(no subject)
Cell
by Stephen King
First of all, I really enjoy King. It's not the blood and gore which keep me reading, it's the way he writes people - he really brings across complicated motivations, and makes it possible to sympathize with some pretty unsympathetic characters. I was totally blown away by the end of the book - the final decision, and how people react when there are no 'right' choices. I do reccommend this book.
Having said that, I was bothered by the lack of speculation on what caused the 'pulse'. There were only two people who put forth any sort of 'answer' - and it was the SAME answer. Everybody said 'terrorists', no one said 'alien invasion' (which it looked a LOT more like). NOBODY said 'evolution doesn't work this way' - even though one of the characters might have had the background to... I don't mind that King had a single answer in mind, but it doesn't ring true that the survivors would.
Death on the Cliff Walk
by Mary Kruger
When a book has a title which starts with "Death on..." or "Death in..." it immediately leads me to expect a mystery a la Christie. Nothing too gorey or over the top, a certain sort of drama and peril. This one fit the mold quite nicely.
It's set in Rhode Island in the "gilded age", and Kruger delights in describing the conspicuous consumption of the upper classes in a summer resort town. The mystery was light, and fast moving, 'without too much plot to get in the way of the story'. The romance, if predictable, at least didn't get stupid. It was a fun book.
I didn't buy her picture of high society, however. I can certainly see the dismissal of the murders when only maids were involved, but as soon as the heiress died I can't imagine it being waved off in favor of parties anymore. Nor can I see that the socialite aunt of the protagonist would have thought her fiance 'eminently suitable' - he had neither family name nor personal fortune.
I had the murderer picked out pretty early, because I recognized the formula the book was written in. I didn't buy that he'd play tennis that well, given his childhood injury (which 'everyone knew about'), and I don't follow how the connection between him and the fifth victim didn't come up IMMEDIATELY if it had been in the files... Wasn't the hero poring over the files every time someone died?
So, fun read. Not great writing.