Book review: The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

I love Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels, so it was with some glee I picked up The Heist, co-written with Lee Goldberg. My glee wasn't unfounded, The Heist is White Collar meets Ocean's Eleven meets Miss Congeniality, all in book form.

After years of chasing, FBI Special Agent Kate O'Hare has finally caught Nicolas Fox, a handsome, charming con man. Only he brokers a deal with Kate's bosses - he'll help Kate catch America's most wanted if the FBI keeps him out of jail.

The pair's first target is Derek Griffin, a playboy who conned clients out of millions and then ran off to an Indonesian island. Recruiting a rag tag crew of misfits, Nick and Kate head to Indonesia to catch Griffin, and get back the money he's stolen.

The Heist doesn't feature any great surprises when it comes to the main characters. A lot of what it contains has been seen before on our television or cinema screens - Nicolas has more than a whiff of Neal Caffrey from White Collar about him (no bad thing), and Kate is clever and witty and unlucky in love.

But the crew Nicolas and Kate assemble are an interesting bunch, from the egotistical actor to the speed loving 50-something who bought herself breast enhancements as part of her Big Adventure.

The book is a fun read, and does have some great elements. Kate's dad is particularly engaging, and there's a twist in the capture of Griffin that's both unexpected and fun (in a gun slinging kind of way).

The Heist made me remember why I loved Evanovich's writing so much. While the Stephanie Plum series has now gone on slightly too long and only provides minimal laughs, this book had me chuckling throughout. I hope Evanovich's partnership with Goldberg continues for a few more books, and we get to see more of Nicolas, Kate and their crew.

Film review: Parkland starring Zac Efron, Marcia Gay Harden and Billy Bob Thornton

Nearly everyone knows the story of President John F. Kennedy's assassination - Jackie wore pink, Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK from a 'grassy knoll', conspiracy theories abound.

But as the 50th anniversary of JFK's death approaches (November 22) Parkland takes a different look at that day in Texas in 1963.

Named after Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, where JFK was treated, Parkland is the story of the people behind the scenes of one of the most scrutinised moments in history, from the doctors and nurses at Parkland, to the man who caught on camera the shooting of the President, to the reaction of Oswald's brother.

Crucially, the face of JFK (Brett Stimely) is never fully seen, and even Jackie (Kat Steffens) is relegated to the background, ensuring the focus is on other characters and their reactions. But that's where the great points end.

Zac Efron plays young doctor Charles 'Jim' Carrico, who unexpectedly finds himself tasked with trying to save the life of the President, which we all know is futile. Dialogue at the hospital is kept to a minimum - in these scenes it's all about the (overblown) looks of anguish on the characters' faces. At times, it's farcical, and there are no prizes if you guess the 'twist' at the end for the hospital staff.

Elsewhere, Paul Giamatti puts in a solid performance as Abraham Zapruder, the man who filmed JFK's assassination (see a video here about how LIFE magazine brought the video to light), while Billy Bob Thornton plays the chief of the Dallas Secret Service, tasked with getting the footage developed and catching the suspect. While Zapruder's role is an interesting one, the to-do between the police, the Secret Service and the FBI becomes rather dull after a while, and as Zapruder's entourage becomes bigger and bigger, it all starts looking a bit like an ensemble comedy, rather than a drama.

The most interesting character in the film is Oswald's brother, Robert (James Badge Dale). He's a sympathetic character, who embodies a range of emotions throughout the film, and whose demeanour at his brother's funeral is far more powerful than all the wailing and weeping and sweating that comes before for JFK (a scene where JFK's coffin is forced onto Air Force One by grieving agents is really, really cringeworthy).

But apart from Robert, the film isn't brilliant, particularly when you add in the annoying soaring music over emotional scenes (all of them). And let's not mention Oswald's mother.

Parkland, based on the book Four Days in November by Vincent Bugliosi, had the potential to be brilliant. It had an interesting take on the President's death, but failed to reach the dizzy heights it aimed for. Rather than a thoughtful film, Parkland comes across as a cheap made-for-television Sunday afternoon drama, albeit one with a stellar cast.

•Parkland is out in the UK on November 22.

The Sunday Post (#27) and Showcase Sunday (#13)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and Showcase Sunday is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and the Story Siren. They're a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog, highlight our newest books and see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, or bought.

I've had some time off, so have been able to write a few blog posts (*gasp*), leading to some great interactions on Twitter with various authors. Here's what's been happening on Girl!Reporter over the past couple of weeks:

Book stuff
Review: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Review: Seeking Crystal by Joss Stirling
Review: Model Misfit (Geek Girl #2) by Holly Smale
Review: Resist by Sarah Crossan
Review: The Siege, Three Days of Terror Inside the Taj by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark
My week in books (#12) - stuff about Joanne Harris, Jon Rance and monster bookmarks, plus more

Non-book stuff
Film review: Thor - The Dark World
Reporting tips: Getting the job
Fitness review: Tabata
Review: Natural History Museum Ice Rink
Basketball for dummies: Training with the London Lions

Because I've been busy blogging, I've not had time to acquire many books, which is actually a good thing. Here's what I have picked up, all from the library:

The Arab Uprisings by Jeremy Bowen
The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon








What have you added to your shelves?

