Triumph Of The City by Edward Glaeser

Edward Glaeser is the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics at Harvard University.  One of his areas of expertise and concentration has been the study of cities and their economic impact in various areas.

In America more than two thirds of us live on the 3% of land that makes up our cities.  People in emerging nations are rushing to the cities from the rural life they have known.  What is the draw?  Glaeser makes the point that no matter what else a city does, its most important feature is the ability to concentrate people in a way that tends to lead to innovation and intellectual capital.  Cities are breeding grounds for new technologies, new ideas, new synergies.  The human capital provides growth material, while enriching the lives of those working there.

Along the way, Glaeser shows alternate ways of looking at things that many have taken for granted.  Urban poverty is a real problem, but Glaeser also sees it as an opportunity.  Poor people flock to cities because they provide more opportunity than their rural backgrounds ever could.  The problem is not the number of poverty-stricken neighborhoods, but how a city works to provide services to those areas so the residents can take advantage of opportunities.

Rather than viewing cities as cesspools of pollution, Glaeser shows statistics that prove that cities are actually much less environmentally harmful than the suburbs.  City residents live in smaller areas which take less energy to heat and light.  They often do not have cars.  Decisions to restrict building in cities, as is common with the building boards and restoration committee recommendations, actually leads to more harm to the environment overall.  If growth doesn't occur in the optimum places, it will occur in less optimum ones.

He also believes that the push to keep buildings smaller has negative impacts that the proponents don't consider.  Their emphasis is to prevent tall buildings that make the residents remote from their neighborhoods, and that block light from existing buildings.  Again, Glaeser emphasizes that growth will occur.  If enough housing is not available in the city, housing and eventually jobs will move elsewhere.  He sees this as a factor in several declining cities.  Also, some cities have done great PR jobs that leads one to consider them overbuilt when statistically, this has proved not to be true.  For example, the cities of California have many fewer residents per acre than a city such as Houston or Atlanta where construction is encouraged.  Glaeser believes this building restriction is short-sighted and leads to unintended consequences.

This book is recommended to readers interested in how cities work and what can be done to improve them.  Glaeser surveys the history of cities, identifies what works and what doesn't and why some cities thrive while others dwindle.  His emphasis is always on the human capital that makes cities viable, and insists that even in the era of high technology, high touch is even more important.  This is a fascinating look at a subject that needs to be studied.  The writing is engaging and the reader will understand this vital subject much better after reading Glaeser's work.

Born Under A Lucky Moon by Dana Precious

Lock the door and turn off the phone.  Once you start reading about the Thompson family, you won't be doing anything else until you find out how this story ends.

The Thompsons live in Michigan.  They are the kind of big, sprawling family that things just seem to happen to.  With five kids, there's always some drama.  Evan is the only son.  A ship captain, he also has his own TV show and is the voice of reason.  Elizabeth is the ultra-organized, ever so chic oldest daughter.  Sammie is the vagabond artist.  Lucy, rebelling against everything, runs off and joins the army.  Jeannie, the youngest, grows up with her role firmly fixed.  She is the mediator, the fixer, the one who soothes the rough spots.  It's no wonder that she ends up as a marketing executive on major Hollywood films.  Who else can handle the thousand and one crises that are a part of every movie?

But there's something now that Jeannie can't fix.  Aidan is a successful Hollywood producer whose only ambition left is to marry Jeannie and settle down.  But Jeannie can't commit.  There's always some crisis to fix, some problem only she can solve.  Will she learn too late that you can't live your life always putting everyone else first?

Readers will laugh out loud at this family and love them and their foibles.  The writing is witty and fresh, and the characters remind you of your best friend from high school.  This book is recommended for readers who are looking for a way to make sense of their lives and not let life's misfortunes stand in their way.  This is Dana Precious' first novel, and readers will be anxiously awaiting her next. 

Stone's Fall by Iain Pears

William John Stone, Baron Ravenscliff, the wealthy English industrialist, has died.  Not unusual for a man of his age, but his death was not of old age or disease.  Instead, he fell to his death from his office window; a second floor room.  When his will is read, he leaves everything to his wife, Elizabeth, with two exceptions.  He leaves a legacy to a French woman no one has heard him speak of, and he leaves a legacy to a child he apparently fathered that no one knew about.

