Carlos Ruiz Zafón - The Prince of Mist

The Shadow of the Wind is one of those books that I absolutely loved, and although my second experience with Zafón didn't have quite the same happy ending, the desire to read his works didn't really come to a complete halt. I picked up The Prince of Mist, a book aimed at children, at Greenwich Market, just the other day, and started it feeling quite positive. The Prince of Mist is Zafón's first published book, albeit the English translation came much later. Thirteen year old Max Carver is forced to say goodbye to city life, as his idiosyncratic father decides that the entire family must move away to a house by the sea-side, during the War. It's safer, after all. However, no location is ever mentioned.

The book starts off slow, with the Carvers moving to their new home, which isn't all that it seems on the face of it. In the mysterious garden behind the house, Max discovers creepy statues of circus characters, . Investigating the history of the house, he discovers that the house was abandoned by a couple after their son died. In the shed, there's a projector and some old home-made movies. One of the movies is set in the mysterious garden, and once over, his sister, Alicia, claims to have sene the clown before - in her dreams. Something's a-creepy. Something's amiss.

When Max befriends a local boy, Ronald, the pace picks up. While the budding romance between Alicia and Ronald is one story-line, the parallel story is what grips the reader. When the boys go scuba-diving by an old shipwreck, Max and Alicia learn the legend of the ship, the crew and its story. And the fact that no bodies were found.

Curiouser and curiouser.

The story, in itself, ends with more questions than answers. Some of the plot developments are all-too-convenient for the story, but perhaps that's me being unfair, for it is a children's book. The suspense is built throughout, sometimes a little too melodramatic; a little too hyperbolic. But - perhaps, that's what good fiction is.

I did enjoy the book, and like before, I will actively seek out more of Zafón's works.

Jussi Adler-Olsen - Mercy

It's been a fantastic weekend, with Sunday seeing me curled up in bed for the better half of the day, with this fantastic thriller, and a big bag of M&Ms. For me, it's kind-of hard to imagine that Scandinavia has a dark underbelly. What with the strong economy, the idyllic fjords and the breathtaking mountains, it's almost like a slice of heaven. Even the events in Oslo on July 22 seem so surreal... so un-Scandinavian, so wrong...

Steig Larsson's Millennium trilogy put Scandinavian crime-fiction on the literary map, and since then, there seems to be a sudden emerge of crime fiction from the Nordic countries. Jussi Adler-Olsen's Denmark-based thriller is the latest, and while it hasn't won any accolades yet, it has spent over a year on the Danish charts, and the English translation seems to have gotten rave reviews. So, I just had to read it.

And I loved it. Finishing the five-hundred page thriller in a day - that should say it all, really. In fact, I would say it was superior to Larsson's Millennium trilogy; if for nothing else, the book actually seems to be edited! And there is no product placement. Always a bonus.

Department Q is a newly opened department within Homicide for cold cases, and it's headed by the lazy quirky detective, Carl Mørck. Mørck's recovering from a hellish previous case, where one of his colleagues was killed and the other is still hospitalised, paralysed neck-down. Mørck is a difficult character to deal with - good at what he does, but non-conformist, brusque and slightly eccentric. So, when he's relegated to this new department, with the help of his new assistant, Syrian immigrant, Assad, after much procrastination, Mørck starts tackling the cases sent down to his basement office. The fact of the matter remains that his colleagues want him out of their hair, and in no one really cares as to what happens down in Department Q. Oh, the politics at the workplace.

On the top of the pile is the case of Merete, a young beautiful politician who vanishes on a ship some five years earlier, without a trace. No one knows of her whereabouts, and there are no suspects. In a parallel narrative, we meet Merete, only to discover that she is still alive, and being held captive. She doesn't know who the kidnappers are... but they keep asking her just the one question: to figure out why she's being held. Merete's narrative goes back in time, to a few weeks before the kidnapping, and it's up to the reader to start figuring out the whodunnit.

Interleaving chapters explore Merete's life - her reflections while being in a dark chamber of sorts, and the struggle to retain her sanity - and the investigation launched by the two members of Department Q. Merete's a strong female protagonist, not a "wimpy heroine" which is refreshing. She's not submissive, she's not subservient, at any point, and she rationalises her way through the hell she is going through.

