Tag: Reviews

Dark Sacred Night – Michael Connelly

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment
38204691._SX318_Dark Sacred Night (Harry Bosch, #21; Renée Ballard, #2; Harry Bosch Universe, #31)
by

Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author), 
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Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Feb 04, 2020


I’m a huge Harry Bosch fan and have also become a Michael Connelly fan. His writing voice is strong, his cop lingo and research into police procedure is spot on. Having been a cop myself, I can easily relate to Connelly’s other police characters as well as the creeps and criminals they pursue.
I didn’t think this novel deserved the fifth star only because the story didn’t seem to put me on the edge of my seat as his others have. I did like how the author switched perspectives, telling us the story from two different sides, both Bosch’s and Renee Ballard’s.
If you’re a Harry Bosch or Michael Connelly fan you’ll enjoy this book. If you’re new to the character or author you’ll still like the book and probably become a fan.

ChavaKiah Massage Cafe

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Food & DiningLeave a comment

chavaI literally stumbled across this hidden gem while exploring the back streets running parallel to the blurred Melaque/Villa Obregon border. I saw the words Chavakiah and Desayuno scribbled on a chalkboard near Esmerelda’s and ambled over the cobblestone to see what I could see, and maybe eat.

And there it was, an oasis among the non-descript faded pastel bungalows, a few umbrellaed tables and another chalkboard to signal I had the right place. I sat outside the first time but had to take shelter inside today because of the unusual rainstorm (it never rains while we’re here in the winter).

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The Gatekeeper – Michelle Gagnon

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment
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The Gatekeeper (Kelly Jones, #3)
by

Michelle Gagnon (Goodreads Author)
15204490

Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Jan 30, 2020


I chose this book more out of curiosity than anything else. In Googling or searching my own name on different websites I sometimes come up with the name Michelle Gagnon. We are from different places and walks of life but may be related somewhere down the genealogical road. Her book, The Gatekeeper gets praise from best selling Author Lee Child…I’ve often wondered how an aspiring author gets a plug like that.
Anyway, I found The Gatekeeper a bit tough to get into and keep track of with two sets of (four in total) protagonists who worked at building the story from different angles. The problem was compounded by my own writing – my creative wheels interfered with my reading wheels. It seems I have a hard time keeping the two separate so when I’m in the writing mode, I’m not reading much.
The plot was descent but I think it’s been done to death…special agents racing to stop the terrorists from setting off bombs in major US cities. And throw in a kidnapping to add the level of stress and compassion.
Although predictable, the story still worked and managed to be entertaining, but I won’t be racing out in search of another of my long-lost cousin’s novels.

Saving Faith – David Baldacci

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment
15157Saving Faith
by

David Baldacci (Goodreads Author)
15204490

Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Jan 19, 2020


I’ve read much better by Baldacci and was disappointed that I had a hard time getting into this novel. Admittedly, some stories are difficult that way, trying to understand the plot and the introduction of new characters. In this case, I found way too much fluff and back story, to the point that I had to skim ahead through the first quarter of the book.
Granted, some history and back story go to character development, but I don’t believe we need to know how a certain character behaved in grade school if it has nothing to do with the overall plot. Having said that, I found the characters in Saving Faith likeable. And having said that, personally, I found some of their actions and dialogue a bit sappy and unlikely in the real world.
Maybe I’m being a bit critical but that is what reviews are all about. Baldacci acknowledges certain professionals who aided him in his research and the writing of this book. If that’s the case then I have to wonder if perhaps they were holding back or what world they are living in. I see the book was written in 1999 and I know for a fact the world was not such a gentile place back then.
The book does get better in the second half, but with the exception of one nice twist, it was very predictable.

Restaurant “El Quetzal” de Laura

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Food & DiningLeave a comment

IMG_4680It’s not often that I rave about a great breakfast restaurant, you’d probably find only two or three if you searched my archived blogs. And if my memory serves me correctly, I’ve only wrote about one in Melaque, Mexico.

