Sunday 22 May 2016

Shave My Spider by Tony James Slater

Tony's been on his biggest adventure yet.  It was probably his most researched and planned one too.  But ............. well, Tony.  The problem Tony gets with any of his escapades and adventures can be summed up in one word.  Tony.  Just as well his lovely, sensible wife Roo was on hand to keep him slightly under control.  But when her back is turned ......

Tony's books are rambling tomes of often mundane daily life stuff.  But it's not the daily life a Westerner like me would want to consider.  They pack in an awful lot into their days, but often it's because they haven't got enough money to get to where things would be a lot easier.

I won't go into detail of all the places they stayed, but I know I wouldn't like to do China, but Mongolia sounded just wonderful (apart from the hard saddles).  Tony managed to describe the nothingness of the Mongolian Desert and the warmth of the people living there in a way that I'd love to see it.  Well, apart from the toilet arrangement, and the border control, and the local transport.  Hmm.  Perhaps it's better that someone else lives it and writes about it for me.

And the great thing about Tony's books - they come with photos.  Well apart from the one on his Mongolia page after he's been in the river !!

This book is a lot longer than his previous ones, which are pretty long themselves, but it's never a chore reading them.  And with 6 countries, you could think of this as 6 books in one.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01FUSO4XA/?tag=kuffbl-21


http://tonyjamesslater.com/home/photos-from-the-books/photos-from-asia/













The Pitkirtly Triangle by Cecilia Peartree

We're back in Pitkirtly for the 11th time (12th if you include the Mysterious Pitkirtlycoach tour).  Something's not quite right this time.  Amarylis has caught a cold - but she never gets a cold.

This time the gang have to solve the problems between the tea shops and the new garage.  Why are people dying (apart from they are new to the village) and why does Amarylis keep getting attacked.  

I keep saying it, but I love theses stories.  The variations on a theme vary slightly, but they always seem fresh and are always a joy to read.



The Church of Virtual Saints by Michael Brookes


This follows on from Faust 2.0.  The two characters at the end of that one are incarcerated.  Dan in normal prison, Sarah in a top secret one.  Morton, the lawyer (or evil mastermind) needs to use them.

The Church in the title is an on-line one and Sarah gets dragged into it.  Dan is released from prison on the proviso that he'll help Morton get into The Church to see what they are up to.  In this story Dan was the better character for me.

This was a bit heavy on the technical side of things and I'm not sure I liked the "fighting" bits of the book, but it was a decent read and I expect I shall read the next book if there is one.  This book ends satisfactorily but lends itself to further adventures.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AGZBC82/?tag=kuffbl-21


Monday 2 May 2016

The Woman with the Golden Sex Spatula by David Hadley

Hmmmm.  Now this is a book that would be on its own shelf in my virtual bookcase.  I have no idea why I read it (apart from I liked a previous book by this author).  It starts off with a plot device that I hate - naming places and characters after their characters (such as Norbert Trouser-Quandry and Miss Givings in places such as Little Frigging and Lower Crotchstaine Woods.)

If this book has one innuendo or one double entendre, it is in each sentence rather than each chapter.  There is a sex scene on every other page.  It is certainly not for anyone with delicate sensibilities.  However in saying all that, I got hooked. This could have been the plot for a cosy mystery.  Once I got used to all the rumpy pumpy (and there was an awful lot) I kept reading.  I did try to find a phrase other than "kept reading" for the last sentence, but all the ones I could think of could have two meanings.  As everything in this book seemed to have.

Would I recommend this book to others?  I cannot think of anyone I would.  But I enjoyed it and suggest if you want something a little more brash than usual, this might be it.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01EKNMIT8/?tag=jookuf-21


Cleaver Square by Daniel Campbell and Sean Campbell

A boy's body is found in the marshes.  DCI Morton is on the case, but he just cannot find out who this young lad is.  Nobody is reported missing and all the evidence just doesn't add up. Charlie moves into his new foster home, he's been traumatised by recent events and seems to have turned into himself.  Morton's home life is going down the pan.  How do these threads get together and resolve?

This was a cracking story.  We got information as Morton got it.  I was wondering about what was happening as the story progressed.  The story was weaved quite well.

There are two more Morton stories and since I've really enjoyed the first two, I'm sure the next will just get better.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HGSVGSY/?tag=jookuf-21