Legacy of Blood. - Alex Connor

Synopsis: London, 1732. William Hogarth is called to a murder scene. A woman lies dead, her unborn child ripped from her body. It is a warning. Hogarth painted the future King leaving her bed. He must destroy the painting to survive. But her killers made one mistake. They left the Prince's son alive. Centuries later, one man holds proof of this line of succession and keeps a watchful eye on the Prince's heir. The legacy is a terrible burden, but also an incredible opportunity. During a flight in a private jet, when a fellow passenger speaks of having gained possession of proof of this, the Royal Family's darkest secret, everything changes. Within hours of the flight, three of the seven passengers have been silenced. Who killed them? Why? To keep the secret or expose it? Where is the proof?

Review

After thoroughly enjoying Alex Connor’s The Rembrandt Secret in March of last year, I felt a sense of eager anticipation when turning over the first page to her latest offering, Legacy of Blood. I definitely wasn’t disappointed. Once more Connor delves deep into the murky, murderous depths of the art world, this time emerging with a sensational secret which threatens the very monarchy itself.

A fateful journey on a private jet: the mad whisperings of an art dealer confused and in a mind-state far from calm. One sudden foolish mistake: with dreadful and potentially devastating consequences. The confirmation of the existence of a William Hogarth painting believed to be lost – but who heard Bernie Freeland’s spluttered out secret? Three art dealers, ruthless and manipulating in a world that takes no prisoners; three call girls who have information at their fingertips, and a madam that has contacts in high places. The secret is huge, and people are prepared to commit unspeakable deeds to have the painting for their own. The Russians, the Chinese, and those in the English hierarchy that know the painting must remain safe at all costs.

What impressed me the most about Legacy of Blood was the delightful way in which the author weaves a complex, intricate web of characters; each with their own stories and secrets, each with their own motives, but whose paths, and in some cases pasts, are closely interwoven. As a result, the reader is pulled cleverly from side to side, thoughts racing in an attempt to get the measure of each of the characters involved, the list of possible culprits seemingly endless. It seems impossible to know who to trust and who to be wary of, as Connor keeps us guessing; we flick through the pages, captured like a fly to a spider’s web as we struggle to penetrate a world which holds many secrets, to find our answers. On she weaves, as the plot twists and turns right to the very last page.

In a sense, the dénouement is one which has multiple layers; the answers are never so simple in the elusive and secretive art world. It is unclear how the tale will unravel, because each character has separate ideas about the painting and its importance. Someone is committing murders, ruthless and gruesome; another, dying himself of a terrible illness, knows he must keep the painting safe to insure the future of his family when he is gone. A recently disgraced man, fallen from the art world, takes up an investigation more dangerous than he realises; dreaming of the painting that can restore him to prominence in the art world once more. A mother weeps as her son lies dying in a coma, the fateful overdose coming just hours after stepping off Bernie Freeland's private jet.

Legacy of Blood is a story of greed, ruthlessness, murder and deceit. In the race to own the painting that causes such scheming and lies, who will emerge victorious? Will good prevail over those who intend evil, and will a secret that has remained buried for centuries emerge to befall the government itself? Read Alex Connor’s fantastic new thriller for a rip-roaring, action-packed tale that will make your jaw drop and your fingers itch with excitement as you turn the pages.

5/5.

Bad Blogger!

It's been six months or thereabouts since I last looked at this blog. Six whole months. Why is that? I guess I could make the typical excuse of life moving on and getting in the way, and although to some extent that is true, I know that if I would have really wanted to make the effort, it wouldn't have been too difficult to get on here and write a post occasionally. I have, however, once more decided to start writing posts on here again. Call it a belated New Year's resolution, or something.

In September I started university and it's certainly been an experience. New people, new sights, new city; a new life. I'm glad I took the opportunity to move to a different city, and to go to university, as I'm sure it's going to be a life-changing experience; already I see that for me it's a part of growing up, and trying to find myself as a person. In a sense, although I really went to university to further my studies, it's like my life is really beginning here.

