Mystery Crime Books

A superb book all around. I wish he had more than 2, with a 3rd on the way. Loved the characters, the plot, and the writing style. Easy to read and a pleasure to behold.

From all aspects this is a truly wonderful find. With characters well formed and intriguing, and a setting that does not disappoint, this read accelerates quickly from page turner to page burner! I will not go into plot details, (you can read that on your own!) but I found the plot to be provocative and the flow of the story to be quite affable. I will surely continue with Mr. Tallis throughout the remainder of this series.

I picked up this book after reading a short review in the Economist and enjoyed every second of it. The mystery is well done. It has the mark of the English mysteries where the suspects are a small group of people, each of whom is interesting. The crime was ingenious and the detective work is fascinating.

The real strength of the book, however, is the setting in Vienna in 1902. We see the City and the culture. Max Lieberman the main character is fascinating. We see the development of psychology in its early stages. There is also a good deal by the occult. If one reads Larson's book about Marconi that we set at the same time one can understand that the developments in science were so amazing that people would not really know what was truth.

I have recommended this to friends. It was a treat and was pleased to see there is a sequel that I will read next

"A Death in Vienna" is as much a tour around the Ringstrasse of Vienna circa 1900 as it is a mystery. The story---told by author Frank Tallis in short episodes--has its characters and plot revolve around the city's landmarks like the Prater, Graben and Cafe Central while discussing the social and cultural events of the moment. The book's protagonist is a young pyschiatrist/psychoalnalyst, Max Liebermann, who is called upon by a police inspector friend to help solve the "locked room" murder of a beautiful clairvoyant, which seems to involve the occult.The plot is intricate with not a few red herrings strewn in the protagonist's (and the reader's) path.
This a particularly enjoyable book for anyone with an interest in the cultural life Vienna of the early 20th Century, psychiatry, the cultural/social dynamic between Austrian Jews and Gentiles, the Secessionist Movement, pastries, or just a well-told mystery.

In general, I greatly enjoyed this book, both as a character study and as a portrait of a fascinating time and place. The author knows turn-of-the-(20th)-century Vienna well, both the social and political issues that people were dealing with and the nitty-gritty details of daily life, but he uses his knowledge to create a believable setting for the story rather than becoming pedantic. His understanding of the cross-currents in the nascent psychoanalytic movement gives the story depth. Dr. Max Liebermann is an intriguing character because he embodies many of the contradictions of that time and place: he's a rebel in his profession, and his artistic tastes run to the avant-garde; but he's also a member of a prosperous Jewish family and community to whom he's strongly loyal. The detective Rheinhardt is less complicated, but his friendship with Dr. Liebermann is based on a shared love of music as well as their fascination with the human mind, so it rang true to me. I felt that the mystery itself wasn't all that strong: any reader who's familiar with the genre could figure out the disappearing bullet and the locked room rather easily, although the author did a good job of dropping hints and red herrings to keep you guessing who done it. I quibbled with some of the psychoanalytic material, e.g., multiple personalities usually develop from a long history of abuse, not ... well, the way it happens here. And I concur with other readers that the author's use of short chapters became confusing -- I disagree that there are "too many characters," but the choppy narrative made it hard to remember what X was doing the last time we met him. All in all, however, it's a good story, well written, and I'm hooked enough now to read the next novel in the series.

Well I'm just writing a review because Amazon was unusually puntual on the book i ordered. It came in about 2 days and it's in perfect condition. That's all for now, but I really appreciated and recommend they're service.

I picked this up at Half-Price Books, looking for something to pass the time. I'd seen the movie, which was not bad, but not particularly memorable either. This novelization is similar, leaning a little more toward the 'bad' end of the spectrum. I've never read the comic, so I have no preconceived visualizations to conflict with my reading.

There were 2 big problems with this book for me. Firstly, Moore does NOT know how to write with a female voice or from a female perspective. This isn't an aspersion against male writers - I've read plenty of books by men with utterly believable and compelling female protagonists. This was not one of them. I alternated between eye-rolling and irritation at Evey's "inner thoughts" - not a good combo.

