Stuart Neville takes his writing up another notch in his latest thought-provoking and tragic crime novel. This isn’t a crime novel where a mystery needs to be solved or a vicious killer is stalking victims, although you are kept guessing at different times. This is a crime novel about what happens afterwards, after a crime […]
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Blog: Perpetually Adolescent (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Books, book review, ireland, Crime Fiction, stuart neville, northern ireland, Book Reviews - Fiction, those we left behind, Add a tag
Blog: Perpetually Adolescent (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Books, book review, thriller, Crime Fiction, stuart neville, northern ireland, belfast, Book Reviews - Fiction, jack lennon, the final silence, Add a tag
Jack Lennon returns in Stuart Neville’s relentless new thriller.
It has been a while between drinks for Jack Lennon. We last caught up him in Stolen Souls and we left him a lot worse for wear. The intervening period though has not been kind. Suspended from the police pending multiple reviews of his health and performance Jack has developed some extra bad habits to the ones he already carried, mainly involving painkillers and alcohol. His relationships are in free fall including, sadly, the one with his estranged daughter who his is the only family he has left.
Just when Jack thinks things couldn’t get any worse an ex-girlfriend contacts him. She has just inherited a house from her uncle. An uncle she never met who lost contact with her family years ago. She has contacted Jack because she has found something in a locked room. A journal detailing murders going back two decades and it appears there are links to her father, a prominent Belfast politician. She can’t trust him and she can’t go to the police so instead she has turned to Jack, who can’t even help himself at this point.
I really love what Neville has done with the Jack Lennon character. He was only a few mentions inThe Twelve before assuming the lead in the next two books. He is not your typical flawed detective, flawed is too nice a term for Jack, yet he still manages to keep your loyalty.
Stuart Neville doesn’t take his foot off the pedal once in this gripping thriller and once again demonstrates why he is the crime writer everybody is and should be talking about at the moment.
Add a CommentBlog: Perpetually Adolescent (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: special offer, stuart neville, Book Reviews - Fiction, 3 for 2, collusion, jack lennon, stolen souls, the twelve, book reviews, Books, ireland, IRA, Add a tag
The Twelve
I almost missed reading this book. Published in 2009 it has only just been releases here. I was reluctant to pick it up because “debut thriller of the year” gets thrown around a far bit and I am very skeptical. However in the case of THE TWELVE it is not marketing or publicity that has come up with the statement because it is more than true. This is not just one of the best thriller debuts of the last ten years; it is one of the best thrillers of the last ten years full stop.
THE TWELVE blends together seamlessly some of my favourite elements of crime fiction. It is political (without choosing sides), it is violent, it has heart and it is wickedly funny in places. It also reminds me of some of my favourite authors while being completely original. While reading the book Adrian McKinty, Ken Bruen and the DEXTER series all came to mind as well as the film THE DEPARTED and the TV series RESCUE ME.
The main character of the book is Gerry Fegan, an ex-IRA hit man who has just done a 9 and a half year stretch in Maze prison. Prison has changed him but not like you would think. Gerry is haunted by the crimes he has committed, literally. He is followed by twelve ghosts of people he has killed. He can see, hear and feel the ghosts all the time and they will not let him sleep. Even whiskey doesn’t help and Gerry is seen as a crazy drunk who talk to himself all day.
Gerry tries confessing to one of his victim’s relatives in an effort to free himself from these unwanted spirits but that only get him into trouble with his old bosses. But that’s when he finds out what his ghost want him to do, they want revenge. As Gerry counts down his ghosts, his actions threaten to tear apart Northern Ireland’s new found peace. This means he must be stopped, making this one hell of an explosive thriller.
Collusion
OK so I thought THE TWELVE was freakin’ awesome but COLLUSION takes it up another notch. The now ghost-less (but still haunted) Gerry Fegan has escaped Northern Ireland to New York but his trail of destruction and its consequences still reverberates around Belfast. Interestingly Gerry takes a backseat in this book. We’re introduced to Detective Inspector Jack Lennon (who happens to be the briefly mentioned ex-girlfriend of one of THE TWELVE’s main characters) and we meet an even more twisted hitman known as The Traveller.
