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From the publisher:

What makes Simon Fitch so perfect?

-He knows all her favorite foods, music, and movies.
-Her son adores him. He was there when she needed him most.
-He anticipates her every need.
-He would never betray her like her first husband.

The perfect husband. He checks all the boxes.

The question is, why?

Nina Garrity learned the hard way that her missing husband, Glen, had been leading a double life with another woman. But with Glen gone―presumably drowned while fishing on his boat―she couldn’t confront him about the affair or find closure to the life he blew apart.

Now, a year and a half later, Nina has found love again and hopes she can put her shattered world back together. Simon, a widower still grieving the death of his first wife, thinks he has found his dream girl in Nina, and his charm and affections help break through to a heart hardened by betrayal. Nina’s teenage son, Connor, embraces Simon as the father he wishes his dad could have been, while her friends see a different side to him, and they aren’t afraid to use the word obsession.

Nina works hard to bridge the divide that’s come between her daughter and Simon. She wants so badly to believe her life is finally getting back on track, but she’ll soon discover that the greatest danger to herself and her children are the lies people tell themselves.

D.J. Palmer is a pen name for Daniel Palmer, an author of many highly engrossing novels and the son of Michael Palmer, who was noted as a writer of engrossing medical thrillers. In this current book, Palmer skillfully introduces several flawed characters that are more realistic than many protagonists that have no faults. His people are faced with an overwhelming crisis and working to face them while in the process of convincing themselves that they are correct in what they are doing in spite of the pressure of others.

Nina Garrity married with two children is faced with the desertion of her husband Glen and also the possible fact that he may have left to be with another woman. They have had their differences as do most couples but had stayed together. Almost two years after her husband has left, she accepts the advances of Simon Fitch, a man that coincidentally teaches at the middle school that her daughter attends. Her reason for accepting Simon’s advances is that in spite of never finding her husband’s body, she considers herself a widow. Glen, her husband, had apparently drowned while out fishing when the boat he was on was discovered with Daisy, the family dog, sitting covered with blood and muddied up.

Simon convinces Nina that he recognizes that it is too soon to marry, but suggests they buy a house together and move into it in order to move towards becoming a family. In spite of the advice against this move as being too soon by both Nina’s parents and two of her best friends, they move in. Nina’s son is a football player at the school and immediately becomes friendly with Simon. Her daughter does not, quickly finding fault with him and claiming that she has secretly seen him with a very dark look on his face that frightens her. Simon on his part begins to court Nina in earnest to solidify their relationship by getting married.

The actions and reactions of the persona towards events is a major factor of the novel making it a great read and one continuing the Palmer family’s legacy of superb books. Very well done.

4/2020 Paul Lane

THE NEW HUSBAND by D.J. Palmer. St. Martin’s Press (April 14, 2020). ISBN: 978-1250107497. 384p.

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Sigma Force Novels, Book 15

From the publisher:

To save the world and our future, Sigma Force must embark on a dangerous odyssey into an ancient past whose horrors are all too present in this page-turning thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author James Rollins that combines cutting-edge science, historical mystery, mythology, and pulse-pounding action.

For eons, the city of Troy—whose legendary fall was detailed in Homer’s Iliad—was believed to be myth, until archaeologists in the nineteenth century uncovered its ancient walls buried beneath the sands. If Troy was real, how much of Homer’s twin tales of gods and monsters, curses and miracles—The Iliad and The Odyssey—could also be true and awaiting discovery?

In the frozen tundra of Greenland, a group of modern-day researchers stumble on a shocking find: a medieval ship buried a half-mile below the ice. The ship’s hold contains a collection of even older artifacts—tools of war—dating back to the Bronze Age. Inside the captain’s cabin is a magnificent treasure that is as priceless as it is miraculous: a clockwork gold map imbedded with an intricate silver astrolabe. The mechanism was crafted by a group of Muslim inventors—the Banū Mūsā brothers—considered by many to be the Da Vincis of the Arab world—brilliant scientists who inspired Leonardo’s own work.

Once activated, the moving map traces the path of Odysseus’s famous ship as it sailed away from Troy. But the route detours as the map opens to reveal a fiery river leading to a hidden realm underneath the Mediterranean Sea. It is the subterranean world of Tartarus, the Greek name for Hell. In mythology, Tartarus was where the wicked were punished and the monstrous Titans of old, imprisoned.

When word of Tartarus spreads—and of the cache of miraculous weapons said to be hidden there—tensions explode in this volatile region where Turks battle Kurds, terrorists wage war, and civilians suffer untold horrors. The phantasmagoric horrors found in Homer’s tales are all too real—and could be unleashed upon the world. Whoever possesses them can use their awesome power to control the future of humanity.

Now, Sigma Force must go where humans fear to tread. To prevent a tyrant from igniting a global war, they must cross the very gates of Hell.

James Rollins has created an elite, secret U.S. government operating unit known as the Sigma Force. His books about them tell stories of daring deeds in situations that are more than a little beyond normal activities and touch on the fantastic.

