Vanishing Games

Title: Vanishing Games

Author: Roger Hobbs [Website][Facebook][Twitter] ; Read by Jake Weber [IMDb]

Publisher: Books on Tape (Random House)

Series: Ghostman, Bk 2

ISBN: 9781101888360

Length: 9 discs ; approximately 11 hours

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

This book needed the circs and seemed up my alley, so I listened to the first book, Ghostman.  Then I could listen to this one.

Comments:

Like the first book, this one has some very graphic violence.  Such as beheading with wire contraptions (that they also had on the TV show Quantico, so I was able to test how my imagination held up to a visual demonstration.)

Jack's mentor Angela has finally contacted him after a 6 year stretch of silence.  After 6 years of not knowing whether someone is dead or alive, do you trust them?  Especially when you trust no one?  And how do you get out of a mess when you have multiple enemies after you, you don't know who any of them are, and they seem to know much more about you?

Why you do what you've trained to do, you be a ghostman, becoming someone new and different in seconds.  Different name, posture and bearing, voice and background...  For me, these transformations are one of the most interesting parts of these stories.

Book three, City of Sirens, is due out in 2018.  A bit of a wait, and with my track record, this gap makes continuing the series iffy.  I'm just now listening to an audiobook that, when I read it's predecessor, I said I couldn't wait for... in 2013.  However, story-wise, I'm definitely interested to hear more of Jack and his adventures.

Bright Blaze of Magic

Title: Bright Blaze of Magic

Author: Jennifer Estep [Website][Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: Kensington

Series: Black Blade, Bk 3

ISBN: 9781617738296

Obtained: Library ebook copy

Why this book?:

Love the author and series.  Thieves!

Comments:

I loved this book (of course).  Lila is a great character who (as I've come to expect of Jennifer Estep's protagonists) has excellent problem solving skills and will do what it takes to protect family and friends.  Devon, Felix, Deah, and the rest are also great.  There is darkness and evil, and then there are those who stand up to it.

So anyway, while there is potential for future books (please, let there be more!), this rather felt like the end of a trilogy rather than the 3rd book in a longer series.  Hopefully, it was just the end of a story arc.  That's certainly happened in the Elemental Assassin series.  Not that I wish more craziness for Lila, but I don't want it to be over!

Ghostman

Title: Ghostman

Author: Roger Hobbs [Website][Facebook][Twitter] ; Read by Jake Weber [IMDb]

Publisher: Books on Tape (Random House)

Series: Ghostman, Bk 1

ISBN: 9780385361767

Length: 10 discs ; 11 hours, 52 minutes

Why this book?:

The second audiobook, Vanishing Games, hadn't circulated yet.  And has a thief in it.  But I couldn't listen to that one without listening to this one.  Plus, it filled the "Title with one word" box on my Summer Reading Bingo Sheet.

Comments:

First on the narration... My very first thought was, ugh.  I don't like this.  It's too gritty and reminds me of my vague memories of the David Baldacci book I listened too (True Blue, narrated by Ron McLarty and listened to in 2012).  So I looked at the back of the case, saw that the narrator, Jake Weber, is the same guy who played the husband in Medium, and decided to be more tolerant.  And that changed everything, because I quickly became involved in the story, and the voice turns out to be perfect for the character Jack.

Now, this story is certainly gritty.  It's extremely graphic with every description of blood and gore.  Some of the violence, described in detail, was horrifying. (In particular, there was a description of the murder of a child that still makes my stomach churn remembering it.  I want to use words like cruel and merciless.  I understand any murder of a child could be described using these words, but this one included torture and ... ugh).  And the descriptions of the guns, etc. made me feel like I was listening to another sniper book.  

But I was caught up in how Jack was going to come out of this mess alive and on top (because surely he would).  I was not so enthralled with the background story (set 5 years ago and interspersed with the current story), but it certainly served a purpose explaining what strings held Jack and kept him from being the free agent and ghostman he intended to be.

Anyway, I ended up listening to it straight through, finishing it pretty quickly as far as audiobooks go (though I mostly kept to just actual driving time and didn't sit in the car for hours at a time just to listen).  I intend to listen to the next book, Vanishing Games, but I have a bit of a pile with audiobooks right now, so it may not be as soon as hoped.

Will in Scarlet

Title: Will in Scarlet

Author: Matthew Cody [Website][Twitter]

Publisher: Knopf

ISBN: 9780375868955

Length: 253 pages

Obtained: ARC (from staff lounge at work I think)

Why this book?:

I've been clearing out some if my teen and pre-teen ARCs.

