Book Reviews |
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* : out of five, (*) being terrible, (*****) being excellent |
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Stain of the Berry by Anthony Bidulka |
The fourth in the Russel Quant series, my favorite Canadian gay detective novels. Unfortunately, while this book did bring together some interesting and satisfying plot twists surrounding the disappearance of Russel's mysterious best friend Serena from the last book, the actual murder mystery seemed to take a back seat to Russell's personal life. And I felt the author relied too heavily on gay cliches to make Russell come off more like the stereotypical gay male (something I liked him for not being before). But, these books are still the best gay fiction out there I've found so I hope another will soon be in the works. *** |
Gay Men and Anal Eroticism by Steven Underwood |
What was billed to be a frank discussion on the issues of anal sex and what it means to be a top, bottom, or versitile in todays gay society, really ended up being the authors thesis on proving that bottoms aren't the powerless submissives their perceived to be. And while some of the men interviewed provided some interesting insight into gay men and anal sex, the stories boil down to simple sexual histories of a spattering of men that frankly starts to bore after a while. *** |
Cross by James Patterson |
Though one might think following this book that the Alex Cross series was coming to an end, what with Dr. Cross finally saying goodbye to his days at the FBI and returning to his psychiatric practice so he can instead focus on his family. But, hints of a final battle with nemesis Kyle Craig make me think there's at least one story left to tell. ***1/2 |
Mary Mary by James Patterson |
Cross goes to Hollywood to track a killer targeting high profile female celebrities and other powerful LA women. Is the killer actually a woman named Mary as the clues seem to lead, or is nothing as it seems? A pretty gripping case as well as a final ending to the Christine takes little Alex plotline make for a great read. **** |
London Bridges |
An action packed, almost movie plotline that takes Alex around the world (well to Europe anyway) in pursuit of the fearsome Wolf. The only criticism I would lodge at this book is that Alex seems to just fall into solving the case, rather than using any clever detection, which sort of diminishes the impact of the final chapters. But, still the series remains up to form. **** |
Big Bad Wolf |
With the happy demise of Gary Soneji followed by few ho hum badies, Alex’s expertise is once again tested against a true villain in the story of kidnapping, sex slavery and psychopathic homicide. And the Wolf, introduced here, is a truly nasty villain with a deadly combination of intelligence and cold heartedness. A fascinating story that while have you on the seat until the end. **** |
Four Blind Mice |
What first appears to be another cliched, save my friend from death row because he's really innocent, quickly shatters conventions when the friend is actually put to death early into the story. Alex, along with best friend John, try to navigate the highly secretive military establishment to uncover the real killers who may have getting away with murders and framing innocent men for them for years. ***1/2 |
Violets Are Blue by James Patterson |
Cross' conflict with his job over family continues and I continue to be bored. Alex is introduced to a new love interest, Jamilla, a detective from San Francisco investigating what appear to be vampire murders. It's nice to see Alex involved with someone who understands his love of the job, but, the are they or aren't they vampires comes off shallow and ho-hum. **1/2 |
Roses Are Red by James Patterson |
I missed a book in the series, so, this story takes place two years after Cat & Mouse. The central mystery involves a series of bank robberies and what appears to be a random pattern of murders. While the crime story is as good as past novels, the job-verses-family condundrum that Cross faces is very cliched and terribly uninteresting. *** |
"Cat & Mouse" by James Patterson |
Gary Soneji is not one of my favorite villains, in fact, I can't stand him. Having said that, this storyline, which includes Alex Cross once again racing to capture Soneji before he kills again, including his own family, includes two separate serial killer story lines that were both captivating and never felt to be too much. Not to mention there was a highly satisfying end to the Soneji-Cross face off. **** |
"Be Mine" by Rick Mofina |
Someone close to SF Star reporter Molly is killing her former boyfriends and may be after her too. A well paced story that doesn't ask too much of the reader, even if I identified the killer well into the first half. *** |
"Jack & Jill" by James Patterson |
