If you like ax murder movies you would probably consider this book (and the whole series) rather tame. If, however, you like a "thriller" to focus more on the detective work and the "profile" of the criminal with just enough details of the violence to bring a touch of reality to the story, this will be a good choice for you.
At the beginning of the series I thought Bowers was supposed to be a Christian. Now I'm not so sure. Certainly, he is a bit confused about some things if he is. The stories aren't filled with people quoting scripture or demonstrating a serious and mature relationship with Christ. Instead, they are filled with people who are leading messed up and/or painful lives but who are searching for a way to a better life and to relieve themselves of guilt they carry from past experiences. The books are not filled with people "sleeping around" or cursing or taking God's name in vain. This is something I appreciate. Life is messy. For Christians as well as non-Christians. Everyone experiences unpleasant situations in life. But not everyone chooses to sink to the lowest standards in every situation.
Well, before I start getting too philosophical I'd better stop writing. I enjoyed The Queen as I have all the other books in the series. I recommend it; though not late at night if you tend to have nightmares.
Happy reading. :D
Nicely written review. Not a book I would want to read however as I do not like any kind of thriller or murder mystery. I am basically a wimp and only want to read happy books.
ReplyDeleteThat's okay. "Happy" books are my usual preference too. My life was so hard for a while that I read virtually nothing else. However, after a while I became frustrated with many of the happy books because they are so unrealistic. Everyone in them marries the person they love who is perfect for them and they live happily ever after, usually rich too. LOL Nothing I have seen in life looks like that - not in my life or the lives of most of the people I know eiher.
ReplyDeleteAt this point in life I basically only read a few fiction authors; the ones I consider the best. I wouldn't read James' books if they were any more "gory" than they are. Murder and espionage are not part of my everyday life but they are real, I know. So I read them. Honestly, I might not read his books if there were more good authors writing 'happy' books. :) I don't have a lot of time to read fiction but even so, the few authors I read can't keep up with that time. And, James does a good job. As I said, he doesn't fill his books with the gory but with the relationship aspects of the people involved. This, I think, is what I like most; how the people deal with the unpleasant things in their lives and the lives of people they know.
Anyway, thanks for reading my blog. :D