Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Third Degree by Greg Iles

December 9, 2008, Hong Kong.

Paperback 2007, 466 pages.

This is the first book I read written by Iles. It is about a doctor, Warren Shields, who went ballistic after he found out he had cancer and that his wife was cheating on him. His professional life was also unraveling as the medical fraud he and his partner committed was catching up with them. He killed his partner and held his pregnant wife and two children hostage. His wife's lover, a married man himself, ended up being instrumental in saving her and her children.

The way the book was written really made the reader wonder why the doctor was going crazy; it was thus a let down when I found out he had terminal cancer and thus felt particularly betrayed as he was trying to work to provide for his family upon his death. It was a simple plot that, despite the author's embellishments, remained a simple plot. By throwing in rogue deputies, cuss words, sex scenes, and a helicopter crash, he made the story a bit shocking but ultimately was more of a let down as the reader's expectations are raised.

Nonetheless, the book is an easy read and serves the purpose when whiling away the time trapped inside a Newark to Hong Kong non-stop flight, or sitting at Starbucks while Tim was taping a talk show.

I rate the book “average.”

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Double Cross by James Patterson

December 4, 2008, Hong Kong.

Paperback 2007, 402 pages.

I finished this book while I was enroute to Hong Kong. While waiting in line to get on the plane, a fellow passenger mentioned he loved Patterson, especially his Alex Cross Series. I told him I didn't share his enthusiasm for Patterson. That begs the question: are good book that scarce that I have to read those by authors I don't particularly enjoy? Perhaps next time I should buy a classic, like “War and Peace.”

The book talks of Alex Cross coming back to detective work to work with his girlfriend Bree and former colleague Sampson. A serial killer who takes on different personalities (don't they all) is on the loose staging spectacular murders. Dubbed the DC Audience Killer, he actually takes the identity of the brother of someone caught by Cross. He also has his sister as his accomplice. After Sampson is kidnapped by the DCAK, Alex and Bree are tricked into confronting the killers inside an abandoned building. That experienced detectives would willingly walk into a trap like this, and that they somehow miraculously escape and kill the murderers strain the boundaries of both stupidity and credulity.

But wait, there is more. Meanwhile, another serial killer put away by Cross (hence the “Double Cross”) escapes from a supermax prison (I guess it is quite easy to escape since it involves the simplest of disguises), kills his mother, gets a lot of money, goes to Paris, and returns to DC to catch up with Cross, naturally murdering a few people along the way. And at the end Kyle is in the same abandoned building, has Cross in his cross-hairs (I would have called this novel “Triple Cross”) but lets him go. There may be some history here that I don't know about, since Kyle used to be an FBI guy, but what is written in the novel about him also strains credulity. I guess Patterson needs a plot for a subsequent novel.

This is slightly better than the 5th Horseman, but still a pretty lame book.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Critical by Robin Cook

I have read quite a few of Cook's books in the past, and have enjoyed them. This one was no exception. I started the book on the return trip from Hong Kong last Thursday.

The book's plot revolves around a series of MRSA-related deaths at the soon-to-be IPO'd chain of Angel Healthcare hospitals started by Dr. Angela Dawson. The deaths were investigated by the work of medical examiner Dr. Laurie Montgomery who was targeted for death by both the organized crime boss investing in the start-up and the lobbyists trying to sabotage the hospital. Montgomery was saved from certain death at the last minute and the crimes exposed.

The epidemiology of MRSA was a bit hard to follow, and aspects of the plot were unbelievable to a degree of being contrived. Nonetheless, the plot moved along at a respected pace, with 500 pages of events happening in a span of about 3 days. (There is a Prologue and Epilogue.)

I rate the book above-average.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

October 16, 2008

Paperback 2008, 308 pages.

This book describes the adventure of a quarterback Rick Dockery who was cut from the Cleveland Browns after throwing multiple interceptions that caused the team their playoff victory. He eventually found a job playing for the Parma Panthers of Italy, earning a couple of thousand Euros a month. The book ends with the Panthers winning the Italian Superbowl, and Rick traveling with his new girlfriend.

I picked up the book thinking it was another of Grisham's thrillers and soon realized it is of a different genre. I decided to buy it to read along the Hong Kong trip. It was an easy read, but not satisfying. Grisham could well be describing the life of most people on the street and make it equally “exciting.” No redemption, no real triumphs, just a person meeting with what life throws at him and adjusting. I am sure most aspiring authors think they can write an equally compelling book but think better of it. But this is Grisham, so he can expect reasonable sales. In any case, my reaction to this book is similar to that of “The Painted House.” At least in that book there is some mayhem! The book suffers from another of Grisham's problems: uninspiring endings, although it is not that bad here since the entire book is uninspiring.

To add insult to injury, I found out I had bought another copy of the book earlier and had forgotten about it. That is one reason why I write these blurbs so I remember what books I have read (but evidently not what I have purchased). Good thing Costco discounts the book by a large amount.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

The 5th Horseman by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

August 8, 2008.

Paperback 2006, 428 pages.

Started and finished this book on my way to Sydney (it's after all a trip that would take longer than 24 hours door to door). Just a so-so book.

The book's main character is Lindsay Boxer, a San Francisco cop (a Lieutenant). There are two strings of murders. First is by two gay serial killers who posed their victims. One was caught and the other committed suicide. The other is a series of many suspicious deaths at a hospital for which the hospital was sued for malpractice. The plot is not quite straightforward but unsatisfying. The lawyer for the plaintiffs was actually in collusion with the hospital's witness Garza (who pleaded the fifth on the stand). Turns out the murders were committed by a deranged nurse whom they didn't catch in San Francisco. She transferred to Atlanta and was apprehended there.

The title is very contrived. The four horsemen of the apocalypse are famine, death, pestilence, and war; according to the father of Yuki Castellano, one of the members of the Women's Murder Club, the fifth and most dangerous is man. She is referring to Garza. As far as I could tell, Garza didn't kill until the father of one of the victims tried to hurt him. And surely the nurse or the seriel killers were more dangerous.

I often say books are easy to start and difficult to finish (talking about writing here). Alas, this is another one of them.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

The Kills by Linda Fairstein

June 22, 2008.

Published 2004. Paperback 2005.

Book about a lawyer going to great lengths, including murdering several people, to find a piece of documentation that would legitimize a "double eagle" gold coin once in King Farouk's possession.

Story was slow to develop. Lucky I was in a plane and was thus captive. And I got confused with all the different characters, this from someone who can get through a Tom Clancy novel without too many problems.

I rate this book average.