Mark of the Lion
A Jade Del Cameron Novel
By Suzanne Arruda
The Mark of the Lion introduces us to Jade Del Cameron, a young woman with a strong sense of adventure. Jade grew up on a ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico where she learned to ride, shoot, and take care of herself. She is studying languages at Winsor College in England when WWI breaks out. She leaves school and joins the Hacket-Lowther ambulance unit.
When we first meet Jade it is 1918 and she is driving an army ambulance in France. She returns to the evacuation hospital from the front with a full load of wounded just in time to witness a dog fight between a German plane and her good friend David’s Sopwith Camel. David loses. As she holds his battered body he uses his last breath to ask her to find his brother. The problem is that as far as anyone knows he was an only child.
When the war ends Jade returns to England to finish her studies but the trauma of War and David’s request has left her unable to settle down. She takes a job with The Traveler magazine as a reporter and photographer and sets off for Africa where David‘s father died under suspicious circumstances while trying to find his illegitimate son.
Once in Nairobi Jade quickly learns that something very strange is happening. The natives are being terrorized by a witch doctor called a Laibon. There have been attacks by wild animals that have had strange patterns shaved into their fur, a sign of human control. The natives believe that this Laibon not only controls the animals but is capable of changing his own form from human to animal.
As Jade pursues her quest she meets a colorful assortment of people, some helpful, some not so helpful. In order to succeed in her quest and stay alive she will need to call upon all of her courage and ingenuity.
Mark of the Lion is an excellent read. Suzanne Arruda brings to life the beauty and magnificence of a land not yet “tamed” by man. She also brings to life the culture clash that existed between the native Africans who lived with nature and the British who conquered nature.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Peter Shandy Series by Charlotte Macleod
Between 1978 and 1996 Charlotte MacLeod published ten Peter Shandy novels, all of them wild, wacky and witty. Her characters range from the straight laced to the totally demented. Her plots are frequently laugh out loud funny. If you like unconventional mysteries that are well written I suggest that you try this series.
In the first book “Rest you Merry” we meet Peter Shandy, a professor at Balaclava Agricultural College and co-propagator of the Balaclava Buster rutabaga. It is Christmas time which means that it is time for the college’s main fund raising event, The Grand Illumination. For years Peter’s neighbor Jemima Ames has badgered him to decorate his house on the crescent. This year he decides he has had enough. After all but burying his house under gaudy decorations he escapes Balaclava for a sea trip only to be shipwrecked. Slinking back home to face his irate neighbors he finds Jemima’s body behind his couch. Is it an accident or murder? Thorkjeld Svenson, college president, champion of the straight furrow and berserker Viking, assigns Peter to find out, without ruining the illumination.
The second book is “The Luck Runs Out”. Strange things are happening in Balaclava County. First some prankster turns all the horse shoes nailed up in the college barns upside down, letting the luck run out, figuratively speaking. Second, the silversmith’s vault is emptied in a daring robbery while the newly married Peter and Helen Shandy just happen to be there picking out their silverware. Third, Belinda of Balaclava, the college’s prize sow is pignapped and the local farrier is found dead in the sty’s mash feeder. Peter is once again assigned to sort out the mysteries.
Third is “Wrack and Rune”. Professor Timothy Ames is visiting the Horsefalls farm in Lumpkin Corners when their hired man dies in a very nasty way. After calling the police and doctor, his next call is to Peter Shandy. Now Peter must find out why someone has been harassing the Horsefalls. Is the death another prank that has gone wrong or cold blooded murder? How does the old Viking rune-stone on the property fit into the mystery? To find the answers, Peter must deal with pranksters, large crowds of sightseers, and the college president’s 102 year old uncle Sven’s pursuit of an older woman.
Number four on the list is “Something the Cat Dragged In”. Retired professor Ungley rents Mrs. Lomax’s downstairs apartment. When her cat Edmund shows up with his hairpiece in his mouth, her only thought is to return it before the professor misses it. When she finds him not home and his bed not slept in she goes looking for him and finds him impaled on a harrow peg behind the Balaclava Society’s clubhouse. Police Chief Ottermole calls the death an accident but Mrs. Lomax doesn’t believe it and when Edmund finds another clue it leads straight back to the college. Overnight Balaclava County is the scene of a power struggle between town and gown that could destroy Balaclava Agricultural College. Naturally President Svenson assigns Peter Shandy, the Hercule Poirot of the turnip fields, the job of uncovering the murderer.
