For the previous year and it was till yesterday, I had in times try to read a first book of big series, which usually wasn’t for long.
I never had wonderful exclusions with pulp fiction. I took The Curse of Capistrano by Johnston McCulley. That what began legendary Zorro on whom was pictured plethora of flicks and this character appeared in TV shows, musicals, comics and computer games. I was in wish to see origins. An author is crafty for writing when his story hasn't an unusual. I ended very soon. I thought on that I would watch masterpiece Zorro with Alain Delon again. I had two attempts with Solomon Kane by Robert E. Howard. Maybe, first reading was a some time more before. I put aside because I wasn’t in interest. A second was better try. A short story Red Shadows wasn't read till end again due to I saw it is an unsophisticated in plot. An author shows a wonderful potential talent in writing, but I shouldn't expect an exciting from written for magazines.
I made beginning with higher in quality literature. Polar Star by Martin Cruz Smith is the second book about detective Arkady Renko. I read the first in series Gorky Park after watching it’s incredible movie adaptation. I willn’t speak on impressions of read book due to I expressed them once. Polar Star had two attempts. A first was similar to Solomon Kane experience. A second started and I did finish very shortly from there I moved to learning of story through it’s short describing in which I saw slip of reality in a plot and “must love interest for protagonist”, which is element of every part as it was in further research. This last never can be good for detective story. The last published book contains more gruesome thing – a love triangle. Martin Cruz Smith is wonderful in writing and I still have point to him.
For the last days, I was reading A White Arrest by Ken Bruen on whom I knew by adaptation of Blitz, which is the fourth book of series about Detective Sergeant Tom Brent and Chief Inspector James Roberts. This movie was released in 2011. An intricate detective with harsh weekdays of London police precinct whose many workers have rude personalities and dirty behind. I was curious to read the original books. It didn’t occur for very many years. Later I knew on adaptation of other author’s series which about Irish detective Jack Taylor in TV series with Iain Glen. I began watching, but it didn’t grabbed me in excitement by that show looked simple in a first novel implementation. A murderer wasn’t of discovery.
I took a first book of Brent and Roberts affairs, which became a first part of The White Trilogy as it calls. Each of these books aren’t thick in length and I decided to check quantity of words. I found out that no one of them can be considered as novel as this claims – this is a novella format. I’m not for be pretentious, I’m for a good story, which I didn’t get. I finished when fifty pages was in left.
Ken Bruen can’t describe and he is forlorn in metaphors. An example of his terrible writing: “He looked like your friendly uncle. Well, your friendly uncle with a pick-axe handle.” He prints that tea had a taste of coffee “or turpentine or a cunning blend of both”. Bruen doesn’t make space between paragraphs and I read line of other character in followed stroke. This author senselessly puts phrase from movies and books in titles of chapters. Many characters quote something. It’s a flick usually and by which that personage can also use as inspiration or recall it’s scenes. Everybody’s mad on cinema. Sometimes quotation can be from books and occasionally from poems. Individuality erases if many heroes think in one way. Three times a different personage will use saying, as claims writer, a common film phrase “before Tuesday”, which I never heard. Try to find a character who didn’t say “wanker” on somebody.
Also Irish author does contradiction. Brent expresses that he doesn’t like noir, which he can’t correctly pronounce and says “nora” a couple of times. His dislike to this cinema Brent speaks in incoherent phrase ‘Those old movies again, Guv, eh? It’s black-and-white, it’s a classic.” However, he quotes White Heat after having great in his vision evening. Ken Bruen in many times uses in writing “a,b,c,” in choices or acts of personages. His talentless comes to when a maniac drawing on eggs was described “and did this” then pictures of hero's done under it's stroke.
There is no investigation. Personages usually get drunk. Detectives come on place of another murder and nothing else will in procedures. It will end that one gang of criminals will openly attack and other a single maniac will be kicked by bus. I wasn’t supposed to deal with a book further of reading of the first strokes that a white arrest cleans previous bad record of officer. Sergeant Brent doesn’t make unusual (if doesn’t accept this kick in face of two-pistol armed man who could easily kill a main hero, but I don’t get motives in why bandit swapped on slaying cops if his obsession was drug dealers.).
Tom Brent is rude and insolent to everybody by throwing away pager and he visits lady’s flat at 3:30 of night. Though story goes on that people do call and report on his behavior, but nobody resists directly. Constable Falls accepts that her favorite towel will be in trash bin after Sergeant used it. Brent rips constable’s shirt and the last complains to himself on how much he spent money. A protagonist willn’t be punished. His arrest in the end nullifies this record.
Brent’s personality isn’t accurate in describing. He presented as strong personality who doesn’t cry, but he does it when enters in own flat and sees that some youngsters broke into his place only for hooliganism as it was damage of lovable book collection. Hardly to believe that his apartment on high floor became chosen. Falls wants to borrow money from Brent who easily gives them. He doesn’t care on what gives it, but he talks with constable on that thing later. I can't believe that it could be that he probably heard on it from somewhere due to if take from meatless describing of this character – he cares only on his book collection.
Bruen jumps in telling and does laziness in logic. Stealing a cup in café by a woman personage whom familiar waiter served her order – it would be noticed in venue. No learning on police work as Brent tortures likely rapist and gets in some moment call from superior what forces him to leave that man alone. Negotiation does this kind of people and not an ordinary constable who will be blamed, but no grain of her failure if that sick person initially was going to throw dog. Brent can’t negotiate too by doing unprofessionally with trying to get address of gang’s leader who called department, but a criminal did it with no point, because he didn’t explain his goal or requirements. And it’s far-fetch dragged line of appearing dog at Brent, which is for be killed few pages later.
I knew only before that novel Blitz has difference with flick in that Roberts wasn’t slayed there. I discovered that book yesterday and listed in few places for comparing. A movie takes far aside from original. It was when adapted movie is superior of poor original. I can’t read anything of Ken Bruen after A White Arrest.