Book 5, in the Dublin Murder Squad
Miss French took on the world of teenage girls in this latest and has brought her protagonists chasing the whodunit at a plush all girl boarding school near Dublin. A murder was committed on the grounds of school and a group of four friends soon becomes prime suspects. The drama takes place over a single day with a heavy dose of flashbacks to events that occurred the previous year.
Miss French’s books are not a fast read and are pretty much on the long side. She also has a knack for creating layered, multi-dimensional characters and distinctive voices. Some editorial fat trimming could have made this drama a bit less tedious. So, if you are not into long- winded narration coupled with the most intricate and complex plot you may as I did, find this story to drag in many parts. I often felt being string along for over the 450 pages by a story that soon became very boring. The dialogue is strong in teenage vernacular and their obnoxious attitude mildly irritating. I must say the author often writes beautifully capturing the teen appeal and their emerging sexuality but the magic is soon killed by the lack of clarity and the flaws of the minor players.
This is one book to love or hate. My take: this book is definitely a big disappointment.
Book 1, in the Arkane series
Also under the title “Pentecost”
This fast-paced and highly imaginative story weaves a mix of Indiana Jones thrilling action into a tale that explores ancient myths and religion à la Dan Brown.
“Stone of Fire” brings Morgan Sierra, a knowledgeable Oxford individual with an Israeli Special forces background to work with Jake Timber, a handsome Arkane operative, their quest is to find the twelve “Pentecost stones” taken from the tomb of Jesus Christ by the apostles. The stones are alleged to have great power and at least two other groups will go to any lengths to get hold of them also….and the chase takes us on a global trip from India to England, from Italy to Tunisia and from Iran to the US.
Not at all what I expected not to say I didn’t like being push along while being informed at the same time. Ms. Penn is a master in religious information and her vivid descriptions of cathedrals, basilicas and the settings are what brought life to this thriller. This book is a highly fictionalized mishmash of unbelievable occurrences. Although the pacing is right and overall well told my mind still wandered through many parts. I simply got lost in the redundancy and the similarity with other books. The characterization is interesting but really clichéd. The dialogue lacked the sharpness expected in heated moments. Although this story does not make it in my best book of the year list it still offered some great entertainment. It is a kind of story preferable not to take too seriously……
Book 3, in the Inspector Raminez series
“Hungry Ghost” is my introduction to Canadian author Peggy Blair. Was I lost starting at this point?, yes at first, but it didn’t take too many chapters to place the missing pieces together, go with the flow and enjoy this light mystery, one rich in atmosphere and style.
The storyline has three threads:
It begins in Havana with Inspector Ricardo Raminez investigating vandalism at a local museum. The chapters describing the heist are exciting with lots of actions and suspense but things soon peters out and we find ourselves following Ricardo on other crimes involving dead prostitutes. This switching of theme in the second thread brings a bit of confusion and to boot victims’ ghost appearing at Ricardo’s side out of the blue, advising him of impending deaths becomes fast an irritant. The added ghostly touch can be easily omitted and this would not affect any way, shape or form the development of this story. In alternate chapters the third thread brings us to Canada, on a First nation reserve in Northern Ontario with aboriginal detective Charlie Pike on a case of a murder victim whose death may be linked to a serial killer.
When the heist and the whodunits come together the elements of the mystery hold up pretty well. We have terrific characters in both Raminez and Pike doing what they do best in their isolated locations: one in the non-touristy Cuba and the other in impoverished Canadian wilderness. This book is a good read, carefully constructed, complex in many ways and layered with humour. The narrative is outstanding and the dialogue between players highlights the author’s expertise in the art of interrogation and shows how knowledgeable she is in the Aboriginal culture and ways of life.
“Hungry Ghosts” is a gritty and a chilling read of two detectives against an international serial killer
