"The Hit" by David Baldacci is a HIT!

This is an intriguing novel about a CIA assassin, who has been tapped to hunt down and kill another CIA assassin, Jessica Reel. 

As the story opens, Jessica has just killed her CIA handler and is on the hunt for another highly placed CIA individual and other highly placed government officials.  Will begins his assignment methodically and nearly dies in a booby trap while hunting for Jessica.

Mr. Baldacci does a remarkable job of describing his stone cold killer characters in flat, objective terms which furhter enhance the flat, not-nonsense personalities of the characters.

As the story develops, Will discovers information which leads him to believe that there is more to the story that meets the eye and there is the interaction between him and Jessica which develops through a series of text messages.

If there is any criticism about this book, I would suggest that the “big conspiracy” unearthed during the story would need further definition.

I still give it five stars and recommend the bookand other books by  David Baldacci


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You don't want to be on the BLACK LIST

This thriller by Brad Thor places his protagonist, Scot Harvath, in the most serious situation. Someone has placed his name, as well as the names of the other members of the Carlton Group, on the Black List.  The black List is a super secret list in which the nation’s enemies have been marked for death for traitorous crimes against the United States.  

Scot finds himself out of contact with the other members of the Carlton group.  Indeed all of them are dead due to the actions of the kill teams which are relentlessly hunting them down.  The sole exception is the founder and director of the Carlton Group who finds himself in the same situation as Scot. 

Both men are alone and they face an unknown enemy who has a deadly plan to institute a virtual takeover of the United States. 

The book deals with these resourceful individuals and also Nicholas, also known as the Troll who uncovers some of the details of the plot orchestrated by the Advance Technology Solutions or ATS.

ATS is a massive organization which has endeared itself to the NSA and many other government agencies and mastered the art of complete surveillance of much of the United States.  Through the use of Department of Defense “wet’ teams, ATs is eliminating its potential enemies (such as the Carlton Group) before undertaking its bold plan to seize control of the US.
Mr. Thor has one a brilliant job of portraying the plot through the point of view of the key players, including the head of ATS.  He has wielded together an intricate resolution to the plot.

That interface is for the reader to find out.


 Five stars. Highly recommended. Brad Thor



 

I have just ordered his newest thriller, Hidden Order

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Silken Praise for Sanford's Silken Prey

This novel brings together a murder, scandalous political tricks, an incumbent US Senator, the SUS senate contender, an election, sensitive politicians and Lucas Davenport who must make sense of it all.

 John Sanford has brought all these elements together in his latest novel, SILKEN PREY. The Governor enlists the help of Bureau of Criminal Oppression (otherwise known as the BCA) deputy to the BCA Director and chief investigator, Lucas Davenport when a child pornography charge slams a sitting US Senator days before the election.

Although a member of the other party, the Senator and the governor go back to secondary school. He asks Lucas to take a quick look into the situation and if the allegation is false, find out quickly so the Senator can recover before the election.

 Lucas enlists the aid of two hacker friends, ICE and Joe Kidd, and after a search of a dead political operative’s apartment discover the evidence which enables him to show someone has framed the Senator.

But the bodies start piling up, first a political operative then others as Lucas begins to cast his investigative net. Things get even more complicated when, right in the middle of things, a retired master Thief gets the bug and decides to rob the billionaire US Senate candidate.

Through ti all, Lucas runs his investigative game and when allowed, brings in the other members of the BCA , that Sanford readers have come to know . . that (censored) Flowers, Del, Shrake, and Jenkins.

Mr. Sanford, as always, presents his novel in a straightforward manner and uses the police procedural genre to display his characters.

There is humor, plot and cross-plot and a GREAT read. Those who have not had the pleasure should acquaint themselves with John Sanford. John Sanford

Jack and Jill is Classic James Patterson

I saw this book in my library’s Book Nook and realized I had not read it.  Even though it was written before 9/11, I decided to give it a read and I am very glad I did. 

I have been shying away from James Patterson books because of his recent habit of using co-authors.  I have read one or two or them and found them entertaining but they were not pure James Patterson.

This is an oldie but goodie and it is James Patterson at his best.  I say classic James Patterson!

Alex Cross is at his job as a homicide detective with the Washington, DC police and is faced with two unusual cases involving serial murders. 

