The Afghan: a novel by Frederick Forsyth

Inside al-Qaeda ****


Frederick Forsyth first came to prominence many years ago as author of The Day of the Jackal. His current novel, The Afghan, is ripped from today's headlines as it concerns efforts by the U.S. and U.K. intelligence to stymie another al-Qaeda plot. They have picked up a codeword for a major operation but have no idea of the nature of the operation or the intended target. They decide the only way to find out is to plant an agent inside al-Qaeda, a risky proposition, to put it mildly. A captive at Guantanamo prison camp known as the Afghan is ostensibly deported back to Afghanistan but in reality is taken elsewhere while Colonel Mike Martin is inserted into Afghanistan as the returned Afghan. He escapes and manages to insert himself into the al-Qaeda operation.

Forsyth's writing style is dry, detached, ducumentary in nature, a welcome change from James Patterson's breezy pablum. There is one flaw in the well constructed plot. If the intelligence agencies believe a major al-Qaeda strike is imminent, why would they take months to train Martin for insertion into al-Qaeda? The timing seems odd.

Otherwise, this is an enjoyable novel that I can recommend.

The Ruins: a novel by Scott Smith

Where's the ending?, Sep 6 2006****


If you are planning to visit ruins in the vicinity of Cancun anytime in the near future, don't read this book. It'll "ruin" your plans if you are at all anxious. On the other hand, if you like an engrossing read and are turned off by James Patterson's 2-3 page chapters and lots of white space, then this might be just the book for you.

It's hard to say much about this novel without giving away the plot. Suffice it to say, it would be best called "The Vines" rather than "The Ruins" as vines are the central protaganist in the novel but what vines these are! No wine here, dear friends.

My chief beef (and hence the four stars) is that I found the ending unsatisfying. I was rooting for Jeff to prevail over great odds.But I did enjoy this novel immensely.

Kill Me: a novel by Stephen White

Intriguing Plot, Sep 3 2006*****


This novel by White is a radical departure in his series involving psychiatrist Alan Gregory. Gregory plays only a minor but important role in this story. The main character is a very wealthy entrepeneur addicted to high risk sports. After he comes close to death in a skiing accident and a friend of his becomes brain-dead after a scuba accident, the narrator opines to a friend that he would not want to live under such conditions. The friend puts him in touch with a shady outfit that the narrator calls the DeathAngels Inc. For a substantial fee they make a pact to kill him should he reach a situation where his quality of life deteriorates below a set of parameters he has established. After a certain trigger point is passed the pact is irrevocable.

The narrator experiences a life-threatening event which puts the pact in play. But he has compelling reasons to postpone the execution. Much of the novel is taken up with his attempt to identify the Death Angels and sever the contract.The ending is poignant.

Highly recommended.

Killer Instinct: a novel by Joseph Finder

First Rate Corporate Thriller, Sep 3 2006*****


This is a very enjoyable, fast-paced novel of corporate intrigue. Sometimes you get more than you wished for. Jason Steadman is a mid-level sales associate in an electronics firm, Entronics. His wife, Kate, was born with a spoon in her mouth and pushes Jason to climb the corporate ladder. At first seemingly stalled, Jason's star begins to rise after he befriends an ex-commando named Kurt by securing Kurt a job in corporate security at his firm. Kurt beieves in paying back his friends. Suddenly strange and deadly things start happening to Jason's rivals.

The only negative point is that the author gives away the essence of the plot in his prologue. Nonetheless, I recommend this novel as an enjoyable read.

Prayers for the Assassin: A Novel by Robert Ferrigno

Fiction or plausible future???, July 2, 2006****


If you're looking for something completely different from anything you've read before, this book is it. Welcome to the Islamic States of America! A supposed Zionist plot has wiped out several major American cities, much of America has converted to Islam and following a second Civil War between the states the former USA is now fragmented.Interwoven into this context is a mystery as the heroine tries to evade the powers that be and dicover whether in fact the purported Zionist attacks actually occurred.You'll be unlikely to ditch this novel before you reach the end even though you may find many of the settings and events implausible.

The Last Templar: a novel by Raymond Khoury

If you liked the Da Vinci Code, you'll like this novel, July 2, 2006****


This novel revolves around the Templar legends. It starts with a bang with four horsemen dressed like Templars crashing a major display of artifacts from the Vatican at a museum in New York.The novel then flashes back and forth between the past and the present. The past is the last days of the templars as they flee from Jerusalam with precious secrets of the Order. The present has a detective and an archeologist collaborating in a search for the modern Templar look-a-likes and for the lost treasure that was taken by the fleeing Templars and hidden-where? The lead-up to the ending is promising but the ending itself is disappointing in that the author is on the verge of a controversial and explosive ending but backs away.

Dark Harbor (Stone Barrington Novels) by Stuart Woods

Mr . Woods, please pack up your computer!, July 30, 2006*


This is probably the worst of the Stuart Woods novels I have read. The characters are sterotypes, the prose is wooden, and the plot comes unglued. Perhaps the worst sin of all is the occasional perfunctory sex scene, dealt with in two lines at most. It's time for this writer to pack up his computer.

What amazes me is that this poorly written tripe ends up on the best seller list.

The Husband: a novel by Dean Koontz

First rate, July 30, 2006*****


Dean Koontz does it again. This is a first rate thriller which keeps you turning pages as the tension builds. Another original plot seizes you and keeps you enthralled. One of his best novels yet. I won't reveal the plot but your sympathies are with poor Mitch from the moment of the fateful phone call where the kidnapper demands $2 million in exchange for the return of his wife Holly. The plot twist involving his brother seems a bit farfetched but overall this is a sizzling read!

Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever by James Patterson

Come along for the Ride, July 30, 2006***


This is touted as a book for young adults. I'm an adult who enjoyed it. In fact it's more interesting than some of Patterson's "adult" fiction. Only complaint is that it ends in the middle of an unfolding plot. I guess that means we can expect more in this avian vein.

Promise Me (Myron Bolitar Mysteries) by Harlan Coben

Hello, Myron, July 30, 2006*****


I first became acquainted with Harlan Coben's writing in an encounter with one of his gripping stand-alone novels. The couple of novels I had read were excellent. This is my first encounter with Myron Bolitar. It will not be the last. This is a well-constructed novel with amazing plot twists and turns. It is virtually impossible to guess the "villain" so cleverly written is the novel. You almost feel that the final twist is simply not believable but on reflection you can see that the seeds are there but there lots of red herrings along the way. I'll be picking up the earlier Myron novels as soon as I can get my hands on them.

The Protégé: A Novel by Stephen Frey

Roller coaster plot, July 30, 2006****


Stephen Frey writes financial thrillers. This is a sequel to his previous novel The Chairman.This one departs partly from the financial thriller category in that it is populated with spies,a clandestine goverment agency, and the emerging field of nannotechnology.Christian Gillette is beset with innumerable problems but he keeps his cool and cuts the Gordian knot to reveal the beast at the heart of the threats to him and his firm.I recommend it for a quick read.

The Templar Legacy: A Novel by Steve Berry

Dan Brown Ripoff, July 30, 2006***


This novel is a Dan Brown ripoff, attempting to capitalize on the interest and controversy that the Da Vinci Code has aroused. It has the makings of a good plot but the author could have used a good editor to sharpen it up. This novel is the opposite of the bare bones approach of James Patterson in that it is padded with all kinds of seemingly extraneous detail. I must say I enjoyed the historical bits about the Knights Templar both here and in The Last Templar. Overall though this book doesn't hang together well. It rambles with too many diversions along the way.

