Book Description
“Pelagia’s family likeness to Father Brown and Miss Marple is marked, and reading about her supplies a similarly decorous pleasure.”
–The Literary Review
In a remote Russian province in the late nineteenth century, Bishop Mitrofanii must deal with a family crisis. After learning that one of his great aunt’s beloved and rare white bulldogs has been poisoned, the Orthodox bishop knows there is only one detective clever enough to investigate the murder: Sister Pelagia.
The bespectacled, freckled Pelagia is lively, curious, extraordinarily clumsy, and persistent. At the estate in question, she finds a whole host of suspects, any one of whom might have benefited if the old lady (who changes her will at whim) had expired of grief at the pooch’s demise. There’s Pyotr, the matron’s grandson, a nihilist with a grudge who has fallen for the maid; Stepan, the penniless caretaker, who has sacrificed his youth to the care of the estate; Miss Wrigley, a mysterious Englishwoman who has recently been named sole heiress to the fortune; Poggio, an opportunistic and freeloading “artistic” photographer; and, most intriguingly, Naina, the old lady’s granddaughter, a girl so beautiful she could drive any man to do almost anything.
As Pelagia bumbles and intuits her way to the heart of a mystery among people with faith only in greed and desire, she must bear in mind the words of Saint Paul: “Beware of dogs–and beware of evil-doers.”
“Critics on both sides of the Atlantic have praised [Akunin’s] clever plots, vivid characters and wit.”
–Baltimore Sun
“Akunin’s wonderful novels are always intricately webbed and plotted.”
–The Providence Journal
Customer Reviews:
Stick with Fandorin.......2007-06-06
Not one of his best. No character grabs one's interest, and trying to keep track of the many players with their multiple, many-syllabled, sound-alike names takes one right out of the plot. Much better to wait for the next Erast Fandorin novel. Take a pass 'til then.
A sleuth in nun's habit.......2007-05-30
Boris Akunin is a well-regarded Russian author of suspense fiction, heretofore known for his Fandorin series, which concerns a part-James Bond, part-Hercules Poirot creation who nonetheless is strikingly original. SISTER PELAGIA AND THE WHITE BULLDOG marks the beginning of a new direction for Akunin and fittingly introduces Mortalis, a new imprint of literary mystery and suspense fiction for Random House.
We quickly learn from the unnamed, omnipresent narrator that Sister Pelagia is a sleuth in nun's habit, wishing to devote her life to God yet feeling stifled by the requirements of the order and by the role of women in early 20th century Russia. In addition, she is quite adept at solving mysteries, a skill that she hides from all except her supervisory bishop, who keeps her abilities a secret not only to preserve the good sister's customary role but also to keep her in reserve as a secret weapon in the political skirmishes that were the hallmark of the time.
The bishop generally has his hands full, what with an inspector from the Holy Synod coming to meddle in local affairs, the gruesome discovery of two decapitated bodies, and the bishop's aunt being in a terrible state as a result of the baffling death of one of her white bulldogs, a special breed that she and her late husband had nurtured through generations. The perpetrator of the canine murder is quickly determined, even if the motive isn't, and the unforeseen nexus that connects this and other events is slowly but surely sorted out in a climactic courtroom scene in which the good sister has a starring role.
It should be noted that Russian literature tends to be the antithesis of, say, a James Patterson work --- why use one word when pages will do? --- and occasionally, as even Akunin notes with a nod and a wink through his anonymous narrator, things seem to wander off track. All is revealed in good time, however, and along the way Akunin drops nuggets of dry, subtle humor amidst social and political commentary. Those who take their mysteries with great spoonfuls of explosions and karate may find this book wanting (though it does, particularly near the end, have its moments), and there is enough political intrigue and metaphor to provide a satisfactory feast.
Lovingly translated by Andrew Bromfield, SISTER PELAGIA AND THE WHITE BULLDOG is a welcome debut of a new series that hopefully will give Akunin the wider visibility in this country that his work deserves. And let's give some kudos to Random House as well for its brave launch of Mortalis. We'll happily look for more.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Akunin at his best.......2007-03-30
The Sister Pelagia mystery series may not be as effortless a read to take in as Erast Fandorin, but it's well worth the effort. While the White Bulldog may be have a plot that is slightly less dynamic than the one Fandorin fans are used to, it is a refreshing change of pace. The language is beautiful, the characters are engaging and the sleuth and her posse (bishop Mitrofani and Berdichervsky) are at least as charismatic as Fandorin and Masa.
The series (there are only three novels in it) picks up the pace in The Black Monk and positively goes berserk in the Red Rooster, but the provincial charm of the White Bulldog is very enjoyable too.
Most Russian fans of Akunin consider the Pelagia trilogy to be a more workmanlike and even series than Fandorin, which has its peaks and valleys.
A female Fr. Brown.......2007-02-13
In the midst of writing mysteries about detective Erast Fandorin, the author has also begun a new series. This one concerns a nun named Sister Pelagia, who is sent out by her Bishop to help solve mysteries and murders in a backward province of Imperial Russia. The action is fast, the plot never wavers, and the characters are all well-srawn. One interesting quirk to this story is that, when it is required, Sister Pelagia assumes the identity of her "sister", a widow who dresses and acts exactly as would an upper class member of the Russian nobility. I found the premise of this book fascinating, and the characters of both the good sister and her boss the bishop very believeable, therefore I am awaiting anxiously the next book in this marvelous series.
nineteenth century historical thriller .......2007-02-10
In Zavolzhsk, far from the home of the Tsar, Bishop Mitrofannii rules over the vast scarcely populated remote region instead of Governor von Haggenau. The Bishop has earned a reputation for solving unsolved mysteries, which he takes pride in accomplishing though he also knows who actually uncovers the truth. Now his elderly late Aunt Marya Tatischeva sends him a letter asking for his help as someone poisoned Zagulyai and Zadidai with the former dying in agony and the latter barely surviving. He decides to send his secret sleuth literature and gymnastics teacher Sister Pelagia to learn what happened and why to the white bulldogs.
Sister Pelagia travels to the home of Marya to investigate the canine homicide. Sister Pelagia quickly concludes that the target is the elderly woman, who is known for treating her dogs like pampered babies, but what the nun believes is the motive leads to several avaricious souls. However, other dogs are killed and the case takes a twist when two males are recovered from the nearby river with their heads removed. The Bishop directs Sister Pelagia to investigate the murders regardless of where it takes her, as he expects everyone to live morally and piously correct though he has some doubts with her switching identities from clumsy reticent nun to vibrant nimble Polina Lisitsina.
In some ways this is more a nineteenth century historical thriller than a mystery. SISTER PELAGIA AND THE WHITE BULLDOG is a superior whodunit that uses the backdrop to paint a vivid picture of a remote part of Tsarist Russia. Readers will have to adapt to the names of the key characters, but will find it worth the time as the descriptions are terrific and the cast powerful especially the Sister and the Bishop, as irony and humor augment a fabulous story line.
Harriet Klausner
Amazon.com
Setting aside his wildly popular Forgotten Realms books for the moment, Bob Salvatore continues to wade into his character-development-heavy Demon Wars saga with this meaty kickoff to the latest DW series. If you're familiar with the series (and if you're not, start with The Demon Awakens), you know that this ain't Icewind Dale. The generously developed characters take center stage, and they--much to our initial dismay, perhaps--are far from invincible. (More than a few hearts were broken when Elbryan the Nightbird, Touel'alfar-trained ranger extraordinaire, bit the dust in the last book, Demon Apostle.)
Mortalis shifts the spotlight to fearsome gemstone-wielder Jilseponie (a.k.a. Pony), who's got to decide just what path to take in the wake of Markwart/Bestesbulzibar's defeat and the death of her beloved ranger hubby. Should she take over the Abellican church as Mother Abbess? Or should she take King Danube's offer to be Baroness of Palmaris? Or perhaps her grief-tinged destiny lies along another path. Countless goblins still require a firm beating down, the ranks of the Abellicans are far from content, and a virulent plague threatens to kill off even more characters. What's a Pony to do? --Paul Hughes
Book Description
The long struggle is over at last. The demon dactyl is no more, its dark sorceries shattered by the gemstone magic wielded by the woman known as Pony. But victory did not come easily. Many lives were lost, including Pony’s lover, the elf-trained ranger Elbryan Wynden.
