One thought on “Come Barbarians”

1. Read this so some of my bookish friends and I could have an impromptu book club with the author himself Ended up really enjoying it The politics in the book was just enough that it wasn t over my head and still kept my attention I am not a fan of politics The violent torture scenes were well executed and pretty damn awesome if I can say that

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2. I received a copy of this book through A Giveaway Contest.A Canadian couple, with their young daughter, move to the South of France to rebuild their marriage They are settling into life when the couple s daughter is hit and killed by a prominent local politician The politician his wife are later found to be murdered This whole situation stinks A story involving crooked politians, crooked police and gangsters makes this a suspenseful story that will keep you guessing to the end.The main character [...]

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3. I liked the book, though with a few reservations I have great affection for France, as does Todd Babiak apparently I feel he does a great job of creating the country and its complex culture including its politics on the page There are some wonderful descriptions throughout the book On the other hand, the thriller aspect of the novel was much less convincing It seemed overly contrived and far fetched, and the action scenes of violence began to get tedious as the book went on So, I enjoyed it and [...]

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4. 3.5 starsChristopher Kruse has taken his wife and little girl to France While there, his daughter Lily is killed and the one who presumably killed her has been murdered himself Evelyn, Kruse s wife, has disappeared Though Kruse himself doesn t want to believe it, the assumption is that Evelyn has killed Lily s killer Kruse sets out to find Evelyn and to prove her innocence, but other unscrupulous men are after her and him , as well This book was really up and down for me There were some real sus [...]

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5. Imagine if you will being in the south of France You a living in that idyllic region and your marriage is beginning to flourish again Your young daughter is amazing, adjusting to the new country with ease Your wife is loving her job and introducing you to new ideas And you have a collection of friends and neighbours that are loving and warm But with the squeal of tires on a wet cobblestone road, all of that is lost and your find yourself in an underworld of political mayhem and murder That is th [...]

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6. I was eating a granola bar when I came upon the vegetable peeler scene and considered putting it down but just kept eating it Full review to come.

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7. After Nothing Lasts Forever, the book after which Die Hard was based, Come Barbarians is the second book I ve read this year about Male Protagonist with a Very Special Set of Skills who needs to violently confront Very Bad Men because he needs to protect his family Those familiar with this subgenre of fiction know that government conspiracies often abound Even if not, there is a general distrust of authority, and Male Protagonist usually has to work things out almost entirely alone, policies, bu [...]

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8. I would say it s a 3.5 than a three Entertaining.

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9. Todd Babiak is an Edmonton author who quite clearly states that if you are in Edmonton and invite him to your book club discussion on his book, he will bring wine, homemade hummus, and himself to the discussion Thus, this review will be not just of his book, but of the experience of book clubbing with this particular author in the room.I was pretty relieved to have really liked the book always a little tricky to talk to the author about a book of theirs you didn t like Come Barbarians is a taut, [...]

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10. There are certain books that I generally don t ever buy or read, really because I know for a fact I m not going to like them Usually, it s anything to do with politics since my eyes tend to glaze over the details or mysteries Sometimes I m okay with a mystery book, but that might be because of Sherlock Holmes Regardless of the reasons, when I saw that local author Todd Babiak was releasing a new book, I knew I had to get my butt to the release party and grab a copy One would think that I would c [...]

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11. Todd Babiak s thriller takes the reader on an intense, violent yet touching roller coaster ride through the cities, villages, history and politics of France Our reluctant hero, Canadian Christopher Kruse, is a man with a very atypical past who is simply trying to find a new and simpler life in Southern France for his family Within pages he is thrown into a bizarre and twisted world that would destroy most men There is an honest sense of realism throughout this novel, as Kruse shares nuances of t [...]

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12. I have to admit that I didn t read the synopsis before reading the book It was selected as a book as part of our Bookies book club and I just went with it because Todd is a local author.The book quickly pulled me in with catchy glimpses at the character Kruse and a tragedy that has fallen upon his family You are only given a few details to work with and then slowly pieces of the puzzles are introduced as you learn about Kruse, his wife, and her interest in one of political parties of France.A r [...]

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13. This book is not for the squeamish One scene in particular I whizzed through with my hand over my mouth anxious to finish it and terrified about what might come next The characters were interesting, complicated people and the protagonist immediately won my sympathy I found it a little harder than usual to get my bearings at the start of the book perhaps an intentional mirroring of the protagonist s shattered state I would read another book about Christopher Kruse The back cover copy compared Com [...]

