SEKRET – Lindsay Smith

Posted by Daniel on May 2, 2023
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

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It’s 1963, the Cold War, and the KGB have a plan for Russia to come out on top … they are recruiting young people who are able to read minds for a secret, psychic espionage program they’ve developed.  Recruitment is a gentle word – it is not safe for anyone who shows signs of mind reading to be present in the Soviet Union.  Premier Nikita Khrushchev insists on protecting  the Soviet Space Program and will use any means possible, including harnessing the powers of the country’s youth.

Yulia is a a tough, lone young adult who refuses to allow the government to control her and her future. She’s never told anyone about her abilities, she’s even kept it a secret from her family, but somehow the government is on to her and one day she returns home to find her mother and brother missing and a KGB agent waiting for her.

For the sake of her family, Yulia is ‘recruited’ – like so many others – to use her powers for the good of the country and she’s trained alongside a number of other children and adults alike – all who possess some sort of psychic power (in some cases more terrifying than her own).

There are two young men who will vie for Yulia’s attention and affections: Sergei the youth who had hoped to become a hockey player before he was recruited, and Valentin, the brooding piano player. Yulia wants to trust these two, but distrust is the name of the game. Trusting no one, especially in a room full of spies, is the only way to stay safe.

I quite liked this book. The Cold War era is one we don’t often see as a time period for YA books (plenty of spy thrillers for adults, like the John le Carré novels) and this mix of fantasy and historical fiction, with a female YA character in the lead is, I think, unique.

We don’t spend too much time on the romance triangle, which is just as well because it’s set up quite clearly from the start how this will play out. It’s also a quite minor part of the story.

While I liked this concept and the general writing, it did drag a bit. Sometimes I felt we spent too much time rehashing an attitude (“I don’t want to be controlled and used for my skills!”) or getting a history lesson than we do getting on with the story.

I see there are other books in this series and I’m definitely interested in reading more.

Looking for a good book? Sekret, by Lindsay Smith, is a Cold War-era YA fantasy thriller. It’s a nice way to have a fantasy element without going the route of magicians or elves.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Sekret

author: Lindsay Smith

series: Sekret #1

publisher: Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan Children’s

ISBN: 9781596438927

hardcover, 314 pages

LONE WOMEN – Victor LaValle

Posted by Daniel on April 28, 2023
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Adelaide Henry is heading to Montana, a state where a woman can be a ‘lone’ woman and own her own parcel of land.  She leaves California behind by burning more than bridges and she’ll carry her family curse with her … both of these, literally.

She leaves California by saying goodbye to her parents – by dousing their corpses and the entire house in gasoline and then lighting a match as the wagon she’s hired, now carrying her entire life (and a family curse) in a large, locked trunk, rolls away.

But can you really escape any horror when you’re a lone, Black woman in the middle of nowhere just after the turn of the 20th century?

On paper, by description, this is exactly the kind of book that might appeal to me … western and horror. But in practice, this had not enough to do with either.

Despite the dark promise at the beginning of the novel with the burning of the homestead, the horror here is teased throughout. I’m not a fan of the in-your-face horror, and subtlety is generally more appreciated, but I’ve often noted that subtle horror is difficult to maintain for a novel and this, to me, is a case in point. It’s a teasing of the same thing, over and over, starting from page one: what’s in the trunk?

I generally appreciated the sociological aspects of the book much more – the lone woman making her way in a dangerous territory during a dangerous time (when isn’t it a dangerous time for a woman alone?) and the need for the other lone women looking to band together, to look out for one another in this territory.  And just when I’d settle in to this being the focus of the book, we’d be teased with the horror again and I’d get frustrated, wondering what this is supposed to be – and I know it could be more than one thing, but rather than seamlessly integrating stories, this felt like one idea would unceremoniously dropped to bring about something else.

Adelaide was an interesting character and we got to know her quite well.  The others in the book are generally two dimensional, Her parents, dead before we begin the story, are more interesting than just about anyone else we meet.

I did like the western and sociological aspects of this book but the overall concept did not work for me.

Looking for a good book? Lone Women by Victor LaValle is a western/horror novel with a strong central character and interesting concept that gets lost trying to bring out a dark story.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an hoenst review.