As for my studies, on Monday I begin my second semester of my first year. Last semester went reasonably well, but not quite as well as I would have liked. I struggled at first to get used to the style expected in assignments, accustomed instead to the essay-writing at a-level standard. However, as the weeks went by my marks improved, and I soon hope to have my exam results back also. I know already that most of my modules have been passed, so I'm not too worried about the outcome of the exams.

As the new semester rolls around, my modules for the year are; Romanticism, which looks at poets such as Keats, Byron, Blake, Wordsworth and Coleridge; Shakespeare, a module that I'm excited to get started on because I've always wanted to read more of his works; Crime Fiction, which will include the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, along with the writings of Agatha Christie; and lastly Bildungsroman, where I will get to read the works of Dickens and Charlotte Bronté, just to name a couple. Evidently, I have an interesting semester ahead of me.

In general then, as I aim to get the blog up and running again, I will once more be focusing my posts on my general interest in music, sport and literature. I shall be aiming to diversify my taste in both my reading and in my album-listening habits, taking albums from the lists on the 1001 Series site as well, as I go. So without further ado, this brings my long absence to a close, and let's see if I can finally commit to posting regularly once again.

Ben.

Riots, Rage & Ruin.

I wanted to pause for a second and take a time out from my regular posts, to reflect and offer my ruminations instead on something that is more important: the horrific unrest and riots that have taken place principally in London, but which are spreading across the country even as I type.

Quite frankly, it is disgusting to sit and watch thousands of people loot, burn buildings, and fight with police, destroying everything that they see fit, without a semblance of care or remorse for their actions. People's homes are being destroyed, along with their businesses; even their very livelihoods. Yet it continues, as more and more people join in with what can only be described as mob mentality. It's sickening to see the true capabilities of human nature; the very violence, unrest and turmoil that Great Britain has become embroiled in.

Fire rages through the Carpetright store on Tottenham High Road

I may be young and naive, but even I can recognise that these people are deluded. They may convince themselves that their is drive to their actions, talk themselves into fighting. They may complain that they are making their voices heard by making a stand; but this is surely not the way to do it.

Alas, the media make things no better. The images of buildings in flames, of smashed glass and of fighting littering the streets, are one's that you would expect. Does this mean they make the situation better? No. It's obvious that they must inform the public of events, but although it will fill most viewers with bitterness and resentment for those that are causing the problems, it also riles the spirits of those that want to get involved for no reason. As such, the riots have transpired into something out of control; a complete civil unrest.

A police car burns in the night

In just two days the situation has become more frightening than anyone could have possibly imagined; a realisation that within such a short period of time, a completely manic attitude has swept the country. I pray for the families and the people that have lost their businesses and homes over attitudes and actions so preposterous, pathetic and unnecessary that it makes my blood boil, as I'm sure it does many others.

I guess all we can do now is wait and hope that our country has enough good to calm the situation and bring it to peace before this can be allowed to continue onwards and spread even further. It needs to be stopped.

The Interpretation of Murder. - Jed Rubenfeld

Synopsis: Manhattan, 1909. On the morning after Sigmund Freud arrives in New York on his first - and only - visit to the United States, a stunning débutante is found bound and struggled in her penthouse apartment, high above Broadway. The following night, another beautiful heiress, Nora Acton, is discovered tired to a chandelier in her parents' home, viciously wounded and unable to speak or to recall her ordeal. Soon Freud and his American disciple Stratham Younger, are enlisted to help Miss Acton recover her memory, and to piece together the killer's identity. It is a riddle that will test their skills to the limit, and lead them on a thrilling journey - into the darkest places of the city, and of the human mind.


