Seven for a Secret: A John the Eunuch Mystery
by Mary and Eric Mayer Reed
Appearances can be deceiving (2/7/2008)
Reed and Mayers' carefully crafted mystery is a delightful opus which takes the reader on an exotic journey to 6th century Constantinople. There, the Lord Chamberlain to Justinian investigates the murder of a young woman, but finds the mystery changes slightly with each suspect he interviews until its threads envelope him like a spider's web threatening his life and the lives of those he loves.Keeping the mystery tight, and the writing clear, the story comes to a satisfactory and satisfying conclusion, depositing this reader back in her arm chair...and keeping in mind the politics of Justinian and Theodora, with her head safely on her shoulders.
Gomorrah: A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples' Organized Crime System
by Roberto Saviano, translated by Virginia Jewiss
What a Ride!! (10/13/2007)
You've got to read Gomorrah! It's a book written with passion and elegantly translated into English. But, reader beware, the subject matter is the stuff of nightmares. Page after page is filled with images of sweatshops,drug trafficking, murder---and the Camorra's reach into legitimate society. It's poison has insinuated itself into the very fabric of Neapolitan society and further - into the reaches of Europe, the US and China. Saviano has done a great service to society by publishing this book. As a Neapolitan American two generations removed, I am indebted to the author for the courage he has shown in exposing the cancer afflicting the land of my ancestors. Grazie tanto, Saviano. Stay safe!