Career of Evil - Robert Galbraith

Title: Career of Evil, Cormoran Strike #3
Author: Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
Publisher: Sphere
Release date: 2015 
Pages: 494

 

* This, he thought as he smoked his first cigarette of the day, was London: you started in a quiet, symmetrical Nash terrace that resembled a sculpture vanilla ice-cream. Elin's pin-striped Russia neighbour had been getting into his Audi, and Strike had received a curt nod in response to his 'Morning'. A short walk past the silhouettes of Sherlock Holmes at Baker Street station and he was sitting on a grimy Tube train surrounded by chattering Polish workmen, fresh and businesslike at 7 a.m. Then bustling Paddington, forcing a path trhough commuters and coffee shops, holdall over shoulder. Finally a few stops on the Heathrow Connect, accompanied by a large West Country family who were already dressed for Florida in spite of the early morning chill.*
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When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman's severed leg. Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less suprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible - and Strike knows that any of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality. With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them...

After Robin is sent a severed leg, Strike is losing his clients and business becomes difficult; it is quite understandable after all: who would want to hire a detective who is sent body parts by post? Robin and Strike start their investigation, but the truth will not be easy to uncover.

As we are once more taken to London looking for anything leading to the potential killer, we get to know our protagonists a little more. As it becomes clear that this act is intended as personal revenge against Strike, we learn about his childhood and his years in the SIB. Robin plays a more important role in the investigation this time and we discover elements of her past which explain her personality better as well as her relationship with Matthew. True to themselves, Robin and Strike are both still as attaching as they were in the previous books.

As the plot develops, we are given more and more insight in the killer’s head. We discover fragments of his life and his motivation. His psychology is elaborated and these short chapters help build up the tension as we understand his ultimate objective.

The case itself is enthralling. As usual, the author has thought every detail through and uses suspense with talent. The colourful language, be it for the descriptions or the familiar conversation between the various characters, will allow for a pleasant reading. Robin and Strike quickly have a list of three suspects, but it could be any of them… or anyone else. The readers will make their own assumptions, but they cannot be sure until the very end.

Talking about the end, it is a real cliffhanger. I could not believe the author was playing with us that much. It will be a long wait until the next book is released!

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* In short * 

Crime at its best

Back to London for a new case in the company of Robin and Strike: offering the reader glimpses of their past and of the killer’s psychology as well as an enthralling plot, Robert Galbraith writes once again a masterpiece.

The Silkworm - Robert Galbraith

Title: The Silkworm, Cormoran Strike #2
Author: Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
Publisher: Sphere
Release date: 2014
Pages: 455

 

* Writers are a savage breed, Mr. Strike. If you want life-long friendship and selfless camaraderie, join the army and learn to kill. If you want a lifetime of temporary alliances with peers who will glory in your every failure, write novels*
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  When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, she just thinks he has gone off by himself for a few days - as he has done before - and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.
But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realises. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel is published it will ruin lives - so there are a lot of people who might want to silence him.
And when Quine is found brutally murdered in bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before...
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 * Strike was used to standing for hours in the cold, watching darkened windows, following faceless strangers; to unanswered phones and doors, blank faces, clueless bystanders; to enforced, frustrated inaction. What was different and distracting on this occasion was the small whine of anxiety that formed a backdrop to everything he did.*

After the Cuckoo’s calling, we are back in London, this time in the world of publishers. When Leonora Quine asks Strike to look for her husband, author Owen Quine, everything tells him to refuse. Despite other people’s advice and his own doubts, he starts looking for him and soon finds out that there is more to the story than the childish tantrum of a temperamental novelist. Everything seems to revolve around Owen’s unpublished manuscript, in which he attacks about anybody he knew. As the police get interested in the case, Strike understands he needs to solve the case in order to prove Leonora innocent. Fortunately, he can count on Robin more than ever.

As you can expect with the second book of a series, the writing style remains the same and the main characters too. Some time has elapsed since Robin and Strike solved Lula Landry’s murder and it is a pleasure to find them unchanged. However, their relationship will evolve a lot with the Quine case and take a welcome unexpected turn. These two unconventional and original detective characters are no doubt the greatest strength of the book!

