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Content by Toni Osborne
Commentateur n° : 95
Votes Utiles:
458
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Reviews Written by
Toni Osborne "The Way I See It" (Montreal, Canada)
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The Venetian Betrayal
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de Steve Berry
Édition : Mass Market Paperback |
| Price: CDN$ 10.79 |
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| Availability: In Stock |
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An Exciting Adventure, Nov 28 2009
Book 3 in the Cotton Malone series
This is another historical thriller in the Cotton Malone saga. Mr Berry's protagonist simply can't stay retired. His colorful past as a clandestine agent for the U.S. government will once again drag him back into action.
"The Venetian Betrayal" has Malone on his toes. The action starts with Cotton narrowly escaping the inferno that consumed a well known Danish museum. Cassiopeia Vitt informs him that this catastrophe is no accident but is part of a massive campaign to destroy historic buildings across Europe.
This novel is composed mainly of two stories that are nicely intertwined. In the first: we learn about the cunning and ruthless Irina Zovastina who is obsessed in finding Alexander the Great's lost tomb and obtaining all eight of the legendary medallions commemorating his conquests.
In the second, as Supreme Minister of the Central Asian Federation Irina goes to all means to reach her objectives. With the help of a shadowy organization "The Council of Ten" and its leader Enrico Vincenti, a pharmaceutical magnate, she plots to release a deadly virus that only she will have the antidote to. Enrico, nearing the end of his tenure develops his own agenda and becomes determined to profit from this alliance.
The best laid plan of the two conspirators is put in jeopardy with the botched assassination of Cotton. When Cotton and his two colleagues Cassiopia and Henrik Thorvaldsen team up to get to the root of the mysterious events, they realize they are up against two evil minds. The importance of outwitting them and ultimately saving millions of people are in their hands...will they succeed...
This is another exciting adventure around action packed scenarios with nail biting twists and turns throughout. The characters are globe trotters that hold secrets or have the key to decipher them. Like in his previous novels, the author has masterfully created a suspenseful tale around tit-bits of history. This is once again a very ambitious novel that pushes the boundaries and provides us with pure entertainment.
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Divine Justice
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de David Baldacci
Édition : Mass Market Paperback |
| Price: CDN$ 11.69 |
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| Availability: In Stock |
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Gripping and Exciting, Nov 28 2009
4th novel in the Camel Club series
The author's has come up with another thrilling story. It opens where "Cold Stone" ended right after the assassinations of Carter Gray and Roger Simpson by Oliver Stone. Both men had conspired to ruin Stone's life ultimately forcing him underground.
As the story unfolds, Stone now on the run hops a train to New Orleans. During the course of the train ride, Stone comes to the aid of Danny Riker who is targeted by a group of goons. They strike up a friendship and end up in Divine Virginia, Riker's hometown, with a façade of a quiet mining town in the middle of nowhere.
The plot is gripping and exciting, it moves along at a fast pace, not a dull moment. Stone now considered the most wanted man in the USA finds himself in the middle of a sinister town where townsfolk have witnessed murders, accidental hunting deaths, apparent suicides, narcotic smuggling and to top it all off the town has a super maximum prison.
The object of a massive manhunt, Stone realizes he is being tracked by Macklin Hayes' best tracker CIA Joe Knox. Following Stone and Knox in the cat and mouse situation are Stone's allies from the Camel Club ready to help at any cost..
Baldacci has masterfully created two parallel plots "Knox's pursuit of Stone and Stone's bizarre journey", both are filled with twists and surprises and a cast of well-developed characters.
Once again, Baldacci takes his readers on a rollercoaster ride of intrigue and suspense.
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The Brass Verdict
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de Michael Connelly
Édition : Mass Market Paperback |
| Price: CDN$ 11.69 |
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| Availability: In Stock |
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Another Winner for Connelly, Nov 28 2009
Harry Bosch Series #14 & Mickey Haller Series #2
Bestseller Michael Connelly expertly brought his two best characters together in one of his most intricate and exciting plots to date.
L.A. lawyer Mickey Haller who we last seen in "The Lincoln Lawyer", is now out of rehab, with his addiction behind him he is eager and ready to practice law again. When Jerry Vincent is murdered, he inherits his practice and heavy case load, a load that includes a high-profile double murder. The suspect is the famous studio executive Walter Elliot accused of murdering his wife and her lover. While preparing the mogul's defense, Haller discovers that knowing the case sensitive information paints a target on his back and this was most likely the motive behind Vincent's murder.
Detective Harry Bosch heightens intrigue into the scenario when he enters as lead investigator. Working on opposite sides of the law both Haller and Bosch join forces in order to uncover the truth...but everybody lies. Cops lie. Lawyers lie. Witnesses lie. The victims lie and the judge can see right through them...will justice prevail... The answer is expertly revealed between the pages...