While I Was Gone (Oprah's Book Club) by Sue Miller

When past meets present, August 4, 2006*****


This is the first Sue Miller novel I have read. I picked it up from my wife's collection of unread novels when I had run out of my usual suspense/thrillers. To my surprise I found myself very quickly caught up in the story and the characters. Sue Miller is an excellent writer. She has a good eye for the details of domestic life and family dynamics which provide a good backdrop for the mysteries and secrets of vet Jo Becker. Jo is in an apparently happy marriage to Daniel, a minister. It's her second marriage. One day a friend from the past shows up as a client at her vet clinic. This leads us on a journey through Jo's memories of a time in the 60s when she escaped from her first marriage and lived in a group home/commune in Cambridge Mass. This hippy period of her life ends with the tragic murder of one of her roommates by a person or persons unknown. In the present Jo learns the identity of the killer, someone with whom she is tempted to stray until she learns his terrible secret. Jo wrestles with her conscience and reveals all to her husband who is shocked more at her intent to betray him than he is by the murderer's identity. How Jo deals with these challenges is dealt with in a well crafted way.

I highly recommend this novel.

Grand Avenue: a novel by Joy Fielding

Chicklit or mainstream?, August 4, 2006****


When I picked up this novel by Joy Fielding, I did not have high expectations based on the cover blurb. However, I soon found myself absorbed in this story of four women and how their lives intersected and diverged. The characters are well developed and quite distinct, even though they are friends. At the outset we are told that two will die, one by foul play. From the onset you are misled into thinking that Chris, an abused wife, will die at the hand of her abusing husband, Tony. But this is not to be. All in all, this novel is a good read. I think I'll try another one of Fielding's novels to see if this is an anomaly or is characteristic of her work.

Beach Road: a novel by James Patterson and Peter De Jonge

Patterson goes from bad to worse**


James Patterson continues to churn out mindless pablum for the masses. Is America illiterate? One-page chapters , e.g.pp24-25, half of one page and half of another? Is this a joke or just a gigantic rip-off of the reading public?

This novel is set in the Hamptons among the super-rich. Steven Spieberg and George Clooney, among others, make guest appearances. Three young white men are murdered on a basketball field. Dante Halleyville, a local basketball star headed for the big leagues, is framed for the murders. To his defence come Tom Donleavy, a down-and out-
lawyer who's barely making ends meet, and Tom's one-time girlfriend, superlawyer Kate Costello. They get Dante off. But then the author(s)take the plot and turn it upside down in a manner that is simply not credible. There is no foreshadowing of the abrupt surprise ending.

How does Patterson manage to get this poorly written nonsense on the top of the bestseller lists? I long for his early Alex Cross novels. But, Hey, Patterson's the one making the big bucks and laughing all the way to the bank!

The Last Spymaster: a novel by Gayle Lynds

From the Cold War to the War on Terror/spies extraordinaire*****


Gayle Lynds has fashioned a masterpiece of intrigue, a first-rate international spy thriller that ranges from Cold War Berlin to modern-day Washington and the War on Terror. Jay Trice used to be Chief of the CIA's Clandestine Services but he is in prison for having betrayed his country by selling secrets to the Russians. But he breaks out of prison, prompted by a headline story in the International Herald Tribune revealing that someone very dear to him has died under suspicious circumstances. The CIA dispatches a hunter, Elaine Cunningham, to track him down. Unbeknownst to her, Elaine is a pawn for secret players who want Trice killed before he can unravel a conspiracy that reaches into the top ranks of the CIA and international terrorists who are plotting a gigantic transfer of the latest in lethal technology into terrorist hands.

After an awkward start as she positions the many layers of players, the rest of the novel is very well written and takes us hurtling from one surprise to another. Highly recommended.

Death of an expert witness: a mystery by P.D. James

A multitude of suspects, Sep 16 2006***


P.D.James' "Death of an expert witness" is an interesting mystery. The victim is Dr. Lorrimer, a well-qualified and authoritative forensic scientist. On a personal basis he is unpleasant. He is smarting from being passed over for promotion, "petty in his dealings with underlings, vindictive in his personal relationships". Adam Dagleish is brought up from London to solve the case but finds himself confronted by a multitude of suspects. Virtually everyone has a motive to get rid of Lorrimer and there are many suspect alibis.

The novel is replete with red herrings leading us to suspect first one character and then another of being the killer.

P.D. James has a first-rate reputation as a mystery writer. But Inspector Dagleish is not really my cup of tea.

The Exile: a novel by Allan Folsom

Long but thrilling, September 16, 2004****


Allan Folsom's "The Exile" is a hefty tome but well worth the read. The intermingled tales of John Barron and Raymond Thorne take us from the streets of LA to the museums of St. Petersburg, from a special squad of the LAPD which tries, convicts and assassinates killers, to murder and mayhem around the world by an heir to the throne unwillingly vacated by the Tsars of Russia. Although seemingly implausible, Folsom weaves the multiple plots and subplots together in a convincing manner which maintains the reader's interest. The writing is taut and the author maintains the pace until the last page. One false note: the last three paragraphs detract from the ending.

Lost City: a novel by Clive Cussler

Cussler hits his stride again, September 26, 2004****


"Lost City" is the first Cussler book in a while that I have thoroughly enjoyed. Recently he seemed to be churning out long, turgid, poorly written novels that were only a shadow of his early Dirk Pitt days,e.g.The Golden Buddha.Many of his recent co-authored books display only a vistige of vintage Cussler.

But not "Lost City" ! "Lost City" has an excellent plot, the writing is taut. It kept me up late turning the pages to get to the next surprise. The villains, a French family of arms merchants, have got their hands on an enzyme from the Lost City area of the mid-Atlantic Ridge of hydrothermal vents. Some of their experiments with human subjects have gone awry. Scientists who worked on the project die suddenly of apparent heart attacks or accidents. One, who tries to hide in a Greek monastery, is captured and brought back to perfect the enzyme.

This is interwoven with the discovery of the body of a French aviator in an Alps glacier. Kurt Austin of NUMA just happens to be working nearby exploring a mountain lake in a submersible. As the villains try to sabotage the glacier project, Austin becomes involved and the race is on.

For Dirk Pitt afficionados, in this book Admiral Sandecker of NUMA has become Vice President of the U.S. and Dirk Pitt is now Head of NUMA. However, this is only mentioned in passing. They play no real role in this novel.

After several disappointing reads, Cussler seems to be back in control and hits his stride again.

McNally's Bluff:a novel by Vincent Lardo

Lardo is faltering, September 26, 2004***


I enjoyed the original McNally books by Lawrence Sanders and have generally enjoyed the follow-up books by Vince Lardo. From the beginning, this series has been lightweight stuff, suitable for a pleasant quick read and easy to forget. I found "McNally's Bluff" the lightest of the series so far. Archie McNally is back as Palm Beach PI to the rich and famous. Still ensconced in a tiny office in his father's law firm, Archie is the man about town always surrounded by some beautiful woman or two. His long-time squeeze, Consuela, has taken up with a dashing Cuban expatriate. Archie's newest love, Georgie, is a Florida state trooper who played a more prominent role in the previous novel.

