The Art of Dying by Ambrose Parry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
DISCLAIMER: I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Following on from last year’s The Way of All Flesh, this is the second outing by the writing duo of Dr. Marisa Haetzman and Christopher Brookmyre under the pen-name of Ambrose Parry, and it’s at least as good as their first.
Continue reading Book Review: The Art of Dying
The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
For those who don’t already know, Ambrose Parry is the pseudonym of husband and wife writing team Christopher Brookmyre and Dr. Marisa Haetzman. He’s a veteran crime writer specialising mostly in the tartan-noir genre, while she’s an experienced consultant anaesthetist with a background in the history of medicine, and together they’ve written a pretty damned good historical crime thriller set in mid-nineteenth century Edinburgh.
Continue reading Book Review: The Way of All Flesh
The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is the third in Connelly’s Harry Bosch series, and starts by giving us a flashback to the Dollmaker case that’s been referenced a few times in the first two books. The narrative then jumps forward to the present, and leads us into a court case where Bosch (and the LAPD) is being sued by the Dollmaker’s widow. As the trial gets under way, Bosch receives a letter from someone claiming to be the real Dollmaker, suggesting that Bosch killed the wrong man four years earlier. What follows is an interesting mix of legal drama meets crime thriller.
Dear Crossing by Marjorie Swift Doering
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I picked this one up out of curiosity, and on reflection I have to say it wasn’t too bad. It’s a bit by-the-numbers in places (washed-up cop with a drink problem and a broken marriage), but manages to keep itself fresh with a storyline that includes more than a few twists along the way.
A Murder of Quality by John le Carré
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is the second book by John le Carré, and the second to focus on the character of George Smiley. It is also the only book to feature Smiley that isn’t a tale of cold war espionage.
The Black Ice by Michael Connelly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Black Ice is the second Harry Bosch book and in my opinion shows a marked improvement over the first in terms of style and substance. Starting with the apparent suicide of a cop the narrative quickly becomes convoluted and engrossing, eventually leading to a twist that isn’t exactly telegraphed but which I have to admit I did see coming quite early.
