Friday I finally got my first Covid jab. I'm a member of the Pfizer gang. Jo gets hers next Friday. That'll be a relief. No real problems, except that I almost missed my appointment. 😰 For the past week or so, I've been reminding Jo about my appointment and then as Friday came, I told her that I couldn't wait until I got my shot, thinking my appointment was at 3:30 p.m. We were relaxing having a late lunch and I was getting a coffee and a couple of cookies when I double-checked the time and realized I was almost late! Egads! Well, I made it in time. Luckily we only live about a two or three minute drive from the base arena where the shots were being given. What a dope...
I finished one book this morning. I'll provide my review and also continue with my latest theme, women authors I enjoy.
Just Finished
"Black Out by John Lawton is the first book in his WWII mystery series featuring Scotland Yard DS Frederick Troy. I don't think it was perfect but it was entertaining, action-packed and ultimately satisfying.
Troy is a DS in bombed out London and is called to investigate the discovery of an arm in a bombed out house. The arm is discovered by a bunch of kids who spend their days playing in the ruined houses on London's streets. Troy is sure that a murder has occurred as the arm appears to have been surgically removed. He gets the boys to keep searching and when further evidence is discovered, he is sure of the murder. In a somewhat convoluted way, he now may be related to other disappearances / murders of ex-patriot German scientists, who may have been brought to England to work on the British munitions program. (As I said, somewhat convoluted).
This leads to possible American OSS involvement, a possible serial killer and ultimately, a trip to Berlin after the war's conclusion. There are many leaps of intuition (to my mind anyway) by Troy, but they don't take away from the entertainment of the story. Troy is one of those frustrating characters; he's determined, solitary, smart and never listens to his boss, preferring to work on his own assumptions. On his own, the story might not have been so enjoyable but it is also peopled with an excellent surrounding cast; his subordinate DC Wildeve, who is some ways is smarter than Troy; the fascinating, sexy American Sgt Tosca, a bit of a man-eater, even his boss, DCI Onions, frustrated by Troy's attitude but also willing to give him his rein. There are others that also make the story richer, the Polish / English coroner Kolankiewicz and his assistant Anna (who I hope makes more appearances in follow-on stories) and even Troy's neighboring hooker acquaintance, Ruby, who looks after him during his many injuries.
It's a messy story. London is a mess, bombed out with people living in the subway stations (described very well, in fact), the case is a messy one and even the sex is messy. There is lots of action, lots of violence. Troy is injured seriously many times but continues to get up and plug away at his case, refusing to let it go even after the end of the war. Lawton creates a rich, dark story and setting and I do look forward to seeing how the next one moves Troy's life along. (3.5 stars)"
Women Authors I'm Enjoying - Linda Buckley-Archer
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| Linda Buckley-Archer |
Linda Buckley-Archer is a London based author who I know best for her Gideon the Cut-Purse trilogy, a young adult fantasy series. She also has written one other book, The Many Lives of John Stone. I discovered the first Gideon book when Jo and I were living in Victoria, at a neat little book store out in Cadboro Bay. It's unfortunately since closed, but there are still shops that Jo and I like to visit there. I finished the last of the trilogy last year.
"Gideon Seymour, cut-purse and gentleman, hides from the villainous Tar Man. Suddenly the
sky peels away like fabric and from the gaping hole fall two
curious-looking children. Peter Schock and Kate Dyer have fallen
straight from the twenty-first century, thanks to an experiment with an anti-gravity machine. Before Gideon and the children have a chance to
gather their wits, the Tar Man takes off with the machine -- and Kate
and Peter's only chance of getting home. Soon Gideon, Kate, and Peter
are swept into a journey through eighteenth-century London and form a
bond that, they hope, will stand strong in the face of unfathomable
treachery." (3 stars)
"Peter Schock has been left behind in 1763. Kate Dyer is beginning to suffer some disturbing side effects from time traveling. And the Tar Man, who was terrifying even in the eighteenth century, is loose and wreaking havoc in twenty-first-century London with twenty-first-century technology at his disposal! Can Kate find a way to bring Peter back and stop the Tar Man for good?" (4 stars)
"Time Quake by Linda Buckley-Archer is the third and final book in her Gideon trilogy. I read the first two books back in 2011ish so it took me a while to get back into the flow of this trilogy. The basic premise is that two young people Kate and Peter play with her father's anti-gravity machine and it is in fact a time travelling device. In this final chapter, Kate and Peter are stuck in London of 1793. 18th Century autocrat, Lord Luxon is using the device and is in present day New York, associating with a young historian and trying to discover a way of defeating George Washington to keep America in English hands. Kate's parents and friends are trying to devise a new machine to get Kate and Peter back to the present. Gideon, the Cut Purse, once their enemy is now helping the two try to find his brother, the Tar Man, as he has another machine, but works for Lord Luxon.
Phew, that's the briefest of incomplete summaries of this story. Kate is greatly affected by her various time travels. She is beginning to fade from existence and can only keep in her present by holding on to Peter. Whenever she lets go, she jumps forward in time losing track of herself. All of the time travelling also is causing time quakes, mixing up the various time frames of earth. Also parallel worlds are being created, which adds to the confusion.
So there you go. It's a very tense story and suitable finale to the events of the first two books. Things look very dire for the 'good' guys and Lord Luxon seems to have the upper hand and threatens to destroy the future (present?). I did enjoy this story but probably would have enjoyed it more if I'd read it sooner than later, and that's not the fault of the book, that's my fault. All in all, the three stories are well written, filled with action and neat ideas about time travel and peopled with great characters, both good and bad. Please check this book out, but read the first two before you do. (3.5 stars)"
A short but sweet post today. I hope you have a safe, happy week. 😷
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