This is one fast paced and engaging crime/courtroom mystery that is difficult to set aside. The plot is cleverly written, with enough twists and surprises to keep ones interest alert. The level of details described as Haller builds his case in search of the "magic bullet" is truly amazing; it adds context and depth to his character. The novel consists mostly of courtroom scenes with dialogue that zips along quite fast and text that masterfully paints a clear picture.
Michael Connelly's has created another winner. I thoroughly enjoyed "The Brass Verdict".
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Triptych
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de Karin Slaughter
Édition : Mass Market Paperback |
| Price: CDN$ 9.99 |
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| Availability: In Stock |
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Fine Crime Fiction, Nov 28 2009
Book 1 in the Will Trent series
This is a fine crime fiction that doesn't miss a beat and where every detail has been scrutinized and utilized to its maximum to provide one fascinating and captivating tale. The story has a touch of violence, it focuses on: Homicide Detective Michael Ormewood, John Shelley a recent parolee, Special Agent Will Trent of the Criminal Apprehension Team and Vice Cop Angie Polanski. They are all brought together in a series of brutal murders.
Skilfully plotted the story unfolds at a rapid pace. It starts when Michael Ormewood is summoned to a brutal murder, the horribly mutilated body of Aleesha Monroe. It is evident that this murder is the latest in a series of similar attacks and could be of interest to the Criminal Apprehension team, so Special Agent Will Trent quickly becomes a vital player in solving the case. Tension takes a complex turn with John Shelley entering the scene. Being an ex-con, he becomes of special interest to Angie after meeting her in her undercover role as a prostitute. Unknowingly, he has stumbled upon the killer's trail and holds the key to bringing the murderer to justice.
If you are a crime fiction addict, this novel won't disappoint you. It has everything one can wish for in a page turner: an intricate mystery, great plot development, several threads expertly interweaved, many twists and turns to give it suspense and excellent character development. This is one riveting and compelling mystery that I highly recommend.
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The Likeness
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de Tana French
Édition : Paperback |
| Price: CDN$ 11.56 |
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| Availability: Usually ships in 3 to 5 weeks |
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A Disappointment, Nov 19 2009
Book 2 in the Cassie Maddox series
How long can someone assume different identities and keep it up? Seems Ms French protagonist is being given nine lives sending Cassie once more undercover. Like her first novel, the story is set in Dublin and the mystery entails an investigation into a homicide.
After being stabbed during her last undercover assignment Cassie had been assigned to the Domestic Violence (DV) division. The suspense starts when Cassie is summoned to the scene of a homicide. There, she and others are startled by the fact that the victim is the mirror image of Cassie; also the victim's ID is Lexie Madison, one of Cassie's previous undercover names.
The suspense grows when it is decided to hide the events from the media and have Cassie once again go undercover and infiltrate the dead girl's world. Unfortunately the plot drags when much of the novel is centered on the day to day lifestyle of victim's strange roommates. Even with some twists and turns the main problem is extreme slowness (boredom), it gets bogged down with too many descriptions of domestic life, leaving us with a mystery that is straightforward with few surprises. I found the plot bland and the characters missing development.
After reading the first novel "In the Woods" which I enjoyed, this was a disappointment
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Constant Princess
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de Philippa Gregory
Édition : Paperback |
| Price: CDN$ 13.10 |
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| Availability: In Stock |
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Captivating Enough, Nov 19 2009
In this historically based fiction, Ms Gregory introduces us to one of her most unforgettable heroines and vividly reconstructs for our enjoyment the life of Katherine of Aragon, daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain.
The story is told from Katherine's point of view, relating her feelings at each milestone in her life, from her childhood in Spain, her marriage to Prince Arthur of England up to the time of her disgrace from court. She recalls when the young couple who were betrothed, finally meet and married, a politically arrange marriage that soon developed into a hidden passion and devotion for each other. Sadly, at age fifteen Arthur falls ill and on his death bed he has Katherine promise to marry his brother Henry and further the hope of becoming Queen and fulfilling their dreams for the country.
It is easy to forget that Katherine's life is the author's version of events. The story details Katherine's insistence that her first marriage was never consummated; this facilitated her marriage to Henry but always remained a point of contestation.
The author portrays Katherine as a very courageous and strong woman who faced many struggles, some joyous some sad. We are left with Henry V111 depicted as a spoiled and selfish man who would put aside wife after wife at a whim.
For those fascinated by historical fiction, this will transport you into the tumultuous life at the Tudor Court, at a time when no one was safe. It was a time when battles to conquer territories were forcefully fought and ones religious beliefs ruled the world.
The story is quite captivating although I did find it meander and dragged a bit and it ended rather abruptly.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Another Daring Novel, Oct 29 2009
Book2 in the Cotton Malone series
This daring and thrilling novel opens with a confrontation between Malone and his ex-wife Pam over the handling of their teenage son's kidnapping and their narrow escape from the fire bombing of his bookstore. This has all the appearances of an attempt to blackmail Cotton into revealing a secret he sworn to never disclose...the existence of the Library of Alexandria.
