Customer Comments

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is such a great spy story. I have returned to the George Smiley collection in preparation for reading the new le Carre A Legacy of Spies. I was amazed had how well Tinker has withstood the decades. Again i was taken in by the characters, the plot, and the classic le Carre denouement! I can't recommend Tinker highly enough.

What a wonderful read! A journey that begins with the narrator running from something, then quickly her identity is stolen, and she begins her search for her new self. The novel is of medium length. I heartily recommend reading it at one sitting to fully appreciate her careening down a roller coast to her new identity.

I don't know how I missed Paolo Bacigalupi's earlier work. This is an exciting near future novel, with a little SciFi thrown in. The drought is worse and the southwest is in big trouble. Read for two reasons - it is great read, and its reality is probably closer than we would like. As a bonus the book refers to Marc Reisner's 1993 classic Cadillac Desert as the book that was ignored. Read it too!

I read a lot of mysteries and embarrassed I missed Lou Berney. This is an excellent mystery interweaving three plot lines. Added to that is the underlying theme of looking back. As a character thinks early in the story - "The past was a riptide. That's why, if you had a brain in your head, you didn't go in the water." I am looking forward to reading his other novels.

Absolutely the best book I have read about the Vietnam War. While it takes place mostly after 1975 it contains everything about the war - hopes, dreams, and finally the pathos of it all. Additionally it may be the best book with insights about American culture since Lew Archer quit describing California. Viet Thanh Nguyen's observations are painfully precise. A must read.

This is T. C. Boyle at his best. He puts us deep inside the minds of the three main characters. We feel their rage, their insanity, and their confusion. I think it is his best since Drop City.

A must read. Very good. But be forewarned - Chilling.

Jack is back. After a disappointing Never Go Back, this one is pure Jack Reacher. A lot of coffee, superb observation, twisting plot, and a couple of interesting side characters. Highly recommended!

If you like your spy novels with good spy craft, interesting secondary characters, and moments on the precipice of success or failure ten A Colder War is for you. The story contains threads from from A Foreign Country and a hint about the next in the series. However, no matter, the novel stands completely on its own. I particularly like the references to movies, books, and fictional characters - watch for the Secret Pilgrim. An exciting and "I can't put it down" read.

One of the best things about this series set in the Dublin Murder Squad is that the setting is consistent but the lead character changes. This time it is Scorcher and a rookie must solve a triple murder. As in all the Dublin stories ethical questions quickly emerge and play an important role in the resolution of the case. The series can be read in any order, and all are very very good.

These Peter Diamond mysteries are so very good. This one has not only a very good police procedural but also some Chaucer history. The ensemble characters make this a most delicious read. As Peter remarks the line of investigation is most "byzantine".

This is both a superb police procedural at the same time it is a heartbreaking love story. I admit I had only a part of the crime solved and was surprised at the ending. As a mystery it is top notch. Even more it is an emotional story, the roots of which are only apparent at the end. All good writers of this author's generation must write their novel that touches the Vietnam War. Jance's is stellar.

The Light is absolutely marvelous from the opening acknowledgments concerning Leonard Cohen to the surprising ending. The characters in this series are so well crafted you feel you have been walking and talking with them for years. The blend of mystery and action is marvelous. I cannot recommend it highly enough, but please - read the whole series and start at the beginning.

I have never read the early Leonard novels and desired to find out if his dialogue was exquisite from the very beginning. I counted three adverbs modifying the word "said". The man was a master.

"...nothing is incompatible in the land of memory." This is a wonderful psychological thriller. Thought by thought the reader is drawn into the mind of the narrator, finally left shocked and disturbed. Think of Graham Greene combined with Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I simply must go find more of Javier Marias - I cannot believe I have missed him to this point.

As this novel tears thru Texas from 1836 to almost present day it left my emotions ragged. It has all of invasion, Comanches, Texans, Mexicans, extermination, cattle, oil, loyalty, and betrayal. The characters are full - you hate them then love them then hate them. If you want a book that you will end up wishing you had not finished, pick up The Son.