Russell Blake: Fatal Exchange

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A turbo-charged thriller
Fatal Exchange is yet another great page-turning, turbo-charged thriller by Russell Blake.

Here are some of the diverse plot components dreamed up by Blake:
* A beautiful female NYC bicycle courier.
* A serial killer/body mutilator who has struck at several female bicycle couriers.
* A huge gang-related dreadlocked black man working as a bicycle courier.
* A NYC watch dealer who sells rare antique watches to a Korean diplomat for $1 million in USD cash.
* Large scale counterfeiting of USD $100 notes by a rogue Asian country.
* A greedy and unscrupulous hedge-fund operator helping that country to make billions.
* A group of Asian assassins at large in NYC.

How do they get connected?  They are put into the Russell Blake thriller-generator and chapter by chapter the plot evolves and connects.

Blake once again shows his skills in writing a satisfying thriller. Some parts are a bit gruesome but that's what you expect in this kind of thriller.

Vince Flynn: The Last Man

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The Real Rapp Returns
After the prequel "American Assassin" it was great to see the return of the more mature and experienced Mitch Rapp we have followed in so many books, especially the Rapp who can face up to enemies of all kinds, both in the field and the bureaucracy.

Vince Flynn has written a clever book set in the current international environment, from DC to Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is very realistic without making you think about the current players in the field. This time Irene Kennedy, Flynn's head of the CIA features heavily as the experienced, influential and almost unflappable professional head of the CIA. I hardly had a thought about the recent real incumbent who didn't understand that his private life affected his public responsibilities.

I loved the parts where Rapp doesn't tolerate fools, especially when things are going wrong. "... the answer to your question...I think you are an imbecile. There could be some underlying physchological issues as well....beyond that I'm pretty sure you're stupid." "Let me explain how this works. We're the folks you call in when the shit hits the fan."

I really loved the character of a 4 foot 11 inch female behemoth - USAF "Command Master Sargent" Sanchez - who ran the intensive care ward of a military hospital in Afghanistan where Rapp was recovering from one of his usual close encounters with violence. Sanchez was able, single-handedly and without any weapons, to protect Rapp from an invasion of a troop of FBI agents. With such a CV I hope she has a future on Irene's administrative staff....Rapp and Sanchez would make a mean combination!

The plot is fast moving and mostly believable and this time some goodies become baddies and baddies become goodies. Flynn also leaves us with a couple of violent characters that I am sure will re-emerge in later books. I scored the book at 4.5 stars because of a few inconsistencies in the plot.

Jo Robertson

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Disappointing after her recent novellas
I really enjoyed and recommend Jo Robertson's novellas, "The Perfect Gift" and "The Hitman's Holiday".  This book started as a good late 19th century detective/murder mystery and showed the same character skills I liked from the novellas. IMHO it went downhill when the detective stuff got sidetracked and became mixed up with a steamy relationship between the town marshal (great name Tucker), and Meaghan, a very independent female for the time, who carries out her own  investigations into the murder.

Herman Wouk: The Lawgiver

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An amazing and satisfying book
Herman Wouk (HW throughout the book) has written a clever, and amusing story with a strong Jewish American background.  I have long been an admirer of his major "factional" works about WWII, the creation of Israel, the 6 Day War and the Yom Kippur War. I read this book on its release because I wanted to see what HW could offer at the age of 97 when so many other authors have reached their "sell by date" many years earlier.

I was surprised by a short and satisfying novel that reeks of modernity in its epistolary format using only letters, tape recordings, e-mails, text messages, fax and even Skype between the main characters (including HW and his wife) to tell the story.  The prose adapts to each method of correspondence and is as sharp, and probably more learned and philosophical than his more action-packed stories from earlier days.

This may not be a book for everyone as it is essentially Jewish, and especially American Jewish which, as a Protestant Australian, is far outside my cultural and religious comfort zone.  But the writing and the passion for the subject, and especially for the characters kept me mesmerised and fully entertained.

