Current Non-Genre Reading III

[Raf]

Finished "The Thief's Tale by S.J.A. Turney. Two brothers, sons of Greek farmers. Skiouros and Lykaion are conscripted to be trained as Janissaries for the Ottoman Turkish Empire in 1481. The Janissaries would take Greek Orthodox young men from various towns and farms to feed the need for soldiers as 2 Royal Turkish brothers fight for the crown of the Ottoman Empire.

Chafing under the lash, Skiouros escapes to the Greek sector of Constantinople, now called Istanbul under it's Turkish masters. To become a Thief. His brother Lykaion is forced to abandon his Christian religion and become Muslim in order to serve as a Janissary of the Ottoman Empire.

Though at odds with each other over the years, the brothers join together to solve a mystery and attempt to stop the assassination of Bayezid, the current Ruler of the Ottoman Empire by his brother Cmet. Now in exile and controlled by the Vatican.

Really good story in an era I was unfamiliar with. 4 book series. Onto the next, "The Priest"

 

[Raf]

Finished the 2nd book of S.J.A. Turney's, The Ottoman Cycle, "The Priest's Tale".

Escaping Istanbul disguised as a priest, Skiouros washes up on the shores of Crete with a pouch full of gold and a new life. To plan his revenge on the exiled Leader of the Ottoman Empire. Finding himself again in the company of Parmenio & Niccolo, the sailing masters of the boat Skiouros stowed away in as a Priest and an exiled cousin of the powerful Medici Banking family, Orsini. The foursome plan to sail to Venice for new trading adventures.

Unfortunately, they are taken prisoner by a Muslim Corsair. But maybe his priest disguise may save them all. The Corsairs were recognized as pirates publicly by the Ottomans, but privately encouraged to ravage Christian ships, towns & cities. Beginning another new journey / adventure across the Mediterranean Sea and it's African coastal nations as the foursome try to get back to Christendom.

Another cracking good adventure. On to the next in the series, "The Assassin".

The first book was a Kindle Unlimited selection. The rest of them are not KU however. I enjoyed the first story so much that I bought the 4 series pack on Amazon. I'll definitely be checking out this author's other works as well.

 

[Randy M.]

The take away from this book is that if the torso murders hadn't haunted Eliot Ness' in Cleveland hadn't happened, he would have been extraordinarily successful.

My GoodReads review:
Eliot Ness was an icon of the 1920s because of his efforts to put pressure on Al Capone's empire and eventually bring him down; Ness was helped by his hand-picked team that became known as the Untouchables. But once Capone was imprisoned, Ness was left to find something else in which to invest his energy. Still a young man, not quite 30 when Capone went down, Ness was offered the Safety Director job in Cleveland, a position he held until 1942. This book becomes something of a biography of Ness, a corrective to the mythologizing of the book The Untouchables and the 1950s TV show and 1980s movie that sprang from it. It does this by focusing on Ness' time as Safety Director and the torso murders that happened there during his tenure.

It would be inaccurate to say dealing with serial killers was in its infancy: In the 1930s the closest analog of the torso murders would have Jack the Ripper in London in 1888. (Oddly, perhaps, Stashower doesn't mention the torso murders that happened concurrently with the Ripper as a parallel.) So Ness and his police force and his team dedicated to solving the crimes, were making it up as they went along. Stashower explains all this in brisk prose, and seems even-handed in his assessment of Ness and his actions and words, as well as with those Ness interacted with, friend or foe.

A fascinating slice of American history, well-written and engaging.

 

[Raf]

Finished the 3rd book of S.J.A. Turney's, The Ottoman Cycle, "The Assassin's Tale".

Finding the road to vengeance is beset with major obstacles, Skiouros and his friends form a condottieri ( Italian mercenary company) with aid of Orsini's Medici funding and contacts. After spending half a year building up their reputation, they seek employment with Borgia family as Vatican mercenaries. Putting them ever closer to their goal of assassinating "Cem", the exiled Ruler of the Ottoman Empire. And the direct cause of the death of Skiouros brother, Lykaeon.

