2027 Reading Challenges - Addendum

Spies, spies, everywhere

In the past few posts I highlighted some planned 2027 Reading Challenges. I've adjusted them a bit due my wife, Jo, buying me a number of Helen MacInnes spy novels on our local Buy and Sell. It made think about all of the various spy novels I've got on my bookshelves, so I decided to remove a couple of Individual challenges and add one more 12 + 4 Challenge. These are the books I'm tentatively thinking of putting in that challenge.

2027 12 + 4 Reading Challenge - Spy / Thriller

1. David Baldacci - Simple Genius (King & Maxwell #3 /  2007). I've read two of the books and it's been quite awhile since I got back to this series. It was a very entertaining TV series too.

"Near Washington, D.C., there are two clandestine the world's most unusual laboratory and a secret CIA training camp. Drawn to these sites by a murder, ex-Secret Service agent Sean King encounters a dark world of mathematicians, codes, and spies. His search for answers soon leads him to more shocking violence-and an autistic girl with an extraordinary genius.

Now, only by working with his partner, Michelle Maxwell, who is battling her own personal demons, can he catch a killer ... and stop a national threat."

2. David Downing - Stettin Station (John Russell #3 / 2009). The first two books were excellent.

"In the fall of 1941, Anglo-American journalist John Russell is still living in Berlin, tied to the increasingly alien city by his love for two Berliners: his fourteen-year-old son, Paul, and his longtime girlfriend, Effi. Forced to work for both German and American Intelligence, he's searching for a way out of Germany. Can he escape and take Effi with him?"

3. Joseph Kanon - Leaving Berlin (2014). Istanbul Passage was excellent.

"Berlin, 1948. Almost four years after the war’s end, the city is still in ruins, a physical wasteland and a political symbol about to rupture. In the West, a defiant, blockaded city is barely surviving on airlifted supplies; in the East, the heady early days of political reconstruction are being undermined by the murky compromises of the Cold War. Espionage, like the black market, is a fact of life. Even culture has become a battleground, with German intellectuals being lured back from exile to add credibility to the competing sectors.

Alex Meier, a young Jewish writer, fled the Nazis for America before the war. But the politics of his youth have now put him in the cross-hairs of the McCarthy witch-hunts. Faced with deportation and the loss of his family, he makes a desperate bargain with the fledgling CIA: he will earn his way back to America by acting as their agent in his native Berlin. But almost from the start things go fatally wrong. A kidnapping misfires, an East German agent is killed, and Alex finds himself a wanted man. Worse, he discovers his real assignment — to spy on the woman he left behind, the only woman he has ever loved. Changing sides in Berlin is as easy as crossing a sector border. But where do we draw the lines of our moral boundaries? At betrayal? Survival? Murder?"

4. One Man's Flag by David Downing (Jack McColl #2 / 2015). I didn't like this series as much as Downing's John Russell books, but I've only read one so far.

"Spring 1915: World War One rages across Europe, and the British Empire is assailed on all fronts—domestic and abroad. Amidst this bloodbath of nations, where one man’s flag is another man’s shroud, a British spy is asked to do the impossible: seduce and betray the woman he loves, again. Only this time betrayal is a two-way street.

Jack McColl, a spy for His Majesty’s Secret Service, is stationed in India, charged with defending the Empire against Bengali terrorists and their German allies. Belgium, he finds, is not the only country seeking to expel an invader.

In England, meanwhile, suffragette journalist Caitlin Hanley begins the business of rebuilding her life after the execution of her brother—an IRA sympathizer whose terrorist plot was foiled by Caitlin’s own ex-lover, the very same Jack McColl. The war is changing everything and giving fresh impulse to those causes—feminism, socialism and Irish independence—which she as a journalist has long supported.

The threat of a Rising in Dublin alarms McColl’s bosses as much as it dazzles Caitlin. If another Irish plot brings them back together, will it be as enemies or lovers?"

5. Sgt. Death by James Mayo (Charles Hood #4 / 1969)

It says only that this is Charles Hood's fourth assignment. I've read two others thus far.

6. The Devil's Cocktail by Alexander Wilson (Wallace of the Secret Service #2 / 1928)

"An intrigue against Britain by Bolshevik agents is strongly suspected at MI6. Sir Leonard Wallace sends Captain Hugh Shannon, disguised as a professor of English Literature, to India to get to the bottom of it."

7. The Whip Hand by Victor Canning (Rex Carver #1 / 1965).

"A 1960s London PI’s search for a missing au pair leads to sinister evil in this classic spy series opener by the author of The Rainbird Pattern . Meet Rex Carver, the suave and laconic private investigator. His job is to track down a German au pair , Katerina Saxmann, who has gone missing in Brighton. But when the security services show up at his apartment within hours of him accepting the assignment, he realizes there is far more going on. As the search leads Carver around the pleasure spots of Europe, the investigation, and his feelings for Katerina, get more complicated. But when a specter from the continent’s past rears its head, Rex discovers he might be in too deep "

8. Prelude to Terror by Helen MacInnes (Robert Renwick #1 / 1978). I really enjoy her spy stories.

"Colin Grant, New York art expert, suddenly finds himself on a secret mission for a mysterious millionaire--to acquire a famous painting being smuggled out of Hungary. What he does not know is that he is about to become the key piece in a sinister puzzle--a conspiracy to unleash a war of bloody international terrorism. From inside front Grant glanced sideways and saw a woman, beautiful enough to change his glance into a stare. Something stirred in a deep memory, couldn't come to the surface. Amber earrings emphasized the strange color of her eyes, almost a golden brown. Her lips smiled. Softly she said as she turned back to admire the painting, "You don't remember me, Mr. Grant?" Grant looked at her, puzzled. "I must talk to you," she said urgently. "It is too important for a telephone--it's about a job a friend of mine thinks you could carry out for him. Could you meet me at my hotel tonight? We can have supper in my room." Colin Grant did not know until it was too late that his whole life began to change in that moment--and that he would be lucky even to stay alive for the next few weeks."