Since the will cannot be settled until these two legacies are distributed, Lady Elizabeth engages the services of a newspaper journalist, to investigate and find the two recipients.  Matthew Braddock, a young reporter with nothing to recommend him except his ingenuity and quick intelligence is her pick.

As Matthew delves into Stone's life, he must learn about the world of finance where Stone was king.  Stone knew little about politics, or the arts, but he knew everything about money and how it could be used to create dynasties and political alliances that bound countries together. 

Braddock is soon involved in a world of complex intrigue.  He learns of Stone's involvement with spies, about beautiful women and betrayals, of backgrounds full of secrets, of amazing kindnesses and casual cruelties.  The plot twists and turns back onto itself, making connections that the reader doesn't see coming.  At the end, a twist that will remain in readers' minds long after the book is completed, hits them like a runaway train.

This book is recommended for mystery readers who like complex plots and a slow unfolding.  It is not incredibly violent, but requires the full attention of the reader.  Pears has created memorable characters whose layers are slowly revealed until the astonishing denouement. 

The Big Show Stopper by Ken Dalton

This is the second Pinky and Bear mystery in Ken Dalton's series.  Pinky is J. Pincus Delmont, the best criminal lawyer (he is quick to tell you) in Carson City, Nevada.  Pinky gets results but doesn't mind pushing the morality envelope to do so.  Bear is Bear Zabarte, a street-wise guy who came from a Basque sheep-herding family and now makes a living doing this and that.  The that at the moment is working as an investigator for Pinky  Bear is accompanied everywhere by his girlfriend Flo, who would be welcomed as a regular on Jersey Shore.  A high-maintenance woman with a great body and demands piled high, she makes sure Bear toes the line and also that he gets his due from Pinky.

Bear and Flo head for a concert, Bear's birthday present to Flo, to hear her favorite singer Brady Blackstone.  Jack Spurlock, Flo's hairdresser's son, has come up with great tickets and a backstage pass.  Ready for a fun night, instead they and a screaming audience of fans are shocked when an accident on stage results in Brady's death.  The police soon determine that it is no accident, and arrest Jack, who was in charge of making sure all the equipment worked.

Pinky and Bear spring into action.  Pinky is contacted by the grieving widow, who isn't grieving at all, and who is having an affair with Jack.  She offers Pinky a big fee if he can get Jack released from jail.  Pinky puts Bear on the case, and he takes Flo with him.  There are lots of quirky characters; a Vietnam vet who is homeless, various characters in the real estate business, Pinky's ex-wife, Willow, who is the prosecutor, a cute blonde who seems to be after Bear, and a policeman who has vowed to put Bear in jail.  Can this pair discover what caused Brady's death and free Jack before the fee time limit runs out?

This book is recommended for mystery readers who like breezy, witty mysteries.  The characters are believable and the mystery unravels slowly enough to be satisfying.  The interplay between the various characters makes the book enjoyable.  Dalton's third mystery in this series comes out soon, and readers who enjoy this one will be anxiously awaiting that one.

The Oracle Of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas

In The Oracle Of Stamboul, the reader meets Eleonora Cohen, an eight year old girl whose mind makes her a savant capable of untangling any puzzle, whether mathematical or geopolitical.  Eleonora was born in 1877 in Romania during a day of turmoil in her town, necessitating the use of midwives rather than the doctor.  Her mother dies, leaving her to the care of her father and her stern aunt.

When she is eight, she and her father travel to Stamboul where he plans to sell his glorious carpets.  Before they can return a tragedy occurs and she is left in the care of her father's friend.  While there, she reads and studies, and word of her abilities leak out.  She is summoned to the residence of the Sultan, who asks her opinion of a puzzling foreign incident.  When her advice proves to be the best way out of the dilemma, a firestorm is unleashed.