The plot this time revolves around Matthew Hayes, a former carnival operator and his sidekick and wife, Marlena Marvel. Ms Marvel is quickly disposed of at the opening gala to celebrate the new arrivals to Palm Beach and their amazing maze. How her body came to be in the center of the maze moments after the guests have been taipsing through it, and who killed her, is the puzzle Archie is hired to solve by Matthew Hayes. Although suspicion is cast on several characters, the villain is fairly clear from the start.

The McNally novels have been fluffy from the start. This one is the fluffiest of the lot.

Ruined by Reading: A Life in Books by Lynne Sharon Schwartz

A delightful gem for book lovers, September 26, 2004****


Lynne Schwartz' "Ruined by Reading" has languished on my bookshelf for quite some time while I continued to read the latest bestsellers. I regret that I did not read this delightful essay on the joys of reading earlier. Filled with anecdotes about her childhood and her initial exposure to books, this paen to reading reminds us of how we felt as children when we first entered the kingdom of books and were whisked away from the "here and now" to enchanted lands. As I read her book, I was taken back to the two-room schoolhouse as a teacher exposed us to Long John Siver and "Treasure Island". I also recalled reading Leon Uris' "Exodus" as a teenager and the profound impact it had in shaping my view of the world and the evil that humans are capable of. No doubt you too will be reminded of similar experiences if you choose to read this delightful little gem for book lovers.

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

Letters from a buyer to a bookseller/An enchanting vignette, October 9, 2004****


This is a charming and memorable read. It is also a paen to the disappearing art of letterwriting. The book is a selection of correspondence between Helene Hanff in New York and Frank Doel, a bookseller in London. The correspondence spans 20 years from Helene's first request for books in 1949 to Frank's death in 1969. The correspondence rapidly changes from the formal to that between kindred souls who love books and ultimately extends to Frank's coworkers and family. Unfortunately Helene never made it to London to visit the bookstore until after Frank's death.

When I first visited Charing Cross Road, which was lined with bookstores, I thought I was in booklovers'heaven.

Angel Falls:a novel by Kristin Hannah

Which is the true love?, October 9, 2004****


This is a very enjoyable romance novel. Married to a doctor, Liam Campbell, in a small town in northwest Washington state, Mikaela falls from a horse, strikes her head and enters a coma from which it seems she may never awaken. But Liam, the narrator of this tale, does not give up hope. He spends long hours by her bed telling her of his love, her two kids and memories they share, hoping something will awaken the woman within. His efforts produce naught. Then he discovers in Mikaela's closet mementoes she has kept of her first marriage. He knew she was married before but is startled to learn that she was married to world-famous movie star Julian True. Seeing the mementoes, he realizes that she has never stopped loving True. When he mentions True's name, she blinks. After much anguish he decides to contact True in the hope that his voice may awaken Mikaela from her slumber. True comes to town, the plot thickens and in the end true love prevails. But is it True love? Read the book to find out.

The Rule of Four: a novel by Ian Caldwell

A good first effort, October 17, 2004***


With The Rule of Four, Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason struck paydirt on their first try. This book is interesting but it would have benefitted from a good edit to cut out some of the boring parts. Some have compared it to The Da Vinci Code. Frankly, it is not in the same league.

The two friends Paul and Tom, who are involved in deciphering the codes embedded in the 500-year-old the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, are likeable characters. You get interested in their story but then the plot meanders for a while before coming back on track. In many ways the book has all the right ingredients but the authors are not yet quite adept at putting them together.

I look forward to their next novel to see whether they can improve on this good first effort.

Hoax: A Novel by Robert K. Tanenbaum

Scandal and murder/church and police conspiracy, October 27, 2004****


I enjoyed this novel but found it a long read. It has a good plot involving corruption in the NYPD and the Catholic church, good villains in Kane, the aspiring Mayor of New York, and corrupt cops and priests who are beholden to him. New York District Attorney Butch Karp and his wife Marlene have a complicated relationship. For much of the novel Marlene and their daughter are off at a retreat in New Mexico attempting to chase away the "demons" that haunt them. There they become embroiled in the search for missing Navaho kids who turn up murdered. This subplot is linked back to murdered children in New York, some found with rosaries tossed on their bodies before they were buried. The novel starts with the murder of a LA rapper in a New York club which is initially attributed to another young rapper who had done prison time previously. As the plot unfolds, Butch Karp comes to realize that things are not what they seem. The accused young rapper possesses secret files on police and priest crimes and coverups which threaten the church hierarchy and the campaign of mayoralty candidate Kane.

This novel could have been tightened up with fewer flashbacks and less introspection.

Whirlwind: A Novel by Joseph Garber

Whew! A rollercoaster read., November 2, 2004*****


A taut, fast-paced, action-packed spy novel that takes us back to the atmosphere of cold war spy novels, Whirlwind is set in the present. Charlie McKenzie,former CIA agent, has been double-crossed by a supposed friend, National Security Advisor Sam, a nasty piece of work. Fresh out of prison, Charlie is nursing his wounds and the death of his wife when Sam comes calling for Charlie's help again, this time to recover top secret technology codenamed Whirlwind which has fallen into the hands of beautiful Russian spy Irina. Charlie exacts a price for his cooperation, money and a promise of a Presidential pardon. Charlie finds Irina but soon realizes that Sam has hired mercenaries prepared to kill them both. Charlie has taped an admission of guilt for a previous assassination from Sam and hidden it in an Internet "vault" that will be tripped if he is killed.

Nonetheless, Sam sets the mercenaries in pursuit and we are treated to a wild chase across America by car and plane. Charlie and Irina each try to best the other as they race to outwit their pursuers.

This is a very satisfying read, one of the best in a while. Joseph, give us more!

Unlucky in Law: a novel by Perri O'Shaughnessy

Intrigue and history-a satisfying mixture, November 4, 2004****


Nina Reilly has left Lake Tahoe to spend some time with her longtime lover and PI, Paul van Wagoner in Monterey, partly to sort out their future. She gets a call from an old mentor,Klaus Pohlman, who asks for her help on what appears to be a straightforward murder case. Nina agrees to help with the case and gets taken on a puzzling trip down "history" road. Her client, Stefan Wyatt, a neer-do-well young man, already has two convictions and,if convicted again, is headed for life in prison. He is accused of murdering a young woman,Christina Zhukovsky, and burying her body in her father's grave but removing the father's bones. According to DNA tests blood on glass shards found in Christina's home is Stefan's.

But things are not what they seem. Paul and Nina discover that Christina's father, Constantin Zhukovsky, has links to the Romanov dynasty which was overthrown by the Bolsheviks in 1918. We are led down meandering paths until the identity of the murderer is revealed in the last few pages. This is one of the best-plotted novels in the Nina Reilly series.

The Runner: a novel by Christopher Reich

A first-rate thriller, November 9, 2004****


This novel is first-rate. Reich spins a captivating tale of a German Olympic runner and a New York detective caught up in a web of intrigue and revenge in the period immediately following the fall of Germanay and the end of the Second World War. Devlin Judge is part of an international tribunal to try Nazi war criminals. He sets out to capture Eric Seyss who has escaped from a POW camp. But Seyss, a former Olympic sprinter, has one last mission to accomplish for the Fatherland. This mission is part of a conspiracy that reaches into the upper echelons of the American army.