I love when a series follows a non- linear path and at first you think COLLUSION is a Jack Lennon novel. But one of Lennon’s cases has links to what happened in THE TWELVE and when he learns his ex-girlfriend and estranged daughter were somehow involved he is determined to find out what happened. When those that survived THE TWELVE start turning up dead Lennon is put on a collision course with The Traveller who has been cleaning up loose ends.
The action is again incredible and the twists are devilish. With a title like COLLUSION you have no idea which side anyone is really on. All the elements that made THE TWELVE great are still here and I am still trying to catch my breath after the ending. Seriously if you love action/thrillers you HAVE to read Stuart Neville.
Stolen Souls
Stuart Neville is fast becoming one of my favourite crime writers. THE TWELVE blew me away and COLLUSION was an excellent follow-up and now he continues the brilliance with STOLEN SOULS.
Jack Lennon again features and he is trying to balance the pieces if his life that are left in the aftermath of the last book. But the central character is Galya, an illegal immigrant from The Ukraine who has been deceived into coming to Ireland for work but the job she has been ‘sold’ into is not what she signed up for.
STOLEN SOULS is in essence a chase novel. The book opens with Galya having just killed a ‘client’. Unfortunately the ‘client’ is the brother of a very important and ruthless man. She must now out run his revenge but ends up jumping out of the fry pan into a very vicious fire.
Meanwhile Jack is left to clean up the trail of destruction and try and figure out what is going on. Neville again mixes up unpredictable action with both flawed and despicable characters. Get on the Stuart Neville bandwagon now because this guy is going to be huge.
Grab all three books for $35.98 (rrp $19.95 each)
and don’t miss the new book in the series, The Final Silence out July 17
Add a CommentBlog: In Search of Giants (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: reading, book review, writing, NaNoWriMo, ARC, autism, suzanne collins, Kristin Cashore, Amusing Monday, Stuart Neville, Clarity of Night, Betsy Dornbusch, Add a tag
And no, sadly, I don't mean these guys:
I haven't blogged much lately. If you're a past reader of In Search of Giants, you know I don't like long posts, so let's break this down:
7. Travels - Nashville and New York City
Both with children, neither with a spa. Enjoyable but requiring quite a bit of recuperation time.
6. Spouse
My sibs and I are pretty tight-knit; my lil sis and I are practically the same person. So when life's tough for her, it's tough for me. And it's been really, really tough for her lately.
I'm not going to turn my blog into a platform for autism, but you're going to encounter it. The new stats are 1 in 98 children. Learn more at Autism Speaks.
As if all that weren't enough, NaNo starts in just three days (see #3, above).
In other words, I will continue to be a sporadic, MIA even, blogger. But do stay tuned - exciting announcements from the Co-Dictators of the Universe, my first CD review, and more - sometime in the near future (ie, prior to 2011.)
Blog: The Poisoned Apple (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Meme, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jack Gantos, Arkham Tales, Sarah Rees Brennan, Carrie Ryan, Stuart Neville, Nathan Shumate, Philip K Dick, Add a tag
The wonderful Nathan Shumate, editor of Arkham Tales has tagged me in a most wonderful meme that proves I do have a lot of books on my shelf and leaves me thankful I don't have a really weird, long name. Here be the rules....
From the biggest bookcase you have, pick out one book whose author’s last name starts with each letter of your last name. If you have no books by an author whose last name starts with a particular letter, go to the next letter. If you have two of the same letter in your last name, get two separate authors, not two books by the same author. Bonus: If you can, pick the first book you haven’t read off your shelf, unless you’re one of those people who’s read all the books you own.
- Post the first sentence of each book, along with the author and title. Feel free to skip prefaces and such, especially if they’re by a different writer.
I expect you might think the story I am about to tell you is untrue or perversely Gothic in some unhealthy way. (Love Curse of the Rumbaughs by Jack Gantos - read and most truly a brilliant book).
So she tells me, the words dribbling out with the cranberry muffin crumbs, commas dunked in her coffee. (Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - read and loved).