Secondly, and I'm not a professional literary critic so forgive me for failing to describe this more specifically, but the book just isn't engaging. It relies too much on its built-in audience of lovers of the film and comic and doesn't seem to make too much of an effort to reel in readers on its own merits. As much as I tried to stay focused, my eyes kept involuntarily skimming down the page or wandering off to study the crown molding on my bedroom ceiling. This should NOT be a problem with a thriller. I should have been flipping pages into the wee hours of the morning. Wasn't happening.

Conclusion: save your money and your time. I found $2 and two afternoons to be too much to spend on this novel.

Put simply this is an excellent story. People will argue semantics over whether the graphic novel, novel adaptation, or live action film is better. I personally have only seen the movie and read the novel. Both were excellent. The book fleshes out what the movie could not. The novel contains a profound message, and is well worth reading. If you are in to comics, then buy the graphic novel. If you don't read, and only watch film adaptations, then watch the movie. Whatever you decide on, the story is well worth a read. Now, I am off to find this graphic novel everyone is so hyped up about.

Get the original comic book instead.

Yes, I said, "comic book," not, "graphic novel." The term is an attempt to tart up the terminology to sound more respectable, implying that the comic book is not a respectable medium. But I digress.

This novelization is just standard movie merchandising. No offense to the author of this adaptation, but when the source material is just as accessible, what's the point?

This book is actually very good. It is great to have V as a point of view character at times, such as when he sees the unconscious Evey in Jordan Towers, or confronting Creedy underground.. This may well be one of the best 'tie-in' efforts ever produced.

Some of the political and other history related to countries other than England is given more detail in the novel.

Some years back we started reading this series when it first became available. I probably disagree with my wife on this one, but I did not find it as enjoyable to read as the earlier books in the series. Perhaps it is just being tired of the political scene as well as the change character focus.

Good book, keeps moving and although the moment you realize a lobby group is involved, you know that they are probably the bad guys, however, it keeps your interest and has a good ending.

M. Truman has written one of her best books - it held my attention. The story moved right along without being too wordy and praising the cast too much which she had done in past novels saying cast members were too perfect. The story had good detail and good description. Yes, it was not too short and not too long.

This is truly Margaret Truman's Best. It has everything suspense,drama and lots of intrigue. It's starts with the murder of Jeanette Simmons the senator wife and also Rotondi friend. There's suspects galore! There Annabel and Mac Smith who aides in the investigation. This is truly a great political drama one you won't be able to put down.

This is Truman's 23rd Capital Crimes novel so one may perhaps forgive her for offering what seemed to this listener to be a retreaded material. There's little to surprise in the story line but pleasure to be found in the reading by actor/director/producer Phil Gigante. His voice is deep, resonant, falls easily upon ears as he moves easily between characters.

Our story opens with senior Senator Lyle Simmons returning home after a fundraiser. His homecoming is a shocking one as he finds his wife, Jeanette, brutally murdered. Does he call 911? Of course, not. He immediately contacts his friend and attorney, former District Attorney Philip Rotondi. After all, Simmons has presidential aspirations, and a murdered wife isn't an asset in most campaigns.

Rotondi lost Jeanette to Simmons during college years and also knows that the Simmons marriage, well, while it may have been made in heaven, it was hell on earth.

Now, toss in a daughter with no love for dear old dad Simmons and a passel of devious lobbyists at work, and there you have it.

Easy listening - fair to middlin' story line.

- Gail Cooke

A Walk in the Dark
Gianrico Carofiglio
Bitter Lemon, Oct 2006, $14.95
ISBN: 1904738176

In Bari, Italy, defense lawyer Avvocato Guido Guerrieri earns a living providing legal council to petty criminals; his business depends on returning customers as most of his clients are repeat offenders. However, for whatever reason deep in his pyche, Guido has a soft spot for the underdog especially abused females so at times he will take on impossible cases.

This is one of those times when Guerrieri turns champion because to his chagrin he is immediately attracted to Sister Claudia, director of Safe House, who asks him to help one of her volunteers now hiding at the shelter. The woman moved in with a wealthy Prince Charming who turned into an abusive beast. He beat her in public twice and in private several times. Because of his connections, the carabineri, the police and a judge deny the woman's plea for protection from his harming her. Two lawyers have said no, but Guerrieri agrees to take on the case of protecting the ex girlfriend Martina Fumai, Sistaer Claudia and the shelter from Ernesto Scaianatico, son of of a criminal appeals court judge. However, Guido will learn the hard way why his peers said no.

