Guest Review: The Killer Collective

Summary: A fast-paced, page-turning novel of betrayal, vengeance, and depraved secrets in high places from the New York Times bestselling author of the John Rain and Livia Lone series.

When a joint FBI–Seattle Police investigation of an international child pornography ring gets too close to certain powerful people, sex-crimes detective Livia Lone becomes the target of a hit that barely goes awry—a hit that had been offered to John Rain, a retired specialist in “natural causes.”

Suspecting the FBI itself was behind the attack, Livia reaches out to former Marine sniper Dox. Together, they assemble an ad hoc group to identify and neutralize the threat. There’s Rain. Rain’s estranged lover, Mossad agent and honeytrap specialist Delilah. And black ops soldiers Ben Treven and Daniel Larison, along with their former commander, SpecOps legend Colonel Scot “Hort” Horton.

Moving from Japan to Seattle to DC to Paris, the group fights a series of interlocking conspiracies, each edging closer and closer to the highest levels of the US government.

With uncertain loyalties, conflicting agendas, and smoldering romantic entanglements, these operators will have a hard time forming a team. But in a match as uneven as this one, a collective of killers might be even better. -- Thomas & Mercer

Thankfully, Booking Pap Pap has had more time lately to write reviews than I do! His latest is by an author he's come to really enjoy -- Barry Eisler. Here are his thoughts about Mr. Eisler's latest THE KILLER COLLECTIVE:

THE KILLER COLLECTIVE by Barry Eisler takes on the uncomfortable subject of sexual abuse of children. The novel opens with Seattle cop Livia Lone, a survivor of child sexual abuse herself, serving as a member of a FBI-Seattle Police joint task force investigating international child pornography. Livia discovers a possible pornography link to several individuals in the Secret Service.

Livia is soon the target of an assassination attempt. After a plane goes down with two other members of the task force on board, Livia is fearful that the government may be behind the attacks and reaches out to old friend Dox, an ex-marine sniper who now resides in Bali. Being a little smitten with Livia, he quickly comes to her aid and together they assemble an eclectic group of individuals to identify and eliminate any threat to Livia. The group included John Rain, a retired assassin, his estranged lover and Mossad agent Delilah, black ops soldiers Ben Treven and Daniel Larson and Special Ops leader Scott Horton. This collection of killers is challenged to work as a team because of questionable loyalties and romantic involvements. But they must find a way if they are to take on government agencies, powerful politicians and private military contractors as they move from Seattle to Washington to Paris. D.C.

Author Barry Eisler has weaved together several differing story lines to bring THE KILLER COLLECTIVE to a thrilling conclusion. Even though his characters, particularly John Rain and Livia Lone, have been developed in other novels, the depth of the characters are a strength of the novel. The story line has its share of violence, sex and rough language but not uncomfortably so. THE KILLER COLLECTIVE is a fast paced international thriller with lots of intrigue that takes on a current but uncomfortable subject.

Thanks to Booking Pap Pap for his review and thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.

Guest Review: The Spy and the Traitor

Summary: The celebrated author of Double Cross and Rogue Heroes returns with his greatest spy story yet, a thrilling Americans-era tale of Oleg Gordievsky, the Russian whose secret work helped hasten the end of the Cold War.

If anyone could be considered a Russian counterpart to the infamous British double-agent Kim Philby, it was Oleg Gordievsky. The son of two KGB agents and the product of the best Soviet institutions, the savvy, sophisticated Gordievsky grew to see his nation’s communism as both criminal and philistine. He took his first posting for Russian intelligence in 1968 and eventually became the Soviet Union’s top man in London, but from 1973 on he was secretly working for MI6. For nearly a decade, as the Cold War reached its twilight, Gordievsky helped the West turn the tables on the KGB, exposing Russian spies and helping to foil countless intelligence plots, as the Soviet leadership grew increasingly paranoid at the United States’s nuclear first-strike capabilities and brought the world closer to the brink of war. Desperate to keep the circle of trust close, MI6 never revealed Gordievsky’s name to its counterparts in the CIA, which in turn grew obsessed with figuring out the identity of Britain’s obviously top-level source. Their obsession ultimately doomed Gordievsky: the CIA officer assigned to identify him was none other than Aldrich Ames, the man who would become infamous for secretly spying for the Soviets.

Unfolding the delicious three-way gamesmanship between America, Britain, and the Soviet Union, and culminating in the gripping cinematic beat-by-beat of Gordievsky’s nail-biting escape from Moscow in 1985, Ben Macintyre’s latest may be his best yet. Like the greatest novels of John le Carré, it brings readers deep into a world of treachery and betrayal, where the lines bleed between the personal and the professional, and one man’s hatred of communism had the power to change the future of nations. -- Crown

I guess I'm not alone with reading less lately. Booking Pap Pap is in the exact same boat. Neither one of us are pounding out books like we used to; however, he did manage to get a few books read recently... so you'll see a few guest reviews from him in the next few weeks! One of the books he read was a spy story called THE SPY AND THE TRAITOR by Ben Macintyre. Here are his thoughts:

 THE SPY AND THE TRAITOR, The Greatest Espionage Story of The Cold War, is a non-fiction thriller about Oleg Gordievsky, a Soviet KGB agent who turned to spy for England. Oleg grew up in a family dedicated to the communist party and therefore were privileged and secure. In 1961, at age 22, Gordievsky was sent to Soviet controlled East Berlin for a six-month work experience which coincided with the building of the Berlin Wall to prevent mass defections to the west. The image of the wall and what it stood for made a lasting impression on Oleg. Never considering any other career, he followed his father and brother into the KGB ranks in 1962. After several years of mundane work at the KGB headquarters, in late 1965, Gordievsky was assigned to a post managing a network of undercover spies in Denmark. It was during this assignment that he became somewhat disillusioned with the Soviet system after the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia and became enamored with the West. In 1970, Oleg returned to his old desk in the Soviet Union only to be reassigned to Denmark in late 1972 and later, in 1982, promoted to head the London office. It was during this time in Denmark that Gordievsky was willingly recruited and cultivated by Britain’s intelligence agency, MI6. Gordievsky worked as a double agent for 11 years until in 1985 he was recalled to Moscow for a meeting. It was upon arrival that he realized he had been betrayed and was under suspicion by the KGB. Gordievsky made an incredible escape from Moscow with the help of MI6. He left his family in Moscow and was reunited six years later; however the marriage did not survive the turmoil. He learned much later that he was “outed” by American double agent Aldrich Ames. Today he resides in England under a sentence of death from Russia.

Oleg Gordievsky is probably the highest ranked KGB intelligence officer ever “handled” by any Western country. He provided intelligence that impacted Soviet/Western nation relationships during one of the most critical periods of the Cold War. Decisions made by Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev were largely influenced by information provided by Gordievsky.

THE SPY AND THE TRAITOR is a great example of the “wheres and whys” of espionage as it existed during the Cold War. I was amazed at the number of Soviet and Western spies who were double agents. I was also surprised to read that the tactics we often see in spy movies like dissolving paper, message drops in strange places and miniature cameras were actually part of real-world espionage. This thriller, based on a true story, is fast-paced and rivals any fictional novel for intrigue and adventure. I would recommend THE SPY AND THE TRAITOR to any reader who has interest in the operation of the KGB and MI6 or has an interest in history.

Thanks to Booking Pap Pap for his review and to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.

Guest Review: Bum Deal

Summary: They don’t call us sharks for our ability to swim.

Second-string linebacker turned disillusioned defense attorney Jake Lassiter finally switches teams. Appointed special prosecutor in a high-profile murder case, he vows to take down a prominent surgeon accused of killing his wife. There’s just one problem…or maybe three: no evidence, no witness, and no body.

But Lassiter’s used to fighting impossible battles on the gridiron and in court. After all, he’s not totally burned-out—just a little scorched.

Standing in Lassiter’s way are the defense lawyers: slick-talking Steve Solomon and blueblood Victoria Lord, who have their own complicated history with the defendant. Not to mention the specter of CTE, the lethal brain disease Lassiter may have contracted banging heads in the NFL. Drained of his mental edge just when he needs it most, Lassiter must do whatever it takes to win this case—even if it costs him his life. Because law is a contact sport, and you don’t get trophies for trying. -- Thomas and Mercer

I know my dad really enjoys the Jack Lassiter series by Paul Levine because he talked about these books over dinner last week. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that the main character is an ex-Penn State linebacker! He recently read the 13th book in the series BUM DEAL -- here are his thoughts:

BUM DEAL is the 13th and maybe final book in the series featuring Defense Attorney Jack Lassiter as the main character. Lassiter is an ex-Penn State/ Miami Dolphin linebacker who earned a law degree in night school after his playing days and suffers from early symptoms of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease associated with severe head trauma. Lassiter, now 50 years old, is a tenacious defender of his clients and often crosses the line between proper and outrageous behavior in the courtroom.

