New Books and Reading Update....

Yesterday was a 'boon' day for receiving books; two that Jo bought me for our anniversary and two that I had ordered. I've already started one of them so I'll describe it with my currently reading section. I've also finished one more book in September. With all that initial discussion, let's get started.

New Books

1. The Hellfire Club by Jake Tapper (2018). Jake Tapper is one of the main hosts on CNN. He has also written a few other books. This was his first foray into fiction, this story being an historical political thriller. I'd looked at it for awhile and was very happy when Jo bought it for me.









"Charlie Marder is an unlikely Congressman. Thrust into office by his family ties after his predecessor died mysteriously, Charlie is struggling to navigate the dangerous waters of 1950s Washington, DC, alongside his young wife Margaret, a zoologist with ambitions of her own. Amid the swirl of glamorous and powerful political leaders and deal makers, a mysterious fatal car accident thrusts Charlie and Margaret into an underworld of backroom deals, secret societies, and a plot that could change the course of history. When Charlie discovers a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of governance, he has to fight not only for his principles and his newfound political career...but for his life"

2.  California Thriller by Max Byrd (Mike Haller #1 / 1981). This is a new series (for me anyway) that struck my fancy. He wrote three books in the series










"P.I. Mike Haller is on the case to find a newsman who suddenly went missing in Sacramento Valley. A tearful, boozy wife has paid him to find her husband, but someone else is attempting to dissuade him—using a .38 with Haller’s name and address on it. Packed with crime-stopping action, romance, and suspenseful twists and turns, California Thriller is an exhilarating journey full of snowballing leads and Mike Haller in a race to save thousands of lives."

3. Star Trap by Simon Brett (Charles Paris #3 / 1977). I've read one of the Charles Paris series so far and enjoyed. I've also enjoyed books in Simon Brett's Mrs. Pargeter and Fethering series as well.









Just Finished
I finished my third book of September, the 2nd Inspector Grace book. It was quite excellent.

1. Looking Good Dead by Peter Robinson (Inspector Grace #2). It's been a couple of years since I read the first book in this series. I'll read the next one a bit sooner I hope.










"Looking Good Dead by Peter James is the second book in his Inspector Roy Grace mystery series set in Brighton, England. If you like a tense, sometimes action-packed, gritty mystery, then you'll like this book.

Tom Bryce, a London-based businessman, sees a CD left on a seat in the train car he takes home to Brighton after work each day. He sees the man who dropped it but can't find him to return it. That night he checks it out to see if there might some clue to the owner so he can return it. This turns out to be a fateful mistake as the CD leads him to a website where he views a snuff film, a young woman murdered on camera. The CD can be tracked by the people making the film and this turns Bryce's life upside down.

Meanwhile, Inspector Roy Grace and his murder investigation team are investigating the murder of a young woman, whose body has been found in a field. Well, parts of her body have been found. The body is in pieces and her head is missing.

Thus begins a fascinating, fast-paced thriller. The tie-in between Tom Bryce and the dead body comes to light during the investigation. Bryce finds himself and his family under threat from the murderers. Grace's job is under threat from his boss, who is threatening to transfer him to the north of England due to a recent car chase accident which has received bad press.

Grace, after the disappearance of his wife many years ago, is only slowly getting his life back in order, even starting to date, this being to lovely pathologist, Cleo. We also get insight into the lives of his team, how their work affects the family lives, etc. Each member of the team is different and interesting.

We get a look into the lives of the Bryce's, their financial issues, Kellie's spending and drinking habits, etc. And we also are exposed to the murderers, their coldness and cruelty. The story moves quickly, the investigation is fascinating. The build-up is tense and interesting and the ending moves at a very fast pace.

I enjoyed this thriller very much. It read well and kept you turning pages to see how things would be resolved. I also enjoyed the development of relationships and look forward to seeing how they move along in future books. Excellent story. (4 stars)"

Currently Reading
I started one book when I finished Looking Good Dead and also decided to start one of my newest books when I saw it. It's currently my bedtime book.

