en-US Tue, 06 May 2025 01:46:33 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7537426661 Tue, 06 May 2025 01:46:33 -0700 /review/show/7537426661 Nigel gave 3 stars to The Gangster (Isaac Bell, #9) by Clive Cussler
bookshelves: adventure, mystery, pi-mystery
Probably 3.5 stars if I'm honest, I am always inclined to deduct half a start for books in this series owing to the jumbled timeline. Full marks for Cussler using real start of 1900s events to set the stories around, it would just have been better if these had all been thought of in advance and the stories sequentially. It doesn't impact each adventure, it just makes it difficult to keep track of main character's back stories. Isaac for instance goes from being married in one, engaged in the next not having met his future wife in another.
The principle story line here is Van Dorm's battle against the Italian Black Hand gang of kidnappers, blackmailers and extortionists who are plaguing New York. Through in whispers of an assassination attempt being planned against President Roosevelt and their is plenty for Bell and the team to get their teeth into.
Fast paced adventure thriller that is is good fun and doesn't take itself too seriously. ]]> Review7531594066 Tue, 06 May 2025 01:39:14 -0700 /review/show/7531594066 Nigel gave 4 stars to Devices and Desires (Adam Dalgliesh, #8) by P.D. James
bookshelves: police-proedural
In the 8th Commander Dalgliesh story we find Adam taking a holiday on the Norfolk coast to sort out his recently deceased Aunt's old mill and possessions. He is also trying to escape the publishers wish to send him out on tour with his latest volume of poetry, his first for a while. Unfortunately for Adam, the area in which he is staying around the Larksoken Nuclear Power station is currently plagued by a serial killer. Adam is determined not to interfere but fate has other ideas. Firstly at a dinner party (mostly with senior people at the power station) given by one of the locals, there is a late comer who has been held up by discovering the latest victim. Then Adam himself finds Hilary Robarts (acting Admin officer at the Power Station) dead apparently another victim of the Whistler. When Inspector Rickards (the local inspector) informs Adam that the Whistler is dead and would have been for a few hours when Hilary was killed, focus falls on those who knew details of his methods, and suspicion falls on the dinner party when after arriving late, Lessingham had regaled all the grisly details to the other guests, including stuff not out in the public domain.
Interesting story with Adam taking somewhat of a back seat but with just enough involvement to permit him to assist.
Who is behind the copy cat killing? What has the suicide of a researcher at the power station to do with anything? Why does the background of the power station director's PA not stand up to scrutiny? Which are red herrings and which are important clues as to the killer's identity. ]]> Review7525737083 Tue, 06 May 2025 01:28:45 -0700 /review/show/7525737083 Nigel gave 4 stars to A Taste for Death (Adam Dalgliesh, #7) by P.D. James
bookshelves: police-proedural
Another excellent Police Procedural featuring Commander Dalgliesh. This time in advance of the setting up of a new squad to investigate politically sensitive crimes, Dalgliesh is handing the case of the mysterious death of Sir Paul Berowne (recently resigned cabinet minister) and Harry Mack a local tramp who are both found with their throats slit, apparently by Sir Paul's own cut throat razor, in the little vestry of St Matthew's Church, Paddington.
Is this a bizarre case of murder and suicide (but which way round) or has someone unknown killed them both. As Dalgliesh sets out to discover the truth, he is met with silence and obstruction by the establishment and Sir Paul's own family who find guarding their secrets more important than find his killer. What if anything do two recent deaths associated with Sir Paul and referenced in both a a recent anonymous letter to him and subsequent newspaper article have to do with the current deaths?
Painstakingly and layer by layer Dalgiesh removes the lies and obscuration's from his path to find the truth.
As usual with PD James the book proceeds at a moderate pace, with much attention to detail. The slower pace than some police procedurals is hardly noticed as the reader keeps coming back for more as the red herrings pile up to see if they can uncover the truth before Dalgliesh. ]]> Review7509584912 Tue, 06 May 2025 01:11:45 -0700 /review/show/7509584912 Nigel gave 4 stars to A Kingdom Besieged (The Chaoswar Saga, #1) by Raymond E. Feist
bookshelves: fantasy
This is a typical start to another 3 story arc in the Rift War saga. There is a lot of stuff that doesn't seem to connect, but starts to pull together towards the end. There is no attempt to draw conclusion to any of the sub plots as readers by this stage know it's all going to resolve come the 3rd story in the arc.
Kesh seems hell bent on reclaiming all territories lost in previous wars (in some cases hundreds of years ago). On top of this there is more detail on the demons in their own world, which seems to be under threat from the 'Darkness' and if something can frighten the demons, it's probably time to leave. There is the usual investigations /shenanigans by the Conclave of Shadows, but as it's book 1 they are yet to conclude. The battle scenes as usual are well done, as is the political manoeuvring and the book has rises and falls in tension.