In the afterward, the author presents various facts that he indicates bring proof that the story is based on his interpretation of what did occur. For many years it was thought that the great poet Homer’s poems, the Illiad and the Odessey, which tell the story of a major prehistoric war taking place in the Mediterranean area and involving the city of Troy, were not true. In the 19th century, archaeologists digging beneath the sands discovered what were the remains of Troy. If this were true, how much more of Homer’s poetry was also based on fact.

In a dig in Greenland, a modern day group of climatologists and archaeologists discover an ancient ship buried a half-mile beneath the frozen tundra. Even more astonishing is the discovery of artifacts held on the ship dating further back to the Bronze age. An ancient map discovered with these items shows the path of the ship in prehistoric days outlining the travels of Odysseys returning from Troy to his homeland. It also shows the site of what in modern days is called Hell. When word of this find spreads war escalates between ancient enemies pitting Kurds against Turks and terrorists gaining traction in their fight against the world. The ancient day miracles held for safekeeping in “hell” cause Sigma force to journey to the possible site of that city and attempt to prevent a tyrant using these items from taking over the world.

The novels revolving around Sigma force are all action-oriented and blend more than a little of the surreal into the story. In that sense, nothing is different in this current novel by Rollins. If based on fact or not, the books are all filled with excitement and action guaranteed to keep the reader glued to the pages. The events depicted are all outlined and made part of a mesmerizing plot that creates a fascinating read.

4/2020 Paul Lane

THE LAST ODYSSEY by James Rollins. William Morrow (March 24, 2020). ISBN: 978-0062892898. 464p.

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From the publisher:

Framed and on the run for his life, a former Secret Service agent discovers how far some men will go to grasp the highest office in the land in this electrifying tale from the author of The Night Agent—a propulsive political thriller reminiscent of the best early Baldacci and Grisham novels.

As a Secret Service agent, Nick Averose spent a decade protecting the most powerful men and women in America and developed a unique gift: the ability to think like an assassin. Now, he uses that skill in a little-known but crucial job. As a “red teamer,” he poses as a threat, testing the security around our highest officials to find vulnerabilities—before our enemies can. He is a mock killer, capable of slipping past even the best defenses.

His latest assignment is to assess the security surrounding the former CIA director at his DC area home. But soon after he breaches the man’s study, the home’s inner sanctum, Nick finds himself entangled in a vicious crime that will shake Washington to its foundations—as all the evidence points to Nick.

Nick knows he’s the perfect scapegoat. But who is framing him, and why? To clear his name, he must find the truth—a search that leads to a dark conspiracy whose roots stretch back decades. The prize is the most powerful position in the world: the Oval Office.

To save himself and the people he loves, Nick must stop the men who rule Washington before they bury him along with their secrets.

Nick Averose was in his previous occupation a Secret Service agent dedicating his talents to safeguarding the lives of the rich and powerful in the United States. He developed, through his experience, the ability to think like the assassins he was guarding against. Today Nick is his own boss and sells his services to those same people he guarded. The difference now is that he is hired to find holes in the systems set up as protection by these people and suggest ways to change those to a more secure setup.

The story opens as Nick is attempting to bypass the systems set up by the former director of the CIA to protect himself. He is successful, and then when about to brief the man on what he has found and how to fix it discovers that individual unconscious. Nick leaves and tries to resurrect all the material he was issued to assure he was not blamed for the attempt but discovers that it has all disappeared. Nick then realizes that he has been set up to take the blame for the actual murder of the ex CIA director.

Questions of why he has been set up and by whom are answered during a fascinating read which continues Matthew Quirk’s excellent reputation as the author of carefully thought out and well-plotted novels. The subsidiary characters in the novel include Nick’s wife, his office assistant and the woman that came to his office to hire him to try and penetrate the defense of Malcom Widener, the target of his action.

Quirk utilizes his opinion of the real transition of power in US politics by painting a picture of closed-door sessions, the use of massive amounts of money to solidify deals and the ideas presented to the electorate actually casting votes in elections. The reason given for the actual killing of Widener is tied into the author’s opinion of real politics and adds to the draw of the book.

4/2020 Paul Lane

HOUR OF THE ASSASSIN by Matthew Quirk. William Morrow (March 31, 2020). ISBN: 978-0062875495. 352p.

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From the publisher:

From the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of the Angelology series comes a bewitching gothic novel of suspense that plunges readers into a world of dark family secrets, the mysteries of human genetics, and the burden of family inheritance.

It feels like a fairy tale when Alberta ”Bert” Monte receives a letter addressed to “Countess Alberta Montebianco” at her Hudson Valley, New York, home that claims she’s inherited a noble title, money, and a castle in Italy. While Bert is more than a little skeptical, the mystery of her aristocratic family’s past, and the chance to escape her stressful life for a luxury holiday in Italy, is too good to pass up.

