Stieg Larsson gleaned a remarkable degree of success before his too-early death in 2004. He had delivered to his publisher three remarkable crime novels; the initial book in his ‘Millennium’ sequence, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, had enjoyed an unprecedented success in his native Sweden before the translation took the UK by storm. Larsson had made a considerable mark as a crusading journalist, with a speciality in tackling political extremist groups. But he offered assistance to many people and groups who he felt were vulnerable – something of a modern hero, in fact. One of Larsson's key achievements as a writer was to create an innovative kind of heroine for the crime novel. His unconventional sleuth, the highly intelligent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, is a confrontational young woman, whose Goth accoutrements sometimes alienate those around her (except the individuals she opts to have sexual relations with – strictly, that is, according to the rules she lays down). In the second book in the Millennium sequence, The Girl Who Played with Fire (as in its its predecessor), Lisbeth's closest ally is the older journalist Mikael Blomqvist, even though she has abruptly ended her emotional relationship with him. Lisbeth has left all she knows behinds her and has begun a relationship with a gauche young lover. But after a grim revenge run-in with a man who has abused her, she becomes a suspect in three murders, and is the subject of a nationwide search. Blomqvist, however, is convinced of her innocence (he has just been responsible for a blistering report on the sex trafficking industry in Sweden), and is determined to help her – whether she wants his help or not. As with Larsson’s earlier book, this is highly compelling fare, with tautly orchestrated suspense; it's often grisly and uncompromising (not a problem for many readers), and the massive text may be longer than is good for it, but Larsson admirers won't begrudge the late author a word,and will be impatient for the third (and, regrettably, concluding) book in the sequence. Views: 59
In the introduction to L.A. Noir, a collection of three contemporary cop thrillers originally published in the early '80s, James Ellroy confesses his desire to match the suspense and terror of Thomas Harris's groundbreaking novel Red Dragon and to create a detective as compelling and as complex as Harris's Will Graham. His attempts to fulfill that desire introduce readers to Detective Sergeant Lloyd Hopkins, a brilliantly flawed hero of sorts whom Ellroy describes as his "antidote to the sensitive candy-assed philosophizing private eye."
Written before Hannibal Lecter made his first appearance in print, before serial killer fiction had become a subgenre, Blood on the Moon, the first novel of the L.A. Noir trilogy, pits the racist, reactionary, sexually obsessed Hopkins against a sexually motivated serial killer whose intelligence and capacity for brutality match the detective's own. In Because the Night, the second book in the trilogy, Hopkins once again confronts psychotic evil, this time while investigating the possible connection between a multiple homicide and the disappearance of a fellow cop. The trilogy concludes with Suicide Hill, a manhunt-thriller in which Hopkins tracks down a kidnapper and discovers among his colleagues a complex web of power, corruption, and lies.
Suspenseful, stark, and startling, the novels of the L.A. Noir trilogy exhibit the seminal hallmarks of Ellroy's taut, haunting prose. His dark and disturbing portrait of Hopkins, a thoroughly unlikable protagonist, drives the novels with unrelenting force, taking readers down paths of they might not really want to explore. Readers seeking a protagonist they can identify with, a hero they can like, probably won't find much to recommend in L.A. Noir, but Ellroy never meant Hopkins to be a likable hero. Instead, he has created what he calls "a complex monument to a basically shitty guy," and in doing so he laid the groundwork for the novels that have earned him a seat at the table of truly great crime novelists. In all, L.A. Noir offers Ellroy's admirers a chance to look back a few years and see the primitive intimations of the style and substance that would later characterize his L.A. Quartet series, but it is no primer for beginners, who might be more readily wooed by the more refined tension and complexity of his later novels. --L.A. Smith Views: 59
Five deranged CIA killers break out from a secret insane asylum for retired agents... James Grady revolutionized thrillers with his first novel Six Days of the Condor. Now Grady breaks out of all genre limitations with Mad Dogs, a stunning novel launched from a totally original creation: the CIA's secret insane asylum for retired agents. Views: 59
ReviewNovel by John Hersey, published in 1944 and awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1945. The novel's action takes place during World War II after the occupation of Sicily by Allied forces. Major Victor Joppolo, an American army officer of Italian descent, is part of the Allied military government ruling the town of Adano. In his attempts to reform the town and bring democracy to the people by treating them with respect and decency, Joppolo comes into conflict with his commanding officer, a hard-nosed general who eventually has Joppolo transferred because of his refusal to follow orders. Joppolo's concern for the town is epitomized by his efforts to replace a bell that the fascists had melted down to use for ammunition. -- __Product DescriptionAn Italian-American major in World War II wins the love and admiration of the local townspeople when he searches for a replacement for the 700 year-old town bell that had been melted down for bullets by the fascists. SUMMARY:An Italian-American major in World War II wins the love and admiration of the local townspeople when he searches for a replacement for the 700 year-old town bell that had been melted down for bullets by the fascists. Views: 59
