TCCDM Dig and Flip: "The Rook" - Daniel O'Malley (2012)

The Rook
by Daniel O'Malley
(2012)
Softcover, 486 pages  

NO SPOILERS:
     Author Daniel O'Malley takes a familiar trope and turns it the fawk on its noggin.   In The Rook, we meet Myfanwy (pronounced Miff-un-ee) Thomas, a member of a clandestine government of "special" agents, who discovers she has amnesia via instructions she left for herself to read should this circumstance ever occur.  With this premise quickly laid out, Myfawny takes the reader on a thrilling adventure that is grossly graphic and totally unpredictable.  Like a Scully/Mulder/Jason Bourne hook-up, The Rook is one coffee-spitting idea after another.  

The main characters, good and bad, are easy to take a shine to.  The bombardment of ideas and sticky situations are non-stop.  And the clever web of mysteries Myfanwy finds herself caught in is both dangerous and amusing.  For an author's debut, Daniel O'Malley takes it to the house.   If you like mixing up your book-reading genres from time to time or breaking up your routines, The Rook is a tasty page-turning curveball.

"Rooks" - Shearwater / "Rook" (2008)

Good stuff.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interview:-- Joan Staley (Actress - Classic Movies & Television)

Image
  "Elvis,  do you really want me to slap you?"  ~ Joan Staley ~     So my friends and I were talking about first crushes. First tv and movie crushes.  For me, it was easy.  It was Alma. (Joan Staley)   I broke into the double-digit age of 10 in 1993.  That was the summer I discovered my favorite Don Knotts movie while flipping thru cable one Saturday morning... "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken." Everyone has seen it.  It was a funny haunted house story similar to an episode on Andy G. with a cast of familiar characters, trippy organ music, and the prettiest girl I had ever seen...Alma. She was beautiful alright.  I was love-stung so bad, I swear I could smell flowers coming out of the TV set.  And best of all, she was nice.  She didn't like the smart alec, the wise guy, or the show-off.  Alma was digging Luther (Don Knotts) and that just made her that much prettier.  And from then on... But unfortu...
Read more

Interview -- Henry Lee Summer (Singer/Songwriter)

Image
"I just always have played music.  For better   or worse, I banked my whole life on it." ~ Henry Lee Summer ~     It's strange how music lets you travel through time as if there truly was no time.  I played the shit out of this album growing up.  Nothing deep or complicated.  Nothing outta bounds.  Nothing to get hung about.  It's deceptively simple.  But here's the thing... Henry Lee Summer  is serving aces all over this heartland square. This is the 35th anniversary of Henry Lee Summer's self-titled album and this one falls under that sweet spot between raucous and chill.  It's a large cup of iced coffee with a nice soulful blend.  Not usually my type of go-to and yet this album easily fills a void I didn't know I had.  Let this spin be your own private Idaho.  " Check it out, Leroy!"   Henry Lee Summer... Go get you some. Henry Lee Summer Interview -- August 2023 Henry Lee Summer Casey Cha...
Read more

Interview -- Elliot Lurie (Looking Glass)

Image
"...Your eyes could steal a sailor from the sea." ~ Looking Glass ~ Elliot Lurie was a singer/songwriter for the 70s band Looking Glass . The band recorded two albums and had a couple of hits along with a handful of deep-track FM cuts.  And as many bands are wont to do... Looking Glass called it a day and handed over the keys.  However, before cutting out, Looking Glass did leave us with the #1 hit song... "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)."   Now there have been plenty of #1 songs that have climbed to the top spot faster.  And plenty of #1 songs that have stayed at the top spot longer.  But the list begins to thin when it comes to #1 songs that have had some real staying power years and years after their run.  And as the 50th anniversary draws to a close, the song  "Brandy..." still remains an ageless and endearing wonder. A song of unrequited love without all the drippy, maudlin sadness that often stains so many other attempts.  Every boy dreams ...
Read more