The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

This is going to be very quick since I am trying to catch up. I have been desperate to read this book since it came out, but it was always out at the library. A few weeks ago, I thought to check the Large Print section and there it was, in fact they had two copies. So, now I know what to do in future.
Robert Langdon, a renowned symbologist is asked by his mentor to give a lecture on very short notice. He rushes off to Washington only to find that his mentor, Peter Solomon has been kidnapped by Mal'akh and his right hand left in the Capitol building for Robert to find. Robert then teams up with Peter's sister Katherine to find the lost Masonic Pyramid and discover the lost word which will obviously solve all mysteries. Of course, nothing is as easy as it sounds and they are continuously chased and hindered by the CIA as well as being sent around by Mal'akh.
I enjoyed the book,however, it really follows the same old Dan Brown formula (not necessarily a bad thing) and I really didnt feel it was his best. Having said that there is a lot of action, twists and turns and enough historical information to keep me hooked throughout. What really frustrated me about this book was the CIA agent, Sato. She was so arrogant and obnoxious, and refused to give anything out. As a result she appeared to be the bad person and infact I thought she was in cahoots with Mal'akh in the start. I realise that obviously this is part of the plot, mystery etc, but in this book I thought that it was taken to such an extreme that it didn't really help the story.
Anyway, all in all I did enjoy the book and will be looking out for the next one.

Zambesi by Tony Park

I read Zambesi on the recommendation of my friend, whose husband adores these books.
The Story is about Jed Banks whose daughter Miranda is apparently eaten by a man-eating lion. Jed, an American soldier, goes off to Zimbabwe to investigate the incident. On the way he of course encounters great danger and meets many people, who both hinder and help him. He teams up with Christine Wallis his daughters boss and they attempt to resolve the mystery, having many shocking discoveries along the way.

I am really in two minds about this book. I loved the idea and the plot, the story was great. Fast paced with lots of action, many twists and turns it really kept me glued to the end. Although I had kind of guessed some parts of the ending there were enough surprises that it didn't really matter.
What I found difficult about the books was the way he wrote. I wouldn't like to say it was a badly written book, because I really don't think it is. He keeps the story going, there is not too much extra stuff happening in the book and the pace is excellent. It is more the feelings I got when reading the book. I really didn't like any of the characters, there was nobody who stood out. The hero came across as the typical arrogant American*, come to save the world. Christine Wallis was even worse, I wanted to give her a slap, she refuses to co-operate at all, even when being secretive and difficult very obviously makes things worse. Obviously you can't like the bad guys, lol. Maybe I am a romantic, but I find that I can identify with the book more if there is at least one character I do like. Also, having read that the author was an Australian who had spent some time in Southern Africa I thought he would have more of an understanding about the area. He painted it in a very bad light and didn't seem to like it at all. It was full of stereotypes and seemed to only scratch the surface. I know that South Africa has an extremely high crime rate, but the parts set in Johannesburg made me laugh. He makes it out to be the Wild West, I have spent a lot of time in Johburg and never seen people behave the way he made it out. I just wondered why if he seemed to dislike a place so much you would bother to write a book about it? In the interests of fairness, he was writing from the perspective of a newcomer to Africa, so it could be that he was trying to bring that out.
Having said that I did enjoy the book and did finish it, and will definitely read more of his books.

*(Please don't anyone get offended about me talking about the "typical American" I know that 99% of Americans are not like that, I was just talking about the way they tend to be portrayed in a lot of movies and books)



 

The Lizard's bite by David Hewson

David Hewson is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. This book continues the story of Nic Costa and his friends. They have been exiled to Venice in punishment for some offence and are about to go on leave and then return to Rome. Circumstances of course, conspire to change this and they are called in to investigate a bizarre double murder. Uriel Arcangeli and his wife have been burnt to death in a glass foundry. The friends are called in to investigate but are basically told what their outcome is supposed to be. Unfortunately their investigation does not mirror what the establishment wants them to find and many feathers are ruffled. The investigation is bungled a little bit and lots of family secrets come out and possibly unnecessary results occur. Although I did enjoy this book a lot, I really dont feel that it is the best in the ones that I have read. However, lots of twists and turns in the plot kept me enthralled right until the end.
When I first started reading these books I didnt actually realise it was a series, and I have not read them in order at all. Whilst you can do it this way and still get through the books okay in retrospect I would try and read them in order. I have read more of the later books in this series and now jumped back to this one. It was a little bit difficult to work out what exactly was going on, why they were in Venice for example. It was also a bit surreal reading this book when I know so much of what is going to happen to them later for e.g. one of the main characters dying in one of the later books. All in all though, a really fast paced, fun book to read.