The Moviegoer: a novel by Walker Percy

Once is enough, November 12, 2004***


Someone recommeded this novel for our book club. Seeing that it was ranked 60th on the Modern library list for the 20th century, I had high expectations.

I struggled through the first 50-60 pages and almost set it aside. To put it mildly, I was bored. But I persevered and finished it. This novel has minimal plot and characters that you do not come to love. Binx Bolling,age 29, is wandering though life in a pre-midlife crisis. He has a respectable job(a broker) with a reasonable income but he lacks a purpose. He goes to movies for pleasure and seduces his secretaries.

The setting is interesting-New Orleans in the 1950s. The whole novel takes place over a few days around the Mardi Gras. Binx suffers from malaise. His cousin Kate exhibits bouts of mania and melancholy and would no doubt now be considered to be a manic-depressive. She is suicidal. She lost her financee in an automobile accident some time before the novel begins. She and Binx have a curious relationship which culminates in sex in the latter portion of the novel.

Just as it seems that Binx is breaking out of malaise and his detached-observer status, Binx answers a summons by his patron, Aunt Emily, and returns hastily to New Orleans where he is given a good lecture by the aunt. He decided to marry Kate so as to help manage her moods and , after having resisted his aunt's entreaties for years to study for a profession, Binx yields and heads off to medical school.

The only characters who elicit some empathy are Binx's mother and his half-brother and-sisters. They live a lowerclass but seemingly more real life style.

The driving force behind this book is existentialism. As one of my colleagues put it, it is Camus Lite. Walker Percy lost both his grandfather and father to suicide, and his mother in an automobile accident. He trained as a doctor, became ill with tuberculosis, did a pschyoanalytic residency and became enamoured with several existentialist philosophers. Elements of all these influences infuse this novel.

Do I reget reading this novel? No. Would I read it again? No.

The Plot Against America: A Novel by Philip Roth

Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it, November 15, 2004*****


I have never been much of a fan of Philip Roth's books. Then along comes "The Plot against America" and knocks my socks off!Roth has created a fictional account of an alternate reality to the events of 1940-1942 in America. In his bid for a third term as President, Franklin Roosevelt is upset by Charles Lindbergh of The-Spirit-of-St.-Louis fame. The famous and beloved aviator, although running under the Republican banner, is really a candidate for the America First movement, pledging to keep America out of the Second World War. After assuming office, he signs non-aggression pacts with Germany and Japan.

The story is told by Philip Roth, ages 7 to 9, who lives in Newark with his parents Herman and Bess in the midst of predominantly a Jewish community. Fear permeates the novel, fear of an anti-Semitic pogrom by those who have assumed power and by a large number of their fellow Americans. The creation by Lindbergh of an Office of American Absorption which sends, for example, Philip's brother, Sandy, to spend the summer on a farm in Kentucky, is the thin edge of a wedge which culminates in the assassination of Walter Winchell in his quixotic bid to unseat Lindbergh, and the unleashing of anti-Semitic riots across America. Death and confusion reign triumphant briefly. Lindberg disappears mysteriously on one of his solo flights across America, the Vice-President assumes power and imposes martial law. Then Roth pulls a rabbit out of his hat and, with the assistance of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the tyrants are held at bay, a special Presidential election is held in 1942 and Roosevelt returns to power just in time to take America into the Second World War after the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbour.

This an extremely well-written novel, one of the best I've read in years. Some will quibble with Roth's use of Lindberg as a villain but it is well-established that he was a Nazi sympathizer. In any event the novel is not about Lindberg but rather about what can happen in a democracy with a certain congruence of circumstances and people.

I highly recommend this novel

The Sleeper: A Novel by Christopher Dickey

Behind the veil, November 20, 2004****


Drawing on the knowledge and expertise gleaned from his years as Newsweek's Middle East editor, Christopher Dickey has written a fastpaced page-turner that takes us behind the headlines of the "War on Terror". Following the horror of September 11th, Kurt Kurtovic, who is living peacefully in the midwest town of Westfield with his wife and daughter, receives a visit from government agents who question his past. This motivates him to set forth to infiltrate Al Quaeda and attempt to forestall further attacks that he senses are imminent.

On a journey that takes him to Britain, Spain, Africa and imprisonment in Guatanamo Bay, Kurtovic uncovers and kills a major Al Quaeda leader, discovers that a series of further attacks are underway using ships with dirty bombs, and is left dangling by unknown American handlers. Ultimately he is freed to return to Westfield where he is reunited with his wife and daughter who have been under Agency protection. But he has a secret, a biological weapon which he has retained from his pre-September 11th exploits. This he destroys. Shadowy figures kidnap his daughter and demand he produce the secret weapon. Together he and his wife manage to outwit and outfight them. Ultimately the trail leads back to the Sleeper, an underground figure in America with friends in high places, who is manipulating many of the players in this tale of evil.

Garden of Beasts: A Novel of Berlin 1936 by Jeffery Deaver

Cat and mouse in 1936 Berlin, November 25, 2004****


This novel is a considerable departure from Deaver's recent Lincoln Rhyme crime novels in that it is set in Berlin in the 1936 pre-Second World War era. Yet it retains many of the elements which have made Deaver's novels bestsellers.

Paul Schumann, gangster hitman, is caught by the authorities in New York but, instead of being carted off to jail, he is given a choice- go to jail and face execution or go to Berlin and assassinate one of Hitler's top henchmen, the mythical Reinhard Ernst, who is in charge of Germany's illegal rearmament effort. If he performs this task, he will be freed and given money to set himself up in a legitimate printing business.

So it's off to Berlin for Schumann under the guise of a sportswriter covering the Olympic games. But, as he is about to meet his contact, Schumann stumbles upon a murder which sets the delightful Willi Kohl of the Kripo on his trail. As Schumann hunts his prey, he too is hunted over a feverish 48 hours in Berlin. We come to meet Hitler, Goering, Himmler , Goebels and other historical figures who masterminded the evil of the Third Reich.

The novel is also populated by characters such as Otto Webber, a conman who is of great assistance to Schumann in his endeavour, and Kathe Richter,a schoolteacher who has been forced out of her job for teaching Goethe and with whom Schumann falls in love. The plot twists and twists in many directions and the ending is unexpected. In the end Willi Kohl and Paul Schumann both put the lives of others ahead of their self-interest.

Kill the Messenger: a novel by Tami Hoag

A rip-roaring read!, November 29, 2004****


Turn up the lights and curl up by the fire for a rip-roaring read. Tami Hoag has crafted a roller-coaster crime thriller with well-developed characters and a fastpaced plot. The messenger of the title is J.C.(Jace)Damon, a bike courier who is finishing the last drop of the day when someone comes very close to killing him. Jace has a package of negatives which someone badly wants. He spends the rest of the novel on the run, trying to protect his younger brother Tyler, aided and abetted by the Chen family in Chinatown where he had taken refuge from Children Protective services when his mother died.

Also in pursuit of Jace are some dysfunctional LAPD detectives including Kev Parker who was bumped down in rank after an earlier case of his went up in smoke during trial, embarrassing the ADA who now has it in for Kev. A couple of other high profile detectives want to take Kev's case from him and Internal Affairs is hot on his trail.

