The Runner

By Christopher Reich

It's not often I say this but, of all the books I've reviewed this has to be one of the most disappointing. Perhaps it was because Reich's debut novel was so brilliant, maybe there was only one way to go. Having read many other novels by Reich I prefer to think of this one a slow, deep breath before beginning the long distance race which is the creation of a successful career as a novelist with many, many compelling thrillers in the canon.
Or maybe I was just wasn't compelled by the premise. It could easily be just your cup of tea.

Synopsis

July 1945. For Germany the war is over.
But in POW Camp 8 on the outskirts of Garmisch, one man refuses to believe his duty to the Fatherland is finished. Erich Seyss, once one of Germany's greatest Olympic sprinters, now awaits trial for war crimes committed as a fanatical officer in Hitler's SS. But he has no intention of facing his accusers. Instead, he is determined to run one last race for Germany.
Given only seven days to track down Seyss, Devlin Judge, a lawyer with in the international Military Tribunal set up to try Nazi war criminals, faces an almost task. Not only must he outwit an elite killer trained to operate behind enemy lines, but he must also fathom the extraordinary conspiracy to which Seyss is the key. A conspiracy that could change the face of Europe forever.

Author

He was born in Tokyo on November 12, 1961. He moved to the United States in 1965. He attended Georgetown University and the University of Texas and worked in Switzerland before returning to the United States to become an author. He lives in San Diego and is the author of nine novels. 

Other Books by the Author

Numbered Account (1998)
The Runner (2000)
The First Billion (2002)
The Devil's Banker (2003)
The Patriots' Club (2004)
Rules of Deception (2008)
Rules of Vengeance (2009)
Rules of Betrayal (2010)
The Prince of Risk (2013)
Invasion Of Privacy (2015)
The Take (2018)

Total Control

By David Baldacci

This was one of the stand alone novels Baldacci wrote quite early on. It was the one that gripped me so hard, I thought it was so clever. I read it at a time in my life when I had a lot of time on my hands. During the end of my third year of university I was on a 5 week placement at... I don't recall the name of the school- it was 23 years ago.
It was a 3 hour trip each way. A lot of time to go stir crazy. So I began reading. Those were the days... 6 hours a day to just sit, reflect and read. What a joy.

Synopsis

Baldacci proves again that he is the new superstar in the thriller firmament, a total master of plo, pacing and surprise.
Jason Archer is a rising young executive at Triton Global, the world's leading technology conglomerate. Determined to give his family the best of everything, Archer has secretly entered into a deadly game of cat and mouse. He is about to disappear - leaving behind a wife who must sort out his lies from his truths, an air-crash investigation team that wants to know why the plane he was ticketed on suddenly fell from the sky, and a veteran FBI agent who wants to know it all.
Soon the startling truth behind Jason Archer's disappearance explodes into a sinister plot with the murder of the country's single most powerful individual. And Archer's wife, Sidney, is plunged straight into the violence that is leaving behind a trail of dead bodies and shocking exposed secrets.

Author

David Baldacci is one of the for most popular authors living today. The current publishing run sports the brag "110 million copies sold". That is quite a feat for someone who published their first novel in just 20 years ago.
"Born in 1960 in Virginia, Baldacci received a degree in B.A in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University and also a degree in Law from the University of Virginia. For nine years, he practiced law, first as a trial and then as a corporate attorney in Washington, D.C."

- Famous Authors

Other books written by the author

The Author is prolific so you can either following the link above to the definative list of his works or the list below is merely what I have read to date of publishing:

• Absolute Power (1996)
• Total Control (1997)
• The Winner (1998)
• The Simple Truth (1998)
• Saving Faith (1999)
• Wish You Well (2001)
• Last Man Standing (2001)
• The Christmas Train (2003)
• Split Second (2003)
• Hour Game (2004)
• The Camel Club (2005)
• The Collectors (2006)
• Stone Cold (2007)
• Simple Genius (2007)
• Divine Justice (2008)
• True Blue (2009)
• Memory Man (2015)

The Narrows

By Michael Connelly

Another wonderful piece by Connelly. He continues to dig the the depths of what makes Harry, Harry. At the same time we follow a case that grips you by the throat and never lets you go until the very end. It seems that the Poet has returned and is out to get the beautiful profiler, Rachel Walling. Unfortunately for the Poet, Rachel happens to be someone close to Harry Bosch and that will be his downfall, I'm sure of it.

Synopsis

Harry Bosch confronts a villian who's long been in hiding... he's called the Poet.
Former FBI agent Rachel Walling has recieved the call she's been dreading for four years. The Poet is back. Has has not forgotten her. And he has a special present for her.
Harry Bosch is adjusting to life in Las Vegas as a private investigator and a new father. He gets a call, too, form the widow of a friend who died recently, someone who worked on the famous case tracking the killer known as the Poet...