First, there is the Truth School murders where some crazy is enticing and killing elementary grade students.  Then there are Jack and Jill, a pair of serial murderers who are stalking and killing prominent citizens in and around Washington and leaving cryptic messages behind.  The case gets bizarre when Alex Cross finds out the Secret Service code names for the President and First Lady are also Jack and Jill.

As with other James Patterson Alex Cross adventures, nothing is what it seems.  There are plots and sub-plots until at last all the killers are revealed.

If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend “Jack and Jill”.  It is a great read.

Maybe now, I go back and read those books where James Patterson has a co-author.

James Patterson

MUD Movie is an Excellent film

My wife and I went to see the movie MUD today and I must say that Jeff Nichols did an excellent job of writing this screenplay and also directing it.  The movie is a coming of age film with a great ensemble cast headed by Matthew McConaugey and backed up by Sam Sheppard, Reese Witherspoon, and Joe Don Baker.  The other actors in this drams also do a great job but it was nice to see the Oldies but Goodies in action again.

The story coneters around two young boys who are trying to help a fugitive, MUD (played by Matthew McConaugey) who is on the run from the police and a gang of blood-thirsty bounty hunters hired by King (Joe Don Baker).  Mud becomes friends with Arkansas teenagers Ellis and Neckbone. 

The fugitive attempts to reunite with his love Juniper, and the teenagers help him evade the authorities.

It is a coming of age tale with elements of true love, revenge, and much misunderstanding. 

I highly recommend this movie.

Brilliant Fast Paced Action thriller

                                                              Redemption Kills
                                                                    
                                                                       By

                                                             L.W. Wedgwood

Redemption Kills is a great book in the tradition of James Patterson’s Alex Cross’s novels. Only the protagonist, Dane Larusio is a wealthy hotel magnate who owns a string of high end hotels and resorts throughout the world. As the book opens, the reader learns that Dane is a risk taker as he and his friend, Koso, play a life and death game of Riviera Roulette. I’m not going to commit a spoiler by discussing Riviera Roulette, but let’s just say it puts Russian roulette to shame.

In a flashback, Dane recalls his youth, when as an eighteen year old, he is recruited to plant bombs for a criminal duo named Sticks and Stones. Dane’s memories trigger his final job with Sticks and Stones when he assists them to plant a bomb which kills his uncle and cripples his father. Dane re-visits the destructive scene and finds a metal case which contains five million US dollars and this money serves as the seed money to launch his hotel empire.

Then as Dane visits home for the first time in fifteen years and reads of other bombings, he vows to seek out criminals and destroy them as redemption of sorts for the guilt he feels for the bombing which killed his uncle and maimed his father.

The author takes the reader through a labyrinth of intrigue as Dane wreaks his redemptive vengeance on the heads of major crime families and begins a pursuit of Krait, the person controlling the International Underworld Syndicate (IUS). Once a criminal organization reaches a level of success encompassing receipts of a hundred million US dollars, they are encouraged to join and the IUS and the result of a refusal to join the IUS is life-threatening. Dane’s focus is to eliminate these criminal masterminds as he travels his quest to destroy Krait.

The journey leads Dane and his new friend, Angelica Skiathos, the daughter of a major criminal arms trafficker, through a maze of trust issues, betrayal, intrigue, and action from Europe to South America to the steppes of Mongolia, the jungles of Cambodia and beyond. Mr. Wedgwood has mastered the art of characterization as he portrays the various criminals and other players in his narrative.

 In addition, he keeps the reader engaged as he moves from plot twist to plot twist; cross, double cross and triple cross in this thriller. Through all these machinations, the author has salted a clue or two to keep his readers guessing about the resolution of the plot and the identity of heretofore unknown villains.

Each chapter has the action one would find in a single full-length novel and this book is jam-packed with sixteen chapters of action. I highly recommend this book and encourage all thriller and action readers to buy it and read it

Expert Prose and First Class Publishing - Professionalism Personified!

I have read the "Sea Cutter" by Mr. Tim Davis and I cannot be more impressed. I normally don't read YA fiction. I did read this seafaring tale and I am glad I did.

I read the print edition and both the prose and the layout of this book reflect the highest standards.

Firstly, this is a rip roaring tale of adventure both on land and on the high seas. It tell the story of Nathaniel Childe, a young man who receives a secret message from his father, whom had been declared "lost at sea". Nathaniel has made a solemn vow to his mother that he would not put out to sea. As the book opens, Nathaniel is helping his mother operate a chandling business selling and repairing items needed by the seafaring folk of New Bedford.

