"Killer Instinct" by Joseph Finder

Ever since Paranoia, Mr. Finder’s work has been getting progressively worse.
Paranoia was a niche, new and exciting. The prospective of corporate espionage, high-tech spying, survival of the most devious, it was a great concept, an exciting new story (as I read it I could almost smell the movie popcorn, the upcoming blockbuster). But then came Company Man, with its disappointing tale and unbelievable characters. And now – Killer Instinct.

What happened, Mr. Finder? Commercialization got in the way? Was it the need to publish, to produce another moneymaking novel without honoring our intelligence? Why write if your characters would be bleak and simpleminded? Why produce a story if it will be as regular as a patient on a fiber diet? Where are the exciting unforeseen circumstances? What happened to eeriness, unpredicted behaviors, risky yet credible propositions? How come your novels are getting worse instead of better? Why the all foreseen Hollywood ending now? Think over these questions and make the right choices in your next book. But keep in mind, it’s hard keeping the fans if you produce frequent rubbish.

I don’t recommend this one. Try ‘Paranoia’ or check out Grisham or Patterson’s books instead.

-by Simon Cleveland

"The Ghost Writer" by Philip Roth

I must confess - when I began reading this book, I was immediately taken aback from the depressive mood expressed through the character of the loner. Then, after awhile, the intensity of the emotions, the narrative style, the vivid and unmistakable human nature took charge and I was left with utmost admiration - admiration for the life the book took on and the life it gave me.

Like Patrimony, Ghost Writer delves deeper into the metamorphosis of human behavior over the course of a life time. Readers become aware (almost immediately) of the sadness of making the wrong choices, of getting sick, of dying. At the same time, reading in between the lines is a prerequisite for Mr. Roth. Take for example the wild affair the narrator has with the Scandinavian model. The force of words, the carefully constructed content of what transpired between those two is so powerful, that it almost certainly would arouse any reader.

I have really only one remark. Mr. Roth, you are one of my favorite writers and I thank you for taking the time to create such passionate and deeply moving literature as the one I found in Ghost Writer.

This book is highly recommended to all lovers of contemporary American literature.

-by Simon Cleveland