Diary - Chuck Palahniuk

I rated this 7/10

Misty Wilmot has had it. Once a promising young artist, she’s now stuck on an island ruined by tourism, drinking too much and working as a waitress in a hotel. Her husband, a contractor, is in a coma after a suicide attempt, but that doesn’t stop his clients from threatening Misty with lawsuits over a series of vile messages they’ve found on the walls of houses he remodeled.

Suddenly, though, Misty finds her artistic talent returning as she begins a period of compulsive painting. Inspired but confused by this burst of creativity, she soon finds herself a pawn in a larger conspiracy that threatens to cost hundreds of lives. 

What a read!

I liked the tension and the build up and the absurdity of this book. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the overly gruesome 'Haunted' but I was hypnotised by it and it was keeping me glued to the pages.

Blaze - Richard Bachman

I rated this 8/10

He's got a plan.
But he hasn't a clue...

Clayton Blaisdell's capers are strictly small time until he meets George Rackley. With Blaze's brawn and George's brains, they pull off a hundred successful cons. Then George plans the one big score every small timer dreams of: kidnapping the infant heir to a family fortune.

A fabulously tense account of a big 'dummy' who finds himself in the wrong situations with the wrong people.

I love the way that Stephen King weaves Blaze's past with his present to give an all round view of his life and his quite soft natured personality. There wasn't a character in the book that fell flat, they were all so well written and three dimensional.

I really found myself connecting with Blaze despite his wrongdoings, and rooting for him to be happy though I knew this could never happen. I wasn't quite sure about the voice of George in Blaze's head however, I feel that Blaze seemed to be magically aware of things that he wouldn't have otherwise known.

King is the master of building tension and character, and Blaze is no exception. Definitely worth a read, and I will be reading more and more by him.

Ex-Heroes - Peter Clines

I rated this 1/10

The first in a spectacularly genre-mashing adventure series that pits a small group of courageous, flawed, terrified superheroes against hordes of undead.

(Reading copy very kindly sent to me on request by Mike from Random House) 

I couldn't finish this book I'm afraid (I seem to be getting better at putting books aside if they're not doing it for me). After expecting something really spectacular, I was very disappointed with it and just couldn't carry on.

My main gripe was with the characters. There wasn't a single protagonist that felt well-rounded to me, maybe because there were so many to describe, and all of the female characters seemed over-sexualised or cliched. The bad guys were also one dimensional, and I just couldn't connect, sympathise or feel any kind of emotion towards anyone. I think that if Clines had reduced the amount of characters down to a smaller group in the first instance and spent a little more time allowing me to get to know them, I might have felt a bit more of a connection.

The final factor in my decision to put the story down was that I didn't like Clines' writing style, to me it lacked personality and flavour. The plot felt flat and I couldn't see it going anywhere exciting.

I'm sure that others might have had a better reading experience of this one, but although I really loved the concept of superheroes and zombies - there was nothing here that got me hooked!

I think the cover art of this book is ace by the way, it instantly caught my eye and made me want to read.

Thinner - Richard Bachman

I rated this 8/10

Thinner; a supernatural thriller by Richard Bachman (AKA Stephen King). This provided me with some really addictive reading, the build up of suspense throughout is pretty special. We are introduced to Billy, who we quickly discover has been momentarily distracted from driving by his frisky wife. During this lapse of concentration, Billy manages to run over a gypsy's wife (or his daughter, as we find out later) who steps out into the road from between two parked cars. Billy leaves the courtroom later on after getting away with the accident scott free, and the old gypsy man curses him, simply with the word 'Thinner'.

"But I'm telling you Billy, you can't lose almost twenty pounds in two weeks just by exercising." - p31

And this is where the tale cranks up - Billy finds himself battling against time and enlisting a friend (Ginelli, my favourite character) to find the old gypsy before he dies a slow and painful death from seemingly inexplicable malnutrition. Along the way he questions his own life, his morals and the people that he loves before the book cuts off with a mind boggling ending!

Ginelli aside, 'Thinner' hasn't got a single likeable protagonist in it, and yet it kept me gripped right through to the last sentence. The characters are cold, aloof, self involved - but written with a depth and understanding that makes them wholly believable and well rounded. The book is easy to read, quick and engrossing - certainly one to pick up if you like bizarre plotlines and want something that isn't going to be a challenging read.  This is the perfect escape for the daily commute.

Injustice - Clive Stafford Smith

I rated this 10/10

A man wrongly condemned to death for murder, a crusading lawyer determined to free him, an investigation that reveals corruption at every turn. This remarkable book reads like a page-turning detective story, with one crucial difference: can we be sure that justice will be served at the end?

Previous to reading this book, my opinions and thoughts on the death penalty were almost non-existent. I'll admit this; it had no relevance to my life so much as it does not occur in this country and I was ignorant to the process and so didn't feel the need to contemplate it much.

