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Saturday, May 28, 2016

Review: Love Is For Tomorrow: Reunion

Love Is For Tomorrow: Reunion Love Is For Tomorrow: Reunion by Michael Karner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Shorty, free at least when I bought it.
A little background for the longer Love is for tomorrow, which I read in German.
For most books I really like these little add-ons, like the cut-scenes section from a DVD or Blu-ray, which I also always watch.
As I did not like the main book too much - see my German 3star - not recommended - review, this was ok, and I recommend it, if you like the main book.

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Review: Love Is For Tomorrow: Thriller - Spione, Agenten und Terror in Russland

Love Is For Tomorrow: Thriller - Spione, Agenten und Terror in Russland Love Is For Tomorrow: Thriller - Spione, Agenten und Terror in Russland by Michael Karner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Review in German, as I received a German language edition for free from the author for an honest review.

Dieses Buch habe ich für einen ehrlichen Review kostenlos vom Autor erhalten.
Die Geschichte ist hinreichend spannend, aber mir reicht es nicht für eine Empfehlung, ich konnte mit keiner der Personen etwas anfangen, während ich gut finde, das sie nicht zu einfach gezeichnet waren und nicht einfach simpel gut oder böse, wurden immer nur Fragmente der Persönlichkeit offenbar. Dadurch war keine so richtig sympathisch oder total unsympathisch.

Die Kampfszenen waren detailliert und gut aufgebaut, aber mir fehlte gerade am Ende ein grosser Knall oder ein heftiges Blutbad - das Ende hat eher Auswirkungen, die unklar und offen bleiben und damit erst im nächsten Buch (das ich sicher nicht lesen werde) gelöst werden können, damit ist dieses Buch zwar sinnvoll und logisch beendet, aber das ist nicht mein Ende - hätte ruhig brutaler sein können.

Eigentlich ein sehr schnell gelesenes Buch, habe ich mit über 5 Tagen Lesezeit etwas schwer getan, in kürzerer Zeit (ein verregnetes Wochenende z.B.) gelesen könnte es gut als Fast Food zwischen einigen Bänden von Brad Thor die Zeit vertreiben.

Damit solide 3 Sterne, ohne Empfehlung.


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Review: In the Clearing

In the Clearing In the Clearing by Robert Dugoni
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing a free ARC for review!
This is not a solid 5 star for me, more like 4.5 and rounded up.
There are two different cases, starting with a scene from 1976 and this old case was not as interesting to me as the other one from today, also compared to the first two books not as gripping.
Teamwork and getting help from experts still make this interesting and keep this book from getting a lower rating. Although the solution to the (for me better case) second case feels a bit rushed in the end. And then there is a touch too much romance, I could have done with less, in the first two books it was enough.
Still, recommended, just no serial-killer, and no overlapping in the crimes from the first two books (as these where concluded and solved, to be expected). As I am not too fond of lawyers and stay away from John Grisham after reading a few books, I am not sure, wether to try one of the David Sloane books, but as I like Dugonis style I might just try it.

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Review: Her Final Breath

Her Final Breath Her Final Breath by Robert Dugoni
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beginning and not reading on with quite a few books this year.
But this is a a fast paced page-turner and I could not really stop, would have read in a day or less if RL did not intervene (pesky clothes washing, cooking and sleep).
A little romance, just enough for my taste, sex mentioned but happening off page.
Very brutal, explicit crime-scenes, a serial killer and quite a few suspects, one failing a lie-detector - even though voluntarily taking the test!
There are quite a few twists, and I did not guess the real killer. There is also the story which started in the first book, which added to the suspense. Also because (as often) the MC does not tell her partner nor her friends, nor her colleagues all that is happening when she is alone.

Although enough information is given to be read as a standalone, I suggest reading the first Novel My Sister's Grave first, there is some overlapping with one of few crimes in this book. Also be prepared that after 20-30% that you might not be able to stop reading, quite gripping.
Highly recommended, solid 5 star. Will certainly read the next one in the series.

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Monday, May 23, 2016

Review: The Academy: A Short Story

The Academy: A Short Story The Academy: A Short Story by Robert Dugoni
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As expected a short read, still recommended, adds to the background of the Tracy Crosswhite series.
One of the characters pops up in the third book, it helps to know her, others in the second.
Fast food, no crime.
Hopefully still free, it is too short to pay for it.


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Sunday, May 22, 2016

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! Just as funny as I thought. To quote Bart Simpson "Making teenagers depressed is like shooting fish in a barrel.". Had this on my list TBR, for some time, but bought it the day I read that it is in development as a TV-series - with Selena Gomez as the dead MC. Hope it will be made, this is still not sure.
Also own the Audible Audio book (rather cheap if you bought ebook at Amazon, Audible being owned by Amazon).
Early on the format of sending 13 tapes as chain-packet-letter-like to 13 persons is said to be anachronistic, as no-one uses tapes anymore and some have problems finding a tape-player, but in this context for this story it is just perfect.
Some things that happen may disturb you, bullying is happening, but that is not the worst, you have been warned, but I will not go into details, as not to spoil the fun of reading this.

Highly recommended book about not growing up due to the usual reasons (suicide, fatal illness, getting killed etc.).


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Review: Der lautlose Schrei

Der lautlose Schrei Der lautlose Schrei by Andreas Suchanek
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This review is for the first series, containing 12 ebooks (which are not all listed on Goodreads yet).
The first 4 volumes where available for free, probably as a teaser and I had them since October 2015 until my mother read them and said they where rather good, then I bought the rest.

The single volumes are novellas, with a supposed reading time of 90 min. give-or-take
As most, if not all, end on a really heavy cliffhanger, I really did not like to read it in serial form, waiting two weeks or more for the next volume.
Instead I started after the last volume (12) was published and bought all the rest, which was rather expensive, for these short ebooks. Also I was surprised that no subscription service with auto-delivery was offered (I think this format screams for something like this, maybe I just did not find it, but even then it is the fault of the publisher not to advertise it).

Also there are a few short, chapter-like ebooks to be found free as additional material.
Like on a DVD / Blu-ray they contained cut scenes, sometimes offering more background, so I suggest reading them.

While the series started like a book for children, in the later books it became sometimes brutal, and romance (incl. gay) was stronger featured, giving this a YA feel, going to adult.
This was appealing for me, as I first thought it was on level of Enid Blyton or some such writing.
But some of the problems are about life-or-death-situations and people die or get injured.
What I really liked was the use of up-to-date technology, SmartPhones, Digital Cameras, Tablets, WiFi. Even the hacking was described in a realistic way - something I often miss in other books, either it gets blown out the realm of possibility, doing things which are not possible or it gets described wrong (and faulty). Not here, this is as good as it gets, and you have the feeling the author knows what he is doing.

The later books I rate 5 stars, with the beginning ones 4 star, some single volume may bore a bit, but the entire series, read fast, is a rather good page-turner. Also enough twists I did not see coming and I did not guess too early who the main baddie would be.

In the end, not all is solved and some big questions remain open, leading the way to a second series.
So far I am not too sure, wether I will read the single volumes in one sitting (after all are published) or as they are published, given that in the afterword the main author writes about problems which led to more than two weeks between the volumes that was planned.

Highly recommended as the whole series, and I would advise buying all books at once, regardless that they are pricy. Cannot wait for the next season of this series!

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