The Last Train To Zona Verde by Paul Theroux

If you are a fan of Paul Theroux's nonfiction travel books as I am, then you are probably familiar with the many great journeys he has taken, mostly by train, car, bus or foot.  He likes to travel not with fanfare, but as a resident of the country would travel, so that he can experience what life is like for those who live where he is visiting.

Theroux started out as a Peace Corp volunteer as a young man, teaching school for six years in Africa, so he has an affinity for it.  He has visited Africa many times over the years, but The Last Train To Zone Verde details what he expects will be his last journey to Africa, as he is now seventy. The words zona verde mean 'what is green' or as he puts it, everything that is not the city.  This is what Theroux wants to see, the landscape and population the average traveler never sees.

He travels as he has in the past, riding old buses that are on the verge of breakdowns, spending hours at border crossings as border guards decide if they will approve his documents and let him through, and enduring the constant badgering of the indigent people he encounters everywhere.  He is appalled at the poverty of the slums that surround all the cities.  The population is deserting the country where they can at least grow and gather food for the dirty, crowded slums where there is little work.  He is especially appalled that the general population is left to suffer while in many cases, such as in Angola, the government is making billions of dollars from natural resources such as oil, diamonds and other minerals.  This enormous wealth tends to get siphoned into the pockets of a few politicians and business men at the top, who live in enormous walled compounds and drive expensive vehicles.

Theroux finds some things to enjoy.  He has an acquaintance who runs a luxury safari where the guests ride on elephants; an experience that provides the money to reintroduce elephants into the wild.  While he approves of the ultimate goal, he is not a fan of anything that restricts the freedom of the native animals.  He finds good people wherever he goes, and finds hope in the schools where Africans are desperate for knowledge.

This book is recommended for readers who enjoy travel writing, and especially for those readers who have followed Theroux over the years on his many adventures.  It provides a viewpoint of the state of Africa from someone who has experience with it, and has the clarity to identify the issues that create problems there.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

A six year old girl loves her father, of course she does.  Even when that father is a famous magician and bonds her to a contest that will take decades and whose purpose is to prove that she is the best magician alive.  An orphan is grateful to the man who rescues him and more than willing to learn magic if that is what makes his rescuer happy.  He is also bonded to the contest; these two children who will grow into adults whose life will be consumed by the contest.

Imagine a circus more magical than any ever seen.  It shows up outside of towns unannounced.  The tents are all done in black and white as are all the costumes.  The circus is only open at night, but while it is open, those lucky enough to attend see sights that will stay with them forever.

Celia Bowen is the young girl, and she becomes the circus' main illusionist.  Marco Alidair is the boy who is her adversary.  He does not perform at the circus, but works behind the scenes keeping it organized and moving.  Both individuals know that they are bound to the competition, and that the circus is the neutral proving ground.  Each creates more and better acts and wonders as time goes by.  As they meet over the years, they fall violently in love and then discover that they are, in fact, adversaries in the game and that one must utterly defeat the other.  How will they reconcile the game with what they feel?  Is emotion allowed in those who would perform magic?

Erin Morgenstern has written an original tale destined to captivate and enchant the reader.  The details of the fabulous circus and the marvels contained within make the reader crave the experiences visitors have.  The love between the two main characters introduces a conflict that is not readily resolved, and brings up the conflict between obligation and feelings.  This book is recommended for readers ready for a wondrous tale that will leave them satisfied and sure that magic does indeed exist in this world.

The Gods Of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye

The year is 1845, and New York City has finally decided to follow the lead of other capitol cities such as London and Paris and establish a standing police force.  In New York, the men on this first police force are known as copper stars for the insignia they wear.

Since there is no trained cadre on which to draw, men end up as copper stars by patronage or by being burly and ready to fight.  Timothy Wilde fits in this category.  He has been a bartender, steadily saving his money so that he will be able to ask Mercy Underhill, a local preacher's daughter, to marry him.  When a fire takes him money and leaves him scarred, he puts aside his dreams and follows his brother, Valentine, into the force.