In BUM DEAL, Lassiter reluctantly switches sides and becomes a special prosecutor for the District Attorney in a high profile murder case against Clark Calvert, a famous orthopedic surgeon accused of killing his missing wife. The problems Lassiter must overcome in his case against Calvert are that there is no body, no evidence and no witnesses. To compound Lassiter’s challenges, Calvert has hired his two best friends, Steve Solomon and Victoria Lord, as his defense team. Lassiter has been a mentor to these two and they’re well-versed in his courtroom tactics.

Author Paul Levine does a fantastic job of bringing this story to life. His characters are well developed and the interplay among characters is very well done. Levine’s prior experience as a sports writer at Penn State, allows him to add real-life detail to Lassiter’s playing days at Penn State and in the NFL. His knowledge of CTE is evident in the ways he describes Lassiter’s behavior as it relates to memory loss, irritability and confusion. Even though Lassiter’s best friends are his adversaries in this case, there is still plenty of witty remarks among the three. Levine adds a complexity to the storyline as he reveals a prior history between Valerie Lord and Calvert which could complicate her defense tactics and roil the relationship with fiancée and partner Steve Solomon. The case is further complicated when the District Attorney brings a political element into the proceedings when his biggest donor for his campaign for higher office happens to be the father of the missing wife. The courtroom scenes are very interesting and when Lassiter has his back against the wall, things get really bizarre.

Even though this is the 13th story in the Jack Lassiter series, there is no need to read any of the prior novels to follow the storyline and characters. BUM DEAL is a fast-paced easy-to-read novel that will keep your attention up to the end. Levine seems to lead the reader to draw certain conclusions and then shakes things up with a surprising conclusion. Anyone interested in the legal thriller genre will really enjoy BUM DEAL.

Thanks to Booking Pap Pap for his review and thanks to Saichek Publicity for providing a review copy of this novel.

Guest Review: City of Devils

Summary: From Paul French, the New York Times bestselling author of Midnight in Peking—winner of both the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime and the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction—comes City of Devils, a rags-to-riches tale of two self-made men set against a backdrop of crime and vice in the sprawling badlands of Shanghai. 

Shanghai, 1930s: It was a haven for outlaws from all over the world: a place where pasts could be forgotten, fascism and communism outrun, names invented, and fortunes made—and lost. 

“Lucky” Jack Riley was the most notorious of those outlaws. An ex–U.S. Navy boxing champion, he escaped from prison and rose to become the Slots King of Shanghai. “Dapper” Joe Farren—a Jewish boy who fled Vienna’s ghetto—ruled the nightclubs. His chorus lines rivaled Ziegfeld’s. 

In 1940, Lucky Jack and Dapper Joe bestrode the Shanghai Badlands like kings, while all around the Solitary Island was poverty, starvation, and war. They thought they ruled Shanghai, but the city had other ideas. This is the story of their rise to power, their downfall, and the trail of destruction left in their wake. Shanghai was their playground for a flickering few years, a city where for a fleeting moment even the wildest dreams could come true. -- Picador

I am starting a full time job this week, so it's a great time for a review from my dad! He recently finished CITY OF DEVILS, THE TWO MEN WHO RULED THE UNDERWORLD OF OLD SHANGHAI by Paul French. It seems like an interesting true crime book about gangsters in Shanghai in the 1930s. Here are his thoughts:

CITY OF DEVILS, THE TWO MEN WHO RULED THE UNDERWORLD OF OLD SHANGHAI is a true crime book covering life in Shanghai in the period from 1930 until 1941. It is a story about Jack Riley, who ruled the gambling empire in Shanghai and Joe Farren who ruled Shanghai’s nightclub scene. It is a story about their rise to power, their ultimate downfall and the trail of destruction they left behind. It is also a story about old Shanghai and its Badlands and the International Settlement (under British, French and American control) as it struggled with the Great Depression, the Sino-Japanese War that raged around them and the effects of World War II. People came to Shanghai from America, Russia and other areas; some escaping the war, some outlaws looking to get rich.

“Lucky” Jack Riley was an orphan, an escapee from an Oklahoma prison and an ex-navy boxing champion who found his way to Shanghai and became the “Slots King” of Shanghai. “Dapper” Joe Farren from Vienna’s Jewish ghetto became a great showman who produced grand chorus lines and nightclub entertainment for Shanghai’s elite. Both men were involved with show girls, gambling, prostitution, alcohol, drugs, mobsters and anything else involved with the Shanghai underworld. Jack and John were enemies, then business partners, then enemies. They were very poor, then very rich, then very poor.

Author Paul French, through an enormous amount of research and an amazing writing ability, brought Old Shanghai to life in CITY OF DEVILS. He characterized in great detail how the Badlands operated during this period. He profiled many characters who revolved around Jack Riley and Joe Farren. Sadly there were no good characters, only bad ones. Even the lawmen, whether Chinese, Japanese or American, were corrupt. As I read the book it was easy to picture the events, people and scenes that French was describing. It was amazing to read how the underworld survived even as Japan and China fought, people starved and poverty prevailed all around them. The end came for Jack Riley and Joe Farren as U.S. lawmen squeezed them and Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and brought the United States into the war. As a result of the war, Japan left nothing of Old Shanghai standing.

CITY OF DEVILS gave me an interesting perspective of war and how life goes on around it. It also showed how some people profit from war. If you enjoy reading about world history then I think you will enjoy the small piece of it displayed in CITY OF DEVILS.

Thanks to Booking Pap Pap for his review and thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.

Guest Review: The Force

Summary: The acclaimed, award-winning, bestselling author of The Cartel—voted one of the Best Books of the Year by more than sixty publications, including the New York Times—makes his William Morrow debut with a cinematic epic as explosive, powerful, and unforgettable as Mystic River and The Wire.

Our ends know our beginnings, but the reverse isn’t true . . .
All Denny Malone wants is to be a good cop.
He is “the King of Manhattan North,” a, highly decorated NYPD detective sergeant and the real leader of “Da Force.” Malone and his crew are the smartest, the toughest, the quickest, the bravest, and the baddest, an elite special unit given unrestricted authority to wage war on gangs, drugs and guns. Every day and every night for the eighteen years he’s spent on the Job, Malone has served on the front lines, witnessing the hurt, the dead, the victims, the perps. He’s done whatever it takes to serve and protect in a city built by ambition and corruption, where no one is clean—including Malone himself.

What only a few know is that Denny Malone is dirty: he and his partners have stolen millions of dollars in drugs and cash in the wake of the biggest heroin bust in the city’s history. Now Malone is caught in a trap and being squeezed by the Feds, and he must walk the thin line between betraying his brothers and partners, the Job, his family, and the woman he loves, trying to survive, body and soul, while the city teeters on the brink of a racial conflagration that could destroy them all.

Based on years of research inside the NYPD, this is the great cop novel of our time and a book only Don Winslow could write: a haunting and heartbreaking story of greed and violence, inequality and race, crime and injustice, retribution and redemption that reveals the seemingly insurmountable tensions between the police and the diverse citizens they serve. A searing portrait of a city and a courageous, heroic, and deeply flawed man who stands at the edge of its abyss, The Force is a masterpiece of urban living full of shocking and surprising twists, leavened by flashes of dark humor, a morally complex and utterly riveting dissection of modern American society and the controversial issues confronting and dividing us today. -- William Morrow

I loved THE FORCE by Don Winslow so much (my review) that I insisted Booking Pap Pap read it too. It was one of my favorite books of 2017, and I think my dad enjoyed it quite a bit too! He are his thoughts:

THE FORCE by Don Winslow is a story about Dennis Malone, an 18 year veteran of the NYPD who is considered a “hero cop”. Set in 2017, Malone is the top cop in the elite Manhattan North Special Task Force. Malone is 6’ 2”, covered in tattoos and is an arrogant, smart, violent and corrupt cop. He takes drugs, smokes marijuana, handles cash envelops to city politicians for “favors” and patrols the streets according to his standards of justice. Malone fights crime hard and parties even harder. Malone’s team is tasked with providing security to the citizens of the Manhattan North community but they also steal drugs and money from the criminals. Malone thinks of himself as the good guy and in his way of thinking, only his team cares about the downtrodden.

