The Investigation by Jung-Myung Lee Mantle/Macmillan, £16.99 (about $26.00) 325 pages, ISBN 978-0-230-76871-0 Mention “World War II Prison Stories” in any group and the resulting discussion will invariably focus around one of three classic and much admired movies: Stalag 17, The Great Escape, and The Bridge on the River Kwai. But, if you’re willing to do more than sit on the couch with a dazed look and the TV
The Son by Jo Nesbo Alfred A. Knopf, $25.95, 402 pages, ISBN 978-0-385-35137-9 There’s only two types of crime fiction and hard-boiled detective story readers . . . those who are Jo Nesbo fans . . . and those who will be Jo Nesbo fans as soon as they read one of his kick-ass novels. Nesbo is the international best-selling author from Norway who first blazed onto the scene
The Ways of the Dead by Neely Tucker Viking Penguin, $27.95, 272 pages, ISBN 978-0-670-01658-7 It’s a fact that cities around the world have two faces. The first face is the Chamber of Commerce one; that’s where we see beautiful monuments and buildings, parks and well maintained streets with trees and greenery, stately homes and scenic vistas which tempt us to visit . . . or perhaps even move
The Cairo Affair by Olen Steinhauer Minotaur Books, $26.99, 408 pages, ISBN 978-1-250-03613-1 The Middle East and North Africa has been the focus of the world’s attention since the beginning of the Arab Spring in 2010, and now, the Syrian War has bled over into neighboring countries and spawned one of the most savage, retrograde and degenerate groups of terrorists to ever come along. It’s name is ISIS and
Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke Simon & Shuster, $27.99, 434 pages, ISBN 978-1-4767-1079-2 It’s hard, in this time of generally gracious living, to imagine the privation, fear and destitution that characterized the Great Depression of the 1930s, but the opening chapters of Wayfaring Stranger, by James Lee Burke manages to do it in a near-perfect manner that sets the stage for the rest of the novel in an
The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh Spiegel & Grau, $26.00, 306 pages, ISBN 978-0-8129-9520-6 The state of Missouri has long held an exalted place in American Literature, giving us such memorable fictional characters as Tom and Huck, and living legends like Frank and Jesse James. It’s an area that’s rich in lore and atmosphere, has enough history for several states and it’s known as the gateway to the
Natchez Burning by Greg Iles Wm Morrow/Harper Collins, $27.99, 791 pages, ISBN 978-0-0-231107-8 The nineteen-sixties was the decade that came close to ripping the fabric of society of the United States of America into small pieces and tossing them to the four winds. It was a time of unrest, when ages-old values were questioned, ages-old wrongs were held to light, fought over and started to be corrected by brave
The Convictions of John Delahunt by Andrew Hughes Doubleday Ireland, £14.99-(about $25.00), 349 pages, ISBN 978-1-8162-014-4 This week’s MBR is going to be something out of the ordinary. Those who choose to read it will likely have to use a little extra effort to get their hands on a copy, but the results are worth it. The Convictions of John Delahunt, by Andrew Hughes is a gothic tale of
The Poor Boy's Game by Dennis Tafoya Minotaur Books, $25.99, 322 pages, ISBN 978-1-250-01953-0 Philadelphia, one of the oldest cities in America, has been the background for innumerable dramas from the Continental Congress to the signing of the Declaration of Independence to who-knows-how-many Rocky movies. It's the fourth largest city in the United States, a one-time capitol of the U.S. as well as a cultural and financial center. A
The Lie by Hesh Kestin Scribner, $24.00, 229 pages, ISBN 978-1-4767-4009-6 There's times when a novel comes along that is so meaningful, so packed with lessons for living, and yes, so moral in tone, that I wish everyone in the world would read it and draw their own conclusions about it. This week's MBR number 164 is such a one. I can only hope that with your help, this