Mini-Reviews of Books #32…
Best of Our Spies. Alex Gerlis, author. (Studio 28, 2012) Most everyone knows the Nazis were fooled into believing the D-Day invasion would occur at Pas de Calais, not Normandy. When the Normandy invasion began, many Nazi forces weren’t there to counter the Allies’ attack. This book is a fictional account about how that occurred.
Not quite as interesting as the author’s Vienna Spies, this is still a gripping and gruesome spy story. Like the best historical fiction, it’s hard to tell fact from fiction. Great plot and characters.
Definitely a great summer read…or anytime.
Murder in the One-Percent. Saralyn Richard, author. (Black Opal Books, 2018) One-percenters attend a birthday party at a country home. No one likes one of the guests very much, so it’s no surprise that he becomes a murder victim. Like a good Christie murder mystery, all the other guests except the hosts become suspects. Ms. Richard’s detective is black, but he holds his own when interrogating his rich and spoiled suspects, some of whom try to stop his investigation.
Part police procedural, part study of how one-percenters live, this novel has little action but a wealth of intrigue. Oh, and one of the characters is a mystery writer, a bit amusing for me. I would have liked to have seen her play a bigger role—a one-percenter Jessica Fletcher, as it were.
Again a great summer read—or anytime, because the plot occurs during the transition to a new year in the Northeast.
***
Rembrandt’s Angel. Scotland Yard Inspector Esther Brookstone’s obsession with recovering a painting stolen by the Nazis in WWII leads to uncovering an international conspiracy. Interpol Agent Bastiann van Coevorden steps in to help her, and their romance blossoms as they travel through Europe and South America in pursuit of the conspirators. Available in print format at Amazon or your favorite bookstore (ask for it if they don’t have it), and in digital format from Amazon and Smashwords and the latter’s associated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo, etc.). A mystery/thriller for great summer reading…or any other time.
In libris libertas!