The book opens with Malone in jail and the reader then learns why he’s there. Malone has always considered graft as “normal business” but he crossed the line when he murdered a drug lord and kept a significant portion of the drug bust worth millions. He gets caught and is being squeezed by the Feds to rat on politicians, members of the judiciary and cops. Malone will cooperate to some extent but will do almost anything to protect his family and other cops, particularly his team

THE FORCE is a frightening book about cops, drug dealers and gangsters and how they coexist in New York City. The book is full of violence, not-so subtle racial talk and excessive profanity. It reveals the dichotomy of being a NYPD cop. On one hand he exhibits heroism through crime fighting and on the other hand he shows signs of criminal behavior through shakedowns and bribes. Author Don Winslow uses the story of “hero cop”, detective Malone, as an example of how deep corruption can run in the political and justice systems. Winslow story also reflects some stereotypical characters. For example Malone is a son of an Irish-American cop. Malone’s brother was a firefighter who dies on 9/11. Malone’s team consisted of an Irishman, an Afro-American, an Italian and a Jew. Malone has a white wife in the suburbs and an Afro-American lover in the city.

The overriding theme of the book is how good cops end up dirty. My one issue with THE FORCE is that all cops are portrayed as corrupt which I think is a gross exaggeration. The book has no likable characters but is a book you will have difficulty putting down once you start reading it. I believe the book is already under agreement to be made into a movie.

Thanks to Booking Pap Pap for writing this insightful review and thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.

Guest Review: Star of the North

Summary: A propulsive and ambitious thriller about a woman trying to rescue her twin sister from captivity in North Korea, and the North Korean citizens with whom she forms an unlikely alliance

Star of the North opens in 1998, when a Korean American teenager is kidnapped from a South Korean beach by North Korean operatives. Twelve years later, her brilliant twin sister, Jenna, is still searching for her, and ends up on the radar of the CIA. When evidence that her sister may still be alive in North Korea comes to light, Jenna will do anything possible to rescue her–including undertaking a daring mission into the heart of the regime. Her story is masterfully braided together with two other narrative threads. In one, a North Korean peasant woman finds a forbidden international aid balloon and uses the valuables inside to launch a dangerously lucrative black-market business. In the other, a high-ranking North Korean official discovers, to his horror, that he may be descended from a traitor, a fact that could mean his death if it is revealed. As the novel progresses, these narrative strands converge and connect in surprising ways, ultimately building to an explosive and unforgettable climax. -- Crown

Booking Pap Pap is back! This time he's reviewing STAR OF THE NORTH by D.B. John. This espionage novel about North Korea is not only very timely, but also very disturbing! Here are his thoughts:

The novel opens in 1998 when 18 year-old Soo-min Williams, born to a South Korean mother and an Afro-American father, vanishes from a South Korea beach and feared drown. The story then moves to 2010 where we meet Jenna Williams, Soo-min’s twin sister, a graduate of Georgetown University working for a defense think tank. Jenna, who has always held out hope that her sister is alive, is recruited by the CIA to rescue her sister. It seems Soo-min was abducted by North Korea in a program known as “The Seed-Bearing Program” which creates spies and assassins who look foreign and are indoctrinated with North Korean teachings.

Author D. B. John introduces two other main characters in addition to Jenna to tell his story. The first is Mrs. Moon, an elderly member of a farm collective, who becomes a black market shopkeeper in order to survive. The second character is Cho Sang-ho, a rising bureaucrat, who is sent to New York to negotiate with the United States for aid in return for abandoning North Korea’s nuclear program. (Sound familiar?) Cho has a dark family secret that if discovered would lead to his execution.

The author carries these three story lines through a chilling account of life in North Korea and merges them neatly at the conclusion of the novel. The story is set in the reign of Kim John-il, second in line of the ruling family and father of current leader Kim Jong un. Giant murals of the grandfather, Kim il Sung hang everywhere. The author depicts a regime that stays in power by utilizing secret police, forbidding religion, starving the masses and keeping the elite in fear of falling from favor and facing death or imprisonment. John depicts a regime so poor that its diplomats finance their costs by using counterfeit money and selling methamphetamines. The account of life in North Korea is so chilling that it actually overrides a very gripping and suspenseful story line. The author’s accounts of life in North Korea is based on observations he made during a personal visit plus several accounts made by escapees and offers the reader an informed look at the corruption, oppression and suffering that is North Korea.

STAR OF THE NORTH is a timely novel that gives us a picture of one of the United States’ scariest adversaries.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy and to Booking Pap Pap for his review.

Guest Review: The Great Halifax Explosion

Summary: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The riveting, tick-tock account of the largest manmade explosion in history prior to the atomic bomb, and the equally astonishing tales of survival and heroism that emerged from the ashes, from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author John U. Bacon

After steaming out of New York City on December 1, 1917, laden with a staggering three thousand tons of TNT and other explosives, the munitions ship Mont-Blanc fought its way up the Atlantic coast, through waters prowled by enemy U-boats. As it approached the lively port city of Halifax, Mont-Blanc's deadly cargo erupted with the force of 2.9 kilotons of TNT—the most powerful explosion ever visited on a human population, save for HIroshima and Nagasaki. Mont-Blanc was vaporized in one fifteenth of a second; a shockwave leveled the surrounding city. Next came a thirty-five-foot tsunami. Most astounding of all, however, were the incredible tales of survival and heroism that soon emerged from the rubble.

This is the unforgettable story told in John U. Bacon's The Great Halifax Explosion: a ticktock account of fateful decisions that led to doom, the human faces of the blast's 11,000 casualties, and the equally moving individual stories of those who lived and selflessly threw themselves into urgent rescue work that saved thousands.

The shocking scale of the disaster stunned the world, dominating global headlines even amid the calamity of the First World War. Hours after the blast, Boston sent trains and ships filled with doctors, medicine, and money. The explosion would revolutionize pediatric medicine; transform U.S.-Canadian relations; and provide physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who studied the Halifax explosion closely when developing the atomic bomb, with history's only real-world case study demonstrating the lethal power of a weapon of mass destruction.

Mesmerizing and inspiring, Bacon's deeply-researched narrative brings to life the tragedy, bravery, and surprising afterlife of one of the most dramatic events of modern times. -- William Morrow

Booking Pap Pap is back with another "beach read." Notice that his idea of a beach read isn't exactly what I think of when I think of a beach read! He read THE GREAT HALIFAX EXPLOSION by John Bacon which sounds to me like a pretty serious non-fiction book. Here are his thoughts:

During World War I Halifax, Nova Scotia served as a key staging area for Canadian troops and supply ships headed to the Allied Powers in Europe. On December 6, 1917 the SS Mont-Blanc, a French Steamer collided with the SS Imo, a cargo ship in the Halifax Harbor and created the largest man-made explosion prior to the nuclear bomb that hit Hiroshima. The Mont Blanc was carrying 2,950 tons of high explosives, 494 drums of combustible fuel, 250 tons of TNT and 2,366 tons of the unstable chemical picric acid. In the ensuing explosion, shockwaves and tsunami, 6,000 buildings were destroyed, 25,000 people (half the population) were left homeless, 2,000 people were killed and 9,000 injured, all in less than one second.

On its 100 year anniversary, Author John U. Bacon recounts the explosion in THE GREAT HALIFAX EXPLOSION, A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism. Bacon documents the incident in great detail relying on old letters and journalistic accounts. Bacon sets the stage by describing the high level of activity in the Harbor, some history of WW I and some detail about the two ships in the collision. As amazing as it sounds only a few people knew the dangerous nature of the cargo aboard the Mont-Blanc. Even more amazing was the reluctance of either captain to change his ship’s headings to avoid the collision. They played a high-stakes game of “chicken” each captain waiting for the other to blink first. Investigations found indifference by officials, poor communications, errors in judgement and bad timing as the major causes of the accident.

Rather than focus entirely on the ships and the explosion, Bacon spent a considerable amount of time on the aftermath of the explosion and the impact on the townspeople. Bacon brought life to the book through the use of human interest stories such as the bravery of Ernest Barss who served on the European front only to return to a worse situation in Halifax, the families whose lives were severely altered and the swift response of local communities and the city of Boston. The author makes a case that the Canadian/United States relationship was favorably altered by the Halifax disaster.

Prior to reading THE GREAT HALIFAX EXPLOSION I was not aware of this historical event even though its ranks among the most significant North American disasters including the 1871 Chicago fire, the 1889 Johnstown flood, the 1900 Galveston hurricane and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

THE GREAT HALIFAX EXPLOSION is a story of survival, courage and persistence. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoy reading about World War I history.

