"Arabesk" by Barbara Nadel is her third Inspector Ikmen mystery. Although Ikmen is home on sick leave and his protege, the newly promoted Inspector Suleyman, is in charge of current cases, Ikmen cannot stay idle and manages to insinuate himself into a very complex murder that Suleyman is charged with solving. Who killed the young wife of a male singing star and where is their baby daughter? Was the star's mistress (an aging singing star herself) involved or is some other sinister force at work? What is this Arabesk music that so enthralls the working class?
The case is complex and full of twists and turns and insights into Turkey. If you like a good mystery with a little historical fiction thrown in, this is the book for you. I'm ready for the 4th book in the series! pazt.
Monday, August 15, 2016
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
"The Girl On The Train"
"The Girl On The Train" by Paula Hawkins is her first thriller after fifteen years as a journalist. I believe she has found her calling and I hope she already has a new novel in the works!
This is the story of two couples who live on the same street and the connections between them and Rachel. Rachel rides the commuter train every morning and every evening from the room she rents in the suburbs. She loves to look out the window at the homes along the way but there is one particular street that interests her and she gives her own names to one particular couple that her observations from the train make her deduce that they are very much in love.
When the female half of that couple goes missing, Rachel decides she must go to the police with her observations because she believes she's seen things from the train that might have a bearing on the disappearance.
However, as an alcoholic, Rachel doesn't make a very reliable witness and she tends to have blackouts that cause lapses in her memory. Her ex-husband and his new wife don't paint a very pretty picture of her behavior either so who is really going to believe her?
Hawkins writes a tale that uncovers the layers in her characters lives and bares their secrets. What everyone thought they knew to be true may only be part of the truth. Like the layers of an onion all must be peeled away to uncover the real truth in all their lives. pazt
This is the story of two couples who live on the same street and the connections between them and Rachel. Rachel rides the commuter train every morning and every evening from the room she rents in the suburbs. She loves to look out the window at the homes along the way but there is one particular street that interests her and she gives her own names to one particular couple that her observations from the train make her deduce that they are very much in love.
When the female half of that couple goes missing, Rachel decides she must go to the police with her observations because she believes she's seen things from the train that might have a bearing on the disappearance.
However, as an alcoholic, Rachel doesn't make a very reliable witness and she tends to have blackouts that cause lapses in her memory. Her ex-husband and his new wife don't paint a very pretty picture of her behavior either so who is really going to believe her?
Hawkins writes a tale that uncovers the layers in her characters lives and bares their secrets. What everyone thought they knew to be true may only be part of the truth. Like the layers of an onion all must be peeled away to uncover the real truth in all their lives. pazt
Friday, July 1, 2016
"The Round House"
"The Round House" by Louise Erdrich is a novel that was recommended to me by a friend but it has taken me a while to read it. A recent short vacation was the perfect time to give this National Book Award Finalist my full attention.
"The Round House" is mainly the story of Joe Coutts, a 14-year-old member of the Ojibwe tribe. His father is a tribal judge who married late in life and Joe is his only child. Joe's mother is a tribal enrollment specialist charged with keeping enrollment (and some secrets) confidential.
Their idyllic life is shattered when Joe's mother arrives home in a traumatized state and it takes some time to unravel details of her rape and attempted murder. Joe's father and authorities begin searching for the truth and the guilty party while his mother remains traumatized and mostly uncommunicative in her bedroom after a period of surgery and recovery in the hospital.
Although Joe's father takes him into his confidence at times, Joe decides on his own to find the person responsible for basically taking his mother away from him. His father continues to warn him to stay out of it as he is putting himself in danger.
Although this is the story of rape and justice, it's also the story of Joe's coming of age with his friends and how this family tragedy and other events that summer shape his life. It's also the story of the lengths a young boy will go to in order to restore his family and bring his mother "home."
