Category: Books-Fiction

Redemption Road by John Hart Another Edgar Worthy Novel from Mr. Hart

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Redemption Road - John Hart

Redemption Road – John Hart 

There is a simple reason that John Hart is the only author to win back-to-back Edgars for best novel and I’ll let author David Baldacci tell you what it is…….

“People in publishing have always known that John Hart can flat-out write. His prose conjures comparisons with James Lee Burke in its sultry, melodious alchemy. With Redemption Road Hart has taken it to another level. THE PROLOGUE IS HEART-WRENCHING and the chapters thereafter pull you in like matter to a black hole. Read this novel. And then go back and read all of his others. He’s that good.” – David Baldacci

I’ve been waiting for five years for a new John Hart book and, well, Redemption Road, his latest, was worth the wait!! It may well win Hart his third Edgar for best novel. Again, I’ll let some of his fellow authors tell you about Redemption Road…..

“Big, bold, impossible to put down, Redemption Road had me from page one. John Hart is a master storyteller” – Harlan Coben

Every new John Hart is a credit to the written word. Over the course of five books, he has raised the bar for commercial fiction, deftly blending  the tension, pace and suspense of the classic thriller with characters so richly drawn characters so richly drawn and prose so elegant that his stories are worthy of being called literature…..” – Corban Addison – Author of A Walk Across the Sun

It usually takes me about a week or so to read  a typical novel. I read Redemption Road in two days and I literally could not put the book down on the second day!

The Story

Redemption Road has two main twisting turning story lines The first one opens the book when 13 year-old Gideon Strange leaves his home and drunken father in the middle of the night, He intends to kill the man who murdered his mother  – Adrian Wall. Adrian is an ex-policeman who is scheduled to be released from prison the following morning.

At the same time, Elizabeth Black is recovering from her daringly rescue of eighteen year-old Channing  Shore.  Channing was found by Elizabeth in the basement of a house.chained to a mattress, She  had been brutally raped by two brothers for two days.. After the rescue, Channing’s two unarmed attackers lay dead, both shot eighteen times! Elizabeth was soon after, the focus of a police investigation to determine whether or not she should be prosecuted for murder!

The two stories intersect because Elizabeth has a connection to the Julia Strange murder. She believes that Adrian  was  not the killer. And as one of the few woman involved in the murder investigation she ended up caring for baby Gideon. She has continued to be a surrogate mother to Gideon for the last thirteen years.

Then a day after Adrian’s release from prison, a strangled woman’s body is found draped over the alter of an abandoned church. Everything about her murder matches the murder of Julia Strange. Questions arise! Did Adrian kill again? Did he kill the first time?

Other questions abound! What about Liz? Can she avoid prosecution? What really happened in that basement? Why did she snap and murder those men?

As the story develops so do the characters as the reader learns more about; Adrian’s life both in and out of prison, as well as,  the demons that haunt Liz’s past and leave her hating her father – the Reverend Black. The supporting characters in Redemption Road are as equally well-drawn by Mr.Hart. They include:Liz’s partner on the police force Charlie Beckett, Adrian’s lawyer Crybaby Jones and the  Warden of the prison where Adrian served his time.

/While reading Redemption Road  I would often pause and think that I really should stop  reading and do something else. I would set the book down, think about it, say “Nah”, pick the book up and continue reading.

Bottom Line

Redemption Road is a flat-out five thumbs up book for me! It’s one of those books that works on so many levels. First there’s just the plain fascinating story and then the psychological relationships between  just about everyone. Liz and Adrian, Liz and her father, Adrian and the Warden, Liz and Channing amd Gideon. I could go on and on, so just go read this amazing book! and then all of Hart’s other books! Yeah,they’re that good!

Links for the Further Exploration of the Books of John Hart

Author’s Website:
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads: John Hart
Goodreads: Redemption Road
Amazon

 

October Reads and Reading Challenges Update!

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Where DID October Go!

Ok I give up where did October go? Seems like the NFL season just began and now we’re at Week 8. The World Series is at Game 5 and both the NBA and NHL have begun their seasons. And yesterday the two colleges that I attended. As the Universities of Florida and Georgia renewed their heated rivalry.  I really don’t care which team wins most of the time. But it’s always nice when the team that needs it more gets the victory. Since the Gators stayed atop the SEC East with the victory, I was glad they won.

