cathymoore's review: "A haunting novel about US GIs in the Ardennes forest towards the end of WW2. This is really character driven and the fear and confusion of the young men who were really little more than boys during the war makes for a story that stays with you long after you have finished reading it."William Morrow Paperbacks (1999), Paperback, 256 pages
cathymoore's review: "Detailed and haunting tale of a police officer whose past comes back to bite him when the body of a young girl is found on the edge of some woods in Ireland.
The combination of the clinical police procedural element of the story with the emotional story of a man on the edge of a breakdown made for great reading."
cathymoore's review: "I loved this, it has such a soft, happy feel to it, real feel-good fiction. It was almost laugh out loud funny in places. Not everyone, surely anyone, can live a life as exciting as Allan Karlsson, but if more people looked at life and approached it like Alan, perhaps the world would be a better place."
cathymoore's review: "I hadn't read any Goddard in a good year or two when I read this. It felt good to be back on familiar territory. Although all Goddard's books have different, characters, time periods and settings there is a sense of sameness about them. If they are read one after another this can make them little boring but keeping a long gap between each read means it is like putting on an old pair of comfortable shoes."
cathymoore's review: "This thriller, set in the Netherlands, tells the story of a woman and her child whose home is invaded by an escaped murderer. Although the story is quite short I found it really gripping. It raises some frightening questions about what we would be willing to do to save the lives of ourselves and our children."
cathymoore's review: "Something a bit light and fluffy. It's nice to read this kind of stuff from a male perspective and Gayle's mid-thirties modern man comes across as a really authentic voice. Our main character is away on a boys holiday following the break up of his ten year relationship. Plenty of laughs, and a few not so unexpected twists and turns move this along at a brisk pace. Definitely one to take to the beach."
cathymoore's review: "Sequel to Pillars of the Earth, one of my favourite books. This too is an epic tale of vast proportions. There are five or six main characters and too many incidental characters to count. This is over 1200 pages in paperback and I rattled through it in less than a fortnight. Quite how historically accurate it is I'm not sure, but it wasn't so inaccurate that it spoiled my reading. I wish there were more books like this, the kind where the characters stay around for a few days after you've finished it."
cathymoore's review: "This is a great premise for a book. I was really looking forward to reading about renaissance Venice and the glassblowers. Unfortunately, I found it to be pretty poorly executed and in places hugely far-fetched with some plot holes you could practically walk through.
By the end it had almost turned into one massive cliche. I found it all the more disappointing because it had the potential to be so good."
cathymoore's review: "If you like your fiction ultra violent and ultra bonkers then this is the book for you. All around Dublin's seedy underbelly we go, snorting cocaine and getting beaten up by Russian gangsters. One of my best public library finds this year."
cathymoore's review: "Gordianus the Finder is relishing living in semi retirement in the countryside, or so he thinks! It seems you can never be too far away from the political intrigue of the Forum. Gordianus is at his curmudgeonly best accompanied by a delightfully varied cast of characters."
cathymoore's review: "This was quite an easy quick read. Set in modern American suburbia, two bored parents begin an extra marital affair. This is very much a character study. Thought provoking rather than earth shattering."
cathymoore's review: "This is an absolutely delightful book. The author describes the British countryside with a genuine fondness and his passion for butterflies shines through. I would heartily recommend this book to both butterfly lovers and to those with just a passing interest."
cathymoore's review: "Set in a British boarding school and telling the story of a young Nigerian girl and her relationships with best friends and boys. I wasn't really sure what to expect, and I got more than I bargained for. More than just your average teenage romance with the addition of a missing persons case to shake things up a little. This is a surprisingly good read, with a most unexpected conclusion."
cathymoore's review: "I love Falco. Reading this book was like catching up with an old friend. If possible his wit has become even more acerbic than in his previous outings. This instalment focuses on Falco's relationship with his friend Petronious Longius and his increased domestication by the beautiful Helena Justina. I can only hope that these books continue to be as enjoyable as I progress through the series."
cathymoore's review: "More seat of the pants action with Eddie Chase and Nina Wilde. This is a great easy read with plenty of thrills and spills. This instalment is set predominantly in India with our dynamic duo hunting down the legendary Vault of Shiva. Obviously there is the obligatory power crazed maniac never far behind them!"
cathymoore's review: "I enjoyed this, it was gripping without being too graphic. The plot finished up being a little convoluted and dare I say contrived. So much so that all the twists and turns were explained by one character to another in the last chapters. If that kind of plot device is necessary then it makes me think the story has become overly complicated."
cathymoore's review: "Sam and Remi Fargo are professional treasure hunters. In this first novel in a new series by Cussler they use their combined engineering, archaeological, hand-to-hand fighting and marksmanship skills to romp around the world looking for Napoleon's lost wine collection. Conveniently they are also multimillionaires so chartered jets and endless quantities of state of the art equipment are at their disposal at all times. If you can sufficiently suspend your disbelief this is actually hugely enjoyable and very easy to read."
cathymoore's review: "All the animals in the world have suddenly turned aggressive and started attacking people, seemingly for no reason. It is down to an underachieving biologist to convince the world that his theory about animal to human aggression is true, and hopefully save the world."
cathymoore's review: "Gabby is a forty-something English housewife living in America. She is happily married, yet inconceivably embarks on an emotional affair with a much younger man. With far reaching consequences. I have to say I didn't like Gabby very much at all. She is very self-absorbed. And I don't understand why she had to be English, especially as the author and the setting are both American. As an English person myself, her Englishness just didn't really ring true."
cathymoore's review: "This, the seventh Amelia Peabody, was a bit of a slow burner for me. I felt like it really didn't get going for the first 100 pages or so. When it did though especially towards the end, it was as good as the first in the series."
