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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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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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The Death Instinct by Jed Rubenfeld (book review)

Posted on September 10, 2010
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Jed Rubenfeld’s “Death Instinct” is the sequel to the critically acclaimed “The Interpretation of Murder” and takes place 10 years down the line.

Although the novel is a work of fiction, Rubenfeld does well to blend real fact based events with his own brand of intellectual fiction. The result is a magnificent concoction of enticing prose and adventurous storytelling.

The story centres around three characters namely Stratham Younger, Captain James Littlemore and Colette Rousseau and begins with the devastating explosion on Wall Street in 1920.

At 12:01 midday on the 16th of September, 1920 Wall Street rocked to the tune of a 45Kg bomb exploding in a horse drawn carriage outside the headquarters of JP Morgan. 23 Wall Street was a mess, a combination of mass hysteria and human remains lined the pavements, this was the biggest attack on US soil at the time. The blast killed 38 people and 143 were seriously injured, the crime to this day has never been solved but Rubenfeld puts his own slant on what might have happened.

The bombing in September 1920 would remain the most destructive act of terrorism in the United States until the Oklahoma bombing of 1995 by Timothy McVeigh claiming 168 lives and 680 injured.

I took my time reading this book; I discovered early on that this wasn’t a book to be rushed. It deserved a slow and thoughtful read allowing all the information to settle and the tension to build at a natural pace. Some books are meant to be read quickly, Rubenfeld’s storytelling is a delight to behold and is best appreciated slowly.

The Great War had been over for two years, Prohibition was in its relative infancy (it would continue until 1933), discovery of radium and the world wide Influenza outbreak had ended …

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The Hansie Cronje Story (book review)

Posted on September 10, 2010
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On June 1st 2002, Hansie Cronje, arguably one of the greatest South African cricket captains, died in a plane crash in the Outeniqua Mountains. He was 32. It brought to an end the colourful career of a dedicated cricketer a husband and a favourite son of South Africa.

Penned by Garth King, the biography was written to give the public closure on the sensitive subject, one that has rocked not only South Africa but the cricketing world. In addition, the hope that the people would learn from the good and the bad from Hansie’s far too short a life was also in the family’s mind allowing this project to proceed. The thing that struck me more than anything is that this is a well-balanced biography. It includes perhaps some of Hansie’s darker moments along with the good, the good times and the bad together with the realisation that he made one grave error during his cricketing career that spiralled out of control.

He was prone to sulking if a result on the field didn’t go his way, unreasonable and unwilling to be the butt of a joke despite handing out the pranks himself. One such example as King writes “he would tune the team bus’s radio to static and then crank up the volume”. However when an identical prank was played on the sleeping captain he was not best pleased, in King’s words he was “unreasonably grumpy”.

Brought up in privileged surroundings along with his brother Frans and sister Hester, Cronje enjoyed the good life that his family and sport afforded him often watching Welsh rugby on the video courtesy of a highlights video that was played constantly. Similar to Donald Bradman, Hansie had to choose between cricket and tennis as a teenager. He chose cricket and never …

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Black Hearts by Jim Frederick – book review

Posted on September 7, 2010
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This well balanced, honest and cleverly crafted work of non-fiction is so much more than an account of the brutal slaying, rape and murder of the Janabi family on March 12th 2006 in Iraq. Jim Frederick delves deeply into the inner workings of a platoon in free-fall, the human aspects of a platoon and a combination of indiscipline, exhaustion, naivety and plain bad luck.

Black Hearts is a timeless true story of how modern warfare can make or break a man’s character.

The 101st airborne division is arguably the most elite of all US divisions and bares the instantly recognisable insignia (the screaming eagle) made famous by “The Band of Brothers”.  A division synonymous with honour and integrity, its name and reputation was tested vehemently when the infantry platoon was deployed to Iraq in 2005-6.

Iraq’s ‘Triangle of Death’, 2005. A platoon of young soldiers from a U.S. regiment known as ‘the Black Heart Brigade’ is deployed to a lawless and hyperviolent area just south of Baghdad. Almost immediately, the attacks begin: every day another roadside bomb, another colleague blown to pieces. As the daily violence chips away, and chips away at their sanity, the thirty-five young men of 1st Platoon, Bravo Company descend into a tailspin of poor discipline, substance abuse, and brutality – with tragic results.

When Bravo Company lost influential leaders early on, particularly 1st platoon killed in action, they failed to recover.  As I read through Black Hearts I couldn’t help but feel that these soldiers, despite their obvious faults were let down. There was a clear lack of support and an inept chain of command in place. When the company lost its father figures early on in the deployment, it came as no surprise to me that soldiers in the heat of battle …

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“So cold the river” by Michael Koryta – book review

Posted on September 5, 2010
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A man in a bowler hat, a haunting violin and a bottle of curious sulphuric tasting water. Did I mention water? Whatever you do, don’t drink the water. I repeat; don’t drink the water!

“So cold the river” by Michael Koryta is a hypnotic and hauntingly chilly tale following one man’s attempt to chronicle a family’s childhood history in West Baden, Indiana. It’s very hard to categorize into one genre as so many themes are utilized in this 528 huge page turner. Horror, thriller, Crime and supernatural forces are all present in a stunning story of murder, greed and deceit.

Eric Shaw, a has-been cinematographer formerly of Los Angeles and now Chicago, has resorted to making small videos for funerals at the bequest of grieving families. Shaw is approached by Alyssa Bradford at the end of her sister’s funeral and offers him a job to investigate/document her father in law’s (Campbell Bradford) family, long since forgotten.

The video is to be a celebration of his life, one she wants completed before he dies so that the family as a whole can enjoy with him. Shaw accepts not only the $20,000 offer but an ancient blue bottle of Pluto mineral water.

The bottle had never been opened and belongs to Campbell Bradford, the 95 year old multi-millionaire who lies dying in a lonely hospital room. Although hidden away, and until this point had never left Bradford’s side, Alyssa Bradford sensed its importance. The blue bottle sparks a chain of events that would lead to a destructive and devastating conclusion.

Shaw, estranged from his wife Claire, makes his way to the adjoined Midwest towns of West Baden and French Lick armed with a camera and the curious, foul tasting bottle of Pluto Water. Shortly before he embarked on the drive …

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Sacred Treason by James Forrester – book review

Posted on September 2, 2010
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Set in 1563, four years into the reign of Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603), the last of the Tudor dynasty, Sacred Treason delves deeply into troubled England during times of political and religious unrest.

Written by historian James Forrester [The Pen name of Ian Mortimer], Sacred Treason surprised me. I know it’s an often overused cliché but I couldn’t put the book down. I was instantly transported back to Elizabethan times, deep in the heart of a cold and rain soaked London, I never left until the book’s conclusion – to be honest I’m not sure if I’ve actually left the muddy streets of London such was its mesmerizing hold!

Highly contagious, the book flows from beginning to end, the characters all lending a sense of realism as a battle between right and wrong, good and evil and Catholics v Protestants played out.

At the forefront of the plot is the highly respected William Harley, Clarenceux King of Arms and hero of a fascinating tale of treason, murder and an unrelenting quest for justice. As the rain and snow fell in a bitterly cold December my imagination ran riot making a mockery of my senses. This is what books are all about.

Although set in the mid to late 16th century I had to keep reminding myself of the deep, black darkness that would have surrounded London under restrictions of curfews. We are so used to bright street lamps illuminating the darkest of streets in the 21st century but as William Harley and his enemies walked the streets of London they had no such luxury. This obviously had its many benefits and drawbacks but if you were an angry Herald trying to avoid the gaze of the constabulary and watchmen it would certainly …

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