June 2019 Reading Summary

I finished two books this morning to make my June total 11 books. Watching the Blue Jays about to lose their first game of the weekend, unless Smoakie can drive in a run and tie the game up. *fingers crossed*. Bonnie is hearing every noise outside today and growling and barking. She really wants to go outside and have a sound off. Oh well, game over.

Anyway, here is my June Reading Summary

June 2019

General Info              June               Total
Books Read -                11                   70
Pages Read -               3,500             21,700

Pages Breakdown
    < 250                          6                   30       
250 - 350                        1                   16
351 - 450                        1                   14
   > 450                           3                   10

Ratings
5 - star                            1                     4
4 - star                            7                   38
3 - star                            3                   28
2 - star                           

Gender
Female                           3                   30
Male                               8                  40

Genres
Fiction                           3                     9
Mystery                         6                   48
SciFi                              1                     7
Non-Fic                         1                     5
Classics                                                1           
Poetry                           

Top 3 Books

1. Night by Elie Wiesel (5 stars)












"I've just finished Night by Elie Wiesel, the true story of how he and his family were taken from their home in Sighet, Transylvania, along with all of the other Jews of his town, to Auschwitz, in 1944. As I think about what I've read, today's news headlines state the following; 'Trump Vows Mass Migrant Arrests Starting Next Week', 'Trump Plans to Turn the 4th of July into a Political Rally in Honor of Himself', 'Ocasio - Cortez - Trump Detention Centers 'exactly' like Concentration Camps'. Those are just US headlines.

What to say about this short, succinct book? It's terror, plain and simple. Scarier and harder to conceive than any horror story. The evil of people to just dismiss another group as animals, nothing more. It's scary and even scarier as it seems the lessons may not have been learned and that we are just as capable nowadays of doing the same thing.

As I mentioned, it's a short story but a story that grabs you viscerally and holds you tight until you can't breathe. Elie Wiesel was not even 16 when he and his family were put on a train and taken to Auschwitz. When they got there, he and his father were separated from his mother and sisters and never saw them again. He and his father survived Auschwitz and then the trip to Buchenwald in winter and his father died there.

It's a terrible story but it's a story that needs to be read and believed and thought upon. There is deep within mankind this type of evil that is often stoked and brought to the surface. We need to learn from this book and others so we can fight it. Sorry for preaching. Just read it. (5 stars)"

 2. Natchez Burning by Greg Iles (4.5 stars)













"Natchez Burning is the 4th book in the Penn Cage series by Greg Iles. But for some reason, it's also the first book in his Natchez Burning trilogy (all of which make up the Penn Cage books too). At any rate, after reading this book, I didn't seem to have missed not reading the first three Penn Cage books. But my interest in this book will get me to delve back into those other books. Confused yet?

So, this book begins in 1964 with the murder of a black music shop owner in Natchez, Mississippi and others by a sect of the Ku Klux Klan, known as the Double Eagles. With this introduction we move to 2005 and the arrest of Tom Cage, a local doctor, and Penn Cage's father for the murder of Viola Turner, a woman who'd been his nurse and lover back in those same '60s. Viola, who had moved to Chicago after the events mentioned above, with the help of Tom Cage, had returned to Natchez, still under threat of murder by the Double Eagles, to live her last days. Tom Cage had been treating her for her cancer and upon her death, he has been charged, first with assisted suicide and then murder. This charge has been laid by Lincoln Turner, Viola's son, who also claims that Tom is his father.

Whew! That's just the beginning. Penn Cage, now mayor of Natchez, has now to try to find the truth about this from his father, who is reticent to tell him anything, all the while fighting off pressure from the local DA, Shad Johnson and also the sheriff, racist, redneck Billy Byrd. Of course, it's not that simple a story. This story will delve back into the past as Penn tries to find out the truth of the murders in the '60s, to break down who caused them, to fight the remnants of the Double Eagles, and their sons. He will require the assistance of local reporter, Henry Sexton, who has made it his life's work to find the truth; FBI agent Jim Kaiser, who is trying to make amends for the failure of the FBI to solve the crimes in the past; and also Kaitlin, publisher of the other local newspaper, and Penn's fiance, who also wants to get her own story.

And that's just touching the tip of the iceberg of this rich, engrossing, and at times, scary thriller and look at the troubling past of southern states like Mississippi. Iles has delved greatly into similar incidents in the past to create this fascinating story. It's so well written, it holds your attention right from the get-go. There is a large cast of characters that each share the spotlight in their own right, from those crusaders who want to expose the truth to those who want to continue their 'evil' work and to crush those who would dare to try to stop them.

While the ultimate ending wasn't totally satisfying, the story on the whole is rich, powerful and will keep you turning pages. I do know I'll be reading more books in the Penn Cage series. (4.5 stars)"

3. The Three Hostages by John Buchan (4.5 stars)















 "The Three Hostages is the 4th book in the Richard Hannay adventure / thriller series by John Buchan. It was originally published in 1924. I've read the complete series now and, maybe because it's the freshest in my mind, I think it was the best book in the series.

Hannay is living on his estate in the country in western Britain with his wife Mary and his young son Peter John. He is now trying to move on from his WWI experiences, to enjoy a retirement, but he is brought back to reality when he is advised of three kidnappings. He doesn't think he is appropriate to be involved in finding them but when he finds out that one is a young boy of similar age to Peter John, he changes his mind with encouragement from Mary.

Hannay agrees to assist. He returns to London and gets info; there are two related aspects. The three kidnaps; a young man, a young lady and the young boy. As well the intelligence services with his old friend, MacGillivary in charge, are trying to break up a criminal enterprise of major proportions. The timing of trying to rescue the kidnapped and breaking up the organization is critical as if they are too quick with one the other will be lost.

