My Recent Reading 2018

My Recent Reading: 40 in 2018

Date	Book Title	Author	Notes / Rating
17 December 2018	The Solomon Curse	Clive Cussler	4 stars
3 December 2018	The Christmas Sisters	Sarah Morgan	3 stars
12 November 2018	Leviathan Wakes	James S.A. Corey	4 stars
5 November 2018	The Silent Sea	Clive Cussler	5 stars
29 October 2018	Lord Peter Wimsey	Dorothy L Sayers	5 stars
22 October 2018	In Prior’s Wood	G. M. Malliet	5 stars
15 October 2018	The Book of Dust	Philip Pullman	3 stars
5 October 2018	A Dangerous Fortune	Ken Follett	5 stars
24 September 2018	Murder in Belgravia	Lynn Brittney	5 stars
17 September 2018	The Romanov Ransom	Clive Cussler	4 stars
10 September 2018	The Fall of Gondolin	J. R. R. Tolkien	5 stars
27 August 2018	The Mystery of Three Quarters	Sophie Hanna	5 stars
20 August 2018	Time Trap	Micah Caid	3 stars
12 August 2018	They Came to Baghdad	Agatha Christie	4 stars
22 July 2018	Bodies from the Library	Golden Age writers	5 stars
12 July 2018	Best Practice	Penny Parkes	4 stars
4 July 2018	Munich	Robert Harris	4 stars
28 June 2018	The Rooster Bar	John Grisham	5 stars
14 June 2018	A Legacy of Spies	John le Carré	5 stars
28 May 2018	The Tiger’s Prey	Wilber Smith	4 stars
22 May 2018	Nighthawk	Clive Cussler	5 stars
15 May 2018	Appointment with Death	Agatha Christie	4 stars
1 May 2018	Classic Locked-Room Mysteries	David Davies	4 stars
1 May 2018	The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries	Otto Penzler	4 stars
25 April 2018	Persons Unknown	Susie Steiner	3 stars
20 April 2018	The Burial Hour	Jeffery Deaver	5 stars
16 April 2018	The Midnight Line	Lee Child	5 stars
9 April 2018	Dreamer	Cornelis van de Burg	5 stars
31 March 2018	The Cutthroat	Clive Cussler	5 stars
19 March 2018	Bring Me Back	B A Paris	3 stars
8 March 2018	Blade Runner	Philip K. Dick	4 stars
24 February 2018	Ask an Astronaut	Tim Peake	4 stars
20 February 2018	No Middle Name	Lee Child	5 stars
17 February 2018	The Last Praetorian	Mike Smith	3 stars
9 February 2018	Worth Dying For	Lee Child	5 stars
2 February 2018	61 Hours	Lee Child	5 stars
25 January 2018	Echo Burning	Lee Child	5 stars
15 January 2018	The Killing Floor	Lee Child	5 stars
7 January 2018	Miracle on Regent Street	Ali Harris	4 stars
1 January 2018	Artemis	Andy Weir	3 stars

Inferno by Dan Brown

Inferno by Dan Brown

Review of the novel Inferno by Dan Brown.

Published by Penguin on 14 May 2013

Cost: £20.00 (UK)

ISBN: 978-0-593-07249-3 (Hardback Edition - 462 pages - starts on page 5)

Dedication: For My Parents

This is the fourth book in the Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown and is perhaps my favourite. My daughter returned it to me in December and I decided to stop reading the current book and re-read this one. There are twists and turns and the story is fast moving, that the reader may begin to question what is actually real.

If you recall, Langdon is a Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology. So, for many readers of the previous novels we have an idea of what to expect, however, this story is quite different as Langdon pairs up quite a strange partner.

The story opens up with Langdon participating in a dream of his own, which is very real to him, so much so that it startles him awake. He finds himself in a hospital with an IV attached to his arm and he has no idea where he is, or how he incurred such a serious injury to his head. His waking brings a doctor into the room.

“I’m Dr. Sienna Brooks,” she said, giving Langdon a smile as she entered. “I’ll be working with Dr. Marconi tonight.”

Langdon nodded weakly.

Tall and lissom, Dr. Brooks moved with the assertive gait of an athlete. Even in shapeless scrubs, she had a willowy elegance about her. Despite the absence of any makeup that Langdon could see, her completion appeared unusually smooth, the only blemish a tiny beauty mark just above her lips. Her eyes a gentle brown, seemed unusually penetrating, as if they had witnessed a profundity of experience rarely encountered by a person of her age.

