The Complete FAB Trilogy: What If John Lennon Had Lived? by Mark Gillespie

You might remember my reviews of the future of London books by Mark Gillespie. It was one of my highlights of this year so far. When I saw that this trilogy was on offer at 99p I was over at amazon in a shot. This is still a very entertaining if totally bonkers read. From alternative history to time travel it is quite a wild read. Why only 4 stars, well I had difficulty believing some of the decisions the writer had our John make and maybe it was a bit too out there for me. But give it a try, it is very entertaining.
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What would John Lennon have done had he not been assassinated on the 8th of December 1980. This is the basis of the trilogy FAB, to write an alternative history for a hypothetical John Lennon.

 To take a well-loved figure like a former Beatle and to put words and actions to him will always be controversial and maybe a bit sacrilegious, so this Beatles fan took a few sharp breaths at the direction the story was taking. However I was glad I bought the whole trilogy as the story really comes into its own in book 2.

In the second book we follow former and now obsessed FBI agent Vogel in his hunt for the fugitive John Lennon. The story moves to Britain and the world of emerging Britpop.

 Book 3 takes yet another completely unexpected turn, but was for me the most entertaining. I think by this time I had reconciled myself with the fact that the writer was not trying to blacken the name of a much loved icon but just wanted to create an entertaining story with some roots in our pop culture and a satire on the direction our world is heading. The chapter headers are Beatles songs and will maybe spur you on to rediscover some of their great songs. I would advise, sit back and enjoy this writer’s imagination. (Or if you are John Lennon, you might drop a tab of acid and enjoy FAB in glorious technicolour, but I, of course, would never advocate the use of drugs!)

Red Dust and Bones by Timothy Masters

I'm not a huge fan of Sci-fi as it can get a bit serious at times with the techno babble. This book however didn't complicate things with too much technical details. It was more about the intrigue and company politics. I prefer that, it makes you relate to the story if it is not too far fetched. So a 5 star from me.
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This was a tense Sci-fi thriller that had enough surprises and originality to keep me hooked. Marie and John Hellman are separated by thousands of miles as he leaves on a mission for mars while she works on the science that might save them and maybe mankind itself. The part of the mission to mars reminded me a little of Alistair Maclean as a cast of characters is cut off from the rest of the world and they suspect that they might have a murderer in their midst. The part on earth reads more like a political thriller as Marie is made aware by her Colleague Tom that they might be in danger from forces high up the command chain that have more sinister uses for the science than they do. Both parts are tense, full of twists and turns and well written. I really liked the end where Marie starts experimenting with some unknown Martian stuff. I don’t want to give any plot away but my nails got a lot shorter during that chapter! If you like Sci-fi and or thrillers I can highly recommend this.

The Seven Year Dress: A Novel by Paulette Mahurin

I was initially attracted to this book by the title which I think is great. A book about the Holocaust is not my favourite subject as it can be a harrowing and graphic read. (As it was in this case.) But I must say that Ms Mahurin handled it well. Why not 4 stars, well I had a few issues with the research and have contacted the writer about this. I liked the book but didn't feel it was a five star read.
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What I liked about this book was a number of things. It wasn’t just about the Holocaust and a woman’s struggle to survive; it had many more facets to the story. We follow Jewish Helen as she grows up in increasingly hostile Germany, and through her eyes we see how the Nazis came to power. Ms Mahurin writes in an engaging style and captures well the almost descent into insanity as Helen and her brother are in hiding. More than all that it is about a woman wanting to express her femininity and to be a feeling, sensual, human being.  A simple dress reminds her who she is and who she wants to be, despite all the ugliness around her. It is a gripping story about hope and staying true to yourself.

Larry Flynn by Max Power

I'm steadily reading my way through this great Irish writer. (A few of his books were free for a couple of days, so I downloaded them.) I reviewed Bad Blood a few weeks ago. This is also a thriller, but I didn't enjoy this quite as much. Four stars as it still had a good story line and some great action.
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Larry Flynn is an initially slow moving thriller until events eventually come to a dramatic head. Larry is a difficult character to like. He has wasted his life by being stuck in the past. Consumed by the tragic loss of his brother and the woman he loved; he has become a bitter old man hell bend on revenge before it is too late. The juggernaut of events he unwittingly kicks off had me totally engrossed. I do understand the writer and reader wanting to tie up loose ends, but I was a little disappointed with the epilogue as I didn’t quite feel the choices Laura made, I think it would have been better without and took a bit away from all the action and mayhem of the last part of the book. All in all a good read that had me turning the pages to find out what was eating Larry.

Fallen from Grace: A Fight for Light Crossover novel by Nikki Landis

Paranormal YA romance is a very popular genre and there are many books out there being devoured by I would think many women. It isn't my favorite genre, probably a bit too old and cynical now. However I do read all genres (apart from erotica) so I try and be objective and judge based on story, characters and quality of writing. I think this book would appeal to the YA market, but the story was a bit sugary sweet at times. Four stars.
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This is a very romantic story about a seemingly normal girl and the angel that falls in love with her when she is involved in a car crash. Emily thinks she has her future all planed out. She is in college and has a loving fiancée in Jarrod, but in an instant everything changes. She sees the car she is in heading straight into a truck and thinks she is going to die. A gorgeous angel in the shape of Bash saves her, and she too falls in love.

Both parties have a monumental struggle on her hand. Emily needs to find a way to break up with her fiancée Jarrod who she loves and cares deeply for. Bash needs to decide if he wants to go against the will of God and become involved with a mortal. Meanwhile the forces of evil have seen something in Emily too; a beautiful pure spirit and they want her soul.

This story is very romantic and you get swept along by Emily and Bash’s impossible romance. There is also some creepy dark action as the death dealer and the reaper start coming after Emily. If I had one criticism it would be the amount of hugs and kisses, it was early on clear the characters had a great affinity towards each other. I’m probably more of an action girl. Well written and a good standalone addition to a series which I believe counts about 10 books. Great for fans of romance and paranormal, suitable for YA.

Ghost of London (The Future of London book 3) by Mark Gillespie

You might have read my reviews of L2011 and Mr Apocalypse by Mark Gillespie and seen that they both got 5 stars. I really enjoy these books and when I saw that part 3 was coming out I immediately put my order in for a copy. The third instalment didn't disappoint and also gets 5 stars.
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Discovering this writer and the future of London series has been one of my reviewing highlights of this year. As soon as part 3 was released I hot footed it to amazon to get a copy. So is it on a par with the previous two books? I think so. As before there is plenty of action and some nail-biting moments when the ghosts come on the scene. A truly terrifying gang that once a year hunts for its human food, from the amazing front cover you get a good image of what they look like. What makes this series so much fun is that it has it satirical roots firmly in our times. Social media and sensationalist TV productions are all lampooned. If I had one quibble with this book would be that it was too short. But having checked, it has 229 pages about the same as book 2, I just managed to devour it in record time. The book ends on an open note, so I hope Mr Gillespie is busy penning number four in the series.