Thriller

Excerpt: THINGS HALF IN SHADOW by Alan Finn (Gallery Books)

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FinnA-ThingsHalfInShadowToday, we have an excerpt from Alan Finn‘s Things Half in Shadow, a historical and supernatural thriller. Published by Gallery Books in the US today, here is the synopsis:

Postbellum America makes for a haunting backdrop in this historical and supernatural tale of moonlit cemeteries, masked balls, cunning mediums, and terrifying secrets waiting to be unearthed by an intrepid crime reporter.

The year is 1869, and the Civil War haunts the city of Philadelphia like a stubborn ghost. Mothers in black continue to mourn their lost sons. Photographs of the dead adorn dim sitting rooms. Maimed and broken men roam the streets. One of those men is Edward Clark, who is still tormented by what he saw during the war. Also constantly in his thoughts is another, more distant tragedy — the murder of his mother at the hands of his father, the famed magician Magellan Holmes… a crime that Edward witnessed when he was only ten.

Now a crime reporter for one of the city’s largest newspapers, Edward is asked to use his knowledge of illusions and visual trickery to expose the influx of mediums that descended on Philadelphia in the wake of the war. His first target is Mrs. Lucy Collins, a young widow who uses old-fashioned sleight of hand to prey on grieving families. Soon, Edward and Lucy become entwined in the murder of Lenora Grimes Pastor, the city’s most highly regarded — and by all accounts, legitimate — medium, who dies mid-séance. With their reputations and livelihoods at risk, Edward and Lucy set out to find the real killer, and in the process unearth a terrifying hive of secrets that reaches well beyond Mrs. Pastor.

Blending historical detail with flights of fancy, Things Half in Shadow is a riveting thriller where Medium and The Sixth Sense meet The Alienist — and where nothing is quite as it seems…
Continue reading →

Review: GRAY MOUNTAIN by John Grisham (Doubleday/Hodder)

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Grisham-GrayMountainUSAn important and interesting topic, but lacklustre storytelling

The year is 2008 and Samantha Kofer’s career at a huge Wall Street law firm is on the fast track — until the recession hits and she gets downsized, furloughed, escorted out of the building. Samantha, though, is one of the “lucky” associates. She’s offered an opportunity to work at a legal aid clinic for one year without pay, after which there would be a slim chance that she’d get her old job back.

In a matter of days Samantha moves from Manhattan to Brady, Virginia, population 2,200, in the heart of Appalachia, a part of the world she has only read about. Mattie Wyatt, lifelong Brady resident and head of the town’s legal aid clinic, is there to teach her how to “help real people with real problems.” For the first time in her career, Samantha prepares a lawsuit, sees the inside of an actual courtroom, gets scolded by a judge, and receives threats from locals who aren’t so thrilled to have a big-city lawyer in town. And she learns that Brady, like most small towns, harbors some big secrets.

Her new job takes Samantha into the murky and dangerous world of coal mining, where laws are often broken, rules are ignored, regulations are flouted, communities are divided, and the land itself is under attack from Big Coal. Violence is always just around the corner, and within weeks Samantha finds herself engulfed in litigation that turns deadly.

I’m a fan of Grisham’s novels — I’ve spent many a pleasant summer or winter binge-reading his novels, and I’ve always been among the eager readers awaiting his latest novel. That’s not to say I love them all; there have been a couple that failed to engage me. The Street Lawyer, for example, which I’ve started about three times, but never finished. A Time To Kill, which was a perfect example of a debut author over-writing and info-dumping their way through an otherwise good story, ruining it in the process (it does not surprise me that it failed to get much traction when first published) — Grisham provided all the details, swamping the story with his desire to include all the legal minutiae. Gray Mountain walks a line somewhere between these two examples. Continue reading →

Upcoming: Preston & Child’s AGENT PENDERGAST Series (Head of Zeus)

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I’ve always been interested in reading Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child‘s Agent Pendergast series. Unfortunately, for a long time, the first few novels in the series weren’t easily available in the UK — and, being series-OCD, I didn’t want to start in the middle. Thankfully, Head of Zeus has stepped up to the plate, and on December 18th (next week) will be publishing the first five novels in the series (plus a short story, Extraction): Relic, Reliquary, The Cabinet of Curiosities, Still Life With Crows, and Brimstone. The publisher is also releasing three other novels by the two authors — Riptide, Thunderhead, and The Ice Limit (no covers for these, yet).

