Archive for the ‘Mystery/Suspense’ Category

THE HYPNOTIST by Lars Keplar

THE HYPNOTIST, written by Lars Kepler (a pseudonym for a husband and wife team writing together in Sweden), was tauted by Janet Maslin of The New York Times as “The summer’s likeliest new Nordic hit.” The writing is compared to that of Steig Larsson and Henning Mankell. Other than the novel taking place in Sweden, I observed little or no similarities to either of these two writers.

August 10, 2011 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , , ,  Â· Posted in: Debut Novel, Mystery/Suspense

THE TWO DEATHS OF DANIEL HAYES by Marcus Sakey

A man wakes up, shivering and alone on a desolate beach. He has no idea who he is or why he’s there. He and the reader gradually get clues: he’s Daniel Hayes; he lives in Los Angeles; he’s in northern Maine; and the cops want him, but he doesn’t know why. So beings a new mystery from Marcus Sakey, known for the BLADE ITSELF and THE AMATEURS. Determined to confirm his identity and find out why he traveled cross-country in a drunk, drug-induced haze, Hayes re-traces he cross-country journey to Los Angeles.

August 6, 2011 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , , ,  Â· Posted in: Mystery/Suspense

LOLA, CALIFORNIA by Edie Meidav

In this artful, cerebral novel spanning four decades and encompassing the tribal conventions and counterculture movements of the 70′s and 80′s, the reader is plunged into a cunning world of philosophy and hedonism that is best described as baroque rawness or stark-naked grandiloquence. If these terms appear to be incompatible pairings, the reader will grasp the seeming polarity as axiomatic soon after feasting on Edie Meidav’s complex narrative style. A carnal vapor infuses every provocative page of this unorthodox psychological crime thriller.

August 4, 2011 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , , , ,  Â· Posted in: California, Character Driven, Mystery/Suspense, Thriller/Spy/Caper

BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP by S. J. Watson

BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP is a debut novel from British author S.J. Watson, and the book has already made considerable waves in the world of publishing. This is due in part to the fact that film director Ridley Scott bought the movie rights. There’s a big question behind the media blitz: is all the hype justified?

August 4, 2011 · Judi Clark · One Comment
Tags: ,  Â· Posted in: Debut Novel, Mystery/Suspense, Thriller/Spy/Caper, Unique Narrative

THE ASTOUNDING, THE AMAZING, THE UNKNOWN by Paul Malmont

THE ASTOUNDING, THE AMAZING, THE UNKNOWN by Paul Malmont is a celebration of science fiction’s golden years via the pulp magazine ethos. Taking place in 1943, it recounts a story partially based in fact about how the guiding lights of science fiction’s heyday were brought together by the military and tasked with making science fiction real in order to defeat the Nazis. Virtually all the authors who were the mainstays of science fiction and fantasy from 1930’s through the 1960’s are there.

July 22, 2011 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: ,  Â· Posted in: Alternate History, Facing History, Mystery/Suspense, Speculative (Beyond Reality)

THE CRY OF THE OWL by Patricia Highsmith

American author, Patricia Highsmith, who died in 1995, left behind a respectable body of work. Highsmith is known primarily for her psychological thrillers, so perhaps it’s not too surprising that a number of her novels have been adapted for the big screen–including THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, RIPLEY’S GAME, RIPLEY UNDERGROUND, THE CRY OF THE OWL and THIS SWEET SICKNESS. Highsmith’s first novel, STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, was made into a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock–a man with an uncanny ability to spot new talent. While STRANGERS ON A TRAIN is my all-time favourite Hitchcock film, it veers away from the darkest corners of Highsmith’s tale. I like to think that even Hitchcock wasn’t ready to wrestle with some of Highsmith’s controversial and insidiously buried themes.

July 21, 2011 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags:  Â· Posted in: 2011 Favorites, Classic, Mystery/Suspense