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| All Creatures Great and Small |
I finished two books over the past couple of days. I also received two books in the mail. I'll provide reviews for both books and the synopses for the replacements. I'll also provide the synopses of the two new books as well. Then I'll continue with my ongoing look at my favorite authors, this time a graphic novelist.
New Books
"On a rainy night in postwar Berlin, British journalist John Terrant encounters Ellen Content, a young civilian typist in the American Army's office of information. Their romance quickly blossoms, but as soon as Terrant realizes that Content is a spy, she abruptly vanishes into the divided city's treacherous maze of ruined streets. Terrant's anguished inquiries receive only bland assurances from the authorities that Content will contact him when her job is finished.
Two years later, Terrant's
compulsively close reading of newspapers uncovers his first clue since
Content's disappearance: her name appears in a list of passengers
recently embarked on an ocean liner headed from London to New York.
Within a few hours, the reporter is headed for the United States,
despite dire warnings from the CIA and Scotland Yard to desist in his
pursuit. After long months of inactivity, suddenly every minute counts
as Terrant races to solve the mystery, find his lover, and avoid
becoming the latest victim in a string of killings."
"In postwar France, a gambler finds that surviving his vacation may be a long shot
Peace
has come to England and the blackout is over, but the gloom has yet to
lift from London. One night, leaving a gambling club where he has run up
a considerable tab, the young painter Francis Bacon, accompanied by his
lover, sees a man gunned down in the street. They do what they can to
stanch the flow of blood, but the Frenchman dies in the hospital. Soon
afterward, Bacon receives a strange offer from the club owner: He will
erase Bacon’s debts if the painter delivers a package to the dead man’s
widow, Madame Renard, on the Riviera. What gambler could resist a trip
to Monte Carlo?
After handing over the parcel, Bacon learns that Madame Renard is dead—and the striking young woman who accepted the delivery is an imposter. The Riviera may be lovely, but in 1945, its sun-drenched beaches can be just as dark as the back alleys of London."
Just Finished
"I had previously completed the 2nd book in Mark Pryor's Hugo Marston mystery series, that being The Crypt Thief. I'm glad to have now read the first book in the series, The Bookseller. It was an entertaining mystery / thriller.
Marston is an ex-FBI agent who now works as Head of Security at the US Embassy in Paris. He enjoys his life in Paris and also his job. This first story starts off with the disappearance of a bookseller at gunpoint, a friend of Hugo's, right in front of Hugo's eyes. Hugo has difficulty persuading the police that this happened as his story is contradicted by two other witnesses. Thus starts this first story by Pryor.
The bookseller is one of many owners of bookstalls throughout Paris, places that have been there for years. They are known as Bouquinistes and they sell used and antiquarian books at locations along the Seine. As Hugo investigates his friend's disappearance, he becomes aware of the drug trade, Nazi hunters, etc and must sort through these differing clues to find his friend. He is assisted by a lovely French reporter and an old friend who used to work in the CIA.
It's an excellent introduction to the series. The city of Paris is an excellent locale in which to situate the stories. The characters, Hugo, his secretary Emma, his friend Tom and all of the others work well together to create a very readable story. At times it's a bit pat I think but it doesn't really matter. The story is a page turner. There is sufficient action to hold you attention. It's tense when it needs to be and it's also about old books, nothing wrong with that. It's worth trying and I think if you do, you'll want to continue to explore Paris with Hugo. (4 stars)"
"I've only previously read one book by thriller / intrigue writer Helen MacInnes. She wrote from the early 40's until her last book in 1984. I will definitely have to read more of her works as I've enjoyed the two I have read very much. Pray for a Brave Heart was originally published in 1955 and is an intricate, complex thriller.
There are many different stories taking place in this story. American Bill Denning has worked for the US military after WWII as part of a commission trying to locate art works and other such items that were stolen by the Nazis during the war. He is now retired and preparing to head back to America when an old acquaintance and co-worker shows up at his apartment in Berlin with a story of stolen diamonds, the Herz diamonds, and asks him to stop in Bern on his way home to help with the investigation. This will also involved another friend, American reporter, Scott Waysmith and his wife Paula, a French intelligence expert, Le Brun and most importantly, the man who seems to be pulling all of the strings, Swiss 'reporter' Keppler.
I mentioned it's a complex story. It's one of those spy / thrillers that has you looking over your back at all times. Who is on your side, who isn't? What are they actually looking for; stolen diamonds, Communists who are trying to kill defectors? The story moves along at a perfect pace, the tension builds nicely and the characters are all fascinating, even some of the minor characters. Everyone plays a role of some sort even the young American student Emily who helps Denning in Bern. There are deaths, there are plots and sub-plots, tricks and more tricks from both sides of the story. It's just a rich, entertaining story that keeps you wondering. I definitely have to find more of MacInnes's stories. (4 stars)"
Currently Reading
"March 1934. Revered
mystery writer Josephine Tey is traveling from Scotland to London for
the final week of her celebrated play "Richard of Bordeaux," But joy
turns to horror when her arrival coincides with the murder of a young
woman she had befriended on the train ride, and Tey quickly finds
herself plunged into a mystery as puzzling as any of those in her own
works.
Detective Inspector Archie Penrose is convinced that the
killing is connected to her play. "Richard of Bordeaux" has been the
surprise hit of the season, with pacifist themes that strike a chord in a
world still haunted by war. Now, however, it seems that Tey could
become the victim of her own success, as her reputation--and even her
life--is put at risk.
A second murder confirms Penrose's
suspicions that somewhere among this flamboyant theatre set is a
ruthless and spiteful killer. Together, Penrose and Tey must confront
their own ghosts in search of someone who will stop at nothing."
