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balthazarlawson's reviews
1176 reviews
A Study in Stone by Michael Campling
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Dan Corrigan is burnt out and decides to take a break from London and moves into his sister's cottage in a small village in Devon. He gets to know his neighbour, Alan, and on a trip to Exeter, in search of real coffee, they come upon a cryptic message on a slab of stone in a cafe that claims to be more than it is. This sets them on the path to decrypt the message and find it's meaning. But there are those that don't want the truth revealed.
This is a novella that introduces the main characters of the series and is a good introduction. You get to learn about their personality and their motivations. I really enjoyed this, though, one or two things about the main character did annoyed me. His intense reactions is clearly why he is hiding out in a small village.
This is a novella that introduces the main characters of the series and is a good introduction. You get to learn about their personality and their motivations. I really enjoyed this, though, one or two things about the main character did annoyed me. His intense reactions is clearly why he is hiding out in a small village.
Eversion by Alastair Reynolds
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I didn't like this book.
The sheer nature of the story made it repetitive and repetitive it was. Trying to understand what was actually happening and why was difficult. It just went on and on and on heading to a goal. When that goal was reached I found it hugely disappointed to find out what the story was really about. It's difficult to express my huge disappointment.
I really hated this.
The sheer nature of the story made it repetitive and repetitive it was. Trying to understand what was actually happening and why was difficult. It just went on and on and on heading to a goal. When that goal was reached I found it hugely disappointed to find out what the story was really about. It's difficult to express my huge disappointment.
I really hated this.
After the Flood by Dave Warner
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Inspector Dan Clement is a detective based in Broome in Western Australia and is contemplating life and wondering if he should return to Perth to be closer to his daughter. He longs for an interesting case to grab his attention, something he soon regrets.
A body is found on an isolated road, over 200kms from Broome, and it's the start of an investigation that is not easy. The first problem is trying to identify the body, because without that he really has no where to take the case.
This is an enjoyable, fast paced read but there are times it seems to wonder into deep thought about life. Of course there is a climatic ending, one which feels a bit rushed.
I do have another issue with the continuity of some things, mainlywhere does Lauren Bagot work. It changes between Hardcastle Minerals and Monarch Minerals.
A body is found on an isolated road, over 200kms from Broome, and it's the start of an investigation that is not easy. The first problem is trying to identify the body, because without that he really has no where to take the case.
This is an enjoyable, fast paced read but there are times it seems to wonder into deep thought about life. Of course there is a climatic ending, one which feels a bit rushed.
I do have another issue with the continuity of some things, mainly
Graveyard of Empires by Scott Mariani
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is book 26 in the Ben Hope series and Ben finds himself wonder where his life is going. He's kind of disillusioned with the way things are with his set up in France. But his past reaches out to him from two directions, one he wants to help with and one he has no say and must comply. Fortuitously they both involve traveling to Afghanistan, the last place on earth he wants to go.
Madison Cahill, an old acquaintance is missing on an archeology trip to the country and he wants to help find her but has no way of getting there on his own. Then comes along an offer he can't refuse to help with a mission run by British intelligence to locate and help return to England an operative named Spartan also missing in Afghanistan.
This is the set up of an adventurous trip through Afghanistan where Ben's training comes in handy and he is driven by his deep felt need to do good for others.
An enjoyable read and fits in well with the series.
Madison Cahill, an old acquaintance is missing on an archeology trip to the country and he wants to help find her but has no way of getting there on his own. Then comes along an offer he can't refuse to help with a mission run by British intelligence to locate and help return to England an operative named Spartan also missing in Afghanistan.
This is the set up of an adventurous trip through Afghanistan where Ben's training comes in handy and he is driven by his deep felt need to do good for others.
An enjoyable read and fits in well with the series.
Headland by John Byrnes
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Most of the characters in this book are horrible. The police are everything that people hate about the police. Killing a criminal because they are a criminal is still wrong. Plus there is a large amount of drug use.
Detective Senior Constable Craig Watson is posted to a country town for six months to fill in for the previous detective. No sooner is he in town then he is on the drugs and has a case of a missing girl to investigate and an older car accident that turns out to be not so much of an accident. Plus there is the persistent rain and ever present threat of a flood.
Then all hell lets loose.
Interspersed with all this is Craig's story that tries to explain why he is on the drugs. But there are problems with the reasoning for this, especially how it started. It doesn't feel real.
Overall, this is enjoyable and the writer has potential. But this is lacking in parts.
Detective Senior Constable Craig Watson is posted to a country town for six months to fill in for the previous detective. No sooner is he in town then he is on the drugs and has a case of a missing girl to investigate and an older car accident that turns out to be not so much of an accident. Plus there is the persistent rain and ever present threat of a flood.
Then all hell lets loose.
Interspersed with all this is Craig's story that tries to explain why he is on the drugs. But there are problems with the reasoning for this, especially how it started. It doesn't feel real.
Overall, this is enjoyable and the writer has potential. But this is lacking in parts.
Assassin by Ted Bell
1.0
This is the second book in the Alexander Hawke series, but the first I've read.
It will probably be the only one I read.
This was such a drag to read with all the characters being stereotypes, totally illogical in their actions and completely unbelievable. There was no enjoyment in this book. The structure was totally stupid and the time lines didn't make any sense. There were two stories in this book and it was just pointless with them being their. Then there is the issue of characters who just disappeared without conclusion of their story.
Pathetic is all I can say.
It will probably be the only one I read.
This was such a drag to read with all the characters being stereotypes, totally illogical in their actions and completely unbelievable. There was no enjoyment in this book. The structure was totally stupid and the time lines didn't make any sense. There were two stories in this book and it was just pointless with them being their. Then there is the issue of characters who just disappeared without conclusion of their story.
Pathetic is all I can say.
Barracuda 945 by Patrick Robinson
2.0
There were several aspects to this book that I found annoying, didn't add to the tension and would have been more suited to a movie script than a book. Other facts were repeated over and over and it all seemed that this book was padded out to meet a predetermined length. I found it disappointing as I've read a few books by Patrick Robinson and this was just a poor effort. It was barely tolerable.
Liquid Gold by James Phelan
2.0
I didn't enjoy this as much as I would like to have. I thought the narrative was poorly constructed and lacked clarity and depth to make the story truly gripping. It was annoying to start new passages without know what the hell was going on or what people were referring to. The conversation between characters was benal, uninformative and at times seemed totally pointless to the story. The story seemed to lose it's way and I think this is one of the big problems with this book. Along with long drawn out events that added almost nothing to the story and seemed to be nothing more than padding.
Web Of Deceit by Glenn Meade
3.0
As with most books that involves spys and criminals there is a certain amount of confusion about what, why and when, plus all the double bluffs. There was a bit of that in this book which was a bit of a distraction. The ending was a bit cliche and seemed to be have written for a movie ending rather than a book but there is a lot of that round of late.
Overall it's readable, but nothing spectacular.
Overall it's readable, but nothing spectacular.