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| Bonnie back from a trip to the vet. A-OK! |
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| YOU CAN'T GO WITHOUT ME!!!! |
So, I finished my 3rd book in May yesterday. I'll provide my review and also the synopsis of the next one I'm starting. I'll also get back to my look at the Spy / Thriller novel; one author, two different series. One is set at the beginning of WWII and the other the beginning of WWI.
Just Finished
"Minette Walters has been one of my favorite standalone mystery writers since I discovered her a few years back. I rank her up there with Margaret Millar in my list of favorite mystery authors. The Echo, originally published in 1997, was no exception. It was a perfect little gem; well, almost perfect as I only rated it 4.5. But I could easily have rated it 5 out of 5.
The body of a drunk homeless man, Billy Blake, is discovered in the garage of a wealthy woman after he'd been in place for a few days. She is shocked by the discovery. The police investigation reveals that he seems to have just waste away, possible suicide. A reporter, Michael Deacon, doing an article on homelessness is tasked to interview the woman, Amanda Powell, to possibly provide a perspective for the story. She had paid for his cremation and burial and seemed to be interested in discovering more about Billy.
The beginning of the story features excerpts from a book (fictional, of course) about Unsolved Mysteries of the 20th Century, specifically about two missing men, Peter Jensen and James Streeter. What Michael Deacon begins investigating is whether these disappearances might be related to dead Billy Blake. His investigation becomes more interesting when he discovers that Amanda Powell is also Amanda Streeter.
We meet a fascinating cast of characters, including both Deacon and Amanda Blake. There is Terry a 14 year old homeless boy who lived with Billy (with a group of homeless persons) near Amanda's home who attaches himself to Deacon. There is Barry Grover, a strange reclusive employee of the same newspaper who helps Deacon with the investigation but also has his own secrets. There is Lawrence Greenhill an elderly lawyer who assists Deacon with legal issues and then there is DS Harrison who gets involved with the investigation. The characters all are well-developed and you find yourself drawn to them. And who is the mysterious lady who appears periodically in South Africa?
The story is a rich, textured tale and just so fascinating. The intricate ways Walters draws the various threads together makes it so appealing. The interactions between the characters are excellent and enhance the story. The ending was satisfying for the most part as well. I continue to enjoy Walters and I'm glad I still have stories of hers to read (4.5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"Black Magic is still practised in all the great cities of the world. This novel tells with macabre detail of a beautiful woman caught in a web of Satanists, of a young man brought to the verge of madness through his dabbling with the powers of evil.
As in Dennis Wheatley's The Forbidden Territory we meet the Duke de Richleau, Simon Aron, the Princess Marie Lou, and other characters. From London to the West Country, from the slums of Paris to a Christian monastery, the action of this powerful occult thriller moves with fantastic, compelling force.."
The Spy / Thriller Novel - David Downing
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| David Downing |
John Russell
"I was very pleasantly surprised by this mystery/ thriller. I rarely give 5 - star ratings to mystery/ thrillers, but this was an such an engrossing story. It's my first book by David Downing, the first in his John Russell series.
Russell is a British reporter living in Berlin just before WWII as the Nazis are consolidating power in the country and beginning to make waves in the world. He's a bit of a cynic, reporting on small items, making ends meet, living with his girl friend, German actress, Effi and spending time with his German son, Paul on weekends. While in Danzig gathering information for a news article, he meets a Russian spy who offers to pay him well to write a series of stories on Germany, a comparison between Communism and Socialism (and maybe also provide the Soviets with information useful to them).
Russell is also given a job teaching a Jewish family English, a family who are trying to gain exit visas from Germany (as are countless other Jews at that time). Russell finds himself becoming more and more involved in issues, trying to help the Jewish family, trying to avoid the Gestapo, and so on. It's a very well-written story and the development of Russell's character is carefully and well-crafted. I liked many of the characters; I think I've got a bit of a crush on Effi.
The story builds tension excellently, the story keeps you deeply engrossed. All in all, I'm glad I discovered this and look forward to continuing to see how Russell manages to survive in Nazi Germany as war becomes more and more of a given and also to see what other situations he will find himself in. Excellent!! (5 stars)"
"This is the 2nd book in the John Russell, wartime thriller/ spy series. This story starts with news reporter, John Russell, returning to Germany from a trip back home to the US with his son. He finds that his girlfriend, German actress Effi, has been imprisoned by the SD, the intelligence arm of the SS, for stating insults about Hitler. In fact, the imprisonment is to goad Russell into working for the SD by providing false information to the Russians. He readily agrees in order to get Effi out.
At the same time, he finds himself working for US intelligence, trying to contact potential agents for them and also, in his spare time, (that's a joke of course) trying to find a Jewish girl who had been sent to Berlin by her parents, but who has ended up missing. Action is non-stop in this thriller, much like the first and in many ways it's a bit of more of the same, but still excellent.
