The Killer App
by John Writher

What would you do if the world was on the verge of becoming unsustainable ? What if you could die and go back and live your life again ? Only this time you would be more productive because you could avoid the mistakes that you made the first time around ? Would you do it ? What if you had the chance to be the first, not really knowing what would or could happen ? Would you ? These are the questions that the author asks  in this book and it really makes  you think about our world and your choices.

The story is set in the not to distant future when on country, Great Britain, is facing very difficult times. Science has lengthened our life spans but not our ability to remain productive members of society. This is really not so fictions, it is happening now. Young workers are working at lower paying jobs and  paying into a system that supports an aging population. In this work of fiction, three people realize that they have the means to reverse this. They realize that people, as they age, might just want to go back and be young again. They could be more productive, they could ease the burden on the younger generation by doing so. The story never examines too closely the moral implications of such a decision, rather these decisions are left to a population, that they know will prize youth above all. The author handles this well. He does not become judgmental about such a choice. The main characters devise a way to see if people can be persuaded to go back and start all over again.
The  main characters in the story are not particularly likeable, they all have their ulterior motives and agendas For the story to work, they need to be this way. Mr. Writher presents us with a world where decisions are made on a cost effective basis, not all that far from real life.
The ending is mixed, the plan does not go exactly as hoped for , but then again not that far off. The last page is a cliff hanger, I will not spoil it here.

This book should make you think about some important questions facing human kind. I do not recommend this way but it makes for fascinating reading. I can envision this book for book clubs because there is so much here to discuss. Well done !

Janie

The Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust
by Alan Bradley

Flavia doe it again, and with her usual charm and style ! Bravo Flavia. The story opens up where we left her.  Flavia is now on her way to a school for young women in Canada. She is  totally alone in a brave new world which she is totally unprepared for ! The stage is for murder, mystery and mayhem when a body falls out of the chimney in her new room. What a way to start ! Flavia must negotiate the challenges of a new school, new mates, new everything while she outs her best detecting skills to use to solve the mystery of the corpse ! Along the way she meets new friends and discovers things about herself that she would never have discovered had she stated in England.

I have to say that I did miss the interaction between her and her sisters, whom are absent  from this book. They always brought out her poisonous side. None of the new characters do the job as well.

We are lead to believe that the corpse that falls out of the chimney is old and that the mystery may never be  solved. However, Flavia is at her best and this is not the case at all. During the course of solving this mystery, Flavia is introduced in to the world of spy craft, and that is all I will say about that ! I hope that these new skills that she is learning will be put to good in use in future adventures !.

The murder, it turns out,  was committed and covered up for the most basic of human reasons, the human heart.

Mr. Bradly has done it again, a great story with a great heroine !

Janie

Mrs. Kaplan and the Matzoh Ball of Death
by Mark Reuthlinger


This is simply a mystery, well plotted and delivered. I finished this is one setting and for me that is unusual. I do however appreciate a fast read every now and again.

What did I like abut the book ? Well for openers I liked the fact t hat he used older characters to be his detectives and solve the mystery. The story is set in a retirement facility so  there are plenty of older characters to choose from. And I'm glad that for the most part he did.  He only brought in younger characters when it was absolutely necessary, and when he did, they were well written and likeable. Bravo. The story actually revolves around solving a mystery. There are no current event headlines to push their way in to the story as happens in so many stories. Of course we call those thrillers now a days ! This one stays true.

What I really disliked about the book was the constant insertion of Yiddish and the necessary translations. It took away from the flow of the story and stereotyped older Jewish people. Both of which I found unnecessary and offensive. He didn't need this to move his story along.

Notwithstanding, the book has its charms. It is well written, plot and characters and I think that you will enjoy it. It is book club material, but it will satisfy the need for  a good who done it !

Janie

The Gift of a Legacy 
by Jim Stovall

This book is a fairly  quick read because the story flows easily, This is a great thing for an authorto be able to do. The story is fairly simple. A young man is left a legacy by his great grandmother but cannot claim it until he learns some life lessons. To accomplish this. his great grandmother en lists the help of her attorney and a another friend whose  son had to learn the same lessons. To say the lessons start of badly would be an  understated. With the help of someone who has  walked in his shoes, he learns the life lessons that he needs.

