Monthly Archives: September 2010

The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt – Book Review

Posted on September 29, 2010
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Howard Carter in 1922, along with three companions including the Earl of Carnarvon, walked down the newly discovered steps in the bedrock of the Valley of Kings. The 26th November will long be remembered for one thing only, the day Carter brought Egyptology to the masses by discovering King Tutankhamen’s tomb.

Although discovered weeks earlier, Carter had to wait for Carnarvon’s arrival before he would step inside the tomb for the first time. Days later Carter went in search of the burial chamber and after digging a small hole crawled through the various chambers to discover the stone sarcophagus.

We owe a lot to Howard Carter determination and Carnarvon’s money – we know money was running out and had it not been discovered on the final dig, who knows if Tutankhamen’s sarcophagus would have been found – ever. The discovery led to a fascination with Egyptology that is unparalleled in modern history.

Toby Wilkinson’s “The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt”, along with its wonderful narrative and beautiful imagery is a stunning look at life from the dawn of civilisation to the death of Cleopatra in 30 BC aged just 39 years old.

Although a massive book, which in itself can be rather daunting, Wilkinson’s narrative is refreshing. He makes Egyptology approachable as we welcome a relaxed style that educates and entertains throughout.

Wilkinson’s passion for Egypt is evident from the outset, his enthusiasm and knowledge for hieroglyphics is contagious, his narrative coming to life as he shares the historic complexity of centuries old.

The River Nile is one of the most widely known rivers in the world and the banks hold centuries of secrets, betrayal, and discovery, the pyramids, religion, violence and beauty.

I can’t begin to tell you when I was first introduced to …

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The Cold Kiss by John Rector – Book Review

Posted on September 29, 2010
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Damn you Rector, damn you! I should have known I was in for a treat when I began reading John Rector’s “The Cold Kiss”. The jacket cover is enticing and mesmerising – much like the book itself – I couldn’t put it down!

“The Cold Kiss” is the début book from Rector and if there was a better way to introduce oneself to the publishing world I honestly can’t think of one, it had me gripped from the very moment we are introduced to Nate and Sara and the mysterious stranger.

We have a young couple on the road to pastures new, Reno as it happens. They’ve run away from home in the hope that life in the new city will be everything they desire, a new beginning. Life is never that straightforward, perhaps to some, but for most of us obstacles are thrown in our way – it’s how we deal with said obstacles that make us who we are, our make up if you will.

Nate and Sara stop off at a diner, a cold front is on its way and with it severe snowfall. They order food and notice a dark stranger (Syl) at the bar coughing and in need of medical attention. When the stranger stumbles to the restrooms Sara strongly suggests that Nate follows him to check he is ok – Mistake number one!

Nate enters the blood soaked bathroom and is greeted with abuse and attitude – the pair locks horns – Nate eventually gives up and returns to the table shocked and angry, desperate to get on his way with the ever increasing snowfall outside.

Moments later and outside in the cold, Syl approaches Nate and apologises for his aggressive behaviour in the restroom. Syl offers the couple $500 for …

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DI Banks – Aftermath on ITV

Posted on September 27, 2010
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Forget ballooning around Australia, Stephen Tomkinson returned to our television screens tonight in the new ITV drama series DCI Banks: Aftermath. The first of a two part pilot series kicked off with a bang, domestic abuse, a copious amount of blood and four bodies in a cellar.

You really can’t ask for much more can you?!!! Episode 2 Summary Here (contains Spoilers)

I heard about the production following my review of Robinson’s latest Bank book called Bad Boy – where Banks’s daughter Tracy has fallen for the wrong boy. Her flatmate’s boyfriend is good-looking, ambitious, and surrounded by an intoxicating air of mystery. He’s also very dangerous.

Produced by Left Bank Pictures and based on the novel Aftermath by crime writer Peter Robinson, the series was shot in Yorkshire earlier this year.

Aftermath tells the story of an ordinary house in an ordinary street, which is about to become infamous. When two young police constables are sent to the house following a report of a domestic disturbance, they stumble upon a truly horrific scene.

When they fail to get a reply, the young WPC peers through the letterbox and discovers a blood-stained body lying on the floor.  Lucy Payne is close to death and while an ambulance is called the two constables search the cellar only to find a locked door and a shadow blocking out the light.

