Book Number 17 - The Da Vinci code

Book number 17 is The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown published by corgi and Doubleday books and is available in both Paperback and Hardback from amazon

This book has been divisive, contentious and reviled, It even led to claim's of plagiarism, which later went to court. The thing that I think everyone forgot, after reading it is that it's a work of fiction,

It's a good story with plenty or twists and turns to keep you interested, its been said by reviewer Anthony Lane it's "unmitigated junk" and decries "the crumbling coarseness of the style.", which is wholly unfair, you wouldn't expect the Enid Blyton books to be vilified in the same way. Some of Enid Blyton's works are adventure/ mysteries just like The Da Vinci Code. But no-one feels they need to tell you they don't like it or don't rate it as a book, The plain truth is it's been read by millions and millions of people who have enjoyed it, myself included. Some of the people though seem to think that they shouldn't like something because of the likes of Anthony Lane and Stephen Fry who referred to Brown's writings as "complete loose stool-water" and followed that up with "I just loathe all those book[s] about the Holy Grail and Masons and Catholic conspiracies and all that botty-dribble. I mean, there's so much more that's interesting and exciting in art and in history. It plays to the worst and laziest in humanity, the desire to think the worst of the past and the desire to feel superior to it in some fatuous way."

The story follows the attempts of Robert Langdon, Professor of Religious Symbology at Harvard University, and Sophie Neveu to solve the murder of renowned curator of the Louvre Museum in Paris, -Jacques Saunière. Who is found murdered in the Denon Wing of the Louvre, naked and posed like Leonardo da Vinci's famous drawing, The Vitruvian Man, with a cryptic message written beside his body and a pentacle on his stomach drawn in his own blood. A confusing phrase is written by the dead man on the floor along with Robert Langdon's name written below. Saunière's granddaughter, -Sophie Neveu and Langdon attempt to solve a bizarre set of riddles, codes, cryptex's and cipher's, all of which lead from the Louvre to another country in pursuit of the Holy Grail.

Being the main suspect in the old man's murder, Robert is told to run by Sophie, who goes with him, herself now a suspect she has to succeed as badly as Robert not only to prove her innocence but to catch the man who murdered her grandfather. They are left with 2 option's stay, and be arrested and possibly charged for something they didn't do or, run. Or become a fugitive avoiding the police and attempting to solve the murder of the beloved grandfather of Sophie Neveu, using the clues and riddles left by the old man in his dying minutes. They are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. A rumoured Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, The rumoured safe keepers of the Holy Grail, Was Jacques Saunière a member of the Priory of Sion or was more than that?. Was he the current Grand Master? Of the Priory? who were said to have been the keepers of the Holy Grail dating from the very first known Grand Master Jean de Gisors (1188-1220) all the way through the years with previous Grand Masters including some of the greatest minds in history, from Leonardo da Vinci, Victor Hugo, Claude Debussy to Isaac Newton.

For the two of them to solve and unravel the mystery requires them to find the solutions to a series of brain-teasers, including anagrams, number puzzles and ciphers. The final solution is found to be intimately connected with the possible location of the holy grail.

With the addition of bucket loads of conspiracy thrown in and a sprinkling of the Knights Templar, Opus Day and the catholic church, You follow Robert and Sophie on a hunt for the Holy Grail, On the run from the French police, the catholic church and Opus Dei as well as mysterious duo of “the teacher” and Silas -an albino monk. They struggle to solve the mystery left for them by possibly the last of the Grand Masters

Book 16 - Angels & Demons

Book number 16 is Angels & Demons by Dan Brown, published by Corgi books and available from amazon in both paperback and hardback

Now I know what your thinkin' Angels & Demons? you been watching the film, An the answer to that is no, i wanted to read this before I see the film, I know its easy to say a book is this or its that, or that you don't like it for whatever reason -as certain people on twitter decided to tell me that I didn't know what I was on about when I announced that today's review was this book, I was asked if this review was wrote by the producer, I guess some people just like to troll around and spread the misery.

Anyway On to the review, oddly I didn't read this book although i do have it in paperback, I listened to it as an unabridged audio book, and I was brilliant. I know people see Dan Browns' books as the literary equivalent of a big action movie and pull the books apart for anything they can. It's almost like the cool thing to do; and I don't get it,

I have read some of Dan Browns other work and as long as you remember they are all fiction including the Da Vinci Code (something I feel people are forgetting) they are a great read and I can totally understand why people buy his books and those by people like Sam Bourne. The books that Dan Brown writes are fast, murder mystery's with a conspiracy slant, and who doesn't like that, even the bible is full of conspiracy, murder, and mystery. although that's not as gripping a work of fiction to read. although its a work of fiction all the same.

In the past few years we've seen Cern become a household name with the LHC, A new pope picked with all the pomp and circumstance of the catholic church, there is anyone of a number of site's online devoted to conspiracy theory, or new world order be it by the bilderberg group or the little green men from the planet zog (sorry I got that wrong the little green men are from dzart22 and little green women are from zog. sorry for the confusion.) well imagine squishing all that together and mashing it all up and you've got Angels & Demons, With the film out now in the cinema's I'd either read or listen to this book before you see it, its a great read theres everything you want in a book.

just before you all start emailing me or shouting at me on twitter just remember that it is fiction so if you start telling me that Anti matter cant be held in place with magnets or that the Illuminati diamond is upside down or whatever, I don't care, When I read an Enid Blyton book as a child I didn't think 5 kids really went off and lived on an island, or that there were witches that could turn kids into mice after I read a Roahl Darl book, take this book at face value and you'll love it start picking at the corners and you may as well go read the encyclopedia (not a bad read but not much of a story line and it jumps from topic to topic)

If you liked the Da Vinci Code you'll like this and if you didn't like the da vinci code what's up with you? you'll be saying you don't like die hard next...

