Also published under the title "Disgrace".
Book 2, in the Department Q series
We learnt in the first installment that Department Q was set up the handle cold cases with Carlo Morck, a prickly Copenhagen Deputy Det., to lead it. This follow-up is quite different to the first case he tackled. This story is more brutal and is filled with great inventiveness in its descriptions of the technique of torture and depravity. The nonstop action is pulse-pounding with many unforeseen twists to derail us although we do have some breaks to help us relate to the characters. This is a saga that is far from being dull.
Carl returns from vacation to discover that his unit has been reshuffled and is confronted with a file that shouldn't be on his desk. The file concerns the brutal murders of a sister and brother two decades earlier and one of the suspects confessed and was convicted. How did the file come into his possession and why was he immediately asked to let it go?
Once Carl looks something, this contrarian individual will do the direct opposite to what he is told. Looking further into this supposedly solved case leads him to Kimmie, a vagrant who steals to survive and a group of ex -boarding school bodies who became successful businessmen. The group is later discovered to be engaged in a series of despicable acts.....
Maybe the antics of the criminals are over the top and a bit unbelievable but nevertheless we have a plot that is exciting and revolves around Carl's attempts to get evidences and convictions. The characters are intricate and fascinating. Carl is hard to work with, Assad is always cheerful and Rose the new addition to the department is a piece of work. To the mix are the creepy villains and Kimmie I let you judge her....IMO this author is in a league of his own and provides hours of captivating reading with his superb writing, his original characters and exciting plots.
Book 1, in the Lincoln Rhyme series
Written in 1997 this novel introduces Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic forensic criminalist as its main protagonist with Amelia Sachs, a 31 year old police officer, as its main character, along with them it showcases strong secondary characters in Lon Sellito, a homicide detective working for the NYPD and Thom, Lincoln Rhymes’ full-time care assistant. The movie adaptation starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie was made in 1999. To this day, this series is a success and still strong in the ratings.
In “The Bone Collector”, the plot depicts a frantic race to save lives and catch a killer , it has a generous hunk of CSI style forensics investigation, is action packed with a multitude of wild chases, some fascinating disclosures and a few gruesome scenes and the pages are filled with Interesting and colourful characters. We have drama and suspense everywhere and there isn't much down time for a breather.
Rhymes is a high-level quad, a man trap in a broken body with a sole falcon living on his windowsill as company and it quickly becomes apparent that he is a bitter, angry and aggressive, he is strongly considering suicide. When his loneliness is interrupted by his former colleague who needs help in an ongoing crime investigation his interest eventually peaks at the highest level, just what was needed for Rhymes set aside the decision of suicide. Assisted by the beautiful Amelia Sachs they track down a killer whose ingenious clues hold secret to saving his victims. There is a lot going on I will abstain to divulge in order to tease you….
This is quite a captivating story an absolute page turner …... “The Coffin Dancer” is the next to follow the Lincoln and Amelia saga and I surely will add it on my TBR list.
Too many books …too little time but never too late to read a good story.
This is a compelling work of fiction about a woman (Athena) born in Transylvania to a Romani mother who left her in an orphanage and was later adopted by a wealthy Lebanese couple and raised in London. It is one of those books that dig into the mysteries of the transcendental world and one that blends the mundane life with the esoteric. This tale is a sure recipe not to please everyone but without any doubts this story is thought-provoking and will appeal to those with an avid interest in transcendentalism and divinity.
“ The Witch of Portobello” starts with the death of the main character, Athena, her life story is alternately told from the points of view of the people who knew her: her adoptive mother, her ex-husband, a journalist researching vampires, a priest, her landlord, a teacher of calligraphy, a historian and an actress. They each provide a different view of her, describing not only what they saw and experienced but adding their own impressions, interpreting her through their own beliefs and fears but we never learn what Athena really thinks herself.
This book is complex, challenging and pushes the boundaries of our imagination. The intriguing premise is heavily laced with references to religion, spirituality and mysticism. Was the purpose of this book to question our own spirituality? Well this is a thought to ponder over…. The plot started well, was captivating enough and definitely quite original but ….isn't there always a but…. midway the author’s rambling lost me in the mumble jumble of all that New Age stuff and those gullible characters eventually got on my nerves. This story was way too creepy for my taste.
