Poor follow-up to Faceless Killers
354618
I really enjoyed Mr Mankell's "Faceless Killers." He was obviously writing about a part of the world he was familiar with. I enjoyed the specific details he provided. It was gritty, unpolished and a good read. Wallander was painted effectively as a flawed hero. However, in "Dogs of Riga," Mankell moves the storyline to Latvia where he does not appear to have the same familiarity. He retreats from providing details in the story to the point of cliche. His description of Latvia could be one of 15 different countries. After reading the book, I don't feel that I have any greater understanding or knowledge of the country or the culture. Also, I had a very difficult time suspending reality sufficiently enough to finish the book. Supposedly Wallander becomes Major Liepa's most important confidant in the world after a few days together with virtually no conversation. Really?! Then the resistance in Latvia puts the fate of their movement in Wallander's hands. Essentially a small town policeman from another country that knows nothing about their country, culture or struggle. Really?! Then Wallander risks his life because he falls in love with someone he has met once, knows very little about and can barely talk to. Really?! The "conflict" between protagonist and antagonist is trite and sophomoric. When he announces the obvious suspect is guilty, the story does not provide any information to support this announcement. We know it just because the author tells us who is guilty.  Then the simplistic plot twist tells us he really isn't guilty. Once again, the story provides no support for this change, other than the author telling us he's innocent. This plot reads like a high school creative writing project. It is silly and not the same caliber as Faceless Killers.
746815
I really liked the first record these guys put out. It was somewhat similar to Rancid with big melodies and sing alongs but had a dirtier street punk style with the punk equivalent of thug life rap lyrics. On this second effort the formula is left largely intact but for some reason this release lacks any truly standout songs like the several that graced their first record. While the songs are played with energy and are somewhat faster and meaner than their first effort, they lack any distinguishing characteristics to set them apart from each other or the myriad bands playing this style.

This is pretty disappointing as this is essentially the same songwriting team as Rancid. There's no reason these guys should be writing material as generic as this or even letting arguably boring songs like "Mainlining Murder", "Switchblade" and "The Kids Are Quiet On Sharmon Palms" be released to the public. Ironically one of the better cuts on the album, the short but sweet "Little Rude Girl" sounds more like a Rancid outtake, with proper backing vocals and melodies, than a song belonging on this record. This fact just serves to underline the point that maybe Lars is better sticking with his main band from here on out.

There are a few variances here worth noting, mainly the salty pirate jig duet with fellow Rancid band mate Tim Armstrong "My Life To Live" and the closer "The Viking". "My Life To Live" has a mandolin vibe running under a tale of pillaging hookers coast to coast complete with dozens of callouts to all their favorite ladies of the night. It's pretty catchy but maybe unduly so given the lack of quality material surrounding it. "The Viking" is basically a straight blues ballad accompanied by mournful strings that could have been a disaster given it's five minute running time but with Lars' gruff vocals and love 'em and leave 'em lyrics it doesn't come across as cheesy at all.

I have to say that this album is a bit of a disappointment. The first record is a great record and one I still find myself playing quite a bit but this one, while energetic and well played, is just too formulaic to really grab your attention. I'm sure die hard Rancid fans will still find things to like here as I have but this is certainly not essential.

Check out more reviews at ohboydestroy.
3180798
I am a longtime Ozzy and Black Sabbath fan, and I think we'll all agree that Ozzy is one of only a handful of musicians who brought heavy metal to us.  I had been looking forward to the prospect of a box set from either of them, loaded with rarities and other gems that had been concealed.  So when this came about I was excited about discovering its contents.  But the Oz (and SHaron) left me quite disappointed with these 4 discs.

Firstly, the Blizzard of Ozz & Diary of a Madman tracks are those hideous butchered ones with the Bob Daisley bass and Lee Kerslake drumming re-recorded. Anyone who has closely followed Ozzy's career knows he had just been ousted from Black Sabbath, and was in career purgatory and fading fast before teaming up with the original BLIZZARD OF OZZ musicians. That band is very largely responsible for helping Ozzy get back into the game, and for Ozzy and Sharon to deny Daisley and Kerslake their well earned and deserved royalties by removing their work from those albums is TOTALLY reprehensible.

(Incidentally, the new recordings on those CD's sound like $h!+ and are disgraceful to both Ozzy's and Randy Rhoades legacies. Just read the majority of the reviews about them on the amazon.com website.)

As for the covers - well, Zakk Wylde is an incredible guitarist and his work is good to his credit. But the covers mostly sound like "fillers" for just that purpose. I also found the majority of the live recordings to be inferior to the studio versions (not to mention that most of that stuff is previously released material that is readily available. Why not release live stuff previously unreleased - especially the Rhoades and Lee years?).