The Sultan is entranced with this child.  Castle politics run high, with his Grand Vizier and his mother, usually bitter enemies, united in their determination to separate him from this child, whom they see as an intruder.  The papers get wind of the storm and blow it into a typical media occasion, suggesting that the Sultan no longer has his own will but is captured and at the mercy of a child.  Eleonora is buffeted between the various factions that surround her and must now determine the solution to the most important puzzle of all--how to live her life going forward.

Readers are in for a marvelous treat with this book.  It is the genre I love most, historical fiction with a touch of magic realism.  Lukas states that some of his literary influences include Salmon Rushdie, Jose Saramago and Gunther Grass, all authors whose books I devour.  Lukas is a welcome addition to this genre.  This book is recommended to all readers; it's gentle tone countered by the mounting intrigue throughout the book is a wonder. 

GIVEAWAY!!!! COMMITTED BY ELIZABETH GILBERT

At the end of her bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert fell in love with Felipe, a Brazilian-born man of Australian citizenship who'd been living in Indonesia when they met. Resettling in America, the couple swore eternal fidelity to each other, but also swore to never, ever, under any circumstances get legally married. (Both were survivors of previous horrific divorces. Enough said.) But providence intervened one day in the form of the United States government, which after unexpectedly detaining Felipe at an American border crossing gave the couple a choice: they could either get married, or Felipe would never be allowed to enter the country again. Having been effectively sentenced to wed, Gilbert tackled her fears of marriage by delving into this topic completely, trying with all her might to discover through historical research, interviews, and much personal reflection what this stubbornly enduring old institution actually is.

Giveaway Rules.

You MUST, MUST, MUST leave your email address in order to be entered!


1, The giveaway starts Wednesday, February 2nd and ends Saturday, February 12, at midnight.  One winner will be chosen.
2. The winner will be chosen by random number.

3. For one chance to win, leave a comment with your email address. Entries without email addresses will not be considered, sorry!

4. For additional chances, link this to your Facebook or Twitter pages and send me the link in your comment.

5. Winner must live in the United States or Canada.  No P.O. Boxes, sorry!

Good luck!  This should be a great book!

Crossing Borders by Michael Ferris

Michael Ferris grew up wanting only one thing; to learn to play classical guitar.  To fulfill his wish, his family let him leave for Europe when he was seventeen to take lessons from world-class guitarists.  Crossing Borders is Ferris's story of his journeys and the people and cultures he came to know as a young man.

Ferris lived in Austria for several years, usually in a series of student hostels and shared apartments.  He learned to eat new foods and to accept the mores of other cultures.  One of his closest friends was an Egyptian man who was also a student.  Ferris's parents had taken a trip to Egypt, and he was as fascinated with that land as they were.

His friend invited him to Egypt to visit for several weeks.  His story of waking up to see the pyramids in the distance, and his encounters with aggressive street hawkers was quite interesting.  He learned to speak Arabic quite well, but was shocked when this garnered him extra security entering the country. 

Other places Ferris spent time included Morocco, where he and his bride spent their honeymoon and southern Italy where they lived for a time.  In each location, he learned to appreciate the culture and rules of the people living there, and to enjoy their food and music.

This book is recommended for those who love to travel and for those who are armchair travelers.  Ferris's appreciation for the various cultures he encounters are interesting and informative and the reader will close the book with a better understanding of those living in other lands.

Spark The Stone Man by Asya Pekurovskaya

In Spark The Stone Man, children are introduced to the two lands of Granite Mountain and Lemon Drop Valley.  As the names imply, Granite Mountain is a cold, hard place where the stonemasons work t force stone from the mountain to make objects.  In Lemon Drop Valley, life is much more pleasant with warm weather and contented inhabitants.

Spark, a young stonemason, has always dreamed of visiting Lemon Drop Valley.  He learns the secret pathway and manages to go there.  While there he manages to see a grand wizard, the mouse who is the wizard's boon companion, and the love of his life, Stella, the beautiful.  Life is full of fantasy and magic.

This is the first book of a proposed six book series.  The story will interest children and the full-page color illustrations by Olga Titova bring the story to life delightfully.  This book is recommended to those reading to young children, or young readers up to pre-teen years.