This terific legal thriller stars a fascinating protagonist who normally is indifferent and bumbling when it comes to his typical clients; however some cases fire up his inner gut turning him into a capable caring attorney and much more. Guido's two capers (see INVOLUNTARY WITNESS) are legal noirs as he struggles to insure his clients remain safe against powerful adversaries who use money and abuse of power to insure victory over justice. Gianrico Carofiglio provides a terific Italian thriller

Harriet Klausner

This was not her best book, atleast compared to the first two I read. It was just too watered down with society talk. If you've read the first two you don't need any more lessons on people of society vs. the working class.
HOWEVER, I did discover the reasoning of why food is served after a funeral, or atleast it made the most sense of anything I've heard so far and just for that reason the book was worth reading. I'm looking forward to her 4th book in this series, I've become quite attached to these characters.

I agree with the other reviewers who were disappointed. I too will continue to read the rest of the series, because I really enjoyed Cater Street Hangman, the first in this series. I found that this was just hot as interesting as the first two books in this series. Neither was it as good as the one Monk book that I have read, which introduced me to Anne Perry's writing and made me want to read more.

This is the third book in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels by Anne Perry and I am very glad to be able to give an enthusiastic five stars as my opinion of this offering.

As a fan of these Victorian era mysteries I had wondered how Ms Perry was going to proceed with the investigative directions of Charlotte and Thomas. Now, after reading three, I feel that I have a better handle on which role will be played by each character and were they fit into the overall scheme of the books. The actual plot of the book has been very well described in other reviews. I enjoyed this title because it gave almost equal roles to Thomas, Charlotte and Emily. The residents of Paragon Walk were so fully developed and wonderfully rounded out that I began to think of them as real people. Perhaps there was a degree of closeness there which began to feel slightly artificial but it was a necessary part of the whole in order to make the ending believable. Neighbors in an upper class London street would probably not have been quite so much in each others pockets, but these were and the conclusion showed why that was so. I was able to see through two episodes which took place but never dreamed of the reason behind what the central dark portion of this case was all about.

I found this an absorbing read. It held my interest and kept me wanting to find out what was going on and what was going to happen next. A distraction for me was Charlotte's sudden ability and desire to leave her child in the care of someone while she made many, many, many trips away from home to investigate the case with Emily. Did Pitt not have anything to say about her sudden abandonment of her home and child to investigate? (Now see, I wanted her to be more involved in book two and was slightly dissatisfied when she was not. Now that she is more involved in book three, I'm questioning if this would have been allowed by her husband. How is an author ever supposed to satisfy us all?) Another point, suddenly Aunt Vespasia (don't you just love that name? pure Victorian!) and Emily were manufacturing clothes right and left so that Charlotte could attend funerals and other functions with them. Did Pitt not mind? Did Charlotte not feel some sense of abandoning her decision to give up all that when she married "below her station" because she loved Pitt? I can't have it both ways but there was so much emphasis on clothes this time that it became an irritant to me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the fourth in the series, Resurrection Row. It looks as if the characters will take turns being front and center in the solving of the mysteries. This one was rushed quite a bit at the end and could have done with a lot more explanation of what happened after the solving of the case. Still liked it, though!

In "Paragon Walk," Anne Perry once again delivered a penetrating look at Victorian society along with witty, sharp-edged dialogue. But I felt deflated after finishing it. The solution to the mystery included some silly, far-fetched elements, and it did not answer my nagging questions the way I hoped it would.

In its favor, the book had many intriguing characters. I am glad to learn Aunt Vespasia returns in future novels. As for the nastier residents of the Walk, their cutting remarks and veiled references to unsavory subjects made me want to see them stripped bare and to learn all their secrets. Once again, the ending let me down.

I was also disappointed Inspector Pitt did not do much sleuthing this time around. He spent too much time asking the same questions of himself and sending another officer off to question servants. Also, the novel had too many scenes at society parties, where people displayed their dislike of one another. I almost wanted to scream, "Enough! I get it that so-and-so hates this other person. Give it a rest, already!"

