The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf |
| Posted: 03 Jun 2011 03:26 AM PDT Devil's Wealth: A New World Order RICHARD Bhar's debut novel is a global thriller charting one man's meteoric rise to the highest echelons of political and financial power. It also features generous doses of supernatural occurrences, liberal lashings of violence, murderous shape-shifting beasts, Mafia power struggles and spiritual enlightenment. And did I mention a love story being shoe-horned somewhere among all that? Bhar, a mechanical engineer and management consultant by training, doesn't lack for ambition or high concept in his first stab at writing fiction. If his mashing of genres results in some jarring tonal shifts in the tale, the resultant hodgepodge of disparate themes still makes for a heady cocktail of immense readability thanks to Bhar's breezy prose and short chapters. Anointed with greatness on the very day of his birth, pronounced by the village sage that "this male child will live the life of a mystic, encountering and controlling circumstances beyond the comprehension of normal beings", the story's protagonist, Malaysia-born Jaget Mann sets off to Britain at the age of 16 to fulfil his destiny. There, he meets the mysterious and ageless Nicole Grey who grants him his wish to "be a very wealthy and powerful man with the right to move to the very top". But does his wish come layered in Faustian lustre? With £100mil deposited into his account by his mysterious benefactor, and armed with solid guidance from legendary financial adviser Marcus Astone, Jaget begins accruing wealth with almost supernatural speed, adding to an already thriving business importing coffee through investments in the British Steel Corporation, commissioning the building of an oil tanker for transportation hires above market rates and the purchase of 20-storey Court Point, located on prime land in the heart of London which eventually becomes the centralised hub of his business operations not to mention an impregnable fortress. In the process, Jaget gets into bed, figuratively, with the Mafia led by Don Cuzio and literally with the ravishing cardiologist Dr Rita Channa. As Jaget's wealth and power grow to astronomical proportions thanks to his dabbling in the lucrative drug trade and the strategic removal (read: assassination) of rivals facilitated by The Don, the reader is primed to expect a morality tale with Jaget heading for a colossal fall – but Bhar throws a neat twist into the plot, veering the tale off into intriguing tangents. For Jaget has plans for his drugs that can only be described as unique. A New World Order is being planned and somewhere, an Omnipotent Father watches ... Bhar chronicles Jaget's rise to the topmost tier in "the sphere of influence" with consummate skill and the interesting directions the story takes makes for a painless and often exciting read, which compensate for certain scenes that go from implausible to frankly preposterous (there's an incident in Bali and a showdown on the helipad on top of Court Point that makes suspension of disbelief an arduous task). The novel's timeline spans the late 1960s to the late 1970s but, barring the absence of the Internet and cell phones, could have been set in the current times with no difficulty, as there is a lack of period detail provided by the author. The characters could have used a little more meat, development-wise, and while the entire tale is told from Jaget's point of view, as a protagonist you don't get to really like or sympathise with him thanks to an almost preternatural self-assuredness and a sense of his own importance that borders on megalomania. But Bhar's tale is ambitious in scope and the narrative suitably gripping to tide you over such shortcomings. This is best read in a single gulp with light music and sipping whisky on a rainy evening. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Posted: 03 Jun 2011 03:24 AM PDT The Secret Zoo: Shadows And Secrets ONLY weeks after their return from the Secret Zoo, Noah and his friends must go back – and face their biggest challenge yet. With monstrous sasquatches freely attacking the denizens of the zoo and the evil Shadowist at large, the fate of the world is at stake. As Crossers, Noah, Megan, Richie, and Ella would help protect the zoo from these dangers. But do they have what it takes to complete their training? And what other secrets are hiding in the shadows? The Penderwicks At Point Mouette WHEN summer comes around, it's off to the beach for Rosalind – and off to Maine with Aunt Claire for the rest of the Penderwick girls, as well as their old friend, Jeffrey. That leaves Skye as OAP (oldest available Penderwick) – a terrifying notion for all, but for Skye especially. Things look good as they settle into their cozy cottage, with a rocky shore, enthusiastic seagulls, a just-right corner store and a charming next-door neighbour. But can Skye hold it together long enough to