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Crusher #1
Jugando con fuego
La vida de Finn da bastante asco. Pero ahora, además, es una pesadilla: alguien ha matado a su padre y él es el principal sospechoso.
Sin nada que perder, tendrá que jugarse el cuello en una carrera contrarreloj para limpiar su nombre y averiguar quién lo hizo en realidad. Deberá rastrear hasta el último rincón de los bajos fondos londinenses, destapar oscuros secretos familiares y enfrentarse a policías corruptos, mafiosos de altos vuelos y femmes-fatales sin escrúpulos... solo para descubrir que aquellos en los que más confías son los únicos que te pueden sorprender con la guardia baja.
Sin nada que perder, tendrá que jugarse el cuello en una carrera contrarreloj para limpiar su nombre y averiguar quién lo hizo en realidad. Deberá rastrear hasta el último rincón de los bajos fondos londinenses, destapar oscuros secretos familiares y enfrentarse a policías corruptos, mafiosos de altos vuelos y femmes-fatales sin escrúpulos... solo para descubrir que aquellos en los que más confías son los únicos que te pueden sorprender con la guardia baja.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
46 people are currently reading
1081 people want to read
About the author
Niall Leonard
8 books85 followersNiall Leonard grew up in Newry, Northern Ireland. He attended the University of York to study English, and from there went on to The UK National Film and Television School where he trained as a screenwriter and director.
After graduating from the NFTS in 1986 Niall’s worked as director on ITV’s long-running cop show The Bill while pursuing his own projects, such as the one-off black comedy Rotten Apples and Over The Wild Frontier, a six-part comedy drama set on the Irish border, both for Channel Four.
Niall’s first broadcast TV script was an episode of cop show Spender, closely followed by Pie In The Sky with Richard Griffiths.
In 1994 Niall took up a year-long contract as a Script Editor at BBC Northern Ireland, where he made the acquaintance of Belfast’s Hole In The Wall Gang. His work as script associate on their pilot for Give My Head Peace led to a partnership that continued for ten years
In 1995 he returned to full-time writing with a script for the groundbreaking Irish comedy drama Ballykissangel and went on to create episodes of Silent Witness, Hornblower, Sea of Souls, Second Sight, Monarch of The Glen, Wire In The Blood and Wild At Heart.
As part of the 2011 Nanowrimo novel-writing event Niall wrote Crusher, a gritty YA crime thriller, which was published by Random House in 2012 and was nominated for Best Young Adult novel by the Mystery Writers of America. He followed it with two sequels, Incinerator and Crusher.
in 2015 Niall adapted two novels by his wife, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, into feature films for Universal Pictures.
2021 will see the US publication of 'M: King's Bodyguard', by Penguin Random House, an historical thriller set in Edwardian London and based on real events. Niall is currently working on its sequel.
Niall has led seminars and workshops on screenwriting and script editing for the BBC, the Northern Ireland Film Council and the Irish Screenwriters’ Guild, and led seminars on on the creative process at UCLA.
He is married with two kids and a rather smelly dog and lives in West London.
After graduating from the NFTS in 1986 Niall’s worked as director on ITV’s long-running cop show The Bill while pursuing his own projects, such as the one-off black comedy Rotten Apples and Over The Wild Frontier, a six-part comedy drama set on the Irish border, both for Channel Four.
Niall’s first broadcast TV script was an episode of cop show Spender, closely followed by Pie In The Sky with Richard Griffiths.
In 1994 Niall took up a year-long contract as a Script Editor at BBC Northern Ireland, where he made the acquaintance of Belfast’s Hole In The Wall Gang. His work as script associate on their pilot for Give My Head Peace led to a partnership that continued for ten years
In 1995 he returned to full-time writing with a script for the groundbreaking Irish comedy drama Ballykissangel and went on to create episodes of Silent Witness, Hornblower, Sea of Souls, Second Sight, Monarch of The Glen, Wire In The Blood and Wild At Heart.
As part of the 2011 Nanowrimo novel-writing event Niall wrote Crusher, a gritty YA crime thriller, which was published by Random House in 2012 and was nominated for Best Young Adult novel by the Mystery Writers of America. He followed it with two sequels, Incinerator and Crusher.
in 2015 Niall adapted two novels by his wife, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, into feature films for Universal Pictures.
2021 will see the US publication of 'M: King's Bodyguard', by Penguin Random House, an historical thriller set in Edwardian London and based on real events. Niall is currently working on its sequel.
Niall has led seminars and workshops on screenwriting and script editing for the BBC, the Northern Ireland Film Council and the Irish Screenwriters’ Guild, and led seminars on on the creative process at UCLA.
He is married with two kids and a rather smelly dog and lives in West London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
October 24, 2012
When I first heard of Crusher I had never heard of it or of the author before, and when looking deeper into it I was surprised to find out the author is actually EL James' (50 Shades) husband. This left me both intrigued and worried. Having been put off of 50 Shades simply from excerpts that made me cringe, I was hoping Niall would be able to create a story that was compelling and exciting, and hopefully void of bizarre tampon scenes.
Well, I can assure you there are, in fact, no tampons! A big reason *could be* probably because our main character is male. Finn comes home to find his father dead one evening, after the cops make him a suspect, he decides to take matters into his own hand and find his father's killer. This promises a heck of a lot of excitement, great action, and hopefully some awesome twists. To my great disappointment it did not deliver in either of these points.
Unless... unless you call Finn working, then working again, then getting fired, then working. Oh wait, it's a little exciting when he breaks into some crime boss's yard, but that doesn't last very long and he's working again. Washing dishes! All that steam! That hot, sweaty dishwasher! Yeah... no. Not exciting. When he isn't working, he's planning his father's funeral. Talking to funeral directors. Funeral arrangement... very sexy... Then wait, Finn trips, and oops, he stumbles on a trail to his father's killer! That was so convenient!
Let's just say, I did not find this very exciting. In case some of your are a little on the slow side.
The investigation itself involves a crime lord of some type, clues that seem to appear out of sheer luck more than anything, and a whole slew of stereotypical characters that felt like cardboard cut outs of any crime movie. Digging in clues is what's the most fun in a crime novel. You go along with the characters and try to figure out what happened. The way Niall goes about clues and twists are too coincidental to make it really captivating. Moreover, there's never any real feeling of danger or suspense. Instead of being scared, I was baffled by the characters' actions. Stupidity will never be suspenseful, only irritating, and slightly amazing.
So why did I give this book 2-stars? Well, I finished it. It kept my interest; I was hoping it would eventually get thrilling, and I was kept curious throughout, wanting to know who the killer was. So it is a decent premise, with an interesting male protagonist who could have a lot of depth if the author gave him a likeable personality, or any personality at all to be honest. The lack of consistency in the writing and sporadic pacing clearly killed the whole plot for me. But hey, why don't you try it out? *hands over book forcefully*
--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
Well, I can assure you there are, in fact, no tampons! A big reason *could be* probably because our main character is male. Finn comes home to find his father dead one evening, after the cops make him a suspect, he decides to take matters into his own hand and find his father's killer. This promises a heck of a lot of excitement, great action, and hopefully some awesome twists. To my great disappointment it did not deliver in either of these points.
Unless... unless you call Finn working, then working again, then getting fired, then working. Oh wait, it's a little exciting when he breaks into some crime boss's yard, but that doesn't last very long and he's working again. Washing dishes! All that steam! That hot, sweaty dishwasher! Yeah... no. Not exciting. When he isn't working, he's planning his father's funeral. Talking to funeral directors. Funeral arrangement... very sexy... Then wait, Finn trips, and oops, he stumbles on a trail to his father's killer! That was so convenient!
Let's just say, I did not find this very exciting. In case some of your are a little on the slow side.
The investigation itself involves a crime lord of some type, clues that seem to appear out of sheer luck more than anything, and a whole slew of stereotypical characters that felt like cardboard cut outs of any crime movie. Digging in clues is what's the most fun in a crime novel. You go along with the characters and try to figure out what happened. The way Niall goes about clues and twists are too coincidental to make it really captivating. Moreover, there's never any real feeling of danger or suspense. Instead of being scared, I was baffled by the characters' actions. Stupidity will never be suspenseful, only irritating, and slightly amazing.
