Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The Overlook

While reading "The Overlook" by Michael Connelly I was hooked and wanted to fight out what was going on. I loved trying to keep up with the twists and turns of the plot. But when all was said and done it felt rushed. You solve a crime in a very unlikely way and it hardly makes sense and then the book is over. Like the author got tired of writing and tried to wrap it all up in a big pretty bow.

Harry Bosch is a character in more than one of Michael Connelly's books, this was obvious to me even without having read any prequels to "The Overlook." But I don't feel like I missed out on his character development too much as his history seems to get thrown in his face a lot.

Repeater, FBI agent Rachel Walling, is also in this book.

Bosch has a new partner, rookie Iggy Ferras, and they get called into a huge case which just explodes into all types of fun in the middle of the night. They are a special team of the LAPD and find themselves getting mixed in with the feds. The sour relationship between the FBI and LAPD is evident through the entire plot. There is indeed a power struggle to say the least.

The story is based around an execution style murder of physicist Stanley Kent on a Mulholland Drive overlook. The FBI gets involved because they feel it could be terrorist related due to the radioactive materials Kent handles on a daily basis.

As the plot unfolds or rather twists and weaves you find out that the FBI are heading in the wrong direction and following misguided notions. Bosch on the other hand begins sniffing out the truth of the matter and due to tensions and doubts he isn't really taken seriously until we're down on the wire and multiple lives are at stake.

I won't tell you what happens, I will tell you I did not expect it. I appreciate that this book was unpredictable for me, that doesn't happen often. For the most part I was very interested in following the crime scenes and picking up on the clues, but I feel things could have come together slower and not thrown into overdrive just to finish the book and get it on the shelves.

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    Sunday, January 4, 2009
    The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

    This book, by Michael Scott, appealed to me on all levels. For one it mentions Nicholas Flamel in the title and of course my interest was piqued because I knew his name from having read the Harry Potter books; specifically mentioned in the first book of that series.

    The cover of The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel looks interesting with it's colors and symbols. Nothing is explained about what you'll be reading, but it is enticing and mysterious. Cryptic.

    Brother and sister, twins, Sophie and Josh Newman are spending the summer with their aunt in San Fransisco, California while their parents are away on yet another archeological dig. Josh finds a summer job at a bookstore, owned by Nick and Perry Fleming, and Sophie finds one across the street at a coffee shop. Their summer is turning out okay, mostly because at least they have each other.

    The adventure begins almost immediately when Sophie sees something strange across the street from the coffee shop. Four dark figures emerge from a black sedan and enter the bookshop. She attempts to call Josh to see what is going on, but not before an explosion rocks the bookstore sending glass and strange smells out into the street.

    While Sophie runs over to check out what is happening she runs into Perry Fleming, part owner of the store. Perry tells he to stay put, but Sophie isn't about to stay put while her brother is in danger.

    Meanwhile, Nick Fleming, keeps telling Josh to run deep into the cellar and stay out of sight as he fights off a man he keeps calling Dee and three other strange clay people which he refers to as golems.

    One item is stolen from the store during this mystical fight, it is the Codex, a book which is ten thousand years old and contains all the myths and legends of the world including sorcerer spells and potions from hundreds of generations. Fortunately, when Dee stole it from Josh's hands he didn't realize Josh had ripped the last two pages out. The last two pages of the Codex are extremely important and now both Josh and Sophie are in mortal danger.

    After all this chaos the kids have more than enough questions for Nick and Perry Fleming. This is when they find out their real names are Nicholas and Perenelle Flemal and they are hundreds of years old thanks to an elixir that was keeping them alive. The elixir is in the Codex and without it they will age one full human year each day. But their aging is the least of their concerns. With the Codex in the hands of evil Dr. Dee the entire world is in danger of essentially being wiped out by those called the Dark Elders.

    And this is where I'll leave you. If you like legends and myths, if you enjoy adventures and fantasies, if you like stories about magic then you'll love this book/series. I recommend The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel for all ages.

    And yes, you might as well order the next book in the series because if you're like me you'll want to open it as soon as you're finished the first. The Magician: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

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