Book Review: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Title: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
Author: Robin Sloan
Genre: Mystery/Fantasy
Publisher: Picador

"The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. But Clay soon discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The customers are few, and they never seem to buy anything -- instead, they "check out" large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. Suspicious, Clay engineers an analysis of the clientele's behavior, seeking help from his variously talented friends. But when they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the bookstore's secrets extend far beyond it's walls. 

Rendered with irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave."

Let me be completely honest here -- I don't think I remember the last time I was this disappointed with a book before. 

While the previous book I reviewed also turned out to be a disappointment, this book was an even bigger disappointment. Given the highly positive reviews it has received and after reading the blurbs on the front and back covers, I was expecting to be absolutely blown away at the end of it. Unfortunately, the book felt flat throughout, and I do have some problems with it, too.

First, I felt that the characters lacked development. They weren't really very relatable, and lacked depth that would make you sympathize with them. One character in particular, Kat Potente (Clay Jannon's love interest), was just plain annoying. The only character I actually (somewhat) liked was Mr. Penumbra himself. He somehow reminds me of Albus Dumbledore, except he lives in the non-wizarding world and does enjoy tinkering with his Kindle.

The biggest let-down for me, however, lies in the story itself. While the book seems to present itself as a mystery novel, the characters were never really in any grave danger to leave readers hanging on to their seats. Everything was just too convenient for the characters, too, especially for Clay Jannon. The unemployed Clay needs to fly to New York? No problem! His filthy-rich childhood friend can pay for his plane tickets. Clay needs a scanner to scan some books that contain weird codes that need deciphering? Well, he can just easily purchase one from the internet. Clay now has to decipher these codes after scanning the books? Well that's easy--his girlfriend just happens to work for Google and has access to all sorts of machinery to figure out these codes! 

Now, I don't really bother finishing books that fail to impress me early on, but I still decided to hold on to this book thinking it would get better at some point (given the blurbs and all the hype, how could you not give this book a chance?). However, as I reached the end, I couldn't help but think, "Really? That was it?". The ending was just so overly simplistic and wasn't something I would play in my head over and over long after I've put the book down. The plot was so weak and difficult to follow. I knew there were certainly some parts of the story that were never really properly explained. At first I thought maybe I just really wasn't paying enough attention, but I really couldn't figure out the connection between why those books had all those codes that needed deciphering and the "big reveal" at the end. What was the real purpose behind those mysterious customers' visits to the bookstore? How were they really expecting to break the code by moving from one book to the next? Why do the members of The Unbroken Spine (the cult-ish group to which Mr. Penumbra belongs) have to write their own memoirs that are eventually translated into code? Who translates these into code? And why does it have to be coded? It's an absolute mess!

Overall, the book just felt like one big advertisement for Google (the Google-worshiping gets really annoying after a while), so much so that the author didn't bother to properly develop the characters and the plot. If you're thinking of buying a copy for yourself, do NOT let the blurbs and the hype fool you. You might be better off reading something else instead.

Book Review: Held Up by Christopher Radmann

Title: Held Up
Author: Christopher Radmann
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Headline Review

"Paul is a contented man; his life is cruising. But one day he's dragged out of his new BMW while waiting at traffic lights and his assailant drives off in his car.

It's an everyday car jacking in South Africa. Except his nine-month-old daughter is in the back seat. 

Paul descends into the heart of darkness of his country to find his child. He uncovers a criminal gang involved in people trafficking and discovers in himself a capacity for violence. When the trail goes cold, he is on the verge of losing everything, but finds redemption in the most unlikely circumstances.

Moving from the enclaves of Johannesburg's northern suburbs to the throbbing heart of Soweto's informal settlements, Paul is forced to confront the changing political and social landscape of the new South Africa, questioning his own values as his life is transformed.

If you happen to come across this book and expect it to be a page-turning, fast-paced thriller, then this book might disappoint you.

After reading the synopsis while browsing through the bookstore, I did not hesitate to buy it right away, even if it was a bit pricey. This book seemed to be so promising that I thought it was worth a try. However, as I began flipping through the pages, I realized this book wasn't exactly what it promises to be.

