Holmes, Marple, and Poe

This engaging read by James Patterson and Brian Sitts clearly draws some of the characters' idiosyncrasies from their namesakes. Brandon Holmes has a bit of a drug problem, Margaret Marple is British, and Auguste Poe has a haunted relationship with women and alcohol. Still the characters are distinct and fully developed in their own right and will be remembered as such. There are multiple mysteries here to be solved, some of them inter-related and some just puzzlingly unnecessary.  I tend to agree with Booklist's complaint that the book's "... biggest problem is the mysteries: there are too many of them. The investigators are juggling a bunch of cases, from a missing person to stolen art to a cold-case murder. The result? It's difficult for them and, unfortunately, the reader to focus on any individual case."

Three PI's renovate a warehouse in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn and with the help of "friends in high and low places" (Publishers Weekly), quickly solve the case of a missing high-profile attorney. This garners a lot of press and a certain amount of enmity among the police who have failed where "Holmes, Marple & Poe. Private Investigations" so quickly succeeded. Only one detective, Helene Grey, seems to appreciate their innovative and unorthodox methods of crime solving, and she becomes both an ally and a political target. 

Publishers Weekly calls this a "breezy thriller" with "short chapters and brisk prose [that] make for diverting-enough entertainment. This satisfies." I listened to the audio version and enjoyed 

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club

A cozy historical novel set in the seaside town of Hazelbourne, England during the summer immediately after WWI. Throughout the war years, Constance Haverhill was seen as competent enough to keep the large estate of her dead mother's friends running in good order. And Poppy Wirrall, daughter of a retired actress, along with the other women who drove the ambulances on the battlefields and carried messages on their motorcycles are all finding themselves shoved to the back of the line. Now the government is creating new laws to prohibit the hiring of women instead of men for any job openings. But these smart, resourceful women are not so easily reduced to the limited traditionally gender-appropriate roles. Poppy has responded by starting her own business with like-minded women motorcycle drivers to provide private transportation to Hazelbourne's women in snazzily decorated sidecars. Constance is about to be turned out on her ear after years of serving the family who are upper class and expect her to go to a respectable placement as a governess--a fate worse than death in Constance's eyes. She has achieved her certificate in bookkeeping through a correspondence course and wants to find a more challenging job. There is a slow-burning affection growing between Poppy's returned fighter pilot brother Harris, who lost a leg in the war, and Constance that is complicated by class expectations. The nation and the world are in transition and this is an inspiring story of women who want to grab the brass ring and be a part of that change.

Publishers Weekly comments that "Simonson ...delivers a thoughtful and witty tale of British men and women adjusting to a new normal after WWI....While Constance's bumpy romantic adventures with Harris form the spine of the book, Simonson neatly interweaves multiple plotlines involving the chauvinistic and condescending local gentry, the travails of a German waiter scorned because of his nationality, and the bad behavior of visiting Americans. Readers are in for a treat."

Booklist offers this encouragement: "Simonson...brilliantly captures the pains of a generation of young people at a crossroads in an England ravaged by war and a flu epidemic, especially of the women who kept the home front going only to be tossed aside when the men came home. Constance is a quietly lovable heroine, a woman who longs for independence but is stifled by society's expectations. The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club is, by turns, heartwarming and heartbreaking, and readers will be entranced."

Another happy ending book I read and enjoyed was Simonson's Major Pettigrew's Last Stand.

Hum

 Helen Phillips "is the author of six books, including the novel The Need , a National Book Award nominee and a New York Times Notable Book. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award. Her collection Some Possible Solutions received the John Gardner Fiction Book Award. Her novel The Beautiful Bureaucrat was a finalist for the New York Public Library's Young Lions Fiction Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. A professor at Brooklyn College, she lives in Brooklyn with artist/cartoonist Adam Douglas Thompson and their children" (book jacket). This is her most recent speculative fiction novel. Although this book has received numerous laudatory reviews, I didn't much care for it... maybe because I never had kids. I found the children's behavior obnoxious on many occasions and their mother's mostly passive acceptance of same distressing as well. In other words, I didn't like any of the human characters and couldn't identify with much of the stress in the storyline. Which isn't to say that the story lacks relevance. As the New York Times notes in their review, "Along the way, the story raises many unsettling questions. What is the right role for A.I. in our lives? In a world of so much artifice, what counts as authentic experience? How do we usher our children into a future that we find frightening to imagine?"They provide this opener of the general plotline: "In Helen Phillips’s near-future novel, “Hum,” a family’s dream vacation away from technology devolves into a misadventure with major consequences." The review goes on to provide a much more detailed explanation of the settings, actions, and characters' interactions--with other members of the family as well as with one significant "Hum." They conclude by praising the author, "This sleek ride of a novel further cements Phillips’s position as one of our most profound writers of speculative fiction."

The Los Angeles Times gushes, "“Phillips has given us a lot to chew on, but there is also something comforting embedded in this cautionary tale: an homage to our adaptability, our capacity to love and our willingness, however reluctantly, to embrace the new … Here she urges us not to surrender our power to choose and to resist, but to be thoughtful warriors, deciding for ourselves how we will dwell on our imperiled planet.” 

Here is Kirkus' review and summary: "What happens when the forests are gone, surveillance cameras are ubiquitous, and AI-programmed robots do the work? Set in a future altered by climate change and technology that may feel uncomfortably close at hand, Phillips’ new novel again shows her talent for finding warmth, humanity, and connection within an all-too-conceivable dystopian landscape. The action begins with May Webb, an unemployed mother of two elementary school students, undergoing a procedure designed to alter her features just enough to confound facial-recognition software. (The procedure is performed, as are many tasks in the world of the novel, by a robot with a soothing demeanor called a hum.) For surrendering her face to this experiment, May—whose AI-communication job has recently rendered itself obsolete and whose husband, Jem, has been laboring to keep the family financially afloat working gig-app-facilitated odd jobs—is paid the equivalent of 10 months of her previous salary. She immediately splurges on a three-night stay for the family in the idyllic Botanical Gardens, an accessible-only-to-the-rich paradise of greenery, frolicking animals, and fresh air walled off to shut out the city’s grit, graffiti, litter, and soot. But the family’s perfect vacation takes an unfortunate turn when the children wander off and get lost, setting in motion a string of events that endangers the family’s power to stay together. Writing with precision, insight, sensitivity, and compassion, Phillips renders the way love and family bonds—between partners, parents and children, and siblings—can act as a balm and an anchor amid the buffeting winds of a fast-changing, out-of-control world. A perceptive page-turner with a generous perspective on motherhood, identity, and the pitfalls of 'progress.'”

The Best Lies

This is the 2nd book I have read by David Ellis and it is equally as twisty as the previous book, Look Closer, which won an Edgar Award. I'll start with the cast of characters: Leo Balanoff is a criminal defense lawyer who has crossed the lines more than once in his efforts to see real justice done. When his DNA and fingerprints show up at the murder scene of a notorious and sadistic human trafficker, it looks like he's finally crossed one line too many; Andi Piotrowski, Leo's ex, who is working in the security department of a high tech drug company; Trace, former alcoholic and Leo's brother who is now living and working in Mexico; Chris, an FBI agent struggling to get back in the game by taking down the kingpin of the trafficking syndicate after being sidelined for 2 years while getting treatment for cancer; and finally is Mary, Chris' sister and a detective with the local police department who is anxious to arrest Leo for the murder. Leo maintains his innocence in the murder but has a lifetime of secrets that he is hiding--and he is not the only one living a lie.