9. Slow Burner by William Haggard (Colonel Russell #1 / 1965). Haggard is a new author for me.

"For British spymaster, Colonel Russell, the Cold War is about to get hotter.

When plans for a new and highly-innovative form of nuclear energy are stolen it falls to Russell’s Security Executive to retrieve them before the secrets of Slow Burner are leaked to Britain’s enemies.

But as Russell discovers, the enemy within can be more dangerous than any foreign adversary."

10. Old Flames by John Lawton (Inspector Troy #2 / 1996). The first book was interesting.

"At the height of the Cold War, Chief Inspector Troy of Scotland Yard, assigned to both protect and spy on Khrushchev, infiltrates the M16 to investigate the brutal killing of a Royal Navy diver and begins to suspect that one of his own colleagues may be responsible."

11. Agent in Place by Helen MacInnes (1976).

"This sophisticated narrative of spy/counterspy is set in Washington, where the Russians have planted an "agent in place." For nine years he has worked himself quietly into the fabric of government and society. Dedicated and patient, he has everyone's respect. It is a plot where amateurs are the villains and professionals are the heroes -- particularly a team of British and French agents whose job is to foil further Russian intervention. The story moves from Washington to New York to Menton on the French Riviera, where it concludes in a series of stunning revelations, dismaying setbacks and breathless discoveries."

12. A Plague of Dragons by John Michael Brett (Hugo Baron #2 / 1965).

"Baron is sent to Africa where he joins from Egypt to Kenya in search of a Chinese scientist with a plan to develop a horrific germ capable of killing thousands. He also has a unique gift at brainwashing, making everyone Baron comes into contact with a potential adversary."

Alternates

Alt 1. Source*Forged Armor by Paul J. Bartusiak (John Angstrom #1 / 2013). The author sent me this book and I have to apologize for not reading it sooner

"John Angstrom is a decommissioned CIA field operative, damaged goods from a mission gone awry. He is "placed" into DARPA, a branch of the Pentagon charged with maintaining the technological superiority of the U.S. military. It's a landing spot for Angstrom—a career transition—someplace safe for a man who can no longer do what he loves, and what he is trained to do.

His placement coincides with a groundbreaking event in DARPA's history: the crowdsourced design of a next generation Marine Amphibious Vehicle, or MAV. Massive in scale, the effort pulls together top experts in the field and submissions from the largest defense contractors around the world. The placement also pairs Angstrom with Dr. Susan Rand, a beautiful and driven woman working as a consultant on the project. Rand is a force like no other, and Angstrom must quickly figure out her motives, because her agenda is not clear, and she wields power and influence within DARPA in a most unorthodox manner.

Among all of the MAV submissions, there is something significant—something that no one can see for what it truly is—at least, not until Angstrom discovers it. His new role takes him in an unexpected"

Alt 2. Passport for a Pilgrim by James Leasor (Dr. Jason Love #4 / 1968)

"Dr Love's fourth supersonic adventure. Dr Jason Love is going to attend a medical conference in Damascus and one of his patients asks him to find out how his daughter died in a car accident on the outskirts of Syria's capital. But all is not as it seems. Fulfilling a simple favour turns into a nightmare for the Somerset doctor, turned part-time secret agent..."

Alt 3. The Sleeper by Holly Roth (1954).

"They keep teasing you with it... Hollister tells you a little, mostly about how it began with the woman, and then Hollister dies because of it... he FBI tells you a little more, again about the woman, and then they also stop talking...

So you go to the woman. And she is beautiful. Too beautiful.

Because after a little while you forget that she may very well be the instrument of your death..."

Alt 4. Gemini Trip by Janice Law (Anna Peters #2 / 1977).

"Anna Peters, the unorthodox New World Oil Company researcher, learns the price of the good research job she obtained after her successful adventures in The Big Payoff. The Chairman of the Board wants her to do a little track down Crystal Blythe, a feckless young woman soon to inherit the lion's share of New World stock. Crystal and her twin brother Edward have been living in France, and Anna is dispatched on a working holiday to locate the missing girl. Paris, art, culture, great food-the trip sounds terrific. Unfortunately for Anna and her artist lover Harry Radford, the young Blythes have gotten themselves into bad company, including gun runners and espionage agents from two countries. Anna learns she can't trust the charming and talented Blythes, and wonders if they can even trust each other."

Quite a variety in the genre. Maybe you'll see some authors with whom you're unfamiliar.

Time for a Reading Update

I've been focused on letting you know my 2027 Reading plans in my last few posts. Point of fact, I've already changed my plans somewhat. I'll get back to that in later posts, because I might change them even again. 😎😜

But now, it's time to update my reading, new books, etc.