The book actually focuses more on the protagonist's (a white South African man named Paul Van Niekerk) internal struggles as he tries to cope with the loss of his very young daughter whom he and his wife had difficulty conceiving, and the impact of the carjacking and kidnapping on his five-year marriage to his wife Claire. It also dwells on some political and social issues in post-apartheid South Africa (the "new" South Africa, as the author would put it). 

While the book did have a sprinkling of thrilling parts here and there, the book would suddenly lose its momentum and suddenly become slow-paced (too painfully slow, in fact) again. The very liberal use of Afrikaans words and phrases throughout the book also slows things down for the reader, especially one who is not too familiar with the language. The author's writing style and the often too overly-poetic and unnatural dialogue by the characters and the narrative and the fact that the chapters drag on to over thirty pages each doesn't help, either.

Of course, the book does have its merits. I particularly like how the author draws readers in with the way he describes things. His descriptions of places like the slums of Soweto are very vivid and made me feel like I was actually there. The part where Paul and Claire try their best to control their emotions and have a "normal" meal immediately after their daughter's kidnapping but fail miserably was particularly compelling as well. The book also helped me understand more about South Africa, a country which I didn't know much about.

However, this book still falls short of my expectations. I felt like some parts were a bit unnecessary, which the book could have done better without (and replaced by other scenes instead). The sudden jumps in time in the latter parts of the book left me scratching my head, too. I'm not quite sure if this book is something I'd recommend. Probably not. 

Book Review: Solo: A James Bond Novel by William Boyd

Title: Solo: A James Bond Novel by William Boyd

Author: William Boyd
Genre: Action

Publisher: Harper

"It's 1969, and, having just celebrated his forty-fifth birthday, James Bond--British special agent 007--is summoned to headquarters to receive an unusual assignment. Zanzarim, a troubled West African nation, is being ravaged by a bitter civil war, and M directs Bond to quash the rebels threatening the established regime.

Bond's arrival in Africa marks the start of a feverish mission to discover the forces behind this brutal war--and he soon realizes the situation is far from straightforward. Piece by piece, Bond uncovers the real cause of the violence in Zanzarim, revealing a twisting conspiracy that extends further than he ever imagined.

Moving from rebel battlefields in West Africa to the closed doors of intelligence offices in London and Washington, this novel is at once a gripping thriller,a tensely plotted story full of memorable characters and breathtaking twists, and a masterful study of power and how it is wielded--a brilliant addition to the James Bond canon."

James Bond, the world's most famous secret agent (how ironic) returns in this latest novel, written this time by the Scottish author William Boyd. In this novel, Agent 007 travels to the war-torn African nation called Zanzarim, with the main task of putting an end to the bloody war by "eliminating" its leader, seen as an obstacle towards achieving this goal. However, the longer he stays in the country, the more he realizes that the situation isn't as simple as it seems, with the attention beginning to focus more on the real antagonist, a man named Jakobus Breed.

This novel contains several elements which you would expect in a typical James Bond film or novel--minus the now-iconic theme music, of course. Highly attractive women (there's two of them!), fancy cocktails ("shaken, not stirred"), fast cars, weapons, and of course, that famous intro line ("Bond, James Bond.")--it's all  here. What makes this particular novel different from previous works featuring James Bond, however, is the fact that the other side to the womanizing, chain-smoking James Bond character--the more human side, that is--is given a lot more exposure, and is done in a manner that is truly compelling. The descriptions of James Bond's surroundings in Africa is written with conviction (William Boyd lived for a time in Africa), allowing readers to relate with James Bond's feelings as he comes across scenes of poor and frail African children dying of starvation in a remote village caught in the middle of the war.

Some elements of the plot aren't exactly very revolutionary (you may have already come across similar scenarios in some other novels or movies), and some parts may seem to drag on. I also found the ending a bit too cinematic, as if I were reading a screenplay for a Hollywood blockbuster and not a 300-page novel. Given the success of several James Bond films, however, I wouldn't be surprised if William Boyd had written this book with the intention of having it eventually turned into a film in mind. 