“The Curse of the Giant Hogweed” is the fifth book in the series. In this book Professors Shandy, Ames, and Stott have traveled to England to assist with the problems being caused by the growth of giant hogweed. When they set out to do field work they cross the border into Wales and find a world they didn’t expect. Trapped in the hogweed and confronted by a giant looking for the King’s pet griffin, it doesn’t take them long to realize that life has become even more bizarre then usual.
Number six is “The Corpse in Oozak’s Pond”. It’s Ground Hog day and all of Balaclava has turned out to see if the College ground hog will see his shadow. They get more of a show then they expect when a corpse pops up through the ice on the pond. When two more deaths follow, it’s up to Peter to find some answers.
In the seventh book, Vane Pursuit, Peter’s wife Helen is photographing antique weather vanes for the historical society. It seems like no sooner does she her pictures then the weather vanes come up missing. When someone fire bombs the Lumpkin soap factory shortly after their weather vane is photographed and someone dies in the fire Peter starts to investigate. Before he finds the answers he will tangle with a motley group of survivalists, assist a heiress who’s hiding out, and fear for the life of his beloved Helen.
Eighth in the series is An Owl Too Many. When Emory Emmerick, a site engineer for the college’s new TV station gets stabbed to death during the annual owl count Peter Shandy is once again on the case. A dead man who isn’t who he said he was, a secretary who keeps getting herself tied to trees, and a wild ride down a raging river in a tug boat make this a rollicking adventure as well as a good mystery.
Number nine is Something in the Water. Peter has gone to check out reports of beautiful, lush, lupines growing where they shouldn’t be able to grow at all. Staying in an old inn, he is waiting for his desert when the town’s most disliked citizen keels over face first into his diner. Foul play is suspected but Peter is much more interested in the lupines. Interested or not Peter soon finds himself trying to solve three mysteries. Who killed Jaspar Flodge, how are such lush plants growing in such poor soil, and who is the unknown artist who refuses to admit to painting such beautiful canvasses.
Number ten, the last but not least in the series is Exit the Milkman. Professor Feldster, Balaclava’s dairy expert and the Shandy’s neighbor has disappeared. Last seen on his way to one of his many lodge meetings he is seen getting into a big car with tinted windows and then nothing. He never shows up at the lodge, doesn’t come home and doesn’t show up for his morning class. Before he is found his obnoxious wife dies in a bizarre manor. Once again Peter must leave his turnip fields and classroom to play Sherlock Holmes.
In the first book “Rest you Merry” we meet Peter Shandy, a professor at Balaclava Agricultural College and co-propagator of the Balaclava Buster rutabaga. It is Christmas time which means that it is time for the college’s main fund raising event, The Grand Illumination. For years Peter’s neighbor Jemima Ames has badgered him to decorate his house on the crescent. This year he decides he has had enough. After all but burying his house under gaudy decorations he escapes Balaclava for a sea trip only to be shipwrecked. Slinking back home to face his irate neighbors he finds Jemima’s body behind his couch. Is it an accident or murder? Thorkjeld Svenson, college president, champion of the straight furrow and berserker Viking, assigns Peter to find out, without ruining the illumination.
The second book is “The Luck Runs Out”. Strange things are happening in Balaclava County. First some prankster turns all the horse shoes nailed up in the college barns upside down, letting the luck run out, figuratively speaking. Second, the silversmith’s vault is emptied in a daring robbery while the newly married Peter and Helen Shandy just happen to be there picking out their silverware. Third, Belinda of Balaclava, the college’s prize sow is pignapped and the local farrier is found dead in the sty’s mash feeder. Peter is once again assigned to sort out the mysteries.
