Gripping and Brilliant
589926
This book was amazingly suspenseful and almost impossible to put down. I read it in two days because I couldn't NOT read it. The characters, the plot, everything was superbly done. I see a brilliant future for this writer and am very glad I bought her book.
4835256
A brilliant book about trying to find justice. Havoc, the first person narrator, yearns for justice for the foul deeds his father has committed. It becomes more of an obsession and affects his daily life and even his job, until he cant think of anything else but killing his father. He leaves his job in order to fulfil this quest and save his sister. Taking advice from a close friend, he takes an attractive woman named Angel along with him. At first they don't get along. But soon they learn to like each other, especially when Angel shares her story of how she was taken from her family and tortured along with other girls and also lost her family. Havoc is sympathetic and tried to comfort her and vows to help her achieve her revenge. However, when they find themselves falling in love, can they fulfil their mission or will they put it aside for love? Will justice be served in the end?
A brilliant read. Well developed plot. Well developed characters, particularly in Angel. Both her and Havoc had rough edges but vulnerabilities underneath which were beautifully written and emotive. Havoc's dedication to his sister and his determination not to give up was powerful and excellently written. The story of the torture was amazingly described and gave me goosebumps.  The sense of motion in travelling and in the mission in general was exciting and gave the story extra flair which I enjoyed immensely.  I also liked the fact it was a quest narrative but set in the realist world which was a nice  and elegant touch, and there was even the damsel in distress and a villain and a resolution at the end. a crazy situation with twists and turns you won't expect. the only thing I would suggest is that you could vary the sentence lengths, as sometimes the log sentences were hard to read. I also wasn't sure if the prologue was necessary, as the fact his father is a waste of space s reiterated several times anyway. Overall, a brilliant read and I would give it four stars.
832846
This book is a very touching and gripping story about death, loyalty, and the invulnerable tie of love between two people.  Kazuo Koike's takes you into the world of not just the average street punk crime syndicate, but of one which exemplifies of the bond of family.  That's not the say this book is all about family get together with an occasional killing between meals, oh no, this book with satisfy every craving you have.  The violence in this book is masterful. It's not all about shoot 'em up and bang, bang, but goes deeper into what makes a person kill, and how far would they go to put their lives down for the sake of others.  The book begins with the hero doing what he does best, killing.  But what Kazuo Koike tried to amplify with Freeman was to put a human touch to his character.  The fact that he sheds tears every every time he kills, hence the title, allows more sympathy in his agony than hate for the fact that he's a killer.  The book also introduces the strength of love, and how it can brake all barriers, forcing a man who's killed without remorse many times, to be conflicted not to do so by the mere meeting of eyes of a woman he's hired to kill.
The structure of the 108 dragon syndicate was well written.  These aren't Mafia men who put money before friends and meet loyalty with the end of a barrel.  The 108 dragons is more of a family than a crime organization.  Each member looks to the other as a brother or sister and put their lives in the face of a cocked gun barrel to spare the life of the other (one scene in the book shows this best, you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it).  The writing of the book is more serious than comical.  Calling this a comic book is more of an insult really.  Once you've read past the first few pages, you'll soon know what I mean.
The characters in this book are also legendary.  If you take the time to really feel the dialogue shared by Freeman and his enemies, you'll find that nothing ever written can compare to this.  They don't fight for money, or just cause their hired too.  Freeman is more like a challenge to these men and women who dare to come and face him.  From the African woman who fell in love with him just for the way he fought, to the syndicate vileness woman who's taste for blood first submerged by watching one of Freeman's assassinations.
And lastly, the master of graphic novel illustration, Ryoichi Ikegami.  There really are no words to compare Ikegami's art but to see it for your own eyes.  Every detail form the human form to the facial expressions and very (and i mean very) detailed love scenes in the book are just jaw dropping.  It's very, very sad that the anime version of this book is out of production because they really stayed true to what crying freeman was all about.  Buy it, read it, and fall in love with this book.  You owe it to yourself.
4760195
Mahurin captures the struggle of human rights brilliantly in this fast paced story.
It involved me emotionally with vivid imagery of scenes and character descriptions.
I couldn't put it down. Read it in two days. Highly recommend it as a beautiful
statement on tolerance and how friendship and love can conquer hatred. Bravo!
20841
Billy Zeets has a story to tell. About being a vandal and petty thief. About missing boys and an elusive killer. And about what happens if a boy who breaks all the rules is the only person who can piece together the truth.

Gripping and powerful, this masterful debut novel comes to vivid life through the unique voice of a hero as unlikely as he is unforgettable.

What did I like?  There are several things that I liked about this book.  The characters are really interesting, boys of this age group are very active and not many of them are this devoted to their family.  Billy did love his sister and dad, of course he would do everything that he could to save their home.  You could feel the frustration that he felt every time he counted his money.  It was a really big responsibility laid on him with no real chance of raising that kind of money in that short of time, but he shouldered it and set about trying to accomplish the task.