The plot itself is well thought and the author paid attention to every detail, which make the complicated story realistic in the point of view of the reader. However, I found the first part of the book rather complicated to follow. It might have been due to the many new characters introduced to us without much background information (which made it difficult for me to distinguish between them at first), to the numerous leads that Strike or the police have to follow or to the often changing point of view. This resulted in a great confusion, which fortunately disappeared as the story went on.

In The Silkworm, the author gives a harsh description of the publishing milieu which, given her background, can probably be rather accurate and maybe even personal. Nobody seems sincere and most characters are self-centred and opportunistic. There is no doubt that this contributes to building suspense because it is impossible to know which characters are telling the truth and which ones are trying to keep their secrets. For Strike, who does not know a lot about this world, it is also difficult to understand the relation between Owen’s unpublished work and his death.

The Silkworm is a good crime novel which will live up to the expectations of the fans of the Cormoran Strike’s series. I personally did not like is as much as the first book, because the beginning was too confusing, but we find our beloved characters again and the familiar writing style of the author!

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The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith

Title: The Cuckoo's Calling
Author: Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
Publisher: Sphere
Release date: 2013
Pages: 449

 

* Strike remembered the television pictures: the black body bag in a stretcher, flickering in a storm of camera flashes as it was loaded into an ambulance, the photographers clustering around as it started to move, holding up their cameras to the dark windows, white lights bouncing off the black glass. He knew more about the death of Lula Landry than he had ever meant or wanted to know; the same would be true of virtually any sentient being in Britain. Bonbarded with the story, you grew interested against your will, and before you knew it, you were so well informed, wo opinionated about the facts of the case, you would have been unfit to sit on a jury.*
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When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case.
Strike is a war veteran - wounded both physically and psychologically - and his life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get and the closer he gets to terrible danger. 
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 * How easy it was to capitalise on a person's own bent for self-destruction; how simple to nudge them into non-being, then to stand back and shrug and agree that it had been the inevitable result of a chaotic, catastrophic life.*

I must admit that my reasons for reading The Cuckoo’s Calling were perhaps not the best ones. I bought it when I learnt that Robert Galbraith was actually the pseudonym used by J.K. Rowling for her first crime book. As a fan of Harry Potter, I had to read it! It was not a spontaneous buy as usual, but I liked the cover picture of the book and its colours straightaway.

Having finished reading it, I wonder if it is a book I would have bought if I had just come across it at the bookshop. It probably is, not only because of the cover, but because it looked like a thrilling story in the first place… and it was indeed.

Famous model Lula Landry is found dead after she fell off her balcony on a snowy night. Given the girl’s difficult past and troubled present, the police assume that it is suicide, but her brother is not convinced. He asks private detective Cormoran Strike to look into the case, which is much more complex than it first appears to be. With the help of Robin, his temporary secretary, Cormoran investigates and starts to wonder whether Lula’s brother is actually right and the police made an enormous mistake when they decided it was suicide.

From the first pages, we are thrown into the typical atmosphere of London. Lula Landry being a successful and famous model, most of the characters related to the investigation come from upper-class society… a rather strange world where money and appearance are everything. The description seems extremely real –although I have not been able to see for myself– and is perfect for the plot. Many people have got secrets they do not want to see revealed. How do we know if the characters are sincere or if they act in their own interest?

We then also get to know a range of characters who come from a much lower rank in society. Lula was rich, but she had not always been. She knew fashion designers, models and other celebrities, but also poorer people and homeless. From Mayfair to the Eastern parts of the city, we discover the different social groups which are a feature of the population in London. By the writing style, we feel how the atmosphere changes, depending on where Cormoran is and who he is interacting with.

The protagonists are precisely described, with many details, and I quickly grew attached to Cormoran and Robin, while I immediately hated some other characters. The investigation is the main focus, but we also catch a glimpse of the characters’ personal life –which is sometimes rather complicated. This makes them more human and the story becomes even more realistic.

The mystery is thrilling, extremely well written and the atmosphere of the whole book perfectly fits the development of the plot. There are moving moments, but also times of fear and doubt; in perfect balance, the tension and the suspense build up until the breaking point, allowing the reader to make his or her own assumptions. Many of the characters are suspect, but what did actually happen in Mayfair the night Lula died?

The Cuckoo's Calling is the proof that J.K. Rowling’s success is not only due to her name. This thrilling mystery will keep every reader captivated until the very end… and surprise many by its resolution. An amazing read which I recommend to all: fans of J.K. Rowling, lovers of crime fiction and those who appreciate well-written and perfectly constructed stories.

