Book Reviews 2018

1. Poison by John Les Croart {a library eBook from Overdrive)

This is a murder story. It’s a story about a family owned business. There is a murder which as always, reveals the details within the families life. Details they would rather not make public.

One of the characters is arrested which leads to other murders. One cup of poison and two gunshots. A puzzle that needs to be solved.

Dismass Hardy is an attorney. In this story he is recovering from gun shot wounds. Suddenly, a client who he represented once before needs him to represent her again. Hardy has sworn off murder representation because of the danger involved to attorneys. When he finds his conscience will not let him turn down this client he enters a struggle with relatives over the danger he is going to face. His marriage, his life, and his profession may be on the line. Did Abbey kill her boss?

The mystery begins to involve Hardy’s children and the questions become based on the knowledge his family is learning about their own involvement as friends to murder suspects.

Poison was released February 13, 2018. It is an engrossing story. This is excellent entertainment if you like mystery stories.
(word count 202 by The Journal 7)

2. Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (a library eBook from Overdrive)

Garry Kasparov is a world Grand master Chess player. More than that, he is noted for his books about Russia and Vladimir Putin.
In this book, he explains what Putin is actually like. What kind of power he possesses over the Russian country. Kasparov analyzes the benefits of democracy as he writes. He explains the dangers of Russian politics and the lies that are told about USA Democracy.

The reader of this book will be led into knowledge that will give them understanding about how Russia missed the mark when they tried to start a democracy of their own. Now, they have a badly concealed dictatorship. Kasparov warns readers about Putin’s manipulative ways and power seeking motives.

But, the story is more than a warning it is a picture of politics as it is being waged in the present world. Everyone in the USA and other democracies would reap a full cup of knowledge by reading this book. I was wondering why Putin and Russia were banned from meeting of NATO? This book explains the answer and answers to why USA presidents and congress members have been standing up against Putin for sometime. Readers, arm yourself with knowledge it will help keep our freedoms safe.
(216 words counted by The Journal 7)

3. The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lager Crantz (a library eBook by Overdrive)

This book continues the story of Elizabeth Salandar. Anyone who follows this series knows that Salandar is a twin, hacker, and genius. The journalist Mikhail Blomkvist continues to follow Salandar's story for his magazine.

In this story, Elizabeth has actually been sentenced to a jail term for something Blomkvist believes is wrong However, because of Elizabeth’s nature he also thinks jail might be the safest place for her at this time. The story follows a murder and reveals an illegal scientific study of twins who are separated at birth and raised in different environments, in order to learn social information about children.

This story is based in Switzerland. The reader is treated to descriptions of weather and landscape. Social meetings of groups and ways of life as well as politics are expounded.

Salandar’s childhood is revisited and a new pair of twins is introduced to the story. The new twins are also special in their abilities. So, the story leads us into the world of musical genius.

Salandar’s hacker friends become involved as the suspense builds and all the main characters are put into life threatening situations.
(word count 205 by The Journal 7)

4. A View to die For by Richard Houston ( A free eBook from Amazon by way of Bookbub)

The story starts in Truman, Missouri. It starts with a newspaper article about a couple found dead in their home. The article is from the Truman Lake Sentinel. It was sent anonymously to the stories hero who lives in Colorado. His name is Jacob and he has a golden retriever named Fred. The story is interesting and as mysteries go has lots of action.

I only object to the fact that it shows Jacob feeding beer to Fred on a regular basis. Richard Houston is listed as a USA Today best selling author. I am a little surprised that the story expounds on the ability of the dog to enjoy beer. As for the writing itself I think it is a well thought out story and written with thought.

In the story, Jacob is a bachelor living in an out of the way spot in Colorado. He is pursuing a writing career. His dog is his constant companion and he takes care to keep the dog in a secure living environment. Jacob and Fred care about each other.

Jacob is summoned to Missouri by his mother who is having family problems. Jacob’s sister has landed in jail for the murder of her husband. Jacob’s Mom looks to him to solved a lot of the problems that come up in the story.

The story shows a view of families as they sometimes are in life. Tangled up in situations that are not always avoided by life styles. Struggling with the need to gain monetary control of life.

5. Hardy’s Selected Poems - Unabridged by Thomas Hardy ( a paperback book that has been sitting in my library for an age, browned pages, probably bought and forgotten, but never read) ( there are a lot of these kinds of books down there I should go back to reading paper back books and see why I bought them to begin with.)

The poems are varied in content. They are about death, God, weather, youth, the relationship between men and women, especially about marriage or the connection between child and father. One is about what it’s like to walk in a rain storm.

One of my favorites (I’m partial to poetry about nature) is called “Nature’s Questioning.” Stanza one says,

“When I look forth at dawning, pool, field, flock and lonely tree.
All seem to gaze at me.
Like chastened children sitting silent in a school.

The poem is seven stanzas long and expounds about life and death and the way nature endures through the trials of mankind.

One is called “Wives Lament” and is about what women married to men at the time endure as there husband become soldiers.

The entire book encompasses so much of daily life. It has to be read to understand all the content. These are deep understanding of the mood and endurance of humans throughout life. (218 word count by The Journal 7)