Stolen Prey (John Sandford)

So here’s the back cover blurb:

"Lucas Davenport has seen many terrible murder scenes. This is one of the worst. In the Minnesota town of Wayzata, an entire family has been killed — husband, wife, two kids, dogs. On the wall, in blood: "Were coming." No apostrophe."

It’s that apostrophe that would have hooked me, even if I didn’t already love John Sandford, who’s written a novel a year since the Ark. Buuut, this isn’t his finest work.

The Prey series, of which this is #22, is a whole lot of edgy police drama in which Lucas Davenport is a snarky, quick-witted lunatic. He’s getting old, fine, but he’s also starting to spend a lot of time on the details – like, in this book, turning cash into gold.

I preferred the old Lucas. So, here’s my take... 

I’ve enjoyed it. It’s pretty good. I love this sort of thing. But it didn’t rock my world. If you’re already a Sandford fan, read it. May as well. If you’re not and you spot it in a second-hand store, on sale on Kindle or on a friend’s shelf, don't worry – Stolen Prey works well as a stand-alone for the uninitiated.

But know that there are better novels in this series, and that John Sandford (whose real name is John Camp) isn’t a Pulitzer Prize winner for nothing.

www.tiffanymarkman.co.za

Fooling Houdini (Alex Stone)

When Alex Stone was five, his father bought him a magic kit. Years later, while living in New York, he discovered an underground magic scene with a fascinating cast of characters. 

There, he began to learn from a wide range of weirdos - from his mentor, who holds court in the back of a rundown pizza shop, to one of the world’s greatest card cheats, who happens to be blind.

He dived into this world, training with magicians around the globe to perfect his craft. While juggling a neuroscience degree and failing to have a normal social life.

In this book, Fooling Houdini: Magicians, Mentalists, Math Geeks, and the Hidden Powers of the Mind, Stone unveils a community shrouded in secrecy, fueled by obsession and brilliance, and based on a single need: to prove your worth by deceiving others.

In trying to understand how magicians manipulate our minds to create their illusions, Stone shares insights into human nature and the nature of perception, including psychology, neuroscience, physics, history, and even crime.

So, yes, there’s a lot of nerdy subject matter, but the book also explains the secrets of countless sorts of tricks, from the wonders of sleight of hand to the psychology behind the 'cold reading' that makes magicians seem like mediums. I love that stuff.

If you love that stuff – and you can get past the occasionally boring geekery – dive in. 

www.tiffanymarkman.co.za

My July book reviews on 101.9 ChaiFM

Howzit.

So today I was interviewed by the lovely Niki Seberini on the ChaiFM Books Show.

My review choices were eclectic: one kiddie book, one non-fiction moms' handbook, one behind-the-scenes, one memoir and one crime fiction novel.

And of the five, I loved two and liked three.

Here they come...

www.tiffanymarkman.co.za

At the moment, I'm reading...

...a lovely variety of things. But in doing so, I'm also guilty of something I've always disparaged in reviewers: the simultaneous reading of multiple things.

Oh well.

Here's the list:

• Stolen Prey - John Sandford
• Fooling Houdini: Magicians, Mentalists, Math Geeks, and the Hidden Powers of the Mind - Alex Stone
• Text Editing: A Handbook for Students & Practitioners - van de Poel et al
• Recognising Postnatal Depression: A Handbook for Mothers - Levin et al
• Zoe and Beanes - Chloe and Mick Inkpen
• And 3 assorted Elephant & Piggie books - Mo Willems

Reviews to follow, here or on ChaiFM or on JoziKids or on Women24.

Chat soon.

Tiffany x

www.tiffanymarkman.co.za

I chatted to Jodi Picoult last week...

...about My Sister's Keeper, a book I reviewed about 8 years ago. Okay, it wasn't really a chat. But the producers of the BBC's World Book Club Show did phone me so that I could 'call in' and ask Jodi my question, live, on radio. It was:

"I know that when the film version of MSK came out, the ending had been drastically altered, for 'Hollywood' purposes. For me, the ending was one of the novel's strongest and bravest features. I've read your feelings about this in other interviews, so my question is: Has this a) put you off future film tie-ins and/or b) made you stricter about what you will and won't agree to contractually?"

Jodi gave a lovely and informative answer, which you can hear here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00x8hmx

Chat soon.

Tiffany x

www.tiffanymarkman.co.za