DNF at page 4. YES, I could read till that page before puking overwhelmed me! That's the most disgusting, stupid, pointless and creepy book I've ever DNF at page 4. YES, I could read till that page before puking overwhelmed me! That's the most disgusting, stupid, pointless and creepy book I've ever read.
After I finished puking, the only thoughts in my head were...
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See, even Godzilla agrees!
I have one question to Nancy...
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To sum up....
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P.S. My dear friends, you are safe, I won't ever rec this to anybody! P.S.S. If you'd like to read something more coherent and more passionate please drop an eye onto
Let me ask you on a dinner in Mr. McBain’s Greasy Spoon, on a strange, a bit creepy, interesting date. For the apA rec from my great GR pal, Craig :)
Let me ask you on a dinner in Mr. McBain’s Greasy Spoon, on a strange, a bit creepy, interesting date. For the appetizers you’ll get some
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in a nice
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(view spoiler)[The ghost scene made me uncertain as it seemed not real, the thing is, if it was really a ghost house so it must have been widely known! The ghosts make an important role in this book and what I liked is that they don’t ‘interfere’ into the detective part. Also, the title proves to be an intrigue as it leads not only to the such called ‘helpers’ but also to a shocking reason for the crime. (hide spoiler)]
a couple of murders with an unbelievable motive at first for the main course (all the spicy yummy stuff, like a bottle of long-kept brandy, hidden purpose in a crime committed several years before).
and a spooky character with strange abilities for the dessert. Maybe three of them? To mix everything up.
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(view spoiler)[To tell the truth, I wasn’t charmed with the spook at first as she, in my twisted mind, would have been a perfect criminal and maybe she just made it too convenient for the story. Also, I liked the cop in the lead a lot! The comparison with his wife and the spook was an intrigue and I loved sneak peeks into his family life! (hide spoiler)]
I really admire the author’s skill to make the most of his material (my ebook is about 150 pages long) and make it interesting, quick paced and at the same time, fully stacked with events. With much going on ((view spoiler)[story has additional unconnected crimes, too (hide spoiler)]), that distracted me a bit. I admit, the murder mystery was well done, I was charmed with the detective process and the thing that I couldn't predict the killer is awesome :) Though I had one issue with the murder, I mean (view spoiler)[the unresolved wife's (hide spoiler)] murder, I liked the idea to use it in strengthening the plot, but at the end it was just hanged in the air for the reader to guess.
To sum up, a nice short book in a series, which can be read as a standalone. ...more
A thrilling BR with my favorite GR villain BR partner, Craig :)
Woot, a creepy killer is stalking UK. Nah, it’s not Craig, don’t worry :D Great? Whoa, A thrilling BR with my favorite GR villain BR partner, Craig :)
Woot, a creepy killer is stalking UK. Nah, it’s not Craig, don’t worry :D Great? Whoa, wait it’s not all, buy one - get four! A freaking discount on killers!!! Exciting, huh? What is more exciting is that the writer, Michael Slade, is a team of three writers - criminal lawyers, with great experience in criminal minds. And what do we get? A bloody realistic, very graphic book that makes a reader sweat a bit to figure it out whodunit and how-was-it-done. “Ghoul” is the second book in a creepy engaging series which was recommended to me by Craig. Thanks again ;) To tell the truth there’s no way I could have picked this series by myself as Slade is not fluffy, he has claws and he likes to use them! I was terrified, stunned, enchanted and mind-blown. Exactly what I wanted :)
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Characters. It’s quite tricky to explain the ties of the characters and their character features without giving a lot away, so I’ll just say that there’s no shortage of mad people there and at first I was a bit confused to follow a couple killers with different story lines. A desperate Detective Chief Superintendent, various different killers, a tough and sincere Mountie, a silent simple school teacher with an adorable cat. What can you make of that? A bunch of twisted minds. I must confess, I rooted for the character who was not as good as it seemed. The backstories of the characters really got me, I was flinching, disgusted and terrified. Also I loved the connection to the menagerie of Mr. Lovecraft, it was interesting and I’ll ask Mr. Cthulhu on a date after Daniel Faust for sure :)
One cutie want’s to say hi :)