3 stars

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Lone Women

author: Victor LaValle

publisher: One World

ISBN: 9780525512080

hardcover, 304 pages

MARLEY’S CHAIN – Alan E. Nourse

Posted by Daniel on April 26, 2023
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, SHORT FICTION. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Author Alan E. Nourse was one of the first authors I had read that led to a long history of reading science fiction. For a few decades now I’ve felt as though I’ve outgrown Nourse’s work but when I came across the free download of this story I thought it would be nice to give the author a read again.

In this story, Tam has returned to Earth after spending a long time working in space.  But men such as he are known as “Sharkie’s” and Sharkies are not welcomed. His clothes are shabby and his meager belongings don’t look much better. All he wants is another job, to keep himself busy and productive, but no one will even give him the time of day.

Tam visits an old school chum who is in a position to hire but the most he can promise Tam is a chance for a job on Mercury, but Tam knows that’s a death sentence. Without a job prospect, Tam is willing to take matters into his own hands.

Much of this story feels dated – I could pretty well guess when it was written, just by the style of writing. However, the social commentary ‘hidden’ here is pretty powerful and seems rather risky for this time period.

I’m not sure I’m ready to sit down and read a whole bunch of stories from this time period, but I enjoyed reading this story and would enjoy a few more such stories scattered among my reading lists.

Looking for a good book? Alan E. Nourse’s short story “Marley’s Chain” is a surprisingly powerful short story, written in 1952, that still could surprise readers today.

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“Marley’s Chain”

author: Alan E. Nourse

publisher: Aegypan

ISBN: 1606644920

paperback, 28 pages

TOMORROW’S END – G.R. Morris

Posted by Daniel on April 24, 2023
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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Oof. This was a tough read.

Our story (as best as I can sum it up): Kevin Knight has been pre-destined to be the galaxy’s savior – an actual knight, so to speak. But things go sideways when tragedy strikes, he winds up in jail and demonic forces embed themselves like a parasite inside of him. The galxay now is doomed!

But wait … “Until a trench coat-wearing alien renegade shatters his understanding of reality” (from the Goodreads description of the book).

Now his role of galaxy savior is back on, but his understanding of what is real and what is imaginary has been challenged and changed. And who does he listen to … the renegade alien who has rescued him, or the demonic voices in his head? The fate of the galaxy stands in the balance.

The problems here are …. well, numerous, but ultimately it boils down to some poor writing.

The first thing that stuck me was the main character saying things like:

“I was the family doctor for a while. The wounds my mom and I suffered were pretty severe. They forced me to learn martial arts, and I started sparring at five years old. I pretty much know them all.”

and

“I don’t want to brag, but I pretty much know everything.”

and a cabbie says to our hero:  “You must protect your queen by destroying hell’s armies and defeating pretty much every alien race in existence.” I guess I pretty much don’t like the use of ‘pretty much’ in a book.

The dialog is cheap and poor and generally doesn’t sound like people talking to one another.  It’s 1930’s pulp dialog (which, honestly I generally wouldn’t mind as I like vintage pulp fiction, but this doesn’t fit the bill).

Nearing the hour of Robert’s macabre massacre, the virgin whom Kevin had protected was moments away from giving birth to perfection.

“Did ya see that?” A man pointed down the dimly lit alley.

“Not this crap again. You need help.”

Two figures adorned in white hospital garb stood by a bus stop lighting cigarettes. As cars drove by, the faces of screaming, clawing demons were reflected in the windows.

———–

Robert tapped a claw on his cigar, dropping ash. “There’s nothing I can do. Sorry. No one has ever successfully purged a minister without killing the host. Where we have failed, you will succeed.”

“We?” Kevin asked. “So there’s more than one of you things?”

Robert didn’t move.

Kevin stared at the green and red scales on the alien’s skin, which decreased farther up his face, although his arms and hands were covered in the layered platelets.

“That’s right, aliens exist. I’m what they call a Demonian.”

Kevin looked down at Robert’s hand as his crimson claws shifted gears.