Hannay begins to investigate and along the way meets old friends from other books, especially Sandy Arbuthnot, who will play a major role in the resolution of the story. Hannay meets Medina, an English politician and attends a dinner along with Arbuthnot. Medina is popular with all except Arbuthnot who is suspicious. After the dinner, Hannay is drugged and an attempt by Medina is made to hypnotize and gain control of Hannay. This fails but Hannay now uses this action to continue investigating further into Medina and his organization.

The story moves along at a nice pace and finds Hannay moving throughout London and even to Norway as he searches for the kidnapped. He keeps MacGillivary somewhat out of the picture but with help from Arbuthnot (who even though keeping himself out of the picture as much as possible, plays a quite important role), Mary, and other old friends, he begins to gather more and more info.

It's a fascinating story, with hypnotism, black arts (somewhat) and a good old adventure. There is considerable tension and sufficient action, especially in the closing chapters, which are excellent. I'm almost glad that I saved this middle book until the end as it was excellent. There is another story, The Courts of the Morning, which features Hannay in a minor role, which I will also read. (4.5 stars)"

12 + 4  Challenge (completed 13)
1. Darker Than Amber by John D. MacDonald (4 stars)

Papa Bear Challenge (Books I've had the longest on my Goodreads bookshelf) (completed 9)
Nil

Mama Bear Challenge (Middle of my Goodreads bookshelf) (completed 11)
2. The Master of Rain by Tom Bradby (4 stars)

Baby Bear Challenge (Books most recently added to my Goodreads bookshelf) (completed 10)
Nil

Goldilocks Challenge (Random Number Generator (completed 10)
3. Natchez Burning by Greg Iles (4.5 stars)
4. Rumpole a la Carte by John Mortimer (4 stars)

Break from Challenge Challenge (Freebees every time I complete 10 books) (completed 5 books)
5. Human Croquet by Kate Atkinson (3.5 stars)

Freebies (including June Freebies)
6.Night by Elie Wiesel (5 stars)
7. The Red Dahlia by Lynda LaPlante (3.5 stars)
8. Warlord of the Air by Michael Moorcock (4 stars)
9. The Three Hostages by John Buchan (4.5 stars)
10. An Excellent Mystery by Ellis Peters (4 stars)
11. The Dark Crusader by Alistair MacLean (3 stars)

July 2019 Books Currently Reading

1. Brothers in Arms by H. H. Kirst
2. The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
3. Kolymsky Heights by Lionel Davidson
4. A Question of Blood by Ian Rankin
5. Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker
6. The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler

Night 2 of the Democratic Debates

Well, here I sit watching the 2nd night of the debates. It's already a bit scrappier than last night. oh, here they go, everybody wants to have a say... lol. Now children, please behave. Let Kamala speak! Oh, that was good. America doesn't want to witness a food fight, they want to have food on their tables.. *Bazinga*

So, while I'm watching, let's do a bit of an update. On Tuesday the missus flew over to England to visit family so it's me and the pups for the next little while. Yesterday the dogs and I took a drive around the local Little Free Libraries. I dropped off a few of the books I've already read and also found a few books. I also had a book arrive in the mail. I'll update that and also continue with my look at the Mystery Genre - American Cops.

So while Savannah Guthrie and her co-hosts try to control this unruly group of Democrats, let's take a look at books.

New Books

1. DeKok and Murder on the Menu by A.C. Baantjer (Inspector DeKok #1). I've read a couple of these mysteries set in Amsterdam and have enjoyed. Now to start at the beginning.










"On an old menu from the Amsterdam Hotel-Restaurant De Poort van Eden (Eden's Gate) is found the complete, signed confession of a murder. The perpetrator confesses to the killing of a named blackmailer. DeKok and Vledder follow the trail of the menu and soon more victims are found and DeKok and Vledder are in deadly danger themselves. Although the murder was committed in Amsterdam, the case brings them to Rotterdam, Edam and Maastricht, too."

2. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings (The Belgariad #1).












"Long ago, so the Storyteller claimed, the evil God Torak drove men and Gods to war. But Belgarath the Sorcerer led men to reclaim the Orb that protected men of the West. So long as it lay at Riva, the prophecy went, men would be safe.

But that was only a story, and Garion did not believe in magic dooms, even though the dark man without a shadow had haunted him for years. Brought up on a quiet farm by his Aunt Pol, how could he know that the Apostate planned to wake dread Torak, or that he would be led on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger by those he loved—but did not know?

For a while, his dreams of innocence were safe, untroubled by knowledge of his strange heritage. For a little while…

Thus begins the first book of The Belgariad, a magnificent epic of immense scope set against a history of seven thousand years of the struggles of Gods and Kings and men—of strange lands and events—of fate and a prophecy that must be fulfilled!"

3. The Shadow District by Arnaldur Indridason (Reykjavik Wartime Mystery #1). I've read some of Indridason's Detective Erlendur mystery series. I'm looking forward to trying this other series.










"A 90-year-old man is found dead in his bed, smothered with his own pillow.

On his desk the police find newspaper cuttings about a murder case dating from the Second World War, when a young woman was found strangled behind Reykjavík’s National Theatre.

Konrád, a former detective, is bored with retirement and remembers the crime. He grew up in ‘the shadow district’, a rough neighborhood bordered by the National Theatre and an abattoir. Why would someone be interested in that crime now? He starts his own unofficial inquiry.

Alternating between Konrád’s investigation and the original police inquiry, we discover that two girls had been attacked in oddly similar circumstances. Did the police arrest the wrong man? How are these cases linked across the decades? And who is the old man?"