Despite these slip-ups, the novel still makes for an absolute page-turner. It is wonderfully written with exciting twists and a climactic fight scene that will get your hearts racing. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this novel to anyone.

(Note: A BIG thank you to Fully Booked for my free copy of this novel! Visit their Facebook page for other exciting promos and contests)

Book Review: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

Title: The Cuckoo's Calling

Author: Robert Galbraith

Genre: Crime, Mystery

Publisher: Sphere

"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...

 A gripping, elegant mystery steeped into the atmosphere of London--from the hushed streets of Mayfair to the backstreet pubs of the East End to the bustle of Soho--The Cuckoo's Calling is a remarkable book. Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith."

From the writer of the phenomenal Harry Potter series that has mesmerized readers around the world comes this first crime novel by J.K. Rowling. She used the pseudonym Robert Galbraith so that she would be able to write without having her subsequent novels compared to the Harry Potter books, even if they were of a completely different genre. However, as soon as the truth was "leaked" (by the friend of the wife of a lawyer from the law firm to whom she had entrusted her secret), copies of this book soon began flying off the shelves, with J.K. Rowling fans and curious readers alike eager to see whether this book would be able to match the success of the books about the young wizard.

So...does it really match up to the Harry Potter series?

As much as I don't want to make the comparison, I just can't help it, really. The Cuckoo's Calling possesses qualities that you'd easily attribute to J.K. Rowling's style--from the characters with unusual names (The Cuckoo's Calling's Cormoran Strike versus Harry Potter's, say, Nymphadora Tonks, for one) to the sophisticated, vivid descriptions of each setting, character, or scenario that would really make you feel as if you were really a part of the whole thing, with prose that would put many writers today to shame.

Another strength from the Harry Potter books that J.K. Rowling did manage to carry over to this new crime novel of hers is how well she is able to create and develop each of her characters, and how they interact with one another. The readers are given a good look into Cormoran Strike's personal life as well, so that readers don't see him as just another detective. Robin, Cormoran's attractive female "sidekick", is much more than just a typical secretary. The interaction between the two of them, while somewhat awkward, is surely entertaining. Even Lula Landry, the model who fell to her death from her balcony, was somehow magically brought to life by the author, through stories about her told by the other characters to Cormoran as he interrogates them.

Story-wise, I would say that everything was certainly well laid-out. With the introduction of so many characters and the story of the murder (as well as the circumstances that led to it) told from so many different (and sometimes seemingly unrelated) angles, you'd think J.K. Rowling might end up missing some points, but no. When the revelation about the crime happens towards the end of the novel, you would see that everything adds up really well--expect to utter ooohs and aaahs as you read Cormoran's revelations about the crime and be blown away by how well everything just connects. The latter pages of the book will surely leave you satisfied and will not leave you hanging. 

While those who've read one too many mystery or crime novels may possibly figure out the identity of the killer before Cormoran reveals it, J.K. Rowling does a good job of messing with the readers' heads a bit--no, scratch that--a lot. When I did finally discover who the killer was, I was happy to find out that one of my first few guesses was correct, but J.K. Rowling managed to play with my mind a  bit which resulted in me jumping from one conclusion to the next throughout the story.

On the other hand, though, at some point some chapters seemed to drag on a bit too much, and the last thing an author would want is to lose the readers' interest or attention. I guess this is an effect of reading many of today's new releases with chapters that can be as short as a single page, but having long chapters slows down the pace of reading. It took me quite a while before I finished reading this book.

Would I recommend this book? Definitely! This book is for those who want something different, a pleasant change from the usual crime or mystery novels of today. This is also for those Harry Potter fanatics (such as myself) who still ache for a new Harry Potter novel but have to deal with the fact that the author has finally put the series and its characters to rest but still want a piece of the "magic" anyway. This is also for those who have never read any of J.K. Rowling's novels and aren't really that interested in getting a copy of the Harry Potter books, but are dying to know what the fuss about J.K. Rowling is all about. This book is a good look into the world of J.K. Rowling and the massive fanbase that her Harry Potter books have created.

