Entries Tagged 'Book Review' ↓

The Overlook by Michael Connelly is another great novel centered around a detective in LA named Harry Bosch. This installment takes place shortly after the previous Harry Bosch novel closed, Echo Park. As I’ve followed the series over the years, I just can’t get enough of the gritty world that Mr. Connelly has created.

I don’t pretend to know what it is like in a cop’s world, but I tend to believe that what I see on TV and movies is a load of crap. Mr. Connelly’s books are full of realistic characters and deep personal interactions between those characters.

The difference between Michael Connelly’s books and other authors is that the characters are the center of the novel’s focus. Rather than the story’s timeline determining the process of events, it feels like the characters themselves drive the events. I don’t know how Connelly does it, but the whole story feels like it is balanced on a pinhead. Rather than a steady progression of events, the reader is thrown into a dynamic world that feels alive under your fingers!

You might ask me, “Chris, how can a book be dynamic?”

Well, here’s an example. As I read this novel I began to pick up hidden clues in the case that the main character, Harry Bosch, is working on. It’s not just a story line, it’s a mystery that I’m involved in. The clues and how our characters react to them is what determines the events of the story. It’s exciting to be a part of and it makes this book vivid and dynamic.

Overall, The Overlook is a great book. I would recommend reading the entire Harry Bosch series, but this installment stands on it’s own.

Rating: 9 out of 10

No, First Family by David Baldacci is not another book about Barack Obama. It is an exciting thriller that begins with a kidnapping and ends with an extremely shocking revelation about the moral weight of power.

Initially, I was not too thrilled to find that Sean King and Michelle Maxwell were the main characters in this book because in their previous book, Simple Genius, I thought they were slightly stereotypical. However, in First Family I thought Mr. Baldacci did a great job of fleshing both of them out. I won’t spoil anything for you, but I will say that we finally get an opportunity to learn more about Michelle Maxwell’s haunted past that played such a large role in Simple Genius.

Speaking of the characters, another interesting aspect of First Family was that I found the antagonists to be more interesting than the protagonists. Mr. Baldacci gives the reader a chance to understand why the evil doers are so obsessed with going forward with their evil plans and, in my opinion, the back story behind the antagonists is more interesting than the protagonists. But maybe I’m just a fan of the underdog.

Overall, First Family may be my favorite David Baldacci book so far! There were multiple plots, extensive back stories, and gritty, complex characters (even they were the antagonists). If you haven’t picked up a David Baldacci book in a long time (more maybe you never have, GASP!) I highly recommend buying a copy on April 21.

Pre-order at Amazon

Rating: 9 out of 10

A reporter by the name of Jack McEvoy takes the lead in this Connelly thrill ride. Jack is most famous for his starring role in the 2002 novel called The Poet, which is my favorite Michael Connelly book (I highly recommend it). As we catch up with Jack many years after the events surrounding The Poet, he is now a reporter at the Los Angeles Times, but the recession and the popularity of internet news sites has put his job on the chopping block. As he rides out his last few weeks of being an employed reporter Jack comes across a story that will help him go out with a bang. And that’s how he meets the deeply disturbed, Scarecrow.

So apart from the plot, one reason why I really loved this book was because Mr. Connelly takes the reader into the mind of the killer. Murder mysteries are exciting to read, but unless we are intrigued by the characters, a book can become pretty dry. So what sets this book apart is that not only do we get to follow the hero throughout the novel, we also get to see inside the mind of the killer. And boy is the Scarecrow an intriguing character.

The Scarecrow, the novel, is structured much like The Poet, and Jack McEvoy reflects many times on how The Poet was the pinnacle of his professional and personal life. There is a lot of symbolic irony as we watch one psychotic killer take away what another psychotic killer created.

Overall, The Scarecrow is a thrilling crime masterpiece of murder and sexual perversion. I was capitvated from start to finish. There is no debate that Michael Connelly is a masterful author that continues to create vivid characters that struggle with their own personal battles. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of The Scarecrow on May 26, 2009.

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Rating: 10 out of 10

Die Trying by Lee Child is the second book in the Jack Reacher series. As I said in a previous post, I have found a new favorite author. Lee Child writes with an unfiltered energy. You know the world is really like, but everyone seems to edit out the ugliness of reality. Mr. Child gives us the gritty unfinished edges in his descriptions. I often grit my teeth at some of his more gruesome details, but for me (a horror film fan) it only makes the book that much more exciting.

I had heard Lee Child’s name before, be I had no idea that he is the world’s biggest selling novelist! He sells around 31.5 million novels a year and he also has a long list of awards for many of his novels.

So finally, Die Trying is another great novel. But if you just starting the Jack Reacher series, I recommend starting from the beginning of the series.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Same Kind of Different as Me by Rob Hall and Denver Moore is a true story about the unlikely connection between a black man born on a plantation in rural Louisiana and a white man who grows up in Fort Worth, Texas. I’m not really a fan of nonfiction, but my wife read this book and she insisted that I should give it a try because it was “awesome”. So I did and she was right, it is a wonderful book.

The book is very encouraging and uplifting. In fact if you take a quick glance at the Amazon reviews you’ll see words like “powerful”, “captivating”, and “compassionate”. It’s not an action or a thriller, but I still found myself reading this novel for hours at a time.

The beginning of the novel is very eye opening as it gives deals on how many uneducated black people where still bound in a form of slavery in the mid 1900s. As the story progresses, the reader is given a window into homeless poverty in a urban setting.

