Horror Month - Part Three - Series

It's Friday evening and Jo has gone up to bed. Clyde and I are in the den. We can hear curling on the TV in the other room but while Jo is resting, I think this is the perfect time for the 3rd installment of my discussion on horror. This is to give you some ideas on books to read in October if you're doing a horror challenge, or just in the mood for something a bit scary. 

Tonight I'm going to highlight some series I've been enjoying. I've left out some because I think they are more fantasy than horror.. e.g. fantasy with horror touches. The ones I'm taking a look at I think might be more horror with fantasy and / or Sci Fi sidenotes. Feel free to disagree of course.

Horror Series

1. Mike Carey - Felix Castor. The Felix Castor series is a six book (so far) series by English author Carey featuring exorcist Felix Castor. In some ways it reminds me of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files books but I think it's more purely of the horror genre, dealing with possession, demons, etc whereas the Dresden Files features warlock Harry Dresden battling the Fey. I've so far enjoyed the first two books in this series and have the next two on my bookshelf. I'll provide my review of the first book to give you a feel for the series.

a. The Devil You Know (2001).

"The Devil You Know is the first book in the fantasy / mystery series featuring exorcist, Felix Castor, by English author, Mike Carey. Think of Jim Butcher's Dresden books if you want an idea of the style of this story.

Castor is an exorcist who lives in a dystopic London, where ghosts abound and other supernatural creatures. It's not quite the same as Dresden's Chicago but there are intimations and similarities. Castor has kind of retired from the exorcism business after his last case resulted in his best friend being possessed by a demon. Rafi is now in an insane asylum, possessed by Asmodeus. Castor lives with the third member of their friendship, witch Pen. We don't find out a great deal about Pen, except she is a loyal, good friend and I hope plays a bigger role in the next stories. (mind you, she does play a significant part in one portion of this story)

Castor is brought out of retirement to exorcise a ghost making appearances at the Bonnington, a London museum. He finds himself delving more into the ghost's reason for being, why she is haunting this particular place, how she died, etc. His investigation will bring him up against many foes, a local pimp / owner of strip clubs, loup garous, another exorcist and even fighting for his life against a succubus called up from Hell. 

It's an excellent story, tense, action-filled and with interesting exploration of the supernatural. Castor is a gritty, intelligent, imaginative character. The story isn't perfect. Characters appeared with little back story and sometimes left me wondering if I'd missed something. But that was a minor complaint as overall I enjoyed the story and characters very much. I found it difficult to put the book down and at the end which was very satisfying, there were sufficient teasers to make me look forward to the 2nd book. I'm glad to have discovered this series. (4.5 stars)"

2. Justin Cronin - The Passage. Justin Cronin created this three book horror series about the end of the Earth as we know it and the battle of the surviving humans against The Twelve, vampires created in a laboratory, who basically have taken over the world. Well, at leas the US of A as the two stories I've read so far have been set in what remains of the US. Excellent series and I've got #3 on my bookshelf to read. Once again, I'll provide my review of the first book to give you a flavor for the trilogy.

a. The Passage (2009). "The Passage by Justin Cronin is the first book in his 'Passage' horror / fantasy series. It came out in 2009 and I've had it on my bookshelf for 5+ years. I readily admit to being intimidated by its size, almost 900 pages. But I'm glad to have finally taken it off of my shelf and dusted it off. It's not a perfect story but in its scope and content, it is still an excellent story. In many ways it reminded me of Stephen King's The Stand.

So how to provide a 'brief' outline of the story, which encompasses 100 years or so... OK, here goes. 

Current day - Two ex FBI agents travel to various maximum control penitentiaries throughout the US picking up prisoners on death row and having them sent to a secretive military compound in the mountains of Colorado. Some types of experiments are being conducted. There is a maximum number of these prisoners. The same two agents are also sent to a nunnery in the Eastern US to pick up a young girl, Amy (6 years old). It seems this girl has some 'powers'. A nun from Africa recognizes something in the girl but the two still catch her. One of the agents, Wolgast, comes to some sort of revelation and tries to save the girl, but she is still brought to Colorado. Something happens and the prisoners escape, a virus is let loose and America is on the road to destruction. Wolgast escapes and takes Amy to the mountains of Oregon to hide out from what is happening.

The Future (100ish years later) - The US is basically destroyed, overrun by Smokes (AKA vampires). A community survives in California, behind a walled fortress. They live under strict rules. Their power is supplied by an old power station miles away. The walls are guarded constantly, at night, powerful lights shine out keeping the Smokes away. Events begin to happen that will disrupt their lives. There is a critical evening when a young girl, a Walker (someone who hasn't succumbed to the virus) shows up at the gate to the town and at the same time it is attacked by vampires. Can you guess who this young girl might be?

These events will disrupt everything that has been built in the community, resulting in a journey by a small group of the community and the young girl, trying to get to the source of everything that has occurred. It's a journey of often terrifying events that will try all of them.

