A Few More New Books and the Continuing of Bill's Author A - Z

A bit cooler today but still a nice spring day. Glad we haven't had the snow that the East has been experiencing. I'm kind of miffed again today as Nicolle Wallace is still on vacation so another substitute host for Deadline: White House. Mind you, a pretty good host today as from what I've read John Heilmann will be the host today.  Enjoy your family time, Nicolle!

I'm a bit tired this afternoon. I went to the gym at the base and it tuckered me out. Mind you, how I get so tired standing around the water fountain looking fit is beyond me. :0)

Anyway, yesterday I dropped off a few books at my local, Nearly New Books and found a few others that flesh out some series, plus one new book.

New Books

1. Sharpe's Siege by Bernard Cornwell (Sharpe #18). This is one of those series where I ultimately hope to have the complete collection. I've read the first ten or so and they have pride of place on our built-in's in the lounge. This is the 18th book in the series.








"The invasion of France is underway, and the British Navy has called upon the services of Major Richard Sharpe. He and a small force of Riflemen are to capture a fortress and secure a landing on the French coast. It is to be one of the most dangerous missions of his career.

Through the incompetence of a recklessly ambitious naval commander and the machinations of his old enemy, French spymaster Pierre Ducos, Sharpe finds himself abandoned in the heart of enemy territory, facing overwhelming forces and the very real prospect of defeat. He has no alternative but to trust his fortunes to an American privateer - a man who has no love for the British invaders."

2. The Pekin Target by Adam Hall (Quiller #10). I've been slowly collecting this spy series. I will admit that I've yet to try the first one but if I don't sooner, I will in June.








"In Peking ("Pekin" in British usage) the crowds gather for the funeral of the Chinese Premier. Quiller reports it: "The British delegates formed a short line along the side of the catafalque as their leader placed the Queen's wreath carefully against it; then suddenly the sky was filled with flowers and the bloodied body of the Secretary of State was hurled against me by the blast as the coffin exploded."

3. The Race by Clive Cussler (Isaac Bell #4). This is the one series by Clive Cussler that I've managed to try so far and both books have been fast-paced adventure / thrillers. 









"It is 1910, the age of flying machines is still in its infancy, and newspaper publisher Preston Whiteway is offering $50,000 for the first daring aviator to cross America in less than fifty days. He is even sponsoring one of the prime candidates-an intrepid woman named Josephine Frost-and that's where Bell, chief investigator for the Van Dorn Detective Agency, comes in.

Frost's violent-tempered husband has just killed her lover and tried to kill her, and he is bound to make another attempt. Bell has tangled with Harry Frost before; he knows that the man has made his millions leading gangs of thieves, murderers, and thugs in every city across the country. He also knows that Frost won't be only after his wife, but after Whiteway as well. And if Bell takes the case, Frost will be after him, too"

4. Caught by Lisa Moore (CanCon). CBC has been showing a thriller series after Murdoch Mysteries on Monday nights. It's based on this book by Canadian author, Lisa Moore. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the book store had a copy. 







 "It’s June, 1978, and David Slaney can be sure of only one thing. He can’t get caught; not this time. He’s escaped from prison and has got to make good on the heist that went wrong, win back the woman he loves, and make a big enough profit to buy himself a new life. First, though, he must get himself across a vast country full of watchful eyes, booby traps, and friends who might be foes.

Here are bravado and betrayal, bad weather and worse seas, love, lust, undercover agents, the collusion of governments, innocence and the loss thereof, and many, many bales of marijuana. Here, too, is the seeming invincibility of youth and all the folly that it allows."

Now to continue with my Author's A - Z list.

Author's A - Z

Rosemary Aubert

a. Rosemary Aubert. Back when I first moved to the Comox Valley, before I met Jo and she moved here to spend the rest of our lives together, I used to quite often on a Saturday walk downtown to my favorite bookstore at the time, ABC Books. Whew! That was a run-on sentence. One of the authors who piqued my interest was Canadian / American writer, Aubert. I discovered her first book in her Ellis Portal mystery series, Free Reign. It was a unique story and it got me reading others in the series. Portal is an interesting character, once a judge in Toronto who has a nervous breakdown and now lives in a hobo city in the city. He finds himself slowly getting back into society and involved in many mysteries. There are currently six books in the series. I've read the first three and have recently discovered that there were more books in the series. So here are descriptions of the books I've already read.

Free Reign (1997).