New York is exploding in size.  The Irish are immigrating in huge numbers due to the potato famine, and the city is unprepared to handle the flood of new bodies.  The clergy attempt to minister to them, but there is much prejudice as Irish men desperate to support their families take up jobs for lower wages.  The Democratic Party takes care of the immigrants in exchange for their votes, and has a stake in their success.

As Timothy patrols his beat one night, he is startled to have a young child barrel into him.  On closer inspection, he is even more startled as she is covered in blood.  Scared witless, she cannot speak and he takes her to his lodging and with his landlady finds out that she has witnessed the murder of one of her friends.  She, like many other poor children, works in a bawdy house, forced into the sex trade at a tender age.  As Timothy investigates Bird's story, he discovers a grisly truth.  There are many more child 'stargazers' who have died, and he uncovers a graveyard where scores are buried.  As he starts to bring this scandal to light, the murderer starts to send letters to those on the police force and to the papers, claiming credit for the murders and signing off as 'The God Of Gotham'. Many immediately blame Irish immigrants, as most of the children are Irish.   Can Timothy and the police find out who is responsible before the city explodes?

Readers of historical fiction should rush out to get this book.  Faye has meticulously researched the era and history, using real characters such as the man credited with creating the first police force and real murder cases.  Timothy is a compelling hero who the reader will cheer on as he attempts to solve a series of murders with no experience in such work.  The book ends satisfactorily with enough of a twist at the end to make readers ready for Faye's next novel.  This book is recommended for mystery readers as well as those interested in the early history of New York.

Blood Money by Doug Richardson

Greg Beem has a foolproof plan to strike it rich.  He has stolen a tractor-trailer load worth of frozen blood supplies, which he can sell overseas for a cool million.  All he has to do is get from the robbery site to the Los Angles port where he can offload.  It seems like an easy gig, but Murphy's Law reigns supreme.

In the desert, Beem comes on a deputy investigating an accident.  Not wanting witnesses, he kills both the deputy and the accident victims.  Little does he know the trouble he has just unleashed.  Now forces are trained on him and there are suddenly lots of people who want to stop him before he can make delivery.

Lucky Dey is the Kern County deputy whose brother Beem has just killed.  He tracks him to LA, determined to get justice.  Lydia Gonzalez is a six-foot LAPD officer, a single mom assigned to babysit Dey.  Rey Palamino is the contact in LA who is supposed to arrange the shipment overseas, but decides instead to turn in Beem to the FBI when things get hairy.  There is Lilly Zoller, a federal prosecutor who sees a chance at making a name for herself.  There is Conrad Ellis, the father of the accident victim, who turns out is famous herself, and famous for being Conrad's daughter, as he is a billionaire in the film industry.

Everyone converges in Los Angeles in a climax of stunning violence and terror.  Some are lucky, some are not.  Who wins and who loses is a matter of who wants it most and who has planned the best.

Doug Richardson has written a compelling, gritty novel that grabs the reader by the throat and doesn't let go until the heart stopping end.  Richardson is known as a screenplay writer on films such as Money Train and Die Hard 2, Die Harder.  Readers who were fascinated by the action in these films will also love Blood Money and its fast-paced action.  This book is recommended for readers in the thriller/suspense genre.

The End Of The Point by Elizabeth Graver

The year is 1942, the place Ashaunt Point, Massachusetts.  The reader is introduced to this place where well-to-do families summer, and to the Porter family.  In this first section, the Point has new residents.  The Army has built a compound where soldiers train and watch for spies or enemies trying to land.  The Porter family is there, as always.  The two oldest girls, Helen and Dossy, run wild.  The son is in the military and posted overseas.  The littlest Porter, Janie, is coddled and raised by the Scottish nurse, Bea, who has been with the Porter family for years.  This is the summer that Bea falls in love and must decide between her life with the Porters and building one on her own elsewhere.

The next section takes place a generation later.  Helen is now grown and married, as are Dossy and Jane.  They all have children of their own, who still have summers as they did themselves.  Helen is obsessed with her academic career, and sets high standards for her children. 

