savage_book_review's Reviews (328)

The second Robert Hunter thriller, this book sees the star of the Robebery Homicide Division of the LAPD face crime scenes that even he has never seen the like of before. 

I read this book years ago, and it's definitely the one I remembered best of all of the Chris Carter books I have read (about half the series). The murders in this are particularly memorable in their gruesomeness, and definitely set the tone for the series more than 'The Crucifix Killer' in my opinion. It's certainly not for the squeamish, but where you're looking through the eyes of the detective, the descriptions are objective enough for you to see past the gore to the evidentiary value of the bodies, while simultaneously being subjective enough to evoke an emotional reaction from the reader. It's a very well trodden line.

The plot is clearly well thought out and meticulously paced, taking you through the twists and turns of the investigation and keeping the reader engaged throughout. The eventual reveal of the killer and their motives made sense and it was all to easy to understand, and perhaps even sympathise a little. 

I did find the chapters to be a little too short in this one though; for the most part, it still flows well, but on the occasions where you shift from Robert's POV to that of the killer or another character, it's a bit jolting and you don't get a chance to get into their mindset before it's shifted back again. Similarly, a lot of the chapters end with an exclamation from one of the characters at something they've just seen, or another sort of mini-cliffhanger. It's fine at first, but it does get a little repetitive. And when the cliffhanger is resolved on the very next page, it felt a little pointless after the first couple of times.

I also didn't get as much depth from this one. It sticks pretty closely to investigating the case rather than exploring Robert and Garcia's characters in greater detail, which I feel is still necessary at this early point in the series. There are moments where you get more, but not enough. The last scene is a case in point - it felt like a great opportunity to see a little more of the 'real' Robert, but there just wasn't really anything to it and it left me a bit underwhelmed.

There are trigger warnings a-plenty in here; definitely one to read with the lights on!

A succinct insight into the life of Henry VIII's second Queen. Not much more to it than that really! At only 191 pages, this book guides you through the major events of Anne's life with very few frills, but with enough detail to allow the reader to immerse themselves in her world without becoming overwhelmed.

There is plenty of primary source material quoted within, which does add some sense of grounding in reality to this well known story. However, I was a little confused by the choice to present some of the quotes as they appear in the original sources, completed with barely-legible sixteenth century spelling, and yet others appear to have had their spelling modernised. There doesn't appear to have been any particular logic to which items were updated, and so I found it quite difficult to keep having to adjust my expectations. In particular, where the quotes form part of the narrative (as opposed to being set out as a proper extract), it's very jarring to go from modern English to Tudor English and back again in the space of a few words. Where this book feels like it should be an 'introduction' to the topic, in my opinion all of the sources should have been modernised for ease of understanding. 

I also found the writing to be quite dry. Given that Anne Boleyn is one of my favourite people to read about, and the fact this book is so short, I found it incredibly difficult to get through more than 40 pages at a time without feeling like I was about to fall asleep. Yes, Anne is the subject of innumerable books and her story has been told countless times, but in most cases the authors still manage to find a way to bring her to life in their pages, or find some angle of exploration that brings a new sense of her to the reader. In this case though, it felt like more of a straight regurgitation of facts and I felt so far removed from the 'character' at the centre of it all that there was just nothing to cling onto.

Coupled with that was the increasing frustration I felt at the continual repetition. There are many cases throughout the book where the author will set out a point or a turn of phrase, and then within a few sentences will repeat the same sentiment almost verbatim. For example, on page 141 she states "... she cannot have foreseen the rapidity of her fall...". Then, on page 143, only a couple of paragraphs later you find the phrase "... she can never have imagined the speed with which she would fall." I'm not sure whether it's a case of the author trying to hit a word count by padding out the writing, or if it just needs a really thorough edit. 

Strangely, I also found the layout of this book off-putting. Although it was published in 2009, the font and general format of the text feels incredibly old fashioned. The text size is very small, which made it harder to concentrate on, the top and bottom margins are very tight to the page, and the line spacing is also very tight, so at a glance you are presented with quite the wall of text on each page. It's not something that normally bothers me, but in this case it compounded the other issues I was having. 

There is nothing wrong with the information contained in here, but there are many, many better alternative reads to obtain it. One for the book swap pile, I'm afraid.

