Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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True Journalist

Nineteen Seventy-Four by David Peace

March 12, 2019 by Jake Leave a Comment

Well I guess I know what a British James Ellroy would read like. The only other book I read of David Peace’s is his fun and hilarious soccer send-up The Damned Utd., which was the basis for a fun and hilarious soccer movie. I tried Red or Dead but found it’s repetition too cloying and it’s 600+ pages too daunting. Still, I think he’s a talented writer. It took me several tries to get into this one; I had to get used to his writing voice. But I’m […]

Filed Under: Mystery Tagged With: David Peace, England, journalism, mystery, Nineteen Seventy-Four, Red Riding Quartet

Jake's CBR11 Review No:27 · Genres: Mystery · Tags: David Peace, England, journalism, mystery, Nineteen Seventy-Four, Red Riding Quartet ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Midwestern Horror Show

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

March 10, 2019 by Jake Leave a Comment

It’s been six years since I read Gone Girl but I would probably put this ahead of it as Gillian Flynn’s most realized work. It’s miles ahead of Sharp Objects for sure. There’s not a big departure from anything Flynn has done in other books: a woman horribly abused by life living in a perpetual state of neuroticism and self-loathing who has to either solve a mystery or figure her life out. This time it’s the former and I suppose there’s not a big difference between the three but […]

Filed Under: Mystery Tagged With: #Dark Places, Gillian Flynn, kansas, mystery

Jake's CBR11 Review No:26 · Genres: Mystery · Tags: #Dark Places, Gillian Flynn, kansas, mystery ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

The Ties That Bind

Blood's A Rover by James Ellroy

March 8, 2019 by Jake 1 Comment

The conclusion of James Ellroy’s Underworld USA trilogy is probably not the best work of is but it may be one of my favorites. If you haven’t followed along with my reviews, allow me some framing: I have a weird relationship with James Ellroy’s books. LA noirs and overarching American conspiracy are definitely my thing. But for years, I wasn’t able to connect with Ellroy’s style. Not necessarily his writing style, per se, though that often leaves something to be desired. Rather, Ellroy reads were […]

Filed Under: Mystery Tagged With: Blood's A Rover, historical fiction, James Ellroy, mystery, Underworld USA Trilogy

Jake's CBR11 Review No:25 · Genres: Mystery · Tags: Blood's A Rover, historical fiction, James Ellroy, mystery, Underworld USA Trilogy ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

Clunky and Unrealistic

Phantom Prey by John Sandford

March 8, 2019 by Classic Leave a Comment

Ehhh. I didn’t really like this one. It’s a strong 3 star book, but the whole thing with the character of Fairy just didn’t work for me. It actually took away from the first plot (who murdered Alyssa Austin’s daughter and why). And though Sandford delays showing us what is going on until the 60 percent or so mark, I found myself losing interest after the reveal and just wanting to finish the book already. Usually Lucas has two cases to follow and in this […]

Filed Under: Mystery Tagged With: John Sandford, mystery, The Prey Series Book 18

Classic's CBR11 Review No:62 · Genres: Mystery · Tags: John Sandford, mystery, The Prey Series Book 18 ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Antique Roadshow, But Deadly

Invisible Prey by John Sandford

March 8, 2019 by Classic Leave a Comment

Wow. So this was really really good. I loved the idea of the two investigations that end up becoming entwined due to Lucas’s involvement with both. I also died laughing when Weather pretty much called Lucas an idiot for not realizing how much antiques cost. And I loved the idea of the antique circles turning deadly. I personally still have a velvet bench that belonged to my grandmother (my father’s mother) and it’s old and very 1930s. I have no idea how much the thing […]

Filed Under: Mystery Tagged With: John Sandford, mystery, The Prey Series Book 17

Classic's CBR11 Review No:61 · Genres: Mystery · Tags: John Sandford, mystery, The Prey Series Book 17 ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Be Our Guest, Be Our Guest, Put Our Service to the Test…

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

March 8, 2019 by Classic 7 Comments

So I really enjoyed “The Little Stranger” and wanted to read more Sarah Waters books. I picked up “The Paying Guests” and found it hard to get into initially. Just like I did with “The Little Stranger.” However, Waters takes her time building up the story and you eventually get into the rhythm of the book. I really liked the main character, Frances Wray, and the setting of the story (1920s England) really works. Frances Wray and her mother end up having to take in […]

Filed Under: Mystery Tagged With: LGBT fiction, mystery, Sarah Waters, The Paying Guests

Classic's CBR11 Review No:60 · Genres: Mystery · Tags: LGBT fiction, mystery, Sarah Waters, The Paying Guests ·
Rating:
· 7 Comments
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