Looking around him, Langdon looks out of the window and recognises the medieval structure facing him and realises he is over four thousand miles from home. Little does he know his world is about to be turned upside down and he is going to have to run for his life, as moments later bullets start to fly and so starts a race across the town of Florence in Italy, and across Europe as things begin to hot up. Attacked by a female assassin, wanted by the US government, hunted by a secretive organisation of soldiers, the Italian Carabinieri, Robert realises he can’t stand still.

He has to trust the most unlikely person of Dr Brooks to steer him on his journey. It’s a race that leads to a dramatic climax.

The title of the story comes from the first part of Dante Alighieri’s 14^th Century epic poem Divine Comedy. The Inferno (Italian for ‘hell’) tells the journey of Dante through hell, guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil.

After leaving the hospital in a rush, Langdon finds a small container in his jacket pocket and he decides to open it. Inside he finds a small medieval bone cylinder fitted with a hi-tech projector that displays a modified version of Botticelli's Map of Hell. Parts of the drawing have been changed and Langdon feels there are clues to something important. The trail of clues leads them towards the ‘Old City’ of Florence. They pass through the Boboli Gardens, the Vasari Corridor, and the Palazzo Vecchio, where on the previous night Langdon had a private viewing of Dante’s death mask. As the mask is not there, Langdon and Dr Brooks find they are now in serious trouble.

Continuing, they escape possible capture crossing over the Apotheosis Cosimo. It’s here that the story finds Langdon, taking short hops, solving the clue to discover the truth about why he has been brought o Florence. The journey is never quite clear and Langdon solves a clue to find that there is yet another one to solve. But the paring of Langdon and Dr Brooks breaks up as she believes she can solve the clues on her own and as a result, Langdon is captured by a group of black-clad soldiers. He discovers he has been brought to Italy by the head of the World Health Organisation, Dr Elizabeth Sinskey, and is given an explanation as to what is going on. A brilliant geneticist, named Zobrist, has supposedly developed a new biological plague that will kill off a large portion of the world’s population as a means of solving the overpopulation of the world.

At this point, the organisations tracking Robert Langdon, decide to work together to prevent the possible release of the plague. They race to the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, only to find they have misinterpreted another of the clues.

“The … cistern?” Mirsat asked, looking frightened. “It’s a block away, just east of this building.” He pointed outside. “It’s called Yerebatan Sarayi.”

“Langdon wondered. … “But … doesn’t sarayi mean ‘palace’?”

Mirsat nodded. “Yes. The name of our ancient cistern is Yerebatan Sarayi. It means-the sunken palace.”

Tonight, deep within the earth, the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra was performing one of Franz Liszt’s most famous works–the Dante Symphony–an entire composition inspired by Dante’s descent into and return from hell.

As Langdon passed through the doorway and began descending the steep staircase […], he could feel the warm wind rushing past them from the bowels of the cistern. The humid breeze carried on it the strains of Liszt’s Dante Symphony as well as a familiar, yet ineffable scent … that of a massive crush of people congregated together in an enclosed space.

Langdon suddenly felt a ghostly pall envelope him, as if the long fingers of an unseen hand were reaching out of the earth and raking his flesh.

The music.

These six words–the most famous line in all of Dante’s Inferno–welled up from the bottom of the stairs like the ominous stench of death.

Accompanied by a swell of trumpets and horns, the choir intoned the warning again. “Lasciate ogne Speranza voi ch’entrate!”

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!

In an auditorium of passageways above a cistern where a water-soluble bag containing the plague is hidden, Robert Langdon finds the item he has been seeking.

The story is fast moving and I found I could not put the book down. I felt the character of Langdon was confused when trying to solve some of the clues. I accept that there was no actual map with an X marking the final destination, but for me when Langdon attempts to solve a clue, he managed it by luck only to find he had to solve an additional clue. However, it is only Langdon that has any idea about how to interpret the clues which explain why he is being chased throughout most of the book. The reader benefits by the beautiful descriptions of the places the story takes the reader to, they are vivid and very descriptive - it has become a trait of Dan Brown, that has brought him a large readership following. As with his other books, the Inferno is available in an illustrated Hard Back edition, and having flicked through the pages It brings the book to life. I shall have to buy it. Rating 5 stars

Dr Sheppard

16 January 2018

Origin by Dan Brown

Origin by Dan Brown

 

Review of the novel Origin by Dan Brown.

