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Friday, December 18, 2020

Review: Crooked River

Crooked River Crooked River by Douglas Preston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lent with Kindle Unlimited (Black Friday deal 3 months for the price of 1).
After a few books with too many Nazis and a not so good book last (Verses of the dead), a great, totally ridiculous book.
Bloody, mutilation, lots of killy, what's not to like.

Not to be read as a standalone, at least I do not think most people will appreciate it.
Solid 5 stars for far out ideas. Highly recommended, if you can stand it (but should have read other books in the series!). Reminds me of the movies Burn After Reading and Men who stare at goats, also the book and movie The Serpent and the Rainbow. Just so you get an idea without spoiling it, in what abyss the book will take you.

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Sunday, December 6, 2020

Review: The Cousins

The Cousins The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Pre-ordered the EPub Version (currently not listed on GR), arrived today and started immediatley.

Twisty, wow, there where so many and none of them I saw coming.
Gripping, fast read, highly recommended.

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Review: The Cousins

The Cousins The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Pre-ordered the EPub Version (currently not listed on GR), arrived today and started immediatley.

View all my reviews

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Review: The Postcard Killers

The Postcard Killers The Postcard Killers by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Trigger Warnings: as expected for a serial killer book bloody, detailed killings, arranged.
A few straight sex scenes.
Straightforward Serial Killer book, surprisingly dumb investigators (police AND MC's).
As I guessed the surprisingly few twists, some might rate this lower. The suspense was good, though and kept me interested.
OK, read, more like 3.8 stars, rounded to 4. As usual with a Patterson book, felt a little formalistic. The influence of the co-author was good, with the setting in Europe, that felt real. Both settings, customs, and language like.

Recommended as a fast weekend read for serial killer fans. As far as I know a standalone, which is ok with me, the male MC (as ususal forgot his name after finishing the book) was not very remarkable, did not like him. Desiré the female MC was way more interesting.
As this was filmed as a movie, one of the reasons I stumbled over this book, I bought that movie on iTunes and will see it soon and comment here on it.

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Monday, November 23, 2020

Review: The Searcher

The Searcher The Searcher by Tana French
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

No normal police-procedural or whodunnit. Instead a coming-of-age-story with an Irish teen and an unusual mentor in a retired US-cop, named Cal. The US-cop bought himself a derelict house to restore in Ireland.
You get to know a lifestyle I as German born and still living in Hamburg, a rather large city, do not know but find interesting, also the typical little-town-where-everyone-knows-each-others-secrets - for better or worse.
For a long time in the story I was kept guessing what happened, then there is one twist, I had no clue and did not see coming.
Cal has trouble with his feelings about morals, ethics, wrong-or-right and how he should teach that to the teen.
Could have been a little shorter and the story could have moved at a faster step, so only 4 stars.
Still recommended, if you look for fast-page-turner thriller, like I usually do, you have to look elsewhere, but for great scenery, lots of Ireland and livestock with interesting characters, not simple black-and-white, but grey with changing darkness, you will be hard pressed to find something better - reading that, I wonder wether 4.5 star rounded to 5 might be justified, but I stick to my 4 stars.

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Review: The Searcher

The Searcher The Searcher by Tana French
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

No normal police-procedural or whodunnit. Instead a coming-of-age-story with an Irish teen and an unssual mentor in a retired US-cop. The US-copy bough himself a derelict house to restore in Ireland.
You get to know a lifestyle I (a German born and still living in Hamburg, a large city) do not know but find interesting, also the typical little-town-where-everyone-knows-each-others-secrets - for better or worse.
For a long time in the story I was keept guessing what happened, then there is one twist, I had no clue and did not see coming.
In at least one review or the blurb

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