The 1970's are represented by Helen's son, Charlie's story.  Caught up in the hippie phase, he must decide whether to drop out of society or let his love for Ashaunt Point define his life forward.  He strays from the straight and narrow, and it is unclear what life will hold for him.

The book ends in the present, when all the children are grown with children of their own.  Yet the Porter family attachment to the land they have all shared is intact, no matter how short a time they can actually spend there each year.

Elizabeth Graver has written a luminous, generational saga that covers the life of one family.  Family secrets and arguments are covered, as well as the family loyalty and love of the land that defines them.  The children and parents strive against each other but the love and time they spend together keeps them from separating.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction and those interested in family relationships.

There Was An Old Woman by Hallie Ephron

Evie Ferrante is not surprised when she gets a call that her mother has been taken to the hospital.  Her mother is an alcoholic and trips to the hospital, followed by a trip to recovery then months of sobriety before the cycle repeated were common.

But Evie is shocked when she arrives t her mother's house and sees the condition.  The house is full of trash and rotting food.  Roaches abound and the mail and unpaid bills are heaped in unattended mountains.  There is a big new TV and Evie discovers envelopes stuffed full of money.  What is going on?

As Evie starts to clean tings up, she renews her acquaintance with Mrs. Yetner, their neighbor across the street.  Mina Yetner is now ninety, but a competent ninety.  She takes daily long walks and spends time helping to keep the marsh that borders the neighborhood safe from development.  Evie hasn't seen Mina in years, but quickly forms an attachment to her.

Mina has her own mysteries, or are they just signs of aging?  Possessions show up in unexplained places, other items are lost, and her nephew, Brian, insists that it is time for Mina to head to a nursing home.  Is the condition of Evie's mom and Mrs. Yetner inevitable signs of age, or is something going on in the neighbor Evie grew up in?

Hallie Ephron has written a compelling page turner about preserving the past and how old age can make that difficult.  The reader learns about old New York history such as an earlier plane that flew into the Empire State Building decades ago.  The plot is satisfactorily intriguing and the reader is drawn into sympathy with the protagonists.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.

Bristol House by Beverly Swerling

Dr. Annie Kendall has come to London on a research project she hopes will reestablish her academic career.  That career had been promising until alcoholism wrecked it and her personal life.  Now sober for four years, Annie is given a chance to make a contribution to history.  A Jewish billionaire named Weinraub has offered to support Annie's research into the Tudor era in England and establish the historical reality of a silversmith known as the Jew Of Holbern.

Annie rents a flat near the Holbern section of London and starts her research.  She is disturbed when she senses a ghostly presence in the flat's back bedroom; a monk from the same Tudor period.  Annie meets a reporter, Geoff Harris, who becomes involved in her quest.  Geoff is not a fan of Weinraub, and suspects him of using his wealth and Annie's research to support an agenda that could destabilize the entire Middle East.  Can Annie and Geoff uncover the mysteries associated with the Jew Of Holbern or will it be co opted by forces determined to use the knowledge for their own ends.

Beverly Swerling has written a historical mystery that will appeal to readers.  As with her wonderful series about New York, there are a wealth of characters, all richly imagined.  The research behind the many topics covered in the book is evident, and the mystery compelling enough to keep the reader turning pages.  This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction, those interested in Jewish history, and those interested in groups such as the Templars.

Untold Damage by Robert K. Lewis

Mark Mallen has hit rock bottom.  Four years ago he had a glowing future.  He was a policeman, one of the best and rising fast.  He had a beautiful wife and a daughter he adored.  All that disappeared due to his own bravado.  Working undercover to bring down a drug ring, he decided that he couldn't play the part without using heroin himself.  He quickly became addicted, losing his job, his marriage and his child.

Now Mark just marks time from score to score.  He lives quietly, his police pension just enough to keep him going.  He expects nothing and has nothing to live for.  That is, until he hears the news about Eric.  Eric was his best friend on the force.  Like Mark, he left the police, got addicted, and even spent some time in prison.  But Eric had turned his life around after prison.  Mark can't believe he is dead.