But, Skiouros, basically a good man, is having problems with the personal cost of his vengeance as first one and then other friends begin to fall. All to forward his need for revenge.

Outstanding historical fiction. On to the final book in the series, "The Pasha's Tale".

 

[Raf]

Finished the 4th and final book of S.J.A. Turney's, The Ottoman Cycle, "The Pasha's Tale".

Coming full circle, Skiouros finally returns to Istanbul. Along with his friends, De Teba and Parmenios. All that are left of the original band. As well as the Romani pilot, Dragi. Who will drag them into yet another escapade. Foiling a new attempt by 3 competing sons to take down Bayezid the Just. The current ruler of the Ottoman Empire.

Great characters and a smashingly good ending to a well told tale.

 

[blailock]

I finished Silent Prey by Sandford. This is the 4th Lucas Davenport book. It brings back a past villain and sends Lucas to NYC. I thought this one was solid but not great.

 

[suciul]

Finished Come to the Window by H. Norman and like most of the author's novels it was very good and compelling - short, energetic and easy to read; my Goodreads review:

Bittersweet but with an uplifting ending and written with the author's distinctive style that keeps one turning pages until the end, Come to the Window starts with a beached whale and a murder trial which actually are quite related. Having their wedding night at a hotel with ocean views in a small Nova Scotia village, the bride Elizabeth Frame wakes in the middle of the night, sees the whale and calls for her husband to come to the window; when he refuses, she gets his army revolver (the story starts in 1918 during the war and the Spanish Flu epidemic) which is loaded and puts three bullets into him...

At the preliminary hearing she confesses the above - though things are more complicated of course - but then she seduces the young stenographer also recently returned from the war and profoundly marked by it too and goes on the lam with him while being pregnant to boot.

The narrator, a local crime reporter from Halifax assigned to cover this weird trial and whose wife, a surgeon, is also returning from the battlefields of France around this time is fascinated by the story and keeps trying to find out what happened with the fugitives...

There is of course quite a lot more going on involving war memories and guilt, the flu epidemic, prejudice against foreigners, the quirks of the legal system etc but the book moves fast and the ending is excellent.

Overall another entertaining offer from the author whose novels seldom miss.

 

[Westy]

I read City on Fire by Don Winslow, a mafia war story set in New England.

Overall a pretty good read - well paced, and an interesting main character Danny Ryan who's torn between his allegiances. There was nothing new about it, with much of the content already done in other books/movies, but enjoyable enough.

 

[Raf]

I read a lot of John Jakes years ago. His civil War novels and Kent Family Chronicles were favorites back then. But along the way I lost track of him. This was one his books I missed in the intervening years.

Just finished, "California Gold" by John Jakes. This one took me by surprise as I thought it would be about the California Gold Rush. But it takes place some 30 years after that era as California comes into the turn of the century via the Railroads, Oil discoveries, Citrus, farming, wine and film.

Macklin Chance at the age of 15 following the death of his father leaves the Pennsylvania Coal mines and walks to California. His father had failed in the gold fields and returned penniless. But he always harbored a yearning for California. Something that he passed on to his son.

Mack comes to California to make a new start but finds that it isn't quite what he thought it would be. But with an iron will and hard work he makes his way into the oil business in the new field discoveries around Bakersfield. The backstory is filled in with the Union busting tactics of the Southern Pacific Railroad and their control over the politics of San Francisco and the state overall. Before the federal government took issue with all the corruption.

Lots of back alley deals, politics, shady politicos, racism, and violence towards anyone not of elite families. All against the backdrop of the beauty of the state itself. It was a good book, but by the end I was ready to move on. Mack's travails ending at his success devolves into a morass of political scheming. Too much politics...for me, anyway.

 

[blailock]

I finished Chasing the Dime by Michael Connelly. I've had this on my TBR pile for quite awhile and finally got around to it. It is set in the Bosch universe but doesn't include any of the previous characters. This is a pretty good story, but it can be hard to get over the incredibly bad decisions made by the main character.

