High Crimes by Joseph Finder

Synopsis :

Claire Chapman has it all. A professor at Harvard Law School, a high-powered criminal defence attorney, happily married with a six-year-old daughter, she has recently won the case of her career.

But this is all about to change. A random burglary sets off a terrifying chain of events. Tom is arrested and put on trial for a thirteen-year-old mass murder, and Claire puts her reputation on the line to defend him. But as the trial progresses, it becomes apparent that the Pentagon will let nothing stand in the way of Tom's conviction, and Claire's faith in the man she loves is tested to the limit.

This is what I say :


I discovered Joseph Finder's novels about three years ago with Buried Secrets being the first book that I read and from then on, I am on the lookout for his novels.  However, it's not very easy to find his novels in the mainstream bookstores  here where I am and it's only at stores such as Kinokuniya that I might find his titles and if that's the case, it would mean that I need to purchase retail which I can't always afford to do so.

I am  extremely happy to find his titles online as e-books through country national library where I can legitly check-out an e-copy of his title to read and return.  It's the same as checking out books at your local library with the only difference being this would be an e-copy.

That's how I read Moscow Club and there's about five more titles for me to check out.

80% of High Crimes take place in the military court.  If that's not your interest, you might find it slightly boring but if you are patience and read through, you will be rewarded by the author at the end of the last chapter with something unexpected.

Throughout this title, the question of whether Tom did commit the crime he was accused of remains unanswered and like a flower, even after peeling off all the petals, one can't be very certain until the last chapter where all is revealed.

If you are going to read this title, stay patient for the reward. 

Entering The Wolf's Den - Big Bad Wolf is in Town

Like what I mentioned in my earlier post, the Big Bad Wolf is currently in town.  It has been in town since 25 April and will be here until 5 May.

For various reasons, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go and pay the wolf a visit.  I was disappointed by the wolf last year but I guess I can let bygone be bygone and have a fresh start with this well know creature in the world of any bibliophile in the country.

Entrance

Anyway, during a recent public holiday and with dinner out of the way and nothing much else on the table, I though I shall check out what the wolf has to offer this year.  It's quite a dangerous move as I could be devoured by the wolf and has much to lose but the temptation is too great!

The location of the wolf's den is actually at a mall that I am not familiar with.  I have not been to that mall although I am aware of it's existence.  The location of the exact den within the mall itself is pretty disappointing.  It's actually at a basement car parking lot that has been barrier up.  Although there's air-conditioning, the whole place is still rather stuffy and dusty.  It wasn't long before the dust and environment caused an allergic reaction and the rashes on my arms flared up.

Inside the hall

My impression....there's more variety this time round.  However, there's not much selection where fictions are concerned.  Perhaps I am more jaded in my outlook on book fairs and book sales and perhaps my expectations and purchasing habits have changed,  but for whatever reason, my personal opinion is that I am rather disappointed.

Perhaps I went expecting to be 'wow' at many levels but that didn't happen.  The selection of novels generally consists of authors and titles that are not very well known although there are some well know title but rather sporadically.

Perhaps I also went expecting to be disappointed and as such it will take a lot to impress me and the wolf didn't meet my expectations and certainly failed to impress me..

If you are not that selective and are looking for some children's books especially the board books then you might be happier as there's quite a fair selections and extremely competitive price.  Other than that, there's also one whole sections dedicated to public examinations related materials (UPSR, PT3 and SPM) and although some are quite old prints which made me concern about it's relevancy in such public exams but I guess if one to use it just for some referencing then the materials are certainly worth purchasing as they are at a fraction of retail price.

Payment Counter

At the end of the day, I was there for less than an hour and I am happy to report that I emerged victories from the wolf's den.

ME 1 BBW 0

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino

Synopsis :

Yasuko Hanaoka is a divorced, single mother who thought she had finally escaped her abusive ex-husband Togashi. When he shows up one day to extort money from her, threatening both her and her teenaged daughter Misato, the situation quickly escalates into violence and Togashi ends up dead on her apartment floor. Overhearing the commotion, Yasuko’s next door neighbor, middle-aged high school mathematics teacher Ishigami, offers his help, disposing not only of the body but plotting the cover-up step-by-step.

When the body turns up and is identified, Detective Kusanagi draws the case and Yasuko comes under suspicion. Kusanagi is unable to find any obvious holes in Yasuko’s manufactured alibi and yet is still sure that there’s something wrong. Kusanagi brings in Dr. Manabu Yukawa, a physicist and college friend who frequently consults with the police. Yukawa, known to the police by the nickname Professor Galileo, went to college with Ishigami. After meeting up with him again, Yukawa is convinced that Ishigami had something to do with the murder. What ensues is a high level battle of wits, as Ishigami tries to protect Yasuko by outmaneuvering and outthinking Yukawa, who faces his most clever and determined opponent yet. 

This is what I say :

The Devotion of Suspect X came to my possession in the most unexpected way.  It actually was in my possession for more than a month but as I was much occupied then, it kinda was left in the box together with other titles.  It was only during the recent Easter weekend that I went to  where I have been keeping the books to sort them out and from the few boxes, two titles by Keigo Higashino were among them and  The Devotion of Suspect X was one of the titles.

If I am not mistaken, I was introduced to Keigo Higashino's titles quite a few years back and was told that his title was 'dark'.  Such, I approach The Devotion of Suspect X expecting some 'darkness'.  Surprisingly, it wasn't really so.

