Purity by Shaun Hutson

Shaun Hutson – Purity Review

So I finally got round to reading another Shaun Hutson book. I bought a handful of his books around a month or two ago, but due to studying and moving (and reading or not reading other books) I didn't pick this up and open it until a few days ago. 

As most people are aware, London's streets are well-known for its drug pushers, addicts and prostitutes, many of whom are suffering from various related diseases, and somebody doesn't like this. They believe that death is better than living with a body-destroying disease and so they begin a "classic" killing spree, except it's to make people better rather than worse.

I was a bit surprised with this book as, rather than Shaun Hutson's blood and guts gore like in Victims or The Skull, it's more of a mystery crime novel in the style of Simon Kernick or Peter James. The reader is constantly left guessing whodunnit or who this character really is and what they do, with some very surprising answers.

However, there are certain chapters which make one cringe as well as some dark humour, which is good if that’s your thing, bad if it’s not. It’s my thing though so I’ll consider that little addition quite good and fitting.

Without meaning to ruin the good too much, the ending is a genuine surprise, although it’s also somewhat guessable to such a novel, despite my previous claims. I’ll leave it to you to decide though.

Overall, I think Shaun has lightened his tone a bit in Purity but by doing so he’s knocked out a decent crime novel worth reading. Final rating: 3/5

The Payback by Simon Kernick

The first book of 2012 is yet another Simon Kernick crime thriller. This time it's his most recent (excluding Siege, due to be released on the 18th) but, unfortunately, not his best.

So, what's the basic plot? Well, this is best written from the blurb: "Dennis Milne is a former cop and part-time assassin. He kills the bad guys - people who, in his opinion, deserve to die. Now he's in Manila, waiting for his next target: a young woman who's made some deadly enemies.

DI Tina Boyd is in Manila hunting down the man responsible for the death of her lover. She knows he's dangerous. She knows he's ruthless. But she's termined to bring him to justice - even if it kills her.

Two cops with pasts that haunt them - and a present that could see them both dead."

Featuring two of my favourite characters, Tina Boyd and Dennis Milne, The Payback is well written but doesn't quite pack the punch that novels like Severed and Relentless do. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I did. Especially the fact that it brought two characters together along with some others who have been featured in previous novels. The plot in this book is one which would be best understood if the reader has read all or most of Simon Kernick's previous books but could only really be described as predictable (unlike previous releases) and, at times, a bit slow.

There are, like all of his books, plenty of action points and violence, but, additionally, there are also points where you just want the character to stop talking and start doing. A little bit too much waiting around.

Enough complaining, what was good about the book? Firstly, it had Tina Boyd, a character I always enjoy reading about. Secondly, it was set abroad instead of London and the surrounding areas. This added a new "feeling" to the story with different characters and locations. It also killed off a character featured in previous stories who, when they've been read about, you've wanted to die. Vicious creatures who know only violence.

So, what are my final views on The Payback? Well, despite being well written and researched, it could have been a bit more lively as the most lively part, in my opinion, began around 50 pages from the end. I'm hoping that this is just a one-off and Mr. Kernick was just having a moment. Blame the cuts, or something like that.

Sadly, this gets a rating of just 3.5/5.

The Executor by Jesse Kellerman

Another excellent book picked up in Poundland (I'm noticing a pattern here - all of the best books I've read recently have come from Poundland. Interesting.) written by the best selling author of The Brutal Art.

The book tells of a man who has recently been kicked out by his girlfriend and, when looking for a job so he can move off of his friend's couch, he answers a newspaper ad looking for a "Conversationalist".

He gets the job and as they become good friends he is offered a place in the huge house free of charge. Everything seems to be going perfectly well until the son of the woman appears on the scene.

The book is fast-paced, well-written and almost impossible to put down which is something I haven't felt to a book for a long time. It has some strange bits throughout and others where you want the character to stop worrying but other than that it's a book which kept me awake until the early hours because I didn't want to wait to find out what happened in the next chapter.

It's filled with twists and turns with a surprise middle and ending which you won't have anticipated at all. It has its jaw-dropping moments and, in my opinion, not a slow page throughout.