A multi-layered narrative, fast-paced chapters, a tinge of humour, interesting characters and a fantastic plot make this book absolutely unputdownable. As the mystery unravels, it is not incredibly challenging to put the pieces together, but there are enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and biting her nails while reading the book.

So, if you're a fan of crime-thrillers, I recommend this extremely highly. I'm already looking forward to the next book in this series. Where will Department Q go next?

Jeff Lindsay - Dexter By Design

...And yes, Dexter’s back on my blog, after what seems like absolute ages. I’ve had the fourth of the Dexter books on my shelf for over a year, and that in itself surprises me, as I lapped up the first three books in the series in about a week. Yes, I did enjoy them that much. The fourth book doesn’t disappoint, although, it starts getting a lot more.... what’s the word... melodramatic. You have your protagonist: blood spatter analyst by day, and serial killer by night, and now - now, he’s hitched, enjoying married life and being a father to two adorable children.

He’s back in Miami post a fantastic honeymoon in Paris, and he’s back at work. First day back, and Dexter and his “Dark Passenger” are in for a treat : dead corpses being artfully displayed, for one and all to see. One woman is turned into a fruit basket, and one man’s insides holds beer! No clues, no violence, no blood on the scene of crime. As Dexter and his sister, Deborah, try to get to the bottom of what’s going on, drama unfolds.

Deborah is still trying to deal with Dexter’s Dark Revelation, and she’s grumpy for the most part. Justifiable, to an extent, but on occasion, I did feel like giving her a slap, and saying get over it. After an altercation with her brother while on duty, she is stabbed and typically, her life is in grave danger. They rush her to the hospital, and as she battles for her life, Dexter’s dealing with his own battles: emotions. He’s unsure as to how to feel, and he’s accustomed to being this emotionless outlaw, so what’s the deal with the thoughts running through his head, and all the worse-case scenarios he is conjuring up?

Impulsively, i.e. very unlike him, Dexter seeks revenge on the person who was responsible for this heinous crime against his sister, and in the process, finds himself violating The Harry Code. Harry was Dexter’s foster father, who was aware of Dexter’s darker side, and encouraged him to channel his inner demons into doing good - killing the bad guys, getting rid of the scum on the planet.  His impulsiveness, though, leads him to making mistakes, and things get incredibly complicated... and to right a wrong, it almost looks like many more wrongs are going to be done.

This was interesting in the sense, it’s the first time we see Dexter acting on raw emotions, despite continuously insisting that he’s unemotional and detached. When he first realizes the implications of his sister’s attack, he goes down memory lane... and this book does focus on the past a lot - Dexter and Deborah growing up, Harry’s mentoring, and his initial battles.

The book is also quite humorous, and Dexter, despite everything, is highly intelligent. He alliterates his name all the time, with his current state of mind, if that makes sense? So, for example, while referring to himself, he says things like:   It did not belong in the prime time drama of Dexter’s Dim Days; Dexter the Drastically Deferred; Dark Dexter’s Dance etc. I love alliterations.

Other bits that I thought were tongue-in-cheek and worth re-quoting:

First things first has always been my motto, mostly because it makes absolutely no sense - after all, if first things were second or third, they wouldn't be first things, would they? Still, cliches exist to comfort the feeble minded, not to provide any actual meaning.

I don't know where the boyfriend is, really," I said. And it was true, considering tide, current, and the habits of marine scavengers.

However, all that said, I do think this is the weakest of Dexter’s books so far. It wasn’t as engrossing as the first two, and it became mildly more... soapy. When one is reading about a serial killer, they don’t quite want it to come with the baggage of a soap opera.

Stieg Larrson - The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets' Nest

This is the third and final book of the Millennium trilogy, and I'm almost annoyed that there will be no more novels of Lisbeth Salander or Mikael Blomkvist on my reading list again. The final book in the trilogy opens with Lisbeth being shot several times in the head, after she attempted to kill her father, Zalachenko, who will be pressing charges. Zalachenko, a KGB defector, has been protected by a secret governmental organisation ever since he entered Sweden. Truths have been concealed, reports fabricated and a web of lies spun over the years, by various people in positions of power, and they are now threatened as to what might be unveiled thanks to the latest developments. Their masterplan is to get Salander committed to an asylum permanently. At the same time, Blomkvist, the irrepressible journalist at Millennium, is trying to figure out what's being covered, by whom and why. It's the classic battle between the good guys and the bad guys, with some necessary sacrifices being made by the "bad guys" - some people being used as pawns, and some being eliminated altogether; and both sides trying to outdo the other.