Here’s the synopsis for Relic:

Just days before a massive exhibition opens at the popular New York Museum of Natural History, visitors are being savagely murdered in the museum’s dark hallways and secret rooms. Autopsies indicate that the killer cannot be human…

But the museum’s directors plan to go ahead with a big bash to celebrate the new exhibition, in spite of the murders.

Agent Pendergast must find out who — or what — is doing the killing. But can he do it in time to stop a massacre?

Quick Reviews: EGOs, THE FUSE, NAILBITER, SHUTTER, SOUTHERN BASTARDS, UMBRAL (Image)

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EGOs-Vol.01EGOs, Vol.1 — “Quintessence”

Writer: Stuart Moore | Artist: Gus Storms

Far-future action meets midlife crises as an aging hero rebuilds his former team. But to do so, he must cross a line with his wife that cannot be uncrossed.

 

Collects: EGOs #0-4

This was an interesting comic. It has a lot going for it — big space action, some humour, quirky artwork and design. The colour scheme is, well, very much as you can see on the cover — soft, pastel shades. It’s a big story, touching upon nostalgia (the readers’ and also the characters’) and mashing together super-heroes and space opera. It dragged a bit at times, and the momentum was a little uneven throughout. But, it’s also an out-of-retirement origin story of sorts. By the time the book ends, everything and everyone is in place for a larger, continuing story. I’ll come back for volume two, I’m sure, but of the books reviewed in this post, it was not my favourite.

Still. If you like space opera, weird science and super-heroes, then it’s well worth checking out. There’s a bit of an older Guardians of the Galaxy vibe to it, too.

*

Fuse-Vol.01THE FUSE, Vol.1 — “The Russia Shift”

Writer: Antony Johnson | Art & Cover: Justin Greenwood

22,000 MILES UP, THERE IS NO BACKUP.

Working homicide on an orbiting energy platform, in a five mile long jury-rigged steel city stuffed with a half million people, and no help from your so-called colleagues back on earth, is more than tough… it’s murder.

Colletcs: The Fuse #1-6

A crime thriller in space! I rather enjoyed this. It took a little while to sink into the story, however, but once I did I really started to dig the premise and location of the story. It’s Law & Order: Orbital Unit. The detectives are cool and varied (one is a near-retirement woman, which certainly is not your usual protagonist for comic series, regardless of sub-genre). The eventual solution was not what I’d expected. Perhaps a shade over-the-top and implausible,  but it nevertheless is successfully executed. A great blend of sci-fi and crime thriller that really works. There’s political and social commentary, and very well-paced storytelling. Definitely recommended.

*

Nailbiter-Vol.01NAILBITER, Vol.1 — “There Will Be Blood”

Writer: Joshua Williamson | Art & Cover: Mike Henderson

“Where do serial killers come from?” and why has Buckaroo, Oregon given birth to sixteen of the most vile serial killers in the world? NSA Agent Nicholas Finch needs to solve that mystery in order to save his friend, and he’ll have to team up with the infamous Edward “Nailbiter” Warren to do it.

Collects: Nailbiter #1-5

I’m not really sure what I was expecting from this series. What I found, though, was superb. A town that has produced a surprisingly high number of serial killers, and an investigating copy has become obsessed with uncovering the mystery of Buckaroo. After he disappears, Finch rolls into town, makes an impression, and starts digging. The most recent, infamous murderer gets drawn into the investigation, as does the local sheriff. Excellent pacing, great storytelling, some wonderfully atmospheric, moody artwork… Nailbiter is really quite excellent. The book ends with some surprises, and some superb promise for the future. Very highly recommended.

*


Shutter-Vol.01SHUTTER, Vol.1 — “Wanderlost”

Writer: Joe Keatinge | Art & Cover: Leila Del Duca & Owen Gieni

Kate Kristopher, once the most famous explorer of an Earth far more fantastic than the one we know, is forced to return to the adventurous life she left behind when a family secret threatens to destroy everything she spent her life protecting.

Collects: Shutter #1-6

This was… a bit of a disappointment, sadly. It’s a riot of urban fantastical and weird elements, which while very creative and ambitious, is also a bit of a mess. There’s a lot to love about it — the lead character is interesting and the mystery about her father and family is certainly interesting. There are cool secondary characters (Harrington, for example), but there’s so much thrown at the reader that it’s difficult to know what to expect. I’ll check back for volume two, but it’s not a high priority. Maybe this will end up being like Vertigo’s Hinterkind: a disappointing establishing volume, followed by a stellar second collection?

