Brad

Lewis mailed this one in...missed the story

Revisado: 10-10-23

Generally, I like Lewis' business exposes. There is nothing new here, in fact key elements are missing in his rush to get the first book out on Sam Bankman Fried. Where a wunderkind bamboozles supposedly smart money is nothing new (Theranos). Lewis seems to make the case that SBF and Ellison are/were emotionally and psychologically fragile. Lewis seems to celebrate the con and then disposes of the wreckage with stupid vignettes of wealthy asians stuck in the Bahamas for several weeks.

Things happen with no analysis other than endless tales of the defective personal behaviors of the primary characters. How about his parents and their hypocrisy of being altruists but grubbing for millions in the confusion of of the collapse. See litigation against them. How about the fellow travelers in the crypto world running defective exchanges? Finally, how does an offshore exchange loot US banks, funds and investors? How much influence did SBF buy to run his fraud and who are the politicians culpable and how did they enable? A final addition to the cast...a world of crypto scammers that thought they were creating a valuable industry. What was the great idea of Alameda (the vehicle to loot FTX)?....scraping arbitrage off individual transactions to burn investors...because there is and was no efficiency in the Crypto ecosystem.

Lewis goes down the old, old rabbit hole of waxing poetic on Block Chain Technology...much like selecting your bank by the brand of their mainframe. Endless Cryptos died with Block Chain...when greedy fools are in control the technology means zero. He seems to never see the big picture. SBF was a real genius running millions of fake wash transactions.

The book ended and I ask myself....is that all there is? Pitiful. To me Ellison comes across the worst...she almost knew better and found solace in being incompetent and sociopathic with no shame about her consequences. She pursued a creepy relationship to the exclusion of deploying any adult business behavior...she comes across very, very selfish.

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Thriller and Egyptian Archeology Collide

Revisado: 05-24-23

A big story…lots of excellent ancient folklore. Interesting and complex characters with surprises. Sussman does these so well.

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Complex and Wonderful

Revisado: 02-22-23

Four story lines, four books in a book, a real unexpected ending. Just fun and challenging to read.

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Naive, Incomplete, hackneyed Billionaire drivel

Revisado: 01-28-22

There are numerous plot lines…one a very standard romance with a professional woman and a not so secret special forces “retiree.” Somehow, he became a young man of vast wealth…realistic for a recently discharged enlisted man. We have a patriarch with many billions that wants to revenge his wife’s violent mugging…what does one do? Hire 15 or more cyber specialists and SEAL team killers to eradicate all violent crime in America. Don’t worry…these guys spend time telling corny jokes and drooling over hardware they are given by the unlimited benefactor, The dialogue runs like juvenile fiction. Here is the most pathetic writing style of continuous lists…mom was loved, cherished, admired, gentle and loving…. Big lists of virtue signaling with a thesaurus approach to dumping lists of synonyms. This author cranks out three or more continuing series with the same premise. She must need to deliver a total word count. Guess what? The special forces do nothing. Every clique possible and so ineptly assembled. The author is a money machine…not a writer.

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Thank you Ronan

Revisado: 10-20-19

Investigative journalism lives in the courage of the brave women that came forward and Ronan facing unimaginable threats. And guess what, David Boies of Theranos fame has a starring role! What a paragon of justice! Lack of NBC seems particularly sinister, a man with the power to do the right thing...but bent. Our urbane Matt exposed as a serial rapist and pervert...visiting our homes with sincerity each morning. Comcast needs to clear out the executive suite, but they hired them, overpaid them and let their management team run a corrupt woman-destroying operation. Ronan, you represent the best of the very best...but be careful...NBC will seek revenge.

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Charles Paris Thespian Detective and Inbiber

Revisado: 05-11-16

This is a current installment in the long-running Charles Paris mysteries featuring the very likable and somewhat hapless aging stage actor. It is written in the first person, the mystery unfolding through the lips and mind of Charles Paris. The characters are roguish and interesting. The plot takes a number of twists. Charles Paris uses no technology, only conversing with various actors in this ill-fated production of Hamlet. I love the sly humor, the self-deprecating nature of Paris, and the odd-ball cast. The conclusion has a moral ambivalence where a somewhat victimized perpetrator gets a break. Great entertainment and a very compact length, nice for commuters like me!

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

A Hero with Post Traumatic Stress

Revisado: 01-21-16

Very interesting, fresh with a former marine, a dog, two cute boys and a gangster sidekick. Throw in a mad bomb team and you have a fresh story. Loved it.

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esto le resultó útil a 7 personas

A Noir Classic

Revisado: 09-03-15

An atmospheric prohibition era detective novel with an incredibly complex plot. The essence is the authentic period dialog and the world weary detective following a maze of crimes. This novel is a precursor to so many 1950's detective novels.

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Wow, A Complex, Nordic/Australian Thriller

Revisado: 11-12-14

This is the story of a Norwegian detective sent to Sydney Australia to investigate the murder of a Norwegian television star. I love Jo Nesbo's writing style. The dialog is perfect, tone-on. You get a large exposure to the native culture and a gritty serial killer at work. There are the blind alleys. Harry the protagonist is the flawed detective (alcoholic) but he keeps a sharp eye on detail and inconsistencies. The plot unravels slowly at first, feeling very real and then accelerates. I loved it.

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Quirky Rhode Island Noir

Revisado: 09-19-14

This is a fun book at times with dark shadows, full of self-deprecating humor set in Providence, Rhode Island. The crimes are a long string of arsons that start killing people.
A world-weary reporter starts his quest to see what is really going on. His easy relationships with some organized crime types rounds out what could have been a fumbled police procedural.

As the title implies, there is a shortage of moral fiber in the Ocean State. For me, the story wobbled a little in the middle and then accelerated in the last 90 minutes into one of the best conclusions I have ever experienced.

Let's just say that some form of justice is liberally handed-out with no conscience.

I recommend this book for numerous reasons. You get a flavor of a quite different state with some pretty outrageous characters. Rogue Island has a lot going on and while the underlying crime may seem obvious, the red herrings keep you guessing. Finally, there is more than a fair amount of Noir tragedy going on in this book. Bad things happen to good people. Relationships are tested hard.

Best of all is the dialogue that rings true, apt, snappy and almost philosophical. The characters become amazingly real. Bruce Silva pulls you in. I bet you will like it too.

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