Completed Books (4 books completed since my mid-month update, 3 of the 4 by Canadian authors)

1. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (Classics / 1891)

"I've been reading Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy for about 5 months and I'm glad I stuck with it. It's not the first Hardy. I also enjoyed Far from the Madding Crowd and a collection of short stories, Life's Little Ironies. Tess was a hard one to read, not because it was written badly, but because of the hardships Tess had to endure.

I believe that all of her problems were caused by her somewhat shiftless father. Tess Durbeyfield was a field worker in the town of Marlott. Her father heard a story from a wandering minister who told him that the Durbeyfields were the last members of the Norman d'Urbervilles family, royalty basically. Tess's father talks her into going to work for the d'Urbervilles, an old woman and her son, who live on their estate. Tess takes care of the poultry and other farm work. But Alec d'Urbervilles is not a nice guy and he gradually bends Tess to his will and gets her pregnant. She runs home, not telling Alec, has the baby, which gets sick and tragically dies.

Tess leaves home for a new start and starts working at a dairy from in the Froom Valley. There she meets and falls in love with Angel Claire, the son of a Minister, who wants to avoid the religious life and instead, learn about farming so he can start up his own farm, either in England or maybe in America.

Over time, the two become friendly and Angel keeps trying to persuade Tess to marry him. She keeps saying no, as she has a 'secret', right. But Angel persuades her and they get married.

On their wedding night, at a farm house where they are about to start a new life, both of them tell each other their secrets; Angel that he'd had relations with a woman of the evening while in London. Tess forgives him and tells Angel her story. Well, let's just say that he's not as understanding. They split up and Angel heads off to Brazil to get his head straight and maybe get a farm for the two of them in Brazil.

Tess tries to go home, but can't live there now that her marriage appears to have broken up, maybe yes, maybe no. She gets work at a hard scrabble farm with one of the girls who worked with her at the dairy. It's not a great live, but Tess is surviving. She spends any money that Angel gave her to help her parents get a new roof for their house and at one point decides to go see Angel's parents. He has left money for her. Now for some reason, while she's on their doorstep,, she hears Angel's brothers talking about her, negatively, and she goes back to her farm work. On the way she hears a man preaching and lo and behold, it's Alec d'Urberville.

As you can guess, this is a mistake as now that he's back in her life, Alec won't leave her alone... Not good.

There will be hope and maybe also tragedy before this story ends. Tess is a wonderful character, strong, noble, intelligent, but that doesn't help her as her life is full of setbacks and tragedies. It's an excellent story. Hardy describes the Tess's life so very well. It's a thoughtful book, you can picture where Tess lives and works, feel the changing weather, see how hard but at times enjoyable her life can be. An excellent story by Hardy. I'm glad I stuck with it. (4.0 stars)"

2. We Speak Through the Mountain by Premee Mohamed (Annual Migration of Clouds #2 / Dystopia / 2024)

"I read the first book in the The Annual Migration of Clouds trilogy a couple of years ago. We Speak Through the Mountain by Premee Mohamed is the 2nd book and it was just as good as the 1st one. Even though it has been 2 years, it was still easy to get back into the flow of the story.

In a dystopic future set in Alberta, Canada, Reid Graham has been accepted for attendance at Howse University, in the Rocky Mountain. Reid suffers from an illness, CAD, that is one of the reasons for the dystopian setting. It's a virus of some sort that inhabits her body (and the majority of the people in her community of Edmonton... and all over Canada and presumably the world). The world is also suffering from a climate disaster. The hope for Reid is that by being accepted at Howse, she can help with the environmental disaster and also maybe in finding a cure for CAD.

The story starts with her on her journey, injured seriously. But she wakes up in Howse, in the infirmary. And this starts her first year at Howse. She receives injections that don't cure CAD but push it down so it kind of lies dormant.

Howse is a domed city and the students consist of young adults who have lived there all their lives and a select group of outsiders from university towns across Alberta and other locations. From her life in Edmonton, where everything is crowded and noisy, Howse is a shock; clean, quiet, sanitary. Reid persuades the university to allow her to room with Clementine, a girl from Calgary, as they both are having difficulty adjusting to the loneliness of living alone.

As Reid's year progresses, she finds many odd things about Howse. They don't talk about the past, only the future. The students from Howse seem to consider the outsiders as animals, maybe cavemen, although they tolerate them. It seems also that they have no plan to help the rest of the world outside; that they prefer the students from outside to just stay there after their 4 years study; as Reid thinks, to keep the blood supply fresh, so to speak.

Reid finds herself frustrated by this attitude. She begins to break rules; finding ways to leave the dome, even though she is punished. Clementine is a willing companion. One of the other students, St. Martin, befriends Reid, but finds it more difficult to see Reid's reasoning.

It's an excellent follow-on to The Annual Migration of Clouds. Mohamed writes clearly, developing her characters and the setting so you can really see it in your mind. The concept is fascinating and even with the ending a bit of a 'cliff hanger', leading you on to the 3rd books, it still is satisfying on its own. I've read one of Mohamed's standalones as well, The Butcher of the Forest and I have enjoyed everything. I look forward to reading Book 3 and also starting her Beneath the Rising trilogy. (4.0 stars)"

3. Driven by Mason Coile (Horror / 2026)

"Driven is a horrorish novel by Mason Coile, a pseudonym for Canadian horror author Andrew Pyper. I had previously enjoyed three of Pyper's stories; Lost Girls, The Killing Circle and The Guardians (I think that one was my favorite). I recently read an article about him, about establishing an award for speculative fiction / horror writers, upon his death in 2026. It was in that article that I discovered that he also wrote under his pseudonym and since Driven was the last book before his death, I thought I should check it out.

