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.

Top 5 : Movie Car Chases

Well since I dont have any book reviews to share with you at present i thought i'd list my top 5 Movie car chases.

1.Bullit
You can't make a list of movie car chases without mentioning Bullitt can you?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31JgMAHVeg0
2.The Naked Gun
The funniest car chase of all time ? I think so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz6A6t55qXk
3.RUSH - Japanese Gran Prix
technically not a car  chase but it is an epic piece of film making.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnnPGeOKzu0
4.Jack Reacher -  A delightfully old school car chase from a delightfully old school action movie .
Tom Cruise did all this without a stunt driver, since he pretty much is one .

5. Spectre
Don't know what i need to say about this one really ,Its Bond drifting an Aston Martin around Rome. What more could you want ?

Honourable mentions

Mission Impossible 2
Ok, this is a bike chase but it's still chock full of Tom Cruise badasserry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ugUBBycFY
Driven
I chose this as an honourable mention because it's so fantasitcally unrealistic and also because like the movie it appears in  it's absoloutley shocking .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKpsLkd2qxo
The Sweeney
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNlkeHXUTjE
Top Gear did this one and despite the twatting around in the episode the filming was shown in , the finished chase turned out to be pretty good. Shame about the rest of the movie

Book Review : 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 wouldnt touch it with a bargepoll .sexual assult carried put by celebrities .
Newly promoted  Superintendent Alan Banks is given the unenviable task of investigating a historical rape. The accused is a  ficitonal but eerily true to life entertainer Danny Caxton, seemingly untouchable thanks to his charity work and friends in the police force . Banks however beleives and likes Caxton's accuser a poet named Linda Palmer. 

DS Annie Cabbott meanwhile has a case that is more recent but just as tricky when the body of a young girl Mimosa 'Mimsy' Moffatt has been bruised beaten and naked having apparently been thrown from a van. A group of local Pakistani's are immeadietly suspected and Annie and Geraldine Masterson  must tread carefully to avoid triggering a full on race war .

The book has a couple of nice surpises in store as it features Banks' mate and occasional colluege Dirty Dick Burgess brought in from what he terms "The British CIA" and he's as delightfully uncouth as ever , sadly though they only share about 3 scenes over the entire book . Ken Blackstone also reappears but like Burgess it's only for a few scenes which seems like a missed opportunity to me but the scenes they do appear in are a joy to read.

And that pretty much sums up When the Music's Over , there are a few little niggles here and there but it has  two very intriging storylines ,even if they are a tad uncomfortable to read at times .

But if you're a Banks fan then  i don't doubt you'll enjoy When The Music's over,It's not the best in the series but it's still a worthy addition .

Book Review : The Defence By Steve Cavanagh

 The Defence by Steve Cavanagh is a fast paced and tense legal thriller which follows burnt out lawyer and former con man Eddie Flynn as he tries to save his daughter's life. This may sound like a pretty standard action thriller storyline, or every Liam Neeson movie since the original Taken but there’s nothing wrong with those ‘one last job’ storylines if it’s done right . I’m pleased to report that The Defence is a ‘one last job’ storyline done right.

The Defence follows Eddie Flynn as he is forced back into the courtroom after vowing never to return after a disastrous case, and has spent the last 2 years drinking.

Flynn’s daughter has been held hostage by the Russian mafia, to ensure her safe return he, must defend Mafia boss, Volchek , who is guilty in every sense of the word . Throughout the book Flynn is reminded that his daughter’s death is only a phone call away. Oh and I nearly forgot to mention that Flynn must do all is in the space of 48 hours whilst having a bomb strapped to his back.
This is probably as much as I can tell you about The Defence plot wise without spoiling it for you, But it should be enough to atleast get you on amazon to check it out. 

Flynn for me (along with Carter Blake) is the surprise of the year and I’m looking forward to seeing what he gets into next.

The defence is one of those books that you will have you staying up until Bastard’o clock reading to find out what happens next, if that doesn’t mark it out as a great thriller then I don’t know what else I can say to convince you that it is. Believe the rumours about this one folks, I'm glad i did .

Book Review : The Killing Season By Mason Cross

“The first thing you should know about me is that my name is not Carter Blake.

That name no more belongs to me than the hotel room I was occupying when the call came in.”

When Caleb Wardell, , escapes from death row two weeks before his execution, the FBI calls on the services of Carter Blake, a Jack Reacher/Bryan Mills type  whose particular set of skills lie in finding those who don’t want to be found.

