I've finished two books in the past couple of days and received 3 in the mail. I'll provide my book reviews and the synopses of the next books I'm reading plus those of my newest books. I'll also continue with my latest theme, women authors I'm enjoying reading.
Just Finished
"One Fearful Yellow Eye is the 8th book in Travis McGee mystery series by John D. MacDonald. Travis McGee is a beach bum in Florida who gets involved in cases, trying to help people get out of some sort of trouble. He's not technically an official PI, but somewhat more like The Equalizer, but one who works more by the seat of his pants and his intuition in helping these individuals.
McGee gets a phone call from an old friend, Glory, who is now living in Chicago. The two had a past, when Glory got into serious trouble back in Florida and McGee helped her out and helped her find herself again. He also introduced her to her husband and stood in at their wedding. Her husband Dr. Foster Geis has passed away and she has now discovered that his estate has somehow disappeared and that Foster's children from a previous marriage believe that Glory has hidden it someplace. McGee agrees to go to Chicago to help.
Glory is the good Dr's 2nd wife. While his first wife was dying, he had a relationship with his house-keeper's daughter and she got pregnant by him. She was married off and he helped fund the child's life. He also had a relationship with his scrub nurse which had been broken off. Money he had set aside for Glory and his two adult children (50 / 25 / 25) has disappeared. Foster had removed it from trust funds and converted to cash. His financial adviser provides as much info as possible to McGee and McGee begins to check out the children, the cook, the nurse and others in his investigation.
McGee struggles trying to find out what happened but thinks Foster may have been black mailed about something in his past. I'll leave the plot at that. I always like Travis McGee. He's a straight shooter and a trust worthy ally. I found the middle of this story got sort of muddy, almost too much description and time spent with McGee speculating on life, his past and his surroundings. But it still moves along and when McGee begins to grasp the plot, it moves at a high speed pace with sufficient action and tension to satisfy anyone. There is a mysterious sub-plot that comes to fruition at the end of the story, a fascinating unforeseen (by me anyway) conclusion.
The description of wintry Chicago even gave me chills. The characters are all well-defined and three dimensional. The story is all in all satisfying and an entertaining read. I had some doubts initially but thought the last chapters brought the story to new heights and made it worth starting and working through. (4.5 stars)"
"Madam President is the 3rd and final book in the Eighteen Acres political trilogy by Nicolle Wallace. As in the other books the focus is on the 3 women who are the main characters; President Charlotte (now in her 2nd term), Melanie (previously Charlotte's Chief of Staff, now her Defense Secretary) and Dale (a WH reporter previously, who had had a relationship with Charlotte's husband, now her Press Secretary)
Madam President basically takes place over one day when America is hit by terrorist actions in cities across the US, bombings in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami and Washington DC. Charlotte is in the midst of giving a speech about Planned Parenthood when the first bombs explode. Dale is working out of the White House, coordinating a Day in the Life of the President and WH with a CBS crew lead by anchors, Lucy and Richard. Melanie has been in Iraq visiting troops and heading back to try and help Charlotte.
The story alternates between the 3, each chapter dealing with one or the other as they work on the crisis. It's a fascinating look at how a crisis is dealt with by the WH, the people involved, the relationships between the 3 main characters, their loved ones and the press. Of the characters, I continue to prefer Melanie, a level - headed, smart, quick decision maker. Melanie is now pregnant and trying to maintain contact with her husband, a WH reporter. Charlotte is still dealing with her tense relationship with her husband Peter and her children, plus with a possible leaker in the White House. Dale still reviews her feelings for Peter and a budding relationship with a WH adviser, Warren.
The story is an excellent mix between personalities, crisis management and relationships. The story flows along at an excellent pace and keeps the tension ratcheted up throughout. Personally I find the relationship aspect tiresome at times, but that's just a personal preference, but they are critical to the way each of the main characters react to the crisis. All in all, it was an enjoyable trilogy and an excellent final book with a satisfying conclusion. (4 stars)"
Currently Reading
"Tush Bannon was in the
wrong spot at the wrong time. His measly plot of land just so happened
to sit right in the middle of a rich parcel of five hundred riverfront
acres that big-money real estate interests decided they simply must
have.
It didn’t matter that Tush was a nice guy with a family, or
that he never knew he was dealing with a criminal element. They
squashed him like a bug and walked away, counting their change. But one
thing they never counted on: the gentle giant had a not-so-gentle friend
in Travis McGee. And now he’s going to make them pay."
