Or the Bull Kills You (Max Cámara)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'he mixes the various ingredients of Valencian tradition, political factions and personal intrigue into a memorable paella of Mediterranean noir' --The Independent
'does for Spain what Michael Dublin did to wonderful effect in his ZEN novels for Italy ... a marvellous novel ripe with passion, love and murder ... it is wonderful to read about a crime thriller in the sun - rather than the latest fashion of Swedish murders in freezing cold and bleak weather, short days and long nights!' --CrimeSquad.com
'a good descriptive writer who in Camara has introduced an excellent addition to the detective genre, a hot blooded rival to the chilly Scandinavian heroes' --Eurocrime
'one of the most attractive figures to enter recent detective fiction ... like the best detective stories, this book becomes a scrutiny of our most powerful drives and secrets.' Jake Jakeman
--The Independent
`...one of the most attractive figures to enter recent detective fiction.'
`Like the best detective stories, this book becomes a scrutiny of our most powerful drives and secrets.'
--Independent
'does for Spain what Michael Dibdin did to wonderful effect in his `Zen' novels for Italy ... a marvellous novel ripe with passion, love and murder ... it is wonderful to read about a crime thriller in the sun - rather than the latest fashion of Swedish murders with its freezing cold and bleak weather, short days and long nights' --CrimeSquad.com
'a good descriptive writer who in Camara has introduced an excellent addition to the detective genre, a hot blooded rival to the chilly Scandinavian heroes'
--Eurocrime
`Cámara's approach to policing is pleasantly quixotic, involving as little time on the job as possible, but the shambolic cop with virility issues is absorbing company and Webster captures the manic atmosphere of the fiesta.'
--Metro
`the first in a projected series, which is very good news indeed ... nifty plotting, great descriptions and the most enchanting new detective I've come across in a good while' --The Guardian
`more than a thrilling story of violence and detection; it takes the reader deep into the core of the Spanish culture... With well-portrayed characters - who could forget Carmen? - and a gripping plot led by a charismatic C�ámara, Or The Bull Kills You is an excellent fanfare for what I hope will be a long series to come' --Shots Magazine
`More than a thrilling story of violence and detection; it takes the reader deep into the core of the Spanish culture... With well-portrayed characters - who could forget Carmen? - and a gripping plot led by a charismatic C�ámara, Or The Bull Kills You is an excellent fanfare for what I hope will be a long series to come' --Shots Magazine
`Webster has completely nailed Chief Inspector Max Camara, while vividly bringing to life Valencia' --Daily Mirror
`the antidote to all those dour Nordic thrillers has arrived in the shape of Jason Webster's Chief Inspector Max Camara.... With local colour and a protagonist who is not afraid of life's sensual pleasures, Webster's creation, in the first of a planned series of books, has hit the ground running' --Glasgow Herald
`one of the most attractive figures to enter recent detective fiction' --Belfast Telegraph
`Camara is set to be the central figure in a series of novels by Webster and, if his first outing is anything to go by, he should grow into a popular figures' --Press Association
`an excellent first novel .... The author's voice is fresh and authoritative, and both the setting (Valencia at the height of the bullfighting season) and the underlying subject (the rights and wrongs of bullfighting) are fascinating.... Highly recommended' --Literary Review
'A page turning read... Webster succeeds here in creating a truly gripping tale.' --Compass
`Sexual politics, male identity, clan loyalties, and the experience and lore of bullfighting: the novel is full of interesting material' --TLS
`An American author, brought up in England, writers about bullfighting in Spain. Festive Valencia is his chosen city and the murder of a charismatic matador the centre of the plot. Jason Webster is pretty ambiguous about the morals of the fight, but knows his stuff.'
--Country Life
'does for Spain what Michael Dublin did to wonderful effect in his ZEN novels for Italy ... a marvellous novel ripe with passion, love and murder ... it is wonderful to read about a crime thriller in the sun - rather than the latest fashion of Swedish murders in freezing cold and bleak weather, short days and long nights!' --CrimeSquad.com
'a good descriptive writer who in Camara has introduced an excellent addition to the detective genre, a hot blooded rival to the chilly Scandinavian heroes' --Eurocrime
'one of the most attractive figures to enter recent detective fiction ... like the best detective stories, this book becomes a scrutiny of our most powerful drives and secrets.' Jake Jakeman
--The Independent
`...one of the most attractive figures to enter recent detective fiction.'