Book number 15 - Tuppence to Tooley Street

Book number 15 is Tuppence to Tooley Street by Harry Bowling published by headline and available to buy from amazon in both paperback and hardback

This is a post war tale about a close knit family in the south east of a recovering London,

When a young man fighting on the front line at Dunkirk is injured. He thinks he will never see his family or London again, but thanks to another soldier's bravery he becomes one of the few lucky ones and returns, To the family he loves and the city he grew up in. All the time he is away fighting for his country's very survival, he dreams of home and the regrets he carries around with him like not seeing his girlfriend before he left.

Like all men coming back from the front line his family did what they could to make his home coming special. All his friends meet up with him and he tries to put the time away out of his mind but being both injured physically and suffering mentally he doesn't find it easy. In the end the stark realization dawns on Danny that what hurt him the most is that his childhood sweetheart didn't wait for him. As much as he wants to resent her for not waiting he cant he knows why she couldn't and underneath it all he blames himself for her not waiting.

Because of Danny's injury he finds it hard to get work because all the jobs that are available are before the war began which were done by men are now being done by the women who stepped in to the breech at a time when they were needed.

Like many family's of the time Danny comes from a family that has its fair share of problems. His mother worries over him and nags at his father to do the same, which all his father has to say about it is “leave the boy be -he is old enough to make his own mistakes”

This book is not very fast paced, its certainly some what more darling buds of may, rather than frost. As books go all in all its a good read with plenty of things happening. Reading a book written in the cockney dialect is amusing to read, if sometimes a little confusing and tiring

During my link gathering for this post, Ive found out that Harry Bowling died in 1999. Although I didn't find his book's until a decade after his death, it speaks volumes that 10 years after his death and 20 years after the book was first released the book I read is still fresh and enjoyable
not only would I recommend this book I have done

Book number 14 - The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith

Book number 14 is The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith. Published by Simon and Schuster, It's available to by in hardback from Amazon and directly from Simon and Schuster.

AT THE END OF THE REVIEW IS A SHORT QUESTION AND ANSWER WITH THE AUTHOR OF CHILD44 AND THE SECRET SPEECH, TOM ROB SMITH.

Now you may remember back to the first of the review's that I wrote, it was Child44 by Tom Rob Smith. That was a story about a soviet agent for the MGB attempting to change his life by doing good, rather than following the orders blithely that were given by his superiors, after realising a child killer was on the loose, all the while putting up with the petty machinations of a colleague, hell bent on paying him back for any perceived slight. Well this book picks up again with Leo Demidov and Raisa his wife, It follows their new life together with the two girls who's parents were killed in the beginning of child44,

As Much as Leo tries to be a friend or a father to Zoya the elder of the 2 girls, she still blames him for the death of their parents, the younger sister although resentful but not to the same extent is happy to be out of the orphanage and have someone like Raisa to look after them.

After Khrushchev's secret speech and he denounced Stalin and his personality cult, and proclaimed aloud what the people already knew, that their government torturing and executing anyone even children as young as 12. After the speech came out and was distributed though out the whole of the Soviet Union and the eastern bloc, fears were that it would cause outrage and potential revolution.

Leo who was now running the only Homicide department, albeit secretly from the upstairs of the bakery factory, was called in to investigate the deaths of some former MGB agent's, the question is did they kill themselves? Or were they murdered by the people who had turned on them after the publication of the secret speech?

With Leo being an ex MGB officer would he be targeted as well? And if so who by? Who knew the deep dark secrets that even he didn't want to remember, the secrets that he'd tried to forget in his pursuit for redemption and his quest to be a better husband to Raisa.

I'm not going to say any more, as I'm not going to ruin the story for you, I personally really enjoyed this book and going by the email I got about child44, I know some of you enjoyed and are enjoying it now, I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone, it's not a big deal if you haven't read the 1^st one, yes there some reference to it but nothing that isn't refreshed in a couple of lines so you know what's going on, If your usual preference in books is light hearted romance, then maybe this isn't for you, its as gritty and raw as child44 and doesn't shy away from the violence, -not that id say its excessively violent, its not its a reasonable approximation of what people lived through,

to read the review of Child44 click on the cover below

Below is a short Question and Answer by the Author Tom Rob Smith,

Were any of the central characters based on real-life historical figures?

The events surrounding real life serial killer Andrei Chikatilo were the springboard for the novel. But the bungled criminal process, the injustices, the system itself - these were more important than any real life characters in terms of inspiration. Soviet Russia is itself a character in the book - a peculiar blend of horror and absurdity. I've tried to be as close as I can to that. However, I didn't model the character of my fictional serial killer on the real killer. I took his crimes but not his character.

What first attracted you to a narrative set in Stalinist Russia?

The story attracted me - the idea of a criminal investigation being hampered by a social theory, the theory that this crime simply could not exist. The story and setting, in that regards, are inextricable. But I didn't suddenly think Stalinist Russia would be a great place to set a novel and go fishing for a story. Having said that, the more research I did, the more I realised what an amazing stretch of history it was and that definitely powered me forward.

What works similar to your own would you recommend to the reader who wanted to find out more?

There's a selected bibliography at the back of the novel. I haven't come across a bad book on the period, the histories, the memoirs, diaries - they're all incredible.

