"Tangoland" was my favorite story out of this collection. The others got repetitive: a pithy observation about Life, followed by heavy drinking at the Chateau Marmont. Babitz's characters all seem to have a love/hate relationship with Los Angeles; the distinction between author and narrator is fuzzy.
"Tangoland" was my favorite story out of this collection. The others got repetitive: a pithy observation about Life, followed by heavy drinking at the Chateau Marmont. Babitz's characters all seem to have a love/hate relationship with Los Angeles; the distinction between author and narrator is fuzzy.
Six months after the events of In the Woods, Detective Cassie Maddox is still trying …
Review of 'The Likeness' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
What a fun read this was!
I got so engrossed in the plot and characters, I found myself talking to the page: "Oh, no! Cassie wants to be Lexie!"
Cassie is Detective Cassie Maddox, from Tana French's first book, [b:In the Woods|237209|In the Woods|Tana French|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1194628861s/237209.jpg|3088141]. Lexie is the fictional persona that Detective Maddox used while working undercover. A woman bearing Lexie's ID turns up murdered...and she also happens to look just like Cassie, which provides the perfect opportunity for Cassie to assume Lexie's life to track down her killer. On the improbability scale, this of course must rate an 11...but so enjoyable.
I'd definitely read more by Tana French.
What a fun read this was!
I got so engrossed in the plot and characters, I found myself talking to the page: "Oh, no! Cassie wants to be Lexie!"
Cassie is Detective Cassie Maddox, from Tana French's first book, [b:In the Woods|237209|In the Woods|Tana French|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1194628861s/237209.jpg|3088141]. Lexie is the fictional persona that Detective Maddox used while working undercover. A woman bearing Lexie's ID turns up murdered...and she also happens to look just like Cassie, which provides the perfect opportunity for Cassie to assume Lexie's life to track down her killer. On the improbability scale, this of course must rate an 11...but so enjoyable.
As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to …
Review of 'In the Woods' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I enjoyed this fast-paced police procedural, set in Ireland.
Focusing on the murder of Katy Devlin being investigated by detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox, the book presents the parallel themes of acting and lying. Are these traits requirements to be successful investigators? Ryan and Maddox believe so. Ryan is proud of the suits (uniform? costume?) he wears when he joins the Murder squad, and the "BBC" accent he picked up in boarding school. He tells us that "Central Casting would definitely think I was a good detective." Later, he and Maddox "get into character" to perform routines in front of witnesses.
In the course of the murder investigation, the detectives manipulate suspects, just as the psychopathic bad guys in the story manipulate others—and this creates dissonance in the minds of the protagonists. These techniques have served them well in the past, but the Devlin case brings to light how …
I enjoyed this fast-paced police procedural, set in Ireland.
Focusing on the murder of Katy Devlin being investigated by detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox, the book presents the parallel themes of acting and lying. Are these traits requirements to be successful investigators? Ryan and Maddox believe so. Ryan is proud of the suits (uniform? costume?) he wears when he joins the Murder squad, and the "BBC" accent he picked up in boarding school. He tells us that "Central Casting would definitely think I was a good detective." Later, he and Maddox "get into character" to perform routines in front of witnesses.
In the course of the murder investigation, the detectives manipulate suspects, just as the psychopathic bad guys in the story manipulate others—and this creates dissonance in the minds of the protagonists. These techniques have served them well in the past, but the Devlin case brings to light how similar Ryan and Maddox may be to their prey; the case also brings to light their weaknesses.
We learn that Cassie Maddox has been hurt (both physically and psychologically). She becomes protective of Ryan—is she being a vigilant detective or is she hypersensitive because of her past? When they are not in character, they go to great lengths to hide their vulnerabilities and end up the worse for it.
Ryan's backstory involves the disappearance of two children, Ryan's best friends, 20 years ago, and how this event continues to haunt him. I am very pleased with the way that Tana French resolved this plotline. I'd say more, but I don't want to ruin it for you!
Spoiler here! I would have rated the book one star higher had I not been so bothered by the fact that Ryan's backstory was unknown by any of his superior officers. Really? In this day and age, wouldn't he have undergone a background check that would have brought his past to light?
When he was twelve years old, Adam Ryan went playing in the woods one sunny …
Review of 'In the Woods' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I enjoyed this fast-paced police procedural, set in Ireland.
