Book Review(s): Of Thrillers and Fantasy
It's been more than three months since I wrote about the books that I have been catching up on. To be honest, even if most of them are murder mysteries, I kind of like reading them, partly for the excitement it offers, and also because they make you think. I also read the two installments of the acclaimed Harry Potter series but, don't get me wrong here, I was left largely unimpressed by the story as such. All that in a while, so let's get started.
The Private Patient - P. D. James
P. D. James, the nonagenarian authoress of the famed Adam Dalgliesh series, is in her element in the classic Agatha Christie-styled closed-door whodunit The Private Patient. When notorious investigative journalist Rhoda Gradwyn decides to remove her facial scar on the eve of her 47th birthday, she checks into a private plastic-surgery clinic in Dorset run by a Dr. Chandler-Powell. What she doesn't realize is that the place where she hopes get rid of her blemish can be an unlikely venue for her own death. Soon enough, Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team begin their investigations, interviewing the witnesses, gathering clues and so forth, but every lead proves to be a dead-end until another murder in the clinic forces them to reconsider who is really the innocent and the guilty.
Brokeback Mountain - Annie Proulx
A short novella running less than a hundred pages, Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx is a heart-warming tale about the emotional attachment between two men in rural America who part ways, soon to reunite briefly over a period of 20 years and struggle to come to terms with their sexuality fearing social acceptance. Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist first come together when they are hired by Joe Aguirre during the summer to herd his sheep. Sharing an isolated tent in the mountains, the emotional and sexual attraction between them is mutual, but they are forced to go their separate ways after the season is cut short. Both men marry, have kids and after four years when Jack pays Ennis a visit, the relationship between them is rekindled, as they begin to meet clandestinely for infrequent fishing trips over the course of several years. Amidst their ruined marriages, Jack brings the subject of them living together leaving their families aside, but Ennis is held back by his childhood memories of a man tortured for his alleged homosexuality.
The Outsider aka The Stranger - Albert Camus
When the young French Algerian Meursault learns of his mother's death, he is stoic and doesn't even grieve at her funeral. A day later, he begins a sexual relationship with his former colleague Marie and soon enough he helps his neighbor take revenge on his girlfriend, whom he suspects of being infidel. But this seemingly harmless mission turns out to be more devastating when he gets involved in a violent altercation and is later immured and thrown into jail. What follows is one of the best ever discourse on what or who exactly is an outsider. Is a man who is unafraid to speak his mind and in charge of his emotions an outsider? Is he an outsider because he doesn't conform to the normal human behavior? Is a man waiting to be executed an outsider because he denounces the conventions and norms expected otherwise? Is being a little detached yet humane such a heinous crime?
A Sight for Sore Eyes - Ruth Rendell
Master storyteller Ruth Rendell, who also writes under the pseudonym Barbara Vine, has never ever disappointed me with her eloquent prose and intricate psychological mysteries. This novel is no different. In ASfSE, she explores the dark, sadistic relationship between two beautiful teenagers, Teddy and Francine, culminating in a finale that can only be summed up as horrific. Teddy, ignored by both his parents, develops an interest for carpentry and dreams of becoming an artist, where as Francine is still yet to get past the mental agony of having seen her mother murdered in front of her own eyes when she was six. But as love blossoms between the two, it turns out, it's a match made in hell. For Teddy, being the perfectionist, is so obsessed with the kind of life he wants to lead with Francine, he is willing to go to any lengths, even if it means murder. Brilliantly exploring the psyches of the characters involved, the gripping Hitchcockian narrative offers enough twists to keep you glued till the end. A macabre love story indeed!
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone / Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J. K. Rowling
Well, it was long time coming. Much has been written about Harry Potter's adventures at Hogwarts in the last fifteen years, but like I said at the start, I came way very disappointed, probably because none of this was new to me. Potter's first two eventful years at Hogwarts (do I really need to tell the plot? I hope not!) are replete with classic misdirections and convenient twists, and aside from the overly stretched narration, uneven pacing and the clumsy characterisations, the books are fairly engaging. And for God's sake why the villain - you know who - should make his 'cameo' appearance only at the climax beats the hell out of me. Anyone care to explain?
Buried - Mark Billingham
Written by Mark Billingham, Buried tells the tale of Luke Mullen, who goes missing after having last seen getting into a car with an older woman. Did he willingly go with her or was he abducted? Nobody seems to have a clue. When Detective Inspector Tom Thorne is assigned the case, what begins as a search for the teenager ends up stirring well buried secrets, and the people who hold them can go to any lengths to ensure they are best left untouched. Well-drawn characters and realistic sub-plots involving racism play perfect fiddle to this top-notch psychological thriller.
