Close - Martina Cole

Man O man. I did not enjoy this book at all! A friend lent it to me and she only got half way through it before giving up because it didn't seem to be going anywhere. And boy was she right. I am one of those people who will persevere because I hate to give up on a book. Some of the best books are those where you don't have a clue where it's going and then right at the end with a flash of golden light, all becomes clear. Unfortunately Close is nothing like that which was disappointing since it meant a delay in starting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by a day to finish it (shock horror!).
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Anyway, Close as we have come to expect from Cole is gangster related and follows the Brodie family through their rise to, then fall from, and eventual rise back to power and control over London's gangster scene. And that's pretty much it. The beginning opens with Lily Brodie (the matriarch) lying on her death bed and we discover that one of her sons Patrick has killed his brother Lance. The rest of the story describes their life and how Lance is considered strange and bad from the day he was born and therefore his mothers love was held from him and he was taken in hand by his evil grandmother Annie. Call me mad but surely a mother openly withholding love from her son is going to make him feel unwanted and therefore turn wild? But what do I know. Anyway, the story culminates when we vaguely find out why Patrick kills Lance (other than that he's rubbish at helping to run the businesses) but here Cole merely hints at what he's done and leaves the reader to work it out for themselves. From what I can gather, what Lance did is pretty shocking by all accounts but I would have preferred something like that to be spelt out for me because now I am worrying if I have just got a dirty warped mind! And I don't like books that make me feel like that!
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So, sorry Martina. I loved Dangerous Lady and can't wait to read Maura's Game, but this one was a big let down for me I'm afraid.

Firewall - Andy McNab

I finally finished this book last Saturday. This wasn't the fault of the book though. I go through phases where I read and read to the exclusion of everything else. However, this phase ended just after I started the book so that's why it took me so long. I've read it before anyway and may also have had a bit of McNab overload so that probably contributed to my slow reading!
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Anyway, like McNab's other books Firewall is pretty good. The storyline is full of thrills and punch-ups and poor old Nick never seems to catch a break. If you ever had a bad day at work - trust me when I say he has had worse!
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This book follows Nick in his desperation to get some major finance together for Kelly's hospital treatment after she succums to post-traumatic stress disorder (read Remote Control for reasons why). Low on funds and with a wreck of a house for Kelly's home Nick will do anything - even for ROC (Russian Organised Crime). As always McNab seems to have his pulse on what is going on in the world and Firewall is about preventing commercial espionage by unsavory organisations who can not be allowed to have access to any governemnts secrets. Why Nick chooses to believe the Russians of all people is beyond me....! But I like I say, I guess he really needs the cash.
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The story follows Nick as he is seduced by the millions he is set to earn by stealing the Echelon program from an unsuspecting group of hackers and hand it over to the Russians. For this he needs his old mate Tom to crack the firewall and steal the program. Convincing Tom to do it is a challenge in itself. The two fly to Finland where the first attempt to steal the program goes completely wrong when another group intent on the same mission turn up and results in Tom's kidnap. The usual fight scenes ensue but all the while with McNab's descriptions bringing them to life so you feel the punches hit you with the same force as they do the characters. Nick goes on the hunt for Tom on Russian instructions to now destroy both the Echelon program and Tom. This takes him to Estonia where, with the help of his new buddy 'Eight' he gathers what he needs to blow the place sky-high and claim the cash. It is here during these descriptive parts when Nick is pulling together what he needs to get the job done that NcNab's field experience shines through. The way he explains it is dead easy to grasp and you can totally visualise what Nick is up to and his thought processes. More fight scenes and a brilliantly executed explosion later, Tom and Nick must navigate through devastaing weather conditions as they escape the compound to evade capture. Cold, hungry and tired and without any survival equipment they set off into the freezing cold.
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However, as always with Nick Stone's life, nothing is ever that simple...