Gingerbread Man - Book Review

STORYLINE:  Thomas, a freelance criminal investigator is called in to help the police with a series of unusual murders. The clues lead nowhere and the police need to have the crimes tied up before people start screaming serial killer.

PLAYERS: 

Thomas: A sensual, intelligent man with a strong appreciated for the female sex. He’s also a top-of-the-line crime solver.

Claire: The woman who loves him and whom he loves, only it takes him a while to admit, accept and do something about it. She’s also an ex-FBI officer.

Miscellaneous police characters: Associates of Tom whom I kept mixing up as the story unfolded.

I LIKED: the concept of the story – a set of seemingly random murders that are in fact orchestrated. It takes Thomas, who is also ex-FBI, to best the killers at their own game. I fell in love with Shane’s prose. Really liked the way in which he puts words together to show both character and plot. I also liked the relaxed nature of the relationship he shared with Claire. A time or three, I did think the relationship strange as it came to involve two other women - Bugsy (a writer) and eventually Valerie, one of the professional killers. Before that there were some lesbian undercurrents between Bugsy and Claire.  

I COULD HAVE LIVED WITHOUT:  the way the language broke down the closer I got to the end of the story. There were quite a few F bombs in the book, and the more dangerous the situation became for the hero and his associates, the more he descended into using that one word and a few variations of it. The ellipses that were at first distracting also started to drive me nuts after a time. I’ve never read a book before with so many of them. I understood the mind-blowing implications that came from knowing that all eleven murders were staged by professional killers, and that he and Clare would almost certainly be killed, but still…some restraint would have worked better, I think.

OVERALL COMMENTS:  The book had a strong Caribbean flavor and many things Jamaican in it. The hero wasn’t Jamaican, however, there was much that was familiar to me based on the fact that he grew up on an island. I’m guessing this is part of the reason the publisher (a Jamaican outfit) fell in love with the novel.  There were many snippets of songs that the writer used to fit in with the current situation and another interesting aspect was the notes that were left on the bodies – signed GBM - that weren’t really clues.  

Again, I liked the voice. The narrative and dialogue were presented in the way that so many men speak – in incomplete sentences. Tom also noticed many things about the female characters that only a man would.  I found the crimes unique, and graphic in part and also admired the way Tom’s mind worked to tie the almost non-existent clues together to come to his conclusion. I’m not sure I’m satisfied with the way the perpetrators were dealt with. It felt kind of convenient.

At the end of the novel, I wanted to slap Tom and his women in the head. It was a stretch to believe this man was so appealing that three women would be in a communal type arrangement with him. Still, to each his own.

SOURCE: I borrowed this book from the library, having read the back cover. 

RATING: Gingerbread Man was a truly awesome read.

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Book Review - The First Excellence: Fa-Ling's Map

STORYLINE:  Fa-Ling visits China with a group of Canadian couples who are going to complete the adoption process and meet their children. Fa-Ling has unresolved issues and so visits the orphanage that she and her sister called home. She unwittingly gets involved in a kidnapping and forms an alliance with a police officer who is investigating several murders and chasing corrupt agents of the state.   

PLAYERS: 

Fa-Ling: A young Canadian woman of Chinese origin, who visits China to see the place of her birth and close a chapter of her life. During her time in a Chinese orphanage, she was sexually abused by a worker. She makes her way to the orphanage to try to slay past demons.  

Wang Ying-qu: An intelligent police officer who is called to Fa-Ling’s hotel, where a staged suicide is committed. He is attracted to Fa-ling and makes various excuses to see her again.

Cheng Minsheng: A rough-looking, yet smart officer, who with his partner follow a trail of state endorsed killings.

I LIKED: the pace of the story. Though it was challenging to keep the characters straight (there were five couples in the Canadian group) and follow various points of view, the plot unfolded in a sequential way that kept me reading. I liked the flow and simplicity of the language and, as always, I am enthralled by tales of Chinese culture. It was a little different from the books of this kind that I normally read. For one, it was set in modern day China and it was good to get a look at the activities of the police department and ministry of security.

I COULD HAVE LIVED WITHOUT:  the many characters involved in the story.  Each time I came across a Chinese character, I stopped for a second to be sure I knew whose point of view I was in. I also had to do the same for the Canadian couples. Of course, there were characters who stood out and those were easy to follow.