October Reads….

Now back to my October reads and particularly the places that I visited this month thanks to the work of some great authors. Here are the five books that I read this month.

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Where My Fiction Reads Took Me In October!

The three novels that I read took me to some familiar places with some old friends and to a new spot in Sweden with a new fried. First up was a visit with Cork O’Connor and his family in Aurora, Minnesota. As usual the visit was exciting.  First in Manitou Canyon by William Kent Krueger, I visited the North Boundary Waters of Minnesota and eventually Manitou Canyon in Canada.

In Borkmann’s Point by Hakan Nesser an author that is new to me I visited the coastal town of Kaalbringen,, Sweden.  I met Chief Inspector Van Veeteren in Kallbringen, where Veeteren was sent to help solve the brutal murders of  several seemingly unrelated victims. It was a great read and I will write more about the book soon.

The last novel that I read took me to The Body Farm in Knoxville, Tennessee. In Without Mercy by Jefferson Bass, forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton  is called to help solve the tortuous murder of a young man chained to a tree. In the book Brockton also faces a sadistic killer from his past. I will write more about the book soon.

Non-Fiction Reads….

In October, I also read two non-fiction books.Connectography – Mapping the Future of  Global Civilization by Parag Khanna. was the first book. In the book Khanna opened my eyes and mind to the new Connectivity found around the world. Ad how as Americans we are falling behind the world , rather than leading! The other non-fiction book I read was Saving Capitalism by Robert Reich. In Saving Democracy Reich explains the problems we are facing as a result of the rigging of the system by the wealthy against the common man. Reich also provides several methods that may right our Capitalistic ship!

Reading Challenges Update…..

Where do I stand on my various Reading Challenges after reading five books in October. The following table shows the results.

Ed K’s 2016 Reading Challenges TBR Library Total Goal % of Goal
         
2016 Literature Reading Challenge
General Fiction 1 3 3 6 50.00%
Classics 0 0 0 6 0.00%
NY Times Bestseller List 0 0 0 6 0.00%
Award-Winners 1 1 3 6 50.00%
2015 Mystery/Thriller Reading Challenge
Rgrandad’s Mysteries 4 20 24 10 240.00%
Women Mystery Book Authors 1 0 2 10 20.00%
2016 Science Fiction /Fantasy Challenge 0 0 1 6 16.67%
2016 Nonfiction Reading Challenge 3 6 9 10 90.00%
 
Totals 0 0 0
42 60 70.00%
2016 TBR Pile Challenge 10 25 40.00%

 

As you can see, I suck on most of my challenges! I am only doing well on two challenges. The first on is my  Rgrandad Mysteries challenge, where I have read fourteen books more that my challenge total. The other one is my 2016 Nonfiction Reading Challenge. In that challenge I have read 9 out of 10 books.

Bottom Line:

t I will most likely not make my overall goal of 60 books for the year. However I only need to read ten books to read more books than I did in 2015 (51). Hmm, looks like I need to read three more general fiction books, I will meet that challenge. Then if I read three award-winning books I meet that challenge and one more non-fiction to achieve that challenge. By reading those books I will have met four out of eight of my challenges and have read 49 books. That means I only would need to read three more books to beat last years total! I’ll be back later to make a list of proposed reads for November!!

Manitou Canyon – William Kent Krueger as Good as Ever!

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Manitou Canyon – William Kent Krueger (Cork O’Connor series #15)

Manitou Canyon is the fifteenth book in the Cork O’Connor series from William Kent Krueger. And I for one don’t think the series is slowing down at all! I have read all of the books in this series and this one holds its own with any of them.While the Cork O’Connor books are firmly planted in the  mystery.thriller genre they are also more than just mysteries. They are also books about family and cultural identity.

Lee Child says this about the work of William Kent Krueger….

“One of today’s automatic buy-today-read-tonight series…thoughtful but suspenseful, fast but lasting, contemporary but strangely timeless.” (Lee Child)

The Story Begins

When Manitou Canyon  opens it is November and the O’Connor’s are preparing for oldest daughter Jenny;s wedding. Everyone is excited except Cork. For Cork November is a painful month. In Novembers past Cork saw the violent deaths of his wife, father, and best friend. So when the grandchildren of a childhood friend John Harris’ showed up asking Cork to resume the search that had ended two days prior. Cork jumped at the chance to help. John Harris had disappeared in October while on a fishing trip with his grandchildren into the Boundary Waters. The search had turned up nothing, but Cork felt he had missed something so he wanted do whatever he could to find John.