So why did I give this book 2-stars? Well, I finished it. It kept my interest; I was hoping it would eventually get thrilling, and I was kept curious throughout, wanting to know who the killer was. So it is a decent premise, with an interesting male protagonist who could have a lot of depth if the author gave him a likeable personality, or any personality at all to be honest. The lack of consistency in the writing and sporadic pacing clearly killed the whole plot for me. But hey, why don't you try it out? *hands over book forcefully*
--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
August 28, 2012
This book is really good. It's like TAKEN meets GET CARTER for young adults. There wasn't non stop action, but when it happened, it was fantastic. I also liked all the twits. I kept thinking it's this person, not it's that person, not it's that person.
I also loved that our hero wouldn't give up even if he thought it would get him killed. I wish there had been more of a love interest, but it's written by a man so you can't expect too much. I'm not saying that there wasn't a love interest there, its just that she's a B***h and therefore, not really a love interest.
Fast read and lots of fun. The only reason I'm not giving it a 5 is because I can't make it into a movie. Too violent for the YA crowd and too young for Adults to want to see it.
I also loved that our hero wouldn't give up even if he thought it would get him killed. I wish there had been more of a love interest, but it's written by a man so you can't expect too much. I'm not saying that there wasn't a love interest there, its just that she's a B***h and therefore, not really a love interest.
Fast read and lots of fun. The only reason I'm not giving it a 5 is because I can't make it into a movie. Too violent for the YA crowd and too young for Adults to want to see it.
July 5, 2016
Creo que más bien es un 3,5... no sé, lo decidiré más tarde
Compré este libro porque estaba en la sección de descuentos y parecía un thriller emocionante. No tuve tiempo de buscarlo en Goodreads ya que me estaban apurando, por lo que lo compré ciegamente.
Mis expectativas empezaron a caer en cuanto leí en las solapas que el autor es el esposo de E.L. James; se que prejuzgar es horrible y que ser la pareja de alguien no tiene nada que ver con lo que vayas a escribir, pero no puedo mentiros: eso me tiró las expectativas por el piso. Luego lo busque en Goodreads y, bueno... primera parte de una trilogía. Mierda. ¿Por qué no pueden haber más autoconclusivos buenos? Y, para rematar, TODAS LAS RESEÑAS SON NEGATIVAS.
Así que, por más que solo haya pagado 4 dólares por él, me sentí super decepcionada y engañada con mi compra. Estaba segura de que no lo leería pronto, y tenía las expectativas por los suelos; hasta que ese mismo día, de noche, estaba tirada en la cama, sin ganas de moverme ni para ir a buscar un libro; Jugando con Fuego estaba ahí, justo donde lo había tirado después de volver de la librería, y, por flojera, lo comencé a leer.
Y, con las expectativas así de bajas, este libro me sorprendió muchísimo para bien. Debo decir que no pueden comenzar esta historia esperando un thriller psicológico tremendo, ya que no lo es; si bien Jugando con Fuego tiene algunos elementos de thriller, en su mayoría es un libro calmado y no tan lleno de suspense e intrigas como uno esperaría.
El libro trata de Finn, un adolescente que de pronto encuentra a su padre muerto. Tras una investigación policial, él figura por algún motivo como el principal sospechoso. Su padre, Noel, estaba escribiendo un guión televisivo para una serie antes de morir, y Finn cree que su asesinato está relacionado con eso, por lo que se dedicará a investigar en la mafia, la policía y hasta su propia familia.
El libro me enganchó desde el primer instante. No suele pasarme, pero capítulos de 20, 30 páginas se me pasaban volando. Ya sea por la pluma fácil y rápida del autor, o lo entretenido de la trama, este libro fue difícil de soltar.
El protagonista, Finn, me gusta mucho. Si bien ya llamarse Finn le suma muchos puntos, me encantó que siempre se mantuviera enfocado, su especie de humor y su actitud en general. Si bien hubieron veces que me hubiera gustado golpearle en la cara por las contestaciones que hacía, siempre estuve bastante de acuerdo con sus acciones. Auuunque... ¿tu padre se muere y vos no soltás ni una lágrima? ¿Really?
En este libro hubo un serio caso de insta-love que todavía no supero. Sin exceptuar el hecho de que acaban de matar a tu padre misteriosamente y vos dejás entrar a una desconocida a tu casa y dormir en el sofá ¿whatttt?
También tuve algunos serios problemas con un tema que el autor no sabe manejar para nada. Y es que Niall Leonard quiere que determinadas cosas pasen en la historia para desencadenar la trama, y, en vez de tomarse el trabajo de hacerlo creíble, suelta la primera cosa que se le ocurre para agilizar las cosas. De ese modo, algunos personajes actúan de las maneras más irreales de la vida y pasan cientos y cientos de "casualidades". Disculpa, pero no me creo que el jefe de la mafia te de un trabajo genial después de que hayas entrado a escondidas a su casa; perdona, pero es que estás tirando cualquiera.
Quizá si el autor se hubiera tomado un poco más de tiempo o hubiera pensado las cosas a más profundidad, estás cosas que no terminan de cerrarme quedarían redondas y hubiera puntuado con mucho más el libro.
Disfruté muchísimo de esta lectura, si bien es cierto que recién las últimas 80 páginas se ponen intensas, me gustó como fue todo el transcurso de la historia. Es cierto que como thriller es un fracaso, pero quizá como un libro normal sí que te puede gustar.
El misterio fue bastante bien desarrollado, aunque no estaba ni por asomo pendiente de la investigación; no sé por qué, pero honestamente no estaba muy interesada que se diga en hallar al culpable del asesinato del padre de Finn, más bien me limité a acompañar al protagonista durante sus andadas.
Tampoco estuve muy sorprendida con el gran plot-twist que el autor pretendió tirarnos casi entrados al final. El hecho de que en la portada diga "solo quien te conoce bien puede traicionarte" tampoco ayuda a incrementar la sorpresa.
Jamás había leído un thriller, así que esperaba algo del otro mundo. Pero, como dije antes, esto no es un thriller en todo el sentido de la palabra, por lo que se lo recomiendo a personas que quieran empezar con el género pero que les de cosa leer algo oscuro o demasiado creepy de entrada.
Algo que añado como un posdata, es que me encantaron las escenas de pelea, la narración del autor me metía en la acción de cabeza.
El final me gustó mucho. Exceptuando esa sorpresa no-sorpresa, me gustó cómo se resolvieron las cosas, dejando a todos los personajes con su parte y poniendo todas las pequeñas piezas en su lugar.
Este libro no fue la gran cosa, pero fue una lectura amena, enganchante y que dentro de todo vale bastante la pena.
Por suerte, Jugando con Fuego terminó con un final cerrado, por lo que no leeré el resto de la trilogía.
(Dudo mucho que los otros dos libros se consigan en mi país, y creo que la historia ya no da para más).
Compré este libro porque estaba en la sección de descuentos y parecía un thriller emocionante. No tuve tiempo de buscarlo en Goodreads ya que me estaban apurando, por lo que lo compré ciegamente.
Mis expectativas empezaron a caer en cuanto leí en las solapas que el autor es el esposo de E.L. James; se que prejuzgar es horrible y que ser la pareja de alguien no tiene nada que ver con lo que vayas a escribir, pero no puedo mentiros: eso me tiró las expectativas por el piso. Luego lo busque en Goodreads y, bueno... primera parte de una trilogía. Mierda. ¿Por qué no pueden haber más autoconclusivos buenos? Y, para rematar, TODAS LAS RESEÑAS SON NEGATIVAS.
Así que, por más que solo haya pagado 4 dólares por él, me sentí super decepcionada y engañada con mi compra. Estaba segura de que no lo leería pronto, y tenía las expectativas por los suelos; hasta que ese mismo día, de noche, estaba tirada en la cama, sin ganas de moverme ni para ir a buscar un libro; Jugando con Fuego estaba ahí, justo donde lo había tirado después de volver de la librería, y, por flojera, lo comencé a leer.
Y, con las expectativas así de bajas, este libro me sorprendió muchísimo para bien. Debo decir que no pueden comenzar esta historia esperando un thriller psicológico tremendo, ya que no lo es; si bien Jugando con Fuego tiene algunos elementos de thriller, en su mayoría es un libro calmado y no tan lleno de suspense e intrigas como uno esperaría.
El libro trata de Finn, un adolescente que de pronto encuentra a su padre muerto. Tras una investigación policial, él figura por algún motivo como el principal sospechoso. Su padre, Noel, estaba escribiendo un guión televisivo para una serie antes de morir, y Finn cree que su asesinato está relacionado con eso, por lo que se dedicará a investigar en la mafia, la policía y hasta su propia familia.
