I heard it on the grapevine

Girl 4 by Will Carver

ihearditonthegrapevine — Thu, 12 May 2011 19:34:05 +0000

I couldn’t put Girl 4 down, and that is a complement from
someone who is hyper-critical of other authors. I can see this book becoming a
Marmite Classic – people talking about it because they either love it or hate
it. For someone like myself, with a scattergun mind, the narrative jumping all
over the place is great and I could follow it easily. For someone who likes
things to flow, they are going to put it down soon after opening it. It is a
pretty standard police procedural, with the Met trying to catch a serial killer
who is targeting seemingly random young women. But Carver has the ability to
draw you into the minds of both January David, the police officer
investigating, and the killer himself. You find yourself desperate to get to
the end, not because it’s bad, but because it’s so tight and gripping, with
teasing clues, you need to know how it ends. The murders are gruesome and
imaginative, and at times the book is downright scary. I also like the fact it
seems David has physic powers, which is something I haven’t seen in a crime
book before.

I have dropped a star because to me the character of January
David to me is a bit similar to Mo Hayder’s Jack McCaffery – another London
detective whose sibling disappeared, presumed dead, as a child and has been
cast aside by his family because they blame him for their loss. Also, I found
myself skipping over rather lengthy descriptions of pieces of furniture that at
times read like an ad for Ikea. Finally, a couple of little niggles like the fact
police don’t seem to think of looking at CCTV from where the girls were taken,
and that David also appears to work in a station where there are very few
officers and a distinct lack of commanders and superintendents.

Finally the twist. I liked it and loathed it in equal
measures. I liked that it was a complete revelation that came straight from
left-field and I hadn’t predicted, but at the same time, it also doesn’t
entirely make sense, given the rest of the book. Although I do think that if I
re-read it, it might make more sense.

I can’t wait to read Carver’s further novels and feel privileged
to be one of the first people to read Girl 4. I urge you to buy it. You may not
be overly blown away by the story, but you will no doubt get the feeling you’re
at the beginning of the career of a great crime writer. The potential’s there,
it just needs teasing out. Roll on book two!

*****

Buy Girl 4 here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-4-Will-Carver/dp/0099551039/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305228292&sr=8-1

How to Get Fat Poor and Diseased Without Even Trying by Joshua Busch

ihearditonthegrapevine — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 21:40:51 +0000

This is a very curious book. I wouldn’t even call it a collection of short stories, because stories require setting and developed characters. This book is a collection of skits that are somewhere between jokes and mini scripts. Each episode consists of dialogue between a number of people, with no internal thoughts or plot development. I can honestly say I’ve never read a book like this before, so I can’t really compare it to anything else. I would recommend it as something for people to read when they only have a small amount of time to take something in, or just want to read something light and humorous.

Subjects covered, are a couple who have a violent introduction at a baseball game (my favourite story), people who go to view a haunted house and a bear and a lone camper. The language is very US-centric and in places I had to re-read a couple of times to grasp what the author meant. In all honesty, the book wasn’t my sort of thing, as there was nothing for me to get my teeth into, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t appeal to someone who likes a gentle chuckle at surreal stories.

*****

Buy the book here http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/how-to-get-fat-poor-and-diseased-without-even-trying/12458667?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1

The Up-Country Man by Kenneth C Ryeland

ihearditonthegrapevine — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:12:36 +0000

The Up-Country Man is the autobiographical tale of Kenneth Ryeland, author of Tribal Gathering. As a young man in the 1960s, he was posted by Land Rover, to work in Nigeria, leaving behind his wife and young son. His posting coincided with the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War and the establishment of the short lived independent state of Biafra. Ken comes face to face with tribal differences, the corruption inherent in newly independent countries and meets some interesting characters along the way. The book is well written and engaging and I certainly came away feeling as though I had learnt a lot about a subject I previously knew very little about. Ryeland has a wonderful memory for places and dialogue and evokes the sense of one actually being there and witnessing the horror of his situation.

My criticisms are few, in that I found the frequent use of pidgin English both annoying and unnecessary. Ryeland could have established early on that the indigenous people used this language and from then on, just used an English translation. Because I couldn’t understand it, I found myself skipping these parts. I would also add that this book would not appeal to those who are concerned about political correctness. Some of the language is very of the time, and there is a tendency to make the white man always look fair and just, and black Africans ignorant. As this is an autobiography, subjectivity is understandable, and it is the situation seen through Ryeland’s eyes. But while he does not express the same obnoxious prejudices as his fellow ex-pats, there is still a feeling that he is not willing to accept that white rule in Nigeria may have played a part in the situation he finds himself in. But it is not for me to argue if countries are better off as colonies, or finding their own feet, even if it does involve civil war. It is my place to review books, and I thoroughly enjoyed The Up-Country Man and would now be interested to now read an account of the situation from a black African’s point of view.

