Dead of Night by Simon Scarrow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My kind of book. The character, Schenke, reminds me of Bernie Gunther, Philip Kerr's detective. A German cop during the war who was not a Nazi. It is a number two of a three part series that might grow. Then again if he gets killed in the next one it might not because he is the book, story and plot.
I want to know what happens to him.

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Exit Strategy by Lee Child
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another fun, page flipper from the Childs.

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Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I must have missed the point on this book club book. I did not like it. I did not like the way it portrayed Vera. I thought it was ageism.

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Culpability by Bruce Holsinger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As I read this book it increased stars, that is I thought ig got better as I read. This is an important book to read and discuss. The plot, characters, etc are wonderful. The characters reveal themselves or are revealed just enough to be believable.
The real meat of the story is can machines be culpable. It matters. Cars driving themselves may or may not.
The morality of AI is on display right here in this book, today!

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Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved it. My book club not so much. The story is set in Chicago and starts as a delightful story about a moderatly disfunctional family. This describes most families. As the story moves on the disfunction grows and the story gets interesting.
This is a book worth readinge.

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The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a brilliant book. Try to read it without readng about it. It is a book of letters. At first you may feel its not going anywhere, that is what I thought, but give it a little time and it will blow you away. It is a deep and reflective read. I loved it.

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The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Typical Dan Brown. Entertaing and interesting but only slightly original. I enjoy historical fiction. Not so much a fan of fantasy. Still this is worth reading.

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Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A brilliant book worth reading. I want to say little here because I want everyone to read it with the same lack of knowledge about the story/plot that I had. Ms Reid is a wonderful storyteller and this book weave the reader gently and often less than gently through the plot. READ IT!!

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October and November Books

The Secret Stealers by Jane Healey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second Jane Healey book I read just to be sure she was really brilliant. This book is the definition of historical fiction. Just enough romance to possibly call it romantic historical fiction.
I was intrigued by the plot and characters. I want to give nothing away but, the plot turns were wonderful and I was almost able figure some of it out. For the most part I just let Jane's writing wash over me until the end. Then I read all of the stuff after the story ended because I wanted to know more about how she works.
Read this book if you like WWII history and spy stories.


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The Women of Arlington Hall by Jane Healey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another slice of history that makes for great reading. Was not sure how this one would go while reading it and was pretty satisfied with the ending. Students of history will recognize how close this is to the actual events; others may think its a fantastic story.
The camaraderie of the women and the weirdness of the men made for interesting reading.

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The Girl from the War Room by Catherine Law
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My Kind of book, a historical romance novel. The charachters jumped off the page and continue to show me the strength of the Brits. They carried on life with the bombers overhaed and the bombs raining down.
The characters were not only believeable but they got my sympathy for the real and poingint ways their lives intertwined. suffice it to say I loved it.

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The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A wonderful book. A story that spans so much history that I was only partially aware of. This brings the characters to life while not shortchanging their rich culture and history.
The descriptions of life under repressive regimes rang pretty true to the way some in this country are being treated.
Politics aside, the lives of these women and the role of their men is fascinating. It is so different from most of the rest of the world that it takes a few pages to sink in.
Lisa See is a brilliant author and this book is a real masterpiece for so many reasons. The historical perspective, the social perspective and and finally from the way it treats women.

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Dawn by Octavia E. Butler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A masterful book creating a whole race of aliens with appearance and motivations that are slightly beyond the ability of humans to grasp. I was struck by the vastness of the story and the feeling that this book only touched the surface. I'm sure the subsequent books will expand.
I guess I'm not a fan of sci fi anymore but Octavia Butler's writing and story lines are impecable.

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An Inside Job by Daniel Silva
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First Silva book I didn't fall in love with. Maybe too many characters. It also might be that the plot was a bit insane. I guess a private citizen might have that kind of papal access but its hard to believe. I did like the way it highlighted a non existent painting.
I'll await Silva's next book and hope for a little more action.

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July Books:

The Passage by Irina Shapiro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think I loved it. Such a strange story, I shall try to keep the spoilers out. Irina Shapiro has taken an old, much used plot to create a wonderfully rich story. The plot line is sufficiently intricate to keep me interested 'til the end. Wonder of wonders, this is the first of a series. If she keeps the same rich, interesting characters, I'm in.
She has an interesting way of conveying the thoughts and motivation of several characters at a time. None of the people in the story seem to fall out of petrsona, that is they behave like real people even if the situation is unreal.

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The Highgate Cemetery Murder by Irina Shapiro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I liked it enough to read another of Irina Shapiro's books. I have found an author I love. This was an out and out mystery, with a bit of a love story thrown in for good measure. This author has a way with characters that is only matched by her clever plot lines. Just intricate enough to keep me reading.
I moved to The Passage, another number one of a series by this author and found the same clever story and interesting, realistic characters.

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A Disruptive Invention by Peter Shackle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book ten years ago and did not remember it for a second. Its a theme I like and this time I like it better. I guess nothing stays the same. I thought the story was interesting and thoughtful. To lazy to look up my old review. Its a what if, story and is very technichal in the beginning but it smooths out later.

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Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, Peter Swanson has outdone himself this time. The characters are rich but there story is eeked out over a not too long book. A bit of moving through time but well worth it. He hands out enough to keep you reading but not enough to know exactly where he's going. But believe me, without and spoilers, he makes it to a satisfying ending. Hard to imagine people like this but who really knows.

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