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balthazarlawson's reviews
1183 reviews
Don't Send Flowers by Martín Solares
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The city of La Eternidad, Mexico, is being torn apart by competing gangs who want control. At varies times the police chief has helped one side or the other as he is just as corrupt as the criminals. This level of corruption lead Carlos Trevino quitting and moving away as he wanted to live.
Years later he is hired to find the missing daughter of a local business man. He very reluctantly accepts the job but it means he must face his past.
Then, halfway through the book, Carlos disappears and we follow the police chief. We do learn more about Carlos but the second half of the book is mostly about the police chief. It's almost like there are two stories here. This shift of focus changes the story completely. However, by this time I didn't really care what happened any of them.
I didn't like these characters. It's an eye opening story about the dark side of life in Mexico but the story was too disjointed for me to enjoy. The ending of all the story lines was wrapped up very quickly and not very satisfying. It was a challenge to read this not because of the subject, but because of the writing style.
Years later he is hired to find the missing daughter of a local business man. He very reluctantly accepts the job but it means he must face his past.
Then, halfway through the book, Carlos disappears and we follow the police chief. We do learn more about Carlos but the second half of the book is mostly about the police chief. It's almost like there are two stories here. This shift of focus changes the story completely. However, by this time I didn't really care what happened any of them.
I didn't like these characters. It's an eye opening story about the dark side of life in Mexico but the story was too disjointed for me to enjoy. The ending of all the story lines was wrapped up very quickly and not very satisfying. It was a challenge to read this not because of the subject, but because of the writing style.
A Cold Death in Amsterdam by Anja de Jager
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Detective Lotte Meerman is under a lot of stress and most of it is of her own making. She works cold cases in Amsterdam and is transitioning from a resent case that brought her national attention to one that involves her father, who she hasn't spoken to in years. She doesn't play by the rules and rarely considers others and put's a lot of people off side. The new case only came about because she walked in on an armed robbery at a service station and shot the offender. When she realises her father may not be as honest as she thought she doesn't tell anyone that he is her father as they have different surnames. But she still feels she must protect him.
This was an enjoyable read and flowed along nicely, though at times he got a bit muddled and lacked a nice clear logic. This is the first book I've read that has been based in the Netherlands, and by a Dutch author, but it won't be the last. There is something about walking through the snow by the canals and almost freezing to death in Amsterdam.
I will read more of this series in the hope that Lotte gets her act together.
This was an enjoyable read and flowed along nicely, though at times he got a bit muddled and lacked a nice clear logic. This is the first book I've read that has been based in the Netherlands, and by a Dutch author, but it won't be the last. There is something about walking through the snow by the canals and almost freezing to death in Amsterdam.
I will read more of this series in the hope that Lotte gets her act together.
Kickback by Garry Disher
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is story of crooks. None of them are nice and they are all likely to thump you if you look twice at them. Even the cops are not nice, when they make their brief appearance. The main character is Wyatt and he's not a nice person.
Set in the early 90's in Melbourne, before the time of the internet and mobiles. It's an enjoyable read but I have no vested interest in any of them surviving. They are horrible people and why we have a horrible world.
Set in the early 90's in Melbourne, before the time of the internet and mobiles. It's an enjoyable read but I have no vested interest in any of them surviving. They are horrible people and why we have a horrible world.
Red as Blood by Lilja Sigurðardóttir
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
There is an over arching story line to this series. Arora is looking for her missing sister, believed to have been killer by her boyfriend and her body buried in a lava field somewhere. Except for the start of this book there is very little written along this story line.
The main story line in this book is a kidnapping. Arora becomes involved when the accountant of victim's husband asks her to babysit him. He doesn't want the police involved, as per instructions. But she convinces him to talk to Daniel, the police inspector handling her missing sister's case. From there on, she pretty much takes a back seat to events, and the story is a crime mystery as the police investigate the kidnapping. There are a few other side line events but they almost seem to be add-ons to keep Arora in the story.