J.K. Rowling (or should I say Robert Galbraith?), you have done it again.

Book Review: Inferno by Dan Brown

Title: Inferno

Author: Dan Brown

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Publisher: Doubleday

"Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon awakens in a hospital in the middle of the night. Disoriented and suffering from a head wound, he recalls nothing of the last thirty-six hours, including how he got there...or the origin of the macabre object that his doctors discover hidden in his belongings.

 Langdon's world soon erupts into chaos, and he finds himself on the run in Florence with a stoic young woman, Sienna Brooks, whose clever maneuvering saves his life. Langdon quickly realizes that he is in possession of a series of disturbing codes created by a brilliant scientist--a genius whose obsession with the end of the world is matched only by his passion for one of the most influential masterpieces ever written--Dante Alighieri's dark epic poem 'The Inferno'.

Racing through such  timeless locations as the Palazzo Vecchio, the Boboli Gardens, and the Duomo, Langdon and Brooks discover a network of hidden passageways and ancient secrets, as well as a terrifying new scientific paradigm that will be used either to vastly improve the quality of life on earth...or to devastate it.

In his most compelling and thought-provoking novel to date, Dan Brown has raised the bar yet again. Inferno is a sumptuously entertaining read--a novel that will captivate readers with the beauty of classical Italian art, history, and literature...while also posing provocative questions about the role of cutting-edge science in our future."

Dan Brown is without a doubt the most notorious thriller writer of this generation. I mean, why wouldn't he be? He's the author of the controversial The Da Vinci Code that suggests Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalene and that the Catholic Church has been protecting this "secret" for centuries and would go to great lengths for it to remain as such, including murder. This created a backlash and generated publicity that has catapulted his previous and subsequent books to the top of bestseller lists, spawned two Hollywood blockbuster movies, and made him filthy rich. 

His latest novel, Inferno, doesn't really deviate much from his novels that feature Harvard professor Robert Langdon as the protagonist. Actually, if you've read these novels, you start to notice a formula: Robert Langdon goes to a far-off location faced with the task of unraveling a mysterious code or riddle that takes him to museums, monuments, and a network of hidden passages and tunnels within the city. All this while accompanied by a young, attractive female sidekick, as they are being chased around by a lunatic or by authorities, or pressured by time to save the world from danger before its too late.

Inferno follows this exact formula. Dan Brown also seems hell-bent on having this one turned into a blockbuster film--he carefully chooses three picturesque cities (Florence, Venice, and Istanbul) as the setting for the novel, and includes quite a number of extended chase scenes that, as I was reading them, I imagined would look good on the big screen (the big chase scene in Istanbul, though slightly cliched, got my heart racing). It looks like Dan Brown is getting what he wanted--Inferno's movie adaptation is already being planned for a 2015 release date. Unfortunately for him though, the producers seem to have abandoned previous plans for a The Lost Symbol movie adaptation in favor of this one. 

Despite claims of inaccuracies in his novels as well as criticisms of his writing style (critics say he's addicted to adjectives), I would say that Inferno is still an absolute page-turner. With Inferno, I am reminded of why I still read Dan Brown's novels despite these shortcomings. Inferno will have your heart pounding early on the novel, and will keep you hanging on to the edge of your seats up until the last few chapters with surprising, unexpected twists that haven't been used in previous Dan Brown books. That huge revelation in the latter part definitely blew me away. The parts of the novel with the flashbacks and long, encyclopedia-like paragraphs where the characters explain historical facts and the like give readers a temporary break from all the action and suspense. Unlike the last few Dan Brown novels, Inferno gives a bit more importance to the story rather than to the "groundbreaking" revelations or facts presented to the readers, so this actually feels more of a fiction novel than anything.

However, there are parts of the book that seemed repetitive and unnecessary. Details or facts already explained to a character in a previous chapter are explained yet again in a later chapter, this time to another character. Do the readers really need to read about it again and again? Dan Brown also has the tendency of over-describing some of the settings in the novel which makes things more confusing since some descriptions do not really contribute to the overall advancement of the story. I wish he'd just stick to what is really necessary--imagining nonfictional places as you read about them is certainly much more difficult than imagining fictional ones, since you are forced to imagine how the place actually looks like, now how you want it to look like. I had to use the help of everyone's good friend Google just so I could picture these nonfictional works of art and locations more easily. 