Basically, the initial plot is that HW (in the book) has long dreamed of writing a novel about the life of Moses, the prophet who is at the foundation of all three of the world's the major monotheistic religions and "the most humble man in the world". The project had only got to the stage of a yellowed, almost empty folder at the bottom of a drawer when HW is approached by a leading Jewish filmmaker to write a screenplay about the life of Moses, to be financed by a Jewish billionaire from Australia. HW compromises by agreeing to vet the work of Margo Solevi, a successful young Jewish filmmaker with a great knowledge and understanding of the story of Moses drilled into her by her estranged Rabbi father.

The life of Moses is really peripheral to the main plot which revolves around the sometimes very amusing machinations of the Jewish dominated US film industry and more importantly the lives of several younger Jewish Americans who are struggling to come to terms with the legacies of being brought up in strict Jewish household. To me it is essentially a clever personal and professional romantic coming-of-age story with a Jewish background.

I could be picky at some of the Australian background which HW's editor's should have improved (for example Fair Dinkum means real or genuine, not OK) but that would be uncharitable to HW's work. It was great to me to see HW use the legendary background of Uluru (Ayers Rock) for a romantic interlude and to cast a humble and honest Australian bloke (or "mensch" - a good man) as Moses in the movie.

The ending was especially emotional as HW's wife, and mentor of 63 years didn't see the end of this book.  A few years ago HW said to his wife that he had 3 more books to write. "Is one of them fiction?" "Yes" "Then write that one." "Why?"  "Because we're living it up (her brand of Zen)". The last page of the book has a small photo of Betty when HW met her - what a beautiful woman.

A recent New York Times interview with HW tells that this lovely picture is framed on his desk. He told the NYT that his next book is already well under way. "I have written a large section, of which I will tell you nothing," he said, smiling.

Russell Blake: Geronimo Beach

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Reluctant Hero - "Al the Slob"
This was one of the most original and amusing thrillers I have read for some time. Russell Blake has skilfully crafted an almost believable conspiracy theory CIA thriller around a reluctant hero (or more truthfully anti-hero) Albert Ross.

Meet the reluctant hero - "Albert Ross, proud member of the U.S. Diplomatic Corps in shit-swamp Panama, Central America at your service".  In reality Al is a real slob whose daily routine includes large doses of alcohol and nicotine, and American fast-food to keep building his obesity.  To provide the cash to support his demanding lifestyle, via his contact with the Madame of the local bordello, Al uses of his diplomatic status to help people leave Panama illegally.

Al's boss, Sam (who is marginally brighter than Al) is impressed that Al was decorated for bravery during service in Kuwait. Actually Al was the only survivor of a gone-bad cocaine purchase meet between his Army buddies and a group of heavily armed locals. The Army thought that brave Marines had been ambushed by terrorists and Al, as the sole (but wounded) survivor was decorated for his bravery - Al preferred to keep the army version of the event.

The action really starts when Al agrees to escort a recently unemployed chef, Alfonso, to cross the border illegally into Colombia.  Both of them are not aware that Alfonso is being sought by powerful forces to recover some property he took from his former employer.

What happens then is an action-packed and frequently very amusing tale of Al's travels from Panama to Colombia. From time to time I laughed out loud at Al's predicaments and reactions. Blake carefully developed Al's character so that at the end I nearly liked him.

Russell Blake is a talented author to be able to write this kind of character based thriller as well his current more action-based thrillers (the Jet and Assassin series).

Stephen Coonts: The Minataur

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Jake Grafton recovers to fight another day
Stephen Coonts is one my favourite author list and when I got my first Kindle I  quickly found that this was the only book in the Jake Grafton series that I had missed.

This is a direct follow-up from the end of "Final Flight" where fighter pilot Captain Jake Grafton deliberately rammed another plane to prevent nuclear Armageddon.  After many months Grafton has recovered from his terrible wounds but is still facing up to his mental wounds. His wife Callie despairs that she will ever see the old confident Jake back again.

One day Jake is invited by the Pentagon to take an office job - something of an anathema when he really wants to go back into action. But he soon finds that his new super-top secret job of evaluating advanced stealth fighters and combating espionage is as challenging as being in action.

Grafton's navigator, Toad Tarrington, was not as seriously injured (only one rod in his leg) and is fit for active service. When he hears that Grafton is headed for the Pentagon he decides to follow him and join Grafton's team. There he meets his match with Rita Moravia, a top-gun female pilot who quickly decides that Toad will become the love of her life, and Toad quickly agrees. Toad and Rita feature in several later Jack Grafton books.

