Headhunters, by Jo Nesbo

Format: Paperback, 376 pages

Published: March 29, 2012 (first published 2008)

Publisher: Vintage

Back cover blurb:

Roger Brown has it all: Norway’s most successful headhunter, he is married to a beautiful gallery owner and owns a magnificent house. But he’s also a highly accomplished art thief. At a gallery opening, his wife introduces him to Clas Greve. Not only is Greve the perfect candidate for a position that Brown is recruiting for; he is also in possession of ‘The Calydonian Boar Hunt’ by Rubens, one of the most sought-after paintings in modern art history. Roger starts planning his biggest theft ever. But soon, he runs into trouble – and it’s not financial problems that are threatening to knock him over this time…

My review:

My sister has been recommending Nesbo to me for a while, so when he came to New Zealand recently I decided it was time to see what all the fuss was about. Now I know, and have to agree with my sister: he is well worth recommending.

Headhunters is the story of thoroughly loathsome Roger Brown, who is both a top Norwegian recruitment agency big-wig and an art thief, and what happens when he falls foul of a former Dutch counterterrorism agent who wants to find a new job. The plot twists and turns with rapid pace, shocking us with horrific violence and acts of betrayal. We dislike Roger from beginning to end, but he is more sympathetic than sociopathic Clas Greve, who seems to turn up like The Terminator no matter what is thrown at him.

I can see how this book was turned into a movie – it almost reads like a screenplay and the images are vividly written – and I would quite like to see it now I have read the source material. The scene in the outhouse may be one I will never forget.

I enjoyed this far more than Stieg Larssen, and will definitely be reading Nesbo’s Harry Hole mysteries. My sister has even given me one to get me started

My rating: 4/5

The Affair, by Lee Child

Format: Trade paperback, 432 pages

Published: September 1, 2011

Publisher: Bantam

Back cover blurb:

Everything starts somewhere. . . .For elite military cop Jack Reacher, that somewhere was Carter Crossing, Mississippi, way back in 1997. A lonely railroad track. A crime scene. A cover up. A young woman is dead, and solid evidence points to a soldier at a nearby military base. But that soldier has powerful friends in Washington. Reacher is ordered undercover—to find out everything he can, to control the local police, and then to vanish. Reacher is a good soldier. But when he gets to Carter Crossing, he finds layers no one saw coming, and the investigation spins out of control. Local sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux has a thirst for justice—and an appetite for secrets. Uncertain they can trust one another, Reacher and Deveraux reluctantly join forces. Reacher works to uncover the truth, while others try to bury it forever. The conspiracy threatens to shatter his faith in his mission, and turn him into a man to be feared.A novel of unrelenting suspense that could only come from the pen of #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child, The Affair is the start of the Reacher saga, a thriller that takes Reacher—and his readers—right to the edge . . . and beyond .With Reacher, #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child has created “a series that stands in the front rank of modern thrillers” (The Washington Post).

My review:

Ah, Reacher. So that’s how you and the army parted ways. I loved this book, and couldn’t put it down – primarily because one minute I thought one person had done it, and the next I thought it was someone else, and it wasn’t until the last half a dozen pages that it was really resolved. Rather permanently resolved, in fact. Brilliant.

This one was written in the first person – Lee Child likes to alternate, having some books in first and some in third – so we got to see inside Reacher’s head, which is always a fascinating place. I love his humour, his talent with the ladies, and of course his own particular way of dealing with the bad guys. Bonuses here also include Reacher’s pals Frances Neagley (who I love from at least two previous books), Karla Dixon and Stan Lowrey (from Bad Luck and Trouble), crusty old Leon Garber, and passing mention of his brother Joe to tie the storyline in with events in the very first book, Killing Floor.

This is a great addition to Reacher’s backstory. I can’t help feeling, though, that I can see the end of the road coming for him. Then I’ll be very sad.

My rating: 5/5

Related articles

• ‘One Shot’ May Be Retitled ‘Reacher’; Early Footage Reaction (screenrant.com)

Update: Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge 2011

Happy New Year, everyone! Well, I’m done with my 2011 reading challenges, and have surpassed my expectations – and those of the challenge rules – by quite a bit over the last year!

I read a lot of the mystery/thriller genre, so this challenge was ideal for me. Book Chick City‘s rules were:

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2011 – 31 Dec 2011

• Rules: To read TWELVE (12) mystery & suspense novels in 2011 (12 is the minimum but you can read more if you wish!)

• You don’t have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

• You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.

• At the beginning of Jan 2011, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews. There will be a monthly prize too courtesy of the lovely Simon & Schuster – you must be signed up to the challenge and add the link to your review to be entered into the monthly prize draw.

Now, there are many different sub-genres of mystery and suspense – you can choose from the numerous sub-genres, from cosy mysteries such as Agatha Christie to the more hard-boiled kind like V I Warshawski by Sara Paretsky, or romantic suspense written by the likes of Linda Howard, forensic crime such as those written by Kathy Reichs and even paranormal/supernatural suspense such as Kelley Armstrong. I’m sure this challenge will have something for everyone!

I was lucky enough to win one of the monthly prizes – Deadly Intent by Lynda La Plante, so thank you very much Book Chick City and Simon & Schuster for the prize.

So here are my books and the links to my reviews. I managed 22 for the year – 10 more than the challenge required – yay! I’m sure I probably read others that could have fallen into the category too if I had thought a bit harder about it.