Thanks to Booking Pap Pap for his review and thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.

Guest Review: Cutting Edge

Summary: A helicopter crash alters a Coast Guard rescue swimmer's life forever in Cutting Edge, a suspense thriller by USA Today bestselling author Ward Larsen

Trey DeBolt is a young man at the crest of life. His role as a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Alaska offers him a rewarding job and limitless adventure. Then a tragic accident alters his life: during a harrowing rescue, his helicopter goes down.

Severely injured, DeBolt awakens in a seaside cabin in Maine, thousands of miles from where the accident occurred. His lone nurse lets slip that he has been officially declared dead, lost in the crash. Back in Alaska, however, Coast Guard investigator Shannon Lund uncovers evidence that DeBolt might still be alive. Her search quickly becomes personal, but before she can intervene, chaos erupts outside a cabin in the wilds of Maine.

The nurse who has been treating DeBolt is brutally killed by military-trained assassins. DeBolt is only saved when a bizarre vision guides him to safety. Soon other images appear, impossible revelations that are unfailing in their accuracy. As he runs for his life, DeBolt discovers he has been drawn into an ultra-secret government project. The power it bestows is boundless, both a gift and a curse. Yet one thing is certain: Trey DeBolt has abilities no human has ever known. -- Forge Books

Booking Pap Pap just got back from his beach vacation! Fortunately for me, he had the chance to read a few books. One was CUTTING EDGE by Ward Larsen. Here are his thoughts:

Petty Officer Trey DeBolt serves as a rescue swimmer from his Coast Guard base in Alaska. A helicopter crash on a recent rescue mission leaves him badly injured and he is officially declared dead. Strangely, DeBolt finds himself alive in a remote seaside cottage in Maine, thousands of miles from the accident. The nurse who brought him to the cabin explains that he has undergone surgery that not only saved his life but made him different. Before she can explain further she is brutally murdered. DeBolt avoids the same fate by utilizing a strange vision and his water rescue skills to escape. Alaskan based Coast Guard investigator, Shannon Lund, learns that DeBolt may still be alive and becomes involved. Although having only met Lund on two occasions DeBolt soon finds she is the only person he can trust.

As DeBolt runs for his life he discovers other images and unexplainable skills that aid in his ability to stay alive. He and Lund soon discover that they are deeply involved in a government conspiracy so controversial that the people involved will stop at nothing to keep its secrets.

As is typical with author, Ward Larsen, the characters are great, the plot is great and the action is non-stop. Larsen also adds some new ideas to technology advances that will leave the reader thinking about its real world possibilities and dangers. The ending lacks the finality one would expect which leaves the reader hoping for a sequel that further probes DeBolt’s new skills.

CUTTING EDGE is a high energy thriller full of suspense that keeps Ward Larsen at the top of this genre and is a must read for Larsen fans.

Thanks to Booking Pap Pap for his review and thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.

Guest Review: House of Spies

Summary: A heart-stopping tale of suspense, Daniel Silva’s runaway bestseller, The Black Widow, was one of 2016’s biggest novels. Now, in House of Spies, Gabriel Allon is back and out for revenge – determined to hunt down the world’s most dangerous terrorist, a shadowy ISIS mastermind known only as Saladin.

Four months after the deadliest attack on the American homeland since 9/11, terrorists leave a trail of carnage through London’s glittering West End. The attack is a brilliant feat of planning and secrecy, but with one loose thread.

The thread leads Gabriel Allon and his team of operatives to the south of France and to the gilded doorstep of Jean-Luc Martel and Olivia Watson. A beautiful former British fashion model, Olivia pretends not to know that the true source of Martel’s enormous wealth is drugs. And Martel, likewise, turns a blind eye to the fact he is doing business with a man whose objective is the very destruction of the West. Together, under Gabriel’s skilled hand, they will become an unlikely pair of heroes in the global war on terror.

Written in seductive and elegant prose, the story moves swiftly from the glamour of Saint-Tropez to the grit of Casablanca and, finally, to an electrifying climax that will leave readers breathless long after they turn the final page.

But House of Spies is more than just riveting entertainment; it is a dazzling tale of avarice and redemption, set against the backdrop of the great conflict of our times. And it proves once again why Daniel Silva is “quite simply the best” (Kansas City Star). -- Harper

I know my dad is a big fan of author Daniel Silva. Mr. Silva's 17th (and latest) book in his Gabriel Allon series HOUSE OF SPIES looks like a good one. It is already a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, #1 NYT Bestseller, #1 USA Bestseller, and a #1 WSJ Bestseller; and I think my dad agreed. Here are his thoughts:

HOUSE OF SPIES is author Daniel Silva's 17th novel featuring Gabriel Allon as the main character. Allon is a rare combination of spy, assassin and art restorer who has been recently promoted from field duty to chief of Israeli intelligence service.

This novel opens with a major ISIS attack on London killing hundreds. The attack is orchestrated by ISIS mastermind Saladin who also is a major adversary of Allon. It appears that after losing significant territory ISIS has transformed itself to inflict as much damage as possible on Europe and the United States. Allon joins forces with France and England, and to some extent the United States, to develop a complex and expensive con to force a France business/drug dealer and his beautiful partner to lead them to Saladin. The plan, which is financed by plundering the bank account of the Syrian ruler, includes using two Israeli agents to portray a Russian gun merchant and his spoiled wife. In an unusual and risky step for the chief of Israeli intelligence service, Allon goes into the field to actively participate in the ruse he has created. What results is an exciting thriller that moves from headquarters in Israel, France and England to Saint-Tropez to the Morocco desert in an effort to save a European city from a dirty bomb attack.

Characters are well developed and many, like assassin turned spy, Christopher Keller, doctor turned spy, Natalie Mazarin, undercover operative, Mikhail Abramov and English art dealer, Julian Isherwood have appeared in prior Silva novels. However, it isn't necessary to read any prior novels to fully appreciate these characters.

Author Daniel Silva does an amazing job of forming a storyline that appears to come right out of today's headlines. His portrayal of the United States as an arrogant, but necessary partner that can't totally be trusted also fits some countries current attitude towards the United States. HOUSE OF SPIES is a thriller that I recommend for anyone interested in this genre.

Thanks to Booking Pap Pap for his review and thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.

Guest Review: The Spy Across the Table

Summary: In this exciting international thriller featuring Japanese antiques art dealer and PI Jim Brodie, a double-murder at the Kennedy Center forces Brodie into a dangerous game of espionage—putting him in the crosshairs of the Chinese, North Korean, and American governments.

Jim Brodie is an antiques dealer, Japan expert, and second-generation private investigator. When two theater friends are murdered backstage at a Kennedy Center performance in Washington, DC, he’s devastated—and determined to hunt down the killer. He’s not the only one.

After the attack, Brodie is summoned to the White House. The First Lady was the college roommate of one of the victims, and she enlists Brodie—off the books—to use his Japanese connections to track down the assassin. Homeland Security head Tom Swelley is furious that the White House is meddling and wants Brodie off the case. Why? For the same reason a master Chinese spy known only as Zhou, one of the most dangerous men alive, appears on the scene: Those murders were no random act of violence.

Brodie flies to Tokyo to attend the second of two funerals, when his friend’s daughter Anna is kidnapped during the ceremony. It is then Brodie realizes that the murders were simply bait to draw her out of hiding. Anna, it seems, is the key architect of a top-secret NSA program that gathers the personal secrets of America’s most influential leaders. Secrets so damaging that North Korea and China will stop at nothing to get them.

Publishers Weekly said, “Readers will want to see more of the talented Jim Brodie,” and The Spy Across the Table is an edge-of-your-seat thriller in Barry Lancet’s wildly popular and highly acclaimed series. -- Simon & Schuster

Booking Pap Pap is in Florida for winter and it seems like he's finally having some time to read! The latest novel is THE SPY ACROSS THE TABLE by Barry Lancet, and it sounds like it was a good one. I think he's read a few in this series and he seems to enjoy the writing and character development. Here are his thoughts:

THE SPY ACROSS THE TABLE is Barry Lancet's fourth book in his series featuring private investigator/antique dealer Jim Brodie as the main character. In this edition two of Brodie's friends, Mikey Dillman and Sharon Tanaka, are murdered during a Kabuki presentation at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Brodie feels some responsibility to track down the killer since he had arranged the meeting between his two friends. When Sharon's daughter, Anna, is abducted at her mother's funeral, Brodie realizes that the original killings were not a random act of violence. Anna is a software genius working for the NSA and holds many military and security secrets that would be of interest to enemies of the United States. Brodie's mission now changes. He must find Anna and safely return her to her family. Against his better judgement, Brodie finds it necessary to work with the U.S. government.

