Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wanted so much to love this book but instead I wandered through it not knowing where it was going. I got lost in the myriad of characters and fixated on some dead end subplots. I lost track of the time order and confused the past and present. Maybe that's what PH had in mind. At the end it seemed to coagulate into a story but by that time I could not wait to finish it.
This is a book for my book club and usually after my very bright friends talk about the book I change my tune. I don't think that will happen with this one.

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Over the past couple of decades I've had a lot of guitars. As the collection got smaller, it also got more and more specialized. I still play a lot but I'm down to just five guitars. 

Instead of one big rack in the family room I've spread them all over the house.  Now that it seems I may be making less changes, here is some history from about 2009 to today... Enjoy.

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a wonderful book. There was nothing about it that I didn't love. First of all, I love hearing the contribution of women during wartime, even with massive misogyny. This story weaves in and out of two eras and eventually brings them together wonderfully.
The writing style is exquisite. I love Ms. Quinn's use of language and he ability to portray emotion on paper. I felt for the characters.
What seemed like a "story" about interesting people during the war turns out to be a well-researched novel based on real people and real events. Some of the characters are synthesized but the author has taken pains to create a story that may seem unbelievable but in reality, is a tribute to these strong women. Thank you, Ms. Quinn, I learned a lot and look forward to more books from your pen.


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A Delicate Touch by Stuart Woods
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an incredible book. Stuart Woods has taked the headlines and written a story around them. The events, plot and characters are fiction but the concepts are real and frightening.
I love these stories because they are usually realatively light and fun. This one was light, fun and serious. Out modern world creates serious situations that most of us can only imagine. A clever mind like Stuart Woods' can make things might be mundane, dangerous and frightening.
On a lighter note, some of the new characters give us great promise for more Stone novels. I can't wait. Bring them on.

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Secret Asset by Stella Rimington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great book with a terrific plot and characters. I read the 10th in the series and decided to go back and read them all. This is book 2 and I can see the main character developing. She is smart, clever and sophisticated. I enjoyed the story very much. The book is very British to the point that I had to look up some slang and try to imagine some others.
As in all spy novels one has to decide if the events are plausable. This story is very real and the characters behave like real people, not superheros. They make mistakes and wrong decisions, get tired and simply behave the way one would expect.
I'll get to the next one in a few days.

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