And the rarities - I guess if you're a hardcore Ozzy fanatic, this might serve Ozzy completists who really want that stuff for their collection. I could not get into them much. If Ozzy and Sharon had really wanted to serve their fans well, give us all of the original B-sides of Ozzy's single releases in one collection - INCLUDING the Randy Rhoades years with Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake on them.

It was good to see Ozzy with the original Black Sabbath on tour last summer. But releases of this hodgepodge collection of butchered songs and substandard covers is not a good sign of things to come with Ozzy's solo career. I generously gave this 2 stars in the event that the rarities and covers will generate some interest to longtime Ozzy completist fans, although I myself could not get into them. Check this out this boxset online first if possible and spend you money wisely.
287238
The who-killed-JFK story seemingly continues to unfold, no matter how many times various authors try to lay it to rest. I enjoyed reading Chuck and Sam Giancana's "Double Cross: The Explosive, Inside Story of the Mobster Who Controlled America," and felt that was a more visceral discussion of events leading up to the JFK murder; however, the two earlier Giancanas finger mobster Johnny Roselli as JFK's assassin. Antoinette Giancana, on the other hand, insists the trigger man was James Files, who fired a shot from a Remington Fireball XP-100 from the grassy knoll. Files was set to be interviewed on an NBC documentary, but when they asked a professional to vet File's story, the investigator reported: "In brief, NBC retained me as a consultant for their planned story on Files. I hired the detective firm of Jules Kroll. JK established from telephone records Files was in Chicago, not Dallas, on November 22, 1963. We then placed a call to Files from Dick Clark's office (DC was producer), and I interviewed Files about Kroll findings. He said he had a twin brother, who no one knew about, and whom he met shortly before November 22, and who he murdered after November 22. He said it was his twin brother in hospital with his wife, not him. His wife, however, said there was no twin, and Kroll confirmed there was no twin. My view then and now is that Files invented the story for the money it would earn him."

A twin brother? Pleeeeeeeassse!

So we have three Giancanas, two stories. Which to believe?

I still lean towards Johnny Roselli. Rosselli began to brag that he was the trigger man some years later and ended up dismembered in an oil drum in the Atlantic. Files, at least at the time of the printing of "JFK and Sam," is still alive and is serving time in an Illinois prison. That he's still alive belies the notion that he's the killer.

The lack of details in this book is the weak link. It's boring and bland and not particularly well written, and it also has holes that an aircraft carrier could sail through. She claims that in 1987, a fellow by the name of John C. Rademacher found the shell casing used by Files in some dirt along a fenceline in Dealey Plaza. Files said he bit the shell casing and, lo, this casing had a bite mark in it!

This is too much.

Antoinette is loyal to her father -- perhaps too loyal. She talks about the CIA murdering her father as if he was the head of some Fortune 500 corporation, instead of a crime syndicate, and lamenting it. I strongly believe the bullet that took JFK's life came from the front, not the back. Other than that, one needs to pick and choose who to believe. So far, I'm more inclined towards Sam and Chuck's book, which is exceptionally well written, loaded with details and juicy tidbits. Any information regarding Rosselli v. Files can probably be found on the Internet; I'd still go with Sam and Chuck's book because it's a far better book. Regardless of who shot Kennedy, we now know at least who killed him.
857899
I'm really disappointed with how this ended at least tell us what was at the gravesite before doing the be continued....these stories are becoming more and more predictable....I bet someone that's dead is not really dead and is coming back for revenge! Short books don't need sequels!
4278309
It didn't take Sandra and Martin long to figure out there was something wrong in the small town of Rockville.  The first clue was that all of the five thousand residents were killed dead in their tracks and their bodies now covered in black flesh-eating maggots.  Then, just like in Bunuel's THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL, they are unable to leave town and neither are the cops who come in looking for them.

Pretty bad situation, definitely wouldn't be a good time for any ax welding zombies, evil lightning bolts, fire serpents or a psychic powered cannibal to show up but this just ain't their day cause they get all that plus demons and even Satan himself!

"Pauline Dunn" the two woman writing team (Dawn Dunn and Susan Hartzell) don't hold back on the violence and for about the first 280 pages I was in horror bliss with the non-stop brutality then for some misguided reason the story shifted gears into an almost Christian novel with faith in God saving the day, etc.  Very, very disappointing end to such a promising story, I felt the same way when I read Stephen King's similar "Desperation".