So there you go, The Passage. It's a fascinating story. It takes a long while to develop but in the long run, your efforts to work through it will be worth it. I will warn you, however, that this is the first book of a trilogy, so everything might not be resolved quite to your satisfaction. And in the same vein of George RR Martin's Game of Thrones series, you might be careful about getting to invested in some characters. Because there are some really well - developed personalities in this story and because the story is so long you will get to know and like them. I 'enjoyed' The Passage very much. Now to find the next book.. Dare I? (4 stars)"

3. James Herbert - Rats. Herbert is sort of the British equivalent of the US's Stephen King. He pumps out horror books by the gallon. The Fog was excellent, a gruesome, terrifying story. I've enjoyed a few of his books. He does know how to spin a tale. The Rats is a 3-part series, with the first two quite related and the final one taking place many years in the future. I've enjoyed the first two books thus far. 

a. The Rats (1974). "I've enjoyed 4 of British horror author, James Herbert's works since I finally tried them in 2013. The first was turned into an excellent TV mini-series, The Secret of Crickley Hall. Each story was interesting and unique, from The Fog (1975), through The Survivor (1976) to Nobody True (2003). The Rats was his first published work, published in 1974. What a great start to a prolific career.

This is the basic story line and believe me, it starts off with a bang and just keeps going from their. It starts with one Henry Guilfoyle, a one-time successful salesman. Falling in love with another man, he is shamed out of his company, cycles into drink, losing jobs, working just enough to keep himself in drink. One night in London, he gets his bottle of liquor, hides himself in a wrecked building, and wakes up to find himself under attack by rats... not normal brown rats, but giant black rats. Of course this attack is terminal. The story moves on from there, more and more rats attacking more and more people. The main character of the story is a teacher, Mr. Harris, who gets involved when one of his students is bit and dies quickly from infection. Harris is basically hired by the government to tell what he knows and, because Harris grew up in the infested area, to help advise about it and to locate the rats. 

It's a tense, gritty story; it's violent, a violence that grows and grows. The rats are terrifying, their attacks are terrifying and graphic and it's relentless, but so well written and so fluid. There are acts of heroism, but who is winning the war? Various attempts are made to arrest the infestation, but all made difficult because nobody knows where they hide! For a first novel, it's fascinating, nail-biting, but with interesting personalities as well. Harris's relationship with Judy is nicely developed and adds a nice counterpoint to the terror. 

All in all, probably my favorite Herbert novel so far and if you like a chill fest, well worth trying. There are 3 other books in The Rats series (Yipes!) so I guess I'll have to find the next.. *shudder* (4.5 stars)"

4. Caitlin R. Kiernan - The Tinfoil Dossier. Irish / American author Kiernan created the Tinfoil trilogy between 2017 and 2020. I've read the first novella in the series so far and enjoyed very much. It may take me finishing the final two books to determine if it is more horror or Sci Fi. 

a. Agents of Dreamland (2017). "Agents of Dreamland is my first exposure to Caitlin R. Kiernan and is the first book in her Tinfoil Dossier trilogy. 

The Signalman, an agent of the government, was sent to a farmhouse in the Salton Sea to investigate what appears to be a cult. The story starts after this event with him going to Winslow, Arizona to meet Immocolata Sexton, an agent of the British (I think). She also seems able to travel between time lines, although that's not totally clear yet. The two exchange information, the Signalman, info on what he discovered at the ranch and Sexton, info from her previous investigations.

It's not totally clear what has been discovered at Salton Sea, except the bodies of cult members who were infected with some fungus? It's changed them and it's infectious and it may have come from outer space, from somewhere beyond Pluto. This has happened many times over the decades and Sexton has investigated them, as well as what happens to the world in the future?? Oh, and what has happened to cult leader Drew Standish? And what is in the Black Book???? Questions!

It's an intriguing opening to this trilogy and leaves more questions than answers. Kiernan is an intelligent writer, very descriptive and she creates a tense, eerie scenario. It's a short story, more a novella but it does draw you in quite quickly. I assume you can get the three stories in one package but now that I've got this on, next in line is Black Helicopters. (3.5)"

5. Dean Koontz - Odd Thomas. Koontz is an American horror / thriller author in the same ilk as Stephen King. I've enjoyed some of his books but really enjoyed the first three books in his Odd Thomas horror series. Between 2003 and 2014 he has written 7 novels and one novella in this series featuring Odd Thomas who sees dead people.  

a. Odd Thomas (2003). "I've read a couple of other Dean Koontz books before, quite a few years ago actually and I enjoyed them but at the time my favorite horror author was Stephen King. Recently I started hearing good things about the Odd Thomas series so I decided to try the first book, Odd Thomas. 

What an excellent book! I love the character of Odd Thomas, the short order cook who can see dead people and gets involved trying to help them. I also liked the characters who make up his unique and interesting friends; lovely Stormy Llewellyn (his soul mate), Little Oswald, his friend who encourages Odd to write this story; Chief Porter, who is a father figure and who believes in Odd's talents and uses them while protecting Odd; and Terri Stambaugh, his boss and Elvis Presley afficionado. 