Third is “Wrack and Rune”. Professor Timothy Ames is visiting the Horsefalls farm in Lumpkin Corners when their hired man dies in a very nasty way. After calling the police and doctor, his next call is to Peter Shandy. Now Peter must find out why someone has been harassing the Horsefalls. Is the death another prank that has gone wrong or cold blooded murder? How does the old Viking rune-stone on the property fit into the mystery? To find the answers, Peter must deal with pranksters, large crowds of sightseers, and the college president’s 102 year old uncle Sven’s pursuit of an older woman.
Number four on the list is “Something the Cat Dragged In”. Retired professor Ungley rents Mrs. Lomax’s downstairs apartment. When her cat Edmund shows up with his hairpiece in his mouth, her only thought is to return it before the professor misses it. When she finds him not home and his bed not slept in she goes looking for him and finds him impaled on a harrow peg behind the Balaclava Society’s clubhouse. Police Chief Ottermole calls the death an accident but Mrs. Lomax doesn’t believe it and when Edmund finds another clue it leads straight back to the college. Overnight Balaclava County is the scene of a power struggle between town and gown that could destroy Balaclava Agricultural College. Naturally President Svenson assigns Peter Shandy, the Hercule Poirot of the turnip fields, the job of uncovering the murderer.
“The Curse of the Giant Hogweed” is the fifth book in the series. In this book Professors Shandy, Ames, and Stott have traveled to England to assist with the problems being caused by the growth of giant hogweed. When they set out to do field work they cross the border into Wales and find a world they didn’t expect. Trapped in the hogweed and confronted by a giant looking for the King’s pet griffin, it doesn’t take them long to realize that life has become even more bizarre then usual.
Number six is “The Corpse in Oozak’s Pond”. It’s Ground Hog day and all of Balaclava has turned out to see if the College ground hog will see his shadow. They get more of a show then they expect when a corpse pops up through the ice on the pond. When two more deaths follow, it’s up to Peter to find some answers.
In the seventh book, Vane Pursuit, Peter’s wife Helen is photographing antique weather vanes for the historical society. It seems like no sooner does she her pictures then the weather vanes come up missing. When someone fire bombs the Lumpkin soap factory shortly after their weather vane is photographed and someone dies in the fire Peter starts to investigate. Before he finds the answers he will tangle with a motley group of survivalists, assist a heiress who’s hiding out, and fear for the life of his beloved Helen.
Eighth in the series is An Owl Too Many. When Emory Emmerick, a site engineer for the college’s new TV station gets stabbed to death during the annual owl count Peter Shandy is once again on the case. A dead man who isn’t who he said he was, a secretary who keeps getting herself tied to trees, and a wild ride down a raging river in a tug boat make this a rollicking adventure as well as a good mystery.
Number nine is Something in the Water. Peter has gone to check out reports of beautiful, lush, lupines growing where they shouldn’t be able to grow at all. Staying in an old inn, he is waiting for his desert when the town’s most disliked citizen keels over face first into his diner. Foul play is suspected but Peter is much more interested in the lupines. Interested or not Peter soon finds himself trying to solve three mysteries. Who killed Jaspar Flodge, how are such lush plants growing in such poor soil, and who is the unknown artist who refuses to admit to painting such beautiful canvasses.
Number ten, the last but not least in the series is Exit the Milkman. Professor Feldster, Balaclava’s dairy expert and the Shandy’s neighbor has disappeared. Last seen on his way to one of his many lodge meetings he is seen getting into a big car with tinted windows and then nothing. He never shows up at the lodge, doesn’t come home and doesn’t show up for his morning class. Before he is found his obnoxious wife dies in a bizarre manor. Once again Peter must leave his turnip fields and classroom to play Sherlock Holmes.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Six Geese A-Slaying by Donna Andrews
“Six Geese A-Slaying” is Donna Andrews’ tenth book in the Meg Langslow series. This time Meg has been talked into being Caerphilly County’s ‘Mistress of the Revels’ or in other words the person responsible for organizing the Christmas, excuse me, Holiday Parade. Ordinarily Meg would never have accepted the job but since the person who asked her to do it is the chairman of the committee that will decide whether or not her professor husband gets tenure, saying yes seemed like a good idea. As she stands in her front yard, clip board in hand, directing the arriving floats, bands, animals and handlers and other assorted participants to their staging areas her two biggest worries are the approaching snow storm and getting the Twelve Days of Christmas tableaus lined up in the right order. That is until her nephew, Eric, hands her an even bigger problem. It seems that someone has killed Santa.