Author 

Michael Connelly began writing for the Los Angeles on the Crime Beat. He turned out his first novel in 1992, Bill Clinton was spotted purchasing Michael’s third novel, Concrete Blonde, in 1994 and he never looked back. 26 novels later and he’s still going. On a personal note, with the title “The wrong side of goodbye” I’m a little nervous about reading the 2016 novel for fear of Harry dying off… no comments giving that away people, I’m hoping to address that demon over Christmas.

Books by the same author

There are so many novels he's written, a full list can be found here. But I'm going to focus on what I consider to be the most significant in terms of Harry Bosch's character development.

The Black Echo (1992)
The Last Coyote (1995)
A Darkness More Than Night (2001)
Nine Dragons (2009)
The Drop (2011)
Switchblade (2014)

Killing Floor

By Lee Child

“I worked thirteen years, got me nowhere. I feel like I tried it their way, and to hell with them. Now I'm going to try it my way.”
― Lee Child, Killing Floor 

As you all know, if I can I will begin with the first book in a series. And so I have. I've really enjoyed this first of many, many Jack Reacher books. He's a hard case. A little less suave than James Bond but with an equal strength and commitment to purpose. It a great read for a bit of light entertainment. I'm looking forward to reading some more.

Synopsis

Killing Floor is the first book in the internationally popular Jack Reacher series. It presents Reacher for the first time, as the tough ex-military cop of no fixed abode: a righter of wrongs, the prefect action hero. 
Jack Reacher jiumps off a bus and walks fourteen miles down a country road into Margrave, Georgia. An arbitary decision he's about to regret.
Reacher is the only stranger in town on the day they have had their first homicide in thirty years. The cops arrest Reacher and the police chief turns eyewitness to place him at the scene. As nasty secrets leak out, and the body count mounts, one thing is for sure.
The picked the wrong guy to take the fall.

Author

James D. "Jim" Grant, primarily known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British author who writes thriller novels, and is best known for his Jack Reacher novel series. Wikipedia

He was born in 1954 in Coventry, England, but spent his formative years in the nearby city of Birmingham. By coincidence he won a scholarship to the same high school that JRR Tolkien had attended. He went to law school in Sheffield, England, and after part-time work in the theater he joined Granada Television in Manchester for what turned out to be an eighteen-year career as a presentation director during British TV’s “golden age.” During his tenure his company made Brideshead Revisited, The Jewel in the Crown, Prime Suspect, and Cracker. But he was fired in 1995 at the age of 40 as a result of corporate restructuring. Always a voracious reader, he decided to see an opportunity where others might have seen a crisis and bought six dollars’ worth of paper and pencils and sat down to write a book, Killing Floor, the first in the Jack Reacher series. LeeChild.com

Other Books

Killing Floor (1997)
Die Trying (1998)
Tripwire (1999)
The Visitor (2000)
Echo Burning (2001)
Without Fail (2002)
Persuader (2003)
The Enemy (2004)
One Shot (2005)
The Hard Way (2006)
Bad Luck And Trouble (2007)
Nothing To Lose (2008)
Gone Tomorrow (2009)
61 Hours (2010)
Worth Dying For (2010)
The Affair (2011)
A Wanted Man (2012)
Never Go Back (2013)
Personal (2014)
Make Me (2015)
Night School (2016)
The Midnight Line (2017)
Past Tense (2018)

Storm Peak

By John A. Flanagan

I was looking for further reading material for my boy, who was a huge Ranger's Apprentice fan, when I discovered that Flanagan had become a new series for an youth/adult market. I just had to order them both. There was this one Storm Peak and Avalanche Pass, which I will be sharing here soon. They follow the protagonist, Jesse Parker. A broken Denver detective looking for a quieter life away from the high murder count of a state capital. But, when he returns to his childhood home he finds its really not as quiet a backwater as he would like.I really enjoyed read. It moved along at pace that matched his earlier writing but with a relate-able lead which I hope whose character will deepen as the series continues.
Synopsis
Ex-Denver, police detective Jesse Parker has returned home to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, to spend the winter working ski patrol and forgetting about his past. But somewhere out in the snow, a killer has other ideas.
It begins when a skier is found brutally murdered. Local Sheriff Lee Torrens asks her old friend to help out with the investigation, and Jesse finds himself reluctantly dragged back into the world of violence and murder he thought he had left behind.
As Jesse and Lee work together, the memories of what they felt for each other long ago resurface - even as a madman strikes again and again, leaving no clue or trace as to identify or motive. For the killer, there are more important things to do than lead the authorities on...

Like choosing who will die next. 

Author

 John Anthony Flanagan is an Australian fantasy author best known for his children's books. His best-known work is the Ranger's Apprentice medieval fantasy novels and companion series Brotherband Chronicles. He also writes novels for adults.
His bestselling Ranger’s Apprentice adventure series originally comprised twenty short stories, which John wrote to encourage his twelve-year-old son, Michael, to enjoy reading. Michael was a small boy, and all his friends were bigger and stronger than he was. John wanted to show him that reading was fun, and heroes weren’t necessarily big and muscular. Now in his mid-twenties, Michael is six feet tall, broad-shouldered and powerful – but he still loves The Ranger’s Apprentice.