Publishers Weekly was less than complimentary in their review of the book, saying the "storytelling gets too tangled, and his characters are too implausible, for this to cohere."

The Change

Kirsten Miller is the author of a popular feminist YA series with Kiki Strike as the protagonist. This is her first book written for adults and, in fact, the three protagonists are all women of a certain age. Here is the summary and effusive review from Publishers Weekly:

"Miller... triumphs with her adult debut about three women who discover supernatural abilities during menopause, which they use to avenge murdered teenage girls in the New York beach town of Mattuck. Just as retired nurse Nessa James becomes fast friends with gym owner Jo Levison, Nessa realizes she can see ghosts again. When she was a child, her grandmother told her she had a gift, and that she'd be called upon later in life to use it, along with other similarly gifted women. Nessa intuitively seeks out unapologetic Harriett Osborne, a former ad executive who was pushed out of her career and now cultivates toxic plants like wolfsbane. Along with Jo, who can summon her fury and channel it into fiery strength, the trio attempt to bring peace to three ghosts Nessa encounters on the beach near Culling Pointe, where the billionaires live. After a client at Jo's gym starts leaving clues about one of the ghosts, the trio is let down by police detectives who make their own motives clear... Miller's book is that rare treat: a suspenseful story with great pacing, memorable characters, and an engaging voice. Fantastic in every way, this fierce anthem against misogyny is a smash."

Kirkus' version offers a slightly different perspective. "Menopause brings more gains than losses for three women in this entertaining thriller. When menopause arrives ... they don’t bother with estrogen therapy or worry about chin hairs. They develop superpowers. Harriett Osborne kicks her high-powered advertising career and her dweeby husband to the curb and lets her gift for botany flourish, growing plants for pleasure and for poison (and to really annoy the head of her homeowners association). Jo Levison is first alarmed by the rage that literally sets fire flowing from her hands—hot flashes with a vengeance—but she learns to channel it and starts a successful fitness and self-defense business. Nessa James’ emerging gift is a somber one that’s been handed down by the women in her family: The dead speak to her, but only the dead who need help...The response from local police is barely apathetic; the cops seem to be protecting someone, or all the someones who live behind gates at the high-priced end of the island. That just makes the trio push harder to find out what’s going on. What they uncover echoes the Jeffrey Epstein case and too many other cases of powerful men exploiting women and getting away with it—or maybe not. The novel takes on serious issues but doesn’t take itself too seriously; there’s plenty of mordant humor, a suspenseful plot, and mostly brisk pacing. Crime fiction, superpower fantasy, and sharp satire about sexism and ageism mesh for a satisfying read."

Booklist raves, “The Change is wry and clever, serious and exacting, and masterfully suspenseful in its conveyance of a deeply profound and feminist message.” The Guardian (U.K) seems to agree. “With a propulsive plot and characters that roar off the page, this is a novel that’s unafraid to take on societal misogyny while being satirical and even funny at the same time.”

If you enjoy this book, you might also consider When Women Were Dragons, Killers of a Certain Age, and/or The Bandit Queens.

The Bandit Queens

I highly recommend this debut novel by Parini Shroff, a practicing attorney in the Bay Area. She takes on some serious themes--caste, spousal abuse, gender discrimination--with what some reviewers have called "laugh-out-loud humor;" whereas, I would say with absurd or dark humor. Set in a poor (east) Indian village, Geeta has become a pariah ever since her abusive husband, Ramesh, disappeared 5 years before. Everyone believes she did away with him to become a "self-made widow." She turns her reputation to advantage as it keeps away unwanted advances from men and she has now joined a small group of women with a microloan to run their own businesses. But even the group members believe she is a successful murderer and so Farah comes to her asking for assistance in killing her abusive husband. That request is followed by a similar one from Priety--all of which pushes Geeta in scary directions. She takes inspiration from the legendary Phoolan Devi, known as the Bandit Queen, who took revenge on those who had degraded and hurt her. She makes an unlikely friend, the widowed village supplier of illegal liquor, Karem, but then costs him his biggest customer, a gangster in a neighboring town. Then, low and behold, her "dead" husband, now blind, reappears in town and wants to reunite with her. At occasional risk of life and limb, she solves her loan group's problems, sends her husband packing, and begins her re-integration into the village life.

Publishers Weekly concludes their review: "Shroff deals sharply with misogyny and abuse, describing the misery inflicted as well as its consequences in unflinching detail, and is equally unsparing in her depictions of mean-girl culture in the village. Readers are in for a razor-stuffed treat." Library Journal asserts that "This is a deeply human book, with women surviving and overcoming in their culture while still remaining a part of it." Kirkus opens their review with "Bonds of sisterhood are forged through murders." And, though not uniformly laudatory, goes on to say, "Still, if you can lean into the melodramatic slapstick nature of it all—villainous characters who pause midvillainy to explain that their nicknames are works in progress; characters who pause mid–hostage situation to wish each other a Happy New Year—the novel will reward you with occasional witty one-liners, tender moments of deep female friendship, and salient truths: 'Because we’re middle-aged housewives. Who’s more invisible than us? We can get away with murder. Literally.'” Readers will appreciate—if not quite be riveted by—this tale of the strength of women in impossible situations."

In a lengthy review, The New York Times opens with “'Women were built to endure the rules men make,' Parini Shroff writes in her debut novel, The Bandit Queens, which covers a litany of grim realities in rural India: ... This might sound depressing, but Shroff manages to spin all of the above into a radically feel-good story about the murder of no-good husbands by a cast of unsinkable women."

I'm including Booklist's review in total because it captures several important points. "Shroff's debut is a darkly hilarious take on gossip, caste, truth, village life, and the patriarchy. Geeta's abusive drunk of a husband disappeared five years ago, leaving her alone and destitute in a small village in India, where rumor has it that she did him in. Her reputation as a woman who "removed her own nose ring" protects her from various unpleasant attentions, and it's not long before other women in her microloan group seek her assistance removing their nose rings. Inspired by Phoolan Devi, "the Bandit Queen," who fought for the rights of women in India, Geeta engages the help of a handsome widower (and black-market liquor purveyor) and takes on a gangster from whom she steals a dog. Geeta inadvertently manages to facilitate a couple of husband disposals before her own spouse reappears, hoping to reconcile with her. As one of her beneficiaries tries to blackmail her and her long-estranged, childhood best friend becomes a source of support, Geeta endeavors to take her life back. A perfect match for fans of Oyinkan Braithwaite's My Sister, the Serial Killer (2018) and clever, subversive storytelling."

NPR's interview with author Parini Shroff is here.

Noir USA: Best of the Akashic Noir Series

Akashic is a publisher, whereas I sought out this collection of short stories because I mistakenly thought that "Akashic" was a particular type of noir, sort of like "Scandi noir" or "southern noir." "The Akashic noir series was launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Since then, there have been 60 original anthologies, all centered on a specific city, region, or neighborhood in the U.S. and abroad. The 37 stories in this collection represent the best of the U.S.-based anthologies (Booklist)." The editor of this collection is "Johnny Temple... the publisher and editor-in-chief of Akashic Books, an award-winning Brooklyn-based independent company dedicated to publishing urban literary fiction and political nonfiction. He won the 2013 Ellery Queen Award, the American Association of Publishers' 2005 Miriam Bass Award for Creativity in Independent Publishing; and the 2010 Jay and Dean Kogan Award for Excellence in Noir Literature (from the book jacket)." "

Library Journal calls this anthology "A must read for mystery fans, not just devotees of Akashic's "Noir" series, this anthology serves as both an introduction for newcomers and a greatest-hits package for regular readers of the series. Broken into six parts, ...the volume contains the best short mystery fiction has to offer...The best of these stories are tightly written character studies with an amazing sense of place, be it San Diego or Pittsburgh, while also concisely examining larger issues such as domestic violence, post-traumatic stress disorder, or gentrification. There isn't a weak story in the collection...Strongly recommended for readers who enjoy mysteries published by Hard Case Crime, as well as for fans of police procedurals. Not recommended for readers who are 100 percent committed to cozies ...but other mystery fans who give it a chance will find much to enjoy."