As with all the books in this series, “Six Geese A-Slaying” will keep you snickering, giggling and laughing out loud from beginning to end. You may or may not figure out early on who the killer is, but that doesn’t matter. The fun of these books has always been watching Meg deal with the chaos around her while trying to catch the killer. On a scale of 1 to 10 this book is definitely a 8.
The series so far contains the following books. They are listed in the order written:
Murder with Peacocks
Murder with Puffins
Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos
Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon
We'll Always Have Parrots
Owls Well That Ends Well
No Nest for the Wicket
The Penguin Who Knew Too Much
Cockatiels at Seven
Six Geese A-Slaying
As with all the books in this series, “Six Geese A-Slaying” will keep you snickering, giggling and laughing out loud from beginning to end. You may or may not figure out early on who the killer is, but that doesn’t matter. The fun of these books has always been watching Meg deal with the chaos around her while trying to catch the killer. On a scale of 1 to 10 this book is definitely a 8.
The series so far contains the following books. They are listed in the order written:
Murder with Peacocks
Murder with Puffins
Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos
Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon
We'll Always Have Parrots
Owls Well That Ends Well
No Nest for the Wicket
The Penguin Who Knew Too Much
Cockatiels at Seven
Six Geese A-Slaying
Monday, September 29, 2008
The Vicky Bliss Series by Elizabeth Peters
The Vicky Bliss Series by Elizabeth Peters
Borrower of the Night
Street of the Five Moons
Silhouette in Scarlet
Trojan Gold
Night Train to Memphis
The Laughter of Dead Kings
Vicky Bliss is a modern day heroine in every way. She is smart, a PHD in Art History, self sufficient, brave and usually practical. She also finds her looks a handicap. Blond hair, blue eyes, just under six foot tall, thin is some places and broad in others. As she puts it, no one ever looks at her and believes that she could possibly have a brain.
We first meet Vicky in “Borrower of the Night”. She is teaching History in a small Midwestern college and dating Tony who doesn’t believe that she really doesn’t want to get married. He decides that he has to prove his intellectual superiority in order to win her and proposes a contest to find a missing piece of medieval art. So off they go to an old German castle, he to impress her with his superior brain and she to bring him down a peg. But they aren’t the only ones looking for treasure and the game quickly turns dangerous .
In the next book “Street of Five Moons” our heroine is now working for the German National Museum in Munich. When a the body of a vagrant is found in an alley with an almost perfect copy of one of the museum’s valuable pieces of antique jewelry in his pocket Vicky is off in search of the maker. Her boss, Anton Schmidt, believes that it is a mystery that only Vicky can solve so once again she is off and running. Her quest takes her to Rome where once again she finds herself in danger. The question is, will she lose her life, her heart or both.
“Silhouette in Scarlet” opens with Vicky receiving a rose, a one-way to Stockholm and a cryptic message. It can only be from the very charming and very crooked John Smythe. From Stockholm to a remote island Vicky finds danger, excitement, and trouble with a capital T.
“Trojan Gold” also starts with a mysterious message. This one is a picture of a woman dressed in the gold of Troy, which disappeared at the end of WWII. The picture is contemporary and arrives in a blood stained envelope. This time Vicky isn’t the only one to get a message. Several of her colleague have also received a similar message. As they all join Vicky, John Smythe and Schmidt in the hunt it soon becomes apparent that someone is willing to go to extreme lengths to win the gold.
“Night Train To Memphis” takes Vicky out of her of art history and into the world of Egyptology. This time she has been asked by the police to work as their operative on a luxury Nile cruise because they have ‘certain’ information that a major heist of Egyptian antiquities is being planed. Vicky suspects that the person they want her to find is her occasional lover and thief extraordinaire, John Smythe. What she doesn’t expect is to find him traveling with a beautiful young girl. As she tries to concentrate on “crime” she finds herself distracted by the other passengers but mostly by her own feelings for John. When one of the crew members is murdered her dream cruise really turns into a nightmare that threatens all that she loves.
