An interesting story about a priest and his ability to maintain his celibacy as well as other conflicts within the Catholic church. Good invocation of Seville, now and in the past. It’s B-.
December 12, 2009
November 27, 2009
Box 21, by Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom
Another crime thriller from Sweden. This one is quite disturbing, dealing with sex slaves lured to Sweden from Lithuania. Swedes are known to be chauvinistic (maybe it’s the dreary weather). There is a sense of helplessness on the part of the police as well as the victims; they don’t have the tools to deal with the crimes, which touch them personally. The writing plods on, heightening the tension and frustration they feel. One of the authors is a journalist, the other lists himself as (former) criminal. Give it a B.
November 24, 2009
A Five -Year Plan, by Philip Kerr
Not like previous Philip Kerr novels I’ve read, this one is a supposed criminal type thriller, but not really very thrilling. Would make a good movie as it involves a hijack at sea. Dialog is ok but sometimes hokey. Give it a C+
November 21, 2009
The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson
Sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which is useful to have read previously. That was good, this is even better. A very complex mystery with many threads going at once, lots of side actions, along with social commentary on treatment of women and the mentally unwell, police procedures, and the press. Hard to put down. The writing has a journalistic style with little embellishment, but very effective. Give it a B+.
November 17, 2009
The Tears of Autumn, by Charles McCarry
Rogue spy proves that President Kennedy’s assassination was orchestrated by the family of the North Vietnamese president who was overthrown and eventually killed by US backed forces. So so. C+
November 16, 2009
April & Oliver, by Tess Callahan
April and Oliver are step-cousins that grew up together and were close in their formative years. For reasons not disclosed, Oliver turned out pretty straight-laced and April became self-destructive. Oliver went off to law school and returned home years later with his fiance. The sexual tension between Oliver and April is palpable. Kind of a heart-breaking story. Different, but nicely done. B.
November 9, 2009
A Quite Flame, by Philip Kerr
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 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.
