Book reviews of mysteries, historical fiction and graphic novels with a smattering of non-fiction books.
Sunday, October 10, 2021
Parenthesis
Sunday, October 3, 2021
The Bone Code
Saturday, October 2, 2021
The Stolen Lady
France, 1939At the dawn of World War II, Anne Guichard, a young archivist employed at the Louvre, arrives home to find her brother missing. While she works to discover his whereabouts, refugees begin flooding into Paris and German artillery fire rattles the city. Once they reach the city, the Nazis will stop at nothing to get their hands on the Louvre's art collection. Anne is quickly sent to the Castle of Chambord, where the Louvre's most precious artworks - including the Mona Lisa - are being transferred to ensure their safety. With the Germans hard on their heels, Anne frantically moves the Mona Lisa and other treasures again and again in an elaborate game of hide and seek. As the threat to the masterpieces and her life grows closer, Anne also begins to lean the truth about her brother and the role he plays in this dangerous game.Florence, 1479House servant Bellina Sardi's future seems fixed when she accompanies her newly married mistress, Lisa Gherardini, to her home across the Arno. Lisa's husband, a prosperous silk merchant, is aligned with the powerful Medici, his home filled with luxuries and treasures. But soon, Bellina finds herself bewitched by a charismatic one who has urged Florentines to rise up against the Medici and to empty their homes of the riches and jewels her new employer prizes. When Master Leonardo da Vinci is commissioned to paint a portrait of Lisa, Bellina finds herself tasked with hiding an impossible secret.
Friday, October 1, 2021
Hemlock
Peril
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
Murder on the Metro
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
An Untidy Death
Friday, September 10, 2021
Let's Not Talk Anymore
Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Rebecca and Lucie
Thursday, September 2, 2021
Dominus
"Marcus Aurelius, as much a philosopher as he is an emperor, oversees a golden age in the city of Rome. The ancient Pinarius family and their workshop of artisans embellish the richest and greatest city on earth with gilded statues and towering marble monuments. Art and reason flourish but history does not stand still.The years to come bring wars, plagues, fires, and famines. The best emperors in history are succeeded by some of the worst. Barbarians descend in endless waves, eventually appearing before the gates of Rome itself. The military seizes power and sells the throne to the highest bidder. Chaos engulfs the empire.Through it all, the Pinarius family endures, thanks in no small part to the protective powers of the fascinum, a talisman older than Rome itself, a mystical heirloom handed down through countless generations. But an even greater upheaval is yet to come.On the finger of society, troublesome cultists disseminate dangerous and seditious ideas. They insist that everyone in the world should worship only one god, their god. They call themselves Christians. Some emperors deal with the Christians with toleration, others with bloody persecution. Then one emperor does the unthinkable. He becomes a Christian himself. His name is Constantine, and the revolution he sets in motion will change the world forever."
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
The Cellist
"Viktor Orlov had a longstanding appointment with death. Once Russia's richest man, he now resides in splendid exile in London, where he has waged a tireless crusade against the authoritarian kleptocrats who have seized control of the Kremlin. His mansion in Chelsea's exclusive Cheyne Walk is one of the most heavily protected private dwellings in London. Yet somehow, on a rainy summer evening, in the midst of a global pandemic, Russia's vengeful president finally manages to cross Orlov's off his kill list.Before him was the receiver from his landline telephone, a half drunk glass of red wine, and a stack of documents. The documents are contaminated with a deadly nerve agent. The Metropolitan Police determine that they were delivered to Orlov's home by one of his employees, a prominent investigative reporter from the anti-Kremlin Moskovskaya Gazette. And when the reporter slips from London hours after the killing, M16 concludes she is a Moscow Center assassin who has cunningly penetrated Orlov's formidable defenses.But Gabriel Allon, who owes his very life to Viktor Orlov, believes his friends in British intelligence are dangerously mistaken. His desperate search for the truth will take him from London to Amsterdam and eventually to Geneva, where a private intelligence service controlled by a childhood friend of the Russian president is using KGB style active measures to undermine the West from within. Known as the Hayden Group, the unit is plotting an unspeakable act of violence that will plunge an already divided America into chaos and leave Russia unchallenged. Only Gabriel Allon, with the help of a brilliant young woman employed by the world's dirtiest bank, can stop it."
This is another fantastic novel from Dan Silva! It has all the characters we have known throughout the series plus a few unnamed ones, i.e., the Russian president and an erratic American president refusing to concede an election. This particular installment of the series is more current with the world's political situation than the earlier ones. The plot includes a global pandemic, Russian interference in American elections as well as Russian looting of the assets of the West. The author must have written fast to include these events into his story.
As I said above, the characters were all known to the series. There weren't any new ones, which I was expecting. It was fun to read about their exploits since their last entry into the series. The Israeli characters showed growth and I suspect that one or more will not make in to the next book because of their age or retirement. Some were barely mentioned due to their age. Some will probably be promoted. It shows that Silva is constantly keeping their duties changing as they advance or decline in their careers.
All in all, this was a riveting read. I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.
Viral
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Factory Summers
Saturday, August 14, 2021
Loch Down Abbey
"It's the 1930s and a mysterious illness is spreading over Scotland. But the noble and ancient family of Inverkillen, residents of Loch Down Abbey, are much more concerned with dwindling toilet roll supplies and who will look after the children now that Nanny has regretfully (and most inconveniently) departed this life.
Then Lord Inverkillen, Earl and head of the family, is found dead in mysterious circumstances. The inspector declares it an accident but Mrs MacBain, the head housekeeper, isn't so convinced. As no one is allowed in or out because of the illness, the residents of the house - both upstairs and downstairs - are the only suspects. With the Earl's own family too busy doing what can only be described as nothing, she decides to do some digging - in between chores, of course - and in doing so uncovers a whole host of long-hidden secrets, lies and betrayals that will alter the dynamics of the household for ever."