A Reading Update and the Spy Novel

I was going to go for my weekly walk this morning but let my mind talk myself out of it. 😁 I had the strangest dream last night and it seemed to go on forever, every time I woke up and then fell back asleep I returned to it. I blame Kumail Nanjiani for my dream. He was on Seth Myers' talk show last night and they were talking about life under the current quarantine. Kumail mentioned that its even affected his dreams, that now they are all reflections of what he watches on TV because that is his main frame of reference nowadays. So, back to my dream, I was in an airplane hangar with a bunch of other people and we were being threatened by a Tyrannosaurus Rex (Jurassic Park) that was being kept there. By the time I had had this ongoing dream a couple of times, I could hear it's breathing loud and clear. And as I recall, the dream was in bright, living colour. Quite creepy.

OK, so enough of that, even though just thinking about it again gives me the creeps. I finished one book yesterday, my sixth of May and I've now started another (I'll provide review and synopsis accordingly.) I'll continue with my look at the spy / thriller novel as well.

Just Finished

1. The Devil Rides In by Dennis Wheatley (de Richeleau #2). This the first book in May for my focus author, English horror / adventure author, Dennis Wheatley.









"The Devil Rides Out by Dennis Wheatley is the second book I've read by this author. It is the second in his de Richeleau series, even though it also states it's the first in his Black Magic series. As you read it you think, wow, this would have made a great Hammer horror film.. 

Well... check this out and you'll get the synopsis of the book as well.

Basically, de Richeleau, an exiled French royal living in England must try and save an old friend, Simon, from the clutches of a Satanist group, led by the evil Mocata, who want to use him (his solar signs make him perfect for their purposes) to summon a demon. de Richeleau and American, Rex, go to Simon's house and must battle these evil people to get Simon out. Along the way, Rex falls for beautiful Tanith, another pawn of Mocata. Even though they save Simon, it's not so easy. Mocata want Simon and will take him again, so he can acquire the amulet of Set. This will involve other friends, Marie and Richard Eaton and their young daughter, Fleur.

It's a relatively fast-paced story (with segments where Richeleau and his friends must figure out how to battle magic and set things up). The story moves from Simon's house, to a field where the Satanists have a lust filled orgy and try to summon the goat demon, to the Eaton's home and then finishes with a mad dash through Paris to Greece where the final battle takes place.

It's a pure magical thriller. Typically with these stories, the protagonists will do foolish things (separating so they are easier to catch) but that doesn't really take away from the story. It's about courageous actions, friendship, working together for a good cause. All in all, lots of fun with creepy, interesting paranormal and demonic activities. (3.5 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. The Secret War by Dennis Wheatley.











"1936. As Mussolini's troops invade Abyssinia the international situation deteriorates - and the armaments kings look forward greedily to even fatter profits. No one, it seems, can halt the carnage. Except perhaps the Millers of God, a group of wealthy individuals dedicated to the systematic execution of all those who feed off human suffering. Sir Anthony Lovelace doesn't approve of the organisation's methods. But when Christopher Penn and his beautiful fiancée call on his friendship, he too finds himself involved in a desperate gamble for the cause of peace."

The Spy / Thriller Novel - Dorothy Salisbury Davis

Dorothy Salisbury Davis

Dorothy Margaret Salisbury Davis was an American crime writer. She was born in Chicago in 1916 and died in 2014 in Palisades, New York. She is described as a crime / suspense writer but the one story I have read so far (I've had difficulty finding her novels) definitely has espionage elements to it, and was excellent. I'll highlight that and also the other two Davis books I've currently got on my bookshelf.

1. The Pale Betrayer (1965).

"I'm not sure where I heard of Dorothy Salisbury Davis, but I think The Pale Betrayer was listed in the back of another similar type story I read. The plot looked interesting so I ordered it and have finally got around to reading it. 

Sort of a simple plot, a scientist, a physicist who works in nuclear physics, returning from a conference in Greece is murdered on his way to his university labs to show a movie he had received from a Russian physicist. This is during the Cold War period, which adds one possible motive. As well, his friend, who may also love his wife, seems to have some involvement, as he might be being blackmailed. 

The story is a slow-burn, but from the beginning I liked some of the main characters; the police investigating the crime, the young female physicist student, Anne Russo, who the lead cop, Lt Marks, is taken with. All are interesting and I liked them very much. As well, Louise Steinberg, best friend of the wife of the victim is down-to-earth and adds nice colour. 

The story moves along at a nice pace and ultimately, gets you hooked and as the plot becomes clearer, even more enjoyable. I did like this and it was worth getting through the vagueness of the first few chapters to get into the story. Well worth reading. I think I will look up more of her books now. (4 stars)"

2. The Judas Cat (1949). This falls strictly into the mystery genre.

"For generations, bitter old Andy Mattson terrified the children of Hillside and puzzled his adult neighbors. How did the scowling old codger, who seemed to spend his life stroking his cat on the front porch, support himself? How did he pass the days? And why did he die such a gruesome death?

The police find Andy dead on his sofa, covered in blood, eyes wide with fear. The most likely suspect is the dead man’s cat, a howling beast that resembles a trapped badger. But as Chief of Police Waterman digs into the strange death, he finds that beneath Hillside’s sunny surface runs a river of hate. An old man was murdered, and it seems many people in town had motives to commit the crime."

3. Where The Dark Streets Go (1970).











"Father McMahon is struggling to write a sermon when a boy runs into his office. A man in his tenement is dying, the boy says, and it is too late for a doctor or the police. In the basement of the apartment house, Father McMahon kneels beside the blood-soaked man, who has been stabbed with a knife. The man asks for no absolution. He wants to talk of life, not death, and takes to his grave the identity of his killer—and his own.

No one in the neighborhood—not his lover or his friends—knows the man’s real name, where he came from, or why someone would want to kill him. But in his final minutes, he reveals one clue that sends Father McMahon, a cop, and a wealthy young woman down New York’s dark streets, where a killer is waiting to strike again."

The complete list of Dorothy Salisbury Davis's works can be found at this link.

The weekend will soon be upon us. Enjoy your Friday.