How do you write? For example, do you have a favourite time of day to write? Or a favourite place?

I start early. I'm a morning person, I like those early hours. Midday is the worst time for me writing wise - I go for a walk, take a long lunch and then start again around two. I rarely work later than seven in the evening. It adds up to a lot of hours but it never feels particularly tough as a regime.

At the moment I work in a study but I'm not sentimental about it, which is fortunate since it's a rented flat. In fact, I'm about to move, so I'll be working somewhere new in a month or two.

Which book(s) inspired you to become an author? And What was your favourite childhood book?

I don't know if there was any one book. I'm pretty sure it was every book I ever loved. And not just books but also television, film, theatre - I've always liked stories, it's nice to be able to make it my living.

I loved Roald Dahl - I must have read everything he wrote. And then there was Tolkein, any adventure stories really, other worlds. I also remember being addicted to a kind of fantasy fiction where you'd read a page and then be forced to make a choice: do you want to go down this tunnel, or climb the ladder. You'd be given different page numbers to turn to and different adventures would unfold depending on the choices you made. I had about forty of those books. You were supposed to follow rules: using a dice to determine if you defeated a monster or not. I'd ignore those rules and cheat my way through. I could never imagine killing myself halfway through a book and starting again. I'd be interested to know if anyone ever did. Anyway, those books must seem quaint now - usurped by computer games where you make those kinds of interactive decisions every single second.

Ive got to add, I'm hoping that theres another book carrying the story of Leo and Raisa, especially as this one went from strength to strength, and unusually for a 2nd in the series, was as good if not better than child44,

Book number 13 is Family Betrayal

Book number 13 is Family Betrayal by Kitty Neale, published by AVON, a division of Harper Collins Publishers Ltd and available in paperback from amazon

Set on the mean streets of 1960s South London. The Drapers rule the streets of South London. Everyone's afraid of them -- and that's just the way they like it.

When tempers flare and a family feud spirals out of control, tragedy strikes, leaving eldest son -Danny, in charge. He has shocking plans for the family business and Petula his sister and the baby of the family. She becomes the scapegoat for the Draper's dirty dealings.

The Draper family's are close knit, Infamous for their family loyalty. There are five brothers and one sister who they protect venomously. The mother, the stall wart of the family. Tries to keep everything running smoothly protecting her boy's when needed. Nursing one who suffers with chest problems when needed. She does her best to keep them all well fed even though money and food is scarce. She worships her family until tragedy strikes and then she has to deal with the fall out, which threatens to destroy her once close knit family,

To tell you too much of this story would spoil it, as it has lots of drama for the family it has lots of tears and love in equal measure. As well the twists and turns that will have you hooked from beginning to end.

You will feel for the daughter -Petula, I know I did; and her brothers for being so under the thumb of their domineering father. How they try to break away from his tight hold he has over them striving to make a break not only from the family but out in to the big wide world and to make a life of their own. Can they leave their mother on her own, a woman who has given everything for her family?

Book number 12 - Along Came a Spider

Book number 12 is Along Came a Spider by James Patterson, It's published by Harper Collins and is available from amazon in paperback and hardback and for the first time that I've found its available on the amazon kindle (which is US only at the moment) and audiobook

Along came a spider is the first of the Alex Cross series by James Patterson so as you can probably guess its been out a while, (1993) Like many books its been made in to a movie, which starred Morgan Freeman as Detective Alex Cross, Until recently I'd not seen the film, but I had read the book, and I've got to say the book is MUCH MUCH better than the film, there are plot lines in the book that have been ignored in the film, as well as characters that have vanished or lost whole significance to the underlying story, If you've seen the film and thought "Ive seen it, I'll give it a miss" your right you do know the overall story but don't miss out on the rest of it, pick it up and have a read.

Now then, now that's out the way I've got to say I'm hooked on the Alex Cross series of books, this book in particular is the one that I got hooked on first of all to the point I couldn't put it down, since then I've read almost all the Alex Cross series, (which I'll be posting about at a later date)

Much like the Film, Detective Alex Cross, is chasing after a serial killer called Gary Sonji,

Considering how long the book has been out, it'd be easy for me to give away what happens, which I'm hopefully not going to do, what I will say though is that this book, feels much faster paced than the film, and you don't get stuck in the minutia of the story. Instead the book sticks to the who's and the why's of the story and keeps you hooked rather than spelling out the tedious paperwork that the police have to do. Because of this you get hoisted by the scruff of the neck and thrown through the book!.

Over the whole of the Alex Cross series, the characters develop and change growing with the story, saying that though you don't have to start with the 1st one and work through, you can just pick up any and really enjoy it, there are thing's in some of the other books that are linked to this book which is only really a reference nothing that you'd have to know going in to the book's as everything you need to know is generally flashed over to make sure your up to speed, What I'm going all around the houses' to say is that the books stand on their own merit and can be read alone or in the series without the feeling that you've missed out on something


Now I'm not going to sit here and tell you its a "must read", or "you don't know what your missing", Because the truth is its a big dumb action film of book. Reading it is very satisfying and enjoyable, its like a big mac for your brain, you know you should be feeding your brain on cress, tomato and boiled potato style books to keep it in shape, but sometimes stuffing your self with some thing like this is just what the Dr ordered... Dr Alex Cross that is.

Book number 11 - Goodnight Sweetheart

Book number 11 is Goodnight Sweetheart by Annie Groves, published by Harper Collins. Available from amazon in paperback and hardback.