Breaking down the door they come face to face with a serial killer (Marcus Payne) who runs at the constables erratically wielding a machete. Within seconds PC Morrissey‘s neck has been slashed twice and is crumpled on the floor dying, with self-preservation key the WPC brandishes her baton and Marcus Payne is left in a coma.

It’s a rather frenetic start to the series and although the action doesn’t continue throughout …

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Beneath Hill 60 by Will Davies – Book Review

Posted on September 26, 2010
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On the 7th June, 1917 nineteen massive mines erupted beneath the Messines Ridge, smashing open the German frontline. It was the largest man-made explosion in history, ten thousand German soldiers died.

“Beneath Hill 60” is a poignant reminder of how brutal, horrific and primitive conditions were on the front during World War one. Written by historian Will Davies, the book pulls no punches and vividly relates the dangers of tunnelling metres from enemy lines.

Captain Oliver Woodward, a member of the Australian Imperial Force and No 1 Company of the newly formed Mining Battalion is a key figure in this true story but the book offers so much more.

Davies would have been forgiven in concentrating solely on Woodward’s part in the capture of Hill 60 beneath the Messines Ridge but he does a remarkable job in recounting the background history to the skirmishes and tunnelling.

The use of tunnellers in the military had a long history even though it had been for decades neglected.  The main purpose was to build hospitals, underground storage and billets and if designed and built correctly with a constant supply of water and food the military could hold out against the enemy almost indefinitely.

Not only were tunnels designed to store and protect but they also allowed a way to attack fortifications by digging below a structure. However the introduction of gunpowder in the mid-13th century rendered tunnelling an obsolete skill.

Following savage attacks from German tunnellers killing thousands of soldiers and a distinct lack of technical ability from the British to retaliate Field Marshal Lord Kitchener called upon the services of Conservative MP John Norton-Griffiths. Three months after his initial request, Griffiths and his “moles” began digging their way towards the German front heralding a new professionalism to the …

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“Captured” by Neil Cross – Book Review

Posted on September 26, 2010
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Captured by Neil CrossI have to say, “Captured” surprised me. I’m not sure why. Neil Cross has a proven track record with Spooks and Luther – both television hits with the BBC.

Captured is an imaginative, enjoyable and unpredictable novel, one which leads you one way and then another and just when you think you have it all figured out Cross changes the rules. The characters are gritty and believable, Cross pushing the human boundaries to their limits.

You see how one man’s desire to put things right take over his being, forcing him to make life shattering decisions that affect not only his remaining life but those around him.

Kenny has just weeks to live. Refusing to take the drastic medical help that would prolong his life by a few weeks, he leaves the surgery and makes a decisive decision. He sits down, takes a piece of paper and writes down four names. We discover that he wants to clear his conscience one last time, a sort of closure if you like, before he dies.

Included on the list is his ex-wife Mary, a young lad called Thomas Kintry, a shopkeeper and his best friend from his childhood Callie Barton. We are introduced to numerous characters that are enveloped in his desire for finality – an ex-cop, a downbeat private investigator and Mary’s immediate family.

Time is running out and Kenny has choices to make. Callie Burton had a powerful hold over the young Kenny, she was the only friend he had in junior school, and she was the one that made life bearable. Truth be known, they both supported each other although Kenny was oblivious to this and when she failed to return to school after a break his world changed.

Years later he sets about finding Callie to …

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Book Review “Our Kind of Traitor” by John Le Carré

Posted on September 25, 2010
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Few could argue that John Le Carré is a highly accomplished author; he has his own unique style, one that is often powerful, engaging and occasionally ponderous. “Our kind of Traitor” is another fine example of Le Carré’s writing and will most certainly leave you satisfied if not exhausted!

As I settled down to reading his latest offering, I cleared my schedule, turned off the mobile and made sure there were no distractions – I even switched off my twitter feed just in case some random comment caught my attention and delayed my Le Carré journey. Temptation would not get the better of me!

One thing you do not do with Le Carré is rush. Due to its complex nature, concentration is imperative. You gorge on the narrative, word by word, sentence by sentence, page by page; “Our Kind Of Traitor” is no different.  Set aside a few days and you won’t regret it.