In the afterword, Erdrich discusses how "this book is set in 1988, but the tangle of laws that hinder prosecution of rape cases on many reservations still exists. 'Maze of Injustice,' a 2009 report by Amnesty International" includes statistics.....86% of sexual assaults on Native women are by non-Native men. When President Barack Obama signed the Tribal Law and Order Act into law, he called the situation "an assault on our national conscience."
Although the subject matter is not the most pleasant, Erdrich tells the story in a way that makes it very readable as well as informative. The characters became so real to me that I believed I might encounter them in real life -- a sign of good story telling, I believe! I will be reading more of her work. pazt
"The Round House" is mainly the story of Joe Coutts, a 14-year-old member of the Ojibwe tribe. His father is a tribal judge who married late in life and Joe is his only child. Joe's mother is a tribal enrollment specialist charged with keeping enrollment (and some secrets) confidential.
Their idyllic life is shattered when Joe's mother arrives home in a traumatized state and it takes some time to unravel details of her rape and attempted murder. Joe's father and authorities begin searching for the truth and the guilty party while his mother remains traumatized and mostly uncommunicative in her bedroom after a period of surgery and recovery in the hospital.
Although Joe's father takes him into his confidence at times, Joe decides on his own to find the person responsible for basically taking his mother away from him. His father continues to warn him to stay out of it as he is putting himself in danger.
Although this is the story of rape and justice, it's also the story of Joe's coming of age with his friends and how this family tragedy and other events that summer shape his life. It's also the story of the lengths a young boy will go to in order to restore his family and bring his mother "home."
In the afterword, Erdrich discusses how "this book is set in 1988, but the tangle of laws that hinder prosecution of rape cases on many reservations still exists. 'Maze of Injustice,' a 2009 report by Amnesty International" includes statistics.....86% of sexual assaults on Native women are by non-Native men. When President Barack Obama signed the Tribal Law and Order Act into law, he called the situation "an assault on our national conscience."
Although the subject matter is not the most pleasant, Erdrich tells the story in a way that makes it very readable as well as informative. The characters became so real to me that I believed I might encounter them in real life -- a sign of good story telling, I believe! I will be reading more of her work. pazt
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
"Broken Prey"
John Sandford has written another great Lucas Davenport novel, "Broken Prey." I keep thinking he can't outdo himself but he continues to surprise me -- twists and turns just like his novels.
Lucas is on his own at home while Weather has taken the rest of the family with her to London where she received a prestigious fellowship in maxillo-facial surgery for three months. He'd put on a little weight so, while she's gone, Weather put Lucas on the South Beach Diet and he's a little grouchy.
He has a distraction, though. Weather gave him an Apple iPod for his birthday and a gift certificate for 100 songs. He decided to take that as a challenge to limit himself to 100 songs and is compiling a lit of the "Best Songs of the Rock Era" with lots of input from his friends and co-workers.
Sloan, who is taking the lead on one of the investigations, says he's had enough of catching murderers and is ready to retire. Lucas doesn't believe it but Sloan's wife and Weather convince him otherwise -- time to let Sloan choose another path when this case is finished.
A series of gruesome murders have Davenport, Sloan, and the other police involved stumped trying to find their serial killer. With the help of Sister Mary Joseph (or Elle to Lucas), they come up with a profile and some ideas about where to start looking. Of course, where would a good story be without some challenges. Just when they think they have a suspect identified, there's a new twist. Will they ever discover the real killer and stop him (or her)?
As a pleasant distraction throughout the book, Davenport is coming up with his list of "Best Songs of the Rock Era" and we readers get a copy of the list at the end of the book. Were there any missed that you thought should be on it? In the meantime, I can't wait to start my next Davenport novel! pazt
Lucas is on his own at home while Weather has taken the rest of the family with her to London where she received a prestigious fellowship in maxillo-facial surgery for three months. He'd put on a little weight so, while she's gone, Weather put Lucas on the South Beach Diet and he's a little grouchy.