“The Laughter of Dead Kings” is the latest of Vicky Bliss’ adventures. When a priceless treasure is stolen in Egypt the authorities believe that they know who did it, John Smythe. John on the other hand swears that he has retired from his life of crime. The only way to prove his innocence is to find the real culprit. With Schmidt in tow Vicky and John head to Egypt. With each clue they find John looks more and more guilty and when murder is added to the list of crimes they know that time is running out.
Elizabeth Peters also writes the Amelia Peabody series, the Jacqueline Kirby series and several stand alone mysteries. All of them are written tongue in cheek and are amusing as well as excellent mysteries.
Elizabeth Peters is a pseudonym for Dr. Barbara Mertz, one of the leading authorities on ancient Egypt and author of “Temples, Tombs and Hieroglyphs: A Popular History of Ancient Egypt” and “Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt.” She has also written several suspense novels under the pseudonym Barbara Michaels.
Borrower of the Night
Street of the Five Moons
Silhouette in Scarlet
Trojan Gold
Night Train to Memphis
The Laughter of Dead Kings
Vicky Bliss is a modern day heroine in every way. She is smart, a PHD in Art History, self sufficient, brave and usually practical. She also finds her looks a handicap. Blond hair, blue eyes, just under six foot tall, thin is some places and broad in others. As she puts it, no one ever looks at her and believes that she could possibly have a brain.
We first meet Vicky in “Borrower of the Night”. She is teaching History in a small Midwestern college and dating Tony who doesn’t believe that she really doesn’t want to get married. He decides that he has to prove his intellectual superiority in order to win her and proposes a contest to find a missing piece of medieval art. So off they go to an old German castle, he to impress her with his superior brain and she to bring him down a peg. But they aren’t the only ones looking for treasure and the game quickly turns dangerous .
In the next book “Street of Five Moons” our heroine is now working for the German National Museum in Munich. When a the body of a vagrant is found in an alley with an almost perfect copy of one of the museum’s valuable pieces of antique jewelry in his pocket Vicky is off in search of the maker. Her boss, Anton Schmidt, believes that it is a mystery that only Vicky can solve so once again she is off and running. Her quest takes her to Rome where once again she finds herself in danger. The question is, will she lose her life, her heart or both.
“Silhouette in Scarlet” opens with Vicky receiving a rose, a one-way to Stockholm and a cryptic message. It can only be from the very charming and very crooked John Smythe. From Stockholm to a remote island Vicky finds danger, excitement, and trouble with a capital T.
“Trojan Gold” also starts with a mysterious message. This one is a picture of a woman dressed in the gold of Troy, which disappeared at the end of WWII. The picture is contemporary and arrives in a blood stained envelope. This time Vicky isn’t the only one to get a message. Several of her colleague have also received a similar message. As they all join Vicky, John Smythe and Schmidt in the hunt it soon becomes apparent that someone is willing to go to extreme lengths to win the gold.
“Night Train To Memphis” takes Vicky out of her of art history and into the world of Egyptology. This time she has been asked by the police to work as their operative on a luxury Nile cruise because they have ‘certain’ information that a major heist of Egyptian antiquities is being planed. Vicky suspects that the person they want her to find is her occasional lover and thief extraordinaire, John Smythe. What she doesn’t expect is to find him traveling with a beautiful young girl. As she tries to concentrate on “crime” she finds herself distracted by the other passengers but mostly by her own feelings for John. When one of the crew members is murdered her dream cruise really turns into a nightmare that threatens all that she loves.
“The Laughter of Dead Kings” is the latest of Vicky Bliss’ adventures. When a priceless treasure is stolen in Egypt the authorities believe that they know who did it, John Smythe. John on the other hand swears that he has retired from his life of crime. The only way to prove his innocence is to find the real culprit. With Schmidt in tow Vicky and John head to Egypt. With each clue they find John looks more and more guilty and when murder is added to the list of crimes they know that time is running out.