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14. First, let me point out that this is a great book from an Edmonton author Very cool Way different from a previous book I read by this same author, this one starts with tragedy and takes us through a whirlwind, fairly graphic, seedy look at France, politics and intrigue Another reviewer said, and I agree, just enough politics to make it interesting but not so much that I felt bogged down or over my head I enjoyed the people, the relationship and the emotions of the main character Definitely worth [...]

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15. Christopher Kruse and wife and daughter are living in France when the daughter is killed by a drunk driver He is known as Jean Francois, a member of the Nat l Front When he and another are found murdered in their home, suspicion falls on Evelyn Kruse s wife believing it to be retaliation for the death of daughter Lily.Grisly scenes of torture political Jean Francois was drugged before getting begind the wheel of the car.Kruse is haunted by Lily s death and desperate to find Evelyn.At times confu [...]

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16. With villains as ready made as the French National Front, Christopher Kruse, a self proclaimed protector can t seem to keep his own family safe As he tries to pin responsibility for a horrific murder on a likely suspect, Cruse encounters crooked gendarmes, dreadful Corsican crime bosses, ruthless politicians and complicit journalists It s not so much a question of whether he can avenge the wrongful death, as it is whether a novice French speaker can unweave the tangled threads he finds in a comp [...]

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17. Come Barbarians is not for the faint of heart The subject matter takes us places, that in our own lives we can only hope never to go.The story takes place in France, where our protagonist is thrown into this mysterious turmoil and forced to fight through his pain while he seeks answers I could not walk away from this story even though, at times, I really wanted to I would definitely recommend this book be added to your reading list.

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18. Okay, I give up I received this as a Giveaway over a year ago I have tbeen trying to read it since then I haven t even gotten past the first chapter The storyline sounds interesting but I just can t read it without wishing that I was doing anything else By the time I was able to figure out kind of the was happening, iI already was bored of the characters I am going to keep it around Maybe some other time I will be able to get at it

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19. The plot had several elements that normally intrigue me French setting, crime family, man risking all to protect his family and the writing was solid as far as the author s way of describing environments and such, but something about it was just too dry and stiff for me to get really invested in the story Took too long for anything all that interesting to happen the torture scenes were attention grabbing, I admit, but hella graphic, so be ready and by then my interest was only so so.

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20. my review should be taken with a grain of salt I usually don t read books like this but I was compelled to seems as though the author shares traits with the main character the book comes off as cold and calculating with a slight touch of warmthe desire this man feels is palatable I would not be surprised if the author chose every word carefully over the period of many years.

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21. Several of my friends had a difficult time getting into this book and said that page 50 was the spot at which they become involved in the story I liked the slow beginning that set the stage for the story However, I did not like this book For some reason that I can not put my finger on, the plot left me totally cold.

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22. So I was skeptical when I read the comparisons to le Carre and Graham Greene But also a little worried Graham Greene can be a bit boring Anyway, this is both beautifully written and heartbreaking and pretty damn thrilling too No spoilers but one of the scenes in here, involving something from your kitchen and mine, is unforgettable Awesome Sequels

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23. Not really a detective story Not really sure what genre this falls in other than bone crunching Overall, I would have preferred less gory violence and story Nevertheless, Babiak can really write I think I will check out his works in a different genre.

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24. What I like most about this book is that my dad might actually enjoy it too Vaguely reminiscent of the Bourne series Only in France And without the spy stuff And better writing Very vaguely Them again it was only about 15 years ago that I read those Huh.

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25. Christopher Kruse a Canadian security expert who leaves Canada to the South of France a humane protagonist, who does mistakes and understands his limitations Not a boring Would recommend it to anyone who enjoys political thrillers.

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26. Well written, but gloom upon doom, interrupted by the occasional blood bath Way too dark and violent for February

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27. I liked this book Found it a little slow and plodding at times but on the whole was a good thriller.

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28. Elements of a good story but the effect is mixed I didn t care about the characters and the author fails to generate much tension or drama.

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29. I need to find a vegetable peeler like the one the villain in this novel has.

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30. I enjoyed this book until about three quarters through The ending was a bit bizarre because of alliances that were made.

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