The Clocks - Agatha Christie
A unique novel featuring Hercule Poirot notable for the fact that he neither visits any of the crime scenes nor speaks to any of the suspects. He solves the crime sitting in his home just by exercising his little grey cells, as he often boasts. Sheila Webb, a typist for hire, arrives at her afternoon appointment on Wilbraham Crescent, but instead finds a corpse surrounded by a multitude of clocks, four of them stopped at 4:13. Who could be behind the murder? As time is ticking away, it will be up to Poirot to unravel the mystery. Like any other Hercule Poirot mystery, the denouement is surprising, if not totally unexpected, and Agatha Christie lays her clues adroitly, resorting to her age-old trick of pulling the wool over readers' eyes while they are all dangling right in front of them.
The Case of the Baited Hook - Erle Stanley Gardner
Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason series is one of my all-time favorites. In fact, a Perry Mason mystery (The Case of the Glamorous Ghost) was one of the very first novels I had read before turning my attention to the contemporary crime thrillers. This book, though devoid of the usual courtroom drama and excitement, is so devilishly clever that the ending literally threw me off the chair. Perry Mason, who loves a good mystery, gets retained by an unknown client for $10,000. But when things start going south (read murder), Mason recognizes that the money was a bait and more, a mistake. Will he able to unmask the identity of his client?
E is for Evidence - Sue Grafton
The fifth book in the alphabet series featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone is on the whole pretty satisfying, though I felt it could have been a lot better. In Evidence, Millhone, working part time at California Fidelity Insurance, is asked to investigate a fire claim at a factory helmed by Lance Wood. But upon submitting her findings, she is suspected of receiving bribes from the proprietor for not labeling the fire accident as arson. Temporarily suspended from her job, Millhone thus embarks on a journey to prove her innocence, little realising her own life may be in danger. The story begins on an interesting note, but is oddly devoid of any frisson, with the mystery solved as easily as making a few phone calls, forcing others to divulge the information for no reason, and to top it all, having the murderer make an attempt on her life.
Pirate Latitudes - Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton has always been known for his feverish techno-thrillers, which feature technology as one of the key drivers of the story. Pirate Latitudes, however, is altogether different case. Published posthumously, a cursory read of the book would make you understand why Crichton chose not to publish it during his lifetime. Yes, it's that bad and I am not joking. The so called adventure in the seas tables all the things that you can associate with piracy, and yet the mix is shockingly bad that it left me wondering if this was written by the same author who gave us The Andromeda Strain, Prey and Airframe. I guess what he had written was a rough draft and the publishers decided to mint money using his name. Pity!
The Murder on the Links - Agatha Christie
Another Christie, yet another Poirot! When Hercule Poirot receives an urgent cry for help from a Mr. Paul Renauld in France, he immediately senses a possible threat to his life and lands in the country, only to realize that his client had already been murdered the morning of his arrival. As for the modus operandi, it seems so singular and outlandish that Poirot, accompanied by Hastings, and the French Surete find themselves stuck with a taxing task at hand. Until the discovery of a second corpse throws the case totally inside out. The plotting is ingenious and Christie comes up with unpredictable turns and complexities in the narration to keep the reader guessing as to the real identity of the killer till the very end. It is to be noted that it is in this novel that Hastings meets his future wife, after fallen hopelessly in love with her.
The Brutal Telling - Louise Penny
Winner of the Agatha Award for best novel of 2009, as well as the 2010 Anthony Award for best crime novel in the US, The Brutal Telling is one of the best murder mysteries that I have ever read. Written by the Canadian authoress Louise Penny, the story concerns the lives of people in an idyllic village called Three Pines. Olivier and his gay partner Gabri are in for a shock when a man, brutally bludgeoned with a blunt instrument, is found dead in the bistro they run. Enter Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team who begin to investigate the crime. Surprisingly, nobody in the village seems to have a clue about the dead man, and with no weapon, motive or suspect, their search becomes increasingly difficult. But Gamache and his cohorts uncover a series of clues that point to a web of lies and deception that is being woven to deliberately put them off scent.
The mystery is intriguing and the character development (especially the character of Gabri) is first-rate. Having read the book in one sitting, I can assure you that the book is impossible to put down once you start. However, there are a couple of flaws. Terming the Caesar Shift as one of the difficult codes to break is silly. With the help of a computer, even if a key text were to be used, it can be deciphered in a short span of time. Instead, here we are shown the characters pondering over the cipher text endlessly with no avail. Also you are likely to be a little disappointed if you were expecting a big twist at the end, which doesn't happen by the way. Still, TBT makes up for these flaws by a well-written lively tale of conscience, betrayal and guilt.