Focusing on the murder of Katy Devlin being investigated by detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox, the book presents the parallel themes of acting and lying. Are these traits requirements to be successful investigators? Ryan and Maddox believe so. Ryan is proud of the suits (uniform? costume?) he wears when he joins the Murder squad, and the "BBC" accent he picked up in boarding school. He tells us that "Central Casting would definitely think I was a good detective." Later, he and Maddox "get into character" to perform routines in front of witnesses.
In the course of the murder investigation, the detectives manipulate suspects, just as the psychopathic bad guys in the story manipulate others—and this creates dissonance in the minds of the protagonists. These techniques have served them well in the past, but the Devlin case brings to light how …
I enjoyed this fast-paced police procedural, set in Ireland.
Focusing on the murder of Katy Devlin being investigated by detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox, the book presents the parallel themes of acting and lying. Are these traits requirements to be successful investigators? Ryan and Maddox believe so. Ryan is proud of the suits (uniform? costume?) he wears when he joins the Murder squad, and the "BBC" accent he picked up in boarding school. He tells us that "Central Casting would definitely think I was a good detective." Later, he and Maddox "get into character" to perform routines in front of witnesses.
In the course of the murder investigation, the detectives manipulate suspects, just as the psychopathic bad guys in the story manipulate others—and this creates dissonance in the minds of the protagonists. These techniques have served them well in the past, but the Devlin case brings to light how similar Ryan and Maddox may be to their prey; the case also brings to light their weaknesses.
We learn that Cassie Maddox has been hurt (both physically and psychologically). She becomes protective of Ryan—is she being a vigilant detective or is she hypersensitive because of her past? When they are not in character, they go to great lengths to hide their vulnerabilities and end up the worse for it.
Ryan's backstory involves the disappearance of two children, Ryan's best friends, 20 years ago, and how this event continues to haunt him. I am very pleased with the way that Tana French resolved this plotline. I'd say more, but I don't want to ruin it for you!
Spoiler here! I would have rated the book one star higher had I not been so bothered by the fact that Ryan's backstory was unknown by any of his superior officers. Really? In this day and age, wouldn't he have undergone a background check that would have brought his past to light?
Using his own childhood for inspiration (and leaving the lawyers behind), bestselling author John Grisham …
Review of 'A Painted House' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
An affectionate portrait of rural Arkansas in the early 1950's: the joys of baseball (both pro and community)…cousin Jimmy Dale's Yankee wife and the sh!tsnake…the drudgery and necessity of farmwork…the black cloud of an illegitimate birth…class distinctions defined by where you live, what you own and where you worship.
An affectionate portrait of rural Arkansas in the early 1950's: the joys of baseball (both pro and community)…cousin Jimmy Dale's Yankee wife and the sh!tsnake…the drudgery and necessity of farmwork…the black cloud of an illegitimate birth…class distinctions defined by where you live, what you own and where you worship.
Using his own childhood for inspiration (and leaving the lawyers behind), bestselling author John Grisham …
Review of 'A Painted House' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
An affectionate portrait of rural Arkansas in the early 1950's: the joys of baseball (both pro and community)…cousin Jimmy Dale's Yankee wife and the sh!tsnake…the drudgery and necessity of farmwork…the black cloud of an illegitimate birth…class distinctions defined by where you live, what you own and where you worship.
An affectionate portrait of rural Arkansas in the early 1950's: the joys of baseball (both pro and community)…cousin Jimmy Dale's Yankee wife and the sh!tsnake…the drudgery and necessity of farmwork…the black cloud of an illegitimate birth…class distinctions defined by where you live, what you own and where you worship.
Review of 'The Elegance of the Hedgehog' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
The plot and characters provided no surprises. None.
One of the main characters, Renée Michel, pontificates (privately, to herself and occasionally to her cat) on Philosophy and Art...heaven forbid that her Natural Intelligence be evident to any lowly human being.
The other protagonist, Paloma Josse, is in the midst of adolescent angst.
Most of the chapters are just a few pages long, so the book was a fairy quick read. Sections voiced in Renée's pompous voice begged to be skipped, and I did just that.
The plot and characters provided no surprises. None.
One of the main characters, Renée Michel, pontificates (privately, to herself and occasionally to her cat) on Philosophy and Art...heaven forbid that her Natural Intelligence be evident to any lowly human being.
The other protagonist, Paloma Josse, is in the midst of adolescent angst.
Most of the chapters are just a few pages long, so the book was a fairy quick read. Sections voiced in Renée's pompous voice begged to be skipped, and I did just that.
