1 to 11 of 11
Review Date: 5/17/2019
This book is brilliant. It's not quite McIlvanney (the father of Tartan Noir) but it's very close. Like the Laidlaw trilogy, it takes place in Glasgow in the early 70s and it was, by all accounts, pretty bleak.
It is quite violent. You won't like it if you want heroes and villains because the good guys aren't 100% good and the overt bad guys aren't 100% bad although the covert bad guys are evil through and through.
Parks isn't quite as funny as McIlvanney and he certainly isn't as skilled a writer but this book is a must for anyone who likes British police procedurals and particularly for those who like Rankin or MacBride.
Highly recommended.
It is quite violent. You won't like it if you want heroes and villains because the good guys aren't 100% good and the overt bad guys aren't 100% bad although the covert bad guys are evil through and through.
Parks isn't quite as funny as McIlvanney and he certainly isn't as skilled a writer but this book is a must for anyone who likes British police procedurals and particularly for those who like Rankin or MacBride.
Highly recommended.
Bred in the Bone (aka Flesh Wounds) (Jasmine Sharp and Catherine McLeod, Bk 3)
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
1
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
1
Review Date: 7/21/2014
Helpful Score: 1
This is a great book by a really talented author. Brookmyre and MacBride are among the best of the Tartan Noir authors. This book isn't as funny as MacBride although still funny in spots but the plot and the characters are every bit as good.
Three words of warning:
1) The book has been re-titled in the US. It's British title is "Flesh Wounds".
2) Although not strictly necessary, you would probably be better off reading "Where the Bodies are Buried" before you read this. It explains a lot of the relationships that "Bred in the Bone" takes for granted.
3) It's not "Trainspotting" (which is unreadable if you don't know Scotland really well) but it probably helps to have some understanding of Scottish culture and slang.
Three words of warning:
1) The book has been re-titled in the US. It's British title is "Flesh Wounds".
2) Although not strictly necessary, you would probably be better off reading "Where the Bodies are Buried" before you read this. It explains a lot of the relationships that "Bred in the Bone" takes for granted.
3) It's not "Trainspotting" (which is unreadable if you don't know Scotland really well) but it probably helps to have some understanding of Scottish culture and slang.
Review Date: 6/8/2014
I have to admit that I didn't care for the first books in this series - I thought they were sort of a lighter version of John Burdett but I have to admit that they've grown on me. Hallinan has a good sense of humor. Admittedly it is better showcased in the Junior Bender series but it still is good here and the plot and characters are pretty good.
Review Date: 8/31/2015
This is a seriously great book. I love tartan noir (Rankin, MacBride, Mina,etc.) but this is one of the best I've read in a while. You should definitely read the first book(Necessary Death of Lewis Winter) before you read this. It's good, although not as good as Gunman, but it puts Gunman into context. I don't write many reviews - only books I really love or really hate. This is one I really love.
Review Date: 6/2/2014
There's a school of mystery writing that provides the same escapism for women that Robert Parker provides for men. This book falls squarely into that genre. It's not a bad example if you like that sort of thing but, unfortunately, I don't so...
Review Date: 10/27/2014
Helpful Score: 1
I can't think of a book that disappointed me more than this one. The first two thirds are excellent - full of interesting characters and an intriguing plot. Then, about page 300, a switch go flipped and the book went into full pot-boiler mode. All of the interesting characters/relationships disappeared, the heroine obtained superpowers and the plot became completely unbelievable. Too bad.
Review Date: 5/6/2016
This is another "{fill in the blank} has gone amuck and is going to end life as we know it" book. In this case, the blank is the travel industry.
The author has some valid points to make but is totally undone by sloppy research and/or writing. I'm sure that there are statistics in the book that aren't contradicted two pages later but it doesn't seem that way. For example, she states that the cruise industry is $40 billion in the US alone but three pages later, says that the market leader, Carnival, dominates the market with a 45% market share and sales of $13 billion. Fourth-grade math says that 45% of $40 billion is $18 billion, not $13 billion. If this were an isolated case, I chalk it up but it's not. It happens over and over again. It totally destroys any credibility the author has.
The author has some valid points to make but is totally undone by sloppy research and/or writing. I'm sure that there are statistics in the book that aren't contradicted two pages later but it doesn't seem that way. For example, she states that the cruise industry is $40 billion in the US alone but three pages later, says that the market leader, Carnival, dominates the market with a 45% market share and sales of $13 billion. Fourth-grade math says that 45% of $40 billion is $18 billion, not $13 billion. If this were an isolated case, I chalk it up but it's not. It happens over and over again. It totally destroys any credibility the author has.
Review Date: 3/12/2019
This book is unconventional and not always easy to read but it is brilliant. Getting through the first 30 or so pages was difficult - it is very slow but that's part of the point and the effort was worth it. I got hooked by the rhythms and even the repetitions of the story and the village it chronicles and, by the end, was quite enchanted.
It is not recommended for anyone who is seeking action but, in truth, there isn't much but it is a book to be savored.
It is not recommended for anyone who is seeking action but, in truth, there isn't much but it is a book to be savored.
Review Date: 7/22/2021
This is work of astonishing imagination and, being Stephenson, it is very well written. Unfortunately, it's all edifice and no substance. The characters are paper thin and there is no plot to speak of. It's a little like the extensive model train set in your neighbor's basement. You acknowledge the scope of its creation and admire the skill with which it was built but, at the end of the day, who cares?
Review Date: 11/4/2016
This is GREAT book for anyone (1) who loves books and (2) doesn't take them (or themselves or life in general) too seriously. I am a big Hornby fan but I was afraid that this would be too "literary," sort of like the NYRB but it's anything but. It's incredibly entertaining and I've already purchased a couple of the books that he recommends. Highly recommended.
Review Date: 6/23/2014
This book is based on a really good premise but ultimately there's almost no plot. The premise is funny enough to sustain the book for a while but it finally descends into repetition.
1 to 11 of 11
