Lee Child - anyone read his latest?

[nkf]

Also anyone read Purple Hibiscus? Both appeal (for quite different reasons of course). Would love some feedback.

[rosmerta]

Lee Child's latest is a bit ho hum. Still quite entertaining but not as good as the earlier ones.

Haven't read Purple Hibiscus but have read Half of a Yellow Sun by the same author which was very good, if a bit harrowing.

[nkf]

I think Child may have run out of steam. I discovered him about a year ago and read them one after another very quickly. But I could see even then he was getting a bit lame. Still...

[nkf]

...he's less lame than most thriller writers.

[bran]

Do you mean Bad Luck and Trouble or Nothing to Lose? Bad Luck and Trouble is good, up to the usual standard. I haven't read Nothing to Lose yet.

[nkf]

The one about two towns named Hope and Despair.

[rosmerta]

agree with you there, think he has definitely peaked!

Have you read Robert Crais (Elvis Cole) or Harlan Coben (Myron Bolitar)? They're good books with a bit of humour as well

[rosmerta]

Iirc, Nothing to Lose is the latest one

[nkf]

I've picked up and put down Harlan Coben. And never heard of Robert Crais. Will google him now.

[bran]

If you like mystery thrillers then I recommend The Hellfire Club by Peter Straub. I don't really like any of his other books, but that one is excellent.

[BlingLovin]

Agree - final lee child disappointing.
Did anyone else think that one or two of the middle ones weren't written by him? I'm going to have to go back and check which ones, but there were a couple that didn't have the same feel to me. The latest one feels like him, just him on a bad day.

[elkiedee]

I've only read one Lee Child, The Enemy, for a reading group, though I bought a couple of others. I love crime fiction but he's not really appealed to me, but I met him a few years ago and he was very generous to a whole group of people I was with, so I did buy one of his books at that point.

I thought Purple Hibiscus was wonderful though quite upsetting in places.

[DCsnatchsunhill]

I've just started Nothing to lose, and I can't get into it. I've just finished the latest Jodi Piccoult (nothing like a thriller!) and that was ace...loads of twists in it.

[bran]

There were some in the middle that were quite dull, so dull in fact that I can't even remember the story lines. I though the two that I've read most recently (Bad Luck and Trouble and The Hard Way) were good though.

[rosmerta]

I liked Bad Luck and Trouble. Am just reading The Enemy and that's quite good as well.

Jodi Picoult, hmm, read a few of hers and always end up a little disappointed.

[BlingLovin]

Can't stand Jodi Picoult. She's a cop out.

[nkf]

I've read the blurb to a few Jodi Picoult and never wanted to open the books. They sound tripey.

[nkf]

Actually, I don't mind tripe but I don't like that sort of tripe.

[DCsnatchsunhill]

It's the covers of the Jodi Piccoult books that let her down IMO....they are always of some sappy looking women staring into the distance.

[Indiestarr]

Would recommend a thriller on current booker long list - Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith. It's got a quote from Lee Child on the cover so I'm guessing it's not a dissimilar type of book. The plot's great and it's definitely not tripe! Set in Stalin's Russia in the 50s so full of jawdropping stories of oppression - based on a true story too.