Publishers Weekly also offered a strong recommendation: "This compendium showcases 37 exceptional stories from 32 separate volumes, in six thematic categories: 'True Grit,' 'American Values,' 'Road Rage,' 'Homeland Security,' 'Under the Influence,' and 'Street Justice'"... concluding "Readers will be hard put to find a better collection of short stories in any genre." 

I found myself not in a place to read all 37 well-written but, indeed, dark stories so I picked out those to read whose authors were familiar to me. "the list of contributors includes virtually anyone who's made the best-seller list with a work of crime fiction in the last decade. Among them are Lee Child, George Pelecanos, Michael Connelly, Don Winslow, Dennis Lehane, and T. Jefferson Parker (Booklist)." Also Joyce Carol Oates, Jonathan Safran Foer, S. J. Rozan, William Kent Krueger, Laura Lippman and Lawrence Block.

 

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

Olga Tokarczuk, whose name was totally unfamiliar to me, has garnered some of the highest literary awards, including a Nobel Prize for literature and the Man Booker International Prize. I would recommend listening to the book or perhaps listening while following along in the text, as the Polish names stumped me in my efforts to imagine how they were pronounced. Her works have been translated into over 40 languages.

This summary is taken from the book jacket since I can't imagine doing any better. "In a remote Polish village, Janina devotes the dark winter days to studying astrology, translating the poetry of William Blake, and taking care of the summer homes of wealthy Warsaw residents. Her reputation as a crank and a recluse is amplified by her not-so-secret preference for the company of animals over humans. Then a neighbor, [nicknamed by Janina as] Big Foot, turns up dead. Soon other bodies are discovered, in increasingly strange circumstances. As suspicions mount, Janina inserts herself into the investigation, certain that she knows whodunit. If only anyone would pay her mind . . .A deeply satisfying thriller cum fairy tale, Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead is a provocative exploration of the murky borderland between sanity and madness, justice and tradition, autonomy and fate. Whom do we deem sane? it asks. Who is worthy of a voice?"

Publishers Weekly was effusive in their praise, concluding their review by saying "Tokarczuk's novel succeeds as both a suspenseful murder mystery and a powerful and profound meditation on human existence and how a life fits into the world around it. Novels this thrilling don't come along very often."

Similarly, Booklist lauds the work. Protagonist Janina ( a name she hates) "mounts her own inquiries [but]As the seasons change, Janina finds herself summarily dismissed by authorities and locals alike, all the while maintaining her beliefs that the perpetrators may not be human at all as the action surges toward a gripping conclusion. Mythical and distinctive, Tokarczuk's translated novel erupts off the page, artfully telling a linear tale while also weaving in the metaphysical, multilayered nuances of Janina's life."

I offer these reviews first because I wasn't particularly taken by the book. I could certainly sympathize with some of Janina's views, and probably nobody died who didn't deserve it, but I didn't really like any of the characters nor was I particularly interested in who was doing the killing.  I was somewhat inclined to believe Janina's theories about the killer(s) because nobody else was a plausible suspect, but the ending did surprise me.  

How to Age Disgracefully

This entertaining read from Clare Pooley is centered at a community center that serves the elderly, pregnant women, a daycare center and a veterans group. This is Pooley's 3rd novel after her best selling The Authenticity Project and Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting. "After hiding in her apartment for 15 years, Daphne starts to feel like she doesn’t want to be invisible anymore. On her 70th birthday, she decides that she’ll find a way to step outside for longer than it takes to buy groceries a couple of times a week. It’s time to make friends and, perhaps, find a partner" (Kirkus).She gets dragged into a Senior Citizens Club, which she promptly takes over. During one meeting, part of the ceiling collapses and the town council threatens to shut the place down and sell it, since they "can't afford" to repair it. This will leave several people who Daphne has become attached to in real financial straits and curtail their life choices. Publishers Weekly praises "Pooley's clever and delightfully farcical scenes [that] are laugh-out-loud funny, often thanks to the frank Daphne." 

Booklist offers these enticing comments:  Pooley creates "an unlikely cohort--failed actor/recovering kleptomaniac Art; Ruby, who stealthily knits Banksy-style art installations; Anna, a former long-haul trucker who now rocks a motorized mobility scooter; and Ziggy, a teenage father with a daughter at the daycare, whose mad tech skills endear him to the otherwise prickly Daphne. Throw in a madcap bus ride, a mangy dog, and an audition for a reality TV show, and the result is a lovably quirky, reassuringly wise, and memorably inspiring romp that shatters ageist stereotypes. For fans of Fredrik Backman and Rachel Joyce... Readers seek out best-selling and wily comedic novelist Pooley for just the sort of cheeky break from stress they crave." Kirkus closes their review by asserting that "Fans of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series will enjoy this delightful romp that on its surface is about senior citizens—whom everyone tends to discount—and others coming together to save the local community center but really is about so much more: aging, love, crime, friendship, making mistakes and living through them, and life’s complicated emotions and choices. A frothy, fun, and well-paced cozy mystery—in which no murders take place."

 

Home Improvement: Undead Edition. All-New Tales of Haunted Home Repair and Surreal Estates

The subtitle suggests this is not a DIY handbook; rather it is a collection of short stories, collected from notable mystery, horror and fantasy writers, and edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P Kelner. This was an enjoyable, diversionary read. I don't usually pick up collections of short stories, so, to remedy that, I started with a collection in a favorite genre. There are some notable authors here whose books I have read: Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, S.J. Rozan as well as many with whom I was not familiar. The plot lines vary widely from accidentally opening a portal to the world of the dead during a home renovation to a really bossy house that makes people do things they don't want to. For a brief description of each entry, go to Kathy Davie's review in StoryGraph.

Cahokia Jazz

I was totally unfamiliar with author Francis Spufford, but I liked this book--if not particularly the ending--I will seek out his other alternate history novel, Golden Hill. Cahokia is the name given to the area along the Mississippi River across from present day St. Louis. Over 80 mounds still remain and further excavations suggested the centralized trading center near the confluence of the Mississippi, Missori and Illinois rivers extended much further out the the main population center. Cahokia was the name of the nearest indigenous tribe when the area was "discovered" by French explorers, in the 17th C, but there is evidence of settlement going back to 600 BCE. The height of the culture was around 1200. "Today, the Cahokia Mounds are considered to be the largest and most complex archaeological site north of the great pre-Columbian cities in Mexico"; it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Spufford's approach is to imagine a history in which native Americans were not all decimated by disease and warfare but, in part, thrived and were strong enough to negotiate a semi-independant status as a city-state within the United States. The city is still a major transit point to the west with trains going to each coast and heavy industrialization with all it's accompanying ills. This is set in the 1920's and the jazz age flourishes here as well with speakeasies, bootleg liquor and rampant corruption. Still the original inhabitants are the governing body and maintain many of their own beliefs, rituals and monuments--most of which have been integrated into a quasi-Catholic religious structure. As in the actual Cahokia, the residents are multi-cultural--primarily American Indian, Black and White--living more or less peacefully although living a largely segregated existence in different parts of the city. Characteristically, if there is money and power to be had, the Whites are scheming to take control and drive out the natives. 