Review

Well, where on earth do I start with this one? I picked this up on the recommendation of several members on a forum I regularly frequent, and I certainly haven't been disappointed; The Interpretation of Murder is a captivating novel filled with love, deception and murder. Sigmund Freud's only ever trip to the United States is one that has always confused biographers, as for the rest of his life he referred to American's as 'savages.' What happened to the genius on his travels? Rubenfeld in this novel delightfully weaves the threads of history and fiction together, to create us a clever answer.

From the moment that Freud steps down in the United States with his two companions Carl Jung and Sandor Ferenczi, to deliver a series of lectures at a prestigious university, in the hope his psychoanalytical ideas will propel across the country, mysterious forces work against him to stop him doing so. As Freud battles to dispel the rumours that threaten his work and his credibility, his disciple Dr Stratham Younger, has other problems. A stunning débutante is found whipped and bound in her home, with no recollection of the event, or no voice. Miss Acton must work with Younger to unravel the mystery of her lost voice, and as she does so, Stratham begins to realise that not everything is quite as it seems.

The Interpretation of Murder is a novel which is fiendishly clever, as the reader's suspicions are led one way, then another. The author creates a tension through all his characters; as accusations fly between them, we no longer know who to trust. It seems everyone has a secret to hide, as the plot unravels and the reader turns the pages in anticipation.

In addition, the novel tackles brilliantly, the way in which Sigmund Freud transformed our ideas of psychology and of the mind. As an A Level psychology student who has studied Freud, I found this to be enlightening in the way in which some of his techniques and ideas were explored and analysed. Of course, not everyone agrees with the great man's ideas; and as the divisions and cracks within Freud's personal camp begun to show throughout the novel, maybe the answers are closer than the psychoanalysts believe.

All in all a fantastic, engaging novel that holds the reader in suspense and anticipation, trying to second-guess Rubenfeld's plot twists and turns. It is a tribute to the way in which the book is written to know that when the reader feels like they have stumbled upon the answer, they must not be so sure, as the rug is swept from under our feet once more. Allow yourself to be taken on a journey into the darkest depths of New York city, and into the human mind.

5/5.

Club Dead. - Charlaine Harris

Synopsis: There's only one vampire Sookie Stackhouse is involved with - at least voluntarily - and that's Bill. But recently he's been a little distant - in another state distant. His sinister and sexy boss Eric has an idea where to find him, and next thing Sookie knows she's off to Jackson, Mississippi, to mingle with the underworld at Club Dead. It's a dangerous little haunt where the elusive vampire society can go to chill out and suck down some Type O - but when Sookie finally finds Bill caught in an act of serious betrayal she's not sure whether to save him, or to sharpen some stakes. The Sookie Stackhouse books are delightful Southern Gothic supernatural mysteries, starring Sookie, the telepathic cocktail waitress, and a cast of increasingly colourful characters, including vampires, werewolves and things that really do go bump in the night.

Review

Well, I'm certainly flying through this series, as the third book in the Sookie Stackhouse comes to an end, and I think this has been my favourite so far. I'm unsure why, but the action was even higher, the danger even greater, and the tension throughout was so strong it just poured through the pages.

This time Sookie faces a different dilemma to her previous excursions, as this time she doesn't have Bill. In the past weeks he's been cold and distant, and he finally leaves without really telling her why; a betrayal that hits hard when she is told by Eric. Next minute Sookie is travelling again, this time to Mississippi and to the kingdom of vampire Russel Edgington. The danger is high, and vampire bar Club Dead holds more dangers than she's ever faced before. Despite the moral dilemma, Sookie knows she needs to talk to Bill no matter what; she must save him, even if he has betrayed her.

Tortured and alone, Bill suffers with regret and pain; the betrayer betrayed. Sookie is on her way though, however, and although it costs her greatly she finds information that leads the vampires to Bill. Penetrating the compound, Sookie must use every talent she's used so far, and a little more, to try save the first person she's truly loved; no matter what. She's had the help of werewolf Alicide throughout, but this time she's alone; but she's dangerous, and always down for the fight.

