Lexink - Book Reviews

Books we have read.

Much better honed than the Amber Room, Berry takes back to Russia and explores the "what if" of restoring the Romanovs to power. Miles Lord is in Moscow to support in any way possible the candidate his high-powered firm is backing. One thing leads to another and Lord discovers that his client is corrupt and a front for the Russian Mafiya. Searching the Archives for documentation to support his clients' claim he comes across a prophecy made by Rasputin and comes to believe there may be another, more legitimate, heir to the Romanovs and sets out to find him/her. Intrigue, current political issues in Russia and historical facts of the Imperial dynasty make this thriller not only enjoyable but also informative.

The autopsy of a dead priest brings to light a 1933 Gold Eagle. Only 5 such coins were issued and all five were recalled and supposed to be in Fort Knox. Such is the beginning of this predictable, clumsy and fast-paced novel where a disgraced FBI agent is forced to work with a jewel-thief to figure who, how, when and why. This is a first novel and the first in a series; the premise was interesting enough to make me buy it in hardcover but I'll wait for the rest of the series to be available in paperback.

Sophie Dunston is an idealistic researcher who gets caught up in mayhem and murder when her research in sleep therapy and REM4 sleep is used for military mind-control purposes. Wanting to help her father who suffers from insomnia she developed a wonder drug which has been subverted by Sandborne, her previous boss. Sandborne has applied her discovery to ex-military types, turning them into docile living zombies. He now intends to sell the drug to the highest bidder. Running for her life, helped by former patients of Sandbornes' Sophie battles her guilt and her nightmares, hoping to put an end to the experiments.

The Discworld series always provides a break from reality while sometimes making think differently about serious topics. Such is Thud! which knocks a few feathers off of religious extremism and cultural protectionism. The Watch must solve the theft of a painting that is linked to the origins of DiscWorld and must also keep an eye out for acts of terrorism by Dwarves against Trolls and vice-versa. If you're already familiar witht he series then you'll easily enjoy, otherwise start with another of the series books.

To go widdershins is to circle around counter-clockwise. In many fairy tales you must widdershins to gain access to "the other realm'. For both these reasons It is the perfect title for this magical book, underscoring both levels on which the narrative takes place. On the one hand Widdershins is a love story; the story of Jilly and Geordie, who belong together but don't realize it. On the other it is a modern urban fantasy with a fairy court in an shopping mall.
de Lint delicately exposes the difficulties of trust, change and insecurity encountered in relationships and oneself and in counterpoint there is the risk of war between native spirits and those who came with the settlers. Both threads intertwine highlighting the difficult necessity of putting the past behind you.

A war correspondent in Sierra Leone investigates the brutal killings of three men and ends up being raped and brutalized by terrorists. Traumatized she returns to England, hiding from all; almost in spite of herself she continues her into the man she believes responsible, a man she also believes is a serial killer. Criss-crossing with her investigation are scenes taken from newspaper headlines. As much Walters previous books were critical snapshots of Britain, The Devil's Feather highlights current international politics and humanitarian issues. Different from her previous books, more ambitious in its' scale perhaps, The Devil's Feather is a disturbing read.

A riveting and balanced overview of the 12 months that "made" the United States. Using correspondence, diaries etc. McCullogh details how politicians sought a compromise while events in the field sped up the inevtiable. He clearly showcases the political debate on both sides and provides insight into the characters of both George Washington and King George. Fascinating and compelling 1776 is a book you'll want to own.

First time legal thriller from a veteran of crime novels, Lincoln Lawyer is engaging and full of realistic cynicism, the kind that actually hides idealism. Mickey Haller is a hard-working criminal lawyer who knows how to work the system. Operating out of the back of his car (hence the expression "Lincoln lawyer") he defends an assortment of con artists, prostitutes and the like until a seemingly golden case lands in his lap. The client is rich and appears innocent of the crime. Evidence indicates an elaborate frame and Mickey finds himself defending what appears to be an innocent client. As Mickey realizes that his father was right "there's nothing more scary than an innocent client", he also discovers that while he is manipulating the system to protect his client someone is manipulating him. Sometimes when something appears to be too good to be true it is.
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Just like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, this book focuses on a city oozing atmosphere and history. Arriving a few days after the great fire of the Fenice Opera House, BERENDT tells us the story of the investigation and subsequent trial. Along the way we meet and become attached to several characters, like Olga. More nostalgic than Midnight, the City of Fallen Angels is also perhaps more difficult to get hooked on but it is wonderfully and precisely written.

The named author was on Oceanic Flight 815 which departed Sydney and was LOST at sea en route for Los Angeles. Apparently Stephen King actually wrote this book which fictionalizes parts of the TV show "Lost". It is a pulp-noir mystery with a P.I. taking on the case of a missing twin and a family inheritance. There's murder, redemption and philosophy galore.. as well as just enough tantalizing references to the show LOST to keep fans like me guessing for months.