This book is set as the second world war looms it is about a family whose mother passes away when her daughters are only young. Molly the youngest of the two daughters is just seven years old. When June -her elder sister takes on the task of parent and does her best at bringing up Molly and dealing with their grief stricken father at the same time.

They live in the Edge Hill district of Liverpool, next door to Elsie. Herself a very kind woman, who from the time of their mothers death they depended on. For her for advice that she gladly gave. As the years pass Molly falls in love with Elise's nephew Eddie who is in the Navy the pair live for every precious stolen moment together.

With June her elder sister is being very protective over molly she does her best to sort through the conflicted feelings of caring and resentment. She feels it's time she had a life as well, after taking care of her sister and father for so many years. Which is when June meets and falls in love with Frank. Frank lives with his mother who is a well respected woman in the community when June and Frank decide to marry; She takes it for granted that they would live with her because she has more room. This does not go down too well with June who's been running a home since she was a teenager herself. Frank's mother grows a quiet resentful attitude towards June. In her opinion she doesn't feel any woman is good enough for her Frank let alone someone like June.

As the time ticks by June falls pregnant soon after she and Frank marry. After being a surrogate mother to her sister for most of her life she relishes in the thought's that this baby is hers to bring up. After reading a book for new parents about how to bring up a baby; June decides to do everything by the book which doesn't go too well with Franks mother, or Frank because when he's home on leave he is not allowed to be the father he wants to be. This causes great tension between the once very loving couple.

The story of this family unfolds over every page of this book I found it heart-warming and heart wrenching both at the same time. Annie Groves made this book so compelling that I could not put it down. Much like Silk and Steel by Catherine King I felt compelled to search out and buy more of the exellent work by Annie Groves,

book number 10 - No Time For Goodbye

Book number 10, is No Time For Goodbye, by Linwood Barclay published by Orion books and is available to buy from amazon in both paperback and hardback

Imagine walking downstairs in the morning and your whole family mother, father and brother have vanished without a word. That's what happened to teenager Cynthia Archer after waking with a hangover and a feeling she is going to be in even more trouble than she was the night before with her mother and father after rolling in drunk. The house is oddly quiet though. When gets down stairs she discovers the house is empty. No sign of her parents or younger brother Todd. Her family has simply disappeared.

25 years later Cynthia is still in the dark about where they went, having not heard a word from them in the years that had lapsed since they went missing. She's filled with questions and consumed with guilt, about the night she came home drunk, did they leave because of her? she has nothing but unanswered questions. Were her family murdered? If so, why was she spared? And if they're alive, why did they abandon her in such a cruel way? Now married with a daughter of her own. Cynthia lives in constant fears that her idyllic family will be taken from her just as before.

She agrees to take part in a TV documentary revisiting the case, in the hope that somebody somewhere will remember something - or even that her father, mother or brother might finally make contact with her. Then she receives something in the mail that makes her wonder if she has made the right decision to pursue this mystery. This is a great story, with plenty of thrills but it is also very well written

This is the first one of Linwood Barclay's that I've read, and it was great. The story flows at what feels like warp speed, and because of this you can skip over some of the thinner parts of the plot, which there is a couple of bits towards the end which are stretched a little thin, but it fits with the story, without detracting from it.

When I read this book I couldn't help myself from finishing it in one day, really it was one sitting, the story's pace just seemed to ebb and flow at the right tempo with enough page turning excitement to keep me hooked all day, With the exception of The Book With No Name there aren't many books that I think should be made in to a film or TV series, but this is one that even after reading the book, I'd sit down and watch in much the same way as I already do with Dexter.

book number 9 - Silk and steel

This is my first review of any book. Book number 9 is silk and steel by Catherine King, published by Sphere and available from amazon in paperback

From the very first page when I picked this book up I felt I was there, The vivid feeling of being in Yorkshire, written by someone obviously who not only lives here in Yorkshire but love's the place. Saying that though some of the descriptions of the area where the book is based, in parts can be a little over whelming.

The author -Catherine king, writes with great feeling, which helps to hold your attention and sucks you into the book. Which follows the lives and loves of Mariah Bowes the daughter successful Iron Master Ezekiel Bowes, himself a highly respected business man with deep dark secrets he wants kept in the safety of dark., He is a typical 1840's man. Who thinks a wife and daughters' place is in the kitchen, and a sons' is on a pedestal following in his fathers footsteps.

Reading this story about a young girl striving to survive after finding herself penniless and alone, after the death of her mother. You'd be forgiven for think nothing else could go wrong for her but does, then the question becomes does she have the fight to survive?

This is a powerful gritty story that I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend it to anyone who likes the Catherine Cookson style of writing is easy, Id say its somewhat more aimed at the women, rather than men but that could be true of many books and isnt always a bad thing. This book gripped me from start to finish; and I'm sure given the chance you'd enjoy it too.

book number 8 - Home Before Dark

Book number 8 is Home Before Dark by Charles Maclean and is published by Hodder. Its is available from amazon in both hardback and paperback

It's the news every parent dreads, Ed Lister's world and marriage began to fall apart the day he hears his daughter has been murdered in Italy. A year later, with the police inquiry showing no sign of catching the killer, Ed makes a vows to find Sophie's murderer himself. This takes him on to a mysterious website -- and on to the trail of its owner, Ward, a charming, charismatic, brilliant psychopath. The search for Ward follows a murderous trail across Europe and on to America. Its then that the question arises: is Ed the hunter, or the hunted?

Now I must be honest this took a while to get going and stay going, In the beginning I almost put it back on the book case a couple of times, but decided to stick with it, and I'm glad I did as the last quarter of the book is as good as any thriller by James Patterson.