El libro me enganchó desde el primer instante. No suele pasarme, pero capítulos de 20, 30 páginas se me pasaban volando. Ya sea por la pluma fácil y rápida del autor, o lo entretenido de la trama, este libro fue difícil de soltar.
El protagonista, Finn, me gusta mucho. Si bien ya llamarse Finn le suma muchos puntos, me encantó que siempre se mantuviera enfocado, su especie de humor y su actitud en general. Si bien hubieron veces que me hubiera gustado golpearle en la cara por las contestaciones que hacía, siempre estuve bastante de acuerdo con sus acciones. Auuunque... ¿tu padre se muere y vos no soltás ni una lágrima? ¿Really?
En este libro hubo un serio caso de insta-love que todavía no supero. Sin exceptuar el hecho de que acaban de matar a tu padre misteriosamente y vos dejás entrar a una desconocida a tu casa y dormir en el sofá ¿whatttt?
También tuve algunos serios problemas con un tema que el autor no sabe manejar para nada. Y es que Niall Leonard quiere que determinadas cosas pasen en la historia para desencadenar la trama, y, en vez de tomarse el trabajo de hacerlo creíble, suelta la primera cosa que se le ocurre para agilizar las cosas. De ese modo, algunos personajes actúan de las maneras más irreales de la vida y pasan cientos y cientos de "casualidades". Disculpa, pero no me creo que el jefe de la mafia te de un trabajo genial después de que hayas entrado a escondidas a su casa; perdona, pero es que estás tirando cualquiera.
Quizá si el autor se hubiera tomado un poco más de tiempo o hubiera pensado las cosas a más profundidad, estás cosas que no terminan de cerrarme quedarían redondas y hubiera puntuado con mucho más el libro.
Disfruté muchísimo de esta lectura, si bien es cierto que recién las últimas 80 páginas se ponen intensas, me gustó como fue todo el transcurso de la historia. Es cierto que como thriller es un fracaso, pero quizá como un libro normal sí que te puede gustar.
El misterio fue bastante bien desarrollado, aunque no estaba ni por asomo pendiente de la investigación; no sé por qué, pero honestamente no estaba muy interesada que se diga en hallar al culpable del asesinato del padre de Finn, más bien me limité a acompañar al protagonista durante sus andadas.
Tampoco estuve muy sorprendida con el gran plot-twist que el autor pretendió tirarnos casi entrados al final. El hecho de que en la portada diga "solo quien te conoce bien puede traicionarte" tampoco ayuda a incrementar la sorpresa.
Jamás había leído un thriller, así que esperaba algo del otro mundo. Pero, como dije antes, esto no es un thriller en todo el sentido de la palabra, por lo que se lo recomiendo a personas que quieran empezar con el género pero que les de cosa leer algo oscuro o demasiado creepy de entrada.
Algo que añado como un posdata, es que me encantaron las escenas de pelea, la narración del autor me metía en la acción de cabeza.
El final me gustó mucho. Exceptuando esa sorpresa no-sorpresa, me gustó cómo se resolvieron las cosas, dejando a todos los personajes con su parte y poniendo todas las pequeñas piezas en su lugar.
Este libro no fue la gran cosa, pero fue una lectura amena, enganchante y que dentro de todo vale bastante la pena.
Por suerte, Jugando con Fuego terminó con un final cerrado, por lo que no leeré el resto de la trilogía.
(Dudo mucho que los otros dos libros se consigan en mi país, y creo que la historia ya no da para más).
August 30, 2013
Crusher is an old school murder mystery in the best sense. There are multiple plausible suspects, a tenacious teen turned detective, scary bad guys, a mysterious beautiful girl who shows up out of nowhere, and nail biting action packed suspense. When Finn comes home from his depressing fast food job to find his father dead in a pool of blood, he is flummoxed. His father was an unemployed recluse, and they are too poor to have anything to steal. The police are flummoxed, too. That is why Finn is their only suspect. Finn decides the only way to save himself and get justice for his father is to find the real killer. Like many teens, Finn is well intentioned, but foolish and impulsive. He manages to get himself in several very scary situations. Luckily, he is also a quick thinker, pretty good liar, super fast long distance runner and excellent boxer. YA readers will have fun trying to put the clues together before Finn does. Rookie mystery genre readers are in for a couple of big surprise twists.
October 6, 2014
No se si es por que esta no es mi literatura favorita, pero este libro no me convenció. Es una historia policiaca con sorpresas en las últimas 30 páginas, las demás páginas del libro se me hicieron muy tediosas de leer
Reseña completa: http://bastvilard.blogspot.com/2014/0...
Video-Reseña: http://youtu.be/NJ8_RK3E_ic
Reseña completa: http://bastvilard.blogspot.com/2014/0...
Video-Reseña: http://youtu.be/NJ8_RK3E_ic
September 10, 2012
CRUSHER was so obviously a generic thriller title that I paid it little attention. Imagine my surprise when it was relevant to the story in multiple ways. It's one of the many ways CRUSHER was a pleasant surprise. It landed on my porch not too long ago, but caught my attention because it had been overnighted. That's not usual for an unsolicited review copy.
The included letter started by talking about Niall Leonard's wife, E L James (FIFTY SHADES OF GREY) and mentioned he'd just written CRUSHER last November. That made me a touch wary, concerned that CRUSHER had been rushed into production due to Leonard's association with infamy. And, okay, I still assumed that happened, but CRUSHER can stand on its own merits.
Quick note: I read the UK text. I don't know if the US version will be any different, but generally references to salad on sandwiches and such is changed. Now back to the review.
Finn Maguire doesn't have much hope for the future. He works in fast food without much hope of advancement since he dropped out of high school. He can't read well due to dyslexia and a lack of academic encouragement. He lives in squalor with his father, an out-of-work actor who talks about becoming a screenwriter but never manages to sell any of his work. Coming home from work one day, Finn finds his father murdered. The police suspect Finn, leading him to start his own investigation.
Soon, Finn is mixed up with the biggest gangster around and getting by day-by-day now includes not getting killed himself. I really liked Finn's character. He's determined and clever, absolutely terrific at improvising, but he's not that smart. He's got a strong moral center too. He'll defend himself and he'll lie to get to the truth, but he's not the kind of guy who leaves a trail of collateral damage. He doesn't like letting people he doesn't like get hurt if he knows he can stop it.
I love a good crime drama, and that's exactly what CRUSHER is. It's sordid and filled with characters you can't trust and utterly absorbing. I loved following Finn's quest to catch his father's killer. Fantastically, he isn't a great detective. He's brilliant on stumbling onto trouble and pretty lucky he took all those boxing lessons, but he doesn't yet have an instinct for putting the pieces together. He can still make it work.
I think I read CRUSHER in less than two hours. I ate my breakfast on Saturday, settled down to read, and didn't come up for air until I was done. Few books catch my attention that thoroughly anymore. Mystery fans, thriller fans, boxing fans: check out CRUSHER. It's quite a ride.
The included letter started by talking about Niall Leonard's wife, E L James (FIFTY SHADES OF GREY) and mentioned he'd just written CRUSHER last November. That made me a touch wary, concerned that CRUSHER had been rushed into production due to Leonard's association with infamy. And, okay, I still assumed that happened, but CRUSHER can stand on its own merits.
Quick note: I read the UK text. I don't know if the US version will be any different, but generally references to salad on sandwiches and such is changed. Now back to the review.
Finn Maguire doesn't have much hope for the future. He works in fast food without much hope of advancement since he dropped out of high school. He can't read well due to dyslexia and a lack of academic encouragement. He lives in squalor with his father, an out-of-work actor who talks about becoming a screenwriter but never manages to sell any of his work. Coming home from work one day, Finn finds his father murdered. The police suspect Finn, leading him to start his own investigation.
Soon, Finn is mixed up with the biggest gangster around and getting by day-by-day now includes not getting killed himself. I really liked Finn's character. He's determined and clever, absolutely terrific at improvising, but he's not that smart. He's got a strong moral center too. He'll defend himself and he'll lie to get to the truth, but he's not the kind of guy who leaves a trail of collateral damage. He doesn't like letting people he doesn't like get hurt if he knows he can stop it.