It's a surprising sort of story that takes you in all sorts of directions you don't expect. Jamie Newcross is wandering through life, after the death of his wife and infant daughter in a hit and run accident. He moves from apartment to apartment but has to keep moving, taking less and less with him. There is something haunting him; is in his mind or is some being? I mean, it seems to be the latter, especially when he sees fingers creeping around the shower curtain. But who knows?

Twist #1. Jamie sees an ad for a used car, a Lion, which happens to be the world's most advanced fully autonomous car. To Jamie, who is trying to bury himself away from the world and is constantly haunted, this might be perfect; maybe he can just live in the car and keep ahead of whatever is haunting him. The fellow he buys from, Quinn, is kind of shifty but Jamie buys it anyway. Re Quinn, there are some glitches with the computer system, mainly that the monitor screen doesn't seem to work, but otherwise, it's ok.

Turn #2. Jamie awakens in the car, bruised and shaken. What happened? There seems to be blood and hair on the hood of the car!! He doesn't remember anything but it seems as though, maybe the car has run over someone. It's not saying anything. Now what is Jamie to do? The car takes off on a long, meandering drive through Toronto and won't let Jamie out

Twist #3. Whatever is haunting Jamie, seems to now have inhabited the car. 

Turn #4. Jamie originally told the car to take him home, but where exactly is home? He's moved so much since the accident. Firstly it takes him to his last residence with wife and daughter, but Jamie persuades it to take him away. Next the car (Lion) takes him to his first home outside of Toronto, where his mother seems to haunt Jamie.

I'll stop the twists and turns, but they are all fascinating. The story shifts from horror to mystery, especially when Jamie takes the car to the Lion service center and discovers some things (I'm not going to ruin it by telling you what, of course). After that, Jamie is taken on a journey and the car begins to communicate more with him, or is it whatever / whomever is haunting the car.

The story moves along very nicely and could be read in a few hours and they will be hours well spent. It's a fascinating, rich story for its shortness. Jamie is in interesting character who we learn more about as the story progresses and ultimately the Lion is fascinating. It's an emotional journey with an excellent ending. The closer I got to the end, the more enjoyable and satisfying it became. It has its scary moments but nothing really terrifying, just tenseness and it's an interesting mystery as well. Fantastic (5.0 stars)"

4. Bunny, a Novel by Mona Awad (Horror / 2019)

"Bunny by Canadian author, Mona Awad was my first exposure to her work. She also wrote 12 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl and We Love You, Bunny. Having said this, I'm not quite sure what to say about Bunny. It's definitely different from anything else I've read in many a year. It's dark and disturbing and a fascinating read... but what the heck is going on?

Samantha is on a scholarship to Warren University. She is doing her thesis in English creative writing. She is part of a very small group, her teacher, Ursula, herself and the Bunnies. The Bunnies are at best a clique of 4 young ladies, who are sort of Heathers, but in spades. And there is something sort of supernatural about them, or witchy. Samantha hates them. 

Something happened to Samantha with one of her professors, Alan, after a party... or maybe nothing happened. But the Bunnies hold this over Samantha. Samantha's only real friend is Ava, a..... goth sort of girl. She also hates the Bunnies. Ava and Samantha, spend time at Ava's house, writing, dancing, being friends. 

There is also Joel, in the poetry program, a doped up guy, but all in all a very nice kid. He doesn't ask anything of Samantha, but he's just there, willing to help, to be a friend.

The Bunnies invite Samantha to the Smut Salon, where the four of them... do stuff. They drink weird drinks, eat weird food, read poetry, but there is definitely something off about them. What are they doing to the bunnies outside? This is the supernatural element to the story.

Samantha kind of walks her way through the story. She lets herself be pulled away from Ava by the Bunnies. She lets herself be redesigned by the Bunnies. But gradually something begins to sink in. What actually are they doing? 

Is what is happening real? Is it in her mind? Is it drugs that the Bunnies are feeding Samantha? 

The story teeters along... fascinatedly, but also confusingly. And then along comes Max! Who the, what the???

There will be a final crisis, tragedy and a climatic ending, that is quite interesting. The story is strange, fascinating, and will draw you in. But you tell me what it's about. It's definitely worth trying. I have We Love You, Bunny on my book shelf. I will try it. (3.0 stars)"

Currently Reading (started since mid month update)

1. The Trials of Rumpole by John Mortimer (Rumpole of the Bailey #2 / 1979)

"Horace Rumpole — a man who never prosecutes, whose fame rests on his knowledge, whose court scenes are proverbial and whose home is ruled by Mrs Rumpole is back in this collection of stories.

Contents: Rumpole and the man of God — Rumpole and the showfolk — Rumpole and the Fascist beast — Rumpole and the case of identity — Rumpole and the course of true love — Rumpole and the age for retirement"

2. Game Without Rules by Michael Gilbert (Calder & Behrens #1 / 1967).

"Two Englishmen, who quietly disappear from their abodes in order to solve mysteries, are the protagonists of eleven espionage tales"

3. Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix (Horror / 2014)

"Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.