"The second Bas-Lag novel
from the author of Perdido Street Station, an epic and breathtaking
fantasy of extraordinary imagination.
A human cargo bound for servitude in exile.
A pirate city hauled across the ocean.
A hidden miracle about be revealed.
This
is the story of a prisoner's journey. The search for the island of a
forgotten people, for the most astonishing beast in the seas, and
ultimately for a fabled place - a massive wound in reality, a source of
unthinkable power and danger...
The Scar."
New Books
"Most men called it the Devil Planet. Only David Falkayn saw it as a world where he could make the greatest fortune of his career - if an entire alien armada could be kept at bay! In his magnificent Future History of mankind's second great age, Poul Anderson has conjured up a universe too immense for even the human race to despoil. Across this grand expanse of space roams the Polesotechnic League, a band of merchant princes from every inhabited planet, in search of adventure and riches beyond the wildest dreams of our earthbound time!"
"Miami homicide detective Hoke Moseley is called to a posh Miami neighborhood to investigate a lethal overdose. There he meets the alluring stepmother of the decedent, and begins to wonder about dating a witness. Meanwhile, he has been threatened with suspension by his ambitious new chief unless he leaves his beloved, if squalid, suite at the El Dorado Hotel, and moves downtown. With free housing hard to come by, Hoke is desperate to find a new place to live. His difficulties are only amplified by an assignment to re-investigate fifty unsolved murders, the unexpected arrival of his two teenage daughters, and a partner struggling with an unwanted pregnancy. With few options and even fewer dollars, he decides that the suspicious and beautiful stepmother of the dead junkie might be a compromised solution to all of his problems."
"When ad man Victor Dean falls down the stairs in the offices of Pym's Publicity, a respectable London advertising agency, it looks like an accident. Then Lord Peter Wimsey is called in, and he soon discovers there's more to copy-writing than meets the eye. A bit of cocaine, a hint of blackmail, and some wanton women can be read between the lines. And then there is the brutal succession of murders -- 5 of them -- each one a fixed fee for advertising a deadly secret."
Women Authors I'm Enjoying - Lois McMaster Bujold
Lois McMaster Bujold, an American author of speculative fiction, is a relatively new author for me. She was born in 1949 in Columbus Ohio. Over her writing career, she's been awarded a number of Hugo, Nebula, Locus and other awards. I have begun to explore her Vorkosigan saga. I have read one book and have another awaiting my attention.
"Discharged from the Barrarayan academy after flunking the physical, a discouraged Miles Vorkosigan takes possession of a jumpship and becomes the leader of a mercenary force that expands to a fleet of treasonous proportions."
"A couple of years back, in my BLog, I was daily listing various songs and books that won awards each year from 1955 - the present. There were many new authors for me in those lists and I've purchased a few that sounded interesting. Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold won the Hugo Award for best Sci-Fi novel in 1992. The Vorkosigan saga, of which Barrayar was one the books, also won as beat Sci-Fi series in 2017. Shards of Honor is the 1st book in this series. And it was excellent.
Commander Cordelia Naismith, of the Beta world, leads a scientific exploration to a new world. Her expedition is attacked by soldiers from the Barrayar word, led by Lord Aral Vorkosigan. Due to intrigue within his crew, one of Cordelia's men is killed and another severely injured and Vorkosigan is abandoned, left for dead by his political officer, who takes over his crew.
The story now follows Cordelia and Aral as they struggle across the planet in an attempt to find safety, then to Vorkosigan's ship, where Cordelia is held prisoner and involved in both an escape and an attempt to prevent Aral's ship from being taken over by mutineers. There is more of course; a war between Barrayar and Escobar (assisted by Beta) and other activities. The story is about the relationship between Cordelia and Aral, their growing affection and love. It's about political intrigue, both on Beta and Barrayar. For a relatively short story, it's packed with action, great characters, intrigue, romance, everything you might like in a great story.
Bujold has an excellent way with developing characters (Cordelia and Aral are strong, intelligent and not without flaws) and the surrounding cast is also excellent. She presents the story concisely, neatly and draws you in to the events taking place. I especially enjoyed the to and fro of the main character's relationship. I also liked the intrigue and how it's resolved (or not). It was an excellent introduction to this series and I will read more. Loved it. (4.5 stars)"
The complete listing of Lois McMaster Bujold's works can be found at this link. Take care and enjoy the rest of your week. 😷
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