SoulCircus

I'm really surprised no-one has commented on this yet, it's easily the best book I've read this year. Mike Engleby is a fascinating character, superbly drawn by Faulks, and the novel's quiet suspense and intrigue will have you hooked in a couple of pages.

The ending is brilliant too, and will have you going back through the book re-reading bits and trying to piece everything together. Honestly, it's a terrific novel and one I can recommend without reservation.

PS Ignore the blurb written above, it makes the novel sound dull as ditchwater!

Fantastic read, sexy and spooky. Angel is a complelling private eye and the supporting cast of weird and wonderful people are brilliantly drawn.

I read this book as part of No Exit's 18 series, 18 books by 18 authors released by No Exit over the years. I would highly recommend any of them, I've read 3 or 4 and they are a brilliant cross section of classic crime novels.

Fantastic book, and agree with the posts below, the ending is slightly unexpected (to me at least!) but ultimately uplifting. Marries the SF and horror genres to perfection.

And on the film note, be interesting to see what the upcoming film version starring Will Smith will be like. Not holding out too much hope, but you never know...

Quite simply, a novel that makes you feel good to be alive.

A friend in the field of psychotherapy lent me this book, and it's an amazing read. The book tells the true story of Dibs, a young boy whose parents think he is emotionally retarded, and send him to have 'play therapy' sessions with the author. And the boy's personality comes alive. A must-read for anyone with the slightest interest in psychology, counselling etc, and a fascinating book for everyone else.

Wow! What a talent this man is! A quiet, downbeat novel that is the best book I've read this year.

An absolute joy. Bruen is fast becoming one of the truly great crime writers. This is the first of the Jack Taylor novels, and I would say the best. A healthy dose of Irish dark humour and despair that hits with extreme power.

Terrific read. A difficult subject matter to write about (I won't give it away!), but Heim tackles it with dignity and sensitivity. The end result is a powerful read that is somehow sensuous. Good film adaptation too.

I first read this book when I was finding out what kind of books I wanted to read. I really enjoyed it first time around, was lost in the huge scale and scope and fantasy of it all.

That was then, and around a year ago I re-read it. Still thought it was OK, but is hopelessly derivative of another certain fantasy trilogy. I guess that's the problem, any book after LOTR is going to be overshadowed by it, and that has a big effect on Brook's effort.

If you can bypass that, its worth a read.

Well, considering I'm named after this book, I'd better write a comment!

I love Pelecanos, and this was the first of his novels I read. And he now sits high in the pantheon of modern crime writers. A brilliant study of the problems of race in a downtown city. And the dialogue is pitch perfect - there's no-one better (except possibly Elmore Leonard, but that's an argument for another day).

Read it and you won't regret it.