Three- Inch Teeth is the 24th book in the Joe Pickett series from C.J.Box, It is also the 23rd book I have read in the series. The only book in the series I haven’t read is Cold Wind. (Note to self read Cold Wind this year!). As a long-time fan of the series, while Three- Inch Teeth is one of his best books, it is for me one of the most disturbing.
The Last Ranger is the second book I’ve written by Peter Heller. The River was the first of Heller’s books I read back in 2020. In a year where I read 56 books (thanks to the pandemic,) it was one of the best books I read. So I was looking forward to reading The Last Ranger. I must admit that I found it a little slow going in the beginning and and actually set it aside and started reading James Grippando’s latest Goodbye Girl. However, I went back to it as the library due date for the book approached, uh it’s today! Anyway, I’m glad I returned.
“With an aplha female herione and a tantaliuzing premise, this hard-edged, gripping thrillermatches wits and wiles, delivering an entertaining romp”
Mara Roberts is the female herione and we meet her in the first sentence, which drew me into the book immediately…….
Mara Roberts knew the Agency would try to kill her father the day he got out of prison; she just didn’t expect her to be the one to do it.
Andrew Pyper is a Canadian author hailing from Stratford, Ontario. He has a B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from McGill University, He also has a law degree from the University of Toronto. However , he has never practiced law.
His novel, =&0=& won the 2014 International Thriller Writers Award for Best Hardcover Novel, and was a #1 bestseller in Canada.
=&1=& is his 11th novel and the 5th published by Simon & Shuster.
=&3=&is a ghost story set in the White House during the administration of Franklin Pierce. While I never really found the book overly scary, I did find the overall story intriguing.
Franklin Pierce is one of the Presidents that you don’t really learn a lot about in school. I had read previously about the Pierce’s losing their son Benjamin (Bennie) in a train accident It’s Bennie’s death and Jean Pierce’s attempts to contact him in the afterlife that is central to the story.
While I didn’t love the book I did find it an interesting read. When I was in the middle of the book I decided I wanted to know more about Franklin and his wife and family. So I googled “best books about Franklin Pierce”. There are only a couple of biographies the most recent was written by Michael Holt and is part of The American President Series. So I checked at my library for the book and it’s on its way to me!
Summarizing, The Residence was for me an ok read (3/5 stars). It kept me interested to the end but didn’t provide a lot of scary moments. However, there were a few thought provoking moments about slavery and the creation of our nation. So check it out! As for me, I’ll be checking out some of Pyper’s other books.
Finally, I was going to write about the rest of my morning in this post. However, since I went on and on about The Residence I think I’ll post this and tell you about my morning in my next post!
Links for the Further Exploration of the Books of Andrew Pyper.
36. The Last Odyssey (Sigma Force # 15) James Rollins
So this is the second of James Rollins’s Sigma Force thrillers I’ve read in 2020, While I was waiting for=&0=& to become available from my library, I read The Bone Labyrinth, which had been on my TBR shelves for a long time. I’m actually glad I read =&1=& Bone=&2=& recently because a character from that book makes a repeat appearance in The Last Odyssey. So everything that she was Involved in was still fresh in my memory!
Anyway in The Last Odyssey I was taken first to Greenland. In Greenland in an unground caverns below a glacier where an ancient ship is discovered by a group of scientists.
=&3=&Next Stops Italy , Turkey, the Mediterranean and Morocco
Soon I was taken to the Pope’s summer residence outside of Rome, and an underground city in Turkey. Finally, I was traveling along with the Sigma Force members across the Mediterranean heading for the Gates of Hell
Once again James Rollins creates a pulse-pounding adventure that blends some historical reality with Rollins’s own created reality. And at the story’s end he explains to the read what’s true (which is sometimes several things of which you shake your head and say “ that’s true?) and what’s fiction, over several pages
The characters in Rollins’ books are always well-developed and engaging. Plus there’s always a lot of mayhem created. Finally, when all is said and done and I can relax and catch my breath, I always find that I’ve learned something new!
While The Last Odyssey can be read as a stand-alone book, I would suggest reading The Bone Labyrinth first. So check both out!!
One of the questions I like to ask, when I’m summarizing the books I’ve read is: “where did my reading take me?”. Well in August it was to a variety of locales, including outer space. My first stop was southern Spain!
A Silent Death – Peter May
I requested this book from my library in January of 2020. Thanks to Covid 19 and the subsequent closing of the library, the book didn’t become available until July. Which is why it is an August read.
In A Silent Death Peter May took me to Spain. The book opens with John Mackenzie – an ingenious yet irascible Glaswegian investigator being sent to Spain to transport a known ex-pat fugitive Jack Cleland back to the U.K.
Cleland had been living in Spain under an assumed name. He was captured when police arrived at his home, they thought someone had broken in. When the police arrive and they enter the house the Cleland accidentally kills his pregnant wife. He then blames the young female arresting officer and vows revenge!
Prior to MacKenzie’s arrival Cleland escapes while being transported and vows to destroy the young officer Cristina Sanchez Pradell and her family.
An important member of Cristina’s family is her Aunt Ana. Anna has been deaf-blind for the entirety of her adult life: the victim of a rare condition named Usher Syndrome. Ana is the centre of Cristina’s world therefore a key paw in Cleland’s cruel plan.
Mackenzies quest becomes thwarting Cleland’s plan before he destroys Christina life and that of her beloved Aunt.
Peter May is one of my favorite authors. I particularly liked his Lewis Trilogy set in the Outer Hebrides Islands of Scotland. As well as, his more recent stand alone novels. His writing is always terrific and his stories original and exciting. Additionally his characters always memorable. John Mackenzie, Ana and to a certain extent Cleland join that group.
I enjoyed =&2=&a lot. However, I would say it ranks below a few of his other stand-alones like =&3=&, =&4=&and =&5=& in my opinion. Of course, if I think about it longer, I’ll probably change my mind!
The bottom line any book by Peter May is well worth reading. So Check it Out!
Next stop the Mediterranean Sea and Greenland as James Rollins’ and his Sigma Force take me on =&6=&
Back in July, I wrote a post to both remind myself and to let readers know that books from three of my favorite authors were being releasedt in August. The three authors,whose books were being released on August 21st, were Karin Slaughter, William Kent Krueger and Steve Hamilton.
Thanks to the post I remembered to go to my library’s website and request the books. At the end of last week, the books from William Kent Krueger and Steve Hamilton became available. My hold position for the Karin Slaughter release is 47 of 57. I guess we see who the favorite is! Folks don’t know what they’re missing out on, by not reading Krueger and Hamilton. Of course it works out well for me because I get to read the books!
Up First – Dead Man Running – Steve Hamilton