Home Before Dark, has a web address within the book that Ed, and his cyber detective go to, to try and catch the killer of Ed's daughter -Sophie. To both the writer and the publishers credit, the site is available for real and looks just the way its described in the book -with maybe a couple of extra links. Its detail like that which makes this book as good as it is, the attention to detail is great, its just the right amount, enough to keep you in the story but not so much that it slows it down, after all your on the trail of a murderer...or is he on your trail?

'Utterly gripping - the best thriller of the Internet age I have ever read. It lures you into the seductive world of the chat-room, where nothing is quite what it seems' -Magnus Linklater

Book number 7 - The Bro Code

book number 7 is The Bro Code by Barney Stinson and Matt Kuhn published by fireside and available from amazon in paperback

For the purpose of this review, I'm going to pretend that Barney Stinson isn't really Neil Patrick Harris' character from How I Met Your Mother,

Barney Stinson who wrote or rather that should be documented the bro code. Is out there somewhere in new york being "legen.....wait for it,and i hope your not lactose intolerant because the next bit is......dary"

Now in all different cultures around the world there's an unspoken until now -code that we as men live by, be it called "the man card" or "the bro code" the name may change but the sentiment remains the same. Be an embarrassment to your self or a bro for any reason that's documented in the bro code and your not only making a fool of yourself. Your giving in one of your very limited supply of "man cards" and disappointing all the other men with your contempt for the bro code

Now as I'm sure all the men out there know. There's certain thing's that you just can't do, "like Regardless of veracity, a Bro never admits familiarity with a Broadway show or musical". or "Article 77: A Bro Never Cries." Until this weighty tomb was published The Bro Code was simply referred in with hushed tone's. Not any more its out and its oddly proud.

The Audio book version of The Bro Code that I listened to was read by Neil Patr....erm Barney Stinson, Not only does the book share some of the jokes with the TV show "how i met your mother" it benefits rather than suffers from the link. As you can honestly believe that Barney is meaning every word he says. as Neil Patrick Harris stays in character all the way through

Its not a serious piece of literature, and neither is it pretending to be. It's a funny, light and irreverent if a slightly odd book, That's a joy to read.

I dare say both men and women would enjoy reading or listening -to the bro code, Admittedly probably for different reasons. For us men, its funny because as Barney says "Whether we know it or not, each of us lead our lives by an internalized code of conduct.Some call it morality. Others call it religion. I call it : The Bro Code." It's true we do, we all stick to the idea that you shouldn't throw like a girl, or if you trip a little you should make it look like you meant to and it was the beginning of a jog that after a couple of steps you change your mind about. The ladies will like it because they already know how dumb we as men can be and conveniently its all in here about why were like that.

for your own little refresher of the bro code everyday have a look here there's always a random bro code just waiting and just remember ARTICLE 87: A Bro shall at all times say yes.

Would I buy it again...YES,
Would I listen to it again....YES
The Question I should be asking is ... are you enough of a bro or bro'ette to follow another bro's advice and buy it? re- article 87...

Book number 6 - The Book With No Name by Anonymous

Book number 6 is The Book With No Name by Anonymous, published by lulu.com as a self published book and then later by Michael O'Mara Books. It's available from amazon in paperback and play.com in paperback

carry on to the bottom of the review for an EXCLUSIVE interview with the author

Now I'll be totally honest this book passed me by totally, Untill I read some reviews on amazon.co.uk, and any book which has a customer review with the words "It's fair to say that when my girlfriend gave me this as a present I wasn't best impressed. The plot suggests that everyone who reads the book ends up dead, so I thought she was trying to get rid of me in a particularly cowardly fashion." (comment by Neil Butler) deserves some attention,

At the time I bought this book I knew nothing of its past and it wasnt untill well after finishing both this and the next book -the eye of the moon by the elusive author Anonymous, that I found out that to begin with this book was a self published book using lulu.com, and from that the book managed to work its magic and get a full push from current publishers Michael O'Mara Books. but before all of this, The Book With No Name was written and the first chapter was release online to drum up interest, in the same way as Scott Siglers does with his current online audiobooks/podcast (www.scottsigler.com)

Now you know the back story -or as much of it as I know, its time to get on with the review. The book isnt centred around one individual character like most books, it allows you to follow a story from many angles, and while it could get confusing it doesnt, There is an group of characters though who form the main, part of the storyline along with some bit part players who help to make up the body count,

If you look at a book and wonder what its going to be like, seeing one thats called The Book With No Name and is written by Anonymous and on the back it tell's you that anyone who reads it is found dead soon after, how could you resist, its like being shown a big red button and being told no to press it.

Im not going to spoil the story for you by giving too much away about the plot lines and the story at large. One thing you will notice though as you read this book is its attention to detail, the place where the book is set -Santa Mondega it gives the feel of an old west gold rush town filled with modern people in 911's or on Harley Davidson's, who have no problems killing each other just to get to the bar of the tapioca -the local dive bar run by Sanchez

As a little bit of a special extra, I've been given an Exclusive interview with Anonymous, author of The Book With No Name,

OK first of I'd like to say how much I enjoyed your books, The residents of Santa Mondega kept me hooked and entertained in equal measure,

I've read about how you published the book with no name yourself through lulu.com could you explain, how you went from being a self published author to getting published by Michael O'Mara books ?