I love a good crime drama, and that's exactly what CRUSHER is. It's sordid and filled with characters you can't trust and utterly absorbing. I loved following Finn's quest to catch his father's killer. Fantastically, he isn't a great detective. He's brilliant on stumbling onto trouble and pretty lucky he took all those boxing lessons, but he doesn't yet have an instinct for putting the pieces together. He can still make it work.
I think I read CRUSHER in less than two hours. I ate my breakfast on Saturday, settled down to read, and didn't come up for air until I was done. Few books catch my attention that thoroughly anymore. Mystery fans, thriller fans, boxing fans: check out CRUSHER. It's quite a ride.
November 29, 2012
In the mood for a good mystery thriller I accepted a finished copy of Crusher by Niall Leonard from the publisher. At the time I did not know this author is EL James’ husband or that this tale was written during NaNoWriMo. The tale was action packed and the list of suspects kept me guessing.
The tale begins when we meet Finn a seventeen year old drop out who lives with his step-father a drunk and has been actor who spends his days trying to write the perfect script. Finn goes off to his full-time job at a chicken joint and when he returns home he finds his Dad shot dead and immediately calls the police. He is immediately labeled suspect number one, but as Finn realizes his Dad’s computer and notes are missing he remembers a conversation about his Dad’s current project. The tale that unfolds is suspenseful and action packed as Finn’s search for truth. If he isn't careful he may just end of up dead.
Finn is a drop out boxer and supposedly has dyslexia. As a mother of a child who suffers from this I was particularly annoyed at comments made regarding this disorder. Finn was really devoid of emotions and I never truly connecting with him. He wasn't unlikable we just never really get to know him. In fact none of the characters are really developed. We get a taste of them but the plot really drives this tale.
The world building was interesting and the twists in the plot kept me reading till the end despite major problems. The novel pushes the edge of YA with foul language, brutality, drinking, drugs and sex. While there are some climatic scenes Finn’s lack of emotion made the events fall flat and the lines of reality never blurred for me. The tale is told in Finn’s voice and sadly it wasn't believable especially since the author depicts him as lacking intelligence one minute and has him using metaphors the next. Sadly the twists and conclusion read more like a made for television script and I had a hard time buying it.
I had no problem finishing Crusher and read it in a few hours. Despite holes in the plot, unrealistic scenes and made for TV coincidences and paper characters I enjoyed it enough to read on.
I want to thank Random House for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
The tale begins when we meet Finn a seventeen year old drop out who lives with his step-father a drunk and has been actor who spends his days trying to write the perfect script. Finn goes off to his full-time job at a chicken joint and when he returns home he finds his Dad shot dead and immediately calls the police. He is immediately labeled suspect number one, but as Finn realizes his Dad’s computer and notes are missing he remembers a conversation about his Dad’s current project. The tale that unfolds is suspenseful and action packed as Finn’s search for truth. If he isn't careful he may just end of up dead.
Finn is a drop out boxer and supposedly has dyslexia. As a mother of a child who suffers from this I was particularly annoyed at comments made regarding this disorder. Finn was really devoid of emotions and I never truly connecting with him. He wasn't unlikable we just never really get to know him. In fact none of the characters are really developed. We get a taste of them but the plot really drives this tale.
The world building was interesting and the twists in the plot kept me reading till the end despite major problems. The novel pushes the edge of YA with foul language, brutality, drinking, drugs and sex. While there are some climatic scenes Finn’s lack of emotion made the events fall flat and the lines of reality never blurred for me. The tale is told in Finn’s voice and sadly it wasn't believable especially since the author depicts him as lacking intelligence one minute and has him using metaphors the next. Sadly the twists and conclusion read more like a made for television script and I had a hard time buying it.
I had no problem finishing Crusher and read it in a few hours. Despite holes in the plot, unrealistic scenes and made for TV coincidences and paper characters I enjoyed it enough to read on.
I want to thank Random House for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
August 27, 2012
Can I just start off by saying Wow! I was addicted to this from the first chapter, I was like a zombie all day and it pained me to put the book down to make the dinner, the same night I stayed up well into the wee hours just to finish this fantastic book. And what a page turner it is, I really won't be able to praise it enough. Niall Leonard's writing style is spot on and his characters are really well developed. The best thing about the book for me has to be main character, Finn Maguire, he is down-to-earth, brave, brutally honest, raw as ropes and I think weirdly I am in love with him, just a little bit, lol. The storyline is compelling, peppered with so many twists and turns you will question everything and has an amazingly explosive ending that you will not be expecting. Crusher is a fabulous debut from Niall Leonard that is definitely not to be missed!
Finn Maguire is just your regular drop out of school kinda guy, he holds down a horrible job in a greasy fast food joint in London, he lives with his drunken step-dad who was once an actor but now spends his days writing what he thinks will bean epic new T.V. show. When Finn finds his dad murdered when he comes home from work his life takes another downward turn.
Finn is thrown into the spotlight as the prime suspect in his own fathers murder! With no other way to turn he puts all his efforts into finding his fathers murderer on his own. With danger at every turn he digs deep into the dangerous London underground and finds himself in some tough situations. But Finn will find out the hard way that you really can't trust anyone in this cruel life!
The ending is action packed and as I said before a total shocker that you will not see coming. All that's left for me to do is urge you to pick up this explosively addictive book today! I will definitely be looking out for more works from the author in the future.
4.5/5 Stars
*Special thanks to Doubleday for the review copy*
Carly :)
http://fictionfascination.blogspot.co...
Finn Maguire is just your regular drop out of school kinda guy, he holds down a horrible job in a greasy fast food joint in London, he lives with his drunken step-dad who was once an actor but now spends his days writing what he thinks will bean epic new T.V. show. When Finn finds his dad murdered when he comes home from work his life takes another downward turn.
Finn is thrown into the spotlight as the prime suspect in his own fathers murder! With no other way to turn he puts all his efforts into finding his fathers murderer on his own. With danger at every turn he digs deep into the dangerous London underground and finds himself in some tough situations. But Finn will find out the hard way that you really can't trust anyone in this cruel life!
The ending is action packed and as I said before a total shocker that you will not see coming. All that's left for me to do is urge you to pick up this explosively addictive book today! I will definitely be looking out for more works from the author in the future.
4.5/5 Stars
*Special thanks to Doubleday for the review copy*
Carly :)
http://fictionfascination.blogspot.co...
March 26, 2017
I enjoyed this book because it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time wondering who killed the father? If you are into spy type films and books like this you will like this book. It has all the action in detail and is very well planned out. I would recommend this book to my friends.
September 21, 2012
As a long term lover of crime thrillers, none of which would fall under the YA category, I felt a slight trepidation with this being my first venture into the world of crime as seen from a 17 year olds perspective.
Finn Maguire's world is turned on its head when he arrives home to find his only constant family member has been murdered. A reasonably rough background gives him the wherewithal to deal with the after effects of the mess he is left to deal with on his own - something most adults wouldn't be able to cope with. Seen as more of a suspect than a victim by those who should be entrusted with looking after him in his grief, his subsequent descent into the grimy underworld of London crime to seek out the murderer is understandable. The consequences of his actions exceed the gravity of his own expectations with some unexpected twists and turns along the way.
Crusher is a fine debut novel - It is fast paced & has a plot that will keep you riveted from start to finish. It has made me want to re-read my old favourite crime thrillers, as well as seeking out more in a similar genre(YA). I will look forward to reading more from this author.
Also, given the current market trends of new books where it seems that everyone is writing about young people in a dystopian society killing each other for sport or supernatural beings coming out of the woodwork of every small town, I found Crusher to be a refreshing change from the very recent "norm".
A definite thriller, with heart.
Finn Maguire's world is turned on its head when he arrives home to find his only constant family member has been murdered. A reasonably rough background gives him the wherewithal to deal with the after effects of the mess he is left to deal with on his own - something most adults wouldn't be able to cope with. Seen as more of a suspect than a victim by those who should be entrusted with looking after him in his grief, his subsequent descent into the grimy underworld of London crime to seek out the murderer is understandable. The consequences of his actions exceed the gravity of his own expectations with some unexpected twists and turns along the way.
Crusher is a fine debut novel - It is fast paced & has a plot that will keep you riveted from start to finish. It has made me want to re-read my old favourite crime thrillers, as well as seeking out more in a similar genre(YA). I will look forward to reading more from this author.