As in other Lancet novels, Brodie confronts several gangsters and spies. In this case he runs into Japanese gangs, a Chinese spy and unfriendly Homeland Security foes. Brodie travels from Washington to Japan to South Korea to North Korea to China as he follows the trail to Anna's whereabouts. In his pursuit of Anna, Brodie puts himself into a precarious situation and puts his life in real danger.

As with other novels of the series, Lancet includes great character development, a lot of great fight scenes and good old fashioned detective work. In THE SPY ACROSS THE TABLE, Lancet deals with current events including electronic spying and the American, North Korea and China relationships. The author's detail of human trafficking along the Chinese-North Korean border is very informative. Lancet also does his normal good job of providing excellent information on Asian art, history and culture.

THE SPY ACROSS THE TABLE is a timely, intriguing and educational thriller that should be of interest to those who enjoy the thrIller genre.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel and to Booking Pap Pap for his review.

Guest Review: Dead Wake

Summary: On May 1, 1915, with WWI entering its tenth month, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as an English country house sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool, carrying a record number of children and infants. The passengers were surprisingly at ease, even though Germany had declared the seas around Britain to be a war zone. For months, German U-boats had brought terror to the North Atlantic. But the Lusitania was one of the era’s great transatlantic “Greyhounds”—the fastest liner then in service—and her captain, William Thomas Turner, placed tremendous faith in the gentlemanly strictures of warfare that for a century had kept civilian ships safe from attack.

Germany, however, was determined to change the rules of the game, and Walther Schwieger, the captain of Unterseeboot-20, was happy to oblige. Meanwhile, an ultra-secret British intelligence unit tracked Schwieger’s U-boat, but told no one. As U-20 and the Lusitania made their way toward Liverpool, an array of forces both grand and achingly small—hubris, a chance fog, a closely guarded secret, and more—all converged to produce one of the great disasters of history.

It is a story that many of us think we know but don’t, and Erik Larson tells it thrillingly, switching between hunter and hunted while painting a larger portrait of America at the height of the Progressive Era. Full of glamour and suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters, from famed Boston bookseller Charles Lauriat to pioneering female architect Theodate Pope to President Woodrow Wilson, a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war but also captivated by the prospect of new love. -- Crown

I remember when DEAD WAKE: THE LAST CROSSING OF THE LUSITANIA by Erik Larson came out a few years ago. I immediately thought my dad might enjoy it. Here are his thoughts:

In studying world history in high school I learned that the Lusitania passenger ship was sunk by the Germans on May 7, 1915 and was the cause for the United States entry into World War I. But that's not the whole story. In DEAD WAKE, The Last Crossing Of The Lusitania, author Erik Larson goes into great detail in describing the crossing from New York to Liverpool.

He begins the story by pointing out the warnings that Germany posted in the New York papers the morning the Lusitania was to embark on her voyage. Germany reminded readers of the existence of a war zone and that any ship flying the Flag of Great Britain or its allies is at risk of destruction. Even after receiving information of U-boat activity off the Irish coast, ship captain William Turner assured the passengers that the Lusitania was too fast for any German war vessel and was the safest boat on the sea. Larson goes on to give the reader a history of Captain Turner's career and describes many of the more prominent passengers, mainly Americans, traveling on the Lusitania.

At the same time Larson focuses on three additional story lines. First he gives the the reader an insight into President Woodrow Wilson's state of mind at the time. He had lost his wife within the past year and was now smitten by Edith Galt, who would later become his second wife. Wilson also struggled with maintaining the United States position of neutrality? Larson also focuses on submarine U-20 and it's captain Walter Schwieger. U-20 was the submarine that sunk the Lusitania. Larson provides interesting details on the German U-boat warfare at the time. A third and very interesting story line focuses on Great Britain's codebreakers, referred to in the book as Room 40. At the time they were intercepting all communication to and from Germany's U-boats but were very careful not to release so much information that the Germans would become aware of their activity. In telling these stories Larson switches the scene back and forth from New York to Washington to Berlin to London to submarine U-20 and to the Lusitania.

The author gives the reader dramatic detail of the actual torpedo attack and the chaos that followed. He describes the disasters with safety vests and the launching of the life boats. The Lusitania was only 12 miles from shore and amazingly sunk in less than 20 minutes. The author proceeds to discuss several of the 1198 people (123 Americans) who died and actually provides a few stories about some of the survivors and the aftermath of investigations.

Larson describes many factors that had to come together for this disaster to happen. For example a late start from New York, the calm seas, the reduced speed of the Lusitania and lack of a Royal Navy escort and lack of information from Room 40 warning of the submarine U-20 in its path. Larson presents a theory that the latter two issues may have been purposeful actions to draw the United States into the war. If so, it didn't work since the United States did not enter the war until two years after the Lusitania was sunk.

DEAD WAKE is a well written account of the sinking of the Lusitania and will be of interest to anyone who enjoys reading history.

I was happy to see that there's a reading guide for DEAD WAKE. I don't always find them for history/nonfiction books, but this one sounds like it might be interesting to discuss!

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book and to Booking Pap Pap for his review.

Guest Review: The Whites

Summary: Back in the 1990s, when Billy Graves worked in the South Bronx as part of an anti-crime unit known as the Wild Geese, he made headlines by accidentally shooting a ten-year-old boy while stopping an angel-dusted berserker in the street. Branded as a cowboy, Billy spent years in one dead-end posting after another. Now in his early forties, he is a sergeant in Manhattan Night Watch, a team of detectives that responds to all felonies from Wall Street to Harlem between one a.m. and eight a.m.

Billy’s work is mostly routine, but when Night Watch is called to the four a.m. fatal slashing of a man in Penn Station, his investigation moves beyond the usual handoff to the day shift. And when he discovers that the victim was once a suspect in an unsolved murder—a brutal case with connections to the former members of the Wild Geese—the bad old days are back in Billy’s life with a vengeance. -- Picador

Booking Pap Pap is spending the winter in Florida and he's managing to get a little reading done. One book that he recently read has been out for a few years, but it sounds like it was worth the wait.  It's called THE WHITES by Richard Price; and it has won lots of awards including an NPR Best Book of the Year, a New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year, a Washington Post Best Books of the Year, an Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, and an L.A. Times Book Prize - Finalist. It sounds like Booking Pap Pap agrees. Here are his thoughts:

THE WHITES is an entertaining story about police work in New York City. Story begins when lead character Sergeant Billy Graham is sent to investigate a slasher case at Penn Station. Graham runs the night watch, a shift that runs from midnight to 8 am. He typically files his paperwork and turns the cases over to the daylight shift, never to be involved again.

But this case is different. Billy recognizes the victim from his days as a member of the Wild Geese in the mid-1990s before he accidentally killed a young boy and sent his career into a downward spiral. The Wild Geese was a self proclaimed name for seven young, bold cops serving in the South Bronx. The victim was Jeffrey Bannon, a criminal referred to as a White by the Wild Geese. They define a White as one who committed a major crime on their watch and never faced justice. It seems each member is haunted by a personnel White even in retirement. The case spurs Graves to renew contact with the 4 remaining Wild Geese, all retired and active in other occupations. When other Whites begin to perish, Graves begin thinking about the possibility of vigilante justice and is torn as to what to do about it.

The author presents a second narrative that pits Detective Milton Ramos against Graves. They don't know each other but Ramos poses a threat to Graves' family over an incident with his wife many years ago. The storyline builds as Ramos starts playing subtle games with various family members and gradually increases the pressure until he and Graves end up in a confrontation. Author Richard Price writing as Harry Brandt blends the two storylines nicely by using alternating chapters to bring both narratives along simultaneously. The reader gets a good understanding of the pressures building in Graves.

 THE WHITES is a very realistic depiction of the work of policemen. The reader is confronted with the reality that the police work in a very ugly world, and it's not unrealistic to assume some of that ugliness remains with the police. In addition to the police drama, the author utilizes great dialog, good character development, surprises, and some humor to deliver a very entertaining story.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel and to Booking Pap Pap for his review.

Guest Review: A Conspiracy of Ravens

Summary: James Hicks has spent his entire life and career fighting on the front lines of terrorism for the clandestine intelligence organization known as The University. Hicks has learned that enemies can appear and disappear in the blink of an eye, and allegiances shift like the wind. But now, Hicks has finally discovered his true enemy: the criminal organization known as The Vanguard.

