Book Review The Silent Corner – by Dean Koontz This thriller by Koontz appears to be the first in a series. FBI Agent, Jane Hawk (oh dear, anyone remember who Agent Starling is? Shame on you Deano, you lazy sod), has taken a leave of absence to privately investigate the suicide of her loving husband, […]
Book review The Road by Cormac McCarthy Readers may be familiar with this particular story-line, having watched the movie adaptation starring Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee. I will confess to not being among that number who have viewed the silver-screen’s take on the tale. I’m not sure that I ever want to either, since […]
Nemesis by Misha Glenny This factual story caught me by surprize as I didn’t expect it to be quite as good as it was. Antonio Francisco Bonfirm Lopes was born into poverty and hardship in Rio de Janeiro. Events conspired to drive him into the world of organised crime where he quickly rose to […]
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry The tag-line on the cover of this book reads, An epic journey that will change their lives forever… The story does indeed chart an epic journey. This is an epic book. Larry McMurtry’s novel won him a Pulitzer, and I can understand why. Lonesome Dove is a classic in the […]
Reading Allowed by Chris Paling The subtitle to this slight book is, True Stories & Curious Incidents from a Provincial Library. Chris Paling is a published author and librarian. In Reading Allowed, he recounts his experiences from the day to day life of such a public facility in the UK. It makes for an engaging […]
The Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter This is the sequel to H.G. Wells’ The War Of The Worlds, and is officially authorized by his estate. Anyone who has read the Wells’ classic (I haven’t) will better appreciate this story. Yet, although The Massacre of Mankind is a continuation, and I missed the beginning […]
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy This is a beautifully written story of broken homes, broken hearts and broken bones. It is a coming-of-age tale that vividly depicts the good, the bad and the ugly of rural life in both Texas and Mexico in the 1940’s. John Grady Cole is a sombre sixteen […]
Apprentice in Death by J.D. Robb This is yet another solid performance from J.D. Robb, the pseudonym of Nora Roberts. Robb never fails to impress me in the quality of her plot-lines, each being fairly original and engaging. Apprentice in Death is, I think, number 43 in the Lieutenant Eve Dallas series. In this […]
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells This novel was first published in 1897 and has aged remarkably well. It has been adapted a number of times for the silver screen, and the idea of invisibility is one which has captured the public imagination for millennia. When starting The Invisible Man, I was prepared to […]
Night School by Lee Child I find it difficult to know which approach to adopt when reviewing this novel. I like the Jack Reacher series. I like it a lot. I enjoy Reacher’s style. I appreciate his no nonsense avoidance of the squelchy morality that we so often find in other stories and movies. […]
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead Cora is a slave. Her mother Mable is a slave. Her grandmother Ajarry is a slave who was, in the words of Bob Marley, stolen from Africa, brought to America. Yet Cora is strong like Ajarry. She has dreams like Mable. Cora intends to be free. Set in […]
The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells Here we have a true classic by a master observer of the human creature. I first became aware of this tale when I saw the movie in the late 1970’s, as a child. I enjoyed it, although so much time has passed since then that I […]
Rebel Voice 