Mark decided to try to kick his habit and find out what happened to Eric.  He has some help.  Detective Kane remembers Mark from his police days and gives him some help.  He also gets help from a new friend and some old ones.  Other bodies start showing up and Mark realizes he is also targeted.  Can he solve Eric's murder before he is killed himself?

Untold Damage is Robert K/ Lewis's debut novel.  Mark is a flawed character, but the reader can see through his addiction to the good that still exists inside.  The action is fast and furious, and the denouement is satisfying.  This book is recommended for mystery lovers.

Latent Lives by Larry Parr

The most sensational murder in decades has hit Duluth.  The mayor, her husband and her son have been killed, each dispatched with a single knife thrust to their heart.  They were having a quiet evening at home, watching old home movies.  The only survivor is Linda Lavaque, the daughter and now heir to the family fortune.  The police are stumped as to motive or any viable suspects.

Linda remembers how her mother used to talk about the policeman she found most impressive, John Stauber.  John is no longer on the police force, having suffered a breakdown after the deaths of his wife and infant daughter.  Linda reaches out to him to help her solve the murders but he is reluctant.  He is not on good terms with the police after his separation from the force, especially the man in charge, Mike Johanson.  John had rubbed Mike the wrong way while on the force and Mike wants no part of him.

But Linda is persuasive, and the murders keep happening.  The Lavaque's cook is killed, as is the mayor's main researcher.  The murders also hit John personally.  His sister, Jamie, has just invented a laser device that can locate evidence such as fingerprints that have eluded detection.  Her supervisor is murdered as he discusses the invention and the device is destroyed.  How does this tie in with the Lavaque family murders?  John, Linda and Jamie join forces to try and determine what is going on and who is responsible.  They are soon targets themselves and they race to solve the crimes before they are also killed.

Latent Lives is the first in the Stauber-Levaque mystery series.  There are currently three books in this series.  Mystery readers who enjoy fast-paced plots with lots of action will be glad to discover the author and his Midwestern mysteries.  The relationship between John and Linda propels the plot forward.  This book is recommended for mystery lovers.

Stay Close by Harlan Coben

You can't go home again.  Megan Pierce is starting to realise that cliches stick around because they are based on truth.  Seventeen years ago she was living as Cassie, making a living as an exotic dancer and dating dangerous men.  When one of those men got increasingly violent and started hurting her, she decided she might need to make a new life.  Then came the night when Cassie found his blood-soaked body in the woods and decided that the police would decide she was the killer.  That's the night she disappeared.

Now she is Megan Pierce, living the typical suburban stay at home mom life.  She found and married a good man who loves her and together they had two wonderful children.  Megan should be happy, but something keeps pulling her back to her former life.

Detective Broome is a policeman nearing retirement who remembers the violent boyfriend who tormented Cassie.  The guy was married, and his wife still keeps their home as it was when her husband was killed, unaware of his violent side.  This is the case Broome just can't let go.

Ray is another person caught up in the past.  Seventeen years ago he was a rising star as a documentary photographer and madly in love with Cassie.  Now he is a washout who makes a marginal living and spends his days drinking.  He can't move beyond that night in the woods either; all the blood and the disappearance of his love.

When Megan gives in to her curiosity and revisits the club where she used to dance, those years between fade away.  The old murder case seems to reactivate and more bodies are found.  Someone is after Megan again, and she can't believe she has jeopardized her life for a glimpse of her past.

Harlan Coben fans will welcome a new novel by him.  Coben's forte is inticate plotting along with crisp writing and twists that make his books page-turners, and Stay Close is another success.  This book is recommended for mystery and suspense fans.

The Holder's Dominion by Genese Davis

Kaylie Ames is at loose ends in her life when she runs into Elliott in the grocery one day.  She is attending college in Texas, far from her mountain home that claimed her father's life when he tried to rescue a climber in a winter storm.  Her younger brother isn't dealing well with the father's death, and her mother just pretends he never existed.