The Search Begins

So Cork went off into the Northwoods of Minnesota to search for John. Lindsay Harris, John’s granddaughter volunteered to go with Cork, while grandson Trevor stayed behind.  Soon, Cork and Lindsay vanish just like John. The disappearance baffles the O’Connor family and the Tamarack County Police.

Throughout Cork’s life his Objibwe heritage has always been important. His spiritual guide the Mide Henry Meloux has helped Cork overcome life’s obstacles. Cork has always viewed himself as an Ogichidaa.. An Ogichidaa is one who stands evil and his people.

In this adventure Cork is pitted against men who view themselves as Ogichidaa and the losers in their battle with evil may be hundreds of citizens of a small town! If Cork and his family can’t figure out what’s going on!!

My Thoughts

Manitou Canyon was a four plus thumbs up book for me. Once again this visit to Aurora and the Boundary Waters was very, very enjoyable. You would think that in the 15th edition in a series the reader would be saying, same old same old, but that is not the case with Manitou Canyon.

William Kent  Krueger is a master storyteller and the plot of this Manitou Canyon twists and turns enough to keep you guessing about what is really happening. But also excels at creating a sense of place in his stories and he certainly makes me feel like I have visited the Minnesota’ Boundary Waters and other locations many times over the years!

He also excels at character creation and the characters he has created in Cork O’Connor and his family are a large part of the appeal of the series. Readers have watched all of Cork’s children grow into strong young adults. Jenny who became a mother to Waaboo a couple of books ago, is starting a new chapter in her life, with her marriage to Daniel English

But the minor characters are just as important. Let’s see there’s Rose Thorne, Cork’s sister-in-law who helped the family survive the loss of their mother. Then there’s Rainy, the woman who brought love back to Cork’s life and niece of my favorite character Henry Meloux. At the end of Manitou Canyon new chapters are opening in their lives too.

In Manitou Canyon Krueger has also added a new character to the family. Daniel’s great-aunt  Aunt Leah Duhling, who once thought she would marry Henry, has returned to Aurora. And it appears that Leah and Henry are about to enter a new chapter in their lives, too

With all of these new chapters opening in the lives of the O’Connor extended family I can’t wait for the 16th book in this series!! You can probably pick this book up and read and enjoy it. That is the result of Krueger’s abilities as a storyteller. But if you want to enjoy the characters created go back and find Iron Lake the first book in the series and start at the beginning!!

 

The Second Life of Nick Mason – Steve Hamilton – The Start of a Great New Series

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The Second Life of Nick Mason - Steve Hamilton

Revision Note: Originally posted in September 2016, this review has been updated in 2026 to include the latest entries in the Nick Mason series.

The Second Life of Nick Mason  – Steve Hamilton

.I have been a fan of the novels of Steve Hamilton for many years now. The first Steve Hamilton book was Winter of the Wolf – Book #2 in the Alex McKnight series according to my records I read finished that book of Jun 7,2004. After finishing it, I quickly went to the library and checked out A Cold Day in Paradise -Book #1 in the series. I finished that book on June 12th of the same year! Needless to say I loved the books and the series ever since!!

In The Second Life of Nick Mason, Hamilton has created a great new anti-hero.in Nick Mason. Yesterday, I had lunch with an old (we are) high school classmate. We both talked about the fact that life is made up of choices. You make your choices and you live with them , always doing the best you can.

The Story

Well, Nick Mason throughout his life has made some bad choices. First to steal cars, then move unto burglary, and ultimately stealing from drug dealers. During that time, he made  a good choice, he married and had a daughter. But then the ultimate “easy” heist came along – he made the wrong decision. It was supposed to be easy heist, drive into the harbor, take on some cargo and then drive it to the new owner. Right decision! Don’t do it!  Nick’s decision do it! Of course doing it meant going against his pledge to his wife to stay clean.