Robert’s grin displayed his numerous fangs. “Frightened?” He aimed his reptilian eyes at Kevin.

“N-no, I talk to monsters every day,” Kevin said, leaning slightly away.

“You could call me that. One person’s alien is another’s monster.” Robert flattened the gas pedal. “I’m the last survivor of Demonia. Much like you, I was chosen.”

“Chosen? By who?”

Robert raised one of his red eyebrows. “That was faster than the others.”

“Others?”

“You aren’t the first being I’ve trained. But you are my first messiah. Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?”

“I don’t believe in fate, but yeah.”

If any of what I’ve posted above sounds interesting to you, then considering picking this up and give it a read. I found this to be an unremarkable story with stock characters and poor writing.

Looking for a good book? Keep on looking.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Tomorrow’s End

author: G. R. Morris

series: The Path of a Savior #1

publisher: Dark Light Publishing

ISBN: 9780615852379

hardcover, 445 pages

THE STRANGE ADVENTURES OF RANGERGIRL – Tim Pratt

Posted by Daniel on April 20, 2023
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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I have recently enjoyed a few of the new Tim Pratt novels and I thought maybe I would go back and read some of his earlier works. As it turns out, this is apparently his first published novel (if my sources are correct).

This is the story of Marzipan (“Marzi”) – a young woman who writes and illustrates a graphic novel by the title of The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl. That book is what one refers to as ‘cowpunk’ – a hybrid of Western fiction and steampunk.

As you might imagine, writing and illustrating your own graphic novel doesn’t make for a big paycheck and Marzi does have another job as a night manager at a coffee shop. It is there that life gets a bit wonky for her when she begins seeing some of her characters (those she’s created for her graphic novel) in the coffee shop.

One of the things that Pratt does nicely here is blend the reality and the fantasy so that we’re always guessing. Is that really a crazy woman, or is this a flight of fantasy?

Pratt also makes the concept of Rangergirl and the graphic novel sound really fun. I don’t currently, regularly read any graphic novels, but if this existed I’d definitely want to check it out.

I’m by no means a Pratt expert, but I do think one can tell that this is an early book in the author’s career. It’s not the tightest of narratives and there is a fair amount of over-explaining. Mansplaining? This pulls away from the concept just enough to take away some of the enjoyment.

‘Cowpunk’ may be a new moniker (for me) but the concept has certainly been around.  Anyone ever watch The Wild Wild West?

This was a casually fun read but I’m glad it wasn’t my introduction to Pratt – it would not have made me curious or anxious to read more of his work.

Looking for a good book? The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl by Tim Pratt is a fun, fast fantasy. Delightful in its own way, and good for a beach read, but not the sort of book you’ll be thinking about much past the last chapter.

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The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl

author: Tim Pratt

publisher: Spectra

ISBN: 9780553383386

paperback, 416 pages

THE ISLAND OF EXTRAORDINARY CAPTIVES – Simon Parkin

Posted by Daniel on April 18, 2023
Posted in: NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Being from the U.S., I was moderately aware of POW and Internment camps here in the States.  I honestly hadn’t given much thought to such camps in England during WWII, but of course there were. This book examines one such camp, meant to detain Germans and German sympathizers during the war. Unfortunately, camps such as this – which are often quickly assembled – suffer from some political turmoil and lack of proper oversight and in too many cases Jews who fled Germany (for obvious reasons) were detained in British internment camps because, on paper, they were German Nationals and therefore potentially sympathizers. In worst case scenarios, they could potentially be sent back to Germany.

Just as the United States held those of Japanese descent (and Germans) in camps without regard to their actual leanings, the British over-compensated here, rounding up everyone and then addressed specific cases. The Island of Extraordinary Captives by Simon Parkin examines a few specific internees.

Even the artists (I use the term broadly) interned were numerous enough that it might be nearly impossible to really examine each of them and Parkin focuses on just a few, with Peter Fleischmann being the prime focus. Fleishmann was an orphaned teenager when he escaped Germany and was perhaps one of the most un-lucky young men on the planet as was threatened by the Germans and imprisoned by the British, Yet despite everything that befell him, he had he survivor’s instinct and the determination to follow through on his artistic desires despite everything.