My mother used to tell me about the ocean. (The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan - excellent, sequel now please).
Peter Trilling watched quietly as the other children played in the dust by the side of the porch. (The Cosmic Puppets by Philip K. Dick - memorable).
Maybe if he had one more drink they'd leave him alone. (The Twelve by Stuart Neville - to be read).
And out of the Darkwood Mr Toppit comes, and he comes not for you, or for me, but for all of us. (Mr Toppit by Charles Elton - to be read).
The pipe under the sink was leaking again. (The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan - can't wait for the sequel).
And I tag: Aaron Polson, Carrie Harris (who can make hers up if she wants and do a super twist on it), Jamie Eyberg, and if he has the time, Barry Napier (to wake him up).
Blog: In Search of Giants (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: author spotlight, author interview, moonrat, Cindy Pon, Stuart Neville, 7-step scoop, online crushes, 7ss, Clarity of Night, Jason Evans, Add a tag
I first made acquaintance with Stuart Neville through the blogosphere community that frequents Jason Evans's Clarity of Night flash fiction contests, before he even landed his agent. I've enjoyed being one of the groupies, cheering as Stuart humbly recounted tales about landing Nat Sobel as an agent, finalizing the publishing deals, getting celebrity (and non) feedback for his debut novel The Twelve, and caving to peer pressure to join Facebook.
(Okay, okay, and I admit: I totally have a crush on him. Fear not. My thinking he's a dreamy Irish hunk had no impact on my journalistic integrity - these 7SS being so serious and all.)
Step #1
LIGHTNING ROUND
- stout or lager? Lager - can't stand stout.
- Bransford or Moonrat? Oh, don't make me choose! Um, Moonrat, but only because I've met her in person and she took me to a karaoke party.
- David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar? Roth, of course.
- coffee or tea? Tea - can't stand coffee.
- celebrity crush: Just one? Any female news reader - Fiona Bruce from the BBC News, for instance. Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls. Jenna Fischer from The Office. Oh, and Cindy Pon, now that she's all famous.
- a phrase you use often: "Sorry I'm so late," usually followed by a poorly thought-out excuse.
- music you write by: All sorts, but recently it's been Mutter, and album by German industrial metal band Rammstein.
TELL US about any of your weird writing habits or idiosyncracies. (ie, What’s one “thing” you need to write, the thing without which the creative juices would cease to flow?)
I need a guitar to hand at all times so I can noodle on it while I think. It's kind of like how people will doodle with a pen and paper.
Step #3
TEACH US one or two of your favorite vocabulary words.
Pishmire, which is a local expression for someone grumpy or miserable. It's come from an old word for piss ant. That's about as clean a word as I can think of for now...
Step #4
BOOK BLANKS
- The last book I finished reading was BLOOD'S A ROVER by James Ellroy.
- I gave it 5 stars.
- One word to describe it is surprising.
Step #5
QUESTION: What was the most difficult part of The Twelve’s journey to publication?
Being on tenterhooks for what seemed like forever as it was doing the rounds at the UK publishers. You hear of book deals being struck in minutes, but my auction seemed to go on for weeks.
Step #6
QUESTION: What has surprised you most about the publishing process itself?
How eagle-eyed my editor at Harvill Secker, Briony Everroad, is. Her eye for detail is staggering. And also how generous people in the writing community are, from struggling hopefuls to big-name best selling authors.
Step #7
GIVE US THE SCOOP. Tell us something about yourself that’s exclusive to In Search of Giants (ie, has never been publicized in print or podcast interviews.)
I, a fully grown man, can't ride a bike. And I don't mean a motorcycle, I mean a bicycle with pedals.
Obviously I was hoping that Stuart's "scoop" was that he was naming a character in his next book after me, but, whatever. Thanks for letting me interview you, Stuart!
Blog: In Search of Giants (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: writing, miscellany, writing challenge, sermon, Stuart Neville, McKoala, Add a tag
All right, my lovelies, I've been spending a lot of time on the book-part of my blog, so I'm going to be taking some time to work on my writing.