To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör is designed to retain its luster and natural appearance for a lifetime of use. Pleasingly proportioned with generous French flaps and a softcover binding, Horrorstör delivers the psychological terror you need in the elegant package you deserve."

Newest Arrivals (Quite a few actually because Jo has kindly bought me a number of books on our local Buy and Sell.)

1. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (The Empyrean #2 / 2023). I just recently completed the 1st book and enjoyed it very much.

"SECRETS. SACRIFICE. SURVIVAL.

Against all odds, Violet Sorrengail made it through her first year at Basgiath War College, but now, the real training begins. The stakes are higher than ever, and a determination to survive won''t be enough this time.

When a powerful new enemy threatens everything she cares about, including the man she loves, Violet must do whatever it takes to keep their secrets safe. One wrong move could have horrifying consequences - and as the web of lies spun by those in charge starts to unravel, nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.

THE DEADLY SECOND YEAR AT BASGIATH AWAITS"

2. The Left Left Behind by Terry Bisson (Sci Fi / 2009). I read Bisson's Fire on the Mountain, just excellent. This is part of a series by publisher PM Authors. I've read a few so far and have others on my shelf to get to.

"Sardonic and merciless, this satire of the entire apocalyptic enterprise provides a humorous and timely interpretation of the bestselling Left Behind series—the adventures of those "left behind" to battle the Anti-Christ after all Born-Again Christians have ascended into heaven. From predatory preachers and goth lingerie to Indian casinos and “art cars” at Burning Man, this religious spoof deftly pairs the personal with the fictional. Featuring an extensive author interview and biography, this contemporary parody also includes the unique one-act drama, Special Relativity, which asks the question: When Paul Robeson, J. Edgar Hoover, and Albert Einstein are raised from the dead at an anti-Bush rally, which one wears the dress?"

3. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Horror / 2022).

"Carlota Moreau: A young woman growing up on a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of a researcher who is either a genius or a madman.

Montgomery Laughton: A melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers.

The hybrids: The fruits of the doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities.

All of them live in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Dr. Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction.

For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and, in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite."

4. Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs #9 / 2012). Jo also bought me A Lesson In Secrets (Maisie Dobbs #8) from the Buy & Sell.

"In this latest entry in Jacqueline Winspear’s acclaimed, bestselling mystery series―“less whodunits than why-dunits, more P.D. James than Agatha Christie” (USA Today)―private investigator Maisie Dobbs takes on her most personal case yet, a twisting investigation into the brutal killing of a street peddler that will take her from the working-class neighborhoods of her childhood into London’s highest circles of power. Perfect for fans of A Lesson in Secrets, The Mapping of Love and Death, or other Maisie Dobbs mysteries―and an ideal place for new readers to enter the series―Elegy for Eddie is an incomparable work of intrigue and ingenuity, full of intimate descriptions and beautifully painted scenes from between the World Wars, from one of the most highly acclaimed masters of historical mystery, Jacqueline Winspear."

5. Lost Empires by J.B. Priestley (Fiction / 1965).

"One of Priestley's best novels, "Lost Empires" is set in the last years before the Great War, an age that was considered innocent but probably was nothing of the sort. In turn funny, sad, tragic and nostalgic, it is the story of young Richard Herncastle, who travels the old-time music halls during its golden era with his Uncle Nick Ollanton, an illusionist. It is a novel that can be read on many levels, with a delightful parade of characters whose stories tell us much about how life was for a variety performer in those long-forgotten days...indeed, it is essentially an excellent slice of fiction that captures a particular time and place in history --just before the world changed for ever."

6. The Salzburg Connection by Helen MacInnes (Spy / Thriller / 1968). Jo also bought me a few other MacInnes books: Message from Malaga, Assignment in Brittany, The Double Image, Rest and Be Thankful. It was because of the Spy novels that I've recently received that I decided to add another 12 + 4 Reading Challenge for 2027, that being Spy / Thrillers, as I do have quite a collection. I'll provide that list in a future post.

"Twenty-one years ago, with the Allies on their heels, the Nazis hid a sealed chest in the dark, forbidding waters of the Finstersee - a lake surrounded by the brooding peaks of the Austrian Alps.

One of the few men who knows of its existence is Richard Bryant, a British agent. Very early one morning, half-hidden by the swirling mists, he sets out alone to discover the secret of the lake - and unleashes a series of violent reactions - and violent deaths ..."

7. The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot #13 / 1936). Jo also bought me Curtain, the last Hercule Poirot mystery. I've added these two books to my 12 + 4 Challenge dealing with British classic mysteries and removed two other books by different authors.

"There’s a serial killer on the loose, working his way through the alphabet and the whole country is in a state of panic.

A is for Mrs. Ascher in Andover, B is for Betty Barnard in Bexhill, C is for Sir Carmichael Clarke in Churston. With each murder, the killer is getting more confident—but leaving a trail of deliberate clues to taunt the proud Hercule Poirot might just prove to be the first, and fatal, mistake."

8. Wrong Norma by Anne Carson (Poetry / Essays / 2024). Carson won this year's Nobel Prize for Literature and is also Canadian, so, since I'd not heard of her, I thought I really should check out her work. I love the book cover for this latest book.

"As with her most recent publications, Wrong Norma is a facsimile edition of the original hand-designed book, drawn and annotated by the author. Several of the twenty-five startling poetic prose pieces have appeared in magazines and journals like The New Yorker and The Paris Review.