(Wikipedia and WoJF)

Other Titles by this author

Storm Peak (2009)
Avalache Pass (2012)

Nine Dragons (Harry Bosch #14)

By Michael Connelly

Nine Dragons, certainly for me, is one the top five Harry Bosch books when it comes to looking more deeply into the protagonists soul. When I started the series I figured, though the writing was good, the stories would weaken. I mean, how much stuff can happen to one guy? In one lifetime? Really? But the way Connelly writes, the depth of his characters, the interactions between them is remarkable. I don't feel like I'm reading a novel, more like experiencing it. Another good Connelly, Bravo!

Synopsis

Detective Harry Bosch is called to investigate the murder of a store owner in a tough LA neighbourhood. For Harry, it's a trip down memory lane:he's been to Fortune Liquors before and remembers Mr Li - a man who offered him santuary during LA's notorious riots. Now the debt must be repaid.
Mr Li left a clue to his murderer's identity, a clue that leads Harry into a parallel criminal universe ruled by the Triads. But as he gets closer to this shady underworld, the Triads send Harry a devastating message - they have taken something of his, something he holds very dear. As Harry's life implodes, he must risk everything to track a killer who knows how to get under his skin...

Author 

Michael Connelly began writing for the Los Angeles on the Crime Beat. He turned out his first novel in 1992, Bill Clinton was spotted purchasing Michael’s third novel, Concrete Blonde, in 1994 and he never looked back. 26 novels later and he’s still going. On a personal note, with the title “The wrong side of goodbye” I’m a little nervous about reading the 2016 novel for fear of Harry dying off… no comments giving that away people, I’m hoping to address that demon over Christmas.

Books by the same author

There are so many novels he's written, a full list can be found here. But I'm going to focus on what I consider to be the most significant in terms of Harry Bosch's character development.

The Black Echo (1992)
The Last Coyote (1995)
A Darkness More Than Night (2001)
Nine Dragons (2009)
The Drop (2011)
Switchblade (2014)

After the Crash

By Michel Bussi

Here is the next book delivered to me by the book club. It's the first real thriller and the one I have most enjoyed, though it was a little predictable as it progressed. I remember trying to get through The girl in the Dragon Tattoo when it came out, which was the only other translated contemporary novel I've read, I really should have another crack at that sometime soon. With being so busy this month I've really struggled to find time to read, which is very annoying to me as you might imagine.

Synopsis

On the night of 22 December, a plane crashes on the Franco-Swiss border.
All the passengers are killed instantly, apart from one miraculous survivor- a three month old baby girl. But who is she? Two families step forward to claim her but is she Lyse-Rose or Emilie?
 Two decades later on the eve of her 18th birthday the detective who investigated the case makes a discovery that could change everything...

Author

Michel Bussi is a French writer of detective novels, and a political analyst and Professor of Geography at the University of Rouen, where he leads a Public Scientific and Technical Research Establishmen.

Other novels 

Code Lupin (2006)
Omaha crimes (2007)
Mourir sur Seine (2008)
Sang famille (2009)
Nymphéas noirs (Black Water Lilies) (2011)
Un avion sans elle (After the Crash) (2012)
Ne lâche pas ma main (Don't Let Go) (2013)
N'oublier jamais (2014)
Gravé dans le sable, re-written version of Omaha crimes (2014)
Maman a tort (2015)
Le temps est assassin (2016)

A series of Unfortunate Events

By Lemony Snicket

I've had a wonderful holiday week with my boy. We've done some lovely things despite it raining non-stop for 5 days.
He's reading the Lemony Snicket books at school then, during the holidays we discovered the NetFlix series starring Neil Patrick Harris.
What a brilliant series. Although I have not yet read any of these books beyond "the bad beginning" my boy assures me this series plots very closely to the original books. Each book is covered through two episodes of the series.
It was great to see Rhys Darby in an episode or two. It's always nice to see a New Zealanders in such successful shows.
We watched 8 episodes, the first four books, and the first thing we did when we'd finished was check on iMDB to see if they were planning on televising the whole series… it looks promising.
(Update: It certainly is, the next 8 episodes are out on Netflicks now, and we are enjoying those too) 

Synopsis 

Dear Reader,
 I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.
 In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast. It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.
With all due respect, Lemony Snicket

Novel Study

This is a literature guide to A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket. This novel unit would be great for use in a literature circle or novel study group. Activities contain higher level thinking reading comprehension questions, vocabulary, as well as extension activities. A complete answer key is included in page format, so pages with answers could be printed for students with IEPs.