This is the background when Cahokia detective Joe Barrow, a large man of indiscriminate Native origins, and his partner, Phineas Drummond, a seriously bent white cop who served in the Great War with Joe, are called to the scene of a murder atop the Land Trust building downtown. The victim, who turns out to have been a clerk working in the building, is eviscerated in a ritual way that suggests some connection to old Aztec rituals.  The two detectives have very different motives for wanting to close the case. Drummond wants the case closed regardlessof whether or not the actual perpetrators are fitted up for the crime. Joe moves away from the "mentoring" of his partner and pursues the truth, fronting munitions traffickers, a powerful bootlegger, the Native power brokers and the KKK. He fears that if Native Americans are scapegoated as the killers, the Whites will use this as the rationale to overthrow the government.

The world building and the weaving of actual history into the story line are first rate. The setting and feel of the era are richly evoked. And the characters are believably developed with the most significant evolution being for Joe Barrow himself.  Kirkus further elucidates these elements: "Spufford has cleverly thought through all the Risk-board elements of this setup, from Cahokia’s industries, to the intersection of Native folkways and Catholicism, to the city’s various ethnic enclaves... But at heart the novel is a straightforward, smart noir, with Joe torn among his police duties, his sideline as a talented piano player at a local club, an erratic white detective partner, a budding romance, and his own grim upbringing in an orphanage. ... but Joe is an original invention, steeped in complex history—a “Mississippian fusion” of European, American, and Native ideas—and torn over what do for himself, his city, and his culture. A richly entertaining take on the crime story, and a country that might’ve been. 

Reviews have been glowing with Library Journal concluding that "Spufford has written an astounding homage to noir mysteries. A poignant drama-filled novel that his fans and readers of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian will thoroughly enjoy." Publishers Weekly concurs, saying "This richly imagined and densely plotted story refreshes the crime genre and acts as a fun house mirror reflection of contemporary attitudes toward race—all set to a thumping jazz age soundtrack." And Booklist praises, "Spufford... riffs on familiar hard-boiled types (the corrupt cop, the femme fatale) and keeps the plot brisk and violent. But the tune Spufford plays is nothing less than history of an alternative North America, and with his exuberant world building he invites us to consider the notes not played. ...The outcome, suggests Spufford, might be a society just as diverse and dissonant as our own."

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

This light novel from Jesse Q. Sutanto carries a number of important ideas. Raised in southeast Asia, Jesse got her creative writing degree from Oxford (yes, the one in England) and so has the bona fides to bring these cultures together in her books. You'll notice that even the characters in the book come from different cultures with unique foods and customs, but all seem to share the fear of and respect for the formidable "aunties" whether or not they are actually related. 

Here is a plot summary from the publisher, which is pretty accurate. " Vera Wong is a lonely little old lady-ah, lady of a certain age-who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco's Chinatown. Despite living alone, Vera is not needy, oh no. She likes nothing more than sipping on a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy detective work on the Internet about what her college-aged son is up to. Then one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing--a dead man in the middle of her tea shop. In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. Vera doesn't know what comes over her, but after calling the cops like any good citizen would, she sort of . . . swipes the flash drive from the body and tucks it safely into the pocket of her apron. Why? Because Vera is sure she would do a better job than the police possibly could, because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands. Vera knows the killer will be back for the flash drive; all she has to do is watch the increasing number of customers at her shop and figure out which one among them is the killer. What Vera does not expect is to form friendships with her customers and start to care for each and every one of them. As a protective mother hen, will she end up having to give one of her newfound chicks to the police?"--"

Library Journal praises, " Sutanto excels at creating lovably flawed characters, the mystery has plenty of twists to keep readers guessing, and Vera's case notes at the end of some chapters add humor to the deductive process.... A mystery with warmth, humor, and many descriptions of delicious teas and foods." Publishers Weekly calls it a "stellar mystery" and concludes their review by saying, "The engrossing plot, which is full of laugh out loud humor and heartfelt moments, builds to a satisfying conclusion that will leave readers eager for more Vera. Sutanto has outdone herself with this cozy with substance." Booklist opens their review with this assertion, "Death shouldn't be funny or sweet or heartwarming, except maybe in a new cozy series starring Vera Wong, the widowed owner of San Francisco Chinatown's rather decrepit Vera Wang's World-Famous Teahouse." They go on to add some details of the plot: "when she discovers a corpse on the floor. The police arrive, refuse her amazing tea, barely investigate, and leave. Vera knows she's looking at foul play, no matter what the authorities insist. Of course, she'll solve the case by gathering (and feeding) the most likely suspects--an alleged reporter, a supposed podcaster, the dead man's wife, and his twin brother. Vera's next deadly installment hasn't yet been officially announced, but the success of Sutanto's best-selling Aunties series certainly points to more tales of murder."

It took me a while to warm up to Vera, but I stuck with it because my friend Anne Z. had given me the book. I am glad I did as it is both a good mystery and a warm-hearted story of unexpected friendships.

 

The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon

The Emerald Mile is a boat, a 17-foot wooden dory to be precise. You have to row it with big oars. This particular boat lived more than one life, dying in a rapids of the Colorado River, retrieved from the town dump, and rebuilt with some modifications by Kenton Grua. Two times, Grua set the speed record for going down the Grand Canyon with this boat. Although author Kevin Fedarko calls this the story of the fast ride through the canyon, it is so much more. It is about everything related to the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon: it's first discovery by Spanish explorers in the 16th C, Powell's initial traverse of the canyon, the remarkable span of history revealed in the canyon's geology, the river's tumultuous behavior that spurred engineers for the Bureau of Reclamation to try to control it with massive dams, the people who fought to save its wild nature, and the elegant wooden dories brought to the canyon by Martin Litton that all the boatmen (and women) admire. You will learn about the ground breaking engineering that went into building both the Hoover and especially the Glen Canyon Dam, and you will also learn--along with the Bureau of Reclamation--that even these enormous structures could not fully control the wild Colorado. You'll meet some of the people who loved the canyon and river so much that they made it their life's work. As Publishers Weekly  succinctly points out, "Grua's wild ride on the Colorado, how it mirrored his mercurial personality, is just one part of Fedarko's story; however, the river, which runs through seven states, and the canyon, rich in both geological and political history, prove to be the real protagonists." This is the very best kind of non-fiction, incredibly well-researched as well as accessibly and beautifully written; many reviewers spoke of the poetic descriptions. I loved this book and often had a hard time putting it down. Whether or not you're an aficionado of rivers and boats, you'll find this book fascinating. Kirkus reviews says it best, "An epic-sized true-life adventure tale that appeals to both the heart and the head."

Text is followed by an interview with the author, pages of photographs, a lengthy Acknowledgement, detailed notes and sources, a bibliography, and finally, an index.  The quotes that precede each chapter are absolutely spot on, from Shakespeare to Wallace Stegner to Edward Abbey.

An interview on NPR with author Fedarko is here.