Check out Dunn's "Flesh Stealer" instead.
1864411
This is the weakest Nameless detective novel I've read.
A couple of college kids go missing. Nameless traces them to a town composed almost entirely of bigots. Without giving anything away, I can only say that once a possible motive for murder is discovered (fairly early in the novel), the rest is slow going.
Though Pronzini clearly has plenty of anger towards racism, he has no real insight to offer, and I didn't have much interest in seeing which of his mob of cardboard villains is guilty of murder.
For a much better Nameless Detective novel, try Hardcase.
909340
The "new" versions of Scooby and Shaggy, that we see in this DVD stinks like limberger cheese after it's been sprayed by a skunk.

Who came up with the stupid ideas to:

1. Change these lovable characters when they were awesome just the way they were?

2.  Put two black dots on their faces and call them 'eyes'?

The animation stinks because it takes away the "souls" of Scooby and Shaggy.

It is often said: "The eyes are the pathway to the soul". I agree.

Sadly, these new versions of Scooby and Shaggy have no soul. These are Scooby and Shaggy imitators.

 For the past 40 years Scooby and the gang have essentially remained the same and are more popular than any cartoon characters in the history of cartoons. They are already "hip and fresh".

The Scooby and Shaggy in this series are nerds, and with their black dots for eyes, they look like they are on coke. They don't come close to capturing the true essense of the characters.

If it aint broke, don't fix it.
44664
True Crime 2 is just plain awful. It starts interesting, yet it doesn't present anything original or interesting.

The gun play just isn't that good compared to True Crime 1. True Crime 1 had you flying in different directions and doing slow motion dives behind cars. When cars would explode, you would be thrown backwards. In True Crime 2, you basically just point and shoot. There are different weapons that let you take people down non-lethally that you are given. There's no point in using targeting.

The melee fights aren't that cool either. In True Crime 1 you were doing all kinds of kung fu moves while breaking everything around you. In this game, you press a button 3 times and the combo is executed.

Also, the actual feel of the game has been lost a little bit. In True Crime 1, you had no map and were basically cruising to a destination unknown. It was fun driving to new objectives at night during the rain. In this game, you aren't quite as lost, but then again, that isn't a great thing. I enjoyed getting lost in True Crime 1 and I enjoyed feeling out of place everywhere. It was weird cruising as far as I could go and feeling like i should turn around.

One of the more interesting features about True Crime 2 is the fact that you can enter any building. This isn't a bad feature, but it doesn't make up for the limited gameplay.

I would skip this game and go for GTA 3.
1629478
Instead of "Chronicling Their Cooperation" in a book, why didn't they sit down with the police for four months, presumably while a "killer" was out there. They did not cooperate, yet now they are  trying to suggest that they did. They are as much to blame for the failure  of this investigation as anyone, probably more so. Maybe they had a reason  for wanting it to fail ?
This self-serving piece is just more of the  same propoganda. These are the same people who are now saying, four years  later, that they will take a polygraph. They would have before, they say,  but "nobody asked us". These people are unbeleivable.
3950456
I've enjoyed the 3 earlier books in this series but this one was a disappointment.  Megan, Ryan and the book club members go on a hike in a canyon and Megan's dogs dig up a body.  While Megan is checking that out, another body, a mummy, is found.

The first corpse was murdered five years ago and the other 140 years ago.

Every couple of chapters of the book gives us another 10 pages or so of the lifestory of the mummified corpse.  I was interested in what Megan could learn from her examination of the mummy (like an Elkin's Gideon Oliver mystery), but not the backstory of her life.  Every time I came to a chapter set in 1868, I skipped it.  It worked fine.  The investigation by Megan & Ryan of the murder of the more recent corpse had many of the features of the earlier books, the humor, the characters, the denied romance of the couple because of their history, etc.  The plot was a little thin and because about 60 pages were devoted to the mummy's story, it was a short read.

Maybe if I'd read this book first instead of 4th, I'd have had the patience to read the Commanche's story, but by this time, I only want to know what Megan, Ryan and the Murder by the Yard book club are up to.
4010208
I completed "The Hood Life" and it has left a nasty taste in my mouth.

Rhakman's soul needs cleansing.  He would do or say anything to get what he wanted.  This mofo thought he was the best thing since peanut butter and white bread.  He certainly wasn't a "playa" because a true "playa" doesn't finesse welfare checks away from virtually penniless females, with low self-esteem, living in utter filth and hopelessness.  He was definitely the vilest of the four Bentley Manor men.  Shaterica was a damn fool for taking the rap for him.

