Sorry I have not rated many people recently, I have been a bit snowed under with hardly enough time...
Sorry I have not rated many people recently, I have been a bit snowed under with hardly enough time to check my emails. I will catch up soon.
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Trish
Member since:24.02.2006
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Mr Candid Product: Mister Candid - Jules Hardy Rating: Advantages: Intelligent and thought provoking Disadvantages: Not for children
Mister Candid by Jules Hardy Price £6.99, paperback, however this may be found cheaper online Pocket books Fiction ISBN 0-7434-2906-0 Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 11 x 3 cm 406 pages
'A memory bursts into Iris's ragged mind, of Matron lying on her in that room, questioning, questioning. It is settled: this woman knows too much about the things Iris cares about, the things Iris was supposed to protect. Iris will have to see about that.' Mr Candid, Jules Hardy pg 130
About the Author
Bristol author Jules Hardy teaches creative writing at Bath Spa University College, whilst studying for her Phd. Mr Candid is her second novel, the first being Altered Land.
About the book
Throughout the pages of the novel, I found Charlie Kane's life of privilege is disrupted when returning home from Harvard when a devastating incident leaves all members of the dysfunctional Kane family untraceable and Mr Candid is born.
The general synopsis on the book cover indicate Mr Candid, serial killer, whose FBI psychological profiles indicate he is primarily a good person, however Mr Candid victims have generally done something to bring him to their door. Although Mr Candid has been killing for 17 years his enigmatic and intelligent killing methods have left him an urban legend.
This does ring true however; I do not feel that this does the book justice, as it does not cover the inner spirit of Mr Candid. I feel this can be seen in Mr Candid's letters to 'M' which dive into the deep ocean of his mind where he is questioning his own life choices and all the things he wishes to share. Some of these letters are heart wrenching, as you understand the loneliness of his decisions and his own internal conflict and arguments about the morality of murder and is he correct in committing murder.
I felt that Hardy has successfully managed to intertwine characters within the story, his dysfunctional and incestual family has led Charlie Kane to change is perceptions of people in general and making. Yet the mother and son bond can clearly be seen.
I found Hardy's method of writing a chapter about the various characters a simple method of getting to know the major characters of the plot line whilst keeping an edge to the story. I found each of the characters are written in such a powerful manner they each have their own contribution in the making of the Candid persona but also keeping him in the murder business. Some of the novels characters are sexually explicit however I these are stylishly written and given the background on these characters it was easy to understand why the characters led the lives they do.
As a first time reader of Hardy's work this is a book, I found this thought provoking, intelligent and passionate read and I look forward to reading more of Hardy's work.
This review can be seen on both my Dooyoo at dooyoo .co.uk (Trish70) and Ciao at ciao.co.uk (Yocal) accounts.
Summary: Saint or Sinner you decide
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