Note: The color of the cover image is distorted.  It was more of a light blue background, but my phone camera isn't much good.

Comments: 

I actually thought this was going to be about William Shakespeare, not Robin Hood (obviously I didn't look closely at the cover... "The boy behind the Robin Hood legend" was a bit too obvious for me.).  

Once I was reading it, I kept mentally comparing the cast of characters the the BBC America Robin Hood. So there were differences and similarities with the Much and Will and Rob characters that were interesting to note and wonder about.

I enjoyed the story and this new take on a classic legend.

Catch-up, Pt 2

I continue to attempt catching up with the many books read but not posted in months.

Title: Loot: How To Steal a Fortune

Author: Jude Watson [Website] aka Judy Blundell [Website][Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: Scholastic Press

ISBN: 9780545468022

Length: 266 pages

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book:

It features thieves, and I love books about thieves.

Comments:

It was okay, but not as good as I had hoped when I read the blurb and requested the library purchase it.

Christine Feehan [Website][Facebook][Twitter]'s GhostWalker Series

A friend asked me to be in her wedding.  While we were discussing old times, she asked if I still read Christine Feehan (an author I introduced her to)'s books.  I said I hadn't in a while.

But afterwards I suddenly felt like catching up on this particular series. So I read all that have been published to date.  I'll indicate if it was a re-read or new to me next to the title.

1. Shadow Game (re-read)
2. Mind Game (re-read)
3. Night Game (re-read)
4. Conspiracy Game (re-read)
5. Deadly Game (re-read)
6. Predatory Game (re-read)
7. Murder Game (re-read)
8. Street Game (re-read ... I think)
9. Ruthless Game (new-to-me)
10. Samurai Game (new-to-me)
11. Viper Game (new-to-me)

Comments:

These seem to be focusing more and more on sex.  I guess I should expect that, but it was annoying because I was skipping chunks of pages looking for the story toward the end of the series.  But I am still interested in reading more, so we'll see how it goes with future books.

Title: An Early Wake

Author: Sheila Connolly [Website][Facebook] aka Sarah Atwell [Berkley Prime Crime]

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

Series: County Cork Mystery, Bk 3

ISBN: 9780425252536

Length: 291 pages

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

I've been enjoying this series and author.

Comments:

Offered an interesting look into Irish musical history.  I enjoyed the overall story, but there were some inconsistencies that frustrated me beyond belief.  I had to keep setting the book down and distracting myself from whatever inconsistency before I moved on.

Nora Roberts [Website][Website 2][Facebook] re-reading and catch-up and all new...

Title: Brazen Virtue (re-read)

Follows Sacred Sins.  I've re-read this before and know and like the story.  But this time I saw it with fresh eyes.  Oh, technology.  How it does date books so.  I was 4 yo when this book was published.

The Sign of Seven Trilogy (new-to me ; catch-up)

Blood Brothers
The Hollow
The Pagan Stone

I had some trouble with picking these up when they came out years ago (even though I do own all of them).  Once I actually started I found myself caught up.  The books were interesting, and I liked the characters.

The Circle Trilogy (new-to-me ; catch-up)

Morrigan's Cross
Dance of the Gods
Valley of Silence

If I was going to catch-up on some unread trilogies, I may as well go all the way.  I was apparently in the right frame of mind for vampires now (that is, initially, why I never read this series).  I breezed through the series; I especially looked forward to the vampire's story in the 3rd book of the trilogy.

Title: The Liar (new)

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons

ISBN: 9780399170867

Length: 501 pages

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

It's the newest Nora Roberts.

Comments:

It was pretty interesting: 1) the look at verbal abuse and its spiraling effect, 2) how one falls into the web of a master con-man, 3) how someone can pick themselves back up.

Shelby did seem to go from being shamed (courtesy of lies of an abuser) to proud (she had to do all the financial pick-up herself... no bankruptcy etc. for her).  But I still liked her.  And Griffin was pretty good too.  I did figure certain key aspects out way before any of the characters in the book.  Maybe because I've seen it in other books/movies before.  And I'll say no more lest I give something away.

The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam

Title: The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam


Author: Chris Ewan [Website][Facebook][Twitter]
Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur

Series: The Good Thief's Guide to..., Bk 1

ISBN: 9780312376338

Length: 238 pages

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?: 

It's a thief book.  And a book about an author who writes thief books.  And a mystery.  I was intrigued.