2011 Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge books:

1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke – Completed January 2, 2011

2. Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child – Completed January 14, 2011

3. 61 Hours by Lee Child – Completed January 16, 2011

4. Worth Dying For by Lee Child – Completed January 20, 2011

5. Hotter After Midnight by Cynthia Eden – Completed January 26, 2011

6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson – Completed February 6, 2011

7. Killing Floor by Lee Child – Completed February 17, 2011

8. Feed by Mira Grant – Completed April 14, 2011

9. Necrophenia by Robert Rankin – Completed April 17, 2011

10. Cut & Run by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux – Completed April 23, 2011

11. Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child – Completed April 26, 2011

12. The List by J.A. Konrath – Completed August 6, 2011

13. Echo Burning by Lee Child – Completed August 26, 2011

14. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb – Completed September 7, 2011

15. Among the Living by Jordan Castillo Price – Completed October 13, 2011

16. Without Fail by Lee Child – Completed October 30, 2011

17. Criss Cross by Jordan Castillo Price – Completed November 2, 2011

18. Persuader by Lee Child – Completed November 8, 2011

19. Strawberry Shortcake Murder by Joanne Fluke – Completed November 15, 2011

20. Get a Clue by Jill Shalvis – Completed November 18, 2011

21. Deadly Intent by Lynda La Plante – Completed December 2, 2011

22. Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke – Completed December 24, 2011

Looks like I’ll be signing up to this one again in 2012

The List, by J.A. Konrath

Format: Kindle Edition, 301 pages

Published: April 13, 2009

Publisher: Self-published

Back cover blurb:

JA Konrath is the author of six novels in the Lt. Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels thriller series, the latest of which is Cherry Bomb.

THE LIST is a bit of a departure for Konrath. It’s a technothriller about a group of ten people who all have tattoos of numbers on the bottoms their feet, and don’t know why.

One of them, a Chicago Homicide cop named Tom Mankowski, has had one of these strange tattoos since birth. When he investigates a violent murder and discovers the victim also has a tattooed number, it sets the ball rolling for an adventure of historic proportions.

To say more would give away too much.

Like the Jack Daniels series, The List combines laugh out loud humor with serious suspense and thrills.

If the Kindle had back jacket copy, it would read:

A billionaire Senator with money to burn…
A thirty year old science experiment, about to be revealed…
Seven people, marked for death, not for what they know, but for what they are…

History is about to repeat itself.

My review:

Fantastic premise: a group of people with numbers tattooed on their feet discover they are clones of famous historical figures, and one by one they are being murdered. Tom, a Chicago cop, is called in to investigate the death of a Thomas Edison clone and finds out he is a clone of Thomas Jefferson. Along with his partner Roy and the Albert Einstein clone, they uncover the plot and track down the other clones, some of whom are evil to the core.

Although it was full of horrendous violence, the best thing about this book was the humour. I loved Roy and Bert’s playful exchanges, especially their punch-buggy games, and Abe, the Lincoln clone, was a hoot. Anyone who suggests he and Einstein form a band and go on tour – “I’ll sing The Politics of Dancing. You can sing He Blinded Me with Science…” – is a winner in my book And when they go to the restaurant: “Can’t we sit in a booth?” “I hate booths,” Abe winked. “Especially John Wilkes.”

The ending is exciting and surprising, and when I read the last page my first thought was “it can’t end there!” Given this was never picked up by a publisher, I doubt there will be a sequel but I certainly wish there was.

My rating: 4/5

Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge 2011

I’m a bit late joining this one, but I couldn’t resist when I saw Book Chick City’s glorious pink hair!

It struck me a lot of what I read, and what I have to read on my bedside table, falls into the mystery/thriller genre, so this challenge looked ideal. I may also be a little addicted to challenges at the moment *blush*

Anyway, here are Book Chick City’s rules:

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2011 – 31 Dec 2011

• Rules: To read TWELVE (12) mystery & suspense novels in 2011 (12 is the minimum but you can read more if you wish!)

• You don’t have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

• You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.

• At the beginning of Jan 2011, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews. There will be a monthly prize too courtesy of the lovely Simon & Schuster – you must be signed up to the challenge and add the link to your review to be entered into the monthly prize draw.

Now, there are many different sub-genres of mystery and suspense – you can choose from the numerous sub-genres, from cosy mysteries such as Agatha Christie to the more hard-boiled kind like V I Warshawski by Sara Paretsky, or romantic suspense written by the likes of Linda Howard, forensic crime such as those written by Kathy Reichs and even paranormal/supernatural suspense such as Kelley Armstrong. I’m sure this challenge will have something for everyone!

To help you figure out and decide, I have updated a sub-genre list – to view this list go HERE.

If you want to join Book Chick City’s challenge, click HERE or on the link on my sidebar.

So, here we go. I’ve already made a start!

2011 Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge books (updated as I read them):

1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke – Completed January 2, 2011

2. Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child – Completed January 14, 2011

3. 61 Hours by Lee Child – Completed January 16, 2011

4. Worth Dying For by Lee Child – Completed January 20, 2011

5. Hotter After Midnight by Cynthia Eden – Completed January 26, 2011

6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson – Completed February 6, 2011

7. Killing Floor by Lee Child – Completed February 17, 2011

8. Feed by Mira Grant – Completed April 14, 2011

9. Necrophenia by Robert Rankin – Completed April 17, 2011

10. Cut & Run by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux – Completed April 23, 2011

11. Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child – Completed April 26, 2011

12. The List by J.A. Konrath – Completed August 6, 2011