This shadowy group has operated as a deadly organization comprised weapons dealers, drug runners, and money launderers for decades, but has now decided to add regime change to their catastrophic agenda. But knowing the enemy is one thing. Being able to defeat it is another matter entirely. When Hicks uncovers a solid lead on his new adversaries, his world explodes. His home base is attacked, his operatives in the field are wiped out, and, for the first time, The University finds itself in open combat against an unknown enemy. In a battle that rages from the streets of Manhattan to the halls of power in Washington, D.C., to the dark alleys of Berlin, Hicks will have to use every resource at his disposal to defeat A Conspiracy of Ravens. -- Polis Books

Booking Pap Pap has left for Florida for the winter, but he's still reading... and writing reviews. His latest, A CONSPIRACY OF RAVENS by Terrence McCauley seemed like an entertaining read. Here are his thoughts:

A CONSPIRACY OF RAVENS is author Terrence McCauley’s third thriller featuring James Hicks as the main character. Now acting as the leader of the University, an elite top-secret group of international operatives, Hicks is focused on a new enemy known as Vanguard, the world’s largest crime syndicate. He soon discovers that Vanguard considers the University as a threat and attempts to destroy the organization by bombing their main facility in New York and wiping out the entire University presence in Moscow.

Hicks accelerates his effort to eliminate Vanguard which leads Hick and his operatives on a chase through New York, Washington D.C., Germany and China. Vanguard seems to be able to match all the skills and technology that the University can bring to the fight, including OMNI, University’s ultra-advanced computer system. Against his better judgement Hicks finds it necessary to involve the CIA in the pursuit. What results is a series of gun fights, car chases, torture and explosions that leads to a final confrontation.

Although the author has included many characters in the story including the leaders of Vanguard, members of the CIA and the University’s team, the significant characters are limited to Hicks, a few members of his team and OMNI. My one criticism with A CONSPIRACY OF RAVENS is that the reader could use some additional background on the University and its team. This is one case where the reader would definitely benefit from reading the prior novel, A MURDER OF CROWS.

As in his prior novel, McCauley comes up with a curious title. In this case, I found that conspiracy is one name that is used to describe a group of ravens.

A CONSPIRACY OF RAVENS is a fast paced, somewhat realistic spy thriller with plenty of action and surprises that nicely blends old school spying with modern technology. Since the ending left some open issues, it’s possible we will see future confrontations between the University and Vanguard. Fans of the thriller genre should enjoy A CONSPIRACY OF RAVENS.

Thanks to Saichek Publicity for providing a review copy of this novel and to Booking Pap Pap for his review.

Review: The Black Kachina

Summary: In the desert badlands of Southern California, Air Force Colonel Maggie Black loses a cruise missile equipped with powerful explosives, reporter Jordan Scott returns a dead shaman's magic basket, and a bitter half-breed named Asdrubal Torres hears the Great Spirit tell him to refill Lake Cahuilla, an ancient sea that once covered much of California. Colonel Maggie, by losing a powerful weapon, and reporter Scott, by restoring the local tribe's enchanted basket, provide Torres with exactly the tools he needs. Now Maggie and Jordan race against time, the desert, and Torres's cunning plan to stop a devastating flood designed to kill tens of thousands. -- Down & Out Books

Booking Pap Pap is back... and probably for the last time in 2017. His latest read was a thriller called THE BLACK KACHINA by Jack Getze. Here are his thoughts:

The main character in THE BLACK KACHINA is Lieutenant Colonel Maggie Black, a former Air Force pilot who lost her arm in a combat accident during the Iraqi War. Now fitted with a robotic prosthetic, Maggie can no longer fly but has been assigned the lead in a project developing a highly secretive new weapon. Things go well until a B-52 bomber carrying the experimental weapon goes missing near an Air Force Facility in California. Maggie career depends on her finding the weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.

Maggie’s hunt is complicated by Asdrubal Torres, a member of the Cahuilla Native American tribe. It seems that Torres, under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs, sees the wreckage of the B-52 as a sign that he has been chosen by Kachina, the Spirit, to refill Lake Cahuilla, long ago destroyed by the building of Hoover Dam and the rechanneling of the Colorado River waters. His mission is to find the weapon and use it to destroy Hoover Dam and restore the lake.

In addition to featuring a physically handicapped middle-aged woman as his main character, author Jack Getze creates some other interesting characters. There is no question in understanding which characters are heroic and which are villainous. Torres is characterized as a crazed killer who will stop at nothing to fulfill his “destiny”. Torres partner, Henry Melancon, is a psychopath ex-con who has had significant Navy-Seal type training while serving in the Mexican military. Jordon Scott, young San Diego newspaper reporter, meets Maggie while writing a report on the lost weapon and becomes romantically involved. Jordon is further tied to the story when he returns a water basket that his family has had for years, to the Cahuilla tribe and learns that his great-grandfather may have killed to get the basket. According to Cahuilla legend, the basket may have been used to fill Lake Cahuilla.

Although the characters and story line may be a little far-fetched, Getze does bring some attention to the risk of the Southern California water supply which is totally dependent on the Hoover Dam.

The Black Kachina is an exciting suspense thriller interspersed with romance and humor. The interesting characters and the unusual storyline makes it a worthwhile read.

Thanks to Saichek Publicity for providing a review copy of this novel and to Booking Pap Pap for his review.

Guest Review: Assassin's Code

Summary: Step aside, Jason Bourne: David Slaton, the perfect assassin, returns for another adrenaline-packed adventure by USA Today bestselling author Ward Larsen in Assassin's Code.

Former assassin David Slaton discovers a cryptic message: on a memory stick, a photograph of the man who will soon assume command of DGSI, France’s elite counterterrorism force. With that country reeling under a wave of ISIS attacks, Zavier Baland will be trusted to make the Republic safe again. The problem—Slaton has seen Baland’s face before. He is Ali Samir, a terrorist Slaton is certain he killed fifteen years earlier. Unable to reconcile this frightening disconnect, he attempts to raise the alarm.

Thousands of miles away, the chief information officer of ISIS tries to keep networks running amid crumbling infrastructure. With the caliphate’s very survival at stake, the leadership commits to a last-ditch gambit: France must be attacked on a massive scale, forcing the West into the battle of the Apocalypse.

Slaton keeps a breakneck pace, traveling to Tel Aviv, Paris, and the deserts of Syria. In the end he uncovers a labyrinthine plot—and one that only he can stop. -- Tor/Forge

I'm totally swamped this week between work, Booking Son's activities, book club and more, so I'm extremely grateful that my dad has been stepping up his game and sending me some reviews. One of his latest books is ASSASSIN'S CODE by Ward Larsen. Here are his thoughts:

ASSASSIN’S CODE is author Ward Larsen’s fourth novel in his series featuring former Israeli Mossad assassin David Slaton. In this installment, the reader finds Slaton living near the Philippines on a boat with his wife and son. As a favor to his wife, Slaton is investigating the disappearance of her friend’s husband when he comes across a message and photograph on a memory stick about Zavier Baland, the man who is in line to become director of DGSI, France’s counterterrorism force. Except Slaton recognizes him as Ali Samir, a terrorist he was certain he killed 15 years ago. 

Naturally, Slaton’s needs to further investigate this seemingly irreconcilable situation. After a stop in Tel Aviv to visit with his old Mossad bosses to gather more information, the trail leads him to Paris and Syria where he learns of a series of complex plots that has him dealing with three distinct problems. He must resolve the Baland situation, he must counter planned ISIS attacks on France and he must stay alive. Strange encounters with the ISIS Chief Information Officer and an ISIS-trained female assassin tests all of Slaton’s numerous skills.

In Assassin’s Code, Larsen has taken these three suspenseful storylines and pulls it all together in an exciting novel with the requisite twists and turns and a very creative ending. By combining Mossad and ISIS with some interesting characters and fast-paced non-stop action, Larsen, has developed a first rate suspense thriller. Even though this is the fourth installment in the David Slaton series, the novel does stand alone. However I think reading the other novels in this series would only enhance the enjoyment of reading ASSASSIN’S CODE.

Thanks to Booking Pap Pap for his review and to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.