While the past few years have already taught us not to immediately believe or think too much of what Dan Brown's novels say (they are works of fiction, after all), Inferno is still quite thought-provoking. Inferno is definitely a book for those who are looking for an entertaining, page-turning thriller, and it surely does not disappoint in that aspect. I'm now excitedly looking forward to what any future Dan Brown thrillers have in store.

Book Review: Where Are You Now? by Mary Higgins Clark

Title: Where Are You Now?
Author: Mary Higgins Clark
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Publisher: Pocket Books Fiction International

"Ten years ago, twenty-one-year-old Columbia University senior Charles MacKenzie Jr. ("Mack") walked out of his Manhattan apartment without a word to his roommates and disappeared. He calls his mother once a year, on Mother's Day, but refuses to answer her frantic questions. This year when he calls, Mack's sister Carolyn, now twenty-six, announces her intention to track him down, no matter what it takes.

Ignoring a cryptic warning note and the angry protests of her mother, Carolyn swiftly plunges into a world of unexpected danger and unanswered questions. What do Mack's old roommates--a charismatic club owner and a wealthy real estate tycoon--know about his disappearance? Can the police possibly believe that Mack is a shadowy predator--or even a murderer?

Carolyn's passionate search for the truth leads her into a deadly confrontation with someone close to her whose secret he cannot allow her to reveal."

With Where Are You Now?, the "Queen of Suspense" Mary Higgins Clark takes us on a journey as the main character, Carolyn MacKenzie, unravels the mystery behind the mysterious disappearance of her older brother Mack ten years ago, who now only calls his mother and sister once a year on Mother's Day but refuses to inform them of his whereabouts. The synopsis (posted above) really attracted me towards the book, and it seemed very promising for thriller-mystery fans such as myself.

One of the elements of a good thriller-mystery novel is the ability of the writer to keep the readers guessing  up until "the big reveal" towards the end. Mary Higgins Clark certainly has done a great job in this aspect (not like a certain author who failed miserably--check out this review to see what I'm talking about), and I honestly ached for the "big reveal" to just happen already as I had to keep on guessing what really happened based on clues unraveled throughout the novel. This is exactly why I did find it hard to put this book down, especially as I was nearing the end of it. When the "big reveal" did finally come towards the end, my initial reaction was shock (quite naturally), but I also felt amazed at how well the author concealed this truth (which, now that I think about it, was somewhat obvious or expected) from the readers by directing our attention to other things.

Unlike other thriller-mystery authors who keep their readers' hearts pumping by putting in a lot of action-packed scenes, Mary Higgins Clark, through Where Are You Now? would rather mess with the readers' heads by putting in a lot of characters with some elements in the plot that may lead us to believe that they are somehow connected to Mack's disappearance. Even Mack himself is not spared--at some point in the novel, the readers are made to believe that he himself may be a suspect--a deranged lunatic behind his own disappearance as well as the mysterious disappearances of several young ladies years ago. 

Still, though, the introduction of a bit too many characters and the switching of narratives between chapters did leave me quite confused. The middle part of the novel also seemed to just go on and on with the author dwelling into too many unnecessary details that don't really contribute to the advancement of the story--like how many times do we really need to know that the characters had a cup of coffee? Do we really need to know every last detail of Carolyn's outfit? Also, I felt that everything felt quite rushed already after the big reveal happened, leaving little or no room for some heart-racing, action-packed confrontation that would have resulted in a climactic ending. In the epilogue, the author may have also forgotten to tell us what had happened to some of the characters that she had introduced. With that, I was left hanging, somewhat.

Despite certain shortcomings, I still recommend this book. The book is fairly easy to read with several short chapters, with some just half a page in length. If you're looking for a good thriller-mystery book to pass away the time, then Where Are You Now? may just be ideal for you.

