Matt McAvoy Book Review

If you’re worried this is going to be a mind-numbing book about politics, you couldn’t be more wrong.  It is a hugely entertaining and genuinely fun, “mostly true” tale of two young-at-heart grown-ups who just decide, one day, they won’t sit around and do nothing while their country goes to the dogs around them – a sentiment I’m sure many of us share in the current climate.  But I don’t want to downplay the validity of their mission; they’re clearly both exceptionally smart ...

I really enjoy short stories, the chillier and darker the better – and they don’t get much more atmospheric than this superb collection by A.I. Johnson.  Whilst not strictly horror or thriller genres, there is enough in most of these stories to add an air of ominous mystery; some are genuinely pretty creepy, others a little more brooding drama.  I admit, the last story in this baker’s dozen wasn’t to my liking, with rather more an air of abstract, sci-fi political satire, but the rest...

A lot of fun this colourful action romp from Carlos Lozano, which combines good, old-fashioned cartoon entertainment for the family with a more contemporary superhero palette.  This brings to mind caricature slapstick of the 80s and 90s, with a PG certificate, generally suitable and enjoyable for all, such as the Jim Carrey movie The Mask.  Admittedly, some of the more cartoonish visuals perhaps don’t portray so well on the page, and would certainly be more suited to a graphic novel or othe...

An in-depth and intriguing insight into the world of international business and cultural barriers, as a Danish professional and his business partner attempt to sell their services to counterparts in Saudi Arabia, amidst religious factional turmoil at the end of the 1970s.  It is an eye-opening exposé of a country and a region which has been changed dramatically since events at that time, and hints at the long-lasting effects on global politics and terrorism today.  But at the time, as outlin...

Very dark stuff from Neal Cassidy, both brutal and cerebral.  Schroeder is a young man on a murderous mission – and it very quickly becomes clear this is much more clinical than random, his targets carefully picked and despatched with increasing savagery; the fun part is trying to work out who is who at the end.  In all seriousness, though, there is little actual fun to be had with this vivid and graphic revenge tale.  Simple and straightforward, it is no more or less than an almost real-ti...

Owen Garratt can write – I mean he is a very good wordsmith.  His language and syntax are top-drawer for engagement and relatability, his use of words highly articulate.  But (and it is quite a big but) he uses far too many of them; honestly, I felt there was just no need for this book to be quite as long and detailed as it was.  Furthermore, whilst deeply immersed in the incidental, and events in the moment, I didn’t really know the overall context. 

Now I have to be honest here and adm...

This was a great kids’ book, with super illustrations filling the bleed of every page beautifully – though I have to admit that it took me aback a little, around the halfway mark, with the direction it took.  Opening with the lives of a group of mischievous, naughty little creatures, it then turned into an unexpected and actually somewhat horrifying cautionary tale – as such nursery rhymes are wont to do – and in fairness, having not read the blurb, I wasn’t expecting such a tough l...

This is a book obviously written from the heart, by an author clearly passionate about its subject matter.  Although Janna writes with a certain amount of detachment, you can see the heartache she feels at the injustice of mankind’s perceived dominion over animals; our inhumanity toward all nature’s creatures, including each other.  In this book, the protagonist Laura finds herself falling in love with a truly dreadful person, ignoring all warnings – so much so that you find yourself al...

Heartfelt and warm, this is Jan’s variation on the wonderful, well-trodden path of the premise of love across intersecting timelines.  Pure fantasy at its most romantic, but it’s much more than just a trope.  For starters, Jan is a truly gifted author, whose work I have read enough of to know that not only does she glow with creative writing quality, but she knows her specialist genre well, that being wartime Britain.  The war referred to on this occasion, unlike those I’ve read before ...

In his cerebral and deeply personal collection of musings, anecdotes, narratives and motivational vignettes, Michael Albanese acknowledges, more than once, that people have a tendency not to get his work – and hints that reactions to this offering might be no different.  Personally, I have to say that I enjoyed it – whatever it was.  It comes from the heart and it means well.  As for my personal opinion on what Michael was attempting to achieve, I think the project is cathartic for him.  ...

If you’ve young children of pre-school age who just won’t get off to sleep without a story, or just those who enjoy nursery rhymes, then this beautifully illustrated picture book is for you.  The drawings, which make up 100% of the page bleed, are truly lovely, and definitely the highlight of a labour of love R. Sheldon has clearly put a great deal of work and heart into.  Okay, the story itself feels something of a mish-mash to this middle-aged reviewer, and I wasn’t entirely clear wha...

Having already read the two sequels in this series, it is nice to now read about the beginnings for young Sean and his space adventure; it perhaps helps to give a little context to the books overall.

To tell the truth, my favourite of the three is part 2, which I actually read first, but this is still a good, fun book to read.  I now have a great deal more background on Sean and am able to create a more accurate mental image of him, as well as understanding the backstory of his parents and h...

I should immediately disclose that I helped Arthur Williams in producing this book, but that has no bearing whatsoever on my review, which I submit freely and honestly.  In a nutshell, this is an excellent book, and Arthur is a fantastic author, who knows his subject matter very well.  As the book’s protagonist, surgeon Ben Anderson, undergoes his own routine heart procedures, what starts off as a mind-bending trip on the powerful, hallucinogenic sedative ketamine turns into a wondrous expe...

I have to admit, this book was laugh-out-loud funny at times; I found myself cracking up in a way I haven’t done for years when reading.  Well done, Carlos; comedy gold.  Bit crude and crass, at times, in a way where you know instantly it can only have been written by an English author; the language is very strong and its coarseness sometimes invokes an uncomfortable wince.  I don’t have a problem with that, as such – I’m no prude – but it has to be funny.  Though, in truth, Carlos ...