Overall, I really enjoyed Same Kind of Different As Me and I was very encouraged as I closed the cover on this spiritual nonfictional story. At times like these when we are all threatened with a worldwide crisis this was a peaceful reminder of what is really important in life.

Rating: 8 out of 10

I just finished my very first Lee Child book and I am happy to say I have found a new favorite author. Killing Floor is the first book in the Jack Reacher series and I am excited to jump into another installment of Mr. Child’s smart crime series.

I am a big Michael Connelly fan, so while I wait for his next release I was searching for something close to his style of writing. I can’t say that all fans of Michael Connelly would equally enjoy Lee Child because while Mr. Connelly writes with a poetic flowing rhythm, Lee Child writes with a breathless raw energy that is at times almost too gritty.

Jack Reacher is a mid thirties guy that is just coming out off a lifetime of military service. He is hard boiled and he might even give Dirty Hairy the creeps. But the truth is that everyone loves characters that shock and surprise us. Even though there were times in the novel when I had a hard time distinguishing between the good guys and the bad guys, that raw gritty texture is what kept this novel interesting and exciting.

Trying to decide if you should read the Killing Floor? Well I’ll lay it out this way, it has the shocking power of a bloody Tarantino movie and the smart crime mysteries of a Michael Connelly novel. I know I just mixed movies and books in that example, but since books don’t come with a rating system I have to give you some kind reference point.

In summary, it’s an exciting and powerful book and I look forward to the next installment. If blood and violence don’t bother you then I would highly suggest this book, but if CSI leaves you queasy, you might want to pass.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Simple Genius by David Baldacci is a fun fast paced American government thriller. As with many of Mr. Baldacci’s books, this story is centered around a government cover up. I don’t want to give away any more of the plot, because trying to figure out the mystery is part of the fun of this book, but I can’t say that it was much more than a “fun” book.

The characters are a little dry and stereotypical, although I don’t think that the quality of the book is reduced just because the characters are a little shallow. In fact, I believe the best part about a David Baldacci book is that it moves quickly through a series of events and never leaves the reader bored or confused about what is taking place.

Overall, I think the book was worth reading, but I won’t encourage anyone to head to the bookstore and pick up a copy. I would however say that is it worth picking up at your local library. I read this book while on vacation in the Rocky Mountains and I thought it was perfect for winding down in the evenings. I could read a couple of chapters, put the book down, and never have trouble continuing the story the next time I picked it up. Fun and enjoyable to read, yes. Deep and complex plot and characters, no.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

I’ve settled in on this cold winter night with some icecream and milk, and I’m prepared to give my impressions of Brandon Sanderson’s book, The Well of Ascension. To start off, it is the second book in the Mistborn trilogy. A series of which I have quickly become a fan. As always, I strongly suggest that if you are thinking of reading The Well of Ascension, please start with the first book in the series, Mistborn. You will have a much better understanding of the characters and I highly recommend Mistborn.

One of the best characteristics about Mr. Sanderson’s work is that it is completely unlike any other fantasy novel I ever read. It drips of magic, wizards, and warriors, but the characters engage in so much more beyond the typical fantasy plot. At times it reads like a murder mystery with all of the twisted storyline of a CSI or Law & Order episode.

The system of magic, from the first moment it was introduced, is complete and well thought out, but as the characters grow, what you thought you knew about this realm of magic completely changes. The battle scenes are never redundant as the characters continue to uncover new ways to manipulate their magical powers.

Although magic is a large part of this book, what makes this book unforgettable is the kingdom warfare, political games, and complex characters. It is an exciting story that takes the best parts of my favorite authors and puts them into one package. It has Terry Goodkind’s depth and philosophy, Robin Hobb’s rich and complex characters, and the political and kingdom entanglement of George RR Martin.

I’ve finished my icecream and milk, so it must be time to wrap up this review. Overall, it’s an amazing story that that I can’t wait to dive back into for the third and final book, The Hero of Ages.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson is the first book in the Mistborn triology. It is a world in the midst of a tyrant that has ruled the kingdom for over a thousand years. You can read more about the basic plot line and world in which Mistborn takes place, but I believe that what makes this book so good is not simply because Mr. Sanderson came up with a good idea for a story.

The best books have the most interesting characters. Finding a novel with an original story is secondary to finding a cast of dynamic yet realistic personalities in a book. From the first chapter of Mistborn we are introduced to people that are smart and very interesting. These characters are placed in near impossible situations and confront those problems with fear and caution. There are no corny 007 moments in this book. The action scenes are raw and in this true-to-life world when someone gets punched in the face they wake up with a black eye. Finally, some reality in a fantasy! (no pun intended)

Mistborn is a fast twisting ride through a new and exciting world. The laws of nature in this world of magic still ring true. No power is mysteriously wielded and everything has a cause and effect relationship. And because of the raw natural undertones it was a great thrill to read this unique fantasy. I highly recommend it.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Echo Park by Michael Connelly is a crime novel centered around one of the most interesting cop characters I have ever read, Harry Bosch. This installment takes place in Hollywood, CA and is about an old rape and murder case that was never solved.

I am a fan of Micheal Connelly’s novels and I highly recommend the raw, intense atmosphere that surrounds all of his crime stories. Each and every one of the Harry Bosch novels has a twist ending. Nothing is predictable and his characterization is full and true to life.

Michael Connelly’s novels make me want to quit my job and apply for the local police department. Even though his world is centered around some of the most perverse criminal minds, I find Harry’s struggle to rise above all of it uplifting and inspiring.

Rating: 9 out of 10