Let The Dead Lie by Malla Nunn

A young boy lies murdered in the stockyards of Durban, South Africa.  A few days later, two women are killed in the rooming house where he lived.  The South African police bring in their top suspect, Emmanuel Cooper.  The problem?  Cooper is not the killer.

Who is Emmanuel Cooper?  He is a World War II veteran who returned to South Africa to become a Detective Sergent in the police force.  When a new law sweeps through and reclassifies him as non-white, he loses his job and his status as a white man.  He now does undercover work for Major van Niekerk, his former boss in the police.  Unwilling to lose Cooper's skills, he now uses him undercover. 

When Cooper is hauled in and about to be charged with the three murders, van Niekerk works out a deal.  Cooper has forty-eight hours to find the real killers or else he will be charged and probably killed.  As he races to solve the murders, he is helped by a strange collection of people, a Zulu ex-policeman, a Jewish doctor who has survived the German death camps, and the mistress of his mentor.  There are plots and counterplots; betrayals and secrets revealed, making the ultimate secret that much more difficult to reveal.

Malla Nunn has written a gritty detective novel that will entrance the reader.  Cooper is an intriguing hero, one that the reader will remember long after the last page is read.  The setting is done realistically, and the plot unfolds logically.  The gut-wrenching reality of the apartheid laws in South Africa are portrayed in a way that takes the reader into the lives of those unjustly discriminated against.  This book is recommended for all mystery readers.

Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakthrough by Ruth Pennebaker

Joanie may be having a nervous breakdown.  She deserves a nervous breakdown.  About to turn fifty, everything has changed.  Her husband, Richard, has moved out, saying he doesn't want any commitments, and then instantly shows up with a new girlfriend barely out of her teens.  And by the way, said girlfriend is pregnant and wants to get married.

Joanie has gotten a job in an ad agency; she managed to land it after three weeks of looking and years at home.  BUT, she works with an office full of Gen X and Gen Y coworkers who look at her as if it is a miracle she manages to make it out of her creaky rocking chair each day.  She doesn't like the job, but needs it.

Her mom, Ivy, has moved in due to the recession and losing her life savings.  Far from being a help, she still feels it is her job to criticize every move Joanie makes, and even insists on calling her Roxanne, a name Joanie ditched as soon as she possibly could.  Ivy spends hours on the Internet and has a fresh disaster to inform Joanie about every day.

Then there is Caroline.  Caroline, a typical fifteen year old, which means she ignores Joanie when she can and treats her to sullenness and sarcasm when she can't.  Joanie sees underneath the angst to the girl trying to learn how to become a woman and crushed by her father's betrayals.

Ruth Pennebaker lovingly narrates the life of many middle-aged women.  Despite the woes, readers will laugh out loud at her portrayals, especially mothers of teenage daughters.  The book is optimistic and entertaining and recommended for all readers interested in how to manage life transitions.

Dear Austin by David M. Perkins

In every parent's life, there comes the bittersweet time when their child grows up and leaves.  This may happen when a child goes to college or the military, or just moves out and starts their own life in their own living quarters.  While, as parents, our biggest job is to raise our children to be fully functioning adults, it is also difficult to end the years of dependence on the parents' wisdom and everyday guidance.

Dear Austin is David M. Perkins' letter to his son as Austin leaves his home to start his adult life in college.  David covers all the themes we want to share with our kids.  He talks of love, career, choices and beliefs.  He asks only that his son consider what he wants of life and then follow his own dreams, drawing on the gifts his parents gave him for eighteen years to make his own way in the adult world.

This is a beautiful book.  It will be a rare parent who doesn't feel a tug at their heartstrings when reading this, and a rare young adult that can't benefit from it's honest portrayal of the next stage of life.   In addition to being a great read, it is a great gift for other parents as they also move through this time.  This book is recommended for all readers.

Death By A Dark Horse by Susan Schreyer

Thea Campbell arrives at the stable where her prize horse, Blackie, lives for a ride, only to find him gone.  When she quizzes the stable employees, she realises that Blackie has been stolen, probably by Valerie Parsons, who seems to delight in creating chaos all around her.  Rich, beautiful and talented, Valerie goes through life grabbing everything she wants--and she has wanted Blackie for a long time.

