Enjoyed a fantastic weekend away with friends celebrating one of their birthdays. It was a real blowout at the Black Horse Inn in Maidstone. The place is great with a fantastic atmosphere. I’d been there before but only many years back and it’s changed a lot. They’ve built a dedicated hotel in a chalet style which provided very comfortable accomadation.

It wasn’t just the place that was good though. Two of our group were chefs and one was a customer service manager and we all agreed that both the food and the customer service was really excellent. The evening meal was top notch as was the breakfast and the staff were friendly, curteous, respectful and kind. Considering how ill I felt the following morning (drinking until 3.30am will do that) they were surprisingly pleasant company! Read the rest of this entry »

Lee Child writes a bloody good book and 61 hours is no exception. I read Child’s debut Reacher novel when it was first released and unlike many authors he hasn’t lost any of his intrigue. As far as plot’s concerned, you never know what to expect. It’s such a brilliant concept; an ex military policeman who roams across the US. Military adds the knowledge of guns, battle scars and general expertise reserved for special forces novels. Policeman adds the detective skills, inner city combat knowledge and authenticity in his desire to help others. Roaming means the backdrop for each adventure could be anywhere with anyone doing anything. And of course, he’s an ex military policeman because he was a maverick. He’s the modern day lone good-guy, gun slinger discovering the wild west.

It was a long time ago but I remember being marginally disappointed with one of the Reacher novels so I’m pleased to say the same isn’t the case with 61 hours. In typical style, the action kicks off pretty early and there’s only one man capable of saving the day. An entire police force is lamentable in comparison to Jack Reacher. Read the rest of this entry »

Stuart Neville’s The Twelve is a cracking debut novel. If Neville can come up with more stories like this then he’s going to be a very successful novelist. You can probably guess but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. From the original plot to the believable characters I was gripped right to the end.

The story focuses on Gerry Fegan, a former hit man in the politically torn Northern Ireland. His past life has had a taken its toll on him and he now suffers from an alcohol fuelled desire to right the wrongs he’s commited. To make matters easier for him, he’s tormented by the ghosts of his victims past.

Set in Northern Ireland you expect more political input but it really just serves to provide the perfect backdrop for Gerry’s actions. Read the rest of this entry »