Author 

Daniel Handler is an American writer, musician and journalist. He is best known for his work under the pen name Lemony Snicket, having published children's series A Series of Unfortunate Events and All the Wrong Questions under this pseudonym.

Other novels 

The Bad Beginning (1999) 

The Reptile Room (1999) 

The Wide Window (2000) 

The Miserable Mill (2000) 

The Austere Academy (2000) 

The Ersatz Elevator (2001) 

The Vile Village (2001) 

The Hostile Hospital (2001) 

The Carnivorous Carnival (2002) 

The Slippery Slope (2003) 

The Grim Grotto (2004) 

The Penultimate Peril (2005) 

The End (2006)

Numbered Account

By Christopher Reich

I happened upon this novel by chance at a second-hand book fair. I picked it up in a bundle of books on a similar genre. I loved it. A total thrilling ride which I couldn't put down. In fact I'm very surpirsed some movie studio hasn't grabbed the rights and turned it into a blockbuster. If you enjoy crime, if you enjoy the thriller, if you enjoy authors like Grisham and Connelly and Clancy you'll certainly enjoy Christopher Reich. 

Synopsis

 Nick is willing to do whatever it takes to find his father's killer - even if it means abandoning a glittering career on Wall Street and a beautiful fincee. And when he infiltrates the bank in his search for the truth, he finds himself plundged into a world where everything- gold, power, even life and death - has its price. 

Sinking ever deeper into this clandestine world of unbridled greed and treachery, Nick turns to an alluring but dangerous woman with an agenda of her own, and too soon learns that in order to catch his father's murderer he too, must become a criminal.  

As the bank comes under investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Nick finds himself protecting the one man who may hold the key to the truth- the key to his father's murder. As his search intensifies, as Nick gets closer to the answers, he must face the fact that his own life could be the final sacrifice he has to make.

Author

He was born in Tokyo on November 12, 1961. He moved to the United States in 1965. He attended Georgetown University and the University of Texas and worked in Switzerland before returning to the United States to become an author. He lives in San Diego and is the author of nine novels. 

Other Books by the Author

Numbered Account (1998)
The Runner (2000)
The First Billion (2002)
The Devil's Banker (2003)
The Patriots' Club (2004)
Rules of Deception (2008)
Rules of Vengeance (2009)
Rules of Betrayal (2010)
The Prince of Risk (2013)
Invasion Of Privacy (2015)
The Take (2018)

A Darkness more than Night (Harry Bosch #7)

By Michael Connelly

As the name implies Connelly reaches into the darkest recesses of Harry Bosch past. I read this novel a while back but what I enjoyed about it was the interaction between Bosch and McCaleb as McCaleb investigates Bosch for murder.

Terry McCaleb and Graciela Rivers have married and have an infant daughter named Cielo, and McCaleb's fishing charter business is running full-time on Catalina Island. Nevertheless, sheriff's deputy Jaye Winston brings McCaleb a file involving a murder scene filled with exotic elements and asks McCaleb to take a look at it, as the police have gotten nowhere. As McCaleb analyzes the clues, they seem to point straight toward Harry Bosch, whom McCaleb knows from a previous investigation before his retirement. Bosch is currently a key witness in a separate high-profile murder case involving a movie director, and author/reporter Jack McEvoy, who wrote The Poet, is covering the case. (Wikipedia)

Synopsis

Terry McCaleb's enforced quiet lefestyle on the island of Catalina is a far cry from the hectic excitement of his former role as an FBI profiler. However, when small-time criminal Edward Gunn is found dead McCaleb becomes embroiled in a disturbing and complex case... leading him to cross the path of Harry Bosch.
This infamous detective has always teetered on the brink of darkness in order to get inside the head of the killer. Is it possible that her has stepped across that finely drown line and embraced darkness?

Author 

Michael Connelly began writing for the Los Angeles on the Crime Beat. He turned out his first novel in 1992, Bill Clinton was spotted purchasing Michael’s third novel, Concrete Blonde, in 1994 and he never looked back. 26 novels later and he’s still going. On a personal note, with the title “The wrong side of goodbye” I’m a little nervous about reading the 2016 novel for fear of Harry dying off… no comments giving that away people, I’m hoping to address that demon over Christmas.

Books by the same author

There are so many novels he's written, a full list can be found here. But I'm going to focus on what I consider to be the most significant in terms of Harry Bosch's character development.