When his mother travels to care for a sick relative, Wayland, a close family friend who served with Nat's father, appears and Nat receives a metal chest which belonged to his father. The contents of the box convince Nat that his father is alive and Nat and Wayland set out on Wayland's sloop, the Sea Cutter, to find Nat's father. Nat has tricked Wayland into believing that his mother has approved this venture.

There are sinister characters, a rogue named Snake and his accomplice, Robo, to provide sufficient plot twists and suspense to keep the reader turning the pages until the reader (even the young at heart readers such as I) finds it is late at night indeed, Where did the time go?

Next, Mr. Davis writes in a clear, direct style which engages the reader and he has mastered the art keeping the reader in suspense. He creates a suspenseful situation which compels the reader to keep reading in order to figure out Mr. Davis' next move in the narrative.

In addition, the publishing aspect of this book is first class. The cover is nothing short of phenomenal with its depiction of the Sea cutter battling a storm and in thaqt depiction, the reader begins to sense the action to come within the book. Also the headers and footers of each page have little scrolls which surround the author's name and book title in the header and the page numbers in each footer.

The layout of this book made it a pleasure to read.

This book is first class from every aspect you view it.

I highly recommend it for young people and the young at heart who love adventure.

Can I give it a "10"?

Excellent Insight Into the Mind of Military Working Dog

I am in awe of Robert Crais and his talent as a writer. In his other novels, he has shown himself to the master of describing the inner workings of his character’s mind through the use of well-turned phrases as he describes the actions in which they are involved.

 Take the way he has described Joe Pike, gun shop owner and partner to Elvis Cole, as Joe has helped Elvis solve a number of cases and then in two books where Joe Pike is the central character. The reader then feels he knows Joe Pike intimately through his actions and reactions to outside stimuli.

Now in his latest novel, “Suspect”, the author has taken the reader inside the mind of an explosives detection dog named Maggie. It is incredible the way that Mr. Crais is able to describe the inner workings of a dog’s mind and he continues this feat throughout the book. In this book, Maggie, after serving three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, suffers PTSD in an incident in which her, handler. Pete, is blown up (and Maggie concussed) by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan.

 As the books opens, Scott James, a Los Angeles patrolman becomes involved in a shooting incident in which he is seriously wounded and his partner, Stephanie, is fatally shot. After recovering from his wounds Scott is given the option to retire but instead opts for an assignment with the LAPD canine unit and is paired with Maggie. Both Scott and Maggie are “suspect” because of their injuries and both must prove themselves, hence the title. Scott then proceeds on a predictable quest to get to the bottom of his shooting and his partner’s murder. While this resolution is predictable, the author pursues it in a realistic manner.

The real gem in this story is the interaction between Scott and Maggie and the inner workings of the dog’s mind. I highly recommend this novel as an excellent read.

 To see the works of Robert Crais on Amazon, you can click this link. Robert Crais


Or for the Kindle edition

Why is Lee Child the Master of Suspense?

I am an unabashed admirer of author Lee Child and his Jack Reacher series of books. The first book of the series I read was “One Shot”, the ninth book in the series. After finishing it, I promptly went and started reading all the other books in the series beginning with first one, “The Killing Floor”, and then read the remaining books in the series in order. Of course, like millions of readers I was fascinated by the character of Jack Reacher, ex-military policemen and drifter, who lives by his own set of rules and unique sense of justice. Granted Jack Reacher is an interesting man. He is a big man and a brilliant investigator. He can handle himself with fists, knives, and all manner of firearms. He knows how to win fights and fights dirty because he fights to win. When confronted against bad guys, he has no hesitation about sending them to a past life without judge or jury. He is a remarkable investigator who knows the ways of the world and uses this knowledge to make interesting deductions. Jack can reach a conclusion based upon the evidence provided to the reader which is surprising yet logical. Interesting as the character is, this alone did not account for my fascination with the series. What was it? As I continued to read this series, I recognized Lee Child was able to capture my attention and keep it until the end of each book. What was it which totally captivated me? What continued to enthrall and mesmerize the millions who, like me, wait to be taken on the next Jack Reacher adventure? I came to realize that something more than the uniqueness of Jack Reacher had kept me reading the series and kept me waiting in anticipation for the release of the next Jack Reacher adventure. What was it that prompted me to order the Jack Reacher short stories prepared in digital form and available on Kindle. There, again, the same thing hit me. In the story, “Second Son”, why was I so drawn to this character and a story about his investigative prowess when he was a teenager on the island of Okinawa?