The plot takes a number of interesting twists. I dare you to figure out the villain who is being backmailed until the the author reveals the identity in a shootout in the last few pages. In fact, if I have one complaint about this novel, it is that the villain comes as too much of a surprise. Given the story up to that point,the ending seems a bit incongruent with the rest of the plot but Hoag does a good job of making it seem plausible. All in all, an excellent book.

The Confession: a novel by Sheldon Siegel

A snappy thriller, December 19, 2004****


Mike and Rosie are back in this latest volume of Siegel's saga detailing the exploits of lawyer and ex-priest Mike Daley and his ex-wife Rosie Fernandez. Mike's longtime friend Father Ramon Aquirre is charged with murdering lawyer Maria Concecion who, after abandoning a high-priced law firm and a lousy husband,has taken on the downtrodden in cases against the Archdiocese of San Francisco.Her latest case invoved a priest accused of molesting young women who came to him for confession and counselling.

At first the chief legal officer for the Archdiodese and the elite legal firm they retain for much of their business fight with Mike for the right to represent Father Aquirre and they act as co-counsel. When the church's lawers learn that Maria was pregnant and that Father Aquirre is the father, they quickly jump ship, leaving Mike and Rosie to carry the can.

After numerous twists and turns, Mike and Rosie uncover the murderer and the Archdiose is in deep doodoo.

This is a very well-written novel and a very good read.

Are You Afraid of the Dark? : A Novel by Sidney Sheldon

Did Sheldon really write this?, December 19, 2004*


I really find it difficult to believe that Sidney Sheldon wrote this piece of fluff. The characters are one dimensional cardboard and the plot rolls along from one implausible miracle to another.You have four murdered scientists, two beautiful rich heroines (Kelly and Diane) and the villain who has discovered how to manipulate the weather and wreak havoc unless particular countries cough up a king's ransom.

This is one of the poorest novels I've read in years.

The Murder Artist: A Thriller by John Case

Magic runs amok, December 19, 2004****


John Case's The Murder Artist is a gripping story of a father whose two sons are kidnapped. TV reporter Alex Callahan is separated from his wife and, to spend quality time with his twin sons, he takes them to a Renassance fairground. While he is momentarily distracted, his sons disappear. The police are called in and after a search they suspect that Alex has murdered the children himself. Eventually they realize that Alex is not responsible.

Alex is heartbroken at the loss of his sons. Long after the police have moved on to other cases, Alex quits his job and sets out on his own to try to find some trace of his sons. He uses the Internet to try to track down other cases of twins who have been kidnapped. Ultimately he finds similarities between the kidnapping of his sons and a couple of other "twin" kidnappings which the police had dismissed as unrelated.

Alex suspects that the kids have been kidnapped for use in some rather gruesome magic performance. Along the way he meets many experts in magic and learns much about the history of magic.

This is a very well-written novel with a complex but interesting plot. I highly recommend it. This is the first novel I have read by "John Case". I look forward to reading some of his earlier novels.

The Last Good Day: a Joanne Kilbourn Mystery (Joanne Kilbourn Mysteries) by Gail Bowen

Slow beginning but a powerful finish, December 25, 2004***


This latest in the Joanne Kilbourn series gets off to a very slow beginning. At about 50 pages in, I almost set the novel aside. I had seen movies based on Bowen's previous mysteries and enjoyed them very much. So I was puzzled. But then the pace picked up. The apparent suicide of a lawyer who had confided in Kilbourn the night before is a signal that not all is right in Lawyer's Bay and,in particular,with the members of Falconer Schreve who all have lavish summer homes there. Joanne discovers that a young associate has gone missing from the law firm, supposedly to better job in Vancouver but that is a ruse.

As the plot advances Joanne learns that her former lover,police inspector Alex, is involved with the wife of one of the lawyers and appears to be implicated in a coverup. After a slow start the story races to a shocking finish.

Sacred Stone (Oregon Files novel) by Clive Cussler

Complex plotting but little character development, January 2, 2005***


This novel is better than the first Cussler/Craig Dirgo collaboration(The Golden Buddha)but not up to the standard of Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels.It provides an entertaining read but stretches the bounds of credulity in places. There are two major plot streams. One involves the discovery of an iridium meteorite in Greenland in a shrine built by Eric the Red and subsequent attempts by a vengeful American industrialist Halifax Hickman to use it to replace Abraham's Stone in Mecca and help bring about the destruction of three sites sacred to Islam. The other involves the theft of a tactical nuclear warhead from the Ukraine and an attempt by a radical Islamic group to destroy the heart of London on New Year's Eve. The schemes intersect in the first part of the novel but Juan Cabrillo and The Corporation (mercenaries with a conscience)track down the would-be perpetrators of a London massacre and avert disaster. Tracking down the meteorite and divining the identity and intentions of Mr. Hickman, and preventing the destruction of Islam's three holy sites, prove more challenging. But with a lot of luck and much ingenuity Juan Cabrillo and his team thwart the attempt to destroy the foundations of Islam.

Whiteout: a novel by Ken Follett

One of Follett's best, January 19, 2005*****


I have read all of Follett's novels and enjoyed most of them. Whiteout is one of his best. I will not summarize the plot as it is captured well elsewhere here. Follett deftly weaves a tale of attempted bioterrorism, set in Scotland in winter at Xmastime. The action takes place in a biotechnology lab and in the family estate of the scientist/owner, Stanley Oxenford. A gang of thieves have commandeered the services of Stanley's son, Kit, who owes a lot of gambling debts to the local mobster. Arrayed against them is Toni Gallo, head of security at the lab and ex-police. Follett paints a revealing portrait of sibling rivalry and family interpersonal dynamics in the extended Oldenford clan. As the plot unfolds, the family and the villains end up snowbound with a deadly virus at the family estate. Various members of the family, including 16-year-old Craig,engage in various initiatives to thwart the thieves. But eventually Toni, who has fallen in love with Stanley,foils their attempt to sell the virus to their terrorist buyer.
Follett's writing style grips you by the throat and carries you along turning the pages and burning the midnight oil until you reach the end and close the book with a sigh of satisfaction.

With sixteen novels to his credit, Follett remains one of the best thriller writers around.

State of Fear: a novel by Michael Crichton

Fact or fiction? A great read, January 19, 2005****


In this bestseller by Michael Crichton you are taken on a rollercoaster ride around the world as MIT Professor John Kenner, allied with philantropist George Morton and lawyer Peter Evans, strives to avert a series of environmental disasters contrived and executed by environmentalists intent on "proving" that global warming is real and abrupt catastrophic climate change is imminent. To enjoy this book you should forget your views about whether or not global warming is a threat and just go along for the ride.

This is another well-written novel by Crichton, crammed with facts and arguments about the validity of global warming as an environmental threat. Crichton portrays environmentalists as villains who will go to any length to engender support for their cause. A very ironic twist is that the final environmental disaster that the villains are plotting is a landslide in the South Pacific to trigger a tsunami to sweep the western seaboard of the U.S. As I read this novel in the days following the tragic Indian Ocean tsunami of Boxing Day 2004, I found this element of the plot a little too close for comfort.

Crichton is out to disembowel the concept of global warming but you can enjoy this novel without accepting his premise or arguments.

