and so it is time for one of those regular book review sort of things, but with added responsibility, look you see. in the northern hemisphere we are theoretically into the summer period, and as such you, the people, are looking for what to read whilst sat by the pool or on the beach whilst enjoying a holiday.
in my entirely unsolicited status as some sort of social media "influencer" i must be both responsible and mindful of what reading i endorse. or, you know, maybe not. more than likely the ladies who read on holiday will take to this new EL James novel that has rather conveniently landed in paperback. for the men, well, for the most part chaps on holiday will either swan or indeed mince around in speedos, trying to attract the eye of the ladies or similar minded gents, whilst all the time humming Macho Man by the Village People. of the men that read instead. it will probably be that James Patterson and Bill Clinton one what they read, the one that i reviewed earlier in the year and is now also out in paperback.
yes, i would appear to have got someone sidetracked in the above. happens more than you think to us social media "influencers"; i have a whole new level of respect for that Kanye Kardassian and that Kylie Jenkins now i know what stresses they have. anyway, a look at what i read, followed by a spoiler free overview.
Twisted by Steve Cavanagh was a "must purchase" owing to how rather good Thirteen, or if you like Thir13en, was. no, not "as good", not really kind of the same thing, but a rather decent read all the same. The Secrets You Hide by Kate Helm sounded fairly interesting, and then proved to be mildly interesting. not bad, as such.
as was, is, and always shall be, to be as fair as i can i will do all possible to avoid spoilers and such. but, to be safe, from here on out please note that a magnificent *** SPOILER WARNING *** is declared. seriously, if either have seemed or sounded interesting, then yes give them a go, worthwhile reads.
provenance of my copy? i am almost certain it was £3 at Tesco, but it might have been £3.50. on the strength of just how good Thirteen, or if you will Thir13en was, this was something of an autopilot purchase, to be sure. although i am saving money by refusing to have anything to do with their 2 for £8 deal, so quite cross i remain at them increasing that deal by a quid.
the plot? well, it turns out not to be another Eddie Flynn adventure. also, not really a "legal thriller" as such, but a twisty turny mystery thriller all the same. basically, the world's most successful novelist is one that has hidden their identity from the entire world. when this identity comes very close to being exposed, the question is perhaps not so much what are they prepared to do to ensure it remains secret but maybe what exactly is it that they have previously done to ensure that anonymity remained very much a thing.......
it was all rather unusual and unexpected, this. what i really wanted was more of the same, but i suppose one cannot blame a writer for wishing to mix things up, do different stuff, etc. unless you are Dan Brown, i guess, but who is?
as measures of success, enough twists and turns to keep me interested and reading, with very few of them being too predictable or groan inducing. more than once, however, and i will word as carefully as i can, as i read i thought, "hang on, if x is so y then surely z", with the z invariably happening on the next page or the one after. oh.
ultimately the shortcomings are generously generally outweighed by the rather decent nature of the read. so, if you go right ahead and select this one for your reading pleasure, i have every confidence that you will enjoy. especially if you quite liked Thirteen, but so long as you have picked up on the subtle hints here that it is quite different.
plot? a courtroom artists with a deeply troubled past is invited to revisit one of her most famous works for an art project. not long after she starts to be "haunted" by visions of people from the past, associated with both the court case she is revisiting and her own darkly troubled upbringing. are these visions trying to warn her of something, or is something else going on.......
that really only covers some of it, sorry, best i could do to give a rundown without revealing too much. also, in a way, that and the apology highlights the single biggest problem or possible letdown with the novel; there is simply far, far too much going on in this all at once. plot twists and turns are wonderful, in particular within a thriller that is as psychological as it is "physical". but too many of them and you get a sense of them either being far too contrived, or simply being misled by conveniently not even hinted at developments that were "there all along".
whereas i really rather quite liked the novel, and would have little hesitation in recommending it, at no stage did i find myself as immensely immersed as i had expected (hoped), and no, didn't really "love" it as such. perhaps this is one of those books i shall think back on and recall it better later than i do right now.
so, then, that would be that for another two books. yes, if i am given time, there will indeed be a look at a further two novels, as and when i have read them.
well, anyway, time you would spend reading more here would be time not used in reading either of these, or whatever you are reading at present. best, then, to leave it there, with the usual thanks for reading this, and the obligatory modest hope that this has been of use to someone out there somewhere.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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