Throughout this novel, I felt the character development from the previous two novels. We found out more about Bill's past, and I feel Sookie had finally learned to deal a little with her telepathy, exploring it more than ever to help her investigations. The book was just as engaging as the last two in the series, perhaps even more so, and the action didn't let up for even a moment, despite the underlying questions of morality that played such an important part in the book.

Overall, a strong addition to the series and I'll certainly be attacking the rest with gusto; these novels really are great, fast-paced reads which pass away the hours quickly without complaint. Enjoyable to both young adults and adults alike, if you haven't snapped them up (no vampire puns intended) yet, do so; you're missing out.

5/5.

Living Dead In Dallas. - Charlaine Harris

Synopsis: Sookie Stackhouse is living in Bon Temps, Louisiana, and she likes working as a cocktail waitress at Merlotte's. But she's having a streak of bad luck. First her co-worker is killed, and no one seems to care. Then she comes face-to-face with a beastly creature which gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn't enjoy it).

The point is the vampires saved her life. So when one of the bloodsuckers asks for a favour, she obliges - and soon Sookie's in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She's supposed to interview certain humans involved, but she makes one condition: the vampires must promise to behave, and let the humans go unharmed. But that's easier said than done, and all it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly.

Review

The second book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, then, and certainly just as enjoyable as the first. Sookie owes the vampires a debt, and she isn't one to let down a promise, as she travels to Dallas to help out in their investigations. Things don't run quite as smoothly as she wishes, however, and she soon finds herself way out of her depth.

The Fellowship lurk around every corner, and wait resolutely to harm vampires, or those that have associated with them; believing that they deserve to atone for their sins. They are at the centre of Sookie's discoveries and she travels to their headquarters in order to help her investigations, and save the person the vampires want returned. Soon though, she finds herself captured, betrayed, and ultimately alone; with only her skills to help her.

Danger fast approaching, Sookie faces her toughest and most stern test yet; she must escape, and she must help those she can. It's easier said than done, however, as the reader turns the pages in anticipation, and feels the anxiety of the characters. The novel is engaging, gripping, whilst at the same time a fast-paced read; a tribute to how easy it is to lose yourself in the pages.

I recommend this series so far to anyone that enjoys a novel that has a bit of everything; plenty of action, littered with humour and wit that had me laughing out loud at some points. It mixes tension and odd moments of romance nicely; a fantastic read.

4/5.

Dead Until Dark. - Charlaine Harris

Synopsis: Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of 'disability.' She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then comes along Bill: he's tall, dark and handsome - and Sookie can't 'hear' a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting for all her life. But Bill has a disability of his own: he's a vampire. Worse than that, he hands around with a seriously creepy crowd, with a reputation for trouble - of the murderous kind. And when one of Sookie's colleagues is killed, she begins to fear she'll be next.

Review

Now the Sookie Stackhouse series is one I've been meaning to get around too for years now, especially after hearing from friends how good it is, and after seeing it made into television hit show True Blood. In any case, Dead Until Dark is the first in the series, and I enjoyed it immensely.

Dead Until Dark is one of those fast-paced, easy reads, that you can sit back with, enjoying a brew; passing the hours by without really knowing where they have gone. The action is plentiful, the writing engaging, and the characters believable enough to feel involved with what they are going through.

The novel centres around young Sookie Stackhouse, the cocktail waitress from Bon Temps, Louisiana, who has the often horrible talent of being able to read people's minds. Not a moment of peace is granted to her; it's an affliction she has to put up with all day long. That all changes when she meets Bill the vampire; handsome, mysterious, and a breath of fresh air, since she all she meets is wonderful silence when she tries to reach his mind.

Despite this though, falling for a vampire looks like it has its consequences. Nobody approves, everyone's weary of him, and it helps not that all around the town woman are being brutally murdered; those who have an association with vampires. It's frightening; Sookie fears she is next, and doesn't know who to trust. The darkness and the murder close in, the danger piles up; someone or something stalks the night, with the attention of causing her harm.

4/5.