Anne Carson is probably our most celebrated living poet, winner of countless awards and routinely tipped for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Famously reticent, asking that her books be published without cover copy, she has agreed to say this: "Wrong Norma is a collection of writings about different things, like Joseph Conrad, Guantánamo, Flaubert, snow, poverty, Roget's Thesaurus, my Dad, Saturday night, Socrates, writing sonnets, forensics, encounters with lovers, the word 'idea', the feet of Jesus, and Russian thugs. The pieces are not linked. That's why I've called them 'wrong'."

9. Yap! A Short History of Small Dogs by Stephanie Howard-Smith (Non Fic / History / 2026). I can't remember where I heard about this book, maybe someone highlighted it on one of the sites I check out. Anyway, it seemed fascinating.

"Yap! Whether that sound suggests an irritating little runt of a dog or a sweet huggable bundle of canine fluff, you need to curl up with this captivating, informative, anecdotal history of our most diminutive four-legged friends. Dogs have been valued members of our societies for tens of thousands of years. They’ve guarded our homes, herded our flocks, hunted our food, and rescued us when we’ve needed help. But since ancient times, little terriers and lapdogs have enriched human lives in a different way. For millennia we’ve bred and kept them, both because they work for us and they bring us joy.

Animal historian Dr. Stephanie Howard-Smith tells the story of our smallest working canines and our beloved companions in a series of fun, lapdog-sized chapters, each of which focuses on a famous historical pooch. From the convents of medieval Europe, where nuns hid small dogs to be their faithful friends (despite the disapproval of male church leaders) to King Charles’s Spaniels, Queen Victoria’s Pekingese, Paris Hilton’s Chihuahua, and the pet influencers of twenty-first-century social media, Yap! follows the pawprints of the pups who set the mold for the dogs we share our homes with today.

Celebrating the petite companions with whom we’ve had our longest and closest relationship, from the lean mean little terriers who’ve kept our homes vermin-free, to our precious French Bulldogs and Toy Poodles, Terriers and Dachshunds, Pomeranians and Pugs, Shih Tzus and Spaniels, Howard-Smith presents a heartfelt ode to the yapping little dogs that have shaped our lives as much as we have shaped how they've evolved from working dogs to couch companions, providing the blueprint for the modern canine, and offered us companionship when we’ve most needed it."

10. The Strode Venturer by Hammond Innes (Thriller / 1960). The last of the books that Jo got for me.

"THE STRODE VENTURER, ploughing distant seas, bridges two very different worlds--the island paradise of Addu Atoll and the commercial world of London.

Everything is very much business as usual, but at Strode House a coterie of directors plots against the family. Nowhere is disaster closer than in the Maldives, where the Adduans, an isolated seafaring people, have literally bet their future on the company.

Peter Strode, wanderer, the odd man out in a family interested only in power and money, makes the cause of the Adduans his own. Volatile, impulsive, full of driving enthusiasm, he sets out to save these people and restore his father's company. Only death can deflect him from his purpose."

So, there you go. A nice mix of books, I believe. See any that interest you? Enjoy the rest of October.

Pre Dental Reading Post

It's Wednesday. Jo is having an early morning nap. I'm about to head off to the dentist for a cleaning. Oh, and Donny Trump has delayed his 50% tariffs for 3 days.. Sigh! If I had my druthers, I'd say, just tell him to get stuffed. But I'm not involved in the day-to-day intricacies of running a country that's on the border with an insane dictator wannabe. I'll just do my bit by buying anything but American products as much as possible and adding my voice to those defending our great country. Oh and casting my vote to have the US Ambassador, Pete Hoekstra, unceremoniously ejected from Canada. As of today, as I write this, 237, 861 people have signed this petition to the House of Commons. Check it out and if you agree, please sign it as well.

Now let's do a mid month (slightly more than mid month) reading update.

Completed Books (3 books completed since my last update)

1. Inspector West Alone by John Creasey (Inspector West #9 / 1950) This is my 2nd book in the series. I haven't been reading in sequence, as you can see.

"Inspector West Alone by John Creasey is the 9th book in this police series and the 2nd I've read. As I recall, the 1st book was ok but this one was excellent; tense, well paced and quite a page turner.

Inspector West of Scotland Yard receives a telephone message purportedly from his wife, Janice, asking for his help. She is with a cousin in the country. Not suspecting anything, West heads out to see what is going on. He arrives at an isolated house that seems to be empty. When he enters, he hears moaning upstairs and goes to investigate. He finds a dying woman, is attacked by someone and almost immediately, the local police arrive and arrest West. His paperwork identifies him as someone else.

While being driven to the police station, the police car is attacked, West is grabbed and he is rendered unconscious. He finds himself in another location, locked in a room, watched and kept prisoner. Gradually, he begins to discover the position he is in. The leader, Mr. Kennedy has plans for West. This involves blackmail, plastic surgery and a new life, helping with a criminal enterprise.

It's a fascinating premise. Does he try and escape, knowing his wife and children are watched and any escape attempt may result in their deaths? As far as he knows, the police believe it is West who has murdered the girl in the cottage. Thus begins a story of trying to escape from what seems an untenable situation. The police are suspicious of this new West, now known as Hanley, but how does West get them to understand the situation without risking his family and any other acquaintances.