What will you like?  A gripping story that will make you take a look into the mind of a little boy trying to work through his problems.  It's well told, with lots of action and great details.  The ending is so wonderful, it just seems right.  I would recommend this to my friends and I think you will enjoy it as much as I did.  I just love being a member of NetGalley, it offers the chance to review any book that I want to read.
2632207
This story is told quite brilliantly. All the characters are wonderfully drawn, and all are INCREDIBLY interesting. From Jed, the loner who lives on the top floor of the house and keeps his hawk in the garden. To Jarvis, the owner of the house who is obsessed by underground systems and is writing a book chronicling them. To Alice, the young mother who has run away from her humdrum life, leaving her daughter and husband behind. And then there is Tom, the busker who once aimed to study at a musical college, but is now content to play for the armies of people who walk through London's cavernous Tube. Then there is young Jasper, who, along with his friends, finds his thrills amid the bustle of the dangerous underground. And then, Axle. The enigmatic, strange man whom little is known about, and whose secret will cast shadows over all their lives.
The story is told brilliantly, as i say. All the charaters living in the old schoolhouses each have a different part in the story, and rarely do their own seperate stories interact, until the end. It is like watching several little planets revolving around the sun (in this story the sun is the london underground system). Their orbits do not cross, but still they revolve around the main body of the story, until they are finally drawn together.
Rendell skips between each persons's story (each persons story varies greatly) wonderfully, while the reader hardly notices the transition.
The climax is not completely unexpected, but i often find that that is the beauty of Vine/Rendell. You can sometimes see or tell what is going to happen, and you know that absolutely nothing any of the characters can do to prevent the inevitable awfullness.
At first i thought the ending was shocking, and powerful but anticlimatic. Then i realised it is shocking and powerful BECAUSE it is anticlimatic. (Rather like when we meet Hannibal Lecter...we are shocked by him because we were expecting a monster.)
799811
I absolutely loved this book. It was gripping from the very start.
4688044
A brilliant book that is truly a must-read. Engaging from start to finish with well-thought out and expansive characters. The protagonist, Eleanor Raven, is complex and exhibits great potential for future novels. This book is consuming and quickly entangles the reader with its masterful pacing and intricate storyline, making it impossible to put down.
749650
Even though I'm not a young adult, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  It's a gripping story that goes from one exciting action to the next, and I had a hard time putting it down.  Monumental forces of good meet monumental forces of evil, but sometimes we don't know exactly who is good and who is evil, and the suspense is tantalizing. Though  it is based on fantasy the book deals with serious real life issues of trust, as the protagonist must decide who to trust without fully knowing others' motives or their past.  Incorporating the culture of social media makes this a very contemporary read. I highly recommend The Lightrunner.
3397064
This damn book had me hooked from the start and stopped me from doing important work. If you have time, read this book. It is brilliantly conceived and executed. It's full of humour, emotion, and surprises small and large.
2561167
This author has painted a vivid picture of time and place.  It is a gripping tale of both adventure and relationships.
Very taut and very moving.
The descriptions of flight maneuvers in tight circumstances almost made me sweat and certainly gave me
a new appreciation for the skill and for the unfathomable courage of those who serve our country in the air.
This book seems well positioned for a sequel and I would really look forward to reading it.  The characters were
well developed and I was sorry when the read was over.
974918
Adrian Hyland has captured the essence, the beauty and savagery of central Australia. Emily Tempest, the new Community Police officer is assigned to Sergeant Cockburn's station and from the first moment she arrives, is surrounded by rampant testosterone and suspicion. Having a white father, she is caught between the races, but knows and is sympathetic to both.

The murder of an elderly geologist sparks a flame inside Emily. Something doesn't "fit" and in spite of her fellow police officers insisting that the victim's friend - who drunkenly sleeps through the murder - is the murderer, Emily is sure that this is not the case.

Along the way, Emily realises that in spite of Sergeant Cockburn's "work by the rule book" approach, he is a man struggling with his own family problems. Brutal, hard living turns into betrayal and murder and costing Emily humiliation and almost her own life as she follows the clues to the truth about the murder of the elderly geologist.

Brilliantly written and perfectly paced, Hyland shows the imagery of the bush combined with an accurate portrayal of the problems of the black people in the Red Centre and the effect of mining on the natural landscape.

. An incredible book which draws the reader into the lives of those in the police, the townships, the tribes and the mining camps, showing the grit, determination and degradation of living in beautiful Outback Australia.

Highly recommended and I will be reading the first Emily Tempest story.
1886675
From start to finish this book had me hooked. The characters are incredible, their challenges devastating in the detail that is wrought by the author and the thread of several human stories woven together is mesmerising. A thoroughly enjoyable and challenging read
3094441
The Language of Trees left me wanting more of the intense, magical world of Lake Canandaigua and its characters whose lives and struggles are so interwoven. A brilliant first novel written with a sure hand and keen eye for the human condition, that unfolded so suspensefully and beautifully I could hardly put it down, yet didn't want the story to end. Descriptions appealed to all my senses leaving an indelible impression. Bravo.
230018
Anybody who wants to truly understand the ins and outs of modern cyber warfare should read this book.  By plotting the mystery around a country outside of the epicenter of warfare, the author brilliantly brings into play the most advanced concepts of the 21-st century struggle among nations.  The Israeli technologist and the Iranian Guards of the Revolution clash far away, with consequences for the entire region.  A gripping tale, told with momentum and grace.
2682246
Michael Crichton weaved a story that's gripping from the first page to the very last.  A real page turner.  I didn't know exactly what the book was going to be about by reading the jacket blurbs but once I started reading it I couldn't stop it.

Fantastic read that fans of Cricton or fans of good gripping reads owe it to themselves to check out
4384690
I have just read this exciting and gripping thriller which I've very much enjoyed.
Such a clever story line told from different characters that had me enthralled.
The author has a masterful way of making you guess the outcome.
I have read most of his books and look forward to the next ones.