Elizabeth Peters also writes the Amelia Peabody series, the Jacqueline Kirby series and several stand alone mysteries. All of them are written tongue in cheek and are amusing as well as excellent mysteries.
Elizabeth Peters is a pseudonym for Dr. Barbara Mertz, one of the leading authorities on ancient Egypt and author of “Temples, Tombs and Hieroglyphs: A Popular History of Ancient Egypt” and “Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt.” She has also written several suspense novels under the pseudonym Barbara Michaels.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Cockatiels at Seven by Donna Andrews
Meg hasn’t seen her friend Karen in over two years, when she shows up at her door looking for someone to watch her son, Timmy, for a “little while”. Karen now divorced, seems nervous and is definitely in a hurry. Meg being Meg, says yes, after all what’s a couple of hours. When Karen doesn’t return and doesn’t answer her home or cell phone Meg starts to worry. When she realizes that she has left most of Timmy’s clothes, a portable crib, a very large number of diapers and a list of instructions to rival a car ownership manual she begins to wonder just what a “little while” means to Karen.
Meg sets out, with Timmy in tow, to find Karen. With every stop Karen’s situation looks worse. The women who now lives at the address Meg has for Karen is unhappy about “thugs” knocking on her door looking for Karen. The new address that she gives Meg is for an apartment building that notorious for trouble and in Caerphilly’s three block “slum” district. When she arrives there she finds not Karen but the police looking for Karen. Then Karen’s ex-husband turns up dead. Is Karen a killer or another victim?
This is the ninth book in the Meg Langslow series. It is well written but lacks the rollicking fun of the previous novels. Don’t get me wrong there are a few giggles but unlike the previous books in the series I didn’t laugh out loud. Meg trying to solve a murder while trying to keep her various family members out of trouble is funny. Meg trying to solve a murder with an abandoned toddler in tow is not.
The charm and humor of this series has always been watching Meg and Michael deal with the over the top personalities around them. This book has very little of that. Although the author hints at other things that Meg would normally be worried about, we don’t see it.
I enjoyed this book but was also disappointed in it. Even the title “Cockatiels at Seven” doesn’t fit the story as all the previous titles have. If you are already a fan you may also find this book lacking. If you haven’t already been hooked on the series this book is good but not typical.
The series so far contains the following books. They are listed in the order written:
Murder with Peacocks
Murder with Puffins
Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos
Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon
We'll Always Have Parrots
Owls Well That Ends Well
No Nest for the Wicket
The Penguin Who Knew Too Much
Cockatiels at Seven
Meg sets out, with Timmy in tow, to find Karen. With every stop Karen’s situation looks worse. The women who now lives at the address Meg has for Karen is unhappy about “thugs” knocking on her door looking for Karen. The new address that she gives Meg is for an apartment building that notorious for trouble and in Caerphilly’s three block “slum” district. When she arrives there she finds not Karen but the police looking for Karen. Then Karen’s ex-husband turns up dead. Is Karen a killer or another victim?
This is the ninth book in the Meg Langslow series. It is well written but lacks the rollicking fun of the previous novels. Don’t get me wrong there are a few giggles but unlike the previous books in the series I didn’t laugh out loud. Meg trying to solve a murder while trying to keep her various family members out of trouble is funny. Meg trying to solve a murder with an abandoned toddler in tow is not.
The charm and humor of this series has always been watching Meg and Michael deal with the over the top personalities around them. This book has very little of that. Although the author hints at other things that Meg would normally be worried about, we don’t see it.
I enjoyed this book but was also disappointed in it. Even the title “Cockatiels at Seven” doesn’t fit the story as all the previous titles have. If you are already a fan you may also find this book lacking. If you haven’t already been hooked on the series this book is good but not typical.
The series so far contains the following books. They are listed in the order written:
Murder with Peacocks
Murder with Puffins
Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos
Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon
We'll Always Have Parrots
Owls Well That Ends Well
No Nest for the Wicket
The Penguin Who Knew Too Much
Cockatiels at Seven
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Everything But a Groom by Holly Jacobs
Vancy Bashalde planed to marry Bela Salo in the most elaborate wedding that the small town of Erdely, Hungary had ever seen. When Bela doesn’t show up for the wedding, Vancy not knowing that he has been in an accident, utters a curse that neither Bela nor any of his family will ever have a perfect wedding. When he shows up three days later she forgets her words and marries him that same night. It is only when her children’s weddings don’t quite work out as planned that she remembers her curse. And now her granddaughter and namesake is about to get married.
