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SCIENCE FICTION

MYSTERIES & THRILLERS

NONFICTION

A true story of high finance and murder in Putin’s Russia

A true story of high finance and murder in Putin’s Russia

Even if you follow international news only casually, you're likely to be aware that Putin's Russia is a kleptocracy. Two dozen oligarchs effectively run the country. Some, including President Vladimir Putin himself, hold government office. Others are private "bankers" and...

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Popular Fiction

A sprawling Indian family in Delhi confronts its demons

A sprawling Indian family in Delhi confronts its demons

Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi died at the hands of her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. Violence erupted immediately. Anti-Sikh riots raged for four days, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Sikhs. Eight years later, in December 1992, an organized mob of 70,000...

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Explore My “BEST OF the category” selections

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK?

When people ask me that question, I never know what to say. In a lifetime of reading, I’ve read many thousands of books. And I’ve reviewed well over 2,000 of them on this site. Picking just one as a “favorite,” or even a handful of them, makes no sense to me.

The problem is, I read for many different reasons. Perhaps you do, too. And I read many different sorts of books. Mysteries and thrillers. Popular fiction, especially historical fiction. Science fiction.

And nonfiction, history in particular. You’ll find hundreds of reviews in every one of those categories on this site.

Look to the right for a rotating random selection culled from throughout this site.

Happy reading!

 

Chinese triads, the British Secret Service, and a triple murder in Hong Kong

Imagine Hong Kong just two months before control passed from British colonial administration to the People's Republic of China. Picture the complex behind-the-scenes maneuvering between the British Secret Service who hold the reins in the colony and the military men who possess the real power in...
Cover image of "Rogue Heroes," the original special forces

The story of the original special forces

If you find the history of World War II fascinating, you're likely to feel that Rogue Heroes is endlessly so. In this eminently readable book, British historian Ben MacIntyre relates the story of the Special Air Service, the unit that set the pattern for special forces around the world. From its...
American Oligarchs reveals the Trumps and Kushners backstory.

The Trumps and the Kushners: the backstory

His father was arrested for failure to disperse from a Ku Klux Klan rally. He was also investigated for profiteering by the U. S. Senate and the State of New York and sued by the Department of Justice for civil rights violations. His son-in-law's father spent fourteen months in Federal prison for...
Under a White Sky

In the Anthropocene, the chickens come home to roost

For at least 200,000 years, homo sapiens enjoyed the bounty of the Earth, rendering only minimal damage to the planet. That began to change with the advent of the Industrial Revolution in the late eighteenth century. Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme,...
Cover image of "Defectors"

A superb new novel about defectors in Moscow

The disappearance of British diplomats Donald MacLean and Guy Burgess in 1951 and the subsequent revelation in 1956 of them as defectors to the Soviet Union shocked the world and has subsequently provided fodder for a virtual cottage industry of spy novels. Only much later did it come to light...
Cover image of "The Singapore Wink" by Ross Thomas, a novel set in 1960s Singapore

An engaging novel of crime and espionage set in 1960s Singapore

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes What do you hope for when you pick up a mystery or thriller? A clever story built around believable conflict? Twists and turns in the plot, and surprises galore? Interesting but credible characters? A refreshing style of writing? Perhaps a dash of humor? You'll...
Luciano's Luck is about the Mafia and the Allied invasion of Sicily.

Fact and fiction about the Mafia and the WWII Allied invasion of Sicily

Future New York Governor Tom Dewey convicted Mafia boss Charlie "Lucky" Luciano for running a prostitution racket in 1936. Luciano was the American equivalent of the Sicilian capo di tutti capi, or boss of all the bosses; he was the first head of the modern Genovese crime family and the creator...

Does technology promise humanity a bright future?

A review of Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think, by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler. @@@@@ (5 out of 5). Envisions a world in which humanity triumphs against all its challenges, from climate change, overpopulation, and poverty to the planetary deficits in energy and water.

The Afghanistan Papers

The lies they told us about the War in Afghanistan

There was "progress" at every turn, despite abundant evidence to the contrary. And that evidence was well known to the Pentagon and the White House. Every new strategy was a "game-changer" that "turned the corner" toward victory. Yet the facts showed the war growing steadily worse. During the 20...
The Second Rider is the first book in a new series of detective novels.

The debut of a rewarding series of detective novels set in Vienna after World War I

Vienna, November 1919. The Great War had ended one year earlier, and the capital city of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire was in shock. "The once glamorous seat of the empire had become a filthy, bloodthirsty beast." Demobilized soldiers wandered the streets, haunted by their experiences on the...

My Most Popular Reviews

Weekly Reviews Delivered to You!

Mal Warwick - Book Reviews

Weekly book reviews to match your taste!

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Mal Warwick

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