Scan barcode
hoong's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great legal thriller with a gay attorney. It's something a gay audience will be able to relate to, even its plot.
dunnadam's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't given a book in this series yet five stars and I really wanted it to be this one. It's not that I'm not enjoying the series, I am, it may be the best series I've read, but each individual volume seems to be not as good as the whole. It's still very good, just not perfect.
In this latest very good installment, the longest by far at 395 pages, Rios himself is involved in the murder and must clear his name to get out of it. The book starts very well, vividly depicting the Forest Lawn cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, I've been there and this book brought back my visit in crisp detail I appreciated. The plot keeps you guessing and races along, but I really like Rios' investigator, Freeman Vidor. In this book he appears only once, his name is mentioned on page 284, and that's it. When you have a cast of elaborately drawn characters to pull from, not using them seems wasteful.
I remember while reading the book thinking the plot was teetering on the edge of being too much, and then the book went on for another 100 pages. There's a lot woven in to an already overly complex plot and keeping track of who's who or the 35 dead ends faced in trying to catch them grows slightly tiresome.
Overall I still really enjoy the series and look forward to the final book.
I noticed two errors:
- on page 310 "Ode asked through a mouthful of pastrami" should be Odell.
- on page 323 "Florentino It was the same..." should have a period between the sentences.
In this latest very good installment, the longest by far at 395 pages, Rios himself is involved in the murder and must clear his name to get out of it. The book starts very well, vividly depicting the Forest Lawn cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, I've been there and this book brought back my visit in crisp detail I appreciated. The plot keeps you guessing and races along, but I really like Rios' investigator, Freeman Vidor. In this book he appears only once, his name is mentioned on page 284, and that's it. When you have a cast of elaborately drawn characters to pull from, not using them seems wasteful.
I remember while reading the book thinking the plot was teetering on the edge of being too much, and then the book went on for another 100 pages. There's a lot woven in to an already overly complex plot and keeping track of who's who or the 35 dead ends faced in trying to catch them grows slightly tiresome.
Overall I still really enjoy the series and look forward to the final book.
I noticed two errors:
- on page 310 "Ode asked through a mouthful of pastrami" should be Odell.
- on page 323 "Florentino It was the same..." should have a period between the sentences.
beecycling's review against another edition
5.0
My favourite of the seris so far. Emotionally intense and sometimes quite heartbreaking.
lx2's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
darker and grittier than usual, but always so good!! i want henry to fall in love again…
suannelaqueur's review against another edition
4.0
Yes, I know! ONLY four! Thank God, because I was starting to think Nava isn't human. But yeah, most of the backstabbing Hollywood intrigue went waaaaay over my head so there was a lot of skimming through those sections. My head simply doesn't think in a Hollywood way. I'd never last out there. Like, a day. By the way, Nava isn't human. The way Michael Jordan isn't human.
jordanskills134's review against another edition
3.0
Hard to admit, this was not my favorite. Nava really seems to drag on and on in The Burning Plain. His previous six novels in the series tend to be very straight to the point and precise.
For some reason, this book just seems all over the place, especially considering the fact that there are quite a few grammatical errors. Not sure if this is due to my owning the original, first edition.
For some reason, this book just seems all over the place, especially considering the fact that there are quite a few grammatical errors. Not sure if this is due to my owning the original, first edition.
lilyrooke's review against another edition
3.0
Falsely accused of murder, Henry Rios sets out to proves his innocence. But when two more gay men are brutally murdered, he is drawn into the hunt for a serial killer and soon finds himself up against an unsympathetic DA, a gay-bashing cop, reluctant witnesses, and a conspiracy among Hollywood's power elite.
I LOVE the trope of the good guy being falsely accused and needing to exonerate himself, so in terms of the plot, I found this instalment in the series gripping and exciting. I adore how Henry took absolutely no shit in this book, especially against the corrupt cop, and he has some fantastic lines particularly with regards to masculinity and sexuality that are so acerbic and vicious. With that said, a trope I really dislike is when there's a character who only exists to be raped, so I found the young boy's subplot particularly disturbing and somewhat gratuitous. Based on the horrific stories that have come out of Hollywood since the publication of this book, I wonder who certain characters were based on, and that added to the general disturbing aspect of the story.
cw: rape (multiple, graphic, including rape of a minor); homophobic violence; abduction
absolutely nothing *~*researchy*~* to see here; an ongoing reading list
1. A Study in Scarlet 2.5/5
2. The Hound of the Baskervilles 5/5
3. The Adventure of the Final Problem 4/5
4. Bath Haus 4.5/5
5. The Forest of Stolen Girls 4/5
6. The Red Palace 2/5
7. The Silence of Bones 1/5
8. Lay Your Sleeping Head 4/5
9. Carved in Bone 5/5
10. Lies with Man 3/5
11. Howtown 2/5
12. The Hidden Law 2/5
13. The Death of Friends 3/5
14. The Burning Plain 3.5/5
I LOVE the trope of the good guy being falsely accused and needing to exonerate himself, so in terms of the plot, I found this instalment in the series gripping and exciting. I adore how Henry took absolutely no shit in this book, especially against the corrupt cop, and he has some fantastic lines particularly with regards to masculinity and sexuality that are so acerbic and vicious. With that said, a trope I really dislike is when there's a character who only exists to be raped, so I found the young boy's subplot particularly disturbing and somewhat gratuitous. Based on the horrific stories that have come out of Hollywood since the publication of this book, I wonder who certain characters were based on, and that added to the general disturbing aspect of the story.
cw: rape (multiple, graphic, including rape of a minor); homophobic violence; abduction
absolutely nothing *~*researchy*~* to see here; an ongoing reading list
1. A Study in Scarlet 2.5/5
2. The Hound of the Baskervilles 5/5
3. The Adventure of the Final Problem 4/5
4. Bath Haus 4.5/5
5. The Forest of Stolen Girls 4/5
6. The Red Palace 2/5
7. The Silence of Bones 1/5
8. Lay Your Sleeping Head 4/5
9. Carved in Bone 5/5
10. Lies with Man 3/5
11. Howtown 2/5
12. The Hidden Law 2/5
13. The Death of Friends 3/5
14. The Burning Plain 3.5/5
shile87's review against another edition
5.0
5+++++++++ stars Ariana! I promise i can never run out of those +++++
Warning! Gushing! Gushing! and more Guuuuushing!
Henry is Batman! And is officially my Number 1.
“Crimes against persons and crimes against property are both on the rise, especially against Jews, blacks and gays, with Latinos running a close fourth. Where’s the public outcry? The Times will bury this report on the inside pages of the Metro section. The broadcast media can’t be bothered.” She slouched in her chair. “We’re becoming habituated to hate. Maybe we’re even becoming addicted to it. There’s nothing like it for that adrenaline rush.”
Damn! History repeating right there!
Warning! Gushing! Gushing! and more Guuuuushing!
Henry is Batman! And is officially my Number 1.
“Crimes against persons and crimes against property are both on the rise, especially against Jews, blacks and gays, with Latinos running a close fourth. Where’s the public outcry? The Times will bury this report on the inside pages of the Metro section. The broadcast media can’t be bothered.” She slouched in her chair. “We’re becoming habituated to hate. Maybe we’re even becoming addicted to it. There’s nothing like it for that adrenaline rush.”
Damn! History repeating right there!
sireno8's review
5.0
Everything I've written about Nava is true here times 100. He's giving us a little tour through Hell worthy of James Ellroy and though it's a grim ride, it's thoroughly engrossing, convincing and sadly accurate. The story never flags and the truth never stops hurting. However, he gives us just enough hope to keep on going. And that's all we need.