Thea drives to Valerie's farm to retrieve her horse but finds something much worse than a stolen animal.  Valerie is there, her skull crushed, very dead.  Who could have killed her?  There is no shortage of suspects.  The police suspect Thea, who had the motive of her horse.  Valerie had been involved in an affair with a local cowboy, very much married.  She had also been making moves on Thea's sister's new boyfriend.  Then there was her own boyfriend, Greg, who had planned to propose the day Valerie was killed.  There were also nefarious business dealings going on that could have provided a motive.

This is Susan Schreyer's debut mystery, and she can't write another one fast enough to suit me.  The pace is fast and engaging, the characters believable.  Thea is an independent woman who cares for her family and friends, and is determined to solve the mystery before the police.  The reader is introduced to the world of horse dressage trials along with the fascinating mystery.  All the threads are resolved satisfactorily in the end.  This book is recommended for all mystery readers.

The Lost City of Z by David Grann

In the late 1800's and the early 1900's, popular imaginations were excited by the explorations of the many gentlemen explorers who through courage and daring pushed the boundaries of human knowledge.  The exploits of men like Teddy Roosevelt, Roald Amundsen and Sir Richard Francis Burton were exciting to those left behind, and their discoveries moved the boundaries of what was known of the world we inhabit.

Another of these explorers was Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett.  From a military background (although the Colonel title seems self-imposed), Fawcett had early successes in his explorations.  He concentrated on taking small expeditions over land, and trying to befriend rather than confront the natives of the various countries he explored.

Like several other explorers, he became obsessed with the Amazon.  The common viewpoint was that the Amazon was populated by primitive tribes, who had never developed an extensive civilization.  Fawcett came to believe otherwise; he believed there was a rich, ancient civilization with huge cities and extensive laws and population.  Unable to find traces of this city, he mounted one final expedition in 1925.  By then, exploration was starting to change.  No longer was the gentleman explorer the preeminent authorities.  Scholars and scientists were taking over the expeditions, which become large, fully funded enterprises with scientific equipment.  On Fawcett's last trip, he took only himself, his son Jack, and Jack's best friend Rawleigh.  They entered the forest and were not heard from again.

David Grann has written an entertaining account of this period of history, the men who explored and the forces that were changing exploration.  He follows Fawcett's accomplishments and weaknesses, and the massive reaction to his disappearance.  It is estimated that over one hundred additional people have died hoping to find Fawcett or the true explanation of his disappearance.  Always engaging this book is recommended for readers with a sense of adventure who like to read about the ways our world knowledge has been expanded.

A Pointed Death by Kath Russell

Nola Billingsley has been caught in the dot-com burst.  Her company, which added value to biotechnology companies, goes under when an employee embezzles funds.  The news gets worse.  Nola, walking her dog, finds the decapitated body of that former employee, a coincidence that is hard to believe.

While the police don't come out and tell her she is a suspect, it is obvious that suspicion has attached to Nola.  Between trying to put her life back together by going back to her career as a biotech consultant, she decides to try to solve the mystery of who killed her former employee and why.  She is helped in this venture by her extensive network of contacts in the world of biotech, and by her new-found romantic relationship with one of the police assigned to the case. 
Before the case is solved, Nola uncovers high-tech corporate espionage, and connections to overseas governments determined to steal the intellectual property of these firms in what is one of the next economic frontiers. 

A Pointed Death is an engaging mystery.  Nola is a strong, independent career woman who makes no apologies for her intelligence and ability to put facts together to solve the case.  The romance is handled in an adult fashion also, with none of the coyness that is so often found in mysteries and which is off-putting.  The supporting characters are fun to read about.  Nola's eighty-year old mother lives with her and spends her time trying to manage her daughter's life.  Her dog, the pointer in the title, is an engaging canine who alternatively drives Nola crazy and enriches her life.  The mystery is difficult enough that the reader doesn't feel talked down to.  All in all, this book is a wonderful debut to a series that mystery readers will fall in love with. 

