Archives

The Defence by Steve Cavanagh: Steve Cavanagh has done an outstanding job of writing a riveting thriller that grabs you from the opening line, right on through to last page. Setting a pace that makes you feel you can smell the burnt rubber from the Ninja road bikes in one chase scene that would give Steve McQueen a run for his …

Watched: The Island (Acorn TV) This Scottish drama is set on one of the Hebridean islands and centres on a dysfunctional family with secrets. The head of this family just happens to be the Lord of the Manor whose wife is brutally murder. What unfolds is a fairly slow, meandering story of lies, …

Tatiana by Martin Cruz Smith: This chess-inspired 8th outing of the cranky melancholy police investigator, Arkady Renko, is a fast-paced romp through the underbelly of corrupt police/politicians/media in Putin’s crumbling modern Russia. Where just about everyone has an agenda hustling from the streets to the highest …

State of Terror by Hilary Clinton & Louise Penny: STATE OF TERROR, a taut, tense, whiplash-inducing thriller, is so up to the minute in world events it seems like the authors, Hillary Clinton and crime fiction author, Louise Penny, had a crystal ball to look into scrying possible scenarios … no, wait … they did. In the form of Ms. Clintons and her …

Secrets of State by Matthew Palmer: This is a solid outing from Matthew Palmer, an author that knows his stuff. SECRETS OF STATE, is a thriller with all the right ingredients, that hit all the right notes. The characters are nothing new, but familiar territory is okay as long as there is enough elsewhere to make up for it. And while …

The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry: THE ROMANOV PROPHECY is another fast-paced thriller that is pure popcorn entertainment from the first page, till the last. A rip-roaring romp through the streets, and politics, of Moscow, in a possible near-future where Russia, looking for it’s roots, is set on the restoration of the Monarchy. …

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown: I spent a day reading this fast paced, fun read, that takes you on another Dan Brown whirlwind ride. This time around it’s the US Capital, Washington DC, as opposed to some European City. But whatever the city, you know to suspend your sense of disbelief on the the first page, and just jump …

Inside Out by Barry Eisler: Barry Eisler just keeps getting better and better with each book he writes. INSIDE OUT is the second Ben Treven story, sadly I haven’t read the previous outing but that didn’t spoil this one in anyway. Thankfully, Eisler doesn’t waste time playing catch up in his opening chapters …

Cold Storage by David Koepp: COLD STORAGE is an incredibly fast read, not just because it’s only 308 pages long, but because it’s that kind of a story. A book you simply cannot put down. I read this in a day. Yes, seven hours on a Sunday, from beginning to end. I really didn’t want to stop as there was too much at stake. Yes, I …

Sawbones by Melissa Lenhardt: SAWBONES is raw, gritty and, at times, violently graphic. The characters themselves could have been ripped out of a Dime novel of the day back in the late 1800s—with a woman on the run after being accused of murder she didn’t commit, Indians on the warpath, and a saddle-weary Army Captain with …

Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris: 

This novel is something of a misrepresentation. It might be titled Finding Nouf, but Nouf is found quite dead, about ten pages into the story. And, from there on in, this flimsy excuse for a murder mystery takes on a plodding pace. While two of the most unlikeliest characters ever conceived are …

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman: I don’t normally read contemporary or literary fiction, in the same way I like to avoid getting a nasty skin rash — through avoidance. But after reading a couple of reviews, and seeing it listed on a couple of blogs as a book to read I found myself staring at the cover in my local bookstore …

The Woo-Woo by Lindsay Wong: The Woo-Woo by Lindsay Wong is a darkly humorous memoir that talks about her parents, her childhood upbringing—or, lack thereof—and just what the hell the Woo-Woo are—Ghosts and demons that her parents are convinced are trying to take over their bodies and possess them at any sign of weakness. As a …

The Thicket by Joe R. Lansdale: Joe Lansdale’s western, THE THICKET, is wickedly smart, funny, vulgar, violent, philosophical and yes, even at times, a little whimsical. All in part due to the wonderful, quirky cast of characters and, of course, Lansdale’s own voluble prose. Prose prickling with acute observations, …

Watched: Bandits (Netflix) This English-dubbed Mexican show about a group of desperate friends and frenemies coming together to find lost Spanish treasure, turned out to be a comedy gem. Full of action and fun, this one had me laughing at the group’s antics as they try to outwit the bad guys …

Watched: Remarkably Bright Creatures (Netflix) Sweet, sad, funny and very poignant, Sally Fields bonds with one smart octopus in a movie that had me smiling from ear to ear one minute, and almost sobbing the next. Remarkably touching.

Watched: Altered Carbon (Netflix) Scifi at it’s worst, we’re presented with yet another dreary dystopian, futuristic, ultra-violent show where everyone feels like a video-game character. The A.I. hotel character, Edgar Alan Poe, was the best part and that’s saying something.