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and Showcase Sunday is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and the Story Siren. They're a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog, highlight our newest books and see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, or bought. - See more at: http://girlreporter.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=sunday+post&max-results=20&by-date=true#sthash.5FEgAlKn.dpuf

My week in books (#12)

My week in books is a feature where I share things I've found interesting from the past week that concern books, literature and all things book blogging. - See more at: http://girlreporter.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=my+week+in+books&max-results=20&by-date=true#sthash.MjqfjZq9.dpuf

My week in books is a feature where I share things I've found interesting from the past week (usually) that concern books, literature and all things book blogging.

I haven't done one of these in a while, so I've been saving up the links for a while.

I'm pretty obsessed with cookbooks. They're just so pretty and full of yummy recipes. To celebrate their newest release, Penguin came up with a quiz here, where you can find out which (Penguin) celebrity chef you are. I'm a Jamie Oliver (I wanted to be Mary Berry or Nigel Slater), let me know who you get.

I loved this Buzzfeed post about the places you need to read in, although I'm not sure what my favourite is.

I've recently acquired a couple of books by Jon Rance, and this piece he wrote about creating female characters is a brief and interesting insight into the process.

I've forgotten if I've linked to this post from The Stylist before, but who cares? It's the 100 best last lines from books, and you can create your own lists as well.

Here's a great article from The Guardian about Edgar Allen Poe and how he's been dividing readers for centuries.

A lot of people are taking part in NaNoWriMo at the moment, so these top 10 tips on writing from legendary crime writer PD James may prove useful.

The Fiction Dreams blog has a great interview here with Joanne Harris, who is one of my favourite authors. I'm very excited about her new work, which is a retelling of Norse myths through the eyes of Loki, who I'm obsessed with (okay, maybe I just like Tom Hiddleston).

For Books' Sake has a piece here about Mills and Boon, which I thought was a great read. I'm still not sure I'll be reading any Mills and Boon in the future though.

And finally, I've had this link open on my browser for months. For those of you into crafts, you can learn how to make your own funky monster bookmarks. They're really easy, and if you want to do something more grown up you can adapt the design by taking away the eyes and teeth and using different types of paper. I've made quite a few, and they're a hit.

Book review: The Siege, Three Days of Terror Inside the Taj by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark

Five years ago 10 young terrorists took one of the world's best-known cities - Mumbai - hostage. For three days they set off bombs, shot dead innocent people and confounded the security services.

In The Siege, Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark focus on The Taj Mahal Palace hotel, one of the buildings targeted by the terrorists. Using the stories of a number of guests and staff trapped inside the Taj during the attacks, as well as of police officers and the terrorists themselves, Levy and Scott-Clark have created an intimate, intricate, powerful look at an event that stunned the world.

I remember when the attack on Mumbai happened - 24-hour news channels broadcast footage constantly from the city, and I even remember hearing interviews with people trapped inside the Taj, some of whom feature in this book. But the coverage given on television skims just the surface of what Levy and Scott-Clark uncover.

Taking the reader from the planning of the attack, the recruitment of the terrorists and the involvement of American-born Pakistani David Headley, who worked for both Lashkar-e-Toiba, the group behind the attack, and the American intelligence community, through to the moment the attackers were killed, the book reads like fiction. Knowing that it's true only makes it more compelling, and more harrowing.

There is a focus on Ajmal Kasab, the only one of the 10 attackers caught alive. Levy and Scott-Clark burrow into his background and show how he was trained before being sent to Mumbai. Pictures of Kasab and the other attackers show what look like a group of children wielding weapons, while their grown-up handlers in Pakistan control the action and tell them who to kill and where to plant bombs.

Other pictures in the book are heartbreaking, like one of hotel guests Mike and Anjali Pollack on the steps of the Taj after they escaped - Mike has a huge smile on his face, but Anjali looks fearful and is caught mid-sob. They, like many guests, spent hours and hours fearing they were going to be killed at any moment.

What really struck me from reading The Siege was just how impotent the Indian security services were. The Black Cats, India's elite group of Commandos, were only officially called into action hours after the attack (although they were prepared to respond within the hour), and even then it took them half a day to get to the scene. The police were largely stifled in what they could do, partly by their own leaders, partly by the lack of equipment - the gunmen had far more powerful arms than the security services.

