Mini-Reviews #22…
[Note: these reviews are generally reserved for R&R books I’ve found entertaining. They are NOT on Amazon, and please don’t query me to review your book here. I do my “official reviewing” at Bookpleasures.com–query there instead.]
The Nuremberg Puzzle. Laurence O’Bryan, author (Ardua, 2016). The PR for this novel calls it the “most controversial mystery of 2016.” Hmm. It’s not very controversial—people have been wondering about the Catholic Church’s support of the Nazi regime for years—so it’s just another conspiracy wrapped up in some historical fiction. It’s also not a mystery but a thriller. That said, it’s OK, and reading it is probably time better spent than playing some stupid computer game because it’s a gory tourist guide to the city where those famous trials were held.
Sean Ryan becomes involved in a neo-Nazi conspiracy designed to apply the final solution to the wave of new immigrants in Germany from the Middle East via an ethnic-specific virus. If you can stretch your mind far enough to believe that, you’ll be ready for the subplots that include the search for letters from Pius XII encouraging Hitler to invade Russia to eliminate the godless Communists (not clear why the neo-Nazis want those), a fictional excuse for Hitler’s stupid repetition of Napoleon’s mistake (Hitler already had a treaty with Stalin’s government).
The ending of this adventure in Nuremberg is unsatisfying and a 67% cliffhanger—to avoid a spoiler alert, you’ll have to read it to see what I mean—and I abhor cliffhangers. (This probably means there’s a sequel coming, but I won’t be reading it.) That 67% is just about the main characters, by the way; you’ll never know whether authorities can defeat that virus! There are some interesting characters (FYI: Ryan isn’t one of them), but they aren’t well developed nor interesting enough to compensate for a herky-jerky plot that leaves you breathless for all the wrong reasons. There are no big plot twists or interesting themes either—the West doesn’t need neo-Nazis to make immigrants’ lives hell.
***
On sale: The Golden Years of Virginia Morgan. This sci-fi thriller will be on sale at Smashwords for $0.99, reduced from $2.99 (67% discount) from now until September 1. Use the coupon code FU54W. First question: what will the U.S. in the future do with retirees with Top Secret information? Second question: how do you prevent the assassination of a presidential candidate? Third question: is there room for romance in the life of an old agent? This fast-moving story’s main character is a woman who shows perseverance and strength to survive while unmasking a terrible conspiracy. Don’t miss the thrills!
In libris libertas!