Book Review: Guilty Wives by James Patterson and David Ellis

Title: Guilty Wives
Authors: James Patterson and David Ellis
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

No Husbands Allowed

Only minutes after Abbie Elliot and her three closest friends step off a private helicopter, they enter the most luxurious, sumptuous, and sensually pampering hotel they have ever seen. Their lavish presidential suite overlooks Monte Carlo, and they surrender--to the sun and pool, to the sashimi and sake, to the Bruno Paillard champagne. For four days they're free to live someone else's life. As the weekend brings pulsating discos, high-stakes casinos, and beyond, Abbie is transported, finding the greatest pleasure and release she has ever known.

What happened last night?

Then in the morning's harsh light, Abbie awakens on a yacht, surrounded by police. Something awful has happened--something impossible, unthinkable. Abbie, Winnie, Serena, and Bryah are arrested and accused of the foulest crime imaginable. Now the vacation of a lifetime becomes the fight of a lifetime--for survival. GUILTY WIVES is the ultimate indulgence, the kind of nonstop joyride of excess, friendship, betrayal, and danger that only James Patterson can create. 

Review

I know what you're thinking--another James Patterson novel? Yes, it sure is, and this time it's co-authored with David Ellis, who also has generated a few suspense or legal thrillers under his belt (though come to think of it, James Patterson seems to be collaborating a lot with other writers for his books lately). As I have mentioned in a previous book review, you'd tend to get tired of reading James Patterson's novels especially if you read them in succession, when you begin to notice similarities among them. I've told myself over and over that I would probably take a break from reading his novels for a while, but I end up getting attracted to his novels each time I browse through the bookstore. Guilty Wives certainly caught my attention--reading the synopsis at the back of the book made me want to read it more.

Guilty Wives, compared to the other James Patterson thrillers I've been reading lately, is quite different. For one, the main character is a woman; it's also not the "mysterious-killer-with-a-slightly-cheesy-alias-who'll-seek-out-to-kill-the-main-character" type of story, as in the case of A LOT of James Patterson's novels. In fact, a big (as in BIG) clue on as to who was behind the heinous crime was dropped early on in the novel in the fifth chapter. 

However, even if a big clue was dropped, that doesn't stop the novel from being a page-turner. The book still has its share of surprising twists that you wouldn't see coming. The bulk of the novel is about the time Abbie and her friends spend in a French prison as convicted murderers (and their--though mostly Abbie's--misfortunes under the hands of the cruel guards), while the rest chronicles Abbie's daring escape from prison and her quest for the truth. You can't help but admire Abbie's intelligence and determination, as she tries to evade capture from prison officials, and the people behind the crime, as she refused to confess to the crime while she was in prison.

The authors have done a pretty good job of making the readers sympathize with Abbie, especially during the beatings and blackmail Abbie had to go through during the initial interrogation and during her time in prison. While at some point the prison scenes may seem quite dragging (though it does help in diverting your attention away from the real suspects who rarely make an appearance at this point in the novel), it does well in bringing out the human side of the main character.

Still, though, I wish the authors hadn't revealed the killers' identity early on in the novel--it would have been better if the readers figured out who the killers were along with Abbie. I mean, isn't this what makes reading these type of novels much, much more exciting? This premature revelation somehow takes away the suspense in certain parts of the novel, especially when Abbie begins to put the pieces together as more truths are revealed to her. If you're planning to read this novel (and I still recommend it), I suggest you skip the fifth chapter--I think this is the secret to fully enjoying this novel. 

Book Review: "Private Games" by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan

Title: Private Games
Authors: James Patterson and Mark Sullivan
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

"Celebrate the glory of the Games--before a psychopathic killer extinguishes the flame forever. Private, the world's most renowned investigation firm, has been commissioned to provide security for the 2012 Games in London. Hours away from the opening ceremony, Private investigator Peter Knight is called to the scene of a ruthless murder. A high-ranking member of the Games organizing committee has been killed--in a crime of precise calculation and execution. 

Reporter Karen Pope receives a letter from a person who calls himself Cronus, claiming responsibility for the murder. He promises to restore the Games to their ancient glory--and to destroy all those who have ruined the Games with corruption and greed. Now Karen and Peter must work together to uncover a criminal genius who won't stop until he completely obliterates the modern Games."

