THE TERMINAL LIST by Jack Carr

March 24, 2018

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The phrase,”revenge is a dish best served cold,” is a piece of advice with roots in literature possibly stemming from the time of William Shakespeare. Carr’s powerful novel resoundingly takes a different track.

Lt. Commander James Reece is in charge of a group of Navy Seals and certainly a warrior’s warrior. He is sent on a mission to Afghanistan and his entire team is killed and then the group of rangers sent to extract his squad also lose their lives in the attempt.

Sent back to the states, Reece is astonished to learn that another member of the team has committed suicide. With these deaths weighing heavily, a medical exam ordered for him due to unexplained headaches finds that there is a tumor on his brain. The only thing now buoying him up is the expectation that he is going home to his wife and daughter. The final horror hitting him is the discovery that both his wife and daughter were killed in an attack on his house.

Reece must hold himself together in order to avenge the deaths of his men and wife and daughter which he soon finds are related. The action to find and kill those that were responsible comprises most of the novel. He is livid and not knowing if the brain tumor that he has will kill him shortly, moves as quickly as possible with the help of a few friends. One is a young reporter who is aware that there is definitely malfeasance involved in the actions of the upper level military command, a pilot whose life he once saved, and the boss of a Mexican Mafia group.

There is nothing cold involved in Commander Reece’s actions. He is livid, he just wants revenge and expects to die when it is exacted in order to join his wife and family. The descriptions of the manner Reece handles the actions against those on his list of persons to be punished is, to say the least, gruesome and certainly done in hot blood.

One of the obvious opinions Carr brought out in the book is the low opinion he has of the juggernaut of our Federal government. He obviously feels that it has grown too large and become too cumbersome to properly provide good government, and the system of rules and regulations obstruct rather than help the growth of the economy. People are hindered by regulations which serve to basically interfere with their every day lives. Whether or not the novel was written to postulate Carr’s opinions or not it still is an extremely well written and captivating book about the professional military. It is one that the reader will not be able to easily put down until finished.

3/18 Paul Lane

THE TERMINAL LIST by Jack Carr. Atria/Emily Bestler Books (March 6, 2018).  ISBN 978-1501180811. 416p.

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THE BISHOP’S PAWN by Steve Berry

March 21, 2018

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A Cotton Malone Novel, Book 13

Steve Berry and his wife Elizabeth are both ardent advocates of historical preservation. Their passion has taken them to a multitude of places and sites as well as the founding of a charitable foundation, “History Matters,” to raise both awareness as well as money to preserve historical places. Many of Berry’s novels have had a little known historical event become the basis for the story told in the book.

Bishop’s Pawn is the latest adventure of Berry’s main protagonist Cotton Malone, but includes several changes in the format of the story. It is written in first person with Malone being the one telling the story. It is also out of the continuing time sequence of Malone’s career with the Magellan Billet, a secret group attached to the Justice Department. Insteaed, we are taken to the beginning of Cotton’s work for Stephanie Nelle, who founded the Magellan Billet and is the supervisor.

Eighteen years ago Malone was working as a lawyer in the Navy and trying to outgrow his reputation as a maverick. He is approached by Stephanie and asked to help with an investigation currently underway by the Justice Department. Cotton takes the assignment with the hope of getting into a situation other than his present tedious job with the JAG.

Cotton then finds himself involved with an extremely rare coin and a set of documents that provide explosive data on the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Malone becomes embroiled in a war between the Justice Department and the F.B.I. for possession of both objects.

Dr. King is pictured here as the giant that he was in the early days of the Civil Rights movement, but also shown as a man with faults and hesitations. The real life war between the F.B.I. and Dr. King is brought vividly into the scenario.

J. Edgar Hoover, the head of the F.B.I. at the beginning of Dr. King’s work, had an obvious hatred for the man. Hoover ordered wire taps, surveillance, and branded Dr. King as a trouble maker all against orders from Congress. Berry brings out the distinct possibility that Hoover ordered the assassination of Dr. King and was instrumental in bringing James Earl Ray, Dr King’s killer, conveniently into the picture in order to do the actual shooting.

The book is a fascinating study of both the events surrounding Dr. King’s assassination and portraits of some of the individuals that both worked for and against him. Berry eloquently pictures the F.B.I. as Hoover’s fiefdom, and due to the secret files held on many people by him, was able to establish total control over the organization as well as becoming a law unto himself.

The ending consists of the airing of Berry’s thoughts about the assasssination with actual facts presented to back up his theory. I feel that while Steve Berry may have written better books, Bishop’s Pawn is beyond any doubt the most thought provoking of them. Totally mesmerizing and the “king” of all nighters.