`Like the best detective stories, this book becomes a scrutiny of our most powerful drives and secrets.'
--Independent
'does for Spain what Michael Dibdin did to wonderful effect in his `Zen' novels for Italy ... a marvellous novel ripe with passion, love and murder ... it is wonderful to read about a crime thriller in the sun - rather than the latest fashion of Swedish murders with its freezing cold and bleak weather, short days and long nights' --CrimeSquad.com
'a good descriptive writer who in Camara has introduced an excellent addition to the detective genre, a hot blooded rival to the chilly Scandinavian heroes'
--Eurocrime
`Cámara's approach to policing is pleasantly quixotic, involving as little time on the job as possible, but the shambolic cop with virility issues is absorbing company and Webster captures the manic atmosphere of the fiesta.'
--Metro
`the first in a projected series, which is very good news indeed ... nifty plotting, great descriptions and the most enchanting new detective I've come across in a good while' --The Guardian
`more than a thrilling story of violence and detection; it takes the reader deep into the core of the Spanish culture... With well-portrayed characters - who could forget Carmen? - and a gripping plot led by a charismatic C�ámara, Or The Bull Kills You is an excellent fanfare for what I hope will be a long series to come' --Shots Magazine
`More than a thrilling story of violence and detection; it takes the reader deep into the core of the Spanish culture... With well-portrayed characters - who could forget Carmen? - and a gripping plot led by a charismatic C�ámara, Or The Bull Kills You is an excellent fanfare for what I hope will be a long series to come' --Shots Magazine
`Webster has completely nailed Chief Inspector Max Camara, while vividly bringing to life Valencia' --Daily Mirror
`the antidote to all those dour Nordic thrillers has arrived in the shape of Jason Webster's Chief Inspector Max Camara.... With local colour and a protagonist who is not afraid of life's sensual pleasures, Webster's creation, in the first of a planned series of books, has hit the ground running' --Glasgow Herald
`one of the most attractive figures to enter recent detective fiction' --Belfast Telegraph
`Camara is set to be the central figure in a series of novels by Webster and, if his first outing is anything to go by, he should grow into a popular figures' --Press Association
`an excellent first novel .... The author's voice is fresh and authoritative, and both the setting (Valencia at the height of the bullfighting season) and the underlying subject (the rights and wrongs of bullfighting) are fascinating.... Highly recommended' --Literary Review
'A page turning read... Webster succeeds here in creating a truly gripping tale.' --Compass
`Sexual politics, male identity, clan loyalties, and the experience and lore of bullfighting: the novel is full of interesting material' --TLS
`An American author, brought up in England, writers about bullfighting in Spain. Festive Valencia is his chosen city and the murder of a charismatic matador the centre of the plot. Jason Webster is pretty ambiguous about the morals of the fight, but knows his stuff.'
--Country Life
Book Description
Gripping, hot-blooded detective fiction with authentic Spanish setting - first in a series.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
I am a fan of Jason Webster so couldn't wait to get my hands on this.
The character Max Camara is pretty well built up and has posibilities, but for now he is a bit too predictable.
The plot is fine enough but the book suffers from a lack of atmosphere (those who have read "Shadow of the Wind" or "Winter in Madrid" will know what I mean). I have been to Valancia City and the narrative didn't evoke anything much for me. The descriptions of the city were a bit flat and there were some parts of the plot where I felt lacked credibility (Max had a night of passion with a lady friend and got accidently separated the next day in a crowd, but they both did not contact each other for two months).
Perhaps the biggest disappointment was that there didn't seem to be any twists and turns that are the hallmark of a good yarn. I also found some of the speach a bit American, such as quite a lot of use of "kind of" which is not really Spanish.
So, a bit disappointed but I don't want to write it off.
