Book Review – Later – Stephen King

Book Review – Later – Stephen King

Facts:

Book: Later
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Mystery/Crime and Horror
Year of Release: 2021
Read 248-page paperback edition in March 2021

Book Description:

Jamie Conklin and his single mother who runs a publishing company are living a comfortable life in a New York City apartment, when the world comes crashing down in the financial crisis of 2008-09. Suddenly his mom is struggling to pay the bills and keep the business afloat.

Meanwhile, Jamie continues to go to school and live his best life, but he is very different from other kids. He can see dead people walking around. He tries to keep this a secret, at his mom’s insistence, but he must use his talent for good when a NYPD detective finds out about his skills, and brings him into an investigation to try and save people from an explosion.

As Jamie gets further wrapped into this world, he realizes he must be very cautious, both from the threats of the living, and the threats of the dead.

Book Review:

As with many Stephen King novels, this was a very fast read, with the intense plot beckoning readers to keep turning the pages well into the night. The shorter length of the novel allows one to finish it quite quickly, and King’s ability to bring mystery, crime, and horror genres together is truly successful here.

In addition to a fast moving plot, King has done a nice job of describing the characters and allowing us to learn more about them, particularly the three main characters of the novel. As with many novels, King chooses to have his main character be a child/teenager, and Jamie Conklin is well-described and makes for an enjoyable narrator. He sometimes speaks directly to the readers, as it is clear he is writing/narrating sometime after the events of the novel. The way King has structured this works well, and even though we know Jamie must have survived what he is facing, we don’t know what damage or struggle he will undergo, so the tension is kept high.

The main character of Jamie feels like a very mature kid/teen, perhaps because he matured quickly when seeing dead people, perhaps because his mom treats him professionally. Either way, it is believable given his environment. He is a likeable character.

At times, King’s humour is a little awkward and pulls us out of the narrative. For example, the somewhat jarring comment that a woman at a front desk moved forward and her large breasts moved the paperwork in front of her. Did that need to be there? However, much of the humour that King uses does work well, and adds some lightness to the intense plot which circles around crime and supernatural fear. In fact, many of Jamie’s comments to himself when dealing with people around him are amusing and enjoyable.

Overall, this is a fun, propulsive read, with an enjoyable protagonist that you are rooting for. It is a great addition to Stephen King’s massive collection.

Overall: 4 stars out of 5 stars

Book Review – Codex 1962: A Trilogy – Sjon

Book Review – Codex 1962: A Trilogy – Sjon

Facts:

Book: Codex 1962: A Trilogy
Author: Sjon
Genre: Romance / Crime / Science Fiction
Year of Release: 2016 (one volume English edition)
Read 517-page hardcover edition in November 2020

Book Description:

In this collection of three novels within a trilogy, acclaimed novelist Sjon tells an imaginative Icelandic story that crosses genres.

The first tale is a love story between Leo Loewe, in hiding from the Nazis during WWII, and a young German maid who nurses him back to health in secret. They grow to care about each other during this time of seclusion, which leads to their creation of a baby made of clay.

The second story is a crime noir, where we see Leo Loewe, now moved to Iceland with the clay baby, needing to get his gold so that he can finish the process of animating the child. Two associates agree to help him as they become entangled in a murder case.

The third and final novel is a science fiction story, where he learn who has been in the background discussing the overall book with our narrator. We also meet the child in question, Joseph Loewe, now an adult, and we learn about how the CEO of a genetics company is transforming the world.

The three tales all come together, and other Icelandic fables and myths are woven throughout as well.

Book Review:

The trilogy by Sjon is, on many levels, a remarkable achievement in storytelling. His approach of connecting three different stories, in three different genres, is certainly unique and imaginative. In particular, the first story of the love tale was a standout, with a wonderful main character in the maid Marie-Sophie, who is brought to life in a vibrant way with a multi-faceted set of character traits.

Sjon is very lyrical with his prose, and there are many sections of the novel that are beautiful in description and emotion. Sjon also does a great job of weaving in small fables and tales within the overall plot itself. Often it is clear what that fable has to do with the overall story, sometimes it isn’t. It requires careful thought. The story within a story concept creates a Russian nesting doll structure which makes the reader sit up and take notice.

This all being said, this was also a very challenging novel. Particularly the second and third parts of the trilogy end up creating a lot of complexities and require re-reading and careful attention. At times, as the reader it was hard to follow exactly what was going on, and that grew a bit tiresome over time. Advancing plot was often buried inside confusing metaphors and grander comments that had to be unpacked: creative style by the author but hard work for the reader. And maybe that is okay?