The Black Echo (1992)
The Last Coyote (1995)
A Darkness More Than Night (2001)
Nine Dragons (2009)
The Drop (2011)
Switchblade (2014)

The Late Show (Ballard #1)

by Michael Connelly

I missed seeing Michael Connelly in New York by 24 hours which I something of a disappointment for me. However, what I did manage to do was to order myself an autographed edition of his latest thriller.
I began to wonder whether or not I was going to like this new protagonist. Bosch is a hard act to follow. But I think he nailed it. Of course, no character beats Harry, in my opinion, but Renée sure beats Cassie Black and Henry Pierce. Perhaps she is on par with Terry or possibly even Mickey. Either way, I really enjoyed it.
Renée is a cop working the dusk to dawn shift. It a move away from RHD after her reporting on a superior for sexual harassment charge fell on deaf ears. She has a grandmother, who raised her, and a dog she saved from the pound. From this novel I've deduced that she lives alone in her van, she sleeps the day way in a tent on the beach until she gets tired of handing over her cases to the day shift. She holds onto a case and gets drawn into a mass shooting by purely being at the hospital when the witness was pulled out of the amulance. She's as dedicated to the job as Bosch is but has a whole raft of different issues. I'm looking forward finding out more.

Synopsis

Renée Ballard works the midnight shift in Hollywood, beginning many investigations but finishing few, as each morning she turns everything over to the daytime units. It's a frustrating job for a once up-and-coming detective, but it's no accident. She's been given this beat as punishment after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor.
But one night Ballard catches two assignments she doesn't want to part with. First, a prostitute is brutally beaten and left for dead in a parking lot. All signs point to a crime of premeditation, not passion, by someone with big evil on his mind. Then she sees a young waitress breathe her last after being caught up in a nightclub shooting. Though dubbed a peripheral victim, the waitress buys Ballard a way in, and this time she is determined not to give up at dawn. Against orders and her partner's wishes, she works both cases by day while maintaining her shift by night.
As the investigations entwine, Ballard is forced to face her own demons and confront a danger she could never have imagined. To find justice for these victims who can't speak for themselves, she must put not only her career but her life on the line.
Propulsive as a jolt of adrenaline and featuring a bold and defiant new heroine, The Late Show is yet more proof that Michael Connelly is "a master of the genre" (Washington Post).

Author 

Michael Connelly began writing for the Los Angeles on the Crime Beat. He turned out his first novel in 1992, Bill Clinton was spotted purchasing Michael’s third novel, Concrete Blonde, in 1994 and he never looked back. 26 novels later and he’s still going. On a personal note, with the title “The wrong side of goodbye” I’m a little nervous about reading the 2016 novel for fear of Harry dying off… no comments giving that away people, I’m hoping to address that demon over Christmas.

Books by the same author

There are so many novels he's written, a full list can be found here. But I'm going to focus on what I consider to be the most significant in terms of Harry Bosch's character development.

The Black Echo (1992)
The Last Coyote (1995)
A Darkness More Than Night (2001)
Nine Dragons (2009)
The Drop (2011)
Switchblade (2014)

The Black Echo (Harry Bosch #1)

By Michael Connelly

 His is Michael Connelly's first novel and when I first tried reading it I found it hard going. Perhaps I was too young, too inexperienced or the human connection that I look for in a novel just wasn't there. either way, I just couldn't connect. Years later, after reading The Last Coyote I felt I' had made a proper connection with the Hartry Bosch character and I was hooked, going back to the beginning and reading through all of the series with barely a single break.

Synopsis

"Bosch stared at the photograph until fatigue and alcohol pulled him down ... almost dreamlike. He remembered that last tunnel and he rememebered Billy Meadows."
One Sunday LAPD homicide detective Hieronymus 'Harry' Bosch gets a call-out on his pager. A body has been found in a drainage tunnel off Mullolland Drive, Hollywood. The body looks like yet another OD, but Bosch isn't convinced. The one new puncture wound amidst the scars of old tracks strikes an odd note. And something else: Harry knows him. Billy Meadows wasa fellow tunnel rat out in Vietnam, running against the VC and against the fear they used to call the Black Echo. Harry let Meadows down once, he won't do it again.

Author 

Michael Connelly began writing for the Los Angeles on the Crime Beat. He turned out his first novel in 1992, Bill Clinton was spotted purchasing Michael’s third novel, Concrete Blonde, in 1994 and he never looked back. 26 novels later and he’s still going. On a personal note, with the title “The wrong side of goodbye” I’m a little nervous about reading the 2016 novel for fear of Harry dying off… no comments giving that away people, I’m hoping to address that demon over Christmas.

Books by the same author

There are so many novels he's written, a full list can be found here. But I'm going to focus on what I consider to be the most significant in terms of Harry Bosch's character development.

The Black Echo (1992)
The Last Coyote (1995)
A Darkness More Than Night (2001)
Nine Dragons (2009)
The Drop (2011)
Switchblade (2014)

The Last Cyote (Harry Bosch #4)

By Michael Connelly

This must have been the first Connelly novel that started a decade-long obsession with the Harry Bosch character. One of the things that I think makes this novel one of the top five is the emotional depths that we explore of the main protagonist. If Connelly wrote an 'origin story' for Harry Bosch his, surely, is it. This for me is, by far my favourite Harry Bosch novel.

