The Hot Beat: more ESG than noir but still a fun read. Jailbait Girl: per the back cover quote ‘dazzling’, a damn near perfect short noir. The drunken The Hot Beat: more ESG than noir but still a fun read. Jailbait Girl: per the back cover quote ‘dazzling’, a damn near perfect short noir. The drunken sailor: honey trap and heartbreak. Naked in the Lake: tantalizing tale of greed, lust, and murder, dark in all the right places (and the best of a very good bunch) I could read Silverberg noir short stories all day, great to read the three collected in this volume. ...more
Quarry mark two? The introduction of a daughter capable and competent at killing makes for a tantalising twist for the long running series.
This instaQuarry mark two? The introduction of a daughter capable and competent at killing makes for a tantalising twist for the long running series.
This instalment was manhunt meets Quarry; a deadly game of cat and mouse as Quarry and co sift through the past to determine the present suspect who wants Quarry to retire permanently. ...more
A comedic crime capper centered around an ambitious and completely unrealistic heist of a whole castle. Said heist, being made possible by virtue of tA comedic crime capper centered around an ambitious and completely unrealistic heist of a whole castle. Said heist, being made possible by virtue of the castle having been deconstructed and transported from one country to another.
Why steal an entire castle? Well, there's wealth hidden in the walls (building blocks), and the group of 12 criminals must simply get their hands on it!
Unbelievable premise aside (I can suspend my belief), what didn't work for me was the sheer volume of characters and the meagre attempt to make them read 'real'. There simply wasn't enough page time to get a feel for the characters which made the humorous elements redundant; there simply wasn't enough time to care about what was happening to them (spoiler - each of the criminals can't play nice - que the double and triples cross shenanigans).
Castle in the Air could've been a decent read had the cast of characters been reduced and the actual crime capper itself given more set-up and fleshing out....more
It’s been a while since I read a Nolan book; the best way to describe the character is a blend of Parker and Quarry - a whole lot of hard man with a pIt’s been a while since I read a Nolan book; the best way to describe the character is a blend of Parker and Quarry - a whole lot of hard man with a penchant for trouble.
In Skim Deep, the action takes a while to get going but when it does it comes thick and fast - an adrenaline shot of uncut noir.
The events of this book take place directly after Mad Money and whilst Skim Deep can be read as a stand-alone I wish I’d read Mad Money prior as I feel like I missed the impact of the ‘Comfort history’ (bad guys from the earlier story). That said, I still enjoyed this one - 4 stars. ...more