2 posts tagged “mystery”
It's very rare that I pick up an adult book, but I had heard rumblings about this book for awhile so I decided to give it a try. All of the print copies were checked out of the library at the time, but the audiobook was available, so I took that.
I'm so glad I did.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is an involved mystery with a huge cast of characters. The two main characters are Mikael Blomkvist - a journalist who has been found guilty of libel against a multimillionaire - and Lisbeth Salander - a slightly unstable young woman with a knack for finding information, even if it means breaking a few laws. We spend about half of the book waiting to see what twist of fate will bring these two people together. And once they team up, we spend the rest of the book wondering how they will solve this 40 year old crime.
I'll re-emphasize that this is an adult novel. It's complex and has some very disturbing scenes and themes (let me put it this way - the original title in Swedish translates to "Men Who Hate Women"). The book is well written. The characters full formed. The story engrossing.
Simon Vance reads the audiobook and I was blown away by his performance. This book has a cast of probably 20 some characters and Vance manages to give them all their own unique voice. Blomkvist sounds like a British Sam Spade; Lisbeth manages to sound like a girl and a bad ass at the same time; Henrik Vanger sounds like Richard Harris...I never found myself confused about who was speaking and my mind never wandered as I was sucked into this story of a reporter, a rich family, a delinquent woman, and a missing girl.
5 out of 5 for the audiobook version - Fantastic story, AMAZING performance.
I'm so glad I did.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is an involved mystery with a huge cast of characters. The two main characters are Mikael Blomkvist - a journalist who has been found guilty of libel against a multimillionaire - and Lisbeth Salander - a slightly unstable young woman with a knack for finding information, even if it means breaking a few laws. We spend about half of the book waiting to see what twist of fate will bring these two people together. And once they team up, we spend the rest of the book wondering how they will solve this 40 year old crime.
I'll re-emphasize that this is an adult novel. It's complex and has some very disturbing scenes and themes (let me put it this way - the original title in Swedish translates to "Men Who Hate Women"). The book is well written. The characters full formed. The story engrossing.
Simon Vance reads the audiobook and I was blown away by his performance. This book has a cast of probably 20 some characters and Vance manages to give them all their own unique voice. Blomkvist sounds like a British Sam Spade; Lisbeth manages to sound like a girl and a bad ass at the same time; Henrik Vanger sounds like Richard Harris...I never found myself confused about who was speaking and my mind never wandered as I was sucked into this story of a reporter, a rich family, a delinquent woman, and a missing girl.
5 out of 5 for the audiobook version - Fantastic story, AMAZING performance.
Cody is not the smartest kid in his high school, and he's definitely not the richest. But he is the star quarterback and he does have an awesome girlfriend. Clea may live in a mansion, but she gets Cody and they enjoy each other's company. In fact, one day they are enjoying it a little *too* much and Clea's father walks in on them. The next time Clea talks to Cody, she tells him that her father is pulling her out of their school in Little Bend, Colorado and transferring her to a private school -- in Vermont.
Cody says a few unkind words, Clea is shipping across the country, and life goes on. But then Cody is tackled during a game and wrecks his knee so much that he is not allowed to play the rest of the season. Without football to motivate him, he drops out of high school and ends up working at the local lumber yard. It is on his way there one morning, that he sees the newspaper in local coffee shop - the front page has Clea's picture on it with a headline "MISSING GIRL".
Cody drops everything and drives to Vermont, hoping to find out what has happened to Clea. But when he gets there, he finds a whole new world; kids with money, a boarding school with its own history, and Clea's new boyfriend. But that doesn't stop Cody, he is determined to find out where Clea is and if she is still alive.
Reality Check is a quick read, a suspense/mystery book targeted towards teens but since Peter Abrahams is a talented writer, or at least, I feel like he just approaches writing like "hey I'm writing, we'll see who reads it" that this book would appeal to anyone who is in the mood for a mystery. I enjoyed following Cody around Dover Academy and watching him piece together all the clues, and slowly realize that maybe he was smarter than he gave himself credit for.
Cody says a few unkind words, Clea is shipping across the country, and life goes on. But then Cody is tackled during a game and wrecks his knee so much that he is not allowed to play the rest of the season. Without football to motivate him, he drops out of high school and ends up working at the local lumber yard. It is on his way there one morning, that he sees the newspaper in local coffee shop - the front page has Clea's picture on it with a headline "MISSING GIRL".
Cody drops everything and drives to Vermont, hoping to find out what has happened to Clea. But when he gets there, he finds a whole new world; kids with money, a boarding school with its own history, and Clea's new boyfriend. But that doesn't stop Cody, he is determined to find out where Clea is and if she is still alive.
Reality Check is a quick read, a suspense/mystery book targeted towards teens but since Peter Abrahams is a talented writer, or at least, I feel like he just approaches writing like "hey I'm writing, we'll see who reads it" that this book would appeal to anyone who is in the mood for a mystery. I enjoyed following Cody around Dover Academy and watching him piece together all the clues, and slowly realize that maybe he was smarter than he gave himself credit for.
