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Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Review: Ultraviolet


Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet by Joseph Robert Lewis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Lend with Amazon Prime, one book free per month, this is for January 2015.
While the ending is a bit too clean and cozy, this is a top-notch read.
In the tradition of [a:Cory Doctorow|12581|Cory Doctorow|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1361468756p2/12581.jpg]'s [b:Little Brother|12361354|Little Brother|Cory Doctorow|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-4845f44723bc5d3a9ac322f99b110b1d.png|939584] and [b:Homeland|12917338|Homeland (Little Brother, #2)|Cory Doctorow|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340259004s/12917338.jpg|18072409], this is set in a not too distant future, and focuses mainly on the influence the advance of 3d-printing will have, while in the grip of big corporations, even with rampant copying of designs and information somehow restricted in the internet of the USA. While not all is too realistic, due to the focus of one (later two) game changing invention, it is gripping and fast paced.
The main heroine is a good person and I really like her. Little time for romance, and sex only hinted at late in the book.
For me this is a clear 5star, and although it lacks the depth of books of [a:Daniel Suarez|1956402|Daniel Suarez|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1265394868p2/1956402.jpg], fans of that author and of Doctorow should check it out.
And I would really like to see this filmed. As this is neatly concluded, no trilogy or sequel in sight (would pick that up instantly, though).
Highly recommended near future SF.



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Saturday, January 10, 2015

Review: The Senior Moment


The Senior Moment
The Senior Moment by Eva Hudson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Got this cheap as an edition with the other 2 Women Sleuths book.
No Angela Tate here, which is just as well.
Too long, the ending with a nice conclusion to nearly all story-lines, was good, which saved it from getting 1 star.
Not all endings will satisfy, but are realistic and some things open to interpretation.
The main characters where sometimes annoying but well developed and interesting, the growing up of a serial-killer was very good and may warrant for some a third star, but the seniors where over the top for me, and while believable individually, altogether too much and some too annoying. Some points where too drawn out or repeated.
No recommended, if the third book is not really better (I fear not), these 3 books together are not worthy of Eva Hudson (the Skyberg books are better).
This book gets a rare warning from me, do not waste any money on it (the cheap 0.99 Eur I paid for all three books where even too much, and that was an info from the Hudson-Mailing-List, me thinking what could go wrong...).
Barely 2 stars, do not read, waste of time.




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Monday, January 5, 2015

Review: All Good Deeds


All Good Deeds
All Good Deeds by Stacy Green

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This was selected as BOTM (Book of the Month) read for January 2015 in the Goodreads Group "Psychological Thrillers" of which I am a member.
After I skipped such obvious bad choices like Stephen King and did not manage to read Hit List in time, barely reading a few pages, I will try to read this in January 2015.
Depending on how it grips me. As the discussion in "Psychological Thrillers" started early I skimmed it, and it sounds interesting.
Also I bought the book late in 2014, so the price change due to changing laws on January, 01st 2015 in the EU and therefore Germany did not affect me.
Prices of non-German ebooks might rise due to the tax which is calculated from 2015 on according to the country in which they are sold, which is 19% now in Germany (before Amazon, Apple and maybe others chose a loophole and charged a lot less).
Ok, sorry for the OT-rant.

The book is a gripping-page-turner, with enough suspects to keep this interesting, although so far it is bit like the sometimes mentioned railroad, there might be a fork, but mostly the book goes in one direction. A few books, even from bestselling, well known writers like [a:Val McDermid|5672|Val McDermid|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1241725522p2/5672.jpg], tend to drag a bit in the middle. This might be the case here, but I will try to read fast to either get past that part or see that it does not.
At this point it is also not entirely clear who are the good guys and girls, I suspect a twist regarding the Kidnapper and wether or even if! it is a kidnapping, so far there could be other solutions. The missing girl could have had an accident and slowly be starving of first (now that would be my kind of twist, if the dead body was found later - just be glad I do not write books).