The Messiah Code by Michael Cordy

Tom Carter is a genetic scientist working on experimental ways to cure cancer. On his proudest day his wife is killed by an assassins bullet meant for him. Shortly after that he discovers that his daughter carries a gene which makes her likely to get terminal brain cancer. While Tom attempts to find a genetic cure for brain cancer a shadowy organisation called The Brotherhood is attempting to find the Messiah who has supposedly come again. They team up together, but a sinister member of the organisation is still trying to kill Tom as she has killed many before her.
Things I liked:

• If you like The Da Vinci code you will like this. Having said that this is nowhere near as good as The Da Vinci Code.
• I liked all the medical information and twists
• It was a brilliant idea for a book
• The author really kept you guessing until the very end, although there were some indications of how things would turn out this was nowhere as clear cut as all that, and the ending was a surprise

What I didn't like:

• Not enough action for me, there were parts that were a bit dry and long winded
• The epilogue was  bit confusing, and I didnt really feel it served any purpose
• He didnt really go into things enough, there were times when you were left wondering why things had happened or how things happened.

Would I read it again: No
Would I try another book by this author: Yes

Bodyguard by Suzanne Brockman

Harry O'Dell is a loose cannon FBI agent whose son and ex-wife were killed in a hit by a mob boss. He has virtually divorced himself from what remains of his family. Allessandra Lamonts soon to be exhusband is killed and then she is threatened by a mob-boss that if she does not find the money he stole she will be killed. She finds the money, but the nightmare doesn't end.
What follows is an adventure and a journey to healing for both of them.
What I liked:

• I loved the hero, Harry. He was normal and not the typical stuck up FBI agent that you see usually
• I loved that both Harry and Allesandra were not what they seemed to be and that you saw little changes in both of them throughout the book.
• I enjoyed the secondary story lines as well, and that there were strong characters who all had their own story line going
• There were quite a few twists in this book, which kept me guessing right the way through

What I didn't like

• that George (one of the secondary characters) story line wasnt really tied up. This may be the start of another book?
• the ending was a little too neat and cheesy for me
• It wasn't quite as fast paced as I would have liked it to be

Would I read it again: Probably not
Will I try other books by this author: Yes

The Genesis Code by John Case

I picked up this book ages ago at a book sale and have only just got around to reading it. The book starts with a confession by a doctor in a small town in Europe. The priest hearing his confession rushes off to Rome where he eventually is able to tell his story.
Jump to America where Joe Lassiter, a private detective, discovers that his daughter and small nephew have been murdered. While investigating the murders he discovers that this is just 1 in a string of similar murders all around the world. He looks a bit more and discovers that all the women attended the same fertility clinic in Italy, and goes in search of the surviving women.
I really enjoyed this book, it was fast paced, active and full of intrigue. Enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. I dont think Joe was a very good investigator though because quite a few things I guessed before he did. I would definitely like to try other books by this author. 

I, Alex Cross

Another book in the Alex Cross series, this one starts with the murder of Cross's niece. When Alex is called to identify the body he embarks on a quest to find her. He discovers that she was a high class prostitute and eventually discovers that she is only one in a string of similar victims. This is a world where your every fantasy is within your fingertips so long as you are prepared to pay, and anonymity is guaranteed. Although he is suddenly pulled off the case he continues to investigate and eventually realises that this case goes to the highest levels of society and that their are powerful people who will do anything to keep this quiet. Despite all of this, Alex manages to discover the identity of the killer, and that was a bit of a shock. There are hints throughout but I must say that I hadn't guessed the righ person. The ending is a bit of a surprise too, but I guess it was the best outcome.
What I liked: Pretty much all of it, I just love the way James Patterson writes. Although the books are jam packed and relatively scary, they are so easy to read and go so quickly.
What I didnt like: nothing much, although some parts are pretty gruesome.
Would I read it again: in a while
Would I read other books by this author: Yes

 

Fire Ice by Clive Cussler

I really enjoy Clive Cusslers books and this was no disappointment. Kurt Austin loosely teams up with an ex-KGB officer to prevent a Russian megalomaniac from attempting to destroy America and thus take over the world. As always there is action, a bit of history, suspense, lots of thrilling scenes, underwater exploration and a little bit of romance (or perhaps that should be lust lol) The scenes move from Russia, the Black Sea, Turkey, the Maine Coast and Washington DC so really something to satisfy everyone.
What I liked: I just love the fast pace of these novels. I like how there are the same characters each time with a few new ones thrown in for luck. I loved the scenes in the Russian submarine base as well as the scene where Dr. Jenkins saves the coast from a Tsunami. I also liked how two old enemies put aside their differences to work together for the common good. Also, how the author keeps you guessing as to whether they are working together or whether there is one of them that is not being honest, but that may be my own sceptical nature, lol.
What I didn't like: Not much
Would I read it agian? Yes
Would I read other books by the same author? Have read numerous books by this author