Overall, I enjoyed reading "Paragon Walk," but as I worked through the last 30 pages, I didn't know whether to laugh or to fling the book across the room. I hope next time, Pitt gets to do more detecting and that my curiosity about various characters is better satisfied.

Mysteries that involve historical periods can easily be swallowed up by their period dress, distance from our current lives and uncommon mores. In this third novel in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, Anne Perry seems to find her footing more effectively in Victorian England than in either of the two previous books, The Cater Street Hangman and Callander Square, and surpasses the usual costume mystery.

A 17-year-old woman is raped and murdered . . . dying in the arms of her sister-in-law. Thomas Pitt is assigned to investigate. Matters are complicated by the victim having just returned from visiting Pitts' sister-in-law's house . . . making his brother-in-law a possible suspect.

As in Callander Square, the investigation soon begins to take its toll on the haughty heads of the houses on Paragon Walk.

Once again, Charlotte is able to work on the investigation by insinuating herself into the social lives of the walk's residents through her sister's introductions.

The solution of the mystery is a fair one, built up logically from all of the clues.

The story itself moves along fairly nicely, and the book can be read in one pleasant sitting if you are in a hurry. Or you can spread it out if you prefer.

The book still lacks enough action, and the pace of the plot and character developments will strike most people as slow. As a result, this book will be best liked by those who are drawn to the verbal warfare that's often found in Victorian drawing room novels.

I have now read the first 4 "In Death" novels J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts). I guess that officially makes me a fan.

These books are so good, I plan to read every one of them.

Each books had gotten better and better progressively. But don't get me wrong each one of them are wonderful.

The characters are great, and the stories intriguing.

Each time I finish one, I'm left wanting more. It is so nice to see character development throughout the series. After a while, you start to feel like you know them. Big props to Nora!

Happy reading.

Could not put this book down. Very exciting as only J.D. Robb can do it.

Although I enjoyed the first "In Death" book, I have to admit it's getting old. I keep getting this distinct feeling of deja vu everytime I read another book in the series. It's time to stop using the same recycled plot and change it up a little. This series has a lot of potential, but it seems that the author is too comforatable in the plot outline she is using now. A realize a lot of people love this series, but I'm finding it difficult to understand why. It took me three months to finish this book! Why? The explanations are too vague, the dialogue is too boring, and the plot is too predictable.

For those readers hooked on Robb's characters, Rapture in Death is a great contribution to the series. It focuses heavily on the just-post-marriage relationship of Eve and Roarke, especially Eve's struggle to come to terms with the strength of her feelings for Roarke (and his for her). It also includes some interesting developments in Mavis's career as a performer.

The mystery is interesting, but not quite up to the level of some of the other books in the series. It's pretty easy to see which possible bad guy is the red herring and which isn't, and the red herring gets drawn out a bit long in my opinion.

Since we're on the fourth book of the series, it can start to feel a little bit unlikely that so many of Eve's cases have ended up tied to people she knows so well. On the other hand, Robb knows her audience: people follow these books for the larger-than-life character drama as well as the mystery, and the way to do that is to give Eve a personal stake in her cases. So while the practical part of me balks a little at the coincidences, I have to admit that it's a very effective way to draw her particular audience in.

All in all, while this isn't my favorite book of the series, I definitely enjoyed reading it. As always, there's some hot & heavy sex between our favorite billionaire and cop, so it's for adults only!

BORING-get a life Ms. Roberts, were I your agent not one of your books would have been published. Did you invent "reality TV"? 'If you have half a brain' (credit to Rupert Holmes)you too will fall asleep reading this author's books. So I can say something nice, her works are better than sleeping pills. I wish that I had originally known what her other name was years before I purchased the #1 of this series, I also wish I had known that each book is a carbin copy of the others, victim name changed, sometimes, to protect the innocent reader, and purely for greed.
I did give 1 star (there was no lower one to choose) as I respect all books and wish more people would read books.

This book started off pretty good. But it did began to get really slow in the middle. I fond myself skipping over all the flashback scenes from all the different characters.