Most of the action in the book happens in the police/government offices, the hospital where Lisbeth is slowly recuperating, and the newspaper offices. The themes so far prominent in Larrson's books continue: politics and corruption in Sweden, the subjugation of women, the importance of good investigative journalism, and the Big Brother world we live in, where constant surveillance and hacking can get most answers.

A couple of other stories intertwine in the finale as well, making this book a monster of 750 pages (approximately). Some of the details seem unnecessary, and I did spend the first two hundred odd pages just trying to get to grips with the myriad of characters that kept getting introduced. Once I got past that, I just lapped up the rest of the book in no time whatsoever.

This book seems like it would make a good TV series (I'm thinking Alias right about now) - at least one season of a TV series. It's action-packed, things keep happening, and there are a number of cliffhangers. At the very outset, we know who some of the bad guys are, but as the book continues, the counter keeps incrementing. Plus, if one's interested, it does give a view of Swedish politics and its history.

Salander and Blomknist remain the "white" characters in the "black and white" world that this book depicts. Annika, Blomkvist's sister, plays a much bigger part, and she instantly became a favourite. With engaging characters (including the bad guys), and an incredibly well thought out story, I did enjoy this book. It's interesting, but the charm of the book doesn't lie in the ambience that's created, but more in the way things turn around and the characters act.

It's pop-fiction, but it's gripping pop-fiction, so even if you're turned off by seeing this trilogy on bestseller charts and ads everywhere, it's still worth giving it a shot, I think. You might be pleasantly surprised - I was!

Daphne Du Maurier - My Cousin Rachel

For twenty four years, Daphne Du Maurier has eluded me, and I'm still trying to figure out how! I read Rebecca earlier this year, and loved it, which led me to pick up My Cousin Rachel. Surprise, surprise! I loved it as well. My Cousin Rachel is narrated by Philip Ashley, who was orphaned at a young age, and brought up by his older affluent cousin, Ambrose. Philip is totally devoted to Ambrose, and in turn, Ambrose to his naive younger cousin.

Health problems force Ambrose to spend the winter months in Italy, and one year, he sends a letter home saying he is married to Rachel. Philip, consumed by jealousy, isn't able to share the happiness and excitement that the friends and family seem to revel in.

My cousin Rachel had a dozen personalities or more and each one more hateful than the last. I saw her forcing Ambrose to his knees to play at bears, the children astride his back, and Ambrose consenting with a humble grace, having lost all dignity.

When Ambrose's letters home mention sickness, and further ill-health, Philip makes plans to visit his cousin. The last letter received before his departure has an almost illegible scroll: For God's sake, come to me quickly. She has done for me at last, Rachel my torment. If you delay, it may be too late. Ambrose.

By the time Philip reaches Florence, Ambrose has passed on - a result of a brain tumour, the doctors day. Philip refuses to believe that, and insists that Rachel has had something to do with his cousin's unfortunate and untimely demise. Rachel has disappeared, and left the handling of her affairs (and villa) to a untrustworthy-looking man, Rainaldi.

Philip, the heir of Ambrose's estate, returns home and attempts continuing running things as he has been taught, silently glad that Rachel wasn't left anything in Ambrose's will. However, when Rachel comes to England, she seems to be the diametric opposite of what Philip thought, and he quickly discards his many theories associating her with Ambrose's death.

Not having a relationship with any woman previously, Philip is drawn to Rachel like a moth to a flame, and acts naively and impulsively - much reminiscent of the narrator in Rebecca. Yet, Rachel plays the part of the mourning widow to perfection, instead of acting like the black widow... yet, the questions are always there: was Rachel responsible for the events in Italy? Will history repeat itself?