The book is definitely informative, but it does suffer from being a bit wandering in the narrative. I was never quite sure if this was intended to be a history book of the event, or more of a look at some of the individuals. It could be a combination of these, of course, but frankly, because it doesn’t really seem to know the narrative tends to fall a bit flat.

I really wanted to like this more than I did.  I find that non-fiction tends to be of more interest to me as I get older, and anything that discusses art and artists will always appeal to me, but this failed to find a way to really capture and hold my interest.

Looking for a good book? From an historical point of view, The Island of Extraordinary Captives by Simon Parkin offers some good insight, but the narrative is disjointed and rambling and not a particularly engaging read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Island of Extraordinary Captives: A Painter, a Poet, an Heiress, and a Spy in a World War II British Internment Camp

author: Simon Parkin

publisher: Scribner

ISBN: 9781982178543

hardcover, 432 pages

THE AMBITIOUS CARD – John Gaspard

Posted by Daniel on April 14, 2023
Posted in: MYSTERY. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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Eli Marks is a highly skilled magician but he’s made a name for himself as a debunker of psychics, showing how so much of what they do is nothing more than magicians tricks. This doesn’t make him very popular among the psychic community.

Eli debunks a popular psychic in a very public forum and then that same psychic is later discovered dead. At the scene of the crime is a playing card, the King of Diamonds – which happens to be the signature card for Eli’s most famous trick. More psychics are killed and more clues lead police to seriously consider Eli as a suspect.

It all gets more complicated for Eli when he falls in love with a psychic and then learns that she is targeted to be the next victim of the real killer.

Somewhere along the line, in all the various ways I get books, I got this as a free read. Because I have such a backlog of ARCs from publishers, I tend to put my free reads on the back burner. But once in awhile I get in the mood to crack one open and in this case, I’m really glad I did.

Author John Gaspard hooks the reader immediately with the first person narrative from the very likeable character of Eli Marks. He’s smart, clever, and just enough of a wise-ass to be fun and not a jerk. He’s also working in this book in locations in Minnesota and I recognized some of the locations presented.

Late edit: Because I enjoyed this, I bought the audio book for my wife and I to listen to while on an extended road trip. We both thought that this book suffered from some over-writing.  A number of chapters included descriptions (of people, magic tricks, reflections, etc) that went on and on at great length. Generally these added nothing to the book – just massive amounts of descriptions. It does get much better in the second book.

I enjoy magic (magic tricks) which is probably why this appealed to me in the first place. Couple the magic with a solid mystery and a touch of romance, and we’ve got a really exciting, enjoyable read.  I am looking forward to more of the Eli Marks adventures.

Looking for a good book? The Ambitious Card by John Gaspard is the first book in the Eli Marks mystery series. If the other books in the series are as good as this I have a wonderful series to look forward to.

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The Ambitious Card

author: John Gaspard

series: An Eli Marks Mystery #1

publisher: Independently Published

ISBN: 1078278911

paperback, 298 pages

CULT CLASSIC – Sloane Crosley

Posted by Daniel on April 12, 2023
Posted in: HUMOR, ROMANCE, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Reading the description of this book I thought I might be in for something along the lines of the 1985 film, After Hours.

Lola is a hip, modern New Yorker.  She’s an editor, now in her early 30’s. She’s had her string of boyfriends and lovers but is currently living a boyfriend whom she will be marrying soon.

On one particular night out with some friends Lola steps away from the gathering to pick up a pack of cigarettes when she runs into an old boyfriend – someone she hasn’t thought about in a very long time. The timing, however, creates some anxiety as Lola is currently in a relationship with ‘Boots’ and she’s been stressing over whether or not this is ‘the one’ – the potential life-long marriage. Of course, running into this old boyfriend now prompts her to consider and compare.

But as the evening wears on, Lola continues to run into ex-boyfriends (and she’s had quite a few).  The meetings all feel as though they are chance encounters, but what are the odds that she should run into so many just at the time she is considering a life-changing moment? Slim, of course, but what could be behind it? There is indeed something at play, a cult, oddly enough.  A cult of ex-boyfriends? Could it be?