Also, given the current market trends of new books where it seems that everyone is writing about young people in a dystopian society killing each other for sport or supernatural beings coming out of the woodwork of every small town, I found Crusher to be a refreshing change from the very recent "norm".
A definite thriller, with heart.
November 7, 2012
Crusher is a fast paced thriller that grips you right from the start.
17 year old Finn Maguire comes home from work one day to find his out of work actor/screenplay writer father slumped over the table, his head had been smashed in and he was dead.
The police think his is responsible so he is determined to find the real killer and the reason why someone would kill his father. While trying to find a murderer he also has to deal with the loss of his father and try to figure out how to cope with funeral arrangements, bills and what is going to happen to him. How will he cope?
While digging around to find his father’s killer it leads him to the biggest, untouchable villain in London. To find out if this man is involved he has to get inside his organisation which is very dangerous and could lead to his death. This brings him into very deadly situations and the only way to survive is to kill.
Overall, this is a great book that keeps your reading from page 1 and is hard to put down. Full of lots of twists and turns to keep you entertained. A great debut novel from Niall Leonard and I can’t wait to read more by this author.
My only criticism is that it is aimed at teenagers but due to the violent nature of the story I would disagree with that and would say it is an adult themed book.
Highly recommended. A very well written crime novel that leaves you wanting more.
Rating: 5/5
17 year old Finn Maguire comes home from work one day to find his out of work actor/screenplay writer father slumped over the table, his head had been smashed in and he was dead.
The police think his is responsible so he is determined to find the real killer and the reason why someone would kill his father. While trying to find a murderer he also has to deal with the loss of his father and try to figure out how to cope with funeral arrangements, bills and what is going to happen to him. How will he cope?
While digging around to find his father’s killer it leads him to the biggest, untouchable villain in London. To find out if this man is involved he has to get inside his organisation which is very dangerous and could lead to his death. This brings him into very deadly situations and the only way to survive is to kill.
Overall, this is a great book that keeps your reading from page 1 and is hard to put down. Full of lots of twists and turns to keep you entertained. A great debut novel from Niall Leonard and I can’t wait to read more by this author.
My only criticism is that it is aimed at teenagers but due to the violent nature of the story I would disagree with that and would say it is an adult themed book.
Highly recommended. A very well written crime novel that leaves you wanting more.
Rating: 5/5
Want to read
June 25, 2012This is Naill's first YA and his wife author EL James (Fifty Shades Series) encouraged him to write this story. I went to the Random House book blogger brunch 2 weeks ago and there was a massive buzz about this book I can't wait to read it.
October 3, 2021
For the past four years I’ve been studying the craft of fiction writing, informally, but more or less systematically. It’s changed the way I read. I try to understand why my feelings about a book are related to advice given fiction writers for telling a good story. In the first chapter of Crusher we learn about the humdrum life of seventeen-year-old Finn McGuire, a dyslexic high school drop out (setting is London, so didn’t get his GCSEs) who lives with his stepdad, a failed actor, wanna-be scriptwriter who is past his sell-by date. Finn’s already been busted for dealing drugs at age fourteen after his mother deserted the family, but he’s reformed and is plodding onward in a honest but dull, dead end life. He’s made likable by contrasting his sordid situation with positive character traits; for example he feels bad when he’s forced by his sleazy boss to evict a patron nursing a hot drink for hours and taking up “prime space” in the empty restaurant. Although he harbors a typical seventeen years old’s resentment against his dad, there’s enough sympathy and mutual support between them to show that Finn is a decent guy with some integrity. He’s clever and he’s a fit athlete, thanks to the boxing training his father encouraged him in. At the end of chapter one, Finn finds his father murdered and it looks like it might be related to scenes he was writing about a major London crime boss. Thus, we have a hook and a reasonably likable protagonist with problems in his past. From this beginning Finn pursues an often reckless attempt to figure out who killed his father. He comes up against predictably nasty underworld figures, good cops and bad cops, a complicated cute and sexy girl, and his mother even shows up. Some of the feats are pretty hard to believe, from a seventeen year old boy and I skimmed past several lengthy fight scenes, marvelling briefly that his body could sustain such injuries and bounce back for more, but I guess the boxing training paid off. The reader was allowed to catch a breath from time to time but it was mostly a fast action page turner. Towards the end several twists were neatly inserted. All loose ends were tied up. A month from now I won’t remember most of the story (one reason I write reviews) but for the few hours I spent reading this, I was transported elsewhere and engrossed. For me it was a good example of how following formulas can produce a compelling story, even though I have nothing in common with a teen aged London school leaver. I preferred the author’s M, King’s Bodyguard for the historical insights. Both show that Niall Leonard has mastered the craft of story telling. Still, I can’t bring myself to give Crusher a 5 because it was momentary enjoyment and I got nothing long lasting. I admit I recently gave 5 stars to a Bill Slider detective story that wasn’t any more substantive than Crusher, but I like Bill and find the writing particularly witty. Never claimed to be consistent; just bumbling my way towards a better understanding of fiction.
November 7, 2016
The book I read was Crusher by Niall Leonard. This book has 323 pages and is published by Delacorte Press. Some reasons I chose to read this book are because the cover looked interesting, the summary of the book was good, and it seemed like an investigation book that will keep me guessing what is going to happen next.
The main character of this book is Finn. The main character is a son who has a bad background of selling drugs and dropping out of school. He comes home to find his dad lying dead in his living room and is being convicted of murdering him. During the book, the main character is trying to track down and find clues to who the killer was so he can clear his own name. Some other important characters in the book are the main character’s father, Noel, the main character’s boss, Andy, the detective, Prendergast, the main character’s lover, Zoe, and McGovern, the famous drug lord. Noel is the father and is known to be an actor and writer. He is the one that is killed and has some written secrets. Andy is the boss who the main character hates and is annoyed by. Prendergast is the detective who follows the main character and believes that the main character killed his father. Zoe is a girl who was the main character’s partner in sexual activities and come to find out, she used to do that with McGovern’s crew. McGovern is the well known gangster who is involved in a lot of illegal activities and can’t be touched by the cops. He is a hard nut and is whom the main character thinks killed Noel.
This book is a mixture between mystery and investigation. The setting of the book is in London in the present day, or pretty recently. The book was very scattered and new characters would show up and help guide the main character to what he was originally set out to do, which is to find his dad’s killer. Their is a section of the book where there are sexual content and there are parts where the imagery can be unpleasant, but for the most part it’s pretty easy to follow and picture situations. The outcome of the book was that Romero, a man that wasn’t supposed to be freed, hired a man to kill Noel and the main character’s mother.
My final thoughts on “Crusher” is that it is a cool investigation book and is a good book to read if you like mystery. I didn’t quite get the theme but I can think of some lessons I could learn from the book. I liked this book because of the constant curiosity I had reading it. Some good points for the book is the clear roles of the supporting characters and the plot of the story. Some weak points in the book are the part with zoe and having intercourse with her and the skipping of characters and actions. I learned that some people don’t have it like I have it and that a lot of people have secrets and can’t be trusted. I would recommend this to anyone who likes mystery or likes the plot of a highschool drop out doing things on his own and defending himself to make his life better.
The main character of this book is Finn. The main character is a son who has a bad background of selling drugs and dropping out of school. He comes home to find his dad lying dead in his living room and is being convicted of murdering him. During the book, the main character is trying to track down and find clues to who the killer was so he can clear his own name. Some other important characters in the book are the main character’s father, Noel, the main character’s boss, Andy, the detective, Prendergast, the main character’s lover, Zoe, and McGovern, the famous drug lord. Noel is the father and is known to be an actor and writer. He is the one that is killed and has some written secrets. Andy is the boss who the main character hates and is annoyed by. Prendergast is the detective who follows the main character and believes that the main character killed his father. Zoe is a girl who was the main character’s partner in sexual activities and come to find out, she used to do that with McGovern’s crew. McGovern is the well known gangster who is involved in a lot of illegal activities and can’t be touched by the cops. He is a hard nut and is whom the main character thinks killed Noel.
This book is a mixture between mystery and investigation. The setting of the book is in London in the present day, or pretty recently. The book was very scattered and new characters would show up and help guide the main character to what he was originally set out to do, which is to find his dad’s killer. Their is a section of the book where there are sexual content and there are parts where the imagery can be unpleasant, but for the most part it’s pretty easy to follow and picture situations. The outcome of the book was that Romero, a man that wasn’t supposed to be freed, hired a man to kill Noel and the main character’s mother.