Although this is a lyrical novel and definitely an interesting overall work, it is definitely not an easy read.

Overall: 3 stars out of 5 stars

Book Review – You Beneath Your Skin – Damyanti Biswas

Book Review – You Beneath Your Skin – Damyanti Biswas

Facts:

Book: You Beneath Your Skin
Author: Damyanti Biswas
Genre: Crime Thriller
Year of Release: 2019
Read 275-page electronic edition in May 2020

Below: Picture of Author

Book Description:

In this novel set in Delhi, we meet psychiatrist Anjali, who is balancing her busy work life alongside her role as a single mother, raising a teenage son with autism. Anjali is also having an affair with a talented, ambitious police commissioner, Jatin, who is in a very unhappy marriage with the daughter of his boss.

Anjali, through her professional work, is providing some assistance to Jatin in a series of horrific murders of women, where acid has been used to literally hide their faces from any identification. But when Anjali herself runs into danger as she tries to help stop these crimes against innocent women, it causes her life and Jatin’s life to become unstable, and hard choices need to be made by everyone.

In addition to personal lives, finding the killer of these women before more victims turn up is paramount.

Book Review:

This intense, gripping crime thriller is one of those novels that keeps you thinking long after you finish it and put it down. Author Damyanti Biswas has done an incredible job bringing the troubles of modern day urban India to life, in this novel that is layered with interesting plot lines and characters.

Biswas has created a vivid setting that really brings the reader to an understanding of the pollution and crime in this large city. With roads filled with traffic, smog everywhere, crime in many corners, corruption in the police, and poverty all around, Biswas creates a haunting portrait of the struggles of life as India continues to try and advance in the 21st century. Biswas shows that so much of the population is indeed suffering, and this creates an intense and passionate novel.

The characters are well developed, and continue to advance in the book through their plot threads. Biswas has done a nice job of creating both a main plot, that of the crime being investigated, but also several subplots that allow us to learn more about the inner workings of the characters. We see the main and secondary characters in different lights and points of view, and also see that none of them are perfect. Their complexity allows us to see them as more reflective of real people, and we can empathize with many of them more for that reason. Character development as well as advancing several plots and stories in the novel has created an story that is enjoyable for the reader.

There are a number of shocking twists and turns in the novel as well, to keep the reader in suspense and keep the pages turning as well.

The actual crime itself is truly awful, and acid attacks on women do sadly occur. Misogyny is a disgusting fact that many women have to deal with, and this novel creates a forum to face these uncomfortable truths and show what the characters will do to face down the criminals behind these acts. This is a timely novel in that respect.

The one challenge for me in this book was that many of the main and secondary characters were related somehow, and as the early stages of the book played out, it was sometimes hard to remember all the connections between them. A family tree may have been helpful for readers to understand the connections and refer back to. But that is a minor issue, and may not be an issue for all readers.

In summary, I highly recommend this well-written and compelling novel. With fascinating characters that explore not only the main crime but also their relationships, friendships, and conflicts with each other, the reader is given an opportunity to truly step into another world.

Overall: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars

Special Note: The author Damyanti Biswas is donating all of her profits to support education and empowerment of Women at Project WHY and Stop Acid Attacks.

Link to author webpage: WWW.DAMYANTIWRITES.COM

#YouBeneathYourSkin

Movie Review – Gosford Park (2001)

Movie Review – Gosford Park (2001)

Movie Synopsis:

A wealthy gentleman decides to invite his large family and friends together to his estate for a weekend shooting party. It is sure to be an enjoyable and exciting time, for the shooting and for the discussions and debates that are sure to happen amongst the opinionated crowd of people.

As the servants prepare for the large festivities, and as the guests arrive to the estate, one begins to see a variety of frayed relations and power struggles in the groups.

But things go too far, when someone is murdered. And the suspect list is very long indeed.

Movie Review:

This British film starring a high-calibre British cast was really a two-plot tale of the rich vs. servant classes in Britain and a mystery-murder case.  Interestingly enough, the film was successful in one aspect while completely off on the other. 

On the bright side, the film did an expert job of demonstrating the life for servants “Below Stairs” in a large, rich household.  The relationships the valets, butlers, and kitchen staff have with each other and with their “masters” are portrayed in insightful ways.  Robert Altman and Julian Fellowes (who went on to create the famed Downton Abbey) do an expert job of showcasing the disparity of the two types of people in a large household such as this. We see the working class, the wealthy, and how they relate to each other in person and behind their backs. This leads to interesting results to say the least. The lessons learned, and the different actions of the servants depending on who is around was both humorous and sobering. 