Blake is also a bit of a drifter which will spark the inevitable Jack Reacher comparisons (we’ll get to that later).

Blake is in his hotel room when he receives a phone call informing him that Wardell has escaped from a prison van and is on the loose again .

Blake is paired with CIA agent Elaine Banner but they quickly find themselves side-lined from the case and they have to try to second guess a man who kills seemingly for fun. They also find themselves entangled in a web of lies and corruption and soon enough Blake finds himself up against not just a prolific serial killer but the FBI as well , no pressure there then…

I don’t want to say too much more about the plot as I’ll end up spoiling it

The killing Season is one of those books that you will have you staying up until stupid o clock reading to find out what happens next , in fact I found myself coming down with what I call ‘one more chapter’ syndrome.

Some books get hyped up so much that when you actually read them they fall flat on their arses, it’s not even the books fault when that happens it’s just that they’ve been subjected to too much fanfare and end up suffering as a result. Does that happen with The Killing Season? No. Not even a little bit.

So will carter Blake be compared to Jack Reacher?

It’s an inevitable comparison and also one that I think is completely justified. In fact I reckon Blake is the next big thing in this type of thriller and will become one of those characters you refer to by their last name alone like Bosch, Reacher , Bond etc

If you love the Reacher books as much as I do then I can’t recommend the killing season highly enough.

Also a big thank you to Mason Cross for the signed copy.

The Reader Confessions Tag.

OK, so i haven't actually been tagged in this but it seemed like a fun idea and i'm doing it anyway.

1. Have you ever damaged a book?
Unfortunately yes , I once dropped a harry potter book (it may have been my sisters actually) in a bucket of wallpaper paste. Other than that no,but i do break the odd spine (on books not people) , i know that to a book lover breaking a book's spine is the 8th deadly sin but sometimes it's unavoidable. I also buy a lot of second hand books which have already been broken but that doesn't bother me . 
I  also damaged a Thomas The Tank engine book , well it got a bit wet when i was camping in the back garden (Don't ask) but it's still readable.

2.Have you ever damaged a borrowed book?

I haven't borrowed a book for about 14 years so no, and i don't remember damaging them when i did. although there was a book about trains  and a Dick King Smith book that i borrowed from the library at primary school and "forgot" to take back . I still have them.

3. How long does it take you to read a book? 

Tricky one this, but the simple answer is that it depends on the book and what mood i'm in and how much time i've got. another factor is whether I'm enjoying the book or not but i try to read 2 or 3 books a month (i know, i'm a shockingly slow reader.)

4 .Books you haven’t finished? 

The most recent book i didn't finish was Our Kind Of Traitor By John le Carre . it was my first Le Carre novel and i was hugely disappointed in it . I got 115 pages in , which according to my rule means i have to go back and finish it at some point . 

Other books i didn't finish include 

Dead Spy Running by Jon Stock

Dambuster by Robert Radcliffe 

Any Human Heart by William Boyd

Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver

I can't remember any more but i'm sure there are more. i'll add them if i think of any

5. Hyped/Popular books you didn’t like?

50 Shades Of Grey. I can't believe i've just admitted to reading that shite.

I'd also include the aforementioned Our Kind Of Traitor.

6. Is there a book you wouldn’t tell anyone you were reading?

50 shades of grey. I just don't understand why people would want to read about people having sex  .

7.How many books do you own?

God knows , i'm too scared to count them all up.

8.Are you a fast/slow reader?

depends on the book and if i'm enjoying it or not. If it's a james bond or jack reacher novel then i'll probably get through it in a couple of weeks. For   something like a Harry Potter book then i'll take my time , some things are best read slowly.

9.Do you like to buddy read?

I've never done it but i'd like to.

10.Do you read better in your head/out loud?

In my head , i'd look like a bit of a nutter if i sat on the train or in a cafe reading aloud to myself.

11. If you were only allowed to own one book, what would it be and why?

A Game Of Thrones because it would take me the rest of my life to read the bloody thing.

Well , that's it and now I have to tag some people so here goes. 

I tag. 

Allie Morgan 

Rose Mannering 

Mason Cross 

Andy Martin.

and 

Crimethrillergirl

Q&A: Andy Martin

Something a little different, my first Authour Q&A with Andy Martin author of 

Reacher Said Nothing :Lee Child And The Making Of Make Me. 