The story evolves slowly, much like a bottle of vintage wine. The prose is there to be admired and savoured. I found myself having to re-read certain sections, such was its complexity but I stuck at it and worked my way through the early pedestrian stages. For me, the pace intensified once the story arrived at the French Open final between Federer and Soderling – I never looked back.

The story begins in Antigua. We are introduced to a pair of “innocents” Gail and Perry, an ordinary couple on holiday in a luxury Caribbean resort famed for its tennis. Perry is an amateur tennis player whose claim to fame is his membership to Queens Club in London, Gail his partner is a young barrister and shares his passion for the sport.

Little did they know at the time but when the pair are introduced …

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ECB announce 16 man touring party to the Ashes 2010/11

Posted on September 23, 2010
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The England selectors today named a 16-man tour party under the captaincy of Andrew Strauss for the forthcoming Ashes Test Series in Australia with Surrey pace bowler Chris Tremlett and Sussex left-arm spinner Monty Panesar both recalled to the squad.

Tremlett, who won the last of his three Test caps against India in 2007, is recalled to the England set up for the first time since the tour of New Zealandin 2008. While Panesar wins a place in the tour party after a successful domestic season which saw him take 52 First-Class wickets for his new county.

Surrey’s Steven Davies has been named as England’s deputy wicketkeeper behind Sussex’s Matt Prior and is the only member of the squad uncapped at Test level.

The Selectors also today named eleven players to be awarded 12-month England central contracts with Warwickshire’s Jonathan Trott and Middlesex pace bowler Steven Finn each winning a central contract for the first time. A further five players have been awarded incremental contracts.

Today’s announcement also included the naming of the 16-man England Performance Programme (EPP) squad which will be based in Australia in the lead up to the first Ashes Test in Brisbane through until the start of the third Test in Perth. Michael Carberry, Craig Kieswetter, Ajmal Shahzad and James Tredwell, who have all represented the senior England side over the past 12 months, are among those included.

Commenting on the selections, ECB National Selector, Geoff Miller, said: “We believe we’ve selected an outstanding Test squad for what will be a fiercely contested Ashes series in Australia. In order to retain the Ashes we will need to play to a very high level and we believe we’ve selected a squad to do just that.

“Clearly there are always difficult decisions to make when selecting an England squad and this Ashes squad was no different. We feel that Chris Tremlett’s inclusion will add a real threat of pace and bounce …

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The Reversal by Michael Connelly (book review)

Posted on September 22, 2010
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For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved courtroom dramas; in fact I’ll go as far to say I grew up on them. There’s just something enticing and thrilling about a good antagonising duel between prosecutor and defence lawyers, both hell-bent on achieving what they see as a just verdict for their clients. Available in the United States from October 5th.

For obvious reasons I can’t remember most of them but a few stick out for me! Take “Murder One” starring Daniel Benzali for example, a classy production and if I recall it made huge waves both in the UK and the US – we won’t talk about the follow up series! We also have JAG (Catherine Bell and David James Elliot), part humour, part drama, and part Navy! Law & Order deserves a mention and finally who could ever forget the classics “A Few Good Men” and “12 Angry Men” – courtroom royalty at its defining best!

This leads me on nicely to Michael Connelly’s “The Reversal”, a wonderfully written tense drama that for the greater part is set in Los Angeles County CCB and its courtrooms.

Jason Jessup was convicted of killing 12 year old [Melissa Landy] in 1986 and has spent the last 24 years on death row in San Quentin State Prison. Following numerous appeals from his isolated cell, Jessup finally gets the break he’s looking for and his guilty verdict is overturned due to new DNA evidence. The District Attorney’s office decides to retry the case, turning to Mickey Haller the prominent defence lawyer who has never prosecuted a case in his illustrious career.

Haller is reluctant to take on the case at first believing he is nothing more than a scapegoat in the eyes of the DA.…

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The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Paton Walsh (book review)

Posted on September 20, 2010
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I approached “The Attenbury Emeralds” by Jill Paton Walsh with a great sense of anticipation and eagerness, for I have always shared an affinity with all things “whodunit” and the 1920’s angle further whetted my appetite. I began with a cautious optimism but soon realised I would not be disappointed.

Lord Peter Wimsey was an intelligence officer in the Great War. He returned home shell-shocked, struggling to come to terms with ordering soldiers under his command over the top to a certain death, such was the brutality of World War 1. Such was his condition it would take years before he would be introduced to society.

