The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Unbelievably The Grownup is my first read from Gillian Flynn and I did quite enjoy this dark little novella.

You may have seen this quote already but I have to include it because, well it's a legend, a quote amongst quotes. Chances are it might not stand up to the test of time but I'll never forget it and it introduces the stories protagonist and vocation.

I quit because when you give 23,546 hand jobs over a three-year period , carpal tunnel syndrome is a very real thing.'

So she's in the process of moving from hand jobs to scam artist in the guise of a fortune-teller when she meets Susan Burke. And soon she is employed to rid Susan's house of evil spirits and step-son Miles is integral. Then it's exploration of the demon child phenomena and it did grip me as things swung from is he? To isn't he? All told this was a story that keeps you guessing, some delicious twists and the kid is pretty likable for a possible sociopath, definitely interesting with an ambiguous finale.

A 3.5* rating

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Rain by Craig Saunders

Rain by Craig Saunders
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been on a bit of a Craig Saunders splurge recently starting with The Estate, on to Rain and the final one being A Strangers Grave. And they just get better, dark fiction with a mixture of fascinating characters, occasionally funny moments, gripping plots but most of all just bloody good reads.

Rain starts with John March and his not too busy bookshop, in fact there's only one regular customer and he comes in attempting to sell a few books. Mr Hills last visit finished with him saying something a little odd John thinks briefly but what comes later is way past odd. Mr Hill dies that night and John is the beneficiary of two amazing things, firstly a will worth 5 million pounds.

And secondly a strange wooden box containing a lock of hair, a finger bone and a tooth in a jar of water. A simple message says. 'Blood and bone and hair and tooth'.

Then a phone call.

'You have something of mine. Give it back and I will let her live.'

Then comes the Rain.

Followed by screaming, sirens, and death, lots of it.

Smiley, Mandy and the rest of the gang aren't up to much, smoking some weed, you know the score. Until they're caught by a policeman, not your average copper, this one needs a job done and there's something not altogether right about this guy.

'Something in the man's eyes. Something cold. His eyes were black. Weird. Full-on black, like they'd been painted in by a kid. The others didn't look around. They sat silent, defeated.
Smiley looked into the policeman's eyes.
He wished he hadn't, but by then, he couldn't look away'.

The rain is alive, it has murderous intent and it’s fucking scary stuff. There's a lot going on to keep the interest alive, I have to say it's brilliantly imaginative and the evil contained within the rain combined with its urgent needs left me slightly staggered and more than impressed with Craig Saunders once more.

John March, his wife and her carers, Smiley and Mandy will face off against the unthinkable. And you can't help but run the gauntlet with them, every rain soaked step. This author has written some incredibly dark and gripping fiction, and it's a complete joy to slowly work through his back catalogue.

Recommended, no, more than Recommended and well worth dipping your toes into this murky water.

A 4.5* rating.

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White Picket Prisons

White Picket Prisons by Kelli Owen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While on suspension, detective Mark Baker gets a letter from his sister, whom he hasn't spoken to in ten years. With pregnant girlfriend in tow, Mark goes to the isolated town his sister lives to check on her. Will he be able to break Sarah from her White Picket Prison?

White Picket Prisons is a fairly short tale of a town with its own set of biblical-inspired laws. Valley Mill seems quiet, almost idyllic, at first, until Mark and Gina figure out what's actually going on. It could easily be an episode of The Twilight Zone or Tales from the Dark Side.

It could have easily been a short story without a lot of meat on the bone but Mark's feelings about the ineffectiveness of the justice system he works for give the story the conflict it needs.

A few pretty chilling things happen in White Picket Prisons. Owen doesn't roll around in the gore and somehow I think that makes them that much more horrific.

This is the second Kelli Owen book I've read and won't be the last. She really has the knack for dark fiction. Three out of five stars.

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THE Penge Bungalow Murders

Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders by John Mortimer
Reviewed by Jason Koivu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading four or five of the books and seeing a few of the tv show episodes based on them, the notoriety of London Barrister Horace Rumpole's greatest case "The Penge Bungalow Murders," much mentioned by himself, had reached legendary status. Yet, I'd never read about it. I didn't know the details, and so it took on a mysterious mythology. Unable to take the suspense any longer, I finally and joyously read John Mortimer's Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders.