On the other hand, the film was billed primarily as a murder mystery, and one would expect some suspense in the film, and a plot that brought us to the murder in due course.  However, while the film did well describing relationships and social lessons, it failed in building suspense and creating a mystery atmosphere.  In fact, any action in the film was subdued and treated as an afterthought in the middle half of the film.  Given the murder didn’t happen for an extremely long time given what our expectations would be, the audience was left bored in the mystery regard of the movie.  If the film had been able to interject more suspense, mystery, and action throughout the film instead of in the last half, then this would have better balanced in the film and created something truly exceptional. As it was, while there was great characters and social lessons and rich vs poor intrigue, the film was flat in the highly-billed mystery component.

One must comment that the acting was superb, with stellar performances from an array of actors including Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Stephen Fry, Ryan Phillippe, and Michael Gambon, among many other talents.

Overall though, the slow pace on the murder mystery side of the plot really dragged this otherwise fascinating movie down.

Overall: 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Book Review – Full Disclosure – Beverley McLachlin

Book Review – Full Disclosure – Beverley McLachlin

Facts:

Book: Full Disclosure
Author: Beverley McLachlin
Genre: Mystery / Crime / Thriller
Year of Release: 2018
Read 395-page paperback edition in March 2020

Book Description:

Defense attorney Jilly Truitt is building a successful law practice, and life, after a troubled childhood in a series of foster homes. Although she has built up an array of friends and networks, and has achieved victory in the courtroom, she is still burdened by not knowing who her parents were, and by some horrible situations when she was in the system.

She takes on the case of a rich and somewhat mysterious man named Vincent Trussardi, accused of murdering his wife Laura, who was known for charitable and philanthropic causes. The case is circumstantial, but what evidence is there, looks bad on Vincent. For his part, Vincent maintains his innocence.

When Jilly has friends telling her not to take the case on, something in her decides she needs to anyways. Determined to win at all costs, Jilly leaves no stone unturned as she investigates all aspects of the case. But what she uncovers will shock her not only as it relates to the murder, but also the implications on her personal life.

Book Review:

This mystery thriller is the premiere novel of retired Chief Justice of Canada, Beverley McLachlin. Therefore, one gets the sense as a reader that, even if some of the courtroom procedures are dramatized for the benefit of a good story, if anyone is going to provide some accuracy as it relates to how things can play out, it is this author.

Overall, this does feel like a fun, page-turning thriller. McLachlin has done a good job by providing some strong courtroom scenes and office scenes where experts are discussing the case, but balancing it with action scenes and “field” scenes, to increase excitement and tension for readers.

The overall plot is exciting and interesting, and the writing is easy to get into and written in an engaging style. It should be said that at times, the various plot threads do feel a little bit disjointed and hard to follow. The swings between Jilly’s personal life and discussions with friends don’t always smoothly transition between all the action of the main plot, and feel a little out of place at times. It is interesting to read about Jilly’s backstory, but the transition from chapter to chapter isn’t always smooth.

That being said, the characters that are developed here are interesting, and McLachlin does a good job trying to flesh some of them out so they aren’t one dimensional. More detail would be nice for some of these secondary characters, particularly if any kind of sequel is going to come out of this book.

As a whole, this is a light-hearted crime thriller, one that is easy to get absorbed in, and read through quite quickly.

Overall: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars

Book Review – The Cold Dish – Craig Johnson

Book Review – The Cold Dish – Craig Johnson

Facts:

Book: The Cold Dish
Author: Craig Johnson
Genre: Mystery
Year of Release: 2005
Read 354-page paperback edition in February 2020

Book Description:

Walt Longmire is the long-time sheriff of quiet, desolate Absaroka County, Wyoming. The quiet, which is giving him time to work through the grief of his wife Martha’s passing several years before, is broken when a young man turns up murdered. Cody Pritchard is not only a murder victim but was the primary attacker of a sexual assault on a young girl from the nearby First Nation community. This means Walt has numerous suspects who had something against Pritchard, who got off with a slap on the wrist.

Now Walt needs to work with his staff of deputies, and his best friend Henry Standing Bear, to try and find the killer. There is also a sign that the killer would like nothing better than to serve up more revenge against the other three other men who were part of the sexual assault.