Someone to Watch Over Me

Ace Atkins was chosen by the Robert B. Parker estate a decade ago to continue Parker's "Spenser" series; this is the latest of the "Robert B. Parker's Spenser" novels by Atkins. For the most part, I would say he maintains the characters, action, settings and dialog. I did, however, in this book run across a piece of dialog that was from characters in another series (Virgil Cole & Everett Hitch) that was just jarring when uttered by Spenser.  Dialog has always been so key to the charm of the Spenser series and defines both individual characters and relationships between them. 

Here is the plot summary from the Robert B. Parker website. "Ten years ago, Spenser helped a teenage girl named Mattie Sullivan find her mother's killer and take down an infamous Southie crime boss. Now Mattie—a college student with a side job working for the tough but tender private eye—dreams of being an investigator herself. Her first big case involves a fifteen-year-old girl assaulted by a much older man at one of Boston's most prestigious private clubs. The girl, Chloe Turner, only wants the safe return of her laptop and backpack. But like her mentor and boss, Mattie has a knack for asking the right questions of the wrong people.

Soon Spenser and Mattie find ties between the exploitation of dozens of other girls from working class families to an eccentric billionaire and his sadistic henchwoman with a mansion on Commonwealth Avenue. The mystery man's wealth, power and connections extend well beyond Massachusetts - maybe even beyond the United States. Spenser and trusted ally Hawk must again watch out for Mattie as she unravels a massive sex-trafficking ring that will take them from Boston to Boca Raton to the Bahamas, crossing paths with local toughs, a highly-trained security company, and an old enemy of Spenser's—the Gray Man—for a final epic showdown."

Publishers Weekly offers a less than laudatory review, calling this book a "tepid...contribution" to the Spenser series. However, Library Journal asserts that "Parker keeps kicking in Atkins's capable hands." I did enjoy meeting new character Mattie and she may develop into an interesting character on her own. The person who recruits the teenagers for the wealthy billionaire is indeed formidable. The billionaire is obviously a stand-in for Jeffrey Epstein.

All Shot Up

 Chester Himes is one of the less famous but well-regarded authors of hard-boiled detective fiction. He is best known for his "Harlem Detective" series that features two Black detectives, Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones. They write their own rules, but always with the good of the Harlem community at heart. 

This essay by S. A. Cosby in the New York Times, celebrates what Himes' writing meant to so many readers. Publisher Penguin Random House offers this introduction to Himes' career and work. "Chester (Bomar) Himes began his writing career while serving in the Ohio State Penitentiary for armed robbery from 1929 – 1936. His account of the horrific 1930 Penitentiary fire that killed over three hundred men appeared in Esquire in 1932 and from this Himes was able to get other work published. From his first novel, If He Hollers Let Him Go (1945), Himes dealt with the social and psychological repercussions of being black in a white-dominated society. Beginning in 1953, Himes moved to Europe, where he lived as an expatriate in France and Spain. There, he met and was strongly influenced by Richard Wright. It was in France that he began his best-known series of crime novels—including Cotton Comes to Harlem (1965) and Run Man Run (1966)—featuring two Harlem policemen Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson. As with Himes’s earlier work, the series is characterized by violence and grisly, sardonic humor." 

They also provide a brief plot summary for this book, the 5th installment in the Harlem Detectives series. "... Coffin Ed Johnson and Gravedigger Jones investigate a series of seemingly unrelated, brutal crimes. A gold Cadillac, about as large as an ocean liner, rocks a woman to the pavement in the cold streets of Harlem. Three goons in cop uniforms heist a small fortune and leave an important politician dead. All told eight bodies stack up over the long, bloody weekend, but they won’t spoil in this weather. And Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson have to follow the trail of brutal violence, perversion, and cold murder—and avoid getting caught in the fray."

The Sparrow and the Peacock

This book won an Edgar for "Best First Novel by an American Author" and was on the best book of the year lists for NPR and The New Yorker. Author "I.S. Berry spent six years as an operations officer for the CIA, serving in wartime Baghdad and elsewhere. She has lived and worked throughout Europe and the Middle East, including two years in Bahrain during the Arab Spring" (author's website). 

Here is the laudatory review from Publishers Weekly with a brief plot summary. "Berry's stint as a CIA officer lends a palpable veracity to this outstanding debut thriller. In 2012, 52-year-old CIA veteran Shane Collins is assigned to Bahrain's capital city of Manama during the Arab Spring uprisings there. His career is circling the drain, but his young station chief, Whitney Mitchell, is a star on the rise. In order to collect information that proves Iran is fueling the local revolution, Collins has riskily embedded a local agent in a volatile rebel group. Then Collins attends a gala where he's struck by a massive mosaic and again by the beautiful artist who created it, Almaisa. Shane begins a lengthy pursuit of Almaisa, and before long, he's juggling new love, a budding conscience about his work, and bloody complications with his revolutionary informant. The plot's many twists will captivate readers, and Berry's gorgeous prose is its own reward, with echoes of Le Carré and Graham Greene..."

I wasn't engrossed in the book, not the plot, not the characters. But the author certainly captures the setting well and offers insights into procedural espionage tactics to a greater degree than in most spy novels.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries

This book by Heather Fawcett is not really an encyclopedia, although protagonist Emily Wilde, who has a PhD in Dryadology, is struggling to finish the one she is writing. This is a debut novel for adults by Fawcett who has previously written fantasies for children and young adults. This is the first in what is now a series of three "Emily Wilde" books.

Booklist opens their review: "Dr. Emily Wilde is a scholar visiting the remote Scandinavian nation of Ljosland to study the Hidden Ones, a species of faerie. She is joined by her faithful dog, Shadow, but otherwise is on her own to focus on her work until her Oxford [sic; it's actually Cambridge] colleague, the affable and too-handsome Dr. Wendell Bambleby, shows up..." and they conclude with this praise, "Told entirely through entries in Emily's research journal, Fawcett's first novel for adults is propelled by the voice of curmudgeonly Emily, whose hard outer shell slowly melts in the face of friendship. The full cast of characters, well-developed faerie lore, and pervasive sense of cold add depth to the delightful proceedings, which include scholarship, yes, but also danger and a hint of romance. Emily is an Amelia Peabody in snowshoes, and readers will be utterly charmed."

Publishers Weekly is somewhat less enthusiastic in their review: "In Fawcett's slow-moving but atmospheric debut adult fantasy... a socially awkward Cambridge professor heads to the frost-coated fictional country of Ljosland in an alternate 1909 where tangling with faeries is commonplace. The tale is presented as the journal of dryadologist Emily Wilde as she documents her research for the eponymous encyclopedia. These journal entries work well at giving readers a window into the voice and personality of an extremely introverted and detached heroine, but they don't make the aloof, academic Emily any easier to root for." But they still conclude, "In Fawcett's slow-moving but atmospheric debut adult fantasy (after YA Even the Darkest Stars), a socially awkward Cambridge professor heads to the frost-coated fictional country of Ljosland in an alternate 1909 where tangling with faeries is commonplace. The tale is presented as the journal of dryadologist Emily Wilde as she documents her research for the eponymous encyclopedia. These journal entries work well at giving readers a window into the voice and personality of an extremely introverted and detached heroine, but they don't make the aloof, academic Emily any easier to root for."