Ariel is now Queen of the Seas but remains voiceless, Ursula having won the day, killed Triton and married Prince Eric herself. But when a little bird tells her that her father might still be alive and in Ursula's clutches, Ariel must brave heading back into the Dry World to free him. Her wuest quickly becomes about more than saving one merman though, when she sees just what's happened to Eric and his kingdom at Ursula's tentacles...

I will admit, I think I've only seen the Little Mermaid once, and it was a very, very long time ago. It's not a Disney story that ever really inspired me (despite its links to Greek myth!), and Ariel just doesn't rank highly as a Disney Princess IMO. As a result, I appreciate that I don't have the best grasp of the story to understand what has been twisted, or the draw to the characters that would make this a must-read. So I can only really judge the book on its own merits.

I'm just not sure that any element of this story really hit the nail on the head. None of the characters felt like they related in any way to their screen counterparts; they've only aged five years (the blink of a eye in a mer lifespan), but Ariel doesn't have any real drive, Flounder and Sebastian aren't the light relief and Ursula is more of a bored and spiteful princess than the evil sea witch we know. I'd argue that the secondary human characters were the best drawn, but even then you aren't given a whole lot to play with. As a result, I didn't really care about their roles within the story or the jeopardy they faced.

The storyline itself was also pretty weak. Given the length of the book, I was expecting far more than a glorified treasure hunt. There is a severe lack of gripping moments, whether action, romance, darkness or otherwise. The story just plods along, not really doing very much to keep the reader's engagement, and at various points there were sudden shifts that seemed to come from no-where - I'm thinking Eric and Ursula's private dinner scene for one. These could have been far more integral to the story, and far more colourful to give the narrative tempo. The conclusion is lukewarm at best, with Ursula's comeuppance being quite pedestrian and the 'reveal' being fairly predictable. 

I'm also not entirely sure how this qualifies as a 'twisted' tale. Yes, it's taken away the happily ever after from the film and it's not a happy story, but I was expecting something much darker. I appreciate it was never going to be one of Emily McIntire's Never After stories (the reveal of book 6's title and inspiration yesterday is what had me reaching for this book from my TBR pile), but even so it could have gotten away with more. This illustrates another issue; I could not tell you what age group this book is pitched at. It's clearly not meant for the same age group as the film, but equally there's nothing in here that really makes a grab for those who remember Disney fondly from their childhood, however long ago that might be. It feels like the brief might have been lost along the way with this one. 

Another one for the book swap shelf at work, I think.

Having narrowly escaped death via the noose for witchcraft, and watching the Powder Treason plotters go to their deaths, Frances Gorges carries a secret back to her family estate at Longford. With her brother enjoying playing 'Lord of the Manor' just a bit too much, it's not long before she has to find a way out of there too. Fortunately, and old 'friend' comes to her rescue. But you can only stay away from the King's Court for so long, and after a too brief respite she finds herself back in the midst of plots, Princes and peril. 

I found this one a lot slower in pace than 'The King's Witch', I think because where the first book had a clear end crescendo in 5 November 1605, it was less clear where this was going to end up. I was able to figure it out, but the event in question, while it did change the course of history to an extent, is very much a whimper compared with the bang (pun intended) of the Gunpowder Plot. The story does build up, but it doesn't convey the same thrill as the first. At the same time however, the chronology skips past very quickly without detracting from the story. You know everything you need to, and the gaps in time don't really register.

There are definitely less likeable characters in this one, which also made it a harder read. Apart from Frances, her husband and her son (who is so cute!), even the returning characters has less overall appeal and we're all just a bit 'off'. Robert Cecil recedes into the background (though is still present), so his glorious awfulness is stunted, and he is effectively replaced by Frances' brother Edward and Prince Henry, neither of which seem to have any redeeming qualities whatsoever! They are both slimy, horrible creatures, and yet I didn't get the same sense of awe as I did from Cecil in book 1. 

I'm sure the plot itself does refect events that occurred to an extent, but in this case I found Frances' repeatedly being strong armed into plots against the Royal Family to be a bit less believable. The initial draw in absolutely makes sense in the context of both history and the story, but the subsequent strings being pulled feel a bit too much for one woman to be that entrenched in. Although, I do think it's a shame that the author didn't follow through on that lovely little parallel she draws at the pivotal moment; that would have been a great bit of writing to tie a few things together.