At first, her inheritance seems like a dream come true: a champagne-drenched trip on a private jet to Turin, Italy; lawyers with lists of artwork and jewels bequeathed to Bert; a helicopter ride to an ancestral castle nestled in the Italian Alps below Mont Blanc; a portrait gallery of ancestors Bert never knew existed; and a cellar of expensive vintage wine for Bert to drink.

But her ancestry has a dark side, and Bert soon learns that her family history is particularly complicated. As Bert begins to unravel the Montebianco secrets, she begins to realize her true inheritance lies not in a legacy of ancestral treasures, but in her very genes.

Alberta “Bert” Monte is the daughter of immigrants living in an area of upstate New York. She is found at a moment when she is on the “outs” with her husband, but both are giving some consideration to giving the marriage another try.

Out of the blue Bert receives a letter from an attorney group from the European Italian section that her family is from and addressed to Countess Alberta Montebanco. She is advised that she is the sole heir of her family and is requested to come to Italy in order to go over the bequest and take title to what is a huge estate, complete with a castle, a title, and a lifestyle befitting a member of the aristocracy. Bert takes leave of her husband indicating that she is certainly willing to try and make the marriage work after she checks into what her inheritance brings.

Her trip over to Italy to see her bequest starts off with a flight on a private jet, champagne, and a meeting with lawyers presenting her with a picture of a life filled with the trappings of royalty. She is asked to stay at what is now her castle while going over the assets and the obligations that are now hers. The property is located in a remote area of the Alps and as Bert settles in for a few weeks of luxury a dark side of the bequest appears. She finds that her family is not exactly as she believes and events move into a story that is absolutely mesmerizing and unlike anything the reader expects when beginning to read the book.

A dark side of her familial background appears and brings the reader into a story of ancient roots, unlike nothing that is normal. Trussoni expertly draws her readers into another world. She does so in a manner that guarantees that the book cannot be put down with surprise after surprise keeping the reader glued to the pages. A definite five-star novel and one that will assure that succeeding books by Trussoni will be grabbed up as soon as published.

4/2020 Paul Lane

THE ANCESTOR by Danielle Trussoni. William Morrow (April 7, 2020). ISBN: 978-0062912756. 368p.

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Mayberry and Garrett, Book 2

From the publisher:

Mayberry and Garrett, introduced in the national bestseller Collusion, are caught in the middle of a deadly crisis with a pending nuclear bomb attack and little help from the government that sidelined them both.

When an exiled Iranian scientist is assassinated in Washington, DC, the former FBI counterintelligence agent and ex-SEAL are pulled back into the world of clandestine ops—and the fate of the entire East Coast is at stake. Joining ranks with a heralded Mossad agent, Mayberry and Garrett pursue a skilled international killer hired to murder a legendary Israeli spymaster.

Their pursuit draws them into an international conspiracy led by a power-hungry Russian oligarch intent on destroying Washington, DC, and the Navy’s most important Atlantic base. The oligarch plots to unleash a nuclear onslaught first devised by the KGB but shelved by Kremlin leaders during the Cold War. On top of this, Iran’s sudden offer to help the United States raises suspicions about its possible role in a global shakedown.

With too many enemies emerging and too little time, the two Americans are forced to operate outside official channels to stay ahead of naive US politicians and foreign enemies out to entangle their efforts in red tape. Operating in an international tinderbox, Mayberry and Garrett must decipher which players are allies and which are posers—in time to thwart a cataclysmic nuclear attack on US soil and prevent an international incident that could ignite a third world war. And they must keep themselves alive.

The writing team of Gingrich and Earley return with another of their action-filled novels based on current world events. All of these books are well written, enjoy interesting plotting, and have realistic protagonists involved in taking on the enemies of the United States.

In this book, Valerie Mayberry and Brett Garrett are idled by circumstances beyond their control. Valerie, leaving the FBI on bad terms, and Brett, receiving a dishonorable discharge from the Navy where he was a Seal.

A neighbor of Brett’s is killed outside of the building they live in. He was formerly an Iranian scientist and through this event, Valerie and Brett are pulled back into action with a plot discovered that indicates Iran is planning to explode a nuclear device somewhere on the coast of the U.S. The plan is that the explosion will cause a tsunami, which will move inland doing immense damage and causing major loss of life.

While Iran argues that they do not possess any nuclear weapons, the Israeli Mossad knows they do and sends Esther, an agent of theirs, to work with the Americans. The information obtained is that an Iranian father and his daughter are working to get the bomb to the US and explode it. Their rationale is that the mother and son were killed by an Israeli raid and they want to punish that country by an attack on their ally- The Great Satan – the U.S.

No doubt based on the authors’ keen awareness of world events, the movement of the story is as real as can be imagined. An all-night read and then some, with both winners and losers among the characters on both sides of the story. Easily a five-star novel and the authors’ normal incentive to get their readers to eagerly await and pick up their succeeding books when published.

4/2020 Paul Lane

SHAKEDOWN by Newt Gingrich & Pete Earley. Broadside Books (March 24, 2020). ISBN: 978-0062860194. 368p.

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