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No Time For Goodbye

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Crime- Thrillers and Mystery
by: Linwood Barclay

June 12, 2008
I did enjoy this book, and finished it in one weekend. The start really grips you, and the short mysterious paragraphs describing the conversations of unknown third parties really gets your mind racing. But sadly, although it is a good book, the unfolding of the facts is just not as 'clever' as the book starts off. Still very worth a read though.

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Devil May Care (James Bond)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Crime- Thrillers and Mystery
by: Sebastian Faulks

May 28, 2008
"Devil May Care" is a lightweight, enjoyable pot boiler that is highly reminiscent of the Ian Fleming novels and also the Sean Connery 007 movies. I definitely felt that Sebastian Faulks nailed Fleming's writing style. Unfortunately he has been less successful in constructing a compelling plot and characters.

I very much enjoyed the first half the book which vividly recreates the late 60s. Bond's initial confrontation with the villain is over a game of tennis that reads more like a duel and has all the tension of Casino Royale. The love interest, Scarlett, also makes a dramatic entry. However the second half of the book rapidly loses momentum and pace and the overly-complicated plot gets bogged down with lengthy explanations and the ... Read More:

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A Quiet Belief in Angels

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Crime- Thrillers and Mystery
by: R.J. Ellory

January 02, 2008
GREAT BOOK. Don't take any notice of the negative reviews. Its a very unusual "crime" novel and beatifully written. Needs time to read properly but it does grip from the beginning and the macabre content is sufficiently offbeat to make it a real page turner. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who simply likes a good story.
Christine Smythe

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Fearless Fourteen

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Crime- Thrillers and Mystery
by: Janet Evanovich

June 17, 2008
Janet must be laughing all the way to the bank! She should be ashamed of herself. She has taken what was a fantastic series and blemished it with this pathetic tale. No real plot, a parody of itself: there is nothing good about this book. I thought the 'in-between the numbers' books were the most pathetic, clearly I was wrong. This book is terrible. I will not be purchasing anymore of her books. Its up to Charlaine Harris to keep series writing going!

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Dead Man's Footsteps

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Crime- Thrillers and Mystery
by: Peter James

June 12, 2008
this is another fine outing for Roy Grace and is probably the best of the series to date. The discovery of the bodies of two females one in Brighton the other in Australia are linked to a Brighton business man who was thought to have died in New York on 9/11 and in some way, this is then linked to a young woman who is being terrorised. Peter james weaves these strands together effortlessly and at times the book is very difficult to put down. The one detraction Grace has to contend with is fellow Detectice Superintendant Cassian Pewe, which I for one found to be totally uneccessary though it does not detract from the overall enjoyment.

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Fractured

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Crime- Thrillers and Mystery
by: Karin Slaughter

July 03, 2008
Huge Karin Slaughter fan I must say before I review. Was VERY excited and waited with baited breath for her new book. Maybe the reason I cannot decide how to rate this book is because I truly do love the characters Sara, Jeffrey and Lena. Having said that this story features Will Trent who as a standalone character (featuring in Triptych) is a great guy. I love the fact that Slaughter does not go overboard with her characters being perfect. This story was definately a page turner and a great read, I just think I miss the characters from previous books such as Kisscut and A Faint Cold Fear

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Dissolution (Matthew Shardlake 1)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Crime- Thrillers and Mystery
by: C.J. Sansom

May 18, 2007
There aren't many books that can hold my attention but this one did. I saw an advertisment for C.J Sansom's book entitled, "Revelation" when I was on a trip to London recently and remarked I fancied reading it to which my mum replied that she already had 3 C.J Sansom books. I started with this, "Dissolution". I was hooked from the start. I really did not want it to end. It's a really enjoyable read and I'm onto my next one now. Apparently there are 4 in the Shardlake series so I've got some reading ahead of me! If you have an interest in history, then this is a really impressive read.

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Flesh House

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Crime- Thrillers and Mystery
by: Stuart MacBride

May 06, 2008
I have read all of Stuart MacBride's other books and enjoyed them. However, when I read a British Crime novel, I really don't want to be confronted by the gruesome pages I found in Flesh House. I have to confess not to have finished it, and finding something else "quieter" to read to take my mind from it.

Not at all what I expected.

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The Woods

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Crime- Thrillers and Mystery
by: Harlan Coben

January 24, 2008
This is my first Harlan Coben book and I took it on holiday with me. Like other reviewers, I enjoyed the plot very much and all the twists and turns kept me gripped from the start. Unfortunately it got me so hooked I finished the book in a couple of days, which left me with nothing else to read for the rest of the holiday! For my next holiday I will be taking a large number of Coben's books which I'm sure will be equally as good as The Woods. Highly recommended.

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Out

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Crime- Thrillers and Mystery
by: Natsuo Kirino

September 02, 2004
Even when you have finished this book, it stays with you and you find yourself thinking about it at odd times. This is strangely disturbing given the subject matter (which many have already outlined, so I won't repeat). The relationship between the 4 main women is beautifully drawn, both before and after the impact of what they have done together. The reader is curiously sympathetic to all the main characters, which is unusual in a thriller/murder story.
Initially I was worried that the Japanese names and setting would be confusing and I wouldn't be able to engage with the story, but after a handful of pages, I was completely immersed in the book. Not only was I not confused, but I relished the descriptions of everyday life in Japan - not something we in the West tend to be aware of.
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