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balthazarlawson's reviews
1197 reviews
The Armada Legacy by Scott Mariani
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
There are currently 30 books in the Ben Hope series but I have not read them in order. So it's always interesting to find out where each book sits in the history of Ben Hope and his women. In this he is on the verge of braking up with Brooke Marcel when she is abducted while visiting a friend in Ireland. Naturally Ben drops everything and goes off to find her, seeing as this is what he has tried for his entire life. It's the beginning of a journey that takes him to Spain and then Peru.
Although this is rather predictable it's still an enjoyable read. Ben Hope is a good person at heart and only tries to do good, but when it is called for he can be very violent and ruthless with people that get in his way.
Like meeting up with an old friend.
Although this is rather predictable it's still an enjoyable read. Ben Hope is a good person at heart and only tries to do good, but when it is called for he can be very violent and ruthless with people that get in his way.
Like meeting up with an old friend.
A Loyal Character Dancer by Qiu Xiaolong
informative
slow-paced
1.0
If you like lots of, and I do mean lots of, references to poetry than you will probably like this. I don't and, therefore, didn't. Inspector Chen is a strange character but has many of the traits of the author. The story is just as strange and confusing. Too confusing. Too contrived. I really didn't enjoy this at all.
It's less a crime story and more an examination of the history of Chinese poetry as conveyed to a visiting US Marshall, there to collect a woman to take back to the US so her husband will give evidence against people traffickers.
Barely worth the one star.
It's less a crime story and more an examination of the history of Chinese poetry as conveyed to a visiting US Marshall, there to collect a woman to take back to the US so her husband will give evidence against people traffickers.
Barely worth the one star.
State of Emergency by Steve P. Vincent
1.0
I didn't enjoy this. The events and actions were just unbelievable, even for fiction, and it was so incredibly predictable. Everything goes wrong, right up to the last second where it all works out. The stupidity of some of the people is beyond belief.
Prey by Vanda Symon
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Sam Sheppard has had her baby, been on maternity leave and is now back at work trying juggle life with a baby in tow. She is given an old case to look at and see what she can make of it while she eases back into work. It's the death of a priest who was kill on the steps of his church 25 years previously but remains unsolved.
Thus begins a slow drawn out story. The first half just dragged with very little happening. In the end I felt I wasted my time with this book as the explanation of all that happened just does gel with me. So many people seemed to know, or suspect, what happened that it would have been impossible to keep it secret.
I didn't enjoy this and was disappointed compared to the other books in the series.
Thus begins a slow drawn out story. The first half just dragged with very little happening. In the end I felt I wasted my time with this book as the explanation of all that happened just does gel with me. So many people seemed to know, or suspect, what happened that it would have been impossible to keep it secret.
I didn't enjoy this and was disappointed compared to the other books in the series.
The Lucy Family Alphabet by Judith Lucy
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
Read by Judith Lucy, this is an amusing look at her relationship with her family, including the major problems that tear families apart. It's revealing, but sometimes one is left wondering how much of the truth is revealed and much is left unsaid.
I've seen Lucy on TV many times and it's interesting, but not essential, to learn more of her past and where she comes from with her comedy.
I've seen Lucy on TV many times and it's interesting, but not essential, to learn more of her past and where she comes from with her comedy.
The Golden Scales by Parker Bilal
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
There are three story lines here surrounding a private investigator called Makana, an ex-police inspector from Sudan, now living and working in Cairo.
The first story, the main story line and catalyst for the book, is about Makana being hire by a wealthy business man, who owns a football team, to help find one of his missing players. But it's not just any player, he is national hero figure. The businessman is a former criminal, in many ways he still is.
The second story is about an English woman who's four year old daughter disappeared 17 years previously. She keeps coming back to Cairo to search for her daughter. She runs into Makana once and it changes everything.
The last story line is the story of Makana and how and why he ended up in Cairo. It's a background that runs through the entire book.
All these story lines end up intertwined in a rather convoluted way that is totally reminiscent of a TV soap opera and that is where this book is a let down. In the end none of this explains why the football player disappeared. We do find out what happened to him but it's barely related to anything that is revealed in the book previously.
For me it dragged when and just didn't grab me. I wanted to put the book down but I always force myself to finish what I start.
The first story, the main story line and catalyst for the book, is about Makana being hire by a wealthy business man, who owns a football team, to help find one of his missing players. But it's not just any player, he is national hero figure. The businessman is a former criminal, in many ways he still is.
The second story is about an English woman who's four year old daughter disappeared 17 years previously. She keeps coming back to Cairo to search for her daughter. She runs into Makana once and it changes everything.
The last story line is the story of Makana and how and why he ended up in Cairo. It's a background that runs through the entire book.
All these story lines end up intertwined in a rather convoluted way that is totally reminiscent of a TV soap opera and that is where this book is a let down. In the end none of this explains why the football player disappeared. We do find out what happened to him but it's barely related to anything that is revealed in the book previously.
