Gabriel Allon, our favorite art restorer and Israeli Mossad assassin is back, and he is about to become the father of twins and replace a former associate as the head of Israel intelligence. The plot, as usual, is so implausible as to require a total suspension of belief, but the plot lines are so complex, the characters so colorful, and the payback to the bad guys so creative that one can almost ignore the fact that the author’s rage at Middle Eastern bad guys totally […]
A true story of the cost of native american assimilation in colonial America
Caleb’s Crossing is an engrossing piece of historical fiction that takes place in colonial America, based on the true story of Caleb Cheeshahteaumauk who was born into the Wampanoag tribe on what is today known as Martha’s Vineyard in Massachussetts, and was one of the first native Americans to attend, and brilliantly succeed at, Harvard College against tremendous odds. Author Geraldine Brooks, an Australian who today lives with her family on Martha’s Vineyard, narrates the tale of Caleb through the voice of the fictional […]
Lust vs. Love: Does Janet Evanovich know the difference?
Salem pastry chef Lizzy Tucker is a perfectly normal girl, happy with baking cupcakes and her little house and her cat … until she learns that she has certain “powers” that place her in the realm of the supernatural … sort of. She gets visited by Diesel, a California surfer-type hunk of a guy who spends most of his time hunting down supernatural bad guys for the supernatural “powers that be.” They can’t deny their attraction for each other, but can’t actually “do it,” because […]
Buddhism, Sex and Snakes: Culture Shock in Thailand
Apparently Bangkok thrillers have a certain notoriety for sensationalism, and Burdett’s Bangkok 8 doesn’t fail in that regard, but it is also so much more. In fact, this noir detective story could be a Phillip Marlowe, if it weren’t for the fact that its hero’s name is a little harder to pronounce. Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep is the son of a Thai bar girl and a long-gone Vietnam-era American soldier, is a little too comfortable with many of the denizens of Bangkok’s notorious red-light districts, is […]