The premise is great: nuclear detonations, volcanic eruption, etc. create distortions at the molecular level. Their aggregate effect is to disrupt the space-time continuum. This ripple effect becomes known when different parts of the world are simultaneously exchanged with pre-historic times. Therefore Manhattan suddenly has whole neighborhoods replaced with patches of pre-historic forests and dinosaurs. This "time-quilt" was foreseen by a group of college-kids and their professors who become the unwilling heroes of the story. Complicated and disjointed, the narrative skips around and the science is far-fetched. A boring read that is interesting enough to make you want to read the sequel "Thunder of Time" which is more of a time-travel technical thriller. Its' storyline is more linear insomuch as the narrative follows the same thread through various characters. It is still dubious science but it is fun.

It all starts off with a boy, Eragon, finding a blue stone in the forest. He keeps it, meaning to sell it and use the money to help his family through the winter. But he can't find a buyer and the stone hatches a dragon. From there the book devolves into an archetypal hero story, full of adventure, dangerous villains. There's an orphaned child, self-discovery, rebellion, betrayal, magic.. Everything needed to make a fantastic coming of age story is weaved pretty seamlessly together by Paolini. There's an old story-teller to guide him, as well as a dragon and dwarves and elves… oh my! Add in politics and the fate of an Empire and you're hooked and reading Eldest before you realize it. So what if it's officially a children's series??? Also of note and intriguing is how the first book, Eragon, got published by Knopf (see HERE for the story).
In theater December 15, 2006 - Watch the trailer

Carter beats the devil - Glen David GOLD

The early 1900’s is called the “golden age” of magic. Today, with our computer graphics and special effects, we are hard pressed to understand why illusionists and stage magicians were so fascinating. Nonetheless there is a certain charm to “old” school magic and that charm is pervasive throughout this first-novel. I freely admit that I love magic and so may be biased! More historical fiction than mystery the author lifts the curtains on life backstage and show business of the time. Populated with real-life historical figures, the book focuses on Charles Carter. Carter was a real-life magician, one of the best-known performers in magic's golden age as attested by the reprints of posters from the era. He was also a contemporary of Houdini and President Harding. In this book, Harding dies after taking part in one of Carter’s stage shows. Of course suspicion falls on our friendly magician and he must prove himself innocent. From there the author takes us on a ride that jumps back and for the from Carter’s childhood to his stage career. The page seem to magically disappear as the ending catches up with you all too fast.

Turning the tables - Steven SHAW

I recently had dinner at Café Gray (and highly recommend going there). So when a friend told me that this book mentions it, I knew I had to read it. Also, Steven Shaw is the founder of egullet.org, a website that figures in my bookmarks. "Turning the tables"is an informative book about the quirks of the restaurant business, as seen from the kitchen. Yes, it sounds rather like "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain (great read). But here it is not a chef talking but an "average joe" type person who explores the behind the scenes of restaurants. He spends time in the kitchen at Lespinasse, is at Café Gray when they test drive their kitchen before opening, he goes with the buyers to the market and spends time with a "reservationist" basically a from the ground up point of view of the restaurant business by someone who is not in the restaurant business but is passionate about food. It's part advice, part adventure and part soap-box but it is fun - and the part about the last minute design touches to Café Gray's kitchen were fascinating.

Oh, the glory of it all - Sean WILSEY

From the opening lines to the final words there is emotion, raw pain and agonizing laughter. This open door, nothing-left-unsaid memoir is a strange one-sided look at Wilsey's family, childhood and parental obsessions. Family turmoil, family strife, poor-little-rich boy and wonderfully compelling even if at times the prose can be over-long, lacking editing and the formatting annoying. At different moments you want to tell them to "get a life and move on" and then remember that this is the story of their life.

The Husband - Dean KOONTZ

How far would I go for love? I've never asked myself the question, either afraid or all to aware of the answer. Koontz makes Mitchell, his main protagonist, confront this question. It all starts off innocuously enough with a garden scene, and then Mitchell receives a phone call. Someone has kidnapped his wife and will only return her in exchange for an exorbitant amount of money Mitchell doesn't have. To prove his malevolent intentions the kidnapper concludes the call by telling Mitchell to watch the man across the street – who dies shortly thereafter of a bullet from a sniper's rifle. From this beginning Koontz uses his usual tricks and turns to keep us in suspense as we learn with Mitchell how far he is willing to go for love, what he will accept to do in order to get his wife back and return to his until then perfect life…

I had heard a lot about Christopher Moore and his dark humor almost satire books. This was funny but not outrageously so. The main character is abnormally normal with a regular life until suddenly everything turns topsy turvy. When Charlie's wife dies immediately after the birth of their daughter strange things begin happening and nothing is normal anymore. There's a very tall green man, there's Death, there's grief and there's laughter. Strange, annoying and compelling. I just might have to read another one of the author's books to see if I enjoy it as much – LOL.