He has a distraction, though. Weather gave him an Apple iPod for his birthday and a gift certificate for 100 songs. He decided to take that as a challenge to limit himself to 100 songs and is compiling a lit of the "Best Songs of the Rock Era" with lots of input from his friends and co-workers.
Sloan, who is taking the lead on one of the investigations, says he's had enough of catching murderers and is ready to retire. Lucas doesn't believe it but Sloan's wife and Weather convince him otherwise -- time to let Sloan choose another path when this case is finished.
A series of gruesome murders have Davenport, Sloan, and the other police involved stumped trying to find their serial killer. With the help of Sister Mary Joseph (or Elle to Lucas), they come up with a profile and some ideas about where to start looking. Of course, where would a good story be without some challenges. Just when they think they have a suspect identified, there's a new twist. Will they ever discover the real killer and stop him (or her)?
As a pleasant distraction throughout the book, Davenport is coming up with his list of "Best Songs of the Rock Era" and we readers get a copy of the list at the end of the book. Were there any missed that you thought should be on it? In the meantime, I can't wait to start my next Davenport novel! pazt
Monday, June 20, 2016
"Cam Girl"
"Cam Girl" is authored by Leah Raeder, the USA Today bestselling author of "Unteachable." This is the first novel by her that I have read and I think I must have picked it up on my library's "Best Reads" shelf or saw it in a bookstore and thought it might be interesting.
I've been doing some traveling and I always like to take a few paperbacks with me to read but this is the only one I finished and it took me weeks instead of my usual days to get into it.
I like mysteries and this one has a mystery thread running through it that kept me interested but it also deals heavily with gender identity issues. That part mildly held my interest because a distant family member made the transition from male to female in the last few years and it has not been an easy process even with the support of family. This book covers some of those same issues. Do I recommend it? I'm not sure what to say. I'm glad I read it but will probably return to my list of mystery writers that I can't get enough of. So many books and so little time! pazt
I've been doing some traveling and I always like to take a few paperbacks with me to read but this is the only one I finished and it took me weeks instead of my usual days to get into it.
I like mysteries and this one has a mystery thread running through it that kept me interested but it also deals heavily with gender identity issues. That part mildly held my interest because a distant family member made the transition from male to female in the last few years and it has not been an easy process even with the support of family. This book covers some of those same issues. Do I recommend it? I'm not sure what to say. I'm glad I read it but will probably return to my list of mystery writers that I can't get enough of. So many books and so little time! pazt
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
"Zugzwang"
"Zugzwang," a thriller written by Ronan Bennet, was shortlisted for the Irish Novel of the Year Award in 2008. I would probably never have heard of it except my daughter and her English husband left it behind after a visit to the States last year and asked me to donate it to the local library. I decided to read it first and took it on a recent trip with me.
"Zugzwang" (for those of you who like me don't have a clue what it means) was defined at the beginning of the book: "Derived from the German,Zug (move) + Zwang (compulsion,obligation). In chess it is used to describe a position in which a player is reduced to a state of utter helplessness. He is obliged to move,but every move only makes his position even worse."
Chess plays an important part in this novel but the definition of Zugzwang also describes very well the position our hero, Dr.Otto Spethmann -- a famous psychoanalyst -- finds himself in when he and his daughter are implicated in a murder.
While he's being investigated, he's also treating some new patients: 1) a beautiful married woman he finds himself attracted to and 2) a brilliant disturbed chess master.
He has an ongoing chess game with a friend who is a world-renown musician and, as a widower, a difficult relationship with his college age daughter.
All of these combine to throw him into a personal "Zugzwang" where his choices are limited and not always the best alternatives. Although I found it hard to follow the chess, I did enjoy the intrigue and would love to read another Bennet book if I am able to locate one in the States. pazt
"Zugzwang" (for those of you who like me don't have a clue what it means) was defined at the beginning of the book: "Derived from the German,Zug (move) + Zwang (compulsion,obligation). In chess it is used to describe a position in which a player is reduced to a state of utter helplessness. He is obliged to move,but every move only makes his position even worse."