Book Review:

This first volume of the Sheriff Longmire mystery series was a great introduction to some fascinating characters, a great protagonist, and some amazing countryside.

You can tell right from the start of the book that author Craig Johnson is from Wyoming and has experience there. The description of the landscapes and weather of Wyoming is absolutely breathtaking, and really one of the great things about this novel. Like many westerns, this one does not disappoint when describing the outdoors. Johnson really succeeds in making the reader feel like they are in Wyoming and what it is like, with his descriptions and how they create emotions in the characters.

In addition, the novel is clearly setting up a series with the characters, and is thus sometimes overly long in some of the description of various elements and characters. However, we can expect it is because it is a setup for return appearances in future books, and it’s understandable.

That being said, the main characters that are introduced here are funny and create interest for the reader. Longmire himself is a complicated protagonist, a caring Sheriff who wants to make his county a safer place, but also one dealing with profound sense of loss and grief. His key deputy Vic Moretti is a little bit of the stereotypical foul-mouthed female police officer, but at the same time there is something about her that is different, and we know we will learn more. Two other deputies, Ferg and Turk, are stereotypically bumbling idiots at times, although again one wonders if those stereotypes will be shed in future books. Thus, there are some issues with one-dimensional characters at times, but there is some promise in the story that it won’t be like that in future outings.

Walt’s friendship with Henry Standing Bear is also an interesting part of this novel, and Henry is definitely one of the more compelling characters in the novel, with a fascinating backstory and great impact in the plot and in Walt’s story.

Another key character that deserves praise is Ruby, the hilarious office manager and dispatcher. She is like Walt’s mother, and at the same time she has a wicked sense of humour about her. Definitely a complex character that is enjoyable to read.

The plot itself is a great one, with lots of suspects and with murder victims and potential murder victims who do not have a lot of sympathy in the eyes of the reader for what they did in their recent past. That being said, it is Walt’s job to protect them, and investigate murders and hold the killer to account. We see Walt’s integrity as he goes about that duty seriously.

At times, the plot does feel a little slow moving, surprising for a mystery of this type. That being said, it is the first of a series, and with all the introductions of people and place, that may have been the reason for a slower plot. It definitely has some interesting characters, and some great complexities with the relationships between townsfolk and American Indians who live in the nearby Indian Reservation. (And the writing feels real in terms of how different people get along with the American Indians, both racist white people and the more thoughtful people like Walt for example.)

With all these elements taken together, this is definitely a promising first outing for the series.

Overall: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars

Book Review – I’ll Be Gone in the Dark – Michelle McNamara

Book Review – I’ll Be Gone in the Dark – Michelle McNamara

Facts:

Book: I’ll Be Gone in the Dark
Author: Michelle McNamara
Genre: Non-Fiction
Year of Release: 2018
Read 368-page paperback edition in September 2019

Book Description:

The Golden State Killer was a predator throughout northern and southern California. Although detectives were not able to immediately to link all his crimes to the same man, this dangerous criminal committed more than 50 violent rapes and more than 10 horrific murders during an unchecked crime spree that eventually stopped without capturing the perpetrator.

Journalist Michelle McNamara became interested in the case, leading her to writing a lengthy article. She didn’t stop there though. Through interviews with detectives and individuals involved in the case, talking to witnesses, and through painstaking research, she was writing a complete book on this series of crimes.

Her ultimate aim: that her work would help capture this horrific criminal. She passed away while writing this acclaimed book, and her researcher and husband assisted in finalizing the book and getting it published. And soon after, the Golden State Killer was caught.

Book Review:

This was a fantastic true crime book that was hard to put down. The narrative is well written by McNamara. She does a nice job of not only telling the story of the crimes and the shocking impact on victims, families, and communities, but also describing why this is so important to her, and how it truly became an obsession for her. The impact the case took on her is well described and shows the reader there is a toll to pay for those working on these cases, in this case a focused journalist

McNamara does a good job telling the story from multiple points of view, and is always sensitive to the victims first. She does not glorify the violence, and instead focuses on the need to be sensitive to consider the human beings who were impacted. McNamara also does a great job at working with detectives and criminalists who are on this case, and understanding where they are coming from. She is also not afraid to speak her mind, for example challenging one of the detectives who wrote their own book and seemed to be blaming one of the victims.

McNamara did a huge amount of research on this case, and has done a great job distilling it into a readable book. At times it feels like some details are missing from the book, and pieces of the research are left out that may have given us more understanding of the overall case. For example, more details as to why the various police agencies couldn’t put the cases together?