James Patterson, one of the most famous authors this generation has seen, is back yet again with Private Games, a mystery-thriller set during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.  Although this may seem like just another James Patterson thriller--with the usual villain who gives himself a mysterious name and goes on a killing spree (this time targeting athletes and coaches)--I must say that this is one is quite different and is surely one of the most exciting James Patterson thrillers I've read in a while, after Mary, Mary.

Fast-paced, straight-to-the-point and fairly easy to read with over a hundred short chapters that you could just breeze through (in typical James Patterson fashion), Private Games will definitely keep you hooked. James Patterson does a very good job of keeping the villain's identity a big secret, with little clues throughout the novel's beginning and middle that will leave you hanging and wondering up until the "big revelation" towards the end of the book. You might even feel tempted to take a peek at the last few chapters just to know who the villain really is. Coming from a reader who did give in to the temptation (the suspense was killing me!)--I advise you to just read on and don't peek; the curiosity is part of the reading experience. 

To be quite honest, this is actually the first James Patterson thriller I've read in a while. Once you've read a few of his novels you will start seeing similarities and the stories sometimes start becoming predictable, which is exactly why I decided to take a break from reading his novels. During one of my trips to the bookstore, however, this book caught my attention. The fact that it was also set in a real-life event made it even more interesting. The mention of real-life personalities such as Elton John or Paul McCartney (who were, in the story, performers during the closing ceremony of the Olympics) and countless others made the book fun to read, too. 

I still felt, however, that the book did have its share of disappointments. For one, I sort of wish the villain, Cronus, could have been portrayed as more "human"; the way he is portrayed throughout the book makes him nothing but a ruthless killer with no emotions whatsoever. His motivation for his evil actions? Vengeance over a past experience which changed his life forever. Really? How cliche can you get? The way by which Cronus meets his demise was a bit of a let-down, too--I won't say much (I suggest you read it yourself), but it seemed like something you would probably see in a children's movie or read about in a children's book.

Overall, however, I would still recommend this book to anyone. I don't think I remember the last time I felt my heart beat so fast while reading a thriller novel. With its surprising twists and turns at almost every chapter, James Patterson does a terrific job of keeping the readers engaged throughout the novel. The last thing a writer wants is to lose the readers' interest early on in the story.

Book Review: Buyology: The Truth and Lies About Why We Buy by Martin Lindstrom

Title: Buyology: The Truth and Lies About Why We Buy

Author: Martin Lindstrom

Genre: Non-fiction

Publisher: Crown Business

"How much do we know about why we buy? What truly influences our decisions in today's message-cluttered world? In Buyology, Martin Linstrom presents the astonishing findings from his groundbreaking three-year, seven-million-dollar neuromarketing study--a cutting-edge experiment that peered inside the brains of 2,000 volunteers from all around the world as they encountered various ads, logos, commercials, brands, and products. Does sex actually sell? Does subliminal advertising still surround us? Can "cool" brands trigger our mating instincts? Can our other senses--smell, touch, and sound--be aroused when we see a product? His startling results shatter much of what we have long believed about what captures our interest--and drives us to buy."

What if I told you there was a way for Marketing and Science to join forces? What if I told you that there was a way for companies to know exactly what people are thinking about their brands by peering into their brains? What if I told you that there already are companies who use this combination of science and marketing (called Neuromarketing) to develop their products or their ad campaigns specifically to cater to their target market's needs and preferences, by tailoring them around the results of their study? Does this sound impossible?

No it's not. 

In his book Buyology: The Truth and Lies About Why We Buy, Martin Lindstrom shares how marketers are able to look into the consumers' minds through a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scanner which is able to show which parts of a person's brain (responsible for different emotional responses) show the most activity when people are shown different advertisements or products. In this book, Mr. Lindstrom points out the inaccuracies of traditional research methods conducted by marketers, as the respondents of the studies (the customers) may not necessarily be honest about why they buy certain brands or products over the others; either that or they just really don't know why they buy what they buy. Neuromarketing provides the answers to burning questions in the marketing industry such as: does sex in advertising really help sell the products? or do warning labels on cigarette packs really help prevent people from smoking? The answer to these as well as a number of other questions discussed throughout the book are shocking, and indeed revolutionary. 

