The killer in this book - who calls himself Michael - claims to be the REAL creature that inspired three of the best known literary monsters in history: Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein'; Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Mr. Hyde'; and Bram Stoker's 'Dracula.'
We meet Michael at New York's 'Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center', where he's being held for evaluation after ripping the ears off a pedestrian.
Dr. Lily Dominick is assigned to Michael's case, and - though she's used to dealing with the criminally insane - Lily is especially creeped out by Michael.
The psychiatrist is even more disturbed when Michael makes a series of bizarre claims. He says that he's not human; he's over 200 years old; he knew Lily's mother, Alison.....and he's Lily's father. Moreover, Michael claims he knows the details of Alison's gory death, which occurred when Lily was just six-years-old.
When Lily thinks about her childhood, she recalls living in an isolated Alaskan cabin with her mother - who made bad-tasting soup from the local flora; sang made-up songs; and taught Lily to shoot guns and protect herself.
The psychiatrist also has nightmarish memories of her mother being torn apart by a vicious creature - which the police said was a bear.
In Lily's mind, however, her mother was killed by a monster, after which little Lily was carried off by a white horse before being found on the road by a trucker.
Lily thinks Michael is a deluded psychotic who Googled her, found out a few things, and wants to inveigle himself into her life. Lily's opinion is reinforced when Michael breaks out of the psychiatric facility, kills someone with Lily's kitchen knife, and threatens to frame her for the crime.
To get 'unframed' Lily has to follow Michael on a wild journey that begins in an abandoned, gothic
mansion in Hungary.
Michael sends Lily on a journey across Europe - to see specific people and places - so she'll learn the 'real truth' about him. To this end, Michael shows up periodically - and leaves Lily pages from his old journals. In these diary entries, Michael claims he was created from a re-animated corpse; sucks human blood for sustenance; and was acquainted with - and inspired - the aforementioned horror writers.
Michael also leaves a string of dead bodies in his wake, including a man Lily picked up in a hotel bar. Michael's violence and bloodsucking - aided by 'pop-on' steel teeth and steel claws - is described in graphic detail.
Meanwhile, Lily is being followed by a killer in a black cloak and other members of a secret cabal.
She's also getting phone calls from an unknown man who supposedly wants to help her. So, as Lily hurries from one country to another, a trail of stalkers follow in her wake.
Eventually, things play out in a very dramatic fashion, and Lily learns the truth about her mother and her childhood.
It bothers me that Lily trots off to Europe alone, without telling a living soul, and blithely strolls into dangerous situations all by herself.
This kind of behavior is a cliché in B horror films, and doesn't ring true in the movies....or in this book. Lily is also oddly physically/sexually attracted to Michael, which is beyond revolting - but barely acceptable in a horror story (I guess. LOL)
Chillers aren't my usual genre, but I enjoyed the book, which is a well-written page turner with unexpected turns.
I'd recommend the book to readers who enjoy horror-mystery stories.
Rating: 3.5 stars
This is the third book in Robert Galbraith's (aka J.K. Rowling)
series about grizzled private detective Cormoran Strike, a veteran of
the war in Afghanistan who lost his leg during the hostilities, and his
pretty, strawberry blonde partner Robin Ellacott.
As
the story opens Strike and Robin are working on a couple of cases and
getting on with their private lives: Strike is dating beautiful (almost)
divorcée Elin.
And
Robin is planning her wedding to Matthew - a handsome but insensitive
guy who resents Robin's job and her friendship with Strike. (As before,
most readers probably wonder how Robin can continue her relationship
with this irritating guy.)
Robin
receives a package at the Detective Agency and - thinking it's some
wedding doodads - opens it to find the severed right leg of a young
woman.
Not
only is this horrifying but it seems to be sending a message because
Strike is missing his right leg. Strike concludes that the package was
most likely sent by one of three men who hate him:
Jeff Whittaker, Strike's former stepfather - a loutish, abusive, would-be rock star that Strike believes murdered his mother.
Donald
Laing, a vicious man who once bit Strike's face during an Army boxing
match. Later, when Strike was in the Military Police, he arrested Laing
for horrific wife abuse and helped imprison him for 16 years.
Noel
Brockbank, a serial pedophile who escaped prison because Strike struck
him during an arrest. Brockbank blames Strike for his brain injury and
epileptic fits.
Strike
reports his suspicions of the three men to the police but they decide
to concentrate on other leads, in part because they resent Strike - who
became famous after solving a couple of high-profile cases that eluded
the cops. So Strike and Robin take it upon themselves to track down the
three suspects while continuing to work their ongoing cases.