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Wordbuilding. I really had a little struggle to sort the things out and see the connections between the various happenings, but when the clues started flowing, omg, this book blew my mind. Also like with “Headhunter” I had to put it down a couple of times. The reason is violence against kids. “Ghoul” has a way much twisted and stronger way to it. There were times when I flinched when the author described the acts of the murderers. It was brutal! The writing style resembles a report or a research sometimes and like in “Headhunter”, it helped to read the nasty episodes, made me more interested in police work, but banished my desire to get connected with most of the characters. Oh and I had really no problem living WITHOUT knowing so much about the sewer system :) I know that the authors did such a throughout presentation to help the story, but still... I was intrigued by the language of flowers, too :)
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To sum up this book is a great read to see into the twisted crazy minds of killers and test the toughness of your stomach. Despite the nasty stuff, the urge to know the killers identity, the motives and the great twists and turns made me want to continue this crazy ride with Slade and I wasn’t disappointed. I am hooked on Slade books for sure, they even compete with my fave Rollins Sigma Force!...more
A great BR with three swordsmen, who where with me in warrior trial and sat the Long Night: Samir, Terry and Jokoloyo.
When I first read a couple of rA great BR with three swordsmen, who where with me in warrior trial and sat the Long Night: Samir, Terry and Jokoloyo.
When I first read a couple of reviews for “Malice”, I wasn’t sure if I want to try it. Mostly there were good reviews, but also I spotted some DNFs. So when Craig recommended this book and series to me, I thought I needed backup! Thank you guys for being there for me ❤
"Malice” is an interesting story, about how good fights evil. I found values that make “Malice” a great read: life-changing battles, heroes, heroines, a bit of magic, heart-breaking betrayals and over-whelming love. Not forgetting the characters, some of whom I fell in love with, or hate a lot. It’s all there, you just need to open the book ;)
Characters. I remember I had difficulty with a big cast when I read Malazan. At first I had this problem with “Malice”, too. This book really needs a cast list! It was difficult sometimes to catch who’s who as the story “happened” in several places/kingdoms and there were multiple characters. It was a great help that each chapter was named by the name of the character, who played the main role in it.
The story is told using several POVs, but from the very start I could single out a couple of them who were the core of the story. One of them was Ban. Ban is quite an ordinary guy, not so successful, but having great wishes :) I loved following him through the start of his life journey. His bond with Storm, oh my goodness, I was in awe ❤
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Also I loved Kastell and Maquin, they had a really great bromance! At first I liked Veradis, his honorable and faithful personality charmed me (view spoiler)[, but as he went further, I just got disappointed with him :S I just thought: Wtf, ok, you are a good-hearted fellow and you keep following an obvious baddie for a really long time without suspecting?! Come on :S (hide spoiler)]
I loved Cywen as she’s a character I look for in all books with kickass heroines ❤
Oh and thank you, Mr Gwynne for a special unit of kickass women! Hope to see them more! :)
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Fighting was a peculiar matter in “Malice” for me. I missed detailed fights, like it was in Greatcoats, (view spoiler)[some fights as with (view spoiler)[wyrms or giants (hide spoiler)] were simply described and felt like an easy battle. (hide spoiler)] Fights with the loss of some good characters were done better. I liked the fact that people, who weren’t very skilled in fights, could change the course of a battle. That and the imprints of chivalry which thrived in the story :)
I‘m a bit disappointed as the „secret“ of Nate being (view spoiler)[special and a traitor (hide spoiler)] was thin, I had suspicion from the first third of the book. On the other hand, the secrecy of Meical, Gar and some baddies was really well done. Oh and cheers for (view spoiler)[Calidus and Rhin (hide spoiler)] as they were the villains I enjoyed having to pester Malice :)
The moral drama of the characters was peculiar and I was interested at first to see what’s behind the prophecy of the great good and the evil bad. But as I said before, it can be guessed quite early and well, it ripped quite a big chunk of joy out of me. Jealousy is the great motivator there, which gave me such an intriguing chance to see how simple childhood peer pressure can grow into dangerous life threats, despite the roots of honor and justice!