Despite the dactyl’s demise, the kingdom still seethes in the same cauldron of plots and machinations. But when a deadly sickness suddenly appears among the people of Corona, Pony must undertake a pilgrimage that will test her powers–and her faith–as never before. Watching her every step of the way is the man she hates above all else: Marcalo De’Unnero, the villain responsible for Elbryan’s death . . . who would desire nothing more than to lead Pony down that same treacherous path to destruction.
Download Description
After creating the spectacular DemonWars trilogy -- an imaginative tour de force hailed by critics and readers as his finest work yet -- Salvatore has surpassed himself once again in Mortalis, the stunning first volume in a brilliant new DemonWars saga. Enter a world as rich in intrigue as it is in beauty, where humans, elves, centaurs, and other creatures are allies or enemies in a timeless conflict of good against evil.
At last, the demon dactyl is gone, its dark sorceries shattered by the gemstone magic wielded by the woman known as Pony. But a new horror assails the land of Corona: a deadly plague that even Pony's supreme magical abilities cannot heal. Now Pony must undertake a pilgrimage that will test her powers -- and her faith -- as they have never been tested before. Watchful eyes follow her: the eyes of the elves, who have stolen something precious from her and keep it for their own mysterious purposes. And the eyes of the man she hates above all else -- who would desire nothing more than to destroy her utterly...
Customer Reviews:
Salvatore does it again!!.......2006-01-24
I have not read a book by R. A. Salvatore that I did not enjoy. These DemonWars books are his best! A world all his own that is so much like our own, though not.
Mortalis is the fourth book, or, the segway between the two trilogys in the DemonWars Saga. The first Triolgy encompassed our group of heros and thier fight to purity of the Abellican Church and to destroy the Demon Dactyl ( a manifestation of the corruption in the world). I wish to not give away any of the jucey secrets that these books hold, but I must say that Salvatore has no problem with killing off characters, and every one is for a reason.
In Mortalis a plague has taken the land (think Black Plague 'Pocketful of Posies') and the world must now fight this 'New' Old Evil. The Church has shut its doors in fear and the people suffer with only a few heros left fighting the cause. A miracle is in order and it will be found! But the way to purity will not be revealed in this review.
A wonderful book looking to morals and tough decisions. Do you have the faith to go against the crowd and lift your voice high to do what is right??? Get this book ( after having the first three !!! ) and I do not doubt you will enjoy it as much as I did myself!!
Fantasy at its Best.......2005-11-11
Mortalis contains everything you could want in a Fantasy novel. Unbridaled emotion, tremendous action, political+religious intrigue, and even a touch of romance to top things off.
I have often heard Bob say that he believes this is his greatest work. Although I believe that some of his other work is better, this novel is definitely right there at the top with some of the books books of the genre,
Salvatore's Intrigue Management.......2005-09-13
Just finished this one. After the first three of this serie Mortalis has less action and more intrigue between the church and the crown. Not so many action after the death of Elbryan. Salvatore's Intrigue Management is so unusual for the fantasy series, keeps you turn the pages compulsively and most of the time makes you stop and go "hmmmm". Also it is always nice for the reader to know the future of the characters that we know their childhood. I reccommend all not to read this one before the first trio.
Superb Fantasy.......2005-07-01
R.A. Salvatore has written his absolute best book to date. That is not easy for me to say, because I have read most of his works, and always enjoy them. Sometimes his novels are full of action but fall a little short on plot. Sometimes they have mostly strong characterizations but almost always there are one or two who seem out-of-place or need some rounding out. But his stories always bring enjoyment to my reading eyes.
But this time, he has topped all of his previous efforts. Even his Dark Elf Trilogy suffers when stacked against the developing epic of this Demon Wars saga.
I first approached this book with some trepidation. I had completed the first trilogy of the Demon Wars Saga and I was worried at how he would follow-up the emotionally charged ending of that trilogy. I also knew there was (and is) a second Demon Wars Trilogy. This then would appear to be an in-between novel. Was it just filler? Would it simply serve to wrap up any loose ends from the first trilogy and set-up the second?
The answer was yes...but so much more. We do, indeed follow Jillseponie (a.k.a. Pony) as she struggles to find her way in the cruel world of Corona. She has endured much heartache in her life and labors to find her role in the post-Demon world. As the hero that vanquished the Demon of the first trilogy, as well as the evil it had spawned, Pony is offered her choice of political appointments. Whether to be baroness of a province or perhaps the mother abbot of the Ambellican Church? Perhaps she is in line to be queen? Instead she takes the road that allows her to search for answers.
The novel is a bit of a departure for Salvatore. Instead of a hoard of goblins, or a demon spirit to vanquish, and the resulting sword battles that take place throughout, the enemy this time takes the form of the Rosy Plague. This extremely contagious disease has swept through Corona in centuries past and has led to thousands of deaths and immeasurable suffering. There is no known cure, even with the powerful magical "soul stones" of the monks of the Ambellican church. A truly formidable opponent indeed.
We get to see all the characters of previous books in the series, old friends to us now. We struggle with their decisions, both selfish and noble, as they choose how to best help the plague victims, or how best to avoid them. These characters are real. How they act faced with such calamity, may surprise you, just as those in real life may well surprise you when faced with similar circumstances. And we also get to know new characters, who will undoubtedly have large roles in the follow-on trilogy.
There is a great deal of political intrigue in this novel, both for the secular rulers of the region, as well as with the pervasive Ambellican Church. And how these institutions deal with their responsibilities to the people they serve, is fascinating to watch. Neither approach is flattering. And don't worry. There are a few action scenes as well, which are presented with the amazing Salvatore flare.
The best, most satisfying stories, whether fact or fiction, are those that triumph over the most difficult obstacles. Salvatore, in this book, has created an absolutely immense obstacle to overcome: the Rosy Plague. And along with it are numerous lesser obstacles, but nevertheless difficult to conquer. The way in which Jillseponie, addresses these issues is extremely gratifying. The ending is very satisfying and yet leaves open a yearning to hear more from these people. So you might want to have the next book on hand just so you won't have to rush out and get it.
Salvatore has gotten off track.......2004-09-06
I have bought and read most of the demonwar series. Some was good, but it went rapidly downhill after Elbryan died. The plot became convoluted, hard to understand , and Jilsiponie became a character who was driven by the plot, not part of it. As I have often said about Movies, I hate it when stupidity is necessary for the story to continue. I believe that entire story could have been well told in two books, and without the stupidity, could have been resolved much quicker. Some books let you know how it will finish, and you don't care, because the book is good. This series let you know how it would finish, so I didn't care to plow through it to read it to the end. Let's get back to Drizzt!
Average customer rating:
- Serious & Intriguing
- Taut thriller with a message
- great book
- stranger than fiction
- Haunting and compelling read from beginning to end
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Blood of Paradise: A Novel (Mortalis.)
David Corbett
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0812977335
Release Date: 2007-03-06 |
Book Description
El Salvador: America’s great Cold War success story and the model for Iraq’s fledgling democracy–if one ignores the grinding poverty, the corruption, the spiraling crime, and a murder rate ranked near the top in the hemisphere. This is where Jude McManus works as an executive protection specialist, currently assigned to an American engineer working for a U.S. consortium.
Ten years before, at age seventeen, he saw his father and two Chicago cop colleagues arrested for robbing street dealers. The family fell apart in the scandal’s wake, his disgraced dad died under suspicious circumstances, and Jude fled Chicago to join the army and forge a new life.
Now the past returns when one of his father’s old pals appears. The man is changed–he’s scarred, regretful, self-aware–and he helps Jude revisit the past with a forgiving eye. Then he asks a favor–not for himself, but for the third member of his dad’s old crew.
Even though it’s ill-considered, Jude agrees, thinking he can oblige the request and walk away, unlike his father. But he underestimates the players and the stakes and he stumbles into a web of Third World corruption and personal betrayal where everything he values–and everyone he loves–is threatened. And only the greatest of sacrifices will save them.
