Book Review: The Killing Place by Tess Gerritsen (Rizzoli & Isles #8)

The Killing Place by Tess Gerritsen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When I picked this up a while back in a supermarket (if I remember correctly), I had no idea that it was one of the series that popular US TV show Rizzoli and Isles is based on. For me it was the concept that sounded interesting, twelve abandoned houses, truckloads of snow and a burnt out truck.
As I've not read any other books by Tess Gerritsen I'm not sure how they normally pan out, but this book focused on Maura Isles. After having argument with her priest boyfriend she decides to throw caution to the wind and goes off on a mini-break with her old friend Doug and his daughter Grace.
The tension soon mounts as they become stranded halfway up a mountain, stuck in the snow with no sign of rescue. Nobody even knows they've left for their little trip. They come across a dozen houses all left empty as if suddenly everybody just disappeared into thin air. This was the part of mystery that really got me excited. There is no explanation for what has happened, the small group discover clues around the community complex but nothing conclusive. Then things go from bad to worse.
The book is written really well, and grips you from the beginning, the characters are interesting and the twists come thick and fast. I don't have much experience reading about religious sects and cults so I found that interesting too. For me, the idea of where all these people had disappeared to and what had happened was thrilling and original.
The second half of the book detours somewhat but is still enjoyable and tense. However, there was a feel of 'American procedure', which comes with most of these kinds of books. I was also disappointed to find that the characters had been taken from the book but there was no adaptation of this book into an episode of Rizzoli and Isles. In the future I may read more this series.

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Book Review: The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Living in rural Shropshire (almost North Wales) I do not know much about baseball. In fact, I think it would be quite safe to say that I know nothing, other than I've heard of the expression 'the bottom of the ninth'. But then again that could be from somewhere else. However, upon picking this book up in the sale box at The Works (read: for next to nothing) something caught my eye.
The blurb details the five main characters that the book focuses on: Henry Skrimshander, Mike Schwartz, Owen Dunne, Guert Affenlight and Pella Affenlight. One thing is clear, something happens that alters their lives forever.
As I started to read this book I must admit I found it a bit much, lots of baseball lingo, all of which went straight over my head. The first character we meet is Mike, who spots Henry's talent on the field at a baseball game and recruits him to Westish College, where Mike himself is on the baseball team, and the football team and any other team you can think of. Owen is introduced as Henry's room mate. Guert Affenlight is the president of Westish College and Pella is his daughter. We are introduced to the characters gradually which I think is a stroke of genius on the author's part as it can be overwhelming to meet everyone important at once, especially when they have such complicated (albeit fantastic) names as these.
It was a slow start for me, as the beginning mainly focuses on Schwartz and Henry and a lot of baseball. Although I found the training interesting, I struggled to visualise the baseball games as I don't know the different positions or moves. But as Guert is introduced, the story really comes into its own. Guert was probably my favourite character, he has so many layers and so much history. I would have liked to know more about his past and his relationship with Pella's mother, but we are just given a brief summary.
All the intertwining relationships make for brilliant reading. Chad Harbach's speciality really is characters. Every single one of them was individual, unique, had many layers. They felt so real that I could meet them in the street. In fact, I would like to meet them. They had lots of different human qualities, which I myself could identify with.
The setting and the way he described the college was also exquisite. Being at university at the moment I have some idea of college life and the author made it believable, life like and actually a place that I wanted to be. Unfortunately, after lots of googling I have discovered the college is completely fictional, although you can buy a Westish Harpooners t-shirt!
The most clear thing is that Chad Harbach really knows his baseball. And as I read, and the team progressed, I became more and more excited for them. When it came to the final match (? game?) I was really rooting for the team. Having said that, my only negative is that I struggled to keep track of the other baseball players. Not only did they have names, they have nicknames and I could never remember which one was which. However, they're not really an integral part of the story.
There are lots of twists and turns, some I saw coming, others I definitely did not. But that is the beauty of this book. It took me almost a month to read, but for once, I really didn't mind. I enjoyed being swept away into this world and learning about the characters and the challenges they overcome. I look forward to reading more Chad Harbach in the future.

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Book Review: Murders Most Foul by Alanna Knight

Murders Most Foul by Alanna Knight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this up for 99p at a Works sale, not really expecting much. It was set in Victorian Edinburgh and being a fan of Sherlock Holmes and Ripper Street I thought I would be my kind of thing.
We follow young DC Jeremy Faro, recently promoted as he and his colleagues investigate the case of a dead prostitute. She's been strangled and beneath her cold body is a playing card, the nine of diamonds.
His sergeant isn't convinced, but Faro believes the card is significant and when the victims start piling up Faro follows the case to Glasgow and Lumbleigh Hall where his 'lady friend' Lizzie is working as the lady's maid.
With maids gone missing, emotional vicars and suspect perfumers, the case has more twists and turns than a French plait. The characters are believable, fleshed out and the language used is appropriate for the time period. I felt like I was swept back in time and I only worked out who the murderer was before Faro did, and even then, I didn't know all of the motives.
Once it got going I couldn't put it down and I can't wait to read the rest of the Jeremy Faro series and the other books Alanna Knight has written.