3/18 Paul Lane

THE BISHOP’S PAWN by Steve Berry. Minotaur Books (March 20, 2018).  ISBN 978-1250140227. 352p.

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THE BIG GET-EVEN by Paul Di Filippo

March 17, 2018
A very well told story about a scam – not just any scam but one for the sum of twenty million dollars. There are two main characters plotting this masterpiece. There is Glen, a disbarred lawyer and a man just out of prison who narrates the story. By chance and certainly not planned, he saves Stan’s life.
Stan is an arsonist who has a grudge against Barnaby Nancarrow, a major real estate developer, a rather crooked one, and sort of Stan’s former partner. Nancarrow hired Stan to burn properties owned by him in order to collect on the insurance. Nancarrow, was shall we say, not very honest with Stan in terms of paying him for the work and keeping him out of trouble with the law.
Stan and a woman named Vee, who is also somewhat miffed with Nancarrow, manage to convince Glen that they are aware of several factors that can be used in a scam. The scam that could net the group twenty million dollars in a relatively short period of time and for not much work.
There are more members of the team gathered for the venture including a very talented computer geek. He lives with Vee and his part will be to set up certain documents to aid in getting Nancarrow’s interest piqued. While all are in it for the money at first they do get to liking their fellow schemers making the novel a bit of a comedy.
The writing is certainly entertaining and will appeal to any reader looking for a good read. No deep dark messages nor hidden meanings to divert the reader’s attention from a well done novel.3/18 Paul Lane

THE BIG GET-EVEN by Paul Di Filippo. Blackstone Publishing (March 6, 2018).  ISBN 978-1504783910. 352p.

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THE CHILDREN’S GAME by Max Karpov

March 16, 2018

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A Thriller of Russian Cyber Warfare, Fake News, and Modern Espionage

Spy vs Spy grown up fashion: a novel about a new and different manner to wage war against your opponent; no guns, no bombs, no mass charges of soldiers. Simply setting up an attack via the use of disinformation. And one such scenario is brilliantly set up by Max Karpov.

The CIA learns that a propaganda attack is about to be launched against the United States by Russia, masterminded by a former FSB officer, Andrei Turov. He is now a millionaire and good friend of Vladimir Putin. It is termed “the children’s game,” a chess stratagem geared to a checkmate in four moves. It will be launched by a single breaking event and than continue using a sustained campaign of both disinformation and cyber attacks. The single breaking event is the shooting down of a plane that Putin is on, killing all aboard and putting the blame on the United States.

Christopher Niles, a former CIA information officer who knows Turov and his close relationship with Putin, is assigned to break open the plot and begins his attempt along with a small team. Karpov has set up a plausible action versus reaction plot which is beyond any doubt a brilliant description of the events described.

The reader will be pulled in many different ways during the course of the book. It is very much a novel that cannot be put down until the ending is reached. And it could be prophetic in it’s depiction of how future conflicts between nations could be fought with results behind the scenes and public opinion being manipulated as a means of victory or defeat.

Max Karpov delineates that the United States is very much behind Russia in it’s ability to wage the “new” war. The book may be a wake up call but first and foremost it is brilliant plot showcasing a major literary talent.

3/18 Paul Lane

THE CHILDREN’S GAME by Max Karpov. Arcade Publishing (March 13, 2018).  ISBN 978-1510734814. 384p.

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THE ESCAPE ARTIST by Brad Meltzer

March 6, 2018

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Nola (named after the city) Brown is a truly damaged yet kick-ass woman; bright, tough beyond belief, and an amazingly talented artist. In fact, she is the youngest artist-in-residence the military has ever had. What that means is she decides where she wants to go and when she gets there she draws anything she wants. It turns out she sees a lot more than most people, and saved many lives because of her eye.

Zig is a mortician at Dover Air Force base who works on fallen soldiers. He considers himself to be an artist, and his work is his life. He got divorced after his young daughter died.

When Nola Brown’s body comes into Dover after a fatal small plane crash, Zig is shocked to discover the woman he’s working on is not Nola. He knew Nola as a child, she was in Girl Scouts with his daughter and saved her life after a can exploded near a campfire. Nola took the shrapnel instead, leaving her ear disfigured but the ears on the woman on Zig’s table are perfect.

Thus begins a twisty, at times violent, roller coaster ride of a thriller. There is a lot of really fascinating information on the death process of fallen soldiers, history about Houdini, his friends and family, and about magic in general. I love how I inevitably learn something from Meltzer’s novels, his research is always impeccable. The story moves back and forth between Nola’s childhood and present day, and that helps keep the pages turning.