Two killers are targeting high profile individuals in Washington DC and the next victim could be the president. In the meantime, another killer is violenting murdering young kids in a poor area of the city. Both individuals are being tracked by psychologist and police detective Alex Cross. Though the subplot with the child killer is unnecessary, the story is an intriguing whodonit with a surprise ending. **** |
"The First Mistake" by Merline Lovelace |
Uninteresting characters and poor writing. Couldn't get past the first few chapters. * |
“Tapas on the Ramblas” by Anthony Bidulka |
The third in the Russel Quant series. Though I really liked this story and the mystery was quite intricate, some of the writing was more clichéd than the last two and there were too many secondary characters to keep track of. ***1/2 |
"Amuse Bouch" by Anthony Bidulka |
This is the first in the Russell Quant series, about a gay private detective in Saskatchewan. Once again, it's great to read a story with a strong central gay character. The story follows Russell as he tries to solve a murder and exonorate his client, from Saskatoon to the south of France, all while balancing a social network of friends. **** |
"Life, Sex and Ideas: The Good Life without God" by A.C. Grayling |
This philosophy book has short essays on morality, ethics, religion and more in modern society and I found myself agreeing with a lot of the ideas in the book. Probably a bit controversial for those who hold religion high in their life, but the common sense approach and easy language made it accessible and interesting even for those not usually into philosophy. **** |
“Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed” by Jared Diamond |
It only took me about two months to finish, but, I finally did it. While the subject matter was quite interesting and the material well researched, the author is endlessly wordy and I found myself skipping over sections that just repeated the same information in different ways. The author makes a good case why societies succeed or fail and the applications for that for modern times, his delivery makes it difficult to digest and would make it difficult to connect to the casual reader. *** |
"Pompeii" by Robert Harris |
The story of a water engineer newly assigned to the Aqua Augusta, which supplies water, and the lifeline, of the Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other surrounding the Bay of Neapolis, set against the backdrop of the great eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. A literal page turner that I'd love to see turned into a movie. **** |
"Flight of Aquavit" |
A dective novel that has the typical plot lines of blackmail, murder and deceit. The story revolves around a gay private detective hired to solve a find a blackmailer, while dealing with the unravelling of his personal life. It's great to read a novel with a primary gay character that doesn't make you blush while reading on the train. ***** |
"Angels & Demons" by Dan Brown |
This is the precursor to Brown's amazing The Da Vinci Code. Taking place in Rome, this is just as fast pace as The Da Vinci Code, though a little lighter to read as the artist details are not as robust. The book also gives a little more background on Robert Langdon, the main character of the two books, which furthers my belief that Tom Hanks is not the person to be playing him in the Da Vinci Code movie (I see Aaron Eckhart). A definite must read. ***** |
"Angel of Darkness" by Caleb Carr |
This is the follow up to the equally amazing The Alienist. I love how Caleb Carr takes you back to the early 19 century New York and really makes it into a charactor of itself. This book see the same group of detectives from the Alienist looking into the kidnapping of a little girl, leading them on the trail of a string of other murders perpetrated by a woman. Set in a time when people couldn't believe that women could do such crimes during the beginning of forensic science when basic principles such as fingerprinting weren't widely accepted. A great novel. ***** |
"The White Russian" by Tom Bradby |
Set in 1917 St. Petersburg, Russia on the brink of the Russian Revolution, a story of a city policeman, back from exile in Siberia, trying to solve a series of murders that seem to have a tie to the Tsar and his family, while to trying to reconnect with his estranged family. Though it is slow to get started, once you are hooked, the intricate storyline pays off. **** |
"Looking For It" by Michael Thomas Ford |
A story of a group of gay mean dealing with love, relationships and coming to terms with their sexuality while living in a small town in upstate New York. A bit racy at times (especially when reading on the BART train), but, a good story that isn't as cliched as many "gay" stories can be. **** |
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