If you like your comics zany and filled with the mad and clashing fantastic, then Shutter should appeal. I usually do, but I think this just goes that little bit too far.

*

SouthernBastards-Vol.01SOUTHERN BASTARDS, Vol.1 — “Here Was A Man”

Writer: Jason Aaron | Artist: Jason LaTour

Welcome to Craw County, Alabama, home of Boss BBQ, the state champion Runnin’ Rebs football team… and more bastards than you’ve ever seen. When you’re an angry old man like Earl Tubb, the only way to survive a place like this… is to carry a really big stick.

Collects: Southern Bastards #1-4

This is a pretty grim and gritty series. It’s brutal, gripping, frightening, and absolutely not a tourist pamphlet for the American south… The town is dominated by the high school football coach, who rules with an iron fist and seems to keep crime under control (and profitable for him). When Earl Tubb returns to clear out his recently passed father’s home, he gets tangled up in the injustices of small-town southern America. It does not end on a happy note. It’s a strangely uncomfortable read, in some respects, but it’s good — brutally honest, unvarnished. The artwork is appropriate — at least, that’s how it feels, fits the story and tone very well.

Recommended if you like your comics based more on reality than the fantastical.

*

Umbral-Vol.01UMBRAL, Vol.1 — “Out of the Shadows”

Writer: Antony Johnston | Artist & Cover: Christopher Mitten

The young thief called Rascal witnesses the horrific and brutal murder of the royal family— now the world’s dark legends will be relived, and only Rascal even knows it’s happening!

Collects: Umbral #1-6

This was an interesting book. The tone is interesting — there’s a mix of adventure, action, conspiracy, and some amusing, poking-of-fun at the genre. The humour is gentle and there are a fair number of chuckle-worthy asides and quips. The premise is pretty interesting, and the story flows quite well. That being said, I think it started to lose steam towards the end of the collection. There are some surprises, nicely revealed, but also some things that just didn’t progress enough. The world-building is interesting and well-done. The artwork is very good, too — especially for the Umbral (which are nicely creepy and weird).

An opening act, to be sure, with plenty going on. I am interested enough to return for the second collection.

Excerpt: THIEF by Mark Sullivan (Minotaur/Quercus)

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SullivanM-RM2-ThiefUSCo-author of Private Berlin and Private L.A. with James Patterson, Mark Sullivan‘s next novel is THIEF. Due to be published on December 16th, 2014 (next week), by Minotaur. It is the third novel featuring Robin Monarch — following Rogue and Outlaw. The series is published in the UK by Quercus Books, and will publish Thief on December 31st in eBook, and January 1st in print. For more details on the series, scroll down to the end of the post.

Here is the synopsis for Thief:

Robin Monarch is a man with a complicated past and dangerous present.  He’s been a soldier, a CIA agent, a freelance operative but first and foremost, Robin Monarch is a thief of the highest order. Orphaned at twelve, Monarch originally stole for survival, then he stole for his friends and cohorts, now he steals to order, and to give back to the to the woman who saved his life many years ago.

With the help of his team, Monarch breaks into the legendary Christmas party of Beau Arsenault, a shady investor and behind-the-scenes player at the very highest levels of power politics. Arsenault is not above bending or breaking the rules if there’s illicit profit to be made. Monarch has decided that those illicit profits will be better used to take care of orphans and street kids. Using the party as cover to break into Arsenault’s secret vaults, Monarch comes away with two unexpected things. One is a bullet — he gets shot when he’s caught trying to escape with tens of millions of negotiable instruments. The second is a lead on what might be his most audacious exploit ever. A previously undiscovered tribe in South America may well have the secret to the most sought after knowledge in history — that of eternal life. And Robin Monarch must use all his skills — as an operative, as a thief — to keep this secret from falling into the worst possible hands.

And now, a (lengthy) excerpt… Continue reading →

Audio Review: SIX DEGREES OF ASSASSINATION by M.J. Arlidge (Audible)

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ArlidgeMJ-SixDegreesOfAssassinationAUDA very good, episodic British political thriller

On a sullen, cloudy July day ten years since 7/7, the happy, confident and optimistic British Prime Minister is visiting a charity in East London. It’s just two months after the general election which saw John Campbell’s government returned to power with a clear majority, the economy is on the mend and the coalition is fast becoming a bad memory. Suddenly, a man appears out of the crowd and shoots him three times in the chest.

