A SPY IN CANAAN
by Marc Perrusquia
Though possibly not well known to the majority of the general public, Ernest Withers, an African-American photojournalist from Memphis, was responsible for documenting some of the most seminal moments of the struggle for civil rights; and was an informant for the FBI.
This is a fascinating look into the life of an extraordinary man as well as into the civil rights movement, not just in Memphis but in the South at large.
A very interesting book, and I learned a lot.
The Lost Symbol
This book is 10 years old, but I just recently found it for free on the shelf of a lending library in West Africa.
Typical Dan Brown. Not bad. A little long. Though there was an interesting plot twist/reveal at the end, I found it to be somewhat anticlimactic.
Clay (Farther Than We Dreamed Book 1)
Intriguing teaser for the series.
This is a short read. Possibly a novella. Book 1 appears to
be primarily a setup for the series but it did grab my interest. The premise of
a distant futuristic spacecraft crewed by significant historical figures
spanning the centuries is compelling. If
you are a fan of science fiction, and even if you are not, you may enjoy
this. I recommend it.
The 27th Infantry Division in World War II
The 27th Infantry Division was a New York
National Guard division that played a key role in the advance across the
Central Pacific, fighting actions in several campaigns including Makin Atoll in
the Gilbert Islands, Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands, Saipan in the Mariana
Islands, and Okinawa.
After the battle of Saipan there were unfounded public
allegations of incompetence and cowardice leveled against the 27th
Infantry Division as whole. These allegations strained the relations between
the Marines and the Army and left a stain on the division that followed it
throughout the rest of the war. These incidents and accusations were of such
significance that they are still debated by armchair generals today, over 70
years after the events.
The author, Edmund G. Love, was an official Army historian (co-author
and contributor to “The Green Books,” the official histories of the US Army in
World War II) who covered and observed the 27th Infantry Division
throughout these campaigns. He wrote this volume to set the record straight.
I was somewhat expecting a tit-for-tat refutation of the
division’s critics, but found instead a straightforward, factual recounting of their exploits
during the war based on exhaustive research, including eye witness accounts
(sometimes that of the author himself), and thorough after action
investigations. The book is well
documented with army records and statistics, including those of the Japanese
discovered after the battles were concluded. Though the author did maintain his
professional detachment throughout, he did take care to add emphasis on details
with a bearing on specific assertions against the division. But basically, this
is the story of the 27th Infantry Division.
I enjoyed the book very much and recommend it, especially to
history buffs.
Another Day Another Name: A Pulp Noir Thriller (Killer, Candor, Liar, Lover Book 1)
Have a minor dispute with your business partner? Kill him.
A rival business refuses your buyout offer? Kill the CEO.
In a dystopian setting, after “The Crash,” corporations police themselves and justice is outsourced to private security firms allowing ruthless corporate espionage to become standard business practice.
Enter the assassins.
ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER NAME is a page turner, the plot twisting and turning through the halls of corporate intrigue leading to a surprise ending. A good read!
The Fashion Police (Amber Fox Murder Mystery) by Sibel Hodge
A light hearted, funny readI get tired of one dimensional, cardboard cutout superheroes and heroines. Amber Fox is not! She is human. Funny, quirky and a little accident prone. A plot with a few mild twists and turns populated by zany characters made this a very enjoyable read.
Murderson by Mark Yarwood
More twists than a country road....A gritty, violent, graphic tale. Detective Chief Inspector Paul Webb of the London Metropolitan Police tracks a serial killer through a string of bizarre murders leading to a surprise and somewhat unsettling ending. A good read. I recommend it.
Spy Rules by Lew Serviss
Ross Walton is a burned out New York City detective banished to the subway detail when he accidentally stumbles onto a case that takes him into a world of international intrigue. A real page turner, on in the case of a Kindle book, a real button pusher. Suspense, action, thrills and mystery, this has it all. A little Joseph Wambaugh. A little Tom Clancy. A good read.
Rotten Apple: Seven Sins, One Deadly City by Simon Dunn
Dirty Harry meets Frank Drebin
A parody of crime noir. Like the city depicted, it is dark and gritty. With lots of action, murders, crashes, conspiracies, sex and laugh out loud one-liners. Not for everybody but still a funny read.