“This big, brawny novel runs on full throttle from first to last page. Brutal and heartrendering, eloquent and important, this is a fully engrossing read.”
–Michael Connelly
“A Quiet American for the new century. Angry and impassioned, Blood of Paradise is that rare beast: a work of popular fiction that is both serious and thrilling.”
–John Connolly, New York Times bestselling author of Every Dead Thing
“David Corbett is a supremely gifted writer and Blood of Paradise reminds me of a Robert Stone novel. Its lyrical prose and exotic setting filled with damaged souls grasping for redemption any way they can combine in a tour de force that will haunt you long after you reach the end.”
–Denise Hamilton, nationally bestselling author of Prisoner of Memory
“If you’re looking for the best in contemporary crime fiction, this is it.”
–The Washington Post, on Done for a Dime
_________________________________________________________________
THE MORTALIS DOSSIER- BONUS FEATURE FROM DAVID CORBETT
FROM TROY TO BAGHDAD (VIA EL SALVADOR)
The Story's Genesis
I conceived Blood of Paradise after reading Philoctetes, a spare and
relatively obscure drama by Sophocles. In the original, an oracle advises
the Greeks that victory over the Trojans is impossible without
the bow of Herakles. Unfortunately, it’s in the hands of Philoctetes,
whom the Greeks abandoned on a barren island ten years earlier,
when he was bitten by a venomous snake while the Achaean fleet
harbored briefly on its way to Troy.
Odysseus, architect of the desertion scheme, must now return,
reclaim the bow, and bring both the weapon and its owner to Troy.
For a companion, he chooses Neoptolemus, the son of his slain
archrival, Achilles.
Neoptolemus, being young, still holds fast to the heroic virtues
embodied by his dead father, and believes they can appeal to
Philoctetes as a warrior. But Odysseus–knowing Philoctetes will
want revenge against all the Greeks, himself in particular–
convinces Neoptolemus that trickery and deceit will serve their
purposes far better. In essence, he corrupts Neoptolemus, who subsequently
deceives Philoctetes into relinquishing his bitterness to
reenlist in the cause against Troy.
The tale has an intriguing postscript: It turns out to be the corrupted
Neoptolemus who, by killing King Priam at his altar during
the sack of Troy, brings down a curse upon the Greeks even as they
are perfecting their victory.
This story suggested several themes, which I then molded to my
own purposes: the role of corruption in our concept of expedience,
the need of young men to prove themselves worthy in the eyes of
even morally suspect elders (or especially them), and the curse of a
hard-won ambition.
Why El Salvador?
I saw in the Greek situation a presentiment of America’s dilemma at
the close of the Cold War: finally achieving unrivaled leadership of
the globe, but at the same time being cursed with the hatred of millions.
Though we have showered the world with aid, too often we
have done so through conspicuously corrupt, repressive, even murderous
regimes, where the elites in charge predictably siphoned off
much of that aid into their own pockets. Why did we look the other
way during the violence and thievery? The regimes in question were
reliably anticommunist, crucial to our need for cheap oil, or otherwise
amenable to American strategic or commercial interests.
We live in a dangerous world, we are told. Hard, often unpleasant
choices have to be made.
It’s a difficult argument for those who have suffered under such
regimes to swallow. They would consider it madness to suggest that it
is envy of our preeminence, or contempt for our freedom, that causes
them to view America so resentfully. Rather, they would try to get us
to remember that while their hopes for self-determination, freedom,
and prosperity were being crushed, America looked on with a
strangely principled indifference, often accompanied by a fiercely patriotic
self-congratulation, not to mention blatant hypocrisy.
Not only have we failed to admit this to ourselves, but the New
Right has embraced a resurgent American exceptionalism as the antidote
to such moral visitations, which such conservatives consider
weak and defeatist. Instead, they see a revanchist America marching
boldly into the new century with unapologetic military power, uninhibited
free-market capitalism, and evangelical fervor–most immediately
to bring freedom to the Middle East.
The New Right’s historical template for this proposed transformation
is Central America–specifically El Salvador, trumpeted as
“the final battleground of the Cold War,” and championed as one of
our greatest foreign policy successes: the crucible in which American
greatness was re-forged, banishing the ghosts of Vietnam forever.
There’s a serious problem with the New Right’s formulation,
however: It requires an almost hallucinatory misreading of history.
Misremembering the Past
In their ongoing public campaign to justify the Iraq war, many
supporters and members of the Bush Administration–including
both Vice President Dick Cheney and former defense secretary Donald
Rumsfeld–have singled out El Salvador as a shining example of
where the “forward-leaning” policy they champion has succeeded.
Mr. Cheney did so during the vice presidential debates, contending
that Iraq could expect the same bright future enjoyed by El Salvador,
which, he claimed, is “a whale of a lot better because we held
free elections.”
What Mr. Cheney neglected to mention:
• At the time the elections were held (1982), death squads
linked to the Salvadoran security forces were murdering
on average three to five hundred civilians a month.
• The death squads targeted not just guerrilla supporters
but priests, social workers, teachers, journalists, even
members of the centrist Christian Democrats–the party
that Congress forced the Reagan Administration to back,
since it was the only party capable of solidifying the
Salvadoran middle.
• The CIA funneled money to the Christian Democrats to
ensure they gained control of the constituent assembly.
• Roberto D’Aubuisson, a known death squad leader,
opposed the Christian Democrats as “Communists,” and
launched his own bid to lead the constituent assembly,
forming ARENA as the political wing of his death squad
network. His bid was funded and supported by exiled
oligarchs and reactionary military leaders, and managed
by a prominent American public relations firm.
• “Anti-fraud measures” proved intimidating. For example:
ballots were cast in glass jars. Many voters, who had to
provide identification, and who suspected the government
was monitoring their choices, feared violent reprisal if
they were observed voting “improperly.”
• ARENA won thirty-six of sixty seats in the assembly, and
D’Aubuisson was elected its leader.
• This was perceived by all concerned as a disastrous
failure for American policy. When D’Aubuisson tried
to appoint one of his colleagues as assembly president,
U.S. officials went to the military and threatened to cut
off aid. D’Aubuisson relented, but it was the only
concession he made to American demands.
In short, there was American influence, money, and manipulation
throughout the process, putting the lie to the whole notion the
elections were “free”–though Mr. Cheney was arguably correct
when he stated that “we” held them. Unfortunately, all that effort
came to naught, as what America wanted from the elections lay in
shambles. Even when, in the following year’s election, a great deal
more money and arm-twisting resulted in Washington’s candidate
being elected president, he remained powerless to reform the military,
curtail the death squads, or revive the economy, measures
Washington knew to be crucial to its counter-insurgency strategy.
By 1987, the Reaganites decided to abandon the decimated Christian
Democrats for ARENA–the party it had spent five years and
millions of dollars trying to keep from power.
As for Mr. Rumsfeld’s remarks, he made them in the course ...
Customer Reviews:
Serious & Intriguing.......2007-08-08
Inspired by the eloquent, yet deeply disturbing Greek tragedies of long ago, Blood of Paradise, is a dark novel, penned by one of today's most passionate writers. David Corbett's third novel, shines an unflinching and unapologetic light into the backrooms and back-alleys, corporate boardrooms and finally, the lofty and corrupt offices of the politicians sworn to serve and protect.
Whether defined or haunted by, his late father's choices, Jude McManus left Chicago and joined the Army. He now provides protection services for high profile executives in El Salvador. Assigned to guard Axel Odelberg, an American hydrologist, hired to evaluate the effects a proposed bottling plant expansion may have on local water supplies. The powers that be expect a "rubber stamp report", and will go to any lengths to ensure both favorable findings and total silence.
A brilliant liar and master manipulator, Bill Malvasio knew Jude McManus was an easy target. Exploiting his father's memory and using their friendship as a base, Malvasio spun a story filled with half truths. He explained to Jude that an old warrant prevented him from returning to the US. He asked Jude to escort the ex-cop, Phil Strock (the third member of his father's disgraced trio) back to El Salvador. While not entirely certain of Malvasio's intentions, Jude agrees.