The beauty of this book is in Du Maurier's immense skill of weaving a dramatic plot, that leaves the reader on the edge of their seat. Hints are scattered around artistically, and the various clues that make up the story keeps the reader guessing right till the very end - and beyond. If you had questions while reading the book, the number of questions that flood your mind once the book is completed increases tenfold.

Rating: A

Stieg Larsson - The Girl Who Played With Fire

The Girl Who Played With Fire is the second book in Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, starring Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. The tables have turned though, and while last time Mikael was on the wrong side of the law, this time it's Lisbeth. Lisbeth has had her share of trouble with the law before, but, since, she's presumably cleaned up her act, and is not as prone to spontaneous acts of stupidity as she once was. That was thanks to the careful guidance of her guardian, Palmgren. Since his stroke, the baton passed on to the despicable Bjurman, who had sexually assaulted Lisbeth in the previous book, and Lisbeth sought revenge - however, she didn't go to the cops with her problems, but took matters into her own hand.

Now, Bjurman is found dead, as are two friends of Mikael (Dag Svensson and Dag's girlfriend, Mia Johansson), who were working on an expose about sex trade and trafficking, for the Millennium magazine, which would ruin the reputation of various people in high places. Before his death, Svensson had informed Mikael of a new lead: Zala, a mysterious powerful stranger, who no one was willing to talk about. Lisbeth, who had been travelling for a few months prior to these murders, hacked into Blomkvist's computer, and saw the references to Zala - a bad memory from her own troubled and disturbed past.

When Lisbeth's prints are found on the gun, she is assumed to be responsible for all three murders. With a history of being violent, and having trouble with the cops, is it wrong to suspect her? Specially, as she was at Dag's and Mia's place just before the double murders occurred. Everyone is out looking for her, with only one person voicing his unequivocal belief that Lisbeth is innocent: Mikael Blomkvist - who doesn't even know how to get in touch with her! Lisbeth has cut off Blomkvist completely, and changed her phone number and address.

Coincidences run deep as Mikael and the rest of the Millennium crew carry out their own investigation, side by side with the cops. The Millennium crew are working on the assumption that the murders are a result of the controversial subject the couple were working on, whereas the cops have their "suspect" but lack the motive. Will the Millennium crew determine the real culprits, and find Zala, or will the cops find Lisbeth Salander, who seems to have dropped off the face of the planet?

This book is suspenseful - a page turner, if you like. Again, we come face to face with the darker side of the Scandinavian country, as well as find out the past of Lisbeth Salander, and what "All The Evil" was, that led her to become the tough-as-nails law-averse headstrong girl that she is.

The coincidences present in this book are convenient, to say the least - what are the odds that Mikael will be working with two people who are out to find a central person in Lisbeth's past? And how does Mikael conveniently be the person to take a call that gives them their biggest break?

With respect to the language and product placement, my complaints about this book are pretty similar to its predecessor. The Apple product placement is still all too rampant, as is the writing extremely descriptive.

She walked gingerly into the 7-Eleven where she bought some shampoo, toothpaste, soap, kefir, milk, cheese, eggs, bread, frozen cinnamon rolls, coffee, Lipton's teabags, a jar of pickles, apples, a large pack of Billy's Pan Pizza and a pack of Marlboro. She paid with a Visa card.

However, just like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, this book's definitely worth a read, as the characters of Lisbeth and Mikael transcend the pages, with their individuality, sense of morality and loyalty, sheer intelligence, heavy conscience and utmost bravery.

Rating: B

Steig Larsson - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Stieg Larsson's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo has dominated the bestsellers' chart this year, and the Swedish author has received much acclaim posthumously (Larsson died of a heart attack at the age of just fifty). It first came to my attention about a year ago (February 2009), and I added it to my ever-growing list, but, was quick to discount it as another "Da Vinci Code" - lots of hype, minimal substance. Finally though, the crime-thriller-lover in me gave in, and for that I'm grateful. I enjoyed the book thoroughly, but simultaneously, some aspects of it annoyed me a fair bit. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is the first book in the Millennium series, and in its opening pages, the reader is introduced to the main protagonist of the story, Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced financial journalist, who has just lost a libel case (against one of the business tycoons), and simultaneously, forced to temporarily relieve himself of his job at the small independent magazine, Millennium, which founded along with his best friend, Erika.