 

[suciul]

Read Lilac Ink by Jean Grainger, the first book in her new series (am a huge fan of the author and her Irish themed historical fiction series). Another book of hers that I opened the day it was published (it is in KU like most of her novels) and couldn't put down until I finished it - luckily the day of publication was when I flew on my second recent trip to NYC so had the flight time to finish it. Excellent stuff and book 2, Yesterday's Paper, due in the fall is another huge asap. My Goodreads review and blurb below:

Another great piece of storytelling from the author. A message in a bottle, a charming resourceful heroine, a well-meaning but confused hero, well-defined secondary characters, and a tapestry woven with care though the main two threads do not meet yet.
And as a bonus, we get a cameo of Cullen's Celtic Cabaret in 1938, with the well-loved characters of that series and full of new kids as well as of May's theater in the same time.
An energetic style that compels one to turn the pages and at the end (good tbc place) look up when the new installment will be available.
Highly recommended and a top novel of the year

Blurb:

As the world teeters on the brink of war in 1937, two young souls separated by an ocean are about to discover a connection that defies logic and time.
Grace Fitzgerald, a fiery-haired dreamer, longs to escape the confines of her windswept Dingle fishing village. Across the Atlantic, Richard Lewis, heir to a Savannah banking fortune, suffocates under the weight of societal expectations he can't quite understand.
When their worlds collide through a twist of fate, Grace and Richard uncover a bond so profound it shakes the very foundations of their existence. As Europe inches towards chaos, they find themselves caught in a whirlwind of discovery, challenging everything they thought they knew about themselves and each other.
From the rugged Irish coastline to the genteel streets of Georgia, 'Lilac Ink' weaves a tapestry of love, destiny, and self-realization against the ominous backdrop of impending global conflict. Grace and Richard must navigate not only their impossible connection but also the turbulent waters of family expectations, social norms, and their own conflicting desires.
This mesmerizing journey through time and place will leave you questioning the very nature of fate and the extraordinary power of human connection. In a world being torn apart, can two hearts, inexplicably linked, find a way to beat as one?

 

[Raf]

Finished, "The Last Lieutenant" by John J. Gobbell. This one has been in my TBR list for quite awhile. A couple of years actually. It just kept getting moved aside in favor of something else. Book 1 of a 8 novel series. It was a good story that told about a piece of history that I was unclear about. Mainly the fall of the Philippines Islands to the Japanese and the subsequent surrender of all American forces there.

Unfortunately, the writing style was not was not captivating to the point of drawing me back into the story. So, it was just a slow read. I've downloaded the 2nd novel, but I think I'll move on to something else for a bit.

 

[suciul]

Finished Warrior of Rome by T C Cloutier, second in the Marcus Agrippa series after the excellent Impostor; good and fairly gripping, but not quite at the level of the first novel as is more scattered; my short Goodreads review:

The immediate sequel to the excellent Impostor of Rome, the novel continues the story of Marcus Agrippa (with a twist) from the march on Rome in 43 to the battle at Philippi, the Perusia affair, and its aftermath. While energetic and compelling one to turn the pages, Warrior of Rome is somewhat scattered and feels more like a sequence of events than a coherent story, despite still being a first-person narration - I am definitely interested in the promised sequel, Statesman of Rome, but not at the drop everything to read it on publication this time - maybe the expectations here were a bit too high.

Overall, very good and carries the storyline well but the first book was better

 

[psikeyhackr]

Long ago I learned that there are hundreds and hundreds of books about Abraham Lincoln. So I asked ChatGPT what the 10 best books are.
It turns out 2 of them are in the public domain so I started one.

9. **"The Life of Abraham Lincoln" by John Hay and John G. Nicolay** 1890
- Written by Lincoln's private secretaries, this multi-volume set offers an insider's perspective.
1890 in Project Gutenberg

10. **"Herndon's Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life" by William H. Herndon and Jesse W. Weik** 1888 Two Volumes
- Co-authored by Lincoln's law partner, this book provides personal insights and anecdotes.
1888 in Project Gutenberg

They all knew him during his lifetime. I suspect anyone writing a book on Lincoln had to have read these.

