Pandemic-Taking Over the World

The pandemic has begun, and the disease is spreading rapidly across the United States and the rest of the globe. People are dying at an alarming rate if they are not one of the infected, and those who are infected are working to take over the world. With the spread of viruses such as Ebola on the news headlines, the third book in Sigler's trilogy, Pandemic, makes the reader think about how containment can easily fail and how quickly disease can spread across the globe.  Margaret Montoya, the scientist featured earlier in the trilogy, is requested to aid the government with Operation Wolf Head, the task force working to analyze pieces of what previous Sigler fans will remember as the Orbital, lying at the bottom of Lake Michigan. Montoya reluctantly joins the team, and soon learns that the virus has mutated from her previous research, and it is worse than anyone thought. Soon enough, the virus infects some of the crew, along with agents of the Chinese government, also in the area trying to recover the Orbital's remains and spreads like wildfire across the globe. It is now a race against time to control and find a cure for the latest mutation, and the novel builds to a fast pace with a showdown in downtown Chicago between the infected and the government team. I won't give away here too much of the details, but the final battle, also involving a tense fire engine ride, keeps the reader on their seats hoping that the team makes it through the streets to safety. A satisfying end to the trilogy for Sigler fans, and worth the wait for the final novel.

Sigler, Scott, Pandemic, Crown Publishers, New York. 2014. Isbn: 978-0-307-40897-6

Tattoos- A New Poison

Jeffery Deaver has a new Lincoln Rhyme novel out, The Skin Collector, and this one will either make you think twice about getting a tattoo, or at the very least make damn sure that you find the right tattoo artist. There is a new "unsub" in Rhyme's sights, that of an individual that first knocks out his victims with a tranquilizer, then proceeds to tattoo their torsos, with poison. After the victims wake from their drugged state, each then dies within the hour from the concentrated doses that have been inked into their bodies. Rhyme and his team, including Amelia Sachs of course, race against time to find the killer before he finishes his work. There are plenty of twists and turns in this novel, as Deaver is the master of making the reader think they have it figured out midway through, only to keep reading and have their assumptions proved wrong. There is a larger plot at play here with the unsub's needlework, which threatens the entire city of New York, and the team of detectives are kept on their toes trying to figure it all out while attempting to avoid being among the victim's list of the unsub as well. Another protagonist of earlier Rhyme novels, the Watchmaker, also makes an appearance, and gives a hint of more to come. If you haven't read Deaver before, this novel is a good standalone from the series, but Rhyme fans will definitely enjoy it.

Deaver, Jeffery, The Skin Collector, Grand Central Publishing, May 2014. New York. Isbn: 978-1-4555-1713-8

Reel Stuff- A New Lessor and Moore Mystery

Don Bruns has written another novel about two of my favorite characters,James Lessor and Skip Moore. The duo have their own private investigation business, which is always one bill short of bankruptcy, and they supplement their meager incomes with odd jobs, usually winding up investigating a murder in the process. This latest story, Reel Stuff, is set first in Miami, where the duo have managed to wind up temping as part of a security team on a television series shoot. Unfortunately for Moore, he is on set when the show's guest star, takes an unplanned leap to his death while filming a stunt. Pretty soon, Moore and Lessor are on the job when one of the show's stars tearfully asks them to find out who is responsible for the apparent "suicide". Along with Moore's girlfriend Emily, the duo start investigating, and soon find that they are ahead of the police in their theories on who is responsible. While Lessor is wooing the gorgeous co-star on the show, Moore and Emily fly to L.A. to investigate the actor's wife. Within a short time,  Moore is faced with fears on potentially losing his too-good-for-him girlfriend when she goes undercover to pose as a potential actress. Moore's reactions when actors show interest in Emily, think Leonardo and The Rock here, make you really feel for the guy, especially when every reader at one time has thought their guy/girl are too good for them. Lessor and Moore figure out who is behind the murder, and manage to get the job done and collect their pay. If you haven't already been introduced to the duo, I recommend reading any of Brun's novels-they don't need to be read in sequence but you might wish to. (PS. Bruns' The Mick Sever series is also always a good read)

Bruns, Don, Reel Stuff, Oceanview Publishing, Florida. 2013. Isbn: 978-1-60809-096-9

Rose Under Fire

I just finished Elizabeth Wein's latest novel, Rose Under Fire,

 and found it to be just as interesting as her previous novel, Code Name Verity. While I was hoping it would be a sequel to the first, it did have appearances by a few characters from that novel. This second novel  is also set during the time of World War II, and also focuses on a female pilot, Rose. Unfortunately for Rose, she flies into the wrong place accidentally at the wrong time, and is consequently forced by the enemy to land her plane in Germany. Rose is sent to Ravensbruck, a work camp mostly for prisoners and enemies of the state. She manages to survive long enough to escape months later, along with two other prisoners of the camp, and the story will make the reader feel as if they were right in the camp with Rose. She is placed in barracks with the "Rabbits"-a group of prisoners who were used for experimentation, and Rose works to ensure that their story is remembered so that it can be told to others, by composing poems of their hardships and the things they all endured in the camp. When Rose is marked for execution, along with the rest of her group, she manages to escape, and finds a plane to fly out of Germany, taking one of the frailest "Rabbits" along with her and another former pilot. The physical and also psychological changes Rose has to go through upon returning to her former life are detailed in the story as well, and it makes the reader realize just how difficult it must have been for survivors of the camps as well. Fair warning-this novel is tough to put down once you start reading about Rose, and I managed to finish it in about a half a day.