Similarly, Kirkus' review is more measured but finishes by saying, "A somewhat uneven novel that will nevertheless charm readers of cozy fantasies." The Guardian was positive: "A thoroughly charming academic fairytale, complete with footnotes and a low-key grumpy romance. "

 The New York Times praises the book: "Fawcett’s characters are delightful: Emily is meticulous, ornery and as oblivious to human mores as she is conversant in fairy ones, while Bambleby’s almost preternatural charm endears him to everyone. But there’s real loss and deep feeling in what could have been, in a different project, entirely about their push-and-pull dynamic. Fawcett’s sketches of academia and scholarship are sharply observed, and her depiction of fairies and their ways is often harrowing. The journal structure cultivates a careful rhythm alternating habit and surprise, and it all comes together in a delicious and satisfying whole."

I come down on the "charming" side and thought the characters and setting were well developed.

The Murder of Mr. Ma

This is the debut novel for John Shen Yen Nee, but co-author S. J. Rozan has numerous titles to her credit.  The two protagonists of this tale were actual people...who lived 1200 years apart. Judge Dee is based on Di Re Jie (630-700 CE), who was made into the protagonist of a mystery series (Judge Dee) by author Robert van Gulik in the 1940's and 1950's. Apparently, there is also a "Detective Dee" film series. Lao She was the pen name of Shu Qing Chun, an intellectual who navigated the Boxer Rebellion and died during the Cultural Revolution. In 1924, Lao She wrote Mr. Ma and Son, a father-son duo who, while living in London, confronted the duality of a British fascination with cultural artifacts and fear of a "yellow peril." Interesting pairing. What is even more interesting to me is that, although John came up with the idea and general plot line for the book, S.J. Rozan did all the research and writing. Living Kung Fu master teachers.choreographed the fight scenes in this book. 

Publishers Weekly says of the book, "a bewitching series kickoff that cleverly riffs on the Holmes/Watson dynamic" and concludes their brief plot summary with this recommendation: "The intricate plot, which is bolstered by vivid period detail and playfully riffs on real-life figures in Chinese history (including Lao), is enhanced by healthy doses of humor and well-orchestrated action. Readers will be clamoring for a sequel."

Here is Library Journal's review: Rozan and Nee "create a distinct sense of time and place in this brisk adventure. Lao She teaches Chinese at a London university in 1924 and leads a peaceful life--until Bertrand Russell sends for him. Lao anticipates a quiet discussion about China. Instead, he's sent to jail to impersonate Judge Dee Ren Jie, who was accidentally swept up when police arrested a group of Chinese agitators. After the pair stir up trouble and cause a riot, Dee involves Lao in his plans to solve a murder. Dee served in the Chinese Labour Corps in France in the Great War. One of his former compatriots, a merchant, has been murdered. Then two more Chinese men are killed, all with a butterfly sword. Along with Lao, Dee enlists a shopkeeper, a British thief, and a group of urchins in his investigation. Lao narrates their adventures as Dee impersonates a street legend, "Springheel Jack, the Terror of London," swinging from lampposts and launching himself across rooftops in search of a killer. VERDICT Fans of the Sherlock Holmes canon will appreciate this fast-paced, exciting novel."

Watch the official book launch and meet the authors, the Kung Fu master and see a "lion dance." There is an interview with both authors from the LA Public library

Harbor Lights

I have read at least half a dozen of James Lee Burke's books, most recently Every Cloak Rolled in Blood. As in that novel, many of the stories collected here deal with the evil and cruel nature of some humans, the supernatural, and unexpected protagonists. I think the review from Booklist sums up the contradictions. "There are so many joys in this new short-story collection from the author of the Dave Robicheaux mysteries...Though the plots diverge, they all share a darkness, a sadness, a feeling of desperation, and, also, a quiet belief in the power of everyday heroes. These stories... are as richly detailed and beautifully rendered as Burke's novels... this collection is a real treat for fans of the author." Publishers Weekly asserts that "Burke, best-known for his Edgar-winning Dave Robicheaux mystery series, proves his versatility as a storyteller in this textured collection...These impressive stories establish that Burke doesn't need a whodunit plot to catch a reader's attention." Kirkus concurs, saying "Eight stories...continue the author's career-long project of expanding the mystery genre to include bigger crimes like slavery and deeper mysteries like the nature of evil."

In summary, Library Journal offers, "Award-winning mystery writer Burke's (Dave Robicheaux series) eight-piece story collection shines, from the atmosphere found while cherry picking in a northwestern Montana orchard to the smell of summer watermelons in the South. Beneath all the vivid scenery of pewter skies and heavy rainstorms, the tales are full of depictions of the great evil and adult cruelty at work in the world, blending ancestry and history with more recent days. In the title story, set in New Iberia, LA, in 1942, a young son on a business trip with his father witnesses the impact of his father's affair. "The Wild Side of Life" explores the "blood for blood" culture at a Southern prison farm. "Strange Cargo" describes how true Southerners, whether soldiers, professors, or sheriffs, still do business, good or bad, by a handshake. These stories, while filled with dark themes, are bright with descriptive natural features, spanning from before the Civil War to more modern times, offering a look into the battlefield history of the South and how it remains alive. VERDICT For Burke's many fans and those who enjoy Southern tales."

Dead Mountain

This co-written novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child is a fictionalized account of an actual event that took place in 1959--the disappearance and death of nine experienced winter hikers-- that has yet to be solved. Preston wrote an article about this story and it was later collected into his book, The Lost Tomb. The authors have moved the action from the Ural Mountains of Russia to the present day and the Manzano Mountains of New Mexico . This book is the 4th of a series by Preston and Child featuring archaeologist Nora Kelly and rookie FBI agent Corrie Swanson. 

Swanson and Kelly are called in after a pair of fraternity brothers on a drunken joy ride crashed their car and took shelter in a cave; there they discovered an ancient skeleton and petroglyphs. When the forensic team and the archaeologists arrive, they discover that in addition to the native American artifacts, there are two relatively recent skeletons in the back of the cave that turn out to be two of the nine the students who went missing back in 2008 while on a winter hiking trip. That leaves just one body, so the case records show, who is yet to be located. Multiple complications arise as Nora works with the nearby tribe to whom the relics should be returned for a sacred burial. And then Nora's brother Skip gets cross-wise with a vengeful local sheriff who is seeking re-election and cares only about the publicity this discovery will bring him. Moreover, as they get closer to figuring out where the last body--the trip's official journalist and photographer --might be, powerful people and institutions do everything to stop them, including killing them if necessary.

The Winter Sea

When I first saw the length of this book, I was a bit daunted, but once I started, I could hardly put it down. Author Susanna Kearsley tells a story within a story, Her protagonist, Carrie McClelland, is a successful writer of historical novels and has come to the northwest coast of Scotland, both to visit her agent, Jane, who has a new baby, and also to pursue her research on a book she wants to write about the Jacobite effort in the spring of 1708 to bring the younger James back from exile in France to take his rightful place as their king. Carrie decides on Jane's advice to tell the story from a woman's viewpoint and so Carrie creates Sophia, an orphan who has been taken in by a distant relative, the Countess of Slains Castle, which Carrie has chosen for the setting of her novel. In fact, Carrie has rented a cottage in the town closest to the ruins of that castle to inspire her writing. "The chapters are intermingled throughout the book with numerical designations such as chapter 1, 2, 3, etc. for the present and Roman numerals for the historical segments such as I, II, III, etc." (NY Journal of Books).

I love the way that the New York Review of Books opens their summary and review. "The Winter Sea ... is a creative tour de force. Sometimes an author catches lightning in a bottle, and Susanna Kearsley has done just that." They go on to conclude, "The title—The Winter Sea—is also quite moving. When Sophia is alone and worried that she will never see Moray [her husband] again, his Uncle Graeme reminds her that without the desolation of winter there can be no ever-renewing hope of spring. It is a hard lesson about accepting the bad in order to appreciate the good, but it is a lesson worth learning and relearning throughout life."