The author paints a one sided picture of wealth, portraying it as selfish and self serving. This is all to true in today's world. The book is well  written and will hold your trimester.  For those of you looking for a summer book club read, this book fills that bill. This is much to discuss and think about. Overall a really good read.

My Country  'tis of Thee 
by Keith Ellison

I picked up this book to read on Memorial Day 20124 and I am so happy that I did. This is a book to remind all Americans that those who sacrificed for out freedom, did so for the freedom of all Americans, not just a particular class of Americans.

The Congressman opens the book with the story of his family, and it is a fascinating story.  He was raised by a family who above all else valued family. This   was expressed differently by his father and mother but their core values shaped the man that he would become. Hos father expected nothing less than achievement from his sons, and they all excelled. Their mother balanced their father in what was to become a healthy family lifestyle. His background is colorful, rich in history and nurturing.

His life started in Detroit Michigan and he describes in detail how that city also shaped him. He ultimately found his way to Minneapolis, Minnesota, which he claims gave him the impetus to grow and flourish. And grow and flourish he did. He speaks of Minnesota nice, and that is  the feeling that you take away after reading about his life there. I especially found  this true when he wrote about his campaigns. Mr. Ellison also devotes a good amount of time to how he became a Muslim and a lawyer. He credits his faith with the values that he embraces to this day.

The part of the book that I found fascinating was his description of Congress and t he humility that he felt walking in the same halls that Lincoln walked in.

He ends the book with his vision and hope for the future and I, for one, hope  that he succeeds. This is a book for all Americans to read and think about. We are not hyphenated Americans, we are all Americans

ANONYMOUS SOURCES
by Mary Louise Kelly

This is a wonderfully conceived and written who done it ! Kelly has written a clever modern day thriller that involves post 9/11 Muslim terrorism, British Intelligence, bad guys at the CIA , and one very inquisitive reporter.

Our gal reporter, Alexandra James is assigned to do a routine story about an apparent suicide at Harvard. A one Thom Carlyle, whose father, as it turns out , is very well connected. As it also turns out, there is nothing apparent about this suicide because it is not a suicide. James convinces her editor to let her go to London to do a human interest angle on Carlyle because there really is nothing else to write about. All of her digging in Boston is going nowhere. The local cops don't share, and no matter how hard she tries, she is getting nowhere. This is where the fun begins. There are love interest, real and imagined. There are multiple intelligence agents, all of who are  very believable. And the people in DC are VERY believable.

James thinks that she is just trying to get  background info to file her story, and in the bargain, relive some college a days and get some cool new shoes while she is there.In the process, she stumbles upon a terrorist plot to blow up the White House. This plot involves bananas, trans Atlantic murder, and James not knowing whom to trust. In other words, it is a great ride.

The story really heats up in the second half of the book and just flies.he pieces all fall into place and the story is satisfying. This is the first work I have written b this author, but I will be looking for more by her, she knows how to write a thriller !

On My Mind

I have just finished two books that dealt with human trafficking, and this is kind of playing into my theory that books travel in circles. It is amazing how books from  different publishers deal with the same topics and are published around the same time. Not that these books are bad, it is just interesting that they all come out at the same time.  I do believe that the next book I pick will deal with a different topic.

I was going through my Costco magazine for the month and I came across an article about World Book Night. I need to find out more information about this and see how I can get involved for next year. From reading their website, I believe I am too late for this year.

Border Angels
By Anthony Quinn

When you think of Ireland, what do you think off ? Green shamrocks ? St. Patrick and the snakes ? A charmed isle where life is peaceful ? If any of these are your idea of what Ireland is  this book will give you  a very different picture of that country. This story is set on the border of Northern Island and Ireland in wild part of the country that has been peaceful sine the troubles. The same miseries that plagued this country also plagued Ireland. Greed in land speculations, failed business and a host of ghost developments. Into this mix throw in human trafficking along with every other criminal enterprise you can think of. The landscape is wild and so is the Eastern European evil master of all of this lawlessness.

