Kieran Delaney

Books (50)

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- Rivers of London (32)
- By Ben Aaronovitch
- Reading since Jan 1, 2012
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- Indelible (33)
- By Karin Slaughter
- Finished on Dec 30, 2011
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- Burial (4)
- By Neil Cross
- Finished on Oct 23, 2011
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- The Savage Gorge (1)
- By Colin Forbes
- Finished on Oct 2, 2011
  
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The Savage Gorge

Terrible

I don't think I've ever read a book this bad. It's basically everything that's bad about the written word in a single book. Dull characters, a terrible plot, awful dialogue, no real exposition... I genuinely haven't ever read anything as terrible as this.

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— Oct 17, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Saints of New York (6)
- By R. J. Ellory
- Finished on Sep 17, 2011
  
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Saints of New York

Ellory writes fantastic novels and Saints Of New York is no different. It's dark and violent, without being cartoonish - a very real, gritty thriller full of frustration, sacrifice and redemption.

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— Oct 17, 2011 | Add your feedback

- The Fall (4)
- By Guillermo del Toro
- Finished on Jul 25, 2011
  
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The Fall

Being the second novel in a trilogy, I expected great things (the first book was brilliant). Instead The Fall only provides more of the same, whilst deliberately withholding answers that it constantly alludes to - presumably saving them for the finale.
That's not to say it isn't enjoyable, it's jus ... (continue)

Being the second novel in a trilogy, I expected great things (the first book was brilliant). Instead The Fall only provides more of the same, whilst deliberately withholding answers that it constantly alludes to - presumably saving them for the finale.
That's not to say it isn't enjoyable, it's just frustrating and provides none of the punch that the first novel managed.

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— Jul 27, 2011 | Add your feedback
- The Strain (85)
- By Chuck Hogan, Guillermo Del Toro
- Finished on Jul 3, 2011
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- Company of Liars (26)
- By Karen Maitland
- Finished on Jun 13, 2011
  
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Company of Liars

Excellent book, well written and well paced, the story is engrossing and really keeps you hooked until the end.

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— Jun 16, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Breathless (17)
- By Dean R. Koontz
- Finished on Apr 25, 2011
  
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Breathless

Dean Koontz has never had an issue with writing smooth flowing page turners - Breathless is certainly no different. Easy to read, slickly executed, Breathless does mark a slight deviation away from his more recent trend of pulpy thrillers into something slightly more thought provoking.
However, in ... (continue)

Dean Koontz has never had an issue with writing smooth flowing page turners - Breathless is certainly no different. Easy to read, slickly executed, Breathless does mark a slight deviation away from his more recent trend of pulpy thrillers into something slightly more thought provoking.
However, in juggling too many threads, the book begins to sink under it's own glut of characters. That there are so many threads coming together is interesting and exciting, but characters begin to blur into one another as they remain poorly defined - some characters are introduced purely as an excuse to introduce further characters - only to be forgotten by the end.
And then the end comes. Koontz always seems to have a knack of tying things up nicely, never too neat, but still providing a sense of closure - unfortunately Breathless ultimately manages neither.

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— Apr 25, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Pirate Latitudes (139)
- By Michael Crichton
- Finished on Apr 20, 2011
  
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Pirate Latitudes

Not up to Crichton's usual standard, Pirate Latitudes is still a fast paced and fun novel - nothing special, but solid all the same.

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— Apr 20, 2011 | Add your feedback

- The Edge of Madness (1)
- By Michael Dobbs
- Finished on Oct 30, 2010
  
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The Edge of Madness

A functional in slightly dull political thriller about the start of world war three, the planning of which takes place in a small house in Scotland. Far fetched and technically inaccurate, the book still manages to swing the odd twist and the ending redeems the plodding middle section. Not terrible, ... (continue)

A functional in slightly dull political thriller about the start of world war three, the planning of which takes place in a small house in Scotland. Far fetched and technically inaccurate, the book still manages to swing the odd twist and the ending redeems the plodding middle section. Not terrible, not great.