The Blackhouse, The Lewis Trilogy #1 - Peter May

Title: The Blackhouse, The Lewis Trilogy #1
Author: Peter May
Publisher: Quercus
Release date: 2011
Pages: 502

 

*Alcohol and teenage hormones. Fin felt certain that these girls had no idea just how dangerous a cocktail that could be. Smiles on pale faces that flew past rain-streaked windows. Lives headed on a course that non of them could predict but which were, at the same time, utterly predictable.*
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A brutal killing takes place on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland: a land of harsh beauty and inhabitants of deep-rooted faith.

A murder

Detective Inspector Fin Macleod is sent from Edinburgh to investigate. For Lewis-born Macleod, the case represents a journey both home and into his past.

A secret

Something lurks within the close-knit island community. Something sinister.

A trap 

As Fin investigates, old skeletons begin to surface and soon he, the hunter, becomes the hunted.

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*But the one thing Fin had learned from his years in the police was that however much you believed you had them figured out, people invariably surprised you.'

On the Isle of Lewis, in Scotland, a man is found hanging in a boatshed. When it turns out that it was not suicide and that a connection is made with another murder committed in Edinburgh a few months earlier, Fin Macleod is sent to investigate. His superiors have decided that it is the right moment for him to go back to work after the tragedy that affected his life. Since he grew up on Lewis, his background can only be of help to the investigation... apart from the fact that Fin took the fist opportunity to leave the island and not return...

After a rapid, short beginning with a vivid description of the crime scene, the pace slows down to enable the reader to discover the surroundings. Peter May draws us into the strange atmosphere of Lewis Island, its strong traditions – especially that of gannet hunting – and way of life... It is Scotland, but life there is somehow completely different from life on the mainland; progress is slow and there are few opportunities for the inhabitants. It is a strange feeling that we can experience in the first chapters already. There seem to be a clear difference between the people of the island and those of mainland Scotland; between the people who have been living their whole lives on Lewis and those who, like Fin, left and did not come back...

As the investigation goes on, we learn more about Fin’s childhood. It was hard to leave, but it is even harder to forget. Sometimes, it is a place which brings back his memories; sometimes it is a person he knows... One chapter tells us about the past, the next one about the present. This makes the development of the plot extremely interesting and balanced, and the shift of tenses in the writing helps us understand the chronology correctly.

Peter May’s style is nice and easy to read. He changes from poetic descriptions to detailed scenes of action, keeping a good amount of suspense until the very end, when everything finally comes together.

Quickly, we grow attached to the characters or, on the contrary, start to hate them. Many of them are described in the past as well as in the present, which makes it all the more interesting as we can see how they have evolved through the years. Their personality is built little by little and we are invited to make our own assumptions of who the murderer is... which is not an easy task.

The plot itself first seems easy, but it soon turns out to be rather complex and full of unexpected twists and turns. This seemingly stereotypical and simple society will probably surprise most of the readers by its silence and secrets. Many might find the end a little confusing at first sight, because everything suddenly happens so quickly; it is difficult to realise that the story is over – already.

The Blackhouse is an amazing crime book which kept me enthralled all through the pages. I liked the characters, I liked the – sometimes dark – Scottish scenery, I liked the plot and, above all, I liked the atmosphere which accompanies the characters through the plot... I am looking forward to reading the next two books of the Fin Macleod’s series, The Lewis Man and The chessmen.

Deadly Passage - Lawrence W. Gold

Title: Deadly Passage
Author: Lawrence W. Gold
Publisher: Grass Valley Publishing
Release date: June 2013
Pages: 334

 

