EATERS OF THE DEAD (Michael Crichton) - April 30/19

I think this might be my least favorite Crichton. It's just boring and the inclusion of tedious footnotes only exacerbates the tedium. * out of ****

VIDEO NASTIES (Duncan Ralston) - April 26/19

Big ol' meh on this one. None of the stories really stood out, and although some of them had some good moments, Ralston would mostly botch the endings. It just felt like he was trying way too hard for a Stephen King type vibe. ** out of ****

KNOTS & CROSSES (Ian Rankin) - April 23/19

I can't say I was enjoying this a ton initially, as the book comes off as a kind of overwritten crime novel stuffed with underdeveloped side characters. But the propulsive narrative eventually did capture my interest, particularly once the case became personal. I'd definitely read another Rebus book. *** out of ****

50 (Avery Corman) - April 15/19

I definitely enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. There are a few spots that drag but otherwise this was a pretty engaging drama about an impressively compelling central character. ***1/2 out of ****

BIRD BOX (Josh Malerman) - April 5/19

I really enjoyed this. Some of the periphery characters were hard to pin down but I dug the out-there premise and there were definitely some pretty tense moments sprinkled throughout. I definitely tore my way through the final stretch. ***1/2 out of ****

BINARY (Michael Crichton) - April 1/19

As expected, Binary contains an uninvolving first little bit devoted to technical stuff, but I'll admit that I was quite involved once the story itself kicked in. It reminded me a bit of 24 with its race-against-the-clock vibe. *** out of ****