Synopsis

The binder contained the case file on the October 28, 1961, homicide of Marjorie Phillips Lowe. His mother.
Suspended from the LAPD pending psychiatric treatment, his house condemned and his girlfriend long gone, Harry Bosch has time on his hands...
With nothing better to do, Harry opens the ancient file on his prostitute mother's murder and is irresistibly drawn into the shadowy past. Confronting his personal shame at his mother's profession, he discovers a trail leading to the high-ups in the Hollywood Hills and finds that the flames of ancient passion don't die, they kindle fresh fires.

Author 

Michael Connelly began writing for the Los Angeles on the Crime Beat. He turned out his first novel in 1992, Bill Clinton was spotted purchasing Michael’s third novel, Concrete Blonde, in 1994 and he never looked back. 26 novels later and he’s still going. On a personal note, with the title “The wrong side of goodbye” I’m a little nervous about reading the 2016 novel for fear of Harry dying off… no comments giving that away people, I’m hoping to address that demon over Christmas.

Books by the same author

There are so many novels he's written, a full list can be found here. But I'm going to focus on what I consider to be the most significant in terms of Harry Bosch's character development.

The Black Echo (1992)
The Last Coyote (1995)
A Darkness More Than Night (2001)
Nine Dragons (2009)
The Drop (2011)
Switchblade (2014)

The Wrong Side of Goodbye (Harry Bosch #19)

By Michael Connelly

I went with the family to New York and then onto LA for two weeks and I realised I needed a really good book, one that I can't put down, to read while we're flying. A quality Harry Bosch novel was the answer.
Although the release of the paperback is some way off I felt justified in getting that larger paperback version. Its 44 chapters and I began reading as we flew out of Ackland on the way to Houston and finished it on the flight coming back to Napier from Auckland.

It is a great story and it didn't end the way I thought it would. Not in the slightest. Harry Bosch is working for the San Fernando Police Department while still being active with a private investigation case. I felt that the 'Screen Cutter' case was a little weak but I realised that there needed to be space and time between the pages for the reflection on Bosch's character and the Vance case too. Not one of Connelly's better tales but still, I struggled to put it down.

Synopsis

Harry Bosch is California’s newest private investigator. He doesn’t advertise, he doesn’t have an office, and he’s picky about who he works for, but it doesn’t matter. His chops from thirty years with the LAPD speak for themselves.
Soon one of Southern California’s biggest moguls comes calling. The reclusive billionaire is nearing the end of his life and is haunted by one regret. When he was young, he had a relationship with a Mexican girl, his great love. But soon after becoming pregnant, she disappeared. Did she have the baby? And if so, what happened to it?
Desperate to know whether he has an heir, the dying magnate hires Bosch, the only person he can trust. With such a vast fortune at stake, Harry realizes that his mission could be risky not only for himself but for the one he’s seeking. But as he begins to uncover the haunting story–and finds uncanny links to his own past–he knows he cannot rest until he finds the truth.
At the same time, unable to leave cop work behind completely, he volunteers as an investigator for a tiny cash-strapped police department and finds himself tracking a serial rapist who is one of the most baffling and dangerous foes he has ever faced.

Author 

Michael Connelly began writing for the Los Angeles on the Crime Beat. He turned out his first novel in 1992, Bill Clinton was spotted purchasing Michael’s third novel, Concrete Blonde, in 1994 and he never looked back. 26 novels later and he’s still going. On a personal note, with the title “The wrong side of goodbye” I’m a little nervous about reading the 2016 novel for fear of Harry dying off… no comments giving that away people, I’m hoping to address that demon over Christmas.

Books by the same author

There are so many novels he's written, a full list can be found here. But I'm going to focus on what I consider to be the most significant in terms of Harry Bosch's character development.

The Black Echo (1992)
The Last Coyote (1995)
A Darkness More Than Night (2001)
Nine Dragons (2009)
The Drop (2011)
Switchblade (2014)

The Thirty-nine steps

By John Buchan

This week's reading challenge was to tackle a classic. 'Classic' is defined as a book more than 50 years old. I think it safe to say 1915 is more than 50 years old. I loved this book, though the language in it is quick tricky to follow in places, especially as Buchan attempts to write in a Scottish accent.
I often feel I was born in the wrong era, I think I would have liked to have 'had dinner at the club' or 'sat in the reading room with the paper'. It's certainly a romantic notion of mine.

I much prefer Buchan's writing to Joesph Conrad's Secret Agent. It has a better momentum to it. But don't know if that is more to do with the authors' writing style or the reader's lack of book-learning.

Synopsis

When Richard Hannay returns from a long stay in Africa, he becomes caught up in a sensational plot to precipitate a pan-European war.
After the discovery of a corpse in his flat, Hannay flees the attentions of both the conspirators and the forces of the law, and the pursuit turns into a thrilling manhunt.
Set against the hot summer which precedes the outbreak of the First World War. The Thirty-nine Steps is one of the finest and most highly admired thrillers ever written.