My final thoughts on “Crusher” is that it is a cool investigation book and is a good book to read if you like mystery. I didn’t quite get the theme but I can think of some lessons I could learn from the book. I liked this book because of the constant curiosity I had reading it. Some good points for the book is the clear roles of the supporting characters and the plot of the story. Some weak points in the book are the part with zoe and having intercourse with her and the skipping of characters and actions. I learned that some people don’t have it like I have it and that a lot of people have secrets and can’t be trusted. I would recommend this to anyone who likes mystery or likes the plot of a highschool drop out doing things on his own and defending himself to make his life better.
January 27, 2019
The blurb sounds like this book will be really exciting and a real page turner. It is a very easy read, which makes it a page turner, but not in the way I was expecting.
The plot has promise, but the book is a bit bland. As Finn is trying to find his Dad’s murderer, he gets very lucky with working everything out and falling into the wrong places at the right time. It’s all a bit too easy and dramatic. But also boring at times, especially in regards to his working, not working, working etc.
The plot has promise, but the book is a bit bland. As Finn is trying to find his Dad’s murderer, he gets very lucky with working everything out and falling into the wrong places at the right time. It’s all a bit too easy and dramatic. But also boring at times, especially in regards to his working, not working, working etc.
September 7, 2016
3.5 stars, originally published at Winged Reviews
Like everyone else, I was intrigued by this NaNoWriMo project written by the husband of the author, E.L. James (you may have heard of her). Crusher is a tight crime novel set in West London, which follows 17 year-old Finn Maguire as he tries to discover the reason behind his father's murder. I definitely enjoyed this debut more than I did the Fifty Shades books, although I'm not sure how reliable that benchmark is.
You can sense Leonard's screenwriting background throughout the book. The descriptions of the settings and people were really detailed and well-imagined, but there was a certain complexity lacking with the dialogue (and indeed the characters). Despite that I was utterly engrossed in it. The suspense just pulled me in—I was nervous for Finn and it kept me wanting to read more.
Finn is the reason I enjoyed the book. He's interesting—instead of the genius detective or well-connected journalist you usually get as a crime protagonist, he's a dyslexic teenage drop-out, living in squalor and working a dead-end job at a fast food restaurant. He has no natural talent for solving mysteries and barrels into situations without much thought. He's scrappy and determined to do what's right, even though the universe (i.e. the police) seem to be conspiring against him. He also seemed emotionally disconnected, but to me it was a self-preservation instinct, considering what his life has been like so far. I was drawn to Finn and cared about what happened to him, and when he did show emotion, it gave the book real heart.
Most of the other characters are like a checklist of crime fiction: mafia boss, bad girl, know-it-all detective, even evil henchmen. We didn’t really get into their heads, which again I think is a symptom of the screenwriting—they were easily digestible but lacked true depth. They mostly served a plot purpose, mainly as red herrings. In a weird way the book benefited from it because Finn, as the main character, was the only one I really connected with as a reader and I liked him.
The plot was a little thin in places, but I enjoyed the story and I'm pleasantly suprised by variety of issues Leonard tackles. I liked all the plot twists and was surprised by the ending, so as a crime novel it worked for me. If you’re looking for an entertaining read, then this is the book for you.
Thank you to Random House for providing a copy of the book for review.
Like everyone else, I was intrigued by this NaNoWriMo project written by the husband of the author, E.L. James (you may have heard of her). Crusher is a tight crime novel set in West London, which follows 17 year-old Finn Maguire as he tries to discover the reason behind his father's murder. I definitely enjoyed this debut more than I did the Fifty Shades books, although I'm not sure how reliable that benchmark is.
You can sense Leonard's screenwriting background throughout the book. The descriptions of the settings and people were really detailed and well-imagined, but there was a certain complexity lacking with the dialogue (and indeed the characters). Despite that I was utterly engrossed in it. The suspense just pulled me in—I was nervous for Finn and it kept me wanting to read more.
Finn is the reason I enjoyed the book. He's interesting—instead of the genius detective or well-connected journalist you usually get as a crime protagonist, he's a dyslexic teenage drop-out, living in squalor and working a dead-end job at a fast food restaurant. He has no natural talent for solving mysteries and barrels into situations without much thought. He's scrappy and determined to do what's right, even though the universe (i.e. the police) seem to be conspiring against him. He also seemed emotionally disconnected, but to me it was a self-preservation instinct, considering what his life has been like so far. I was drawn to Finn and cared about what happened to him, and when he did show emotion, it gave the book real heart.
Most of the other characters are like a checklist of crime fiction: mafia boss, bad girl, know-it-all detective, even evil henchmen. We didn’t really get into their heads, which again I think is a symptom of the screenwriting—they were easily digestible but lacked true depth. They mostly served a plot purpose, mainly as red herrings. In a weird way the book benefited from it because Finn, as the main character, was the only one I really connected with as a reader and I liked him.
The plot was a little thin in places, but I enjoyed the story and I'm pleasantly suprised by variety of issues Leonard tackles. I liked all the plot twists and was surprised by the ending, so as a crime novel it worked for me. If you’re looking for an entertaining read, then this is the book for you.
Thank you to Random House for providing a copy of the book for review.
November 1, 2012
On the back of the uncorrected proof, this book is described as "the most talked about crime thriller of 2012". Say what? I work in a bookstore and nobody has asked for it, nobody has bought it. Tbh, I don't think I've even seen anyone looking at it, and I would be pretty wary about actually selling it to someone! Why? It is apparently targeted at the teenage market, but I would hesitate to let anyone under 16 read this book - it is pretty violent - with the main character killing several people; quite bleak, contains both foul language and sexual references. There are no real role-models in this story - Finn is not particularly easy to emphasize with and not very proactive about anything except finding his father's killer, although I suppose he DOES manage to save someone's life (how convenient was that timing?) and get a job. The other characters are pretty much one dimensional. There are three female characters - the closest we get to a "love interest", Zoe, is portrayed as a druggie and a slut. Another is psychotic and the third is just kinda pathetic. It's more mature than some of the "adult" books I've read.
The plot is quite erratic and stretches the limits of credibility rather a lot. There are plenty of twists and turns, and a few red herrings, however. Whilst the action and the intrigue keeps the story flowing and the pages turning - there are dozens of better books out there.
Probably the best thing I can say about this book is that Niall writes better than his wife. Which isn't saying much.
Although - this novel was his 2011 NaNo novel - which is kinda nifty, given I've just started my 2012 one now. And he's a Goodreads author, so I shall have to ask him - Niall, if you read this, can you please tell me why Finn's computer had a password on it when he got it back from the cops but a few chapters later he made a point of mentioning that it didn't have a password? That's been bugging me... I keep wondering if I misinterpreted where the password was being entered. I was reading an uncorrected proof - but I just checked the printed version, and it hasn't been fixed. So, what's up with that?
The plot is quite erratic and stretches the limits of credibility rather a lot. There are plenty of twists and turns, and a few red herrings, however. Whilst the action and the intrigue keeps the story flowing and the pages turning - there are dozens of better books out there.
Probably the best thing I can say about this book is that Niall writes better than his wife. Which isn't saying much.
Although - this novel was his 2011 NaNo novel - which is kinda nifty, given I've just started my 2012 one now. And he's a Goodreads author, so I shall have to ask him - Niall, if you read this, can you please tell me why Finn's computer had a password on it when he got it back from the cops but a few chapters later he made a point of mentioning that it didn't have a password? That's been bugging me... I keep wondering if I misinterpreted where the password was being entered. I was reading an uncorrected proof - but I just checked the printed version, and it hasn't been fixed. So, what's up with that?
March 25, 2013
Finn Maguire is a high-school drop out and works at a horrid job. Even though he doesn’t know quite what he wants to do with his life, he does know that he doesn’t like being pushed around or taken advantage of. When he comes home from work one day to find that his step-dad has been murdered, his life explodes in a confusion of suspicion, dread, and danger. The police don’t really think Finn is innocent, so Finn has to figure out the case all by himself. As he works to discover what happened, he becomes entangled with gangsters, paid assassins, and girls. The only trouble is he isn’t quite sure how to handle them all. And he really would like to get to the bottom of the mystery while he is still alive.