"Ellis Portal, hero of Rosemary Aubert's intelligent mystery Free Reign, is not your average P.I. Once a lawyer and a judge, Portal fell from grace, landing first in a mental ward and then in jail before ending up on the streets. Still, life as a bum hasn't dulled Portal's investigative wits, and when he discovers a severed hand wearing a ring identical to one he and four other friends also own, he finds himself back in the fray and on the trail of a killer."

The Feast of Stephen (1999).

"Ellis Portal, the disgraced former judge, returns to investigate several pre - Christmas deaths in Toronto, seemingly from exposure to the cold, in which all the victims turn out to be courtroom habitus with verses from the Bible in their possession."





  

The Ferryman Will Be There (2001).

"When a famous film director is murdered - and his teenage daughter disappears - police detective Matt West realizes he'll need former judge Ellis Portal's help on this case. Ellis is the only man who knows the netherworld of Toronto well enough to find the girl. Having lived as a homeless man himself, Ellis understands how the desperate survive - and knows where to find them." 






The other books in the series are -
- Leave Me By Dying (2003)
- The Red Mass (2005)
- Don't Forget You Love Me (2007)

Jane Austen (1775 - 1817)

b. Next on my list alphabetically would by Jane Austen. I have read one of her books, Pride and Prejudice. I won't go into her too much other than to say I've purchased various editions for Jo as she is her favorite author. But if you've never heard of Jane Austen, you've probably been living in a bubble. If you have been living in a bubble her catalogue is listed below.

- Sense and Sensibility (1811)
- Pride and Prejudice (1813)
- Mansfield Park (1814)
- Emma (1815)
- Northanger Abbey (1818 posthumous)
 - Persuasion (1818 posthumous)
- Lady Susan (1871 posthumous)

A.C. Baantjer

c. A.C. Baantjer. A.C. Baantjer is a Dutch writer of detective fiction who lived from 1923 - 2010. He is most noted for his police inspector DeKok series. The series ran from 1992 - 2004. Around 23 of the 60 books have been translated into English. I have read two so far and have two more on my bookshelves.

DeKok and the Somber Nude (#5) (1992).

"This latest installment of the internationally popular Inspector DeKok series finds the gray sleuth dealing with a most gruesome murder.

'The oldest of the four men turned to DeKok, “You’re from homicide?”

DeKok nodded. The seasoned inspector wiped the raindrops from his face, bent down gingerly, and carefully lifted a corner of the canvas. Slowly the head became visible: a severed girl’s head. DeKok felt the blood drain from his face, his stomach turning into an icy cold pit. “Is that all you found?” he asked.

“A little farther,” the man answered with sad disbelief, “is the rest.”

Spread out among the dirt and refuse were the remaining parts of the body: the arms, the long, slender legs, and the petite torso. There was no clothing.'

DeKok faces death as an inevitable part of life, but when things turn this macabre, it’s a hard reality to stomach."

DeKok and the Death of a Clown (#22) (2004).


"While investigating a high-stakes jewel theft, Inspector DeKok is called to check out the death of a clown found floating in a raft down the canal, an enormous knife protruding from its back.

Without the slightest trace, a unique, antique jewel collection disappears from a house along the Gentlemen’s Canal. As DeKok begins the investigation, his assistant, Vledder, receives a call regarding a dead clown at the foot of Crier’s Tower. The connection of the crimes initially eludes him, but DeKok’s profession, his calling, pushes him toward the answer."

The other two books I have are -

DeKok and the Dead Harlequin (#6) (1993).

"This latest Baantjer mystery delves into a grotesque double murder in a well-known Amsterdam hotel. Inspector DeKok must unravel clues from two unexpected characters: a six-year-old girl who has trouble sleeping and a respected accountant who seeks DeKok's advice on committing the perfect crime. In a surprising twist, DeKok meets with the murderer and tries everything possible to prevent the man from giving himself up to the police. Risking the anger of his superiors, DeKok goes so far as to disappear in order to prevent the perpetrator from being found. With Dead Harlequin, Baantjer has created yet another intelligent, absorbing tale."

DeKok and the Geese of Death (#20) (2004). 

"In The Geese of Death, DeKok takes on Igor Stablinsky, a man accused of bludgeoning a wealthy old man and his wife. To DeKok’s unfailing eye the killing urge is visibly present in the suspect during questioning, but did he commit this particular crime?

All signs point to one of the few remaining estates in Holland. The answer lies within a strange family, suspicions of incest, deadly geese and a horrifying mansion. Baantjer’s perceptive style brings to light the essences of his characters, touching his audience with subtle wit and irony."

I do think this series has some of the best covers I've seen. 

Well, there you go. The latest update and some new ideas for you. Take care!