* Andy released the dock lines from Adios, and stepped back onto Prophecy. As the boats drifted apart, Andy thought, two youngsters at sea and, Carlos Mendoza missing; blood in the cockpit and on the lifelines—what in hell happened aboard Adios? *
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Deadly Passage is a multi-layered, high seas, adventure-thriller novel of bioterrorism in a post 9/11 world. The novel operates on several levels not commonly encountered in a high-octane thriller, including insights into the terrorists, their backgrounds, rationale, and subtle conflicts within the communities from which they have been drawn that ultimately condition their decisions and actions. The responses of US governmental agencies mirror these diverse perspectives.
Andy Reiss, a physician, Jesse his registered-nurse wife, and Rachel, their barely teenage daughter, head home on their sailboat, Prophecy, after five years at sea touring the world. They thought they'd dealt with every imaginable experience at sea. When Prophecy comes upon a sailboat adrift, they discover two young Americans, a brother and his sister. After bringing them aboard, both break out with a rash that Andy identifies as a deadly virus. Soon it becomes clear that they've inadvertently rescued two homegrown terrorists intent on bringing a deadly virus to the Miami area. Soon the disease is full-blown, sealing the fates of the terrorists and all those they encounter. Andy, Jesse, and Rachel must deal with the unwanted guests, their disease, the Cuban Navy, an approaching hurricane, and the U.S. Coast Guard turning them away from safety, operating under the influence of conflicting political and operational motivations in the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard, and the oval office. The shocking and unexpected denouements leave us twisting in uncertain winds reminiscent of On the Beach.

After having spent five years living on their sailboat discovering new places, the Reiss family – Andy, Jesse, their daughter Rachel and the dog Reggie – decides it is time for the adventure to end. What was supposed to be a quiet and straightforward return to Florida is however troubled when they rescue two Americans who are not as innocent as they appear. They have to discover their secret... and there is no time for thought as the risk of a hurricane in the area increases every hour.

In Deadly Passage, Lawrence Gold takes us to a terrifying world full of terrorism, politics and natural catastrophes at high sea. Between reality and science-fiction, this thrilling novel will make the readers hold their breath until the last pages.

The story starts slowly as we get to know the Reiss family and their unusual life at sea on the Prophecy. The vocabulary used is specific, but general concepts can be understood easily, even by people who – like me – do not know anything about sailing. The descriptions of the places they visit and their activities are vivid and full of details. We also obtain a good overview of the characters’ nature and background, not only in the case of Andy, Jesse and Rachel, but also of every other person we meet in the book.

This first part offers a strong contrast with the rest of the plot. As soon as the Americans, Ryan and Nicole, arrive on Prophecy, the pace of the action quickens and everything seems to go wrong. Events take a bad turn not only for Andy, Jesse and Rachel, but also for the US, Cuba, and several other nations. As the tension builds up, we hope with the characters that a ‘happy ending’ will be possible, but everything seems hounded by misfortune. The last chapter is a masterstroke; not too cheesy, not too appalling, rather open... A perfect ending!

The plot itself is rather simple, playing with bioterrorism and including several story lines which finally come together. There are however several groups of people included and it is not always easy to understand each one’s interests, especially because many abbreviations are used to make the reading easier. It can therefore be useful to have basic knowledge about History, mainly about the relationship between Cuba and the United Stated of America, the political system of the USA, Al-Qaeda and the Middle-East.

At that point, I must admit I feared that the plot would become too political. Fortunately, it was not the case; although the CIA, the American and Cuban Presidents and several other important organisations are involved in the whole affair, we do not go into too much detail. It does not always appear to be very realistic, but I actually enjoyed this simplification, as it made the main elements clearer and easier to understand and, after all, it is a work of fiction. I also appreciated the fact that the book was no propaganda, as is often the case with such controversial themes. Yes, there are ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’, but we are offered various point of view and understand easily that nothing is as simple as black or white.

Deadly Passage is a very good thriller dealing with matters that could well happen in the current world. The pleasant writing style, the captivating plot and Lawrence Gold’s obvious knowledge of sailing, ships and medicine make Deadly Passage an amazing read which I recommend to anybody interested in good crime books. I would like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this book, thus enabling me to discover a great literary world in which I will undoubtedly travel again in the future.

 

Partnership with author Lawrence W. Gold

Organised by Bostick Communication

When will there be good news? - Kate Atkinson

Title: When will there be good news?
Author: Kate Atkinson
Publisher: Black Swan
Release date: 2009
Pages: 480

 

* Just because something bad had happened to her doesn't mean it won't happen again.*
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In rural Devon, six-year-old Joanna Mason witnesses an appalling crime.
Thirty years later the man convicted of the crime is released from prison.
In Edinburgh, sixteen-year-old Reggie works as a nanny for a G.P. But Dr Hunter has gone missing and Reggie seems to be the only person who is worried.
Across town, Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is also looking for a missing person, unaware that hurtling towards her is an old friend -- Jackson Brodie -- himself on a journey that becomes fatally interrupted.