As Lola continues her odd night of encounters, she realizes she has fewer and fewer reasons to be delaying her wedding to Boots.

I really thought this was going to be a deliciously odd book, right up my alley, but was disappointed in the presentation.

This isn’t the exciting, quirky story I was hoping for … the kind where you eagerly look forward to the next paragraph, the next page, the next chapter, to see what comes next (more quirkiness or a revelation?!). This was a slow, methodical layering of a story. That works often enough, but with an idea so off-the-wall, we need a pace and energy to match, and this does not. Some of this has to do with the language.  Author Sloane Crosley writes with a rich, brilliant language, but that actually holds this story back. We get caught up in the prose, or stumble over the prose, instead of the action.

The concept is pretty brilliant … a cult of ex-boyfriends – and even the over-arcing story of the woman trying to figure out her life and her future life makes for a potentially best-selling book. I think I’d like to see this same concept given to a dozen different writers to see how different the stories would be because I really like the concept.

Looking for a good book? Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley is an off-beat, satire, romance that doesn’t quite provide the wit and charm that it promises.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Cult Classic

author: Sloane Crosley

publisher: MCD

ISBN: 9780374603397

hardcover, 304 pages

TREASURE STATE – C. J. Box

Posted by Daniel on April 10, 2023
Posted in: MYSTERY, Uncategorized, WESTERN. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Business is on the rise for private investigator Cassie Dewell and she now finds herself working two different cases simultaneously.

First is the case of the hidden treasure.  Taking the nation by storm is the account of a millionaire who claims to have buried a chest full of treasure worth a million dollars or so. To find the location, would-be treasure hunters must decipher the clues in a poem. Currently, five people have died trying to find this treasure in remote, dangerous places in the Montana and Wyoming area.

Cassie isn’t trying to find the treasure … she’s been hired by the man purporting to be the author of the poem and the man who buried the treasure.  He’s hired Cassie to see if she can figure out his identity. His reasoning is that if someone were to discover his identity, they might be able to deduce, from his past and his writings (ah ha! he’s an author!) where the treasure is buried and he really wants somone to find it based on his clues. Cassie’s not a fan of the treasure hunt, given that some have already died trying to find it, and a young man she knows, Kyle Westergaard, is searching for it – putting aside all else to search, likely in vain, for a hidden treasure.

The other job that Cassie is working on is a little more in-line with her typical work.  A woman from Florida has hired her to find a man who swindled her out of millions of dollars.  Another P.I. had been hired and was last reported in Anaconda, Montana on a strong lead and then all reports from the other P.I. stopped. What Cassie discovers is that the woman from Florida is not the only one who’s been swindled so.  A small handful of older woman have had the same problem, likely from the same man. Even knowing the kind of man he is, Cassie must consciously restrain herself from his charms when she engages him.

This was a really fast read. Despite the two plots, the treasure hunt rather book-ending the novel, Cassie goes straight-ahead without much time spent doing the boring work, like research. There’s a little bit of danger and suspense when Cassie encounters the truly bad guy – the enforcer behind the swindle scam, but even this threat is put aside pretty easily when necessary.

The writing is direct and fast, keeping the reader turning pages. It’s a classic best-seller style novel. A beach read or a winter fire read.  You won’t get bogged down in details, just lots of juicy action.

I am a little disappointed at how much ‘convenience’ comes in to play during the big show-down. One person happens in to cause problems and then another happens in to fix the situation. Whew… isn’t Cassie lucky? Yes she is. Because the cavalry she arranged for was delayed and she’d have been a goner if luck wasn’t on her side.  This bit did make me roll my eyes.

Convenience also solves the book-end mystery of the treasure hunt.  I mean … SERIOUS stroke of luck.

This kind of writing will sell a lot of books because you know what you’re going to get when you pick it up.  Standing at a bookshelf in an airport? Want the known excitement or something that could equally be really good or really bad?  Chances are you’re going to pick the known thriller, warts and all. And this one definitely has some warts.