I have, however, managed my Koala Kounts for the past few days. I've written some really bad poetry and a really good sermon. If you are interested in reading (and/or listening, to the sermon, anyway), send me an email and I'll give you the link.
Otherwise, I've kept that site private since - well, you can never be too certain. You might get people like this hounding you.
Stay tuned - tomorrow, Mr. Gorgeous, Mr. Dreamy-Irish-Hunk himself, Stuart Neville!!
Blog: In Search of Giants (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Tamora Pierce, Robin McKinley, Cindy Pon, Amusing Monday, Stuart Neville, Pete Dudley, online crushes, Add a tag
1) What country would I like to live in?
a) the United States
d) New Zealand
e) Ireland
2) Who would I most like to meet?
a) Tamora Pierce
b) Stuart Neville
c) Brendan Fraser
d) Pete Dudley
3) I secretly would like to be ________ for a day?
a) a movie director
b) a professor
e) multi-lingual
4) What is my favorite store to shop at?
a) Hallmark
b) Target
c) Papyrus
d) Old Navy
5) If I was running out of my burning house, what item would I grab?
a) my signed copy of Robin McKinley's BEAUTY
b) my baby book
c) my cell phone
6) What do I like most about myself?
a) my sense of humor
d) my hair
e) my parenting style
7) What is my middle name?
a) Rose
b) Michelle
c) Ditzler
8) What would be the perfect present for me?
a) a Barnes and Noble gift card
b) jewelry from Sundance Catalog
c) an ARC of Kristin Cashore's FIRE
9) Which of the following is not one of my nicknames?
a) Sunny
b) RoseyPosey
c) Charlie
10) What would I dress as for Halloween?
c) Wendy from Peter Pan
d) Belle from Beauty and the Beast
e) Elphaba from Wicked
11) What is the number of schools I attended from Kindergarten thru Sr. Year?
a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
12) What is my favorite movie?
a) Willow
b) Batman Begins
e) Mulan
13) What did I want to be when I was little?
a) a lawyer
b) a microbiologist
c) an actress
14) Which of these people have I not had a crush on?
a) Enrique Murciano
b) Cindy Pon
c) Brendan Fraser
15) What's my current favorite show on TV?
a) Bones
b) Fringe
e) Criminal Minds
16) Who is my favorite Disney character?
a) Mickey
d) Belle
e) Gurgi
17) What am I most scared of?
a) aging
b) snakes
c) spiders
18) What city was I born in?
a) Champaign, IL
d) Smyrna, TN
e) Murfreesboro, TN
19) What is my favorite wild animal?
a) chinchilla
d) leopard
e) spider monkey
20) My favorite specialty drink is ________.
a) Pepsi
d) Starbucks sweet iced tea lemonade
e) Riesling
How'd you do?
Blog: In Search of Giants (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Tamora Pierce, Robin McKinley, Amusing Monday, Stuart Neville, Pete Dudley, online crushes, Add a tag
Hurrah, it's a holiday Monday here in the states! If you goof off on Facebook at least an hour a day, you have seen the quiz going around "How Well Do You Know Me?" (If you don't goof off on Facebook at least an hour a day, why the heck not?) I thought I'd share the quiz I made with you. Answers to be posted later today.
(Why don't you make a similar quiz and put it up on your blog? Leave a comment with the permalink so we can spread the word!)
1) What country would I like to live in?
a) the United States
b) Australia
c) Belize
d) New Zealand
e) Ireland
2) Who would I most like to meet?
a) Tamora Pierce
b) Stuart Neville
c) Brendan Fraser
d) Pete Dudley
e) Little Miss Zarin
3) I secretly would like to be ________ for a day?
a) a movie director
b) a professor
c) single
d) a librarian
e) multi-lingual
4) What is my favorite store to shop at?
a) Hallmark
b) Target
c) Papyrus
d) Old Navy
e) Nordstrom
5) If I was running out of my burning house, what item would I grab?
a) my signed copy of Robin McKinley's BEAUTY
b) my baby book
c) my cell phone
d) my laptop
e) the box in which I keep my children's artwork
6) What do I like most about myself?