However, he soon realizes all is not what it seems, as he finds himself in the eye of life-threatening storm fueled by greed and maintained through violence. The true extent of the danger slowly becomes apparent as the Salvadoran mob flexes its' muscle, ordering the murder of a female villager that complained her well was destroyed by the water project. Soon thereafter, an infant is kidnapped to guarantee her mother's silence.
The characters are flawed, three dimensional and absolutely believable. Throughout the novel recognizing good and evil becomes more difficult, as the reader begins to question their own moral assumptions and attitudes. The plot and subplots work well together and often propel each other forward. Intricately layered and complicated, Corbett revs up the suspense and the stakes as the novel hurtles toward the conclusion.
With a practiced eye for detail, Corbett's thoughts on the modern predicament are as insightful as they are chilling. Acknowledging the complexity of the politics and the difficult decisions being made by politicians, lends a realism to the novel, making it almost impossible to discern the line between fact and fiction. He weaves a myriad of seemingly disparate situations in the world - gang activity, terrorism, US foreign policy, corruption, murder, - into a seamless story that ties everything together. Exceptionally well written, with haunting depictions that capture both the beauty and the despair of a land and its people, which no longer seem so foreign or distant.
Powerful, shocking and thought provoking, Blood of Paradise is a challenging read that I would recommend to all who enjoy serious thrillers. For interested readers, Corbett included a dossier at the end of the book, describing the political atmosphere of El Salvador.
Happy Reading!
RJ xx
3Rs-Real Reader Reviews
Personal Note:
A dense and complex read, I often found myself returning to previous chapters to clarify the various aspects linking the characters. (A character list was an absolute necessity.) Also, I was frustrated by the use of undefined and obscure Spanish words that could not be interpreted by the surrounding text. Dark and disturbing, David Corbett's passion is both refreshing and moving, so much so, I immediately checked out his 2003 release, "Done for a Dime" from my local library.
Taut thriller with a message.......2007-07-28
David Corbett's best novel to date. Excellent feel for El Salvador and its corrupt political situation caused in part by its multi-layered relationship with the USA, the great provider and exploiter. As stated in Patrick Anderson's recent review in the Washington Post (March 12, 2007), "...El Salvador is still ruled by a few rich families who use rigged elections, corrupt police and unrelenting violence to maintain their power, and who are supported by the U.S. military-industrial complex."
As Anderson writes, "...(Corbett) clearly loves the beauty and the decency of it's working people; his book is replete with rich, sometimes
poetic descriptions." Corbett sets you down in this troubled country in a
way that you can only get from a book that has been researched thoroughly.
The characters are well-written. Especially interesting is Corbett's
deeply disturbed villain, Malvasio, one of the creepiest soldiers of
fortune you're likely to meet.
As Mr. Anderson writes, Blood of Paradise "is above all, serious novel. But seriousness, when combined with moral concern and novelistic talent, can produce outstanding fiction."
great book.......2007-07-20
Corbett's work is a thriller-reader's dream: flawed heros, colorful troubled settings, and sociopathic villians set in paradise.
stranger than fiction.......2007-07-19
Corbett's third portrait of evil plays out in the real world, real time setting of El Salvador, a tiny country where truth is, alas, stranger than his fictional riffs. The descriptions of place are wonderful. The plot, built on an ugly mix of American and Salvadoran motives, stirred up by unchecked greed, and fueled by mercenaries and thugs makes for a dark story. To me, it reads most like a cold war spy thriller, even though it's a story of a psychopath, some bad cops, and a lot of crooked businessmen and politicians. But there are rays of goodness, albeit vaporous at times, that kept me engaged and hopeful. I liked Corbett's end papers, his obvious desire to be a witness for truth in a country that has too many modern martyrs. This is fiction that's hard to pigeonhole as mystery or crime. As with Done for a Dime, Corbett refuses to write formula fiction - good for him!
Haunting and compelling read from beginning to end.......2007-05-30
I need to state at the outset that I had a bit of a problem while reading BLOOD OF PARADISE by David Corbett. It's a simple one: Corbett and I happen to have different world views. But, politics aside, this is a haunting and compelling read from beginning to end.
The novel is set almost entirely in El Salvador, a country that (depending on who you speak with) is either a Cold War success story in the face of communist insurgency or yet another example of an American foreign policy disaster. Corbett takes the latter stance and views it through the reluctant eyes of Jude McManus, an executive protection specialist who is assigned to guard Axel Odelberg in a hostile and dangerous environment.
Odelberg is a hydrologist (Corbett does an exemplary job of explaining what that is and how the job is done) who is tasked with evaluating a plan for the expansion of a soft drink bottling plant. Odelberg's considerations include the effect, if any, that this will have upon the availability of water in the region, which is crucial to the impoverished residents of the area around the plant as well as to the business and political interests of the United States. Much is riding on Odelberg's report, and McManus finds himself kept busy protecting his charge, even as he is slowly and unwillingly pulled into a political maelstrom.
The source of a good deal of his difficulties is Bill Malvasio, a former Chicago policeman who fled a decade before to El Salvador one step ahead of an indictment that ended the careers of a number of Chicago policemen, McManus's father among them. Malvasio enlists McManus's assistance in bringing Phil Strock, another former Chicago cop and an expert sharpshooter, down to El Salvador, ostensibly for guard duty but with more sinister intent.
Where BLOOD OF PARADISE truly shines is with the creation of the murky situational undertow that Corbett creates and slowly pulls McManus toward, even as we see (or think we see) where things are heading. Corbett is an absolute master of creating a scenario leading unexpectedly to explosive violence, and the result is a work in which one is compelled to keep turning pages even as one dreads seeing what will happen next.
Corbett weaves an extremely complex tapestry throughout BLOOD OF PARADISE while, interestingly enough, making McManus a devil's advocate --- a skeptic who wonders, with some merit, whether the Salvadorans' lot in life would improve regardless of who governs them. While things occasionally drag just a bit when one of the socialists who wander in and out of the novel begins an oral dissertation over tea, for the most part Corbett keeps the action moving slowly but steadily toward a series of horrifying denouements where it's difficult to sort out winners from losers --- if indeed such classifications ultimately matter.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Book Description
From the award-winning master of literary crime fiction, a classic work rich in tense drama and psychological insight.
On the East Anglian seacoast, a small theological college hangs precariously on an eroding shoreline and an equally precarious future. When the body of a student is found buried in the sand, the boy’s influential father demands that Scotland Yard investigate. Enter Adam Dalgliesh, a detective who loves poetry, a man who has known loss and discovery. The son of a parson, and having spent many happy boyhood summers at the school, Dalgliesh is the perfect candidate to look for the truth in this remote, rarified community of the faithful–and the frightened. And when one death leads to another, Dalgliesh finds himself steeped in a world of good and evil, of stifled passions and hidden pasts, where someone has cause not just to commit one crime but to begin an unholy order of murder. . . .
“Gracefully sculpted prose and [a] superbly executed mystery . . . Death in Holy Orders is among [James’s] most remarkable and accomplished Dalgliesh novels.”
–The Philadelphia Inquirer
“An elegant work about hope, death, and the alternately redemptive and destructive nature of love.”
–The Miami Herald
“Absorbing . . . [James’s] plotting and characterization [are] impeccable.”
–Orlando Sentinel
“P. D. James is in top form.”
–The Boston Globe
Open the exclusive dossier at the back of this book, featuring P. D. James’ essay on penning the perfect detective novel.
Customer Reviews:
P D James movies on BBC better than books.......2007-08-30
I've read several of P D James books. I thought I would like them more than the BBC movies because I usually want to know what characters are thinking. However James writes soooooo much detail in that respect it slows, almost stops, the story. OK, we do as readers get a real understanding of each person, but most of it does nothing to actually further the plot.
I do say that she writes very good character description/understanding, but most readers of detective stories are not looking for literary writing.
