Yes, I have a FREE Copy of Stephen King's super book "On Writing"

 

 

UK only please, all I ask is that you pay the p&p which is £3-50.

Contact me if you are interested.

You can read read my review of this invaluable aid to writers here

 

The Never List by Koethi Zan - Book Review

 

 

When I was a kid my parents told me things I should never do. Most parents did, and do. You know the kind of thing. Never talk to strangers. Never get into a stranger’s car. Never let anyone touch your private parts – yes, my dad was very keen on that one.

 

In “The Never List” Sandra and Jennifer are university students and they have a Never List as long as your arm, and update it almost every day. It serves them well. And then they break their rules and get into a car, albeit of someone they know and trust, and boy, how it costs them.

 

They end up in the basement of a remote house, chained to the wall, and worse than that, there are other girls there who have been there for quite some time.

 

So begins Koethi Zan’s “The Never List”, and it isn’t hard to see where the inspiration came from for this novel. There have been several high profile cases just like this across the western world over the past ten years or so. They must have struck a chord.

 

This book has received a huge amount of hype and publicity. Someone at Random House must really rate it, and love the author to bits, because the number of huge newspaper display ads in the most expensive newspapers here in the UK must have cost a small fortune, or more accurately, a large fortune, which no small or Indie publisher could ever hope to compete with.

 

In addition to that, it’s been selected (just a coincidence?) as the star read in one of the UK’s most popular book review columns, and yet when I checked today it’s standing at number 53 in the Amazon Thriller and Mystery chart. Slightly disappointing, I’d have thought.

 

This is Koethi Zan’s (nice name btw) first book and a strong debut it is too. It starts well and it finishes well, but somewhere in between it kind of lost me. Dare I say there might even have been a bit of padding and filler in there too, some stuff that on another day might have finished up on the cutting room floor, though maybe the publisher didn’t agree with that and didn’t want the page count to drop below 300.

 

Of course, Ms Zan, a lawyer by trade, now faces the old conundrum of producing a blockbusting follow-up – difficult second album syndrome, if you will, or maybe that is already in the can too, and perhaps that is the real reason why Random House are pushing this book and this writer for all they are worth. I wish them, and her, well.

 

So, to sum up,

 

Did the book start well? Yes, it did, as I have said before.

Is the book well written? Yes, it is, pretty much.

Is the book memorable? Yes, I think it is. I certainly won’t forget it in a hurry.

Did I enjoy reading the book? No, not really, and there’s the rub.

 

I just can’t help feeling the book could have been better, as if this was something of a lost opportunity here. But don’t let that put you off. There are hundreds of reviewers out there who loved the book to bits, though maybe there was just a touch of hype about some of the over-the-top reviews, or maybe I am just getting cynical in my old age.

 

One thing is for sure, I will be on the lookout for Ms Zan’s follow-up, as I suspect will many others, and maybe then we will get to see just how good a writer Koethi Zan really is.

 

Looking at her website I note that she says she grew up listening to the music of the permanently miserable Morrissey. Well, she wasn’t alone in that, and I wondered if in some way that was supposed to have influenced the writer and her writings, Girlfriend in a Coma, and all that kind of stuff. Funnier things have happened!

 

And dare I say the local police were not the brightest buttons in the box either. If girls kept going missing, why didn’t they get on to the case in a big way much sooner? Just a thought.

 

So, how’s your own Never List doing? I am going to update mine right now. Never trust anyone… especially book reviewers!

 

Thanks for reading,

Have fun.

David C.

 

 

*** I was supplied a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest book review. ***

250+ Books For Sale at Less than 7p each!

 

Yes, I have a clearout here of over 250 mixed books for less than £17 and that works out at less than 7p each.

Here's the full description:

Here I have another Wholesale Lot of mixed books - the previous 8 lots have all now gone.

The lot consists of around 250 items and they include:

• Hardbacks
• Some with dust jackets - some not
• Paperbacks
• Fiction
• Non Fiction
• Used titles in all kinds of condition
• May include some ex library books
• Overall in decent condition

It doesn't include any Readers Digest compilation type books.

