This
month I took a break from my usual type of reading selection and struck out
into new genre territory. I read The
Rake’s Tale, an historical romance by Bettie Williams, and The Killing Floor, a
thriller-crime-suspense novel by Lee Child. Why? For fun. And it proved to be
great fun.
First,
I chose The Rake’s Tale because I
have met the author and found her to be charming and articulate. I could immediately see the Austen influence but also,
surprisingly, the wonderfully-wicked, comedy timing of a well-done Shakespeare
production. This is a racy, lusty, entertaining tale and the author has true
skill in storytelling. This is definitely not my normal literary choice but I
couldn't put it down. The printer made some editorial errors which is a shame
in such a well-written book. Maybe these could be addressed in a second
printing? Otherwise, well-done. I would read anything she writes. Recommend.
The Killing Floor was a
dramatic departure from the first book. This is book one of the famous Jack
Reacher novels. For the uninformed, Jack Reacher is the action hero who has
attained mythic status. Handsome, tall, intelligent, resourceful and ruthless,
he is every fan’s dream. I have to say that Lee Child can definitely spin a
good tale. I found myself staying up until all hours just to finish
one…more…chapter. While pulled along by Child’s storytelling skill, I found
myself literally gasping at the horrific and somewhat casually depicted
violence. If this doesn’t bother you, you will no doubt love this series of
twenty books. From what I understand, although published later, The Enemy and The Affair predate the character’s life before the events in The Killing Floor. Kudos to Mr. Child
for his successful series but I’m more of a James Bond fan in this genre. Still
violent, certainly, but not quite so graphic.
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