At one moment in the book, police officers Vishwas Patil and Rajvardhan Sinha, two of the only ones to head into the Taj, see on CCTV that all four of the hotel's attackers are in one room. Patil and Sinha believe it's the perfect time to nip the attack in the bud, before more damage is done. But despite their calls for help, no one responds and the attackers soon leave the hotel room with their hostages, intent on causing more damage. That the attack on the Taj could have ended hours after it started if not for the incompetence of higher-ups angered me.

On the other hand, the true heroes in the book, in my opinion, are the Taj staffers. From kitchen workers to the Black Suits (the Taj's security) to the hotel's manager Karambir Kang to Grand Executive Chef Hemant Oberoi, these were the people who put their lives on the line to save as many guests as possible. Kang's wife and two young children died inside the Taj, but he stayed at the scene to help try and control the situation, while Oberoi and others led guests out of danger, and at times put their bodies between those of the gunmen and guests during attacks.

It is these stories, the ones of human endeavour (and there are many in the book) and, in some cases, sacrifice, that make The Siege such powerful reading. I found myself going back over parts of the book again and again, trying to understand why certain things happened. As the fifth anniversary of the attack approaches, The Siege is essential reading for anyone wanting to find out more about the days Mumbai was brought to its knees.

How I got this book: Review copy from the publisher Penguin

•The Siege is book seven in my challenge to read 12 non-fiction books in 2013.

•How To Be a Woman is the sixth book in my challenge to ready 12 non-fiction books in 2013. I'm failing miserably.

You might also like:

- See more at: http://girlreporter.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Reading%20challenge#sthash.rZBFr1O8.dpuf

•How To Be a Woman is the sixth book in my challenge to ready 12 non-fiction books in 2013. I'm failing miserably.

You might also like:

- See more at: http://girlreporter.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Reading%20challenge#sthash.rZBFr1O8.dpuf

Basketball for dummies: Training with the London Lions

The London Lions play the University of Iowa. Picture: LLDC

I think it's fair to say that, at 5ft 2ins, basketball is not the game for me. Still, here I am at the Copper Box, home to the London Lions, about to embark on a training session with the team.

Every player towers over me, so it's intimidating from the start. Added to that, while they wait for the session to officially start they warm up by shooting baskets, effortlessly sinking one after the other while I stand clutching my basketball like, well, a short, unathletic female surrounded by professional sportsmen.

Still, they make me feel welcome, and with some of the team members having grown up in London we chat about travel problems (what else?) and the surrounding area before assistant coach Nigel Lloyd calls the team to order, and instructs guard Perry Lawson to take everyone through a warm up. Kindly, Nigel asks Perry to keep it fairly simple for me. We go through a series of stretches and sprints, which flummox me for two reasons. Firstly, my legs are a lot shorter than everyone else's, so I compensate by skipping forward a few steps during each stretch to ensure I can stay level. Second, there are so many lines on the floor I never know which one I'm running to. By the end though, I'm getting the hang of things.

Once we've warmed up (I'm tired already), Nigel takes us through a series of drills, involving moving up and down the court while bouncing the ball, sometimes in twos, sometimes in threes, and trying to score at each end. Luckily for me, the Lions are a really down-to-earth group of guys who are happy to put up with my inadequacies, and nearly all of them take turns partnering with me. 

By the end of the 25 or so minutes we've been on the go, the team is ready to get to the more intense (more intense?!) portion of their training sessions. But not until I've managed to shoot a basket. The pressure is on, and I have visions of this going on forever, as I keep missing and they keep waiting, and the pressure getting worse and worse - like has been happening so far.

The London Lions play the University of Iowa. Picture: LLDC

So, while the team watches, I aim, I let of the basketball, and, plot twist, I score. Granted, everyone else has scored about 50 more than I have, but it feels really good, and in a sign of how lovely the team is, every one of them high fives me as I walk off the court to sit and watch the rest of the session on the sidelines.

What I want to do is fall down in a heap, but that would just be embarrassing, so instead I gingerly lower my already aching legs down and watch as these guys turn it up a notch.

The rest of the training session, clocking in at two hours in total, is intense. Nigel splits the team into two, and they battle against each other using a series of different manoevres. To my eyes, it all looks really complicated, but the guys are off the mark immediately at every call Nigel makes. After each exercise, the losing side has to do a set of push ups, before getting straight back up to start playing again.

I've seen the London Lions play before, and, along with the thousands of people in the crowd, cheered and whooped at every fancy move the team made. But it's only when watching them train that I realise how much practice goes into making those moves seem effortless.

When the session ends the guys head for their water bottles, sitting down to stretch out aching muscles. I have a quick word with a few of them, before heading out the door. After my 25 minutes training, I'm ready to lie down. The guys might be able to do that when they get home, but unlike me, they have to be back the next day to do it all over again.