I like how Effi plays a bigger role in this story; her incarceration, making her even more aware of the inequities of the Nazi regime. The story moves to Czechoslovakia, Poland and even Russia as Russell plays the Germans against the Russians in an effort to keep his family safe and still help those in need. Well-paced and well-written (3.5 stars)"
"In the fall of 1941, Anglo-American journalist John Russell is still living in Berlin, tied to the increasingly alien city by his love for two Berliners: his fourteen-year-old son, Paul, and his long-time girlfriend, Effi. Forced to work for both German and American Intelligence, he's searching for a way out of Germany. Can he escape and take Effi with him?"
The remaining books in the series are -
d. Potsdam Station (2010)
e. Lehrter Station (2012)
f. Masaryk Station (2013)
Jack McColl
"I've read the first two books in David Downing's John Russell spy series set just before the beginning of WWII and enjoyed them very much. Jack of Spies is the first book of his Jack McColl WWI spy series and while it didn't grab me as much as Zoo Station, it was still a good introduction to this series.
Jack McColl is a part-time spy for the English, using his cover as a car salesman in his efforts as a spy. We find Jack, along with his younger brother Jeb and his friend Mac, in China spying on German naval detachments in Tsingtao, while the other two work in Shanghai, unaware of his spy work. Jack works for Cummings in Naval Intelligence, passing along information he gathers. Also in the picture is an American, Caitlin Hanley, outspoken, free-spirited and beautiful, a reporter working in China.
Jack has a hankering for this young lady. He finishes his spy work in Tsingtao and escapes to Shanghai where he is attacked, possibly by the Germans and severely injured. He recovers on a journey to San Francisco where he will continue to gather information, this time on Indian (Asian) separatists, who seem to be working with the Germans and Irish - American revolutionaries.
Jeb and Mac accompany him as they continue to try to sell cars for their British company. Also on the way is Caitlin and a shipboard romance ensues. I won't ruin the story by getting into too much more detail. Suffice it to say, there are strains on the relationship with Caitlin; as Jack must keep his spy work secret and he also investigates her family who might have links to the Irish revolutionaries. His work takes him to New York, Mexico and Ireland and there are more threats on Jack's life throughout.
It's an interesting introduction with sufficient action and spy work to hold your attention. The development of Jack's relationships, his work as a spy and the history of the period leading up to WWI all adds to the story. It's not a great story but it is a solid entry to Downing's historical perspective and an interesting spy adventure. I will continue to follow Jack's adventures and relationships with the follow-on story, One Man's Flag. (3 stars)"
"Spring 1915: World War One rages across Europe, and the British Empire is assailed on all fronts—domestic and abroad. Amidst this bloodbath of nations, where one man’s flag is another man’s shroud, a British spy is asked to do the impossible: seduce and betray the woman he loves, again. Only this time betrayal is a two-way street.
Jack McColl, a spy for His Majesty’s Secret Service, is stationed in India, charged with defending the Empire against Bengali terrorists and their German allies. Belgium, he finds, is not the only country seeking to expel an invader.
In England, meanwhile, suffragette journalist Caitlin Hanley begins the business of rebuilding her life after the execution of her brother—an IRA sympathizer whose terrorist plot was foiled by Caitlin’s own ex-lover, the very same Jack McColl. The war is changing everything and giving fresh impulse to those causes—feminism, socialism and Irish independence—which she as a journalist has long supported.
The threat of a Rising in Dublin alarms McColl’s bosses as much as it dazzles Caitlin. If another Irish plot brings them back together, will it be as enemies or lovers?"
The remaining books in this series are -
c. Lenin's Roller Coaster (2017)
d. The Dark Cloud's Shining (2018)
I have one other Downing book, a standalone spy story.
"World War II is nearly over. For the Russians, the enemy is no longer Nazi Germany, but the American behemoth that threatens to topple the Communist revolution. Deep within the walls of the Kremlin, Stalin’s top man hatches a brilliant plan that will alter the course of postwar history—and it’s all based on a deception as simple as the shell game. Five years later, an atomic bomb detonates deep within the borders of the Soviet Union, stunning the experts who had predicted that Russian science could not produce such a devastating weapon for at least another generation.
The Red Eagles traces the adventures of two spies, Jack Kuznetsky and Amy Brandon, as they track down the most deadly force in the world while hiding their true allegiances and intentions from their compatriots. They are the “red” eagles, sent to America by one of its enemies to steal the greatest secret of all: the key to producing the atomic bomb.
Critically acclaimed spy thriller writer David Downing draws fascinating portrayals of Stalin and Hitler as they determine the fate of the world, drawing us at breakneck speed from the Kremlin to Manhattan and Washington to Cuba and New Zealand."
So there you go, lots of excellent books to choose from. Take care.
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