Ultimately the book failed because the ending was horrible. Tried too hard to be complicated and it was silly and beyond belief. A lot of the characters and actions were beyond belief.

One example: No hospital would allow the parent to sign off on permission, especially when the spouse is right there. jack is a lawyer, and would know that!
The Latrina character just never truly fit into the story. There was nothing believable about her. Someone as careless as she was, was some informant? The whole revenge part was just too much, and really weakened the story.

The transformation of Cindy was also another unbelievable plot gimmick. It was just not believable.
Even the last accusations Jack makes at the end are just stupid!! Exactly when did it happen? between the time they arrived at the house and the time Jack got to the room?? Who broke the glass in the house??
Just makes no sense at all.

Are there any good writers left? Do all the suspense writers use the same BS gimmicks that insult people's intelligence.?

This author always keeps me on the edge of my seat. His books are hard to put down and are read within a few days. I find myself reading the book when I should be doing something else.

After reading some of the reviews I was a little worried. Don't be worried. I really enjoyed Mr. Grippando's second installment of Jack's life. I'm not going to write a plot summary since Amazon and several reviewers do that quite well. I liked how fast paced this novel was and I did like the concept/ideas presented. I did agree with some of the other reviewers about how it wrapped up. Just felt it wrapped up way too quickly with some plot holes. I enjoy his books so maybe I'm a little bias. I do recommend this book in the series so you can understand the future books but The Pardon has been the best one so far that I've read.

Albeit the theme's book is kind of new, the viatical story with the Russian mob, the book loses itself in overly Miami descriptions. It also makes the love story of the first book "The Pardon" a phony one because in this book you'll know that Jessie was distraught since she were nine. So many of the situations in both books were because of Jessie, not because of Jack.

If you read this book first than the other one you may like it because of the brisk pacing of the story. But that won't happen if you first read "The Pardon"

This is my second Grippando novel (I previously read Under Cover of Darkness) and I am starting to become a fan of this author. This book takes a big turn from the other book and has a great deal more action and suspense. Jack Swieteck defends a former girlfriend who ends up dead in his own bathtub. To complicate matters she apparently was murdered because of a medical scam against a group of investors who had bet their funds that she would die of Lou Gehrig's Disease. At first Jack is the primary suspect but then the blame seems to shift to his friend Theo (a former death row inmate).



The book has the usual "unstoppable" assassin (Yuri) running around that likes to determine how his victim will die by whether or not they left their porchlight on. He gets involved in some really graphically described scenes of pure torture that could make the most insensitized individual cringe.



Meanwhile there is an avenger named Katrina (she is really Cuban but Katrina is her adopted Czech name) who you are never really sure what side of the playing field she is on.



The book is full of plot twists and turns and never gets boring.

I am surprised by the reviews here which claim this doesn't read like a Dick Francis novel. I haven't read all his later books, but I found the style still ehre, maybe aged and matured, but unmistakeable.The title, as usual, has about three possible applications. The race track application of course is his trademark, and the restaurant application is equally obvious. The third application comes in the later part of the story. The racetrack connection is peripheral in this, but no more so than in several of his previous mysteries. The food preparation background isn't new with him. The wry humor and coincidental happenings are ever present along with his brand of brutality, the tinges of sadness at the loss of a couple of characters. The brutality, the betrayal of trust are themes that of course are not his alone, but the flavor of those elements is still the Francis we know and love. The richness of background detail is still the Francis we know.One always picks up some unusual knowledge in his books and this one is no exception. I did feel that he did a somewhat better job of tying up even the smallest of threads at the end although I was slightly disappointed at on character not being mentioned at the end.In my case though, he certainly did not disappoint.

Max Morton is sick. He thinks it's food poisoning and he's not the only one affected, so he's worried, because last night he was the chef at a black tie dinner event. He's the youngest chef to receive the "Michelin Star" which is a true chiefly honor. He not only owns a popular restaurant in New Market, but he also operates his own catering business. So when an environmental health office shows up to investigate the poisoning, he's got cause for concern. The inspector does too, so she shuts down his restaurant, despite the fact that the food had not been prepared at his restaurant and that all of the leftovers are gone.

