwhelming odds. The pace is unrelenting, the violence is gruesome, formidable henchmen (including a guy who is bigger than Reacher), short sentences and a high body count (even by Reacher standards).

Good points:

Great plot where nothing is as simple as it seams.

Fantastically violent fight between Reacher and Paulie.

Hilarious one liners.

Bad point

Chapters too long.

Top Gear Top Moments .

Top Gear Top  Moments .
The final episode of Top Gear airs tonight and it really is the end of an era.

Unless you've been living under a rock for 13 years you've probably seen at least one episode of Top Gear and anyone who's watched it for any length of time (10 years in my case) have their favourite moments . Here's mine .

10. Submarine Lotus

Built as a 50th birthday present to the bond films in the excellent 50 years of bond cars special , as there was never a working submarine lotus in the spy who loved me . It still amazes me to this day that this Lotus Excel submarine worked because lets face it , it was  a Top Gear creation and it gave us one of the greatest TG moments ever. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfOwSTXP-3o

9. transfagarasan highway

Book Bloke Bucket List Item No 1. 
Drive an Aston Martin DBS on the transfagarasan highway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLAtcrB0GZg

8. The Hovervan

OK. so it was utterly bonkers and scripted as hell  but the hover van was laugh a minute stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgpfYBMqURw

7. Pendine Sands

 

Another one for the bucket list

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZukTKnvCaow

6. Jeremy’s Snow Measuring tactic

I nearly died laughing when this aired.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YM9Op5zYGE

5. Sports train

. 

Again, the car trains film is bonkers and scripted but it's absoloutley hilarious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkpCzp0CmjY (part 1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMWBPrFVwLk (part 2)

4. North Pole 

Lets face it. No one in their right mind would try to drive to the north pole again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNkvASxfEWQ

3. Porsche pipe .

Who would light a pipe and put the wrong end of it in their mouth? Jeremy Clarkson.

What's he like on bonfire night?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwdI6dKtd34

2. Jeremy Slams piers morgan

The smug face alone is enough for this to make it into second place. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW36mm6xvFc

1. Imola

Shows that all three presenters (especially Clarkson) are actually pretty good drivers. 
The noise that Aventador makes is enough to put this at number 1.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9rBIKHJoaY

Best male guest : Ian Wright

MANIAC!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnZxc9puf9c

Best female guest : Amy MacDonald

Gorgeous .Talented singer. Funny  and a Petrol head. In Amy MacDonald i think i've found my perfect woman.





All that remains for me to say is . Jeremy ,Richard , James . Thank you and goodbye . See you on  The Grand Tour.

Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets

Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets

How can i start writing a review for a book that marked my pre-teen years so deeply and shaped the way i measure books even now, 15 years later? I'm not trying to exaggerate, not at all, but it's true. A high percentage of my generation will always be enthralled by the tales, of the young wizard with the oddly shaped mark on his forehead, no matter how many years will pass. Harry Potter is and always will be a cultural figure, a phenomenon, and for many the reason they start reading books.

It's not often that i re read books but the harry potter series is an exception and since  i hadn't read them in years i decided to revisit them.  I'm not entirely sure where my childhood copies went ,the only ones that survive are Azkaban,Phoenix and Goblet Of Fire (those three are really starting to feel their age)
it always surprises me how much i enjoy these books when i read them , they really are timeless .

I won't go over the plot here because you will already know it from the film or from the book so here are some  Quick thoughts on the things that stood out to me: 
The Dursleys were even more loathsome in this book than the first. 
I love the Weasleys even more than I already did.
I am so glad my mother never sent me a Howler.
I thought Dobby was annoying in the movie   but I thought he was awesome in the book.  

Gilderoy Lockhart is a top level Douche bag (even more so than in the film)
Tom Riddle's diary was really, really awesome. The entire idea and execution were fantastic.
This is one of those books where if you're not careful you'll end up staying up half the night to read it. I actually made myself read it more slowly so i could spend more time enjoying it.

I haven't actually planned a conclusion to this review so i'll leave you with this quote from Alan Rickman  it pretty much sums up my feelings about these books .

“When I'm 80 years old and sitting in my rocking chair, I'll be reading Harry Potter. And my family will say to me, 'After all this time?' And I will say, 'Always.”