Step forward Alex Cartwright (Andrew Scott), MI5 Chief Counter Terrorism Officer who must find out the truth. But it’s easier said than done, as he discovers that whoever ordered the assassination has covered their tracks very well indeed. Along with Ellen Townsend, his trusted second-in-command, Cartwright finds himself embroiled in a race against time which leads him into the murky heart of Westminster… and beyond.

Starring: Andrew Scott, Freema Agyeman,Hermione Norris, Clive Mantle, Clare Grogan,Geraldine Somerville, Julian Rhind-Tutt

This was, for me, another experiment in listening to thriller, rather than reading them. For the main, I really enjoyed this: the performances, production and story are all excellent. The episodic nature was interesting, giving it the feel of a TV series going on in the background (as is normal for me, I listened to this walking about town and traveling). This is not an unusual state of affairs for me, as I often have familiar TV series on in the background while I’m doing low-attention activities. However, because this was brand new for me, I also found myself stopping what I was doing to pay attention. (Once even stopping in the snow so I could give it my full attention.) It’s well-paced, unhurried, but without being plodding. There’s definitely a great British sensibility to it — so different from the US-based or international thrillers I tend to prefer.

If you’re a fan of recent political dramas like the Bill Nighy-starring Worricker trilogy (Page Eight, Turks & Caicos and Salting the Battlefield) or movies like Closed Circuit, then this should appeal. If you just like thrillers, then this should appeal. I enjoyed this, and it certainly made me think more about trying more audio fiction. Recommended.

***

Six Degrees of Assassination is published by Audible. You can listen to the first episode for free.

Quick Review: CROSS MY HEART and HOPE TO DIE by James Patterson (Arrow/Grand Central)

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Catching up with Detective Alex Cross…

Alex Cross’s whole world is crashing down around him.

He has been hunted, stalked like prey, his predator priming himself for the kill.

Cross has devoted his life to protecting others. Now he’s unable to protect even those closest to him.

As a police detective, he has made many enemies, but never like this.

Everything he loves is being taken from him.

Soon he will have nothing and no one left.

These two novels are linked, which is I think the first time Patterson has chosen to make consecutive novels a single story (not including the cross-book storyline featuring the Mastermind from the earlier books, although this is a similar idea, if shorter). Cross My Heart ended on quite the cliffhanger, with Alex Cross distraught and lost, so I was very eager to get my hands on Hope to Die. The 22nd and 23rd installments in the series, it’s a little tricky to figure out anything new to write about the series.

Patterson still has a knack for writing fast-paced, engaging thrillers that have readers gripped from the first page. He still sometimes veers a little too far into the schmaltzy. His villains remain as deliciously evil and colourful as always, complete with hapless henchmen. In Cross My Heart, Cross is investigating a string of murders, but also being stalked and provoked by an elusive other psychopath fixated with him and determined to torment him by getting to his family, which forms the plot for Hope to Die. Given Patterson’s usual style, which always seems to include over-emoting characters, Cross is surprisingly unemotional following the events of the first couple of chapters in the second novel. They unfold quickly, somewhat conveying Cross’s slight disassociate state. The introduction of Ava into the story added a nice new twist on the family dynamic, and her street-learned skills prove invaluable in Hope to Die. Other new characters are welcome additions, too, creating some variety in perspectives.

Both of the novels were quick reads, and I zapped through them. It’s not difficult to see why Patterson is so successful. The novels weren’t perfect — in particular, with Hope to Die, I couldn’t help but think the tornado and psychic could have been dispensed with. Minor quibble, though, really. If you’ve been reading and enjoying the Alex Cross series, then Cross My Heart and Hope to Die should appeal as they very much offer more of the same quality and crime thriller suspense. Solid continuations of the series, I look forward to reading the 23rd.

Published in the UK by Arrow, and in the US by Grand Central Publishing.

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Upcoming: CANARY by Duane Swierczynski (Mulholland)

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SwierczynskiD-Canary

I’ve been aware of Duane Swierczynski‘s novels for a long time, it feels. And yet, for some reason, I’ve never read any of them. He’s the author of the action-packed Charlie Hardie series, among others. He’s also written for a number of comics, including the New 52 Birds of Prey (DC), Black Widow, Cable (Marvel) and Bloodshot (Valiant) to name just a small number. As far as I can tell, Canary is the beginning of a new series, and one I’m rather looking forward to trying. Here’s the synopsis:

Every student needs a part-time job.

Hers is hunting criminals.

Sarie Holland is a good kid. An Honors student. She doesn’t even drink.

So when a narcotics cop busts her while she’s doing a favour for a friend, she has a lot to lose.