Odd meets a stranger to town and gets a weird vibe off him. Demonic creatures, bodachs, start to swarm around the town and Odd gets a feeling that something bad is going to happen. The story moves along at a nice pace as Odd investigates the stranger to find out what evil he is plotting. There is a skillfully crafted tension that grows and grows. I found icy fingers crawling up and down my back in certain scenes. Such an excellent story and a surprising ending that left me feeling quite bereft. I'm so glad that I finally started this series. I look forward with anticipation to continuing a journey with Odd Thomas. (5 stars)"

6. Jonathan Maberry - Pine Deep. My first exposure to Maberry was Ghost Road Blues the first book in the Pine Deep trilogy. (Now there appear to be a number of other books in this trilogy, short stories it seems. I've also enjoyed Maberry's Joe Ledger thriller / adventure / action / fantasy series. But Pine Deep is definitely horror. I have # 2 on my book shelf.

a. Ghost Road Blues (2006). "This was my first experience with Jonathan Maberry and I was very pleased with the story, lots of tension, scariness, creepiness and it was very well-written. Frustrated that it left me hanging and now having to look for the 2nd book. 

I can see why I've read so many good comments about his writing. It reminds me of many of the Stephen King books I enjoyed so many years ago, like It and Desperation.. I liked the good characters very much, Crow, Val and Mike; hated the bad characters very much and want bad things to happen to them. 

Crow runs a crafty type store that becomes a favourite store for creepy Hallowe'en stuff for Pine Deep residents and also runs the Hallowe'en rides out in the corn fields outside town and gets great joy making them scarier and scarier. Pine Deep has a scary past; a serial killer who was killed by the Bone Man, but isn't really dead. Add a new killer to the mix and various followers of the old evil and you've got a very scary story. I will have to find the next book now... Dead Man's Song (4.0 stars)"

7. Guillermo del Toro - The Strain. The Strain trilogy by del Toro was written between 2009 and 2011. It was turned into a very successful horror series on the tube as well. Basically you've got humas vs vampires and lots of terror. This is one series I have completed.

a. The Strain (2009). I read this back in 2011 and wasn't writing reviews then. Below is the synopsis. I did give the story a 3-star rating.

"A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK and is on its way across the tarmac, when it suddenly stops dead. All window shades are pulled down. All lights are out. All communication channels have gone quiet. Crews on the ground are lost for answers, but an alert goes out to the CDC. Dr. Ephraim "Eph" Goodweather, head of their Canary project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats, gets the call and boards the plane. What he finds makes his blood run cold.

In a pawnshop in Spanish Harlem, a former professor and survivor of the Holocaust named Abraham Setrakian knows something is happening. And he knows the time has come, that a war is brewing.

So begins a battle of mammoth proportions as the vampiric virus that has infected New York begins to spill out into the streets. Eph, who is joined by Setrakian and a motley crew of fighters, must now find a way to stop the contagion and save his city - a city that includes his wife and son - before it is too late."

So there you go, a few horror series you might feel like checking out. Enjoy your last weekend of September.

2024 Reading Challenges

It's drizzling today, so we've had a bit of everything in the past 3 days; high winds and torrential rain on Xmas Day, balmy conditions yesterday (even though we did lose power for about 3 minutes in the early evening while we were watching It Happened One Night. I think it might have been turned off for a reset, but that's just speculation on my part) and then drizzle (so far) today.

I'm going to take the dogs out for a quick walk shortly but first, here are my Reading Challenges for 2024 and possible first books to start them off.

12 + 4 Reading Challenge - The Books of Ursula K. LeGuin

I've been enjoying LeGuin's writing piecemeal for a few years now and have been building up a collection of her books. So I hope this year, Earthsea fantasy series and the Hainish books, plus some others of her writing. I've selected 16 books I have on my shelf and plan to start with, Rocannon's World, the 1st book in her Hainish series.

1. Rocannon's World (Hainish #1 / 1966).

"This debut novel from preeminent science-fiction writer Ursula LeGuin introduces her brilliant Hainish series, set in a galaxy seeded by the planet Hain with a variety of humanoid species, including that of Earth. Over the centuries, the Hainish colonies have evolved into physically and culturally unique peoples, joined by a League of All Worlds. Earth-scientist Rocannon has been leading an ethnological survey on a remote world populated by three native peoples, the cavern-dwelling Gdemiar, the elvish Fiia, and the warrior clan, Liuar. But when the technologically primitive planet is suddenly invaded by a fleet of ships from the stars, rebels against the League of All Worlds, Rocannon is the only survey member left alive. Marooned among alien peoples, he leads the battle to free this newly discovered world and finds that legends grow around him as he fights."

Series - Start One, Work on One, Finish One, All of the Above!

Obviously, I'll be working on some series specifically during the year (see the LeGuin challenge above or my Monthly Focus still to come) but this will be my catch-all for all other series; some I hope to start, or to continue or maybe even finish. My first book will probably be a carry-over from 2023 as I don't think I'll be able to finish it this year.. But we'll see.

1. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (Oxford Time Travel #1 / 1992). I'll record only those pages completed in 2024 for my 2024 stats.

"For Kivrin, preparing an on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity's history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi for a woman traveling alone. For her instructors in the twenty-first century, it meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be received.

But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age as her fellows try desperately to rescue her. In a time of superstition and fear, Kivrin--barely of age herself--finds she has become an unlikely angel of hope during one of history's darkest hours.

Connie Willis draws upon her understanding of the universalities of human nature to explore the ageless issues of evil, suffering, and the indomitable will of the human spirit."

Non-Series of any Genre

This is wide-open, basically any book that's not part of a series. Simple, yeah?

1. The Fall of the Sparrow by Nigel Balchin (Mystery / 1955) I read Balchin's The Small Back Room a few years ago, about WWII bomb disposal men and thought it was excellent. I hope this is as interesting.

"What made Jason Pellew - a sensitive man whose unconscious charm excused many failings - turn to a career of sordid crime?

Son of a peppery colonel who died in a lunatic asylum. Sensuously dominated by elder boys at public school.

An amiable eccentric at University. A breaker-up of fascist meetings. Volunteer in the Spanish Civil War.

Lover of a Jewish girl tortured by the Gestapo. Recklessly gallant combat officer. 

Brilliant cloak - and - dagger boy. Married to a wealthy nymphomaniac.

Where and when did this cherub with the shy smile take the wrong road?"

Tomes (Books over 500 pages)

I do have quite a few sitting on my bookshelf. Hope to read at least 10 this year.

1. Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon (Non-Fiction / 2023) (624 pages).

"THE REAL ORIGIN OF OUR SPECIES: a myth-busting, eye-opening landmark account of how humans evolved, offering a paradigm shift in our thinking about what the female body is, how it came to be, and how this evolution still shapes all our lives today

How did the female body drive 200 million years of human evolution?
• Why do women live longer than men?
• Why are women more likely to get Alzheimer’s?
• Why do girls score better at every academic subject than boys until puberty, when suddenly their scores plummet?
• Is sexism useful for evolution?
• And why, seriously why, do women have to sweat through our sheets every night when we hit menopause?

These questions are producing some truly exciting science – and in Eve, with boundless curiosity and sharp wit, Cat Bohannon covers the past 200 million years to explain the specific science behind the development of the female sex: “We need a kind of user's manual for the female mammal. A no-nonsense, hard-hitting, seriously researched (but readable) account of what we are. How female bodies evolved, how they work, what it really means to biologically be a woman. Something that would rewrite the story of womanhood. This book is that story. We have to put the female body in the picture. If we don't, it's not just feminism that's compromised. Modern medicine, neurobiology, paleoanthropology, even evolutionary biology all take a hit when we ignore the fact that half of us have breasts. So it's time we talk about breasts. Breasts, and blood, and fat, and vaginas, and wombs—all of it. How they came to be and how we live with them now, no matter how weird or hilarious the truth is.”

Eve is not only a sweeping revision of human history, it’s an urgent and necessary corrective for a world that has focused primarily on the male body for far too long. Picking up where Sapiens left off, Eve will completely change what you think you know about evolution and why Homo sapiens has become such a successful and dominant species."

Monthly Focus - Series / Non-Series (Most shelved books by author)

I have quite a few books by various authors, as it turns out they all write one or more series, and each month I'll focus on one of them and hope to knock two or three, at least, of their books off. I'll start with my January focus author.

January Focus - Agatha Christie. (I've got 16 of her books on my shelf to attempt and will start with a Hercule Poirot mystery)

1. The Big Four (Hercule Poirot #5 / 1927)

"The Queen of Mystery has come to Harper Collins! Agatha Christie, the acknowledged mistress of suspense—creator of indomitable sleuth Miss Marple, meticulous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and so many other unforgettable characters—brings her entire oeuvre of ingenious whodunits, locked room mysteries, and perplexing puzzles to Harper Paperbacks. In her classic The Big Four, the great Poirot is caught up in a deadly game of international intrigue as he races to uncover the strange mystery of Number Four."

I hope you enjoy your 2024 reading selections. 

Starting off the Week with a Reading Update and with My Last Spy / Thriller Post

Here it is, another Monday. I can hear a helicopter from the base flying overhead. The dogs are asleep, Jo is watching Perry Mason. I'm going to provide a review of a book I finished yesterday, only my second book completed in July. I'll also provide the synopsis of its replacement. And, finally my last post on my ongoing look at the Spy / Thriller genre.

Just Finished

1. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (2015).

"I read The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins almost immediately after finally seeing the excellent movie based on the book. The movie was quite faithful to the book, other than a location change and some minor differences and both were excellent.