4. The Skull Beneath the Skin by P.D. James (Cordelia Gray #2). James' Adam Dalgliesh mystery series is one of my favorites. There are two books in her Cordelia Gray PI series.










"Private detective Cordelia Gray is invited to the sunlit island of Courcy to protect the vainly beautiful actress Clarissa Lisle from veiled threats on her life. Within the rose red walls of a fairy-tale castle, she finds the stage is set for death."

5. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters. I have previously read Waters' Fingersmith and it was an interesting piece of historical fiction.











"It is 1922, and London is tense. Ex-servicemen are disillusioned; the out-of-work and the hungry are demanding change. And in South London, in a genteel Camberwell villa—a large, silent house now bereft of brothers, husband, and even servants—life is about to be transformed, as impoverished widow Mrs. Wray and her spinster daughter, Frances, are obliged to take in lodgers.

With the arrival of Lilian and Leonard Barber, a modern young couple of the “clerk class,” the routines of the house will be shaken up in unexpected ways. Little do the Wrays know just how profoundly their new tenants will alter the course of Frances’s life—or, as passions mount and frustration gathers, how far-reaching, and how devastating, the disturbances will be."

The debate is much feistier tonight. Hands waving, me, me, take me next... And people running on with their answers.. lol.. But still a good group. Go Kamala!!! We're about to start the second half with new hosts, 'Sleepy Eyed' Chuck Todd (sorry about that, consider a badge of honor to be mocked by the dumb doofus currently in the White House) and Rachel Maddow.

My Ongoing Look at the Mystery Genre - American Cops Part 7
In my last entry I looked at Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch mystery series.

Jeffery Deaver

1. Jeffery Deaver - Lincoln Rhymes. I will highlight another series of Deaver's in my next post. Deaver was born in Illinois in 1950 and has been a prolific writer for years. I will focus on his Lincoln Rhymes forensic crime series in this post. I bought my first book, The Bone Collector, while I was on the way to watching the movie and read a fair bit of it before it even started. I've since read a number of the books in this series, each as enjoyable as the last. Since 1997 he has written 14 books in this series.

a. The Bone Collector.

"In his most gripping thriller yet, Jeffery Deaver takes readers on a terrifying ride into two ingenious minds...that of a physically challenged detective and the scheming killer he must stop. The detective was the former head of forensics at the NYPD, but is now a quadriplegic who can only exercise his mind. The killer is a man whose obsession with old New York helps him choose his next victim. Now, with the help of a beautiful young cop, this diabolical killer must be stopped before he can kill again!" (4 stars)

 b. The Coffin Dancer.











 "Detective Lincoln Rhyme, the foremost criminalist in the NYPD, is put on the trail of the Coffin Dancer, a cunning professional killer who has continually eluded the police. Rhymes —-a quadriplegic since a line-of-duty accident — must use his wits to track this brilliant killer who’s been hired to eliminate three witnesses in the last hours before their grand jury testimony. Rhyme works with his eyes and ears, New York City cop Amelia Sachs, to gather information from trace evidence at the crime scene to nail him, or at least to predict his next move and head him off.

So far, they have only one clue: the assassin has a tattoo on his arm of the Grim Reaper waltzing with a woman in front of a coffin." (3 stars)

c. The Empty Chair.











"It's not easy being NYPD detective Lincoln Rhyme, the world's foremost criminalist. First of all, he's a quadriplegic. Secondly, he's forever being second-guessed and mother-henned by his ex-model-turned-cop protégé, Amelia Sachs, and his personal aide, Thom. And thirdly, it seems that he can't motor his wheelchair around a corner without bumping into one crazed psycho-killer after another.

In The Empty Chair, Jeffery Deaver's third Rhyme outing--after 1997's The Bone Collector and 1998's The Coffin Dancer--Rhyme travels to North Carolina to undergo an experimental surgical procedure and is, a jot too coincidentally, met at the door by a local sheriff, the cousin of an NYPD colleague, bearing one murder, two kidnappings, and a timely plea for help. It seems that 16-year-old Garrett Hanlon, a bug-obsessed orphan known locally as the Insect Boy, has kidnapped and probably raped two women, and bludgeoned to death a would-be hero who tried to stop one of the abductions.

Rhyme sets up shop, Amelia leads the local constabulary (easily recognized by their out-of-joint noses) into the field, and, after some Holmesian brain work and a good deal of exciting cat-and-mousing, the duo leads the cops to their prey. And just as you're idly wondering why the case is coming to an end in the middle of the book, Amelia breaks the boy out of jail and goes on the lam. Equally convinced of the boy's guilt and the danger he poses to Amelia, Rhyme has no choice but to aid the police in apprehending the woman he loves--no easy task, as she's the one human being who truly knows the methods of Lincoln Rhyme." (3 stars)

The remaining books are below (I'll highlight those I've read with a rating and those I have on my bookshelf with an asterisk) -
- The Stone Monkey (2002) (4 stars)
- The Vanished Man (2003) (4 stars)
- The Twelfth Card (2005) (4 stars)
- The Cold Moon (2006) (4 stars)
- The Broken Window (2008) *
- The Burning Wire (2010) *
- The Kill Room (2013) *
- The Skin Collector (2014)
- The Steel Kiss (2016)
- The Burial Hour (2017)
- The Cutting Edge (2018)
 
There you go. Still half an hour to go on the debate. Whew... I must say I don't mind Marianne Williamson, she's quite dynamic. Quite a few shots aimed at Mr. Biden tonight. 

Enjoy the rest of your week and for those celebrating, Happy Canada Day Weekend!!