A lot of this book focuses on aeroplanes and flying and is very militarily detailed so it may not be everyone's cup of tea. But it does provide an interesting bridge between Grafton the pilot and Grafton the Admiral and intelligence operative in later books.

Stephen Coonts: The Intruders

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Jake Grafton - a post Vietnam prequel
With lots of aerial action and detail this is a great vintage Stephen Coonts about life on an aircraft carrier. "The Intruders" is set in 1973, shortly after the end of the Vietnam War and tells the story of Jake Grafton's experience after the stresses of Vietnam. Actually this is a bit of a 'prequel' because it was written out of sequence (it should have been book 2 after "Flight of the Intruder" but was written as book 5 after "The Red Horseman").

The main story is about Jake Grafton adjusting to a degree of normality after the stresses of Vietnam and his life as a carrier pilot. We also revisit Grafton's budding relationship with and love for Callie McKenzie that carries through strongly in later books. The book contains some memorable words about his first contact with his future father-in-law:

"You....drop...bombs?" His face was blank, incredulous. "And shoot missiles." Jake said firmly...."Doesn't it bother you? Dropping bombs?" "Only when the bad guys are trying to kill me."

A lot of the book is taken up with Coonts detailed description of shipboard life for a carrier pilot, how naval aviation worked at that time (things have changed a bit since then) and the action and excitement of flying in a dangerous environment.

If you like that kind of thing then you will love this book. Otherwise wait till later books when Grafton matures and gets promoted into an environment of world shattering responsibilities.

Robert Kennedy:

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Romance remembered from a divided Berlin
Robert Kennedy has written one of his most powerful and challenging contemporary romance novels, set mostly in the days of a divided Berlin. Thomas Nesbitt, an  American writer is facing the loneliness of a failed marriage that was always probably doomed to failure because of Nesbitt's memories of what might have been. His memories are revived when he receives a box in the mail from Berlin, with a return address marked Dussman, the name of a woman with whom he had shared a most passionate and damaging relationship many years ago.

The book revisits Berlin in the days of the Berlin Wall and describes the relationship between a young American writer and a beautiful woman refugee from the evils of the East German Stasi. Kennedy's description of the relationship is top notch,  and you get to know (or think you know) the main characters living in a world of deception, betrayal, and survival that we quickly forget after the end of the Cold War. His background of both sides of the Berlin Wall at that time is both evocative and chilling.

Kennedy's supporting characters are also superbly crafted, especially Alistair a larger than life talented artist who balances life as a homosexual and drug addict with intense artistic creativity laced with suicidal tendencies. When Nesbitt arrives in Berlin he saves Alistair's life and shares Alistair's apartment, putting up with his new friend's wild and different lifestyle. Amazingly, despite their differences they become a most unusual pair of supportive friends.

This is a challenging but rewarding book which you will remember for a long time.

Monique Martin: Out of Time

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Great time travel - stupid vampire stuff
I am a great fan of "Back to the Future" and this book is a bit along those lines with accidental time travel linked to an ancient watch. But the full-moon link to the time vortex was more than far fetched.

Professor Simon Cross and his assistant Elizabeth spend their academic lives searching for evidence of vampires. When they are accidentally transported to Manhattan in the 1920's they are thrown together in an interesting adventure that unlocks an emotional and physical attachment that was repressed in modern times. I really enjoyed how Monica Martin described how the couple coped with finding themselves in another time, without money, wearing the wrong clothes and not understanding the culture of the time.

What really put me off this book was when an unsavoury character who sets his sights on Elizabith incidentally turns out to be a vampire and proved what they had been searching for so long. Oh dear how unbelievable and stupid.

Jo Robertson: The Hitman's Holiday

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A very novel Novella
Jo Robertson has written an entertaining and clever Novella with a very novel plot - what does a contract hitman do at Christmas during his off season.

He starts by being bored with no action and gets into the Christmas spirit by purchasing a Christmas tree and starting to decorate it with items for the twelve days of Christmas. When he gets to the "5 gold rings" he is offered a contract that is different from any he has had before.

You need to read the book to find out how the strange contract evolves. Surprisingly, like some other reviewers, I started to like the cold-hearted killer when he was faced with  some difficult human choices.