Out of a job, and in a bit of a financial flux, an offer comes to him by way of Henrik Vagner, an industrialist who offers Blomkvist over 2 million kroner, to write a memoir of the Vagner family. However, what Vagner really wants the journalist to do is solve a forty year old murder mystery - Harriet, Vagner's niece, disappeared from the small island one fateful day, and no one had heard from her since, leading to the only reasonable conclusion: she had fallen victim to foul play. Despite his (and Erika's) better judgment, Blomkvist does take up the job, and gets caught up in the web of part thieves, misers, bullies and incompetents, that makes up the Vagner family tree. Some members are pro-Nazi, some reclusive, some downright crazy, and all, it seems, with secrets to hide!

Considering the task at hand (solving a mystery forty years old, where all the evidence has been examined and cross-examined, and all the clues washed up), Blomkvist is convinced that he will not find anything. However, as the story takes its course, he comes face to face with "the girl with the dragon tattoo", Lisbeth Salander. Salander is a complex lonely character, with multiple tattoos and piercings. She has her own sense of morality, does not abide by the country's law, has serious intimacy issues, has photographic memory and is a genius hacker - a skill that comes in handy, as Salander acts as his research assistant and co-investigator.

The book picks up pace, and once you're in the midst of all the action, it's almost impossible to put down the book (note: I was up 'til half two in the morning finishing this book, on Wednesday, when I had to go to work Thursday!). You see Salander dealing with the troubles in her life her own way, acting on her own impulses; Blomkvist trying to escape the media circus around his name; Vagner desperate to solve a mystery that has consumed his whole life; and a myriad of other characters who seem to have their own whims and fancies.

Also, while on the face of it, this is a crime thriller, the book explores many other themes as well, specially those of misogyny and anti-Semitism. Initially, the book was called, Men Who Hate Women, and that should give the reader an idea as to what to expect, and trust me - at times, some of the more sadistic scenes will make you want to turn the page as fast as possible, while simultaneously, you won't be able to peel your eyes away from a single word!

So, yes, the book is engrossing and it's a pure page turner. Yet, it needs to go under the editor's red pencil once again - I have serious doubts about it even being edited just the once. There's some poor grammar, and while I do like descriptive writing, there is something called going overboard...

The office was a rectangle of more than 120 square meters. One wall was dominated by a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf nine metres long containing a remarkable assortment of literature: biographies, history, business and industry, and A4 binders. The books were arranged in no apparent order. It looked like a bookshelf that was used. The opposite wall was dominated by a desk of dark oak. On the wall behind the desk was a large collection of pressed flowers in neat meticulous rows.

Only the last line of the above paragraph has anything to do with the plot of the novel! Two hundred odd pages could have easily been slashed.

There are also too many characters, and I had to continuously look at the family tree charted at the beginning of the book, to keep track of who's who. I got the feeling that not all the characters were essential, but, they existed to make the book slightly more confusing.

Finally, I've always associated product placement with movies and TV shows, but never with books. However, this entire book had so many brand references, that it made me wonder - is this the future? Books being used to "place" products in the market as well?

The loss of her computer was depressing, but not disastrous. Salander had had an excellent relationship with it during the year she owned it. She had backed up all her documents, and she had an older desktop Mac G3 at home, as well as a five year old Toshiba P.C. laptop that she could use. But she needed a fast modern machine.

Unsurprisingly, she set her sights on the best available alternative: the new Apple PowerBook G4/1.0 GHz in an aluminium case with a Power PC 7451 processor with an AltiVec Velocity Engine, 960 megs of RAM and a sixty gig hard  drive. It had BlueTooth and built in C.D and D.V.D. burners.

The above mentioned laptop spec is already outdated, and PowerBooks haven't existed for a few years now, but, that's not the point. Not only do descriptions like the above prevent the book from becoming as timeless as it could be, but, it's also descriptions that most readers don't care about. Don't get me wrong - I love everything Apple, and hate most things Microsoft, but, the random incessant name-dropping is a turn off.

If you can deal with some ramblings, and bad editing, this book comes highly recommended. I'm already half way through the second book, so, I think that speaks for itself. However, if you're pedantic about things like that, and don't indulge yourself in much "guilty pleasures,"  maybe you should skip this one?