Meanwhile,
the killer goes on with his murderous spree. Parts of the story are
narrated by the perp, who graphically describes how he abducts and kills
young women. The psychopath seethes with jealousy and hatred for Strike
and is determined to ruin his life, partly through targeting Robin.
Thus, the killer sends another body part to Strike's partner.
Though
it's clear the killer has Robin in his sights, she's determined to be a
good detective and an asset to the agency. Thus, Robin refuses to take
proper precautions and finds herself in some dangerous situations.
For
me, this was hard to buy into. If I knew a depraved serial killer was
following me around I'd for sure take cover - preferably in a bomb
shelter.
Strike and Robin's pursuit of the killer takes them
around London and to other parts of Great Britain as they follow leads,
question people, investigate dwellings, and so on. During their
inquiries the detectives come across a group of people that have 'body
integrity disorder', a mental illness that creates an obsession to have
one or more limbs amputated. This is especially infuriating to Strike,
whose life is greatly hampered by the absence of a leg.
As all this is going on, Strike and Robin struggle with a mutual attraction that both seem reluctant to acknowledge.
Matthew
also inadvertently reveals a secret that throws a spanner into his and
Robin's upcoming marriage plans. In addition, the story reveals
incidents that profoundly affected Robin and Strike in their pasts,
which have continuing repercussions. It will be interesting to see how
this plays out in future books.
After a good deal of drama and
danger, Strike gets a 'eureka moment' that helps him solve the case. For
me, this part didn't ring true and I felt unsatisfied with the story's
climax. Other than that though, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to
mystery fans.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Billionaire Elon Musk is a businessman, engineer, and inventor with a radical vision for the future of mankind. In fact Musk wants nothing less than to establish a human colony on Mars.....with a view toward exploring Jupiter's moon Europa someday.
Jupiter and Europa
Musk fears there will be another mass extinction event - like the asteroid that destroyed 75% of Earth's species at the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary 65 million years ago - and he wants people to have somewhere to go.
There was a mass extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary
I agree with Musk that Earth is likely to become inhospitable to humans someday, but I fear we'll ruin the planet ourselves - with over-exploitation, pollution, war, and disease. (And then we'd probably do the same thing to Mars. I'm a skeptic.)
In any case, Musk puts his money where his mouth is. In 2002 the audacious entrepreneur founded the rocket company SpaceX. SpaceX is already launching satellites for several countries, and carrying supplies to the International Space Station.
SpaceX
In the future, Musk wants rockets to bring people, equipment, and provisions to the red planet.....ideally in the next 50 to 100 years.
SpaceX is just one of Musk's far-sighted enterprises. In this book Ashlee Vance explores Musk's various business ventures, and provides insight into the developer's character and personal life.
Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa in 1971.
He had a difficult childhood, being viciously bullied at school and tormented by his father, Errol. The book has few details about Errol's behavior (no one will talk about it), but it's revealing that grandpa Musk isn't allowed to meet Elon's five sons.
Elon Musk's father Errol
As a youngster Elon devoured books, and - with his photographic memory - recalled everything he read. Elon was also an inventive child who built rockets and created video games.
Little Elon Musk
When he was 17-years-old Elon moved to his mother's home country, Canada.....and the penniless teen bunked with relatives, did odd jobs, and went to school.
Young Elon Musk
Eventually, Elon ended up at the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in economics and physics. Musk then moved to California and entered the business world.
Vance did extensive research and describes Musk's business projects in elaborate detail, including: how they started; financing; development; failures; successes; leadership; personnel; buy-outs; etc. Musk's trajectory didn't go straight from start-up to billionaire. Far from it. In fact the developer nearly went bankrupt several times....to the glee of naysayers and jealous rivals. Musk carried on, though, and was successul in the end. (So yay Elon!....and pooh on the guys who tried to take him down!)
In this brief review I'll just provide a quick summary of Musk's business activities. For a full picture, you'll have to read the book.
Musk's first venture after college was Zip2 - a kind of online Yellow Pages/Mapquest that allowed users to find businesses and get directions. When Zip2 was sold, Musk founded an internet banking venture that became PayPal. These were profitable pursuits that provided money for additional investments.
Musk founded SpaceX - the aforementioned rocket company in 2002, and co-founded Tesla Motors - which manufactures environmentally friendly electric cars in 2003.
Then, in 2006, Musk helped his cousins launch SolarCity - a company that fabricates, markets, and installs solar panels.