Rachel is a troubled woman dealing with past tragedies. Every day she travels down London, past the home she had tried to make with Tom. Tom is now happily married to Anna and unlike with his marriage to Rachel, he's been able to start a family with her. This adds to Rachel's distress. The train always stops at a crossing beside a house just down the road from Rachel's and a couple who live there attract her attention and turn into a private fantasy of the perfect couple. 

Rachel's problems are compounded by her severe drinking issues, which cloud her judgment, add to her fantasies (hurt by blackouts) and are affecting her everyday life. One day she sees Jess (as she calls the woman of her fantasy couple) kissing another man. Angered by this perceived unfaithfulness, she leaves the train to confront 'Jess'. This begins a series of events that will further traumatize Rachel and lead to a tension filled final confrontation.

The story is told by three people; Rachel (the main protagonist), Megan (the real name of Jess), her story told more from the past, and Anna (Tom's wife), who feels persecuted by the constant attentions from Rachel. It's difficult to sympathize with any of the people at times as all of them have their own problems and issues. Rachel lives in the past and can't get over them. Megan is bored and frustrated with her life, tired at times with her marriage to Scott, and just struggling. Anna is the marriage - breaker, proud of her affair with Tom but also troubled by her husband.

The story moves along nicely though. It's got lots of tension and it's interesting watching Rachel trying to discover what really happened, trying to bring some reason / purpose into her life as she struggles with her private / personal demons. I'm sure you'll enjoy either or both the book and movie. It's a testament to Hawkins' writing that even though I knew what was going to happen, I still enjoyed this book immensely. (4.5 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell (2019). My neighbor gave this to me. Looks interesting.

"Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast Revisionist History and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Outliers, offers a powerful examination of our interactions with strangers -- and why they often go wrong.

How did Fidel Castro fool the CIA for a generation? Why did Neville Chamberlain think he could trust Adolf Hitler? Why are campus sexual assaults on the rise? Do television sitcoms teach us something about the way we relate to each other that isn't true?

While tackling these questions, Malcolm Gladwell was not solely writing a book for the page. He was also producing for the ear. In the audiobook version of Talking to Strangers, you'll hear the voices of people he interviewed--scientists, criminologists, military psychologists. Court transcripts are brought to life with re-enactments. You actually hear the contentious arrest of Sandra Bland by the side of the road in Texas. As Gladwell revisits the deceptions of Bernie Madoff, the trial of Amanda Knox, and the suicide of Sylvia Plath, you hear directly from many of the players in these real-life tragedies. There's even a theme song - Janelle Monae's "Hell You Talmbout."

Something is very wrong, Gladwell argues, with the tools and strategies we use to make sense of people we don't know. And because we don't know how to talk to strangers, we are inviting conflict and misunderstanding in ways that have a profound effect on our lives and our world."

The Spy / Thriller Novel - Brad Thor

Brad Thor

In my last look at the Spy / Thriller genre, I'll be looking at the books of Bradley George Thor, Jr. While Thor is a new author for me, he's bee writing thrillers, mainly featuring Scott Harvath, since 2002. He has written 19 Scott Harvath books and one in the Athena Project series. Thor was born in Chicago in 1969. I have the first book in his Harvath series and another one as well. Let's look at those.

1. The Lions of Lucerne (2002).

"On the snow-covered slopes of Utah, the President of the United States has been kidnapped and his Secret Service detail massacred. Only one agent has survived—ex-Navy SEAL Scot Harvath. He doesn’t buy the official line that Middle Eastern terrorists are behind the attack and begins his own campaign to find the truth and exact revenge. But now, framed for murder by a sinister cabal, Harvath takes his fight to the towering mountains of Switzerland—and joins forces with beautiful Claudia Mueller of the Swiss Federal Attorney’s Office. Together they must brave the subzero temperatures and sheer heights of treacherous Mount Pilatus—where their only chance for survival lies inside the den of the most lethal team of professional killers the world has ever known…"

2. Use of Force (#16 / 2017)

"As a storm rages across the Mediterranean Sea, a terrifying distress call is made to the Italian Coast Guard. Days later, a body washes ashore.

Identified as a high value terrorism suspect (who had disappeared three years prior), his name sends panic through the Central Intelligence Agency.

Where was he headed? What was he planning? And could he be connected to the “spectacular attack” they have been fearing all summer?

In a race against time, the CIA taps an unorthodox source to get answers: Navy SEAL turned covert counterterrorism operative, Scot Harvath.

Hired on a black contract, Harvath will provide the deniability the United States needs, while he breaks every rule along the way."

The complete listing of Thor's books can be found at this link.

So there you go. My look at the Spy / Thriller genre. It's obviously not complete, just those I've read or plan to read so far. I hope it at least piques your interest in the genre. I'm not sure where I'll go next but I'll think about it for a couple of days and you'll see it first here. 

Take care. Have a safe week. Wear a mask.

A Weekend Book Review and the Spy / Thriller Novel (Penultimate Post)

It's cool, breezy Saturday. We've had a bit of a drizzle off and on. We just finished sausage sandwiches and while Jo is watching old episodes of The Closer, I think I'll get this entry done. 