Rating: B-

Natsuo Kirino - Out

Desperation leads one to do strange things; things one would not do under normal circumstances - things one would not even consider. This is the essence of one of the bleakest books I've read this year: Out. Natsuo Kirino's bestseller follows four women working in a bento-box factory, who turn their lives upside down, as circumstance dictates. Yayoi, in a fit of rage, strangles her husband, who was enamoured by a young hostess, and had wasted away all their savings. On realizing that she'd killed him, she contacts Musoko, one of the other factory workers, and asks for her help in disposing off the body.

Musoko instantaneously decides to help, and picks up the body from Yayoi's place. After work that night, she speaks to Yoshie, and convinces her to lend a hand. Yoshie is reluctant, but, when Musuko promises a monetary reward, she concedes. Financial difficulties, and a teenage daughter plus an old mother-in-law to look after means Yoshie can always do with money!

And finally there's Kuniko, a compulsive spender, who needs money to pay off the interest on her loans. Greedy, materialistic and untrustworthy, it's no surprise that Musoko doens't trust her enough to ask her for help outright. However, when she goes over to Musuko's place, to beg her for a loan, Musoko and Yoshie are in the middle of dismembering the body, and they pull Kuniko in.

After cutting the body into tiny pieces, they put the fragments into garbage bags, and decide to leave it around the city - it would be the easiest way to dispose off the body. The three girls take some of the bags each, while Yayoi plays the role of the worried wife.

When a set of bags are discovered in the park, the police suspect Satake, the psychopathic owner of a club and gambling outfit, as Yayoi's husband had gotten into a fight with him on the very evening he was killed. The girls are under the impression that they have pulled it off, and can get away scot-free...

But, old secrets come to light, and the story follows on into a glimpse of Tokyo vice: loan sharks, illegal gambling clubs, prostitution, and the like.

The book is gory, with grotesque screens described vividly: be it the dismemberment of Yayoi's husband, or a rape scene, where the rapist is stabbing the woman and causing her to bleed to death, while raping her. If you have an overactive imagination, or a sensitive tummy, this book isn't for you!

It's also a glimpse into society in Tokyo: about sexism and racism, work ethics and culture, money and vice. The women are lovelorn, their relationships with their husbands have faded into nothing, and the poverty that binds their hands, leads them to make some shocking decisions. It's not a book about friendship - it's a book about desperation, and the choices made subsequently. The ending is as bizarre as it gets, and it's another bloody gruesome picture.

The suspense in the book is limited to: will they be caught? The crime's committed in the opening chapters, and in my opinion, some of the book dragged on. It's not the best book I've read this year, but I was wolfing it down, eager to know what happened next. Some of the writing fell flat, and I personally thought that the translation wasn't great.

Rating: 3.5

Jeff Lindsay - Dexter In The Dark

Dexter In The Dark is the third book in Lindsay's gripping series, and this one has probably been my favourite so far, which is saying a lot, since I've lapped these books up faster than a starving cat laps up a bowl of milk. Dexter (of the "Deadly Dimples") finds himself engaged to Rita, accidentally, and he has a wedding to plan. However, that's not what's on Dexter's mind. The inner Dark Passenger seems to have absconded, and Dexter is unable to find him, or determine why he's departed. If something's scared it off, it must be serious....

A series of heinous murders take place at the University, and Deborah, Dexter's sister, is the lead detective on the case. As usual, she relies on Dexter's unequivocal help, but due to the missing Passenger, Dexter is lost, lonely, and seems to be "in the dark", whereas earlier he found it easy enough to identify something unique about the crimes - a clue, a lead, just... something. The victims have their heads chopped off, and replaced with a bull's, and their bodies are baked crisp. Is it a cult crime? Something darker? Something more sinister?

For me, what made this book stand out, compared to its predecessors is Dexter, and him actually showing emotions: from snapping at Deborah, to acting as mentors to Rita's two kids, from showing his fears and vulnerabilities, to acting on impulse and pragmatism. And, the story itself goes back a few thousand years, to Solomon's time, and it brings to light a darker force, that has successfully scared off Dexter's inner companion, the 'thing' he fondly refers to as the Dark Passenger - but, what really is the Dark Passenger?