figure out Rosalind's directions about not letting Batty explode? Will Jane's Love Survey come to a tragic conclusion after she meets the alluring Dominic? Is Batty – contrary to all accepted wisdom – the only Penderwick capable of carrying a tune? And will Jeffrey be able to keep peace between the girls who are his second, and most heartfelt, family? Darkness Rising Book 1: The Gathering STRANGE things are happening in Maya's tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya's home – and her reactions to them are somewhat ... unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations. It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy – her paw-print birthmark. Wings Book 3: Illusions LAUREL hasn't seen Tamani since she begged to see him. That was a year go. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that she made the right decision. But just as life returns to normal, Laurel realises that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible. And for the first time, Laurel cannot be sure that her side will prevail. Wolves Of Mercy Falls Book 3: Forever IN Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death closes in. Okay For Now AS a 14-year-old who just moved to a new town, with no friends and a louse for an older brother, Doug Swieteck has all the stats stacked against him. As he struggles to be more than the "skinny thug" that his teachers and the police think him to be, he finds an unlikely ally in Lil Spicer – a fiery young lady who "smelled like daisies would smell if they were growing in a big field under a clearing sky after a rain." In Lil, Doug finds the strength to endure an abusive father, the suspicions of a whole town, and the return of his oldest brother, forever scarred, from Vietnam. A Tale Of Two Castles NEWLY arrived in the town of Two Castles, Elodie unexpectedly becomes the assistant to a brilliant dragon named Meenore, and together they solve mysteries. Their most important case concerns the town's shape-shifting ogre, Count Jonty Um: Someone is plotting against him. Elodie must disguise herself to discover the source of the threat amid a cast of characters that includes a greedy king, a giddy princess and a handsome cat trainer. Junonia RETURNING to the beach cottage where she has always celebrated her birthday is a special occasion for Alice Rice. Who will see the first dolphin this time? The first pelican? What will have changed? Stayed the same? And will this be the year she finally finds a junonia shell? Alice's friends are all returning, too. And she's certain her parents have the best party planned for her. Alice can't wait. If she's lucky, everything will be absolutely perfect. Will Alice be lucky? Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Posted: 03 Jun 2011 03:24 AM PDT The Jersey Sting IT was like a small military undertaking when the FBI deployed over 300 agents in eastern New Jersey and the New York borough of Brooklyn early one July morning in 2009. They captured 44 people, including five rabbis. Most were accused of political bribery, money laundering and tax evasion. One rabbi was charged with trafficking in human kidneys. The story of The Jersey Sting is meticulously, seriously – and humorously – told by Ted Sherman and Josh Margolin, two reporters at The Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey (Margolin now works for the New York Post.) Coverage of the investigation by Sherman and Margolin and The Star-Ledger staff was awarded the Jesse Laventhol Prize for Deadline News Reporting from the American Society of Newspaper Editors, and also was honoured as finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. The tale is complex. It centres on the career of Solomon Dwek, the son of a rabbi. He combined the roles of an unlicensed real estate broker, school executive, money launderer, political operator with a specialty in bribes and an FBI informant wearing a concealed camera and voice recorder. Dwek's work for the FBI was authorised by US Attorney Chris Christie, now governor of New Jersey and a not-too-dark horse for the Republican nomination in the 2012 US presidential race. Christie was also the first to announce Dwek's arrest following a plea agreement. Dwek pleaded guilty of trying to defraud a bank by cashing two phony checks – US$25mil (RM75.25mil at today's rates) each. It was an attempt to shore up a Ponzi scheme in connection with his real estate business. He faces nine to 11 years in prison, remaining under "house arrest" while other cases are being decided. So it's not light reading to undertake instead of a TV whodunit after a heavy dinner and a long day at the office. The alert reader will also get an introduction to New Jersey politics and its reputation for corruption. It's a help that the authors have furnished a convenient cast of characters with nearly 100 names and roles. – AP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
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