The Third Secret - Steve BERRY

If you hadn’t noticed, I like books that deal with true historical events and imagine “what if?” It is one of the reasons that I was eager to read Steve Berry’s newest book. It seems every such book recently published deals with the Catholic church, and here the focus is the third secret of Fatima. The Catholic Church has its’ secrets and has its’ politics even though it is supposed to deal with the souls of its’ members. The book itself focuses on this intersection and is well written and well researched. However, by encompassing what seem to be each and every controversial issue Catholics endlessly debate, including abortion, it loses its’ power and leads to an unconvincing end.

The last Templar - Raymond KHOURY

It is a great opening scene, with four horsemen, dressed as Templars, riding their horses up the stairs of the MoMa. But from there the fast paced action rather leaves you hungry for more substance. An archaeologist joins forces with an FBI agent, they go traipsing around the globe searching for the reason “why” and of course it all ties in with the Catholic Church and its’ history…
In a similar vein to all those Da Vinci Code wannabes Raymond Khoury managed to keep the pace fast enough that I finished the book before realizing there was something missing. In a review I noticed that Raymond Khoury is a screenwriter and it definitely shows… this is one book where I would probably prefer the on-screen version.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J. K. ROWLING

A coming of age

WOW! Two years was a long time to wait but Wow!! All the pieces are in place for the grand finale! Some lingering questions have found their answers but also have, of course, simply made way for other questions. It's a turning point, a coming of age - Harry is a hero and finding it hard to put up with and Voldemort has gained power, so much so that his actions are felt in the Muggle world. Harry says he is Dumbledore's man through and through (and proves it) but now he must learn to be his own man. The focus of the book is not so much on the Half-blood Prince himself but on Voldemort and his past because only through the past can we understand the present. The past shapes us, influences us.. Harry (and his originally intended reading public) is growing up as this book demonstrates. Life is complicated, not everything is black and white, people are not always what they seem... and yes,someone major dies (though did he really truly Die?), leaving the memory of their love to sustain us. The Half-blood Prince was less fun, but more realistic in its' tone even if at times a bit too cinematographic. It's a turning point, a coming of age... and wow does it pack a punch. I laughed, I wondered and read through the night. The book managed to surprise me, tweaked at my emotions (even if Harry & friends are at times too stilted, but then young love is awkward). The 'death scene' was totally sad, the end was bittersweet and left me eager for the next one - Even if the next book will spell the end of the wonderful saga Rowling has created.

More than your usual Crichton
Better than Timeline, well thought out and a precis of environmental issues and global warming in specific. An informative and enjoyable work of fiction, even if a departure from the usual Crichton fare. Prompted me to check out some of the references and discover more about the topic – any good book should make you interested enough to learn more about a given topic, going beyond what is commonly available (and it is surprising that on something like the environment I have been doing just that, relying on others opinions instead of informing myself and forming my own). Many things in this book challenge accepted theories, but one I already was aware of, namely that all administrations, be they government or foundations will fight for survival and perpetuating themselves, even if it means being at counter- purpose with their stated goal and ambition. Crichton provides an overview of the environmentalist movement, environmental policies and eco-terrorism in an good read weaving fact and fiction that is thought-provoking and speaks out against the “state of fear” we all live in. The ‘monologue’ by one of the characters on this topic (ecology of thought and explanation for the title) was particularly interesting. I also enjoyed Kenner and his quick perspectives on environmental issues (the overview of Yellowstone’s history for ex.) as well as his challenges to the scientific leeway we as general public allow environmental concerns, as compared with that given to NASA. The character correctly underlines the smugness of many ‘concerned’ citizens and their eagerness to do something for the environment, as long as it does not impinge on their comfort/lifestyle (I do consider myself concerned, I just don’t like the hypocrisy I often notice in the rhetoric and the dialectic). I don’t know enough about environmental science to judge the use of footnotes citing exact case studies and journals, but I do know research is often biased by the need for continued financing. I do agree with the author on problems posed by the “precautionary principle” and particularly like the concluding outline for a new type of environmental foundation.. one that is objective and accountable in all areas of its’ work and administration. Makes a good case for the need for unbiased, double- blind studies and program implementation, as well as for research that is “blind-to-financing”. Much has been said in the press about the use of footnotes (a growing trend in novels?) and the author’s personal outline of his opinions and bibliography, but I found it useful on such a subject. Most people will probably prefer the movie that I am sure will soon be made of this book.