Jack@NYC

Gang Bangers!

Revisado: 01-20-25

So interesting, and so informative. I have read all of Oller's books and have been smarter afterward for each of them. He is a master of history, with incredible attention to detail. But equally important, he makes that history interesting and propulsive. You not only learn about this lesser known background to the formation and growth of the FBI, you are riveted by the dramatic narration of the stories behind the capture of some of the iconic names in America's criminal pantheon - Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and others who took their turns as Public Enemies #1. A great read!

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Boring Irish Stew

Revisado: 08-20-24

Long and tedious. Waiting for something to happen - never did. At the end, felt aggravated that I had wasted my time and money on it. Only bright spot was the Narrator - terrific Irish dialect.

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Silva's Annual Treat !

Revisado: 07-23-24

Every July it arrives along with my birthday - a real present of great writing, especially when presented by the great narrator, Edward Ballerini. This year's edition takes his iconic protagonist, Gabriel Allon, down a slightly new and different road - no longer a part of the Israeli Intelligence Service. Having retired from saving the world in that role he tries to settle into a quieter life in Venice and Cornwall restoring the old master paintings he knows so well. Of course death and intrigue jump up to draw him back into his life of action and we get to see again many of the characters we are so happily familiar with - including that ornery Corsican goat (hilarious). My only slight quibble with this story is that Gabriel all too conveniently has solutions at hand to what would otherwise be insurmountable obstacles - e.g., a hacker who can break into any computer system no matter how complex, open distant electronic locks, access any surveillance camera, public or private and whose skills extend to safe cracking, lock picking and sleight of hand pick-pocketing. Perhaps more implausible is Gabriel's ability to produce forgeries of works by world-renowned artists which can withstand expert scrutiny in very short time. In this edition, he churns out six (SIX!) creditable forgeries in less than a week. Just a little too pat. But apart from those shallow plotting potholes, I still loved the book and only wish Silva could turn out new Gabriel Allon novels as fast as his superstar can create his art masterpieces. Now I've got to wait another year. Ugh.

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Winslow at his Very Best

Revisado: 04-18-24

So sad to hear this is his last novel. He certainly is going out on top. City in Ruins is the perfect blending of story and narrator. Fans who only read it on paper are missing out a bit. They will have a great experience, but Ari Fliakos adds an additional level of narrative artistry, perfectly matched to Winslow's great prose. All three books of this trilogy are terrific, but this one is the capstone. Read them all!

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Good story, terrible ending

Revisado: 04-03-24

Disliked the ending. It just fell off a cliff. Lazy author.
Very disappointing finish to an otherwise decent narrative.

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Waste of Time

Revisado: 02-08-24

A prosaic short story, nothing special. Another one of those authors that just likes to write flowery language without it going anywhere. I'm sure it would've played well in some university writing class, but not anything one should have to pay money for. ugh.

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Connelly at the Top of His Game

Revisado: 11-19-23

I have read all of the Lincoln Lawyer and Harry Bosch books by Michael Connelly . This rates at or very near the top of them all. It is a riveting courtroom drama and the narration is superlative. Get this book; I promise you will not regret it.

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Meanders Sluggishly Off a Cliff to Nowhere

Revisado: 11-03-23

Please avoid this book unless you have endless time to waste. The premise is initially interesting - go to the mysterious Centre and become completely fluent in any language you choose in 20 days. OK, so you keep reading (listening) to find out how they do it, but that trip is laden with all kinds of psycho-pop baggage about friendship and human relations and guilt, OMG - just tell me how they do the language thingy. Eventually the big-reveal arrives and although you knew it was going to be far-fetched, you didn't expect it to be something a high school student could have dreamed up in a creative writing class. When the ending arrived I thought my earphones had cut out - I couldn't believe that was all there was. If it had been a book instead of an audio recording I would have thrown it across the room, You are warned.

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Nothing Happens!!

Revisado: 08-31-23

This book rated a positive review in the NY Times, and I do not get it. The entirety of the book was a meandering narrative that went absolutely nowhere. I kept waiting for some kind of twist or action and it never came. It was like the author just decided to stop typing, left for lunch and never came back. VERY disappointing. Don't waste your credit on this one.

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Disappointing Conclusion

Revisado: 08-04-23

The story had me completely hooked - great drama, great premise, great narration, then 3/4 in it veered into a plain vanilla, meh, ending, all wrapped up in a neat, boring bow. It took until the end for me to realize it had wasted all my time. Shameful.

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