Guest Review: In the Name of Honor

Summary: Home from Iraq, a lieutenant kills his commanding officer—was it self-defense or premeditated murder? An enthralling novel of suspense about the high cost of war and secrets

The McCarrans and the Gallaghers, two military families, have been close for decades, ever since Anthony McCarran—now one of the army's most distinguished generals—became best friends with Jack Gallagher, a fellow West Pointer who was later killed in Vietnam. Now a new generation of soldiers faces combat, and Lt. Brian McCarran, the general's son, has returned from a harrowing tour in Iraq. Traumatized by wartime experiences he will not reveal, Brian depends on his lifelong friendship with Kate Gallagher, Jack's daughter, who is married to Brian's commanding officer in Iraq, Capt. Joe D'Abruzzo. But since coming home, D'Abruzzo also seems changed by the experiences he and Brian shared—he's become secretive and remote.

Tragedy strikes when Brian shoots and kills D'Abruzzo on their army post in Virginia. Brian pleads self-defense, claiming that D'Abruzzo, a black-belt martial artist, came to his quarters, accused him of interfering with his marriage, and attacked him. Kate supports Brian and says that her husband had become violent and abusive. But Brian and Kate have secrets of their own, and now Capt. Paul Terry, one of the army's most accomplished young lawyers, will defend Brian in a high-profile court-martial. Terry's co-counsel is Meg McCarran, Brian's sister, a brilliant and beautiful attorney who insists on leaving her practice in San Francisco to help save her brother. Before the case is over, Terry will become deeply entwined with Meg and the McCarrans—and learn that families, like war, can break the sturdiest of souls. -- Henry Holt

Booking Pap Pap is coming through with his reviews... finally! I'm just kidding but I will admit that every review he writes helps a lot now that I'm working. His latest read was IN THE NAME OF HONOR by Richard North Patterson. Mr. Patterson is an author that my father and I have been reading for years. I'm not sure how we both missed this novel which came out about six years ago, but better late than never! Here are his thoughts:

IN THE NAME OF HONOR by Richard North Patterson has it all – great characters, military issues, compelling courtroom action, family drama and a love story.

Lieutenant Brian McCarran is home from Iraq and is accused of killing his commanding officer, Captain Joe D’Abruzzo. To complicate matters, Brian is the son of Army Chief of Staff, Anthony McCarran and D’Abruzzo’s wife, Kate Gallagher and her family are closely tied to the McCarran family. Among other things, General McCarran was a close friend of Kate’s father who was killed in Viet Nam and also is Kate’s Godfather.

Paul Terry, an outstanding military attorney, is assigned to defend Brian in his high profile court martial trial even though it might interfere with his plan to leave the military for a lucrative job with a Wall Street firm. The story is further complicated when Brian’s sister, Meg, a beautiful and successful San Francisco attorney joins the defense team as Brian’s co-counsel.

D’Abruzzo’s aggressive behavior toward his wife and Brian’s response to D’Abruzzo’s actions toward him show signs of PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) from their Iran experiences. PTSD becomes the defense tactic that Terry decides to use in Brian’s defense. Testimony by Brian, Meg, General McCarran and a PTSD expert provides great courtroom drama as the suspense builds steadily throughout the trial to a most surprising conclusion. As Paul Terry moves the trial forward he learns more and more about the McCarran and Gallagher families, all of which impacts the trial outcome.

 Author Patterson provides the reader with a detailed look at military law and how a court martial might actually proceed. Through the trial testimony, Patterson also gives the reader a look into PTSD, how it impacts our military personnel and how it is dealt with (or not) by the military. Patterson obviously did a lot of research into military law and PTSD to provide the detail that made his story so real and current.

IN THE NAME OF HONOR is a nice combination of legal thriller with its riveting courtroom action, and human drama with its stories of romance, love of country and love of family.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel and to Booking Pap Pap for his review!
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Guest Review: Ring of Fire

Summary: Former Delta Force officer and New York Times bestselling author Brad Taylor delivers a relentlessly fast-paced, gripping thriller featuring Taskforce operators Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill as they come face-to-face with an insidious threat to strike terror into the heart of America.

Fifteen years ago, in order to win a contract in the Kingdom, a desperate defense contractor used a shell company to provide a bribe to a wealthy Saudi businessman. Now a powerful player in the defense industry, he panics when the Panama Papers burst onto the public scene. Providing insight into the illicit deeds of offshore financing, they could prove his undoing.

To prevent the exposure of his illegal activities, he sets in motion a plan to interdict the next leak, but he is not the only one worried about spilled secrets. The data theft has left the Taskforce potentially vulnerable, leaving a trail that could compromise the unit. Back in the good graces of the new president, Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill are ordered to interdict the next leak as well, in order to control the damage.

Unbeknownst to either group, the Saudi has been using the shell company to fund terrorists all over the world, and he has a spectacular attack planned, coinciding with the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11. The information Pike and Jennifer uncover will put them on the trail of the imminent threat, but it’s one that they might be unable to stop.

Called Ring of Fire, it will cause unimaginable destruction across the United States, and the ensuing chaos and terror will distract the Taskforce from a truth no one sees: Ring of Fire was only the beginning, and the danger is far from over. -- Dutton

Booking Pap Pap is back with a review... and so is Brad Taylor with his latest Pike Logan novel RING OF FIRE. It's the eleventh book in this action-packed series, and I think my dad enjoyed it quite a bit. Here are his thoughts:

RING OF FIRE is Brad Taylor’s 11 novel in his Pike Logan series and the third one I have reviewed. Pike Logan is the team leader of a secret American counterterrorism unit called the Taskforce that answers only to an Oversight Council that includes the President and a group of 13 individuals from various branches of the U.S. government.

In RING OF FIRE, Pike and his team are asked to intercept the release of the Panama Papers and avoid potentially damaging information that could compromise the Taskforce. The Taskforce is unaware of the efforts of a powerful defense contractor who is also working to stop the leak of the Panama Papers because of information about illegal offshore accounts that could prove harmful to his company.

Pike’s team discovers these offshore accounts and follows the trail that leads to a wealthy Saudi businessman who is planning attacks on U.S. shipping that would coincide with the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11. Pike must unravel this mystery in time to avert the planned attacks.

As with his other books in the Pike Logan series, the author deals with real world issues in a believable and informative way. His ability to cleverly blend fact and fiction gives RING OF FIRE a credible story line. Taylor’s Delta Force experience and his thorough research is apparent as he informs the reader with his detailed knowledge of terrorists and their methods.

Taylor’s characters are well developed. The Taskforce team is now quite familiar to anyone who has read several of the books in the series. However, a new reader might have a difficult time understanding the team’s relationships since Taylor has done very little in this novel to explain any of the background of the team members. I also found Pike operating closer to the edge of the rules governing the task force than in past novels that I have read. As long as he is successful, all seems to be forgiven. The secondary characters in the novel are very interesting. For example, there is a Somali-American member of a sleeper cell who is a drone expert; a South African mercenary who follows similar leads as the Taskforce and runs into Pike’s team; a potential new member to the Taskforce is put into action and the Moroccan brothers who work in a filthy leather cleaning operation and desire to be Jihadists. 

The RING OF FIRE is a good mixture of terrorism, technology and military-type action that is blended nicely in a fast-paced suspense thriller.

Thanks to Booking Pap Pap for his review and thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.

Guest Review: The Boy in the Shadows

Summary: 1970: In an overcrowded Stockholm subway station, a harried father and his two boys are late for their train. Joel, the youngest, is howling in his stroller and his seven-year-old brother, Kristoffer, refuses to take the elevator.

A woman approaches and helpfully offers to lead Kristoffer up the stairs. Reluctantly his father agrees, but when he arrives on the platform Kristoffer and the woman have vanished without a trace. The kidnapping becomes a national sensation, but the boy is never found …

Today: Joel, now an adult, goes missing in suspicious circumstances. His frantic wife turns to Danny Katz—an old friend with a troubled past—for help. A brilliant computer programmer and recovering heroin addict, Katz is also the divorced father of two young girls. Katz begins to dig behind the digital veil in search of Joel, even though the investigation quickly interferes with his duties as a parent. Before long, Katz discovers he isn't the only one trying to find Joel.

The deeper Katz digs, the more upsetting the secrets he uncovers about the wealthy and powerful family at the heart of the investigation. Chillingly, the case takes a violent turn that reveals a disorienting connection to Katz's own troubled childhood—soon there will be no backing out of his unofficial investigation. -- Quercus

I'm still reeling from the first week of school... and missing my college girl! So it's with much relief that Booking Pap Pap is back with a review of THE BOY IN THE SHADOWS by Carl-Johan Vallgren. Here are his thoughts:

THE BOY IN THE SHADOWS is a Swedish novel written by Carl-Johan Vallgren that is expertly translated into English by Rachel Willson Broyles.

