Book review: The Death of Dalziel by Reginald Hill

The Death of Dalziel: A Dalziel and Pascoe Novel by Reginald Hill

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Death of Dalziel by Reginald Hill

I'm a massive fan of Dalziel and Pascoe, and have practically grown up watching the TV series. However, I didn't realise they were books until I found one in a charity shop.
It was probably the wrong Dalziel and Pascoe book to start with, but nevertheless it was brilliant. For me, Dalziel and Pascoe will always be Warren Clarke and Colin Buchanan, so I had no problem picturing them. The dialogue was really well written and several times I laughed out loud, which I didn't expect to do in a murder mystery!
The characters are worth five stars, but the plot confused me. It started off with a bomb on Mill Street knocking Andy unconscious and injuring Peter. What initially was a simple case turned into something much more complicated with code names for the gang of people who were involved in the various crimes that occured through out the novel and the relationships between certain people. There were also a lot of characters to keep track of. When it finally reached the end I didn't feel entirely satisfied and had to reread the last couple of pages to make sure I understood everything correctly.
Overall a great book, but very complex, almost too complex, which why it isn't the five stars I would've expected it to be.



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Book review: The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy

The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy

I wanted to read something romantic and soppy and light hearted so my Mum recommended this, but it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. The writing is excellent, but some of the characters got on my nerves completely! Most of the women I wanted to shake and tell them to get a grip and to stop being so meek. All the women had dark curly hair as well, and several names crossed over from different stories which made it a bit confusing. There were a few gems in there, but the way women were represented was generally not in a good light. I wanted something giddy and a bit silly but generally that made me happy. Instead I got angry with the characters for not doing things simply because they didn't want to 'cause any fuss'.



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Book review: Fade Away by Harlan Coben

Fade Away by Harlan Coben

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Fade Away by Harlan Coben

I love Harlan Coben, the first book of his I read in less than twenty-four hours and I love the characters of Myron Bolitar, Win and Esperanza, but there's just something that doesn't connect for me. Maybe it's because I read the Bolitar books out of order, or maybe it's because it's too Americanised. I don't know anything about basketball and I don't really care about it, so I don't share the same obvious love that the author has for it. The storylines are often also very personalised to Myron, and I have only ever read one other Bolitar book and it was number six or something.
Overall, the plot was good, easy to follow and exciting but there was no 'gasp surprise' at the end like there usually is and I just don't think these books are as good as the independant Coben books are.



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Book review: I Am What I Am by John Barrowman

I Am What I Am by John Barrowman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I Am What I Am by John Barrowman

Having read Anything Goes I was excited to find another Barrowman autobiography. My only concern is that he'd pretty much covered his whole life in the first book, what was left to talk about?
However, I didn't have to worry, it was great, full of entertaining stories and memorable moments and opinions. I loved the 'table talk' sections about what the Barrowman's would discuss around the dinner table and I really enjoyed reading the lists relevant to each chapter. As always the pictures were great and the writing was high quality and a joy to read. I found myself laughing out loud and nearly crying when he was talking about his dog dying.
The only thing that got on my nerves, were the footnotes. They must have been in the other book, but this time it was annoying to keep checking down the bottom of the page. I also found him a little annoying. I love John Barrowman, I'm a massive fan of Torchwood and I know his personality, but there were some points were I felt a little sorry for his family and his partner.
Overall, four stars, not as good as Anything Goes but still a brilliant read.



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Book review: Daemonic by Stephen Laws

Daemonic by Stephen Laws

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really loved this book, but it is a massive guilty pleasure. The storyline is completely unrealistic, the bad characters are pantomime villans while the good ones are out and out heroes. The idea is great: six people are brought to The Rock and have to fight for their survival from the man who sired them, meanwhile taking on daemons in Dragerman's studio sets. Apart from the Berserker, the daemons themselves are actually insignificant. They obviously play a part in the plot, but I would've like them to be specific to each person. Overall this would make a great film and it was something I really enjoyed reading. If I had nothing to read I would definately come back to it. I gave it a four because I did love reading it, and some points had me afraid to turn the lights off before bed, but the writing isn't perfect. There were also some points that niggled. Near the end of the book, when the tension was building, the writer would keep using 'as...' at the end of each chapter, obviously to string them all together, but it got on my nerves. Also, Laws opened some questions that he didn't answer. One of the characters asked why the lights were different colours in the corridors, and that was never revealed. I would recommend this to thriller readers, because those who are fantasy fans, may be disappointed with the lack of daemonic content.



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Book review: Prey by Graham Masterton

Prey by Graham Masterton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this, but I actually pleasantly surprised. I love the time-travel aspect of it, but I was a little confused about the old ones and all the other stuff. The writing was good, clear, easy to follow and as soon as I got into the book I couldn't put it down. But it wasn't the best thing I've ever read and the characters weren't particularly developed. I would've also liked to know more about DS Miller. Another thing that struck me were the mistakes. At some points, David had no surname, then it was Walker and then Williams, at first I thought it would be important to the plot, but it wasn't. The author also got Liz and Janie mixed up from time to time. Over all a good, easy read, with an exciting plot and the grab that an author needs to have.



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Book review: World Without End by Ken Follett

World Without End by Ken Follett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I absolutley adored Pillars of the Earth and was very excited when I found out that there was a sequel, although I don't think that's the right word, as both books are practically unrelated apart from the town in which they are set.
I believe it makes a different to the reader whether they've read Pillars of the Earth. If they have, although the works of Ken Follett are absolutley genius, there are several similarities. For a start, Caris and Merthin are very close to the characters Aliena and Jack of the first book, in everything from their relationship, in that, they can't be together for a number of reasons, and their personalities and occupations. Like Jack, Merthin is an innovative architect and builder, whereas Caris, like Aliena, is strong and outspoken for her time. Merthin's brother Ralph is also similar to William Hamleigh, in his greed, his need to be nobility and the way he treats women. They both also have a child bride. The other thing I felt let this book down was the secret. In the first book, the big secret was relevant and had effects on characters within the story. In this one, it was almost an afterthought and had hardly any impact on the characters or Kingsbridge.
On the other hand, there were some parts of the book that were incredible. The descriptions of the plague and it's effect on Kingsbridge were brilliant, providing the reader with a vivid image. As always Follett makes the characters so real that you feel constant emotion, I have never read a book before where I felt such hate or love for the characters.
Overall, despite the disappointments, I'm still giving World Without End five stars, because although it's not as good as it's predecessor, these books are still a league above the rest.



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