A Mid-Week Reading Update and the Spy / Thriller Genre Continued

Lots of rain overnight and this morning. But at the moment it's nice and breezy and sunny. Earlier today I posted my 3 songs to help you get through the midweek hump. Now I'll do a reading update and continue with my look at the Spy / Thriller genre. I finished one more book yesterday and have started another. I'll update both.

Just Finished

1. Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith (#1 Ladies' Detective Agency #7).

"It's been a long time since I last enjoyed the #1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith is the 7th book in this entertaining series, featuring the wonderful Botswana detective Precious Ramotswe.

Precocious operates her detective agency with her capable assistant Grace Makutsi out of her husband's garage Tlokweng Road. In this book, they work on a number of cases, with the assistance of one of the employees in Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, Precious's hubby. Let's see what she's involved with in this story; a cook is being threatened with being fired by her boss who is stealing food from the cooking school, something mysterious is going on at the Game reserve that is putting the employees on edge, a doctor is falsifying blood pressure readings of his patients. On the back burner, Grace Makutsi's wedding with her fiancé is threatened from some remarks she has made. And who is the advice columnist who works at the local paper, Auntie Emang?

With her usual intrepid, logical, thoughtful approach, Precious works through these cases, provides thoughtful discussion on her homeland, lovely Botswana and also on life, all free of charge. Well, you do have to buy the book, of course. It's a gentle, enjoyable adventure in what seems to be a lovely country, one that Precious loves dearly. Little incidents add to the richness of the story and the characters are lovingly portrayed. I will say that the incident with the cobra must have had a bigger impact on me than I realized because I dreamed about finding a cobra in my yard this morning.. lol Anyway, I'm glad to have rekindled my interest in this series, most enjoyable. (4 stars)"

Just Started

1. New Orleans Beat by Julie Smith (Skip Langdon #4).

"Edgar Award-winning author Julie Smith returns to the scene of her acclaimed crime novel series starring Skip Langdon. A computer genius dies after an apparent fall from a ladder, but the computer nuts with whom he associated believe his death was no accident. Now Skip is delving into the past to solve two murders."

The Spy  / Thriller Genre - Hans Hellmut Kirst

H. H. Kirst

Hans Hellmut (H.H.) Kirst is a German author who lived from 1914 - 1989. He was author of 46 novels, many translated into English. He was especially known for his war stories, the Gunnar Asch series and his most famous novel, The Night of the Generals, also turned into an excellent movie. Most of the stories I have read and enjoyed were war focused but he has written some that seem to fall into the Spy genre as well. I've got a couple in mind for your consideration.

1. The Last Card (1967). Also published as Death Plays the Last Card.

Unfortunately I can't find a synopses of this book and unfortunately when I read it, I wasn't writing book reviews. Basically it is a spy story set in Japan Richard Sorge set in wartime Japan. I gave it 3 stars for what that might be worth.

2. Undercover Man (1970) Also published as No Fatherland.

"Karl Wander, new recruit to the Bonn espionage scene, uncovers a vast network of gilt-edged corruption. 

In his attempts to topple the West German Defence chiefs, Wander finds himself in a high - class underworld, where power thrives on nepotism, smart doctors peddle drugs, and society women act as whores to the top brass.

Sickened by their depravity, Wander is nevertheless forced to play them at their own game."

3. The Affairs of the Generals (1979) Also published as Twilight of the Generals.

"Two old-line generals, Field Marshal von Blomberg and Army Commander-in-Chief von Frisch, have unwittingly become the targets of Hitler and his evil genius, Goring. Hitler wants complete control of the German army and these men are in his way.."

There you go, a few examples of Kirst's works. The complete list can be found at this link.