The truth is closing in.Life's not easy for Sami Sabiri since his dad stuck him at a private school where he's the only Muslim kid. But it's about to get a lot worse.When Sami catches his father in a lie, he gets suspicious. . . . He's not the only one. In a whirlwind, the FBI descends on his home, and Sami's family becomes the center of an international terrorist investigation. Now Sami must fight to keep his world from unraveling.An explosive thriller ripped from today's headlines, borderline is the story of a funny, gutsy Muslim-American teen determined to save his father, his family, and his life. Views: 59
The Kennedy stares into the abyssThe world’s last floating nuclear supercarrier looks into the face of oblivion – as her thinned, exhausted, and beleaguered crew face the largest herd of dead ever recorded. Soon, the ship’s five-acre flight deck will become the scene of a furious and desperate set-piece battle – like no combat any modern army has seen since Stalingrad. The ranks of the dead are infinite, and those of the living tiny, depleted, and running out of time… and of hope.The abandoned run ahead of the stormSurrounded, cut off, and left for dead, Wesley’s band of sailors and survivors race ahead of the city-devouring swarm, desperate for a way off the land. Air strikes and shore bombardment threaten to vaporize them at any instant, the inlet onto which they flee is surrounded on all sides and filling up fast, and the least hesitation will get them all killed, infected, devoured – or all three at once.The operators jump into mouth of HellHaving already dodged a hundred deaths by inches, the operators of Alpha team and MARSOC now fly into two converging storms of unspeakable violence, and must parachute in and reinforce the Alamo – the hopeless and doomed defense of the carrier. A thousand things must go right for them to have a prayer of survival. But it’s the job of the operators to succeed even when a million things go wrong…Ride the human spirit to its utmost limit – in the most terrifying and thrilling ARISEN book yet: ARISEN, BOOK FIVE - EXODUS. Views: 59
The struggle to write with deep emotion is the subject of this extraordinary book, the previously unpublished credo of one of America's greatest 20th-century writers."You don't write a novel out of sheer pity any more than you blow a safe out of a vague longing to be rich," writes Nelson Algren in his only longer work of nonfiction, adding: "A certain ruthlessness and a sense of alienation from society is as essential to creative writing as it is to armed robbery."Nonconformity is about 20th-century America: "Never on the earth of man has he lived so tidily as here amidst such psychological disorder." And it is about the trouble writers ask for when they try to describe America: "Our myths are so many, our vision so dim, our self-deception so deep and our smugness so gross that scarcely any way now remains of reporting the American Century except from behind the billboards . . . [where there] are still . . . defeats in which everything is lost [and] victories that fall... Views: 59
Needed: a mother for the sheikh's children...Melissa Fox's trip to the kingdom of Qu'Arim is a perk of her job with the Valentine family. When she arrives, she works for Bella Lucia, but when she expertly calms Sheikh Surim Al-Thani's three little children, the handsome sheikh is determined she will stay on as his nanny.When Melissa realizes how much the children need her, she agrees to stay--she will teach the gorgeous but guarded sheikh how to love and care for them. Only she finds herself in love with a man she could only ever dream of marrying. Views: 59
When Helen Westley’s elderly mother dies, leaving her nothing more than a small allowance, she struggles to cope with the shock. Having nursed her mother to the very end, the last thing Helen expects is to be left homeless, but when her mother’s will reveals that the family home has been left to Helen’s half-brother, she must accept that her life has changed forever. In desperation, Helen accepts the post of live-in carer to the bedridden Beatrice Tresikker, and moves from suburban London to the village of Leyning near the south coast. Although the relationship between the two women is initially strained, they soon build a trusting and lasting friendship. With the help and support of some of the villagers - including the gruff doctor Hugh and the young legal partner Frances - Helen determines to make her patient’s final weeks as comfortable as possible. But then Beatrice’s young, incredibly handsome American relative appears on the scene, with stories of her estranged family in America. But can his motives be trusted? And what does the future now hold for Helen? Views: 59
An unforgettable novel about family, race, and the choices people make in times of crisis.Dana Clarke has just given birth to her first child. The little girl is lovely but no one can help noticing how little she resembles her parents. Dana's husband, among others, suspects that she may have had an affair. In order to put the rumors and speculation to rest, Dana has to delve deep into her past and her husband's heritage to unearth some uncomfortable secrets. Can her marriage survive what she finds out? Views: 59
Summer maybe here, but sixteen-year-old Gemma Hunter won't have much time to relax. The world is hungry for more Queen Bee, her pop star alter ego who has recently become music's newest sensation. Despite an official relationship at home with longtime crush, Lucas, Gemma can't resist exploring her life as a celebrity it girl. However, it isn't long before she finds herself becoming too friendly with the front pages of tabloids. And despite the media’s love for spinning Queen Bee’s social life into scandal, Gemma can't stop wreaking havoc with intoxicating TV star Zoe Mercury and indulging in a less than appropriate relationship with international superstar, Tyler Chase.It was easy keeping things clean with two very separate lives, but now that the line between them is blurring, staying good isn’t going to be easy. Views: 59