The surprises keep coming, the pacing is relentless, and the body count high in this terrific political thriller. (And librarians, the President appointed Librarian of Congress plays a prominent part!) Readers who love strong women protagonists like Lisbeth Salander (Stieg Larsson,) Caitlin Strong (Jon Land,) and even Katniss (Suzanne Collins) will love Nola Brown.

Another terrific read from one of my favorite authors (and one of my favorite people!) Don’t miss it.

3/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE ESCAPE ARTIST by Brad Meltzer. Grand Central Publishing (March 6, 2018). ISBN: 978-1455559527. 434p.

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THE ESCAPE ARTIST by Brad Meltzer

March 6, 2018

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Brad Meltzer’ s latest novel ties together two of the most interesting people ever united by events in a book. The first one is a soldier named Nola Brown. Nola’s background includes a childhood marred by the worse treatment ever received by an adopted daughter from the man that became her father. She was bullied, browbeaten, and treated as garbage. Her only escape was to join the army.

While there she was chosen to be the Army’s Artist in Residence. She had the open-ended assignment of going wherever she wanted to and drawing what she saw to be included in the army’s record of the battle or the event in order to form a better picture of what occurred.

The other person is Jim “Zig” Zigarowski who works at Dover Air Force Base as a mortician in the section that receives fallen military personnel. Zig does not treat the position as something to just work at as his day job. His feelings towards the dead received causes him to labor long and hard at fixing up features of those that combat has disfigured in order to allow next of kin to be able to have open casket burials and find closure in that process.

Zig knew Nola years ago while she was in high school and saved the life of his daughter. Later in that period there was a terrible accident that did claim the life of Zig’s child and thereby ruined his life. His wife left him and Zig went deeper into the lonely business of dealing with the dead to ready them for burial.

The novel opens with the news of the crashing of a small plane coming from a secret military base in Alaska. Among other casualties, Zig learns that Nola is among the dead and solicits her  body in order to work on it preparing for the funeral. He quickly discovers that the corpse is not Nola but someone else and begins his own intensive investigation of what is happening.

The events depicted keep the reader glued to the book in order to find out what is going on. Who is the person killed and, of course, where is Nola? Both Zig and Nola are very well delineated and their feelings and reactions to events are those that would happen to anyone caught up in those situations. It is possible that Nola might enter into future novels written by Brad Meltzer but the current book is able to stand on its own and provides an excellent reading experience for those enjoying it.  Very well done.

3/18 Paul Lane

THE ESCAPE ARTIST by Brad Meltzer. Grand Central Publishing (March 6, 2018). ISBN: 978-1455559527. 434p.

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THE LAST EQUATION OF ISAAC SERVERY by Nova Jacobs

March 5, 2018

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A Novel in Clues

The subtitle is “A Novel in Clues” and that is precisely what it is. Isaac Severy, the patriarch of an intellectually gifted family, passes away. His farewell note indicates that he knew he would die, and when, and also indicates that two others would become deceased and predicts the times. Murder, suicide, natural death? And what enables him to make such spot on predictions? Is it the equation that he has just finished?

Isaac sends a letter to his adopted granddaughter Hazel while she is in Los Angeles for his funeral. The letter alludes to a secret organization that is after the equation and will stop at nothing to obtain it. Isaac charges Hazel with finding said equation and delivering it to a close friend of his.

While still in Los Angles, Hazel comes to the realization that the equation has implications that could have disastrous consequences for her entire extended family and begins an exhaustive hunt for it. Clues sent to Hazel by her grandfather indicate that the equation can be found by clues hidden in one of her favorite novels, and we follow her reasoning and search through them.

Complicating events are the appearances of Isaac’s favorite son, a theoretical physicist, and a long lost cousin, both coming to Los Angeles. Do they know about the equation and what it can do? And of course the obvious question of what is it capable of?

The debut novel certainly bodes well for an exciting career for this author. It is  definitely one that will not let the reader put it down until finished and exhibits a literary style that is certainly captivating.

3/18 Paul Lane

THE LAST EQUATION OF ISAAC SERVERY by Nova Jacobs. Touchstone (March 6, 2018).  ISBN 978-1501175121. 352p.

KINDLE

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THE WIFE by Alafair Burke

February 28, 2018

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Wow, what a read! This was the last book I read before I went back to work and it was a one day read for me, I could not put it down.

Angela grew up in the Hamptons, and we find out fairly quick that something traumatic happened when she was a teenager – and that story teasingly unfurls throughout the book.

