antonio

The book is in fact a diary where Murakami describes his experience in becoming a runner : there is plenty of suggestions, memories and considerations about the noble art of running. It is very clear -after a while- that the authors draws a parallel between life and long distance running ( "pain is unavoidable, suffering is optional") and the book takes another dimension and offers reflections about the time, the process of getting old, the adjustment of our ambitions.
A truly great book, for those who run and those who do not.

I enjoyed the first Keller's stories. They are about the unusual character of a professional killer who spends most of his money in collecting rare stamps. Keller is after all a nice guy (well groomed and low profile), a gentle sociopath who does his job with the mix of duty and boredom of a bank clerk ..
This unusual setup and Laurence Block's good writing skills make Keller stories good for a while, but they clearly start getting repetitive .. It is difficult to add new dimensions to the main character or change credibly the routine of a professional killer... In this last book Keller is married (with a wife who knows of his profession and is also a "nice" sociopath") and tries to make killing a part-time job along with stamps dealing...It is getting boring.
Richard Poe does a great job and kept me awake...

The story develops in many European cities just before world war 1. Initially the characters are well shaped , the atmosphere captivating and the plot intriguing . Boyd writes with a confident and fluent style which makes the reading very enjoyable...However as the story progresses the plot becomes shaky (and frankly less credible) and Boyd seems uncertain as to how wrap it up . The end of the journey is somewhat disappointing , particularly because the first half of the book is so engaging..

All in all enjoyable (i.e. good,but not great)

The book is collection of Matt Scudder's short stories that most deal with the early years of Matt as a detective. They are witty, engaging and fun to read with a melancholic twist for the reader that knows that this may be the last book of one of the most compelling detective series . We shall miss you , Matt Scudder !!!

Not much to say : if you like hard-boiled stories with a sense of humor, the New York atmosphere , a very engaging main character , then Matt Scudder's books are for you.

This was my first John Sandford book and i enjoyed it. However the character of Lucas Davenport is not engaging as others in mysteries series as he lacks the dark , complex and almost ambiguous side of a Philip Marlowe or Matt Scudder. Lucas is a clean living , regular guy , a former banker driving Porsche and with a rich and nice wife... A bit plain , at times boring.
The book is otherwise well written and well read.

In the golden circle of the thrillers ... Matt Scudder's novels are the type of books where the journey is more important than the destination. Is more about characters, atmosphere , good dialogue than plots. All in all very enjoyable

Matt Scudder

Good reading , that suits well the main character

Murder in New York...

I'd like to see more more Matt Scudder's audiobooks offered by Audible...

This is one of the early Matt Scudder's stories. You can tell that Lawrence Block is still working on Matt's character , but the story runs smooth with a terrific description of the New York "ambiance" . Definitively a good reading !

This book is an evidence that even excellent writers like Lawrence Block can do poorly. For the first time ever -and i can tell you i've read MANY books of LB- i got bored . The plot is repetitive and the too long story dilute the interest that the unusual main character and the dark sense sense of humor initially create. I need to go back to a Matt Scudder story

The excessively long novel contains in fact three stories that not well linked one to another : a sort of spy story (boring), another one dealing with one of Meyer's favorite character (Lemmer) smuggling a rhino into the South Africa and finally a "classic" police investigation (the best part of the book). Deon Meyer is a very interesting South African writer , but this time he has tried to do too many things at once and the result is disappointing. Meyer's strengths lie into the ability to carve out great characters and in developing a plot that gradually increases in complexity and intensity. Trackers offers none of this ; rather is -from page one- superficial, too fast moving , overly complex.