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Reviews by Joe S. (Port Orange, FL)

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D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II
by Sarah Rose
Very well researched and very enjoyable. (4/8/2019)
"D-Day Girls" is a very well written book. It tells the stories of the women members of the British Special Operations Executive during World War II and the undercover operations in preparation for the D-Day landings. As the author points out, the book is not fiction but is derived from the interviews and writings of those who survived the war. It is fascinating, educational, exciting,scary and very hard to put down. A very good book about very special people.
The Lost Man
by Jane Harper
Jane Harper's best, so far. (11/26/2018)
When I read "The Dry'', Jane Harper's first book, I wondered how she could write another as good. She could, two more in fact. The "Lost Man" is her third novel and, in my opinion, her best. It is well written with a very interesting plot and set in a challenging locale. The characters are well developed and the story does not bog down. I really enjoyed it and can't wait for her next.
Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History
by Keith O'Brien
Interesting and a Good Read (6/18/2018)
I thought that Fly Girls was a good book. It was interesting, exciting and very hard to put down.The book is well researched, well written, and easy to read. It is not a history of women in aviation but the stories of five women who loved to fly and wanted to be taken seriously as pilots and show that they were just as capable as the men. It follows their attempts and eventual success to participate in the National Air Races and compete against the male pilots.
The Devil in the Marshalsea
by Antonia Hodgson
Devil in the Marshalsea (3/24/2014)
I was a little hesitant to read a book about an eighteenth century British prison, a subject I knew very little about, but once I started reading I began thoroughly enjoying the book and found it very hard to put down. It was well written, well researched and well edited in addition to being a fascinating mystery. Lovers of historical mysteries will really like this one.
Where Monsters Dwell
by Jørgen Brekke
An exciting and enjoyable read. (10/31/2013)
As an avid reader of Scandinavian mysteries, I looked forward to reading this book and found it to be an enjoyable read and hard to put down. The book switches from the sixteenth century to the present and back but the changes are well handled and were not at all confusing to me. Historically, the book has been well researched. The characters are interesting and well developed but a little too complex. Every one of them has a troubled past. The The American and Norwegian detectives obviously connect from their first meeting but the intensity of the relationship appears to increase too rapidly for the short time that they are together. Overall, I enjoyed the book and hope to see more from this author.
Once We Were Brothers
by Ronald H. Balson
Once We Were Brothers (8/11/2013)
I had high expectations when I started this book but soon became disappointed. I found myself becoming confused and irritated when the story was becoming intense and interesting and the lawyer would interrupt and ask the narrator if he would like a cup of tea. The actions of the survivors trying to escape from the Nazi's did not seem at all believable nor was someone in 1940 Nazi occupied Poland naming his horse Buttermilk after Dale Evan's horse on the Roy Rogers show.
The Lion in the Lei Shop
by Kaye Starbird
Lion in the Lei Shop (6/3/2013)
A very well written book. The author's use of an alternating narrative between the mother and her young daughter is an interesting way of showing how a young child's understanding and reaction to a life changing event, in this case the attack on Pearl Harbor, may be very different than an adult's . I enjoyed the book very much.
The Caretaker
by A .X. Ahmad
An exciting read. (4/25/2013)
I found this book to be an interesting and exciting read. The scenes set in Kashmir when the main character was an Indian Army officer leading a combat patrol were, to me, some of the best parts of the book. The rest of the book is an intriguing and suspenseful action thriller with well developed characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the book..
Children of the Jacaranda Tree
by Sahar Delijani
Wow! (3/1/2013)
Wow! That's the only word I could use to explain how I felt when I finished reading this book. It is a well written, thoughtful, and moving story that, for me, was very hard to put down. It is not a "cozy" read but a powerful narrative of the horror's and sadness that affect both children and adults who are caught up in a country's political unrest. I loved it.
The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War
by Daniel Stashower
Hour of Peril (12/10/2012)
A very interesting and well researched book about an important time in our nations history . However, it is a real slow starter. The beginning of the book was, for me, difficult to read because of all the quotes but It soon smooths out and becomes much more interesting. I almost gave up on it but am glad that I didn't.
The Woman at the Light: A Novel
by Joanna Brady
Nice story, interesting history. (6/22/2012)
I thought that this was a good book. It is well written and very well researched. Florida has a fascinating history and the author used it well in telling an entertaining and fascinating story.
Beneath the Shadows
by Sara Foster
An Enjoyable Read (5/7/2012)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and, despite sounding like a cliche, I quite literally couldn't put it down. The book is well written with a very suspenseful plot and has an interesting cast of intriguing characters. I was impressed that this was the author's debut novel and look forward to more from her.
Cloudland: A Crime Novel
by Joseph Olshan
OK but not Great. (3/5/2012)
While reading the first chapter I thought that I would really like this book but I found myself loosing my enthusiasm for it as I read further. I just couldn't get myself to like the characters. The plot was interesting but seemed to have too many twists that became more and more confusing. This would probably be a good airplane read.
No Mark Upon Her: A Novel
by Deborah Crombie
No Mark upon Her (1/21/2012)
This was the first of this series I had read and it certainly will not be the last. The complex plot, the description of the settings and the well thought out characters make this one of the better mysteries that I have read. The explanation of the rowing culture and the use of rescue dogs made it even more enjoyable. I'm ready for my next book in this series.
Low Town: A Novel
by Daniel Polansky
A Pretty good read. (5/31/2011)
I enjoyed the book and finished it rather quickly as it was hard to put down. It was entertaining and filled with action and suspense.The characters and the plot seemed to be very well thought out and very well described. There were a couple of times when things seemed not to fit in the story line or were dragged out to the point of being tiresome. But, overall a good book and fun to read.
The Trinity Six
by Charles Cumming
Exciting and well written thriller. (2/9/2011)
I really liked this book and had a very hard time putting it down. It is exciting, suspenseful, well written with a great plot and collection of interesting and well developed characters. It was an overall enjoyable read. This is the first of Charles Cumming's books that I have read but I do intend to read more of them.
A Lonely Death: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery
by Charles Todd
Another great read in a great series. (11/14/2010)
I have read and thoroughly enjoyed every book in this series and this one, the latest, did not disappoint me. The characters are very well developed, the plot well thought out, and the historical research obviously quite extensive. Like the others in the series, the book brings out the traumatic impact the war had not only on the members of the military, but their families and friends. I highly recommend this book and the entire series.
Your Republic Is Calling You
by Young-ha Kim
A Great Read, (7/17/2010)
This is a well written and interesting thriller. A sleeper agent receives the call he never thought was coming after 21 years and it effects his entire family. I enjoyed the book and was a little surprised by how much I didn't know about South Korea. I look forward to more by this author.
Losing My Cool: How a Father's Love and 15,000 Books Beat Hip-hop Culture
by Thomas Chatterton Williams
Good but not great. (3/29/2010)
This was an interesting book concerning the effect of hip hop on young African Americans. I was drawn to it by the 15,000 books in the subtitle. The author's father collected these books throughout his life in order to continue to educate himself and his children. The story of the author's being caught up in the hip hop culture and his eventual realization of what it had done to him were interesting but not that much different than other books I have read on the same subject. The main difference is the love and respect that he and his parents have for each other. It's worth reading once.
Beautiful Assassin: A Novel
by Michael C. White
Fascinating history and an enjoyable story. (2/24/2010)
When I first started this book I was a little bit skeptical but once the main character's narration began I was enthralled. The chapters describing the day to day life of a sniper in the Red Army in 1942 are fascinating. When the story moves to the US the book becomes an enjoyable historical thriller. I really enjoyed it.
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