Tag Archives: thriller

Gone Girl (No Spoilers)

Posted on October 24, 2014 by smellincoffee

Gone Girl© 2012 Gillian Flynn432 pages Gone Girl is a dark pleasure, a thriller driven by loathsome people whose greatest achievements are an exercise in sociopathy. Like The Sopranos or The Tudors,  the story is a gripping one, utterly captivating and … Continue reading →

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The Maltese Falcon

Posted on August 23, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Maltese Falcon© 1929 Dashiell Hammeett217 pages “You have always, I must say, a smooth explanation ready.” “What do you want me to do, learn to stutter?”  A beautiful woman whose life is in danger; a streetwise and world-worn private … Continue reading →

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To Reign in Hell (Rise and Fall of KHAAAAAAAAAAN #3)

Posted on August 15, 2014 by smellincoffee

To Reign in Hell: the Exile of Khan Noonien Singh©  2006 Greg Cox384 pages “No! This is not the end!  Khan Noonien Singh will never surrender, not to this accursed planet and not to the treacherous vagaries of fate. Hear … Continue reading →

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Allegiant

Posted on July 19, 2014 by smellincoffee

Allegiant© 2013 Veronica Roth544 pages  “Sure as I know anything I know this, they will try again. Maybe on another world, maybe on this very ground swept clean. A year from now, ten, they’ll swing back to the belief that … Continue reading →

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Anthem

Posted on June 7, 2014 by smellincoffee

Anthem© 1938 Ayn Rand128 pages In a dark future, the triumph of collectivism has created a global society deteriorating to near-medieval conditions.  Man is utterly broken by the state, dominated by institutions from birth onward. Raised in cohorts in government … Continue reading →

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Divergent

Posted on June 5, 2014 by smellincoffee

Divergent © 2011 Veronica Roth 487 pages Every major city has problems with organized gangs, but the Chicago of Divergent’s future has nothing else. The entire society is organized in five factions devoted to an ideal;  Dauntless, Abnegation, Erudition, Amity, … Continue reading →

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Sycamore Row

Posted on March 20, 2014 by smellincoffee

Sycamore Row© 2013 John Grisham 464 pages  I have been less than impressed with John Grisham’s books in recent years; The Racketeer made me suspect Grisham or his publishers were merely milking the success of his name.  Sycamore Row, however, … Continue reading →

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An Officer and a Spy

Posted on February 1, 2014 by smellincoffee

An Officer and a Spy© 2013 Robert Harris496 pages    In the late 19th century, the Dreyfuss Affair shook France when one Captain Alfred Dreyfuss, accused of selling French military secrets to the Germany General Staff.  Declared guilty, publicly disgraced, … Continue reading →

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The Fear Index

Posted on October 16, 2013 by smellincoffee

The Fear Index© 2009 Robert Harris304 pages Dr. Alexander Hoffman is a brilliant physicist-turned-financier who may be losing his mind.  It’s not as if the software he designed to manage investments in stocks, securities, and the like isn’t still successful; … Continue reading →

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Field Grey

Posted on September 29, 2013 by smellincoffee

Field Grey© 2011 Phillip Kerr384 pages Bernie Gunther survived Hitler’s Germany and a Soviet prison camp, so when he’s forcefully detained by the American  Navy on the open seas and interrogated, he’s not too much impressed by their attempt at … Continue reading →

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