A Quick Friday Post

It's been a relatively busy week for we retirees... :0).. The dogs have been to the groomers, I've donated blood, Jo and I did a big shop yesterday, the car was in for a summer tune-up this morning and Jo had been cooking something that smells great today; boeuf bourguignon. We just finished watching Deadline Washington and now we're both relaxing for a bit, enjoying the slight breeze blowing if through our patio doors.

I've finished two more books since my last entry and have started two more. I'll update those and continue with my look at the Mystery genre: American cops.

Just Finished

1. Night by Elie Wiesel. What a simple but powerful story!












"I've just finished Night by Elie Wiesel, the true story of how he and his family were taken from their home in Sighet, Transylvania, along with all of the other Jews of his town, to Auschwitz, in 1944. As I think about what I've read, today's news headlines state the following; 'Trump Vows Mass Migrant Arrests Starting Next Week', 'Trump Plans to Turn the 4th of July into a Political Rally in Honor of Himself', 'Ocasio - Cortez - Trump Detention Centers 'exactly' like Concentration Camps'. Those are just US headlines.

What to say about this short, succinct book? It's terror, plain and simple. Scarier and harder to conceive than any horror story. The evil of people to just dismiss another group as animals, nothing more. It's scary and even scarier as it seems the lessons may not have been learned and that we are just as capable nowadays of doing the same thing.

As I mentioned, it's a short story but a story that grabs you viscerally and holds you tight until you can't breathe. Elie Wiesel was not even 16 when he and his family were put on a train and taken to Auschwitz. When they got there, he and his father were separated from his mother and sisters and never saw them again. He and his father survived Auschwitz and then the trip to Buchenwald in winter and his father died there.

It's a terrible story but it's a story that needs to be read and believed and thought upon. There is deep within mankind this type of evil that is often stoked and brought to the surface. We need to learn from this book and others so we can fight it. Sorry for preaching. Just read it. (5 stars)"

2. The Three Hostages by John Buchan (John Hannay #4).











"The Three Hostages is the 4th book in the Richard Hannay adventure / thriller series by John Buchan. It was originally published in 1924. I've read the complete series now and, maybe because it's the freshest in my mind, I think it was the best book in the series.

Hannay is living on his estate in the country in western Britain with his wife Mary and his young son Peter John. He is now trying to move on from his WWI experiences, to enjoy a retirement, but he is brought back to reality when he is advised of three kidnappings. He doesn't think he is appropriate to be involved in finding them but when he finds out that one is a young boy of similar age to Peter John, he changes his mind with encouragement from Mary.

Hannay agrees to assist. He returns to London and gets info; there are two related aspects. The three kidnaps; a young man, a young lady and the young boy. As well the intelligence services with his old friend, MacGillivary in charge, are trying to break up a criminal enterprise of major proportions. The timing of trying to rescue the kidnapped and breaking up the organization is critical as if they are too quick with one the other will be lost.

Hannay begins to investigate and along the way meets old friends from other books, especially Sandy Arbuthnot, who will play a major role in the resolution of the story. Hannay meets Medina, an English politician and attends a dinner along with Arbuthnot. Medina is popular with all except Arbuthnot who is suspicious. After the dinner, Hannay is drugged and an attempt by Medina is made to hypnotize and gain control of Hannay. This fails but Hannay now uses this action to continue investigating further into Medina and his organization.

The story moves along at a nice pace and finds Hannay moving throughout London and even to Norway as he searches for the kidnapped. He keeps MacGillivary somewhat out of the picture but with help from Arbuthnot (who even though keeping himself out of the picture as much as possible, plays a quite important role), Mary, and other old friends, he begins to gather more and more info.

It's a fascinating story, with hypnotism, black arts (somewhat) and a good old adventure. There is considerable tension and sufficient action, especially in the closing chapters, which are excellent. I'm almost glad that I saved this middle book until the end as it was excellent. There is another story, The Courts of the Morning, which features Hannay in a minor role, which I will also read. (4.5 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. A Question of Blood by Ian Rankin (Inspector Rebus #14). It's been awhile since I last read a Rebus mystery and it's kind of like a pair of comfortable gloves; they just feel good when you put them on. This has been so easy and comfortable to get into.









"Two seventeen-year-olds are killed by an ex-Army loner who has gone off the rails. The mystery takes Rebus into the heart of a shattered community. Ex-Army himself, Rebus becomes fascinated by the killer, and finds he is not alone. Army investigators are on the scene, and won't be shaken off. The killer had friends and enemies to spare and left behind a legacy of secrets and lies.

Rebus has more than his share of personal problems, too. He's fresh out of hospital, but won't say how it happened. Could there be a connection with a house-fire and the unfortunate death of a petty criminal who had been harassing Rebus's colleague Siobhan Clarke?"

2. Darker than Amber by John D. MacDonald (Travis McGee #7). Another series I've neglected.











"Helping damsels in distress is nothing new for Travis McGee--it's basically how he spends his life. But this one was different right from the start. Tossed off a bridge with cement wired to her feet, dragged to safety by Travis and Meyer, she was a hot Eurasian beauty with a cold heart...ready to snare them in a murder racket to end all murders...."

(Editor's Addition)
I just went out to check the mail and two books have arrived. So before I continue with my Mystery Genre look, let's update those as well.

1. The Small Back Room by Nigel Balchin (1943).












"Sammy Rice is a weapons scientist, one of the 'back room boys' of the Second World War. A crippling disability has left him cynical and disillusioned - he struggles with a drink problem at home, and politics and petty pride at work. Worse still, he fears he is not good enough for the woman he loves.

The stakes are raised when the enemy begin to drop a new type of booby-trapped bomb, causing many casualties. Only Sammy has the know-how to diffuse it - but as he comes face to face with real danger, all his old inadequacies return to haunt him.