Fortunately Max still has his catering business. He's catering a function held in the viewing box at the 2000 Guineas horse race when a bomb goes off. Several people are killed, but luckily for Max, he suffers only minor injuries, however the woman who put on the event is badly injured and one of Max's staff does not survive the blast.

Despite this tragic event, Max still has to try and save his restaurant. He discovers kidney beans caused the poisoning. However there were no kidney beans on the menu, nor were they used in anything served that night, so how could they have been in the food? Now Max has to wonder if he'd been set up. He also begins to wonder if the bombing was somehow connected to the food poisoning. Was the food poisoning an attempt to keep someone away from the bombing, if so who? And who was the bomb intended for? These are just a few of the questions you'll be asking yourself as you page through this satisfying mystery.

I've long been a fan of Dick Francis and missed him dearly when he stopped writing. Then when he came back after so long off with Under Orders, I bought it straightaway. Now a year later we have this story. It's good to have Dick Francis back and I hope he and Felix have many more mystery thrillers in them.

Reviewed by Vesta Irene

I'm really surprised at all of the good reviews for this book. Granted, I listened to it on the audio version (it was a gift; not a choice I would ordinarily make), but I thought the plot was fairly boring and the protagonist was unconvincing in both his investigative exploits as well as his romantic ones. In addition, the performer who did the audio version was badly miscast, I thought. He sounded really old. It was jarring, in that the main characters were supposedly in their early 30s. I would suggest re-reading some of the old Francis books rather than taking a stab at this one.

Just finished the book and I must say it is an engaging read. Okay - so it's not "To The Hilt", but it is a good Francis book. I was so pleased that Dick Francis began writing again after his long hiatus. However, I do agree with the people who recognize a change in his writing. The first book released after his return - "Under Orders" was missing something. This collaboration with his son has D. Francis closer to the 'old voice'. As always - the research behind the book is excellent. However - I think what is still missing is the character insight/development/perspecitive that perhaps came from Francis' wife.

Loved this book. Max is a great hero, the world of find cuisine provides a perfect backdrop to the crime, and the bad guy truly bad. I hope Dick Francis writes many more books, and the addition of Felix Francis to the mix only makes the books better. Bravo!

I was very impressed with Josephine Tey's The Franchise Affair. It was very well written and kept me guessing until the end. This book was highly recommended to me from a book group I belong to and I'm glad I read it.

This book was a good read. The only problem was on my end. I kept trying to make the book more twisted and deep that it really was. You have to remember when it was written. You can't compare it with today's books or TV shows where there is always another twist coming. I thought the ending was a little disappointing. Even in the movie Casablanca the guy didn't get the girl at the end and that movie was written before this book. Overall the mystery was good and I would recommend it ending and all.

This and, Tey's Brat Farrar, are two of the very best from the decades around WWII when British mystery writing was so good. Unlike many of the books by Dorothy Sayers, Marjorie Allingham or Ngaio Marsh, classics in their day, these two by Tey stand up well to the passage of time. The story of The Franchise Affair is timeless and the characters and local so beautifully written that the book is not dated at all. The modern reader can appreciate the difference in lifestyle in the post War time without feeling that it is too period or quaint. A fine story that is suspenseful even though the reader knows from the beginning how the tale will end.

Classic English mystery novels are often set in an idealized vision of rural life, surviving apparently intact the changes brought about by two wars. The indulgence of a gentle nostalgia is one of the great pleasures of reading them. In THE FRANCHISE AFFAIR, the setting is a small market town, and the leading character, Robert Blair, is a fortyish country lawyer, set in his ways and approaching a comfortable middle age. But mysteries also involve a worm in the bud, as a contrast to the beauty of the rose. In this case, the contrast is the Franchise, an isolated house some miles from the town, surrounded by high walls, and bleak and forbidding. It is the kind of place to start rumors, and indeed its current inhabitants -- a older woman and her adult daughter -- are accused of kidnapping and torturing a young girl. They call upon Blair to represent them, thus leading him to re-examine the priorities and attitudes that he had taken for granted in his own society.