As indicated by the title, When will there be good news ? is not a cheerful book. Actually, the story itself is quite gruesome, with numerous deaths and a succession of tragic events which seems to never stop. If it weren’t for Kate Atkinson’s obvious talent at writing, I would probably not have enjoyed such a plot.

In Edinburgh, sixteen-year-old Reggie works for Dr. Hunter. But when her employer disappears with her baby, she seems to be the only one to worry about her, perhaps because Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is too busy looking for David Needler, who has just murdered several relatives.

Anita Shreve’s novel is moving and its organisation successfully organised: one chapter out of two tells about the present and explains how Kathryn deals with the situation. The other chapters tell about the past and recount moments of her life with her husband Jack, from their marriage to the last time she saw him. As a consequence, the reader feels involved in Kathryn’s thoughts and discovers her memories little by little, as they come back to her mind. At the same time, and without the reader noticing it, the author prepares the spectacular end which is about to come. It is only towards the very end, after tension built up in the last chapters, that we fully understand the connection between all the anecdotes – although a basic general knowledge is required to catch all the details.

Jackson Brodie, ex-police officer, is on a journey that could change his life, but an unexpected event occurs which turns his plans unsuccessful.

These three different stories finally come together in an amazingly thrilling plot which holds in store many surprises.

Although this book is not the first one telling of Jackson Brodie’s adventures, it is the first one I read and it turned out to be a success. I really enjoyed the writing style, which is not what you would expect in a crime novel. It is funny, full of jokes, plays on words and comic scenes; it is literary, full of quotes by famous British authors; it is contemporary, full of references to a typical English or Scottish daily life. And yet, it is full of suspense and dark events.

We are thrown into the story straightaway, witnessing a terrific crime. However, after these few pages full of tension, the pace slows down notably and we have a whole first part to gat to know the characters. Several stories are mixed together: Reggie’s, Dr. Hunter’s, Louise Monroe’s, Jackson Brodie’s... and many other people’s. The chronology is more or less linear and so we go from one person to another. In these chapters, there is not a lot of action; we get to know the characters we are going to accompany until the end of the book. The way the plot is built reminded me a lot of Harlan Coben’s novels, which always start with different stories that come together in the end.

It is only about half way through the book that we finally understand the link between these different stories. I would not say there is real suspense, because I had guessed quite a lot of the events, but it did not spoil my reading at all and the tension built up constantly in the second part. From that moment on, the rhythm of the story is a real contrast to the slow – and apparently quiet – life the characters lived at the beginning. I liked the difference and thought it was extremely well balanced; we get to now the characters first and then the action takes place.

The characters are all extremely well built and attaching. We get to know them extremely well and I particularly enjoyed Reggie, who is the real hero of the novel. Although she does not have a lucky life, she is very clever and kind as well as independent and grown-up – sometimes a little bit too much to my taste. As plays a central role in the plot, all the other characters get to know her and I liked the way their relationships slowly developed.

The great number of deaths and murders – I think that all of the characters have a member of their family who died of natural or unnatural cause – was sometimes too much for me, but although there were so many coincidences, I was not disturbed by the fact that the story was unrealistic or unlikely. This is probably due to the author’s writing style and the way she constructed her story.

In summary, When will there be good news ? is a good book, between psychological and crime novel. Kate Atkinson’s writing style is no doubt its biggest strength, with many touches of humour in the middle of a rather macabre story – something fresh and unexpected that will lead us through the pages.

Angels and Demons - Dan Brown

Title: Angels and Demons
Author: Dan Brown
Publisher: COrgi Books
Release date: 2001
Pages: 620

 

* Blossoming out of nothing. An incredible display of subatomic fireworks. A miniature universe springing to life. He proved not only that matter can be created from nothing, but that the Big Bang and Genesis can be explained simply by accepting the presence of an enormous source of energy. *
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When a world renowned scientist is found brutally murdered in a Swiss research facility, a Harvard professor, Robert Langdon, is summoned to identify the mysterious symbol seared onto the dead man's chest. His baffling conclusion: that it is the work of the Illuminati, a secret brotherhood presumed extinct for nearly four hundred years - reborn to continue their bitter vendetta against their most hated enemy, the Catholic church.
In Rome, the college of cardinals assembles to elect a new pope. Yet somewhere within the walls of the Vatican, an unstoppable bomb of terrifying power relentlessly counts down to oblivion. While the minutes tick away, Langdon joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to decipher the labyrinthine trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome to the long-forgotten Illuminati lair - a secret refuge wherein lies the only hope for the Vatican.
But, with each revelation comes another twist, another turn in the plot, which leaves Langdom and Vetra reeling and at the mercy of a seemingly invisible enemy...

