Tag: Novel Reviews

Edge of Danger – Jack Higgins

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Edge of Danger (Sean Dillon, #9)
by Jack Higgins
Edmond Gagnon‘s review Apr 28, 2021 


I find it strange how Jack Higgins took a perfectly good thriller and turned it into a lack-luster story that was barely worth the three stars I gave it.
I struggled through the first half of the book, trying to figure out what was bothering me so much, and I came up with a few things.
The characters all seem to be rich, drink only champagne no matter the occasion, and lack any type of empathy or emotion throughout the story.
Those same characters lack description, thus giving the impression they all look the same and are cut from the same cloth.
Even the action scenes were dull.
I’ve read two other Higgins novels and have now been disappointed twice.

The Summons – John Grisham

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The Summons
by John Grisham (Goodreads Author)
Edmond Gagnon‘s review Apr 23, 2021 


I was anxious to try some different Grisham novels after scoring a handful at a local store that’s going out of business. The story is not about any of the author’s usual characters, but the intro made it sound interesting.


It’s about an old judge who dies and leaves a secret behind, something to trouble his only surviving heirs, his two sons. The plot dragged from the beginning and was a much slower read than I am used to. I skimmed through the fluff, waiting for something useful to happen.


The main character is a law professor – his quirks bolstered my opinion of such academics, who may be smarter than the average bear, but have no street smarts and lack common sense.


But I forged ahead, hoping our protagonist would wizen up.
It never happened, making the ending predictable and in my opinion, a let down. I can’t call it a happy or sad ending and perhaps that’s exactly what it’s meant to be.

Rogue Lawyer – John Grisham

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Rogue Lawyer (Rogue Lawyer, #1)
by John Grisham (Goodreads Author)
Edmond Gagnon‘s review Apr 11, 2021 

John Grishams’s done it again…gone and proved he can create a totally new character, base the next series on him, and write a great story. The prolific author introduces us to Sebastian Rudd, a street litigator who is even more gritty than the Lincoln Lawyer.
The Rogue Lawyer is done a bit different than Grisham’s other courtroom dramas, in that it contains five parts, with different clients and their individual stories, giving readers perspectives from both the innocent and guilty.
Like Mickey Haller, Rudd uses his vehicle for an office, but for different reasons. He represents the lowest of the low, whom no one else will take on as clients, thus making him very unpopular. I don’t give five star ratings very often, but this book was a very good read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Late Show – Michael Connelly

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The Late Show (Renée Ballard, #1; Harry Bosch Universe, #29)
by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)
Edmond Gagnon‘s review Mar 24, 2021  


I really like Michael Connelly and the unique characters he’s created over the years to carry the stories in his crime novels. I wasn’t sure about his latest, Renee Ballard, at first, but grew to understand and eventually like the new crimefighter more as the plot unfolded.


LAPD Detective Ballard is no Harry Bosch, but she is a good cop with her own style, perhaps more representative of the newer breed of crime investigator. In ‘The Late Show’ Ballard is not only challenged by the serious cases that come her way, but she has to stand up for herself and fight to regain her good reputation that was sullied by a former boss.


The story is a bit slow at first, but the intrigue and action build at a good pace. The twist thrown in near the end completely took me by surprise.
I think Renee Ballard is a good addition to Connelly’s cast of characters.

Suspect – Michael Robotham

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Suspect (Joseph O’Loughlin, #1)
by Michael Robotham (Goodreads Author)
Edmond Gagnon‘s review Feb 17, 2021  
I had never heard of author Michael Robotham, perhaps it’s because he’s from Sydney Australia.
Regardless, I found his book, Suspect, a very good read. The protagonist is a Psychiatrist, but not a character like Alex Delaware in John Kellerman’s novels, who assists police in their investigations.

Joseph O’Loughlin may be trying to get into his patients heads, but it seems more like he needs to examine himself. By trying to get to the truth he only incriminates himself and goes from helping the police to being their number one suspect.

I found the backstory a bit heavy at times but the plot was well written and fast paced enough to keep my attention. I would definitely read this author again.