Chess plays an important part in this novel but the definition of Zugzwang also describes very well the position our hero, Dr.Otto Spethmann -- a famous psychoanalyst -- finds himself in when he and his daughter are implicated in a murder.
While he's being investigated, he's also treating some new patients: 1) a beautiful married woman he finds himself attracted to and 2) a brilliant disturbed chess master.
He has an ongoing chess game with a friend who is a world-renown musician and, as a widower, a difficult relationship with his college age daughter.
All of these combine to throw him into a personal "Zugzwang" where his choices are limited and not always the best alternatives. Although I found it hard to follow the chess, I did enjoy the intrigue and would love to read another Bennet book if I am able to locate one in the States. pazt
Friday, June 3, 2016
"Unbroken - A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption"
"Unbroken - A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" is the first book by Laura Hillenbrand that I have read but I hope to read many more. She has done an excellent job through research and personal interviews telling the story of Louis Zamperini.
Louis is described as an "incorrigible" delinquent whose life changed forever when he took up running and discovered a talent that took him to the Berlin Olympics. World War II found him becoming an airman who was on an Army Air Force bomber that crashed into the Pacific Ocean. There were three survivors but only two survived against all odds drifting around on a life raft for much longer than seemed possible to survive.
When the final two survivors reached land they were taken prisoner by the Japanese and expected to be executed -- which appeared to be the fate of the men whose names were carved in wood before them. However, unknown to him, Zamperini was kept alive to be used later for propaganda purposes and he believes the other survivor was not executed to make Zamperini more cooperative.
What follows is the cruel and inhumane punishments that he and other prisoners of war and others experienced under the Japanese. It is unbelievable to me (after reading this account) that anyone survived. One of the things Louis learned is that "degradation could be as lethal as a bullet."
Surviving to come home didn't mean coming home intact, though -- physically or emotionally. Louis suffered from nightmares and took up drinking that almost cost him his marriage. All that changed, though, when Louis' wife convinced him to attend a couple of Billy Graham revival meetings with her. Finally, he was able to get rid of the nightmares, forgive his captors, and give back - just as he'd promised he'd do if he survived the lifeboat odyssey.
The above is such a brief account of a remarkable story and a remarkable life that it doesn't do it justice. I urge you to read the book.
My wish -- that there be no more wars and no one ever has to suffer torture, bombings or death at the hands of their "enemies." Why can't we realize we are all one and what we do to others we also do to ourselves! pazt
Louis is described as an "incorrigible" delinquent whose life changed forever when he took up running and discovered a talent that took him to the Berlin Olympics. World War II found him becoming an airman who was on an Army Air Force bomber that crashed into the Pacific Ocean. There were three survivors but only two survived against all odds drifting around on a life raft for much longer than seemed possible to survive.
When the final two survivors reached land they were taken prisoner by the Japanese and expected to be executed -- which appeared to be the fate of the men whose names were carved in wood before them. However, unknown to him, Zamperini was kept alive to be used later for propaganda purposes and he believes the other survivor was not executed to make Zamperini more cooperative.
What follows is the cruel and inhumane punishments that he and other prisoners of war and others experienced under the Japanese. It is unbelievable to me (after reading this account) that anyone survived. One of the things Louis learned is that "degradation could be as lethal as a bullet."
Surviving to come home didn't mean coming home intact, though -- physically or emotionally. Louis suffered from nightmares and took up drinking that almost cost him his marriage. All that changed, though, when Louis' wife convinced him to attend a couple of Billy Graham revival meetings with her. Finally, he was able to get rid of the nightmares, forgive his captors, and give back - just as he'd promised he'd do if he survived the lifeboat odyssey.
The above is such a brief account of a remarkable story and a remarkable life that it doesn't do it justice. I urge you to read the book.
My wish -- that there be no more wars and no one ever has to suffer torture, bombings or death at the hands of their "enemies." Why can't we realize we are all one and what we do to others we also do to ourselves! pazt
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