Review: The Devil's Fan Club By Mark Kirkbride

Blurb:
Twisted twins meet a man at a nightclub who tempts them with the prospect of joining a criminal circle – yet there’s a catch.

Seventeen-year-old twins James and Louise meet enigmatic Nick at Hell nightspot. He's been questioned by police in the hunt for the serial killer terrorising West London and they suspect it is him. But he appeals to their rebellious natures by tempting them with the prospect of joining a secret society, the Devil’s Fan Club, and they are ripe for corruption. So even when they learn that members must commit a crime and theirs is the ultimate one, they are enthralled. Half-believing they’ve met him, they go over to the Devil’s camp. And rather than trying to catch a killer, they cover for one.

Yet while they yearn to join Nick’s club, the task is too dreadful to complete. The killer gets closer. And James fears Louise will be next.

But sometimes the most fertile breeding ground for evil is innocence...

Uncompromising, dark, irreverent, psychological thriller The Devil’s Fan Club taps into the midbrain, and stays there.

My Thoughts: The Devil's Fan Club is the perfect book to read around the Halloween season. It's seriously creepy. Not a scary horror book but a supremely devious book that makes your skin crawl.

This story centers around an extremely disturbed family. You've got the perfect storm living under one roof. There are the dysfunctional parents, a younger daughter that talks to an imaginary friend, a pretty and young nanny and the above mentioned twisted twins.

The story that follows weaves the characters in and around each other in the most diabolical ways with an ending that fits the story to a tee. Bravo Kirkbride!

Recommendation: I recommend this for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller.

Review: The Devil's Fan Club By Mark Kirkbride

https://www.readingwithmonie.com/2012/10/review-devils-fan-club-by-mark-kirkbride.html

Review: The Ruins of Lace by Iris Anthony

Blurb:


Lace is a thing like hope.


It is beauty; it is grace.

It was never meant to destroy so many lives.

The mad passion for forbidden lace has infiltrated France, pulling soldier and courtier into its web. For those who want the best, Flemish lace is the only choice, an exquisite perfection of thread and air. For those who want something they don't have, Flemish lace can buy almost anything-or anyone.

For Lisette, lace begins her downfall, and the only way to atone for her sins is to outwit the noble who know demands an impossible length of it. To fail means certain destruction. But for Katharina, lace is her salvation. It is who she is; it is what she does. If she cannot make this stunning tempest of threads, a dreaded fate awaits.

A taut, mesmerizing story, The Ruins of Lace explores the intricate tangle of fleeting beauty, mad obsession, and ephemeral hope.

My Thoughts:

The Ruins of Lace immediately captured my attention. The story is set in 16th-century France when lace was banned and follows the story of seven characters who were affected by it. Just from reading the blurb I was intrigued and the book did not disappoint. Anthony's well researched storyline pulled me in from the very beginning and I became so caught up in the story that I googled the banning of lace so I could read more about the real events regarding the ban.

I had strong feelings, both good and bad, towards several characters in the book. You know when a book makes you hate a character so much the author has done an amazing job.

I do have to admit the book has a very surprising ending though. I can't figure out if there will be a sequel or if the author just left those threads hanging for the reader to draw their own conclusions but I can honestly say that I hope it's the former.

Recommendation:

I recommend this one for anyone who loves fully researched historical fiction.

 

Review: The Ruins of Lace by Iris Anthony

https://www.readingwithmonie.com/2012/10/review-ruins-of-lace-by-iris-anthony.html

Review: Charlie's Trips by Jack Felson

Product Description: A tornado sweeps through an area of the deep Midwest and takes away a teenage soldier, Charlie Bradshaw, who's hurled into space-time and ends up 21years later, on the West Coast, off San Francisco. He's found on a beach, alive but unconscious. As he emerges from a 2-day coma, he has a vision and prediction: another disaster, a big earthquake. But he doesn't know he's on TV camera. He doesn't know either that his memory has gone 'reverse'. There are many other things he's still unaware of...

Written in a straight, very cinematic style, "Charlie's Trips" is an insolent tale of science-fiction that plays with several literary and cinematic myths (notably "The Wizard of Oz") as it introduces us to a new kind of hero: an 'amnesic psychic', able to see into the future when he lost his past. As it also asks us this question: is it possible to live in 'reverse' mode?