This book will also take away any notion the prostitution is voluntary and victimless. It is neither. The woman at the heart of the story is a Croatian girl who has been trafficked and has been abused in every way you can think of. Lena Novak. She hangs her hope for escape on a customer, who in a previous life was IRA. Jack Fowler is still a renegade at heart, only now he traffics in selling real estate dreams to those who want to believe that they can have it all. Everything comes crashing down, the economy, his life and the story takes off from here.

There are many twists and turns in this book and I gurantee   you will have fun following them. The book is well written and you will enjoy trying to untangle all the “knots” in the story. Read it and enjoy it !

The Weight of Blood
by Laura Mc Hugh

This  is a story about human trafficking, there, major spoiler alert. Mc Hugh haas written this story as a mystery and it is a device that works well. You will not realize what the story is really about, and who the bad guy(s) are until the end and that is something I will not give away.

Human trafficking received national attention when the Super Bowl was in New Jersey and the state Legislature and women ‘s groups raised awareness of this problem. This book is topical but will find an audience for years to come.

The story is told by all of the  maim characters and you will enjoy hearing from all of them. It is set in the Ozarks in a town that has not evolved in decades. In many ways the author has used stereotypes to develop her characters. I was not put off by this because it made the story. I had my favorites and ones that I was not so found of.

This is a book that will make a good book club selection. There's much to discus and reflect on. It will also make you think, is there trafficking going on under your nose? If there is what would you do about it. Read it for the story and pass it on to your friends for it’s message.

Ho-B-52 by Eric Carpenter

This is a short story that I requested, and received, from Eric Carpenter via Librarything.com. It's a short story about a very small slice of  the War in Viet Nan. I really don't know how to categorize this story. Usually when I read story, the author has painted a picture and I can visualize and put my own spin on it. THis is not the case here. This was like sitting down with the author and having him tell me the story. It was truly different and I really liked it. I was able to put myself in the cockpit of the B-52 and really feel what he imagined they must have felt. It is one thing to use the first person voice when writing, it's effective and good, but having some tell you what they thought the characters were feeling and doing is really something else.

The story ended with a question for me, which I am sure the author intended. Was the war in Viet Nam, or the American War, worth fighting. I watch travel shows, and the Amazing Race TV show, that showcase Viet Nam, I wear clothing made in Viet Nam, the nail techs in my neighborhood are Vietnamese, For me the answer is no. There was death and destruction, both military and civilian. In the end, no one really remembers what the fighting was all about, but this can be said about any war that has ever been fought. In the end, people become allies, the fanatics try to rekindle the flames and trade goes on. Mr. Carpenters short story made me think, and thatg, I believe, is the point of storytelling. I enjoyed this work. I am going to check out his others stories and see what they make me think about and how they do it.

The Tenth Circle or a New One for Dante

The Tenth Circle by Jon Land

WARNING: SOME SPOILERS (not many)

Wow, what a read ! Jon Land takes you on a roller coaster that just will not stop, even if you wish he would ! This is a story that has some roots in reality, remember the preacher down South who was burning the Koran ? Well, Jon takes him into this story and creates a truly terrifying picture of what a madman who is convinced that God is on his side can do. He also takes stereotypes of
neo-cons, embittered ex military types, retired military types, spies, counterspies and creates fantastic story. In this story Blaine McCracken and his sidekick, the Indian need to stop a plot to overthrow the government by Americans. Another borrow from reality, terrorism is coming from within and being made to look like it is coming from abroad. Who's to say that this is not
happening ?

The story goes back and forth between characters, including spies, counterspies, and American history, I loved it

Land takes the reader inside the mind of a truly disturbed preacher, Jeremiah Rule and the reader hopes to God that this is pure fiction. This character is guilty of murders, rape and mutilation, you will be happy to see what happens to him ! Land draws a parallel between his military characters and those in real life who express the sentiment that they "want their country back" . I am  never sure what the people in real life want back, but Land seems to have his characters want a country thatg predates 9/11. You'll have fun discovering of they get it.

There is one chapter that had me laughing out loud in another wise  dark book and that was the way Land described just how effective retired military personnel can be when they are called upon.

This is a really good book that will start you thinking , could this really happen here ? A friend of mine thinks that this type of book gives the bad guys ideas, I disagree. This book is well plotted and will also give the good guys some ideas.  Good job, Mr. Land