"Never Look Away" By Linwood Barclay

I just finished reading “Never Look Away”, by Linwood Barclay. He was born in the US, but moved to Canada when he was a young child. I recently discovered this author and boy am I glad I did. His stories are the kinds that you want to finish in one sitting. This is his 8th work of fiction (he has written several non fiction books, too, which I’ll admit I have not read), and all have been very enjoyable. The first four books all revolved around a central character, while the other books are independent of each other. Filled with intrigue, “Never Look Away” kept me captivated from page one until the very end. The main character’s four year old son goes missing from an amusement park. After a short while he is able to locate him, but then he discovers that his wife has disappeared. By the time all matters have been resolved, he finds out that he never knew his wife at all. Their life together was a lie, a cover for her while she was biding her time, waiting to cash in stolen diamonds and live the high life. She sets up her innocent husband to take the fall for her murder. It is amazing the steps she went to in order to frame the poor guy. In the end, she proves that she is not all evil, as she sacrifices herself for him. Yet another satisfying novel by one of my new favorites. Well done! I eagerly await his next thriller.

Check back in after I read “The Wild Zone” by Joy Fielding.

See mew all later!

"Alex Cross's Trial" by James Patterson and Richard Dilallo

To say James Patterson has written a few books is putting it mildly. He is an award winning author of myriad novels and he seems to publish a new one weekly! It is difficult to keep up with him! While his themes run the gamut from golf to children with wings, his main character is Alex Cross, who is currently the star of 16 novels.

Well, it took me three days, but I just completed “Alex Cross’s Trial”. This is not a typical Alex Cross story, set in modern times involving a bloody crime scene. Instead, it is set back in the early 1900s, just after slaves were freed, but while segregation still existed, and lynchings were a source of family entertainment. The story it told had sad, horrific, and disgusting elements, as well as happy, uplifting, and inspiring themes. Although the characters were just that, characters, I am sure the stories described were very similar to events that actually happened. It is unbelievable to think that people were treated this way right here in our country. This story was written by Alex Cross, based on journal writings, given to his grandmother, of a lawyer fighting racism in a racist country. I thought it was a great departure, and a welcome one, from Patterson’s usual novels.

Any thoughts on this unique novel?

Next up is Linwood Barclay’s latest, “Never Look Away”.

See mew all later!

"Death Message" by Mark Billingham

The first book that I will discuss is “Death Message” by British author Mark Billingham. He has worked as an actor, tv writer, and comedian. He has written 9 books to date. Unfortunately, no library in my state carries his two newest novels.

"Death Message" is his 7th novel featuring Detective Inspector Tom Thorne, joined by his girlfriend of several months, country music loving Detective Inspector Louise Porter, and his friend, pathologist Phil Hendricks. One thing I notice when reading the writing of Brits is that they use a lot of words that may be unfamiliar to us Americans, which can cause some confusion. Zebra crossing? Kerb? Knackered? Nipping? Bolshie? All in all, I found this book to be most enjoyable, as I did with Billingham’s others. It was very suspenseful, right up until the last page. It involved a very complex story, with so many bad guys it was hard to keep track. There were the corrupt cops, the Black Dog bike gang, evil Turkish men, and a criminal already behind bars. Much of the content deals with Thorne’s police work, but we also get more of a glimpse into his personal life. We see Thorne make a decision to hide information, choosing to handle this situation on his own. This case hits close to home when Hendricks is targeted by a killer. We find out what really happened when Thorne’s father died in a fire. I eagerly await his next novel as I feel there are some questions that were left unanswered (although I do not see that it is carried at any of my local libraries). Will Thorne settle down and get married again? Is Louise pregnant? Who put the glass in Nicklin’s meatballs?

Please feel free to leave your views.

I’ll be back after again after I’ve read James Patterson and Richard Dilallo’s “Alex Cross’s Trial”.

See mew all later!