Odoriforous!.......2007-04-24
A rehash of the usual James elements. Endless detail on architecture and interior decoration, but no memorable characters, despite all the details. The mystery plot is uninspired. Neither a good novel nor a good mystery. Characters make long sppeches about the state of religion in Britian today, which is an interesting question in an essay, but of little interest in a novel where the characters never really come to life as well-rounded, interesting people. Some of the plot elements are laughingly bad, like the whole ridiculous episode over the communion wafer. Read The Black Tower or Shroud for a Nightingale instead. Both work better as novels and mysteries.
Intricate, Elegant Plot.......2007-02-09
P.D. has once again given us an Adam Dalgliesh mystery that gathers up many threads and weaves them into a sweeping tapestry of murder and intrigue. Set on a desolate stretch of English seashore, bones often wash up from a graveyard overtaken by the ever-encroaching sea. In the C of E seminary close by the coastline, the doors of residents and guests boast no locks and expand the suspect list. James takes strands of the past and weaves its twists and turns into the present moment, where murder unravels the peace of this place of sanctuary. A quintessential James whodunit with the finely-worked plotlines and imagery we've come to expect from the Baroness.
Amazon.com
Although A Certain Justice begins with news of a murder, the victim isn't set to die for another four weeks. Publicly respected but privately loathed, Venetia Aldridge has far more enemies than a brilliant London criminal lawyer should--and at least one of them is determined to do her in. Venetia plies her superior trade in courts that harbor "the illusion that the passions of men were susceptible to order and control," but her past and private life are exceedingly unruly. Her married lover is intent on giving her up; her daughter loathes her; her fellow barristers are determined that she not become the next head of chambers. Even the cleaning women seems to have something on her.
The outline alone of this complex novel would take pages (as would the eclectic inventory of players), but P. D. James makes us admire far more than her brilliantly developed plot. James in fact creates a crowded gallery of surprisingly decent suspects, along with one suitably vile creature--who happens to be Aldridge's last client.
A superior murder mystery, A Certain Justice is also a gripping anatomy of wild justice. James's characters can be overcome by hate, but she is equally concerned with love's manifestations--human, divine, destructive, and healing.
Book Description
When distinguished criminal lawyer Venetia Aldridge defends a young man for the brutal murder of his mother, she views the case as simply another opportunity to demonstrate her brilliance in the courtroom. But within weeks of the trial Aldridge is found dead at her desk, a bloodstained barrister’s wig on her head. And as Commander Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard attempts to make sense of events, the murders continue, inexorably spiraling into fresh complexities of horror.
“Gripping.”
–The Wall Street Journal
“A compelling tale of pride, deceit, and revenge.”
–St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Shocking . . . fascinating . . . A Certain Justice sucks the reader in right from the dramatic first line.”
–Los Angeles Times
“This is a P. D. James case to shiver through and revel in–dark page by dark page.”
–Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Enthralling . . . [P. D. James’s] stories always captivate.”
–Associated Press
“Taut, suspenseful, and deeply penetrating.”
–Baltimore Sun
Customer Reviews:
Superb British mystery.......2007-10-07
P.D. James is an author of immense skill. Her mysteries plumb the depths of the human soul and illustrate perfectly the fine line that separates the civilized world from the uncivilized.
A Certain Justice weaves together several complex and compelling storylines. There is a gradual buildup which begins with the commission of a crime and culminates in the unraveling of all the disparate threads that brought said crime to fruition. The characters are complex and believable and though the mystery unfolds slowly, it is never boring. Each character has a compelling story and James does a masterful job of showing how the choices that one makes in life can either lead to a continuation of the abuses of the past or a triumph over them, with Ashe and Kate serving as perfect foils.
Characters are James's strength. Dalgliesh remains rather elusive but the lives and experiences of those who serve under him and those whom he seeks to bring to justice are richly and vividly drawn. James's characters are entirely human and believable and seem as if they could walk off of the page and out into the real world. In short, she is one of the finest mystery writers out there and her novels are always richly rewarding literary works.
"You can't help people that are born evil.".......2007-01-03
P.D. James is an amazing author. I really enjoyed A Certain Justice. The book was lengthy, yet very readable. The cast of characters and their dirty little secrets are brought to life in evocative fashion. James clearly has an immense understanding of the criminal justice system, which certainly was gained from her time as a magistrate and while working for the British Civil Service.
I notice that several reviews speak of a "weak" ending. I disagree. The ending is not only plausible, but possible.
It is always a treat, when reading one of Ms. James's novels, waiting for the first appearance of Adam Dalgliesh. Amazingly, the story proceeds and is very intriguing before he and his murder team generally enter the fray. Yet, one he arrives, the book then becomes very difficult to put down.
It should be noted that Ms. James introduces us to one of her most indsidious and evil characters to date.
A strong 5 star read.
An Author Who Respects Her Readers.......2006-11-28
Why is it rare these days to encounter a mystery that hasn't been obviously dumbed down for a general readership? Perhaps the British market is more demanding and, yes, I obviously need to read more of Ms. James--yet I can't help but be impressed by an author that has command of her subject sufficient to write a conclusion that is all too familiar to anyone who has practiced law. To say more risks a spoiler warning but suffice it to say that the law does not have as good a track record as that of most literary detectives.
The exposition of the life of a barrister was particularly interesting to me--an attorney toiling away in the overworked American interpretation of a dispute-resolution method over a thousand years old. Frankly, I wonder how many of my colleagues could reasonably discuss Magna Carta (but I'll bet that they can discuss OJ) One need not worry about the specific terms of art--an English Type-A personality is very similar to the American Type-A personality so far as obsessive focus on professional requirements is concerned.
Not only are the characters fully and expertly developed, not only does the author have much to say about the spirit and purpose of the criminal defense, there is an intricate story of revenge that says much about the meaning of justice. What is more just? Self-help? Letting the system have its way?
The ending of this book, apparently unsatisfactory to many, is in reality a great achievement--it is the perfect resolution. No spoilers here, the title says it all. Here's the highest recommendation I can give, I have ordered the first Adam Dalgliesh mystery--Cover Her Face--and look forward to some excellent reading as I work through each and every one of these mysteries.
Fun Summer Reading for Mystery Lovers.......2006-08-03
Especially if you're looking for the fun escapism of an old fashioned murder mystery, P.D. James' "A Certain Justice" fills the bill perfectly. The structure is more complex than your average whodunnit (due primarily to the large number of characters), it includes the fine deductive powers of Inspector Dalgliesh, and a lawyer that most people in the story don't like is killed. So how bad can it be?
I've read that some of James' more constant readers don't care for the ending, but I did. After all, if everything always worked out as "expected," life (and certainly these mystery books) wouldn't be nearly as interesting.
One note if you've never read P.D. James before: I find her fun to read because she's great with language and serious about wanting you to "know" each character well. Thus, while it IS fun reading, it's not always exactly "light" reading, in that interuptions to the flow of her descriptions can make her books tough to drop at a moment's notice and pick up easily later. She's always well worth the effort, though.
Standard fare.......2006-01-09
Let's see, the writing is slow and tedious, there is very little suspense, the "main character" is not even introduced until the book is almost half over. The revelations are interesting but do not really titillate the imagination, and parts are rather predictable. In the end, everything is wrapped up a bit too tightly and easily. One comes from this book with a sense of hollowness.
Average customer rating:
- A unique perspective on the War on Terror
- Tight Prose, Moderately Enjoyable Story, Poorly Drawn Characters
- enjoyable espionage thriller
|
An Accidental American: A Novel (Mortalis)
Alex Carr
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0812977084
Release Date: 2007-04-17 |
Book Description
Forced out of a self-imposed exile, one woman faces a lifetime’s worth of secrets and betrayal–all in the name of staying alive.
Nicole Blake had planned to leave her criminal life in the past. She had done her time in a dank prison in Marseille and relinquished the world of forgery and counterfeiting for an unassuming career as a freelance consultant. Now her world is a small farm in the French Pyrenees, with daily fresh eggs and the companionship of her devoted dog.
But when U.S. intelligence operative John Valsamis shows up at her door, Nicole is reminded that she’ll always be an ex-con. Valsamis is after Nicole’s former lover, Rahim Ali, and soon Nicole finds herself back in Lisbon, tracking down Rahim in all their old haunts. Except now Rahim isn’t just a document forger–he’s a suspected terrorist.