Among other things, Tesla and SolarCity are meant to reduce the use of fossil fuels and lower carbon pollution....which would help preserve the Earth and its inhabitants. In this vein, Musk also hopes to build 'hyperloops' - high speed trains that travel on a loop between major cities like New York and Washington DC; and Los Angeles and San Francisco. President Obama is said to be a fan of this project.
Hyperloop
Musk's various ventures require smart, capable personnel and the developer was (and is) always on the lookout for the brightest students, the best engineers, the most foreward-thinking inventors, and so on.
Elon Musk giving commencement address
Caltech students
Musk is notoriously difficult to work for and - when he wants something done - refuses to hear "I can't do it." If you really can't do it, Musk is likely to let you go and do it himself. Musk expects employees to work long hours without complaint.....and has a reputation for upbraiding and firing personnel. Thus, he's quite ruthless on a business level.
Elon Musk is notoriously hard to work with
In private life, though, Musk is said to be a fun guy who likes to make jokes; laugh; attend costume parties; play video games with his kids; and generally have a good time. Musk has five sons - twins and triplets - from his first marriage to Justine Musk and is now wed to the actress Tallulah Riley. The entrepeneur has a brutal work schedule - he often works 100 or more hours per week - but takes his sons all over the world with him. Musk is also close to his brother and cousins, and often collaborates with them on business projects.
Elon Musk's first wife Justine Musk
Elon Musk with his second wife Tallulah Riley
Elon Musk with his sons
In addition to influencing national and international corporations, Musk has impacted popular culture. After the actor, Robert Downey Jr., visited the SpaceX factory, he modeled aspects of his character 'Tony Stark' (Iron Man) on the billionaire entrepreneur. And Musk guest starred on an episode of 'The Simpsons' called 'The Musk Who Fell to Earth.' The Simpsons segment is hilarious and gives a cartoonish - but probably accurate....picture of the entrepreneur as an imaginative inventor and concerned citizen of the Earth. (The episode is available on YouTube.)
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark (Iron Man)
Elon Musk on The Simpsons
Vance's discussions of the ups and downs of Musk's businesses are especially well-researched and interesting. The author explains how Tesla ultimately built an electric roadster that's beautiful, comfortable, kid-seat friendly, and (more or less) reasonably-priced (if you're rich); and how a rocket was finally launched after heartbreaking failures due to mechanical errors, sloshing fuel, and other hard-to-foresee factors.
Vance also discusses the problems involved when private companies - like Musk's enterprises - compete with established (though inferior) businesses that have government support. Some corporations are beloved by politicians because of monetary contributions, lobbyists, factories in their districts; etc. It's hard to compete with such companies, and they caused massive headaches for Musk. But, of course, he prevailed in the end.
I admire Musk for his brilliance and accomplishments, and I like this book. I'd recommend the book to readers interested in Elon Musk; his far-reaching business ventures; and the future of the planet.
Rating: 4.5 stars
In this 5th book in the 'Harry Hole' series, the Norwegian detective is chasing a nefarious serial killer. The book can be read as a standalone but knowledge of the characters is a bonus.
*****
A serial killer is murdering people around Oslo, taking a finger from each body and leaving a star-shaped diamond. Detective Harry Hole is assigned to work the case with a colleague he despises, Detective Tom Waaler.
Harry is convinced Waaler is a dirty cop who murdered Harry's former partner, but he can't prove it. Moreover, Harry's continual problems with drinking and not showing up for work irritates his superiors, who don't put much credence in his accusations.
The plot is complex and the killer is wily but Harry and Waaler, no matter their differences, work well together. Harry especially uses his usual excellent detective skills (along with some hallucinogenic drugs) to unearth clues and put ideas together. While working the case Harry is (once again) trying to salvage his relatiohship with Rakel, the great love of his life, and to be a father figure to Rakel's son Oleg.
Harry's alcoholism and obsession with work keep driving Rakel away and Harry seriously considers taking alternate (though not particularly respectable) employment.
As usual with Nesbø's books, there are plenty of engaging characters, including Harry's police colleagues and friends as well as the suspects, witnesses, and interviewees in the case. Nesbo has a deft hand with characterization and I literally could almost detect a scent when he described some of the more unhygienic characters.
When Harry finally confronts the killer, the perpetrator very obligingly explains his whole motivation and execution - a plan that's so intricate it could only happen in fiction. This put me off a little as I prefer more realistic resolutions to mystery stories. Still, this is a good mystery/thriller with a satisfying resolution.
Highly recommended - you can't go wrong with a Jo Nesbø mystery.
Rating: 4 stars