In a word "Luck". Self-publishing is extremely hard work. I released The Book With No Name via Lulu.com in August 2006. In the first month the book sold 38 copies. That might not sound like much, but I remember I was ecstatic at the time. A successful self-published book is one that sells over a hundred copies. Again, that probably doesn’t sound like much, but book stores generally won’t stock self-published books. Self-published books are expensive to produce so The Book With No Name was retailing at about £11.00. When you consider that most chart-topping books can be picked up for about £3.99, you can see why it’s difficult to sell many copies of a paperback priced at £11.00.

I worked pretty hard trying to drum up interest for the book on the internet. I tried about a hundred different ways of marketing and I made as many friends as I could on sites like Myspace. Sales of the book began to double each month and traditional publishers started to notice. A couple of publishers approached me to try and find out who I was and what my book was about, but no one was willing to take a risk on it. Until Michael O’Mara books picked it up.

Although I didn’t know it, a successful children’s author had spotted The Book With No Name on Amazon and recommended it to the Chief Editor at O’Mara. The editor downloaded a copy from Lulu.com and liked what he read. He then ordered a bunch of copies and handed them out to his colleagues at a meeting and insisted they all read it. This was initially met with some resistance because O’Mara don’t normally do fiction, but pretty soon, everyone was on board and they decided they wanted to publish the book. They tracked me down on the internet, and the rest, as they say, is history.

From what I've come to understand your book initially was wrote incrementally and released online, at what point did you decided to go for it and release it as a book?

In actuality I only ever posted the first chapter online for people to read. It went down well and I uploaded the whole thing on Lulu.com at the same time as I released the paperback version. Word spread around the internet pretty quickly that there was this cursed book causing the death of everyone who read it. The fact it was only available online made it even more mysterious.

while I'm not sure about the costs that you would have incurred by publishing the book yourself, would you advise other authors to go the same way as you did? and in this time of change for the way content is consumed by the public have you considered doing something online again like a fellow author Scott Sigler, (www.scottsigler.com) who also started off online with his audio versions of his books such as earthcore, and ancestor as well as others and then like you he also moved in to print,

Self-publishing is now a very affordable option. On Lulu.com it’s practically free to set up. All I had to do was pay for the copies I ordered for myself.

As for recommending it to other authors, that’s a tough call. If you just want to see your book in print or your name on the cover of a book then yes, go for it. However, if you’re looking at it as a way to break into traditional publishing as I did, then I recommend it only as a last resort. A lot of people see self-publishing as a sign that your book is not good enough to be published traditionally.

After I’d shifted my first thousand copies via Lulu, I emailed a respectable Literary Agent and asked if he would be interested in reading it and representing me. He told me in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't read it and also told me -

"Don’t mention your self-publishing to a publisher or agent until after they show interest in the book. The fact that you are selling copies online is not a positive point - it will be taken as evidence you aren't publishable in a conventional manner."

Harsh, but unfortunately true. As I said earlier, I was very, very lucky. There are tens of thousands of novels being self-published every year now, and I only know of a handful that have ever been picked up by traditional publishing houses. Usually you have to sell thousands, or tens of thousands before a publisher or agent will snap your novel up. Fortunately I have an agent now. I recently signed with the Isabel White Literary Agency. see link - http://www.isabelwhite.co.uk/

As for me self-publishing again - I would never rule it out, but most likely as a publicity stunt, or a last resort.

which of the 2 books (the book with no name and the eye of the moon) -was the most enjoyable to write? also as an author yourself, all be it a anonymous one, who would you say you enjoy reading and what style of genre do you prefer?

Both books were great fun to write, but I think The Book With No Name was probably the most fun, simply because I felt under no pressure. When I was writing it, I kept on reminding myself that there was no way in hell it would ever get published. With that in mind, knowing that I was almost certainly going to have to self-publish, I wrote with a lot of freedom. Every time I thought "I can’t do that, people will hate it," I reminded myself that I was writing the book for myself and if other people didn’t like it, then tough. It’s my story and I’ll tell it my way, no matter how absurd it gets.

The sort of stuff I read varies quite considerably. These days I’m always looking to discover authors I’ve never heard of before. I often read self-published books and review them on my blog to try and give them a helping hand.

Is there anywhere that reminds you of the Tapioca and Santa Mondega? also when reading both books I cant help but feel that I'm in Santa Mondega and to me its sort of a 19th century American gold rush town with dirt roads with dust flying up behind the yellow Cadillac as it's speeding away from Elvis and Sanchez, is that the feel that you were aiming for?

Absolutely. You’re picturing it very much the way I intended. It’s kind of like the Old West but with Cadillacs and Harleys instead of horses. Kind of like Mad Max 2 meets The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Many years ago I worked in a bar, and I was as frustrated by it as Sanchez is in the books. The bar I worked in was at the end of a long dirt track road. When non-regulars came in I treated them similarly to how Sanchez treats strangers in the Tapioca. I saw a lot of violence in that bar and it served as great inspiration for the Tapioca.

Having read both books I noticed that the story lines carry on from the book with no name in to your second book -the eye of the moon. without giving anything away about your next book can you say if the successor to the eye of the moon will carry on from where it left off, or will it go in a different direction with new characters?, or will we find out what happened to Dante and Kacy, Peto the Hubal monk and the mysterious Jessica as well as finding out who is responsible for the murder of Rodeo Rex?

I have just finished a new story called The Devil’s Graveyard. It’s a prequel to the other books, and there’s a trailer for it on youtube at this link -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ak-JBm9cx4

I’m also working on a couple of other projects. One is completely different to my usual stuff, and the other is a follow on from The Eye of the Moon. I’ve written about twenty chapters so far, but I don’t know if I’ll ever show it to anyone because I quite like how The Eye of the Moon ended.