Vancy Salo doesn’t believe in curses, but just in case she has planned for every contingency. She has a back-up plan for everything from the weather turning bad to the presiding priest becoming ill. The only thing she hasn’t planned for it the groom running off with another woman. If being left at the alter isn’t bad enough, Grandma has told a reporter about the curse and his article has been picked up by the AP. Now Vancy has reporters clamoring for her story.
Matthew Wilde has just found out he’s an uncle the hard way. The mother of his brother’s ex-girlfriend has dumped two little boys on his doorstep.
Matthew needs someone to watch the boys until he can find his brother. Vancy needs a place to hide from the press. The solution is simple, she will hide out at his house and take care of the boys for the two weeks that was supposed to be her honeymoon. That will give him time to make other arrangements.
This is a cute story but extremely predictable. The characters are not cardboard cutouts, they’re spun sugar. The book is only 186 pages which is it’s saving grace. The book tells a nice predictable story without boring you.
Vancy Salo doesn’t believe in curses, but just in case she has planned for every contingency. She has a back-up plan for everything from the weather turning bad to the presiding priest becoming ill. The only thing she hasn’t planned for it the groom running off with another woman. If being left at the alter isn’t bad enough, Grandma has told a reporter about the curse and his article has been picked up by the AP. Now Vancy has reporters clamoring for her story.
Matthew Wilde has just found out he’s an uncle the hard way. The mother of his brother’s ex-girlfriend has dumped two little boys on his doorstep.
Matthew needs someone to watch the boys until he can find his brother. Vancy needs a place to hide from the press. The solution is simple, she will hide out at his house and take care of the boys for the two weeks that was supposed to be her honeymoon. That will give him time to make other arrangements.
This is a cute story but extremely predictable. The characters are not cardboard cutouts, they’re spun sugar. The book is only 186 pages which is it’s saving grace. The book tells a nice predictable story without boring you.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Pathfinder by Scott Washburn
David Dysinger is a 23rd century scientist who dreams of traveling to the stars. After years of sending out and analyzing faster then light probes, he and his team are ready to build the first FTL starship. The problem is getting the money and backing to build such a ship. Neither the scientific community nor the government are interested in star travel. The majority of people on Earth spend most of their lives wired into their computers, living in virtual reality. The governments of Earth are only interested in keeping the wire heads happily ensconced in their virtual worlds while they run the real world. The only people interested in star travel are the spacers, free thinking individuals who live aboard the orbiting space stations and supplying the power needed by Earth.
Backed by the Spacers and the only privately owned station, David and his team pursue their dream . For them this project is a scientific adventure. What none of them realize is that Earth’s leaders see their adventure as a threat. A threat that has to be stopped. But sabotage, lies, and murder will not stop the crew of Pathfinder.
“Pathfinder” is Mr. Washburn’s second novel. His first novel “War Among the Ruins” is an excellent piece of military science fiction. “Pathfinder” is also excellent science fiction but less in the style of Weber and more in the style of Bradbury or Wells.
Both “Pathfinder” and “War Among the Ruins” are published by Stellar Phoenix and can be purchased through Amazon.com.
Backed by the Spacers and the only privately owned station, David and his team pursue their dream . For them this project is a scientific adventure. What none of them realize is that Earth’s leaders see their adventure as a threat. A threat that has to be stopped. But sabotage, lies, and murder will not stop the crew of Pathfinder.
“Pathfinder” is Mr. Washburn’s second novel. His first novel “War Among the Ruins” is an excellent piece of military science fiction. “Pathfinder” is also excellent science fiction but less in the style of Weber and more in the style of Bradbury or Wells.
Both “Pathfinder” and “War Among the Ruins” are published by Stellar Phoenix and can be purchased through Amazon.com.
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