Looking for a good book? Treasure State is a Cassie Dewell mystery thriller by C. J. Box. Two storylines that come and go so quickly you might not even notice.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Treasure State

author: C. J. Box

series: Cassie Dewell #5

publisher: Minotaur Books

ISBN: 9781250766960 

hardcover, 275 pages

WAYWARD – Chuck Wendig

Posted by Daniel on April 6, 2023
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Book Two?! This is the second book in a duology?!  I’m such a Chuck Wendig fan … how did I miss the first book? Fortunately, I never felt like I was missing anything as relationships and circumstances felt well explained through the course of the book.

The story: Five years ago, many ordinary Americans fell victim to a strange affliction that caused them walk, zombie-like, to a destination that only they seemed to know. Others followed them, to protect them. They became known as ‘shepherds.’

The secret destination was Ouray, Colorado and this town in the middle of the mountains would become one of the last bastions of civilization as the sleepwalking epidemic was only the first incident in what would be the end of the familiar world and the start of something new and very different.

Those gathered in Ouray – sleepwalkers, shepherds, and survivors alike – struggle to understand their new situation and form new relationships with the strangers around them. Trust in one another is something to be earned, but there may not be time for this as Ouray is not the only civilization oasis. Other locations and other individuals are gathering, including some with nothing but the acquisition of power in mind.

There may be an answer to what has happened, but it will mean a dangerous journey and there are no guarantees they’ll find what they’re looking for.

This is an absolute epic.  Stephen King did it with The Stand, and Justin Cronin did it with The Passage. Now Chuck Wendig has done it with The Wanderers (and this, the follow-up, Wayward) … an apocalyptic, man-made (sort of) epidemic that vastly changes the landscape of the civilized world. And, just as I enjoyed King’s and Cronin’s works, I really liked Wendig’s bleak future.

For me, one of the hallmarks of Wendig’s writing is his absolute viciousness. He pulls no punches and aims for the jugular.  And that’s his heroes. And by that standard, this book was just slightly subdued, with only his villain, the self-proclaimed new President of the United States, Ed Creel, striking out cruelly and viscously.

The book offers a really nice balance of character and story. I believe you need to be invested in what happens and that usually starts with the characters and there’s a core group here, although even among this small group a few rise up and the ultimate confrontation will center around them.

This is a powerful book and I’m really eager now to read the first book in the duology.

Looking for a good book? Wayward, by Chuck Wendig, is an apocalyptic epic by one of the best, raw, sci-fi authors out there today.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Wayward

author: Chuck Wendig

series: Wanderers #2

publisher: Del Rey Books

ISBN: 9780593158777

hardcover, 816 pages

RICH BLOOD – Robert Bailey

Posted by Daniel on April 4, 2023
Posted in: MYSTERY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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I never expected to be a fan of legal thrillers, and perhaps, in general, I’m not. I am, however, a fan of Robert Bailey’s writing (which happen to all be legal thrillers).

Jason Rich is an attorney … an admitted ambulance chaser. Billboards clutter the roadways, from Florida to Alabama, with his face and his slogan, “In an accident? Get Rich!” It’s been successful for him and has made him a wealthy man.

But Jason has his struggles. He’s an alcoholic who’s facing an official reprimand from the bar association for appearing in court while under the influence. And if this wasn’t bad enough, now Jason has a new problem … his sister, Jana, has been arrested for her husband’s murder. The actual killer has already confessed but claims that he was paid by Jana to do the job.

Jana asks Jason to defend her – he’s the only person she trusts, despite the fact that he’s never tried a criminal case in his life.

He’s willing to take this on – more for the sake of his nieces than for Jana who, among her troubles, is indebted to a local drug kingpin for an enormous amount of money and to whom she pays off her debts with sexual services.

Jana’s story changes, even to Jason, over and over, but despite this, he’s inclined to believe her and will defend her while looking to protect his nieces who’ve been threatened by the drug lord.

This being the first book in a new series, there’s a fair bit of set-up that Bailey attends to, getting the reader familiar with Jason Rich, his background and his struggles. This takes up a good portion of the first half of the book and there are a few subplots that are begun here which don’t quite pan out in this book but which, I suspect, will play a part in subsequent books.