As part of a series, it's not that great an episode, but as a stand alone story it's good. I enjoyed it from that point of view. I liked the setting, but didn't really like the ending at all. It was such a set up for the next book in the series.
The main story line in this book is a kidnapping. Arora becomes involved when the accountant of victim's husband asks her to babysit him. He doesn't want the police involved, as per instructions. But she convinces him to talk to Daniel, the police inspector handling her missing sister's case. From there on, she pretty much takes a back seat to events, and the story is a crime mystery as the police investigate the kidnapping. There are a few other side line events but they almost seem to be add-ons to keep Arora in the story.
As part of a series, it's not that great an episode, but as a stand alone story it's good. I enjoyed it from that point of view. I liked the setting, but didn't really like the ending at all. It was such a set up for the next book in the series.
The Lady from Zagreb by Philip Kerr
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Daria Dresner is the lady from Zagreb. She is a actress working under Joseph Goebbels making propaganda movies. However, she is reluctant to make the next movie unless Josef will help her find her father who is somewhere in Croatia. This is where Bernie Gunther comes in with the job of finding the missing father.
But this takes place a third of the way into the book and before that it just muddles along starting in 1942 after Bernie was working for Heydrich and before he started working for the war crimes bureau. Then it jumps a year, to when Bernie had returned from his time in Russia working on the recovery of dead Polish officers, which was covered in the previous book in the series.
The time line in all these books overlap one another and jumps about so much that really they could be read in any order. I could just as easily read the previous book in the series now, if I had not already read it.
I found this book to be a bit disjointed and rather unbelievable in some aspects, namely why hasn't someone put a bullet into the back of Bernie's head. He has a certain style but he just goes too far at times pushing his luck. He should have been buried in a shallow grave by now. This isn't has good as other books in the series but worth a read.
But this takes place a third of the way into the book and before that it just muddles along starting in 1942 after Bernie was working for Heydrich and before he started working for the war crimes bureau. Then it jumps a year, to when Bernie had returned from his time in Russia working on the recovery of dead Polish officers, which was covered in the previous book in the series.
The time line in all these books overlap one another and jumps about so much that really they could be read in any order. I could just as easily read the previous book in the series now, if I had not already read it.
I found this book to be a bit disjointed and rather unbelievable in some aspects, namely why hasn't someone put a bullet into the back of Bernie's head. He has a certain style but he just goes too far at times pushing his luck. He should have been buried in a shallow grave by now. This isn't has good as other books in the series but worth a read.
Vendetta by Tony Park
challenging
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I've read a couple of books featuring Captain Sannie van Rensburg but in this one she has moved from living and working near the Krugar National Park to the coast south of Durban in South Africa. A complete change for her.
Here she encounters Adam Krugar, a man in his 50's doing a PHD, working as a car guard at a shopping centre, doing up his parents house so he can sell and generally leading a low key lifestyle. Keeping out of trouble. That changes when he stops an armed robbery from taking place and gets national notoriety and meets Sannie who takes his statement.
It slowly comes to light that they have a connection via a friend of Sannie, Mia Greenway, who's father use to be in the same army unit as Adam. Sannie is planing on visiting Mia for a holiday who works at a lodge in the north west of the country. Out of her generosity she offers Adam a lift to the lodge as he wants to attend the funeral of another member of his army unit who recently died. They are set on a path to confront Adam's past and the mysterious death of members of the unit that had fought in the Border Wars in the 1980s.
An enjoyable and informative read about things that a lot of people might not be aware of. I like the characters, the nice ones at least, and the story is interesting. At it's heart it's a crime mystery. The problem is finding the crime and then the perpetrator.
Here she encounters Adam Krugar, a man in his 50's doing a PHD, working as a car guard at a shopping centre, doing up his parents house so he can sell and generally leading a low key lifestyle. Keeping out of trouble. That changes when he stops an armed robbery from taking place and gets national notoriety and meets Sannie who takes his statement.
