Killing Floor; Lee Child

 

Title: Killing Floor 

Author: Lee Child 

Reviewed by: Bhavana 

About the book:

'I FELT like somebody in a kid’s book who falls down a hole. Finds himself in a strange world where everything is different and weird. Like Alice in Wonderland'. 

A stranger who has come to the town of Margrave for the very first time gets arrested. During the interrogation he identifies himself as Jack Reacher 36 years old, a former major in the United States Army Military Police Corps, who is now retired. Much to Reacher's surprise, shortly after his arrival, he is arrested in a local diner for murder which he never committed. 

'First, they couldn’t prove something had happened if it hadn’t happened. And second, I hadn’t killed anybody'. 

The narrator of the story is Jack Reacher, the protagonist. The book started at a very slow pace. But once the protagonist was at the police station the pace quickened and it got very interesting. When he thought he was free as he was proved innocent, he realises that he has got sucked back into the mess. 

Two of the police officers along with Reacher are on the move making attempts on trying to find out about the people behind the killings. In the process Bodies keep tumbling one after the other. Bigger problems emerge. They come across mysteries after mysteries and are bound to solve them. Jack Reacher with his experience as an army personnel, sheer wit and self confidence, very skillfully makes every move...

Mistaken identity, moral obligation, counterfeit, conspiracy, a big scam, ambush, and many more interesting happenings comprises the story. The plot is well presented, the main characters of the story are well defined. The author seems to be a very good story teller. 

A large part of the novel has been described in detail. I managed to skip pages which were very descriptive. I wanted to keep away from nightmares in my sleep, so I made sure to skip reading specially the bloody parts in the book. The readers will come across Surprises over surprises, shocks as well, and intriguing scenarios. You are sure to find some Steaming hot romance as well. 

I was so engrossed reading the book that I was hooked to it from the beginning till the end. This happens to be my first Lee Child novel and I enjoyed reading it thoroughly. Killing Floor is an apt title for this interesting read. I believe the book has a potential to be made into a movie. 

Book Rating: 4 on 5 

Title: Jack O' Judgement 

Author: Edgar Wallace

Reviewed by: Bhavana

'Snow' Gregory a young man was found shot dead in the gutter. They find on him a playing card, Jack of Clubs. He was closely associated with a gangster Colonel Dan Boundary in a certain business enterprise. Since the police couldn't prove that it was the Boundary Gang's work; they walk free. One morning Boundary receives a letter in which he finds the playing card Knaves of Club, signed Jack O' Judgement. From then on Jack O' Judgement proves to be a terror to the Boundary Gang with every crime they commit. But who is Jack O' Judgement? 

Boundary was the most notorious scoundrel in London. The presence of Jack O' Judgement shook the entire Boundary gang. There have been a lot many interesting occurrences in a few pages read. There are surprises over surprises, romance, treachery, cunningness, murder, kidnap, deceit, More bodies tumble, unexpected twists and the mystery gets deeper and deeper about Jack O' Judgement. I found it to be an Unputdownable book. Every single page proved to be interesting and I couldn't guess for sure who Jack O'Judgement was, till his identity was revealed in the end. 

What I found funny about the book was that some of the members of the gang were in love...; the gangsters trusted... without doubt; they could be fooled easily; they got intimidated easily...; so much so I liked the character Dan Boundary the chief gangster; ultimately I found them to be soft at heart to an extent in spite of the crime they had committed. I couldn't hate any of them. That doesn't mean that they were all jokers. But they happen to be far more softer than the hard core criminals portrayed in the present day novels. I wonder if the criminals of London during the 19th century were all like the Boundary Gang. 

This happens to be my first Edgar Wallace novel. I am glad I came across an interesting work on mystery after a very long time. It turned out to be a medium paced read and a total page turner. 