Similarly, the Historical Novel Society offers this praise, "Kearsley handles modern Scots dialects adroitly... Overall, skillful writing and research make The Winter Sea more historical novel than romance. Although Cassie’s choices are at times predictable, readers will not be disappointed in Sophia’s enthralling story. Highly recommended."

How to Solve Your Own Murder

I have not read anything by Kristen Perrin previously as she wrote for a middle grade audience, but I certainly enjoyed her adult debut with it's very dual plot lines. Solving a cold case disappearance may well help to solve a present day murder.

Publishers Weekly wrote a laudatory summary and review: "Perrin's twisty debut revolves around a challenge issued from the grave. In 1965, Frances Adams develops a lifelong fear of being killed after a fortune teller at an English country fair warns her that "all signs point toward your murder." Decades later, a now-wealthy Frances summons her great-niece, Annie, to discuss her will in the sleepy village of Castle Knoll, even though the 25-year-old aspiring mystery novelist has never met her eccentric aunt. Minutes after Annie arrives at the estate with Frances's lawyers, they discover her dead body slumped behind the desk in her library. Frances's will states that she expected to be murdered, and that the first person to solve the crime within a week will inherit her assets and property; if no one cracks the case, it all goes to an unpleasant real estate developer. Annie leaps into action, quickly discovering that plenty of Castle Knoll locals have long coveted her late aunt's fortune. Perrin juxtaposes timelines, detailing Frances's provincial life in the 1960s while Annie's investigation grows increasingly treacherous in the present. The pace is quick, the red herrings are plentiful, and Annie's growth from timid wannabe writer to confident sleuth is beautifully rendered. Combining elements of Agatha Christie, Anthony Horowitz, and Midsomer Murders, this is a richly entertaining whodunit from a promising new talent."

Booklist elaborates on the character development. "Two of Annie's best features are her awareness of being an amateur sleuth and acknowledging that her mystery-writing might be a flawed foundation for finding a killer, even as she proceeds with conviction. The dual time lines are equally strong in exploring nuanced characters and in building tension around secrets, some possibly worth dying for, and the complex relationships are factored into both aspects."

Edge of the Grave

Robbie Morrison, Scottish born and bred, wrote what was intended to be a series featuring protagonist Jimmy Dreghorn, a detective in a special squad of the Glasgow police department. To my knowledge, there is only one sequel, Cast a Cold Eye, nor could I find an author website. You can find information about him on Amazon and Wikipedia. I think the "Tartan noir" (Scottish authors) could give the "Scandi-noir" a run for its money in creating crime fiction; although, this book does, at least, offer glimpses of humor.  Set primarily in 1930's Glasgow, there are chapters that fill in Jimmy's background, both when he was a teen and when he was in WWI. His partner Archie McDaid,  is brawny and Dreghorn frequently refers to him as "Big Man," whereas Archie refers to his partner as "wee man." Jimmy is also the only police officer of Catholic upbringing in a force that is almost exclusively Protestant. It is a time when that still mattered and even the numerous and vicious gangs that rule the streets are either Catholic or Protestant. DI Dreghorn and Sgt. McDaid are part of a team specially picked by the new Chief Constable to address the rampant gang violence. When the book opens, they have been called to the scene of domestic abuse, with the wife beaten senseless and the small child murdered. The husband is loosely affiliated with one of the gangs and so Dreghorn and McDaid put pressure on the gang's leader, "King Billy," to help then find him. He agrees on the condition that Jimmy will look for Billy's sister who disappeared 20 years ago.

The pair are also the first on the scene when a body is pulled from the Clyde River near one of the shipyards that have been the foundation of Glasgow's economy; since the end of the Great War, many of the yards have been idled and many men are now out of work. The victim turns out to be the son-in-law of the owner of the largest shipyard in Glasgow and the wealthiest man in the City, Sir Iain Lockhart. Lockhart detested the man his daughter had married. "The deceased's widow, Isla, was Jimmy's doomed first love, and the investigation draws him back into his past, when he was a young boxer training under her father. Jimmy's instincts are dangerously muddied by complicated loyalties as the investigation reveals a criminal tangle of serial murder, blackmail, and child trafficking that bridges the gap between the gangland underworld and high society" (Booklist).

There is a very interesting Q & A with Robbie Morrison where he discusses the influences on his writing, and Morrison also provides a great "Author's Note" at the end of the book that indicates what is fact and what is fiction in this story.

Alias Emma

Ava Glass is a pseudonym but she does, nevertheless, have a website.  Christi Daugherty (her real name) also has one. There are already two sequels published in the series: The Traitor and The Trap.
The review and plot summary from Library Journal are more than adequate. 

"Glass (the pseudonym for an already internationally best-selling novelist) introduces Emma Makepeace, a new-era British spy whose quintessentially English alias facilitates blending into London, the most surveilled city in Europe. In the last two weeks, four government-protected Russian scientists were publicly assassinated with the efficiency and audacity of the Russian military spy agency GRU. The message: GRU knows the locations of dissidents in London and can strike with impunity. Unless the Agency intervenes, GRU will attack another set of scientists, planning to kidnap their son, Michael, to draw them out of hiding. Emma must make contact with Michael, convince him to accept protection, and deliver him to Agency headquarters--no easy task. Once on the run, this duo must cross London unseen by the Ring of Steel of CCTV cameras, now in the hands of GRU hackers. For 12 hours, Emma leads Michael through alleys, sewer tunnels, and back channels that don't appear in any guide book. The 12-hour time line propels the narrative. VERDICT Perfect for a single-sitting read, Glass's thriller (the first in a planned series) is an adrenaline-fueled tour of clandestine London. What's next for Emma Makepeace? More, please."

Publishers Weekly calls the book a "superb debut" and concludes their review by saying, "Intense, cinematic action propels this terrific old-fashioned thriller neatly brought up to date. Glass is off to an impressive start." The Washington Post praises it as "a fast-paced thriller in the spirit of Ian Fleming, with a very modern twist." The Guardian concurs. "Emma is an appealing character, smart and resourceful, and Glass deftly works her backstory into this high-octane, warp-speed thriller without missing a beat. Suspend disbelief and enjoy."

2034: A Novel of the Next World War

This speculative fiction novel is written by noteworthy co-authors. "Admiral Jim Stavridis, USN (Ret.) spent more than thirty years in the US Navy, rising to the rank of four-star admiral. He was Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and previously commanded US Southern Command, overseeing military operations through[out] Latin America." Elliot Ackerman's "books have been nominated for the National Book Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He is both a former White House Fellow and Marine, and served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart."They clearly have a formidable background in military strategy and operations at the highest levels, making this a "chillingly authentic" and "disturbingly plausible" story of arrogance and miscalculation that leads to irreparable outcomes. 

Publishers Weekly offers this summary review. "American war ships in the disputed waters of the South China Sea come upon an incapacitated trawler carrying advanced Chinese technology. The plane of a Marine pilot testing new stealth capability is remotely hijacked and delivered into Iranian hands. A Chinese defense attaché on assignment in the U.S. executes a plan to decimate the American Navy and cripple the nation’s cyber infrastructure. A U.S. deputy national security adviser at odds with his superiors must use his ethnic connections to negotiate a peace, even as an ever-escalating series of attacks engulfs American and Chinese cities in nuclear fire. The authors do a fine job depicting the human cost of geopolitical conflict, though they avoid the hardware emphasis of most military thrillers..."