Can he, at last, prove his worth and put his demons to rest?"

2. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (Dark Rising #2). This is a new series for me.

















""When the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back, three from the circle, three from the track; wood, bronze, iron; water, fire, stone; five will return, and one go alone.”

With these mysterious words, Will Stanton discovers on his 11th birthday that he is no mere boy. He is the Sign-Seeker, last of the immortal Old Ones, destined to battle the powers of evil that trouble the land. His task is monumental: he must find and guard the six great Signs of the Light, which, when joined, will create a force strong enough to match and perhaps overcome that of the Dark. Embarking on this endeavor is dangerous as well as deeply rewarding; Will must work within a continuum of time and space much broader than he ever imagined."

The Mystery Genre - American Cops Part 6
In my last entry, I looked at Henry Chang's Detective Jack Yu mystery series.

Michael Connelly

1. Michael Connelly - Harry Bosch. American crime writer Connelly was born in Philadelphia in 1956, basically my age. :0) He's noted especially for his Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller mysteries but he has also written other books. I will be highlighting his Harry Bosch series. Since 1992 he has written 22 Bosch books. So far I've read 3 books in the series and have enjoyed them very much. Ive got a few more on my bookshelves to get to as well. I'll highlight the first 4 books

a. The Black Echo (#1 / 1992)

"The is the first book in the Harry Bosch mystery series. I have previously read one other but will have to try it again and read the series in order. I enjoyed this very much. I liked the methodical way the crimes were investigated; I like Harry Bosch; he's an old style cop, a smoker and a coffee inhaler, but he has strong values of right and wrong. He has been moved to Hollywood division as a punishment and finds himself investigating the murder of an old companion from the Vietnam War; a fellow tunnel rat. His investigation leads him to an old bank robbery and involved with the FBI, especially Agent Eleanor Wish. He is also being tracked by the LAPD's Internal Affairs as they try to find something to discredit him with. The case is interesting, it provides details about Bosch's past, his time in the Vietnam War and how it might relate to this case. Lots of tension, interesting characters and story-line and many twists and turns. Harry, from the TV show, and Harry in the book are similar and you develop great empathy with the character. I enjoyed this story very much and look forward to further exploring Harry Bosch's mysteries. (4 stars)"

b. The Black Ice (#2 / 1993)

"The Black Ice is the second book in Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch police mystery series. Bosch is a black sheep within the LA Police Department and continues to work out of the Hollywood Division after his demotion from Robbery and Homicide.

On call, Harry involves himself in the apparent suicide of a Police Detective from the Drugs division, Cal Moore. The investigation is taken from him by Assistant Chief Irving, an old foil who had been responsible for Harry's move to Hollywood. Even though he is told to back off, Harry is suspicious that it was a suicide and continues to investigate. His boss in Hollywood wants Harry to take over some investigations from another detective, an alcoholic who has just resigned. It's the end of the year and his boss, Lt Pounds, wants to clear up some cases. It turns out that two that Harry looks into might be connected to Moore. Drugs from Mexico might be involved and what is the link to Moore.
The investigation leads Bosch to Mexico. He works with a local police lieutenant there, Lt. Aguila, and also becomes involved with a DEA office investigation.

The story is a thoughtful one as we delve into Bosch's past and his relationships. It's an interesting story and mystery, with sound investigative work and sufficient action. I think I kind of sorted things out in my mind as the end approached. Still, all in all, I continue to enjoy this series. Bosch is a good cop, a bit of a lone wolf, a guy whose bosses find troubling but who is respected by his peers. Next book in the series is The Concrete Blonde and it's on my shelf waiting for me to try it. (4 stars)"

c. The Concrete Blonde (#3 / 1994)

"Edgar Award-winner Michael Connelly brings back Detective Harry Bosch in a breathtaking breakthrough novel, a supercharged thriller that thrusts us into a blistering courtroom battle and a desperate search for a killer who should already be dead. Harry Bosch is sure that the man he killed was the sadistic serial murderer known as the Dollmaker, and that the killing was justified. Even if the dead man's widow wins her civil suit, it's the city of Los Angeles that will pay. Harry has already been exonerated in an internal investigation. The trial - and Harry's certainty that he shot the right man - are torn apart when a corpse is discovered beneath the concrete floor of a building that burned during the L.A. riots. It's the body of a woman, and all indications are that this is another of the Dollmaker's victims. But the autopsy report is unequivocal: this woman was killed after Harry shot the man he believes was the Dollmaker. Into the L.A. night Harry takes his investigation. By day the trial continues excruciatingly, with the prosecuting attorney focusing on Bosch's violent past and portraying him as a vigilante murderer protected by his badge. By night he re-investigates the infamous Dollmaker case, frantically trying to understand where he went wrong - and what he can do to keep this murderer from carrying out his threats to make Harry his next victim."

d. The Last Coyote (#4 / 1995)









"Harry Bosch's life is on the edge. His earthquake-damaged home has been condemned. His girlfriend has left him. He's drinking too much. And after attacking his commanding officer, he's even had to turn in his L.A.P.D. detective's badge. Now, suspended indefinitely pending a psychiatric evaluation, he's spending his time investigating an unsolved crime from 1961: the brutal slaying of a prostitute who happened to be his own mother.

Even after three decades, Harry's questions generate heat among L.A.'s top politicos. And as the truth begins to emerge, it becomes more and more apparent that someone wants to keep it buried. Someone very powerful...very cunning...and very deadly."

The complete series can be found here.

Have a great weekend!

Mid - June and an Update

Well, here we are, another Monday. We had a nice weekend, the weather was a mite cooler. It's warm today but there is a bit of a breeze. I suppose I should be outside mowing the lawn but I think, instead, I'm going to vegetate and do an update here.