The Private Patient - P. D. James
P. D. James, the nonagenarian authoress of the famed Adam Dalgliesh series, is in her element in the classic Agatha Christie-styled closed-door whodunit The Private Patient. When notorious investigative journalist Rhoda Gradwyn decides to remove her facial scar on the eve of her 47th birthday, she checks into a private plastic-surgery clinic in Dorset run by a Dr. Chandler-Powell. What she doesn't realize is that the place where she hopes get rid of her blemish can be an unlikely venue for her own death. Soon enough, Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team begin their investigations, interviewing the witnesses, gathering clues and so forth, but every lead proves to be a dead-end until another murder in the clinic forces them to reconsider who is really the innocent and the guilty.
Brokeback Mountain - Annie Proulx
A short novella running less than a hundred pages, Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx is a heart-warming tale about the emotional attachment between two men in rural America who part ways, soon to reunite briefly over a period of 20 years and struggle to come to terms with their sexuality fearing social acceptance. Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist first come together when they are hired by Joe Aguirre during the summer to herd his sheep. Sharing an isolated tent in the mountains, the emotional and sexual attraction between them is mutual, but they are forced to go their separate ways after the season is cut short. Both men marry, have kids and after four years when Jack pays Ennis a visit, the relationship between them is rekindled, as they begin to meet clandestinely for infrequent fishing trips over the course of several years. Amidst their ruined marriages, Jack brings the subject of them living together leaving their families aside, but Ennis is held back by his childhood memories of a man tortured for his alleged homosexuality.
The Outsider aka The Stranger - Albert Camus
When the young French Algerian Meursault learns of his mother's death, he is stoic and doesn't even grieve at her funeral. A day later, he begins a sexual relationship with his former colleague Marie and soon enough he helps his neighbor take revenge on his girlfriend, whom he suspects of being infidel. But this seemingly harmless mission turns out to be more devastating when he gets involved in a violent altercation and is later immured and thrown into jail. What follows is one of the best ever discourse on what or who exactly is an outsider. Is a man who is unafraid to speak his mind and in charge of his emotions an outsider? Is he an outsider because he doesn't conform to the normal human behavior? Is a man waiting to be executed an outsider because he denounces the conventions and norms expected otherwise? Is being a little detached yet humane such a heinous crime?
A Sight for Sore Eyes - Ruth Rendell
Master storyteller Ruth Rendell, who also writes under the pseudonym Barbara Vine, has never ever disappointed me with her eloquent prose and intricate psychological mysteries. This novel is no different. In ASfSE, she explores the dark, sadistic relationship between two beautiful teenagers, Teddy and Francine, culminating in a finale that can only be summed up as horrific. Teddy, ignored by both his parents, develops an interest for carpentry and dreams of becoming an artist, where as Francine is still yet to get past the mental agony of having seen her mother murdered in front of her own eyes when she was six. But as love blossoms between the two, it turns out, it's a match made in hell. For Teddy, being the perfectionist, is so obsessed with the kind of life he wants to lead with Francine, he is willing to go to any lengths, even if it means murder. Brilliantly exploring the psyches of the characters involved, the gripping Hitchcockian narrative offers enough twists to keep you glued till the end. A macabre love story indeed!
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone / Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J. K. Rowling
Well, it was long time coming. Much has been written about Harry Potter's adventures at Hogwarts in the last fifteen years, but like I said at the start, I came way very disappointed, probably because none of this was new to me. Potter's first two eventful years at Hogwarts (do I really need to tell the plot? I hope not!) are replete with classic misdirections and convenient twists, and aside from the overly stretched narration, uneven pacing and the clumsy characterisations, the books are fairly engaging. And for God's sake why the villain - you know who - should make his 'cameo' appearance only at the climax beats the hell out of me. Anyone care to explain?
Buried - Mark Billingham
Written by Mark Billingham, Buried tells the tale of Luke Mullen, who goes missing after having last seen getting into a car with an older woman. Did he willingly go with her or was he abducted? Nobody seems to have a clue. When Detective Inspector Tom Thorne is assigned the case, what begins as a search for the teenager ends up stirring well buried secrets, and the people who hold them can go to any lengths to ensure they are best left untouched. Well-drawn characters and realistic sub-plots involving racism play perfect fiddle to this top-notch psychological thriller.
