martin g cummins

I don’t usually write reviews, but…

Reviewed: 08-08-21

Looking at the reviews I nearly didn’t get this book but I’m now glad I did. The thing is that all the things that have got people foaming at the mouth seem very mild. Having said that this book is clearly polarising and triggering, so here’s a handy checklist to see whether you will be triggered:
1. Will you be offended by a transgender character?
2. Are you offended by lesbians?
3. Are you right wing?
4. Are you a racist?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes don’t buy the book unless you enjoy being triggered. Personally I found it an excellent YA book based on an interesting premise and very well executed. It is well up to the standard of Tchaikovsky’s other books and well worth a read

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6 people found this helpful

A fast-moving historical novel.

Reviewed: 04-06-21

There is nothing modern about this book. It’s a period piece, full of the attitudes prevailing when it was written. So don’t purchase it if you’re offended by homophobia or sexism.
If you can get over those stumbling blocks, however, this is a fast moving and exciting thriller spiced with interesting and evocative detail
What is unexpected is that Bond is not the granite-jawed unstoppable superhero of modern thrillers such as Reacher. He is flawed, often scared, and sometimes just stumbles into perilous situations and then out of them again. I quite liked him for that.

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Sometimes down, sometimes up, just like life.

Reviewed: 27-05-21

I suffer from depression, not to the extent that it cripples me, but to the extent that it often gets in the way of my appreciation of life. Specifically I spend far too long dwelling on the past and beating myself up for what I have and haven’t done. This book tackles the issue of dwelling on regrets in a refreshing and unusual way.
As other reviewers have noted, tackling the issue of feelings of worthlessness can be triggering, and the beginning of the book triggered me. But I would really advocate sticking with it, because ultimately the message is that there is always good to go with the bad and if you appreciate the former, it makes the latter easier to bear.
I finished this book feeling a lot better than when I started it and I thank Matt Haig for it.

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An unpleasant story about unpleasant people

Reviewed: 24-05-21

I’m struggling to think of a single character I liked in this book. With two minor exemptions they were either greedily acquisitive, envious or ineffective.
The story was predictable at first and I nearly returned the book but it got more interesting half way through and it just about succeeded in keeping my attention until the end. The last chapter was unnecessary and only succeeded in showing the main character in a worse light.
The performer did what she could but her performance was badly edited so that several times she repeated the same line verbatim.
I bought it as a daily deal and I’m glad I didn’t spend any more on it.

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Same old entertaining shtick.

Reviewed: 18-05-21

A tad formulaic, but I always enjoy these books. They are fast moving and entertaining. If I knew the narrator I’d advise him to proof read first; he has a tendency to hesitate mid sentence and end up with the wrong emphasis. If I knew the author I’d advise him not to include political commentary; he may end up alienating some of his potential readership. We want thrillers not politics Mr Mariani!

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Beautifully Written

Reviewed: 18-05-21

An inspiring read where the beauty is in the detail.
The women are all richly and mercilessly laid out, warts and all. I would have liked the same sensitive analysis of the men, who tend to be cyphers, incidental in their interaction with the women, but you can’t have everything.
A truly engaging book.

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Something different

Reviewed: 05-05-21

I’m 63 and an avid reader so I have got through a lot of books.
Most books align with others of a similar genre. This doesn’t mean they are boring, it just means there is a certain familiarity to them, like when you have a favourite meal. To stretch the metaphor, every now and then you come across a food you haven’t tried before with challenging flavours. At first you aren’t sure if you like it, but if it is really good you stick with it and grow to love it.
The same applies to this book. It was unlike anything I had read before, and at first I wasn’t sure I liked it and nearly gave up. But I kept going and was rewarded with something unusual and memorable.
Beautifully written and performed.
Go on, try something different.

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Slightly disappointing

Reviewed: 03-05-21

I like David Baldacci, the Amos Decker and Aloysius Archer series especially. And why do I like them? Because of the rich characterisation of the main protagonists.
That is why ‘Zero Day’ was disappointing. The
main character, Puller, is a bit two-dimensional and I didn’t engage with him. Maybe he improves later on in the series, but this, I felt, wasn’t a good start.
That said this novel was exciting enough if you like your heroes granite jawed and indestructible.

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2 people found this helpful

Entertaining as a ‘deal of the day.’

Reviewed: 30-04-21

This was a reasonable offering, but I wouldn’t pay full price. The denouement was a bit far-fetched and the culprits hard to believe. On the plus side the setting was well described and atmospheric.

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1 person found this helpful

Exciting!

Reviewed: 28-09-20

This is an all-action, sexy and meticulously researched espionage novel.
I love the way it gets straight into the action without the usual set-up of recruitment and insertion. It also makes the Germans and their sympathisers into real people who can be liked (or even loved) rather than the ciphers they often are in this genre.
Excellent!

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2 people found this helpful