OVERALL COMMENTS: If stories to do with communist states, personal quests, and plain intrigue are your thing, then the First Excellence is for you. (I got this book on Kindle for 99 cents, but the story is way above that dollar value) There were two major external plots are work in this novel, one to do with the state clamping down on something (in this case a religious sect) they didn’t understand, but saw as a threat, and the other detailed the lengths to which someone will go when faced with ruin.

The plot was complex, but not hard to follow. The main characters each had their own quest and the plot lines threaded nicely together to form a cohesive whole.  I thought the writer did a good job with closing out the kidnapping angle, which saved a member of the visiting group from spending time in prison. The state angle of course was more difficult. For each corrupt government official that is neutralized, there are many more to continue the job of oppressing those who choose not to follow the beaten path.

There was one thread that was left unresolved and made me wonder how many times we meet people who are connected to us, but we’re oblivious to that fact.

The title of the book puzzled me, but half way into the story, I saw the light.  I’ll definitely read more from this writer and hope that having found her First Excellence, Fa-Ling will take me on other adventures.

 The First Excellence was truly awesome!

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Book Review - Demonglass

STORYLINE:  Overwhelmed by the knowledge of the destruction that’s possible through her supernatural powers,  Sophie Mercer decides she wants to be done with that part of her life. She leaves Hecate (Hex) Hall for London, but based on her absentee father’s request, Sophie decides to wait before making a decision.  In England, she discovers that someone is in the business of spawning demons. Danger lurks around every corner: Sophie’s in danger from her own kind and her crush is on the side that’s determined to destroy her.

PLAYERS: 

Sophie Mercer: A little older and a tad more mature, Sophie spews snappy lines from start to finish.   She’s conflicted by her powers, her relationship with her dad, and the fiancé she didn’t know she had, not to mention the crush she thought she was over.

Archer Cross: The warlock Sophie still hasn’t got over. He’s working for the enemy, but that doesn’t stop Sophie from getting attached all over again.

Jennifer Talbot (Jenna): Vampire, and friend to Sophie, who knows her better than anyone else. They have their ups and downs, just like friends in the real world and are a constant in each others lives.

Cal: I wonder if it’s significant that I can’t remember anything of his name other than that his sir name is Callaghan.  Anyway, he’s the groundskeeper-cum-healer at Hex Hall and the fiancé Sophie didn’t know she had until the start of this novel.

I LIKED: Sophie's voice, which is probably the most appealing thing (for me) about this book. She just keeps those one liners coming. (Really enjoyed the banter between herself and Archer in chapter 31, while they battled the ghouls.) I also appreciated the relationships the writer built for her. Jenna is right there with Sophie and the writer mentions/inserts characters from the first book, so it was easy to pick up where the last book left off. 

Also liked how her relationship with Cal developed, but personally, there was a bit of a disappointment there for me. (Yeah, I’m in Cal’s camp.)  The book was realistic in that Sophie was willing to grow into what she was supposed to become based on her lineage.  The pace of the story was as good, if not better than Hex Hall.

I COULD HAVE LIVED WITHOUT:  the angst contained in the story, but what can I say? We’re reading about teens, so that is expected. I wasn’t as devastated by Sophie’s feelings of loss over Archer as I was during the times when she was at odds with her best friend. Strange, I know, but such was the relationship between the two girls. My reaction over the Sophie/Archer situation could also be because I was rooting for Cal.

OVERALL COMMENTS: Again, werewolves, witches and vampire aren’t my thing, but Ms. Hawkins spins a good tale. The plot was credible, based on the storyline coming from Hex Hall and the drama grew in relation to the disastrous events that swamped the characters by the end of the book.

I liked the developing relationship between Cal and Sophie. Some sparks were definitely there, but I was a tad disappointed with the way things have turned out between them. Couldn’t believe Sophie didn’t see/feel that she was also attracted to him. I felt like she was making excuses when she finally admitted how Cal felt about her.  I was a bit let down that Sophie’s dad didn’t suspect or sense that his enemies were so close, him being a mega demon and all.

And on the business of cliff hangers? I loved the way the book ended – with an invitation to step right into the next leg of the story.  If the third book was out there, I’d have picked it up right away. I knew it wasn’t, but still I checked, just in case. Silly me.

Started Demonglass on Monday evening. Read it on my way to and from work. Finished it this evening (Wednesday), but had it on my mind when I couldn’t read. Good story, great characters, interesting plot. The writer kept me invested from beginning to end and I definitely will read the next book.  

Hurry up, Ms. Hawkins!

Demonglass was a mind-blowingly awesome read!

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