 

Kaylie is pretending also, that all is well.  When she runs into Elliott, she is engaged as he seems terrified and she instinctively reaches out to him to help.  She discovers that Elliott's issues lead back to a computer game; he is o an elite group of gamers and his terror arose from a mission he was given in real life to impact his status in the

 

What kind of game thrived on its' participant's difficulties?  Kaylie is intrigued and starts playing also.  She is surprised to find that she is a natural and is soon one of the few girls chosen to progress.  The elite team is headed by a mysterious figure called The Holder, who seems to delight in creating chaos in his team's lives.  Kaylie joins with several other team players who make a pact to bring down The Holder and end his dominance.  Can they succeed before he realises what they are doing and destroys them?

 

Genese Davis has written an interesting book about the gaming world, and the reasons players find it so intriguing.  This tends to be a more male-dominated activity and it is interesting to see it from a more feminine viewpoint.  This book is recommended for fantasy readers.

Books, Crooks And Counselors by Leslie Budewitz

Books, Crooks And Counselors is a book written as an aid for writers whose books are about crimes.  It explains the various topics that such writers encounter, and gives enough background and answers that the reader will not be put off while reading due to items or plot devices that are implausible. 

The book is organized into twelve chapters, each of which covers various legal topics in an area of law.  The chapters are Trial and Error, Legal Issues In Criminal Investigation, Crime, ...And Punishment, Civil Matters, Some Terms of the Art, Wills, Probate and Adoption, Legal Miscellany, Thinking Like a Lawyer, Thinking Like A Judge, Legal Ethics and Research And References.  Within each chapter, the format is that of question and answer.  Often, relevant cases demonstrating the legal principle are cited.  Even more interesting to the layman, novels and movies that demonstrate the issue being discussed are mentioned.  There are areas that explain a case or concept in greater detail, and Tip sections that inform the author how a concept could be used to liven up a book's action or introduce controversy.

Leslie Budewitz is an attorney herself who also writes mysteries and crime columns.  She graduated from Notre Dame Law School, and clerked for the Washington State Court Of Appeals.  She is a member of the bar in both state and federals courts in Washington and Montana, and also several Native American courts.  Budewitz has represented both civil and criminal clients.  She is conversant with the law in many ways.

This is an excellent resource for authors and an intriguing read for anyone interested in the law.  The book covers a wide range of topics.  It is organized well, and the information is given in short bites that inform without overwhelming the reader.  There are many hints on where additional information can be found.  This book is recommended for authors and readers interested in crime and the courts.

Canada by Richard Ford

"First, I'll tell you about the robbery our parents committed.  Then about the murders, which happened later.  The robbery is the more important part, since it served to set my and my sister's lives on the courses they eventually followed."

These are the first three sentences in Richard Ford's novel, Canada.  The book goes back from that point and explains the events that led up to this opening.  Dell Parsons is an average teenager of the 1960's.  He lives in Grand Falls, Montana with his twin sister, Berner, and their parents. Bev Parsons is an ex-military man, a charming rascal who finds himself at odds after his military career.  The mother is a schoolteacher,unimpressed with Montana or with Bev.  Dell and Berner are fifteen the summer the book begins, looking forward to high school and bored with their average lives.

Bev finds himself in a mess when one of his schemes goes awry.  His only solution, he believes, is to rob a bank.  Dell's mother accompanies him when it is clear that he plans to take Dell with him.  As might be suspected, the robbery is soon solved and the police show up and both parents are sent to jail.  There are no relatives to step in.  Berner, disillusioned already with small-town life, runs away.  Dell is picked up by  friend of his mother's.  She takes  him over the border into Canada, where she leaves him with her brother in a remote hunting town.

The brother ignores Dell for weeks.  He is sent to live in a hunting shack with no running water or toilet.  He is to help with the work of hunting guide, as men come from all over to hunt the geese as they migrate.  There is no mention of school.  When the brother starts to notice Dell, he is drawn into a web of deceit and violence.