This sudden turn of events has Cotton returning to his roots as a secret agent and teaming up with wife Pam. They are lead from Amsterdam, on to Lisbon, England and to the Sinai desert as they follow a series of clues that will hopefully lead them to the Library and the safe release of their son.
This is one fast paced and intriguing tale that intertwines facts with fiction beautifully. Pros and cons of different religious believes of the world are questioned and of course, like the last novel another secret society comes to light with its members of influence and power both political and financial. As usual some may find this controversial.
Mr. Berry has resurrected his full cast from "The Templar Legacy" and provided another wild adventure full of double crossing to leave the reader breathless and quite entertained. I enjoyed the author's take on what I consider a James Bond -Indiana Jones type of thriller.
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Sluggish, Oct 29 2009
Book1 in English translated from book4 in the Ann Lindell series
This crime story spins a tight and mysterious plot. The main thread begins with a jogger on his morning run finding the mutilated body of John Jonsson, whose hobby is tropical fish and is famous for his aquarium.
The readers are introduced to this story without the background of the previous novels. With a cold start we find out that the main character Ann Lindell is now on maternity leave but unable to distance herself from work, she is always in touch with her partner Detective Ola Havre. He and a tight knit group of officers are the prime investigators in the Jonsson's case, a case Ann cannot resist getting involved.
The story evolves around John's older brother Lennart the main suspect and well known criminal, other members of John's family and a nutcase that John had a previous altercation with.
I found it rather hard to get into at first and contemplated many times abandoning it. The story is quite complicated and progresses somewhat sluggish at times. It has many threads to follow with characters which I presume where developed previously. The lack of background left something missing it was like coming half way into a story. However by the end, when Detective Ola Haver and Ann Lindell begin to feature more prominently both professionally and personally the mystery becomes more absorbing and interesting and the roles the characters are better appreciated.
The novel is highly recommended and won best in its class by the Swedish Crime Academy. However, I found it missing in imagination and lackluster. It was a disappointing read but nonetheless I am curious to see if I will change my opinion reading the sequel.
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Taking Stock
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de Cj West
Édition : Paperback |
| Price: CDN$ 15.45 |
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| Availability: Usually ships in 3 to 5 weeks |
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Not a Dull Moment, Oct 29 2009
This suspenseful fiction plunges the reader into the greedy financial world where people in power have no shame and no remorse embezzling money. If you are attracted by stories in today's press of high-stakes thievery, fraud and corruption you will enjoy reading "Taking Stock".
I was hooked right from the start, glued to every word and totally captivated by the development. This page turner was very hard to put aside. In a few words this is the tale of Erica Fletcher, a computer whiz whose job is to set up and develop a new program to facilitate transactions in the world of money management. Unknowingly she is being setup by her boss Brad to be the prime suspect in a scheme defrauding the investors of the "Boston Management Firm" of an estimated 200 million dollars. When she discovers the vulnerable position Brad and his powerful allies have placed her in, she must use her expertise to outwit and outsmart and expose the real Teflon criminals.
We have brilliant characterization; Mr West has developed his players with pizazz making each one easily identifiable and mostly believable. Other than the main characters, some important ones are: Sarah, an auditor, who unwittingly assists Brad and sets her venomous sights on Erica, Stan, a man of ethics, an assistant and trusted ally of Erika, needs to prove her innocence, Gregg, the customer services manager, has a hopeless crush on Erica and will do anything for her, and finally Herman...I will let the reader discover him... This is only a sample of the very engaging cast of characters.
Out of all this author's novels to date, I favor this one by far. The action and suspense keep the story in steady motion; there is not a dull moment. This is as good as it can be. Well done Mr West, I am looking forward to reading your next novel.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Face-paced Plot, Oct 24 2009
Book1 in the Cotton Malone series
This novel can join the many growing stories surrounding the legendary Knights and the secrets they withhold and have guarded with their lives for so many years.
It opens with Cotton Malone a former covert agent for the department of U.S. Justice visiting his former boss, Stephanie Nelle. He learns that she has been on a quest to find the Templar's "Great Devise", intrigued, Cotton decides to join her.
Action starts when Stephanie is accosted by a purse snatcher and a subsequent wild foot chase causes the perpetrator when cornered to commit suicide. Action increases even more when Stephanie realizes the notebook she received under mysterious circumstances is the real target of the thieves and possibly holds the key to the Templar's fortune. Tensions are raised another notch when a modern day Templar and his followers make Cotton and Stephanie their prime targets, each have their own objectives. Danger lurks at everyone corner as their paths cross...The suspense prevails till the end...
M. Berry created a likable modern day sleuth in Malone but unfortunately Stephanie is a bit too naive to be credible considering the job she has, the characterization could have been better developed. I liked the plot, it is fast-paced, exciting and has its fair share of twists and turns. The narration is great and the addition of humor to the dialogue is a plus.
This is a gripping tale that could be quite controversial for some. It gives a modern day twist to a clandestine society, The Templar's, a group that controlled kings and popes and possessed a staggering amount of power and wealth. The writer comments on the historical accuracy in his notes at the end.
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