New Books
I received an order the other day from Better World Books out of the UK. In one of my recent reads, there was a list of other books published by the particular publishing company, Soho Crime, at the back. Some looked like they might be worth trying so I ordered a few. These are the three I got.
"Billy Boyle, a young Irish-American cop from Boston, has just made detective when the United States joins World War II. His 'Uncle Ike' - Dwight D. Eisenhower - has been chosen to command Army forces in Europe, and he wants Billy to be his personal investigator. Billy, who had never left Boston before enlisting, is not so sure about his ability as a detective. But he dutifully sets off for London, where he'll be working with British Allies to catch a spy who threatens Operation Jupiter, the impending invasion of Norway."
"Almost twenty years after the end of the Korean War, the US Military is still present throughout South Korea, and tensions run high. Koreans look for any opportunity to hate the soldiers who drink at their bars and carouse with their women. When Pak Ok-Suk, a young Korean woman, is found brutally murdered in a torched apartment in the Itaewon red-light district of Seoul, it looks like it might be the work of her American soldier boyfriend. Sergeants George Sueno and Ernie Bascom, Military Police for the US 8th Army, are assigned to the case, but they nothing to go on other than a tenuous connection to an infamous prostitute. As repressed resentments erupt around them, the pair sets out on an increasingly dangerous quest to find evidence that will exonerate their countryman."
"Murder is uncommon in the Alaskan port of Sitka, and this was an uncommon murder. For a start, the case has long been closed. The killer of a Tlingit hunting guide has confessed and is behind bars. But the victim's elderly mother wants to know why her son was killed, and she asks down-at-heel PI Cecil Younger to find out.
His quest takes him through Alaska's wildest landscapes - from the dark hidden world of city nights to the haunting world of the bush country and mountain forests.
The truth hinges on the meaning of a Tlingit myth. And the danger lies in finding it..."
Just Finished
I've finished 2 books since my last post here, both enjoyable.
"Birds of a Feather is the 2nd Maisie Dobbs mystery by Jacqueline Winspear. I've enjoyed the first two books so far. Winspear is a meticulous story teller, providing a lot of particular details while developing her characters and plot. Details about exactly what Maisie is wearing, etc seem irrelevant but they help provide a picture.
It's been hard to warm to Maisie as she is quite buttoned-up and does have personal issues from her time serving as a nurse during WWI and also between her and her father (guilt on both sides from her mother's death), but I'm getting to like her more. She is more than just a private detective. From her training with her old mentor, Maurice, she is more of a psychologist / private detective who provides both investigative assistance and then psychological assistance, whether the client wants it or no.
So, on to this story. Maisie is hired by a rich owner of a major grocery chain, Joseph Waite, to find his daughter. This is not the first time she has gone missing so he doesn't want the police involved. Maisie and her assistant, Billy Beale, agree to find her. They quickly realize that murders being worked on by Scotland Yard, especially Inspector Stratton, may be related to their case. As well, Maisie is concerned about Billy, an ex - soldier who had been severely wounded during the war. He is acting strangely and Maisie is concerned. Also simmering is her relationship with her father.
It all makes for an interesting story and mystery. I will admit that I had a pretty good idea of what might be involved and ultimately also a pretty good idea of who might be the murderer, but the story is very well-written and crafted and was well worth reading. I am warming more to Maisie and look forward to reading the third instalment. (4 stars)"
"As Joe says and most Queenslanders say throughout this book, 'Oh my word!'. What a great book A Town Like Alice by English author Nevil Shute is! Shute is one of my favourite authors. I've enjoyed so many of his books and I will keep searching for others of his stories.
A Town Like Alice (which I've always wanted to name A Town Called Alice; I know now why the title is as it is) is the story of Jean Paget, a young English woman, whose journey carries her from Malaysia in WWII, back to England and on to Australia. She is a normal girl, who finds herself in unique situations and finds a strength of character common to the heroes and heroines who people Shute's novels. Shute has said this story is based on a true story of a Dutch woman who kept many women prisoners of the Japanese alive with her efforts. In Shute's story, the Japanese invade Malaysia and capture a group of English women and their children. Not wanting to have anything to do with them, the women are forced to march around Malaysia, from Japanese camp to camp, suffering privations. Jean, unmarried, becomes a rational, smart leader of the group.
They are helped by an Australian prisoner, Joe, who risks his life to provide food and medicine to the women. After the war, Jean returns to England and discovers she has inherited a fair bit of money. The story teller, her solicitor Noel, helps her sort out this inheritance, which Jean wants to use to help the Malaysian village that kept the women safe.
She also decides to go to Australia to find out more about Joe, where he was from and when she arrives decides to use her money once again to help the town he was from, to make it 'a town like Alice'.
I don't want to discuss the plot much more as it is a book that needs to be enjoyed and savoured. I love the characters, I love the spirit of nation building, the positive qualities of the people. There are outstanding events that take place in this story, but they are told in such a gentle, matter of fact way that it makes them even more impressive. There are many highlights for me. I especially enjoyed discovering how the Australian outback radio communication system worked and how much of a key it was to saving a lost man. The story reminds me of The Far Country, another story that features Australia. Shute is a great author that should be explored. (5 stars)"
Currently Reading
I've added the two books below to my currently reading pile to replace the two I just finished.
"A vast abandoned house. A chilling séance. A sudden death. To Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, it's the stuff of an old novel - but when he discovers the victim was murdered, a sinister shadow falls over the town of Three Pines ... and an old secret, buried deeper than the dead, returns once more to haunt the living."
"Here is the second of the fabulous adventures of Nayland Smith and his trusted companion, Dr. Petrie - another complete thriller that again invokes the diabolical dreams and implacable will of the fabled Dr. Fu Manchu. For the Orient's most sinister emissary as returned. His goal is as monstrous as his ruthless cunning mind..."
Whew. That sounds exciting, eh? It's a page turner so far.
So there you go, all updated for a few days. Almost the weekend. Enjoy!
Best wishes to those people in the Caribbean and in Mexico who have suffered such tremendous tragedy recently.
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