Author 

After a brief legal career, Buchan simultaneously began his writing career and his political and diplomatic careers, serving as a private secretary to the colonial administrator of various colonies in southern Africa. He eventually wrote propaganda for the British war effort in the First World War. Buchan was in 1927 elected Member of Parliament for the Combined Scottish Universities.

(Wikipedia)

Other novels

Prester John (1910)
The 39 Steps - Richard Hannay, #1 (1915)
Greenmantle - Richard Hannay #2 (1916)
Mr. Standfast - Richard Hannay #3 (1919)
The Three Hostages - Richard Hannay #4 (1924)
The Island of Sheep - Richard Hannay #5 (1936)

Monkey Boy

By Donovan Bixley

What a great story. I loved the mix of graphic novel and regular novel. The story was brilliantly crafted if just a little scary for my class. I loved Jimmy's relationship with his 'sea daddy'. There's a nice blend of the here and now and flashback to tell Jimmy's story. It's well worth a read but there's a warning on the back "It's a rough life at sea, so grab a bucket and hold onto your guts" never a truer word spoken.

Synopsis

Jimmy Grimholt is the youngest sailor aboard warship H.M.S. Fury, bound for bloodcurdling battle. This is not a story of cotton-candy capers. It is a story of gruesome horrors, awful amputations and ghastly ghouls ...
It's a rough life at sea, so grab a bucket and hold onto your guts.
This is going to get really ugly.

Author

Donovan Bixley is Donovan Bixley is a picture book creator, who has worked on more than 90 books in a broad range of genres, from his best-selling preschool books The Wheels on the Bus (Hodder Moa, 2010) and Old MacDonald’s Farm (Hodder Moa, 2011) to his international illustrated biographies Faithfully Mozart (PQ Blackwell/Hodder, 2005) and Much Ado About Shakespeare (Upstart, 2016). He has won numerous awards, including Best Junior Fiction at the 2015 New Zealand Book Awards For Children and Young Adults for his hybrid comic/novel, Monkey Boy (Scholastic, 2015)

Other books by the author

• Much ado about Shakespeare
• Flying furballs Dogfight
• The Great Kiwi ABC Book
• The Wheels on the Bus
• Old MacDonald's Farm
• The Looky Book
• Little Bo Peep and More...
• Pussycat Pussycat and More...
• My First Board Book Series (6 books)
• Fuzzy Doodle
• Monkey Boy
• Dinosaur Rescue: 8 BOOK SERIES
• Dragon Knight: 6 BOOK SERIES
• Three Bears Sort Of
• Little Red Riding Hood ... Not Quite
• The Weather Machine
• Dashing Dog
• Northwood
• Maddy West and the Tongue Taker
• Phoebe and the Night Creatures
• The Story of Bo and the Circus that Wasn't
• Marc Ellis' Good Fullas
• A Right Royal Christmas   
• Faithfully Mozart -the fantastic world of Wolfgang Armadeus Mozart
  The Tuotara and the Skink
• Wacko Kakapo  
• Harry Hobnail and the Pungapeople 
• Mr Tanglewood and the Pungapeople

The Walking Dead

By Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore

My sister-in-law has been repeatedly telling me how good the TV series is. I'm not a big zombie fan nor do I like being scared to death in my own home so I've shied away from that series.  But I went to the library to drop back some books and I make it my habit of checking the 'just-returned' section and there they were. Ten "The Walking Dead"  graphic novels. I just had to check out the first one. See what she was on about. I LOVED IT!

Synopsis

How many hours are in a day when you don't spend half of them watching television?
When is the last time any of us REALLY worked to get something that we wanted?
How long has it been since any of us really NEEDED something that we WANTED?
The world we knew is gone.
The world of commerce and frivolous necessity has been replaced by the world of survival and responsibility.
An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months society has crumbled, no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV.
In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally start living.

Author

Robert Kirkman
In addition to his work as a writer and executive producer on The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman is also a successful creator of independent comics. Kirkman created and continues to write the long-running Image Comics title The Walking Dead, on which the show is based, and the comics have been gaining popularity throughout its run. He also writes the acclaimed and equally long-running superhero comic Invincible, which he created with Cory Walker. (Walking Dead News)

Tony Moore
Tony Moore is an American comic book artist, whose work consists mainly of genre pieces, most notably in horror and science fiction, with titles such as Fear Agent, The Exterminators, and the first six issues of The Walking Dead. (Wikipedia)

Theodore Boone

By John Grisham

It's holiday time again. I must say,  I love being a teacher. More time to read a book or two. Last week we had my son's parent/teacher meeting. He's doing well, thanks for asking, but he getting hung up on fantasy-fiction and needs to broaden his reading library. I've been meaning catch up on a little more Grisham and now is the time to do it. Theodore Boone is written for a younger audience and legal-fiction just might be a quality genre shift for a few books.

This is regular Grisham, on form, and I was delighted to read it. In fact, I may well get onto the other Theodore Boone books.