Unlikely to be more than 1 of each title.

They are ideal for charity shops, second hand book stores or market stalls, car boot sales, export contracts, rummage sales, and for anyone who wants to build up a bif library very quickly.

Sell for 50p or a pound each (or more!!) - why not?

Collection only due to the weight - approximately 7 or 8 boxes.

I am located on the hampshire/dorset border.

I can deliver locally for an extra tenner in an area stretching from Southampton in the east up to Salisbury and then down to Weymouth/Dorchester in the west, anywhere inside that triangle I can deliver for an extra £10.00.

Picture of books or indication only - the actual lot may or may not includes these titles.

If you want more fiction or non fiction let me know and I will do my best to help.

 

The price for this lot of books - approximately 8 boxes - is £16.95 for the lot

Terms: Cash on Collection.

Feel free to ask anything about this lot.

Contact me here if you are interested

 

FREE ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies) - FREE Books

 

I am pleased to say that I will be having a limited supply of FREE ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies) of my forthcoming novel "The Legal and the Illicit".

There will be some available in paperback and some available as a PDF for reading online. These copies will be issued before the book is published and may be an uncorrected proof copy. They are being issued FREE of charge to anyone who might be interested in reading a family saga murder mystery - this one set in the world of commodity trading - with a view to writing an honest review of the book once read.

Ideally I would like the reviews posting on Amazon and Goodreads.com.

If this is something that might interest you please visit this page and register for your potential free books.

Thank you for your interest,

Happy reading,

David Carter  

 

 

The 70th Anniversary of D-Day - Operation Overlord.

 

This year (2014) is the 70th anniverary of D-Day when thousands of young men set sail from the south coast of England around here where I live, and flew from countless airports across the country to invade the Normandy Coast, to eventually liberate France.

You can read my review of Henry Brook's book "True Stores of D-Day" on this page where you will also find an amazing film that was made 10 years ago to mark the 60th anniversary.

It's an hour and a half long but well worth the time to watch. There is also a brief piece about my father who was in the Royal Navy and busy minesweeping off the French coast before the invasion went in. You can see all that here on this page. 

 

 

 

An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris - Book Review and Video

 

Here's my new book review on this excellent book.

There is also a seven minute video on this page of Robert talking about this book and his writing in general and it's well worth watching.

Go here to read the review and watch the video

"The Sound of Sirens" FREE Books Giveaway Promotion on Goodreads

 

I am very pleased to report that there is a 10 book FREE giveaway promotion running for my new book "The Sound of Sirens" running now on Goodreads.

To stand a change of winning a copy all you need do is register your interest, but you must do so between now and March 3rd 2014.

Here's the Goodreads link to register your interest.

 

Good luck!

And if you can't wait here's the link to buy:

 

"The Sound of Sirens" Released on Kindle

 

Yes, my new book "The Sound of Sirens" is released on Kindle today.

You can buy a copy in the UK for just £1-86 including VAT.

Not many people know that electronic books are subject to VAT whereas traditionally published books are not.

And don't forget you do not need a kindle to be able to read kindle books - you can do it on your PC.

 

If you haven't already got the software you can get it here for free. Get Your FREE reading App here

Here's the links to buy on Kindle in the UK and USA.

 

 

 

Angie Martin Books Website

 

Coinciding with the release of "The Sound of Sirens" I have had a super review in from Angie Martin Books. Angie runs a super bookblog site and you can check that out right here

Angie is a sucessful writer in her own right. You might like to check out her book "False Security" and look out also for her new novel "Conduit" which is coming soon.

You can read Angie's review of my new book here...

 

 

After One or Two MInor Delays....

 

"The Sound of Sirens" has now been released, and I've just had another review arrive from the American blogger/website owner, Angie Martin, and you can read that full review here.

Look out also for a Giveaway promotion too on "The Sound of Sirens" (10 FREE books) which is coming soon on Goodreads.com. Stay tuned for that. It will be starting on January 31st 2014.

Happy reading, folks!