I liked the development of Frances and Thomas' relationship. Yes, it's very trope-y and a bit cheesy, but it doesn't feel too out of place. You do root for them as a couple once things get going, especially because of the adorable father/son relationship between Thomas and George, and yet it's not an obvious state of affairs - I think the relationship could have stayed as it was at the outset of the book and the story would have continued just fine. 

I will order the last in the trilogy from my library to finish off the series. It is a good read, but this one just didn't quite hit the spot for me.

Walking through the woods one day, Evie quite literally stumbles across the most notorious bad guy in the land, 'The Villain'. But instead of becoming another one of his victims, he offers her a job as his PA. It's pretty much what you'd expect out of a job really; fix the boss' coffee just the way he likes it, deal with snippy co-workers, contend with the admin tasks that cross your desk and try to ignore the screaming from downstairs. Except, when you're working for The Villain, you may just have to deal with someone trying to kill you...

This was a riot! The author has managed to balance so many different elements in one story to make it a perfect mix of macabre, funny, romantic, cosy and action-packed. The characters are brilliantly thought out and come to life in a blink, the story is simple yet satisfying, and absolutely leaves you wanting more. It's lighthearted, and yet there's a nice little undertone of seriousness about gender equality and other social issues which give it that little bit of depth. Basically, there's something for everyone within!

I adore Evie's character, particularly her smart mouth and sassy retorts when she's on a roll with The Villain. Their rapport is really enjoyable and natural, and the development of their relationship is fantastically paced. Likewise, The Villain is brilliantly pitched - on the face of it, he tortures and kills people for sport, but yup, beyond that he's 100% an eligible book boyfriend! Watching his softer side come out is a joy and a hoot - it's so easy to get sucked into Evie trying to bring out his dimple or make him smile, and when she manages it it's an immediate zing of happy for the reader. 

The supporting cast of characters really help in bringing the world to life; from the Frog Prince communicating via sing word sign boards, to the dragon tamer with the padded out CV and the by-the-book HR manager, every character has their place in the overall narrative and yet stands out as an individual. Evie's little sister is so sweet too! I have to say, I TOTALLY relate to Tatianna, the healer, with her penchant for pink! And when she explains why, I felt seen because that's my excuse too! 

It does help knowing this is the first in a series - if I was under the impression it was a standalone I don't think it would have come across quite so well. There is a lot of backstory to be filled in, and the pace is quite quick, but I'm content with it as I'm sure it's all coming soon. 

This is absolutely a book I will read again and again, and I'm now very impatient for the next instalment at the end of the year!

I bought this book a long time ago after watching the TV drama 'American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson'. After seeing the news of the defendant's death, I was scrolling through my Kindle and the book jumped out at me, so I figured I should reread it.

Marcia Clark provides a wonderfully clear narrative of the prosecution's preparation and execution of the Simpson case, walking the reader through events and explaining the lawyers' thought processes, the facets of the case and the effect of the tidal wave of media interest in such a way as to convey the heinous crime and the unbearable pressures, but without bogging everything down with a 'woe is me' or sore loser attitude. While it is clearly not an objective and unbiased account, for the most part it reads as you would hope; a lawyer standing up for the rights of victims and keeping the aim of a fair trial in mind. That being said, she definitely had an uphill battle and is not afraid to speak out about her dislike for the judge, various members of the defence team and the defendant himself.

Looking at the bigger picture for a moment, the media acts like the spread of misinformation and 'fake news' is a recent phenomenon, but you only have to read Clark's comments about the jury pool to see that, while the medium may have changed from TV and magazines to the internet, the problem is definitely not new. I believe passionately in the right to a fair trial and innocent until proven guilty, but I honestly have no idea how it's even remotely possible to honour either of those maxims in a case like this. From the descriptions given by Clark, I would say that they gave it their best shot but the ingrained prejudices of all involved (not just regarding race, but all sorts of other things too), exacerbated by talking heads, sound bites and the desperation for exclusive headlines and/or a payday, were too big an obstacle to overcome.