*****

Karen Mason

buy The Up-Country Man here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Up-Country-Man-personal-account-secessionist/dp/1413796524/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286823365&sr=8-1

Summer’s Road by Kelly Moran

ihearditonthegrapevine — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:11:22 +0000

When I sat down to read Summer’s Road, I thought I would read a few chapters and then come back to it later that evening. I did not know I would become so engrossed in the novel, that it would not be possible for me to do that. What I also did not know is that because of this, I would end up sitting on my bed till 1:30 am reading until the very last chapter.

It’s been a long time since I have done that with any book. Sure, I have read some that kept me up nights saying “just once more chapter”, but reading a complete novel in less than 10 hours? Maybe once. Maybe.

Kelly Moran’s novel, Summer’s Road, is the story of Summer Quinn, a young woman with a lot going on in her life. It is also a story that grasped my attention from the beginning and kept it all the way through to the very beautiful ending.

Summer is dealing with some pretty tough issues. Her father, who raised her alone after her mother left them, passed away 4 years ago. Her boyfriend wants to come into town because he has “something to tell her”. The mother who abandoned her as a baby just showed up on her doorstep, and her best friend just might be in love with her.

I certainly would love to tell you more. A lot more. But to do that would simply ruin it for readers, and I would hate to do that. I will tell you that Summer’s story is a heart-warming one. It’s a story of loss, love, forgiveness and everything in between. It kept me reading all day and all night, stopping only to eat and shower. I just HAD to know what was going to happen. Full of emotion, this novel is one I will treasure, like a dear friend I can revisit every now and again. Kelly Moran is one of the most talented authors to come along. I look forward to her next novel.

Summer’s Road will be released in 2011.

Lisa K. Mason

*****

check out the author’s website http://www.authorkellymoran.com

A, B & E by Marc Nash

ihearditonthegrapevine — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:47:05 +0000

On the run from her psycho gangster husband, Karen Dash (not her true born name) washes up in a sun-soaked Greek holiday resort, where she spends her time hanging out in tourist bars, hotel bedrooms and the like, getting pissed, getting laid and telling (possibly tall) stories. Meanwhile, back in the rainy old UK, a harried NHS nurse cultivates her resentment of her bloody awful patients. But this is more a novel about the telling as it is about the tale: it’s about the “voices” of the two protagonists, you might say – the way they “talk” (or should that be write); allusively, discursively, wordily, and the minor digressions, the little anecdotes/factoids/opinions that pepper the novel. This is a fun text, erudite, witty, sometimes playful. The two protagonists are not perhaps entirely convincing: Miss Dash seems a little too wise and cynical (and, let’s be honest, too much the literati/intellectual, albeit of the “lumpen” kind) to make an altogether convincing moll. It also has to be said it can be a little difficult to tell the two protagonists apart, their “voices” are very similar, even if their situations are not. If you enjoy “writerly” novels which emphasise the pleasures of the text over narrative and even, to a certain extent, character, then A, B & E could be for you.

*****

David Alexander

Buy A&B from Amazon.co.uk http://www.amazon.co.uk/B-E-Marc-Nash/dp/1906558973/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281217510&sr=8-2

Full of Sin by Karl Vadaszffy

ihearditonthegrapevine — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:00:07 +0000

Sean is a troubled young man, a product of an abusive childhood, abandoned by his drug addicted, prostitute mother, suffering at the hands of violet foster parents, he finally finds a semblance of happiness with the Anderson family. However, the demons that are already within him cause him to commit an act of violence against his foster sister, which is the catalyst to a series of unfortunate events that befall our young hero.

This debut novel by Karl Vadaszffy is well written and incredibly easy to read. The character of Sean is easy to empathise with, and the book clearly is written with the intention of pointing out that monsters are not born, they are made. Of course, many would argue with this, as prisons are populated with many offenders who came from a perfectly stable background. But it is true that many of society’s more dangerous criminals are themselves victims of circumstance, and Sean is one such person. However, victims should also be taken into consideration, and it would seem the fate of one of Sean’s victims is brushed under the carpet, and all the attention focused on him and his miserable life.

My main criticism of Full of Sin, is that it is too short at 178 pages, and an extra hundred pages would have given us a chance to explore Sean’s story further and would have allowed room for the supporting characters to be more than just clichés and stereotypes, which some of them end up becoming. The ending is rather rushed, which is disappointing, given that we have invested time in getting inside this young man’s head and living his life through him, and because the end is so hurried, you’re left with a slight feeling of ‘eh?’.

I don’t know if the author intends to, but I think he would be very well suited to writing psychological crime books with an anti-hero as the main protagonist. I would most definitely read more of his books, because Full of Sin kept my interest throughout and I see great potential.

Watch this space for more from Mr Vadaszffy!

*****

Buy Full of Sin at Amazon.co.uk and other online sellers.