As an adult, Angela became a successful caterer in East Hampton, and when she meets Jason at her best friend’s house where she’s catering a party, she assumes this will be a short fling as most relationships between townies and summer people go. But Jason has other ideas.

Even being a single mother doesn’t deter him and Angela falls for him and the way he cares for her son. Jason is one of the good guys, a smart, successful college professor and they marry. They live in NYC and Jason gets Spencer into a good private school. When Jason writes a bestselling book, he becomes a celebrity which makes Angela somewhat uncomfortable because she’s always afraid her past will come back to haunt her. Jason, of course, knows, and he respects her wanting to keep her secrets.

Then Jason is accused of sexual harassment by one of the interns he supervises. He tries to blow it off, but then another woman comes forward and accuses him of rape. Angela, always a survivor, realizes she needs to stand by her man, even after he admits to having an affair with his accuser. But as things progress, their life starts spiraling out of control.

There are many twists in this story but the ending is the real shocker. The pacing is relentless, the characters are so well drawn that they completely drive the narrative. If you are a fan of the “girl books,” put this on your list. In general I’m not, but this book was exceptional, I loved it.

2/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE WIFE by Alafair Burke. Harper (January 23, 2018). ISBN: 978-0062390516. 352p.

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SUNBURN by Laura Lippman

February 20, 2018

It’s been about two years since Lippman’s last book, the excellent Wilde Lake, and all I can say is that it was worth the wait. This is a standalone novel and Lippman’s turn at the unreliable narrator genre that has permeated the best seller lists. And she does an excellent job of it.

Polly has left her second husband and their daughter and is basically on the lam. She ends up in the small town of Belleville, Delaware. Unbeknownst to her, Adam, the good looking man she meets at the local tavern, is actually a private detective who’s been hired to befriend her and find out where she has stashed quite a bit of money. Instead, they fall for each other and have a steamy affair.

Polly is very close mouthed, but slowly begins to reveal herself to Adam. She admits to murdering her first husband, which she was imprisoned for but got on on a sweeping governor pardon of abused wives. But Adam is not quite as forthcoming.

There are a lot of lies, more deaths and several unexpected twists to this story, not to mention quite the shocking ending. This was a one night read for me, albeit a very late night, but I couldn’t put it down. Sunburn is sure to be one of the best books of 2018 – don’t miss it.

As my regular readers know, I was not a fan of Gone Girl and Girl on the Train, two of the most popular books in this unreliable narrator/Girl subgenre. But if you were fans of those books, this is a sure bet.

Note to the author: As much as I enjoyed Sunburn, I wouldn’t mind another Tess Monaghan book!

2/18 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

SUNBURN by Laura Lippman. William Morrow (February 20, 2018). ISBN: 978-0062389923. 304p.

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ULTIMATE POWER by Stephen Frey

February 13, 2018
Stephen Frey’s creation of Red Cell 7 is combined with a young newly elected  partner in the largest financial company in the U.S. and probably the world.  Red Cell 7 is a group of individuals that tackle the mission impossible type of tasks that the regular groups of agents and the military cannot handle. If  you know about them or to whom they report they have to kill you. So there, be warned.

Andrew Falcon Jr. (A.J.) is the youngest hedge fund manager ever elected to partner at a huge Wall Street investment firm.  His financial future is secured and all he has to do is continue making money for the company which of course will also mean for himself.

Suddenly his niece, Claire, is kidnapped and A.J. drops everything to rescue her. Now we find that the kidnapping is tied to national politics at the very top and a task that the kidnappers want A.J. to do for them in order to get his niece back alive.

The first woman president of the United States has come out with a policy that she feels will remake the country into a better place. She lowers the amounts given to the military to operate and vows to begin taking down the evil people that operate with impunity via Wall Street to prevent the lower and middle class from assuming their proper place in the scheme of things. Obviously there is opposition to her plans with both the bad people in command positions of the military and heads of the the huge financial companies take part in.

The plot thickens and action follows action with the completely militarily untrained A.J. being allowed to participate with Red Cell personnel on raids to right the wrongs being perpetrated. Hmmm, will he survive? A minor detail is brought up when A.J. is talking to his mentor after being made partner. He is not married and needs to get a wife in order to more fully fit in to the image he needs to really succeed. So much to do – so little time to do it. What price glory? Stay tuned to find out how everything is worked out.

If the reader accepts every premise laid out in the novel it will become a quickly read adventure story. If not tune into the next book by Frey to see who is around and what their positions are.

2/18 Paul Lane

ULTIMATE POWER by Stephen Frey. Thomas & Mercer (February 13, 2018).  ISBN 978-1503954083. 304p.

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