Edmonton, AB, Canada | Member Since 2007
"Great Character..."Huh?" plotting"
Meet Mallory...one of the most compelling detective characters of all time. Wonderfully cold, she is an enigma. A fascinating character.
Read a plot...that will make you constantly go "What???" or "Where did that come from?"
or "Did I accidentally advance way past where I was just listening?"
Very strange plot...and it is fascinating to watch an interesting character move through really odd stuff...odd places...odd people.
I didn't get bored...but I DID think more than once about just moving onto another story. In the end, I didn't.
Surreal, really.
"Starts stong and loses steam..."
There's much that's good in this book. The characters are interesting and beautifully drawn. The plot chugs along at a steady pace.
Why didn't I like it more?
I'm not sure. I found that midway through this story that my interest was flagging. With police procedurals I often find this is where my interest is keenest.
The story seems to lose its way a little, buried under flashbacks and subplots that serve to create just enough confusion to make me a little bored. What I'm saying is that the focus doesn't sharpen as the story continues. On the contrary.
There are many better crime novels...but this one isn't BAD. It's just...meh.
"Exactly What You Think It Is..."
...this book delivers exactly what you think it will: a street urchin slowly transforms into an assassin under the leadership of the Most Feared Killer Ever.
It's listenable enough. The writing is lively and in many cases beautifully done. The villains are drawn perfectly and the story chugs along with maybe just a touch too much personal agonizing.
This is the first of a series. I found that at the end of the first book, I'd had enough...and don't much care what happens to the hero.
It is, however, a fine book for a road trip where you don't need to concentrate entirely on the story. Not inspired...but remarkably average in every way.
"Yuck."
I am a very cheap person. I start the review with this revelation because I want you to KNOW that I have only walked away from handful of the books I've purchased.
Out of the Shadows is one of them.
It reads like it was written by a high school student. The style is clumsy and uneven and the plot is clunky, creaky and trite -- all at the same time.
IF you find "It was a dark and stormy night" to be a sample of high literature...this is the one for you.
A terrible waste of a credit.
"The Hardy Boys meet Indiana Jones..."
...and not in a good way.
How can a story that features a depressive professor who is summoned to a mysterious house in Venice and then gets led on a supernatural road trip POSSIBLY be so lame?
The idea is better than the novel. It just sounds so good. In truth, despite occasional points of very high interest, I found myself sitting and thinking "Ummmm...what?" at some of the things that happened.
The ending of the book is completely unsatisfying and is the logical conclusion to a book that started out with great promise and then slowly flops to the floor with an "audible" thump.
I expect that, if you're like me, you're going to get this one anyway. Great title. Great synopsis.
Just keep in mind: I TRIED to warn you.
"Steampunk Meets Urban Fantasy"
We've seen these characters before.
We've heard this story before.
But there's something compelling about the way they are strung together.
No surprises...but a very listenable book.
"Great Story in Need of Editor"
I enjoyed this book. I listened to it...and looked forward to doing so.
The hero is a wee bit whiny...the plot drags in some places...but there's an element to the story that makes it impossible to put down. Compelling secrets, stolen memories and shrewd character portrayals make this one fly.
I did find the main character a little tedious and the obligatory romantic subplot rather flat and uninteresting.
But it's a very listenable audiobook. You won't be sorry.
"Michael Connelly Delivers more Bosch"
I'm a huge Connelly fan...as in I see a new book and I buy it. I don't read the synopsis or the reviews -- I just get the book and start listening.
And the story has an interesting premise: a murder during the LA riots, dark secrets and a plot that just keeps chugging along.
By detective novel standards, this is outstanding and is completely listenable.
By Connelly standards...well...Harry does some things that will make you go "Huh?"
A solid offering...but I found some areas where the believability was stretched to the breaking point. The villains are one dimensional and this was one of the few times where I'd figured it all out before I was told what happened.
Is it worth a credit? ABSOLUTELY.
Is it a road trip worthy offering? YUP.
Will it keep you sitting in the driveway when you get home? Probably.
It's just not Connelly at his finest...or Harry for that matter.
David
"Harry's Back!"
Where you been, Harry? We missed you.
This is vintage Dresden. He's in trouble on several fronts, facing three do-or-die deadlines and facing impossible foes. In this, arguably the most successful urban fantasy series yet, Butcher continues to deliver old friends and new twists.
And Marsters is back in the saddle. (Missed you too, guy.)
Wonderful story...outstanding book.
I wish I had six stars.
So when's the next one coming? Huh?
David
"A Lesson Learned"
Read the reviews. That's the lesson for today.
The reviews are loaded with references to the gory violence. People wrote how they were revolted by some of the depictions of pain, torture and graphic descriptions of terrible things people do to each other. They were right. I've read literally hundreds of thrillers and mysteries...and while some made my skin crawl and a few made me go "ewwwww" none of them was an out and out gross-out.
This book is a very well written story that you will have to wade through rivers of gore to complete. There's nothing new here -- the theme has been explored many times. The "Fill In The Blank" monster descends on a sleepy town and starts doing terrible things to the residents. And of course it's up to a handful of people to stop it.
To be honest, I was intrigued bythe plot and, despite some very goofy character actions, it delivered.
If you're a fan of splatter movies, this writer is for you. (Wearing a raincoat when you're listening may help.) But the unrelenting violence seemed to start taking the place where I was really looking for some interesting character developments, or new plot twists -- something ANYTHING to take away from the endless nastiness of the narrative.
I won't be getting any more books by this author -- despite thinking the book had merit. They are literally disturbingly violent.