The fight between science and religion has lasted for centuries throughout history and even today the church and the scientists disagree on several existential questions. What if the presence of human beings on earth could be explained by both science and religion, at the same time, in a consensus that would allow both sides to survive together rather than constantly try to overpower one another?

Dan Brown uses this question and unusual assumption as the starting point for Angels and demons. Of course, when science and religion are brought together, it is always complicated and for that reason, the plot is full of twists and turns, and extremely thrilling. Everything starts in CERN, where a scientist is found dead, a strange symbol branded on his chest. Robert Langdon, a famous symbologist, is called and asked to investigate as it appears that a secret brotherhood he studied for an important part of his life is responsible for the murder. Helped by Vittoria, he sets off to Vatican in the hope of solving the mystery… but their time is counted because a weapon capable of inconceivable destruction has disappeared from CERN and is apparently hidden in Vatican City. Just when conclave is organised in order to elect a new Pope.

With so many dramatic events happening at the same time, it is difficult not to forget that everything occurs in only one day. No wonder the protagonists do not know where to start. Find the scientist’s murderer? Understand why a symbol supposed to have disappeared centuries ago is suddenly found? Locate the destructive weapon that was stolen? Evacuate the chapel in order to save the cardinals? A well-thought plan of action would be welcome but there is no time for imagining one. So the reader is thrown into Vatican, a country full of secrets, where he has to run alongside the characters the whole time in order to keep up with the events. The plot is so gripping that it is nearly impossible to let go of the book before the last page.

The beginning of the novel takes place in CERN, where we are made aware of several important concepts that will be useful as the story unfolds. A few passages are quite specific and complicated to read for non scientific people – I must admit I did not understand everything – but as Langdon does not know much about the technologies that are mentioned, the author made serious effort to write easy explanations.

Later as well, as we get to know the brotherhood of the Illuminati, the secrets of Vatican City and the papacy, we are always given enough understandable details so that we can follow what is happening. This is probably one of the advantages to having two main protagonists who do not know each other and have very different backgrounds. Even if, contrary to the locations where the story takes place, they are never really described – which first annoyed me – we grow attached to them as we see the courage and perseverance they show when they are placed in such a terrible situation.

Even if the scientific aspect of the plot did not interest me that much, I liked discovering about new technologies and above all how everything was connected at the end: science, religion, the Illuminati. I was thrilled to be lead through Vatican and discover how everything was organised, be it for security or for the conclave. We even find out about secret places that are normally closed to the public. Following Vittoria and Langdon’s steps, we are also given a visit of Rome and its many important and famous monuments, with interesting art history information.

As everything is real, we can easily guess how much research the author had to do in order to write his book… and we can say it was definitely worth it. It gives it a touch of additional realism that helps us get over an extraordinary and unbelievable story.

Although several scenes seem quite unrealistic at first, there is always a good – or acceptable – explanation and so I put aside my initial scepticism in order to fully enjoy the investigation. Still, I must admit that it was some sometime a little bit over-the-top, in my opinion at least.

The Illuminati are extremely mysterious and as Robert Langdon uncovers more and more secrets, I was amazed to see how everything was connected, how each action had a function and a meaning and how ingenious the plot was. The legend of their ambigrams is also very impressive and as we go through the pages, we will come across several of these amazing symbols.

However, some of the passages directly connected to the Illuminati – and more specifically to the Hassassin, but I do not want to spoil the story by telling too much – are violent, too violent for me even. We witness several scenes of murder, each of them full of dark details… and so Angels and demons is not a book that can be given to anybody.

As you will probably have understood by now, Dan Brow does not spare his audience the horror of the crimes. It is definitely no fairy tale… But will there be a happy ending? Keeping in mind that the fights between science and religion have been extremely bloody and violent throughout the centuries, I let you find out what it could look like nowadays… Or perhaps it is not too late to find a compromise yet, who knows?

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Thank you Mum for lending me the book

 

The pilot's wife has been adapted into a film.