For me it dragged when and just didn't grab me. I wanted to put the book down but I always force myself to finish what I start.
Kill Your Husbands by Jack Heath
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I didn't enjoy this. I found the characters annoying beyond belief and had no sympathy for them after what happened.
Three couples, four who have known one another since school, go away for a long weekend. This is just illogical after what had happened at school is revealed. Why they were still in contact is just ridiculous and why I found this so un-enjoyable. Only three people returned alive. Which leads to another problem with this book. It's told in the present and the past. However, the couples are only referred to by their surname when told in the present and their christian name in the past and there is no connection between the names. This is why the victims are not revealed until well past 80% of the book, but there is still an investigation going on. It's all so annoying.
I won't say anything about the police investigation of the crime as she was just annoying as the victims.
The book has subsequently been re-released as The Wife Swap which says a lot about what this book is about.
Three couples, four who have known one another since school, go away for a long weekend. This is just illogical after what had happened at school is revealed. Why they were still in contact is just ridiculous and why I found this so un-enjoyable. Only three people returned alive. Which leads to another problem with this book. It's told in the present and the past. However, the couples are only referred to by their surname when told in the present and their christian name in the past and there is no connection between the names. This is why the victims are not revealed until well past 80% of the book, but there is still an investigation going on. It's all so annoying.
I won't say anything about the police investigation of the crime as she was just annoying as the victims.
The book has subsequently been re-released as The Wife Swap which says a lot about what this book is about.
488 Rules for Life: The Thankless Art of Being Correct by Kitty Flanagan
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
To start with I'll break one of the rules, watch out for the twist. That's rule 429 I'm breaking.
This is a fun list of things that rules about would make life easier if only they could be made law and enforced. Plus there are some extras for audio book listeners...only because Kitty forgot to put them in the printed version.
I enjoyed this.
This is a fun list of things that rules about would make life easier if only they could be made law and enforced. Plus there are some extras for audio book listeners...only because Kitty forgot to put them in the printed version.
I enjoyed this.
The Honey Guide by Richard Crompton
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Mollel is a Massai and is a policeman working in Nairobi, not that he is very welcome. It's more of a case of tolerated because of his notoriety following the bombing of the US embassy. He's honest and believes in justice but in a police force where they are very short on these commodities, he's not popular.
When a Massai woman is found dead in a drain in a central Nairobi park Mollel is assigned the task of investigating for no other reason then someone had to do it and it got him out of everyone's hair. The problem for everyone is that it's just before Christmas, not that that is a big think in Kenya, and there is an election to be held just two days later. Violence is anticipated, expected and planned for. Against this background the investigation is being held. It's not a high tech investigation which seem to be rare in Kenya.
This is a disjointed sort of read. There seems to be a lot of assumptions made without backing logic all to create red herrings. Unfortunately it takes away from a good read.
Then there is the elephant in the room. The weird, strange and absurd way in which dialogue is formatted. It's so distracting and I just don't understand why it was done this way.
Overall it wasn't an enjoyable read.
When a Massai woman is found dead in a drain in a central Nairobi park Mollel is assigned the task of investigating for no other reason then someone had to do it and it got him out of everyone's hair. The problem for everyone is that it's just before Christmas, not that that is a big think in Kenya, and there is an election to be held just two days later. Violence is anticipated, expected and planned for. Against this background the investigation is being held. It's not a high tech investigation which seem to be rare in Kenya.
This is a disjointed sort of read. There seems to be a lot of assumptions made without backing logic all to create red herrings. Unfortunately it takes away from a good read.
Then there is the elephant in the room. The weird, strange and absurd way in which dialogue is formatted. It's so distracting and I just don't understand why it was done this way.
Overall it wasn't an enjoyable read.
The Other Side of Silence by Philip Kerr
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book is mostly set in 1956 with a couple of jump backs to Germany in 1938 and 1945. Both occasions are where Bernie is recalling previous encounters with a man who has turned up to stay at the French Riviera hotel where he is working as a concierge. This story is mostly about blackmail and espionage involving the Soviets and the British. Bernie is caught up in the middle of it all without really knowing why. He is being manipulated by everyone it seems. But, somehow along the way he solves and unrelated murder.
This Bernie is a more contemplative and reflective Bernie. It's a slow read and takes a while for anything to happen. But that is usually the problem I find with espionage novels. I don't really like them and that part of this book I found boring and a bit far fetched as there is no definitive answer to anything.
This does continue the story of Bernie Gunther, ex-homicide detective, current fugitive. But if this was the first book in the series I had read it would probably be the last. The worst book in the series by far.
This Bernie is a more contemplative and reflective Bernie. It's a slow read and takes a while for anything to happen. But that is usually the problem I find with espionage novels. I don't really like them and that part of this book I found boring and a bit far fetched as there is no definitive answer to anything.
This does continue the story of Bernie Gunther, ex-homicide detective, current fugitive. But if this was the first book in the series I had read it would probably be the last. The worst book in the series by far.