Since my update on Thursday, I've finished two books. I got one book in the mail, and I've started two books as well. I'll update these and also continue with my look at the Mystery genre - American cops.

New Books

1. The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (SciFi). A few months back I had a series of posts concerning song and book award winners from the year of my birth to the present. In one of the posts I first heard of Lois McMaster Bujold who won a Hugo award for her Vorkosigan saga. I've been checking for books in the series off and on since then and ordered this one (the 2nd book in the series) a few weeks ago. It does sound interesting.







"Discharged from the Barrarayan academy after flunking the physical, a discouraged Miles Vorkosigan takes possession of a jumpship and becomes the leader of a mercenary force that expands to a fleet of treasonous proportions."

Currently Reading

1. The Master of Rain by Tom Bradby (Historical Mystery).

"The Master of Rain is my first attempt at reading anything by Tom Bradby and I quite enjoyed. It's got a bit of everything, noir, foreign mystery, historical fiction, intrigue and enough action to keep you satisfied.

The book is set in Shanghai, China in 1926. Richard Field has newly arrived from England and finished training with the Shanghai police force, working with the Intelligence branch. A Russian prostitute has been viciously murdered and Richard is assigned to work with the criminal division, specifically American cop Caprisi and is partner, Chinese cop, Chen.  The whole dynamic of the city and interactions between the international community and the locals makes for a fascinating setting.

Richard must wend his way through competing factions; the heads of both Intelligence, Irishman Granger, and of Criminal, Scotsman MacLeod, both want to take over as head of the Police department when the Chief retires. Their staff don't trust each other, although there develops an excellent relationship between Field and Caprisi. The international community itself is very interesting, with its own hierarchy. Field's uncle is a member of the city council and another, Lewis, is the Taipan of the biggest company in Shanghai. You also have the locals, criminal Lu Huang controls the strongest gang in the city and is very influential in all of the city's activities, including prostitution. He is the first main suspect in the murder as the victim lived in his building.

Richard is attracted to another Russian woman who was the murder victim's neighbour. Let's see, what else? Let's just say that there is a lot going on and things move along at a very nice pace. The team investigate the murder and possible other related murders and also an international drug trafficking ring, putting their own lives in danger. It's all very fascinating and a unique story. I liked the characters, the setting, the historical perspective (an time and era that I know little about) and just the whole mystery. Excellent! (4 stars)"

2. An Excellent Mystery by Ellis Peters (Cadfael #11). Always an entertaining read.











"Having now read An Excellent Mystery by Ellis Peters, I've completed 12 books in the Cadfael historical mystery series and as always, have found the story to be entertaining and engrossing. Cadfael is an ex-Crusader, now a Benedictine monk who acts as herbalist / sometimes medical assistant at the Benedictine monastery at Shrewsbury. This 11th book in the Cadfael takes place in 1141, during the continuing struggles for the English throne between Empress Maud and King Stephen.

The battles themselves take place a distance from Shrewsbury in this story but one of the results is to bring two monks seeking refuge from the battles around Winchester. Brothers Humilis and Fidelus arrive and are given sanctuary at the monastery. Humilis is another old Crusader, who was injured seriously in the Crusades. Fidelus is a mute who has attached himself to Humilis as his care taker. Humilis's injuries are aggravated by the journey to Shrewsbury and it's evident to Cadfael and the Edmund who is basically the monastery doctor, that Humilis has not long to live and they want only to keep him in comfort.

Arriving also at the Monastery is Nicholas, a knight who has been participating in the battles, and was previously Humilis's squire. Due to his injuries, Humilis had called off an arranged marriage 3 years previously. Nicholas wishes Humilis's permission to ask for the lady's hand in marriage and it is granted.

This is the crux of the story, with Nicholas's journey first to ask her hand in marriage and then when it's evident she has disappeared, purportedly to become a nun, to find her. It's an interesting story all-around. Cadfael plays a relatively minor role through the first part as it involves Nicholas's quest, but as the story builds, he plays a more important role, especially when it actually comes down to solving the mystery. There is a side-story involving some other brothers, which could have been left out, I think, but it doesn't hurt the story to have it there.

The final twist, although I sort of had it figured out, was very interesting and different. One of my favorite Cadfael so far and I'm glad I still have a few left on my book shelf to enjoy. (4 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. Kolymsky Heights by Lionel Davidson. I've read a couple of other books by Davidson and enjoyed them very much.











"Kolymsky Heights. A Siberian permafrost hell lost in endless nights, the perfect setting for an underground Russian research station. It's a place so secret it doesn't officially exist; once there, the scientists are forbidden to leave.

But one scientist is desperate to get a message to the outside world. So desperate, he sends a plea across the wildness to the West in order to summon the one man alive capable of achieving the impossible ..."

2. Night by Elie Wiesel (Non-Fiction). I've seen this book many times in my wandering through book stores so I finally bought it. I've seen fantastic reviews. 










"Born in the town of Sighet, Transylvania, Elie Wiesel was a teenager when he and his family were taken from their home in 1944 to Auschwitz concentration camp, and then to Buchenwald. Night is the terrifying record of Elie Wiesel's memories of the death of his family, the death of his own innocence, and his despair as a deeply observant Jew confronting the absolute evil of man. This new translation by his wife and most frequent translator, Marion Wiesel, corrects important details and presents the most accurate rendering in English of Elie Wiesel's testimony to what happened in the camps and of his unforgettable message that this horror must never be allowed to happen again."

My Ongoing Look at the Mystery Genre - American Cops Part 5
In my last entry I looked at the books of C.J. Box and his park ranger, Joe Pickett.

