Old bones turn up buried under paving stones in the basement of a French villa in 1986. The detective in charge of the case is conveniently located nearby at a week-long police conference on forensic anthropology. There, Dr. Gideon Oliver, an American anthropologist known as the “Skeleton...
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Two recent books set out to paint a picture of working-class culture. One is White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America, by Nancy Isenberg. I found the book to be too densely written and couldn’t finish reading it. The other is far more accessible. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir...
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Berlin, 1938. A private detective is pressed back into service in the criminal police (Kripo) at the behest of one of Germany’s most powerful Nazis. Soon he finds himself embroiled in a complex and intensely political power struggle at the highest levels of German government that he only...
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The Devils of Cardona is historical fiction masked as a novel of suspense. It works beautifully on both levels. A thrilling historical novel set in Spain, it’s set in 1594, more than a century after Ferdinand and Isabella set in motion the Spanish Inquisition. Six years earlier, the English...
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Dave Eggers’ latest novel, Heroes of the Frontier, was disappointing. It’s well written, of course. Eggers is a supremely talented writer, and he has won a very long list of literary awards, including a Pulitzer for Nonfiction. He has written books that I found to be excellent. I...
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Mysteries & Thrillers Tuesday includes my latest mystery and thriller book review,
with links to other science fiction content.
Nonfiction Wednesday includes my latest nonfiction book review,
with links to other nonfiction content.
The Weekly includes summaries and links to all the previous week’s three to five book reviews, including some that don’t appear in any of the other newsletters.
Mysteries & Thrillers Tuesday includes my latest mystery and thriller book review, with links to other science fiction content.
Nonfiction Wednesday includes my latest nonfiction book review, with links to other nonfiction content.
The Weekly includes summaries and links to all the previous week’s three to five book reviews, including some that don’t appear in any of the other newsletters.