Narrative. I had struggle to get into the story for the half of the book. The pace often felt slow and to tell the truth I go distracted from reading. Putting this aside, I felt that the world in “Malice” was interestingly written, I could imagine the places and most of the characters felt real. The themes of betrayal, political scheming were quite well developed in the story. Though, I wanted a bit more of cool magic. Especially from the baddies! What really did the deed for me and gave joy and of course a bit of sadness, is the ending. OMG, it really blew my mind!
Despite all my ranting, “Malice” is a good book: I liked the Viking alike environment, scheming, most of the fighting, most of the character were well written and interesting to follow. I know that it’s the first book for Mr. Gwynne and I already heard that other books in this series are really more gripping, so I’ll continue my playdate with The Faithful and The Fallen for sure. ...more
A rec altogether as a great BR with a wonderful GR friend, Craig. If you want to exterminate the effects of smut and read a gripping macabre story - hA rec altogether as a great BR with a wonderful GR friend, Craig. If you want to exterminate the effects of smut and read a gripping macabre story - head straight to “Headhunter” :) That’s what Craig told me and it was 100 % true, I got what I bargained for :) Thanks, Craig ;)
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“Headhunter” is listed as horror and I can see why. It's a complex detective story, which includes cruel killing, graphic violence, a mouthful of emotional violence against kids, voodoo practice, cruel serial killer with a sneak peak into psychology, perverted sexuality, a glimpse to the history of cannibalism, even drug trade, all is woven into a tight and entertaining story. At first I had doubts that I could read it, but as I went further, I felt that the story can’t let me go. I needed to know how it ended and that the monster got what’s deserved.
Characters. When I read action books, I’m mostly into villains and Mr.Slade created a REALLY great one in this book. Troubled by the extraordinary past, family ties, this killer is a dream for a detective fan. I got interesting sneak peaks into the killer’s mind, watched the psychological forming of the picture and it was done so neatly, without the identity being revealed till the very last pages.
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Of course every great villain needs a rival, and to my joy there were a couple of masterminds as powerful and complex as the killer, who managed to solve the great mystery. One of them is Inspector Robert DeClerq. Flanked by demons who haunt him from the past and being a mastermind, he was one of the characters I liked to follow. He made a great team and combined the well developed police work of that time with the inspiring experience of his predecessors.
Narrative. Interesting characters, gut-wrenching murder scenes, detailed forensic and surveillance science, revealing sneak peaks into the past, gripping details of city life, macabre voodoo practice, drugs and the sensation of graphic violence, omg, that is overwhelming. It may feel not realistic, but dang it, this world is cruel and Mr. Slade bloody well knows how to present it in his book :)
Diving into it at first I felt mind-blown and horrified a bit, then after a load of cruelty, twisted psychology of the killer and deceiving turns, I felt a bit worn-off. It wasn’t bad and I wasn’t disinterested, I just felt that violence doesn’t surprise me so much, so some scenes hadn’t had such effect what it was intended to have. I think that report alike, third person narrative helped and spoiled things there. It helped to lessen the horrors, so I could read quite freely and enjoy the detective part of the story, but it kept me away from falling into characters, at least for the biggest part of the story. Also I didn’t like how Mr. Slade left one piece hanging in the air (view spoiler)[(I mean when the Russian understands that the killer is one of the police officers and …the subject is left to oblivion while the killer is on the loose and we need another officer to understand the same thing later on….I wouldn’t mind that if the Russian was guilty or tried to cover sb, but nope.) (hide spoiler)]
The most interesting part of “Headhunter” is the ending, omg, it literally blew my mind. Mr. Slade is a masterful teaser. I was tempted to go back to earlier pages to see how the hell did he entwine it! There is enough of treats in “Headhunter” to satisfy or horrify almost anyone :) I’ll continue my playdate with Mr. Slade for sure.
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