Henry Chang

1. Henry Chang - Detective Jack Yu. Henry Chang was born and raised in Chinatown in New York City. He has written five books in his Detective Yu mystery series set in New York. I've read the first book so far and will look for more in this interesting series.

a. Chinatown Beat (2006). 












"What a great introduction to the Detective Jack Yu mystery series, Chinatown Beat by Henry Chang is. Jack Yu is a detective in the 0-Five Chinatown precinct. He is adjusting to the death of his father, leaving Jack without any other family members.

The story develops very nicely, introducing us to the setting, Chinatown in New York, and to the main characters; Mona, mistress to a Chinatown gangster, 'Uncle Four', who desperately wants to escape; Johnny Wong, the limo driver who loves Mona; and others such as Lucky Tat, an old acquaintance of Jack Wu's who now leads the Ghost Legion, a gang of killers.

Jack Wu first gets involved in the rape of a young Chinese girl. Mona is sorting out a way to get away from Uncle Four, who is very abusive. Johnny Fong also has dreams of escaping his life and becoming successful.

The way I've described it, makes it seem a very simple story. But there is an intricate richness and many intriguing sub-plots that tie the various stories together. The story, itself, is very gritty at times and as it develops, builds up a great head of steam to the ultimate ending. I like Jack Yu very much and enjoyed how his character and relationships grew over the course of the story. It's such a unique world for me and made the story even more fascinating. Well - written, excellent first story. (4.5 stars)"

The remaining books in this series are -
- Year of the Dog (2007)
- Red Jade (2011)
- Death Money (2014)
- Lucky (2017)

Well, there you go, something to start your week with. Have a great week!

Friday tomorrow!!

It's been a lovely Thursday. The past few days have been in the upper 20s but we've now got a nice cool breeze blowing. It makes it much more comfortable. The puppies have found it to be especially hot but tomorrow they are going to the cleaners for a shave and haircut... well, a bath and grooming but they will still feel much lighter and look like dogs, instead of sheep, again.

I've finished two books since my update on Sunday and made some good progress on the others. I'll update those and the books I've started since and also continue with my look at the Mystery genre, American cop series.

Just Finished

1. The Red Dahlia by Lynda La Plante (Anna Travis #2).












"The Red Dahlia is the 2nd book in the DI Anna Travis mystery series by Lynda La Plante. La Plante is also known for her Prime Suspect series and also various screen plays.

This story is about a serial killer who is following the Black Dahlia murder crimes that took place in the US many years previously. The murder investigation team is called to investigate a horrendous murder, where the body of a woman is discovered, having been terribly abused and cut in half. (Yes, quite disgusting). When the leader of the team collapses, Anna Travis's old boss, DCI Langton is called in to take over. Of course, naturally, tension is ever-present between the two, due to their previous relationship in the first book.

As the murder team conducts its investigation, they slowly are made aware of the similarities to the Black Dahlia case. The physical crime, the contact between the murderer and the press and also the police all follow the same pattern. They investigate the case trying to follow clues from the previous crime.

The killer is basically a ghost and there are not many clues. But slowly evidence is gathered and the team makes steady progress. A profiler is brought in from the US and this adds to the tension between Travis and Langton as Travis thinks the two are having a relationship. Anna, as well, develops a relationship with a reporter who is getting correspondence from the killer.

So that is the basic gist. It's an interesting case with many twists and turns. While the story does show that the police aren't perfect, at times they do such stupid things and as well there are the ongoing relationship problems which I find irritating in this story (sometimes anyway).

All in all, it's an engrossing, well-written story. The murders are disgusting and the reactions of the police are appropriate. I do like the team aspect of the murder investigation. There are many unlikable characters but there are reasons for it. The ending was ultimately reasonably satisfying. Not my favorite mystery series but still entertaining so far. I have another book in the series so will continue to explore it (3.5 stars)"

2. The Dark Crusader (AKA The Black Shrike) by Alistair MacLean. This was a reread for me.










"I read The Dark Crusader by Alistair MacLean when I was in high school, many, many years ago when I was on a MacLean reading jag. I loved his adventure / spy thrillers. They were full of action and had lots of twists and turns. (NB - be aware that this book was also published under the title The Black Shrike. I learned this the hard way when I bought both versions)

The Dark Crusader is neither MacLean's best book (I rank HMS Ulysses amongst his best) nor his worst (I think his later books belong in that category). It's just a tense, exciting story with lots of twists and turns. Barry Bentall, an English secret agent, returning from a mission is sent on another immediately by his boss, described as a dusty man in a small dusty office. Along for the ride is another agent, Marie Hopeman, who is to be his wife for the mission.

English scientists and their wives have been disappearing. They seem to have been responding to an advertisement placed in various papers for jobs in the 'scientific' field. Since Bentall worked with the last scientist to go missing he is chosen to try as his replacement. Things happen at a rapid pace. Bentall and Marie are kidnapped while flying to Australia, taken from their hotel and put on a tramp steamer. They escape from the boat into the Pacific in the midst of a storm and manage to land on a coral island. They are rescued there by an old archaeologist but there is more to it than it seems. This is Alistair MacLean after all.

The action continues as Bentall continues to investigate and discover an evil plot on the island. He manages to survive dog attacks, attacks by Chinese killers, etc. It's all lots of fun and games with Bentall spending considerable time criticizing his own ineptitude and lack of smarts but still manages to fight through these threats.

It's an entertaining book with a somewhat unsatisfying ending but for that it's worth trying as it's an easy, quick moving thriller. Nice to have tried again. (3 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. Brothers in Arms by Hans Hellmut Kirst. I have read 3 or 4 of Kirst's other books, most notably Night of the Generals. He's an interesting author.


