text: Amazon.co.uk: Profile For Mr. S. W. Allen: Reviews
  Profile for Mr. S. W. Allen > Reviews
  Content by Mr. S. W. Allen
  Top Reviewer Ranking: 597,485
  Reviews Written by Mr. S. W. Allen "Steve" (UK)
  3.0 out of 5 stars Diet Grisham, 30 Sep 2012
  I have just put down the book and have to agree with many of the 1 to 3 star reviews on here. This story just doesn't hold a candle to some of the best work of Grisham. Rushed, predictable, cliched, lacking real character strength. Yes he covered the Mass Tort world, professional witnesses, federal court routine and the world of a street law firm. That was ok. All that research, was pushed into the book and pasted together fine. But the characters were wooden, unloveable and even ones that were ok - Rochelle, Karros, Jerry, Helen, the Blogger - came and went too quickly. Even Zinc's brainwave of a cross-examination came and went with no consequence. Overall it read ok, zipped along, did not overstay its welcome, but it really did have the feeling of being cobbled together with research and scenes maybe done for other books and being written to satisfy a publishing contract.
  5.0 out of 5 stars The best kept secret in music, 22 Sep 2011
  This review is from: Le Pop (Audio CD)
  by Dustin ThomasonEdition: Paperback
  2.0 out of 5 stars Spolit an otherwise good holiday, 28 July 2007
  This review is from: The Rule Of Four (Paperback)
  2.0 out of 5 stars Ben owes my mum �14.99, 28 July 2007
  This review is from: Chart Throb (Paperback)
  To my right I have all Ben's books on my shelf. I love most of them. Popcorn, High Society are wonderful and when this one came out my mum got me it for Xmas from a local bookshop (nice to support the bookshops but she's knows not of the internet and places like Amazon) for �14.99 (the sticker was still on).What a bad book this was. He obviously knows some of the bakground to the like of Pop Idol and some of it was interesting to consider but he trotted out the same jokes time after time in this and the narrative through the dialogue was cringeworthy. And Prince Charles? What was that all about.Ben you are allowed a stinker now and again but please get back on form. My mam will also take a cheque thank you.
  5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, troubling reading, 28 July 2007
  A great Grisham book. Not a "young Memphis lawyer takes on the Mob/FBI/Washington/The World" storyline (which I quite like) but one of a number of "departure" novels that Grisham is capable off. The outstanding Time to Kill, acceptable Painted House and awful Broker are outside of these themes. I approached this one with trepidation but became deeply hooked very quickly.A masterpiece of narration and story-telling and a deeply troubling and worthy story at that.I have to admit to peeking at the pictures but it didn't spoil it one bit. Its not a cliff-hanger/final twist book at all, but some of the photos would have been better put at the end.
  5.0 out of 5 stars I almost gave up on this after the first listen...., 28 July 2007
  This review is from: Time On Earth (Audio CD)
  1.0 out of 5 stars Why can't you have zero stars?, 20 Feb 2007
  This review is from: The Best of Burt Bacharach (Audio CD)
  Bought this in the supermarket as I've always fancied some BB in my CD collection. All the good ones appeared to be on the disc. However, its just a collection of the instrumentals of his songs (therefore should it not be the 'music' of BB?). And to add insult to wallet injury the instrumentals are inferior to the original classics.Totally misleading packaging.
  Comment Comments (2) | Permalink | Most recent comment: Feb 15, 2013 10:31 AM GMT
  5.0 out of 5 stars Only pick up this book if you have nothing to do for 2 days, 26 Feb 2005
  This is quite simply one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long, long time. I had avoided because I thought it was becoming a cliche bestseller and would not deliver but I was so wrong!I made the mistake of picking it up during a busy work week at 9.30pm and I couldn't put it down until 4pm.My train to London the next day was 6.40am from Leeds and I was so hooked on it that I had to buy another copy at King Cross to finish it off on the way home.Thats the first time a book has ever done that to me and I've read hundreds. Buy it. And enjoy it.Also, do yourself a favour and get the liiustrated edition.