 |
| I can't wait until I get a haircut... |
I finished one book this weekend. I'll provide my review and also the synopsis for the next book in line. I'll also provide the synopsis for some new books I got at the end of last week. And I'll finish off by looking at Women Authors whose books I've been enjoying.
Just Finished
"Ian Rankin is a Scottish crime writer, best known for his successful Rebus and Malcolm Fox police series. He has also written a number of standalone mysteries. Doors Open is one such and was originally published in 2008. It was also turned into a TV movie in 2012, starring Dougie Henshall and Stephen Fry, amongst others.
The title of the book refers to an annual public event in the city of Edinburgh, where businesses and public offices open themselves up for tours by the populace. One of the places is a warehouse which stores paintings and other artifacts for the art galleries in Edinburgh. Three friends; art expert Professor Gissing, wealthy software designer Mike McKenzie and investment banker Allan Cruickshank, decide to rob the warehouse of a number of paintings. This is partly due to boredom (McKenzie needs something exciting in his life) and Gissing is PO'd that these rare paintings are hidden away from the public.
To help with the robbery, they hire art student Westie to create forgeries of a number of paintings, the plan being that they will substitute those forgeries for the paintings they steal. They also engage local crime boss Chibs Calloway to provide the muscle to help them. Calloway is in debt to the Norwegian mob (the Hell's Angels) and need money fast so plans to use a painting as collateral. Into this mix is Edinburgh police inspector Arthur Ransome who has had his eye on Calloway for a long time and becomes interested in the meetings between McKenzie and Calloway.
So a robbery takes place and then things begin to unravel for the group. That's your basic story line. It seems pretty standard as you go along; the robbery and planning for it are quite interesting and the interactions between the various members are well-crafted. The unraveling and the twists in the 2nd half of the story make it very entertaining. Add in a Confidential Informer, a girlfriend who wants her boyfriend to get more of a share and an enforcer from the Norwegians and the tension ratchets nicely and quickly. The characters are all well-developed and interesting, even if somewhat stereotypical, but hey, it doesn't really matter in this enjoyable crime romp.
It reminded me of movies like The Italian Job, The Great Train Robbery and Gone in 60 Seconds in some ways; a crime story told from the perspective of the various gang members and also the police. Very entertaining. I will try to find the movie as I'd like to see how they present it. Now to get back to Inspector Rebus. (3.5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"In a poisonous cloud of spray, the curtain falls on a drama queen.
Little
did beloved British actress Mary Bellamy know that she would be done in
at her own birthday party-choked by toxic mist from the bottle of
"Slaypest," a deadly insecticide. Basking in the glow of her most
adoring fans-who all happened to be her most duplicitous enemies-Mary
would make her final performance. When Superintendent Roderick Alleyn
arrives, he smells a rat amongst the contemptuous collection of theatre
types detained at the party, for this case has the unmistakable scent of
murder..."
New Books
I've added 5 books since my last update. The other night when Jo and I went for our evening walk I checked out a neighbor's Little Free Library and found a book from an author I've enjoyed. I received one in the mail and then on Saturday I dropped some books off at my local used book store and found 3 there that looked interesting.
"Stephen Bryan, a gay
academic, is found brutally murdered in his bathroom. Will Grayson and
Helen Walker, police detectives investigating the case, at first assume
that his death is the result of an ill-judged sexual encounter: rough
trade gone wrong.
But doubts are soon raised. Bryan's laptop has
gone missing - could the murder be connected to a biography he was
writing on the life and mysterious death of fifties screen legend,
Stella Leonard?
Convinced there's a link, Bryan's sister Lesley
sets out to prove that Bryan had uncovered a dangerous truth, and that -
desperate to keep it hidden - Stella Leonard's rich and influential
family have silenced him.
But soon both Lesley and Helen Walker
find themselves victims of the violence that swirls around them, as
gradually the investigation uncovers the secrets of a family corrupted
by lust, wealth and power."
"Seventeen-year-old Lily
Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer
was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the
flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club.
America
in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially
not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including
Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her
father—despite his hard-won citizenship—Lily and Kath risk everything to
let their love see the light of day."
"This sophisticated narrative of spy/counterspy is set in Washington, where the Russians have planted an "agent in place." For nine years he has worked himself quietly into the fabric of government and society. Dedicated and patient, he has everyone's respect. It is a plot where amateurs are the villains and professionals are the heroes -- particularly a team of British and French agents whose job is to foil further Russian intervention.
The story moves from Washington to New York to Menton on the French Riviera, where it concludes in a series of stunning revelations, dismaying setbacks and breathless discoveries."
"It was almost as if time
had not touched the village of Cornwall Coombe. The quiet, peaceful
place was straight out of a bygone era, with well-cared-for Colonial
houses, a white-steepled church fronting a broad Common. Ned and Beth
Constantine chanced upon the hamlet and immediately fell in love with
it. This was exactly the haven they dream of. Or so they thought.
For Ned and his family, Cornwall Coombe was to be come a place of ultimate horror."
"Also titled Lingard. Fictional portrait of a mass-murderer by the distinguished author of The Outsider. This novel is the uninhibited portrait in depth of a mass rapist & murderer, Arthur James Lingard. He is serving the last years of an 8 year sentence for 3nd degree murder when prison authorities note that he is in a depression & send the prison psychiatrist to see him. Dr. Kahn soon has reason to suspect that his patient is a dangerous psychopath, & undertakes a perilous, & as it develops, sensational investigation of Lingard's life.--It makes Truman Capote's book, In Cold Blood, look bland."
Women Authors I've Enjoyed - Deborah Cadbury
Deborah Cadbury is a British author and documentary film-maker. She is a member of the Cadbury chocolate manufacturing family and wrote a book about the history of chocolate - making, focusing on her family and also the Hershey family in the US. She has written other non-fiction novels but I've only read the one thus far. I will have to find some of her other books as this one was a favorite of mine.
Deborah Cadbury
"One of the most interesting books I've read in awhile. Fascinating history of the development of chocolate, the chocolate industry, the companies involved; Cadbury, Rowntree, Nestle, Hershey, etc. More than just a story about chocolate, even though, the story could not have been written without the ingenuity and imagination of people like George Cadbury and Joseph Rowntree, the story is also a history of the times; how the Quaker ideals were brought to bear in the development of the English chocolate industry, challenges from other companies, dealing with issues such as World Wars and how that might impact on Quaker pacifism, child slavery, the pressures of the current financial system on what were family businesses with 180 years of history. A very fascinating story and well - worth reading. Deborah Cadbury has researched this story exceedingly well and presented the history in a well-written, interesting manner. (5 stars)"
A look at Deborah Cadbury can be found at this link.
There you go. The puppies want to go for their walk so I'm off. Have a great week. Stay safe. 😷
No comments:
Post a Comment