GIVEAWAY!!!! MARTHA'S VINE BY SHEREE ZIELKE

The world has changed.  The power grid has vanished.  No electricity.  No computers.  A world in chaos.  The Change demands new rules, old violence and unlikely heroes.

Murderous bikers--modern-day pirates--have invaded the Canadian prince of Alberta.  An enigmatic survivalist, Matthew, the "Gatekeeper", stands against their hordes.  Meteor, a blue-eyed rogue, refuses to choose sides.  A biker king, "The Man", unites the motocycle clubs and builds his army, with a goal towards domination.

None of these men are prepared for the wild card that is Martha.  Martha is a woman with a will of iron, and a spirit of steel that will challenge and change each of their lives. 

But Martha has a deadly secret....

Giveaway Rules.

1,  The giveaway starts Tuesday, January 11th and ends Saturday, January 22nd, at noon.

2.  The winner will be chosen by random number.

3.  For one chance to win, leave a comment with your email address.  Entries without email addresses will not be considered, sorry!

4.  For additional chances, link this to your Facebook or Twitter pages and send me the link in your comment.

5.  Winner must live in the United States or Canada.

Thanks and good luck!

Muslim Women Reformers by Ida Lichter

In Muslim Women Reformers, Ida Lichter does an exhaustive survey of the state of Muslim womens' rights in countries around the world and profiles women and organizations in each country working on the issues.  While there is some degree of suppression of womens' rights in each country as compared to Western countries, there are differences with some countries completely restrictive while some have started work on the issues.

The book covers the mid-Eastern countries that the reader would expect, but also covers Muslim women's rights and struggles in African countries as well as countries such as the United States and Canada.  The range of issues is wide.  Women are often considered legally half the worth of a man.  Honor killings are tolerated in some countries.  Education is a major issue in all the countries, as the reformers realise that without an educated female population, it is unlikely that reform will occur.  Female circumsion is very common in some Muslim countries, less so in others.  In some countries, focus has been concentrated on items as seemingly prosaic as a woman's right to drive a car.  While this is a commonplace right in Western societies, it is not as accepted in many countries.  There are issues with driving uncovered; taking a driver's license picture, and the ability to travel without male supervision.

The women who have been highlighted are heroes.  They have given up employment, been imprisoned, forced to live in secretcy, and even tortued.  Yet, they continue the fight, and slowly, slowly they are making changes.  Some are adamently opposed to Islam.  Others are devout Muslims who believe that the religion has been misinterpreted by male clerics.  They want to redefine Islam in a way that promotes gender equality, which they believe was the original intent.

This book is recommended reading for all those interested in human rights, and especially those focused on womens' rights.  The sustained courage and vision of these women is awe-inspiring, and it makes the reader question how far would they be willing to go to fight for their rights in a similiar situation.

GREAT BLOG TOUR!!!!!

You'll want to check this out!  I'm one of the bloggers participating in this huge tour and giveaway.  Check out the site and enter for great  giveaways (even a Kindle!) and be sure to check out the reviews for each book.  Come back to Booksie's Blog on the 29th for my review of  Death by a Dark Horse.  Enjoy!

The Tattoed Girl By Joyce Carol Oates

Joshua Siegl is a respected novelist and scholar.  He made his reputation early with the publication of an acclaimed novel that wrote about the Holocaust, and which was based on his grandparents' experience with the death camps.  Although Joshua is young, still in his 30's, he has found himself becoming more and more of a recluse.  Fiercely independent, he has few outside relationships and lives alone.

Alma Busch is quite different.  A poorly educated woman from a poor family, Alma has made her way through life, often by depending on men.  These men, who she always believes love her, end up treating her badly.  She has been prostituted by them and forced to write bad checks or steal.  In a stunning episode, she was imprisoned in a motel room by a gang of men, raped and then tattooed by them on her face, back and hands.  She drifts from man to man and job to job, never finding human validation.