Unwittingly drawn into an international web of fundamentalism, crime, and corruption, Nicole discovers that its threads stretch from the cobbled streets of Lisbon to the once-beautiful city of her birth, Beirut, and to the top levels of the government that sent Valsamis to find her. And as with any good web, the harder Nicole fights to free herself, the tighter it closes around her.
“Thought-provoking . . . The gritty atmosphere is perfectly drawn, and complex layers of lies and betrayal keep the reader happily guessing up to the end.”
–Publishers Weekly
“Chilling and utterly believable, An Accidental American hurls the reader into the dark and forbidding world of espionage. Not to be missed.”
–Gayle Lynds, author of The Last Spymaster
______________________________________________________________
THE MORTALIS DOSSIER- ALEX CARR’S NOTE ON THE BOMBING OF THE AMERICAN EMBASSY IN BEIRUT
On April 18, 1983, at one o’clock in the afternoon, a van carrying two
thousand pounds of explosives blew up outside the American embassy
in Beirut, killing sixty-three people. Among the victims were
seventeen Americans, eight of whom represented the Central Intelligence
Agency’s entire Middle East contingent. In the years preceding
the bombing, an increasing number of attacks on Western and
Israeli interests had been carried out by Palestinian and Muslim extremists,
but the Beirut bombing was widely seen as a watershed
event for American policies in the region. With the exception of the
seizure of the American embassy in Tehran four years earlier, an act
that was carried out within the framework of Iran’s Islamic revolution,
the embassy bombing represented the first time America had
been so directly and bloodily targeted by Islamic terrorists for its military
involvement in the Middle East.
It’s impossible to see why the United States was such an unwelcome
force without an understanding of the history of Lebanon and
the surrounding region, and of American and Western involvement
in the politics of the Middle East in general. Though Lebanon has
existed in one form or another since the ninth century b.c., the modern
country of Lebanon was not established until 1920, when it was
granted to the French as part of a system of mandates established for
the administration of former Turkish and German territories following
World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. In fact, almost
all of what we think of as the modern Middle East was shaped
by these mandates.
America’s first direct intervention in Lebanese politics came in
1946. During World War II, Lebanon had been declared a free state
in order to liberate it from Vichy control. But when, after the war,
Lebanon eventually moved toward full independence, the French
balked, and the United States, Britain, and several Arab governments
stepped in to support Lebanese independence. It was at this time
that Lebanon’s system of political power sharing was devised. Well
aware of the country’s shaky precolonial past and determined to keep
Lebanon intact, the fledgling nationalist government agreed to split
power along sectarian lines, based on the numbers of the 1932 census.
It was a well-intentioned plan, but one that inadvertently set the
stage for decades of strife and civil war.
The power-sharing government’s first major stumbling block came
with the partitioning of the British Mandate of Palestine in the wake
of World War II, and the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that followed. The
ensuing influx of some 100,000 Palestinian refugees into Lebanon
proved a strain on the carefully crafted power-sharing system. Tensions
were further exacerbated in 1956, when Egyptian president
Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, provoking the
United States, along with Britain, France, and Israel, to respond with
military force. While Lebanese Muslims wanted the government to
back the newly created United Arab Republic, Christians fought to
keep the nation allied with the West. In 1958, with the country teetering
on the brink of civil war, the United States sent marines into
Lebanon to support the government of President Camille Chamoun,
thus inextricably linking itself with Christian forces.
It was an alliance that would be tested when, nearly two decades
later, sectarian rivalries finally erupted into full-scale civil war. While
Lebanon had enjoyed a period of relative peace and prosperity, tensions
between the United States and the Soviet Union, and between
the United States and Iran, had escalated significantly, as had tensions
between the Israelis and the Palestinians. By the spring of
1975–when gunmen from the Christian Phalange militia attacked a
bus in the suburbs of Beirut and massacred twenty-seven Palestinians
on board in what is widely agreed to have been the first act of the
civil war–the forces at work in Lebanon were not merely internal
ones. The Cold War, as well as the larger Arab-Israeli conflict, were
both being played out in Lebanon, and would be throughout the
course of the war, as international players funneled weapons and
money to the various Christian, Muslim, and Druze militias.
The United States was a major player in the civil war from the beginning,
providing mainly covert support for the Christian government,
with whom it had traditionally been allied. But it wasn’t until
1982, after the Israeli siege of Beirut, the assassination of Phalange
leader Bachir Gemayel, and the horrific massacres at the Palestinian
refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila, that U.S. troops, along with
other members of a multinational peacekeeping force, formally intervened
in the conflict. The United Nations—backed coalition was
meant as a neutral presence, but the complications of Cold War allegiances
and the United States’ traditionally close ties to Israel and
Lebanon’s Christian government meant that the Americans were inevitably
viewed by Muslim and Druze factions as anything but impartial.
It was in this environment, less than six months after the
Americans arrived as peacekeepers, that the embassy bombing took
place.
There can be no doubt that the main goal of the bombing was to
intimidate the United States into pulling its forces from Lebanon.
But there were other, less obvious but no less significant reasons behind
the attack. Responsibility for the bombing, and the subsequent
bombing of the marine barracks, was claimed by a radical wing of the
Iranian-backed Hezbollah. In the years leading up to these attacks,
Iran had taken an increasingly aggressive role in its support of
Lebanese Muslim militias, most of which were traditionally Shiite,
transforming what had once been a mainly political fight into a religious
and moral one. Not only did Muslim radicals want American
troops gone, but they wanted to rid the country of Western cultural
influence–which they saw as mainly American–as well. In the
bloody years to follow, the American University of Beirut, as well as
American and Western journalists, would be targets of a concerted
campaign of kidnapping and intimidation.
Under any other circumstances, the Islamicizing of the conflict
might have been yet another disturbing development in an already
wildly fractured situation. But in the hothouse of the Lebanese civil
war, Hezbollah’s fierce brand of anti-Americanism became not just a
Shia or Iranian cause but a Palestinian and therefore pan-Arab cause
as well. In the years since the embassy bombing, the cause has taken
on many faces, including that of the vast al-Qaeda network, but the
anger remains undiluted. Not only is anti-American thinking still
prevalent today in the Middle East, but it has become the uniting
force for radical Muslims the world over.
Former high-ranking members of the Reagan administration have
confirmed that how to respond to the embassy bombing and the
bombing of the marine barracks was a subject of debate at the time.
There was a clear split within the White House between those who
believed that force was the best response and those who argued that
the use of military power would only add to the problem by antagonizing
America’s remaining friends in the Arab world. The lessons of
Vietnam, along with the horrific loss of life in both attacks, no doubt
helped cement the decision to follow a policy of disengagement. In
the end, the choice was made to pull all American troops out of
Lebanon.
It’s no coincidence that I chose to make the 1983 bombing of the
American embassy in Beirut central to the plot of An Accidental
American. This is a novel about U.S. involvement in the politics of
the Middle East, and the embassy bombing has shaped American
policy in that region as few other events have. Disengagement is no
longer the United States’ response of choice when dealing with Islamic
extremism. In light of the...
Customer Reviews:
A unique perspective on the War on Terror.......2007-05-30
The War on Terror and its fallout will no doubt provide fodder for novel plots for years, if not decades, to come. AN ACCIDENTAL AMERICAN by Alex Carr takes a somewhat unique perspective on the War on Terror in general and the Iraqi war in particular, tying in the mistakes of the past with the disasters of the present in both international and personal affairs.
Nicole Blake is an ex-convict who is living a quiet, blissfully boring existence on a self-sustaining farm in the French Pyrenees. But her life is shattered when John Valsamis, a no-nonsense CIA agent, appears on her doorstep requesting her assistance in locating Rahim Ali. Blake's former lover from a lifetime ago, Ali appears to be involved with a terrorist cell that is planning a major incident, making it imperative that he be located.
Valsamis secures Blake's reluctant cooperation by playing upon the death of her mother --- murdered in a terrorist attack --- but Blake discovers all too soon that Valsamis has a history of treachery that stretches back in time and distance, even as his past has intersected with Blake's in ways she cannot even begin to imagine, let alone believe.