I've finished my first book of July. It's been a slow month so far but I'm making steady progress on the others. I'll provide a review for the book I've completed and also the synopsis of the one that has replaced it. I'll also continue with my look at the Spy / Thriller novel, two new authors today. This is my penultimate post on this thread.

Just Finished

1. It's a Battlefield by Graham Greene (1934).

"I've been enjoying the books of English author Graham Greene. It's a Battlefield, originally published in 1934, was Greene's 5th published novel. The story centers a number of characters trying to get Jim Drover, a Communist bus-driver's, sentence commuted from the death penalty to imprisonment for 18 years. Drover killed a police officer who was attempting to strike Drover's wife during a Communist demonstration. Drover has been found guilty and been sentenced to death.

The story follows the police Assistant commissioner, new to his job, who is exploring his recommendation about whether to suggest the commutation to the Home Secretary. There is also Mr. Surrogate a Communist economist trying to persuade a wealthy friend to do her best to get the sentence commuted. Surrogate also had personal relations with Kay, Drover's sister-in-law, who wants to help but also just wants to enjoy herself. There is Conrad Drover, Jim Drover's brother, who loves his brothers wife and is filled with self-rage. There is Drover's wife, Milly, lost without her husband, trying to do anything to save her husband. 

These are the main characters and the story jumps from one to another, their interactions and their own personal lives and issues. It's an interesting, well-written story. In some ways it leaves as many questions unanswered as answered and the final incident is quite unique. I enjoy Greene's stories and each is different in its own right. (4 stars)"

Currently Reading

2. England Made Me by Graham Greene (1935). Greene is my focus author for July.

"From master storyteller Graham Greene comes the tale of Anthony Farrant, who has boasted, lied and cheated his way through jobs all over the world. Then his adoring twin sister, Kate, gets him taken on as the bodyguard of Krogh, her lover and boss, a megalomaniac Swedish financier. All goes well until Krogh gives orders that offend Anthony's innate decency. Outraged and blind to risk, he leaks information to Minty, a shabby journalist and fellow victim of life, a decision that will lead to disastrous consequences."

The Spy / Thriller Novel

I'll look at two authors and one book by each. Both are new for me and I haven't read the books yet. I may have to wait to get the first book in a series by my first author before I start his series. Obtuse enough for you? Well, here they are.

Olen Steinhauer

1. Olen Steinhauer is an American author of spy novels, especially his Milos Weaver series. (That is my focus today). Steinhauer was born in Baltimore in 1970. Since then he has written 12 novels. He has authored two series, The Yalta Boulevard series and also the Milos Weaver series. He has also written a number of standalone novels. 

a. The Nearest Exit (The Tourist / Milos Weaver #2).

"Faced with the potential dissolution of his marriage and the end of his quiet, settled life, reluctant spy Milo Weaver has no choice but to return to his old job as a "tourist" for the CIA. But before he can get back to the dirty work of espionage, he has to prove his worth to his new bosses. Armed with a stack of false identities, Milo heads back to Europe, and for nearly three months every assignment is executed perfectly. Then he's instructed to kill the fifteen-year-old daughter of Moldovan immigrants, and make the body disappear. No questions. For Milo, it's an impossible task, but ignoring his handlers is equally untenable. Suddenly he's in a dangerous position, caught between right and wrong, between powerful self-interested foes, between patriots and traitors--especially now that he has nothing left to lose."

Olen Steinhauer's complete catalogue can be found at this link.

Peter Temple

2. Peter Temple is an Australian crime / thriller author. He was born in South Africa in 1946 and died in Ballarat Australia in 2018. I became interested in his writing when Jo and I watched an Australian crime series based on his books about Jack Irish. Excellent TV series. So far I've been unable to find any Jack Irish books but I've bought a couple of others. One might fit this category.

a. In the Evil Day (2002).

"The Cold War is long dead but the trade in deceit and lies is still running hot. In Hamburg, John Anselm is hiding from the ghosts he has left behind in foreign war zones. He spends his days working for a surveillance firm. At night he drinks too much, paranoid about the suspicions he glimpses in the eyes of strangers.

In London, Caroline Wishart calls herself an exposé journalist. The story she has stumbled on could make her career or is she playing somebody else's game? Into both their lives comes ex-mercenary Con Niemand, bearing an explosive secret, a secret with the power to topple governments and destroy them all."

Peter Temple's complete catalogue can be found at this link.

One more post on this topic.. then I'll have to figure out my next topic. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Stay safe and wear a mask.

The Spy / Thriller Novel (Winding Down)

It's been a nice cool, somewhat cloudy day today. The dogs and I went for a drive at lunch time. I refreshed our bread stock, got a couple of individual Hawaiian pizzas at Cob's bakery for lunch, then stopped at the Church Street Bakery and picked up two peach Danishes. They are now selling smoothies so I was one of the first ones to get some, got Jo a strawberry banana one and myself a mixed berry one. Made for a nice lunch as we listened to Deadline: White House and The New Abnormal. At the moment Jo is making supper so I'm going to do this post before it's ready; a nice roast dinner by the way.