It slowly comes to light that they have a connection via a friend of Sannie, Mia Greenway, who's father use to be in the same army unit as Adam. Sannie is planing on visiting Mia for a holiday who works at a lodge in the north west of the country. Out of her generosity she offers Adam a lift to the lodge as he wants to attend the funeral of another member of his army unit who recently died. They are set on a path to confront Adam's past and the mysterious death of members of the unit that had fought in the Border Wars in the 1980s.
An enjoyable and informative read about things that a lot of people might not be aware of. I like the characters, the nice ones at least, and the story is interesting. At it's heart it's a crime mystery. The problem is finding the crime and then the perpetrator.
The Dead of Winter by Stuart MacBride
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Detective Constable Edward Reekie is drafted in at the last minute to assist Detective Inspector Victoria Montgomery-Porter, know as Bigtoria due to her size, escort a dying prisoner who is being released to live in a small village. This is no ordinary village as all the inhabitants are ex-prisoners who can't live in normal society due to the hideousness of their crimes. A snow storm blows in and the village is cut off from outside help which causes more problems than could be predicted as someone has murdered one of the villagers. As the senior officers present Bigtoria heads up the investigation, but without any outside technical help. However, she is not a very communicative type, in fact some would call her a stuck up arrogant bitch, and life for DC Reekie is hell.
He really regrets being a policeman. He hates Bigtoria. He hates the village. He hates the snow. He's tired. And he smells.
The start of this book is rather depressing and I wondered what I was getting myself into. But as it went on it got better and felt like an old fashioned country house crime mystery. Then things changed again. There are lots of twists and turns in this book and it's best to go with the flow and hope things turn out for the best and not as was indicated by the start. In in the end I really really enjoyed this. It's not straight forward but that's what makes it good.
He really regrets being a policeman. He hates Bigtoria. He hates the village. He hates the snow. He's tired. And he smells.
The start of this book is rather depressing and I wondered what I was getting myself into. But as it went on it got better and felt like an old fashioned country house crime mystery. Then things changed again. There are lots of twists and turns in this book and it's best to go with the flow and hope things turn out for the best and not as was indicated by the start. In in the end I really really enjoyed this. It's not straight forward but that's what makes it good.
Sacrifice by Tim Svart
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Chief Inspector “Karre” Karrenberg heads up a homicide squad in Essen Germany. It's only a small team, including Viktoria von Flurstenfeld. There is subtle sexual tension between the pair but most of Karre's thinking is about his daughter Hanna who is in a coma in hospitable following a car accident that killed his ex-wife Sandra. Was it an accident or was there something more sinister going on? This is a overarching story line to his life.
But as a homicide detective he must concentrate on the present and the death of a woman who's body was found at the bottom of a set of stairs at the back of a night club.
There might be something lost in translation here but it felt a bit disjointed and didn't flow along nicely. Plus there is the annoying habit of people about to say something important and being interrupted. It happens all the time and, combined with simply not saying things out loud, I found these people frustrating. I would not like to work with Karre as he keeps too much to himself and picks the completely wrong time to reveal what he knows and what his intentions are. It's good to read a book with a different setting and I might read more from the series but stories that have a huge overarching story line, the death of his ex-wife, doesn't really appeal to me.
But as a homicide detective he must concentrate on the present and the death of a woman who's body was found at the bottom of a set of stairs at the back of a night club.
There might be something lost in translation here but it felt a bit disjointed and didn't flow along nicely. Plus there is the annoying habit of people about to say something important and being interrupted. It happens all the time and, combined with simply not saying things out loud, I found these people frustrating. I would not like to work with Karre as he keeps too much to himself and picks the completely wrong time to reveal what he knows and what his intentions are. It's good to read a book with a different setting and I might read more from the series but stories that have a huge overarching story line, the death of his ex-wife, doesn't really appeal to me.
