The sequel to Song of the Current opens with Caro, now captain of her own ship, and Markos, rightful ruler of Akhaia, in a committed relationship. They continue to strategize how Markos can gain control of his country. The only option appears to be a marriage alliance in exchange for an army. Caro sacrifices her happiness by ending things with Markos freeing him to marry for political gain. To make matters worse, Markos sends Caro to fetch his future bride. The plot starts twisting from there and Caro is thrust into desperate adventures with her survival dependent upon an old adversary. The sequel is every bit as fabulous as the first, perhaps better. Caro is such an engaging heroine and her adventures are a thrill. I look forward to reading everything this author publishes. Highly recommend.
galley/ARC review Publication date 6.5.18
Livy and her mom return to Australia to visit her grandmother. The last time she was there was five years ago, when she was just five. She had met an odd creature near her grandmother’s well, took him back to the house and played with him during the visit. Then tells him to wait for her. She goes back to the States and forgets all about Bob. Five years later, she returns to find Bob still in the closet waiting. Slowly her memory of him returns and they set out to learn what he is and where he is from and how to get him home.
The despicable King of Brigant is stirring up trouble with the neighboring kingdoms and employs his son, Boris, do the bulk of his dirty work. They torture and kill anyone who might interfere. The King arranges the political marriage of his only daughter, Catherine, to the Prince of Pitoria, supposedly securing peace in the process. But diversions, betrayals, assassinations, and invasions abound and all because of demon smoke. The fierce demons live in the northernmost section of Pitoria along the border of Brigant. When a demon is killed, a smoke – perhaps their soul – escapes and is bottled. The smoke is inhaled to induce a euphoria of sorts. It is illegal to hunt demons and trade in demon smoke but the story opens with young, swift Tash teaming with huge Gravell to lure demons to their death.
Dr. Margaret Campbell has had enough. She could have left China and gone home weeks ago. Instead, she decided to stay and co-operate with the Chinese authorities. Now she’s tired and bored and ready to leave China and to leave the man she loves. Her plane leaves tomorrow. But once again circumstances interfere and she is asked to stay and help with the investigation of a gruesome murder. This time it is a death by beheading and the victim is an American citizen. And if things weren’t complicated enough, both she and Chinese detective, Li Yan, are forced to work together, struggling with their conflicting emotions. This second book in the Chinese Thrillers was laced with Chinese history and archaeology. I enjoyed the look into both the ancient, with the terracotta warriors, and recent with the horrors of the Cultural Revolution. The descriptions of locations were wonderful, placing me in the midst of the action. This is the Peter May I have come to expect. It is not necessary to have read the first book. Although the events of 
Humans are special, aren’t they? They speak many languages, and write beautiful poetry. They paint pictures and music that stir our emotions. Nope, the evolutionists say. We’re just products of mindless adaptation. Thank goodness Brown University biologist Kenneth Miller has an opposing view, and he makes his case very well, rejecting the idea that our actions and even our thoughts are determined by evolution. He begins with a summary of the recent finding of the fossil record and chromosomal patterns that are similar between humans and primates, to underscore his basic belief in human evolution. He then addresses the evolution of consciousness and of free will. The book is easy to read and provides much to think about.
William and Wilber, fraternal twins, grew up near the tiny village of La Paz, Colombia, without electricity, running water and the other conveniences most of us take for granted. But that was the life of all those around them. They didn’t feel deprived, except that William longed for an education, something that none of his relatives seemed to need. Jorge and Carlos, another set of fraternal twins, were raised in Bogota, lived the life of city kids. They went to school, to college. They were your ordinary urban professionals. And then the lives of these four young men were changed forever when they learned that their twin brothers were not their twins, were not even their brothers. Somehow, at the hospital, one twin in each pair was switched with a twin in the other pair. Psychologist, Dr. Nancy Segal, and social worker Yesika Montoya, used this unique opportunity to carefully research the old question of nature or nurture, looking at the impact life events have in shaping personalities. I found the story of the brothers lives before and after they learned the truth, and the findings of the authors about the role of genetics in personality, very interesting. But the book could have used some editing. Events seemed to jump around and much information was repeated.
Every five years, the lowland dwelling Aska and the mountain dwelling Riki must meet in battle because their respective gods had a feud. They fight and die because their gods had a spat generations ago. During the last fighting season, Eelyn watches, horrified, as her brother is stabbed then falls to his death with his assailant into a deep gorge. He is presumed dead and she, her father, and her clan mourn his passing. During this fighting season, she is stunned when she sees her brother fighting alongside their mortal enemy. Surely she is seeing a ghost – or is she? She is wounded, taken prisoner, enslaved and bought by her brother’s adopted brother. The very man who wounded him five years ago. When an even more vicious clan, the Herja, attack the Riki, the Aska and Riki must ban together to defeat this common enemy.
