Mrs Boo - 30 Lifer Crisis

I love Deaver’s series on quadripelegic (right spelling?) criminalist Lincoln Rhyme and his partner cum lover Amelia Sachs. For those who don’t read Deaver and don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, perhaps you will recall the movie “The Bone Collector” starring Denzel Washington as Lincoln Rhyme and the stunning Angelina Jolie as Amelia Sachs. Ohhhhhhhh - rings a bell now? (Aside note: Rhyme in the book is a WHITE man, but Denzel Washington carries his role beautifully that I will forever associate him with my ideal Rhyme).

So far, I have read the following Lincoln Rhyme books:
- The Stone Monkey
- The Vanished Man
- The Empty Chair
-The Devil’s Teardrop
and now The Coffin Dancer

These are fabulous books. If you want the true blue thriller, that requires lots of brainwork that at the end of the day, the author still manages to pull the carpet away from you at the very last second - the Lincoln Rhyme books are it. If you are an avid follower of CSI, Rhyme is also your man. What makes a very scientific, well thought through, blood and gore detective novel are its main characters Rhyme and Sachs which anchor the storyline throughout the series. The slow but sure development of their relationship, and how it revolves around the hard-to-crack cases are smartly written by Deaver. Rhyme is not your typical hero, being totally crippled from neck down save for a tiny finger; and Sachs not your typical heroine - she drives fast, repairs cars, shoot like a man, bites her nails, has athritis (oh but she’s very beautiful too) - well you generally get the idea.

The Coffin Dancer like other Lincoln Rhyme books is a classic. The Coffin Dancer, being the perpetrator here, who eludes the police and goes on killing sprees - the fun is in the chase as Rhyme cracks his marvellous brain to catch the murderer, the bonus in the satisfactory ending as the “perp” is outwitted (as usual), and Rhyme and Sachs relationship reaches the next level.

These are difficult books to review here - with all the numerous twists and turns, and fast paced action, but a highly recommended read for your weekends.

Rating: 4.5 boos out of 5

This is another from print-to-screen comic book series from famed Marvel.

To the uninitiated (like myself), who have only heard of the “Men” aka Batman, Spiderman and Superman - the Fantastic Four sounds like something written by Enid Blyton - you know “The Famous Five”, “The Adventous Four” and other fours and fives. However, unlike in the Blyton stories where the fours or fives are kiddie detectives, the Fantastic Four of the movie are reluctant superheroes blessed with interesting superpowers after a cosmic cloud blasted their DNA into smithereens.

Despite the relative unknown cast and director, thankfully the movie rating does not deserve the “F”. Nevertheless, it is true blue “B” grade entertainment that nobody minds watching. And the “B” standing for:

- Brainless chessy entertainment (leave your brain at the door please)
- Big bangs and explosions that burst the eardrums and overwhelm your braincells
- Beautiful bods embodied by Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) and Johnny Storm (the laugh a minute himbo Chris Evans)
- Bombastic science - movie trying to convince viewers they do have some brains, the hogwash coming mostly from Mr Fantastic
- Brave heart - what truly makes this movie have somewhat a “soul” is The Thing aka Ben Grimm, who is truly the heart of the movie for his stirring, emotion packed performance.

Rating: 3 boos of 5 (really, only if you don’t want to think at all at the end of a hard day at work.)