Tag Archives: Thriller

My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

American Literature

Synopsis: Kaylee is a bean sidhe, a soul screamer who thinks she can save lives–until she discovers that some souls–like a talented pop star–are beyond saving because they’ve made a deal with the Netherworld. Review: My Soul To Save is a quirky read with an interesting concept, albeit one that never quite came together for me. I had difficulty grasping the worldview behind the notion of soul screamers and grim reapers (all attractive teens, of course), and so it was hard for me to connect…

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The Surrogate by Kathryn Mackel

American Literature 2 Comments

Synopsis: A childless couple contracts with a lonely drifter to carry their sole remaining embryo, but little do they know that the baggage she brings includes criminal connections and demonic possession. Review: The Surrogate was simply terrible. Cardboard characters, overstuffed plotting, and an implausible storyline just really got on my nerves.

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The Hunted by Brian Haig

American Literature

Synopsis: A political thriller about a Russian businessman on the wrong side of his own country–and the United States. Review: I picked up The Hunted because I’m intrigued by Russia, having spent 10 days in St. Petersburg about a decade ago. However, the book turned out to be the kind of manly political thriller that I just can’t get into. I was hoping for John Le Carre but it was more Tom Clancy/Nelson DeMille (I’m actually just guessing on those, because I don’t know the…

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I Can See You by Karen Rose

American Literature

Synopsis: A serial killer stalks women through a virtual reality world. Review: I Can See You is a pretty formulaic serial killer story. I’m always hoping for something more when I pick up books like this, but unfortunately it didn’t hold any surprises. I’m sure if you are a fan of the genre, you will enjoy the book. I can take or leave serial killer thrillers, so this one just didn’t do it for me.

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You Can’t Hide by Karen Rose

American Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: When a troubled psychiatrist’s patients start committing suicide, it appears that she is a murderer. Review: You Can’t Hide is the second Karen Rose thriller I was sent to review. I was hoping to discover a new favorite crime writer, but unfortunately I just couldn’t get into either book. I always want something more out of a genre read, but these books just don’t deliver. She’s a very strong writer and a good plotter

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In the Face by Lorelei Armstrong

American Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: When a famous movie star appears to have dumped a body on his plastic surgeon’s balcony, a simulation-obsessed detective delves into a seamy world where there are no limits to what people will do for fame. Review: Babies getting plastic surgery–that’s all I needed to hear to get interested in Lorelei Armstrong’s debut, In the Face. Melding a hard-boiled style in the tradition of James M. Cain and Andrew Vachss with a cyberpunk sensibility, Armstrong delivers a fast-moving, intellectually stimulating thriller with a strong…

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Button, Button by Richard Matheson

American Literature 6 Comments

Synopsis: A collection of short stories by a preeminent contributor to “The Twilight Zone.” Review: Button, Button is an uneven bit of business, purporting to highlight the very best of Richard Matheson’s “Uncanny Stories.” Some are good, one is spectacular, but others have not aged well. First, the good: “Button, Button” exhibits a flawless “Twilight Zone” concept and execution. Apparently a Cameron Diaz movie based on it is coming soon. Seems like a bad idea to me. The genius of the story demands a smallness…

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The Tremor of Forgery by Patricia Highsmith

British Literature 5 Comments

Synopsis: While working on a novel in Tunisia, a writer encounters his own heart of darkness. Review: I had written a truly brilliant review of Patricia Highsmith’s The Tremor of Forgery, but it got eaten. Fie! The salient points were: Patricia Highsmith plays cat and mouse with the reader just like her most famous creation Tom Ripley played cat and mouse with anyone he encountered She is a master of nuance characterization The final third of the novel is a tour-de-force of subtle character dynamics…

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The Arm of the Starfish by Madeleine L’Engle

American Literature 10 Comments

Synopsis: A summer job turns into a game of strategy with potentially deadly consequences for a young aspiring scientist hoping to learn more about the implications of the regenerative powers of starfish. Review: Of course I had to read a L’Engle as soon as humanly possible, and I wanted to read one I hadn’t read before. I was unaware that The Arm of the Starfish featured some of the characters from the Wrinkle in Time books, most notably, Polyhymnia O’Keefe from An Acceptable Time. I…

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Generation Loss by Elizabeth Hand

On Reading

My review of Generation Loss by Elizabeth Hand is up on Blogcritics.org. Here’s the opening paragraph: How Cass Neary, the protagonist of Elizabeth Hand’s latest novel Generation Loss has stayed alive this long is anyone’s guess. Super young, super talented and super stoned at the birth of punk below 14th Street in the 1970s, Cass started taking photographs of her friends and ended up publishing a briefly sensational book called Dead Girls. Now it’s 30 years later and Cass has never managed to make more…

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