Rating: 4.5 on 5

The Story of my Life ; Helen Keller

Title: The Story of my Life 

Author: Helen Keller 

Reviewed by: Bhavana 

Magnificent, fantastic, commendable, phenomenal, and I can go on raving about Helen Keller's Autobiography. She lived in a world of silence and darkness, but her writing is so beautiful, enchanting and poetic, that I could see colours fly out of them. 

The experiences recorded in the book are only up to when she was 21 years of age. For a person born in the year 1880, she got her Autobiography published in the year 1903. With much reverence she has dedicated the book to Sir Abraham Graham Bell. Keller details her early years and her life-changing training under Anne Sullivan. Her teacher's untiring patience made all the difference in her life.

One will find detailed account of her childhood, her friends, her home and most of all her days as a student. The trouble her teacher took to teach her with patience and love has been well described. The first word she learnt... The first abstract word she learnt... it was a delight to know about them A detailed account on her perusal of her education got me bored. She was even trained into speaking vocally. Just because a person is deaf, doesn't mean that he is dumb as well. Can you believe it, Helen Keller was multi lingual? She had learnt five different  languages.

I was delighted to learn that Helen Keller enjoyed reading books ever since she was very young. She has managed to mention the names of some of the books she read while she was little. Beautifully she has described how she felt emotionally when she read Shakespeare's work and some others. 

I was baffled to learn that Helen Keller loved poetry. I wonder how she managed to understand what poetry was in the first place. The readers will get to read a few lines of poetry by her in her Autobiography. She has let the readers know of the writers whose work she admired. 

I was surprised to learn that Helen Keller loved out door sports and it isn't just reading that she enjoyed. I was astounded when I read the kind of sports she enjoyed. She has managed to let us know about her experience in detail. A brave heart she was during her time. 

Helen Keller was a person who was visual and hearing impaired. In spite of her set backs she managed to succeed in all her perusals by the time she was 21 years of age. One will notice the urgency, excitement and enthusiasm in which the young heart has beautifully worded her experiences in the book. I found the book very inspiring.

I try to make the light in others' eyes my sun, the music in others' ears my symphony, the smile on others' lips my happiness. ~Helen Keller 

Rating: 4.5 on 5

 

New Dimensions of Yoga ; Osho

Title: New Dimensions of Yoga 

Author: Osho 

Reviewed by: Bhavana 

According to Osho... 

Yoga means integrated, the total, the whole, entire 

Yoga is a science, not a belief. 

Yoga does not bother whether you are an atheist or a theist. 

The book is a consolidation of the words of Osho spoken during the sessions that he had conducted in his living time. 

The nine sutras (meaning: a rule or a formula) of Yoga have been well explained. Osho's words will make one wonder about the enormous potential we humans have within ourselves. The book will introduce the reader to the enlightened people of not only our country but the world over; Scientists and their research; amazing and Astonishing facts about ourselves. Osho has given many examples in the form of stories to elucidate his points. He has also answered questions asked by the Seekers. I believe the exercises and meditation mentioned in the book, best be done in the presence of an instructor. 'Death is Life'. That statement is intriguing. But Osho has explained it beautifully. Readers who are also seekers, here's a caution, Osho says, "I have told you these sutras not to increase your knowledge, but to take your knowledge away from you." 

Only if a person has an inclination towards spirituality will he understand Osho's words. I myself found it hard to understand certain matters in the book. The language in the book is extremely simple and good. I found the book very interesting and informative so much so it proved to be unputdownable. The book also kept me thinking on Osho's words, introspecting, and surprised me by revealing hidden potentials in me when I attempted some of the smaller harmless exercises mentioned by the Master. But all those things that didn't appeal to me about the book shouldn't stop those readers who are on the path of seeking the truth about life, from reading the book. Please go for it... It is a book to be read and reread over the time. As ones consciousness evolves will he be able to understand the matter in the book better. 

Happy Reading! 

What didn't appeal to me about the book:

A DVD along with the book would have proved helpful to do the exercises and the meditation that have been suggested by the Master. 

