A Friday Reading Update and Some New Books

 It's a warm Friday. We've had a few warm days this week but it's supposed to cool down for the next weeks. I just hope this cool weather and some rain finds its way down south to the Western states. It's awful down there.

I won't continue with my look at my Favorite Authors in this post as the other day I received a number of books in the mail, including a bunch from my brother. I also finished my first book of September yesterday. I'll provide my review of that as well as the synopsis of the next book in line.

New Books

1. A White Arrest by Ken Bruen (Inspector Brant #1). Bruen is also noted for his Jack Taylor detective series. I've enjoyed a couple of books in that series and also the TV series based on the books. The Inspector Brant series is a new one for me.

"A serial killer is picking off members of the England cricket team, and in the dark and violent world of Brixton a vigilante group is hanging dope dealers from lamp-posts. Both Roberts and Brant are in hot water with their chief and they need something big to get them out of it. They desperately need a "white arrest, " a major catch to whitewash all their past sins and deliver them, if not to paradise, at least to a better beat. Paced with black humor and a soundtrack of violence and intolerance, A White Arrest is a police procedural unlike any other."

2. The Mad Hatter Mystery by John Dixon Carr (Gideon Fell #2). I read the first Gideon Fell last month and quite enjoyed.

"The newspapers dubbed the thief the 'Mad Hatter,' and his outrageous pranks amused all London. but the laughter turned to horror when a corpse with a crossbow through the heart was found at the Tower of London in a top hat.

As Dr. Gideon Fell was to discover, the whole case turned on the matter of hats-- in fact, threatened to become a nightmare of hats. For the victim was none other than Sir William Bitton's nephew, dressed in a golfing suit and wearing Sir William's stolen opera hat. And tying Sir William to his murdered nephew with a scarlet thread was the stolen manuscript of a completely unknown story said to be the handiwork of Edgar Allan Poe.

In a tale as freighted with menace as the Traitor's Gate, portly Dr. Fell unravels a crime unique by even his standards of the bizarre."

The next books are all by Adam Hall, books I was missing from his Quiller spy series. I have enjoyed two so far and now that I have all by one, I'm pretty sure that this series will be one I'll focus on during my next year's Monthly challenges.

3. Quiller Bamboo by Adam Hall (Quiller #15).

"Summoned late at night to the Bureau, Quiller attends a secret conference with the foreign secretary and a surprise defector: the Chinese ambassador to Britain. Minutes later, shots ring out and the ambassador's body is flung out onto the sidewalk of a deserted London street, riddled with bullets.

Searching for clues, Quiller flies to Calcutta to meet Sojourner, a key ally in the plan to bring democracy to China. But Sojourner is killed...thus two men, both dedicated to bringing freedom to their country, are dead. No wonder Quiller is skeptical about his next mission: smuggle a Chinese dissident into Tibet."

4. Quiller Meridian (Quiller #17).

"In Quiller's latest mission, operation Meridian takes him into the espionage trenches of the deadly post-Cold War era. From the chaos of Eastern Europe to the brutality of Siberia, Quiller's far-reaching assignment exposes the very real dangers of life even in the New World Order. A vivid account of the power game in a Russia torn by civil war, Quiller Meridian deftly mirrors the grim realities in the aftermath of the Cold War."

5. The Sinkiang Executive (Quiller #8).

"Whirling silently through space, satellite cameras pick up a suspicious new Soviet missile complex which at all costs must be properly identified. The mission is carefully planned and carefully rehearsed. The latest and the fastest MiG, which a defecting Soviet pilot has conveniently landed in the West, is to fly at a treetop level until well into Soviet airspace and on course for the target. And the return journey? Well, that's up to Quiller."

6. Quiller (also published under Northlight) (Quiller #11).

"Secret agent Quiller is back in this heart-stopping spy thriller. Quiller must work against his own instincts to save a world on the verge of disaster. From behind the Iron Curtain, in a city where he has no place to hide, he must trust a woman who cannot be trusted and rescue a man he would rather kill to complete a mission that will affect relations between the United States and the Soviet Union forever. But the stakes are higher than Quiller realizes as he faces a threat more treacherous than he imagines."

