A review of Assegai, by Wilbur Smith. @@@@ (4 out of 5). Assegai tells the adventurous tale of a young white African man, just 18 at the outset, who displays his seemingly superhuman prowess as a soldier, a wild game hunter, a fighter pilot, and a lover in the years just before and during the First World War.
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A review of The Zero Hour, by Joseph Finder. @@@@ (4 out of 5). This is a complexly plotted and highly satisfying novel of suspense. The Zero Hour tells the tale of a South African-born terrorist, Henrik Baumann, who has been sprung from a high-security prison near Cape Town to do a job for hire — unquestionably, the biggest in his long, blood-streaked career and, necessarily, the last. Baumann eventually squares off against FBI Special Agent Sarah Cahill, who has been put in charge of the Joint Terrorism Task Force’s operation to thwart his attack.
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A review of Blindsighted, by Karin Slaughter. @@@@ (4 out of 5). Blindsighted, set in rural Grant County in Southern Georgia, focuses on Dr. Sara Linton, the 30-something town pediatrician and part-time coroner; her ex-husband, Jeffrey Tolliver, who is Chief of Police; and Lena Adams, a young detective.
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A review of The Informationist, by Taylor Stevens. @@@ (3 out of 5). For reasons that escape me, Publishers Weekly called The Informationist “blazingly brilliant,” and the book won raves from the New York Times and numerous other reviewers. Taylor Stephens’ debut novel, an unconventional thriller, assuredly does merit high marks for its exotic setting — mostly the little-visited Central West African nation of Equatorial Guinea — and for its decidedly offbeat protagonist, a mentally unbalanced woman with skills and a penchant for violence to rival Lisbeth Salander’s.
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A review of Get Real, by Donald E. Westlake. @@@@ (4 out of 5). The doleful John Dortmunder and his band of merry men make their last comic foray into the world of crime in this delightful story, the last of Donald Westlake’s more than 100 novels before he passed away in 2008 at the age of 75.
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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.