Trigger Mortis

 

There’s always a sense of trepidation when a new bond book is announced, mainly because most of the continuation novels have been a bit hit and miss. Kingsley Amis and Raymond Benson turned out some good efforts as did John Gardner who exceeded Fleming’s output , producing  16 books (but later admitted he should have stopped after 6 or 7) 
Sadly though in recent times the best thing about the recent “celebrity trilogy” has been the cover art.  Sebastian Faulks said that thrillers weren’t his cup of tea but took on Ian Fleming’s writing style of 2,000 words a day and finished “Devil May Care” In just 6 weeks, it wasn’t terrible but I can’t see myself picking it up again any time soon. That said I wouldn’t mind Faulks having another go at a bond book (even though he’s said he won't)

“Carte Blanche” by Jeffery Deaver moves bond into the 21^st century and to be honest I haven’t read it yet so I can’t say if it’s any good or not.

“Solo” by William Boyd was a good effort and arguably the best of the recent bond books, but like devil may care I can’t see myself reading it again any time soon ,it’s not that solo is a bad book but it’s not exactly on a par with Boyd’s finest work “ any human heart” (in which Fleming appears).

Anthony Horowitz (of Alex Rider fame) is the latest author to write a Bond book but  this one is a little different because it features original material by Ian Fleming. The book is called “Trigger Mortis” and whilst I’m not mad about the title the plot (a summary of which I’ve copied and pasted from good reads) sounds fucking brilliant.

The world's most famous spy, James Bond, has just returned victorious from his showdown with Auric Goldfinger in Fort Knox. By his side is the glamorous and streetwise Pussy Galore, who played no small part in his success. As they settle down in London, the odds of Galore taming the debonair bachelor seem slim—but she herself is a creature not so easily caught.

Meanwhile, the struggle for superiority between the Soviet Union and the West is escalating. In an attempt to demonstrate Soviet strength, SMERSH plans to sabotage an international Grand Prix in the hot zone of West Germany. At the Nürburgring Racing Circuit, Bond must play a high-speed game of cat and mouse to stop them, but when he observes a secretive meeting between SMERSH's driver and a notorious Korean millionaire, it becomes clear that this is just the infamous organization's opening move.

An orphan of the Korean War, he has a personal reason for wanting to bring America to its knees. He's helping SMERSH decisively end the white-hot space race—but how? With the help of an American female agent, Bond uncovers a plan that leads first to Florida and then to New York City, where a heart-stopping face-off will determine the fate of the West.

This thriller has all the hallmarks of an original Ian Fleming adventure and features welcome familiar faces, including M and Miss Moneypenny. Horowitz delivers a smooth and seductive narrative of fast cars and beautiful women, ruthless villains and breath-taking plot that will leave readers hanging until the very end.

I know a few people are sceptical about Horrowitz taking on a bond novel but   he did a good job of his Sherlock Holmes books (House of Silk, Moriarty) and   the Alex Rider books are young bond novels in all but name. 
Horrowtiz is bloody good at what he does and if they haven’t already the Fleming estate should sign him up for some sequels (I’m sure they’ve got some more original material knocking about) but if they don’t here are my top 5 choices for the next Bond author.

1. Lee Child

2. Simon Kernick

3. Peter Robinson

4. Charlie Higson
5. Jeremy Clarkson – see his column ‘hands off 007 or I’ll shoot you’ (The World According To Clarkson Volume 3)

Book Review - Worth Dying For By Lee Child

Lee Child - Worth Dying For    

"Worth Dying For" by Lee Child is the fifteenth novel about Jack Reacher, a former military cop, turned drifter, who has a habit of wandering into other people’s problems.
 If you aren't familiar with Jack Reacher think of him as an American version of James bond but without the gadgets, Aston Martin, weapons and logistical backup.

In typical Reacher style he manages to find trouble in the sleepiest of places (this time Nebraska) in a town ruled by fear of the Duncan Family.  They require all farms to use their trucking company and pay high rates. 

They have former football players on staff as thugs to bully the locals. They are waiting for a shipment of something illegal to arrive which they sell to a guy in Las Vegas. Twenty-five years ago the daughter of one of the locals disappeared. It was never solved. Spurred on by this Reacher with the help of Eleanor Duncan and the local doctor (who is almost permanently drunk) set about destroying the Duncan’s empire.  Without giving anything away, events at the barn had me a little freaked out.