It is an unusual mystery novel in several respects. First, that the crime is not a murder (it is actually based upon a real historical case). Second, that the case against the women seems open and shut, and even when we have begun to assume with Robert that there must be other explanations, there are several setbacks that make him and us doubt afresh. Thirdly, there is a strange romance that builds between Robert and the daughter of the house, unusual because of the relative age of the couple, unusual in that they both resist it, and unusual too in its unexpected ending. By the end, indeed, the novelistic aspects of the book as a portrait of small town society and of a rather awkward romance ultimately take on greater importance than the solution of the mystery, well worked out though this is. But I consider this a strength, and will definitely want to return to the book for a third time in another decade or so.

[The reader may wish to see my much longer review of a collection of Tey novels published as THREE BY TEY, from which the above remarks are taken.]

This is a great book with an excellent mystery at its core that raises a fascinating question: when people seem to have information they shouldn't know unless some claim they're making is true, and yet seem to be lying about who they've come by that information, what is one to do? The mystery in this book, which was inspired by real events, is about a young girl who claims that she was kidnapped and held hostage in an attic room of a house in England. The owners of the house swear that not only is this not the case, but that 1) this girl has never set foot in their house, and 2) they have never seen her before. A character in the book seems to think that the owners of the house are telling the truth, only, there's one problem: the girl can describe details concerning the interior of the house. Does this fact prove that her story is true? No, obviously it does not. Why it does not is an important lesson, and is one that surely extends beyond the confines of this mystery. The answer, for instance, has much to do with how con artists fool people into thinking they are "psychic." Though The Daughter of Time is often hailed as Tey's greatest accomplishment, I must disagree. I found The Franchise Affair to be a far superior novel. This is must reading for mystery fans.

this was a great title. awesome story with tie-ins to current events. Highly reccomended.

This book departs from Frank Castle's anti-Mafia Jihad. Here, US super-spy Nick Fury recruits the Punisher to infiltrate a Russian ICBM silo to recover a very important package. The dark, cynical take on US intelligence and military command is well done, especially in this era of Bu$h lies about WMD, Iraq-9/11-Al Qaeda links.

Artist Dougie Brathwaite's work is a bit too sketchy for my tastes. The Punisher character is best rendered in a realistic Steve Dillon fashion or a moody, noirish Tim Bradstreet version. The art isn't bad, it's just not very good.

But the story is well paced and plotted with a killer twist at the end. Read it, you'll like it.

I don't want to give away the plot of this book, but The Punisher's mission in this one is a little different than in most. The story definitely won't disappoint you. Ennis' style is just as good as in any of his other books.

I was new to the punisher series...having bought the last episode of up is down and black is white i was a little curious about the title, so on my trip to the bookstore i picked up mother russia and bought it. It was an amazing read...garth ennis was born to write this book. Filled with action, humor...and in a weird way sentimentality...ennis's ideas sometimes feel recycled from preacher though...and its not altogether bad...but a little more would go a long way

the art was excellent....baithwraite's punisher seemed aggressive even in panels where there was no action...like a caged animal waiting to strike....there was a certain beauty to it, a certain grit to the faces and expressions...perhaps he is the best artist for this title after dillon. cant wait for more

Another great Punisher story arc written by Garth Ennis(Preacher, Hellblazer).

This TPB is about the Frank Castle aka the Punisher taking on a seemingly impossible mission which involves rescuing a 6 year-old-girl who's carrying a deadly virus. Punisher also comes face to face with the Mongolian(why do the villian names have to involve their nationalties, like the Russian from Welcome back, Frank....just wondering). It was a very well written story, which also shows us a softer side of old Frankie as he tries to save 6-year-old girl who reminds him of his own little girl died at a mobster shootout. But the usual humor I've seen in the previous Punisher series that Ennis wrote was little to none at times in the MAX series. I hope I see more of his humor in future Punisher books.

My only criticism for this book is the ark by Dougie Braithwaite, nothing personal, I just don't think his style really work with this story, then again, that's just me. I personally think Steve Dillon is the best man for the job, he draws the best Punisher.

This definitely worth buying if you're big fan of either Garth Ennis or Punisher, but if you are looking for the type of story and art in Welcome Back Frank, then you're out of luck.