Book reviews: March 2018
DOW brings you book reviews of some great reads to relax with this March
Sticky Fingers
By Joe Hagan
$40
Penguin Random House
Reviewed by Steve Atkinson
2/5 stars
I unwrapped this book with anticipation bordering on excitement, much as how I expect a young child faces Christmas morning. Funnily enough, it took about the same time it takes for the first gift to get broken (around two hours I’m told), for me to realise Jann Wenner—the man behind Rolling Stone magazine—isn’t all that interesting.
Sure, he kicked-off what became an institution for a generation or two, but it kind of dawned on me that most of the people associated with everything Wenner and his kind were just screw-ups that somehow attracted other screw-ups to them.
The whole storyline around the Rolling Stone mag is just bizarre and when dissected, didn’t sit well—with me anyhow. It appears to be well-researched and the writing is ok, so you might have a completely different opinion.
Tell Tale
By Jeffrey Archer
$39.99
MacMillan
Reviewed by Steve Atkinson
4/5 stars
It’s good to pick up a book and not be showered with some angst-ridden quasi-hero who is on a crusade to rid the world of ‘evil’ terrorists. Instead, courtesy of Jeffrey Archer, we’re treated to some proper stories told as only an Englishman can.
His collection of short stories varies widely in location, content, and time. One story even had three different endings, as the author couldn’t make up his mind which one to use.
I found the book to be a breath of fresh air and quickly came to the conclusion it was a page-turner when I finished the entire book way too soon. I am about to begin a quest to locate more short stories from this well-known author.
Too Easy
By J.M. Green
$29.99
Scribe Publications
Reviewed by David Manners
4/5 stars
The second book in the Stella Hardy series, Too Easy is a palatable slice of the seedy underbelly of Australia’s second city: Melbourne. Stella Hardy is a social worker working for WORMS aka Western Region Migrant Service (yes, do expect a load of interesting governmental acronyms), who has a great turn of phrase and finds it hard to turn down a favour for a friend.
Her ability to mingle with the down and out, junkies, abused migrants, runaways, and having ‘street-smarts’, allows her to get into places and obtain info others can’t. Add to this a cast of nasty bikers, Victorian Police (best cops that money can buy), a few street kids and a couple of useful Arabic guys, and her Vietnamese best mate, the detective, and you have a great crime novel with plenty of action that seems as real as it gets.
The book is loaded with a lot of interesting characters and a light touch with generous amounts of deadpan Australian humour. It’s enough of a mystery to keep you entertained until the end.
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