Synopsis/blurb........
Ex-army sergeant
Daniel McEvoy is ready to say goodbye New Jersey's lawless underworld and
concentrate on his new life as club owner and bona fide boyfriend. But when
he's abducted and driven into the Hudson by a vengeful crime boss, he realises
that the New Jersey underworld isn't ready to say goodbye to him.
If Dan is to survive,
he will have to evade bad guys on both sides of the law and find the missing
aunt who once taught him how to handle boobs.
Eoin Colfer, author
of the Artemis Fowl novels, turns his outstanding talent to a world as
criminally funny as it is dark and compelling.
Well I had been looking forward to this for a few months
now, having lapped up the first Colfer crime caper, Plugged when it came out
back in 2011. Plugged introduced us to Daniel McEvoy and his small circle of
friends, Zeb, Sofia, Jason and Ronelle. Fast, fun and fresh it was one of my
best reads of 2011.
Second time around for McEvoy and the gang and I was bored
and unimpressed for the most part. I can typically gauge my gut reaction to how
a book is going by the speed at which I read it. This was 310 pages long and it
took me a week or thereabouts to get to the halfway point. Never a good sign.
Yesterday morning, on page 164 Colfer has McEvoy musing ......If it
was up to me, I would throw in the towel right now and spare myself the rest of
this shitty day. Spooky how
at that particular moment in time I couldn’t have felt any closer to Daniel!
However, being made of sterner stuff I cracked on and it improved enough
for me to knock off the remaining half of the book yesterday morning and
evening. There were a few chuckles to be
had and some enjoyable passages, particularly when McEvoy was at the mercy of
the dodgy cops, Fortz and Krieger and also when he dealt with Freckles and Shea-ster.
These glimpses of sunshine alone weren’t
sufficient to overcome what was for me a dull and uninspiring book.
McEvoy in the two years since I
read the last outing is in exactly the same place emotionally as he was before.
We have the same flashbacks and memories of his abusive father and difficult
childhood. He has the same relationship issues with his delusional on/off (or
never on to be more accurate) “girlfriend” Sofia. He shares the same tired
banter with his irritating friend Zeb and his nemesis Mike is still on the
scene. Colfer puts McEvoy into
situations with firearms that you know won’t result in him taking decisive
action which could have concluded the book a hundred pages earlier.....why not?
In the final analysis, I was deeply disappointed having expected much
more. I haven’t been put off Colfer
totally and I would read him again but not with the same cast of characters.
Oscillating between scoring it a 2 and a 3. Disappointment prevails 2
from 5
I borrowed my copy from my local library.
Col, thanks for the review. I have never read anything by Eoin Colfer (there's that cliché again), not even the Artemis Fowl series I have heard so much about and should read first. The synopsis of this novel sounds interesting enough to merit a read but I'll take your word on it and keep it in mind. I have read enough books with mere "glimpses of sunshine."
ReplyDeletePrashant, my son read most of the Artemis Fowl books as he was growing up and I was tempted by them myself but never bothered in the end. I was delighted when he started to write for "adults" and Plugged his first was superb.
DeleteBooks all about opinions and many will no doubt love this follow up, just not me though.
Oh how disappointing for you. And for me (and of course it's all about me right?). Like you I really liked Plugged and have been looking forward to this one...I was planning to use one of my Audible credits for it but if I bother at all I think instead I shall follow your excellent example and borrow it.
ReplyDeleteBernadette - it most definitely is all about you! (And if it isn't, well it should be!) I wouldn't put you off reading it if I haven't already - it just felt a bit flat to me.
DeleteIf you do read it, I would be interested to hear your thoughts. Maybe we'd be in tune on this one....or maybe you'd love it?
Col - Oh, I am sorry to hear about this one. And double the disappointment because you enjoyed the first one so much. And I think you put your finger brilliantly one of the things that can make a second outing so disappointing: the characters haven't evolved. If that doesn't happen, the story is flat.
ReplyDeleteMargot thanks. I don't expect every book I read to rock, but it's disappointing when it happens and you have high expectations in advance of reading. Never mind.....next,
DeleteVery interesting. I know nothing about this author, not even familiar with the Artemis Fowl books. If I do sample him, I will try Plugged.
ReplyDeleteMy son enjoyed the Artemis books, and I was briefly tempted myself. Plugged IMO is the better of the two "adult" books.
DeleteI believe he also penned a follow up to Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, which isn't really my thing. I think he came in for a fair bit of criticism for doing it, as a lot of fans thought it a sacrilege.
Oh what a shame - I was interested by the idea of his having written adult books. My children loved the Artemis Fowl books, and we had one called the Supernaturalist in the car at a time I was driving my son to karate a lot - I felt I knew it off by heart by the time he got his black belt, and whenever I hear the actor Jack Davenport (who did the audio book) in anything I am immediately transported to those long evenings in the car. And I still thought it was a pretty good story - not my usual kind of thing, but anything I didn't hate after repeated listens has to be good. So I would have welcomed an adult book - but this doesn't sound good. Might try the first one?
ReplyDeleteMoira, maybe the second would be ok if you hadn't read the first? Maybe a lot of people will love both, but I would go for Plugged over the two.
DeleteI still have those Taxi-Dad days and nights even now. I'll probably miss them when I'm no longer required!