Today, during my morning walk through Melaque, San Patricio and Villa Obregon, I came across the Restaurant “El Quetzal” de Laura, in Villa Obregon. Cathryn and I had walked by this place before and I think it was recommended to us for dinner a couple or three years ago. Obviously, it was our mistake in not taking the advice.

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Beverly Hills Dead – Stuart Woods

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Book Reviews, EntertainmentLeave a comment

1426558._SX318_Beverly Hills Dead (Rick Barron, #2)
by Stuart Woods

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Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Jan 05, 2020


I’m glad I only borrowed this book from someone else’s shelf, it came nowhere near to living up to it’s promise of a fast-past sexy thriller full of nail biting twists and turns. The pace was okay but it took 3oo pages before anything really happened.
The story is an old Hollywood tale about the business side of things and how easy it was to get accidentally discovered and become a successful movie star. The only real jeopardy was pressure from the U.S. government who were pursuing communists in Hollywood at the time.
The was one clue as to who done it so there was no mystery involved. I came across no twists or turns and thought the plot fell flat.
The subject matter kept me interested enough to finish the book but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone unless you’re keenly interested in how a movie was produced in the 1950’s.

The Brass Verdict – Michael Connelly

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2761626._SY475_The Brass Verdict (Harry Bosch, #14; Mickey Haller, #2; Harry Bosch Universe, #18)
by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)

15204490

Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Jan 03, 2020


I love Harry Bosch. I’ve watched the five seasons of the TV show twice now and have read many of Michael Connelly’s books with Bosch as his main protagonist. I’ve also come to like the Lincoln Lawyer character, Michael (Mickey) Haller. The Brass Verdict finally made it clear to me how the two characters are related. The two men are actually step-brothers who never associated before the case involved in this book.
The Brass Verdict is a lot more than courtroom drama, with insights into the characters, murders, and bits of the police investigation from Bosch’s end. It’s great cross-over story. Connelly nails the action from all sides of the law, probably why he’s become one of my favorite authors.

The Detroit Shipping Company

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Entertainment, Food & DiningLeave a comment

downloadIt seems Cathryn and I don’t get out for dinner as much these days, mostly because we like to cook, and that we expect good food and service for the price we pay. We’ve also been slacking in visits across the border to Detroit, where exciting things have been happening in the restaurant and entertainment scene.

Take the Detroit Shipping Company for example. Some enterprising entrepreneurs took a vacant lot near the Cass Corridor, stacked metal shipping containers in the shape of a square, and added a handful of specialty restaurants to a revitalized neighborhood. The is plenty of room for inside and outside drinking and dining and hanging out.

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Rants, Raves, and Reviews – Ford v Ferrari

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn EntertainmentLeave a comment

ford-v-ferrari-onesheet-1-1559568904First off, let me make it clear that I’m not a motorhead or even a car buff. I rarely watch car racing events on television. Having said that I have to admit I’ve enjoyed some movies that have covered the sport in the past. Leery of the mixed reviews for the Mr. Rogers movie, Cathryn and I took a chance on Ford v Ferrari. I say that because the trailers made the movie look goofy.

They say not to judge a book by it’s cover and the same holds true for movie titles. “They” were definitely right in this case. The story was easy to fall into with catchy tunes and upbeat music that brought more to life than roaring engines and squealing tires. The characters did seem a bit odd, but they were real people that had a profound impact on the production and racing of automobiles.

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Rants, Raves & Reviews – Getting Off (the Don Tait Story) by Veronique Mandal

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Book Reviews, EntertainmentLeave a comment

38084558._SY475_The play on words in the title of this book, Getting Off, tells a lot more than the story of A Criminal Lawyer’s Road to Redemption. Windsor author Veronique Perrier Mandal not only shares the life story of our city’s most storied lawyer, Don Tait, but her personal interactions with the notorious legal eagle. This is a rags to riches roller coaster story that boldy tells all.

More than just a journalist, professor, RN, actor and playwright, Mandal examines her own spirituality while learning everything there was to know about a simple man whose demons came in all forms of addictions – power, money, sex, drugs, and booze to name a few. A local census would prove that Tait was loved and hated equally by friend and foe. They came in the form of reporters, cops, lawyers, judges, and even bikers and drug dealers.

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