Just Finished
"Red Sparrow is a spy thriller by ex-CIA officer Jason Matthews and the first book in series of 3 books (so far anyway).
Dominicka Egorova is a Russian ballerina whose career comes to a crashing end when a jealous competitor shatters her leg. Dominicka manages to get a job with the Russian SVR (the new KGB) with some help from her uncle who is a senior member of the organization. After an incident involving a French bureaucrat in Moscow, she is sent to Sparrow school, to learn to become a seductress so she can blackmail foreign diplomats.
Nate Nash is a CIA operative working in Moscow. His big job is being the contact for a major Russian mole, code name MARBLE. After a close call during one meeting when Russian SVR agents almost capture MARBLE, Nash is sent to another assignment in Helsinki, Finland.
Because of this, the two protagonist's paths will now cross. Dominicka is sent to Helsinki to try and find out from Nate who the mole is. She will use all of her training to find out. This begins a fascinating story of spycraft, political intrigue, with an excellent exploration of the internal workings of both the US and Russian intelligence agencies.
The spy-craft itself, the following of agents without their awareness, the counter-measures, the information drops. The story is a slow burn but as it progresses you find yourself drawn more and more into the activities. I liked the use by the CIA of retired agents, seemingly harmless elders to monitor and track enemy agents. It's so very interesting.
There is of course a budding romance between Nate and Dominicka. There is constant tension. Will they be caught, with the Russians succeed in their efforts to discover MARBLE? The story moves from Moscow, to Helsinki, to DC, to Greece, etc. Great characters and a great suspenseful story.
There were little things I enjoyed as well. Dominicka has a quality where she sees emotions as colors which makes it interesting as she observes those around her. At the end of each chapter there is a recipe of one of the particular meals that the characters enjoy in that chapter. So even some culinary goodness for you. While it was a slow burn, all in all an excellent story. Looking forward to the 2nd book. (4 stars)"
Currently Reading
I moved to my Canadian Literature challenge for my next book with one by one of my favorite mystery writers, Margaret Millar.
"Jim and Daisy Harker are a young, well-to-do couple in San Felice, California and though childless they maintain the sort of domestic happiness that others can only aspire to. Despite this seemingly blissful existence a darkness exists at the outer edges of Daisy's mind and she has no idea why it's there. In a series of reoccurring nightmares, she wanders a cemetery, eventually finding her own gravestone. According to the dream, December 2nd is the day she dies!
Street smart but honorable, Steven Pinata is a man with his own mysteries. An orphan left on a church doorstep as a child, he's not even certain of his ethnicity, let alone his goals in life. As a private investigator he works with bail bonds and quick shakedowns but when a pretty young woman like Daisy Harker comes into his office with a crazy request 'to find her lost day' he is intrigued. He is too decent to take advantage of a crazy woman, but Mr. Harker is a wealthy man and who is Pinata to turn down money?"
Mysteries from Asia - The Middle East
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| Middle East |
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| Jenny White |
"I found some of the story arcs in this book confusing at times as I wasn't sure if we were in the present in the past. But I still enjoyed the story very much. I liked the era the story was told in, the late 1800's in Ottoman Turkey, the characters, especially Kamil Pasha, who is called upon to solve the murder of an English woman, and Sybil, the English ambassador's daughter, who helps Kamil with his investigation. I also liked the potential relationship, the physical tension that seemed to be developing between the two. There is so much going on, the intricacies of the Ottoman culture, the Young Turks trying to instill a European style parliament, and the mystery itself and its possible tie-in with a previous murder. Very enjoyable first book by Jenny White. I'll be looking for the other books in the series. (4 stars)"
"It's been a few years since I read the first book in Jenny White's Kamil Pasha historical mystery series; that being The Sultan's Seal. My standard excuse, too many books, not enough time... Also, I have to say, I've only seen her books online, not at my locals, anyway.
OK, enough of that... The Abyssinian Proof, the 2nd book, was also an excellent story. It's set in an exotic locale, Istanbul during the dying days of the mighty Ottoman Empire. The story starts in 1453 to introduce the holy item, called The Proof of God, that becomes the prime mover of the current story.
Kamil Pasha is a police inspector in Istanbul and he is tasked to solve a spate of thefts of historical, religious artifacts. His superior leads him to believe that his failure to do this might result in a negative impact to Pasha's career. Thrown into the mix of this story are a number of wonderful characters; the homeless boy, Avi, who becomes a useful assistant to Pasha, Elif, the troubled artist, who escaped Macedonia after the murders of her husband and son, and Omar, a police captain who provides humour and a crusty pragmatism as he assists Pasha in his investigations. There are other interesting developments that also make the story rich and fascinating (the community who live in the Sunken Village, and who the stolen Proof is so important to their religious life).
The story is almost to rich to describe in a few words. Istanbul is such an interesting city, peopled with a diverse culture, and with such a great history. The characters are all well-written and sympathetic and the mystery, itself, is unique and interesting. The story moves along at a nice pace and holds your interest. I developed strong feelings for many of the characters and felt happy and sad and angry as they did. It's an excellent story with neat religious aspects to it; such as those explored in other books, like Dan Brown's recent series. You can enjoy this without reading the first book, but you should work your way through the stories as each are excellent. Unfortunately only one more book in this series (so far anyway) and I'll have to get a copy of The Winter Thief. (4 stars)"
"December 1888. Vera Arti carries The Communist Manifesto in Armenian through Istanbul’s streets, unaware of the men following her. When the police discover a shipload of guns and the Imperial Ottoman Bank is blown up, suspicion falls on a socialist commune Arti’s friends organized in the eastern mountains. Special Prosecutor Kamil Pasha is called in to investigate. He soon encounters his most ruthless adversary to date: Vahid, head of a special branch of the secret police, who has convinced the sultan that the commune is leading a secessionist movement and should be destroyed—along with surrounding villages. Kamil must stop the massacre, but he finds himself on the wrong side of the law, framed for murder and accused of treason, his family and the woman he loves threatened."
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| D.A. Mishani |
"This is the first book in the Avraham Avraham mystery series, which is still in the early stages (2 books written so far). Avi Avraham is a police investigator working in Israel. Working the evening shift, a woman comes to the police station to report her son is missing. Avi persuades her to wait until morning, not being too enthusiastic about instigating an over night search and investigation. The next day he finds himself heading the investigation into the boy's disappearance. It's an odd, different type of mystery, featuring both Avi and a neighbour of the distraught family; a school teacher who instigates himself into the investigation and tries to establish a close contact with Avi. I don't think I've really read a mystery quite like this one. I enjoyed it, didn't necessarily warm to the main characters, just to Marianka, a police woman from Brussels (how did Avi get to Brussels you ask? Well, you'll have to read the story)... The second book was released 2013 and I will read, especially considering the ending to book 1.. (once again you'll have to read to see the ending.)... Enjoy! (4 stars)"
The other two books in the series are -
- A Possibility of Violence (2014)
- The Man Who Wanted to Know (2016)
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| Matt Rees |
"The murder of a leader of the Palestinian Martyrs Brigade leads to the arrest of George Saba, a Palestinian Christian accused of collaborating with the Israelis. Omar Yussef, a modest history teacher at a United Nations school in the West Bank, is impelled to investigate the murder to exonerate his former pupil, who he knows is innocent. As he struggles to save George, Omar Yussef is drawn into a complex plot where it is impossible to tell friend from enemy."
The other books in the Quartet are -
- A Grave in Gaza (2008)
- The Samaritan's Secret (2009)
- The Fourth Assassin (2010)
So there you go, folks. If your interested in mysteries set in exotic locations, try these out. Have a great week!
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