Published by Penguin on 3rd October 2017

Cost: £20.00 (UK)

ISBN: 978-0-5930-7875-4 (Hardback Edition - 461 pages - starts on page 5)

Dedication: In Memory of my Mother

This is a continuation in the Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown. If you recall, Langdon is a Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology. So, for many readers of the previous novels, we have an idea of what to expect, however, this story is slightly different. There is less decoding and searching for symbols than in previous books.

Robert Langdon has received a last-minute invitation to attend ‘An Evening with Edmond Kirsch’ held by one of his former pupils at The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, looked like something out of an alien hallucination – swirling collage of warped metallic forms that appeared to have been propped up against one another in an almost random way.

At the check-in table, Langdon is presented with a headset customised to him personally.

The transducer pads don’t go inside your ears, but rather rest on your face. …. Bone conduction technology. The transducers drive sound directly into the bones of your jaw, allowing sound to reach your cochlea directly – like having a voice inside your head. It leaves your ears free to have outside conversations.

At this point the reader is introduced to the underlying character in the story, Winston, the personal guide created for Langdon by Edmond Kirsch. The whole story has a theme of technology running through it and suggests the importance of it in the future. In the Acknowledgements section, Dan Brown gives credit to ‘a brilliant team of scientists’ at the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre for their advice of how future computers might communicate with individuals. The result in this story is, for me, extremely enjoyable.

As the reader might expect, there are codes for Langdon to crack and just after meeting Kirch, Langdon is given his first one. ‘After the presentation, hail a cab and give this card to the driver.’ On the business card are the letters and numerals: BIO-EC346.

The reader would also expect Langdon to be joined on his journey by an attractive female:

A narrow door opened in the wall behind the podium, and the crowd immediately hushed, all looking expectantly for the great Edmond Kirsch.

But no Edmond materialised.

The door stood open for nearly ten seconds.

Then an elegant woman emerged and moved towards the podium She was strikingly beautiful – tall and willowy with long black hair – wearing a formfitting white dress with a diagonal black stripe. She seemed to drift effortlessly across the floor.

Miss Ambra Vidal is the director of The Guggenheim Museum, and, the fiancée of Crown Prince Julián, the only son of the King of Spain.

This story has a similar tone to previous Robert Langdon stories, where religion and science have a conflict to resolve. However, in this story, it is Edmond Kirsch who explains his theory and it is the reactions to it that begins a race against time for Langdon and Miss Vidal to resolve. There are long sections of dialogue which form the background to the narrative, and in a few instances flashbacks to explain why some of the characters behave in the way they do. But on the whole, this is a fast-paced story. Centred around Bilbao and Barcelona, where there are car chases and daring helicopter rides, all which lead Robert Langdon to a church to solve a difficult code, that has a time impact to the narrative. The enemies of Langdon appear to be just one step behind him at all times and it is only his brilliant mind that appears to jump to the solution of the cryptic codes in the nick of time that save the day. There are hints and suggestions as to who is directing the leading characters on the journey to prevent Langdon solve the codes, but the reader is left in the dark until the very end of the book who it might be.

When I was listening to the radio yesterday, I listened to Dan Brown being interviewed as part of the promotion for this book, and the question of a twist at the end of the story was discussed. I’m not sure it’s a twist in the plot as I was close to finishing reading the novel and was expecting just such a revelation. I loved this book, with its discussion on technology and its possible future developments and interactions with humans. I found I could not put the book down, such that I finished reading it in a day and a half. It’s a must read for all Dan Brown fans, and should increase his followers. Rating: 5 stars.

Dr Sheppard

11 October 2017

A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Chrsitie

A Caribbean Mystery, by Agatha Christie

Review of the novel A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie.

Published by Collins Crime Club on 16^th November 1964 (UK)

Cost: 25p (UK) 1971

ISBN: (Paperback Edition - 158 pages – *starts on page 7)

Dedication: To my old friend John Cruikshank Ross with happy memories of my visit to the West Indies

This is a very short story for a major novel, with only 151 pages to set the scene, introduce a murderer and solve the crime. As it opens we learn that Miss Marple is in the West Indies on holiday, courtesy of her nephew the writer Raymond West. Missing St Mary Mead she finds herself listening to tales told by another older guest staying at the hotel. Recall events they have experienced travelling around the world.