Exceptionally articulate and hard worked, this is an admirable piece of investigative fiction by Madeleine Dale.  It is also, sadly, an incredibly depressing yet vitally important exposé into the despicable world of endangered animal poaching.  The author knows her subject intimately, and reports in detail on the human, corporate, law-enforcement and political aspects of the trade in, most specifically in this book, pangolin parts, this particular creature being one of the most ancient, crue...

If I had to sum this book up in one word it would be “grrr!!” – and a pretty irritated grrr at that.  I don’t like to spoil, and actually I don’t think I’m going to do that when I tell you, off the bat, that this book will leave you hanging on a cliff.  That said, it’s still pretty good and I enjoyed it a great deal, as I knew I would from Akibibi, who is becoming one of my favourite authors of late.  But I feel it only fair, particularly if you have spent money on this book, to...

There’s something a little warm and wholesome about this slice-of-life memoir; it is full of love, faith and a family-friendly read.  Describing a year or so in the life of a young boy whose family moved to Alaska to build a log chapel, where his father would become a pastor, it is your usual fish-out-of-water story, the theme of so many memoirs by U.S. authors – a country so vast that moving home often means a massive culture shock.  And this is the same, as the Taylor family learns to f...

You might consider this a jobseeker’s guide for the market newbie, or recently graduated professional-in-progress; it is a noticeably remedial approach to job hunting.  But that is not to disparage it in any way; it is very comprehensive, covering how to be successful in the job market from every angle, from preparation and mindset to personal presentation and confidence.  Unlike some books of this nature, it is not simply a pep talk – although there is unavoidably a small element of this...

Unusually, I really enjoyed this sci-fi space tale.  It’s not convoluted or profound in any way, and unlike today’s current trend of otherworld or futuristic dystopian science fiction, there is actually something quite simplistic and old school about this one; it reminds me in some ways of the “...For Boys” space stories and movies of the 1960s, with its pleasantly charming narrative about a group of astronauts trapped in space, exploring a strange planet teeming with alien monsters, ...

Some significant time investment is required for this superbly written war fantasy, by an author of real personality and capability.  First, it is long, and feels it sometimes, due to the ensemble cast of characters and parallel storylines; second, I am unusually content to spoil in this respect, by advising that the book is left open, so be warned.  I think it is only fair to advise you that you are expected to engross yourself utterly in the soap of these characters’ lives for the foresee...

Feels like a book of two halves, this one, and really it’s carried by the huge creative talent of the author J. Lee Bagan.  I have to be honest and say I enjoyed it immensely up to a point, probably midway, when I genuinely thought this was simply a book about a bereaved young boy and his immense strength of character, as he grows up surrounded by people who care for him, in spite of his severely dysfunctional home life.  With a father in prison and a drug-addicted mother, I honestly though...

This mystery thriller might leave you with a few more questions than answers by the end, as there is rather a sense that its main objective is more firmly about setting up its sequel, and perhaps a series, rather than establishing itself as a standalone narrative; I don’t intend to spoil the book by any means, but looking at the formula and the way the heroine is portrayed would suggest this is very likely.  I would hope so, otherwise you may find yourself somewhat non-plussed by the loose ...

Another entry from the excellent Glyn Haynie, on the tours of duty of Sergeant Andy Carter, in the Vietnam War.  Gritty and gripping as always, veteran Glyn’s books are as accurate a portrayal of the day-to-day life of soldiers on the ground as you are ever likely to read.  This is perhaps a less eventful tale than previous instalments, though as always there is no shortage of action – nor heartrending casualties.  Given another mission, to locate and destroy an NVA base situated amongst ...

Very sharply scripted, biting satire, and more of the same from the sardonically witty Harlin, this time set against the increasingly fashionable backdrop of the battle of the generations: Millennials vs. GenX (or whatever monicker the superior former have deemed dominion to label the latter with).  It was by pure coincidence that I read this book, about a former creative, days from his 50^th birthday, just a few days before my own 50^th birthday, and I therefore felt I had more of a stake in i...

This was a very tough book to read, in many ways, and I implore you to familiarize yourself before picking it up.  It wasn’t bad, by any means, but indeed very unpleasant to read; I don’t think it’s unfair or inaccurate to say that if you are sensitive to triggers relating to child sexual abuse and snuff themes, then this isn’t one for you.  In fact, and I don’t mean this to offend the author or readers, it’s difficult to ascertain who the book might particularly appeal to.  To su...

A beautifully written and poignant book exploring the long-term effects of war on the human psyche, this is as good a study of post-war trauma and melancholy reflection as you are likely to read, delivered by Stephanie in a thought-provoking and warmly endearing style.

Eye Contact Over Truk is all about its themes and its characters, as two men go on a wreck-diving excursion to the South Pacific island – the site of a devastating air and naval battle in the American-Japanese branch of Worl...

There’s something a little bit different about this entertaining, light-hearted book, in that it is so talky and arty, almost to the point of bohemian, that it is perhaps most accurately described as literary fiction with a subplot – if there can be such a thing.  For the most part, it is about an ageing former band-member who gets in touch with old acquaintances, and starts to think about forming a new band and launching old material, in what might be considered something of a midlife cr...

A particularly gripping drama thriller, this one, it has to be said; the author April Seymour really knows how to craft an intriguing, twisty, crime drama with a very tangible, ominous sense of threat permeating throughout.  The multi-viewpoint narrative of Violin starts to piece its tale together well, and as the reader you are watching it unfold at a very satisfying pace, from one character’s version of events to another.  When put together, it feels just the right length, and its mood hi...