A young woman is murdered on a remote mountain road. this act is use by the writer to display a number of related stories about the woman, her family and friends, their lovers and their relatives.
A review quoted on the cover says the author has been compared with Stieg Larsson and that the
novel covers all levels of Japanese society. I think neither remark is correct. What makes Larsson
so good is the strength with which Lisbeth Salander is portrayed throughout the trilogy whereas none
of the characters in 'Villain' have anywhere near that impact. The book also limits itself to working
class characters with only one exception, the man suspected of being the killer. The main male is
a labourer in his uncle's building firm, the dead woman is a part-time whore and the main female a
saleswoman in a department store. The other characters are either related to the main characters or
have some interaction with them. Within each long chapter there are a number of shorter changes
of viewpoint to provide links between characters though a few of them remain unclear. Overall,
this variation does help provide a rather more rounded picture without really providing any great
depth of characterisation. I did not find it 'a superlative crime novel with intriguing twists' (Sunday
Times' as the killer's identity becomes obvious wuite early on nor did I think it was 'a gripping
psychological thriller' (Financial Times).
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Fowler, Christopher: Nyctophobia
A first person narrative of a woman whose life has been damaged by psychological problems with
particular reference to fear of the dark. She meets and falls in love with an older Spanish wine
executive whose charm and sophistication are such that they marry. They find a rather strange
mansion inland from Marbella which both of them like so he buys it as the family home With the
house they inherit a housekeeper, the third generation of her family to have the position, and a
gardener/handyman. They settle in with his daughter and life appears fine until the narrator starts
having visions. The line between reality and the actual becomes blurred in what develops into a
literally haunted house story. Obviously, this is far removed from the Bryant and May books for
which Fowler is best known and it reads differently to his earlier horror stories. This is a more
subtle approach while still being a chilling tale. Perhaps because my reading was more than a
little interrupted (I started the book before but finished it after the two previously reviewed novels), I
found it well-written but not as involving as I at first thought it would be.
particular reference to fear of the dark. She meets and falls in love with an older Spanish wine
executive whose charm and sophistication are such that they marry. They find a rather strange
mansion inland from Marbella which both of them like so he buys it as the family home With the
house they inherit a housekeeper, the third generation of her family to have the position, and a
gardener/handyman. They settle in with his daughter and life appears fine until the narrator starts
having visions. The line between reality and the actual becomes blurred in what develops into a
literally haunted house story. Obviously, this is far removed from the Bryant and May books for
which Fowler is best known and it reads differently to his earlier horror stories. This is a more
subtle approach while still being a chilling tale. Perhaps because my reading was more than a
little interrupted (I started the book before but finished it after the two previously reviewed novels), I
found it well-written but not as involving as I at first thought it would be.
Frightfest 2016
This year's Frightfest was moved to Shepherd's Bush as the Vue Leicester Square is being refurbished. This was one of the reasons we did not buy a Festival Pass or even a Day Pass
but only three single tickets since the journey time there and back was almost doubled. Our
choices from the programme turned out to be anything but the best. In reverse order of quality
the final film was 'The Director's Cut' which was described as 'The cleverest, funniest, sharpest
most Meta horror ever'. Penn Jillette and Missy Pyle starred in this abortion which was neither
clever, funny or sharp. The amateurish direction by Adam Ritkin was matched by the appalling
acting from which none emerge with any credit. If the film was meant to be a satire, it failed
as there was no sharpness and no target unless it was the ever-growing number of 'reality shows'
on TV. A complete waste of our time and energy with the only plus being the light meal we had
at Search's at St Pancras on the way home! The middle film both in time and quality was 'The
Master Cleanse' to which we were attracted by the cast - Angelica Houston, Oliver Platt and Anna
Friel with Johnny Galecki who is in 'The Big Bang Theory' a TV serial. The plot is that the latter
two and others are selected to go on a spiritual retreat run by Platt and Houston in order to bring
vitality back into their lives. Needless to say, things do not work out as they should but the slow
development fails to create any tension and I would think that none of the leads will want to be
reminded of their part in this film - Houston and Platt in particular mailed in their performances.
