Posts tagged "murder"

Last Argument of Kings – Joe Abercrombie

Last Argument of Kings

” Last Argument Of Kings: The First Law: Book Three:” as Amazon refers to it is not the end of our journey with Joe Abercrombie I’m already halfway thru Best Served Cold but more of that at a later date.

Last Argument Of Kings is difficult to review without giving away too much of what could be described as an apocalyptic ending.

An author should always end with the best and with Last Argument of Kings this theory is put into practice. The last of Joe Abercrombie’s debut fantasy collection, The First Law, demonstrates everything a finale should: gives some answers, and ties together the loose ends from a variety of plots. This series was always a swords and some small sorcerytale that used a wry dialogue with interleafed plotlines. Its not a comedy there is a large amount of tounge in cheek humour.

Its probably worthwile plagarising a paragraph from Colin P Linsey who puts it rather well:

“I’d hazard a guess though that there will be some readers who may not like how this series ended…because it isn’t necessarily pretty and it certainly isn’t a fairy tale ending. Unlike those tidier fantasy stories, Abercrombie doesn’t forget that battlefield corpses don’t just magically disappear and besieged cities aren’t magically made whole at the end of the day. His is a dirty, gritty world every bit as nasty as medieval Europe and the story and the endings reflect this adherence to realism. As Logen Nine-Fingers often says, you have to be realistic. Abercrombie definitely is realistic and the story reflects it. Wounds come at the price of disfigurement and death, people will do awful things to accomplish their goals, and people aren’t charitably motivated. The weak get squashed, soldiers get maimed, the powerful do horrendous evil to hang onto their power and the more things change, the more they stay the same. You have to be realistic about these things dear reader, and that realism is what sets this trilogy apart and makes it such a great read. ”

So last its over. The dead are dead and most of the living seem so. The rich are rich and the poor are er… poor. It remind me of tales of medieval England during the times of the 100yr war. My verdict thirteen out of ten. Not at all what I expected and after all my years this takes some doing. Well done Joe Abercrombie long may you entertain me!

Philip

Val McDermid – The Fever of the Bone

First it has to be said that Val McDermid is the author of 22 bestselling novels, translated into 30 languages, selling over 10 million copies, and won many awards internationally. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and has for many of those novels thrilled many of her fans.

The Fever of the Bone is the latest and to my mind one of her best. I read it in one sitting or should I say sitting and laying as I read late into the night completely enthralled.

The Reviews – ‘So gripping that it puts your life on hold’ The Times ‘She is the real mistress of psychological gripping thrillers; no-one can plot or tell a story like she can. The hairs on my neck literally stood up’ Jenni Murray, Daily Express ‘McDermid’ remains unrivalled at yoking chilling scenarios to a pulsing narrative; and Hill’s torment is palpable in this scary, dark thriller. Brilliant’ Observer ‘Everything a great detective novel should be: pacy, gripping, clever and stylish and, most of all, a fantastic read’ Sunday Express ‘Another cracker in the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series from the most imaginative creator of serial killers we have’ Daily Mail ‘Gripping, well-written, nail-biting stuff’ Waterstone’s Books Quarterly ‘One of our finest crime writers’ The Times ‘A moving novel, not just a gripping one’ Financial Times ‘As good a psychological thriller as it is possible to get’ Sunday Express ‘McDermid’s’ mastery of this genre is evident, particularly in her dialogue, in which there is rarely a false note’ TLS ‘McDermid’s’ books are getting better and better…an absorbing novel of character’ Literary Review ‘…reminds us just how finely plotted and intelligently written McDermid’s novels are. More please – and soon’ Irish Times – - Do not begin to tell half of the story.

The Cases being investigated by DCI Carol Jordan and her elite investigation unit in The Fever of the Bone
- despite the obstacles put in her way by a replacement Chief Constable who wants to remove Tony Hill from the Bradfield police force. Soon however their talents are called upon in the case of a serial killer case who after much preparation and grooming of young teenagers on an Internet site, has just started to gather his victims and murder them, his motives as always with McDermid a complete mystery. With Tony Hill having to concentrate on his tortured personal life Carol Jordan and her team of fanatical specialists are even more more creative than ever.

McDermid’s writing makes this compelling reading. Added to all that, you have the lives of the officers, specialists and profilers. This wide cast of characters and what turns out to be a different serial killer angle are all brought together by McDermid with apparent effortless ease. The investigators may be frustratingly slower than the reader to make the connections and work out the identity of the killer, but that only adds to the tension in a terrific crime novel.

Val McDermid – The Fever of the Bone

Philip
P.S. Don’t think about it. Its BRILLIANT. BUY The Fever of the Bone NOW
P.P.S
For Tony and Carol Fans…… Wait for the very last page …… It may be what you have been waiting for… Or it may not??

Sookie Stackhouse and her local vampires

I just looked and Four Days have gone by. I still have not fought my way or should I say waded my way thru Ian M Banks and Matter. Its no good I give up. Perhaps I can return to it if I am ever stuck in a Hospital bed or forced to sit in front of "Soaps" on TV.

Posts tagged "murder"