1. The Space Vampires by Colin Wilson (1976). Back in February of this year, one of my book groups chose poetry for the monthly genre challenge. I decided to find a book of poetry from Canadian writer, Margaret Atwood and was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that a neat local online book store had a copy. Charles Purpora Books is just down the road from me and he keeps many of his books in small building beside his home. I'd been there once before to pick up books and went there this time to get my book of poetry. While I was there I took the opportunity to see if any other books might pique my interest. The Space Vampires was one of the ones I bought. I had another book by Wilson and this looked quite different.

"Far out in the asteroid belt, an alien spaceship of colossal dimensions is discovered. Initial investigations of its vast, Gothic interior reveal a number of humanoids preserved in a state of suspended animation. At last, there is real proof that intelligent life does exist in other galaxies. But when three of the beings are brought back to Earth, disaster strikes. The humanoids are discovered to be vampires, preying on people's life-fields and sucking the body's energy with a kiss of death. Suddenly one of the vampires--a female of extraordinary beauty and sexual allure--escapes. The desperate hunt to track it down soon develops into a psychic struggle for the survival of the human race."

2. Trumpocracy by David Frum (Politics / 2018). This was the other book I received from Jo for our anniversary. There are still a couple of others on the way as she tells me.. :) The book is by Canadian - born author, David Frum. I did a bit of reading up about Mr. Frum on Wikipedia and was surprised to discover that he is the son of Barbara Frum. Now I realize that she will be unknown to non-Canadians, and I guess even Canadians of a certain age. But back in the 80's she was one of CBC's top journalists. Consider American journalists like Diane Sawyer and Connie Chung and that would be Barbara Frum. Unfortunately she died quite young, at the age of 54 in 1992, a great loss to this country. As a matter of interest for you, I've posted a video of one of her broadcasts just to provide you with a touch of her style. Just wait for the 16 second intro from Peter Mansbridge.

Anyway, I apologize for my digression. David Frum who wrote Trumpocracy was born in Toronto in 1960. He still lives in Canada but also has spent much of his life in the US, including working in the Bush White House. Frum is a conservative and has written a number of books on that theme. This is his latest book. I started it last night and am already finding myself drawn into the subject.

"Bestselling author, former White House speechwriter, and Atlantic columnist and media commentator David Frum explains why President Trump has undermined our most important institutions in ways even the most critical media has missed, in this thoughtful and hard-hitting book that is a warning for democracy and America’s future.

"From Russia to South Africa, from Turkey to the Philippines, from Venezuela to Hungary, authoritarian leaders have smashed restraints on their power. Media freedom and judicial independence have eroded. The right to vote remains, but the right to have one’s vote counted fairly may not. Until the US presidential election of 2016, the global decline of democracy seemed a concern for other peoples in other lands. . . . That complacent optimism has been upended by the political rise of Donald Trump. The crisis is upon Americans, here and now."

Quietly, steadily, Trump and his administration are damaging the tenets and accepted practices of American democracy, perhaps irrevocably. As he and his family enrich themselves, the presidency itself falls into the hands of the generals and financiers who surround him.

While much of the country has been focused on Russia, David Frum has been collecting the lies, obfuscations, and flagrant disregard for the traditional limits placed on the office of the presidency. In Trumpocracy, he documents how Trump and his administration are steadily damaging the tenets and accepted practices of American democracy. During his own White House tenure as George W. Bush’s speechwriter, Frum witnessed the ways the presidency is limited not by law but by tradition, propriety, and public outcry, all now weakened. Whether the Trump presidency lasts two, four, or eight more years, he has changed the nature of the office for the worse, and likely for decades.

In this powerful and eye-opening book, Frum makes clear that the hard work of recovery starts at home. Trumpocracy outlines how Trump could push America toward illiberalism, what the consequences could be for our nation and our everyday lives, and what we can do to prevent it."

So there you go folks. Enjoy! I'm off to take the dogs for a walk to the mail box.. :)