This might be my favorite Rumpole to date!

It's a look back at the start of a career and a trip back in time that introduces long-known friends and acquaintances. Because the series begins in the midst, or rather in the twilight years, of Rumpole's career, Mortimer had Rumpole tell the story of his first big break via the act of writing his memoirs. That provided the reader a nice past/present reflection upon that lovable, wily and irascible lawyer.

Mortimer's writing is very smooth. His stock of character's are well-drawn, if a bit one dimensional, at least the usual supporting cast. The main players in whatever case Rumpole is working on are often dual-natured and Mortimer handles them just as capably. The plot of the typical Rumpole story, though not always a mind-bender, is crafted in a way to keep you guessing who dunnit for a decent length of time, and this one's no different. While not perfection, Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders gets an extra fanboy star from me and ranks as a topnotch entry in the series.

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Tangle

Edited by Nicole Kimberling
Blind Eye Books
Reviewed by Nancy
5 out of 5 stars

Summary

Eleven stories of magic, mystery and the fantastic future, all featuring gay heroes. Swordsmen, cyborgs, magicians, ghosts, psychic lovers and enchanted lords fill this anthology with adventure, laughter and passion.This anthology features Spectrum Award Winning author Ginn Hale as well as award winning author and editor Lawrence Schimel and Lambda Literary Award Finalist Astrid Amara.

My Review

It is very rare for me to come across an anthology where I enjoy every single story. The nice thing about short story collections by different authors is the element of surprise. After each break, the reader gets introduced to a new set of characters, encounters different situations, and is exposed to a variety of writing styles. Each story in Tangle is highly imaginative and explores love and relationships between men.

My favorite stories in this collection are:

 Lord Ronan’s Shoes, by Astrid Amara, about a young man, Evander, employed by a king’s vassal to care for his vast shoe collection. Lord Ronan is a cold, cruel, and very attractive man. While on a mission to find new buckles for his master’s shoes, Evander comes across a very special pair of boots that changes the lives of everyone around him, including Lord Ronan. This story was sweet, humorous and a lot of fun.

Remember, by Astrid Amara, is about a man who is dreading his upcoming marriage to a woman he does not love, but needs to go through with the wedding in order to gain an inheritance. The bride’s family will not allow the wedding to take place until their missing heirloom rings are found, so, at his future mother-in-law’s insistence, the groom hires a mysterious magician to locate the rings. This was a fun and romantic story that ended happily for both the bride and the groom.

Crossing the Distance, by Erin MacKay, is about two boys who are telepathically bonded since childhood. Once they become of age, they are trained as “Relays”, using their telepathic skills to serve the army. A heartwrenching and beautiful story.

Ginn Hale’s Feral Machines is about a lonely man who maintains a wildlife sanctuary with only the three “synthetics” he purchased from a military surplus auction to keep him company. A very imaginative, compelling, and humane story.

Lost Stars

Lost Stars by Claudia Gray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Many of the major events of the original Star Wars trilogy are experienced through two childhood friends, Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell. Ciena and Thane are life long friends who find themselves on opposite sides of war.

Lost Stars covers the lives of Ciena and Thane who happen to have been born the same time as the Empire. Their story starts at age 8 and continues on until after the end of Return of the Jedi. The story was good, but I was expecting more.

The biggest surprise I experienced in this story was seeing how people could defend the Empire. I understand that there are two sides to every story, but once the Empire blew up a highly inhabited planet because it's leaders were traitors to the Empire, I couldn't believe anyone could continue defending it.

Thane and Ciena started off as really interesting down to Earth characters. It was easy to care for each of them despite their faults until Ciena became the dumbest woman in the history of the world, even dumber than Lois Lane taking forever to realize Clark Kent is Superman...who knew glasses were all it would take to escape an investigative reporter and co-worker's attention. Ciena comes up for rationalization after rationalization for why the Empire is good even after witnessing it destroying a planet and a number of other atrocities it committed. She refuses to break her oath because her sense of honor is more important than actual people's lives...except Thane's. Thane was surprisingly the most patient loving man as he kept fighting for Ciena despite her being the enemy and working for the Devil Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and the Empire.

