Reviews by Jeff M. (Morris Plains, NJ)

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The Women with Silver Wings
The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II
by Katherine Sharp Landdeck
The Women with Silver Wings (1/1/2020)
"The Women with Silver Wings" is another story in the growing genre of books describing the often little known or little recognized contributions women have made in times of war or as a part of major initiatives, like the space program. Debut author, Katherine Sharp …more
The Sun Down Motel
The Sun Down Motel
by Simone St. James
The Sun Down Motel (11/2/2019)
An interesting mystery with a supernatural element included. With chapters alternating between 1982 and 2017, the story revolves around The Sun Down Motel (definitely not a AAA rated facility!) as Carly seeks to find out what happened to her aunt, who disappeared from the …more
D-Day Girls
D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II
by Sarah Rose
A well-researched story (3/6/2019)
A very well-researched book by Sarah Rose about the women agents the British government sent to France (and to other European countries) during World War II to help setup, work with and support local Resistance groups and send vital information on the enemy back to Britain. …more
The Chalk Man
The Chalk Man
by C. J. Tudor
The Chalk Man (12/3/2017)
Alternating between 1986 and 2016, secrets and unintended consequences abound in this very well written first novel by CJ Tudor. Particularly notable is her ability to get into the minds of what twelve year olds are thinking (circa 1986) and her poignant descriptions of the …more
Home Sweet Home
Home Sweet Home
by April Smith
Home Sweet Home (12/14/2016)
"Home Sweet Home" begins as if it is going to be a murder mystery as the story moves back and forth from the 1950s to a hospital in 1985. In the end, the mystery as to who brutally attacked Jo's brother and his family. is just a resulting outcome of the entire saga of the …more
Caught in the Revolution
Caught in the Revolution: Petrograd, Russia, 1917 - A World on the Edge
by Helen Rappaport
Caught in The Revolution -- You Are There (10/21/2016)
Author Helen Rappaport has done a prodigious amount of research on the start of the Russian Revolution in Petrograd (later called Leningrad) in 1917. She has culled through letters, diaries and other documents of more than 80 foreign eyewitnesses and has over 60 pages of …more
Since She Went Away
Since She Went Away
by David Bell
Since She Went Away (6/12/2016)
While the plot for "Since She Went Away" held promise, I had to struggle to finish the novel. I found the first half of the book to be very slow moving and repetitious. There was much too much wordy introspective – I got the point (over and over) that Jenna felt responsible …more
The Midnight Watch
The Midnight Watch: A Novel of the Titanic and the Californian
by David Dyer
The Midnight Watch (2/15/2016)
The fascination with the sinking of the Titanic has continued for over 100 years, including the mystery of the steamer, the SS Californian and what it observed and what it did or did not do on the night of the sinking. That debate has raged on even into the 1990s where …more
Far From True
Far From True: A Promise Falls Novel
by Linwood Barclay
Far From True (11/28/2015)
For a small (fictious) town in upstate New York, Promise Falls has quite a number of bad things going on. This is the second novel in a planned trilogy (started with "Broken Promise") by Barclay. While I had read a number of his stand-alone thrillers in the past, not having …more
The War Reporter
The War Reporter
by Martin Fletcher
The War Reporter (8/10/2015)
Martin Fletcher, as a long-time correspondent for NBC News, understands what it is like to be a war reporter. He delves deeply into the mind of the major character, Tom Layne, as Tom tries to obtain THE story. Fletcher's descriptions of war-torn Sarajevo and the aftermath, …more
All the Old Knives
All the Old Knives
by Olen Steinhauer
All the Old Knives (12/1/2014)
"All the Old Knives" by Olen Steinhauer is a very quick read. Steinhauer is a master of character development and the spy/agent genre. I enjoyed this novel much more than his last book, "The Cairo Affair". In "All the Old Knives" there are fewer characters and the storyline …more
The Cairo Affair
The Cairo Affair
by Olen Steinhauer
The Cairo Affair (12/17/2013)
I had read Olen Steinhauer's "The Tourist" which I enjoyed and so was interested in his latest novel. Overall, I thought the story was good. With most of the action taking place in Cairo right after the Arab Spring, it made the backdrop very current in scope. With the story …more
Once We Were Brothers
Once We Were Brothers
by Ronald H. Balson
Once We Were Brothers (8/8/2013)
A very powerful story and one of the best books that I've read recently. It depicts the lives of people in Poland before WWII in such a tender and sincere way. You feel as though you are part of their experiences and the morbidity of the situation isn't spelled out in a …more
How the Light Gets In
How the Light Gets In: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, #9
by Louise Penny
How the Light Gets In (7/12/2013)
Unlike most of the other reviewers, this is the first Louise Penny novel that I have read. Not that I haven't known about her Inspector Gamache series, but her books just had not made my reading list. So, I took the opportunity with "How The Light Gets In". I will say that …more
The Imposter Bride
The Imposter Bride
by Nancy Richler
The Imposter Bride (12/6/2012)
A mother's instinct is to protect their child, not abandon them abruptly without a reason. The mystery behind this disappearance is the heart of the story and the driver in reading the book. You feel compelled to learn as much as possible about this mother from other …more
Live by Night
Live by Night
by Dennis Lehane
Live By Night - An Absolutely Geat Read! (7/23/2012)
Let me say right at the outset, that Dennis Lehane's "Live by Nght" is one of the best books that I've read recently (and I read a good deal). The story will grab you right from the opening paragraph and will not let go until you finish. Lehane's writing transports you back …more
15 Seconds
15 Seconds
by Andrew Gross
An Exciting Thriller (5/20/2012)
Andrew Gross keeps getting better. After co-authoring 5 novels with James Patterson, this is his fifth novel as a solo writer and it’s a real page turner. Two fathers (one very successful, one deeply troubled) will do anything for their respective daughters and their lives …more
A Land More Kind Than Home
A Land More Kind Than Home: A Novel
by Wiley Cash
Excellent First Novel (3/13/2012)
For Wiley Cash's first novel to be compared to author John Hart is quite a compliment. Cash's descriptions of western North Carolina and his character development compare very favorably to Hart. On the surface, you would think that the story, being narrated by the three …more
Arcadia
Arcadia: A Novel
by Lauren Groff
Arcadia (12/8/2011)
This book has received very positive pre-publication reviews (e.g., Publishers Weekly) and the subject (60s, etc.) was appealing to me. However, despite really trying, I personally couldn't get into the story nor did the characters particularly interest me. It was a tough …more
Defending Jacob
Defending Jacob: A Novel
by William Landay
Defending Jacob (10/18/2011)
A good legal thriller and very hard to put down, once you get involved in the story. Situation is a family and parent nightmare. There are parts of the story line that readers will see coming and not necessarily surprise them, but I found the last 20 pages to be an …more
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