Comments: 

I'll be brief.  Charlie is an author of thief books.  He's also a thief.  The book starts with a man offering him a job - steal some cheap little evil see, do, speak figurines from two locations while the man has dinner with the occupants of those homes.  And Charlie does, but things go awry from there (or maybe even before that).  Now Charlie's figuring out just what is so special about these figurines and who the murderer is, all while looking for a fix for a major plot hole in his current work-in-progress.

I enjoyed the book.  I wished I had paid more attention to the descriptions of Amsterdam when I realized I'd be there for about 24-hrs.  As it is, all I can say is WOW.  I knew there'd be a lot of bike travel.  I remembered that much.  But there are bikes EVERYWHERE.  I didn't get as far around as Charlie did.  But I did get to see the Van Gogh museum (briefly - I had a plane to catch).

Anyway, I do intend to read more of the series, the next being The Good Thief's Guide to Paris.

Trailer:

 

Heist Society

Title: Heist Society

Author: Ally Carter

Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books

Series: Heist Society, Bk 1

ISBN: 9781423116394

Length: 287

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

I saw the 2nd book of the series, Uncommon Criminals, on Daisel's of Owl Always Be Reading's "It's Monday!" post, and it caught my interest.  I have a thing for thief stories.

Comments:

Much of the first part of the book reminded me of the Ocean's movies and The Italian Job movie and maybe the show Leverage.  You know?  The whole putting together a team part.  And the coming from thief families part.  And the naming off various types of jobs by their pet names.

Followed by the extreme obstacles (Security that needs to be bypassed, the completion, deadlines, etc.) that need to be over come part.  Including a clear view of who the bad guys are (not our thieves of course), as well as a move to seek justice, to right a wrong, to seek balance...

And then top it all off with the results.  You know those scenes where you see how it all went down?  The parts that you had been missing, but now you see how they pulled it off?

In other words, this was a YA version of the typical heist story.  Which meant I found it fun and intriguing, if not quite as exciting as I found those examples I mentioned in the beginning.  I look forward to reading Uncommon Criminals.

Trailer:

Thieves and Assassins in Books

2006 – At least six men staged Britain's biggest robbery ever, stealing £53,116,760 in bank notes from a Securitas depot in Tonbridge, Kent.

This is one of today's "Events in History"

I'm going to share my odd fascination with books (fiction!) about the criminal element. Usually thieves, sometimes assassins. What am I talking about?

Well, there's Mercedes Lackey's Take a Thief or Pickpocket Countess by Bronwyn Scott or Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts.

For assassin books, I really enjoy Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series (I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that before) and I just finished reading Leslie Langtry's 'Scuse Me While I Kill This Guy (the first in her Greatest Hits series).

I've even gone so far as to gather up recommendations about thief books. So here's a list - organized loosely by genre. There is some overlap, especially when it comes to YA books. Also, this list may be a little outdated (I requested the recommendations nearly a yr ago). I have NOT read all of these.

Mystery/Thriller: Jonathon Gash's Lovejoy series ; Lawrence Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr series ; Donald Westlake's Dortmunder series

Fantasy/Sci-Fi: Take a Thief - Mercedes Lackey ; The Thief's Gamble - Juliet McKenna ; Laura Anne Gilman's Retriever series ; The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies - Scott Lynch ; The Thief Lord - Cornelia Funke

Romance: Honest Illusions - Nora Roberts ; To Love a Thief - Julie Anne Long ; Thieves, Spies, and Other Lovers - Anne Stuart, Dawn Carroll, Lynn Erickson which includes Anne Stuart's Catspaw. Catspaw II - Anne Stuart ; Night and Day - Anne Stuart, Gayle Wilson ; Pickpocket Countess - Bronwyn Scott ; Step into Darkness and Theft of Shadows – Naomi Bellis ; If You Dare - Adrianne Byrd ; Lady Thief and Once a Thief and Always a Thief - Kay Hooper ; Flirting With Danger and Billionaires Prefer Blondes and Don't Look Down and Touch of Minx - Suzanne Enoch

Misc. (Historical, General, etc.): The Thomas Crown Affair - Evan Lee Heyman ; The Secret River - Kate Grenville ; If Tomorrow Comes - Sidney Sheldon

YA or Children's: The Book Thief - Markus Zusak ; Montmorency series - Eleanor Updike ; The Thief and The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner ; The Legend of Nightfall and The Return of Nightfall - Mickey Zucker Reichert ; Marry Norton's Borrower series(?)

Biography: The Napolean of Crime (The Life and Times of Adam Worth, Master Thief) - Ben MacIntyre

Know of any others? Let me know! Same goes if you know of any other assassin books where the assassin is (one of) the main character(s).