The Clocks - Agatha Christie
A unique novel featuring Hercule Poirot notable for the fact that he neither visits any of the crime scenes nor speaks to any of the suspects. He solves the crime sitting in his home just by exercising his little grey cells, as he often boasts. Sheila Webb, a typist for hire, arrives at her afternoon appointment on Wilbraham Crescent, but instead finds a corpse surrounded by a multitude of clocks, four of them stopped at 4:13. Who could be behind the murder? As time is ticking away, it will be up to Poirot to unravel the mystery. Like any other Hercule Poirot mystery, the denouement is surprising, if not totally unexpected, and Agatha Christie lays her clues adroitly, resorting to her age-old trick of pulling the wool over readers' eyes while they are all dangling right in front of them.
The Case of the Baited Hook - Erle Stanley Gardner
Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason series is one of my all-time favorites. In fact, a Perry Mason mystery (The Case of the Glamorous Ghost) was one of the very first novels I had read before turning my attention to the contemporary crime thrillers. This book, though devoid of the usual courtroom drama and excitement, is so devilishly clever that the ending literally threw me off the chair. Perry Mason, who loves a good mystery, gets retained by an unknown client for $10,000. But when things start going south (read murder), Mason recognizes that the money was a bait and more, a mistake. Will he able to unmask the identity of his client?
E is for Evidence - Sue Grafton
The fifth book in the alphabet series featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone is on the whole pretty satisfying, though I felt it could have been a lot better. In Evidence, Millhone, working part time at California Fidelity Insurance, is asked to investigate a fire claim at a factory helmed by Lance Wood. But upon submitting her findings, she is suspected of receiving bribes from the proprietor for not labeling the fire accident as arson. Temporarily suspended from her job, Millhone thus embarks on a journey to prove her innocence, little realising her own life may be in danger. The story begins on an interesting note, but is oddly devoid of any frisson, with the mystery solved as easily as making a few phone calls, forcing others to divulge the information for no reason, and to top it all, having the murderer make an attempt on her life.
Pirate Latitudes - Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton has always been known for his feverish techno-thrillers, which feature technology as one of the key drivers of the story. Pirate Latitudes, however, is altogether different case. Published posthumously, a cursory read of the book would make you understand why Crichton chose not to publish it during his lifetime. Yes, it's that bad and I am not joking. The so called adventure in the seas tables all the things that you can associate with piracy, and yet the mix is shockingly bad that it left me wondering if this was written by the same author who gave us The Andromeda Strain, Prey and Airframe. I guess what he had written was a rough draft and the publishers decided to mint money using his name. Pity!
The Murder on the Links - Agatha Christie
Another Christie, yet another Poirot! When Hercule Poirot receives an urgent cry for help from a Mr. Paul Renauld in France, he immediately senses a possible threat to his life and lands in the country, only to realize that his client had already been murdered the morning of his arrival. As for the modus operandi, it seems so singular and outlandish that Poirot, accompanied by Hastings, and the French Surete find themselves stuck with a taxing task at hand. Until the discovery of a second corpse throws the case totally inside out. The plotting is ingenious and Christie comes up with unpredictable turns and complexities in the narration to keep the reader guessing as to the real identity of the killer till the very end. It is to be noted that it is in this novel that Hastings meets his future wife, after fallen hopelessly in love with her.
The Brutal Telling - Louise Penny
Winner of the Agatha Award for best novel of 2009, as well as the 2010 Anthony Award for best crime novel in the US, The Brutal Telling is one of the best murder mysteries that I have ever read. Written by the Canadian authoress Louise Penny, the story concerns the lives of people in an idyllic village called Three Pines. Olivier and his gay partner Gabri are in for a shock when a man, brutally bludgeoned with a blunt instrument, is found dead in the bistro they run. Enter Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team who begin to investigate the crime. Surprisingly, nobody in the village seems to have a clue about the dead man, and with no weapon, motive or suspect, their search becomes increasingly difficult. But Gamache and his cohorts uncover a series of clues that point to a web of lies and deception that is being woven to deliberately put them off scent.
The mystery is intriguing and the character development (especially the character of Gabri) is first-rate. Having read the book in one sitting, I can assure you that the book is impossible to put down once you start. However, there are a couple of flaws. Terming the Caesar Shift as one of the difficult codes to break is silly. With the help of a computer, even if a key text were to be used, it can be deciphered in a short span of time. Instead, here we are shown the characters pondering over the cipher text endlessly with no avail. Also you are likely to be a little disappointed if you were expecting a big twist at the end, which doesn't happen by the way. Still, TBT makes up for these flaws by a well-written lively tale of conscience, betrayal and guilt.
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