Twisted: A Novel by Jonathan Kellerman

Kellerman hits home run, January 22, 2005****


As a longtime fan of Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis novels, I have been less impessed with some of his recent work. This novel, featuring detective Petra Connor who starred in a couple of previous novels, ranks among his better yarns.

Two main plots underpin the story. One involves the shooting of several teenagers on the parking lot of Club Paradiso on Sunset Boulevard, one of whom remains unidentified. The second plot involves the discovery by boy genius Isaac Gomez,a Ph.D. student interning at the police station where Petra is based, of six murders on June 28 of different years by a hard blow to the base of the skull.The victims come from diverse backgrounds and appear unrelated.

Petra tracks down the culprits in the Paradiso shootings but is suspended because she didn't play by the rules and leave the apprehension to the downtown LA gangbuster task force. While suspended, Petra continues to pursue the idea that a serial killer is at work in the June 28 killings. Meanwhile Isaac becomes involved with a middle-aged librarian who comes up with a key to the mystery in an old book. This reinforces Petra's view as to the likely suspect being the husband of the first known victim. While she and her partner Eric stakeout the suspect, Isaac boots up his computer and realizes that they have missed an important clue. Singlehandedly, he apprehends the killer and catches himself a beautiful girlfriend in the process.

I would like to see more adventures featuring Isaac but I alsso miss Alex and hope to see him again soon.

Night Fall: a novel by Nelson DeMille

Terrorist act or mechanical malfunction/crash of TWA 800, January 22, 2005*****


One my favourite authors, Nelson DeMille scores again with this excellent novel about the crash of TWA 800. While the novel is fiction, it is based on a true incident, the crash of TWA 800 off Long Island in July 1996 killing 230 people.

The opening scenes of the novel find an adulterous couple cavorting on a sandy beach on Long Island, videotaping themselves having sex. They witness the explosion of TWA 800 and inadvertently capture the incident on tape. Next we witness the fifth anniversary of the crash which ex-homocide detective John Corey attends with his young wife, FBI agent Kate Mayfield.She suggests to him that she has lingering doubts about the cause of the crash and encourages him to pursue an independent investigation.

Corey is a maverick. Most of the novel is taken up with his stirring of the evidence and, in particular, pursuit of the couple suspected to have been on the beach that night. This results in him and Kate being banished to Yemen and Africa respectively. Upon his return Corey takes up the pursuit and locates the lady involved. He secures her copy of the videotape which clearly shows a missile en route to TWA 800. He decides to burst an apparent conspiracy of silence wide open and sets up a meeting at the posh restaurant near the top of the twin Towers of the World Trade Centre. It is 9 AM on September 11, 2001.....

I enjoyed this novel. If I have one beef it is with the contrived ending which was apparently suggested by the author's son. It lets the author off the hook from exposing who was supposedly behind the conspiracy re TWA 800.

The best Nelson DeMille novel I have read is Up Country, which features a former military detective returning to Vietnam twenty years after the end of the war to solve a case involving top American military personnel. It's a fascinating read.

Hour Game: a novel by David Baldacci

Intriguing but muddled, January 24, 2005****
I have always enjoyed David Baldacci's novels. I found Hour Game less satisfying than its predecessor, Split Second. Baldacci has created an intiguing novel about a serial killer who is killing victims in a manner which replicates the methods of a whole series of serial murderers. Interwoven with this are the complex interpersonal dynamics of a wealthy and dysfunctional Southern family, the Battles. To complicate matters further the author introduces a second murderer who appears to be replicating the work of the first.

Former Secret Service agents Sean King and Michelle Maxwell have their hands full as they assist the police in trying to track down the killer. The interplay between their characters adds to the flavour of the novel but romance has not yet blossomed. They have their hands full in trying to avert more murders but they rise to the challenge.

Baldacci has adopted the James Patterson technique of short chapters but it does not seem well suited to this long and complex novel. This time the identity of the villain became clear to me well before the end, largely because the other likely villains had already been killed off. In that respect the author might have been wise to muddy the waters by keeping alive some other viable suspects.

Blind Alley: a novel by Iris Johansen

Extremely disappointing, February 6, 2005*


I had read some of Iris Johansen's other novels and found them interesting. This one was extremely disappointing. The plot is extremely far-fetched and stretches credulity to the breaking point. But most disappointing is the stilted dialogue which just doesn't ring real. The one saving grace was the interesting historical information about Pompeii/Herculaneum.

When I finished reading this novel, I wondered: How does a book like this get on to the bestseller lists? Are we all sheep?

Wolves Eat Dogs: a novel by Martin Cruz Smith

Renko depressed and depressing, March 20, 2005***


In this novel Arkady Renko seems out of sync in the New Russia of capitalists and Mafia.Ostensibly the novel is about an investigation of the deaths of Pasha Ivanov,President, and subsequently the senior vice-president, of NoviRusk, a rising Russian firm. It appears that Ivanov has committed suicide and even Renko believes that for most of the novel. But why? A search for the answer takes Renko to the Exclusion Zone around Chernobyl where sanctioned workers and unsanctioned residents live a surreal existence. At this point the novel loses its way and meanders into an examination of the meaning of life. Eventually Renko untangles the relationship of one of the key characters in the second half of the novel to the dead men in the first half but only after you wonder whether he will emerge from the wasteland around Chernobyl. Definitely not Cruz Smith's best novel but still worth reading!

The Killing Club: a novel by Marcie Walsh

Entertaining froth!, March 20, 2005***


I read this novel and enjoyed it sort of as you would enjoy a chocolate sundae.The plot rolls along and you keep turning the pages as the characters keep getting killed off one by one. The police detective Jamie Ferrara is likeable. The author keeps setting up likely villains but they keep getting killed. The real villain is one you would least suspect. As someone else wrote, the motivation for the suite of murders is not particularly persuasive.

Hunting Fear: a novel by Kay Hooper

Good read but second-rate, March 20, 2005***


It is not the required suspension of disbelief which limits this novel but rather the somewhat disjointed plot and an ending which even the psychic detectives in Noah Bishop's Special Crimes Unit don't come close to foreseeing. The interplay between Lucas Jordan and Samantha Burke adds interest. I was disappointed that no credible clues were left to even hint at the identity of the villain who is just pulled out of a hat at the end.

Life Expectancy: A Novel by Dean Koontz

Koontz excels in this one!, March 20, 2005*****


Dean Koontz is an exceptional writer. This novel is one of his best so far and there have been many. He creates delightful characters whom you cannot but enjoy. His writing in this novel is clear, bold and captivating, propelling you from page to page. But perhaps what stands out most is the originality of his plots.When you pick up a Koontz novel you never know what to expect but you know that you will thoroughly enjoy it and be looking forward to his next novel. That was certainly the case this time. This is one of the best novels I have read in months.

The Prince of Beverly Hills: a novel by Stuart Woods

An entertaining read but quickly forgotten, March 20, 2005***


Stuart Woods" recent novels have become quite formulaic with stilted dialogue. This one picks up the pace with a new character Rick Barron who gets lucky in 1930s Hollywood and moves rapidly from demoted cop to head of security to a major studio to studio executive. Along the way Rick encounters some major Hollywood figures and a nasty fictional blackmailer who preys on young starlets. Rick falls for one of these starlets and deals with the blackmailer in such a way that he is no longer a problem.An entertaining read, but no great depth.

