Tag Archives: thriller

it: chapter two

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From IMDb:

Twenty-seven years after their first encounter with the terrifying Pennywise, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The sequel and conclusion to IT which is itself a reboot of the original TV miniseries both based on Stephen King’s novel. This novel is one of King’s best and it’s good to see it adapted so well into film.

The films are split along the time lines of the original story with Part 1 dealing with the main characters and their battle with Pennywise as kids and Part 2 dealing with them as adults and set 27 years after the first.

It’s a long time since I read the book but the films seem to stick pretty much to the book although the films are set approx 30 years ahead. This doesn’t interfere with the story at all and the only odd result is Bill’s childhood bike which doesn’t seem to come from the 80s.

IT: Chapter 1 is a brilliant film and one of the first to properly scare me in a long time. Chapter 2 is very good but doesn’t meet the tension and horror of the first. This is mainly due to how the story has changed and the fact that it’s adults now rather than kids which added an extra element to Chapter 1.

The special effects are really good, especially Pennywise, his many different forms and his transformation from one to the other. Pennywise is a fantastic character and the producers have managed to recreate him amazingly accurately to the book. The special effects really enhance the fright factor but hats off to Bill Skarsgård who brings him to such frightening life.

Overall a very good film and a satisfying close to an excellent adaptation of a fantastic Stephen King story.

birdman

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Birdman (Jack Caffrey #1) by Mo Hayder.

From Goodreads:

Greenwich, south-east London. The Met’s crack murder squad, AMIP, is called out by nervous CID detectives to a grim discovery. Five bodies, all young women, all ritualistically murdered and dumped on wasteland near the Dome. As each post-mortem reveals a singular, horrific signature linking the victims, officers realize that they are on the trail of that most dangerous offender: a sexual serial killer.

Detective Inspector Jack Caffery – young, driven, unshockable – finds himself facing both hostility within the force and echoes of his past in this, his first case with AMIP. Haunted by the memory of a death long ago, he employs every weapon forensic science can offer for he knows it is only a matter of time before this chaotic, sadistic killer strikes again.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a recent recommendation from Lucilla based on similar books I’ve read and a new author for me. Very much enjoyed it. The character, settings and storyline are quite similar to Peter James‘s series on Roy Grace but with a fresh approach that is very welcome as the Roy Grace character has been running out of material for a while now.

The London setting was enjoyable for me as we visited London last year and many of the street names and locations are familiar from that trip or from general knowledge of London.

The storyline is based around the abduction, mutilation and murder of prostitutes by a serial killer and the main protagonist police officer has a mixed up past that he’s hiding from his colleagues. None of this is new or original but the author builds the characters and stories really well and ties it all together very satisfactorily.

It’s the debut novel for the author and while the plot loses momentum in small sections it’s a great start. The conclusion of the story is very good but I have a feeling the author had it much more detailed and gruesome in the first draft as it feels like someone shied away from it to a certain extent, possibly the editor? However, a great book, enjoyable throughout and looking forward to reading more.

dead at first sight

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Dead at First Sight (Roy Grace #15) by Peter James.

From Goodreads:

A man waits at London Airport for Ingrid Ostermann, the love of his life, to arrive. Across the Atlantic, a retired NYPD cop waits in a bar in Florida’s Key West for his first date with the lady who is, without question, his soulmate. The two men are about to discover they’ve been scammed out of almost every penny they have—and that neither woman exists. Meanwhile, a wealthy divorcée plunges, in suspicious circumstances, from an apartment block in Munich. In the same week, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is called to investigate the suicide of a woman in Brighton, that is clearly not what it seems. As his investigations continue, a handsome Brighton motivational speaker comes forward. He’d discovered his identity is being used to scam 11 different women, online. Roy Grace realizes he is looking at the tip of an iceberg. A global empire built on clever, cruel internet scams and the murder of anyone who threatens to expose them.

My Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟

I’ve read all of the other Roy Grace books and really enjoyed them. This one was a big disappointment, especially as I’ve been waiting a while to get a chance to read it.