Due to the writer having gained a degree at Harvard and lived in the areas which the story is based, it is much more realistic than had it been written by someone who has never been to America. Along with this he also points out how distracting the Internet can be and doesn't exaggerate at all, writing it how it is. so to speak.

If you're into crime or thriller then this is a book you'll want to pick up when you next see it in Poundland. Failing that, it'll probably be in one of those expensive bookshop places.

One more annoying thing in this book was the lack of question marks. When a question was asked, it was finished with a full stop. Although I could understand that it was a question, this little thing got under my skin a bit.

Overall rating: 4/5 (Would be 5 if he hadn't been so worrisome at times.

PS: I've figured why I'm finding all these decent books which were written not so long ago (this was published in 2010): Imperfections. A slight stain in some pages, a creased cover etc.

The Green Mile by Stephen King

So, I said I need to start reading books again and reading I have done. This time it was Stephen King's 1996 drama/fantasy/thriller the Green Mile, and what a book it was.

WARNING: Spoilers follow

The story tells of a giant who is convicted for killing two children who, the guards soon find out, has some sort of God-like healing power. Throughout the book the man displays this healing power which causes some characters to have second thoughts about who committed the crime which John Coffey the giant is on death row for.

The book is written from the memory of Paul Edgecombe (played by Tom Hanks in the film of the same name) from the old peoples' home in which he now lives/d. It tells the story of Paul in the death row block in 1932 but is written by him in the year of publication: 1996.

Reading through the story you/the reader feel/s sort of emotional towards the characters as King manages to write with description and in a way that makes them seem real, like the story really happened. Sort of in a biographical way, if you will.

This is definitely one of Stephen King's better books out of the seemingly hundreds he's written and the few I've read and definitely one people who are into fantasy and thriller mixed should pick up. It's a thick book at almost 500 pages but not that hard a read. A good one for a first-time reader of Stephen King.

I don't know if I'll be reading this again any time soon (I have a HUGE pile to read yet, including more Stephen King) but I might pick it up in a year or so as I tend to do with Simon Kernick books. We'll see but in the meantime I'll give this book a rare 5 out of 5 and a BIG recommendation to anyone who reads.

Coming next: I have no idea, need to select something out of 1000+ books.

Deadline by Simon Kernick

With Simon Kernick being one of my favourite crime/thriller writers it was going to be obvious that I'd like this book as he makes much of it seem like a true crime tale with his knowledge and connections with the Anti-Terrorist Branch and Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). Using this knowledge and connection he can incorporate many authentic operation tactics into his writing.

Deadline tells the story of an abduction of a child with a ransom of half a million pounds cash. Bringing in his main characters (whom appear in all of his books) Tina Boyd, Mike Bolt, Mo Kahn and "Big" Barry Freud Kernick creates a story that is gripping and page-turning with many twists and turns which we wouldn't have guessed would happen.

As the story goes on Mike Bolt takes control of the op. However, as with most of Kernick's novels, Bolt's actions go very wrong or the criminal gets the better of SOCA and Deadline is no exception.

Reading on Kernick drags us deeper into the criminal underground of London and how a place that many people adore can become a place in which serious crime and dangerous gangs are just around the corner. This novel really makes you realise how dangerous 'da streets, innit' can be and may make you take a double look over your shoulder at the quietest of sounds and with the knowledge which Kernick has this adds to the authenticity of the story.

Although the story is intended to be completely serious we can't elp but shake our heads at some of Bolt's actions i.e. Suspension from SOCA yet he chooses to undertake his own investigation thinking he has a lead.

There are many twists and turns throughout with a conclusion which will make anyone go from "Ooh" to "WTF?!".

I may be bias in saying this book is a good read but it is still one I'd recommend any fan of crime/thriller should pick up as rather than tip-toe round the edges he digs right in to the point. I can simply justify this by saying that I own all of his books and have now read all but two of the 10 he has written.

To conclude this review let's just say that Kernick has done it again and managed to write yet another gripping tale of crime, death, destruction, suspense and humour.

Overall rating 8.5/10