Kirkus suggests that "This compelling thriller should be required reading for our national leaders and translated into Mandarin." And, to top it all off, the authors have written a sequel, 2054.

The Mars House

I thoroughly enjoyed this speculative/ science fiction set on the planet Mars in the 6th-generation colony of Tharsis.  Author Natasha Pulley does an outstanding job of creating a new world, a new world order, and new human beings. After decades of living on a planet with gravity only a third of planet earth's, the population has grown significantly taller. When most of the original colonies from various countries on earth are wiped out in an early catastrophe, the emerging survivors were the Chinese, and so Mandarin is the official language of the colony, although many do speak English. Power has become concentrated in the hands of the "great houses," in particular, the house of Gale and the house of Song. The Consul who runs the colony is from the latter and one of our main characters is Senator Gale. Climate refugees from all parts of earth are fleeing to Tharsis and this, not surprisingly, creates a distinct us vs. them mentality among the Tharsians. These incomers are called Earthstrong and are forced to wear a metal cage that limits their movements as, due to their greater strength from living in earth's gravity, they can easily break bones or kill the long-term colonists by accident. The refugees live in poor housing and have no rights as citizens and are eligible only for the hardest and most dangerous work. Should they decide to "naturalize," they gain all the rights of citizenship--if they survive. At the very least, the process is disabling, leaving many in wheelchairs or with brain damage. Senator Gale is campaigning for the Consul position on a "forced naturalization" platform, which would require all immigrants to undergo the process. 

Our protagonist, "January [Stirling], once a principal dancer for the London Royal Ballet, is now a factory worker and refugee in Tharsis...When a live interview between Gale and January proves disastrous for both, Gale presents January with a solution: accept an in-name-only marriage with them to bolster their election, and January can live his life as a full citizen without naturalization. January accepts and finds that the person he married is not the xenophobic horror he thought" (Library Journal). Their review goes on to conclude that the book is "Exquisitely layered and entertaining..."

Publishers Weekly says, "...Pulley introduces some truly complex ethical and political questions. Even better, she refuses to offer black-and-white answers, and never loses sight of her characters' empathy and humanity. The worldbuilding is carefully considered, linguistically nuanced, and technologically fascinating. The unlikely love story between January and Gale, who, like all Natural Martians, is genderless, is the cherry on top. Their romance is touching in its simplicity--stripped of all the politics and advanced technologies involved, they are two people who find themselves drawn closer together as they realize that, though their opinions may differ, their core belief in human decency is the same. With dark humor and a gift for making the complex accessible, Pulley gives readers much food for thought" 

Kirkus adds that author Pulley "... explore[s] topics of political interest today: climate change, immigration, gender, political corruption." and concludes that the book is "Full of charming details and gender-bending gallantry, this imaginative thriller is a pleasure to read."

The Stars Turned Inside Out

This is a 2nd novel from author Nova Jacobs -- and isn't that a perfect name with the title of this book

(nova means "a star showing a sudden large increase in brightness and then slowly returning to its original state over a few months.") In this book the title--as best I can tell--refers to the experience of falling in love. The setting is the CERN laboratories and campus on the Swiss/French border, where the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) resides. One of the central characters is Eve Marsh, a postdoc there and falls in love with a new postdoc name Howard Anderby who is assigned to her "group" that is looking for new particles. Howard's claims to fame are these: he's a brilliant astrophysicist and thinker, his aunt was one of the key designers of the LHC, and he has just spent a year working in China, which is attempting to build a significantly larger LHC.When Howard is found dead from radiation poisoning inside the LHC underground tunnels, puzzles abound. The LHC was supposedly shut down at the time for maintenance. He somehow got into these secure tunnels without ever passing through one of the security checkpoints. What was he doing there in the first place--was this suicide or murder. Part of the problem lies with the underfunded security systems at CERN which only take still pictures of the LHC tunnels every 60 seconds, rather than providing contuous video coverage. So someone else could have been in the tunnels if they were very quick. 

To avoid negative publicity, the CERN director brings in private investigator and good friend from Cambridge days, Sabine Laroux. Through interviews, Sabine uncovers plenty of professional rivalries and resentments. To thicken the soup, it turns out that Howard had discovered evidence of China having access to reams of data from the LHC's "Atlas" collector, so he may have been targeted from outside the campus. Publishers Weekly calls this an "engrossing whodunit" and concludes their review by saying, "Jacobs bestows even minor characters with such convincing motives that the plot's momentum never slows, no matter how complex things get. Golden age mystery fans will love this."

Booklist offers, "Jacobs ...elevates the death-in-the-workplace trope to staggering heights in this science-based thriller that fuses physics and philosophy in mind-bending ways....As her high-minded cast of characters seeks the answers, Jacobs delves into subjects as deep as the nature of the universe and the space-time continuum and as quotidian as romantic love and professional jealousy, giving careful readers much to contemplate." In their brief review, the Wall Street Journal gushes, "Many and wondrous are the charms of this witty, suspenseful and enchanting book..." The Los Angeles Times opens their interview/ review by quipping, "Who knew particle physics could be so bewitching?"

There is a conversation with Nova Jacobs on You Tube.

 

Among the Living

This is the newest release (Feb. 2024) of horror and fantasy author Tim Lebbon, an author new to me; I am a fan of some fantasy but not so much horror.  I would also characterize this book as speculative fiction, i.e., near possible future scenarios. Set in our world, now in advancing climate change, we encounter two teams with opposite goals. One is a team of 4 rare mineral prospectors, exploring areas that were previous inaccessible before the planet warmed up, and the other team of 3 are eco-activists, trying to prevent further destruction of a dramatically changing world. On team 1 is Dean, whose growing unease about what they are doing causes him to send an email to former friend Bethan, a member of team 2;  team 2 is not on the same island by chance, but due to Dean's warning. It reminds me of "The Body Snatchers," except, instead of aliens from another world, the threat comes from within our own. I'll let Publishers Weekly offer a further summary in their review.

"Combining a plausible existential threat with vivid depictions of a forbidding landscape, Lebbon (The Last Storm) crafts an expert work of ecological horror. In the near future, catastrophic climate change has so devastated the planet that America’s drought-afflicted farming belt is now known as the Desert. The demand for new sources of rare-earth minerals leads four experts to the Arctic’s Hawkshead Island, where they’ve identified a cave system that could yield riches. But when they enter, the researchers encounter an unusual group of mummified human remains, apparently tens of thousands of years old. Despite every indication that the bodies are long dead, one of them, whose head is in “an impossible position,” appears to move, sending the expedition members fleeing for their lives. When three of the four emerge from the caves, they meet another team, this one comprising activists and ecoterrorists, who are concerned that the intrusion may have unleashed a contagious intelligent disease that could kill every human on Earth. Lebbon skillfully exploits the very real concern that melting permafrost could release deadly viruses to create a nail-biting scientific thriller worthy of Michael Crichton. Readers will be wowed."

The New York Times brief review recommends it. "This novel is wildly entertaining. The ragtag band of survivors must traverse dangerous, unpredictable terrain full of snow bears and sinkholes, all while fighting creatures that emerge from the ground. The tension and violence are as aggressive as a revving engine here, but Lebbon’s timely message — that hurting our planet is hurting ourselves — is just as loud."