One thing Feist has added in this book, is a nice touch of realism, in that the teleportation disks, originally constructer by the magicians of Kelewan are starting to fail and since the destruction of Kelewan no one appears to have the necessary skill to repair them.
Certainly looking forward to how this Rift War arc developes.
]]> ReadStatus9389762415 Mon, 05 May 2025 07:17:50 -0700 /review/show/7544814246 Nigel is currently reading Corsair by Clive Cussler
]]> Review7537426661 Mon, 05 May 2025 07:16:30 -0700 /review/show/7537426661 Nigel gave 3 stars to The Gangster (Isaac Bell, #9) by Clive Cussler
bookshelves: adventure, mystery, pi-mystery
Probably 3.5 stars if I'm honest, I am always inclined to deduct half a start for books in this series owing to the jumbled timeline. Full marks for Cussler using real start of 1900s events to set the stories around, it would just have been better if these had all been thought of in advance and the stories sequentially. It doesn't impact each adventure, it just makes it difficult to keep track of main character's back stories. Isaac for instance goes from being married in one, engaged in the next not having met his future wife in another.
The principle story line here is Van Dorm's battle against the Italian Black Hand gang of kidnappers, blackmailers and extortionists who are plaguing New York. Through in whispers of an assassination attempt being planned against President Roosevelt and their is plenty for Bell and the team to get their teeth into.
Fast paced adventure thriller that is is good fun and doesn't take itself too seriously. ]]> Review7531594066 Fri, 02 May 2025 12:42:45 -0700 /review/show/7531594066 Nigel gave 4 stars to Devices and Desires (Adam Dalgliesh, #8) by P.D. James
bookshelves: police-proedural
In the 8th Commander Dalgliesh story we find Adam taking a holiday on the Norfolk coast to sort out his recently deceased Aunt's old mill and possessions. He is also trying to escape the publishers wish to send him out on tour with his latest volume of poetry, his first for a while. Unfortunately for Adam, the area in which he is staying around the Larksoken Nuclear Power station is currently plagued by a serial killer. Adam is determined not to interfere but fate has other ideas. Firstly at a dinner party (mostly with senior people at the power station) given by one of the locals, there is a late comer who has been held up by discovering the latest victim. Then Adam himself finds Hilary Robarts (acting Admin officer at the Power Station) dead apparently another victim of the Whistler. When Inspector Rickards (the local inspector) informs Adam that the Whistler is dead and would have been for a few hours when Hilary was killed, focus falls on those who knew details of his methods, and suspicion falls on the dinner party when after arriving late, Lessingham had regaled all the grisly details to the other guests, including stuff not out in the public domain.
Interesting story with Adam taking somewhat of a back seat but with just enough involvement to permit him to assist.
Who is behind the copy cat killing? What has the suicide of a researcher at the power station to do with anything? Why does the background of the power station director's PA not stand up to scrutiny? Which are red herrings and which are important clues as to the killer's identity. ]]> Review7525737083 Wed, 30 Apr 2025 12:00:39 -0700 /review/show/7525737083 Nigel gave 4 stars to A Taste for Death (Adam Dalgliesh, #7) by P.D. James
bookshelves: police-proedural
Another excellent Police Procedural featuring Commander Dalgliesh. This time in advance of the setting up of a new squad to investigate politically sensitive crimes, Dalgliesh is handing the case of the mysterious death of Sir Paul Berowne (recently resigned cabinet minister) and Harry Mack a local tramp who are both found with their throats slit, apparently by Sir Paul's own cut throat razor, in the little vestry of St Matthew's Church, Paddington.
Is this a bizarre case of murder and suicide (but which way round) or has someone unknown killed them both. As Dalgliesh sets out to discover the truth, he is met with silence and obstruction by the establishment and Sir Paul's own family who find guarding their secrets more important than find his killer. What if anything do two recent deaths associated with Sir Paul and referenced in both a a recent anonymous letter to him and subsequent newspaper article have to do with the current deaths?
Painstakingly and layer by layer Dalgiesh removes the lies and obscuration's from his path to find the truth.
As usual with PD James the book proceeds at a moderate pace, with much attention to detail. The slower pace than some police procedurals is hardly noticed as the reader keeps coming back for more as the red herrings pile up to see if they can uncover the truth before Dalgliesh. ]]> ReadStatus9370839915 Wed, 30 Apr 2025 11:59:44 -0700 /review/show/7531594066 Nigel is currently reading Devices and Desires by P.D. James
]]> ReadStatus9362362899 Mon, 28 Apr 2025 07:43:22 -0700 /review/show/7509584912 Nigel finished reading A Kingdom Besieged by Raymond E. Feist
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