Robert Ludlum's The Lazarus Vendetta: A Covert-One Novel (A Covert-One Novel) by Robert Ludlum

The Ludlum Franchise Marches On, March 20, 2005****


Amazing that the Ludlum name can still instantly put novels on the the top 10 list ! This novel, another in the Covert-One series, is about nannotechnology being perverted to kill off a big chunk of the human race and achieve world domination. A little bit like Michael Crichton's State of Fear, this novel has an environmental movement gone bad, being used by evil figures for diabolical ends.It is reasonably well-written, fast-paced and keeps you turning the pages for the next event. The Bourne Identity, it is not.But it hooked me enough that I'll pick up the next in the series.

Body Double: a novel by Tess Gerritsen

Twists and turns galore, March 22, 2005*****


I very much enjoyed this novel. It has enough twists and turns to make your head spin! Forensic pathologist Maura Isles returns home to Boston from a Paris conference to be greeted with shock by friends and coworkers who think she has been killed in front of her house. There is a body but it turns out to be that of a twin sister she didn't know she had. She had been adopted and didn't know her birth parents. By the time the novel ends she knows who they are and wishes she didn't. Meanwhile she sets out to discover who killed her sister. Her investigation takes her to Maine where she uncovers the bodies of a couple murdered long ago. This in turn leads her to discover a series of murders committed by a woman now in prison in Boston and supposedly insane. Is this woman her mother? Meanwhile, who killed her sister? I thought I had guessed the identity of the killer but, as in all good suspense novels, the author has a surprise up her sleeve,or is that a scalpel?

Black Wind: A Dirk Pitt Novel by Clive Cussler

Another good yarn from Cussler, September 11, 2005****


Having been disappointed by Cussler's sideline OREGON series, I welcome this father and son collaboration featuring our old friend Dirk Pitt and his son Dirk Jr. and daughter Summer. As usual Cussler starts with an historical backdrop-an attempt by a Japanese submarine near the end of the Second World war to launch a viral attack on the U.S. But we are soon racing through the present as an evil South Korean industrialist(a North Korean agent) plots the reunification of the Koreas, prepared to wreak havoc on America using germ warfare if necessary to achieve his diabolical aims.If it's action you want, it's action you get. All in all, not great literature but a page-turning good read!

Robert Ludlum's The Moscow Vector: A Covert-One Novel (A Covert-One Novel) by Patrick Larkin

Ludlum-like novel satisfies but does not excel, September 11, 2005****


I was a long-time fan of Robert Ludlum and regretted his passing. His name continues to sell novels penned under the Covert One franchise but they do not live up to Ludlum's work. Nonetheless, this latest Covert One tale featuring Dr. Jon Smith, a medical James Bond, is entertaining and worth a read. A Russian President, who closely resembles Vladimir Putin, sets out to reclaim former components of the Soviet Union. As he masses his armies on their borders, he is able to kill off key leaders and key intelligence analysts using DNA weapons individually tailored to each victim. He is assisted in this venture by a former GDR bioweapons researcher. Jon Smith dashes around Europe attempting to head off impending disaster and in the end succeeds. Reminds me a bit of the old Westerns.

Velocity: a novel by Dean Koontz

No sleep for you tonight, dear reader!, September 11, 2005*****


Dean Koontz keeps getting better if that's possible. Where in the heck does he get his plots? When you pick up this book forget about getting any sleep tonight. When you put it down you'll never again pick up any note left under your windshield wiper. The chief character in this novel, Billy Wiles, a bartender in a local pub in the region where he grew up,finds a note on his windshield as he's leaving one night which propels him onto a path of no-win choices with horrible consequences. He faces choices devised by a twisted mind, choices no human should face, let alone Billy who has already had more than his share of tragedy in his life. Well, in this novel he's headed for a hell of a lot more before it's over. And, to survive, he has to outthink and circumvent the murderer setting a diabolical trap from which there appears no reasonable escape.

Legends: A Novel of Dissimulation by Robert Littell

Who is Martin Odum?, September 11, 2005****


The chief character in this spy thriller is Martin Odum but is he? Even Martin Odum does not know for sure who he is. At different points in the novel he assumes alternate identities, supposedly legends or covers that the CIA created for him over the years. but which legend is real? Whoever he really is, Martin is off to Russia in pursuit of a mafia-type who married an Israeli woman to get out of Russia but then disapppears and she needs a "get" to free her from her marriage. Around this apparently simple premise Littell weaves a complex story. The CIA attempt to stop Martin from pursuing this assignment and in the end we realize why. Not your ordinary thriller but definitely well plotted and well written

Lifeguard: a novel by James Patterson

Patterson franchise thriving, September 24, 2005****


The James Patterson franchise is thriving. Like Clive Cussler he uses co-authors to spin out yarns under his name. At least they are given credit, unlike some others. Lifeguard is one of the better recent Patterson novels. The plot is well summarized in another review here. No point in repeating it. There are more twists and turns in this novel than on a rollercoaster. Ned Kelly is taken for quite a ride. He loses one gorgeous babe to murder but ends up sunning with former FBI agent at the story ends.

The Dying Hour: a novel by Rick Mofina

Mofina graps you by the throat and never lets go, September 24, 2005*****


This is the second Mofina thriller I have read. This one is set in the Pacific Northwest instead of San Francisco with a new journalist/detective combo. Journalist intern Jason Wade is assigned to the night police beat at the Seattle Mirror, a dead end posting compared to his intern competitors. Or it is until he chances on the story of Karen Harding missing with her empty car left by the side of the road as she is heading for Vancouver to see her sister. Wade relentlessly chases leads and beats the cops to the punch garnering front page headlines until he blows it. He gets his suspect on the cell phone when a woman screams in the background "Save me". His editors decide to run the story on the front page above the fold only to drop Wade like a hot potato when it turns out the suspect was rescuing a woman whose car was being swept away in a flood. But all is not what it seems. Jobless Jason continues the chase and ultimately tracks the killer to his lair.

Entombed: a novel by Linda Fairstein

Edgar Allan Poe lives, September 24, 2005*****


This is the second novel by Linda Fairstein I have read. This one is exceptionally well plotted and written.The two main plots and various subplots, while at first disparate, are neatly interwoven by the author leading to a chilling denouement. Edgar Allan Poe looms large in this novel.The discovery of the skeleton of a woman entombed behind a brick wall in a house Poe lived in a century before sets Alex Cooper and her colleagues Mercer and Mike off on a chase through sites in New York which I have never encountered in other novels. Meanwhile they are also trying to solve the case of the reappearance of the Silk Stocking Rapist in New York's Upper East Side and a murder apparently committed by this rapist. Ultimately the cases turn out to be linked and are solved with great ingenuity by Alex and her colleagues.

Two-Dollar Bill (Stone Barrington Novels) by Stuart Woods

Stuart, it's time to pack up your computer, September 24, 2005**


This is another Stone Barrington novel. If you like this series, then you'll probably like this novel. But you can do much better. The characters are wooden, the dialogue stilted and Stone's exploits are outlandish. Woods has adopted James Patterson's style of short chapters but unlike Patterson he doesn't pull it off. I just read Lifeguard by Patterson. While it is not great literature it delivers exactly what it promises and is a highly entertaining read. Sadly, the same cannot be said for this novel by Woods. Stuart, it's time to pack it up.

