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.
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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.