Kingdom by Tom Martin

Another book from my bookclub Kingdom was one that I thoroughly enjoyed.
A dying man arrives outside the gates of a monastery in Tibet and by nightfall the monks have evacuated and the abbot is dead.  Nancy Kelly, a journalist, newly arrived in India receives a bone trumpet from her predecessor who has disapeared. She is also arrested and then detained by the Indian police for being a spy. What follows is a treasure hunt through the forests of Tibet for the fabled land of Shangri-La.
What I liked: This book kept me guessing from beginning to end. There were so many twists and turns it is incrdible. Good guys become bad guys, bad guys turn out to be good. What seems to be the truth turns out to be not so true after all. I enjoyed learning about a culture which I know very little about, as well as all the historical references. It was also fast paced and a real page turner, with lots of action and adventure.
What I didn't like: I am a little bit sceptical about all the magic issues that were brought up. I got a bit confused with all the "foreign terms" Also, I didnt feel like you really get to know the characters, their development was minimal.
Would I read it again: Yes
Would I read another book by the same author: Yes

Review - The Last Testament by Sam Bourne

Name: The Last Testament

Author: Sam Bourne

I have only read one of Sam Bournes books before, but it is one of my favourite (for the moment) type of books, so when I saw it in the library I had to take it.

The story: Maggie Costello is a retired mediator in international politics. She is asked to step in when the Isreali Prime Minister is allegedly nearly assasinated to attemp to bring the peace talks back onto the rail. However, when she arrives in Israel she finds that all is not as it seems.

Firstly, the "assasinator" was actually an old man with a note in his hand, who had been trying to contact the Prime Minister for days and who was then shot by the Isreali secret services. Secondly, there have since been a series of seemingly random killings and other incidents which are threatening to derail the whole process. Maggie discovers that these incidents are not as random as they seem and are all tied into a small clay tablet discovered by this old man. She eventually teems up with the "assassins" son in a treasure hunt across Jerusalem to find the clay tablet and hopefully find out what is so important about them.

What I liked:

• the descriptions of Jerusalem and the way he set out the scene. I really felt like I was there at times
• the fast paced adventure, I could not read at all for most of yesterday and really felt it pulling at me to see what would happen next
• the clues/hunt: I loved the way they were given a little bit of information and had to figure it out themselves
• the way Maggie and Uri were 2 relatively normal people without backing from any big powers and yet they still managed to get there in the end with what they had at their disposal

What I didn't like:

• not too much really
• I did get a little confused since there was a little bit of jumping around between 2003, the time of the book and a few weeks before that.
• Maggie had some deep secret past which was never really discussed, I would like to have heard more about that (may have been discussed in his first book.)

Would I read it again: Yes

Would I read other books by this author: Yes

Mystery and suspense Reading challenge 2011

So I was bloghopping this evening and came across the Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge for 2011.
This is one of my favourite genres so I am definitley going to join this. The challenge is to read at least 12 mystery novels in 2011. Should be easy enough for me, lol. What did amaze me though was the list of all the different sub-genres of mystery. Wow, I have never realised there were quite as many as that. So I aim to try a few new mystery kinds/authors as well this year.

1. The Last Testament by Sam Bourne
2. Kingdom by Tom Martin
3. Fire Ice by Clive Cussler
4. I, Alex Cross by James Patterson
5. The Genesis Code by John Case
6. Bodyguard by Suzanne Brockman
7. The Messiah Code by Michael Cordy
8. The Lizards Bite by David Hewson
9. Zambesi by Tony Park
10. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
11. Empire of Gold by Andy Mc Dermott
12. The double Eagle by James Twining
13. Dantes Numbers by David Hewson
14. City of Light by Lauren Belfaur
15. Along came a spider by James Patterson
16. Absolution by Caro Ramsey
17. Beach Road by James Patterson
18. The fabric of sin by Phil Rickman
19. The Amber Room by Steve Berry
20. Polar Star by Martin Cruz Smith
21. Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer
22. Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs
23. Sandstone by James Rollins
24. Fat Tuesday by Sandra Brown
25. The black sun by James Twining
26. 206 bones by Kathy Reichs
27. The secret servant by Daniel Silva
28. The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen
29. The Lion by Nelson de Mille
30. Break no bones by Kathy Reichs
31. The killing place by Tess Gerritsen
32. Hell Gate by Linda Fairstein
33. Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
34. To dream of the dead by Phil Rickman
35. The last Oracle by James Rollins
36. Fatal Attraction by Carol Smith
37. The sinner by Tess Gerritsen
38. Theodore Boone by John Grisham
39. The lost throne by Chris Kuzneski
40. Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs