I like the way Philip Kerr writes and I like his stories which are very noir. This one is set in Argentina in the early 1950s with all those ex-Nazis (and some not ex) with flashbacks to Germany just before the war. The protagonist is an ex-policeman with a hard head and a soft heart. I highly recommend it, and rate it A-.
November 9, 2009
November 5, 2009
House Secrets, by Mike Lawson
A thriller with an unrealistic plot [do all thrillers have unrealistic plots, by definition?]. A U.S. Senator with no moral scruples is backed by a gangster to commit murder to become President. Ok that part is not so unrealistic. Readable but not noteworthy. C.
October 30, 2009
Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child
Lee Child gets a lot of play as a writer of espionage fiction so I thought I’d give him a try. Unfortunately, his formulaic story line and bland style didn’t do anything for me. What a difference between he, Alan Folsom, and others of this ilk and the great writing of Joseph Kanon or Robert Wilson. Anyway, the story here is far-fetched and overly dramatic (just the kind that would make a good movie script); the hero is devoid of emotion. Not satisfying. C-.
October 26, 2009
A Death in Brazil, by Peter Robb
The author, who seems to be from Sicily, became fascinated with Brazil and has taken a number of journeys there over the years. His travelogue depictions are interspersed with a kind of journalistic reporting of the history of the country from the time of the Portuguese explorers to the present, from a cultural and political viewpoint. As there were not enough natives to enslave on the sugar plantations, they were imported from Africa by the millions (hence Brazil’s population is a heavy mix of African, local Indian, and European, and I learned my favorite Brazilian dish Moqueca has African origins). Much of the book covers Brazil’s corrupt political history. Interesting stuff, and his style fits the material well. Give it a B.
October 21, 2009
The Tehran Conviction, by Tom Gabbay
Another book about Iran (see the Peregrine Spy); this one has two timelines interwoven. One is in the early 50’s when the CIA conspires to ovethrow the fledgeling republic and re-install the Shah; the other is in 1979 when the Shah is overthrown by Khomeni’s supporters, and the embassy is taken hostage. Two people, the narrator who is a CIA operative, and a member of the Iranian government who he (somewhat) befriends link the timelines together. A good story with interesting historical background and as is so frequent these days, a knock on the CIA. I rate it a solid B.
October 16, 2009
Stardust, by Joseph Kanon
A great story, well researched, very suspenseful and well constructed (as are all Kanon’s books). The backdrop is Hollywood just after WWII when the “red menace” epidemic begins to show its ugly face. European emigrants, fresh from the nightmare of Hitler, now deal with a similar persecution by US Senators. The storyline involves the strange death of a brother, who may have been working for the Reds, the FBI, or both. I rate it A+.
October 12, 2009
The Devil’s Company, by David Liss
The year is 1722 and the British East India Company’s monopolistic trade in textiles is being threatened by the French who are in pursuit of a new invention (a weaving machine?) that would make use of new world cotton. Our unassuming hero finds himself entangled in the machinations and must unravel what turns out to be an overly intricate plot. So intricate unfortunately, that the reader looses track of who is on which side and what the score is. Nicely written, and interestingly evocative of the times, but with too many dead ends, confusing twists and left turns to no purpose.
October 9, 2009
Nobody Move, by Denis Johnson
Very different from ‘Tree of Smoke’ (National Book Award winner about intelligence officers in Vietnam era; I didn’t care for it). More like an Elmore Leonard novel involving less than swift criminals of one sort or another who get themselves into difficult situations. The story moves along but then (it seemed to me) ended quite abruptly – not satisfying. Give it a C-.
October 6, 2009
The Cavalier in the Yellow Doublet, by Arturo Perez-Reverte
Another harmless but entertaining short book in the Captain Alatriste series, as usual pockmarked with little poems. In this one, our hero and his narrator squire get enmeshed in a plot to kill the king of Spain, but of course save the day.
October 2, 2009
The Silent Man, by Alex Berenson
Another predictable techno- (not so) thriller in which the terrorists try to build a bomb, but are thwarted by our intrepid hero. I rate it D. (but I read it anyway).