The book is a bleak coming of age novel.  Dell is thrust from a comfortable, boring life to one where he has no one who cares about him.  He must learn to survive and decide what kind of man he will be.  The unforeseen consequences of a moment's actions are explored, along with how quickly an entire life can change.  Dell's character development and his decisions are compelling, and the reader will remember him for a long time.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.

Death Of A Kingfisher by M.C. Beaton

The small village of Brikie is in Police Constable Hamish Macbeth's territory.  Not much goes on there and the economy has hit hard with unemployment.  So there is a lot of excitement when a beautiful woman manager turns the local forested land into what she calls a 'fairy glen' and the tourists start pouring in, bringing their money.  Everyone seems thrilled, that is, except for an old widow who lives near, is wealthy enough to have great sway, and doesn't like the increased traffic. 

One of the major attractions of the glen is a family of beautiful kingfishers.  Macbeth is not amused when he is called out on an emergency to a death at the glen, and it turns out to be the kingfisher.  He is interested in the gorgeous Mary who runs the place, and she seems interested in him even though she is married.  Still and all, he is there for crimes against persons, not birds.

No fears.  Within days, the older woman creating dissension is found murdered in a horrendous fashion.  There are tons of suspects.  It turns out that Mary has been given half the estate in a new will.  The woman's disagreeable family are suspects, along with their strange teenage children.  Many of the villagers who have found work are just as happy that the old woman is gone.  Hamish struggles to make sense of it all while adjusting to his new helper, Dick.  Soon, bodies start to pile up and the mystery deepens.  Can Hamish unravel the mystery and restore the peaceful village?

Death Of A Kingfisher is the twenty-seventh book in Beaton's Hamish Macbeth series.  New readers will be interested to read to discover while the series is so beloved while established M.C. Beaton fans will enjoy another visit with Macbeth.  This book is recommended for cozy mystery readers.

Lucifer by Annabell Cadiz

Zahara Faraday is your average teenager.  She spends her time hanging out with her best friend, Becca, working out at the gym, giggling over boys and working at the local bookstore.  Just a normal life except for one thing.  Zahara comes from a family of Light Witches, who use their magic powers to combat evil and hunt down rouge supernaturals such as fairies, goblins and Imagoes.  Imagoes can control water and steal human souls.

While any day can bring a battle with one of the supernaturals, a crisis is brewing.  Lucifer has returned, determined to create a Nephilim, a child from the union of an angel and a human, to help in his fight against God.  He has chosen Zahara as the human to create this Nephilim child, and has started a new coven dedicated to kidnapping her and destroying anyone who gets in their way.  Suddenly, every day is fraught with danger as the coven becomes ever more determined to fulfill Lucifer's plan,  Luckily, Zahara has allies also.  There is her parents coven of Light Witches.  Rakesh is a powerful Imago who is working on the side of good.  Then there is Bryan, who Zahara thought was the cute new boy at work.  It turns out that he is an angel sent to battle Lucifer.  Will good or evil prevail in this struggle?

Annabell Cadiz has written a lively supernatural romance sure to appeal to the young adult audience.  The plot and pacing move quickly, and the numerous fight scenes are compelling.  The conflict between good and evil draws the reader on to determine which side will be triumphant.  This book is recommended for the YA audience as well as readers who enjoy the paranormal romance genre.

Beautiful Lies by Clare Clark

The year is 1887, and London is aglow with the excitement of Victoria's Golden Anniversary celebration.  The show to see is Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, and society flocks to each performance.  One of society's gliterring couples are the Campbell Lowes. Edward is a Member of Parliment representing his Scottish holdings. His wife, Maribel, is a Chilean heiress who grew up in Paris. They know everyone worth knowing, dining with Oscar Wilde one day and political stars the next.  Their lives are enviable.

But all is not as it seems.  Edward and Maribel are hiding many secrets.  Their Scottish estates are mortgaged to the hilt.  Edward's politics lead to him being considered a rabblerouser by many, and it is unclear how long he can sustain his political career.  Maribel's background is far different from that which is commonly known, and the secrets of their courtship and marriage coukd lead to the ruin of this favored couple.  When they run afoul of a powerful newspaper editor, their lives balance on an increasingly seesawing balance.