As for the "Who killed Rodeo Rex?" question – It’s one of those questions that I think is best left unanswered. There are several possibilities and I think if I revealed the killer it would spoil the mystery.

Obviously with a character like the Bourbon Kid in your book, killing off a character off isn't too hard, how do you decide when to bring an end to a character?

I do like to kill people off when it’s least expected. A lot of people, when they’re reading a book, sub-consciously start categorizing the characters. I certainly do. I mean, when you pick up The Da Vinci Code, you’ve decided early on that Robert Langdon is going to be the hero who solves the case. And Sophie Neveu is going to be the female lead / love interest. If Dan Brown decided to kill off Robert Langdon in chapter twenty, people would go nuts. When writing The Book With No Name I thought about that a lot. So in several instances, when I had a character that I felt was safe and categorized as unkillable, I just thought, "Right, it’s time for him to die". Rodeo Rex was a prime example. I had big plans for him. He was going to kick some serious vampire ass, and I think everyone could see that, because I’d invested a lot of time into making him a really cool character. So I figured, if I’m not expecting me to kill him off, then no one else is either. So it was "bye bye, Rex". I was a bit gutted about it though, because great characters like him don’t come along too often. I killed off most of my best characters in The Book With No Name and The Eye of the Moon, just to keep my readers on their toes. *slaps forehead*

Obviously Sanchez is going to feature in the next book what with his current house guest being who it is, but id like to ask where you get the ideas for the character's and their name's, with characters like Sanchez who I've already mentioned, and the likes of rodeo Rex and the Bourbon kid its not like their names are something you hear in everyday life, unless you live in somewhere just like Santa Mondega that is

In the case of the Bourbon Kid, I was always going to name him after a drink, and Bourbon was the best one by far. Vodka Kid? Whisky Kid? Gin Kid?- none of them had the right ring to them. Malibu Kid would have worked, but can you imagine a gravelly voiced serial killer drinking shots of Malibu?

As for Rodeo Rex, Sanchez and El Santino, I felt that those were names that fitted the stereotype of the characters I was trying to create. The names define the characters to an extent.

I named some people after characters from films. Jefe was the name of a character in Three Amigos, and some of the monks in The Book With No Name were named after characters from the film Kingpin.

Do you have a set routine for writing where you sit down everyday and write, say 1000 words a day like Jason Bradbury does (jasonbradbury.com and UK TV show "the gadget show") when he's writing his books (dot.robot available from his site) or do you prefer to wait and write when the mood strikes and the juices are flowing regardless of when that is?

I do have a routine, although I have been known to break from it. Generally I will write a chapter a day, which usually equates to about 1000 words per chapter on a first draft. When I’m done I tend to go back and rewrite the novel seven or eight times until it’s exactly how I want it.

With The Eye of the Moon I deleted about 7 chapters from the Dante and Kacy storyline because I felt they were slowing the story down. I really liked some of the chapters too. There was one in particular that involved Dante line-dancing with a gang of vampires. Maybe I’ll post that up on my blog one day for a bit of fun.

After talking with a couple of friends, they commented that its very much like the combination of cult sci-fi show Firefly and Buffy the vampire slayer, would you say these comparisons are a blessing or a curse?

I have to admit that I’ve never seen Firefly, despite hearing great things about it. And it would probably surprise most people to discover that I’ve only ever seen a handful of Buffy episodes. I take those kind of comparisons as a compliment though. To have my work compared to anything successful like that is always nice to hear.

lastly as an author not who not only has gone out and published a book yourself out of your own pocket, but also then gone on to a more mainstream publisher unlike most authors your have a unique perspective so if you had any words of advice to give to aspiring writers what would they be?

Don’t give up. The more you write, the better you get at it. Read lots of books, write a blog and try make friends with as many other authors as you can, whether they’re self-published or very successful. Social networking websites make it easier than ever to network with people in publishing. Lots of them will give you good advice if you ask. Be humble enough to listen, and take on board any constructive criticism.

Also, if your manuscript lands in the hands of an editor or agent who likes it, one of the first things they’ll do is an internet search to find out as much about you as they can. Make sure they don’t find you trashing books they’ve published, or authors who are friends of theirs.

With plenty of pop culture references, great humour these books have everything: humour, love, revenge, vampires, sex, violence. and bourbon which id ask for a shot of but after what happens in the book I'm not sure id be all that keen on glass of Sanchez's hour old special blend, you cant fail to be impressed not only with the writing style and the witty dialogue but with the self belief that their book was so good, they had to go out and publish it themselves, and with that I'd like to take this chance to not only say thank for the enjoyment but for answering a few questions for me, good luck with the new book, I'm sure that I'm not the only one waiting out there to buy it

book number 5 - Martin Missunderstood by Karin Slaughter

Book number 5 is Martin Missunderstood by Karin Slaughter published by Random House, and is available to buy in both paperback and audiobook from amazon, and in paperback from play.com

I must say when Martin Missunderstood arrived I was a little sad to see that it was so thin, But I shouldnt have been as this book is smart, funny and fast paced and what it misses out on in page's it more than makes up for in the story.

Martin Reed, who the book is about is the made fun of by everyone from his controlling mother who constantly wants him to have an addiction of any sort be it drink, drugs or whatever takes his fancy, to the people he works with, even the woman he shares his office with, although from the outside looking in you'd be forgiven for thinking it was Unique Jones's office which he was allowed to use.