But Nick decides this one caper is all he needs to make things better for his wife and daughter. Bad decision! When the heist goes south, it costs him everything, wife, his daughter and his freedom. The sentence 25 years!

After five years in prison, along comes Darius Cole, a criminal mastermind Cole is serving a double life term, but still runs his empire from his cell. He offers Nick a deal. All Nick has to do is whatever he’s told to do when the phone rings.

Nick accepts. His conviction is soon overturned and he walks out of prison a free man. But is he free, Cole says “It’s not freedom, it’s mobility!” He is given a new house, a new car and more.But soon the phone rings and he is asked to become a hitman, something totally new and abhorrent to Mason.

Soon, Nick is being chased by cops both good and bad! Nick is soon fighting not just to regain his old life, but to survive in his new life!!

Bottom Line: Highly Recommended

This book was a real-pager turner for me. I zipped through it in a day and a half and enjoyed every minute of the ride. I think Nick Mason is a terrific character, who is trapped between a rock and a hard place. He’s damned, if he does, and damned if he doesn’t. And while, what he does is wrong, he tries his damnedest it make it right! I for one was cheering for him!

Post Update 2026

Post Update 2026

Since I first wrote this post, Steve Hamilton has expanded the Nick Mason universe with two more gripping novels. Having followed his work since I first picked up Winter of the Wolf back in 2004, it’s been incredible to see how he transitioned from the Northwoods noir of Alex McKnight to this high-octane urban series.

Exit Strategy (Nick Mason #2, 2017): A relentless follow-up that proves Nick is truly “mobile, but not free.”

An Honorable Assassin (Nick Mason #3, 2024): This one felt a little different—the stakes are global as Nick is sent to target a high-level assassin. What really struck me, amidst the tension, was the interaction between Nick and the child he encounters. It reminded me why I cheer for him; despite the life he’s forced to lead, his heart is still intact.

 

Steve Hamilton - Author of the Second Life of Nick Mason

Links

Author’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon
Goodreads

About Steve Hamilton

Steve Hamilton is one of only two authors to win the Edgar Award for Best First Novel (for A Cold Day in Paradise) and then later for Best Novel (for The Lock Artist). Known for his atmospheric prose and complex characters, Hamilton spent years developing the Alex McKnight series before launching the high-stakes world of Nick Mason. He currently lives in upstate New York with his wife and two children, where he continues to craft some of the most compelling crime fiction in the genre.

Reflecting on Hamilton’s career, he remains one of those “second tier” masters—the kind of writer you can always depend on for a tight, emotional, and perfectly paced story. I believe I’ve read every book he’s ever put out, and while the Alex McKnight series will always be my “first love” in his bibliography, Nick Mason has earned his place right alongside him on my shelf.

September Reading Challenges Update!

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A Quick Update of Where I Stand on My 2016 Reading Challenges

So far this month I have finished three books. They are; Life with Pi, The Winter Fortress and most recently Dark Run. This brings my total number of books read in 2016 to 35 books. My lofty goal is 60 books. So right now I am way behind the pace I need (five books per month) to read to reach that goal. However, I am not that far off the pace needed to match last years total of 51 books.

Where I Stand  on My 2016 Reading Challenges

Yesterday I sat down and reviewed where I stood on my various Reading Challenges. Here’s a tabulation of where I stand right now!

Ed K’s 2016 Reading Challenges TBR Library Total Goal % of Goal
         
2016 Literature Reading Challenge
General Fiction 1 3 3 6 50.00%
Classics 0 0 0 6 0.00%
NY Times Bestseller List 0 0 0 6 0.00%
Award-Winners 1 2 3 6 50.00%
2015 Mystery/Thriller Reading Challenge
Rgrandad’s Mysteries 3 18 21 10 210.00%
Women Mystery Book Authors 1 0 2 10 20.00%
2016 Science Fiction /Fantasy Challenge 0 0 1 6 16.67%
2016 Nonfiction Reading Challenge 2 3 5 10 50.00%
 
 Total 35 60 58.33%
2016 TBR Pile Challenge 8 25 32.00%

 

Hmm, it looks like I am kicking  butt with those mysteries, but everything else is lagging behiind! Well, I guess I’m not doing too badly in the General Fiction, award-winners and nonfiction challenges, But it looks like I have my work cut out for me in several of the other categories!!