In writing this story Christie uses a plot that occurs in five other major novels and in a few of her short stories and it is captured in a brief description just inside the front cover of my edition.

Miss Marple is on holiday at the Golden Palm Hotel in the island of St Honoré. She is enjoying herself, yet there is something lacking. At home in St Mary Mead there was always something going on, something one could get one's teeth into.

   Miss Marple listens politely to Major Palgrave's boring stories of his early life in Kenya. She is not paying all that much attention when he starts telling her about a murderer he has known; and when he reaches in his wallet to show Miss Marple a snapshot of that murderer, he is suddenly interrupted. Murder Follows.

The idea of a character looking over the shoulder of another character and seeing something quite significant that will possibly result in their death, is the basis for the troubled holiday in which Miss Marple finds herself. This is the ninth story in which Miss Marple appears and we would expect to learn more about the character and the character's in St Mary Mead, but it's not the case in this novel. But there is one interesting point we learn. Raymond West's wife has provided Miss Marple funds to spend of suitable clothing for the Caribbean climate, but Miss Marple considers that her attire is just right: 'This evening she was attired in the best traditions of the provincial gentlewoman of England – grey lace.'

It's not clear how many guests are staying at the Golden Palm Hotel, but the owners, Tim ('lean and dark in his thirties') and Molly Kendal, ('an ingenious blonde of twenty odd'), are kept busy entertaining the guests and seeing that their every need is satisfied. The story focuses on their movements around the hotel, and we discover that they are involved in everything, which appears to be influencing Molly's behaviour, she is forgetting things – which is crucial to the story.

There is a quote from Miss Marple that I found very amusing, but it's actually true. After the death of Major Palgrave, she tricks the local doctor to look for the snapshot that belonged to the Major:

'How wonderful science is nowadays,' said Miss Marple. 'Doctors can do so much can't they?'

'We all have one great competitor,' said Dr Graham. 'Nature, you know. And some of the good old-fashioned home remedies come back from time to time,

'Like putting cobwebs on a cut?' said Miss Marple. 'We always used to do that when I was a child.'

Soon after Major Palgrave's murder - two more follow - Miss Marple believes she knows who the murderer is. She decides to team up with the abrupt and argumentative Mr Rafiel, a wealthy invalid, to try and stop any further murders. As they discuss the events taking place at the hotel, Mr Rafiel sums up Miss Marple's character;

'You've got a nerve!' he said. 'Not quite the gentle fluffy old lady you look, are you? So, you really think I'm a murderer?'

'No,' said Miss Marple. 'I do not.'

'And why?'

'Well, really, I think just because you have got brains. Having brains, you can get most things you want without having recourse to murder. Murder is stupid.'

…

'Conversations with you might be dangerous,' he said.

'Conversations are always dangerous, if you have something to hide,' said Miss Marple.

Just in time, Miss Marple is able to stop the murder of Molly Kendal and the killer is exposed. There is no gathering of likely suspects or pointing of fingers, Miss Marple accuses her suspect and their romantic partner reveals their existence and the missing link to the murders is solved. There is no incompetent policeman to try and solve the murders, it's just Miss Marple aided by individual's that do her bidding.

For me the story is a little slow, a lot happens very quickly followed by a lot of padding to the story and as it's just gossip and here say. It is only Miss Marple who can unravel the things that she hears and sees. In this story, Christie uses her knowledge of poisons to aid the murderer as they try to suggest a reason why Major Palgrave died rather suddenly. She introduces a drug she calls Serenite, it's a made-up name for a drug taken to reduce high blood pressure but kills if taken by the wrong person. The murderer also uses drugs to give his intended victim dreams and hallucinations, which has a great bearing on the story. A Caribbean Mystery is perhaps one of the last real whodunits that Agatha Christie wrote and at this stage in her career she was not at her peak in providing a rip-roaring thriller to entertain her readers, however, this story was written just after she had returned from own holiday to the West Indies and perhaps she felt she could entertain her readers with her new-found experience of the Caribbean. Rating: 3 stars.

Dr Sheppard

18 August 2017