Synopsis

In the small city of Strattenburg, there are many lawyers, and though he's only thirteen years old, Theo Boone thinks he's one of them. He dreams of being a great lawyer, of a life in the courtroom. But Theo finds himself in court much sooner than expected when he is dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth. The stakes are high, but Theo won't stop until justice is served.

Author

John Ray Grisham, Jr. is an American bestselling writer, attorney, politician, and activist best known for his popular legal thrillers. His books have been translated into 42 languages and published worldwide.  - Wikipedia

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer (Theodore Boone, #1) (2010)
The Abduction (Theodore Boone, #2) (2010)
The Accused (Theodore Boone, #3) (2012)
The Activist (Theodore Boone, #4) (2013)
The Fugitive (Theodore Boone, #5) (2015)
The Scandal (Theodore Boone, #6) (2016)

Memory Man

by David Baldacci

I love Christmas gift vouchers. They give me an opportunity of getting caught up with a few books I haven't had an opportunity to read yet.

David has been so prolific since I finished reading "The Camel Club" a few years ago. Where do I begin if I want to get back into reading him. I checked the inside sleeve and discovered that David's books seem to be in sub-sets as they follow the lives of various protagonists.

I picked 'Memory Man" and the follow up novel "The Last Mile" which flows the exploits of Amos Decker, a pro footballer who took a heavy blow to the head, acquired Hyperthymesia. He became a cop and then a detective but when his family is murdered he falls apart. He's now a private detective, injecting himself into a high school murder case. I've enjoyed the story. Its rather light and I can read it at pace. Unfortunately, its nearly 600 pages long and I've really struggled this month to find the time I usually have for reading. I was at book club a few weeks ago and I didn't really talk it up particularly. But having just been able to read the last 50 pages in one sitting I've realised that it has more to do with me and lack time to read rather than any issue with the plot or plausibility of the story.

Synopsis

Amos Decker would forever remember all three of their violent deaths in the most paralyzing shade of blue. It would cut into him at unpredictable moments, like a gutting knife made of colored light. He would never be free from it.

When Amos Decker returned home sixteen months ago to find the bodies of his wife and only daughter, he didn't think he could carry on living. Overhelmed with grief, he saw his life spiral

Author

David Baldacci is one of the for most popular authors living today. The current publishing run sports the brag "110 million copies sold". That is quite a feat for someone who published their first novel in just 20 years ago.
"Born in 1960 in Virginia, Baldacci received a degree in B.A in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University and also a degree in Law from the University of Virginia. For nine years, he practiced law, first as a trial and then as a corporate attorney in Washington, D.C."

- Famous Authors

Other books written by the author
The Author is prolific so you can either following the link above to the definative list of his works or the list below is merely what I have read to date of publishing:

• Absolute Power (1996)
• Total Control (1997)
• The Winner (1998)
• The Simple Truth (1998)
• Saving Faith (1999)
• Wish You Well (2001)
• Last Man Standing (2001)
• The Christmas Train (2003)
• Split Second (2003)
• Hour Game (2004)
• The Camel Club (2005)
• The Collectors (2006)
• Stone Cold (2007)
• Simple Genius (2007)
• Divine Justice (2008)
• True Blue (2009)
• Memory Man (2015)

The Big Sleep

By Raymond Chandler

Being a big fan of Michael Connolly I discovered that he enjoyed reading Raymond Chandler and the darker side of LA society portrayed within the pages of his numerous books. But it really wasn't until I go some vouchers for Christmas did I think to get myself a couple of his books.

As always, I much prefer to begin at the start of a series, though I don't think it really matters too much as each Philip Marlowe adventure is pretty much stand alone.

"The Big Sleep" has been turned into a movie back in 1946, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Becall. But I haven't seen the movie, the book however, was a great read.

Marlowe is a detective, contemporary to 1940's/50's. He's employed by a retired old general who is being extorted. But the general has two wayward daughters who cause Marlowe more and more trouble as the detective delves deeper and deeper into their lives.
A I was reading I could picture each seen vividly in the film noir style... a style that some might even say these novels, and the movies that they spored, defined.

Synopsis

Los Angleles PI Philip Marlowe is working for the Sternwood family. Old man Sternwood, crippled and wheelchair-bound, is being given the squeeze by a blackmailer and he wants Marlowe to make the problem go away. But with Sternwood's two wild daughters prowling LA's seedy backstreets, Marlowe's got his workcut-out - and that's before he stumbles over the first corpse.

Author

Raymond Thornton Chandler was a British-American novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Great Depression.
 
Other Books by the Author
The Big Sleep (1939)
Farewell, My Lovely (1940)
The High Window (1942)
The Lady in the Lake (1943)
The Little Sister (1949)
Trouble is My Business (1950)
The Simple Art of Murder (1950)
The Long Goodbye (1953)
Playback (1958)