The whole concept behind the story is definitely a huge issue but it’s not the type of story normally associated with Roy Grace. I found it hard to get invested in the victims and couldn’t really care less about them or their problems. The introduction of a typical old school, hard man criminal mastermind didn’t suit the story at all and the whole story and group of characters felt disjointed. I’m also fed up with the pointless story of Roy and Cleo’s adoption of Bruno. He’s obviously an obnoxious little git but the story arc has been dragged out to nowhere now for at least two books. The back story of Sandy’s disappearance was a good and unique story but it’s like the author introduced Bruno and now doesn’t know what to do with him.

I’ve looked forward to the next instalment in this series every time I’ve finished one of them but not this time. I would have given it two stars except for the increase in pace and the way he concluded the story in the last 15-20%.

the last witness

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Lou Mason #2 by Joel Goldman

From Goodreads:

What’s it like to be a target for murder? Every step you take, every sigh you make – could be your last. Could you outsmart a desperate killer?

Just as his life has returned to normal, Lou Mason’s surrogate father, Homicide Detective Harry Ryman, arrests his best friend, ex-cop Wilson ‘Blues’ Bluestone, Jr. on murder charges. Mason rolls in like a freight train to defend Blues uncovers dark and terrible secrets – secrets worth killing for. As his investigation closes in on the killer, the hunter becomes the hunted…and all Hell breaks loose.

Lou Mason is back in The Last Witness and this time, it’s personal. Our sexy, brilliant, and flawed trial lawyer unwittingly becomes the sole focus of a brutal killer. Witness this second thrilling installment in the Lou Mason series.

My Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Really enjoyed this book. I’ve read a number of crime and investigative thrillers set around courts, prosecutors, defense lawyers etc but this series is one of the better.

The writing is a real fast pace with the plot constantly developing and little twists and turns keeping the interest going. Enough that I think I read this book in less than 3 days.

The real success of this book is the number and variety of characters involved. Most of the supporting characters are detailed enough to get to know them without complicating the story while there are plenty of central characters to give the story depth.

Looking forward to the next instalment and getting to know them better.

past tense

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Jack Reacher #23 by Lee Child

From Goodreads:

Jack Reacher plans to follow the autumn sun on an epic road trip across America, from Maine to California. He doesn’t get far. On a country road deep in the New England woods, he sees a sign to a place he has never been – the town where his father was born. He thinks, what’s one extra day? He takes the detour.

At the very same moment, close by, a car breaks down. Two young Canadians are trying to get to New York City to sell a treasure. They are stranded at a lonely motel in the middle of nowhere. It’s a strange place … but it’s all there is.

The next morning in the city clerk’s office, Reacher asks about the old family home. He’s told no one named Reacher ever lived in that town. He knows his father never went back. Now he wonders, was he ever there in the first place?

So begins another nail-biting, adrenaline-fuelled adventure for Reacher. The present can be tense, but the past can be worse. That’s for damn sure.

My Rating: 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

This is the latest in a long line of books on the same character. All the books are much the same. Reacher wanders into a small town, something is wrong, he gets involved, it all kicks off, violence ensues, Reacher comes out on top against the odds and then wanders away again. As usual there’s a strong female police officer character to contend with.

This time the story delves a little bit into his past which explains a bit more about his character adding a bit more meat to the basic story.

Many people would class these as pulp fiction with the same old story trotted out in a similar location but I enjoy them. Reacher is a no-nonsense character, very black and white. While violence comes naturally to him he has a clear sense of right and wrong and usually ends on the side of good. He’s like a cowboy character set in modern life, a modern day Clint Eastwood style character.

The stories and characters have just enough depth to keep you interested, the writing is nippy and trots along at a fast pace, enough to make you want to keep reading but not so fast you get lost in the details.

If you haven’t read any then start at the beginning. I interspersed them with other books so not to get bored with his style but I definitely recommend them.