Jason’s addiction issues are a big part of his character but this never really comes into play during the course of this book. And while the local drug king is made out to be someone we must be afraid of (and he does make some minor actions to show he’s being serious) we don’t ever find him to be the immediate danger that we expect.

The very ending is a little bit unsatisfying. I’m not sure why Bailey gives us this little nugget – is it the lead in to the next book?  I don’t think. There’s too much conclusion in this book for the last bit to come in to play here. (Am I being a little vague here? Yes I am … I don’t want to give any spoilers.)

I’m not from the South and I’m by no means a college football fan, but I do miss Bailey’s other legal thrillers, which feature some football greats.

Still, I like Bailey’s delivery and fast-paced books and Jason Rich definitely has some traits about him that will provide interesting fodder for books to come.

Looking for a good book? Rich Blood is a legal thriller by Robert Bailey, who has proven himself to be a top-notch author of fast-paced thrillers. This starts out a bit slow, but sets up the series for future books as well.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Rich Blood

author: Robert Bailey

series: Jason Rich #1

publisher: Thomas & Mercer

ISBN: 9781542037273

paperback, 380 pages

THE FENCING MASTER – Arturo Pérez-Reverte

Posted by Daniel on March 31, 2023
Posted in: OTHER, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

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Madrid, 1868. Don Jaime Astarloa is a fencing master. He is reputed to be the only fencing master in the world to know how to execute a rare, unstoppable thrust move. Don Jaime is approached by a young woman, Adela, who asks him to be her fencing instructor.  It is a highly unusual request – for a woman to learn fencing – and Jaime insists that it would not be proper. But there is something compelling about the woman, who insists that she has had fencing training (in a country that isn’t so repressed). He agrees to test her skills and sees that indeed she is well skilled and learned and he promises to teach her all that he can. But what she really wants is to learn the thrust for which there is no counter defense.

But why would this attractive young woman (and she is attractive, of course) want or need to learn such a difficult fencing move? The fact that there’s a movement afoot to overthrow Queen Isabel II might have something to do with it.

Don Jaime gets unexpectantly caught up in a traitorous plot, sees friends killed, and learns that while his chivalrous ways are old-fashioned, sometimes the old ways are still the best.

This is a pleasant little book … if one can use the term ‘pleasant’ for a story about fencing and subversive activities. But it’s a story about a man – Don Jaime Astarloa who is facing a crossroads in his life, which mirrors the social mores crossroads in Spain some 150 years ago.  Don Jaime’s life has always been about fencing – a noble art and skill. But in today’s world (in the mid-to-late 1800’s), the gun was becoming the weapon of choice. But for someone like Astarloa, chivalry and honor are everything. How can someone kill someone else from across a field, without facing him directly?  What honor is in that?

The real struggle here, then, is within Don Jaime, who tries to find a way to stay true to himself and grow with the times. Agreeing to take on a female student is his concession to being more modern – and of course it comes back to bite him in the ass!

I like that the chapters are fencing moves – the whole book is a bit like a fencing match; beat, thrust, parry, retreat, riposte!

In so many ways this is a nice, tight little novel.

But in some ways, this doesn’t quite work.

We have a nice set-up of our protagonist, and a couple of supporting characters, but then we jump into the plot rather unexpectedly and the entire character set-up seems unimportant until the very last couple of pages. It’s almost like having two stories that converge accidentally at the end.  I was much more interested in Don Jaime’s internal struggle of staying true to himself and his beliefs than I was in the secret plot the Jaime got mixed up in!

I picked up this book at one of those free libraries you see everywhere.  I’m glad that I grabbed it and glad to have read it, but equally glad that I didn’t pay cash for the book because I’m sure the cash/enjoyment scale wouldn’t balance well.  Some other lucky reader will be picking up this same book in another little free library in another state any day now.

Looking for a good book? The Fencing Master by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, like the main character in the book, is a bit old-fashioned, trying to find a way to stay relevant in a world that has sped up and seen more action.

I traded for this book at a little free library.

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The Fencing Master

author: Arturo Pérez-Reverte

translator: Margaret Jull Costa

publisher: Mariner Books

ISBN: 0156029839

paperback, 244 pages