My thoughts simply went this far; I have always believed that it is not only criminals that make unforgivable mistakes - but that those prosecuting are also only human; there should be no life or death decision made where human error could always be an incriminating factor. This belief, however, would never move me to the point of action.

Injustice has strengthened my opposition of the death penalty, and particularly the belief that everybody deserves a free trial. The amount of corruption uncovered by Stafford Smith and his team is absolutely shocking. In addition, he has also highlighted points (such as the potential failures of forensic evidence, the positive effects of some victim mediation processes etc) that I previously had been ignorant of.

Prosecutors don't prosecute prosecutors for sending an innocent person to prison. - p105

And the relevance of this activity to our own justice systems in Britain is also worrying - reading about Kris' case has moved me to support reprieve.org.uk myself. I believe that everybody has the right to a fair trial, particularly where capital punishment is involved.

A deeply harrowing read, shocking and compelling; well worth a few hours of your time. Note also that Injustice has 4.5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads - which across 27 ratings (as of 09/10/13) is just brilliant!

The Running Man - Richard Bachman

I rated this 9/10

It's not just a game when you're running for your life.
     Every night they tuned in to the nation's favorite prime-time TV game show.
     They all watched, from the sprawling polluted slums to the security-obsessed enclaves of the rich. They all watched the ultimate live death game as the contestants tried to beat not the clock, but annihilation at the hands of the Hunters. Survive thirty days and win a billion dollar jackpot—that was the promise. But the odds were brutal and the game rigged. Best score so far was eight days.

     And now there was a new contestant, the latest Running Man, staking his life while a nation watched.

The Running Man is the first book I have ever picked up written by Stephen King. I have always been under the impression that King's novels are massively far-fetched and have random paranormal twists to them that make no sense at all. I don't know where I got this feeling from, but how wrong I have been! At least in this case anyway!

Stephen King writes as Richard Bachman in this gritty, dystopian, reality-tv themed thriller and it was entirely down my street. Richards was a brilliant character and I liked him instantly. He has his head screwed on in an ever more chaotic world, and has his morals and values in all the right places as society becomes ever more corrupt around him...

"Spare me the cheap snatch," Richards said. "I'm married." - pg 40

The Running Man is very fast and very furious, keeping me engrossed on a hot, packed train even whilst I had other commuters coughing down my ear and standing on my toes. I couldn't tear my eyes from it.

Despite the extreme poverty, the brutal massacres and bloodshed that is rife in this Big Brother nation, King lets us glimpse the hope, warmth and loyalty that is present in all walks of humanity. He tackles class and race issues, builds towering skyscrapers and advanced weaponry; and sets us down running with "...MINUS 100 AND COUNTING..."

"We've been on for six years. To date, we have no survivals. To be brutally honest, we expect to have none."
"Then you're running a crooked table," Richards said flatly.
Killian seemed more amused than horrified. "But we're not... Mr Richards. People won't be at the bars and hotels or gathering in the cold in front of appliance stores rooting for you to get away. Goodness! no. They want to see you wiped out, and they'll help if they can..." - pg 39

I will be highly recommending The Running Man. I haven't seen the film starring Arnie, but the book has quickly become one of my all time favourites. I have the rest of Bachman (AKA King)'s titles, and I will be working my way through them.

Never Go Back - Lee Child

Rated 6/10

I was so lucky to receive an advanced proof copy of this from the publisher, and managed to finish it just as the hardback was released on our shelves in the store.

The latest instalment of Jack Reacher was quite enjoyable, despite me only having read books 1 - 5 previously. This is the 18th Reacher story (correct me if I'm wrong), and while its certainly more entertaining than some of his previous titles, it is by no means the best.

Reacher finds himself stuck right in the middle of an action packed mission to clear his name after tracking down a lady that he really liked the sound of over the telephone.

"He made sure his shirt was tucked and he brushed his hair with his fingers. He had no idea what he was going to say. He had liked her voice on the phone. That was all. He had sensed an interesting person behind it. He wanted to meet that person. Simple as that." - pg 19

This may sound familiar, but we all know that Lee Child's style is very much formulaic, and we've managed to get over that by now! Child also continues to use the short sentences that we're accustomed to from Reacher novels, and it was quite a relief after a day in work to not have to think much about what I was reading. Nice and easy.

There was enough action throughout this book to keep me entertained, as Lee Child sends Reacher on his usual kick ass vigilante mission. The build up was great, but the ending seemed rushed, and I never really got a feel for the top bad guy. I didn't really dislike him as a character (like I did in Tripwire for example).

And so Never Go Back is a great read for Reacher fans, but new readers might wonder what all this 'Reacher' fuss is about.