 

[suciul]

Finished Converso by C Falconer and it was another typical novel from the author -fast-moving, engrossing, set in an interesting time and place, and with heroes and heroines one wants to root for; on the downside, very villainous villains and heroic heroes and heroines so to speak with little ambiguity or real depth.

Blurb:

Seville 1490: Diego Vasquez is one of the city's most famous painters. His murals and triptychs grace every church and cathedral. But he is also a converso, and so despite his reputation he lives every day in fear.
Raul Beltran is a knight in the service of the king. A man of action. He has everything, except the woman he loves. He’ll do anything to get her.
While the Inquisition hunts for heretics and the Spanish king sets out to capture Granada, Diego and Raul are thrown into their own life and death struggle. Should a man defy his family, his church and even his own ambition for the sake of his soul?

 

[blailock]

I finished Winter Prey by John Sandford. This is the 5th Lucas Davenport novel. This one features the weather as a main character with winter storms in Wisconsin causing all kinds of problems. It's a solid story.

 

[AtramentousFlux]

Two friends return from a hunting trip and find themselves in the middle of a civil war in Maine. A couple of unexplained plot oddities, but I thought it was quite good. The word-smithery, particularly, is excellent.

 

[Westy]

I finished A Death in Cornwall, number 24 in the Gabriel Allon spy thriller series by Daniel Silva. Like the previous couple of books, the plot involves high value paintings, but also a secret plot to bring down the Prime Minister.

Some of the dialogue doesn't feel very natural, and there's a familiarity to many aspects of the story (which is probably expected given the number of books in the series). But, like all the books, it's readable, well paced and the spycraft side of things is always interesting (as is the art world).

 

[Raf]

Finished "The Very Last War" by W.H. Hawthorne. Politico-Thriller. The author is a robotics engineer in real life, so a lot of the tech was pretty in-depth and super interesting..

Basically the story is about a 3rd political party in the US coming into power and swinging the country to the far right. That process was a bit too pat, I thought. The US withdraws from the UN and kicks the organization out of the country. Then withdraws from NATO. The UN consolidates its power with the EU bunch in Brussels then aligns itself with Russia and China. Britain, Israel, Taiwan and several eastern European countries abstain from the new treaty.

Then through a series of global / political machinations, UN armor forces supported by China arrive in masse in Mexico to , ostensibly, destroy the cartels. Another force arrives in Canada to put down the Western Canada states Recession movement after the Canadian Prime Minister cedes the country to UN control. New super secret weapons on both sides negate key weapon systems in the coming battles.

All to put large forces available to conquer the USA. The books has a definite Tom Clancy-ish feel. Though not nearly as polished and crisp as Clancy in my opinion. But the author does a pretty good job of writing modern military tactics and battles. Still, a decent read. But unfortunately, the only one available from this author.

 

[suciul]

Finished Precipice by R. Harris and it was excellent- the author's books are of a hit or miss kind for me and this one was definitely a hit; saw a review accidentally after boarding a flight and just before turning off my cell phone and the magic of ebooks allowed me to get the book in a few seconds (after checking the sample and liking it a lot) and finish it during my almost 4 hour flight - it is about the affair between British premier H Asquith -61 and with 6 grown kids - and Venetia Stanley -26- youngest daughter of an aristocratic family, affair that has been going for a few years when the events of July 1914 start raising the stakes considerably as the peace loving and mild prime minister has to take Britain in what everyone realizes will be a terrible war that may end civilization, though of course there are people like the young first lord of admiralty Winston Churchill who relish that. Asquith starts confiding more and more in Venetia sending her tens of letters discussing all the secrets of the war cabinet and including tons of secret documents (all real and preserved today though they came to light only many years later). Venetia finds it harder and harder to deal with this and so it goes with lots of cool stuff. Gripping and hard to put down.