Looking for the next book to get lost in? Below are a few of the books I’ve enjoyed the most reading so far in 2017, old and new.
The Force by Don Winslow
Don Winslow’s latest novel, The Force, proves yet again the amazing talent of Don Winslow. This book is close to his two novels on the war on drugs in USA and Mexico, Power of the Dog and The Cartel, than his earlier work, both in terms of style and depth. You can tell he’s done his research, and the way he dives into corruption within the NYPD and the political world is nothing short of impressive. The main character, Denny Malone, is a high-ranking and highly decorated NYPD detective, but he’s also a corrupt one. Both him and his partners are prone to the occasional bribe, and have also taken their corruptness to another lever recently during a drug raid. I don’t think there are any other writers out there who are better than Don Winslow at writing interesting characters in this genre (possibly Dennis Lehane), and Denny Malone is just that. Despite the bad things he does, you still feel for the guy, and you still – to some extent – can see where he is coming from and why he makes the choices he does, wrong or right.
Looking for a great police novel? This is the one. Don’t trust me? Maybe the below quote will convince you.
Don Winslow’s THE FORCE (coming in June) is mesmerizing, a triumph. Think THE GODFATHER, only with cops. It’s that good. – Stephen King
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
An African American nurse, Ruth Jefferson, is told she has been reassigned from a routine checkup on a newborn. The reason? The baby’s parents are white supremacists, and they don’t want her anywhere near their baby. The next day, the baby goes into cardiac arrest, and Ruth, being the only nurse in the nursery needs to make a decision whether to obey the hospital’s and the white supremacists’ orders or attempt to save the baby’s life. I won’t say too much else, but the book is a fantastic read, and a scary one. This book will also have you asking yourself “Can these people really exist?”, before you realise in the next minute that “Yes, they do”, Donald Trump is the President of the USA and things are actually quite shit. This is the first book I read from Jodi Picoult, but not the last one.
PS: Apparently, Viola Davis and Julia Roberts are starring in the film adaptation of the book.
Pines by Blake Crouch
Secret Service agent Ethan Burke arrives i Wayward Pines, Idaho, on a case. He is there to locate two missing agents. Shortly after arriving, he is involved in a car crash, and when he wakes up in a hospital, nothing makes sense anymore. He can’t get a call through to his family, no one believes him when he says who he says he is, and everything in the idyllic city just seems a bit off. This is one of those books you should start reading knowing as little about it as possible, so I’ll just leave it at that as for the plot. I will mention that this is the first in a trilogy series, though. Blake Crouch will have you on the edge of your seat throughout the book, though. I first read a book by Crouch last year, Dark Matter, which was one of my favourite books of last year, and with these ones (I’ve also read Wayward, the second book in the series) he’s convinced me even more. Dark Matter is still the best of them, but I am loving the Wayward Pines book series as well, and will definitely check out the TV show when I finished the last book.
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