Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion
Monthly "Reads"
>
Barry's December
date
newest »
newest »
1. Now I want to read the Rabbit Factor! I am gonna check out the audio cuz it sounds like something me and husband can buddy read.2. I want to start Girl Two: Taken just to see what prompted the near Kindle throwing! LOL
Barry - you made me spit laugh at the Girl Two! Good month!
Barry, love your comments! The Rabbit Factor was definitely a hit and must agree, the translation to English was top notch. I loved it. The Andrew Child Reacher does read like a screenplay.
You’ve incentivized me to pick up a Jack Ryan book and to stay away from Girl Two / though I admit to also being curious about the first six pages. Lol
I read the first chapter cuz work is slow and why not. That was a lot to unpack. (view spoiler)
Wow, yeah. No.
Meh who am I kidding, I may finish it.
Christina- you totally crack me up with the final note in your comment! Re Girl Two: Taken She’s quite a prolific series author. Hmmm
ChrisQ wrote: "I read the first chapter cuz work is slow and why not.
That was a lot to unpack. [spoilers removed]
Wow, yeah. No.
Meh who am I kidding, I may finish it."
I think Reacher was fading a bit before the author exchange, but it looks like that is accelerating the slide.
The Rabbit Factor: Antti Toumainen
In the interest of full disclosure, I read this due to all of the positive comments the book received. Not only was the story of an actuary inheriting a troubled adventure park and interesting and well told one, but I thought the translation was particularly well done, and quite seamless.
To Wake the Giant: Jeff Shaara
Historical fiction, the events leading up to Pearl Harbor. This is not the kind of fiction that uses a real event and populates it with fictitious people. Shaara writes from the perspective of what happens, but humanizes the real people to make the history more readable.
Executive Power: Clancy/Andrews/Wilson
Long time since the passing of Clancy, but but the series still maintains high quality for reading, and the ability to show credible international grand strategy. While Jack Ryan is featured, the stars are two of the younger children of his clan, all tied up in a coup in Angola. I could almost laugh at the depiction of military efficiency though, this series could well be a recruitment tool for the Navy and Marines. Having lived that life, we were good, but maybe not perfect.
Average books
Showdown: Mike Lupica/Parker
Lupica is not Parker, and the Spensers that Parker “phoned in” might have been one sitting reads, but they were works of art. Lupica comes close though. He can turn a phrase, and exercise his wits, which are , of course, Spenser’s. Here, he is working a paternity case, a young man who wants to know who his father is, and a father who does not want that known. Of course, it does get interesting when bodies start piling up. So is this as good as Parker? I’d say no, but it is still a fun read with characters I mostly like.
Direct Action: WEB Griffin/Jack Stewart
Another case of the co-author blues. Griffin tried to hand the series off while still alive, first to his son, who was just not the writer he was. Now to other authors. This new one wrote a fine tale of action and adventure, but it was not at all what Griffin would have written. WEB’s book almost used the story as secondary to the personalities, and the realities of military life, and it was that reality that made the books so fascinating to read.
Vengeance: Rick Campbell
I started reading him for a couple reasons. He came to speak at Bank Square Books, and as such, deserved to be read, and he was a former submariner writing submarine books. He has since moved on to Sci-fi, which I decided not to read, but did one more submarine book to close the series (maybe). As is common in my review,m I fault him on his concepts of Grand Strategy, and the idea that a major conflict could be restricted just the characters in the book, and not the whole world. There was plenty of action both at sea and a parallel plot on land. Just not enough to elevate this book to greatness.
Closing Time: Micheal Ledwidge
Sort of innovative approach chronicling a financier bent on revenge who seizes control of the world financial system to force the use of the gold standard, while exacting revenge against the billionaire who denied justice for his murdered daughter. I’m sure there was plenty of technical details of how finance work that are beyond y more basic understanding, but it was interesting following the trail.
Exit Strategy Lee/Andrew Child
I thought Sherry’s review hit the nail on the head. A strong start, but this was just not the Reacher we know.
A few things I noted or thought-
The airbag scene in the book was first shown on the Reacher Tv show. Sure, if it works, go with it , but don’t pretend it is new. The book was very character rich. I wound up writing a list so I could keep track of who was who. This is not unique ot Child, I have seen it elsewhere too. The story read much like books written by screen writers. I could see this being one of the Reacher Tv shows, cleaned up to make it more Reacher like. So maybe this was a solid story, just not the one we expected. Maybe Andrew needs his own hero.
Anyway, the story has Reacher getting involved in a scheme by a private military contractor. You have to read this to see just what the scheme is.
Girl Two: Taken: Molly Black
A distinct disadvantage to a high end Kindle is that no matter how bad a book is, it would just be too expensive to fling it against the wall. I was ready to do this around page 6, but instead, persevered, and saw the author drag this book up to a solid “average”, even if a low average. Again we have an FBI agent, and in this series her sister is being held by a kidnapper who gives her forensic puzzles to solve. If she wins, a victim gets released, if she loses, the victim gets killed.
Quantum Tempest (oregon): Cussler/Maden
Each co author lends their own spin, so this time, while staying in the parameters of all Cusslers, the book becomes much more dense. Also, instead of a neutral sort of megalomaniac, the Chinese are one of the prime bad guys out to develop an AI system that will let them rule the world and destroy America.
Steel Wind: Jeff Edwards
Certainly a good action packed military thriller. North Korea smuggles missiles into Cuba with the intent of nuclear blackmail on the US, and adds a few more tricks to its military feint. Things are looking bad, but the marines and Navy are all over it. What knocked this down a category was for one, my usual problem that books dealing in grand strategy must consider the reactor of the rest of the world to a major conflict, and nuclear blackmail would not take place in a vacuum. Another was the Korean decision to hide its smuggling of nuclear missiles by detonating it off the coast of Florida, which kind of gave the game away. The writing was well done for a military thriller, and I bet his next entry to the series is a full step better.
Last Stand at Saber River:Elmore Leonard
Shoot em up near the end of the CIvil War.
Ring of Fire: Cascadia: Bobby Akert
If it is Akert, it is a major disaster. I should have realized that this was book 1 of a disaster series, so things were just getting started with earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. I think I am already 4 books begins in the series. Bookbub better hurry up here.
Chasing the Lion: AJ Tata
Another special ops thriller, this time written by a real General, so it must have had some real gravitas. What it might have missed though was characters I cared enough about, and that,as much as plot, is what would make a great book.
Plotwise, an unholy deal between the Iranians and some rogue Americans results in a conspiracy to attack the US in a big way.