I haven't actually read this yet but Andy was kind enough to not only answer my questions but to send a signed copy of the book. Cheers Andy.

1. What is your favourite Jack Reacher book and why?

My first reaction to this question is: the one that is right in front of me! I suppose I am always going to have a particularly soft spot for Make Me, since I watched it being written. But it just so happens that right now I am going back to the first one, Killing Floor, to refresh my memory about the prison scenes.

2. Where did the idea for Reacher Said Nothing come from?

I had done some work on Sartre and Camus, each of whom comments on the work of the other. But from afar. And I thought, wouldn’t it have been so much better if they had actually checked it out at close quarters while they were writing, rather than afterwards. Then I thought, yeah, but they’re dead now. But, on the other hand, what if… That was the start of it. Could have been almost any writer (not Donna Tartt!), but Lee said yes.

3. When did you first become aware of Jack Reacher?

About 10 years ago. As it happens, in a small bookstore in Pasadena, down the road from CalTech. Don’t think I’d ever heard of him before.

4.  Which Reacher book did you read first?

In the same bookstore, I picked up a copy of The Enemy. For some reason that simple but elemental title spoke to me. One of those where Reacher is still in the army. In, but already in some way, out.

5. For potential readers which Reacher book would you recommend and why?

Tough one. Lots of people like to start with book one and read through to the most recent. I’ve known one guy who did it the other way round and worked his way back to Killing Floor. Lee’s personal favourite is Gone Tomorrow (which starts on the subway). I’m going to vote for the one in which Reacher is reunited with some of his old crew: Bad Luck and Trouble. Why? The blissful absurdity of tracking down Neagley in Los Angeles without ever fixing a time and place. It’s classic Reacher.

6. What was it like watching Lee Child at work?

Fascinating. Real learning experience. Plus there was always the possibility that he would head butt me if I really annoyed him.

7. Was it fun hanging out with Lee Child?

On a par with hanging out with Jean-Paul Sartre or Albert Camus (if they were alive). Except you always have to drink your coffee black or he cracks up. It’s a sort of religion with him. And you have to be relaxed about substance abuse. And then there is the Jekyll and Hyde factor…

8. For those who enjoyed Reacher Said Nothing is there a sequel planned?

WITH CHILD, coming soon. In which I focus more on the readers than the writer. But also THE FOREIGNER, thriller-in-progress, putting theory into practice. For those who did not enjoy, no worries: I will plot some terrible revenge.

9. Have you read Night School yet?

Only the fragments that Lee wanted to show me as he went along.

10. Did you get to go to the set of Never Go Back, if so what was it like?

See my article for the Independent:
https://t.co/ABjgll2FtN

Otherwise my lips are sealed (well, unless someone wants to pay me some unspecified but definitely large sum of money).

11. What do you think of Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher?

Apparently he is huge in China. I’m not going to go against a billion Chinese citizens. I am optimistic about Never Go Back and will definitely go and see it.

12. Who do you think could play Reacher in the future?

Idris Elba. I once asked Lee who would play Lee in the movie. If not Lee. He wants Jeremy Irons - but it has to be a young Jeremy Irons (tricky).

13. If you could pick a book to adapt for the next movie which one would you pick and why?

61 Hours. I love movies with a lot of snow. It’s almost like Reacher meets Nordic noir. But in America. Or maybe Echo Burning for the opposite reason. The deep south and Reacher gets to crack some racist redneck over the head with a pool cue. Good move, Reacher.

Book Review : The Burning Room By Michael Connelly

 In an attempt to fill the void left by Jack Reacher I’ve been on the lookout for a new series to read and after watching the TV show I decided to read the The Burning Room by Michael Connelly.

 The Burning Room is my first Harry Bosch novel and the 19th overall which means I can continue my tradition of starting new series in the wrong place.

I'll be honest I was a bit disappointed by this book at first and found it to be really slow for the first 100 pages or so. In fact those first 100 pages were so slow in fact I almost gave up on the book altogether (which I haven’t done for ages). 

There are detailed sections about police procedures and processes. Whilst being insightful, it defeats the point of what is supposed to be  a high octane thriller. The story metaphorically speaking is like a stagnant river. There's virtually nothing happening. In this context, it is stale with elements of action and excitement missing to grip readers. I admire Bosch's qualities as a police officer. He always thinks about the victims and sometimes breaks the rules to get results. As a consequence, Bosch often gets himself into trouble with his bosses, In that respect he puts me in mind of DCI Banks.

