LOUISIANA LONGSHOT by Jana DeLeon

LOUISIANA LONGSHOT

by

Jana DeLeon

            Louisiana Longshot is book one in Jana DeLeon’s Miss Fortune mystery series. Fortune Redding is a CIA assassin; because a hit has been taken out on her, she is forced to go to ground. Posing as a former beauty queen turned librarian, Fortune ends up in the small bayou town of Sinful, Louisiana. But, life in Sinful is anything but quiet and sedate. Fortune immediately finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery, surrounded by little old ladies who defy expectations.

            This humorous cozy mystery is a fun, engaging, easy read with very colorful characters and an engaging plot. Book twelve was recently released, and I look forward to following Fortune through her next eleven adventures.

THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING

by

Bill Clinton

and James Patterson

            The President Is Missing is the first novel written by Bill Clinton and co-authored with James Patterson. In this book, the United States president, John Duncan, is facing a threat of impeachment, a serious health issue, and an imminent strike at home that would be the worst crisis to ever hit the country. In the midst of this, he somehow loses his secret service detail and disappears. Where is he? Can the country be saved? Is there a traitor in his Cabinet?

            I listened to the audio version of the book. It is performed by an interesting array of readers: Dennis Quaid, January LaVoy, Peter Ganim, Jeremy Davidson, and Mozhan Marno. The audio version also has some musical interludes; although I usually dislike music in audiobook recordings, in this case, the music was apt and an interesting addition.

            There are many who say that they will not read this book because they hate Clinton. I wonder if these readers agree with the political views of all the authors whom they read? I wonder if they even know their political views? It certainly is not a question I ask when deciding whether or not to read a book. Regardless of your opinion about the man or his politics, I think most would agree that Clinton is smart – he was a Rhodes Scholar and is a graduate of Yale Law School. And, James Patterson is one of the most prolific writers of our time – he is an acclaimed, award winning author who holds the record for the most number one New York Times bestsellers. Furthermore, as Clinton had been president, he intimately knows the layout of the White House and the machinations and routines of the position; he actually interacted with foreign heads of state, dealt with international crises, and took other actions faced by the president depicted in the book.

            Regardless of your opinion of Clinton (and Patterson), if you like thrillers/political intrigue, I highly recommend The President Is Missing. It is well written, with robust, interesting characters and a realistic, albeit frightening, plot.

            The President Is Missing grabbed me right from the start, and it was not long before I was lost in the book. It was, quite simply, one of the best thrillers I have experienced recently.

JUST ONE EVIL ACT by Elizabeth George

JUST ONE EVIL ACT

by

Elizabeth George

            Just One Evil Act is the eighteenth novel in Elizabeth George’s acclaimed Inspector Lynley series. In this book, we find that Hadiyyah, the daughter of Barbara Havers’ friend and neighbor Taymullah Azhar, had been taken from London by her mother, Angelina Upman, and Azhar cannot find them. Then, Angelina reappears and reports that Hadiyyah has been kidnapped from the Italian town in which they were staying. Can Lynley and Havers save Hadiyyah and help Azhar?

            I have always loved George’s Lynley and Havers. And, although I am still a fan of these detectives, I did not like Just One Evil Act. One thing I did not like – and a minor point – is that I do not speak Italian. As a good part of the book takes place in Italy, with Italian speakers, I felt like I was missing a lot. The second, and main, thing that I did not like is how George portrayed Havers. Havers is not perfect and has always been a bit quirky. But in this book, George has portrayed Havers’ imperfection to an extreme. Havers is not stupid, and throughout the book I kept wondering how Barbara could be so stupid. It was difficult – even painful – to work through this book; it felt like work. A third thing that I did not like is that the plot seemed to be wanting. The progression of the investigation felt like it jumped, or had holes in it, and I remain confused about how Havers survived for the next book. In addition, I was able to predict the outcome – something I am rarely able to do with Elizabeth George’s books.

            Nonetheless, the Inspector Lynley series is wonderful and remains one of my favorites. After seventeen great books, I found one of which I am not so fond; but, I am still looking forward to reading numbers nineteen and twenty.

BELSHAZZAR’S DAUGHTER by Barbara Nadel

BELSHAZZAR’S DAUGHTER

by

Barbara Nadel

            Leonid Meyer, an elderly Jewish Russian refugee, had been tortured and murdered in his home in the Balat area of Istanbul. A swastika, drawn using Meyer’s blood, was left on the wall above his body. Officials are concerned that the murder is evidence of rampant racism in Istanbul, but Inspector Cetin Ikmen is not so sure. As he and his sergeant, Suleyman, investigate, they uncover a complex history of Russian immigrants, German Nazis, and secrets worthy of murder.

            Belshazzar’s Daughter is the first book in Nadel’s Inspector Ikmen mystery series. This is an interesting series, detailing life in Istanbul. The plot in this book is complex, and the writing is fine (other than a handful of times when the addition of commas would have been helpful). In addition, Nadel’s characters are interesting and richly developed.