The character Max Camara is pretty well built up and has posibilities, but for now he is a bit too predictable.
The plot is fine enough but the book suffers from a lack of atmosphere (those who have read "Shadow of the Wind" or "Winter in Madrid" will know what I mean). I have been to Valancia City and the narrative didn't evoke anything much for me. The descriptions of the city were a bit flat and there were some parts of the plot where I felt lacked credibility (Max had a night of passion with a lady friend and got accidently separated the next day in a crowd, but they both did not contact each other for two months).
Perhaps the biggest disappointment was that there didn't seem to be any twists and turns that are the hallmark of a good yarn. I also found some of the speach a bit American, such as quite a lot of use of "kind of" which is not really Spanish.
So, a bit disappointed but I don't want to write it off.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
`Or the Bull Kills You' is a vivid, masculine, energising book by a writer unafraid to confront the reality of violent death.
As in any good murder mystery, the identity and motives of the killer (or is it killers?) remain concealed until the end. Chief Inspector Max Camara of the Valencia Cuerpo Nacional de Policia resists the temptation and pressures on him to indict the most obvious suspect. Instead, using the tactics of the bullfight, he gets to know each of the suspects, observes the weaknesses of each, assesses their capacity to torture and kill and predicts their responses before moving in for the final confrontation.
To really appreciate this book you have, like a matador, to be in control and refuse to rush. Then you realise that Camara is not only a detective: he is also a mystery. In parallel with the revelation of the hidden lives of the suspects is the revelation of a side of the detective he has previously refused to acknowledge. Who among us really likes to admit he, or she, is driven by animal instincts? By identifying with the bull, Camara acknowledges he has within him both bull and bullfighter. Using the art of the matador to control the bull within, rather than denying its existence, he learns to benefit from, rather than be at the mercy of, animal vitality.
I suspect this is a book which will be read mostly by men, but for me it was engrossing and I hope that it will find many more readers among women.
As in any good murder mystery, the identity and motives of the killer (or is it killers?) remain concealed until the end. Chief Inspector Max Camara of the Valencia Cuerpo Nacional de Policia resists the temptation and pressures on him to indict the most obvious suspect. Instead, using the tactics of the bullfight, he gets to know each of the suspects, observes the weaknesses of each, assesses their capacity to torture and kill and predicts their responses before moving in for the final confrontation.
To really appreciate this book you have, like a matador, to be in control and refuse to rush. Then you realise that Camara is not only a detective: he is also a mystery. In parallel with the revelation of the hidden lives of the suspects is the revelation of a side of the detective he has previously refused to acknowledge. Who among us really likes to admit he, or she, is driven by animal instincts? By identifying with the bull, Camara acknowledges he has within him both bull and bullfighter. Using the art of the matador to control the bull within, rather than denying its existence, he learns to benefit from, rather than be at the mercy of, animal vitality.
I suspect this is a book which will be read mostly by men, but for me it was engrossing and I hope that it will find many more readers among women.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Jason Webster's "Or The Bull Kills You" is a promising start to a prospective series but as an individual book does not quite live up to its promise.
"Or the Bull Kills You" is set in contemporary Valencia in the milieu of the bullfight and the antis campaign. The story follows the structure of the bullfight and Webster provides considerable and interesting background on the sport and its roots in Mediterranean culture, including ruminations on its sexual symbolism. Further local colour is added through the backdrop of the Fallas carnival and municipal elections in which the banning of the sport is - at least superficially - a campaign issue cynically selected to attract the youth vote.
Jorge Blanco, a star matador is murdered in a brutal parody of his art. Other deaths follow. Chief Inspector Max Camara and his sharp-tongued sidekick, Torres, set on the trail. There are whiffs of conspiracy, cover-up, warnings-off and pressure for a quick resolution.