"A retired police inspector delves into the past. His painstaking enquiries involve the frightened reactions of six old comrades who are shot to hell. Hitler broke their backbone once and for all."

2. The Three Hostages by John Buchan (Richard Hannay #4). I've enjoyed Buchan's Hannay series very much, starting with The Thirty-Nine Steps.











" After the war and newly knighted, Hannay is living peacefully in the Cotswolds with his wife Mary and son Peter John. Unfortunately, a day arrives when three separate visitors tell him of three children being held hostage by a secret kidnapper. All three seem to lead back to a man named Dominick Medina, a popular Member of Parliament. Hannay uncovers a dastardly plot involving hypnotism and the black arts, as well as the more earthly crimes of blackmail and profiteering."

My Ongoing Look at the Mystery Genre - American Cops Part 4

1. C.J. Box - Joe Pickett. CJ Box was born in Casper, Wyoming in 1958 and is the author of over 20 novels and short story collections. Of particular note is his Joe Pickett mystery series. Pickett is game warden in Wyoming. There are currently 19 books in this series. I've read one so far and enjoyed and have 3 others on my book shelves. Pickett is somewhat like Sheriff Longmire, with the stories having a bit of a wild west feel to them.

a. Open Season (#1 / 2001)












"Joe Pickett is the new game warden in Twelve Sleep, Wyoming, a town where nearly everyone hunts and the game warden--especially one like Joe who won't take bribes or look the other way--is far from popular. When he finds a local hunting outfitter dead, splayed out on the woodpile behind his state-owned home, he takes it personally. There had to be a reason that the outfitter, with whom he's had run-ins before, chose his backyard, his woodpile to die in. Even after the "outfitter murders," as they have been dubbed by the local press after the discovery of the two more bodies, are solved, Joe continues to investigate, uneasy with the easy explanation offered by the local police.As Joe digs deeper into the murders, he soon discovers that the outfitter brought more than death to his backdoor: he brought Joe an endangered species, thought to be extinct, which is now living in his woodpile. But if word of the existence of this endangered species gets out, it will destroy any chance of InterWest, a multi-national natural gas company, building an oil pipeline that would bring the company billions of dollars across Wyoming, through the mountains and forests of Twelve Sleep. The closer Joe comes to the truth behind the outfitter murders, the endangered species and InterWest, the closer he comes to losing everything he holds dear."

b. Savage Run (#2 / 2002).












"Savage Run by C.J. Box is the 2nd book in the Joe Pickett and my first exposure to Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett. I have to say I enjoyed very much, action, intrigue and a neat character, maybe a cross between Park Ranger Anna Pigeon and Sheriff Longmire... or maybe not.

I imagine I should have read the first book in the series first but it didn't seem to be all that critical as I was introduced nicely to both Joe and his family, Marybeth and their three daughters. This story starts with what seems to be an implausible bang, an environmental radical and his wife blown up when a cow explodes in front of them. But ultimately this won't seem so implausible and everything will make sense.

A mysterious person(s) has hired a pair of killers to get rid of a select group of environmentalists, with Stewie Woods the first. The main leader of the pair is an implacable killer, the other has doubts. Joe is involved only peripherally at first, assisting the local sheriff in investigating the explosion. The sheriff takes over and Joe is more involved trying to prove a local landowner, a nasty individual if I've ever seen one, killed an elk out of season, just for the head and antlers, and leaving the meat to rot.. This landowner is powerful and seems to have many connections.

The story moves between the killers as they take after the names on their list and Joe and Marybeth. It turns out that Marybeth knew Stewie from her past and she seems to be getting phone calls from someone pretending to be Stewie.

So there you have the gist of this entertaining story. Joe and the killers are drawn inexorably together as we near the climax and exciting finish. I guess it's a simple story in its own right but it was fun to read and to get to know Joe and his family somewhat. I will continue with the series. (4 stars)"

c. Winterkill (#3 / 2003).












"It's an hour away from darkness with a bitter winter storm raging when Joe Pickett finds himself deep in the forest edging Battle Mountain, shotgun in his left hand, his truck's steering wheel handcuffed to his right-and Lamar Gardiner's arrow-riddled corpse splayed against the tree in front of him.

Lamar's murder and the sudden onslaught of the snowstorm warns: Get off the mountain. But Joe knows this episode is far from over. Somewhere in the dense timber, a killer draws back his bowstring-with Joe as his prey.

Joe's pursuit of the killer through the rugged mountains that surround the snow-packed town of Saddlestring takes a horrifying turn when his beloved foster daughter is kidnapped. Now it's personal-and Joe will stop at nothing to get her back"

d. Endangered (#15 / 2015).









"Joe Pickett had good reason to dislike Dallas Cates, and now he has even more—Joe’s eighteen-year-old daughter, April, has run off with him. And then comes even worse news: She has been found in a ditch along the highway—alive, but just barely, the victim of blunt force trauma. Cates denies having anything to do with it, but Joe knows in his gut who’s responsible. What he doesn’t know is the kind of danger he’s about to encounter. Cates is bad enough, but Cates’s family is like none Joe has ever met."

The remaining books in the series are -
- Trophy Hunt (2004)
- Out of Range (2005)
- In Plain Sight (2006)
- Free Fire (2007)
- Blood Trail (2008)
- Below Zero (2009)
- Nowhere to Run (2010)
- Cold Wind (2011)
- Force of Nature (2012)
- Breaking Point (2013)
- Stone Cold (2014)
- Off the Grid (2016)
- Vicious Circle (2017)
- The Disappeared (2018)
- Wolf Pack (2019)

So there you go, folks. The weekend is almost here. Find a good book and weather permitting, sit out on your deck and relax. Enjoy!