Worth dying for follows on from the previous book 61 Hours so it is probably best to read that one first as this book (briefly) explains the cliffhanger ending that features in that book . 

  Overall though worth dying for is a fantastic book and my personal favourite of the Reacher books I’ve read so far.

Verdict: An absolute blinder of a book. An incredible series.

5 of 5 stars

Book Review : Ghostman by Roger Hobbs

The opening chapter of Ghostman , describes a bloody casino armoured car robbery in Atlantic City   which goes tits up in every way imaginable.  One robber is killed by a sniper from a concealed vantage point. The other is mortally wounded. Despite this, the second man escapes with the loot and effectively disappears – so completely that even the mastermind in Seattle who orchestrated the job can’t find him.

The narrator of this Ghostman is "Jack Delton" a ghost man - someone whose job it is to be forgettable, to disappear or to help other criminals disappear. It has to be said that Delton is very much a Jack Reacher type i.e. Highly observant, capable, keeps to himself and not afraid of kicking 50 shades of shit out of people.

Jack is called out of semi-retirement by a criminal associate who has every reason to kill him: the Ghostman was a member of an armed robbery team that robbed an ultramodern bank in Kuala Lumpur of millions of dollars, but a cock up on Jacks part resulted in most members of the crew being arrested and the stolen money ending up tantalizingly out of reach.

He is told he can make up for botching the Malaysian heist by recovering the loot stolen in Atlanta. However, to do so, he will not only have to track down the robber who remains alive, but also avoid the casino city’s crime boss, a sadistic fellow called The Wolf who also is looking for the stolen cash.

As a further complication, Jack will also have to avoid being arrested by pesky female FBI agent  Rebecca Blacker who spots him as a bad guy the minute he lands in New Jersey has his face on wanted posters all over the shop.

I have to admit that when a book is as hyped as this one with even Lee Child recommending it, I was left both incredibly curious as well as just a little concerned that it might not live up to expectations.  I 

Book Review :The Burning Mind By M.G .Gardiner

The Burning Mind (or The Phantom Instinct for USA readers) is the first novel by MG Gardiner. And is also the twelfth published by the author, because MG Gardiner is the author formerly known as Meg Gardiner.
Haven’t heard of Meg (or MG) Gardiner? To be honest i hadn't until i stumbled across this book in ASDA . But some googling tells me  that Meg practiced law in LA and taught writing at the University of California and she counts Stephen King and Lee Child among her  biggest fans. She has written two thriller series with the recurring characters, Evan Delaney and Jo Beckett, and is an Edgar Award winner. The Burning Mind is the latest in a number of standalone's.

Harper Flynn is working behind a bar when gunmen burst in, killing her boyfriend, Drew, and burning the place to the ground, with two gunmen dying in the process. Harper is convinced there were three gunmen, and that the third killer had been specifically targeting her in the attack. But neither the police, nor Drew’s family believe her. One year on, she spots someone lurking in the trees at Drew’s memorial service, and is convinced that she has seen the elusive third gunman. But the only person she can convince is Aiden Garrison, one of the policemen who survived the night of the attack.

But Aiden suffered a brain injury that night and now has delusions that random innocent people are killers in disguise.

 If that doesn’t complicate things enough, Aiden discovers that Harper has a secret past that put significant doubt into his mind that she might be part of the whole conspiracy, and not a victim.

The thing I liked about this book is Gardiner’s ability to throw ordinary people into extraordinary circumstances and let them sink or swim. Or, in this case, do a lot of floundering in some very murky waters. Her characterizations are as good as any thriller I've ever read , quickly bringing Harper, Aiden and Erika to life, and gradually peeling back some of the protective layers wrapped so tightly around Harper herself.

Meg’s writing style is to ratchet up tension at every opportunity, and she manages that in this book with apparent effortless skill. I have read some great books in my time  but only a few of them have kept me up into the early hours because I could not put them down. This is one of them.

