Mini-Reviews of Books #46…
Prince of Spies. Alex Gerlis, author (Canelo Action, 2020). I’ve reviewed some of the author’s earlier books in this blog. Looks like he has a new publisher that republished those earlier books. This one starts a new series featuring Richard Prince, a smart police officer from Britain who becomes a spy during WWII (the author’s books are all spy novels about that era). Because Prince speaks Danish (his mother was a Dane), he’s a find for Britain’s spy masters.
He’s a reluctant spy, though. He lost his wife and daughter in a motor accident, so he’s the only one left to take care of his small son. After a brief introduction to the spy game in Denmark, his big assignment is to infiltrate the special Nazi base where they’re developing the V-1 and V-2 rockets for the Third Reich. Any student of history knows that’s no trivial assignment with paranoid Nazis always lurking around.
Gerlis’s books are always well researched to the point it’s often hard to tell where historical fact ends and the fiction begins. While this novel isn’t as good as his previous ones, it’s an excellent story on a par with Deaver’s Garden of Beasts and Follett’s Eye of the Needle. This author’s spy stories offer many hours of entertainment for readers loving this genre, including me.
The Poe Consequence. Keith Steinbaum, author (Black Opal Books, 2020). In a tale that is an eerie mix of a Dean Koontz Odd Thomas novel and a Michael Connelly Harry Bosch crime story, the author delves into East LA gang life, two gangs in particular. It’s a tale of ghostly revenge that’s a thrill ride from beginning to end. It starts with a Tarot card reading that sets the stage for supernatural revenge. It continues with a botched robbery that ends in death for one twin brother. And all the way through you hear the beating of Poe’s “Tell-Tale Heart” that sounds like a primitive drum calling a restless spirit to wreak revenge.
I love this story that conjoins two genres. The plot moves, the characters are complex, and a little boy will rip your heart out but not freeze it. The settings are the mean streets where good people try to survive and bad people try to make sure they don’t, at least not in any safe sense. What’s more, it’s not just a tale of good vs. evil defining two groups of characters, the boy, the uncle, and the cops vs. the two gangs. Each character is very human, and the reader learns their backstories that prove there’s no absolute good or absolute evil, at least in East LA.
The fight against gang violence continues in the US, and it’s worse with Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13—“mara” is Salvadoran slang for “gang,” and “trucha” is slang for “alertness”). That the author can turn the story of LA gangs (MS-13 was created to protect Salvadorans from other LA gangs) into a meaningful novel that transcends the gang story is evidence for his skill. Highly recommended for those readers who want to read something new and profound.
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Comments are always welcome!
The Golden Years of Virginia Morgan. This is one of my “evergreen books,” a novel as exciting and current as the day it was published; it’s also a bridge between two series, “Detectives Chen & Castilblanco” and “Clones & Mutants.” A DHS agent looking toward retirement finds a lot of excitement as she uncovers a conspiracy and meets a new love. The conspiracy answers the following question: What will a future US government do with its old retirees who know too many secrets? The romance answers the question: Can a divorced woman heading for retirement find love in her golden years? DHS agent Ashley Scott is the main character. She had important supporting roles in the “Chen & Castilblanco” books, so I thought it was only fair to give her a starring role! Available in .mobi (Kindle) ebook format at Amazon and in all ebook formats at Smashwords and all its affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo, etc.) and lending and library services (Scribd, Overdrive, Baker & Taylor, Gardners, etc.)
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