Clare Clark has created a fascinating view into Victorian society.  The politics were changing as socialism and the rise of the champions of the working poor occurred.  Women's roles were starting to change, and some dared to carve out lives that encompassed more than home and children.  Clark uses the lives of the Campbell Lowes to demonstrate this changing world.  The historical facts are well-researched, illustrated through the fictional lives of the main characters.  This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction and illustrates a time period many know little about.

Blessed Are The Dead by Malla Nunn

A beautiful Zulu girl, Amahle, is found lying dead in the open. There is no apparent mark upon her, and the body has been laid out as if she were sleeping, covered with wildflowers. Amahle is a daughter of the Zulu chief, from his third wife. She lives in his compound and works as a housemaid at the large farm nearby. She has been poisoned with a small shot in her back.

This is South Africa, and everything is touched by the institutionalized racism known as apartheid. Amahle lives a divided life. She has status in the Zulu world from her father’s position and her beauty. She will never be more than a second-class citizen in the white world, although her beauty there draws attention. That attention can be a double-edged sword; it can bring her attention other servants don’t receive but that attention is not all positive.

Detective Sergeant Emmanuel Cooper and his subordinate, Detective Constable Samuel Shabalala are sent from the city to investigate. Cooper was recently reinstated as a police sergeant when his mixed race designation was changed to make him an official white person again. Raised as a white person, his enemies had conspired to have his racial designation changed, and he lived in the world between white and black for a time, learning much about both worlds. This is his first murder case after his reinstatement, and his success is critical to secure his place on the force.

There are plenty of suspects. Amahle is about to be married off to an elderly man for her bride price by her father. There are the usual tribal jealousies that arise in a multi-wife compound, as each wife fights for their children to be the most favored. To all indications, Amahle wants more than a traditional tribal life and may have been using her beauty as her ticket out to a different life in the city. There is a white boy, strange at best and perhaps mentally ill, running in the hills and disrupting the investigation. The local police are not helping and are actively interfering in the investigation. The whites in power fight against being investigated, pulling in favors from their influential friends to hinder Cooper whenever he gets close to a secret they don’t want uncovered. Can Cooper push through all the difficulties to find the murderer?

This is the third book in Malla Nunn’s Emmanuel Cooper series. Cooper is an interesting character, a man of contradictions who lives in the netherworld between the highly segregated social structures separating those in the native culture from those in power. He must not only face the difficulties of a murder investigation, but fight the rigid rules of this society to succeed. The reader is transported to this alternate world, and learns about native culture as well as the strictures of apartheid. The plotting is well-done, and the eventual unmasking of the murderer is a surprise that will have readers eager for more of Cooper’s adventures. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

The Wrath Of Angels by John Connolly

Charlie Parker's new client comes to him with an intriguing tale.  Her father confessed a story to her on his deathbed.  He and his best friend got lost in the woods while hunting.  They found a crashed plane deep in the woods that had been there for years.  There were no bodies, but a satchel of money was there along with papers, specifically, a list of names.  The men took the money but left the paperwork, hoping if the owners ever discovered the plane they would be mollified by that and not come looking for the thieves.  The plane was not found, nor was there any news stories of a missing plane or pilot.  The men spent the money over the years but now wanted to make amends.

As Charlie starts to research the story, he quickly realises that this is tied to his life work of discovering and defeating an organization of evil.  It is a group of fallen angels, and it is a testament to Connolly's skill that the reader is willing to believe that such a group exists.  The participants leave a trail of murder and broken lives, including the murder years before of Parker's wife and child.  Parker realises that the list is the prize that the group desires and knows he must get to it before they do.

Thus the lines are drawn.  On Parker's side are his team members, Louis and Angel, violent men who watch his back and that he trusts with his life.  Tangential help is supplied by two men who are not friends, but who also fight the same enemy.  One is a Jewish rabbi surrounded by bodyguards to protect him as he works against the fallen angels.  The other is an ancient lawyer whose firm stays out of the spotlight but maintains files on those involved.  On the other side is a scarred, formerly beautiful woman with a child who is abnormal, and The Backers, who lead the group.  Stalking them is a serial killer known as The Collector. 