The aristocratic Wimsey was introduced to us by Dorothy L Sayers in 1923 when she wrote “Whose Body”, Lord Peter investigating a naked body and a financier who appears to be missing under strange circumstances.

In 1998 Jill Paton Walsh, who by now is no stranger to Wimsey’s adventures, won critical acclaim for her completion of Sayers’s unfinished “Thrones, Dominations”. “A Presumption of Death” followed four years later and “The Attenbury Emeralds” is her third novel featuring the amateur sleuth, Walsh taking us back to his very first case in 1921.

Sitting at home in the library Lord Peter, together with his wife (the novelist Harriet Vane) and their trusty servant Bunter, reminisce over his very first case of the missing Emeralds.

When Lord Attenbury held an engagement party for his daughter Charlotte, it was decided that she would wear the emeralds to the celebration. A cautious Attenbury, hired local police to ensure the safe return of the emeralds, unfortunately their presence failed to avoid the inevitable. The “King Stone”, the largest gem in the collection, went missing minutes before the party began; it heralded a complete house …

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Worth Dying For by Lee Child (book review)

Posted on September 19, 2010
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Astounding, brilliant, magnificent and dynamic – just some of the superlatives that best describe Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series. His latest offering “Worth Dying For”, out at the end of September incidentally, is another jaw dropping sure fire hit and one you’ll fail to put down. Available in the United States 19th Oct.

The 15th Jack Reacher novel moves on from the explosive end in “61 Hours”, leaving South Dakota our maverick hitches south making his way to the wilds of Nebraska.

Nebraska is flat and cold – it’s winter time!

Jack Reacher has a knack for finding trouble. He doesn’t go looking for it, trouble finds him – it’s that simple. A nomad and a drifter, Reacher is high on moralistic values and tries to do the right thing no matter what the cost. It’s these principles that continually land him in high adventure and low company.

The Duncans rule the town, slowly but surely they’ve sucked the heart and soul out of the farming community – they own the trucking services, the harvesting and the suppliers. If the town had police, they’d own them too, the clan is powerful and dangerous.

The local farmers are stuck, lifeless and without a say in how things are run – the Duncans rule everything. De-spirited over time, the farmers are frightened and with nowhere to run, fight eludes them; they’ve given in, bowing to each and every whim the Duncans desire.

Reacher arrives at a desolate crossroads and makes his way to the only motel in town, Hotel Apollo has seen better days; so has the owner.  After checking in he makes his way to the bar and drinks stewed coffee; not the best he’s had but it’s hot. The only other person drinking is the local …

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Shadows in the Street by Susan Hill (book review)

Posted on September 16, 2010
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Shadows in the Street is Susan Hill’s fifth novel in the Simon Serrailler series which follows the trials and tribulations of the Detective and his family in Lafferton.

Lafferton is a Cathedral town and in recent times has seen an increase in the number of prostitutes found walking the streets. They have started to encroach on the centre of town, an unwritten taboo broken by the introduction of pimps and the trafficking of younger working girls.

Serrailler is on an extended holiday on the remote island of Taransay (most famous for the television series Castaway in 2000). Miles from nowhere and without a mobile phone signal the detective is enjoying a quiet vacation following his draining stint with The Special Incident Flying Task force (SIFT).

The island is a sedate haven far removed from the manic turmoil of SIFT. Gentle walks across the island, a small community and warm log fires help rejuvenate his energy levels. That is until he receives an urgent call from Lafferton calling him back following the murders of two prostitutes.

Shadows in the Street is an intensive character driven novel, well written and although  a crime fiction novel I felt the investigation played a secondary role to character and story building. This is by no means a negative but if you are looking for an  detective led storyline then this may not be up your street.

Hill introduces us to numerous characters via short, sharp and intensely descriptive vignettes; they never appear rushed and add a wonderful depth to the book. Hill’s style is mesmerising and assured pulling the reader in to the grim dark world of prostitution effortlessly.

Abi’s character, a young mother of two and prostitute, desperate to leave the game and move on to better things, surprised me. I didn’t think I’d …

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No Turning Back by Marcus Sakey (book review)

Posted on September 14, 2010
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To use the popular vernacular, “it came from left field” accurately describes “No Turning Back” by Marcus Sakey – I was completely shocked and surprised at its ingenuity, style and pace. It was a breath of fresh air that I honestly didn’t expect.