Similarly, it also shows that we probably haven't come as far as we think with regard to the treatment of women in 'high powered' jobs. The coverage of Marcia wasn't so much about how she was an amazing lawyer and doing one hell of a job, but more about what she looked like, her personal life and her impending divorce. How she did not completely crumble under the pressure I will never understand, but I can only admire the fact that she kept on going in the face of it all. The moments where she does start feeling the effects are particularly emotive, and it's so frustrating to think that, again, the same things are still being said about female politicians, lawyers and other professional women 30 years later.

I'm not quite old enough to remember the case (plus I don't know how much coverage it was afforded in the UK), but this book does a great job at bringing it starkly to life. It manages to give an overview of the whole proceeding and enough detail to allow you to immerse yourself in the events without the need to hear the months of testimony. Yes, I was picturing Cuba Gooding Jr, Sarah Paulson, John Travolta etc in their respective roles from the TV series rather than the actual people, but the point is that it was very easy to see the story unfolding in my mind. 

Of course, this is one of many books written by people involved in the trial. As much as I understand why they want to get their own versions of the story out there, a small part of me does find it all a bit hypocritical; there are several passages in the book where Clark comments about witnesses, jurors and others selling their stories with some disdain, and yet the only difference I can see is that she chose to do so after the trial, rather than during it (I don't blame her for being annoyed with those who sold their stories rather than tell them in court though). There is still some element of 'cashing in' on the notoriety of the case - indeed, her comments at the end are essentially justifying her reasons for doing so - which leaves a little bit of a bitter taste. Ultimately, the story should be about the victims and not the man in the dock or the lawyers.

A very interesting read.

It's now been 112 years since the Titanic sailed out into the Atlantic Ocean. The people on board have no idea that, in just two days time, an iceberg will loom from the darkness and change the course of history. I've always been fascinated by the story of this ship and her passengers, and I do like trying to find something to read or do that relates at this time of year. Fortunately, I had just the thing on my TBR pile... the story of Eva Hart, who survived the sinking at 7 years old.

It is a little dated, particularly when discussing the failure of the 'Californian' to aid the stricken ship - it makes me wonder if modern theories about why they didn't come to help might have convinced her or been accepted - but nevertheless I think it's incredibly important to treasure the recollections we now have, as the chance to obtain first-hand accounts has passed on. I am torn between acceptance of the fact that she was only a child and so her recollections are probably not complete, and frustration that there is relatively little detail or emotional engagement. Part of me wonders if the fact this is being relayed through a third party might have given it that feeling of being one step removed, but equally Eva seems like quite a sensible, level headed woman and so perhaps she became used to speaking about the tragedy with a dispassionate voice.

I have to say I do love the tales of bad omens, premonitions and so on that come up surrounding the Titanic, and Eva has a particularly interesting one regarding her mother. The times she talks about her parents are the only times I 'felt' her story though. And there is one moment she mentions which has me convinced she and her family are portrayed in the 'Titanic' film, which helped a little to letting me see things through her eyes.

Of course, the sailing and sinking of the Titanic was only 4.5 days (ish) out of a lifetime, so of course it only takes up a small amount of the book. The majority deals with her life afterwards;  her travels abroad, her working life and her passion for welfare projects. But really, her life outside the Titanic was relatively ordinary, so while it is interested to hear about her engagement with the local community, it's not really the sort of life that requires a biography. She refers to the fact that she started talking more about her experience in later life, and does give a few examples, but again the description makes it feel like a footnote to her life, rather than the 'thing' which has given her and the writer a reason to publish a biography in the first place. As it's there in the title, I had hoped for more.

That being said, there is one thing that gives me chills. My copy is signed by both the biographer, and Eva herself. And my brain still can't quite process that the person who wielded the pen to mark something that I now own was actually there that night in 1912.

Lovely bit of extra Christmassy fluff!

After being ditched for another woman, Tiffy is desperate to find a new place to live. Leon has a flat sitting empty at night while he's out working and is in need of extra cash. Seems like the ideal arrangement; they live together and yet have the place to themselves. It's just the rest of their lives that make things more complicated...

Picked this book up after seeing the recent TV adaptation advertised (still haven't managed to actually watch ot though!) and liking the premise. It certainly delivered upon my expectations; I was pleasantly surprised that the set up didn't feel contrived, but instead made perfect sense in the circumstances! Similarly, the exchange of messages via post-it note works really well; they have phones and know how to use them, but somehow again there was no questioning why they didn't just message or WhatsApp eachother, even when their notes become longer. 