a) my sense of humor
b) my intelligence
c) my faith
d) my hair
e) my parenting style
7) What is my middle name?
a) Rose
b) Michelle
c) Ditzler
d) a, b & c
e) a & c
8) What would be the perfect present for me?
a) a Barnes and Noble gift card
b) jewelry from Sundance Catalog
c) an ARC of Kristin Cashore's FIRE
d) time away to write
e) an iMac
9) Which of the following is not one of my nicknames?
a) Sunny
b) RoseyPosey
c) Charlie
d) Queen Aerin
e) Addy
10) What would I dress as for Halloween?
a) trick question - I don't like Halloween
b) Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty
c) Wendy from Peter Pan
d) Belle from Beauty and the Beast
e) Elphaba from Wicked
11) What is the number of schools I attended from Kindergarten thru Sr. Year?
a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
d) 6
e) 7
12) What is my favorite movie?
a) Willow
b) Batman Begins
c) Aeon Flux
d) Sliding Doors
e) Mulan
13) What did I want to be when I was little?
a) a lawyer
b) a microbiologist
c) an actress
d) all of the above
e) none of the above
14) Which of these people have I not had a crush on?
a) Enrique Murciano
b) Cindy Pon
c) Brendan Fraser
d) Neil Gaiman
e) Craig Parker
15) What's my current favorite show on TV?
a) Bones
b) Fringe
c) Legend of the Seeker
d) House
e) Criminal Minds
16) Who is my favorite Disney character?
a) Mickey
b) Lilo
c) Mulan
d) Belle
e) Gurgi
17) What am I most scared of?
a) aging
b) snakes
c) spiders
d) yellow jackets
e) small spaces
18) What city was I born in?
a) Champaign, IL
b) Urbana, IL
c) Savoy, IL
d) Smyrna, TN
e) Murfreesboro, TN
19) What is my favorite wild animal?
a) chinchilla
b) giraffe
c) elephant
d) leopard
e) spider monkey
20) My favorite specialty drink is ________.
a) Pepsi
b) a chocolate martini
c) water
d) Starbucks sweet iced tea lemonade
e) Riesling
So that's why you haven't really been around! After I came back from my blogging break I was wondering what happened to you.You have so much on your plate right now. I hope everything goes well.
Thanks for Crossed Wires. I can't wait to read it.
Missed you! *huggles Aerin*
Aerin's back! I was asking B. literally yesterday if he knew where you'd got to.
You are missed but we can deal because, frankly, all your reasons come first! :)
Hugs to you for being a super woman. Don't forget to smile.
I suppose it's okay coming in at number three, since only family are ahead of me. At least I beat that mischievous womanizer Neville.
I've missed you!
My friend has a spectrum child and they are very lucky to have a state sponsored special school to send her to.
That's a terrific photo.
NaNo = mostly dark blog, got it.
Autistic child = lots of work, got it.
Keep advocating for your child. But also make sure you take time for yourself, whatever form that takes. If you haven't got your health, you haven't got anything.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUKO_Y6RqEk
Thanks for the update. I've missed you around these parts.
I've received an encouraging email from Mr. Parrish as well, and they aren't to be taken lightly.
See you there at NaNoWriMo! As soon as I enrolled I imagined myself writing Watermelon 50,000 times for not being able to complete the task but hey, we still have 29 days. And I buy all your reasons so you do what you have to do to get by.
Go Aerin!
Two people in God's Country are pulling for you. You're one of our favorites.
I've always wanted to be yummy. :)
Yup - that plate of yours is very fullup!!! Feel free to email me any time you want to unload. I'll just bin it and you'll feel better. (;o) ) Alternatively I'm still working on the lottery win plan so we can just go on vacation together, drink cocktails and get totally bladdered. I've been in a neurotic tail-spin myself recently. On the verge of bonkers I'd say. But I epiphed a momentous epiphany and blow me down if I'm not a happy bunny again.
I love epiphanies. I'm going to January 6th my favourite feast day.