Rating: 4.5

Jeff Lindsay - Dearly Devoted Dexter

I'm going through a bit of a Dexter phase at the moment. I blame it on the fact that these are borrowed books, and I hate hanging on to borrowed books for too long. Plus, these books are seriously addictive, and keep you hooked on for dear life. Dexter is charming, charismatic, and committed - to killing the bad guys. He's also 'devoted' to his sister, Sergeant Deborah, and while he insists that he's not capable of feeling love, this book has a lot of "Dimpled Dexter" to the rescue references, for each time Deborah calls on him for help. He just can't say no! This book is slightly more morbid and disturbing than the first in the series: a torturer is on the loose, and he doesn't kill. Instead, he dismembers the body beyond recognition, and leaves the "living flesh" under a mirror so they can see themselves, limbless, eyeless, noseless, earless, lipless, genital-less... you get the idea, right? He gives them enough painkillers (barbiturates) to ensure they don't die of shock, and his surgical skills surpass excellence, as the wounds all seem to heal, and there's no blood involved. Dexter, in his dark humor, refers to the torturer at large as 'Dr. Dismember'.

Deborah seeks Dexter's help to prove a point to her newly-found Washington lover who has taken over the case, but Dexter just wants to be left alone. That's not the only thing on his mind, though. Sergeant Doakes has a sneaking suspicion about Dexter's "hobby", and he tails him continuously, to catch Dexter in the act. The Dark Passenger inside is contained by sheer determination and patience - but how long will it be 'til Dexter gives in to his greater power? And finally, Rita's getting really close, and has been thinking about marriage. But, Dexter, the emotionless reclusive bachelor, is not a family man...

There was nothing in the refrigerator remotely worth eating, unless you were a feral dog. Very disappointing: Dexter is a healthy boy with a high metabolism, and facing what was sure to be a difficult day on an empty stomach was not a happy thought. I know family comes first, but shouldn't that mean after breakfast?

Ah, well. Dauntless Dexter would make a sacrifice once again. Pure nobility of spirit, and I expect no thanks, but one does what one must.

I don't know, but with his dark sense of humor, and his supreme intelligence, it's actually hard not to get fond of Dexter, despite questioning some aspects of his moral code, which he strictly adheres to, even if it is at his own inconvenience. The more I read, the more addicted I am. One more book at hand...

Rating: 4

Jeff Lindsay - Darkly Dreaming Dexter

I'm guessing that most of you must have heard of Dexter (the TV show is really popular at the moment) - Blood spatter specialist by day, serial killer by night? But, he's a serial killer with a conscience - you see, he only kills the people who deserve to die. The pedophiles, the rapists, the evil nurse.

And, he does it artfully. Neatly. Covers his tracks, and makes sure he's never caught. Because that's what Harry taught him - Harry, his foster father, who is now dead, but his voice still echoes in Dexter's head, as a guiding light. Dexter has an inner Dark Passenger that takes over, and leaves him with an urge to kill. Harry, an ex-cop, did understand that, and inculcated in Dexter the moral code: Kill only those who deserve to die. He also taught Dexter the basics, to ensure he was never caught: fit in, dress well, have a normal job, have a girlfriend, and always cover your traces.

The book is written in first person, narrated by Dexter. In the first book of this series, another serial killer is in town, and his practices and methods seem to mirror Dexter's. All the blood is drained, the bodies are cut into numerous "neat" pieces, and disposed off in garbage disposal bags. Deborah, Dexter's foster sister, is an aspiring detective, and she seeks Dexter's help, for Dexter seems to have a "knack" to figure out these crimes. Dexter, on the other hand, needs to figure out if he wants to get "emotionally involved" with this serial killer, or help his sister, who's been having a hard time, courtesy another detective on the force.

What would I do? I need to decide now, before I get too helpful for Deborah. I could help her solve this, absolutely, no one better. Nobody else was even moving in the right direction. But did I want to help? Did I want this killer arrested? Or did I want to find him and stop him myself? Beyond this - oh, nagging little thought - did I even want him to stop?

As the killings increase, Dexter finds himself more involved, so much so that he thinks that the killer on the loose is speaking to him directly, or, that he's losing his mind. Which one is it?