"In her memoir, Power
offers an urgent response to the question "What can one person do?" and a
call for a clearer eye, a kinder heart, and a more open and civil hand
in our politics and daily lives. The Education of an Idealist traces
Power’s distinctly American journey from immigrant to war correspondent
to presidential Cabinet official. In 2005, her critiques of US foreign
policy caught the eye of newly elected senator Barack Obama, who invited
her to work with him on Capitol Hill and then on his presidential
campaign. After Obama was elected president, Power went from being an
activist outsider to a government insider, navigating the halls of power
while trying to put her ideals into practice. She served for four years
as Obama’s human rights adviser, and in 2013, he named her US
Ambassador to the United Nations, the youngest American to assume the
role.
Power transports us from her childhood in Dublin to the
streets of war-torn Bosnia to the White House Situation Room and the
world of high-stakes diplomacy. Humorous and deeply honest, The
Education of an Idealist lays bare the searing battles and defining
moments of her life and shows how she juggled the demands of a 24/7
national security job with the challenge of raising two young children.
Along the way, she illuminates the intricacies of politics and
geopolitics, reminding us how the United States can lead in the world,
and why we each have the opportunity to advance the cause of human
dignity. Power’s memoir is an unforgettable account of the power of
idealism and of one person’s fierce determination to make a difference."
My Favorite Authors - Alan Moore
All of my life I've enjoyed reading comic book and then graphic novels. I discovered the work of Alan Moore who authored so many fascinating series. Moore was born in Northampton England in 1953. He is noted primarily for his work in comic books. Since 2000, I've read 10 of his graphic novels, the majority in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series. I'll look at the 5 most recent novels I've read.
Alan Moore
"Alan Moore is a prolific writer. His League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic book series encompassed 2 Volumes of six issues each as well as his graphic novel, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier. The novel is written in both comic book and novel form. It tells the story of Mina Harker and Alan Quartermain, both part of the original League, which has been long-disbanded, now in the 1950s. They seek and find and try to escape with the Black Dossier, a legendary document that purportedly details all known facts of the League.
Their adventures as they try to escape England and its spies, led by M, now one Harry Lime, are told in comic book form. But as they rest and take respite, they read the Dossier, in a more novelish form complete with drawings and photos. The stories that make up the Dossier cover the history of the League, its varied break-ups, its reformations, its battles. It's fascinating reading, in many different styles as the stories progress through the ages. We have Orlando, whose gender changes from man to woman and back over the course of his life. We hear the continued adventures of Fanny Hill as she travels the world (this section has a large number of erotic drawings). We find out how Mina Harker recruited Captain Nemo, the first member of the League besides her. We even have a beatnik story from the US in which Mina and Alan are involved.
The novel contains so many characters, fictional and fantastical. References are borrowed from the works of H.P. Lovecraft, from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels (Gulliver being a character in this novel and also an original member of the very early League). I referenced previously the amorous adventures of Fanny Hill (One of the chapters of the Dossier is written by John Cleland who wrote the book of Fanny Hill's adventures. This chapter provides new information about her further adventures). Just a few examples of what is sampled in this rich, interesting graphic novel.
I've read many of Alan Moore's works and enjoy his unique story-telling and his ability to stretch the boundaries of comic / graphic novel telling. This was no exception. (4 stars)"
"Providence 1-4 by Alan Moore contains the first 4 chapters of one Moore's latest graphic novels. It is related to two previous series, Alan Moore's the Courtyard and Alan Moore's Neonomicon, all of which explore the H. P. Lovecraft visions.
In the first four chapters of Providence we find newspaper reporter, Robert Black, leaving his job as a reporter for the Ne York Herald (time frame early 1900's) to gather materiel to write the Great American novel. He finds himself getting deeper into a cult of 'Outsiders' as he leaves New York behind and moves up North further into the hinterland. He sees strange things, his dreams become riddled with strange images. The graphic novel is a mixture of comic style, which follows the story itself and pure novel, in the form of Blake's journal, where he expounds on what he sees during his travels and also presents possible ideas for the great novel.
I've always enjoyed Alan Moore's unique vision and this has been no exception. Excellent artwork and an interesting story so far. I'm looking forward to the next chapters coming out. (4 stars)"
Review of The Forty-Niners "Top 10: The Forty-Niners by Alan Moore. My final graphic novel of the month, just something to end off the month and get me ready for October. This is the prequel to the other Top Ten graphic novels I read earlier in the month, dealing with the development and formation of the city of Neopolis. The city was created after WWII to house the super beings that fought the war and now were no longer required. Great graphics and an entertaining story. (3 stars)"
"Alan Moore's lost
masterpiece comes to life as an incredible comic book series almost
three decades later! The mid-80's were a stunning period of brilliance
for Alan Moore, seeing him create true masterpieces including Miracle-man, Watchmen--and Fashion Beast! Working with Malcom McLaren
(Sex Pistols), Moore turned his attention to a classic re-telling of a
Beauty and the Beast through his unyielding and imaginative vision.
At
long last, Fashion Beast is presented in deluxe trade paperback and
hardcover collections of the complete ten issue Fashion Beast series.
Doll was unfulfilled in her life as a coat checker of a trendy club. But
when she is fired from the job and auditions to become a "mannequin"
for a reclusive designer, the life of glamour she always imagined is
opened before her. She soon discovers that the house of Celestine is as
dysfunctional as the clothing that define the classes of this dystopian
world." (3 stars)
"Several murders, no, more like lethal dismemberments, from the most unlikely of suspects just don't add up. What few leads there are all point to The Courtyard." (3 stars)
So there you go. He's an imaginative, creative author / artist. I do love his references to H.P. Lovecraft's ideas. The complete list of Moore's works can be found at this link.
There you go. Enjoy your week. 😷
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