The book follows him working as a accountant for Southern American Toilet Supply. He's become resigned to the life he has, and doesnt hope for anything to get better even at work because the bully's that made his school days a misery are still picking on him in his place of work. Infact his arch enemy is now his supervisor. The only escape he can get it to lose him self in one of his vast supply of crime novels. which when he arrives at work to find the police investigating the murder of a woman who worked there, he decides to try and offer his insight that he's got from years of reading Kathy Reichs and the like. With referances to pop culture it feels very fresh and bright and is a pleasure to read.... although I'd still have liked another couple of hundered pages, but thats the same with any enjoyable book.

Martin only see's when its too late that the light thats shinning on him now isnt the long waited spotlight but the bright glare of the interrogators spot lamp, Is he being framed? is he killing his co-workers? why doesnt he remember if he is killing them? and who would try to frame him?. Can he find out before its too late....does he even want to? you have to ask yourself is he guilty or just missunderstood?

If you want to find out I'd suggest buying the book like I did, you wont regret it. If your anything like me it'll send you searching for more books by Karin Slaughter.

book number 4 - a quiet belief in angels by R.J. Ellory

Book number 4 - a quiet belief in angels by R.J. Ellory and published by Orion Books
available from amazon in paperback and hardback

I decided when I started writing my reviews I decided I would be honest about a book even if I didn't like it or I had a problem with it, as long as I said why I didn't like something.

Unfortunately I just couldn't get on with a quiet belief in angels, I didn't mind the writing style or the premise of the story, for me it was the constant and off putting descriptiveness of the author, I'm sure some people love that style of book, I'm just not one of them which is a shame as when I decided to buy it, the reviews I read about it and the synopsis on the back of the book sounded great, which in between in descriptions its was. When I got to the end of the book normally theres a tinge of sadness that something I've enjoyed reading has come to an end, For me that wasn't the case with a quiet belief in angels. It may be just down to the fact I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped that I felt like you could see what was coming a mile off,

The book follows the life of Joseph Vaughan, it starts off with him as a child, living with his mother after losing his father. His mother does the best she can with the pittance they have, until it is all revealed about her affair, or rather prostituting herself out to the German neighbour who pays her $7 a week.

Set at the end of world war II and the neighbour being a German immigrant and ethnic stereotyping in full swing, gets the blame when dismembered bodies of little girls start showing up. Culminating in his house being burned down. Later Joseph Vaughan's mother claims she was responsible for the fire but being in a sanatorium she's not taken seriously.

As a child Joseph and a group of his friends had made a promised to each other to protect everyone else by forming a gang they call the "guardians" in an effort to stop the killer. The premise of the book was great, I don't think you can generally go far wrong with a murder mystery, and story wise it doesn't go far wrong, Even if it was overly described, and a little too "thick" not page wise but slow and plodding rather than a story that grabs you by the scruff of the neck and throws you through chapter after chapter, like Linwood Barclay's No Time For Goodbye. I know that there are people out there that have really enjoyed this book, sadly I'm not one of them, Personally I'd feel bad if I didn't recommend it as its me that didn't enjoy it. theres nothing fundamentally wrong with the book. Maybe I was expecting too much, and that's not really the book or the author's fault, It's a shame really as I wanted to enjoy this book.

book number 3 - The end of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas

Book number 3 is The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas published by Harcourt Books. and like the others that i've posted reviews of, its available from amazon in paperback. also available at play.com in paperback

I'm going to tell you as I start this review, That I loved this book, from cover to cover it was great, Scarlett Thomas has not only wrote an incredibly individual book, but one that is as original and imaginative as anything written by c.s lewis or Roald Dahl.

The Story follows Ariel Manto as she discovers some incredibly rare books that she's been searching for to help her with her PhD, These books are not only rare but very valuble. one of the books is so rare that one of the only copies are kept in a safe locked away from prying eyes. and why that is becomes apparent later on in the book,

The thing is though other than being rare and valuble one of the books The end of Mr Y, is said to be cursed and anyone that reads is has been found dead afterwards.

as you follow Ariel through the book in search of holy water and carbo vegetabilis. (something which was also in Scarlett Thomas's book which went before this Popco)After reading about a recipy in one of the rare books that she finds in a local 2nd hand book shop, A recipy which at least according to the book she's bought has the ability to take her in to the troposphere. A place where everyones conciousness is recorded, a place where not only is it recorded but it makes it possible not only to jump from conciousness to conciousness but through time as anyone that person comes in contact with or has been in contact with's conciousness is close enough to jump in to the problem's start when she tries to get back and finds that time isnt the same in the troposphere as it is normally, so when she's been in there for an hour, maybe 10 hours have passed in the real world.

Im not going to say that this book with its contents is going to be a good read for everyone, its not. Its definatly a marmite book, your going to love it or hate its mix of, conciousness invasion's, time travel, drug taking and quantum physics with a little post-modernist and deconstructionist theory thrown in for a good mix,

Ultimately though its the love story of a lonely PhD student -Ariel Manto meeting someone and giving up everything to be with someone she loves, which she couldnt have done with out the aid of the topic of her PhD, -the 19th century writter Thomas Lumas.

If im honest im finding it hard to put into words, what the book feels like to read, Its more like philosopy, than a love story. But equally its more like the Matrix and Highlander, rather than a plodding philosopy text book,

if you liked the Matrix, The Da Vinci Code, Highlander and Speed (the first one not the one on the boat which wasnt very good) then you'd like this book, infact you'd not only like it, You'd LOVE it