Posts

Showing posts from April, 2016
Image
Act of Treason by Vince Flynn My rating: 4 of 5 stars A very good thriller. It is my first novel of both Mitch Rapp and Vince Flynn. But definitely not the last. Story is very simple. Alexander the President hopeful is trailing badly. His deputy Ross and campaign manager Stuart Garret are despondent. The wife of president hopeful is killed in a terrorist act and they wins on a sympathy wave. Rivera the head of their security detail is crucified. Enter Mitch Rapp with the blessing of Kennedy, CIA director and he finds Gaziach ho detonated bomb. What follows is typical politics over this and how Kennedy and Mitch deal with it. The novel picks up pace from page one and pace is unrelenting through out. Story is somewhat outlandish but still believable. Mitch Rapp is like James bond as much as he does what he feels right and does not always play by rule. Some excerpts from the book: Washington was the grand stage of espionage and diplomacy, not some backwater, mosquito infested Third W
Image
Asadhya Veena असाध्य वीणा by Ageya My rating: 4 of 5 stars Asadhya Veena can be loosely translated as " A GUITAR LIKE INDIAN INSTRUMENT WHICH CAN NOT BE TAMED OR PLAYED". This is a long poem by Sachidanand Ageya. He is founding father of Proyagawad aka experimentalism in Hindi literature. This poem is a story of a Veena which cannot be played. The king is despondent because of this. Then Keshkambli Priyamvad Gufa Geh (one who lives in caves) comes and king feels that now the veena can be played. King says that he is not sure of the origin of veena but legend says that it is made by Vajrakeerti (Vajra is weapon made of bones used by king of gods Inda + Keerti is fame) from the wood of a Kireet Taru (ancient huge tree). Vajrakeerti bound the veena with spells and made it asadhya. No artist in the kingdom is able to play it. Priyamvad says that he is not an artist. He is a mere practitioner, disciple and an observer of untold truth of life. Then he lifts the veena and bows
Image
Sherlock Holmes: The Peculiar Persecution of John Vincent Harden by Dan Andriacco My rating: 2 of 5 stars Not like original ACD. but this portion of introduction is interesting : Monsignor Knox lists eleven elements of a canonical Sherlock Holmes story. A Study in Scarlet has all eleven elements, and most stories in the Canon have at least five. Those elements are: 1. A homely Baker Street scene to start, with invaluable personal touches and sometimes a demonstration by the detective or reference by either Holmes or Watson to an untold tale of Sherlock Holmes; 2. The client’s statement of the case;3. Energetic personal investigation by Holmes and Watson, often including the famous floor-walk on hands and knees;4. Refutation by Holmes of the Scotland Yard theory; 5. A few stray hints to the police, which they never adopt;6. Holmes tells the true course of the case to Dr. Watson as he sees it, but is sometimes wrong;7. Questioning of the victim’s relatives, dependents, and others, a
Image
Entice by S. Layne My rating: 3 of 5 stars Laurie husband james sleeps with her best friend becky and she is debastated. In her anxious state she meets Liam who is a playboy and start a passionate affair witj him. This is the brief of story. Its sensuos, free flowing and keeps you interested. Its no high literature but rather a potboiler. You can read it once. Some excerpts : Except counseling. I scowl. Because counseling is for people who aren’t smart enough to work out their own issues. --------- I don’t even remember the last time someone hit on me. Has it been that long? A part of my femininity wants to preen and rub against him, have his hands run down my side at the thought that he believes I’m beautiful enough to want to have a drink with me. -------- But there’s still a part of me that wants to be at the bar at eight o’clock and see what a conversation with him would be like.Because after feeling so used and abandoned…and just hurt…that part of me wants to give James a tas
Image
Ready to Were by Robyn Peterman My rating: 1 of 5 stars No stars. View all my reviews
Image
Memory Man by David Baldacci My rating: 4 of 5 stars My rating is 4.25 stars. It is a very good thriller and mystery. A real page turner and engrossing. I love David Baldacci better than Patterson and Cornwell. The premise of the novel is a mental condition called hyperthymesia which relates to near-perfect recall of one’s personal or autobiographical past. The hero of the novel can not forget anything and it plays in his head like a DVR no matter how old the memory is. Baldacci starts it from here and takes you on an amazing ride. The macguffin in this novel is the motive of villain in killing Amos Decker family and subsequent shooting in school and kills.[In fiction, a MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin or maguffin) is a plot device in the form of some goal, desired object, or other motivator that the protagonist pursues, often with little or no narrative explanation]. Once you can make peace with that you will enjoy this book thoroughly. The hero Amos Decker is a troubled soul whose
Image
Mr. Monk Gets Even by Lee Goldberg My rating: 3 of 5 stars This is a funny book. I liked the monk the TV series and book is equally good. Monk is a obsessive compulsive detective who goes into depression when is wife is killed by a car bomb. He is thrown out of police force as he was unable to function after that. But as he is brilliant homicide detective, he is appointed consultant to SFPD. In this book Natalie, daughter Julie is acting as Monk assistant, as a temporary measure. l doubt a person so fat as Dale the Whale exists. If it all he exists it is very unlikely surgery can help him. He has a girl friend also who is ready to kill herself for his sake???? Monk is portrayed as Sherlock but he works backwards. He first choose the culprit and then finds clues to implicate him. SO he is no Sherlock after all. The book is an easy read. The mystery is very ordinary both in murders and in case of Dale the Whale. However the fun is in the light tone and humorous way of treatment. Mon