7. Quiller KGB (Quiller #13).

"Somebody wants to spoil German unification, kill it dead. Who can it be? Who can find out? Who better than Quiller!

On site Quiller moves fast...too fast. He finds the target but gets targeted himself. He needs all of his luck, cunning and skill or this could be his last case!"

8.  Quiller Barracuda (Quiller #14).

"In Miami, on the waterfront, a long-time agent has been turned. Quiller gets the call to find out why. It looks like a simple job.

But with Quiller, nothing is ever simple. That's because he digs. He finds a gigantic conspiracy, one of global importance, with nothing less than the future of the White House at stake!"

9.  Quiller Salamander (Quiller #18).

"In this 18th adventure in Adam Hall’s epic series, Quiller is sent to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where chaos abounds as the deadline for the United Nations–supervised elections approaches. There is fear that Pol Pot, creator of the infamous “killing fields,” will fight to return the murderous Communist party, known as the Khmer Rouge, to power. Quiller’s only ally is Gabrielle Bouchard, a photojournalist who is waging her own personal war against the Khmer Rouge. Though Pol Pot is deathly ill, Quiller learns that he has carefully chosen a successor who plans to direct the next Cambodian bloodbath. Quiller’s mission, code-named “Salamander,” leads him deep into the perilous jungles of Phnom Penh, where he must protect not only his own life but also the future of Cambodia."

There is one book in this series I don't have and when you check it out online it's very expensive. This like the 4th book in Adam Diment's Philip McAlpine spy series. Also very expensive. But I will continue to check! 

Just Finished

1. The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #5).

"The Brutal Telling is the 5th book in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery series set in Three Pines, Quebec. As all of the other stories in this book, this one was rich, complex and fascinating. 

Let's see. The haunted Hadley house from previous stories has been purchased by a retired couple and the son's mother. They plan to turn it into a Resort and spa. This will be direct competition to Olivier & Gabri's B&B and restaurant. As the story progresses there is evident friction between Olivier and Marc Gilbert, owner of the Hadley House. The tale starts with a body being discovered in Olivier's restaurant by Myrna, owner of the used book store. This brings Chief Inspector Gamache and his two assistants, Inspectors Beauvoir and Lacoste to their favorite town outside Montreal. They are assisted by young local inspector, Paul Morin, who proves to be quite useful.

It's a fascinating story as the team tries identify the victim, find out where he was murdered (apparently not in the restaurant) and to discover the murderer. As I mentioned earlier, this is a complex case. It will take Gamache and team into a Czech community in Twin Pines, involved research into antiquities and even involve Gamache traveling to Haida Gwai on Canada's west coast. Everyone seems to be keeping secrets and this is making the case more difficult. As well, we have the normal cast of characters from Twin Pines, artists and spouses Peter and Carol (interesting little side theme involving Carol), slightly mad poet, Ruth and her duck Rosa. We also get to meet a new inspector, art crime expert Therese Brunel. 

All in all, it's a pleasure to read. The ending is not quite satisfying, mainly because ... well I won't get into that. Just check out the latest mystery from Twin Pines. You'll enjoy very much. (4.5 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. Sleeping Dogs by Thomas Perry (Butcher Boy #2).

"He came to England to rest. He calls himself Michael Shaeffer, says he's a retired American businessman. He goes to the races, dates a kinky aristocrat, and sleeps with dozens of weapons. Ten years ago it was different. Then, he was the Butcher's Boy, the highly skilled mob hit man who pulled a slaughter job on some double-crossing clients and started a mob war. Ever since, there's been a price on his head.

Now, after a decade, they've found him. The Butcher's Boy escapes back to the States with more reasons to kill. Until the odds turn terrifyingly against him . . . until the Mafia, the cops, the FBI, and the damn Justice Department want his hide . . . until he's locked into a cross-country odyssey of fear and death that could tear his world to pieces . . ."

So there you go folks. I hope you have a peaceful, safe weekend. Pray for rain for the West Coast of the US.