Tuesday Book Review

Four-star review of World of Secrets by James Maxwell

 The sequel to The Girl from Nowhere is full of even more action and adventure for Taimin and his companions as they try to cross the firewall. Along the way they, they learn more and more about their world and where the five races came from. A sixth giant race is also revealed. The change in attitude of the members of one race near the end of the story was a bit sudden, and the giant race telling them all that they were fighting a consortium of the other five was like an enemy telling our heroes how to defeat him. This book answers many of the questions posed by the first book in the Firewall series. I’ll read on to find out what happens to the characters next.

Tuesday Book Review

 

Four-star review of The Survivors by Hammond Innes

 This old suspense/thriller (from 1949) is action-packed. Duncan Craig joins The Southern Cross, part of a whaling convoy in the Antarctic, although he’s never done any whaling before. After a series of events, he’s stranded with part of the crew on a moving iceberg. As their food dwindles, the situation goes from bad to worse, mainly due to the antics of the son of The Southern Cross’s captain. The rapid-fire action and the character development are old-school but made this an enjoyable read. Even the romances are handled in an old-fashioned way. I enjoyed this quick read.

 

 

Tuesday Book Reviews on Wednesday

 Five-star review of The Watchmaker’s Daughter by C.J. Archer

 I was in the middle of reading two other books when I started this and couldn’t go back to the others as I was so enthralled with this one. The well-written blurb sums it up, India Steele is desperate after her father dies and her fiancé not only jilts her but is willed her father's watchmaking shop. She meets Matthew there when she goes to rant at her former fiancé and agrees to help him find an elderly watchmaker who’d sold him a watch in America. As the story develops in a world where the watchmaking guild won’t allow women to be watchmakers, the relationship between India and Matthew changes and we learn more about them. I’m baffled by a few negative reviews for this story because I enjoyed it so much. It appears to be the start of a long series. I’m already looking forward to reading the next book.

Tuesday Book Reviews

 

Four-star review of Taking the Fifth by J.A. Jance 

I’ve enjoyed many of Jance’s novels in the past, even the ones with J.P. Beaumont as the Seattle-based protagonist. This one was very predictable, though, and far from memorable, but a good, quick read.

A few of the characters were well-developed. A few were dead before they could be, even in retrospect. Beau is flawed, and one of his flaws is how easily he’s dazzled by a woman, in this case an over-the-hill singer who’s making a comeback. Throw in a murder by high heel and what do you get?

 

 

Four-star review of Exodus by Jasper T. Scott

 The third book in the New Frontiers trilogy wasn’t as enjoyable as the first two. The twists and turns of the ending were the most disappointing. Alexander and Caty are to be passengers on a colony ship that would take them to settle a new planet in the Proxima Centauri system. We’re introduced to another passenger named Benjamin and his mother. We also see some of the story through the eyes of the crew of the ship. Before all the 70,000 passengers boarded, the ship is attacked. It’s from this point that the story spins through many strange happenings. I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened to the characters, but it was hard at the end to feel any hope for the characters.  This series appears to be a kind of prequel to another series. I’m no longer sure I want to read on, even though I’ve enjoyed all of the other books I’ve read by the author.

Tuesday Book Review on Wednesday

 

Five-star review of Long Time to Die by Robert Kidera book 5 in the Gabe McKenna series

 The series ends on a high note, or perhaps I should say, satisfying note after an exciting story. Gabe is in a witness protection program from the FBI in Arizona when this page-turner starts. The action takes place on a train to Chicago, in Albuquerque, in El Paso and in southern New Mexico not far from Las Cruces and features many of the characters of previous stories, including his daughter and grandson. He’s still dealing with the cartel and needs help, but in return he provides important intel to the FBI. Now that this series is over, I’ll miss it and the locales I’m familiar with. Mostly, I’ll miss the characters.

Tuesday book reviews on Thursday

 

Five-star review of After by Morris Gleitzman

 The fourth book in the series returns to 1945 to fill in some of Felix’s story. His distinctive ‘voice’ pulled me through this sometimes-harrowing story. He’s not as naïve as in the earlier stories, but he still makes childish assumptions. He finds out that Gabriek has been working with a group of partisans against the Nazis in the area. They give Felix the job as assistant to Dr. Zajak, his introduction to medicine, and in particular, surgery. He works with the partisans, but after an attack on the camp, he finds and helps six kids in a nearby town after it’s bombed. The remaining series of events show his emotional growth as well as the many things he’s learned. A very quick, smooth read that’s perfect for everyone.