Betrayed and in mortal danger, the only person Blake can trust is an extremely unlikely and unwilling ally whose innocence is at once a virtue and a hindrance. Pursued by a hunter who seems able to find her at will, Blake not only must save herself and her unexpected companion, but also bring to an end the scheme in which she finds herself immersed, even as she is staggered by discoveries revealing that practically everything she knew about herself and her world is wrong.
AN ACCIDENTAL AMERICAN is reminiscent of the best work of John le Carre, informed with a world-weariness even as each page is infused with tension and danger as Blake, who gets deeper and deeper into a situation she does not understand, finds that those around her each have their own agendas. A page-turner that does not sacrifice literacy at the altar of expediency, it is a quietly explosive work that haunts and excites with each paragraph.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Tight Prose, Moderately Enjoyable Story, Poorly Drawn Characters.......2007-05-27
The book is a mixed bag. It's tightly written, with multiple narrators and points of view - first-person and third-person - that switch frequently between characters. There are moments when the story is completely engrossing, but others where I found it hard to really care...and together, I think that's the novel's true weakness: the tight prose, increasing pace and constant back and forth between flashbacks, multiple points of view, multiple settings and multiple characters is just too much for 217 pages.
The story is enjoyable but ultimately, rather forgettable.
enjoyable espionage thriller .......2007-04-21
The first time she sees John Valsamis in her French countryside driveway, he says nothing before driving away. He returns the next day at the same time saying he needs her help. He wants her to find her former lover Rahim Ali, who he claims is a terrorist recruited by the Islamic Armed revolution; he also shows her pictures of what the LAR has wrought on innocent people.
She agrees to help the DOD agent and journeys to Lisbon where he lives as a documents forger. Word gets around that Nicole Blake seeks Rahim Ali. When they finally meet, John shoots Rahim, but before he dies he directs Nicole to go to his office where she finds a suspicious looking document and its forgery. John plans to kill Nicole, but she eludes him while wondering what is going on and why evidence points toward Beirut just after the embassy bombings.
Readers who like dark thrillers in the tradition of Le Carre will enjoy AN ACCIDENTAL AMERICAN. Nicole is a gusty quirky heroine who wants to be like her father even though he gave her up to the police. Her years in prison strengthened her resolve. Espionage thriller fans will enjoy her cat and mouse battle with a clever killing machine.
Harriet Klausner
Book Description
Dazzling psychological suspense. Razor-sharp dialogue. Plots that catch and hold like a noose. These are the hallmarks of crime legend Ruth Rendell, “the best mystery writer in the English-speaking world” (Time magazine). From Doon with Death, now in a striking new paperback edition, is her classic debut novel -- and the book that introduced one of the most popular sleuths of the twentieth century.
There is nothing extraordinary about Margaret Parsons, a timid housewife in the quiet town of Kingsmarkham, a woman devoted to her garden, her kitchen, her husband. Except that Margaret Parsons is dead, brutally strangled, her body abandoned in the nearby woods.
Who would kill someone with nothing to hide? Inspector Wexford, the formidable chief of police, feels baffled -- until he discovers Margaret's dark secret: a trove of rare books, each volume breathlessly inscribed by a passionate lover identified only as Doon. As Wexford delves deeper into both Mrs. Parsons’ past and the wary community circling round her memory like wolves, the case builds with relentless momentum to a surprise finale as clever as it is blindsiding.
In From Doon with Death, Ruth Rendell instantly mastered the form that would become synonymous with her name. Chilling, richly characterized, and ingeniously constructed, this is psychological suspense at its very finest.
“One of the most remarkable novelists of her generation.” —People
“She has transcended her genre by her remarkable imaginative power to explore and illuminate the dark corners of the human psyche.” —P.D. James
Customer Reviews:
Kept me guessing from first page to the last.......2007-07-12
This is the first in the Wexford series and, I understand, Rendell's first novel. From the first page, the reader is dying to know who Doon and Minna are and how they relate to the murder of a reportedly plain and uninteresting woman. It wasn't until I neared the end that I was able to guess at any part of the solution. The tension and pace of this novel is just right -- amazing, especially for a first novel. One of the things I like best is that it hasn't been padded with the filler to which most writers resort in order to produce a 300-page book. In this shorter novel, every word counts and is worth reading. Now how often can you say that?
Average .......2006-08-16
The mystery is pretty average, probably because this is Ms. Rendell's first of the Inspector Wexford series. The book is not long and moves briskly enough. I am game to try more of the series.
Clever Plotting.......2006-06-27
This is a cleverly written Inspector Wexford mystery. The book is well-written and has an ending that is hard to guess. This book is compact and it does not waste words, chapters or characters. Each scene is important in the development of the story.
Who Was Margaret?.......2005-03-30
"From Doon With Death" is Ruth Rendell's first novel, and also marks the literary debuts of protagonists Chief Inspector Reg Wexford, and his partner in crime solving, Inspector Mike Burden. At this somewhat late date in life, I thought it about time I explore Ms. Rendell's mysteries, and her psychological thrillers, which receive such rave reviews. "From Doon With Death" was my recent introduction to the author's work. I believe in starting at the beginning. Now I understand what all the fanfare is about. This is an excellent mystery - and it is only her first effort. I know she has matured greatly as a writer in the forty plus years since she published this book in 1964. I look forward to following her development as a writer as I continue to read her books, authored under the name of Barbara Vine, as well as Ruth Rendell.
Margaret Parsons and her husband of six years, Ronald, have recently moved to Kingsmarkham in Sussex. They are a happily married, rather introverted couple, and keep to themselves most of the time. Although Margaret is a lay preacher at the local Methodist Church, and has some acquaintances there, the two have not made any friends yet. They are definitely not wealthy and live a very frugal existence. Ronald works for the Southern Water Board at Stowerton and Margaret is a homemaker, a good one too. Their large, ugly house, is not well constructed, nor does it have a refrigerator, washing machine or other modern conveniences. It does contain, however, a small but very expensive collection of Victorian literature and poetry, bound in suede, scented leather and watered silk. All are inscribed, on the fly leaves, from Doon to Minna, and the messages are personal, romantic, and intense, to say the least.
At the book's beginning, a frantic Ronald Parsons telephones Inspector Mike Burden, a neighbor, to tell him that his wife hasn't come home that evening. The body of the thirty-two year-old woman, is found the next day, strangled in a near-by wood. She had left home with only her keys and purse, not even her coat. When the valuable book collection is discovered in a trunk in the attic, the investigation take on a new nature. Who are Minna and Doon? And who was Margaret Parsons?
Although the seemingly prim and proper Mrs. Parsons is dead when the story begins, the author paints a vivid portrait of the victim in retrospect, through the testimonies of those questioned in connection to the crime. Chief Inspector Wexford, with his countrified ways and off-beat humor, is a meticulous detective, if somewhat eccentric. Inspector Burden, also very competent, makes a wonderful straightman and side-kick. The narrative is taut, the characters diverse and original, and the mystery suspenseful. I couldn't figure out who did it. Ms. Rendell also writes a scathing commentary about the idle rich. This is a book that stands the test of time and continues to rivet its readers. I highly recommend it.
JANA
Wexford's First, Not His Best.......2005-01-11
Actually this is not Inspector Wexford's first case, but the first that Rendell wrote with him as the main character. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, this was her first mystery, period. And it's surprisingly dull, as far as I'm concerned. The "shocking" conclusion to me was obvious from the first few chapters -- I can't tell you why without giving it away -- and now, 30 years later, not so shocking. In fact, by today's standards, it's pretty tame, even quaint. The caliber of Rendell's work soars with her next mystery "Wolf to the Slaughter" and from there she just gets better and better. But this first effort didn't do it for me. Don't base your opinion of Rendell on this book -- unless you love it, of course! -- but do check out the rest of the Wexford mysteries, which are sublimely written and -- yes, truly -- shocking in their conclusions!
Book Description
Fatherland is set in an alternative world where Hitler has won the Second World War. It is April 1964 and one week before Hitler's 75th birthday. Xavier March, a detective of the Kriminalpolizei, is called out to investigate the discovery of a dead body in a lake near Berlin's most prestigious suburb.