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— Nov 1, 2010 | Add your feedback
- Cujo (366)
- By Stephen King
- Finished on Oct 9, 2010
  
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Cujo

I always have liked Stephen Kings ability to manipulate fairly normal situations into intense and frightening set pieces that play on the irrational fears of the mind - Cujo takes the terror of a beloved family pet turning, and adds a twist of childhood fear and extreme psychological pressure and st ... (continue)

I always have liked Stephen Kings ability to manipulate fairly normal situations into intense and frightening set pieces that play on the irrational fears of the mind - Cujo takes the terror of a beloved family pet turning, and adds a twist of childhood fear and extreme psychological pressure and stress. Bleak throughout this book ticks all the right boxes and keeps you enthralled. One of his best.

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— Oct 12, 2010 | Add your feedback
- Live Fire (4)
- By Stephen Leather
- Finished on Apr 29, 2009
  
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Live Fire

Live Fire is an odd book - it's a gangster thriller, about ordinary decent criminals, sure. But it doesn't cast them as superstars, there's no backhanded glorification, instead there is a subtle exploration of the boundaries of morals and ethics, within crime and outside in the 'civilian' world. Mor ... (continue)

Live Fire is an odd book - it's a gangster thriller, about ordinary decent criminals, sure. But it doesn't cast them as superstars, there's no backhanded glorification, instead there is a subtle exploration of the boundaries of morals and ethics, within crime and outside in the 'civilian' world. More important to the narrative is the central character Dan Shepherd who has to enter this world and cope with actually quite liking the people he is trying to catch.
Woven into this is a concurrent story line that could do with a bit more attention, but which hurtles along to a car crash finish in any case, that helps cement this clash of old school 'decent' criminal morals and outright thuggery.
All in all it ticks all the right boxes to keep most crime fans happy but with added brain.

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— Jul 8, 2009 | Add your feedback
- Out (117)
- By Natsuo Kirino
- Finished on Apr 27, 2009
  
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Out

Lost In Translation

I was leant this novel by a friend - and was ultimately disappointed. It came recommended as 'the best book he'd ever read'. He can't of read many books. It's a bit turgid.
Most books start well, dip in the middle and pound home to a strong finish. This is the exact opposite to those books. It ... (continue)

I was leant this novel by a friend - and was ultimately disappointed. It came recommended as 'the best book he'd ever read'. He can't of read many books. It's a bit turgid.
Most books start well, dip in the middle and pound home to a strong finish. This is the exact opposite to those books. It opens with a sluggish start, gets a bit interesting in the middle with a curveball and drops to a flaccid finish with a few apologies and an 'I'm sorry, this usually doesn't happen to me'.
All I can say is there are far better books available. I guess it's definitely not the worst book I've read though.

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— Jul 8, 2009 | Add your feedback
- The Time Traveler's Wife (1696)
- By Audrey Niffenegger
- Finished on Apr 4, 2009
  
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The Time Traveler's Wife

1 person find this helpful

It took me ages to get around to reading this book. Put simply it's a romance between two people, one who happens to travel backwards and forwards in time - Henry meets Claire when he is 36 and she is 6. They marry when she is 22 and he is 30.
I wasn't sure about reading a book labelled wonky ... (continue)

It took me ages to get around to reading this book. Put simply it's a romance between two people, one who happens to travel backwards and forwards in time - Henry meets Claire when he is 36 and she is 6. They marry when she is 22 and he is 30.
I wasn't sure about reading a book labelled wonky and sexy, which is why it sat on the shelf for years.
However - aside from Henry's wonky chronology and the utterly believable romance between the two characters (including the good times and the bad) this book is an intelligent and exciting read and is in no way just another romance. It's a love story for anybody who wants to be challenged by both the bliss and the horror that a relationship can bring.
Excellent.

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— Apr 5, 2009 | Add your feedback