Historical fiction you may really enjoy!

A new historical fiction item is entitled “Edge of Eternity,” by Ken Follett.  This is book three of the Century Trilogy.  If you don’t like to hold an almost 1100 page book, check it out on eBook from you library. This book covers the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s.  It will introduce the readers to such large events of the Cuban Missile Crisis, civil rights, Vietnam, the Berlin Wall and more.  Chapter one introduces Rebecca Hoffmann and her husband Hans. They are living in East Berlin—the communist side. Hans works for the Ministry of Justice.  Rebecca is currently a teacher in a government school.  She had come from a political family before the fall of Berlin and the communist takeover.  Her beloved grandfather had been part of the Social Democrat Party, not the Socialist Unity Party. She had decided that she would not join the Socialist Unity Party. She knew that this would limit her rise in any profession she chose. She decided to go into teaching.  Now she teaches Russian and English; a strange match really. Hans is a lawyer. She has been married several years and has yet to meet his associates.  She thinks this strange and he promises to arrange a casual affair after work so she can meet them. That assuages her fears. But today just before her first class she has received a notice to appear from the Ministry for State Security.  The appointment is for five that afternoon.  This physically shakes Rebecca because she does not know what this could be about.  But things are changing in East Germany.  What she would experience in the next few hours would rock her world!

A great fiction book with some historical elements or possibilities is entitled, “The Assassination Option,” by W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV. This is book two of the Clandestine Operations series. Webb has placed a two page dedication to persons he believes should be mentioned and honored.  The first four are those who are dead but have gone before in intelligence and military operations to defeat our enemy.  The next section of this dedication is for the living who may have retired from the action, and then the new breed who are current officers.  He ends with loving memory to three others and then tells us that “our nation owes these patriots a debt beyond repayment.”

The prologue of this item tells us the history of German, Russian, England and the American relationships and agreements in early 1943.  The United Nations was set up and the framework for the Nuremberg war trials put in place.  It discusses the quid pro quos also given to Russia even though they had murdered at least 21,768 Polish soldiers by gun point. An atrocity they would never be held accountable for! Web then brings us up to December 1945 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Rear Admiral Sidney Souers was visiting injured CIA operative from Argentina, Major Maxwell Ashton III after an attempt on his life. After he discussed with Souers his future desire to stay with the agency, Souers discussed his future assignment, how it would intertwine with other agents such as James Cronley.   Web intertwines a lot of history with the telling of this dramatic story.  Once you get some of the characters in place you are ready to be catapulted into action.  Hope you enjoy the read. 

Thrillers and mysteries that you may enjoy!

A new thriller that some may want to read is entitled “Phantom Instinct,” by Meg Gardiner.  She is an Edgar Award winning writer. This book received recognition as a stand-alone thriller (http://www.meggardiner.com/books/phantom-instinct).

In this book, protagonist, Harper Flynn is working as a bartender in a very crowded dance and bar. There were probably 1200 people inside swaying to the very loud music. The night was like any other night, but within seconds her world literally explodes.  Shots are fired, Molotov cocktails thrown, smoke everywhere and then the collapse of the building. She needs to get out, or like others she will be dead!  Harper loses a lot in this incident – love, health and clarity.  Now, she has one purpose, to find the last person who perpetrated this horrible crime.  Injured, reeling and broken she must push past her pain. Find out her journey.

James Patterson’s newest book which was co-authored by Michael Ledwidge is “Burn.” It is the seventh book in the Michael Bennett series. Bennett is on his way to a trial for a large drug dealer: the “Sun God’ or Perine Tepito’s cartel was taken down during a large Coke bust.   He was speaking for Tara McLellan who had been killed by the Cartel.  He thinks this is going to be quick and easy and then he can go back home with his family in New York. Wrong!  How can such a professional get it all wrong? He and the U.S. Marshals arrive at the court house with a MS-13 gang protesting racism and segregation. By the dress and bandanas their wearing Bennett knows this group of protesters is linked to the Tepito cartel, plain and simple. Things happen and the suspense begins!

John Sandford also came out with a new book entitled, “Deadline.” In this eighth book of the Virgil Flower series, protagonist Flowers is called to help with a murder and local dog knapping.  Winky Butterfield has his dogs in his kennel. He walks out on his porch and finds that someone is trying to steal his dogs. He rushes out with his gun to try and stop him. The man gets away but not before he gets off a few shots. Flowers is immediately called at 3:00 am for the theft of two Labrador dogs.  A few days later he came into a meeting of locals who had heard that many dogs were being taken.  They were irate and some swore they’d kill the person doing it.  Since many were gun toting savory types, Virgil did not take this lightly. A member of the community suggested “bunchers” were taking the animals. Bunchers are those that sell animals to laboratories.  The case of the stolen dogs is interesting but his life gets a bit crazier when Clancy Conley is found shot to death. Enjoy reading this quick and exciting read!

 Catherine Coulter with J.T. Ellison just published their newest book, “The Lost Key.”

This is book two of the “Brit in the FBI series.  If you have not read book one, it is not too late to start the series!  In this book, Protagonist Nicholas Drummond has just finished his FBI training at Quantico training location.  He has been partnered with Mike Caine. Drummond is no school boy when it comes to investigations; he is transferring from New Scotland Yard to the FBI.  Yet at headquarters in New York, he is going through all the Federal paperwork, pictures and such to be allowed to begin work. Once finished he goes to the 23^rd floor, finds his tiny cubicle (which is not much to talk about), but then he expects to be out in the field doing forensic work with his beautiful partner, Mike Caine.  She takes him and introduces him around the office when their boss Milo Zachery joins in to brief them on a recent stabbing on federal land (at 26^th Wall Street). This will be their first case to handle. See how they do!