The Quality of Mercy by Faye Kellerman

Genre: Fiction + History + Thriller

About: The story is set during the Elizabethan age. Filled with poltical and religious intrigue. A story of mystery, romance and bawdy stuffs. Did i mention William Shakepeare is the hero? Yup. THE William Shakespeare. :p

My Review: I'm a fan of her husband (she's married to Jonathan Kellerman-see review on "Doctor Death") and seriously i thought its stupid to read the wife's book as well.. But i was bent on picking her book, decided to give it a shot. And it was worth it. I love this book. Damn well-crafted. Willy having an affair, Henry Whitman a supposed "buggerer", men with sense of romance the "Italian way" and the Queen a lesbian? Haha! Hmmm..But the novel is rather draggy i think. But fun and witty! Has almost every genre packed in this book. Awesome.

My Rating: 4.5/5

Quote: "Two cocks preening and pecking for the hen."

The Apologist by Jay Rayner

Genre: Comedy

About: A story about Marc Basset, no-nonsense well-acclaimed food critic until that is after a very negative review that cause a restaurant owner to commit suicide and leaves him amassed with press. An emotional rollercoaseter sets off for Marc.

My Review: Hey. It IS funny. Reminds me of the TV series "My Name is Earl"except that there is no karma but more apologies made in this novel. To apolgize or not to apologize. Thats the the dilemma. :)

My Rating: 4/5

Quote: "and thank you for apologizing...it matters."

Velocity by Dean Koontz

Genre: Thriller

About: Billy Wiles a bartender found a prank death note stuck in his windscreen viper. Or at least he thought it was a prank before the someone died. Either he do as the note dictates and made a choice or suffer in peril.

My Review: I love Dean! This book is totally set at maximum velocity! POWER! It just keeps you page turning and flipping.. Going on and on.. Koontz definitely capture the suspense and totally illustrate this in his novel. Great fun. Test the human limit of survival. Sometimes i think he's the brain behind the well-acclaimed psychotic movie "Saw".. Haha.. (he's a big T.S Elliot fan)

My Rating: 4.5/5

Quote: "In real life, killers just kill."

Try Also:

The Husband by Dean Koontz.

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon

Genre: Satire

About: Oedipa Maas, a woman who finds herself enmeshed in a worldwide conspiracy, meets some extremely weird characters & attains a not-inconsiderable amount of self-knowledge.

My Review: I could not catch the point behind the story. Its like reading a literature text where you kind off having to read it twice or thrice to understand the story. But very quirky and rather comical. Comedy at an intellectual level. Read at risk :)

My Rating: 3.5/5

Quote:"Did you ever see the one about Porky Pig and the anarchist?"

Talking To Strange Men by Ruth Rendell

Genre: Mystery

About: The messages were coming in; coded messages that John Creevey should never have seen. Was it a major spy ring? A drugs gang? Or a protection racket? Whatever they were, to John Creevey the messages were a lifeline -a means of getting back his wife and harming the man who seduced her.

My Review: I read the first chapters like 3 times. The introduction does not seem to capture me and get me in the mood for the story. I tried skipping the few chapters hoping i could finally get somewhere but nope, still lost. You read and be the judge. Sorry Ruth.

My Rating: 1.5/5

Shake Hands Forever by Ruth Rendell

Genre: Crime Thriller

About: Inspector Wexford suspected Mr Hathall in murdering his wife, Angela. However, he could not find enough concrete evidence to support his own gut feelings which inevitably caused him to be dropped off from solving the case. So its up to him to gather enough proofs to reaffirm his intuition. But is the case really what it seems to be?

My Review: I had great fun guessing who did the murder. It is more complicated than it seems really.The end wil make you exclaim "wah lau wei!" hehe.. Well-constructed murder mystery. I like!

My Rating: 4/5

The Stranger At The Palazzo D'Oro and other stories by Paul Theroux

Genre: Romance?

About: Main story is about a young, penniless American man having an affair with a beguiling aristocratic woman. This leads him to a place where nothing, not even his lover, is what it seems. Other stories explore the underbelly of sexual desires.

My Review: Incrediblly compelling work. Rather engrossing and definitely seductive. Its almost an R21 (the sexual descriptions). I like "An African Story" the most. About a white writer who fell in love with a black woman with no left arm. Interesting. You will appreciate love after this.

My Rating: 4/5

Quote: "Sex was part of it, sex was the magic; but the bond was love."