Webster, who has lived in Spain for almost two decades and is married to a prominent flamenco artiste, is the author of several travel books about his adopted country. He is thus well positioned to create an authentic Hispanic ambience for his fiction. However, here the local detail seems labored - there is a lot of it, but we never quite smell the arena, breathe the dry warmth of the climate or enter into the atmosphere of the cafes and fiesta. The plot too lacks momentum and its denouement is unsatisfying. As the central hero, Camara is likeable but he never quite rises above the stereotype of the fictional detective - he is constructed from all the usual baggage of middle-aged crisis, difficulties with authority, struggles with alcohol and tobacco, disastrous personal life and an unwavering commitment to unearthing the truth.
It is possible that if Webster continues into a series he will find his rhythm, but this book is a near miss.
"Or the Bull Kills You" is set in contemporary Valencia in the milieu of the bullfight and the antis campaign. The story follows the structure of the bullfight and Webster provides considerable and interesting background on the sport and its roots in Mediterranean culture, including ruminations on its sexual symbolism. Further local colour is added through the backdrop of the Fallas carnival and municipal elections in which the banning of the sport is - at least superficially - a campaign issue cynically selected to attract the youth vote.
Jorge Blanco, a star matador is murdered in a brutal parody of his art. Other deaths follow. Chief Inspector Max Camara and his sharp-tongued sidekick, Torres, set on the trail. There are whiffs of conspiracy, cover-up, warnings-off and pressure for a quick resolution.
Webster, who has lived in Spain for almost two decades and is married to a prominent flamenco artiste, is the author of several travel books about his adopted country. He is thus well positioned to create an authentic Hispanic ambience for his fiction. However, here the local detail seems labored - there is a lot of it, but we never quite smell the arena, breathe the dry warmth of the climate or enter into the atmosphere of the cafes and fiesta. The plot too lacks momentum and its denouement is unsatisfying. As the central hero, Camara is likeable but he never quite rises above the stereotype of the fictional detective - he is constructed from all the usual baggage of middle-aged crisis, difficulties with authority, struggles with alcohol and tobacco, disastrous personal life and an unwavering commitment to unearthing the truth.
It is possible that if Webster continues into a series he will find his rhythm, but this book is a near miss.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
great cover, standard fare story
The real strength of Or The Bull Kills You is the sense of place, the detailing of the history and culture of bullfighting, and the insights into the political machinations of... Read more
Published 22 days ago by Rob Kitchin
Entertaining detective story with an unusual setting
This is the first of Jason Webster's books I have read, and I enjoyed it. There is enough detail, complexity and characterisation to engage you while the familiar detective format... Read more
Published 1 month ago by lmhh
You'll find it hard to put this book down!
From the off you'll be rooting for Chief Inspector Max Cámara an utterly convincing new detective to rival the likes of John Rebus and Charlie Parker. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jess Gray
Disappointing.
I bought this book with high hopes. I'd read a couple of the author's factual books (Duende and Guerra) and found them and therefore Jason Webster to be a compelling and enjoyable... Read more
Published 1 month ago by JustMyThoughts
Toro or not toro, that is the pregunta
Author Jason Webster sites his excellent murder mystery in the city of Valencia and in the middle of the ongoing Spanish controversy over bull-fighting. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Blue in Washington
Jason Webster
I have read all of Jason Webster's books.
I didn't think I would like DUENDE as I have no interest in Flamenco, but DUENDE as you will read is much more than... Read more
I didn't think I would like DUENDE as I have no interest in Flamenco, but DUENDE as you will read is much more than... Read more
Published 7 months ago by John O'Halloran
Intrigue in Valencia - and a welcome insight into life in modern Spain
I really enjoyed this book for quite a few reasons. It's a great story for a start, and Jason Webster has invented a wonderful character in Max Camara, the detective charged with... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Annie Bennett
Gripping and colourful crime fiction
I've read some of Jason Webster's other books, and really enjoyed them, so I was very happy to hear he was bringing out a new one. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Ann Warnock
Depressing and a bit predictable
I bought this book because, in common with some other reviewers, I've read and enjoyed Jason Webster's other books. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Chalky
Room for improvement ...
Jason Webster has written some fine, well-written, quasi-travel books about Spain - "Duende", "Andalus" and "Guerra". Read more
Published 14 months ago by Reader
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