I did not understand the whole section on Sannyasin. I wish there was a detailed explanation on this topic. 

Certain instructions that Osho gave to the attendees of the camp that have been recorded in the book could have been refrained from being printed because it's of no use to the reader. 

Rating: 4 on 5 

 

4.50 from Paddington ; Agatha Christie

Title: 4.50 from Paddington 

Author: Agatha Christie 

Reviewed by: Bhavana 

'His hands were round the throat of a woman who faced him, he was slowly, remorselessly, strangling her.'

That was a horrendous sight that Mrs. Elspeth McGillicuddy an elderly lady witnessed one evening while she was traveling by train. The murder takes place in a train that was traveling parallel to the train which she was in. The shocked old lady approaches her friend an ace detective Miss Jane Marple with regard to this. No amount of enquiry by the police and train authorities proved that a murder had taken place that Mrs McGillicuddy was sure of. It is then that Miss Marple takes it on herself to solve the case of the unknown murdered woman by an unknown man. 

Miss Marple takes the help of the very hard working, intelligent, trustworthy, a house hold help Lucy Eyelesberrow in her findings. I personally liked this new character very much. Crackenthorpe's family gets involved into this mayhem. The cops interrogating the Crackenthorpe's got me a little bored.   Hence I found the first half of the novel a little slow paced. The author has an amazing sense of humor. I found dollops of them... But translation of the language French to English would have been helpful. There were unexpected surprises and shocking twists. The revelation of the murderer and the victim's identity was done smartly. 

Rating: 3.5 

Goliath; Richard Turner

 

Title: Goliath

Author: Richard Turner 

Reviewed by: Bhavana 

The entire story revolves around the airship Goliath that had gone up in flames in the year 1931 when it was still in flight over the Sahara Desert. 

In the present time, History Professor Ms. Jennifer Mark has been abducted. Rayn Mitchell Former U S Army Ranger Captain, who is in love with her, considers it his mission to rescue her. His friends join him in his pursuit. In the process of rescuing his sweetheart. Rayn and his team encounter bigger problems. It becomes a question of National security... 

It's a military based novel. The author will take the readers from the heavy traffic streets, to the snow laden grounds, to the steaming hot deserts and to the deep waters of the ocean. There is a brewing tension among the power hungry people in Russia.  The author has done a good research on the ammunition used by the military personnel.   But a full form of some of the abbreviations used in many places would have been helpful... There is a threat of the nuclear bombs to be detonated. The reader will find a tinge of humor... The novel has its surprises, romance, conspiracy, treason, and A detailed description of the action and many other episodes. I managed to skip a lot of the action as to not to miss out on the story. The story portrayed a great example of true friendship, courage and nationalism. It was a medium paced novel and quite a page turner.

Rating: 3 on 5

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde; Robert Louis Stevenson

Title: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson 

Reviewed by: Bhavana 

"If he be Mr Hyde, I shall be Mr Seek", thought Mr. Gabriel John Utterson, the lawyer, when his friend Mr. Richard Enfield let him know about a savage incident that took place one night and the guilty being Mr Edward Hyde. Mr Hyde had gone absconding after another crime was brought to the public's notice, and hence the lawyer decides to go after him. At the same time Mr Utterson's best friend, Dr Henry Jekyll starts withdrawing into solitude every now and then. Matters get murkier over the time. Ultimately, was the criminal been caught? What was the matter with Dr Jekyll? Did Mr Utterson succeed in finding Mr Hyde? 

The book is a Gothic thriller, there is good and evil in it, suspicious happenings, mystery, science experiment gone wrong, surprises, uncontrollable temptations, physical transformation, and ultimately a shocking revelation. The book was written in the 19th century. The title of the book itself holds a mystery in it. I found the author's work fascinating, enthralling and was hooked to it, from the beginning till the end. 

Rating: 4 on 5