In June, 1970 a father and his two sons are at a train station in Stockholm, Sweden when circumstances lead to the kidnapping of the oldest son, Kristoffer. The kidnapping was never solved and the parents die 10 years later of an apparent suicide leaving the younger son Joel to grow up under the care of his wealthy grandfather Gustav Klingberg. Moving forward 42 years to 2012, the younger of the sons, Joel, now active in the Klingberg business empire, goes missing. Joel’s beautiful wife, Angelina, asks Danny Katz, a successful translator and previous heroin addict to help find Joel. At one time Joel Klingberg and Katz worked together as interpreters for the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It seems Klingberg spoke highly of Katz to his wife and she reached out to Katz for help. Although he had no investigating experience, the need for money drove Katz to accept the job.

The investigation takes Katz on a bizarre journey that not only puts his life in danger but exposes him to many of the secrets of the Klingberg family, including their history of voodoo. The case takes him from the underground drug world of Stockholm to the Dominican Republic to Haiti. Katz is pulled back into memories of his drug induced past and when he is accused of murder he seeks help from the two best friends of his youth, Eva Westin, now a public prosecutor and Jorma Hedlund, recently released from prison. Katz soon discovers that he is a bigger part of the case than he could have ever imagined.

In THE BOY IN THE SHADOWS, author Carl-Johan Vallgren has developed very strong but flawed characters, and many of them have dark and chilling personalities. There are no “white hat” characters in this novel. Vallgren has created a well-executed plot that takes the reader through a myriad of twists and turns that keeps the final conclusion a secret until the very end. This is a very good addition to the thriller genre. I think that in Dannie Katz and Eva Westin, Vallgren has created characters that readers may see again.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of the novel and to Booking Pap Pap for his review.

Guest Review: A Divided Spy

Summary: Thomas Kell thought he was done with spying. A former MI6 officer, he devoted his life to the Service, but it has left him with nothing but grief and a simmering anger against the Kremlin.

Then Kell is offered an unexpected chance at revenge. Taking the law into his own hands, he embarks on a mission to recruit a top Russian spy who is in possession of a terrifying secret. As Kell tracks his man from Moscow to London, he finds himself in a high stakes game of cat and mouse in which it becomes increasingly difficult to know who is playing whom.

As the mission reaches boiling point, the threat of a catastrophic terrorist attack looms over Britain. Kell is faced with an impossible choice. Loyalty to MI6—or to his own conscience? -- St. Martin's Press

Booking Pap Pap is finally back -- it's been awhile! His latest read is A DIVIDED SPY by Charles Cumming. Here are his thoughts:

Thomas Kell, a retired British M16 spy, has been depressed since the death of his girlfriend/agent a year earlier and wants nothing more than to avenge her death. He sees an opportunity for vengeance when he learns that the Russian agent responsible for her death may be vulnerable to an effort to turn him. It seems that Russian agent, Alexander Minasian, currently married to the daughter of a powerful Russian oligarch is also in a homosexual relationship with a German business man. Delivering Minasian to M16 would satisfy Kell’s desire for vengeance. His ex-boss at M16, Amelia Levene, reluctantly agrees to Kell’s plan but offers little enthusiasm or manpower support.

As Kell approaches Minasian and they play their game of cat and mouse, they show signs of mutual mistrust as well as mutual respect. As a sign of Minasian’s willingness to cooperate on at least a minimum level, he shares some information with Kell about a possible terrorist attack in a British city. It appears that Shahid Khan, a British born son of a Pakistani immigrant has been radicalized by ISIS and plans a serious attack in the British sea coast city of Brighton.

When Kell reports this information, M16 hesitates to act on it believing that Kell is being used by Minasian. Kell is now divided (thus the book title). Does he continue to satisfy his personal thirst for vengeance by working Minasian or does he attempt to stop a possible attack that threatens thousands of people? Author Charles Cumming nicely weaves these two seemingly independent issues in an exciting spy novel that contains the requisite danger and twists and turns.

I found it interesting that Kell is not the only character that is divided in this story. Minasian is divided between love for his wife and his homosexual tendencies and Shahid Khan is divided between his death mission and the love he has for the woman he met in Brighton.

A DIVIDED SPY is the third book by Charles Cumming featuring M16 agent Thomas Kell but definitely stands on its own. Not having read the prior novels, a little more background on Kell may have actually been helpful. Kell appears to leave M16 for real this time my guess is that a fourth book seems unlikely.

If you’re into spy novels, A DIVIDED SPY should be added to your reading list.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel and to Booking Pap Pap for his review.

Guest Review: The First Congress

Summary: This “fascinating” (Chicago Tribune), “lively” (The New York Times) history tells how the First Congress and the Washington administration created one of the most productive and far-reaching governments in American history—“gracefully written…and well worth reading” (The Wall Street Journal).

The First Congress may have been the most important in American history because it established how our government would work. The Constitution was a broad set of principles that left undefined the machinery of government. Fortunately, far-sighted, brilliant, and determined men such as Washington, Madison, Adams, Hamilton, and Jefferson (and others less well known today) labored to create a functioning government.

In The First Congress, award-winning author Fergus Bordewich brings to life the achievements of the First Congress: it debated and passed the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which we know as the Bill of Rights; admitted North Carolina and Rhode Island to the union when they belatedly ratified the Constitution, then admitted two new states, Kentucky and Vermont, establishing the procedure for admitting new states on equal terms with the original thirteen; chose the site of the national capital, a new city to be built on the Potomac; created a national bank to handle the infant republic’s finances; created the first cabinet positions and the federal court system; and many other achievements. But it avoided the subject of slavery, which was too contentious to resolve.

The First Congress takes us back to the days when the future of our country was by no means assured and makes “an intricate story clear and fascinating” (The Washington Post) -- Simon and Schuster.

I'm sure you're not surprised to see that this review for THE FIRST CONGRESS: HOW JAMES MADISON, GEORGE WASHINGTON, AND A GROUP OF EXTRAORDINARY MEN INVENTED THE GOVERNMENT by Fergus M. Bordewich isn't one of mine. This book of American history is definitely more up Booking Pap Pap's alley. Here are his thoughts:

In THE FIRST CONGRESS: HOW JAMES MADISON, GEORGE WASHINGTON, AND A GROUP OF EXTRAORDINARY MEN INVENTED THE GOVERNMENT, author Fergus M. Bordewich takes the reader through the process that created the current U.S. government. The First Federal Congress sat from March, 1789 through March, 1791 to form a workable government based on the recently approved Constitution. The first two sessions of the Congress met in New York and the third met in Philadelphia. Among the items debated and ultimately decided upon included ratification of the first ten amendments now called The Bill of Rights; formation of a Judiciary; structure of the Executive branch, including payment of the officers; creation of a National Bank; establishment of a national regiment to fight Indians; and a permanent location for the National Capital. They even debated the title for the presidency.

Bordewich describes the political environment at the time the First Congress began deliberations. He portrays a government that was barely functioning as formed under the Articles of Confederation, a country saddled with a poor economy and large debts, a population pessimistic about the future and a group of states that did not agree on the issues of state rights versus national interests. At this point only eleven states had ratified the Constitution.

After culling through masses of information, Bordewich utilizes interesting detail to bring the story to life. For example, Washington had a personal financial interest in locating the capital in the Potomac area. Congress did not consider the first ten amendments important and very little time was spent on debating them before approval. Hamilton and Madison became enemies after disagreements on the National Bank. Jefferson did not want to be Secretary of State and was quite happy living in France. Travel to and from the sessions was quite perilous and many members were injured or became ill. Stories about the interaction between congressional members were sometimes quite amusing.

All of us were taught that George Washington, John Adams Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton played important roles in the formation of the government. Author Bordewich makes the argument that Hamilton was the most important and John Adams was the least helpful because his performance as Vice-President set the precedent for the do-nothing office it is today.

What we learn from reading THE FIRST CONGRESS is that 65 representatives and 26 Senators also played a significant role. I’m not sure these men were extraordinary as the author claims or brilliant, but in spite of big egos, constant arguing, regional bias and some anti-constitution positions, these men through compromise and horse-trading, accomplished an awful lot. They managed to establish a government that struck a good balance between state rights and national interests and set up a national government structure with checks and balances among the three branches. Maybe our current politicians could learn from the First Congress what can be accomplished with compromise and putting national interests ahead of personal gains.

The one major issue that they failed to address fully was slavery which they feared would splinter the nation. Their premonition proved accurate as this issue did divide the country some 70 years later.

If you enjoy American history then you should read THE FIRST CONGRESS.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book and to Booking Pap Pap for his terrific review.