The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a big book, over a thousand pages. And that is one of the it's problems. For the story it is, it's too long.
The title relates to the title of a comic, originally presented on YouTube and than bought by Netflix. Surrounding the comic are fans, and they come in all types, and all levels of hatred towards the creators after they sold out. In particular, there is one called Anomie, who created a game based on the comic and is the most vocal about the fan's hatred of the creators for selling out. The creators are relentlessly trolled on all social media and the hatred is transferred to people who defend them.
When the creators, Josh and Edie, are attacked and one is killed, Cormoran Strike is engaged to track down the true identity of Anomie buy the company behind a movie planned on the comic.
And there begins the long long long journey into the world of online trolls and games and personalities. And the beginning of confusion. Trying to find the real person behind an online name is not easy it's very taxing on the agency as they are already undertaking several other jobs. Plus there are some people who don't want to be revealed and will strike back. It's a crazy world and it puts pressure on everyone. It just goes on and one until the conclusion.
All the different names and personalities and theorizing gets confusing and you need to pay attention. There is also the sexual tension between Strike and Robin that simmers it's way through the book, Strike's attempts at a relationship with a jewellery designer, Strike having to deal with his ex, all the other cases they are dealing with, the lack of staff and Strike's health problems with stump that is playing up. There is a lot going on.
A shorter story would have been more enjoyable.
The title relates to the title of a comic, originally presented on YouTube and than bought by Netflix. Surrounding the comic are fans, and they come in all types, and all levels of hatred towards the creators after they sold out. In particular, there is one called Anomie, who created a game based on the comic and is the most vocal about the fan's hatred of the creators for selling out. The creators are relentlessly trolled on all social media and the hatred is transferred to people who defend them.
When the creators, Josh and Edie, are attacked and one is killed, Cormoran Strike is engaged to track down the true identity of Anomie buy the company behind a movie planned on the comic.
And there begins the long long long journey into the world of online trolls and games and personalities. And the beginning of confusion. Trying to find the real person behind an online name is not easy it's very taxing on the agency as they are already undertaking several other jobs. Plus there are some people who don't want to be revealed and will strike back. It's a crazy world and it puts pressure on everyone. It just goes on and one until the conclusion.
All the different names and personalities and theorizing gets confusing and you need to pay attention. There is also the sexual tension between Strike and Robin that simmers it's way through the book, Strike's attempts at a relationship with a jewellery designer, Strike having to deal with his ex, all the other cases they are dealing with, the lack of staff and Strike's health problems with stump that is playing up. There is a lot going on.
A shorter story would have been more enjoyable.
Lying Beside You by Michael Robotham
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Evie is trying to get on with life living with Cyrus. But it isn't easy as she doesn't really have the social skills to move through day to day life without causing trouble. Cyrus is still working for the police and trying to prepare for the possible release of his brother from the high security hospital where he has been since killing the rest of his family except for Cyrus.
A chance encounter with a recently paroled man leads Cyrus to a possible case of misjustice and a possible link to the case he is currently helping the police with. But nothing is clear and as long as it doesn't sit with Cyrus he will keep looking, even if the police thing they do know who the killer is.
An enjoyable read. I rarely dislike any particular characters in books, but the presence of Elias in this is kind of off putting. Perhaps because I don't think I could ever forgive a person for what he did, no matter the cause, if I was in Cyrus's position.
A chance encounter with a recently paroled man leads Cyrus to a possible case of misjustice and a possible link to the case he is currently helping the police with. But nothing is clear and as long as it doesn't sit with Cyrus he will keep looking, even if the police thing they do know who the killer is.
An enjoyable read. I rarely dislike any particular characters in books, but the presence of Elias in this is kind of off putting. Perhaps because I don't think I could ever forgive a person for what he did, no matter the cause, if I was in Cyrus's position.