It was somewhat strange reading all these events through the new characters eyes because I knew the outcome of almost everything in the book. The only thing I didn't know was how events would effect Thane and Ciena.

Lost Stars was a good book that provided a fresh perspective on the original trilogy and it's effect on individuals.

3.5 out of 5 stars

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All You Need Is Kill

All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So what do you get when you mix Groundhog Day, a war manga, and Tony Stark's suit of armor he made in a cave? You get All You Need Is Kill. Keiji Kiriya is stuck in a loop fighting aliens to the death...well to his death. Keiji has died during each of his 158 tries to get out of the loop. Bill Murray's character in Groundhog Day had it way easier than Keiji Kiriya.

For me All You Need Is Kill is a book with an interesting concept that falls short once Rita Vrataski gets her own point of view. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't explain any more then saying the author should've never tried to explain how the loops work. Perhaps that isn't fair, the best way to say it is don't explain something you don't fully understand. Time travel scenarios can be as messy and annoying as stepping in poop and tracking it all around your home. Let's just say the author was likely walking around a farm with serious nasal congestion before he headed home.

The story itself was intriguing prior to the Vrataski info dump. Poor Keiji has walked into a reasonable facsimile of hell. After the inevitable attempts to run away and commit suicide to escape the loops, Keiji decides to train his mind to help him win the battle. This part was enjoyable to see how he had learned to navigate his day and the battle with the proficient ease of 100 plus attempts.

All I Need Is Kill felt like a case of unfulfilled potential. Perhaps I'll have to watch the movie to find out if they did a better job utilizing the concept.

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JULIUS CAESAR BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.”

Beware the Ides of March. Beware to those that have aspirations to rule. You may encounter many enemies. People who will thwart your plans. People quite possibly afraid of your genius. People suffering from delusions of grandeur.

I always say keep an eye on the son of your favorite squeeze.

Marcus Junius Brutus, what a fickle man, you are running around like a plucked chicken looking for your missing head. ”He seems completely blind to reality, an ineffectual idealist whose idealism cannot prevent him from committing a senseless and terrible crime.” You let the insidious Cassius fill your ear with dilettante, conspiratorial nonsense. ”Cadaverous and hungry-looking, much given to brooding, and a great reader; a scorner of sports and light diversions, a very shrewd judge of human nature, and deeply envious of those who are greater than himself.” So the question remains, is Cassius the shrewd judge of character, capable of seeing the future, or is he the man consumed by jealousy who wants to see the mighty Julius Caesar fall?



You fell for that first man of Rome, the republic is your responsibility, and all that. As it turns out, you aren’t the only dagger maestro in your family. Gaius Servilius Structus Ahala, a distant relative of yours, saved Rome from another tyrant named Spurius Maelius. Of course, that is all in the far distant past and might even be a myth, but Cassius knows the right buttons to push.

”And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg,
Which, hatch’d, would, as his kind, grow mischievous,
And kill him in the shell.”

You might have said the line Brutus, but the stench of it, the green gray smoke of it, smacks of Cassius. Wouldn’t it have been more prudent to see what Caesar intended to do with his power before you stab, stab, STABBED him to death?

“Et tu, Brute?”

That must have felt like a punch in the gut given that you had his blood all over your sword and hands at the time. Caesar’s parting guilt laden gift to you. I’m just putting a few thoughts out there in the wind. How’d you feel about Caesar putting the sausage to your mother? Did the bedposts banging against the wall feel like a drummer hammering your skull? Maybe Cassius doesn’t have to be that convincing.


Cassius

It must have been a real kick in the subligaculum when that hack William Shakespeare named the play after Julius Caesar. My god, man, you have four times the lines, and for most of the play Caesar is nothing more than an apparition. An annoying apparition, by the way, who keeps showing up at the most inconvenient times and saying things like, ”Let loose the dogs of war.”