Books I am Currently Reading and Plan on Reading

Here’s a table of the next group of books I have started along with the books I am planning to read.

Currently Reading Challenge
Books to Finish
Connectography – Parag Khanna Nonfiction
The One Plan Nonfiction
Finding Family Nonfiction
New Books
The Lightning Stones – Jack DuBrul Ed K’s Mysteries
Spies in the Congo – Susan Williams Nonfiction
Redemption Road – John Hart General Fiction
The Last Dead Girl – Harry Dolan Ed K’s Mysteries

 

Maybe I should replace these two mysteries with a classic or woman/s mystery book. I could possibly even replace one with another science fiction book. I am kinda in Sci-fi mode. So maybe it won’t be hard to venture into another world. Maybe .even a sci-fi classic – something from H.G.  Wells??

Does anybody have a suggestions? Read any good books lately???

Dark Run – Mike Brooks (Keiko Book #1)

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Dark Run – Mike Brooks Leaves Me Ready for Book # 2 

Last week I checked out  Dark Run by Mike Brooks from my library. I was not looking for a science fiction book, when I spotted the book. But after reading a couple of the quotes on the back of the book, I was intrigued. This is the one that won me over…..

“Dark Run is a thrill ride of non-stop action, wisecrackery, and adventure in the vast vaults of outer space. I look forward to revisiting Ichabod Drift and the crew of the Keiko time and again” – Luke Scull author of the Grim Company

After finishing Dark Run this morning I think that the first part of this quote is a bit of an overstatement.But I do agree with Mr Scull in that I am look forward to meeting the Keiko crew again! I can do that in Dark Sky, the second book in the series.

The Story Line – Too Simple?

Overall, I thought that the story was a little simplistic. The Keiko, a ship of smugglers, soldiers of fortune, and con-artists. Each, crew member, including Captain Drift has a mysterious past. Soon Drift’s past catches up with him. He is blackmailed into delivering a mysterious load of cargo to Amsterdam on Old Earth. The cargo must arrive at a specific time and the Keiko must be unseen. It’s called a Dark Run!  But things don’t go too well and soon the Keiko is a hunted ship and crew. And they will need to use their wiles to get revenge on the man who set them up!

It often takes me some time to get acclimated to the new worlds and characters in a science fiction book. That was the case in Dark Run. I enjoyed the second half of the book a lot more than the first half. I enjoyed Dark Run a lot more once I got to know the crew members of the Keiko. The wise-cracking (which wasn’t as much as I thought it would be) also became more enjoyable,.

Bottom Line

Dark Run was a 3-star book for me. That means that I liked it, but not all that much. Like I said the story line was pretty straight forward, with not a lot of twists and turns. I liked the characters, including Captain Drift even though, like his crew, I didn’t like the secret that he had been hiding!

So I guess I will check out Dark Sky but I have about six other books, checked out of the library to read first! I tell you all about them in a little while or maybe tomorrow!

Links for the Further Explorations of the Works of Mike Brooks

Author’s Website
Twitter
Goodreads
Amazon

 

Ed K Finally Reads Life of Pi

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 Life of Pi by Yann Martel – it’s about time! (Book 34 of 2016)

I am a simple man, in more ways than one.  As such when I read, I like a straight forward story. Boy meats girl, boy cuts up girl into a thousand little pieces. Then my hero comes in and needs to figure out who the killer is before he can strike again. Another story may involve an evil person or group about to wreak havoc on the world. Again my hero must save the day! But every once in a while I visit the dark side. I read a book where the message is hidden and symbolism abounds. Such is the case with Life of Pi (book 34 for 2016) by Yann Martel. I’m confused! But I for one like the story with the animals.

For whatever reason, (oh yeah I don’t read  much literature) I have put off reading Life of Pi. Many have not only read the book, but they have seen the Academy Award winning Ang Lee movie!

The Story

.By now everyone knows the story, A young Indian boy and his family are moving to Canada on a cargo ship with animals from their Pondicherry zoo. During the early part of the trip the boat sinks leaving young  Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel on a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan a zebra with a broken leg and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The remainder of the novel tells how Pi’ survived 227 days on that lifeboat with the tiger – Richard Parker.