Oh, wow, just had the two twists at the 53%-mark, about, hm, ok, will not spoil it and ..., one I did see coming, but the devil is in the details, and while it was signaled before there was a secret and expected, what really happened in the past, I did not see coming. Great twists, both of them.
And shortly after that a third one, that was even more of a surprise, but also a stretch to believe, just bordering on Fantasy-Island.
Later, near the end, a few loose ends, with a strong one for the next book in the series.
The 5 stars I gave are maybe a bit much, more like 4.5, because the last twists and the show-stopper near the end, where a bit much and too unbelievable convenient.
If the series goes in the same direction, it might end up like Dexter (the books by [a:Jeff Lindsay|10482|Jeff Lindsay|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1198012537p2/10482.jpg]): a very good idea, with some brillant ideas but loosing steam in the later books, with the first being the best. But as with Dexter I will certainly read the next one(s) in the series.
Highly recommended page-turner, also the background very real and even in the details well researched what can be done and what not (with an IP-Adress or other tech), I could not detect any errors, and that is certainly a rare plus for this up-to-date-tech in books (which we will hopefully see more often from tech-savy writers, not anymore blundering along with a typewriter from the last century).



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Friday, January 2, 2015

Review: Pray for Silence


Pray for Silence
Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



More deaths (7 with the crime-scene spread over 3 places), torture, rape (again), more blood, and faults by Kate.
If you can stand it, a great read, but everything is worse than in the first book.
Most I said there can be applied here as well, so I will not repeat it.

A few nice twists, some romance, no sex (well off-the-pages).
One minor quibble: for me it took them too long to identify some scruff-marks in the barn-crime-scene.
That was obvious for me from the get-go.
Otherwise hard and gruesome page-turner.



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Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Review: Sworn to Silence


Sworn to Silence
Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This writer popped up on my list for books as "other people have bought/lent/stolen this" whenever I searched for certain books or bought a book, so I researched this a bit and finally caved, got a good deal from Amazon.De (after realizing they sell 2 differently priced eBooks of this, I bought the cheaper one), too.
Also I had an Amazon Gift Card from XMas, so I did not really pay for it myself.

Great page-turner, a few nice twists, some romance, a short non-explicit, plain sex-scene.
But also rape, lots of blood and very grizzly murders. Not for the squeamish!

Hm, what to tell about the book without spoiling anything? Could have had more twists, but I can live with that.
The information about Amish and their way of life was very interesting and the thrown in language makes this an interesting read (the words and expressions look like Dutch and/or German, but have often a slightly different, special meaning, having evolved from their origin).
Highly recommended book about a serial killer. Bought the next book in the series instantly.

Goal:
this might well be my last finished book for 2014.
On Goodreads I have now read and reviewed 107 books with a self-set goal of 104.
In reality, counting novellas as books, I read a few more, some I did not find at Goodreads, or did not review:
read in 2014 gelesen
115 englisch + deutsch (English and German books together)
5 deutsch (German)
110 englisch (English)
of these
114 where eBooks (Kindle, ePub converted to Kindle) and
1 Paperback.

I have started quite a few books (12 in 2014, I think) which I have not finished, but also cannot bring myself to count as abandoned ( DNF ), I hope to finish some of them sometime.

Even though this was not work, sometimes you have other things to do, I will not set my goal for 2015 higher but will stay with 104 books. We will see how that turns out.



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Sunday, December 28, 2014

Review: Falling Angel: A Novel


Falling Angel: A Novel
Falling Angel: A Novel by William Hjortsberg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This book was just recommended to me. As I love the movie which was based on this book, I already read it a few years ago (I just looked at Amazon.De, the paperback was bought in August 2001). The story is a strange one, and, like the movie, not for all. It features grisly murders, blood and voodoo. It is one of the books I wanted to read again, and having bought the movie again on Blu-ray, I will certainly do so. As I have a lot of books more or less unsorted, it was easier, just to buy it again and it helped, that the ebook is quite cheap, both at Amazon and at Barnes & Nobles.

If you are not squeamish, I highly recommend this book, which strays into dark realms: the occult, religious and fantastic.
A link to IMDB: Angel Heart



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Review: The Loyal Servant: A Very British Political Thriller


The Loyal Servant: A Very British Political Thriller
The Loyal Servant: A Very British Political Thriller by Eva Hudson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Barely 3 stars, more family drama then suspense thriller, the main story could have fit in a 100 pages or less and would have read better.
Too much family. No sex, no (or not much) romance.
The characters where real, however and I really liked the main character (which for me is Caroline), but am a bit ambivalent about Angela Tate, who sometimes comes across as a not very likable unscrupulous reporter.
Bought this because I liked the Skyberg/FBI Embassy-Books, where Angela Tate pops up in a supporting role.
Not recommended, but as I bought the cheap edition (when the price was low) with two other Angela Tate books, maybe the others are better.




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