Re: Book Thread number ?
My Recent Reads
A Wanted Man by Lee Child This Reacher book finds him involved in a huge conspiracy involving old army bases, the FBI, a car jacking and mysterious disappearing witnesses. Reacher doesn't know who to trust and what danger lurks around the next corner. Good read
The Affair by Lee Child This Reacher book follows his final case as an MP for the army. A woman is killed down near an army base and Reacher goes in undercover to find out what the locals have got and if they feel an army solider is the killer. Once their he falls in with the sheriff a former Marine Corp MP and he finds that the powers to be in Washington are messing with the case. Good read.
The Drop by Michael Connelly The latest Harry Bosch novel finds him once again on the retirement trail. He is given an extra 3 years before he is mandated to retire. He is drawn to a high political high jingo case when the son of his nemesis Councilman Irving commits suicide and Irving asks that Harry be allowed to investigate the case. Harry delves into political intrigue inside and outside the department as he tries to solve the case while at the same time investigating a murder case from 20 years ago that may find out about a serial killer who has remained off the radar for years. Good read
The Black Box by Michael Connelly Harry Bosch is back with the cold case squad trying to solve an old case. In this case it's a murder of a foreign reporter during the LA Riots that he was briefly the detective on the scene for. When they get the tip that the gun from that murder was used in 2 other murders he has a fresh lead to follow. It leads him from the gangs of South Central LA to the National Guard troops involved in crowd control during the riots and of course Harry's normal run ins with the police brass. Good read
The Watchman by Robert Crais This book finds Pike involved in protecting the life of a young heiress who happened to be involved in a car accident with the wrong people. As they try to track down and kill her Pike tries to stay one step ahead of the terrorists. Ok read.
The Ambler Warning by Robert Ludlum This Ludlum book was a little too Bourne like for me. Harrison Ambler is a top secret agent secreted on a top security psychiatric facility except he isn’t crazy. He escapes and tries to find out what happened to him and continually ends up at the scenes of assassinations. Can he figure out what is going on, regain his life and stay alive? Ok read.
The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry Similar to the da Vinci code, this follows the history of the Templars. Two former US agents are drawn in when one of them receives lost pages of a journal from her deceased husband and gets on the trail. Following the clues he left stalked by Modern Day Templars and unseen benefactors or foes they struggle to find the long lost treasure of the Templars, OK read.
Spymaster: Startling Cold War Revelations of a Soviet KGB Chief by Tennent H Bagley This is an OK book written by a former CIA agent about the life of a high ranking KGB agent. Originally written while the KGB agent was alive, it’s publishing was delayed until after he died due to objections by the current Russian Government. It details a lot of the Soviets operations against the West and also details some of the most famous turncoats, George Blake, Oleg Penovsky etc and some of the major moments beyond the Iron Curtain, the 1956 Hungarian Uprising and the Prague Spring in 1968.
Holy Terror by Richard Marchinko I picked this up at my library’s book sale for a quarter, about 40 pages in I realized why I stopped reading the Rogue warrior books at Task Force Blue, book#4. The books are completely unbelievable and repeat the same tired clichés Mr. Murphy, Bombay Gin, Fubar, 4 letter greetings and goat**** over and over again. In this one book he almost singlehandedly stops a dozen or so terrorist attacks. Plus personally for me the story being told in the first person from Demo Dick’s point of view is not enjoyable.
Stormfront by John Sandford The latest Virgil Flowers book from Sandford was okay but certainly not the best of the series. A Minnesota preacher who is dying of cancer steals an important stele from a archaeological dig in Israel that could blow apart the accepted norms of biblical history. He is set to auction it off to the highest bidder and Flowers is tasked to help an Israeli official achieve. His task is complicated by Hezbollah, Mossad, American publicity seekers and local criminals who all want a piece of the action.
Never Go Back by Lee Child This Reacher book finds Reacher in Virginia finally ready to meet Major Turner the CO of the 100th the MP unit he used to command. If you remember he helped her several books back and has been trying to reach her ever since. When he arrive he finds a male colonel in her place and finds out that she has been arrested. He then finds out that he is also going to be charged with crimes from 16 years ago and finds himself reinstated to the Army. When a bunch of Army toughs arrive at his hotel and try to convince him to hit the road Reacher figures that something is up. Springing Turner from jail and going on the run to try and find out why they both seem to have been set up to cover up a crime. Okay read but not as good as previous Reacher books.
Command Authority by Tom Clancy This Jack Ryan/Jack Ryan Jr novel finds the US dealing with a resurgent Russia who is threatening to reestablish the USSR. It starts wiith an invasion of Estonia which is beaten off with Nato i.e. US help. When an old friend and former head of the FSB falls ill and dies at the White House, Jack Ryan Sr gears up for possible action against Russia especially when the US is blamed. Campus officials led by Jack Clark find themselves involved in operations in the Ukraine which is next on the Russian strongman’s list. Jack Jr finds himself in London working for a financial firm trying to recover money for firms that have been swindled by the thieves running Russia. All the actions tie together including a case Serior worked as a CIA analyst 30 years before, as Junior and the Campus crew find themselves on the ground in the Ukraine with Russian troops on the way as Senior tries to avert WW III. I don’t know if this will be the final Ryan book for Clancy or if Mark Greaney his co-author will continue but a good read reminiscent of the Bear and the Dragon.
The Last Jihad by Joel Rosenberg This is an ok political thriller that follow the events similar to what happened after 9/11. A suicide plane attacks the presidential motorcade and a series of coordinated attacks take place against America's staunchest allies. Saddam Hussein is found to blame and it follows the prelude and war against Iraq. The main characters really don't do a whole lot until the climatic final scenes. It's an ok read but focuses too much on political stuff for me rather than the covert action, air strikes and military action.
Bloodwork by Michael Connelly This book follows Terry McCaleb a former FBI agent who just had a heart transplant. He is approached by the sister of the woman whose heart he receives and finds out that she was brutally murdered and she asks that he try to find the killer. So starts an investigation into the murder which ends up being tied to several other murders and ends up with McCaleb a suspect himself. OK read, not quite as good a Connelly's Bosch novels but a good read.
China White by Peter Maas Interesting in that this is a novel from Maas rather than one of his non fiction mob books. I got it thinking it was a true account of the Chinese Triads. Instead it was an ok book about a lawyer whose father had a connection to a Triad leader who is now one of his clients and attempting to do a major heroin deal in the US. of course his girlfriend is the FBI agent attempting to break up the triads. OK read at best