This is a fast-paced plot with loads of characterization and intrigue. I enjoyed delving layer after layer into the mystery to figure out what happened. I didn’t like the cussing and descriptions of blood, guts and glory. I know that the cussing is part of Finn’s character and it totally works for him. I don’t know that I would believe he is the type of person he is without a little cursing. However, I am not the type of reader that loves it. So, it didn’t work so well for me. Also, the same thing goes with the murders and the blood. (And the two near-deaths Finn had at the end of the book–those almost really got to me cringing.) I just am a bit squeamish when it comes to that type of thing. But then again, I had to shudder my way through Lord Loss as well, and this book was easier for me to swallow in terms of gore than that book.
I liked the book overall. I know what type of readers I would recommend it and book talk it to. I just also know that this book was at the peak of my tolerence level when it comes to the two before mentioned factors. Great book. Totally loved the twist at the end. I did see it coming, but not until it was so close it still surprised me. Great plot and characters, ones that are so memorable you will wonder why it really didn’t happen and why the whole lot of them really don’t live in England.
This is a fast-paced plot with loads of characterization and intrigue. I enjoyed delving layer after layer into the mystery to figure out what happened. I didn’t like the cussing and descriptions of blood, guts and glory. I know that the cussing is part of Finn’s character and it totally works for him. I don’t know that I would believe he is the type of person he is without a little cursing. However, I am not the type of reader that loves it. So, it didn’t work so well for me. Also, the same thing goes with the murders and the blood. (And the two near-deaths Finn had at the end of the book–those almost really got to me cringing.) I just am a bit squeamish when it comes to that type of thing. But then again, I had to shudder my way through Lord Loss as well, and this book was easier for me to swallow in terms of gore than that book.
I liked the book overall. I know what type of readers I would recommend it and book talk it to. I just also know that this book was at the peak of my tolerence level when it comes to the two before mentioned factors. Great book. Totally loved the twist at the end. I did see it coming, but not until it was so close it still surprised me. Great plot and characters, ones that are so memorable you will wonder why it really didn’t happen and why the whole lot of them really don’t live in England.
July 26, 2012
Actual Rating: 2.75 stars! Not at all awkward, eh? ;)
This book has a great concept. A murder mystery? A bad-ass teenager out for vengeance? Pretty enticing, huh? Well as much as I wanted to love this book, in all honesty, it just fell a little short of my expectations.
The main character, Finn is almost like a male version of Grace in Entangled. He's broken and troubled. His mother walked out on him when he was only a young boy, he dropped out of school early and was bullied because he's dyslexic. Overall, I got on fine with him. He had the usual characteristics as a typical boy of his age. The one thing that sort-of threw me with him was his relationship with Zoe. It's not that I didn't like them as characters, they were OK, it was just rather sudden. I just don't really know how I feel about it.
Since this was a thriller I was very excited to see what it was going to be like. Unfortunetly, it wasn't as...thrilling as I would have liked. Don't get me wrong; it was still quite a page-turner. There was just something so gripping about the writing style that wouldn't let me look away. Needless to say I finished reading it pretty fast!
There was also a lot of action incorporated in this novel. I especially liked the 'house' scene. I don't really want to give too much away, but that was definitely where the fighting kicked off. Side note: Finn's a boxer. ;) Now the ending. I just need to mention the ending. It was a little bit too abrupt for my liking. I was left with the wh-what? that's it? feeling that I wasn't quite sure about.
So overall, Crusher, with it's OK characters, not-as-thrilling-as-I-hoped mystery and strangely gripping writing style leaves me with a question mark. What to rate it? I think I'll go for between 2.5 to 3 stars, leaning slightly more towards 3. I still would recommend this to readers who like the sound of it though! It's just a pity I didn't love it as much as I would have liked.
This book has a great concept. A murder mystery? A bad-ass teenager out for vengeance? Pretty enticing, huh? Well as much as I wanted to love this book, in all honesty, it just fell a little short of my expectations.
The main character, Finn is almost like a male version of Grace in Entangled. He's broken and troubled. His mother walked out on him when he was only a young boy, he dropped out of school early and was bullied because he's dyslexic. Overall, I got on fine with him. He had the usual characteristics as a typical boy of his age. The one thing that sort-of threw me with him was his relationship with Zoe. It's not that I didn't like them as characters, they were OK, it was just rather sudden. I just don't really know how I feel about it.
Since this was a thriller I was very excited to see what it was going to be like. Unfortunetly, it wasn't as...thrilling as I would have liked. Don't get me wrong; it was still quite a page-turner. There was just something so gripping about the writing style that wouldn't let me look away. Needless to say I finished reading it pretty fast!
There was also a lot of action incorporated in this novel. I especially liked the 'house' scene. I don't really want to give too much away, but that was definitely where the fighting kicked off. Side note: Finn's a boxer. ;) Now the ending. I just need to mention the ending. It was a little bit too abrupt for my liking. I was left with the wh-what? that's it? feeling that I wasn't quite sure about.
So overall, Crusher, with it's OK characters, not-as-thrilling-as-I-hoped mystery and strangely gripping writing style leaves me with a question mark. What to rate it? I think I'll go for between 2.5 to 3 stars, leaning slightly more towards 3. I still would recommend this to readers who like the sound of it though! It's just a pity I didn't love it as much as I would have liked.
April 30, 2013
In a nutshell: High-school dropout Finn Maguire arrives home from his crappy fast-food job to find his stepdad bludgeoned to death in their London flat. Of course, our Finn is the main suspect, and he takes on the mystery in order to clear his name. And to find out what really happened to his stepdad.
The stepdad (an out-of-work actor and, then, a wannabe writer) was working on a screenplay about one of London's mobsters. Finn thinks. He really didn't pay that much attention when his stepdad was talking about his writing. Same thing happens in my house! Anyway, the stepdad's computer and the writing and research he's done is missing.
What I Loved: In a word--Finn. I loved this character. He's basically a loser, but you just know he won't stay that way forever. He has knack for sizing up sitautions and people. He's persistent. He has a good heart. I loved every word that came out of his mouth. Niall Leonard has a great ear for dialogue, which isn't surprising since he is a screenwriter as well. I'm interested in checking out a British crime drama TV show he writes for: Wire in the Blood. Also, CRUSHER is an edge-of-your-seat read, full of unexpected twists.
What I Loved a Little Less: the plotting. Weird as it sounds, there were just one or two too many twists. And, while I'm all for adventure and chase scenes, the end of the book felt like Bruce Willis in one of those Die Hard movies. Too many fight scenes. I kept thinking poor Finn needed to be home and in bed with a steak over one eye, an ice pack over a fist and 800 mg of ibuprofen. Also, there wasn't one nice female in the entire book. We all know how unrealistic that is!
STILL...I loved Finn. Enough that I could overlook the plot stuff. Which is saying a lot for me. I'll read the sequel.
Particular to this Book: CRUSHED was written for Nanowrimo 2011. AND...Mr. Leonard is married to E.L. James of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY fame.
The stepdad (an out-of-work actor and, then, a wannabe writer) was working on a screenplay about one of London's mobsters. Finn thinks. He really didn't pay that much attention when his stepdad was talking about his writing. Same thing happens in my house! Anyway, the stepdad's computer and the writing and research he's done is missing.
What I Loved: In a word--Finn. I loved this character. He's basically a loser, but you just know he won't stay that way forever. He has knack for sizing up sitautions and people. He's persistent. He has a good heart. I loved every word that came out of his mouth. Niall Leonard has a great ear for dialogue, which isn't surprising since he is a screenwriter as well. I'm interested in checking out a British crime drama TV show he writes for: Wire in the Blood. Also, CRUSHER is an edge-of-your-seat read, full of unexpected twists.
What I Loved a Little Less: the plotting. Weird as it sounds, there were just one or two too many twists. And, while I'm all for adventure and chase scenes, the end of the book felt like Bruce Willis in one of those Die Hard movies. Too many fight scenes. I kept thinking poor Finn needed to be home and in bed with a steak over one eye, an ice pack over a fist and 800 mg of ibuprofen. Also, there wasn't one nice female in the entire book. We all know how unrealistic that is!
STILL...I loved Finn. Enough that I could overlook the plot stuff. Which is saying a lot for me. I'll read the sequel.
Particular to this Book: CRUSHED was written for Nanowrimo 2011. AND...Mr. Leonard is married to E.L. James of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY fame.