I read the premise and wasn’t convinced it was my kind of book. Four people, strangers at one time in their lives met and formed the Thursday Drinking Club; it blossomed from humble beginnings into bi weekly get-togethers that included Saturday brunches and Cubs games in the summer. Their lives going nowhere, they were in a rut, always looking for excuses to meet up.

Every Thursday night the foursome met at Rossi’s, a bar-slash-restaurant where Alex worked as a bartender. Ian is a trader, partial to the lure of the white powder and his habit appears to be intensifying. Mitch, a doorman at the Continental Hotel has had his fill of ignorant guests and Jenn, the last of the four is a travel agent who can’t afford to travel to any of the exotic places she persuades her clients to visit.

Truth be told they are all at a crossroads, no one is completely satisfied, something has to give – that much is inevitable. Alex is called into his boss’s office; he spots what appears to be an enormous amount of cash in the safe and casually suggests to his friends they steal the money. What could go wrong, the plan was fool proof, no one would get hurt and their crime untraceable. It was the perfect crime.

The plotline is very well crafted and there is a distinguishable line drawn between good and bad, right and wrong. The characters are believable and although I initially found the strike it rich plan slightly implausible I …

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Deadlock by Sean Black – (Book Review)

Posted on September 12, 2010
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When I first cast my eyes on “Deadlock” by Sean Black, I have to admit I was taken in hook, line and sinker by the cover. It’s one of the most atmospheric and demanding covers I’ve seen for some time.  A black, dark cover, caged high fences and enough barbed wire to ensure no one escapes and a lone man looking towards a solitary blinding light. Welcome to Pelican Bay – Super Max prison!

I know one “cover” doesn’t make a summer but it heightened my anticipation tenfold and I was eager to see if the story could match the quality of the graphic art on display! Round one to the publishers, methinks it had the desired effect!

The tag line for the book “One prisoner, one bodyguard, and one week to stay alive” although enticing, doesn’t cover half the book; there’s so much more to this story.  Ryan Lock is ex-army (special forces) and not a man to be messed with. In a similar vein to Jack Reacher (Lee Child) and Joe Hunter (Matt Hilton) – Lock is a security consultant who generally gets called in to do the jobs no one else can do.

Lock receives a call from assistant US attorney Jalicia Jones offering him a last minute protection job in California and along with Ty, his trusted partner, the pair are “convicted” and sent to the notorious Pelican Bay Super Max prison to babysit a man known only as “Reaper” a leading member of the Aryan brotherhood gang. Only the Warden knows their true identity.

The premise of the book stems from the brutal murder of ATF agent Ken Prager and his young family in the opening salvos of the book. Jalicia Jones receives a collect call from Reaper offering information on the murder …

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Good Morning San Francisco, it’s 7am and it’s a beautiful morning

Posted on September 11, 2010
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It’s been a very long week this week and I decided to take a well-earned night off from rowing in my gym and took time out to relax, read a book (Deadlock by Sean Black) and watch the very last big brother on Channel 4. Over the last few years, after being an avid Big Brother viewer I’ve been watching less and less – frustrated by an ever increasing amount of producer manipulation and the silly antics from Davina McCall.

With that in mind and the fact I’d given myself the night off I thought I had to watch at least some of the finale as it had at one time or another given me a few hours of entertainment over the years, especially Big Brother 5. I enjoyed it to a certain degree. It hadn’t changed, still contrived and predictable but in fairness the British public got it right – Brian Dowling was and is the ultimate housemate.

I woke up early this morning and I was out of the door by 7:05 am and on my way to the shops to collect a few essentials I couldn’t be bothered getting last night in the torrential rain and low level fog hanging over the mountain.

Now I’ve never been one to get sucked in to subliminal or clever marketing ploys, I am my own man. I know what I want and don’t need multi-million dollar commercials to tell me what that is. However, over the last few weeks a new Tropicana commercial has been airing, you know the one, set in the great city of San Francisco.

“Good Morning San Francisco, it’s 7am and it’s a beautiful morning”

If the Video fails to load then please visit the direct link to the Tropicana Video …

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