Wein, Elizabeth, Rose Under Fire, Hyperion, New York. 2013. Isbn: 978-1-4231-8309-9

Dangerous Odds

Marisa Lankester's recent novel Dangerous Odds,

about her life and time spent helping to run an illegal sports betting operation, is in one word, fantastic! Her book is so interesting that I spent an entire afternoon reading the entire story. When I met Marisa recently, she warned me that the first couple of chapters might seem dry and not very interesting, and I'm happy to say, she was completely wrong. I was hooked from the first couple of pages, and happily read throughout the afternoon. Marisa chronicles her entry into the world of working for an illegal sports betting operation and her rise within the ranks to become one of the valuable employees of the organization. Along the way, she falls in love with and marries her boss, and after the government busts and shuts down their operation, they move to the Dominican Republic to begin another. Marisa is a straight shooter, who doesn't hold back on detailing the daily operations and problems with running the organization ahead of the law, and her experiences within the prison system of the Dominican when they are raided again expose the sordid side of that country in detail. Throughout the story, Marisa also details the problems with her marriage, and its eventual ending, again not holding back her sadness and emotions. The book may be nonfiction, but flows along as smoothly as any fictional tale. Even if you have no interest in sports betting, you will be interested in the story itself. My only desire is that the conclusion of the book would give more information on where the people in the story are now, and how they are doing. especially if Remo finally got to live a life without looking over his shoulder. Great read for the end of the summer.

Lankester, Marisa, Dangerous Odds: My Secret Life Inside an Illegal Billion Dollar Sports Betting Operation, Cappucino Books, Switzerland. 2014. Isbn: 978-3-906196-00-8.

Stonewall Jackson- Lucky or Brilliant Tactician?

When people talk of the civil war in the United States, one of the names that continually will be mentioned is that of Stonewall Jackson, one of the South's most brilliant generals in the Confederate Army.

What many people would be pressed to name is Jackson's given name, that of Thomas, as the nickname of Stonewall is how he is best known. S. C. Gwynne has done extensive research into Jackson's history for his latest novel on the general, and it is a hefty read at over 600 pages. However, the reader gains great insight into the man that is known in history as General Stonewall. Jackson was a man who had a strong sense of religion and duty, and followed orders down to the exact detail. One such story in the novel that illustrates his adherence to command, Jackson was once asked to "wait here" in a commanding officer's tent, and when the officer returned the next morning, having forgotten all about Jackson, found him still sitting in the exact spot hours later. When questioned, Jackson stated that he hadn't been given orders yet to get up from the stool where he was sitting. Due to Jackson's strong sense of following orders, at times his army did not engage the Union army, even when they had ample opportunity to attack and win the battle, because he was waiting on direct orders from Lee. Other generals in battle pleaded with Jackson at times to assist them, but he remained where he was, waiting on Lee's orders. However, Jackson also had a great sense of military strategy, and pushing his men through the countryside to the point of exhaustion, he was able to travel farther and faster than other Confederate troops. Many times  he would be able to completely surprise the Union army, winning battles when they were out manned and out gunned, at great cost to the Union. Jackson was quick to prosecute and punish those who he felt were not following army regulations, and also those who he felt were not following the same religious and moral codes he so strongly adhered to .However, he was also a general who won the grudging respect of his troops, working alongside them to spur them on, many times when they weren't moving fast enough for his liking, he would dismount from his horse to assist, pushing wagons over muddy roads himself.  Even with the knowledge that Jackson and the Confederacy would eventually lose the war, as a reader I was rooting for him while reading about each battle, as the odds against them seemed so great with each one. Gwynne has done a great job in a comprehensive portrayal of Jackson, and those wanting to learn more about the general will enjoy reading this book.

Gwynne, S.C. Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson, Scribner, New York. September 2014. Isbn: 978-1-4516-7328-9

AI Intelligence Goes Rogue

The Kraken Project is one of the latest thrillers from Douglas Preston

 who never fails to disappoint with his novels. This novel features one my favorite characters of Preston's, former CIA agent Wyman Ford.  NASA plans on sending a probe with AI (thats "artificial intelligence") capabilities on a one way mission to Titan, a moon on Saturn, for exploration. Unfortunately for NASA, the AI programmer has done too well at her job, and the AI, code named Dorothy, soon escapes the lab test simulation and disappears into the internet, wreaking havoc at the lab in order to survive what Dorothy views as her impending death on Titan. Sounds futuristic? Unfortunately, it potentially could happen in our world soon with our advances in technology growing exponentially by the day. After Dorothy goes rogue, and attempts to contact her programmer to ensure her survival from the government pursuit, Ford is tasked with bringing both her programmer and Dorothy in. Add in a Wall Street trader who with the help of a computer hacker who desperately want the Dorothy program to help them to control the financial markets, and this novel travels at a fast pace to a showdown between Ford and the people who want to control Dorothy for their own means. A great read that makes one think about the future of computers and AI, and where we could be headed.

Preston, Douglas, The Kraken Project, Forge, Tom Doherty Associates, New York. 2014, Isbn: 978-0-7653-1769-8