All these disparate individuals race against time and each other to find the plane and the list of those whose names are essential to the organization's ultimate success.  The suspense is drawn tighter and tighter as they all come together in one last attempt to end their war.

The Wrath Of Angels is the eleventh book in the Charlie Parker series.  I had not read the others but didn't feel at a loss as enough backstory was supplied that the reader doesn't feel list.  The book has a menacing undertone that is racketed tighter and tighter as the book progresses.  None of the characters are totally good, although it is clear that Parker's team is fighting for the common good.  This is a superb thriller and is recommended for both mystery and paranormal fans,

In One Person by John Irving

In One Person is the story of William Abbott's life.  An author now nearing seventy, Bill or Billy as most knows him, looks back over his life and thinks about the influences that have made him the man he is today.  Bill is a bisexual man, and his life growing up in Vermont was spent coming to terms with his differences.

There is a wide cast of characters.  Billy's father is absent and he has no memory of him.  His male influences are his cross-dressing grandfather and his stepfather, ten years younger than his mother.  He has a domineering grandmother and aunt, and a rebellious lesbian cousin.  Bill attends an all-male academy, from which his closest friends come.  Elaine is a faculty daughter as Billy is a faculty son.  They have a close, sustaining relationship.  There is Tom, who has a crush on Billy, and who later becomes his first male lover.  There is Kittredge, a swaggering athlete, impossibly beautiful, who Billy adores and fears in equal measure.

Then there is the town librarian, Miss Frost.  She recognizes Bill's intellectual curiosity and becomes his friend, guiding his reading and shoring up his self-esteem.  Bill loves her and not just platonically.  When as a senior, their friendship progresses to the physical, it turns out that Miss Frost was formally Al Frost, a former wrestling star at the academy.  After leaving school, Al became the transgender Miss Frost.

The book follows Billy's life.  It explores the AIDS epidemic, which takes many of Billy's friends and lovers,  It explores his relationship with both male and female lovers.  Finally, it documents Bill's creation of his own family of choice.  He realises that what he needs cannot be found 'in one person' and takes what he can from those around him to carve out a satisfactory life.

I am a huge Irving fan.  Many of the motifs seen in other books are here; the New England setting, the wrestling background, and the offbeat characters striving for validation in a world where they are different from the mainstream.  Billy is a strong character, refusing to feel like less of a person because of his differences.  Characterization is one of Irving's strengths along with his championing of those who are different.  This book is recommended for Irving fans  and for those interested in self-actualization.

A Thousand Pardons by Jonathan Dee



Ben and Helen Armstead are living a perfect suburban life.  Ben is a lawyer while Helen is a stay at home mom to their teenage daughter, Sara.  This world falls apart, though, when Ben admits he is terminally bored and ends up creating a scandal that makes retaining any part of their lives untenable.

Left to support herself and Sara, Helen manages to find a job in the city in public relations.  Soon she is known for her specialty; helping clients move past their own scandals by publicly admitting blame for their actions and asking for forgiveness.  Helen is promoted and is in vogue; anyone with a scandal wants her at their side. 

As she becomes consumed by her career, Sara starts to go off the tracks.  When Helen takes Sara to a movie premiere, she reconnects with her earlier life and finds herself seated by the movie's leading man, Hamilton Barth.  She and Hamilton grew up in the same little town, but had not seen each other in years, and Hamilton actually doesn't remember Helen.  But when he finds himself caught up in a scandal, he remembers her new career and calls her in.  Can Helen handle Barth's problem, and if so, at what cost to herself and Sara?

Jonathan Dee has written an intriguing novel about how humans handle their mistakes.  We all need a pardon eventually for some hasty, misbegotten action, or some expedient action meant to solve an issue that instead makes it worse.  We all have to make decisions about when and if to pardon those who have wronged us.  Dee explores this situation with deft understanding.  This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction, and those interested in the human condition.