If truth be told, this isn't a riveting story. Interesting, of course, but not one to set the pulse racing. Bosch has a new partner in the form of rookie detective Lucy Soto and at the beginning she is - in her spare time - trying to find out who caused a fire in an L.A. day-care centre   21 years earlier, a fire that she survived as a seven-year-old but which took the lives of several people including young children.

Meanwhile the case that she and Bosch are officially working on is the murder of a Mexican musician who had been in a coma for ten years. So while the shooting of Orlando Merced may have taken place long enough ago to be classified as a cold case - which is the type of crime that Bosch specialises in - the actual death happened only a few hours before this story begins.

It's therefore something of a stretch to the imagination to learn that the two crimes have a connection, although that's what does tend to happen in crime fiction sometimes. The only thing Bosch and Soto have to go on is the bullet from the late Merced's spine, and somehow that's enough for an investigation that traverses several regions of California and beyond. 

There isn't anything else to the story however; no sub-strands or multi-layers apart from some stuff about Bosch’s daughter Maddie who's following in her dad's footsteps , this is the sum total of what it's about, which is a shame as the main storyline is a bit weak.

I think the reason this book is a bit disappointing is that at the time it was being written Connelly was busy with the new Bosch TV show on Amazon, which might explain why it’s not as good as his previous books.

However, The Burning Room being a disappointment hasn’t put me off Bosch and will be trying some of the earlier books namely The Drop, A Darkness More Than night, Trunk Music and The Last Coyote. I’ll let you know how I get on with those when I read them. 

Top 10 Crime Thrillers

I’ve been meaning to put this list together for some time and the truth is there are so many other crime novels that I wanted to include but we’d be here all day so I’ve been strict with myself and narrowed it down to ten . if you think I’ve missed a book out or if you have a top ten of your own that you want me to look at then please let me know in a comment .

10.  Ghost Man By Roger Hobbs

Given the success of Lee Child it was inevitable that other writers would Have a go at creating their own Jack Reacher . Roger Hobbs has done a better job than most with his character Jack Delton a ‘Ghostman’ someone whose job it is to be forgettable, to disappear or to help other criminals disappear. This is a great read and has won praise from pretty much everyone. Including Lee Child.

Review here.

http://bookebloke.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/book-review-ghostman-by-roger-hobbs.html

9. There Are No Spies  By Bill Granger

The 7th book in a series that is something of a forgotten gem.  Think of the November man series as a cross between James Bond and George Smiley. It also made for a great film , which thanks to a piss poor release is also a bit of a forgotten gem . You can read my review of the movie here:

http://bookebloke.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/film-review-november-man.html

8. Gone Girl By Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl is a ridiculously clever and  very well plotted psychological thriller, that is also as a mate of mine put it “a Grade A mindfuck”. Be warned though, the ending is enough to make you punch a wall. It’s also enough to make you want to stay single. Forever.

Gone Girl also made for a great movie starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike.

7. The Witness by Simon Kernick

One of Simon  Kernick’s best books to date, if not the best. http://bookebloke.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/book-review-witness-by-simon-kernick.html

6. Strange Affair By Peter Robinson

The 15^th Inspector banks novel that explores Bank’s relationship with his family following the disappearance of his estranged brother Roy.

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

5. The Cuckoo’s Calling By Robert Galbraith (J.K Rowling)

J.k Rowling’s crime debut is good enough to remind you why you fell in love with crime novels . it also prove that for J.K Rowling there is life beyond Harry Potter . There are 3 books in the series that follows 1 legged detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin. They are a bit of an odd couple, but that’s what makes these books so entertaining.

4. Normal by Graeme Cameron

An extremely disturbing and at times hilarious novel about a man seems normal but who has an elaborate cage built into a secret basement under his garage, where he keeps young girls against their will .

3. The Living Daylights By Ian Fleming

The only short story to make this list but it is not the only Bond book ….

The living daylights is a cracker of a short story and formed the basis of one of the most underrated Bond films ever.

2. One Shot By Lee Child

I could have put any Jack Reacher book on this list as I love them all  but One Shot was one of the first I read . It also made for a good film , which seems to have become a bit of a theme in this list. 

1.  1 .Casino Royale By Ian Fleming

For my money this is the best of the classic bond novels , it also formed the basis of my all-time favourite film .