The Snowman – Jo Nesbo

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The Snowman (Harry Hole, #7)
by Jo Nesbø 
Edmond Gagnon‘s reviewFeb 07, 2021 


The Snowman is the first ‘Harry Hole’ Jo Nesbo novel that I’ve read. Although a Norwegian author, he can weave a crime fiction tale with the best of them.
I had some difficulty getting into this book, and keeping things straight as the story progressed, because of all the Norwegian names of places and characters. For me, it was hard to concentrate when I couldn’t pronounce or remember most of the proper nouns that were used.
Having said that, the plot was intricately pieced together, with enough twists and turns to keep any crime reader fully engrossed.
Nesbo’s police protagonist and sadistic antagonist were equally likable, especially once the latter was eventually discovered.

The Fifth Risk – Michael Lewis

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The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy
by Michael Lewis
Edmond Gagnon‘s review Oct 07, 2020 


This is not the type of book I normally read but the author’s name caught my attention. Michael Lewis wrote Liar’s Poker, Moneyball, The Blind Side, and The Big Short, all stories that I’ve seen as movies. And being that the Fifth Risk is about Donald Trump, I figured it was worth a read.
The book caught my interest early, tempting me with how the Donald botched his transition into the White House. The author compares past presidents Obama and Bush and how they came to office prepared, and with experts who could fill the important top positions in various departments of government.
It was no surprise to me how the businessman turned president was totally unprepared for the massive undertaking and came in with only his family and a few friends to take over one of the most powerful countries in the world.
The story is about how the president took up to six months to fill some of those jobs for departments like energy where they control unimportant things like nuclear weapons. It goes on to tell how the Donald filled positions previously held by experienced scientists with wealthy buddies who had no idea what they were getting into and no interest it what the job was all about. Scary stuff.
Lewis talks about how the president has surrounded himself with yes men and how no one is allowed to tell him anything negative. They are fired if they do.
Much of this book was dry and boring…parts where the author went into all sorts of detail and backstory about the people who were replaced by the incoming president.
If you want a scary look inside the Trump administration, The Fifth Risk is worth a read.

The Fourth Horseman – David Hagberg

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The Fourth Horseman (Kirk McGarvey, #19)
by David Hagberg
Edmond Gagnon‘s reviewSep 10, 2020 


This was my first novel by David Hagberg, and although I enjoyed the overall story, I feel it’s been done to death – secret agent saves the world from nuclear destruction.
I had some difficulty starting the book, probably because of way too many characters with military or political titles to remember, not to mention the many Arabic names.
Once the story unfolded I found it very predictable, even though it was apparent the author was shooting for mystery and suspense.
The plot evolved well but didn’t have to be so complicated.
The Fourth Horseman was an okay read but I’m not running right out to find another book by this author.

Dragon Teeth – Michael Crichton

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Dragon Teeth
by Michael Crichton
Edmond Gagnon‘s reviewSep 06, 2020 


This book took me completely by surprise. I’ve never read Michael Crichton, but have seen his Jurassic Park movies. I am intrigued by dinosaurs and archeology so I bought this book for something different to read.
The story is about two real life archeologists who stop at nothing to outdo each other. They head west separately, into the Badlands and Indian territory, in search of undiscovered bones. The rivalry between the two scientists include insults, trickery and other deceptions that keep the story moving and add unexpected plot twists.
What made this novel particularly interesting to me was how the story intersects with the Indian wars of the time, including colorful characters like Sitting Bull, General Custer, and Wyatt Earp, adding drama, action and suspense.
Dragon Teeth was a quick and fun read.

Cross – James Patterson

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13128Cross (Alex Cross, #12)
by

James Patterson (Goodreads Author)
15204490

Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Jun 02, 2020


I love James Patterson’s Alex Cross character so it was hard not to like the book. I was a bit surprised at how fast I zipped through this and the last one I read, maybe it has something to do with the one and two page chapters.
The plot and overall story were good, as usual, but I was confused about the age of Alex’s kids and who their mother was. I had to Google the answers. It was also hard to keep track of his love interests and which job he was working, and when. Thank you Google, again.
I guess it’s my fault for not reading the series in order, I swap books with friends and read them on a whim, when I don’t feel like writing.
This book fell short of my fourth star because I thought the ending fell flat, and it was quickly laid out to tidy things up.