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Book Review: St Patrick's Gargoyle by Katherine Kurtz

St. Patrick's Gargoyle by Katherine Kurtz
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

For some reason this took me an age to read. It was recommended by my Aunt and as I hadn't read a quirky light hearted fantasy in a while I thought I'd give it a go.
The story centres around Paddy, a gargoyle at St's Patrick's in Dublin. He's quite a character, funny in some ways charming. I've never read a book from the point of view of a gargoyle, so that was quite interesting.
As soon as the book starts we're whisked off on a chase through the Dublin streets. Paddy enlists the help of Templeton, an elderly gentlemen with a mint condition Rolls Royce, to track down the thieves who have stolen the church's silver.
Their friendship blossoms, and leads Templeton (a Knight of Malta) down a path he never thought possible.
It's a cute little story, with some nice characters and a unique perspective, but I was never grabbed. Reading it wasn't a chore, but I didn't hunger to read the next chapter like I have with other books. I may read more of Katherine Kurtz in the future, but I'm in no rush.

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Book Review: Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I can't really say why I took me soooo long to finish this book. Maybe working on a play and starting university didn't help.
I first heard about The Harbour in Vogue when it was a recommended read. I've always been a fan of Nordic Noir and thought this sounded intriguing. I'd not read or watched Let The Right One In, but I knew it was held in high esteem, so I looked forward to reading something by the same author.
John Ajvide Lindqvist has been described as Sweden's Stephen King and I get the comparisons. He creates interesting believable characters with heart and a story. Characters that you want to have a happy ending. But also, like Stephen King, the ending was rather ambiguous, which is a thing of frustration for me. I would rather have a definite ending with everything tied up neatly and some sense of closure which this did not have.
I particularly liked Simon, and enjoyed reading about how he came to be on the island. The story flits between the past and the present which gives the book depth and perspective.
I suppose the main thing that was disappointing for me was the pace of it. I found it incredibly slow. I've read books of this size before and I've managed to whip through them with speed, but as I said, there was no 'pull' in this novel. Some books I can't wait to read every night but I was simply not bothered with this one. I don't always mind the 'slow burner' but I found that I wasn't always concentrating and therefore would have to re-read certain sections.
Overall I enjoyed this book, but next time I read John Ajvide Lindqvist I think I will pick something a bit shorter.

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Book Review: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I can honestly say I've never read a book like We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. The blurb on the back was vague enough to not give anything away while still intrigue me.
I really wanted to read something that was about families, and the relationships within them and this was a perfect 'family study'.
Without giving too much away this book follows Rosemary Cooke. We meet her while she is at university, not sure of which path to take and still struggling with the loss of her brother and sister.
Right from the beginning her sister Fern is mentioned but it's not entirely clear what happened to her. Rosemary starts her story from the middle, so finding out Fern's fate is slowly unravelled. I must admit that's what kept me going through most of the book, the unknown, the mystery.
While I enjoyed Karen Joy Fowler's style of writing, and was easily swept into the story I didn't particularly care for any of the characters. I was inside Rosemary's mind but I didn't feel anything towards her, no sympathy, I didn't feel any fondness towards her brother and I found Harlow to be really irritating.
Once the mystery was revealed I was still interested in Rosemary's story, as, like I said before, I'd never read anything about the subject matter. In all honestly, I wasn't aware that it happened. The way her parents reacted to certain things somewhat surprised me and I can't say I agreed with every decision but I think that's the point. This is the kind of book that's supposed to instigate discussion.
So overall I gave this book a three. Despite some reviews stating that they had great emotional reaction I found the book a bit hollow. But it didn't take me to long to zip through it. I may read some more of Karen Joy Fowler in the future.

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9 to 5...

Daily Prompt: In honour of Labour Day in North America, tell us what's the one job you could never imagine yourself doing?

Although I don't celebrate Labour Day this prompt inspired me as deciding on a career has always been difficult for me. I'm a creative person by nature, I love music, art, drama, books and I'd always envisaged a career in one of those fields. However, recently I've discovered a love of working with children and combining my two loves of drama and children together would be perfect for me.
My nightmare job would simply be doing something that involved working in an office, monotony, doing the same thing, day in, day out and with no creativity or inspiration. My greatest fear is working as some kind of office manager, or office anything really, unless that office is covered in art and involves writing and a freedom to use a bit of artistic license.