The Devil's Cave

Fraud. I set aside the fifth installment in Martin Walker’s Bruno Chief of Police series, The Devil’s Cave, the way one would let a fine wine age a bit before consuming it. Since the sixth installment was moving up in my queue, I could wait no longer, and zipped through this novel enjoying every page. The novel opens with a dead woman, marked with a Satanist symbol and accompanied by the accruements of a black mass. St. Denis’ police chief, Bruno Courrèges, is on the case, along with a familiar cast from earlier novels, and some fine additions. The plot moves quickly, and turns to real estate fraud. What happens to Bruno inside the cave may be the most dramatic plot action of all the novels so far. Fans will love this contribution to the series. Any reader who likes character based crime fiction will love this one. An added bonus can be found here with the beautiful descriptions of the Perigord and the consumption of lots of fine food. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Devil’s Cave from amazon.com.

An Officer and a Spy

Dreyfus. If, like me, you recall three or four facts about the Dreyfus affair, and if you like to read historical fiction, you’ll probably enjoy reading Robert Harris’ novel titled, An Officer and A Spy. Protagonist Georges Picquart works in intelligence for the French Army, and he slowly comes to realize that the charges that convicted Alfred Dreyfus of being a spy were false. What happened to this 19th century whistle blower provides the tension in the novel. While presenting enough detail to relate a cogent description of the actions and the cover-up, Harris enlivens all the characters by developing each character quite fully. Readers can understand the expectation of conformity within hierarchical institutions, and the impact of anti-Semitism on the integrity of the investigations. Harris does what most readers of historical fiction desire: he brings the time period to life, and presents a story that informs and entertains us. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase An Officer and a Spy from amazon.com.

Vatican Waltz

Prayer. Most fiction writers ask for our willing suspension of disbelief while the narrative of a novel unfolds. From the beginning to the end of his novel, Vatican Waltz, Roland Merullo tested my ability to maintain that suspension. Protagonist Cynthia Piantedosi is a single devout Catholic who prays daily and has on occasion intense spiritual experiences that her family members have called “spells.” The intensity of her prayer brings her a message from God: she is called to become a priest. Merullo proceeds to develop this theme from Revere, Massachusetts to Rome, packing the novel with lengthy descriptive language of Cynthia’s surroundings in almost every setting. Like most readers, I was surprised and taken aback by the unexpected ending, and closed the novel with my disbelief intact, no longer in a somewhat willing suspension. Rating: Three-star (It’s ok) Click here to purchase Vatican Waltz from amazon.com.

The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way

Rigor. Amanda Ripley examines what education is like in Finland, South Korea and Poland in her book titled, The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way. What could have been cold and boring comes alive through the stories of three American exchange students in those countries. Those countries that are doing well in education hold in common one theme: rigor. They use rigor in the teacher selection process, ensuring that only the best and brightest join the teaching profession. They also apply rigor in the classroom: setting high expectations for students and following a disciplined approach to ensuring those expectations are met. Any reader with an interest in education should consider this book as required reading. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Smartest Kids in the World from amazon.com.

The Daylight Gate

Twilight. Readers who like historical fiction are those most likely to enjoy a short and tightly written novel by Jeanette Winterson titled, The Daylight Gate. Set in England early in the 17th century, the plot involves the witch trials of that period. The title refers to dusk, and much of the atmosphere of the novel has a twilight feel to it. Protagonist Alice Nutter became wealthy from Queen Elizabeth I’s pleasure in the garments made from a dye Nutter created. Winterson achieves in this short novel exactly what I want from historical fiction: she presents complex characters, many based on the historical record, and describes the time and place with finely written prose. She grabbed my attention in the first few paragraphs, and I sped through this novel, finding pleasure throughout, despite much disturbing subject matter. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Daylight Gate from amazon.com.

The Valley of Amazement

Losses. Amy Tan’s latest 600-page novel is titled, The Valley of Amazement. Set in Shanghai, San Francisco and a little in upstate New York, the novel presents the lives of multiple generations across four decades starting early in the 20th century. Tan excels at describing the situation of women in society, and in this novel she leans heavily on the losses and setbacks in the lives of mothers and daughters. There’s plenty of sex, violence, love and death on these pages to last through many hours of reading. Amy Tan fans are those readers most likely to enjoy this novel. Some readers may find the story bloated and packed with more detail than necessary. I expected tension in the mother-daughter relationships, and found plenty of that in this sweeping novel along with much more to say about the condition of women at that time and in those places. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Valley of Amazement from amazon.com.

Actors Anonymous

Creative. I picked up James Franco’s debut novel, Actors Anonymous, out of curiosity. I wanted to see how good a novel this talented actor, director, screenwriter and artist could write. I found the novel to be creative and interesting. Franco uses multiple voices, came up with a structure from Alcoholics Anonymous and, and kept me interested to the end. The confessional nature of most of the book forced me as a reader to listen to more vulgarity and wrongdoing than I felt was necessary for the novel. I was bored by a lot of the novel, but still impressed by the creativity expressed. Those readers willing to cut some slack for a debut novel by an actor are those most likely to enjoy this book. Rating: Two-star (I didn’t like it) Click here to purchase Actors Anonymous from amazon.com.