My Book Reviews

  A very amusing novel. I don't want to spoil the fun for future readers and won't talk about the characters. I loved the casual almost cynical style. It makes the book very different from standard crime novels. The last chapters are used to take care of loose ends, but it did make me wonder if the writer had a bit enough of the whole thing. It had been easy to have added quite a lot more of details. It's a bit like a TV series where you get the explanation of the episodes you watched for your eyes, lasting no more than 5 minutes. Then again, the book is long enough and it did not feel too much like rushing towards the end. Other readers might disagree with me, I would understand that. All in all I enjoyed reading it and 5 stars is exactly what it deserves in my opinion.

A very good read for me! In the Netherlands children are taught a bit about history of other countries besides their own. I never really got to grasp what happened in England (Great Brittain) between King Charles I and King Charles II. Of course I heard about Oliver Cromwell, but what happened in these years always remained a mystery to me. This book made things very understandable. Anna Keay did a great job with this scientific book. It is even a very enjoyable one. Using some of the main characters of the period to sketch the events from their perspective works really well. People, things and the period certainly came to life for me. The way the narrative was told made me think of the books of Barbara Tuchman, who used the same technique. This narrative is not straight forward, it is quite complicated. I always thought that the period of Cromwell being in charge of England, Scotland and Ireland should be considered as the nations being a republic, now I understand this was not really...

I give this book 4 stars. I have a high opinion about Denise Mina and expected from the book a bit more than it delivered. Confidence is written in a high speed style, like Dan Brown would do. It has quite a lot of explanation in it and yet it keeps being full speed ahead. It almost leaves the reader breathless. Yet Denise Mina is skilled enough to keep you binded to the story. Some books you would reread, this one I won't, but it was quite amusing and worthy of the time I spent reading it.

Yet another novel by Kate Atkinson that I truely loved. Isobel, the main character and often the point of view is one of the amazing interesting characters that fill this book. The playing with time and different ways the story could develop in, might be a bit confusing but I can see how all these possibilities really cry out loud that they need to be written out in the book. I do not mind at all. Often I can be a bit of a puritan, prefer just one point of view in a novel most of times. In this book there are different layers that make it impossible to write it in such a way. What strikes me most is the effect that it has on life when the nature of people is not compatible and yet they are forced to live together. I can recommend the book very much and 5 stars is very much deserved.

A good read! I certainly can recommend it. The gritty feeling of Glasgow is really gripping. Maureen, the main character certainly came to life for me. Just like most of the other characters. The plot works and I certainly can see this novel being made into TV series. I am afraid to give something away, I don't want spoilers, this will have to do.

I very much enjoyed this crime story. Tuva Moodison is a great character, I think all writers would have liked to invent her. I am familiar with Värmland in Sweden, where the story is situated. Years ago I had a cycle holiday in the region. Very pretty and an amazing trip to make, from Sunne to Sunne. From one gästgiveri to the next family hotel. I was there in the summertime and it is very enjoyable in that period, winters are obviously quite harsh. The descriptions of shops, hotels and such are quite like I experienced them. I will not go into revealing the plot, don't want to spoil the chilling story for other readers. Will Dean knows how to tell a story. The 5 stars are more than deserved.

The book was a bit disappointing, I had expected a lot more from it. The characters were stereotypes, none came to my mind as a believable person that could have been met in real life. Maybe I should make an exception for the elderly woman in prison, Sarah. This character is clearly based upon the writer's own past. I do respect Linda Calvey for her achievement in writing her novels. But if I am honest I did not like the almost staccato-style of the writing. It is possible that I am not the right person who read this book. For me it is not possible to give it more than 3 out of 5 stars.