The Meanings

From Wikipedia

Life of Pi, according to Yann Martel, can be summarized in three statements: “Life is a story… You can choose your story… A story with God is the better story.

According to Gordon Houser there are two main themes of the book: “that all life is interdependent, and that we live and breathe via belief.”

PBS has described Martel’s story as one of “personal growth through adversity.

Ok so if you haven’t read the book or seen the movie you may want to stop reading here. Maybe you may want to go find either of the two  and either read  the book or watch the movie. Or you can just read on at your own risk.

The Main Theme of the Book?????

At the end of Life of Pi, Pi is questioned about his ordeal by two representatives from the Maritime Department in the Japanese Ministry of Transport investigating the sinking of the Tsimtsum…….. Pi tells them his story as it is relayed in the book, complete with the hyena, zebra, orangutan and tiger. The investigators find the story hard to believe. So Pi tells them another story.

In this bleak story. Pi is on the lifeboat with a French cook, a sailor with a broken leg, and Pi’s mother. In turn the French cook cut off the leg of the sailor and eventually eats him. He also kills Pi’s mother. Pi i n turn kills and eats the cook and eventually his own mother.

One of the investigators immediately sees the similarities between the two stories. He sees that the zebra with the broken leg is the Taiwanese sailor, the hyena is the French Cook and the Orangutan Pi’s mother and the Tiger Richard Parker is Pi himself.

At the end of the interview Pi says this to the two investigators

“in both stories the ship sinks, my entire family dies and I suffer……

.:… so tell me since it makes no factual difference to you and you can’t prove the question either way, which story do you prefer? Which is the better story, the story with animals or the story without animals?”

The two men both answer “The story with the animals is the better story”

Pi Patel’s response is ‘Thank you. And so it goes with God”

My Confusing Thoughts…..

So I guess what Martel is saying in our story of life, we are presented with two stories one with God (animals) and one without. Both stories will end the same we will suffer, but is the better life the one with God. And it doesn’t matter that God’s existence can not factually be proven either way.

Am I close? or is it…….that we choose to believe the stories of our religions because they help mask the realities of our lives???   Aah! I don’t know and my head hurts just thinking about it! Yes I like the story with the animals better too… so does that mean I should believe in the story of Noah’s Ark, the virgin birth or that Jesus is the son of God who the Almighty sent here to save us, just because it is a better story???  Ugh I think I am meant to read non-fiction but wait if I just read dull facts, aren’t I missing the better story!! Oh no………

Actually, I enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it. It’s just that I am as I like to say “literaturely challenged”. I have trouble seeing beyond the dull factuality of books!

The World of a CIA Analyst Comes Alive in Mark Hanshaw’s Red Cell

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Red Cell – Mark Henshaw – Krya Stryker and Jonathan Burke Book 1

Mark Henshaw author of Red CellA week or so ago my wife and I completed watching the first five seasons of Homeland.So when I saw Mark Henshaw’s  The Fall of Moscow Station among the new releases at my library I was intrigued. Looking at the book, I saw that it was the third book in Mark’s series that features CIA agents Kyra Stryker and Jonathan Burke. So rather than start with the third book in the series, I found and checked out Red Cell  the first book in the series. Yesterday, Red Cell became the 32 book I have read in 2016. And now that I know Kyra and Jonathan I’m ready for their next assignment which is chronicled in Cold Shot.

About Red Cell

In addition to being the first book in the Stryker – Burke series Red Cell is also Mark Henshaw’s debut novel. And while Henshaw may be new to the world of books, he is not new to the world of the CIA. Henshaw was a CIA analyst for eleven years. He was a decorated analyst. His awards included the Director of National Intelligence Galileo Award for innovation in intelligence analysis, which he won in 2007. What does this mean for the reader, well, he knows what he is writing about!!

Here’s what some people in the know have written about Red Cell.….

“Red Cell is as smart as it is exciting, a thriller that makes you think from the edge of your seat. Mark Henshaw’s unique perspective from the inside makes it all feel terrifyingly real.”

– Howard Gordon, Co-Creator of Homeland and Author of Hard Target.

“Mark Henshaw clearly knows the terrain, from the geopolitical to the tradecraft in the shadows. I’ surprised this made it past the CIA censors. A rock-solid thriller as plausible as tomorrow’s headlines.”