Fifth Son: An Inspector Green Mystery (Inspector Green Mysteries) by Barbara Fradkin

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barbara Fradkin hits her stride, September 24, 2005*****


This is the second Inspector Green mystery I have read. I read the first, Do or Die, just recently. After reading this fourth in the series I'll definitely have to go back and read the other two. I eagerly await the fifth.
The plot and character development in this novel are exceptional. What appears at first to be an accidental death or at most a suicide as a man falls or is pushed from an abandoned church balcony in the small Ottawa Valley town of ashford Landing turns out to be murder. But who has been murdered and who the murderer is are not immediately apparent. Tenacious Inspector Green pursues scanty leads to uncover a secret that a family has kept hidden for twenty years but at great cost to siblings and parents. Great reading!

Without Mercy: a novel by Jack Higgins

Where is Jack Higgins?, October 16, 2005**


Years ago I would pick up a Jack Higgins novel with anticipation,knowing that I was in for an enjoyable few hours. Now I pick up a Higgins novel hoping against hope that I will see a spark of the old Jack Higgins. Alas, his novels are getting progressively worse. As Jerry Saperstein put it in his review, Higggins has hit bottom in this latest outing.

There's so much wrong with this latest Sean Dillon venture that it's hard to know where to begin. Cardboard characters, juvenile dialogue, inane plotting are just the beginning. It's time to end this Sean Dillon serial. It's become a joke. Higgins is ripping off the public by putting out this stuff milking his earlier success without putting in a honest day's work. The big question is: does he still have in him to produce a decent novel on a par with his earlier work.

The Closers: a novel by Michael Connelly

Bosch is back, October 16, 2005****


Harry Bosch is back on the force after two years of retirement.His mission: solving cold cases. This is a well-written novel but lacks the zing of Connelly's earlier work. I figured out the perp about two thirds through even though the focus remained on other suspects.At places this novel dragged a bit but still a good read. Connelly remains one of my favourite authors.

The Patriots Club: a novel by Christopher Reich

First-rate novel, October 16, 2005 ****


Reich has written another intriguing thriller. This intricately plotted novel revolves around a conspiracy at the highest levels of government and Washington society, a Patiot Club that dates back to the earliest days of the American republic. Thomas Bolden becomes enmeshed in a series of events that put him on the run from unknown forces who seek to murder him. The novel suffers somewhat from too many twists and turns and an ending that seems contrived to make everything fit together. Despite this it's one of the best novels I've read recently.

The Banting Enigma: The Assassination of Sir Frederick Banting by William R. Callahan

History or fiction?, February 13, 2006 ****


This is a novel with a strong historical undercurrent. Situated mostly in Newfoundland during the Second World War, this novel takes some historical facts, particularly the death of Nobel Prize winner Sir Frederick Banting, co-discoverer of insulin, in a plane crash on his way to England to pressure the UK government to develop biologoical weapons, and constructs a story wherein Banting is assassinated by the Nazis.

The Two Minute Rule: a novel by Robert Crais

Sizzling thriller, April 25, 2006 *****
The Two-Minute Rule is first-rate. One of the best books I've read in a while.The characters are well developed, particularly ex-con Max Holman and ex-FBI agent Katherine Pollard. Well-plotted as well. I highly recommend it.

Death Dance: A Novel (Alexandra Cooper Mysteries) by Linda Fairstein

Plot drags, April 25, 2006 ****


The trio of Alexandra Cooper,Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace return in a murder mystery set in New York's theater district. Lots of interesting trivia about New York theater and history of the Shriners. The plot drags on and doesn't quite gell. As someone else remarked, the ending is prolonged and not quite believable. Not as good as Fairstein's "Entombed."

Every Breath You Take: a novel by Judith Mcnaught

Disappointing!, April 25, 2006 ***


This book was not at all what I expected.It's more like a Harlequin romance than a suspense novel. It cetainly didn't live up to the hype and book description. It's an ok read to pass the time while travelling but one of the weakest novels I have read recently.

Predator (Kay Scarpetta Mysteries) by Patricia Cornwell

Convoluted plot, July 2, 2006 **


This is an extremely convoluted novel. There are multiple subplots which seem disconnected but then at the end are coincidentally brought together (maybe??). You spend half your time trying to figure out who's who. Maybe it's time for Cornwell to go back to "plot" school.

Point Blank (FBI Thriller (G.P. Putnam's Sons)) by Catherine Coulter

Boring and long-winded, July 2, 2006 **


When I got half way through this novel I asked myself: "Why am I reading this?" It's isn't very interesting. For the first time I can recall I fell asleep midday while reading this book.If a good editor had slashed the manuscript by 50% it might be more readable. My recommendation: Give it a pass.

Turning Angel: A Novel by Greg Iles

Iles at his best, July 2, 2006 *****


I have always enjoyed Greg Iles' novels whether they deal with Nazis during the Second World War or strange goings on in the Deep South. This one is no exception. Fast-paced and intriguing this is a first-rate novel. The plot is summarized elsewhere.The characters are well fleshed out and the plotting is skillful. All in all, a very enjoyable read.

The Quiet Game: a novel by Greg Iles

Superlative stoy-teller, July 2, 2006 *****

The Quiet Game's main character is Penn Cage who appears again in Turning Angel. I took pains to read The Quiet Game first, having missed it when it was first published. I was glad I did. Iles has fashioned another intriguing novel set in the Deep South. He takes his daughter home for a little peace and quiet but this novel is anything but. Fast-paced, great plot, well-developed characters, it has everything you need for an enjoyable read. Iles continues to build on his solid foundation of intriguing novels.

The 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club) by James Patterson

More Patterson fluff, July 2, 2006 **


When I first started reading Patterson's novels some years ago, I enjoyed them very much. But since he's turned into a book production machine I can't say the same. The 5th Horseman has some ingredients for a good novel but it is so hastily put together that it ends up as fluff. Save your dollars and spend them on an author who puts time and thought into his/her novels rather than chasing the almighty buck at an ever-increasing frantic pace.

Immoral: a novel by Brian Freeman

Great First Novel, July 2, 2006 *****


I picked up this debut by Brian Freeman with no expectations, having read nothing previously about it. I was very pleasantly surprised to find a great story which kept me flipping the pages. An auspicious beginning for a new novelist!

Blood Hunt: a novel by Ian Rankin

Not Rebus but rivetting nonetheless, July 2, 2006 *****

I have read most of Rankin's Inspector Rebus series and enjoyed them. Fans of Rebus may be disappointed because this is quite a different book. I was not. I found the story quite well developed, the characters interesting and the international conspiracy quite believable.Fans of Ludlum and other international thriller writers will find it hard to put down.

Why this blog

My favourite hobby is reading. I have read tons of books since I was a teenager(that was a few years ago) but I only began posting reviews of books I have read about a year ago. Recently I decided that it would be a good idea to consolidate these reviews in one place. Hence this blog.

My posts will be primarily reviews of fiction with occasional nonfiction reviews. There will be a heavy preponderance of bestsellers, particularly mystery, suspense and political thrillers. Favourite writers include John Sandford, Michael Connelly, Greg Iles and Ridley Pearson.