It was a good plan, of course it was. The historians would be in Persepolis trying to see if Alexander deliberately set fire to the place. All the while Clive Ronan (the evil villain) would be back at St. Mary’s taking the bait and being captured. Nothing could go wrong. Yeah, right. I’m talking about Max and her cohorts. Everything could go wrong, and it usually did. But when Max found herself plopped down in 1399 with no way to get home, things got very, very bad. This is book nine in the adventures of the historians at St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research. It’s a secret operation that allows “investigation of major historical events in contemporary time.” In other words, time travel. It’s a complex book, funny, tragic, heart-warming, sometimes very bloody (although this book is far less bloody than some of the previous ones). It’s better to start with book one, but not absolutely necessary. There are enough references about previous disasters to keep you up to date. I absolutely love these books.
Tribal Police Officer Bernadette Manulito knew she owed Officer Cheryl Jasper a favor, a really big favor. So she had to say yes when asked. Then she learned that she had agreed to make a speech, and that was the worst punishment she could imagine! When told it would be a simple talk to a group of troubled girls involved in an outdoor program, she calmed down a bit. Of course, nothing is ever simple and Bernie had to deal with a traumatized girl who had discovered a human skeleton and an instructor who had gone missing. Meanwhile Bernie’s husband, Sergeant Jim Chee is worried about Darleen, Bernie’ sister. Seems she is involved with some less than desirable characters. For many years I enjoyed Tony Hillerman’s books, and am delighted that his daughter, Anne, has taken over the series. Each book has gotten better, and this one is really good. The action flows, and the plot comes together quite nicely. Navajo traditions are woven into the story, and the descriptions of the landscape are wonderful. I am eagerly anticipating her next book.
Let’s see . . . there are a group of fiddle players on a ship bound for deep space, a talented forger of beef, a story involving a pair of feuding sisters and raccoons, ships leaving the dying earth. From the near future on earth to alien worlds in galaxies far, far away. You get the idea. This collection has something to offer everyone. There two novellas, eleven novelettes, and thirteen short stories, representing authors from many countries with many views of the future. Very good reading.
It is spring, 1940, and England is full of fear, full of uncertainty, waiting, waiting for something to happen. Young men had gone abroad to fight a war as had their fathers. The country was on edge. Phil Coombes should not have been worried. His teenaged son had managed to get a job with a painting company, working at RAF bases with fire retardant paint. It was a reserved occupation. The boy would not have to enlist. But Mr. Coomes was troubled, felt that something was wrong. The boy just didn’t sound like himself, and he was having bad headaches. So he came to Maisie Dobbs for help, asking her to quietly look into things. Jacqueline Winspear paints a vivid picture, capturing the war’s effect on various individuals, from the bravery at Dunkirk, to the profiteering, fear of spies, leaking of classified secrets. Maisie Dobbs is a complex character, very believable. At first, I felt that there were too many plot lines, but things came together and I ended up liking the book very much. Even though this is part of a series it can be enjoyed as a standalone.
Commissario Guido Brunetti is sympathetic when his wife’s friend comes to him. She is afraid that her son is using drugs, needs someone to listen to her fears, and hopes that someone can help. Unfortunately, Brunetti must tell her that there is nothing he can do. But when the husband of the friend is found at the foot of a bridge with a head injury leaving him in a coma, Brunetti investigates the possibility that drugs could be involved. As far as I’m concerned the mystery takes second place to the descriptions of life in Venice. It’s so laid back, with long lunches at home, walks by the canals, conversations with family. The characters feel real. They are flawed, vulnerable, muddling along as best they can. As are we all. I thoroughly enjoy these books and they don’t need to be read in sequence.
This story starts 18 years ago, when Cotton Malone was a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, Judge Advocate General’s Corps, in Mayport Florida, a lawyer. Predictably, it starts with Cotton in deep trouble and predictably he is bailed out by a stranger, a woman named Stephanie Nelle. So begins Cotton’s first job for Magellan Billet. It was to be simple. Retrieve a case containing a rare coin worth millions from a sunken ship. Not a problem. But he soon learns that he hasn’t been told the whole story, a story with more twists and turns than a mountain road. A story about a conspiracy, a conspiracy surrounding the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. I love the Cotton Malone books. The history is accurate (mostly) and the locales are beautifully described. The action is non-stop. That is true of this one. So I can’t understand why it didn’t wow me as usual. It is still a good read, and I still enjoyed it. Just not quite as much.
The indigenous people in the upper middle basin know it as Deh Cho. Those of the lower interior bush, the Nagwichoonjik, the Inut at the river’s end, the Kuukpak. All are a variation of Big River. It is the second longest in North America, eleven hundred miles. Today we call it the Mackenzie. The Northwest Passage, the water route through North America. It just had to be there, and the one who finally found it would be rich and famous. Alexander Mackenzie was very sure that the river described by the Red Knife Indians was the one. It was reported to be enormous and went forever into the setting sun. So the North West Company sent Mackenzie to lead an expedition. This is a fascinating book, for Brian Castner sets out to follow Mackenzie’s route in a two man canoe, and the chapters about Mackenzie are interspersed with descriptions of Castner’s trip. It’s a fine biography of Alexander Mackenzie, carefully researched and full of detail and it’s a great tale of adventure on an unforgiving river. Two books for the price of one . . . can’t beat that.
From the publisher, “Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most–a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen and or remain a human forever.
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