-Brad Taylor author of One Rough Man and All Necessary Force

After Kyra Stryker’s  first assignment in Venezuela goes bad she is assigned to the Red Cell where she will work with the brilliant but somewhat eccentric analyst Jonathan Burke. Soon Kyra and Jonathan are smack in the middle of an international firestorm.

The firestorm is centered off the coast of China and includes a potential invasion of Taiwan by Communist China, a top CIA asset who has been discovered by the China’s MSS and a potential Chinese weapon the Assassin’s Mace that may tip power toward China. And it’s Kyra and Jonathan’s job to figure it all out and make sure everything turns out ok!!

Bottom-Line

: Red Cell is a 3.5 star book for me. The technical details concerning the operation of the CIA are certainly five-star. But for me Henshaw the first part of the book dragged and i didn’t get to really know Kyra and Jonathan until the second half of the book.

There were also a couple of things that bothered me in the second half of the book. Things happened during Kyra’s assignment in Beijing that bordered on unbelievable.

Overall though I enjoyed the book and look forward to Stryker and Burke’s next assignment. I’m sure that as Henshaw improves as a writer the books in turn will improve. I also think that as the characters are more fully fleshed out I will enjoy the books more!  Does anyone have any comments on  Red Cell or Henshaw’s books in general?

 

 

The Silent Hour – Michael Koryta

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The Silent Hour – Michael Koryta – Lincoln Perry #4

My first introduction to the books of Michael Koryta was via his Lincoln Perry detective series.I read books two and three in the series.Why I never read book one, I don’t know. Most recently I’ve read a couple of his stand-alone thrillers (A couple of the others are on my “to be read” shelves).

Frankly, I haven’t thought about Lincoln Perry for several years. That was until I spotted The Silent Hour book four in the series at my library a few weeks ago.When I saw it, I remembered how much I liked the books. I was not thrilled when he ended the series. Anyway, I checked it out and now it’s book 31 for 2016.

The Plot…..

The Silent Hour could be subtitled “the case Lincoln Perry didn’t want.” That’s because from the moment ex-con and self-confessed  Parker Harrison asks Lincoln to find the missing Alexandra Cantrell, Lincoln is not thrilled. Alexandra and her husband Joshua had provided a semi halfway house for ex-cons called Whisper Ridge. Alexandra and Joshua gave the ex-cons employment around their majestic  home and a chance to get back their dreams. Parker had been one of those ex-cons the Cantrells helped.

Then the Cantrells suddenly disappeared abandoning the multi-million dollar mountainside home. Two aspects of the case made it less than attractive for Lincoln. First the Cantrells had been missing for twelve years and secondly Alexandra was the daughter of a mob boss! Ex-cons and  mob bosses – what could go wrong?

Lincoln was ready to walk away from the case when he discovered that the bones of Joshua Cantrell were found in Pennsylvania. They had been found at about the time Lincoln was first contacted by Parker. Why hadn’t Parker mentioned the bones being found?  Hmm, the case was getting more and more intriguing.When a PI shows up from Pa. asking Lincoln’s help in finding out what happened to Joshua. Lincoln is sucked into the mystery! But will the case be the last case for Lincoln?

Bottom-line

The Silent Hour is certainly a four-star book for me. The plot twists and turns and just when you think you’ve figured it out- you haven’t! I have enjoyed the interplay between all of the main characters in the series, Lincoln and his girlfriend Amy Ambrose and his partner Joe Pritchard. This book is no exception, even though Joe is in Florida miles from Cleveland. From The St. Petersberg Times….

The inventive plot of The Silent Hour surprises right up to the end, and in Perry, Koryta has created a classic tough detective—a man with enough dark passages in his own past to recognize them in others, a bulldog who just can’t let go until the ending of the story is told, no matter how close to hell it takes him.”

Final Thought

I  wrote earlier that I have enjoyed this series and was sad to see it end. however having checked back in with the books of Michael Koryta I discovered that he has a new PI series featuring. Mark Novak book one Last Words  was released in  August of 2015 and book two Rise of the Dark will be released on August 16th of this year. I just went to Amazon and bought the Kindle Edition for $2.99  Check that out here. I look forward to checking them out! Once again though, those two standalones are waiting to be read! Too many books too little time!