My Thoughts: Initially I was a little disturbed by how young Charlie was and thought it was way too unrealistic that he was in the military at the age of 16. I wondered why the author didn't make the character just a couple of years older to make the story more realistic but when the rest of the story unfolded I could see the reasons behind the author's decision to make him so young.

I really enjoyed the storyline and turn of events however I didn't rate the book higher because the writing didn't flow very well in my opinion. It was a bit choppy and the dialogue seemed very forced in some instances. Also the ending was just a bit too abrupt. I actually thought some of the book just got chopped off of the ebook version I was reading instead of leaving a cliff hanger.

My Recommendation: I recommend Charlie's Trips for anyone who loves sci-fi but I'd possbly wait for the next book in the series so it's a seamless read instead of being left wondering if the book is really over.

Review: Charlie's Trips by Jack Felson

https://www.readingwithmonie.com/2012/09/review-charlies-trips-by-jack-felson.html

Review: Painting by Numbers by Tom Gillespie

Blurb:

Day after day, Jacob Boyce – faltering academic and failing husband – visits a 17th century allegorical painting which hangs in a Glasgow art gallery. By using a series of measurements and calculations, he attempts to create a mathematical theory that will decipher the code locked into its canvas.

As more of the painting’s hidden secrets are revealed, and he meets a mysterious young woman, Jacob’s life spirals into chaos.

The object of his obsession has begun to move.

Painting by Numbers is a dark, surreal thriller that follows one man’s relentless pursuit into an old truth buried deep within.

My Thoughts:

Have you ever read a book that makes you want to read it all over again once you get through to the end? Painting by Numbers is just such a book. I read the last page and I immediately wanted to start over again so I can see if there was anything that pointed to the shocking ending.

From the opening scene I was sucked into the story and was eagerly turning the pages. Jacob is such a tragic character and even though you can see where his downward spiral is heading you can't help but hope that things turn around for him. When they don't your left guessing how he pulls himself out of the mess he's made.

It's been a couple of weeks since I finished Painting by Numbers and the ending still haunts me. I recommend this one for anyone who loves a shocking suspense thriller.

Review: Painting by Numbers by Tom Gillespie

https://www.readingwithmonie.com/2012/09/review-painting-by-numbers-by-tom.html

Review: The Long Earth by Stephen Baxter & Terry Pratchett

Product Description:

The possibilities are endless. (Just be careful what you wish for. . . .)

1916: The Western Front. Private Percy Blakeney wakes up. He is lying on fresh spring grass. He can hear birdsong and the wind in the leaves. Where have the mud, blood, and blasted landscape of no-man's-land gone? For that matter, where has Percy gone?

2015: Madison, Wisconsin. Police officer Monica Jansson is exploring the burned-out home of a reclusive—some say mad, others allege dangerous—scientist who seems to have vanished. Sifting through the wreckage, Jansson find a curious gadget: a box containing some rudimentary wiring, a three-way switch, and . . . a potato. It is the prototype of an invention that will change the way humankind views the world forever.

My thoughts:

The book synopsis doesn't really explain what the book is all about but in a nutshell it's about the invention of a box that allows anyone to shift into a parallel earth which becomes known as "stepping". The story follows a few characters, the main one being Joshua who actually has the ability to step naturally.

Joshua and a computerized being called Lobsang, set to stepping to find out just how many earths there are and learn more about the different beings who populate these other worlds.

Having only read one other Terry Pratchett book and none from Stephen Baxter I didn't have any expectations other than a great sic-fi read. I was very disappointed with The Long Earth because the story was hard to understand at first and when I finally was able to make sense of the storyline the authors seem to go in too many directions at once. Then when things are finally getting good there isn't any inkling of a climax or resolution to the story, just a weak cliff hanger.

My Recommendation:

Since I am not familiar with either author's works I don't know if being a fan would be a pro or con for reading this book but as a light sci-fi reader can't really recommend The Long Earth as a must-read. I'd save this one for a library read or borrowed from a friend.

Review: The Long Earth by Stephen Baxter & Terry Pratchett

https://www.readingwithmonie.com/2012/09/review-long-earth-by-stephen-baxter.html