Without too much expectation and keeping an open mind, I managed to read this book within the week.  It was quite an easy read.  The plot was quite simple but the veil was cast without readers being aware and that kinda showcase the story in a different light.  Basically, it just took one sentence for the veil to be remove and with the story in full light, it cast away the shadows open up my 'aha' moment and I  kinda went 'wow' immediately and I can tell you that I am truly impressed at that point of time.

The intensity of the plot builds up and for once, I was cheering for whom I shall call the antagonist although one can't really consider him such but at the same time I really was cheering Yasuko on and was hoping that she would not make the decision that she made in the end.

Like I mention, I have another tittle by the same author.  I can't wait to find the time to dive in the writing of Keigo Higashino.

So, if you love investigative thriller, do not give this a miss.

I Finally Found It - The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

If you have read my post here and here, you would have known that I have been searching for this title for quite a while and 'quite a while' here is defined as years.

Being a title which I just seems to be unable to get my hands on, it was such a surprise to have it landed on my lap about a month ago.  However, it was in a rather huge box together with just about 30 other titles so I wasn't aware if it's existence.

It was only today that I had time to sort out the box and imagine my surprise to fish this out of the box.

Yes, I guess you can say it's my Easter Present :)

More story about the other titles from the box another time. For now I am just so happy to have this whole set in my collection.

p.s. I have not been reading for a while.  Will attempt to catch up soon. 

In the meantime...

HAPPY EASTER!

A Wolf Is Coming To Town?

The Big Bad Wolf is coming to town...

again.

Let's hope it's better this year compared to last year.

My visit to The Junk Bookstore

Photo taken from  Tripadvisor. Credit to the photographer (Manon M)

Actually, I went to The Junk Bookstore many years ago and this post has been on draft for many years.  I thought it's about time I just get it posted and out of the way.

Many years ago, while on a trip to the capital city, I was super excited to come across a bookstore that sells secondhand books.  They claimed in their FB that they are the biggest secondhand book store but never specify how they are the biggest.  In my opinion, they should claim to be the most expensive bookstore too!

Situated in Jalan Tun H.S Lee and within walking distance from Masjid Jamek LRT Station, The Junk Bookstore is not difficult to locate and if you love books, you can't help but to feel excited to enter this treasure trove.

Indeed they have a large collection of novels, magazines and other printed materials.  However, the place felt very clustered and books were not shelved but placed in piles throughout the shop with just a small walkway.

The though of sorting through these piles are both exciting and terrifying at the same time

The shop occupies two floors or was it three? and there are just books and books all over the place.  I guess if you have sensitive to dust like me, you might need to come prepared although it wasn't very dusty.  Credit has to be given to the staff for keeping the place relatively clean and the books in generally acceptable condition.  Most of the books are also wrapped in clear plastic.

If the price have been reasonable, I would end up buying more titles

The following would be the reason why I would never visit The Junk again..

The books are expensive! Some are even more expensive than new books that you can purchase from the mainstream bookstore.  For example, there's a title by Dorothy Koomson that I like but The Junk was selling their second hand copy for RM25 whereas I saw the same title (new copy) from another bookstore for only RM17

Perhaps it's rental and other cost?  I don't know but they should be more market sensitive in their pricing.  The same copy might be sold by another second handbook seller that does second hand book fairs once a year in my city for only RM10 which is more realistic.

On a final note, I went there specifically to look for Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruis Zafron. They didn't stock this title. Ah, well!

P.s. Until today I have not found my Prisoner of Heaven. It is indeed an elusive title.

Simple Genius by David Baldacci

Synopsis :

 A three-hour drive from Washington, D.C., two clandestine institutions face each other across a heavily guarded river. One is the world's most unusual laboratory, whose goals and funding are a mystery. The other is an elite CIA training camp shrouded in secrecy. Now a man and a woman are about to run a gauntlet between these two puzzle factories, straight into a furious struggle to exploit a potentially world-shattering discovery--and keep some other secrets underwraps forever... 

Former secret service agents turned private investigators Sean King and Michelle Maxwell have seen their lives splinter around them. Michelle lies unconscious ina hospital bed after a night of suicidal violence. And Sean is forced to take on a thankless investigation into the mutder of a scientist just inside the CIA's razor-wire fence near Williamsburg, Virginia. 

Soon he is uncovering layer after layer of disinformation that shields a stunning world filled with elite mathematics, physicists, war heroes, spies, and deadly field agents. Amid more murder, a seemingly autistic girl's extraordinary genius, and a powerful breakthrough in the realm of classified codes, Sean soon learns enough to put his life at risk. Now more than ever, he needs Michelle--at her best--to help stop a conspiracy of traitors operating in the shadow of the White House itself. 

From Michelle's courageous struggle to defeat her long-buried personal demons to a centuries-old secret that surfaces in the heat of action, SIMPLE GENIUS pulses with stunning, high-intensity suspense. 

This is what I say : 

From what I read from the online review, some readers love it, some don't.  As for me, I quite borderline liking it and not liking it.  

It actually took me a long time to read Simple Genius.  I read it at a time when there's much other distraction and attraction that's more exciting than this book.   Reading novels by David Baldacci has always been quite a tricky affair for me.  There are time when I love some of what he wrote but there are time when I just don't get it.

For Simple Genius, I simply don't quite get it.  It started of quite ok but for some reason, the thrill factor didn't last throughout the book and at the end, it was simply just a matter of completing it for completing sake.

I still have a couple of titles from this author in my shelf.  I will keep them for another day when this feeling of disappointment over this book has dissipated.