The Defector

Cold. Daniel Silva’s ninth Gabriel Allon thriller is titled The Defector. For fans, this book picks up where the previous novel, Moscow Rules, left off. New readers need not have read that book to enjoy this one, since Silva provides more than enough background to allow the current novel to stand on its own. Protagonist Allon is an Israeli spy and murderer and a talented art restorer. The action in this novel pits the evil arms dealer Ivan Kharkov against Allon in a classic battle of good versus evil, or in this case, killer versus really bad killer. The title refers to Grigori Bulganov, a Russian dissident who defected to Great Britain, and whose disappearance brought Allon out of his semi-retirement. Readers looking for an escape novel that doesn’t require much thinking are likely to enjoy The Defector for its fast pace. The extent of the murders and violence in each Allon novel has built to the point where the pleasure of the novel’s thrills for me is damped by all the bloodshed. The coldness within Allon and his ruthlessness make him less than the hero he could be, and may lead me to hesitate before reading another novel presenting him as a hero.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)

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Nemesis

Revenge. Jo Nesbo maintains suspense to the last page of his novel, Nemesis. Protagonist Harry Hole is a police investigator with a bundle of personal challenges that provide some distraction from the essence of his talent and expertise. The multiple plot lines require a reader’s focused attention, and Hole’s personal relationship with a murder victim adds to the suspense. Just when I thought I had things figured out, I was proved wrong. Readers wonder along with Hole whether or not murders and robberies are connected, and the identity of Hole’s nemesis takes a while to figure out. Hole’s sidekick Beate Lonn provides great talent of her own that complements, and often covers for Hole. Fans of mysteries and crime novels will find a lot of reading pleasure on the pages of Nemesis.

Rating: Four-star (Highly Recommended)

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Death with Interruptions

Change. In Jose Saramago’s novel, Death With Interruptions, death is a woman who takes a pause from her work thereby leaving the injured and old alive. Through giant descriptive paragraphs, Saramago riffs on what happens when no one dies, and he does a bang up job describing the bureaucratic reaction of the government and the church to this change. Following her break, death resumes but with a new process: the sending of a letter on violet paper. When one intended recipient of a letter doesn’t receive it, death becomes a bit flummoxed and her personality and reaction are endearing. Meandering through long paragraphs of ideas can become a bit tedious at times, but the personalization of death is so well worth the trouble that by the end of the novel, I was feeling sorry for poor death.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)

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Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work

Reliance. Matthew Crawford’s new book, Shop Class as Soulcraft is a philosophical treatise calling for manual competence: the mastery of one’s own stuff that can lead to happiness and fulfillment. Some frustrated cubicle workers will find hope on these pages, and those who work successfully with their hands may feel affirmation and recognition. We depend on one another in our connected world, and understanding the value of all kinds of work can be helpful as we exchange skills and talents with others. At its core, this book is a work of philosophy, and can be a bit plodding at times to make a point. In anyone’s search for the good life, reading Shop Class as Soulcraft can be a useful way of thinking about what leads to satisfaction and joy. For some of us, it can be as simple as taking something apart and putting it back together.

Rating: Four-star (Highly Recommended)

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Street Fighters: The Last 72 Hours of Bear Stearns, the Toughest Firm on Wall Street

Denial. Kate Kelly expanded her 2008 reporting on the fall of Bear Stearns for The Wall Street Journal into a book titled Street Fighters: The Last 72 Hours of Bear Stearns, the Toughest Firm on Wall Street. The hour-by-hour structure of the book increases the intensity of the action Kelly describes. The context she creates by references to earlier times allows the tension to relax periodically. Throughout, Kelly highlights the many ways in which CEO Alan Schwartz and Chairman Jimmy Cayne ignored or denied the gravity of the situation the company was in. By the time reality sank in, there were few options remaining. Kelly dedicates the book to the 14,000 people who worked for Bear Stearns, and those potential readers won’t like a lot of her explanation of what happened. The rapid demise of Bear was surprising at the time, and understandable in the context that Kelly presents. I wanted to learn more about many of the conversations that Kelly referenced as happening, but doesn’t elaborate. While JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon seemed to be on the phone constantly about a deal, Kelly doesn’t provide much insight into the details. I wondered a lot about the progression of Dimon’s conversations, especially with Tim Geithner. Nonetheless, Street Fighters provides fast reading about the final hours of a once-successful company, and most readers will find the story captivating.

Rating: Four-star (Highly Recommended)

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