September 24, 2012
I'm given to understand (although not through an official source, so it may or may not be accurate) that this book was written as part of NaNoWriMo. OK, first let me say that I have nothing but respect for those who undertake such a commitment. It's a lot of work, and takes a certain dedication to power through that. However, I think that most participants would agree that one does not generally send off the resulting manuscript on December 1st.
This book had some things going for it, but it needed work, and it just didn't feel like it got enough attention once the initial writing was completed. The actual bones of the story, with its twists and red herrings, were decent, just not particularly well-executed. None of the characters had any personality to speak of, there were a couple of inconsistencies where Leonard contradicted himself, and the real unforgivable part? No suspense whatsoever.
If characters have depth in a thriller, it's great. If they don't, but the plot is intriguing and the pacing like lightning, I can accept it. But a dull, plodding thriller with flat characters? No. Just no.
To Leonard's credit, he brings in the first dead body promptly, which gave me hope. But there wasn't even a hint of danger to Finn himself until over halfway through the book, aside from the danger he put himself in. And even those moments, which I'm pretty sure were supposed to be suspenseful, were more eyeroll-inducing for me. Instead of "OMG, what's going to happen?!?" it was "OMG, why, for the love of whatever, are you doing that? Exactly how stupid are you?"
All I can say is that I'm glad this didn't end on a cliffhanger.
This book had some things going for it, but it needed work, and it just didn't feel like it got enough attention once the initial writing was completed. The actual bones of the story, with its twists and red herrings, were decent, just not particularly well-executed. None of the characters had any personality to speak of, there were a couple of inconsistencies where Leonard contradicted himself, and the real unforgivable part? No suspense whatsoever.
If characters have depth in a thriller, it's great. If they don't, but the plot is intriguing and the pacing like lightning, I can accept it. But a dull, plodding thriller with flat characters? No. Just no.
To Leonard's credit, he brings in the first dead body promptly, which gave me hope. But there wasn't even a hint of danger to Finn himself until over halfway through the book, aside from the danger he put himself in. And even those moments, which I'm pretty sure were supposed to be suspenseful, were more eyeroll-inducing for me. Instead of "OMG, what's going to happen?!?" it was "OMG, why, for the love of whatever, are you doing that? Exactly how stupid are you?"
All I can say is that I'm glad this didn't end on a cliffhanger.
October 7, 2012
2.5 stars.
This book was an odd one for me. There were times I really enjoyed it, and then there were parts that seemed to drag. I think it started well, but sort of fell flat towards the end.I would have liked for Finn to be fleshed out a bit more, because it was difficult for me to really connect with him.I wanted to feel for him, but since I didn't connect with him it was difficult. I also didn't like Zoe. I think she was a character that I was supposed to like, but I really didn't care what happened to her because all she was shown to be was some self centered druggie with daddy issues, she was cliche and it irritated me that she got away with being a self centered bitch.But actually, when I really think about it, everyone sort of got off easy for their crimes, or at least didn't have to directly answer for them. That also annoys me.
Overall, it wasn't awful, it had potential,but I was disappointed.
This book was an odd one for me. There were times I really enjoyed it, and then there were parts that seemed to drag. I think it started well, but sort of fell flat towards the end.I would have liked for Finn to be fleshed out a bit more, because it was difficult for me to really connect with him.I wanted to feel for him, but since I didn't connect with him it was difficult. I also didn't like Zoe. I think she was a character that I was supposed to like, but I really didn't care what happened to her because all she was shown to be was some self centered druggie with daddy issues, she was cliche and it irritated me that she got away with being a self centered bitch.But actually, when I really think about it, everyone sort of got off easy for their crimes, or at least didn't have to directly answer for them. That also annoys me.
Overall, it wasn't awful, it had potential,but I was disappointed.
March 14, 2013
I liked Crusher, not heaps, obviously, but well enough. I got through it quite easily, my curiosity to find out whodunit keeping me interested.
I, for, one, didn't expect the ending at all!
I liked Finn straight off.
Finn is a good guy with dyslexia and a love for boxing. When he was five his mother left him and his father, and Finn has never forgiven her for it. He got mixed up in drugs when he was fourteen because his father was stuck in his glory days and bringing in no money because of it. He got kicked out of school and now has a crappy job and no future prospects.
Finn was a great main character. He fought back, and fought for answers. I love a good male protagonist, and even though I felt the story lacking slightly, Zoe slightly irritating and the slang annoying, Finn made it worth the read for me.
I, for, one, didn't expect the ending at all!
I liked Finn straight off.
Finn is a good guy with dyslexia and a love for boxing. When he was five his mother left him and his father, and Finn has never forgiven her for it. He got mixed up in drugs when he was fourteen because his father was stuck in his glory days and bringing in no money because of it. He got kicked out of school and now has a crappy job and no future prospects.
Finn was a great main character. He fought back, and fought for answers. I love a good male protagonist, and even though I felt the story lacking slightly, Zoe slightly irritating and the slang annoying, Finn made it worth the read for me.
April 5, 2014
This book starts out with a great intro chapter, sets the scene for the whole story. I enjoyed Finn and even is poor murdered Dad.
The story offers all sorts of twists and possible murderers to keep the reader guessing. The story is not the best suspense thriller book I've read, but this one is targeted to YA, and in the genre does a good job and I would recommend it.
As for the E L James connection, don't let it scare you away. You would never know this was written by anyone connected with Fifty Shades of Grey.
The story offers all sorts of twists and possible murderers to keep the reader guessing. The story is not the best suspense thriller book I've read, but this one is targeted to YA, and in the genre does a good job and I would recommend it.
As for the E L James connection, don't let it scare you away. You would never know this was written by anyone connected with Fifty Shades of Grey.
June 20, 2014
Gracias a Penguin Random House por el ejemplar. Reseña aquí.
No termino de entender. No pasa absolutamente nada hasta la página 200 y algo y después hay un montón de acción toda junta; termina habiendo muchísimos cabos sueltos. ¡¿Qué pito toca Elsa Kendrick acá?! Qué personaje más al pedo, por Dios. Es como el personaje que salva al autor de todas las situaciones; tipo Gandalf, nada más que Elsa aparece para hacer acciones que nunca terminan de aclararse o el porqué o no sé, nada.
No termino de entender. No pasa absolutamente nada hasta la página 200 y algo y después hay un montón de acción toda junta; termina habiendo muchísimos cabos sueltos. ¡¿Qué pito toca Elsa Kendrick acá?! Qué personaje más al pedo, por Dios. Es como el personaje que salva al autor de todas las situaciones; tipo Gandalf, nada más que Elsa aparece para hacer acciones que nunca terminan de aclararse o el porqué o no sé, nada.
April 21, 2014
Szerettem, mert nincs leöntve tonnányi cukorral, szerettem, mert szókimondó és nem álságos. Még ha ellentmondásosnak is érezni itt vagy ott, utólag kapunk mindenre magyarázatot. Brutális, mert a körülmények sem ideálisak, mocskos, mert így jár az, aki bűnözőkkel keveredik. Vicces, mert a szarkazmus nálam jól fizet, és izgalmas, mert bár minden elemet külön-külön összetettem, mégis volt olyasmi, amire nem számítottam.
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July 31, 2016
I picked this ya mystery to listen to while waiting for another audio book hold to become available. I really liked it. It was as suspenseful as many adult mysteries, with a strong (both in voice and muscle) teenage boy detective. It was good, and short and now I'm considering the #2 in the series if it is available. Something engaging to listen to while I continue to wait for the one on hold still.
April 19, 2015
Na začiatku som z toho bola celkom nadšená. Autor má skvelý štýl a čítalo sa to dobre a rýchlo, inak by som to za jeden víkend nedala.
Ale čím ďalej, tým ma to prestávalo baviť a aj ma to veľakrát sklamalo. Čakala som niečo úplne iné a takýto dej mi moc nesadol.
Už som tomu chcela dať 2 hviezdičky, ale zvraty na konci ma presvedčili, že si to zaslúži ešte jednu.
Ale čím ďalej, tým ma to prestávalo baviť a aj ma to veľakrát sklamalo. Čakala som niečo úplne iné a takýto dej mi moc nesadol.
Už som tomu chcela dať 2 hviezdičky, ale zvraty na konci ma presvedčili, že si to zaslúži ešte jednu.
June 29, 2012
Amazing! A must read for thriller fans!
October 28, 2013
Que le jodan ._.
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