Tavon was the second runner up for the most disgusting individual in the book.  His love affair with Destin a/k/a Destiny was sickening.  His daughter, Corrine didn't have a chance in hell.  Her father's transvestite lover has turned out the poor child.

I did enjoy Kaseem and Quilla's story.  I was happy their lives ended on a positive note.  Kaseem had the sense to realize that remaining in the drug game would end up badly.  I'm glad he made it out alive with Quilla right by his side.

Demarcus, the reformed "killer".  I guess that Charlie, the Corrections Officer was correct in his assumptions.  Once a cold-blooded killer, always a cold-blooded killer.  His woman, Zoey was no better than him.  I understood that she was struggling but her dealing with Demarcus' partner, M Dawg was trifling.

Sadly, none of the women in the book cherished their minds or their bodies.  They were pathetic and blinded by what they thought was love.  Where do Meesha and De'Nesha come up with these despicable characters?

"The Hood Life" was a bit too nauseating for me.  It is going to take a minute for me to recover.  I'm suddenly in dire need of a comforting love story or a clever mystery.  LOL
250486
For all of his good writing, plot and character development in Ghostman, Roger Hobbs decides to not include these elements in book two.

With a formula of too many useless descriptions, far less action, pathetic dialog and minor league detective/spy work from all-star, major league spy folks, Hobbs does less than 'mail in' his follow-up to the excellent first effort.

His two protagonists, Angela and 'Kid' (really?), muddle through the set-up of a great caper that continually disappoints every time one of these two actually do anything until halfway through when I actually asked myself, do I want (need?) to finish this thing? Well I did and the disappointment continued unabated.

Let's hope he's the anti-Francis Ford Coppola, director of Godfather, where number three will be the great follow-up and not the number two this number two is.
2809313
Like several other reviewers, Ive become increasingly disappointed with the series. I have enjoyed the series in the past because the stories are formulaic and familiar. However, this one was missing the mystery. Very little of the book was focused on the actual murder. There was a lot of fluff and repetitiveness that did nothing to progress the plot. Furthermore, this book really did nothing to advance the overall story of any of the major or minor characters. You can skip this book and read the next one to pick up at the cliffhanger, and you will not have missed any life changes for Hannah and Co. Finally, I miss the old Hannah. There are a lot of books about weepy, insecure women. Why has Hannah regressed with the introduction of Ross?

For Audible listeners, this book has the recipes at the end of each chapter, so you have to manually fastforward to the next chapter if you want to skip them. It seems like the last several books had all of the recipes at the end of the reading of the book, which I prefer. I don't want to listen to a danish recipe while I shower.
2651650
After hearing the amazing new singles from Other Lives prior to this release, I was certain this would be another 5-star album comparable to their first two, but unfortunately those few great songs are separated on the album by bland, uninspired songs that ultimately just feel like filler.  There is definitely something missing from this album, a depth and emotion that was present on their first two.  Maybe the absence of Jenny Hsu has had more of an impact on the band's sound than I originally thought it would.  Whatever the case, this is still a decent album worth hearing, but I find the only thing getting me through the mediocre material on the album is the anticipation of the few gems that are scattered amongst the rubble.
4675786
Since I heard that Audioslave was coming out with a new album considering how excellent the first one is, but then I heard "Out of Exile".  For some reason the album lacks something, although the Tim C and Tom Morello are awesome musicians, but they weren't represented well with this album. However, the new Audioslave lacks the soul the original did, it sorta sounds like they went through the motions of playing; Or perhaps it was the more limited involvement that Rick Ruben had in the production of the album.  The album is disappointing considering who the band members are, some of the songs are almost unlistenable.  Although I still consider the group a super group, in my opinion they just put out a sub-par album.  Hopefully, they just fell to the old sophmore jinx as most bands do; guess we'll see with the 3rd album.
1894035
I agree with Jim Otoole--I've been addicted to the Scudder series since I first discovered it and had been in withdrawal awaiting this latest addition.  I have to admit deep disappointment with this as a Scudder book because it's only half a Scudder book.  The mesmerizing experience of living inside Matthew Scudder's head, even as he goes through the mundane tasks of grabbing a sandwich or attending an AA meeting, is painfully absent in this story.  Scudder here is the secondary character, older, "retired," docile and low key.  This book is really about the killer and would be an excellent book by itself.  I wish Block had made it free-standing instead of part of this series.  Also, I would have appreciated the third person omniscient getting into the killer's mind when he realized he was no longer in control.  I fear from the tone left at the end of All the Flowers Are Dying that, if this is not the last installment, there can't be more than one more.  I hate to think that, but if the character is doomed to mediocrity through age and major health concerns, he's already gone.