I just want to congratulate Nicolle Wallace for the success of Deadline: White House. This was the press release from MSNBC's Press Office today

"On Friday (7/3) @MSNBC’s @DeadlineWH  with @NicolleDWallace  at 4pm was #1 in total viewers for the 7th straight day topping FOX News and CNN. This marks the show’s longest winning streak since November 2019. “Deadline: White House” was also the #1 cable news show at 4pm in June."

Oh while I was out today I noticed that the Day Cares seem to be open again. I'm not sure what the rules are for re-opening, it doesn't really affect me as I am much too old to have kids in Day Care. I just hope they all stay safe. 

My author for my ongoing look at the Spy / Thriller novel is a new one for me. I will probably have two more posts on this topic. Not sure what I will look at next. Any ideas?

The Spy / Thriller Novel - Daniel Silva

Daniel Silva is an American journalist / novelist born in Detroit Michigan in 1960. He is a new author for me and I have two of his spy novels on my bookshelf awaiting my attention. He has one standalone novel, two books in his Michael Osbourne series and 20 in his Gabriel Allon series. Let's check out the two I have so far.

1. The Unlikely Spy (standalone / 1996)

"For Britain's counterintelligence operations, this meant finding the unlikeliest agent imaginable-a history professor named Alfred Vicary, handpicked by Churchill himself to expose a highly dangerous, but unknown, traitor.

The Nazis, however, have also chosen an unlikely agent: Catherine Blake, a beautiful widow of a war hero, a hospital volunteer - and a Nazi spy under direct orders from Hitler to uncover the Allied plans for D-Day..."

2. The Mark of the Assassin (Michael Osbourne #1 / 1998)

"Set in London, Cairo, Amsterdam, and Washington, the story line follows CIA case agent Michael Osbourne as he attempts to locate the terrorists who shot down an airliner off the coast of Long Island. Osbourne has two main antagonists: Delaroche, a KGB-trained expert assassin ordered to kill the handful of people who know the truth, including Osbourne, and the corrupt political culture of Washington, which ominously stymies him at every turn. There's a love story at the core of this book, as well as a brave attempt by Osbourne to reconcile a mystery in his past with a present he has not fully accepted. The prose is slick, and readers will find themselves racing through these pages as the body count grows and the conclusion nears."

The complete listing of Daniel Silva's works can be found at this link.

Hey Old Man! Feed Us!

Enjoy the rest of your week, I've got two puppies telling me it's time for dinner. Have a great week!

New Books and My Ongoing Look at the Spy / Thriller Genre

Well, another Friday is upon us. Paid the property taxes this week and had a nice bonus of sorts, a further discount because I'll officially be a senior (by their standards) this year. Also sorted out the home insurance. I was planning to stop into my local used book store but there was a line-up to get in, so I'll go back and try again tomorrow. Why was there a line-up you ask? Well, under the Canadian reopening guidelines, the store is limiting 5 people at a time inside. I've no problems with that at all. It definitely makes me feel safer and I'm sure it makes the owners feel the same. So I'll check in again tomorrow, it's been nice to be inside a book store again.

My last two books on order arrived yesterday, one from England so that was also a good thing. I'll update those for you and also continue with my look at the Spy / Thriller genre.

New Books

1. Gideon's Night by J.J. Marric (aka John Creasey) (Commander Gideon #3 / 1957). I've enjoyed the first couple of books in this series and look forward to continuing it.

"On this particular night Commander George Gideon has to deal with a couple of psychopaths, who trail pain and blood in their wake. One targets infants, and the other young women on London’s foggy streets. There’s also an explosive gang war in the offing, and one way or another all of these cases are coming to their breathtaking conclusions at the same time. Can Scotland Yard’s finest deal with such a nightmarish scenario, with what would ordinarily be months of time consuming police work crammed into just one night?"

2. The Great Mortdecai Moustache Mystery by Kyril Bonfiglioli (Charlie Mortdecai #4). I read the first book in this series a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. I have the complete series now.

"The Hon. Charlie Mortdecai (and his intrepid moustache) is invited to Oxford to investigate the cruel and most definitely unusual death of a don who collided with an omnibus. Though her death appears accidental, one or two things don't add up - such as two pairs of thugs who'd been following her just before her death. With more spies than you could shoe horn into a stretch limo and the solving of the odd murder along the way, The Great Mortdecai Moustache Mystery is a criminally comic delight."

The Spy / Thriller Novel - Peter O'Donnell

Peter O'Donnell

Peter O'Donnell lived from 1920 - 2010. He was born in Lewisham and died in Brighton. He wrote thrillers and comic books and under the pseudonym, Madeleine Brent, wrote historic romances. He is best known for his stories featuring ex-criminal, now undercover agent who sometimes works for the British government, Modesty Blaise. I'm not sure where I discovered the series, probably listed in the back of one of my other books, but I've now read 4 in this entertaining, action filled thriller series. There are 13 books in the series and I have most of them. I'll check out the first 5 or so for your interest.