Book Review : Bad Luck and Trouble By Lee Child

Bad Luck and Trouble By Lee Child

In terms of the books that spawned them James Bond and Jason Bourne are dying on their arses.   Robert Ludlum is survived by Eric Van Lust Bader whose output is a bit patchy (I’m being kind here) and Ian Fleming’s successors have also been a bit hit and miss. But this is a subject for a later blog.

 Now onto Jack Reacher.

  For those of you who aren’t familiar Jack Reacher is an ex-military policeman who left the army some years ago and now wanders around America carrying only what he can fit in his pocket .most of the time his life is nothing to write home about but Reacher has a knack for stumbling into someone else’s problems and he won’t stop until things are put right. I find this quote from 61 Hours sums him up perfectly “I don't want to put the world to rights... I just don't like people who put the world to wrongs.”

       I always read a Jack Reacher novel when I'm on holiday, not because they’re “great literature" the reason I love them is because they’re easy to read and you have bloody good fun doing it.

In the first chapter of the  eleventh book in the series , "Bad Luck and Trouble", nameless men hover over the California desert in a Bell 222 helicopter. They lift from the floor a bound man on a stretcher, whom they’ve already tortured viciously.

Then they dump him, still alive, out of the aircraft to plunge three thousand terrifying feet to his death.

Their victim is Calvin Franz, a former military policeman who belonged to an Army special investigations unit. But bad as things got for Calvin, things will soon get much, much worse for the guys who murdered him.

You see, the M.P. unit’s motto had been, “You do not mess with the special investigators.” And this tightly knit team was led by a man you definitely don’t want to mess with: Jack Reacher.

At six-feet-five and 250 pounds, shrewdly intuitive and utterly self-sufficient, Reacher is a kind of hybrid of James Bond, Sherlock Holmes and Jack Bauer. Ten years out of the military, he’s become a drifter and loner, without address or ties, his sole concessions to society being a folding toothbrush, a passport, an ATM card, and the clothes on his back.

 Only one of the clever investigators from the old unit could possibly figure out how to contact this ghost: She leaves a deposit in his bank account in an amount that Reacher quickly deciphers as a coded message—a call for help.

The donor is Frances Neagley, the toughest woman Reacher ever knew. They meet in Los Angeles, where they learn about Calvin’s murder—and before long, about the similar grisly deaths of other members of the unit. Soon, in a sober reunion, they’re joined by the team’s last two survivors: beautiful forensic accountant Karla Dixon and tough-guy detective David O’Donnell.

“They are dead men walking, as of right now,” Reacher tells them. “You don’t throw my friends out of helicopters and live to tell the tale.”

  
The colorful quartet stoically masks its deep bonds of affection with plenty of playful insults and dry, understated wit. One of the funniest scenes occurs when they return to their motel to find their rooms ransacked and their property trashed. Reacher’s terse, one-word response is hilarious. You know he won’t stop until justice is delivered.

But—delivered to whom? In keeping with previous thrillers in the series, Child weaves a devious mystery throughout a tapestry of unrelenting action. Why were the special investigators targeted? Was it  blowback from some case in the distant past? Or did one of the victims stumble upon something ugly and unwittingly draw the others in? The clues to be cracked include obscure numerical patterns—fodder for the deductive talents of maths-freak Reacher—and the baffling password to a murder victim’s computer.

The plot ultimately sends the reader on a collision course with today’s most chilling news headlines. And for the white-knuckle finale, which pits the indomitable Reacher and his comrades against the bad guys in the inevitable violent confrontation, Child delivers the perfect resolution.

 The formula of the Reacher books is by now familiar. However, familiarity does not have to be a negative. Bad Luck and Trouble is a showcase of what lee child does best, leading us and his protagonists up blind alleys, down dead ends, until answers begin to come and the real truth emerges. The vile and psychotic villains get their comeuppance (no surprise) but the ride is hectic and the climactic scenes suck the breath out of you.

In a way I suppose Reacher is a bit like  James Bond , he is  admired by his male fans and lusted after by the females ( and maybe  a few blokes as well) , but whatever sex you are you’ll find yourself rooting for him.

 I reckon this book will be perfect source material for a movie when they make it and word is it’s being lined up to be the third Jack Reacher film and I for one will be first in line to see it when it gets made .

I love this book. In short Bad Luck and Trouble is one of the best thrillers ever written.