It's an excellent story. The characters are well described. The sense of tenseness and helplessness is developed steadily and the ultimate ending is handled expertly. Most interesting mystery / thriller. I have a few more Inspector West books to read and am looking forward to continuing this series. (4.0 stars)"

2. The Furies by Keith Roberts (Hor / Sci Fi / 1966).

"The Furies by Keith Roberts is my 2nd look at his Sci Fi work, after enjoying Pavane previously. The Furies, while quite different from Pavane, was also excellent, a tense, dystopic future. The story starts off with a bang as an English farmer is killed by a giant wasp, which quickly become The Furies. 

The story is narrated by Bill Sampson, a relatively successful cartoonist living in the English countryside. He's a quiet, somewhat irascible individual, living on his own, well, on his own except for his Great Dane, Sec, short for Sekhmet, the Egyptian goddess of darkness. While working at home, Bill is visited by a young lady, Jane, visiting her parents who live nearby and are expected home soon.

Everything is quickly disrupted though. A nearby village is destroyed by an attack by a swarm of Furies. At the same time, the world is in the midst of an arm's race and both Russia and the US are about to test new atomic weapons. A few days after the first attack, Sampson's town is attacked by a swarm of Furies, almost at the same time as the nuclear tests take place, both causing tremendous damage. The village is destroyed by the wasps and also the fissures caused by the simultaneous blasts from the bombs.

Sampson and Sek survive and along with Jane try to find out what is happening and also trying to survive from the marauding wasps. Reports indicated that they are all over the world and even the army can't seem to stop them. So there is the basis of the story, a wasp dystopia, where the humans are not only trying to survive but also trying to destroy the invaders. 

It's a fascinating, dark, at times very depressing but also very thoughtful story. As things get worse, humankind begins to fracture, some helping the wasps build their cities / hives, gathering food, etc. Others, Bill and a small group of other people, try to find places to hide, to survive and to fight back against the swarms. It moves along steadily. Roberts doesn't respect people you might like, he plays no favorites. 

The characters are all interesting, displaying various aspects, positive and negative, of humankind. But like other such books, The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham, and The Death of Grass by John Christopher, this book is also fairly thoughtful. It looks at humankind, what it might be doing wrong or right. It tries to provide a cogent analysis (never boring) of what the Furies actually are, where did they come from?

There are moments where you find yourself drawn right into the action, the fear, the tension. Roberts knows how to ramp things up quickly and forcefully. It's violent, but not overly graphic. All in all, it's an entertaining, tense, dystopic Sci Fi novel and well worth reading. (4.5 stars)"

3. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab (Shades of Magic #2 / 2016) It took me awhile to get through this book, but it was worth it.

"Oh! I'm so angry!! Darn right I am! A Gathering of Shadows, the 2nd book in the Shades of Magic trilogy by V.E. Schwab made me so angry!! 

Inner Voice - But did you enjoy it? (Ed Note - For some reason I hear this voice as Hal, the shipboard computer in 2001, A Space Odyssey)

Me -Yeah... well, sure, ok... yes I enjoyed it... But I'm so angry!! 

Inner Voice - Calm down and let's just talk this through. Why did you enjoy it and why are you angry?... 

Me -Sigh... ok, here we go

A Gathering of Shadows is the 2nd book in the trilogy and it follows Delilah Bard, the master thief, and Kell, the Antari magician, as they move along from the first book, where they saved Red London from the darkness that threatened to destroy it. Kell is now once again living in the palace with his brother, Rhy, the two now inextricably enjoined now that they were magically linked to save Rhy from dying. Delilah is now on board the Night Spire, a buccaneer ship captained by Alucard Emery, having adventures.

Rhy is organizing the great magic competition between the 3 lands in the Red World, 36 of the greatest magicians, 12 from each country, will compete for the grand prize. This will bring Delilah back to Red London, because Alucard plans to compete (he is from one of the royal families in Red London (a black sheep) and a skilled magician. He's been teaching Delilah to hone her own magical skills and unbeknownst to Alucard, she plans to enter the competition (because that's what Delilah is like). Kell and Rhy have their own plan, in that Kell will also enter but under a fake name. 

In the meantime, as we learn from snippets throughout the story, Holland, their arch enemy from Book 1, is now King of White London and magic has been restored there (I apologize if I get the various London's incorrect, as I do get confused). Holland has been taken over by a dark force, who wants to be transferred to the body of an Antari...

Anyway, that's your story. It's long but moves along very nicely and when you've read for an hour or so, you find that you've made steady progress. The characters are great, each well - crafted, with their own individual personalities. The setting is excellent. The story is always interesting

Inner Voice - And you're angry why? 

Me - All through I kept waiting for the story to get to the crux, the key moment, the point of the whole thing. And what was that point? WAIT UNTIL BOOK 3!! That's why I'm angry... 

Inner Voice - Ah, well, that sounds fair. What's your solution?

So, here's my final thoughts. Book 1 was fantastic, just an amazing story with an amazing world. Book 2 was entertaining, set in the same amazing world, with the same great characters and it satisfactorily sets the stage for the final chapter. Check it out. (4.0 stars)"

Currently Reading (As always, these are books started since last update)

1. Wycliffe and the Tangled Web by W.J. Burley (Chief Superintendent Wycliffe #15 / 1988).

"Hilda Clemo, bright, beautiful, still at school, dropped the bombshell of her pregnancy to her family and boyfriend—and then vanished from her Cornish village that same summer afternoon. As fears for her safety grew, Chief Superintendent Wycliffe was brought in to search the fields and cliffs and question the Clemo family—a weird, feuding clan whose kinship and hatreds covered some unpleasant secrets.