1. Modesty Blaise (1965).

"In her first adventure for British Intelligence Modesty Blaise with her loyal lieutenant, Willie Garvin, must foil a multi-million pound diamond heist. They travel from London to the South of France, across the Mediterranean to Cairo before battling, against impossible odds, a private army of professional killers."

My Review - "I've read two other books in this series but finally managed to snag a copy of the first book. It's an entertaining series. Modesty Blaise was a war-orphan who moved about and eventually, relying on strength of character and other factors, ended up running The Network, a successful 'crime' organization that operated in Europe and other locations. 

In this story, she has retired and is living in London, when the secret service asks her to come out retirement to help them stop a major robbery and prevent an international incident. She accepts and bringing along her friend and partner, Willie Garvin, begins an adventure that will take her through the Mediterranean, Egypt and other locations as she tracks down Gabriel and his gang who want to rob a ship of millions in diamonds. It's kind of James Bondish, Doc Savage, etc but with a heroine who is confident, successful and talented. Lots of fun and a good entertaining adventure. (3 stars)"

2. Sabre-Tooth (1966).

"Karz, a modern day Genghis Khan with an army of ruthless mercenaries, plans to take over Kuwait. Modesty Blaise and her loyal lieutenant, Willie Garvin, investigate Karz before an epic battle in the Hindu Kush mountains. Modesty must fight alone to prevent an invasion that will change the world."

My Review "Exactly what I expected and I wasn't disappointed. An interesting adventure/ thriller. Modesty Blaise and her partner Willie take on mercenaries to help out MI-6. Modesty is larger than life, competent, skilled, imaginative and able to think out of any problem. Willie is the perfect partner, what Modesty can't do, he can. Their lives are at risk, but they find ways to even the odd. A perfect Saturday afternoon serial type movie. I enjoyed very much. (3 stars)"

3. I, Lucifer (1967).

"This installment of the Modesty Blaise adventures finds Modesty and faithful friend Willie Garvin trying to get to the bottom of another of Seff's evil plots. When it is discovered that a disturbed young man named Lucifer has the ability to foresee the death of those around him, Seff recruits the boy into his gang and uses his powers of premonition to evil ends, extracting ransom from rich victims who have been told of their impending death. During the course of her investigation Modesty's cover is blown, and she finds herself trapped on Seff's island stronghold and must use all of her guile and brains to escape." (3 stars)

4. A Taste of Death (1969).

"The fourth Modesty Blaise title sees the rugged team of Modesty Blaise and Willie Garvin take on impossible odds, pitted against Simon Delicta, the man with a taste for death, and Swordmaster Wenczel in a duel to the death. As the adventure unfolds, travelling from London to Panama before reaching the depths of the Sahara desert, the pair will need all their skills to survive."

My Review - "A Taste for Death is the 4th book in the Modesty Blaise adventure / thriller series by Peter O'Donnell. I enjoyed this as much as the first three. Modesty is a strong, independent woman (think Lara Croft) who finds herself in many sticky situations and is helped to deal with them by her partner / best friend Willie Garvin. Both started out in the criminal world and have retired. Living in England and enjoying life they regularly help British spymaster, Tarrant, with various situations that need an independent, non-governmental hand.

In this story, Willie Garvin is on vacation in Panama, diving for pearls, when he comes across an attack on two women and saves one, her sister being murdered.

The enemies involved include Gabriel and McWhirter, who Modesty and Willie have battled previously. A new foe also is involved, one from Willie's past. The two, along with Modesty's beau, Stephen Collier, must travel to Algeria, to try and save blind Dinah Pilgrim and a group of archeologists from Gabriel and Delicata (one of the more vicious villains I've met yet), risking their lives in the process.

 

Like the others, this is an entertaining, page turner, with strong likeable characters who you find yourself rooting for. Most enjoyable (3.5 stars)"

5. The Impossible Virgin (1971).

"Mischa Novikov died trying to preserve his discovery of the Impossible Virgin, a secret that meant enormous wealth. But right at the last moment, he babbled. When Modesty makes a forced landing in Central Africa, she meets the man who possesses Novikov's secret without knowing it — Giles Pennyfeather, the guileless and blundering young doctor with a gift for healing. In saving Giles from Brunel, a dangerous killer, she buys yet another ticket to danger, for Brunel is determined to have the secret. Modesty and her lieutenant, Willie Garvin, take on Brunel and his partners in a fierce and devious battle, where Modesty is brought to the most shattering reverse she has ever suffered. How she fights back, and at last learns the truth of the Impossible Virgin and her ferocious guardians, brings this fifth tale in the saga of Modesty Blaise to an astonishing climax."

So there you go. It's an entertaining series so far. The complete listing of O'Donnell's books can be found at this link.

Have a great weekend and if you're celebrating a safe Independence Day weekend. Wear a mask!