By no means is this book perfect - the plot is not the strongest, and it's not a literary masterpiece. However, the book is a page-turner, like no other. Dexter's character is amazing, and sometimes, I had to avert my eyes from the page and shake my head, because I really couldn't believe what I was reading. It's funny, serious, and point-blank. Dexter doesn't really mince words.

By four-thirty in the morning, the priest was all cleaned up. I felt a lot better. I always did, after. Killing makes me feel good. It works the knots out of darling Dexter's dark schemata.

If you like page-turners, that are slightly dark, slightly disturbing, go ahead and pick this up. You will not be disappointed, for Dexter really is unforgettable, and, in his own way, he's charismatic as well!

Rating: 3.5

Sarah Waters - The Little Stranger

This is the first book on the Booker shortlist that I've tackled this year, and I have to admit that my opinion on the book remains ambivalent. Having finished Fingersmith a couple of weeks back, I expected a lot more from The Little Stranger - more twists and turns, and surprises. Ironically, what makes The Little Stranger good is the subtlety and the lack of hyperbolism - that the story isn't swept away by the author's imagination, to degenerate into a run-of-the-mill horror story. Set in post-war 1947, in Warwickshire, the story is narrated by the pragmatic Dr. Faraday. One day, he is called to the Hundreds Hall, to treat the maid, and there he re-acquaints himself with the once wealthy Ayres family, whose fortunes have faded with time. He remembers the time when he visited the exquisite mansion, as a young boy, to be presented a commemorative medal, and he marvels at its dilapidated condition now.

Once he "treats" Betty, he continues to find reasons to return to the Hundreds Hall, as he recalls its past splendours, and juxtaposes that against the present state. He befriends the family, becomes almost indispensable to them, and the family themselves seek his company - they have few visitors now-a-days, and they do not invite their old friends as they are ashamed of the present.

The family constitutes of Mrs. Ayres, the lady of the house; Caroline, her plain eldest child, and Roderick, who was severely injured during the War, and still has a limp. He now looks after the estate, by selling plots of land and living off its capital, while trying to protect his mother and sister from seeing how bad things truly are.

One night, the Ayres decide to have a party, to welcome their new neighbours, but things go frightfully wrong, and its during this party that the story actually kicks off. Rod does not attend the party due to a headache, but after the party, Rod seems to succumb to his "nerves problem" and eventually suffers a nervous breakdown of sorts.

As the story progresses, it seems as though there is an unwelcome "mischief-maker" in the house. But, whom, or what, is causing the mischief? There's no evident answer - what is clear, though, is that the Ayres are glad to have the services of Dr. Faraday, who rationalises and provides a scientific explanation for every event - something that probably comes naturally to most doctors.

While Dr. Faraday narrates the events, and provides the reader with a glimpse of the emotions of all the characters, he also successfully draws on the changing political, economic and social climate. He's worried about his own future, after the National Health Service is established, for he fears he will lose his patients. He's concerned about the Ayres, and their large estate being turned into council houses - something that happened to numerous mansions and grounds at the time. He highlights the changing class system, by stating the comment from Roderick early on in the book: "I gather that neglecting servants is a capital offence these days".

The book also raises many interesting topics, in terms of society and how times change, and how important it is for the people to change with times. The general opinion on the Ayres misfortune is based on them being stuck in their glorious past, as opposed to adapting with the times. It brings out the role of a doctor, and what drives a typical doctor, in a day where money and fame wasn't altogether prominent in the occupation. Simultaneously, it also shows how self-righteous and know-it-all-ish doctors can be, with Dr. Faraday more than once saying "I know so", when asked what he thought about something. Most importantly, it indicates how losses and heartbreaks can haunt people, and twist the hands of their fate.

However, my main gripes with the book was that occasionally, the writing fell flat, and, I just didn't feel the Warwickshire atmosphere. I went to university at Warwick, and I didn't really feel the essence of that, despite Waters dropping the names of the towns and cities around, like Leamington, Coventry, and Kenilworth. Also, as already mentioned, I missed the surprise factor which made Fingersmith so incredibly addictive.

Rating: 3

Note: I can't help wondering if I would have rated this book differently, if I hadn't read Fingersmith recently.