The answer is remarkably simple and it took an article by Lee Child in the New York Times to make me realize his genius. A former television producer, Mr. Child, like many other producers, had to deal with the invention of the remote control. They had to come up with a solution to keep viewers from changing channels during commercials. As a result, the television programs began to ask questions just before each act ended so that the viewers would stay tuned to receive the answer to the question posed. The Jack Reacher series is so successful because the author has worked so hard to master the art of asking a question and placing this question in the reader’s mind keeps them turning pages until they find out the answer. As the author explained in his article ….

“How do you create suspense?” has the same interrogatory shape as “How do you bake a    cake?”      And we all know — in theory or practice — how to bake a cake. We need ingredients, and we infer that the better quality those ingredients are, the better quality the cake will be. We know that we have to mix and stir those ingredients, and we’re led to believe that the more thoroughly and conscientiously we combine them, the better the cake will taste. We know we have to cook the cake in an oven, and we figure that the more exact the temperature and timing, the better the cake will look. So writers are taught to focus on ingredients and their combination. They’re told they should create attractive, sympathetic characters, so that readers will care about them deeply, and then to plunge those characters into situations of continuing peril, the descent into which is the mixing and stirring, and the duration and horrors of which are the timing and temperature. But it’s really much simpler than that."

"“How do you bake a cake?” has the wrong structure. It’s too indirect. The right structure and the right question is: “How do you make your family hungry?” And the answer is: You make them wait four hours for dinner.” 

From the Lee Child article, “A Simple Way to Create suspense” 12/08/2012 New York Times http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/08/a-simple-way-to-create-suspense/ 

It seems like such a simple answer. If only the application of that theory were so simple? Then, the world would have my name on their lips as a master of suspense instead of Lee Child. Now, what was my name again?

If you want to check out all the Lee Child books on Amazon, here is a link .
Lee Child h

 I have also added two links; one for hard copy of Lee Child's latest thriller, "A Wanted Man".

If you are looking for a Kindle, here is a link to the bestselling Kindle Reader on Amazon.

A Realistic Mirror of Life in a Women's Prison

This book, "Orange is The New Black" is this month's selection for review by the Book Club of the Friendes of the Bulverde/spring Branch Library. With a career, a boyfriend, and a loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the reckless young woman who delivered a suitcase of drug money ten years ago. But that past has caught up with her. Convicted and sentenced to fifteen months at the infamous federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, the well-heeled Smith College alumna is now inmate #11187-424—one of the millions of women who disappear “down the rabbit hole” of the American penal system. From her first strip search to her final release, Kerman learns to navigate this strange world with its strictly enforced codes of behavior and arbitrary rules, where the uneasy relationship between prisoner and jailer is constantly and unpredictably recalibrated. She meets women from all walks of life, who surprise her with small tokens of generosity, hard words of wisdom, and simple acts of acceptance. Heartbreaking, hilarious, and at times enraging, Kerman’s story offers a rare look into the lives of women in prison—why it is we lock so many away and what happens to them when they’re there. This spellbinding tale portrays an authentic view of prison life and ree4ks of realism. Small wonder it is becoming an Amazon bestseller. to order the hard bound print copy of this book, please click the link below. Kindle eBook Link

Brad Thor's Full black is a Thriller Par Excellence

I recently finished reading Full Black by Brad Thor.  After I finished, I wondered why I had waited so long to start reading his books again.

I guess it is a matter of so many books and so little time.

This is a thriller par excellence!  Scot Harvath continues his fight against terrorism as a member of the Carlton Group, a private Defense Department intelligence, terrorism fighting group.  The Carlton group has inherited the mantle of "wet work" from the CIA, which has become an administrative and bureaucratic organization.   In this adventure, Scot and the other members of the group continue their search for a terrorist group which is threatening to bombard the US with a series of devastating attacks under the direction of a billionaire financier who wants the US to crumble to foster his own socialist agenda.

There are several action filled plot lines. which the author deftly manages to merge at the conclusion of the novel.

Once again, Scot Harvath dispatches the bad guys with fatal results; but not before there are several attacks against the US homeland.

An engaging action adventure tale and a must read for all lovers of the genre. 




Need a Kindle?

Here is a good one.