As March discovers the identity of the body, he uncovers signs of a conspiracy that could go to the very top of the German Reich. And, with the Gestapo just one step behind, March, together with an American journalist, is caught up in a race to discover and reveal the truth -- a truth that has already killed, a truth that could topple governments, a truth that will change history.
From the Paperback edition.
Customer Reviews:
Fatherland - Nazi Germany in 1964.......2007-08-30
It is 1964 and Germany is preparing for the 75th birthday of Adolf Hitler and the first visit to the Albert Speer designed Berlin by the U.S. president, Joseph Kennedy. A body of an unknown man is found in Berlin and we follow our anti-hero's fight to find the truth when the other authorities are not that keen on his findings. What has changed in the Europe of "Fatherland" is that Germany did not lose the battle in Stalingrad and thus the map of Europe is totally different in this 1964 than in "the real life".
This is the starting point of Robert Harris' detective story set in Nazi Germany. And a very interesting ride it turns out to be, too.
The challenge of these "what if" stories is that if you change A, it always also means that B, C and D change, too. E may remain the same but the outcome may be the opposite. And that again means that H, I, J and K are different which again mean that O, P and Q etc etc... It is bottomless pit.
Robert Harris has succeeded very well in his story when it comes to logic. There are, of course, a few speculative items that made me think, like this: There is a map of Europe provided at least in the hardcover version of the book. In it we see the Germany as it was in this story. If Germans won the Stalingrad, why would they have lost France and the Low Countries? I just cannot see that happening.
Another, a more minor issue, is the Beatles! There are at least a couple of refences to the latest hit song by the group, "I Want to Hold Your Hand". Let's think about that: One may ponder that Liverpool would have been a big port even in this UK, probably even more important . Thus one can make a case that John Lennon and Paul McCartney would have had the same access to the rock, blues and country vinyls imported by various seamen as they did in realilty. This way one could imagine the band being formed and playing the songs they did in the beginning. But... Part of the reason why they became what they were was the fact that they were the resident band in sleazy Hamburg and the likelihood of that happening under the circumstances of "Fatherland" is practically nil. And then you can wonder if the result would have been the same at all. Would they have written the songs they did and become The Band of the 1960's? Hmm.. Maybe, maybe not!
In a way this book is a cousin to another somewhat similar story, "SS-GB" by Len Deighton. That book describes London in 1944, very soon after Germany has occupied Britain. Here the story is also a murder and we follow a Scotland Yard/SS detective when he struggles against the bureacracies of occupation. As this is timewise much closer to reality (not much change between real London in 1944 and 1944 of the book), there cannot be that many "potholes" in this story. Warmly recommended, too.
Alternate History.......2007-08-20
"Fatherland" is the second novel by Robert Harris that I have read, and it did not dissapoint. Well written and indeed well imagined, Fatherland is a novel about victorius Nazi Germany, and the life in Europe, as well as Germany itself, had Hitler won the war.
Seen from the perspective of a Kriminalpolizei's Major Xavier March, Germany of the 1960's is a cold, unwelcoming police state, in which racism and nationalism persist, where strange Nazi laws rule the land, and in which many countries of today do not exist, swallowed by Hitler's megalomania. Gone are the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Latvia and many other countries, while the countries that survived are but sattelites of the German Reich. It is in this state that Stuermbahnfuehrer (Major) March investigates an apparent suicide of a prominent member of the Nazi Party.
March's investigation is interrupted by an SS General, who trumps all the attempts that March makes, making the Major that much more interested in the case. As the case unfolds, March sees that the entire Reich is at stake. March teams up with an American journalist, following a trail of suicides and accidental deaths of all Party members who could impede the upcoming peace talks between Hitler and the American President, Joseph P. Kennedy.
Harris delivered a well written novel, a novel of "what it could have been." It is difficult to write alternate history, but Harris seems to do it seamlessly and effortlessly. A good, entertaining read, based on historical fact, "Fatherland" is another success from an accomplished author.
Average customer rating:
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The Bobbed Haired Bandit: A Story of Crime and Celebrity in 1920s New York (Mortalis)
Stephen Duncombe , and
Andrew Mattson
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | 20th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
New York | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Mid-Atlantic | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Biographies & Memoirs | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
General | 20th Century | United States | Americas | History | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Mid-Atlantic | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
New York | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0812977351
Release Date: 2007-04-10 |
Book Description
On January 5, 1924, a well-dressed young woman, accompanied by a male companion, walked into a Brooklyn grocery, pulled a “baby automatic” from the pocket of her fur coat, emptied the cash register, and escaped into the night. Dubbed “the Bobbed Haired Bandit” by the press, the petite thief continued her escapades in the months that followed, pulling off increasingly spectacular robberies, writing taunting notes to police officials, and eluding the biggest manhunt in New York City history. When laundress Celia Cooney was finally caught in Florida and brought back to New York, media attention grew to a fever pitch. Crowds gathered at the courts and jails where she appeared, the public clamored to know her story, and newspapers and magazines nationwide obliged by publishing sensational front-page articles.
Celia Cooney was a celebrity, a symbol of the lawlessness of Prohibition-era New York City, a cultural icon of the Jazz Age. The Bobbed Haired Bandit captures what William Randolph Hearst’s newspaper called “the strangest, weirdest, most dramatic, most tragic human interest story ever told.”
A wild ride . . . a thumping good read . . . It’s true crime, it’s top-notch American history, it’s flat-out fun–grab it.”
–Caleb Carr, author of The Alienist
“Riveting . . . an absolute winner.”
–Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“With crisp prose and a lively selection of newspaper photographs, headlines, cartoons, and excerpts, authors Stephen Duncombe and Andrew Mattson tell a story of an outlaw couple and, through them, the story of an era.”
–The Boston Globe
“A phenomenally complete work of historical literature: gripping, suspenseful, fast-moving, kaleidoscopic, gimlet-eyed, analytic, penetrating, sympathetic, and oddly tender.”
–Luc Sante, author of Low Life
“Fascinating . . . [a] historical account that reads like Doctorow.”
–Crimespree Magazine
“Brings alive the darker side of flapper-era Manhattan.”
–Entertainment Weekly
Average customer rating:
- A Must Read for the True Mystery Lover
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The Mysterious Affair at Styles: A Detective Story (Mortalis)
Agatha Christie
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
British Detectives | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Christie, Agatha | ( C ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Paperback | Christie, Agatha | ( C ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
General | Christie, Agatha | ( C ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Paperback | Christie, Agatha | ( C ) | Authors, A-Z | Mystery & Thrillers | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
General | Mystery & Thrillers | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
British Detectives | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0812977203
Release Date: 2007-02-13 |
Book Description
In this mesmerizing classic of detective fiction by world-renowned mystery author Agatha Christie, the brilliant Belgian detective Hercule Poirot makes his unforgettable–and legendary–debut.
Who poisoned the wealthy Emily Inglethorpe, and how did the murderer penetrate and escape from her locked bedroom? Suspects abound in the quaint village of Styles St. Mary, just outside Essex. Among those basking in the shadow of doubt are the heiress’s fawning new husband, her two aimless stepsons, her volatile housekeeper, and a pretty nurse who works in a hospital dispensary. And though the identity of the culprit will prove as shocking as the crime, nothing gets past the calm logic and cool head of Hercule Poirot.
“The key to the success of this style of detective novel lies in how the author deals with both the clues and the red herrings, and it has to be said that no one bettered Agatha Christie at this game.”
–Elizabeth George
“Future scholars of the simon-pure detective novel will hold that its greatest practitioner . . . has been Agatha Christie.”
–The New York Times Book Review
Customer Reviews:
A Must Read for the True Mystery Lover.......2007-04-11
"87 years ago the grande dame created Hercule Poirot to solve with logic and deduction the murder and he has been with us ever since. A must read for the true mystery lover."
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- The Belgariad, Vol. 2 (Books 4 & 5): Castle of Wizardry, Enchanters' End Game
- The Best of the Realms (Forgotten Realms Anthology)
- The Book of Taltos
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