Letting Marc Antony live was probably a mistake. He isn’t the brightest star in the firmament, but he is a brave soldier. A good leader, but better as number two than number one. You aren’t really a mad dog killer after all, so the thought of killing Antony is like crunching on the bones of a stale dormouse.

”Of course will seem too bloody, Caius Cassius,
To cut the head off and then hack the limbs,
Like wrath in death and envy afterwards;
For Antony is but a limb of Caesar.
Let’s be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius.
We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar.”

Magnanimous of you, Brutus. Well said, but did you think ZOINKS after Antony dropped that rap battle speech at Caesar’s funeral.


Marc Antony

”Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it.
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest–
For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men–

You remember the one, right? The speech where he basically calls you a douche bag under the guise of singing your praises.

I’m not going to talk about the disaster at the battle of Philippi. I think that might have been where the term Caesar salad came into common usage. Marc Antony and Octavius join forces and break the will of your men. We are all ready, way past ready, for you to fall on your own sword. In fact, I would have happily given you a firm Caligae to the arse if you needed a little extra encouragement.

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Strange Ways by Bryan Smith

Strange Ways by Bryan Smith
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Bryan Smith fills a bit of a void for me, well written horror with a sprinkling of sex that doesn't require massive amounts of concentration, good fun basically.

Strange Ways is typically formulaic for Bryan Smith, the plot felt like I'd read it before after the first ten pages and stories about witches are pretty high on my must avoid at all costs list. These three witches are stunningly attractive, they've been alive for a long time using magic to remain youthful and they are powerful, big fucking yawn.

As soon as they arrived on the scene and there's three of them, I was immediately thinking of Go Kill Crazy and there's even a cross as Echo the tattooed stripper makes an appearance.

The White family are pretty rich, the kids spoilt to death, Alan at work with a prostitute while wife Marjorie is spying on the new arrivals for her brunch network. Three luxury cars arrive, one after the other and out step three woman, stunning, stunning and more stunning, the only difference being the colour of their long, lush, and glossy locks.

Marjorie is captivated and soon beholden to the witches, daughter Paige has seduced her teacher and is in the process of bribing him to kill her parents. Paige is the one shining light in this story, how can someone so young be so deliciously evil, well she manages it and with brass knobs on.

Meanwhile here we are at the witches abode casting a spell.

'The physical release she felt as the gathered energy exploded from her body was a sensation akin to a thousand orgasms experienced simultaneously.'

For fucks sake a thousand orgasms at the same time, will that be as much pleasure as pulling into a parking spot and realising the one immediately in front is free enabling a drive straight out experience, yeah must be.

I was more than a little disappointed with Strange Ways, the Bryan Smith magic was lacking, the whole affair was a bit predictable and there was the hint of a familiar pattern there.

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Seed by Ania Ahlborn

Seed by Ania Ahlborn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Seed by Ania Ahlborn has been patiently sitting on my kindle waiting to be remembered until recently I came across the audiobook and at just over 6 hours immediately thought, yep that’s easily doable in a day, perfect.

Seed is an almost perfect slow building horror, it plans and executes a clinical attack on your emotions as the screw gradually turns and the tension ratchets to unbearable levels. It all starts with a car crash, as the protagonist and driver of the car Jack, sees something at the side of the road, something rooted deeply in the terror of his childhood.

Things deteriorate from that moment on, youngest daughter Charlie takes on the child from hell persona of Damianesque proportion and this family is about to suffer nightmares that grip the reader as tightly as the most terrifying homicidal maniacs bear hug.

'She knew there was only one way to get rid of the prickle that had burrowed into her heart: get up, stand over her sister again. Stand over her and wait until she stopped breathing.'

Seed was Ania Ahlborn’s debut novel and it really is a tremendous piece of work, it's not long, the author seriously doesn't beat about the bush and over describe, and I was heavily invested in the story, the characters and this family's plight. So you couldn't really ask for anything else and I'll certainly be reading more from Ania Ahlborn.

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