Book 6, in the Jack Daniels Mystery
This series has to be read in sequence to understand how ridiculously it evolves throughout its progress. Definitely the stories are not to be taken seriously but rather for they humour and the evil plotting that keep going over the top at every turn.
At the end of “Fuzzy Navel” (book 5) Mr. Konrath left us with one of Jack’s loved one dead. Plainly letting us hanging like that, what an amazing way to lure us towards its sequel….
If you take this series for what it is you will find it is thrillingly entertaining, funny yet terrifying. It feels like a roller coaster ride from start to finish and I couldn't help being at the edge of my seat while I flipped page after page trying to keep up with the multiple twists and turns that kept coming. In this latest Alex Kork is worse than she ever been and half of the story is dedicated to her as she pushed Jack to her limit. Although Jack is her true prey she piles up more random victims you can imagine. She is completely heartless. Jack is drawn ever further into a twisted cat and mouse game filled with blood and too much crude sex…..All the usual players contribute in some ways but the appearance of Slappy’s, a very annoying monkey, did not add any value to the cast and could have been skipped …More and more as the series runs its way it is becoming so ridiculous that I think this whole thing is spiraling downwards.....
Although I still like J.A. Konrath’s humour I admit being gradually weaned from this series and have lost some interest in it. This feeling to withdraw doesn't mean I plan to abandon it but I need to take a long break before picking up the sequel. Too much is really too much I need a breather….:)
Book 19, in Inspector Rebus series
This author’s undoubted talent is his ability to set up complex plots and to get us involved without losing our interest. He does this superbly with this latest setting up two parallel investigations filled with suspense. This novel is set against the background of the referendum campaign.
“Saints of the Shadow Bible” explore loyalty of the police force to each other, their duty to the law and the way they fulfill their duty. Malcolm Fox plays a huge part in the mystery. He is tasked lead investigator into whether a fast and loose group of cops in the mid-80’s might have tainted a murder trial when Rebus was a young officer. At the same time the suspense deftly ties the old case into a new one that began with road crash involving a tycoon’s daughter that appears to be more than an accident. We find Rebus and his side kick Clarke called to the scene.
This novel is an immense and intricate canvas of well-drawn characters and two of Rankin’s greatest collide while hunting for the truth. The narrative goes back and forth as the two cases merge and separate then merge again. There is high tension and mounting body count throughout this mystery to keep us glued to every word. This is like a soap opera, the plotting weaved all elements together we have come to love or hate and has been delivered in a tight, quick step prose with a noir flavoured tone. Rebus saved the day and will return soon….stay tune this series is not dead yet.
This fiction is a dark and terrifyingly alternative history of what might have happened if Churchill had failed to become Prime Minister in May 1940 and the nightmare scenario where the British people are forced to live under menacing authoritarian rules.
The author weaves a gripping and atmospheric spy story. Our guide through this fantasy is David Firtzgerald, a civil servant, who has hidden is half Jewish identity in order to flourish under the regime. This counter factual concoction opens in 1952 12 years after Britain surrendered to Nazi Germany after a brief 2 years conflict. Although the nation is not occupied it is led by Fascists and is under Nazi’s fingers. The underground resistance is fighting back and it is where David comes in and is tasked with rescuing Frank Muncaster, a scientist in possession of vital information, and smuggling him out of the country.
This story keeps our interest by rotating perspective from David’s point of view and jumping to different players and back to David. There is momentum in this cat and mouse chase that is modulated with interludes giving us pause for thought. The book stands a good yarn and is about 1/3 too long for my taste although most will find it to be well-written and well-plotted. The style is at times ponderous and the key points lack the necessary build up to provide intense suspense but are captivating nonetheless. This novel is also crammed with details and clearly shows that the author has done an enormous amount of research and thinking about this alternate history, he has quite an imagination and a scary one to boot. I like the characterization and once my struggles with each of their back-stories forgotten the “What ifs” kept me from being disappointed and overall can say I enjoyed “Dominion”.
