Reviews by Mary D. (Claremont, CA)

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The Drowning Guard
The Drowning Guard: A Novel of the Ottoman Empire
by Linda Lafferty
The Drowning Guard (8/29/2013)
This book grabbed my attention right from the start, and held on to it! I was sorry when I was finished. There was plenty of history, Istanbul in 1826, a time period when Jews and Muslims actually got along and "had each other's backs" when defending against the Christians!! …more
The Sisterhood
The Sisterhood
by Helen Bryan
The Sisterhood (5/18/2013)
Unlike the last book I reviewed, this one definitely lived up to my expectations ... some good art history and some wonderful history into the time of the Inquisition in Spain and in the New World, all told from the perspective of nuns and common women. There is a "mystery" …more
A Nearly Perfect Copy
A Nearly Perfect Copy
by Allison Amend
A Nearly Perfect Copy (4/2/2013)
While I did enjoy this book, there were several aspects of disappointment. If you are looking for a book that delves into the world of forged paintings, intrigue and art history, this is not the book. If you are looking for a book that deals with the choices to be made in …more
The Voluntourist
The Voluntourist: A Six-Country Tale of Love, Loss, Fatherhood, Fate, and Singing Bon Jovi in Bethlehem
by Ken Budd
The Voluntourist (5/1/2012)
I'm having a bit of trouble finding words to review this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the vignettes, the tales of the people and places Ken Budd told. However, there was always an underlying bit of self-centeredness, brought on by the death of his father and his realization …more
A Good American
A Good American: A Novel
by Alex George
A Good American (1/8/2012)
A Good American by Alex George was a "good read." It grabbed and held my attention from the very beginning. I felt that the characters were very well drawn, the family story lines were very well developed and consistent; everything was entirely believable, starting with the …more
The Dressmaker
The Dressmaker: A Novel
by Kate Alcott
The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott (10/26/2011)
There has always been a fascination and mystique surrounding the sinking of the Titanic. So many different elements: the "arrogance" of the shipping company in calling the ship Unsinkable, the class distinctions, the chivalry, especially in the first and second class …more
The Borgia Betrayal
The Borgia Betrayal: A Poisoner Mystery Novel
by Sara Poole
The Borgia Betrayal (7/3/2011)
Excellent book! The storyline was intriguing and it drew you in right away. Even though I had not read the first book in this series, Poison, there was enough background information given so this book stands alone easily. (I did buy a copy of Poison and am reading it now.) …more
The Tudor Secret
The Tudor Secret: The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles
by C. W. Gortner
The Tudor Secret (4/4/2011)
A fast-paced look at Tudor England, after the death of Henry VIII. Very detailed in descriptions of the court, relationships, intrigue among people that are trying to hide the impending death of Edward VI. A good read for anyone interested in this period of English history, …more
Agent X
Agent X: A Novel
by Noah Boyd
Agent X (12/10/2010)
A very exciting read, always fast-paced and moving. The protagonists are complicated people but very likable. What I particularly enjoy with these characters is that the friendships ring true, the personal commitments are honored and the sense of right vs. wrong is strong. …more

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Death Echo (6/19/2010)
Essentially, for me - a hard-core suspense/thriller/espionage reader - this book leaned more towards a suspense-chick lit book. There was a bit too much focus on the sexual tension between the protagonists and not quite enough on the global espionage aspects, where there …more
Beautiful Assassin
Beautiful Assassin: A Novel
by Michael C. White
Beautiful Assassin (3/8/2010)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! There were plenty of dark parts; a book about war and soldiers cannot help but have many dark and sad spots. But this was particularly interesting because it is written from the point of view of a former Soviet female sniper, a point of view …more
The Book of Illumination
The Book of Illumination: A Novel from the Ghost Files
by Mary Ann Winkowski
The Book of Illumination (10/23/2009)
While I did enjoy reading The Book of Illumination, I was disappointed in two things: 1) there certainly was not the amount of ghostly interaction that I was anticipating; 2) I was hoping for more historical background concerning old books and book restoration. The latter …more
The Secret Keeper
The Secret Keeper
by Paul Harris
The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris (3/24/2009)
The Secret Keeper was written by Paul Harris, who was, in fact, a correspondent in Africa for four years, and knows his subject well. While it contains many of the essentials necessary to a good spy/espionage genre, there is also a lot of factual background information. …more
Killer Heat
Killer Heat
by Linda Fairstein
Kept me completely immersed (3/26/2008)
Once again, Linda Fairstein has kept me completely immersed in her newest book, Killer Heat, featuring Alex Cooper and her “partners” Mike and Mercer. This time they are on the trail of a sadistic rapist/torturer/murderer who uses the islands of New York as his dumping …more
The Book Thief
The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
The Book Thief (9/20/2007)
I have just finished reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. At first, I was a bit put off by the format...everything was in very short sections, but as I continued, the sections lengthened and I was thoroughly caught up in the story line.

Having Death as the narrator …more
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