On the surface, this is a very cute story, but there are darker themes running throughout. Normally, the only thing that gets me to close the book and take a breath before continuing is second-hand embarrassment, but in this case there were a couple of occasions where I needed a moment to allow my more visceral reactions towards certain characters and actions to subside. Tiffy does go on something of a healing journey throughout the book, and so I also found myself having to revise my opinion on some of her thoughts and actions, and recognise them as almost a 'conditioned response' to a girl who can't quite let go of a guy who is clearly not good for her. I give the author kudos for illustrating the development and recovery process in such a way. 

The book is very well rounded, with a number of great little sub-plots and other details that serve the main plot very well and flesh out both the main and secondary characters, making them particularly lovable (or hateable as the case may be). There's a little bit of social commentary on the state of the justice system, a story of long-lost love, and an admiration of crochet that absolutely tips this towards the 'cosy' end of the spectrum in places! 

The one thing I didn't get to grips with was the way Leon's chapters were structured. The chapters alternate between Tiffy and Leon's PoVs, but while Tiffy's are written in fairly standard prose, Leon's are a bit all over the place. Parts are written in abridged sentences, almost like he's filling in a patient's chart as part of his job. Speech isn't set out in speech marks, but rather prefixed with the name of the speaker, giving the impression of text messages or even a script. And other elements of the text feel more like a continuation of the post-it notes. There isn't a specific reason given for this quirky style and, while it is still 100% readable, it felt like energy needlessly wasted when it could have been set out in the same way as Tiffy's and been just as effective while being easier to digest.

I was initially torn about whether I'd keep this book or not, but the more I think about adding it to the charity pile, the stronger the feeling I get that I'll want to read it again at some point. So, for now at least, it earns a place on my bookshelf.

As Elizabeth I lay dying, Frances is on hand to provide traditional healing potions and folk remedies to ease her suffering. But the Queen's successor sees evil in such practices  and is determined to stamp put the scourge of witchcraft from his new kingdom.

I very much enjoy Tracy Borman's non-fiction works, but to be honest I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this, her first historical fiction title; she is very good at explaining the history when speaking or presenting a TV show, but I do find her a little stilted sometimes when it comes to "illustrating" the more subjective parts of an episode. However, I was pleasantly surprised; this shows that she is very capable of weaving fact and imagination together seamlessly to create a thoroughly immersive work. As she states in the author's notes, although Frances really existed, very little is known about her, so there aren't those moments that feel out of character or implausible like in some novels where the character is well known to history - her existence is enough to bring life and truth to the character, and the fictional elements give her the depth. 

In particular, I love that the author managed to get me hoping that she might forego the historical part of the historical fiction by the end; something that doesn't happen to me very often! The slow burn development of the main character's relationship is excellently done, and as things progressed I found myself rooting more and more for them. And even though the epilogue is almost stereotypical for this type of story, where I would normally roll my eyes I this case it gave me a little spark of warmth in my heart. 

I think I would have enjoyed a little more character development for Tom, just so he felt as fully developed as Frances, but at the same time you know all you really need to about him from the text (and the history books if you're familiar with the period). On the other hand, I don't think I've ever seen Robert Cecil portrayed so well as a straight-up villain of the piece. I had a visceral reaction to him and again I desperately wanted to see him get his comeuppance, whether or not it's historically accurate!

There is a quite dark scene of interrogation/torture in the book which, while certainly uncomfortable to read, does seem to reflect the reality of life at that time. It is very well handled; graphic enough to make the reader understand certain horrors and how it was often gratuitous violence, while at the same time not being so details as to be inappropriate or unnecessary. 

I would say that this does almost feel like two books in one though. The title really only applies to the first half of the action, and while it doesn't motor along, you reach the pivotal scene you assume would be at the climax of the book, but you're barely half way through. The second half of the story takes us into an almost completely unrelated plot, but if you know even rudimentary English history you'll probably have a good idea where you'll end up. While it does work, part of me wonders if things had been split into a duology and more description, suspense and slow-burn action had been included, whether it might have just been that little more satisfying.