The first film seen 'They Call Me Jeeg Robot' was far and away the best of the three and may well
have been the best film of the whole weekend. A small time crook, Claudio Sanataria, is being
chased as the film opens but escapes by hiding in a contaminated River Tiber. This gives him
superpowers, not at first obvious, as he continues his life of petty crime while becoming involved with the daughter, Ilenia Pastorali, of a fellow crook who is killed in a drug deal gone sour. The
girl is several slices short of a loaf of bread (possibly ongoing trauma after her mother's death) and
she relates everything to a Japanese TV anime 'Jeeg Robot' which has her mentally transforming
those around her into characters from the series. The hero's aim is to deal with the psychotic crook
responsible for the drug deal failure with the latter also acquiring superpowers in the same way. He
intends to cause chaos in Rome by exploding a bomb at a major soccer match but is thwarted by our
hero who ends the film standing guard over the Eternal City. Oh, if only the other two had been
half as good as this one.
but only three single tickets since the journey time there and back was almost doubled. Our
choices from the programme turned out to be anything but the best. In reverse order of quality
the final film was 'The Director's Cut' which was described as 'The cleverest, funniest, sharpest
most Meta horror ever'. Penn Jillette and Missy Pyle starred in this abortion which was neither
clever, funny or sharp. The amateurish direction by Adam Ritkin was matched by the appalling
acting from which none emerge with any credit. If the film was meant to be a satire, it failed
as there was no sharpness and no target unless it was the ever-growing number of 'reality shows'
on TV. A complete waste of our time and energy with the only plus being the light meal we had
at Search's at St Pancras on the way home! The middle film both in time and quality was 'The
Master Cleanse' to which we were attracted by the cast - Angelica Houston, Oliver Platt and Anna
Friel with Johnny Galecki who is in 'The Big Bang Theory' a TV serial. The plot is that the latter
two and others are selected to go on a spiritual retreat run by Platt and Houston in order to bring
vitality back into their lives. Needless to say, things do not work out as they should but the slow
development fails to create any tension and I would think that none of the leads will want to be
reminded of their part in this film - Houston and Platt in particular mailed in their performances.
The first film seen 'They Call Me Jeeg Robot' was far and away the best of the three and may well
have been the best film of the whole weekend. A small time crook, Claudio Sanataria, is being
chased as the film opens but escapes by hiding in a contaminated River Tiber. This gives him
superpowers, not at first obvious, as he continues his life of petty crime while becoming involved with the daughter, Ilenia Pastorali, of a fellow crook who is killed in a drug deal gone sour. The
girl is several slices short of a loaf of bread (possibly ongoing trauma after her mother's death) and
she relates everything to a Japanese TV anime 'Jeeg Robot' which has her mentally transforming
those around her into characters from the series. The hero's aim is to deal with the psychotic crook
responsible for the drug deal failure with the latter also acquiring superpowers in the same way. He
intends to cause chaos in Rome by exploding a bomb at a major soccer match but is thwarted by our
hero who ends the film standing guard over the Eternal City. Oh, if only the other two had been
half as good as this one.
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Camilleri, Andrea: Angelica's Smile
Montalbano finds himself investigating a series of burglaries involving the elite of Vigata. There
are a number of details in common which make it obvious that all the burglaries are the work of
a single team. During the course of his investigation he becomes involved with Angelica, a younger
beauty who effectively seduces him. One thing that I did find annoying in the book is the way in
which Catarella's inability to get facts and names correct is shown. This is something one is well
award of in the TV adaptations but it seems overdone here - 'Chief, promise ya won't get upset if I tell
yiz I dunno wha'ss a grieve party?' in response to Montalbano's 'The aggrieved party'. I assume the
Italian TV has Catarella using a coarse accent than the others but the mispronunciation of names is
surely sufficient to convey his character. This did detract from my enjoyment of the book which
was otherwise up to the usual standard.