The book highlights how Neuromarketing has helped brands such as Dior sell their J'adore line of perfume, or how the belief in superstition has helped brands such as Nestle's KitKat become the phenomenon that it is in Japan today, or how the clothing brand Abercrombie & Fitch has properly tapped into the other basic senses--other than sight--to attract their customers to their stores around the world. These, along with other interesting revelations, will be guaranteed to keep you reading on for hours on end. Light and engaging and written with the use of simple terminology (except for the different parts of the brain the author mentions throughout the books), this book will forever change a lot of what you think you know about the concepts of brands, branding, logos, and others in the field of marketing. 

Overall, I did enjoy reading this book. I strongly recommend it not only to future marketers but also to aspiring entrepreneurs, as the insights you will get from this book will definitely be of great help should you want to start your own business someday. For P579, the valuable pieces of information from this book are definitely worth it. 

Book Review: THE LOST SYMBOL by Dan Brown

Title: The Lost Symbol

Author: Dan Brown

Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: Anchor Books

"In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer.

The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling that finds famed symbologist Robert Langdon in a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths...all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnerls, and temples of Washington D.C., The Lost Symbol is an intelligent, lightning-paced story with surprises at every turn. This is Dan Brown's most exciting novel yet."

Ever since I read Dan Brown's two previous novels starring the symbologist Robert Langdon (Angels and Demons and ever-so controversial The Da Vinci Code), I just knew I had to get my hands on this latest creation by Dan Brown. The two previous novels have just kept me hooked as I was reading them, with every page surely containing a revelation or a surprising turn that would keep you from putting down the book, until you reach the very end.

Not surprisingly, this latest novel by Dan Brown isn't any different.

Just like the two earlier mentioned novels, the events in The Lost Symbol take place over a short period of time (about 5 hours). Certain chapters, however, are entirely devoted to flashbacks which may give readers a brief background on a character or more information on symbols or geography which play a key role in the story. The chapters are generally easy to read, though at times it may feel as if you were reading an encyclopedia with all those paragraphs on complex information that the characters may be sharing with one another (especially between Robert Langdon and the female protagonist Katherine, who, unlike the previous two female protagonists in the other Langdon stories, plays a more active role in contributing vital information to the "mystery-solving" activities). These parts of the novel may require more careful reading, since there is a possibility that the reader may get lost or confused further into the novel if these parts are not properly read. 

I also appreciate the tidbits of random trivia that Dan Brown included in the novel, allowing you to look at  even the most mundane of things from a new perspective. I guarantee you--after reading The Lost Symbol, you will never look at a necktie the same way again. 

Compared to the two other novels though, this one seems to be a bit more tame, controversy-wise. There aren't really any shocking "secrets" which would cause a major uproar (unlike The Da Vinci Code which angered, among others, the Rome-based Opus Dei). I'm guessing Dan Brown really just didn't want to deal with any more lawsuits and death threats which he has endured in the past decade or so. Despite the absence of "juicy" secrets, however, The Lost Symbol is still engaging in its own right, especially since the  credibility of the revered Founding Fathers of the United States is put at stake, and it takes us to a completely different side of Washington D.C. (read: hidden tunnels, chambers, and passageways) that the public would not (or even never) get to see. 

The Lost Symbol further proves that Dan Brown isn't just another mystery-thriller writer. His novels are at times complex and thought-provoking, but that is the way he really is. Dan Brown sees to it that we finish reading his novels as a "changed" person; "changed" in the sense that we become more aware of things which we either ignore or didn't know existed--and this, I believe, is what sets him apart from other mystery-thriller writers. He does not impose his beliefs nor does he force all this information up our throats; what he does is leave the floor open for us to think, be inspired, and move. The Lost Symbol is certainly another masterpiece that you shouldn't dare miss out on. Dan Brown's magic has done it again.