The True Tale of Jezbel Cole by Karen Mason

ihearditonthegrapevine — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:26:38 +0000

Yet another winner by Karen Mason. Her fifth novel, this is a story about a writer with a secret past. Starting in the early seventies, it tells the story of Patsy Keegan/Patty Belleville and her family. It is written from the point of view of her eldest daughter Sasha, who investigates the disappearance of her mother in mysterious circumstances. There are then regular flashbacks telling us the story in between. The book is set in London and West Ireland, and goes back and forth from the seventies to the present day.

As with all of Karen Mason’s novels, it is filled with interesting characters, a good plot, and is a well paced story with grittiness and all aspects of the social make up of the time. I loved the contemporary style of her writing and always look forward to reading these books and passing them on to friends and family.

There is only one tiny criticism (and it’s not really even a criticism) I just wish her books were a bit longer! She has the ability to write a big blockbuster; her books are so good I would just love the stories to go on and on!

*****

Carmel Madden

The True Tale of Jezebel Cole is available from the author’s website

http://authorkarenmason.wordpress.com/the-true-tale-of-jezebel-cole/

and will be available from Amazon.co.uk from August 2010

And No Wings by Nigel Jay Robson

ihearditonthegrapevine — Sat, 01 May 2010 18:46:12 +0000

And No Wings is the first novel by broadcaster. Nigel Jay Robson and what an epic it is! It centres on what would happen if God and the Angel Gabriel became involved in earth’s many conflicts and environmental disasters; would divine intervention help, or would the inherent greediness of man still destroy things? This book is in no way religious and portrays God in a rather grumpy ‘human’ manner – all seeing but rather disillusioned with His ‘job’. The book is well written, humorous and resonates. Whilst reading it, in real life we’ve had volcanic ash clouds, oil slicks and various other environmental happenings that have made me think of this book and how it’s not as much a work of science fiction as we’d like to think.

My major criticism is that the book is too long. At 695 pages, if you took it as a holiday read, you would need to be going for a very long cruise to be able to fit it all in! There are too many characters and it switches from viewpoints and characters without any transition, which makes it confusing. In my opinion, this novel is like two novels put together. One is about a group of people trying to tackle global warming and people’s greediness; the other is a story about politics and terrorism. They do kind of blend into each other but for me would be better as two volumes in one book.

I challenge anyone not to read this book and start visualising and casting the film of it. There are several fantastic characters who could have been developed further and several who didn’t really serve the story much and could have been edited out. I would certainly read another book by Nigel Jay Robson, just hope that the next one is a bit shorter!

*****

Buy the book at http://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Wings-Nigel-Jay-Robson/dp/0956183301/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

Here Comes the Devil Snails! Quick Run Like Hell! the Laser Beam Poodles are Coming!

ihearditonthegrapevine — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 22:38:23 +0000

What can I say about this book? Everything about it is crazy, from the title (and no, it isn’t just a random name it does pertain to things that happen in the story), to the rambling prose, even to the mad layout of it. This isn’t a book for everyone, for some people it is going to be completely unreadable, to others, it’s going to be something of a cult read.

The plot centres around Britain after a nuclear exchange with France (fancy that), with Clockwork Orange style gangs of thugs causing untold trouble and committing random acts of violence in this dystopia, a space age witch and all other sorts of mad things going on.

This is in no way a comfortable read, and in my opinion it needs some heavy editing and more of a structured plot. But I do suspect there are going to be lots of readers who are going to just love the whole ‘out there’ aspect of it. I can certainly say, in my many years, I’ve never read anything like it, which is excellent because too many writers become sheep, just following everyone else.

It’s not a big book, so I suggest you just check this unusual read out for yourself.

Buy the book at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Comes-Devil-Snails-Poodles-Coming/dp/1409295915

*****

Nails by D.M. Samson

ihearditonthegrapevine — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:37:57 +0000

Nails is a short novella detailing a day in the life of Kevin, a young mechanic in the early eighties. If you’re looking for something in-depth and epic, I would avoid Nails like the plague. If you want something that reflects the futility of our existence then it is the book for you.

Nails is very easy to read and the character of Kevin is easy to identify with; even as a female, I can recall those days of drinking with your mates and going on fruitless dates being the things that define you.

My criticisms are that, being rather old-fashioned, I like a book that tells me when and where it is set at the beginning. It was only when I got close to the end and they were talking about the Miner’s Strike that I realised it was set in 1984. There is also no indication where it is set. At times the dialogue sounds Scottish, then the characters will talk about ‘going up north’. Maybe this is a deliberate move on the author’s part to demonstrate that there are ‘Kevins’ in every town in very city, but personally I found it distracting.

The stream of consciousness stuff took some getting used to it, but after a while I didn’t mind it, although I would have preferred more of an explanation as to whom the characters ‘Beryl’ and ‘Sandra’ were.

All in all, a good, well-written effort but needs a bit more substance.

3 ½ stars

buy Nails here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nails-D-M-Samson/dp/0955679613/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265146605&sr=8-1