are a number of details in common which make it obvious that all the burglaries are the work of
a single team. During the course of his investigation he becomes involved with Angelica, a younger
beauty who effectively seduces him. One thing that I did find annoying in the book is the way in
which Catarella's inability to get facts and names correct is shown. This is something one is well
award of in the TV adaptations but it seems overdone here - 'Chief, promise ya won't get upset if I tell
yiz I dunno wha'ss a grieve party?' in response to Montalbano's 'The aggrieved party'. I assume the
Italian TV has Catarella using a coarse accent than the others but the mispronunciation of names is
surely sufficient to convey his character. This did detract from my enjoyment of the book which
was otherwise up to the usual standard.
Tracy, P.J.: Two Evils
The authors' usual detectives Gino and Magozzi find themselves dealing with a series of killings in
the Somali area of Minneapolis. At the same time, Grace McBride, on a yacht owned by her ex-FBI
agent friend, has killed two intruders who had come to kill them. The two strands inevitably come
together. In the Minneapolis killings, an ex-soldier dying of cancer is found shot with two local
crooks and this sends the two detectives to the north of the state to interview the man's friends with
whom he had been staying. They, too, are ex-Army, one of them now the Police Chief on a Native
Reservation. The denouement takes place in the latter's area. While up to the standards of the
earlier novels of this mother and daughter pair, the underlying concept is a little hard to take even
in the current climate. This, however, did not distract from the overall enjoyment of the book.
the Somali area of Minneapolis. At the same time, Grace McBride, on a yacht owned by her ex-FBI
agent friend, has killed two intruders who had come to kill them. The two strands inevitably come
together. In the Minneapolis killings, an ex-soldier dying of cancer is found shot with two local
crooks and this sends the two detectives to the north of the state to interview the man's friends with
whom he had been staying. They, too, are ex-Army, one of them now the Police Chief on a Native
Reservation. The denouement takes place in the latter's area. While up to the standards of the
earlier novels of this mother and daughter pair, the underlying concept is a little hard to take even
in the current climate. This, however, did not distract from the overall enjoyment of the book.
Vargas, Fred: Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand
Featuring Commissaire Adamsberg, the story covers many years with murders dating back to 1943.
The murders have all been 'solved' with suspects being obvious. One was Adamsberg's own brother
who escaped because of the false alibi Adamsberg provided. He is convinced the real killer was a
highly respected Judge Fulgence but he could not prove it. A new murder arouses Adamsberg's
interest as the method replicates that of the earlier killings but he learns that Fulgence has died and
been buried some time previously. Adamsberg and his team go to Canada to learn new techniques
from the Canadian police. While there, he has a brief affair with a young woman who is then found
murdered after the French detectives have returned to Paris. Adams berg agrees to return to Canada
with a colleague who is actually meant to watch him. Needless to say, after some adventures the
truth comes out. The complex plot is very well handled and the various events are plausible even
when seemingly far-fetched. The book definitely consolidates the deservedly high reputation that
Vargas enjoys.
The murders have all been 'solved' with suspects being obvious. One was Adamsberg's own brother
who escaped because of the false alibi Adamsberg provided. He is convinced the real killer was a
highly respected Judge Fulgence but he could not prove it. A new murder arouses Adamsberg's
interest as the method replicates that of the earlier killings but he learns that Fulgence has died and
been buried some time previously. Adamsberg and his team go to Canada to learn new techniques
from the Canadian police. While there, he has a brief affair with a young woman who is then found
murdered after the French detectives have returned to Paris. Adams berg agrees to return to Canada
with a colleague who is actually meant to watch him. Needless to say, after some adventures the
truth comes out. The complex plot is very well handled and the various events are plausible even
when seemingly far-fetched. The book definitely consolidates the deservedly high reputation that
Vargas enjoys.
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