Archer’s most recent book series is based around William Warwick. This is book #2 (2020) in the four published, so far.
Having been promoted to Detective Sergeant, William Warwick and his team have been assigned to the Drug Squad where they are charged with apprehending a notorious South London drug leader named Khalil Rashidi. Along the way, William makes new enemies and encounters several old foes like Miles Faulkner who could finally be put in prison.
Meanwhile, in his personal life, Warwick is planning a wedding with Beth. They are however caught off guard by the unpleasant surprise waiting for them at the altar.
Quite different than the usual Peter May novel, this one is a bit autobiographical.
The decision of five teenage boys to leave their homes in Glasgow in 1965 and head for London is led by Jack Mackay when he is expelled from school. His friends need little incentive to run away from abusive families and dead end jobs to pursue fame and fortune as a band. However, the boys find the reality to be devastatingly different from their dreams, and within less than eight weeks of their departure, just three of them return home, their lives irrevocably damaged.
Fifty years later, in 2015, a brutal murder takes place in London and the three men, who are now in their sixties, are forced to return to the city to confront the demons which have haunted them and blighted their lives for five decades.
Because I HATE advertising, I subscribe to YouTube Premium for about $10 / month.
Included in that bundle is YouTube Music. I downloaded about 100 favourite songs so I can listen offline on the rare occasion I want music rather than podcasts and audio books.
It includes “YouTube Original” TV and movies, a sad collection of things you’d never want to watch. Google has ALL the money so I’m surprised they don’t buy some streaming platforms and compete against Disney, Netflix and the rest.
BUT their only remaining scripted series is Cobra Kai.
It was part of the new-to-me at the time sub-genre of murder mysteries where female authors write the story from mostly a female point of view. Gillian Flynn-like books.
Her 2021 book is smart. And there are some similarities to Girl on a Train:
story told from the viewpoint of multiple unreliable characters
mostly female perspective
story unfolds jumping forward and backward in time
Daniel Sutherland is murdered on his Narrowboat on a canal. And damned if I could guess which of the many unlikely killers did the deed. It kept me guessing right to the end.
It had something to do with a domestic tragedy long ago where a young boy fell to his death from a balcony. But what?
I recommend this book. But the complexities were a bit much for me. I liked Girl on a Train better.
To see how a good author develops a novel, click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Joe Pickett is the new game warden in Twelve Sleep, Wyoming, a town where nearly everyone hunts and the game warden—especially one like Joe who won’t take bribes or look the other way—is far from popular.
When he finds a local hunting outfitter dead, splayed out on the woodpile behind his state-owned home, he takes it personally. …
The intersecting life stories of two men born on the same day — 18 April 1906.
William Kane is a rich kid from Boston. Abel Rosnovski, a Pole born into poverty.
Both are super talented and ambitious. Kane becomes a top banker. Abel a hotel tycoon.
The two should have been friends and allies, yet become enemies.
That gets complicated when their children get married despite vehement protests.
A sprawling good book with plenty of historical references. Yet I feel Archer became a better writer over the decades since 1979. This book felt old to me, compared with his newer books.
The film chronicles an unlikely friendship between budding actors Tommy Wiseau and Sestero that results in the production of Wiseau’s 2003 film The Room, widely considered one of the worst films ever made.
The Disaster Artist stars brothers James and Dave Franco as Wiseau and Sestero, respectively …
No doubt Canadian mystery novelist Louise Penny did most of the writing.
But it must have been Hillary who included Putin (here called Ivanov) and a former President golfer (here called “Eric Dunn”). She and Bill are Washington super-insiders. They know how it works.
In my opinion, this book is not as good as either of the Bill Clinton collaboration. Those were more fun.
It was FUN to see Louise Penny’s character Chief Inspector Armand Gamache from Quebec make an appearance.
And it was important to hear a screed against Washington misogyny. Hillary knows better than anyone how much harder it is to be a woman in politics.
In any case, this book is getting great reviews. Selling by the truckload. But it didn’t really work for me.
Rick McCharles 