2016 Reading Challenge Update: July 2016

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2016 Reading Challenge Update: July 2016

 

So I haven’t written much about my reading this month. The main reason is that while I have been reading it seems that I have only finished one book, John Verdon’s Think of a Number, this month. Hopefully, I will finish at least one more book before the end of the month.Right now I have finished 29 books this year. My goal for the year is 60 books, so I’m about half the way there.

Currently Reading

Currently, I am reading The Silent Hour by Michael Koryta. the fourth book in his Lincoln Perry series. Over the last few years Michael Koryta has written many stand alone thrillers and while I have enjoyed these books. I have always liked the Lincoln Perry series, too.So far I am enjoying this book.

I am also reading Howard Blum‘s Dark Invasion:1915 Germany’s Secret War and The First Terrorist Cell in America. This is a fascinating book about the chase to catch the German terrorist who were attacking US ships during the year leading up to America’s entry into World War I. I was totally unfamiliar with almost all of the things presented in the book, including bombing of the US Congress.

Hopefully, I will be able to finish this book and the Koryta book before the end of the month. Finishing these books would at least make my monthly total of books read respectable.

2016 Reading Challenge Update

 

The 2016 Socialstudious Reading Challenges TBR Library Total Goal % of Goal
         
2016 Literature Reading Challenge
General Fiction 0 3 3 6 50.00%
Classics 0 0 0 6 0.00%
NY Times Bestseller List 0 0 0 6 0.00%
Award-Winners 0 1 1 6 16.67%
2015 Mystery/Thriller Reading Challenge
Mystery (Series) and Thrillers 1 18 19 10 190.00%
Women Mystery Book Authors 0 0 3 10 30.00%
2016 Science Fiction /Fantasy Challenge 0 0 0 6 0.00%
2016 Nonfiction Reading Challenge 1 2 3 10 30.00%
Totals 0 0 0
29 60 48.33%
2016 TBR Pile Challenge 2 25

 

Projected August Reads

 

As you can see, while I have read enough books to have reached  48% of my goal, over half of the books read are Mystery Series or Thrillers!! If I take the nine books I am over in that challenge away from the totals I have only read completed 33% of the challenge total (20 of 60 books). So I have some work to do regarding the various challenges!! So here is a potential reading list for August.

Book Author Reading Challenge
Life of Pi Yann Martel Award-Winners
The Everything Box Richard Kadrey General Fiction
The Night Season Chelsea Cain Women’s Mystery
Orbus Neil Asher Science Fiction
Connectograohy Parag Khanna Non-fiction

 

About The Projected Reads

 

Life of Pi won the Man Booker Prize and is on many must read lists. It is a book that I have always wanted to read, but somehow have never read.

I picked up The Everything  Book at the library early this week. After reading the following on the jacket of the book and seeing a quote from Christopher Moore on the back of the book, I figured this would be a book I will really like1

2000 B.C.
A beautiful, ambitious angel stands on a mountaintop, surveying the world and its little inhabitants below. He smiles because soon, the last of humanity who survived the great flood will meet its end, too. And he should know. He’s going to play a big part in it. Our angel usually doesn’t get to do field work, and if he does well, he’s certain he’ll be get a big promotion.
And now it’s time . . .
The angel reaches into his pocket for the instrument of humanity’s doom. Must be in the other pocket. Then he frantically begins to pat himself down. Dejected, he realizes he has lost the object. Looking over the Earth at all that could have been, the majestic angel utters a single word.
“Crap.”

I have seen Chelsea Cain name for a while now and The Night Season has been on my TBR pile for far to long. It’s time it was read and I enter the world of Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell. Hopefully, it won’t matter that I am jumping into the series at book #4!

Last year I entered the Polity universe of Neal Asher reading Dark Intelligence book one in the transformation series.Orbus is also set in the Polity Universe but is the third book in Asher’s Spatterjay series. Once again I hope I can enjoy a book in the middle of a series.

My final read for August will be Connectography:Mapping the Future of Global Civilization by Parag Khanna. I have already started this book and it is a fascinating analysis of the global connection of communities. It discuss the ways modern technology is connecting areas beyond the made up borders of countries!!

If finish all of these books I may be back on track to come close to my goal of 60 books and take a little bite out of my Reading Challenges – Wish Me Luck!!0