Overall though, it is a great balance of the investigation into the Golden State Killer, the term of which she coined, and the toll this investigation took on her own life. Although she sadly did not live to see the capture of the Killer, her hard work and persistence certainly kept the case in the public eye, and that helped to ensure resources continued to be put towards the investigation, which led to the capture of the horrific man behind the attacks.

Overall: 4 stars out of 5 stars

Book Review – The Spy Who Came in from the Cold – John le Carre

Book Review – The Spy Who Came in from the Cold – John le Carre

Facts:

Book: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
Author: John le Carre
Genre: Mystery / Crime
Year of Release: 1963
Read 219-page paperback edition in January 2019

Book Description:

Considered one of the first modern spy novels, this fast-moving story takes us in front and behind enemy lines, following the former British spy Alec Leamas, who has decided to defect to the Germans/Russians during the Cold War. Or so he wants them to think. In reality, he is on his last mission, before he can finally “come in” and retire for good.

But this is a complex and multi-dimensional mission, that is going to be extremely dangerous for him to get out of.

Book Review:

This was an intense crime novel that truly did change the way people thought about spies and espionage. John le Carre has done a great job writing a novel about two morally ambiguous spy agencies. There is not necessarily a “good” and a “bad” side. There are good and bad people on both sides, and in both agencies. And both sides engage in questionable behaviour and even questionable ethics to try and achieve their ends. The success of this novel was in bringing some of these themes to light in a thought-provoking way

The author did a nice job bringing to life several main characters who had various unique and interesting traits, positive and negative. Although at times the book did feel a little bit sluggish, and it did feel we didn’t learn quite enough about some of them, there was big payoff at the end when we learned a lot about a few of them, and when we saw the plot unfold completely.

Similarly, although at times the reader may have been a bit confused about the plot and some of the finer details being discussed; and although at times some of the characters were doing a lot of speeches and talking and there was less in the way of action; overall the ending chapters were a great pay off to explain what was going on and provide some key action and excitement for the readers. It also helped clear up any confusion that may have been present

One point to keep in mind, and this was a product of the time the book was written in, was that the cast was mainly white males (likely straight), and the couple of females in the book were not necessarily strong characters. This lack of diversity was annoying, but again may have been a sign of the times when this book was written

Overall, this was an enjoyable and historically important book in the development of today’s spy novel.

Overall: 4 stars out of 5 stars

Book Review – Mr. Mercedes – Stephen King

Book Review – Mr. Mercedes – Stephen King

Facts:

Book: Mr. Mercedes
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Mystery / Crime Thriller
Year of Release: 2014
Read 437-page hardcover edition in March 2018.

Book Description:

In this intense mystery crime thriller, we follow the exploits of recently retired detective Bill Hodges, who is struggling to adapt to retirement, but who gets thrust back into action when a villain from his past comes out of the limelight and warns him he plans to strike again, with another mass murder.

Bill finds himself working alongside newfound friends, who become his informal associates trying to help him track down the infamous Mercedes killer, before he attacks a second time.

Book Review:

Stephen King has done a fantastic job writing this crime thriller, which is an intense, fast-paced ride for the reader, as we are gripped, totally invested in whether Bill and company can save the day and stay alive, from the Mercedes killer.

King does a great job switching back and forth from the perspective of Bill and the Mercedes killer, otherwise known as Brady Hartsfield.  Bill, who is an interesting character, if not a little bit of your standard, predictable “recently retired, overweight detective” type. However, he does develop in different ways, particularly when we see him interacting with the other minor characters that he connects with.

King also does a great job when focusing our attentions in the mind of the dangerous killer, who definitely is dangerous and disturbed. However, we can also see perhaps some small grain of understanding as to how he got to where he is, when we see what happened to his family. Kind does a nice job showing how systems and societal problems lead to huge problems for individuals, and can lead individuals into dark places indeed.

King does his usual good job of keeping the plot moving quickly, although the first 100 pages or so were a bit slower than the remainder of the book. Once that front section was through, the pace really picked up, and this was a hard book to put down. King made us care about characters, and also threw in a couple of surprises to keep the reader guessing.

King also ensured the ending of the novel is not picture perfect for everyone, which is a realistic conclusion to the story. As a reader, I was left wondering what happens next to these characters, and even wanting to learn more. I was pleased there are two more books in this series, and that is truly a sign of a successful novel, when the reader wants more.

Overall: 4 stars out of 5 stars