One of the secrets finally led to the discovery of a body—but not the body of Hilda Clemo. By the time Hilda’s corpse was found, Wycliffe had a welter of mysteries to solve, not least the true character of the precocious murdered schoolgirl."

2. American War by Omar el Akkad (Dys / 2017). I have read one other book by el Akkad, a non fiction work.

"Sarat Chestnut, born in Louisiana, is only six when the Second American Civil War breaks out in 2074. But even she knows that oil is outlawed, that Louisiana is half underwater, that unmanned drones fill the sky. And when her father is killed and her family is forced into Camp Patience for displaced persons, she quickly begins to be shaped by her particular time and place until, finally, through the influence of a mysterious functionary, she is turned into a deadly instrument of war. Telling her story is her nephew, Benjamin Chestnut, born during war – part of the Miraculous Generation – now an old man confronting the dark secret of his past, his family’s role in the conflict and, in particular, that of his aunt, a woman who saved his life while destroying untold others."

3. Young Men in Spats by P.G. Wodehouse (Humour / 1936)

"Meet the Young Men in Spats - all members of the Drones Club, all crossed in love and all busy betting their sometimes nonexistent fortunes on unlikely outcomes - that's when they're not recovering from driving their sports cars through rather than round Marble Arch.

These wonderful comic short stories are the essence of innocent fun. In them you'll encounter some of Wodehouse's favourite characters - including, for the first time, his future hero Uncle Fred. The collection is widely regarded as one of Wodehouse's best and includes one of his own favorites, 'The Amazing Hat Mystery'."

4. The Genocides by Thomas M. Disch (Sci Fi / 1965).

"In this harrowing novel, the world's cities have been reduced to cinder and ash and alien plants have overtaken the earth.  The plants, able to grow the size of maples in only a month and eventually reach six hundred feet, have commandeered the world's soil and are sucking even the Great Lakes dry. In northern Minnesota, Anderson, an aging farmer armed with a Bible in one hand and a gun in the other, desperately leads the reduced citizenry of a small town in a daily struggle for meager existence. Throw into this fray Jeremiah Orville, a marauding outsider bent on a bizarre and private revenge, and the fight to live becomes a daunting task."

New Arrivals 

1. Secrets of Stone by Coltrane Seesequasis (A Wolf in the Sun #1 / 2024).

"Centuries have passed since the forces of nature won the war against humanity. Sentient animals now rule a healing world, and as the stain of mankind continues to dwindle, a young wolf called Silversong is determined to rise in the hierarchy of his pack. Strong at manipulating wind and air, all he needs is a way to prove himself to his Chief.

Before he can gain the respect he deserves, however, Silversong’s aspirations are cut short by the Heretic and his outcast wolves. Against all odds, the Heretic and his band of exiles escape their imprisonment far to the west and wreak havoc on Silversong’s pack. The exiles pose a threat unlike any other, and their enigmatic leader won’t stop his brutal conquest until all wolfkind submits to him.

Silversong can’t let a monstrous wolf like the Heretic roam free. With the wind at his back, he pursues the leader of the exiles into forests of shadow and into ancient places better left forgotten. But the further he strays from home, the more he comes to realize that maybe his enemies aren’t so evil after all. Maybe there’s a reason for the destruction they seek… and maybe there’s a far greater danger lying in wait."

2. A Gentle Habit by Cherie Dimaline (Indigenous / Short Stories / 2015).

"The inspiration for the collection comes from American Poet Charles Bukowski who wrote "In between the punctuating agonies, life is such a gentle habit." Following this theme of extraordinary ordinariness, A Gentle Habit is a collection of six new short stories focusing on the addictions of a diverse group of characters attempting normalcy in an unnatural world."

3. Intergalactic Exterminators, Inc by Ash Bishop (Intergalactic Archives #1 / 2022)

"Finding work is easy. Staying alive is a little bit harder.

When Russ Wesley finds an unusual artifact in his grandfather’s collection of rare antiquities, the last thing he expects is for it to draw the attention of a ferocious alien from a distant planet. Equally surprising is the adventurous team of intergalactic exterminators dispatched to deal with the alien threat. They’re a little wild, and a little reckless. Worse yet, they’re so impressed with Russ’s marksmanship that they insist he join their squad . . . whether he wants to or not."

4. City of Spies by Mara Timon (City of Spies #1 / 2020).

"LISBON, 1943. After escaping from Nazi-Occupied France, SOE agent Elisabeth de Mornay, codename Cecile, receives new orders: she must infiltrate high society in neutral Lisbon and find out who is leaking key information to the Germans about British troop movements. As Solange Verin, a French widow of independent means, she will be able to meet all the rich Europeans who have gathered in Lisbon to wait out the war. One of them is a traitor and she must find out who before more British servicemen die.

Complications arise when 'Solange' comes to the attention of German Abwehr officer, Major Eduard Graf. As they get to know each other, she struggles to keep her lies close to the truth.

But in a city that is filled with spies, how can she tell who is friend, or foe?"

So there you go, folks. Some reading ideas for you. And always remember, 'Open the pod bay door, Hal'