Desperate to avoid destroying her future, Sarie agrees to become a CI — a confidential informant. Armed only with a notebook, she turns out to be as good at catching criminals as she is at passing tests.

But it’s going to take more than one nineteen-year-old to clean up Philadelphia. Soon Sarie is caught in the middle of a power struggle between corrupt cops and warring gangs, with nothing on her side but stubbornness and smarts.

Which is bad news for both the police and the underworld. Because when it comes to payback, CI #137 turns out to be a very fast learner…

This sounds pretty good, and I hope to read it ASAP. Canary is published by Mulholland Books (Hodder) in the US on February 24th, and in the UK on February 26th.

Quick Audio Review: THE CHILD by Sebastian Fitzek (Audible)

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FitzekS-TheChildAUDAn excellent audio drama

My name is Simon. I’m 10 years old. I’m a serial killer. Robert Stern (Rupert Penry-Jones), a successful defense attorney, doesn’t know what lies in store for him when he agrees to meet a new client in a derelict estate on the outskirts of Berlin. Stern is more than surprised, when his old love interest and professional nurse Carina (Emilia Fox) presents him a ten year old boy as his new client: Simon (Jack Boulter), a terminally ill child, who is convinced he has murdered many men in a previous life.

Robert’s surprise turns into horror when he and Carina find human remains in a cellar the boy has led them to. The remains of a man whose head has been split with an axe 15 years ago – just like Simon claimed he had. Things go from bad to worse within hours when Stern discovers more dead bodies, the investigating police officer Engler (Andy Serkis) starts to chase him as a suspect in the murder cases, and his own past comes to haunt him. Stern’s friend and former criminal Andi Borchert (Stephen Marcus) is the only one to believe Stern and Carina. Hunted by the police, and led by Simon’s memories, they start to investigate shady sub cultures of Berlin, and soon discover things that are more gruesome than anything they could have imagined…

Narrated by: Rupert Penry-Jones, Jack Boulter, Emilia Fox, Stephen Marcus, Robert Glenister, Andy Serkis

This is a really good thriller. It’s psychological, suspenseful, and… yes, creepy. The performances are superb from everyone in the cast (and such an excellent cast!). Penry-Jones and Serkis were particular standouts for me. The sound effects are well-balanced, very rarely threatening to overwhelm the actors’ lines (there is a moment early on, in the rain, although that was actually kind of realistic), and there is one voice that is slightly scrambled (on purpose) which wasn’t always clear. I’m keeping this review very short because I don’t want to spoil any of the story — also, it’s out today, and I wanted it up in a timely manner. The story is not written with a breakneck pace — in fact, it’s quite a slow-burn. There are some genre tropes ticked off, but it doesn’t come across as a paint-by-numbers thriller. There are suggestions of something supernatural and/or otherworldly from early on, and it takes some time for things to be unveiled.

If you’re looking for something chilling to listen to in these cold(er) winter months, then I would absolutely recommend The Child.

An aside: I’m still not used to reviewing audio fiction, and I think I still prefer audio non-fiction. However, this story still managed to keep my attention and send the occasional chill up my spine. I’d certainly be interested in listening to more like it. (I think I’ll have to try Audible’s other new drama, Six Degrees of Assassination.)

Upcoming: FISHBOWL by Matthew Glass (Corvus)

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GlassM-FishbowlUKMatthew Glass is an author I’m very interested in reading. I have his first two novels, Ultimatum and End Game, but haven’t managed to get around to them yet. I spotted Fishbowl while browsing Atlantic Books’ latest catalogue, and I think it sounded very interesting. There are obvious connections with the story behind Facebook (see Ben Mezrich’s The Accidental Billionaires or the superb film adaptation, The Social Network), while Glass’s other works have brought to mind Kim Stanley-Robinson’s Science in the Capitol trilogy. Here’s the synopsis for the upcoming novel:

When you’re the next big thing in Silicon Valley, the whole world is watching.

As a gifted Ivy League student, Andrei Koss hit upon an idea that would revolutionise social networking and move it on by a generation. Enlisting the help of his best friends, Ben and Kevin, he turned their dorm room into an operations base, where fl ashes of creative brilliance and all-night-coding sessions led to the creation of Fishbowl. He is now the 21-year-old CEO of a multi-billion-dollar empire. His creation reaches into every corner of the planet. But its immense power has many uses, and some will stop at nothing to get a piece of it.

Matthew Glass (a pseudonym) Fishbowl is due to be published on February 5th, 2015 by Corvus in the UK.