Book Review : Double Or Die by Charlie Higson

Even when I was just a lad, I was a big fan of James Bond. I think it is probably due to the high level of action and the sense of danger that is evident in the films, and  around the time Skyfall came out, I read some of the books. Most of the books, though, I quickly learned the pacing was quite a bit slower and the plots were a bit thinner. Although On Her Majesty's Secret Service remains the only book ever to make me cry.

A few years ago, Charlie Higson started coming out with a new series called Young Bond. The first book, SilverFin starts off with James first arriving at Eton as a new student. Unlike the other boys at the well-known prep school, James was not rich. But That didnt  prevent him from forming a small but loyal group of friends. It was also the start of his high adventures on an international scale.

This is the third volume in the series, which follows after  Blood Fever ( The best of the Young Bond bunch if you ask  me) . James has returned home to Eton after his summer adventures on the Italian isles. The holidays are quickly approaching when his good friend Pritpal receives a letter from Mr. Fairborn, the teacher/advisor of the Crossword Club. It offers his apologies for having to leave and seems to be filled with errors, which Pritpal, James, Perry, and their other friends quickly realize are clues to a cryptic puzzle. It quickly becomes clear that Fairborn did not leave by choice, and he is likely to be in danger.

After a mysterious visit from one of Fairborn's colleague for a planned visit with the Crossword Club. The visit does not go as planned as the visitor is not only rude, but he seems to have no interest in crosswords or any other form  of puzzles. It does  however, provide James and his friends with the first clue, outside of the letter, that they can use to find Fairborn.

James is confronted with an interesting cadre of villains. Sir John Charnage quickly comes to the fore along with the eerie looking brothers, Ludwig and Wolfgang Smith (who are hilarious). They are joined  by  Russian henchwoman, Babushka  in the fight to get a handle on the precursor of computers.

Today's younger readers will get an opportunity to learn about the early attempts by the British secret service to create a machine that will help them with their espionage. Familiar names and terms (to those with knowledge about computer history) such as Charles Babbage, Alan Turing, and binary code are weaved nicely into the storyline , Charlie Higson manages to make the latter interesting without it being overwhelming or boring.

Fans of the series will be thrilled to see the return of siblings Red and Kelly Kelly as they play a crucial role in James' plan. Kelly's feelings toward James are definitely shifting from friendship to something more, perhaps as a precursor to Bond's luck with the ladies.

The series has done a wonderful job in capturing everything that made the film series popular with its nice mix of humor, edge-of-your-seat danger, and an elusive solution the audience must join James in second. Double Or Die isn't just good by the standards of the Young Bond series , it's a book that Ian Fleming would have been proud to call his own if he'd written a book about the Young Bond. Does praise get any higher than that? Probably not.

Book Review: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

Plot:
They told him his uncle died in an accident. He wasn't wearing his seatbelt, they said. But when fourteen-year-old Alex finds his uncle's windshield riddled with bullet holes, he knows it was no accident. What he doesn't know yet is that his uncle was killed while on a top-secret mission. But he is about to, and once he does, there is no turning back. Finding himself in the middle of terrorists, Alex must outsmart the people who want him dead. The government has given him the technology, but only he can provide the courage. Should he fail, every child in England will be murdered in cold blood.

Who didn't want to be a spy when they were younger? For most kids it's a fantasy they never grow out of ( i know i haven't ).
 Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz is about a young boy named Alex Rider who happens to be at the right(or wrong) place at the right time. He becomes a spy for MI6 and is given his first mission, which he reluctantly accepts. This book immediately throws you into action packed and suspenseful scenes that never seem to stop.

Stormbreaker is a very well-written novel. Anthony Horowitz clearly has a passion for espionage and has put a great deal of effort into creating a believable and impressive story. It is a very descriptive book, putting a lot of detail into the scenes and people, like telling the reader that Alex is wearing Nike or other Labels at different points in the book. This really makes it easier to visualize the text, especially the action scenes, when so much is happening at once. 

This book is an excellent read for any age. As long as you have a weakness for spies, fighting and saving the world, you will enjoy Stormbreaker.

Anthony Horowitz has written one of the most clever spy books in recent memory, and Alex Rider is  charismatic and easy to relate to. If you haven't read this gem yet, be sure to pick it up. 

Alex Rider is no doubt the inspiration for the equally brilliant Young bond series ,i also have no doubt that the Rider books were good practice for Anthony Horowitz as last year he released an absolute jewel of a James Bond Novel , Trigger Mortis (review here) .