Everything changes for both of these people when Joshua is diagnosed with a progressive nerve disease.  He at first refuses to admit this is happening, but as the weeks go by and he starts to lose functioning of his body, he realises he will need to have some help.  Still shunning from public disclosure of his condition, he meets Alma in a restaurant and impulsively offers her a job as a live-in assistant. 

Thus begins their strange relationship.  Joshua sees Alma as a project of sorts, as he wants to help her gain Independence and education.  He begins to depend more and more on her help.  She helps him get around, organizes his scholarly papers, and takes over the organization of the house. 

Alma sees Joshua as different things.  She doesn't understand his world, and is filled with contempt that he spends so much money on things that she could do for him.  Slowly, she takes over these things like cleaning his clothes, cleaning the house, etc.  She loves him at times, and is filled with hate for him at others.  Unused to decent treatment from men, she has been conditioned to see this kind of treatment as weakness.  Over time they develop an uneasy relationship that has each dependant on the other for their lives going forward. 

Joyce Carol Oates, who is a prolific writer, has created a chilling portrait in this book.  It is unclear throughout where the reader's sympathies should lie, with Joshua or Alma.  Is he saving her or condescending to her?  Is she helping him, or making him dependant on him for a unsavory reason?  The reader will be compelled to read to the end to discover what happens in this relationship, and who will emerge as the winner in the battle of wills.  This book is recommended for all readers.

The Fire Lord's Lover by Kathryne Kennedy

The place is England in 1724.  Mankind is subjugated to the rule of seven dissident elven lords, who broke free from their land and came through the gateway that separates the lands.  Having magic and strength on their side, they quickly managed to take over the country and now rule it, each lord in his own territory.

The strongest elven lord, Mor'ded, rules London with an iron hand.  His power is that of fire.  His main general, Dominic Raikes, is also his bastard son.  Dominic is half-human but has learned to suppress any human feeling as Mor'ded just uses it to torture him, killing his pets and friends to teach him not to get attached to anything. 

Cassandra is a sheltered young woman who has been raised to become the bride of Dominic.  She also has a secret; she has been trained as an assassin by the Resistance.  The Resistance are those human who want to throw off elven rule and restore the human king.  She is to marry Dominic, and use her relationship with him to get close enough to Mor'ded to kill him.

When they meet, nothing goes as planned.  Cassandra is shocked and humiliated by Dominic's unfeeling treatment of her and his flaunting of his mistresses.  Dominic is determined not to feel anything for Cassandra, knowing that to do so will doom her.  Yet, they both hate and fear Mor'ded and as time goes on, create an alliance to try to defeat him.  Will they be successful before he discovers their feelings and destroys them both?  Can Cassandra and Dominic manage not to fall in love?

The Fire Lord's Lover is Book One of The Elven Lords.  Kennedy has created an interesting world, with enough historical grounding that the reader feels familiar with the background.  The love story has the reader curious and makes them want to read to see how it will work out.  This book is recommended for fantasy readers.

The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid

England is faced with a serial killer.  He targets gay men and tortures them with medieval tactics and painstakingly recreated devices before killing them.  Baffled, the police bring in a new resource.  Dr. Tony Hill has been the head of the criminally insane hospital unit that houses England's existing serial killers for several years.  As such, he has more insight into the minds and motivations of such men than the average policeman.

Detective Inspector Carol Jordan is intent on making her way to the top.  She realises that as a woman detective, she will have to work twice as hard, and she is fine with that.  Carol is selected to work with Dr. Hill, and she finds his methods fascinating.  His work, especially the psychological profile he prepares, shows her different ways of bringing investigations to a successful close. 

But the killings go on.  More men are killed and shockingly, one is a member of the police force.  The killer is obviously thumbing his nose at the police, defying them to discover his identity and end his murderous spree.  Will Dr. Hill and Dectective Jordan, along with the task force dedicated to the case manage to end his reign of terror?

The Mermaids Singing is Val McDermid's introductory volume in the Hill/Jordan series.  She has since written six others. The books are very popular and have also been dramatized into a miniseries.  McDermid's forte is strong characterization and the relationships formed between members of a police force and between the law-breakers and the law-enforcers.  This book is enthusiastically recommended for all mystery or thriller fans.